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[OOC: Yeah, I'm jumping ahead. Don't feel pressed to follow suit. Just wanted to get this post up. Everyone else, proceed at your own pace.]
Keeping busy on Craphole Island was not a problem. Finding any downtime at all was the problem, Megabyte discovered. Between keeping an eye on Dr. Pierson's still, checking and clearing Tommy's snares – and getting some very quick, messy, stinky and unpleasant lessons in the killing and skinning of birds and lizards for dinner from Hugh and Locke – and sitting with Ami during her very much needed mental time out, it left very little time in the day for himself. He didn't realize exactly how much he enjoyed playing with Walt and Vincent or simply hanging out with Hurley or Claire until he didn't have as much time to do it anymore.
Fortunately, his friends didn't think he was avoiding them. The first night in camp, the night that Amanda was led into the jungle, Hurley had asked what he'd been doing, running back and forth to the jungle all day, and he'd caught Claire listening curiously while trying to pretend that she wasn't. So, he'd explained to them – as best he could without outing Ami – that the tension and drama around the camp were too much for Ami, that she was a far more sensitive to things around her than she let on, and that she needed a break and that he was helping Scott keep an eye on her. The explanation killed two birds with one stone: it meant that no one asked him where he was going anymore, but more importantly no one tried to go with him, so he didn't have to worry about not revealing Dr. Pierson's stills.
The morning of Day 14 revealed a boar caught in one of the pit traps. Killing it proved to be even harder, messier, smellier and more unpleasant than small game; Megabyte thought himself lucky that he hadn't had a hand in the killing, but then wondered about that after he volunteered to help Locke with the butchering. He bathed in the river for a good hour after that learning experience, although having pork for dinner that night made it well worth it.
It was during dinner that it struck him. Looking around at his fellow survivors, gathered in their small groups simply talking or laughing, that he realized how far all these people had come in just two weeks. Two weeks ago, they'd all been strangers on a plane; now friendships were forming, attachments and bonds were being made. And sitting there, with Charlie and Hurley joking beside him – because Charlie was actually becoming normal again now that the withdrawl was passing – he suddenly felt as though he were on the outside periphery of it all, like he didn't really fit in. It was a ridiculous reaction, but even as it passed, a potent mix of melancholy and homesickness swelled up and he quietly excused himself to go sit down by the shore.
Two weeks. It had taken him two weeks to truly feel any sort of homesickness – because he wasn't as lonely here as he was outside. Yes, he had his fellow Tomorrow People, but they had lives and it wasn't the same. So, Megabyte did what he had sworn he would never do: he worked. He worked because it kept him occupied and didn't let him miss what he didn't have; it let him ignore the void in his life. Here, he found friends and even when things were at their worse, he didn't feel that same empty void.
Megabyte, like everyone else, was making this place feel like home.
As he sat in quiet contemplation, he wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of someone walking up beside him.
Keeping busy on Craphole Island was not a problem. Finding any downtime at all was the problem, Megabyte discovered. Between keeping an eye on Dr. Pierson's still, checking and clearing Tommy's snares – and getting some very quick, messy, stinky and unpleasant lessons in the killing and skinning of birds and lizards for dinner from Hugh and Locke – and sitting with Ami during her very much needed mental time out, it left very little time in the day for himself. He didn't realize exactly how much he enjoyed playing with Walt and Vincent or simply hanging out with Hurley or Claire until he didn't have as much time to do it anymore.
Fortunately, his friends didn't think he was avoiding them. The first night in camp, the night that Amanda was led into the jungle, Hurley had asked what he'd been doing, running back and forth to the jungle all day, and he'd caught Claire listening curiously while trying to pretend that she wasn't. So, he'd explained to them – as best he could without outing Ami – that the tension and drama around the camp were too much for Ami, that she was a far more sensitive to things around her than she let on, and that she needed a break and that he was helping Scott keep an eye on her. The explanation killed two birds with one stone: it meant that no one asked him where he was going anymore, but more importantly no one tried to go with him, so he didn't have to worry about not revealing Dr. Pierson's stills.
