First Search (Open)

[HOTARU TAIYOU]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,border-left: solid 5px #f7c8a3;background-image:url(http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj194/commodore-sixty-four/bgweave.gif);background-attachment:center;-webkit-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-moz-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-webkit-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;-moz-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;width:450px;] Hotaru Taiyou ❃ with your ear to a seashell you can hear the waves in underwater caves The echo of the waves crashing on the beach filled the air in the small rock alcove, leading to the infamous site of the wreckage. The young girl ran her hand along the cool, black rock of the alcove, feeling the sand around her toes, as she approached the site so familiar to her and yet, so alien. So surreal. It had been a few days earlier, but it felt much longer. Years. Decades even, since the cruise liner had been brought onto this little island. Since everything had changed. But that wasn't important, at this moment. They had been a nice family cruise. Well, what was left of her family that was. Her parents had divorced early last year, and after a long and painful process, she had been separated from her younger brother and her father. She didn't blame her mother for the divorce, but she really didn't want to be away from her brother. Both her parents had been busy, so she really only had her little brother, for most of their lives. Being separated just made that worse. Now her mother was working more than normal and she didn't have her brother. It's not that she was alone, she had a lot of friends, but she had always had her brother, so now she felt exposed and alone. It's funny that all of the strife her family went through seemed so trivial now. A little, almost masochistic giggle came out of her mouth as that thought passed through her mind. The pleasure cruise was her mother's way of apologizing. And was going to take away the unpleasantness of the divorce. It had, but not in the way that she had expected. Hotaru sighed, sitting on a rock near the wreckage, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, as she looked at the broken hull. Her long brown hair blew in the wind as did the long red-and-white ribbon in her hair, the small bell attached to it letting out it's quiet chime. A gift from her mother, years ago. Probably the only thing on this island that kept her mother close. Her mother had died, presumably, when the wreck happened. She had made sure Hotaru was safe and went to help someone in a room down the hall from their's. And never came back. Hotaru brought her legs up to her chest, putting her face in her knees. Trying to hide the tears in her eyes, as she remembered the terrible things she said to her before it happened. This was the first time, since waking up on the beach with some of the other survivors, that she had been near the wreckage. Others had come to search for possessions, or their loved ones, but very few found anything. The hull was in shreds and a lot of the rooms had been filled with water during high tide, meaning very few items were left on-board. Sliding off the rock, she waded out into the shallow water, lifting up her skirt slightly. She had been wearing her school uniform, since her mother brought her to the cruise liner after her classes got out for the day. Along with that, her book bag, which held her swimsuit and a few other items had washed up with her. The bag was completely ruined, but the items inside just needed to dry out and they would be usable. She wasn't quite sure why she came to the wreckage. She wasn't looking for anything. Chances were that her stuff had disappeared. No, Hotaru was looking for closure. She fell to her knees, looking down at the crisp, clear-blue water, as it licked at the hem of her skirt and her exposed thighs. "M-mother... I'm sorry..." She said quietly, as the shadow of the ship started to extend towards her. "I said those awful things. I didn't mean them. I was just mad about not seeing Akira. And now I'll probably never see him again. Or my friends." She bit her bottom lip, covering her mouth with her hand, as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Or you..." She started sobbing uncontrollably, one hand sinking into the sand, her tears dripping into the ocean. Survivor's remorse was just one of the challenges this island would present to the young girl... tag: Hotaru, open; words: 710; notes: First post~ ; music: again- Yui; coded by hannie of OTE

[kaden]

Kaden had always wondered what it would be like to get stranded on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere. In theory, it had sounded like a pretty cool idea, his overactive imagination glorifying the thought. Of course, now that it had actually happened it wasn’t cool at all. The shipwreck had been one of the most terrifying things that he had ever experienced. This wasn’t the first time the blonde boy had almost died, but somehow it was different than the times before. Probably because this wasn’t his choice. This time he hadn’t been the one in control of his fate. His life had been in the hands of another force, one much greater, and for a moment he had thought for sure he would die. He had taken life for granted so many times before that it almost made sense God would kill him this way. He deserved it, didn’t he? He was still alive though, so perhaps it was just a warning, an eye opener. For now, it seemed to have worked, because for once in his life Kaden had absolutely no desire to die. Why? Because this was a challenge, a game of survival. And he would survive. He would win this game life had flung at him.

