smashrising | Expedition Open Log!

Who: Gordon, everyone who signed up on the board, everyone who DIDN'T sign up too. Feel free to tag around.
What: Going out to locate and procure supplies.
Where: Anywhere on the island. (Major locations in comments below.)
When: The morning after the post on the message board.

"Alright guys, we're headed southward from the mansion. I heard there was a lake around that area; it might mirror the one near the school. From there, if we haven't burned too much daylight, we'll follow the edge of the island--not TOO close, obviously--and see what we can find. We better pair up for safety, and because I only have so many of these."

He produces a handful of... what look like ping-pong balls going through an awkward metal-head phase, each with an antennae attached.

"I made these transmitters, one for each of you that signed up. They don't transmit any sound, but they will tell us how far apart we are from each other. That way it'll be considerably harder to lose one another out there. If you get lost, just follow the signal, and you'll find someone. I also took a few hours and wrote a crude program to map out the island using a relay from my tablet back to the mansion. It's not foolproof, but it'll be better than nothing."

"Everyone ready? Alright, let's go."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh crap. "Ah, I didn't mean it like that." He adds. "I didn't even notice your height! Well alright, I DID notice the other night, it was kind of hard not to when we were so close, but that was only because I liked it."

He finally takes a bite, if only to shut himself up. Then he starts to think about what he just said, and does that small nod that people do when they realize something about themselves.

"...I liked it. Being with you like that. Even beyond the hypnosis, I realize that I liked it, and I like YOU, and I really don't want to never do that again. That's... basically what I wanted to say in the first place."

Shantae was given pause, and her indignation vanished almost as quickly as it began. It helped that his confession both did and didn't surprise her. She'd felt it herself. The way they both loved spending time around each other, and how comfortable they'd been getting. The way he kissed her, even before the hypnosis happened, even if he didn't intend to. And even during the hypnosis, it almost felt like it was something she was just realizing she wanted, more than being forced to feel that way about him...

Shantae took hold of her ponytail, twirling the tip with her finger. She bit her lip, a nervous habit of hers. She nibbled when she was nervous. She knew how she felt, but putting it into words was something that made her nervous. What would it mean if she did? She liked things the way they were. And truthfully, she'd never had a ton of luck dating before. She'd gone on one date with Bolo before, and that ended about as well as one would expect. That was the grand total of her dating experience. What if things didn't work out this time? She and Bolo were still best friends, but what about Gordon?

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it either," she said. "And I really like you too. That night was... so amazing. I don't think I've ever felt that comfortable around anyone before, even if we weren't exactly in our right minds. And I wouldn't mind if we ended up doing it all again... I'm just kinda... nervous, you know? I've never had a real relationship like that before."

"You're not the only one."

The last woman he was in a relationship with, went home to DIE rather than stay with him. Sure there were other factors; consciously he knows this, but in the end he keeps coming back to that statement. Alyx is lost in the labyrinth of spacetime as well, folded into and smothered by its infinite permutations, and he long ago realized he'd probably never see her again. Both were taken away in a way due to things beyond his control, but he was still part of the system that caused them.

Will Shantae be taken away too? Christ, that's a terrifying thought. If that was going to happen, he'd rather be able to speak to her and just never touch her again. But he's thinking in unreasonable boolean terms and he knows it. Causality is much more messy than that.

"It's alright. I'm not asking for forever, and I wouldn't take it any farther than you want. I just... want to see what happens if we try. Call it an experiment."

Shantae couldn't help but laugh quietly at his suggestion. "You and your experiments," she joked, shaking her head. She looked up into his eyes, and saw for that moment the fear and uncertainty in them. He was as nervous about it as she was. Probably for different reasons, but the result was the same. They could go at their own pace... They could just see what happened and where it went. There was no pressure in it.

What did she have to lose?

Her smile slowly returned. "...Well, I guess you're lucky I have fun being your unofficial lab assistant, huh?" She offered her hand out to him. "It's a deal."

He takes her hand long enough to shake, his smile spreading.

"Deal. Hmn, c'mere."

Then he tugs her to him. Sure, he's wearing a suit of carbon fiber armor and can't feel a damn thing, but whatever. He can still kiss her.

Shantae found herself pulled up against him quickly, and after letting out a surprised sound, she smiled broadly and blushed. "Guess we SHOULD make it official..."

And she tilted her head up to kiss him softly.

Expedition Open Log!

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