The morning of Day 14 revealed a boar caught in one of the pit traps. Killing it proved to be even harder, messier, smellier and more unpleasant than small game; Megabyte thought himself lucky that he hadn't had a hand in the killing, but then wondered about that after he volunteered to help Locke with the butchering. He bathed in the river for a good hour after that learning experience, although having pork for dinner that night made it well worth it.
It was during dinner that it struck him. Looking around at his fellow survivors, gathered in their small groups simply talking or laughing, that he realized how far all these people had come in just two weeks. Two weeks ago, they'd all been strangers on a plane; now friendships were forming, attachments and bonds were being made. And sitting there, with Charlie and Hurley joking beside him – because Charlie was actually becoming normal again now that the withdrawl was passing – he suddenly felt as though he were on the outside periphery of it all, like he didn't really fit in. It was a ridiculous reaction, but even as it passed, a potent mix of melancholy and homesickness swelled up and he quietly excused himself to go sit down by the shore.
Two weeks. It had taken him two weeks to truly feel any sort of homesickness – because he wasn't as lonely here as he was outside. Yes, he had his fellow Tomorrow People, but they had lives and it wasn't the same. So, Megabyte did what he had sworn he would never do: he worked. He worked because it kept him occupied and didn't let him miss what he didn't have; it let him ignore the void in his life. Here, he found friends and even when things were at their worse, he didn't feel that same empty void.
Megabyte, like everyone else, was making this place feel like home.
As he sat in quiet contemplation, he wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of someone walking up beside him.
[Claire] Disturbing the Peace (tag MB, open)
Date: 2006-06-06 01:37 am (UTC)Claire felt the grip on her hand loosen and fall away. She stopped dead and turned to her companion, eyebrows drawn together worriedly. "No way, mate - you're not going to run out on me are you? No one saw us come down here, I'm sure of it."
"But you don't know it, do you?"
"I don't know a lot of things," she replied dryly, wondering where the self-assured woman who'd scrambled out of the plane's wreckage had gotten to. "Wait here, ok? Please?"
Smiling encouragingly at the tentative nod, Claire waddled the last few metres to Damon's position and hovered a short distance away. The guy'd been working his arse off the last few days doing a billion and one things, so he deserved a bloody break, but she really didn't know how to play this and didn't have enough confidence to go straight to Daniel or Locke.
"Are you going to stand there all night?"
The tone wasn't accusing or annoyed as such, but Claire still felt bad about disturbing her friend's alone-time.
"Um, maybe?" She bit her lip nervously, glancing back over her shoulder before walking a little closer. Sitting down wasn't an option yet. "I need your help, or rather.. we do."
Beckoning towards the other woman, who looked ready to bolt, Claire hissed in sudden frustration. "C'mon Zo, he's not going to bite!" Ah crap, bad choice of words. "Please? You can't just talk to me and hope that'll solve everything eh."
"Why not?" her fellow Aussie mumbled wistfully, causing Claire's expression to soften in sympathy. They hadn't spoken much until recently, but those few chats had doubled since Lucy's suicide. The reason for that had only just become clear, and only then because Zoe had been so keen to find a spot in the cramped tent that Claire shared with Shannon and the others. Loneliness now that Lucy and Amanda were gone was only part of the problem it seemed, a pretty small part at that.
"Because wishes aren't horses," Claire stated firmly, taking hold of the other woman's hand as soon as she drew close enough. She looked down into Damon's wary gaze and grimaced. "Zoe's been getting some unpleasant suggestions from Harry and doesn't want to sleep by herself any more, just in case. It'll be a squeeze, but we were hoping you could help us move her stuff into my tent before everyone goes to bed?"
Damon's expression was hidden in the darkness. Twilight came and went within half an hour at this latitude, part of the reason why she'd encouraged Zoe to move now, while Harry was still trying to ingratiate himself with the rest of the cookfire crowd. That he'd crash and burn was a given, but it was what he'd do afterwards that worried her. Claire looked down at the sand guiltily, squeezing Zoe's hand and wishing the woman would tell her the rest of the story. There was more, she was sure of it, but lumbering Damon with more than the immediate problem wasn't necessary.
"Please?"
[MB] Disturbing the Peace (tag Claire, Zoe, open)
Date: 2006-06-06 02:06 am (UTC)(Jesus. If the guy could ever go ten minutes without thinking with his dick then . . .) Megabyte didn't have a way to finish the thought. Mostly because it was highly unlikely that Harry could go even five minutes without thinking with his dick.
