There was not much to do at base camp. Beth found that out while waiting to go back to town. She did not care to run out into the swamp and attack random animals to drag them back to the inn. It left a terrible taste in her mouth to beat a person or and animal senseless, even if it was for her own good. But she knew that she had to do something to contribute to the cause. Otherwise, what use was she?
She didn't volunteer to guard the "rescued" animals, so much as she came up to where they were being kept and the current person on duty thanked her for the relief and left her. She wasn't sure how long the shifts were, but she did think they were in pairs. She wandered around the pen, watching the animals sadly. How much did they remember? How much of their selves did they retain.
As she looked up, she saw her guard partner and her chest tightened a bit. She recognized that fluffy hair. Well, no time like the present to attempt to mend that bridge. She quietly sidled up to him, and said, "Nice day for a morning, don't you think?" Maybe if she was very nice to him, he wouldn't be so on edge.
and be blue
Character Name:Beth Almasy Brief description of character: A sweet but skittish beauty who's lived in the lap of luxury her whole life, Beth doesn't quite know what she's doing. She's always willing to support and cheer on her friends, mostly so she doesn't actually have to lift a finger. Weapon: Whip (agile ranged) HP: 47/47 Deity: Hera WC: 217
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 1:33 pm
A fast metabolism meant that much of Asher's life was spent hungry, even when he did eat every few hours -- so now, being afraid to consume anything that they could get their hands on, having not eaten since that ill-fated stew, he was all the hungrier and all the grumpier. He wanted a soda, and an entire box of oreos.
Real sugar, Not this laid on thick let's-be-friends bullshit.
Beth saw it was him and fell into dread; his reaction was about the same. It drove a breath of a sigh out of him, made him wobble on a precipice for a moment --
And then, with a thin veneer of a smile pulled over his annoyance, he replied, "Gee, golly, yes, let's all hold hands."
Beth heard the strain in Asher's voice and it took everything in her not to hunch under the weight of his words. Despite her fear, she knew she had to step around it. She wondered if he had opinions on their situation. No doubt he did, and not all of them were polite. She had offended him, and that meant she needed to do the necessary work to repair the possible bridge between them, even if she suffered his sarcasm.
He seemed to be willing to play the game, though. "Well, if you'd like, I guess we can do that. I'm just as willing to have a conversation over these poor ani--people." She could not think of them as animals; if she did, it was like admitting they could not be saved.
and be blue
WC: 133, Total: 350
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 4:59 pm
Asher shot the animals a look -- brief, his eyes narrowing and the smile flicking out -- and folded his arms across his chest. He didn't seem as concerned as her, or maybe he just lacked the focus. There was nothing he could do about it, which meant that he wasn't going to worry about it. Old instincts lingering.
Still, the words made him consider, just a little.
"Goodness me, you want to get a deck of cards? Maybe we could all play gin rummy." The tone was still aggressively cheerful, false.
Beth tilted her head, considering his words and his actions. He was not someone who shared, well, much of anything. Was his arm fold a show of insecurity or defensiveness? Sometimes she could be very dull about these sorts of matters. The only way she knew how to respond was to the very surface of his words.
It was a balancing act, but most interaction was. She was determined to right his estimation of her. Even if he was just as determined to be vexing.
"Is that what you'd like to do? Play a card game? I'd prefer talking." She was being overly cautious, but it was almost like the transformed Chosen. One could not simply bash them over the head to save them.
and be blue
WC: 124, Total: 474
Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 3:00 pm
"Are you for real?" It came out legitimately stunned; not quite able to believe that anyone was really like this. He turned to face her properly, leaning up against the makeshift pen containing the poor turned Chosen. His arms were still folded, but at least he was looking at her, eyebrows just twitching down slightly in the middle of his forehead.
"Like. Is this for real, or is this just some kind of game you play?" He shook his head, just slightly.
Beth's eyelashes fluttered as she blinked a few times at Asher's sudden change in mood. Of course she should have known that he was being just as falsely upbeat as she was. She had been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But now he decided to question her.
And Beth had no idea what to say.
She stammered a bit, trying to figure out what he wanted to hear, what she should tell him. Talking to him wasn't like talking to Misha or Sylvia or Brian. Did she even know the answer to what he asked?
Finally, she just answered his question with a question, "Is what for real? I don't mean to sound...rude, but I don't know what you mean." She could guess. Likely something in the way she always took a bright tone with everyone or made herself a conciliatory as possible. But it was always better to have someone else lay out what they meant rather than make assumptions about their thoughts. She assumptions were dangerous here, with someone who wasn't her biggest fan.
and be blue
WC: 180, Total: 654
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 7:52 pm
A beat, and then Asher took another tactic -- unfolding his arms to gesture at her vaguely.
