[Amanda] Skipped Time (Day 10): Surf's Up! (open tag)

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

George was splashing around in the surf with Carlos. Again.



Amanda watched them with ill-concealed jealousy. Rose glanced at her, pausing in her preparation of fish stew for today's lunch. "Why do you do this to yourself, girl?" she asked. "There's lot of attractive men around here."

Amanda didn't bother to answer. She just continued chopping up fruit with more force than was strictly necessary. She looked up again. Carlos was teaching George to body surf. Amanda laughed mirthlessly as George tumbled head over heels and disappeared in a breaker.

They'd gone for a swim every day before lunch for the last three days. It was always the same. They spent all morning together, either playing grab ass while pretending to teach George to fight or disappearing into the jungle. Supposedly they were foraging or setting and checking snares, but Amanda knew they were screwing around out there.

Then they'd come back grinning like idiots, usually with something in hand to justify their disappearance. They'd go swimming (more grab ass), eat lunch, and then they'd disappear again for a siesta. Amanda snorted. ("Siesta" my cute little ass!)

"Why're they out there playing in the ocean while I'm stuck here," Amanda muttered. She was talking to herself, but Rose answered anyhow--apparently she found it impossible not to stick her nose into everyone else's business.

"They've been doing their share since the first day here," Rose said. "Or since Carlos joined us, in his case. If they want to take some time to relax, they've earned it." Her voice hardened. "Your friend Shannon has spent a lot more time relaxing with a lot less justification, if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you," Amanda snapped.

"No, I guess you didn't," Rose said with aggravating calm.

Amanda snuck a glance at Rose. She continued to methodically prepare the fish. "I just...don't understand what he sees in Toilet Seat Girl," Amanda said.

Rose paused, knife upraised. She looked at Amanda in surprise. "What?"

Amanda feigned surprise. "Oh, didn't you know? George claims to have been killed by a falling toilet seat. Now she's undead or something and she sees dead people, like that kid in The Sixth Sense. Or so she says. Just goes to show far some people will go for attention, I guess."

Rose blinked and glanced out at George, who was sputtering and wiping her face, hip deep in the surf. Amanda worked hard to control the spiteful smile she felt. She was taking great joy in spreading the story since she'd heard it this morning. Rose shook her head sadly, and Amanda smiled faintly.

"You're a pretty girl, Amanda," Rose said. "But you'd be a lot prettier if your insides matched your outsides."



OOC: I've created an icon for Amanda. Feel free to steal it.

Comments

[George] Surf Games (tag Carlos, open)

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

"...do something incredibly dirty to you--" Carlos said, suiting action to words. George sucked in a ragged breath and lost track of what Carlos was saying for a moment. "W-what about Rose?" she asked.

Carlos just grinned happily. "Never mind," he said. "Wasn't important."

"Oh--okay," George said. She grabbed Carlos' face in both hands and pulled him down for a long kiss full of promises, at least until a sneaker wave splashed over them. George got a faceful of seawater. She struggled upright, coughing up seawater.

"Making Rose's head explode would be rude," George said when she could talk again, now that she'd had a moment to work out what he'd said. She gave Carlos an evil smile only slightly marred by a final cough. "Even if it would be fun to make Amanda grind her teeth so loud we could hear it from here."

"It would, indeed," Carlos said. "And much as I'd love to do just that, it's about time to go in."

"Yeah..." George said reluctantly. She'd taken a real liking to swimming in the ocean. Mostly because of the company, but seawater warm enough to play in was an enjoyable novelty for a dead girl from the Pacific Northwest. Then she smiled lecherously. "But soon: siesta time!"

[Carlos] Surf Games (tag George, open)

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Carlos sputtered a little and laughed as the wave washed over them, then coughed. "Woops. Sorry. Went a little far out." He wrapped his arms around her and started moving back in slowly.

"Truth is, I'd happily stand here making you squirm while she couldn't do a thing but watch," he murmured, kissing the tops of her breasts as they floated. "But I'm not that exhibitionistic, and having her even watch is a turn-off." He lowered his head and caught one of her nipples between his lips through the fabric of her swimsuit for a second. "Relatively, anyway. With you around, I am not sure how I'm getting out of the water without embarrassing myself...huh. Wait."

He closed his eyes. /Zombies. Zombies zombies zombies z--yeah, that's so much more effective than thinking of dead kittens./

Wry grin. "OK, never mind."

He had made enough mats now to give their shelter proper walls and a floor, and had actually gotten pretty good at it. They could break the mess down to cover the floor and screen the entrance when they moved to the caves, but for now it was even pretty good at shedding rain. And of course, it provided a modicum of privacy.

Only three days, and Carlos was pretty well up to admitting that he was smitten. George would have made a great friend and partner in a lot of things even if they weren't jumping each other's bones at every opportunity. Which they were--and God, what a wonderful luxury in the middle of life-or-death circumstances. She was so...reactive, and curious, and fun, and seemed happy to have him making up for lost time with all her neglected nerve endings. Carlos, for his part, was acutely aware that they might not survive this, and he really liked her, and of course, he really liked sex. The combination had him feeling like going half a day without a taste of her was too long.