Those were his thoughts for the moment anyway. Tomorrow it could change. His mood wasn’t very stable. It never had been. Right now, however, he was perfectly content. He had returned to the wreckage to try and scavenge some supplies, maybe check to see if anyone else was out there. He hadn’t seen any other survivors yet, which was a bit discouraging. He didn’t want to be stuck here all alone. There must have been at least one other person who had lived through this ordeal, right? Surely he couldn’t have been the only one. There had been so many people on that ship... There must have been someone who had washed ashore with him, even if he hadn’t seen them yet. It hadn’t been that long since it happened, only a few days, and the blonde had been hibernating in a cave, passed out from hitting his head on something. He’d been drifting in and out of consciousness for a while, but today he had been able to sit up without feeling dizzy, so he had decided to venture out into the wilderness and see what he could find. He really did hope there was another human somewhere, otherwise he might have to make friends with the monkeys, because being alone would drive him crazy. He probably acted more like a monkey than a human anyway, so maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.

Maybe he’d end up like Tarzan! Maybe –

Just as Kaden was thinking this, his train of thoughts was interrupted by something he saw up by the shore. Life. A girl by the looks of it. He could tell by her long hair, by the skirt she wore. Suddenly, he was no longer the only person left in the world. He wasn’t alone. His face brightened at this, and he quickened his pace a little, jogging down the beach to meet this person, ecstatic at the sight of another human being. “H-Hey!” he called, his voice coming out surprisingly hoarse as it echoed down the beach. He hadn’t spoken since the ship sunk though, so it shouldn’t have been surprising, especially after swallowing all that sea water. The blonde didn’t remember seeing her on board the boat, but he didn’t remember much of anything right now. When he had hit his head he’d forgotten a lot of stuff, probably a minor concussion or something. Why had he even gone on the cruise again? He couldn’t remember. It wasn’t like he had forgotten his name or identity. He just...didn’t remember why he was here. The boat had sunk, completely wrecked, but everything surrounding that was blurred.

As the blonde boy neared the shore, he stopped just before the water, converse skidding in the sand as he teetered a little before regaining his balance. He hunched over, panting as he caught his breath, and then lifted his head, amber eyes focusing on the girl in front of him. It was only then, now that he was so close, that he realized she was crying. His joyful expression dropped a little, and he just stared, unsure of how to react to that. Under normal circumstances he would have just skipped up and gave the person a big hug. These, however, were not normal circumstances, and rather than jumping to comfort the girl, he just stood there awkwardly, wanting to say something but having no idea what. He assumed she must have noticed him by now though, seeing as he had just shouted out to her a few moments earlier. In case she hadn’t, “Hey. You’re...alive too.” Stating the obvious, as usual. That was just Kaden for you though. Him and words, yeah, they weren’t good friends. He liked to draw pictures to express himself. Unfortunately, the language of art wasn’t something that everyone understood, and he didn’t exactly have a set of paints and canvas here with him.

