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crossing_lostrp[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.
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[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)