Back at the shelter, he dragged out the "futon" he was working on and went back to stuffing it with raffia. It was simply two mats sewn together at the edges, with one end loose and folded over so the plant fibers stuffed inside could be replaced.

"Almost done?" George asked.

"Think it's nearly ready for a test drive, yeah." He winked at her, a gleam of hunger in his black eyes.

[George] Surf Games (tag George, open)

[sinanju.livejournal.com]

"Yay," George said quietly, but with a matching gleam in her own eyes.

She was excited to try out the futon, though frankly she'd be excited under almost any circumstances as long as Carlos was involved. To say that the last three days had been educational would be a colossal understatement. Her previous experience of sex hadn't begun to prepare her for what Carlos had done to her, for her, with her. And all the practice they'd gotten meant that it just kept getting better! If the futon worked out, they'd be making extensive use of it.

There would also be plenty of conversations in the dark on that futon. George enjoyed those almost as much as the sex. Carlos wasn't like anyone else she'd ever met and he fascinated her. He was full of surprises and often serious but occasionally goofy. He'd accepted her completely, almost unfazed by her bizarre life story, and seemed intent on spoiling her completely.

They'd spent almost no time apart since they'd become lovers. George liked that. She already found it hard to imagine not having him around.

"So, can I do anything to speed this along? I'm looking forward to taking it for a spin."

[Carlos] Odd portent (tag George, open)

[undead-shot.livejournal.com]

Carlos chuckled a little. "Just help me get these shreddings in. Hangon, I have to go dig for my multi-tool to help sew it shut." He reached for his bag behind them, and fished his hand inside. "It was right h--ow!"

He snatched his hand back, blinking. One of his fingers had a bright drop of blood on it. "What--did I leave one of the knives out?"

He reached into the bag and came out with a little iron cauldron full of model tools made, as well, of iron. Hammer, toy rifle, length of broken chain...and machete, with its little point dipped in blood.

"Damn, forgot this was in here." He flexed his hand and took the cauldron out, setting it where George could get a look.

"What is it?"

"It's dedicated to Ogun, patron of soldiers. Carmen gave it to me. Said it was for protection.

"Huh," he said, after staring at it for a minute, and then kissed her and went back to work. "Maybe we can stick it near the cave entrance or something. That's traditional."

[George] Odd portent (tag Carlos, open)

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George picked up the tiny cauldron and its array of tools. She toyed with it for a minute, then put it down again. She watched Carlos work on the futon for another minute, then surveyed the beach.

Rose and Ami were near the cookfire, working on lunch. Ripley and Faith were holding an animated conversation of some kind. Ami's body language suggested that if George were close enough she might see her blushing. Now Ripley was waving around a snakeskin triumphantly.

Farther down the beach Charlie and Harry were involved in a fistfight, rolling around in the sand. Blaise and Locke were rushing in to break it up while Mara and Tommy held a conversation not far away, seemingly oblivious to it. (Or maybe they're just ignoring it,) George thought.

The other survivors were scattered about, some working at various chores, some idle. George was surprised--pleasantly so--to notice that Amanda was nowhere in sight. (Thank God,) George thought. Her obsessive attention was becoming a real pain in the ass. George didn't feel lucky enough to hope that she'd given up her obsession, but she was grateful for the respite.

George glanced briefly at Carlos, busy with the futon. She thought about her conversation with Clarice. She looked at him again, realizing that she was feeling a little nervous around him for the first time since...ever. She toyed with the cauldron again, thinking about what she wanted to ask. Her question was the cause of her anxiety.

"So..." she said, getting his attention. "Teach me some Portugese. How do I say, 'welcome home'?"

[Carlos] Odd portent (tag George, open)

[undead-shot.livejournal.com]

Carlos hadn't caught sight of Amanda staring at him for ten whole minutes. What a relief. The beach was starting to feel kind of oppressive with her around--to the point where the idea of a nice, private little cave was getting more and more tempting. /Maybe build a goddamned front wall on it with a door and a latch./

"'Bem-vindo'," Carlos said a little distractedly as he worked. "Though that's more a general 'welcome' that gets used a lot."

George was fidgety suddenly. He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. "Hey, what is it?" he asked gently.

[George] Odd portent (tag Carlos, open)

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Clearly she was overthinking this. Carlos had answered her without any questions or curious looks. Whatever weight she'd given to her question was all in her own head, apparently. George toyed with the tiny cauldron again and tried to relax.

Ironically, her efforts to distract herself were what caught his attention. Carlos paused in his labors and turned to study her for moment. "Hey, what is it?" he asked.

(What do I say now?) George wondered. She gave him a faint smile. The truth has worked well enough so far. "Uhm, I was just thinking about talking to Clarice the other night. She said it sounded like I'd need to learn Portugese. You know," George added, wondering if she looked as nervous as she felt, "if I was gonna...live in Rio."