"Are you an idiot, or are you full of s**t?" It was blunt, direct, and [for the moment at least] unapologetic. As far as he was concerned, those were the only possibilities for why someone would blink doe-eyes at everyone and sweetly try to be their friends. He shook his head, impatiently, soft curls falling into his face.
Beth stiffened, taking an instinctive step back. 'Ask a stupid question, Beth.' Her hand started trembling, but she curled it into a fist in the fabric of her skirt. She always hated how upset she got at any sort of confrontation.
"I..." She started but lost her words half way through. She had no idea how to answer that. His words stung and it sent her mind into frenzy mode. She had spent so long making sure no one was angry with her that she didn't know how to respond to someone who seemed upset by her very being.
After struggling for words, she merely shrugged. "I like people. I like people to like me. I think we Chosen can only survive if we work together and trust each other. I don't see why that has to be 'brain damage' or a game."
She looked away from Asher. Were her eyes already swimming with tears? She swallowed, trying to keep calm and let the tide recede. Nodding at everything he had to say probably wouldn't improve his opinion of her.
and be blue
WC: 180, Total: 834
Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2016 4:13 pm
"If you're not real, though, then people aren't liking you anyway." Asher shook his head, impatient and annoyed, and looked aside to the animals -- right into the eyes of a stern-faced sloth who seemed to be following their conversation with a sense of consternation. It made him huff out a sigh, rolling his eyes just slightly.
"It's a mask, it's a game. It's putting a lie forward, being that sugary all the time. No one likes you because no one knows you." It was blunt, and meaner than needed. That was Asher.
There were several ways that Beth wanted to reply, but they all seemed to devolve into petulantly crying 'Why are you so mean?!' So she didn't.
Beth shifted her weight from one foot to the other, messing with the hem of her sleeve, trying to get her tear ducts under control. "It's not a mask. I'm just not as naturally acerbic as some." She managed to clip the 'like you' from her speech before her lips formed the words. "And people like the real me just fine. I'm an open book," she insisted.
But she did worry. She worried all the time about how she was perceived, if she was being Too Much or Not Enough. And maybe it affected the way she acted and modified her behavior, assessing and adjusting so much that it wasn't, strictly speaking, an accurate communication of her thoughts. No one needed to know exactly what ran through her mind at any moment.
She wouldn't tell Asher that, though.
and be blue
WC: 164, Total: 988
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 4:27 pm
"I don't believe you." He shot another look to the beasts as he said it, refusing to be judged by someone who couldn't even speak, tipping his chin up just a little in challenge. His eyes resettled onto Beth,and it seemed like he was being totally honest. Sometimes it was easier to be mean than to be nice. Harsh truths read clearer than the kind ones.
"It's exhausting. Doesn't it feel like you're on eggshells all the time?" He settled back against the cage. "Like if you step wrong you'll fall over? Just get off that path and onto your own."
Beth frowned. Sure, it was exhausting; it consumed the majority of her thoughts. Most people were relieved when people were nice to them. Asher seemed to regard it as a sign of deception.
She didn't always want to be this way. Sometimes, it would be better if she spoke her mind or let things roll off her back. But being nice and sugar sweet was what she knew and even if she should step away from that, who said she even could?
Beth ran her hand through her hair, leg jiggling with energy. "You say it like it's easy or even preferable. If I have to choose between being cruel but alone or sweet and surrounded by people who love me, why on earth would I choose the first? Would you say that not being nice has improved your circumstances? Would you call yourself immensely happy?" She couldn't help but compare the two of them; it seemed like he was doing the same.
If she had learned nothing else from her parents, she knew that people played games all of the time. Why did that have to mean they didn't have her best interests at heart?
and be blue
WC: 196, Total: 1184
Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 6:18 pm
"Sure." He raised his eyebrows slowly -- and, as he did, something in his expression relaxed a little, the frustration and anger taking the backseat for a moment. He shoved his hands into his pockets, slouching just a little as he looked her over. The fabric of his pants bounced a little as he tapped fingers against his thigh.
"I do just fine. Put myself forward to get the things I want. What about you?"
Not the reply she was entirely wanting or expecting. But he put his hands in his pockets, sheepish, perhaps? Or just defensive? Beth knew she couldn't interact with him just with what he presented on the surface. It was part of his...charm.
She stiffened under his scrutiny, turning her head to stare at the animals so as to avoid meeting his gaze. To them, she said with a frankness she did not feel, "What I want has a way of coming to me in the end." She wasn't very good at the game of playing more detached than a partner, but she liked to think she acquitted herself adequately. So long as she didn't burst into tears.