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[HOTARU TAIYOU]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,border-left: solid 5px #f7c8a3;background-image:url(http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj194/commodore-sixty-four/bgweave.gif);background-attachment:center;-webkit-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-moz-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-webkit-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;-moz-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;width:450px;] Hotaru Taiyou ❃ with your ear to a seashell you can hear the waves in underwater caves The girl's sorrow was broken quickly as she heard a voice. She was still crying, so she didn't respond until she could stop the tears. She had her pride after all, even in a situation like this, she wouldn't let anyone see her cry. Wiping her eyes quickly, and splashing her face with water, she stood up sharply, turning to face the person. A boy it turned out. Well, probably a man by the height. She had to look up, to even see his eyes. There was easily a foot of height difference between the two of them. She put on a fake smile, and spoke in a quiet tone. "H-hi." It was the first interaction she had, had in about a week. Sure, she was with fellow survivors, but they merely walked about like the living dead. It seemed like they were anything but surviving. She had her arms behind her, one arm extended towards her thigh, the other grabbing the slightly wet sleeve gently, clearly showing her nervousness. It wasn't that she was shy with new people, it was just that she was in a dangerous situation. And in this situation, the best and worst of people were brought out. Sure, this guy seemed nice, but in this situation, he could be a predator. Be that sexual or cannibalistic, she couldn't be sure. But the old adage was 'better safe then sorry' and that certainly could be applied to anyone that she met on this island. They were all in the same boat actually, and she didn't expect most people to openly trust her. Once everyone adjusted from the initial shock, maybe. But just days after the tragedy that befell them all, it seemed very unlikely! She also felt exposed, having literally walked here half out of it, and with just the clothing she was wearing. She had more back at the small survivor camp, which included something that could be used as a weapon, but here she had nothing. At the same time, however, she really needed a friend at that moment. And the positives came with the negatives. He could be a predator, but it was equally as likely that he needed a friend as much as she did. Once again, their situation was the same. She'd keep her guard up. Clenching her left fist, she let go of her arm and brought her right hand forward, holding it out in an act of acceptance, the action seeming more enthusiastic, than she had hoped, because she was running on a fake confidence, as opposed to her normal one. Her hair ribbon chimed loudly with the action, and then several smaller times as the wind blew her ponytail softly, the water licking at her thighs. "H-Hotaru Taiyou." She said quietly, trying to maintain her confidence aura, along with a cheerful demeanor. She didn't want to scare him off, and she did want to be accommodating if he was like her. tag: Hotaru, Kaden, open; words: 710; notes: First meeting~ Is he friend or foe~?; music: Mind as Judgment - faylan ; coded by hannie of OTE

[kaden]

The smile was fake. Kaden could tell that much, because after all, he was the master of fake smiles. And while she seemed confident enough, the slight stutter in her voice would suggest otherwise. Perhaps this girl wasn’t as thrilled to see him as he was her. He was so happy that he could have thrown his arms around her in a huge hug, but judging by the expression on her face that wouldn’t have been a good idea. Why was she looking at him like that anyway? Did he really look that scary? Maybe his face was a wreck. He had just been washed ashore by some monster storm, or whatever the hell had happened that caused the ship to go down, so he imagined he didn’t look as charming as he usually did. The boy passed a hand through his messy hair somewhat self consciously, eyes never leaving the female in front of him. It still bothered him that he couldn’t remember what exactly had happened. Was it really a storm? Or something else? Maybe they’d hit an iceberg like the Titanic! ...And there went his imagination again, up up and away. He thought about asking the girl, but he stopped himself, remembering the way she had been crying. Maybe that wasn't a good idea, not right now anyway.

Unlike the female who was obviously questioning his trust, such thoughts didn’t even cross Kaden’s mind. It never occurred to him maybe she was an enemy and not a friend. To the blonde, everyone was a friend until they proved otherwise. That probably wasn’t a very smart way to live, trusting everyone until they did him wrong, but it was just the kind of person he was. He liked giving everyone a chance. That probably had something to do with his desperateness for friendship, even here, even now that he was stranded in the middle of nowhere. Back home he had been somewhat deprived of such attention.

The smile returned to the blonde’s face as the girl spoke her name, his expression brightening once more. Eagerly, he extended a tattooed arm, taking the hand she had offered him and shaking it with a gentle grip. “Kaden Black!” he told her easily. He released his hold on the female’s hand after a moment, smile still on his face. Either he was a fantastic actor, or he was a genuinely nice person, and it was up to the girl to decide that. “It’s nice to meet you.” He frowned a little after saying that, the words somehow not sounding right in this situation. Nice to meet you? What was nice about being stranded here? It seemed like such an ordinary phrase...and this was such an unordinary situation! The pondered this for a moment, but then he shrugged, trying not to over-think it, and went back to smiling his usual smile. “For a while I thought I might be the only one that made it,” he added after a few moments of silence, directing his gaze back toward his new acquaintance, batting large brown eyes at her. “I thought I’d end up like Tarzan and have to live with the monkeys.” He laughed a little. “Or, uh, maybe like that guy in Castaway.” The second was probably more likely.