[Carlos] Odd portent (tag George, open)

[undead-shot.livejournal.com]

/...oh./ "Oh! Oh yeah, that. I guess I forgot to tell you about that." He grinned a little, feeling an awkward sort of happiness that she was thinking about such things. "I can teach you. I'm a tiny bit of a language geek. Portuguese was actually my first language, not English."

Absently, he set the little iron pot of tools just outside the entrance to their shelter, stabilizing it by piling sand around it. "The only drawback to Rio is that there are a lot of Amanda clones there. Rich people come to show off their plastic surgeons' work at the beach a lot. I got sick of that crowd around...oh...twenty-four. I actually ended up finding a few out of the way spots on the beaches just to avoid them.

"Well, that and to screw in."

"Uh...wow. Wouldn't you be risking getting caught in a situation like that?"

He chuckled a little as he went back to stuffing the "futon". "That's part of the fun."

His head shot up suddenly and he scanned the treeline with his eyes. "Huh," he said, eyes dropping back down to his work after a few moments. /Guess it was nothing./

[George] Questions (tag Carlos, open)

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When Carlos went on high alert, George turned abruptly to look over her shoulder in the same direction. All she saw was the same treeline. Then Carlos made a small dismissive noise and when she looked at him, he'd gone back to stuffing the futon.

"Almost getting caught is part of the fun, huh?"

Carlos glanced up. "Well...yeah." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I'd love to show you sometime," he said with a lecherous grin.

George grinned back at him. She toyed with the idea for a few moments. It didn't seem like much fun to her on its own merits. (Must be part of that whole adrenaline junkie thing,) she decided. Still, Carlos hadn't steered her wrong yet. "Maybe," she admitted.

Then she felt her grin turn a little evil. "So...did you almost get caught with Ami?"

[Carlos] Questions (tag George, open)

[undead-shot.livejournal.com]

Carlos awked and his ears went red. "Oh crap, I can't believe you just asked me that," he laughed softly under his breath. He wasn't the kiss-and-tell type, really, and, well...heh....

He shrugged, and decided he wasn't going to compromise his principles. "Honest truth, baby? I've done /that/ all of twice in my life, and both times it was pretty much a daring-ourselves-to sort of thing. I like privacy. Privacy means I can take my time and not worry about interruptions or people overhearing."

/But the whole thing with the two middle aged people and their grocery list while we were fucking behind the bushes really WAS funny as hell..../

"OK, I think this is stuffed. Lemme start sewing it up, and we'll see what we see.

"Oh, and by the way, next lesson in cane fighting is five ways to knock someone on their ass."

"Great! We're finally getting to the head-breaking parts!"

"Well, I had to teach you how to block, dodge and fall first. And counterstrikes. Truth is, going on the attack isn't often the best use of your energy. Though...it's usually the most fun."

[George] Questions (tag Carlos, open)

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George grinned when Carlos' ears reddened. (He's embarrassed!) George thought. She hadn't been sure anything ever embarrassed him. It was kind of cute.

"Hey, you're the one who brought up how much fun it was almost getting caught. And now that you've confessed to your sordid past, a few questions are perfectly natural."

Then the conversation turned to cane fighting. George had found the lessons more fun than she'd expected--and not just because they played a lot of grab-ass in the process. Learning how to use a stick to whack things (or people) had been a good outlet for frustration or annoyance.

Not that she a lot of annoyance or frustration of late, thanks to Carlos' attentions. But George didn't doubt that sooner or later she'd find herself with some hostility to work off. Plus, she was looking forward to beating the Other Reaper like a drum one day.

[Carlos] Questions (tag George, open)

[undead-shot.livejournal.com]

"Well, yeah, but..." /I don't kiss and tell./ "Just because I'm a genuine randy bastard doesn't mean I live my life like an Anaiis Nin character."

"Anaiis Nin?"

"Turn of the century writer, contemporary of and lover to Henry James. One of the first widely-read female erotica writers. Great stuff, but...yeah, /her/ characters are craaaaazy."

He glanced up again. /Nah. Just the wind./

"Your arms are gonna get sore from strikes. Back too. Of course, I'm good for backrubs." He winked.

He finished sewing the side of the mat up and tied off the raffia. "Ok, here's this." He fluffed it experimentally. It rustled. "Provided a family of mice doesn't move in, I think it's good to go."

[George] Questions (tag Carlos, open)

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"Good," George said. "I think it's just about time for lunch. So let's get this thing into the shelter, then we can eat."

"After that you can show me how to break heads...before you demonstrate your mad backrub skills. Then we can try this thing out. Should be fun."

[Carlos] But Why's The Rum Gone? (tag George, open)

[undead-shot.livejournal.com]

"You know what I want to find out here?" Carlos asked as they munched dried fish and a bowlful of the fruit salad Rose had made.

"A Starbuck's?"

He laughed a little. "No, if we're dreaming big, I want an English brewpub with an EB Games next door. But seriously. Sugarcane! It has to grow here, especially up on the hillsides." He looked around. "I mean, c'mon. Desert island, unknown danger, supernatural stuff happening every five minutes, whirlwind romance--what's missing? Rum!"