('Course that now begs the question of why Claire brought this to me instead of someone who could actually do something about it, like Daniel, or Locke or Blaise.) Pushing that thought aside, he decided he'd ask Claire about it later and tackle the immediate request.
"You're gonna need a bigger tent," Megabyte quipped, with a smile. "Seriously, though, yeah, I can help. That's not a problem. I'm not doing anything but … meditating … right now anyway."
"Meditating?" Claire asked, a bit skeptically.
Megabyte shook it off. He wasn't about to burden Claire with his contemplative reflections, especially not when it was patently clear that she was more than a little bit worried about Zoe. And that Zoe was more than a little bit worried about Harry.
He shrugged, standing and dusting away sand, for all the good that it did. "Not important right now. Let's go and get your stuff moved, Zoe, and then maybe tomorrow I can help you ladies enlarge that tent unless you're all moving to the caves."
Megabyte paused and looked at Zoe, his voice quiet and somehow devoid of the annoyance he felt towards Harry. "You know, Harry is a real asshat sometimes. Most of the time. Pretty much all the time. But that doesn't mean he can – or should be allowed to – make anyone uncomfortable. But no one can knock him into line if they don't know what's going on."
He didn't know Zoe very well and he wouldn't pressure her, but after rumors of what caused Lucy's suicide, and the growing awareness that not everyone in the village was a team player, he'd at least let her know that people were willing to listen and take her seriously. (And give Harry a serious ass-kicking if he needs one.)
Piece said, he extended an arm to both women, "Come on, let's go and get you moved into your new home. Good thing Sue doesn't take up a lot of space, and you can probably use her as a pillow anyway. Just don't tell her I said that. She *does not* hit like a girl."
[Claire] Disturbing the Peace (tag MB, open)
Date: 2006-06-07 01:14 am (UTC)When they reached Zoe's tent the two girls disappeared inside, leaving Damon to watch the outside while they packed. Claire came out again soon enough, clutching a couple of bags and wearing the most grateful smile she could muster.
"Thank you so so much," she whispered, though it was a given that Zoe would know she was talking (maybe even make out the words). "I don't really know what's going on, but it's not hard to take a guess. What was it that Ripley called Harry? An entitle-turd? Whatever it was, that fits. The guy's a wanker, maybe worse."
Damon frowned. "Like I said before, he shouldn't be able to make anyone this uncomfortable. Hiding in the darkness isn't going to fix the problem."
Claire glanced into the tent and pulled a face, listening to Zoe muttering to herself anxiously. "She won't say much, and I don't know whether he's done more than stalk her. I think she's scared Damon, and after all this talk about Lucy being raped who could blame her? It can't help that her roommates are both dead now, eh. That tent's probably haunted."
She paused, wishing that the other woman would just spit it out but sure it wasn't going to be that easy. "Pushing's not going to get us anywhere, y'know."
"Business as usual then," was Damon's laconic reply, causing Claire to groan softly.
"I don't know it. Ripley'd give the guy a good kicking, but she's been away for the last few days - maybe that's why Harry's trying it on with someone else, someone who's not likely to make a fuss and doesn't have many friends now that.. Um.." she shuddered, moving swiftly on. "Either way, I get the impression that Zoe doesn't trust him any more -"
"Someone trusted the jerk?"
"Shush you. It's taken me half the day to get this much out of her, although -" Claire stopped, flushing with shame. "Zoe did make the first move, asked whether she could move to our tent 'cause she was lonely. I tried to fob her off onto one of the others, like Caridad, but it makes sense now. Safety in numbers, including the little kid who hits like a mini-Rambo. Then when I said yes, it was like she was worried about getting caught.
"Hopefully she'll be more open in the morning," Claire continued, still whispering. "If there's anything big.. maybe get her to talk to someone else too, like Daisy or Locke, or Daniel." It was hard to know who was in charge any more. "I just didn't want to go running to them like some schoolkid."
Damon raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "What am I, chopped liver?"
"No, silly," Claire punched him softly in the arm. "You're someone I hoped Zoe would trust enough to get this move over before she changed her mind again. A good guy, not the management."