It probably should have been obvious by now that Kaden was harmless, just a teenage boy. After such a horrible accident most people wouldn't be acting so chipper, and if he was going to do something bad he most likely already would have done it. Besides, taking advantage of shipwrecked teenage girls was not in the blonde's agenda, and such a thing didn't even cross his mind.

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[HOTARU TAIYOU]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,border-left: solid 5px #f7c8a3;background-image:url(http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj194/commodore-sixty-four/bgweave.gif);background-attachment:center;-webkit-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-moz-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-webkit-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;-moz-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;width:450px;] Hotaru Taiyou ❃ with your ear to a seashell you can hear the waves in underwater caves A wave of relief washed over Hotaru as he shook her hand and started talking, almost normally. He wasn't dangerous, but she couldn't declare him safe either. Of course, maybe she was over thinking things. She had never been in this situation before. And she didn't want to think what normal was for this. She gave him a small smile, a sincere one this time, as she felt the water rise around her ankles, and almost to her knees. Of course her legs were already soaked from crawling a few moment earlier, but the tide was definitely on the rise. "You aren't the only one left. There are several of us." She pointed at the alcove she had come through to get to the wreckage. "There's about thirty people or so on the other side of the island. That's where I washed up. And I'm sure more survived. This island is bigger than expected." She brought her hand down and walked past him slowly, getting out of the water. She grabbed the bottom of her ponytail, once back on the beach, and twisted it, squeezing the water out of her brown hair. Sitting on a rock, she looked at the boy, examining him more thoroughly now. His arm had been covered with tattoos, which brought a great amount of curiosity to the young girl. "Kaden." She said quietly, trying to focus on the conversation, instead of her memories of that night. "Do you know exactly what happened?" Truth be told, Hotaru didn't know the answer herself. She had been towards the bottom of the ship, when it had happened. A state of emergency had been declared and she was separated from her mother. After being locked in the room, she was too shocked to look out the small windows. She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head, getting rid of the mental images that she had. Not that the damage to the ship didn't leave anything to the imagination after all. The hull was in shreds, and Hotaru was pretty sure the ship was about half the size it had been, when it was a cruise liner, not a water-soaked tomb. "If I'm being completely honest with you..." She said, looking up at him, her red eyes showing her sincerity. "...I'm not sure what happened..." tag: Hotaru, Kaden, still open~; words: 380; notes: See~ I told you 710 wouldn't happen a third time XD; music: Golden Time Lover - Sukima Switch ; coded by hannie of OTE