"And the caves?"
Claire frowned, still torn over where to go. "I have no idea. I was going to stay here, because Dr House is, but now.. Guess we'll have to see."
"See what?" Zoe's voice was subdued as she exited the tent, her eyes flashing nervously between Claire and Damon. Oh yeah, she knew they'd been talking about her alright.
"Whether we go for a walk in the woods or not tomorrow," Claire answered as casually as she could, relieving Zoe of one of the smaller bags and hefting a light rucksack. "You got it all there?"
Zoe nodded. "And some of.. Lucy's. Shannon's got some already, but I figured it might help if we shared."
Claire gulped quietly. Nothing of Amanda's then - at least she hoped not. Sharing a tent with Lucy's gear was creepy enough, but backing out now wasn't an option. "Ok then, we may as well get to it."
[MB] In for a Penny... (tag Claire, open)
Date: 2006-06-08 02:00 am (UTC)"Well, unless half your tentmates take a walk up the river, it sounds like you'll be needing a larger shelter," Megabyte strode forward and liberated a few of the heavier items from Claire. Their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills as the stubborn independent in the Aussie flared up, but in the end she relented and let him have a few of the items.
It probably helped that Zoe muttered something about Claire not needing to carry those things and seeming to verge on taking them away as well.
"As much as you don't want to think about it," Megabyte continued, "We can probably recycle this tent to expand the other one." He did not believe the tent was haunted, because neither woman had died there. "If you're superstitious about it, we can swap with bits and pieces from my tent. Either way, I'll come back and tear it down tonight before someone else –" Megabyte paused, pointed looking towards Sawyer's shelter not so far away, "- scavenges it for their own."
"Are – are you sure?" Zoe asked. The woman looked nervous as they walked, glancing over her shoulder and up and down the beach. Megabyte thought he imagined that she jumped when her gaze locked in Harry's direction, but the face Claire pulled told him that he hadn't. "What about your – er - flatmates?"
"Charlie and Hurley are always glad to be helpful." Harry was looking intently in their direction and Zoe shrunk in on herself, quickening her footsteps. Megabyte gave the other man an meaningful glare, not looking away until Harry found another direction to focus his too interested eyes on. "And Jon's not here, so he'll have to live with whatever we do. But once he finds out it was for a good cause, he won't put up a fuss."
"Maybe – maybe this was a bad idea." Zoe stopped suddenly, clutching the small bits of belongings to her chest. "I should go back and –"
"And what? Let Harry bully you some more?" Though the words were challenging, Megabyte did his best to keep his voice level, calm and soothing, projecting a bit of the latter as well. The last thing he wanted to do was freak Zoe out completely.
"Yeah, mate, safety in numbers, right?" Claire chimed in.
Zoe muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "might not be safe for you," and then began backpedaling.
"Oh no you don't!" Claire took her firmly by the arm, and looked desperately at Megabyte. He didn't have to look at Zoe to see why. He could feel her panic and desperation.
(What the hell has Harry said or done to her?)
"Claire's right," Megabyte agreed. The grip he placed on Zoe's elbow was light, and he sent a very strong wave of comfort and support in her direction. It was enough to get her feet moving, not that she had much choice with he and Claire pushing her gently along. "There is safety in numbers."
(Even if the numbers are the camp matron, Princess Barbie, Little Miss Precocious and a pregnant woman. Right, no wonder she's still worried Harry might creep up on her.)
The idea came out of nowhere, and he blurted it out before he fully thought about it. "How about we get you moved in, and then maybe I can move some of my things closer for the night? Tomorrow, I'll talk to Hurley and Charlie – " (Right, Damon, because they just scream comfort and protection. Not like I do, either though.) "- maybe even Ash or Sully too, and we'll set up shop closer to your tent?"
(Or we can just skip the preliminaries and just give Harry a pre-emptive ass-kicking.) For once, he kept the smart ass humorous commentary to himself.
OOC: Plot bunny!
Date: 2006-06-08 02:11 pm (UTC)The aforementioned women and men surreptitiously swap shelters. Harry (or Ethan) gets an ass-kicking when he tries to harass Zoe.
Re: OOC: Plot bunny!