[CLAUDIA BENNETT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,480px,true][atrb=cellpadding,10px,true][atrb=cellspacing,10px,true][atrb=align,center] awake and alive IT'S GETTING HARDER TO STAY AWAKE, AND MY STRENGTH IS FADING FAST. WORDS: 862, TAGS: hotaru & kaden, SONG by skillet, NOTES: first post, woo! Warmth engulfed her. It was the first thing she became consciously aware of as she stirred several hours after being deposited on shore. The welcomed sensation was short-lived however, as a wave of chilled water washed over her bare arms and legs, forcing her to squirm uncomfortably and groan in protest. She also noted that her entire body was sore and heavy, as though she were badly bruised from head to toe. Even rolling on to her back took more effort than it should have and she immediately regretted the action altogether as she became momentarily blinded by the hot rays of the sun. Instinctively her hand flung itself up to ward the light away and she stilled for a few minutes, attempting to gather her scattered thoughts. Snippets of the accident resurfaced. She could clearly recall the panicked screams of the passengers as they rushed aimlessly across the deck while the ship’s employees strained to keep calm and direct everyone to the designated life rafts. But there hadn’t been enough time and sooner than anyone realized, the cruise liner had begun to sink; swallowed up by the black water. Claudia couldn’t remember much more than that. In fact most of the details remained fuzzy and indistinguishable. Was that even what had really happened? Or had she simply invented it all as a result of post-traumatic stress? She couldn’t be sure until she found a fellow survivor who might confirm the story. That is, if there were others who had managed to crawl to safety. Immediately Claudia decided that would have to be her first course of action. She’d explore her current location for evidence of the accident and other possible casualties and then set to work on building an appropriate shelter. Staying alive. It was the most she could expect to do considering the circumstances. Withholding frustrated tears, the young woman rose clumsily to her feet. Her body wasn’t strong enough to keep her upright however and she immediately fell to her knees. Giving herself a handful of moments to recuperate, she tried again and managed to keep her balance. It was one small victory, but a victory nonetheless and she slowly began making her way from the shoreline towards the outcropping of thick, green bush. Obviously she wasn’t stupid enough to attempt to claw her way through the island shrubbery in her physical state, so she kept to the beach instead and progressed slowly along the sand. It seemed to stretch on forever, surrounded by the endless blue of the ocean. Funnily enough she’d watched this sort of tragedy unfold in countless movies and wondered whether the methods in that universe would work just as effectively when put to the test in reality. Smoke signals and signs drawn into the sand with fallen branches seemed a bit theatrical and farfetched, but she was sure – in a few hours time – she would be desperate enough to try. Until then she’d attempt to keep herself composed and force herself to think rationally. At least the pain from the sunburn along her shoulders was enough of a distraction to keep her from breaking down entirely. It felt as though she’d been roaming for hours before she finally stumbled upon some of the debris from the ship. Perhaps such reminders of the catastrophe should have caused her great distress but Claudia found instead that she was joyous. It meant she was drawing closer to other possible survivors. They wouldn’t have all washed up in the same area after all, and since most of the wreckage seemed to have ended up in that one specific location there was a good chance most of the passengers would have floated in with them. Or perhaps she was simply being optimistic? Regardless she felt her heart skip a beat and her feet begin to move with more urgency as she rushed down the shore in the direction of the liner’s remains. “Hello? Is anyone there? .. C-can you hear me?” Her voice was cracked and dry, but she ignored it as she searched desperately for any other living, breathing human being. And not long after her calls was she met with the most beautiful sound she had heard in some time. A response. Within a few minute's time she had been escorted by a fellow passenger to a small alcove where several others had already gathered. Most looked tired and hungry but were probably just as happy to be around other people as she was. In fact the sight of them was enough to lift her spirits and have her venture out more confidently to see what she could gather from the remains slewed outside. That was when she spotted two more people in the near distance; a young female and male. From what she could gather they appeared to be conversing, and didn't seem to notice her initial approach. Likely they were searching for personal items or loved ones they'd lost in the accident. Feeling obligated to see if she could offer them any kind of assistance or condolences, Claudia picked her way across the shore and waved in their direction. "Hey there. Are you both alright?"

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THIS TEMPLATE WAS MADE BY COMATOSE OF ON THE EDGE!

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[kaden]

“What? Really? There’s more?” Apparently, based on what this girl said, there was a whole group of survivors somewhere on this island. Kaden didn’t remember seeing any, but then again, he’d been in hibernation for a few days. "Whew, not alone." It was a relief to know that there were that many people alive though. It was more than he had expected. His mind worked very pessimistically, and he had expected hardly anyone to be left. In reality it wasn’t that bad. It still felt like he was in a disaster movie, but some of the anxiety had been lessened now that he knew there were more people. Would they all be rescued? It was a big boat, right? Surely someone would come looking for them when they didn’t reach their destination, right? They had to! They couldn’t just leave them in the middle of the ocean to die. Or could they? Upon being questioned, the boy looked up, a blank expression on his face as he let the words register.