Date: 2006-06-08 04:31 pm (UTC)[Claire] In for a Penny... (tag MB, open)
Date: 2006-06-08 11:44 pm (UTC)Zoe's reaction to Harry was pretty bloody frightening though. Ok, so the man was a creep - big time - but Zo'd come close to doing a 180. Thank god Damon was there, because Claire doubted she'd be able to convince the other woman to turn round alone.. and judging by that reaction to the wanker she really needed to keep moving forwards. Guarding their tent though..
"Do you think that's necessary?" she asked worriedly. "Harry wouldn't try anything with the four of us there as well as Zoe, would he?"
Damon somehow managed to frown and look sheepish at the same time. The reply made sense though. "He shouldn't be scaring Zoe this badly either, but he is."
Other thoughts flitted through Claire's head then, all bad, because Zoe was now walking determinedly with her head down. Were those sobs? It was hard to tell in the darkness, with the noise from the cookfire drifting across the beach, but if she was crying.. Crap, Zoe'd already spent 3 nights alone in that tent - that was more than enough time for someone like Harry to get bold enough to try it on.
"Zoe, has Harry come into your tent already? At night, I mean."
Their ward remained stubbornly silent, but she did stop and stare at their destination, now only a few metres away. It was quiet and empty so close to dinner, with everyone else winding up the evening elsewhere.
"I don't think he saw the bags Zo, he's not going to know you're here," Claire added tentatively. "And if he does.. well he'll have a fight on his hands. We defended this tent from the Others so a fuckwit like Harry's got no chance."
'Course they hadn't been entirely successful in their defense, but Claire guessed it wasn't worth mentioning that part. They'd given as good as they'd got hadn't they?
"Last night. He came last night." Zoe's whisper was pitched so low that Claire barely heard the second part over her own gasp. She didn't want to ask what he'd said or done though, and came close to biting through her lip before Zoe continued. "Nothing happened."
Yeah right. That was Claire's instinctive retort, but she didn't say it out loud. Zoe's trembling voice sounded way too much like she was trying to convince herself as much as Claire and Damon, and her knuckles were tight around the strap of her bag.
"Did he make you feel nervous?" Damon asked gently, receiving a shaky nod for his troubles. His expression became harder in response, but it didn't come through into his voice and Zoe was still burning a hole through the tent with her eyes. "Then something happened."
Claire gave him a grateful smile - she wasn't sure she'd could have asked that question without demanding to know what had happened.. though her imagination was filling in the gaps pretty bloody rapidly. She shuddered a little and gulped, then walked up to Zoe and put a hand on her shoulder.
"C'mon mate, let's get you settled in. There's a tonne of space between me and Shannon anyway - ok, some space.. mostly full of her junk." She grinned evilly and kicked a couple of bags on to Shannon's bed with glee. "I've been wanting to do that for two weeks! So yeah, let's set your bed stuff down and we'll be laughing."
Setting down the one bag she'd been allowed to keep, Claire extended a hand towards Damon for his load and cant her head slightly at the look in his eyes. "What're you thinking then? I guess it'd be nice to have someone looking out for us, but I wouldn't want to put you out or anything.."
[MB] A Plan is Forming (tag Claire, open)
Date: 2006-06-11 04:58 pm (UTC)He was so deeply into the thoughts of what to do about Harry that he nearly missed Claire's question.
At her suggestion that they'd be putting him out, Megabyte shook his head. "I wouldn't have suggested it if it were going to put me out or be an inconvenience. I really hate the thought of guys like Harry –" He stopped, noticing that Zoe froze at the mere mention of Harry's name, then resumed unpacking more quickly. The man had clearly rattled her; he hadn't raped her – thank god – but he'd harassed her pretty seriously, maybe even threatened her a bit and that was bad enough.
"Hey, Zoe, I'm just gonna borrow Claire for a minute, okay?" Megabyte asked. "We'll just be right outside."
A flicker of curiosity and then – inexplicable – envy came from the other woman as she nodded. "I'll just work on unpacking."
Claire frowned, but Megabyte cant his head toward Zoe and then ducked outside the shelter, hoping that Claire understood enough to follow. She did because she stepped out right behind him after promising to be right outside and come right back. The envy cycled again as Zoe agreed, and then was replaced with embarrassment and resignation.
(Women. They make no sense at all.)
"What're you thinking then?" Claire repeated. "I can tell that you've got something on your mind."
"Aside from wanting to kick Harry's ass up one side of the beach and down the other?" Megabyte asked. "Yeah, I know, I'm not exactly the big bodyguard type who instills all sorts of safety, security and confidence, but it's not an inconvenience to stay close by and keep an eye on things. At least I know that I can take Harry. He's not the type who fights. Harry's a bully, and he'll back down when challenged. It just sucks to –"
The idea came to him in that instant, the figurative light bulb going off over his head. Megabyte's frown turned into a wickedly amused grin. "I just got a great idea. Catch Harry red-handed and put an end to him getting anymore ideas about any of the women here in the camp. Period.
"I think Zoe is going to sleep in her tent tonight."
"What?!"
Megabyte chuckled softly at the look of indignation on Claire's face and the incredulity and outrage that flowed from her. He took her hands, his voice calming, "No, listen to me. Hear me out. Zoe's not going anywhere near her tent, but Harry isn't going to know that. We'll make it seem like she's sleeping there; maybe put Charlie in a wig," the thought made him laugh a bit, "and some of us 'blokes' will be there tonight. When Harry shows up . . ." He trailed off, waiting for Claire to fill in the blanks for herself.
Of course, it was going to take some work and he'd have to act fast. He wondered who would be up to lending a helping hand in Operation Harry Ass-Whumping.
[Claire] A Plan is Forming (tag MB, open)
Date: 2006-06-12 04:34 pm (UTC)"You never know - he's been helping out a lot more lately, and he did get into that fight with Harry a few days ago."
She winced. "I forgot about that." There wasn't much love lost between those two, even if they did hang around the same group.. more or less. Less, now that most of the girls were gone. It had just been Harry and Ethan for the last couple of days, as Charlie found his feet with Hurley and Damon again.
Looking back towards the campfire, Claire squinted against the glare to make sure their target was still sat with the rest of the group. "So what, you get a few of the guys together and either hide in Lucy's tent or someplace nearby.. then what? Give him a good talking to, or tie him up?"
Damon frowned. "I guess that'd depend on his response. I'm sure more people will take Lucy's side if he denies all, but tempting as it is I don't think we can march him out into the jungle just like that. To the caves, maybe - if you girls are staying here. Hopefully he'll take the lesson to heart."
"Yeah. Hopefully," Claire mumbled, meeting Damon's wry expression with one of her own. She wanted to help, but there was no way that anyone would let her. Sitting with Zoe would have to do, and maybe they could throw rotten guavas at the bastard when the sun came up. "There's a watch though, right? People who can keep an eye on him in case he tries something anyway?"
"If he does he's an idiot - so yeah, he might, but he won't get far." Damon grinned again. "I need to find some helpers, ok? The sooner we get this plan moving the better. I'll give the older Rose a nudge too, if you want."
Claire nodded. The camp mum was good at settling others' nerves. "Fine thing - I've got a couple of those whistles Clarice suggested we carry, so we should be safe enough in the meantime. You go round yourself up a posse and give that wanker a piece of his own medicine. If he gives you any trouble, Hurley can sit on him."
[Megabyte] A Plan is Forming (tag Claire, Ash, open)
Date: 2006-06-12 11:18 pm (UTC)He gave Claire a smile and said in his best Western slinger voice, "I'm going to go round up that posse now. You ladies sit tight and we'll see that everything works out all right."
Claire rolled her eyes, but still gave him a smile that made him feel a little too happy and giddy on the inside. With a wave over his shoulder, he headed away, aiming to find a few good men.
As luck would have it, he came across Ash first. He didn't know the zombie hunter all that well, but he knew enough about him and knew him well enough to know that Harry's crap wouldn't go over well with him.
"Hey, Ash," Megabyte greeted him, "I've just learned that one of the ladies has a Harry problem and I've got an idea of how to fix it. You game?"
[Ash] A Plan is Forming (tag Damon, Claire, open)
Date: 2006-06-12 11:56 pm (UTC)After Damon explained his bait-n-switch scheme, Ash grinned. "Groovy."
OOC
Date: 2006-06-14 10:45 pm (UTC)