“Uh…” Kaden bit his lip and shook his head, the smile slowly falling from his face. “I...don’t know,” he admitted with a troubled look. He squinted his eyes slightly, effort clear on his face, but he just couldn’t pull the memories back. He wasn’t sure if that was from hitting his heard or if his mind was just trying to protect him and block them out because they were too awful. “I don’t remember... I hit my head or something, I just...can't.” He looked genuinely upset by this, frustrated that he couldn’t recall the events of the wreck. Big brown eyes travelled to the girl again, watching as she walked past him and out of the water. He followed her, shoes soaked from the waves that had washed up over his feet, though he hardly noticed right now. “I was hoping you could tell me.” Truthfully, he hadn’t given the situation much thought yet. He’d just really regained consciousness today, and actually he didn’t even know how long he’d been stranded here. He thought it was a few days, but he could be mistaken. It wasn’t like he had been keeping track in that mini coma he’d been in, or whatever it was.

Before the blonde could give it anymore thought, however, another voice startled him out of his wonderings. It also belonged to a female, though a different one than the girl standing before him. He swiveled his head to the side, gaze quickly sweeping the beach. His eyes widened as he glimpsed the owner of the voice, indeed another woman, this one with striking colored hair. Pink? Was her hair really pink? Or was he hallucinating? Kaden narrowed his eyes at the newcomer before letting a smile spread over his face, figuring that didn’t matter right now, delighted that he had found yet another living being. He lifted a hand and waved enthusiastically at the girl. “I-I’m okay!” he answered easily. “I think.” He wasn’t dead, so he must be all right. His head kind of hurt, but he hardly noticed, too focused on the present situation. He blinked his big amber eyes and returned his gaze to the pink-haired girl. “Are you?” That question was more important. The blonde was never worried about himself. He could have been bleeding from his eyes and he’d still be asking that question, fussing over another person. The female didn't look that great, but none of them did. After getting swept through the sea they were all rather ragged in appearance. Briefly, Kaden found himself wondering what he looked like, how bad.

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[HOTARU TAIYOU]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,border-left: solid 5px #f7c8a3;background-image:url(http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj194/commodore-sixty-four/bgweave.gif);background-attachment:center;-webkit-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-moz-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-webkit-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;-moz-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;width:450px;] Hotaru Taiyou ❃ with your ear to a seashell you can hear the waves in underwater caves Hotaru slid one leg off the rock, her other leg bent, her hands on her knee, looking off towards the water. If it wasn't for the situation they were in, this place was a veritable paradise. But, now they were trapped in paradise. Oh, the irony was not lost on the fifteen-year old girl. She was about to respond to his response about the incident, when another female voice broke in. Hotaru looked past Kaden to the new member of their conversation. She was about an average height, but could easily be described as beautiful. Long pink hair, a rather nice figure. And she was definitely older than Hotaru. "Yes, I'm alright." She said somewhat coldly, putting the defensive wall around herself again. This new person could easily be just as bad as she had imagined Kaden. A tragedy brought out the worst in people, just like the best in others. You had to be careful in an unfamiliar place, in this surreal situation. "How about yourself, miss?" Hotaru said, standing next to Kaden, her red eyes looking up at the older girl, almost as if she was examining an opponent intently. The now-familiar crash of waves echoed through the alcove behind her, and splashed off the wreckage, as the tide started to ebb even more, the beach losing it's constant battle with the ocean. The wind blew stronger, causing a larger crash of waves onto the beach, her feet getting covered in water yet again, the escape from the bitter liquid very unlikely, at least here. The hem of her skirt was already dripping as was the tip of her ponytail. Her clothes and hair being wet and then matted after drying was going to be one of the many annoyances of surviving here every day. That was, if they could survive. Which was a very real possibility if they couldn't find more than the meager food supplies that they had scrounged together at the survivor camp she had awoken in. And was it just Hotaru, or was she the youngest survivor on the island? All of the people back at the camp seemed to be quite a bit older than her. These two as well. Just what she needed: to be an outsider among outsiders... tag: Hotaru, Kaden, Claudia; words: 380; notes: First two: 710, next two: 380. Overly consistent much?; music: Shunkan Sentimental - SCANDAL; coded by hannie of OTE

[SAGARA MALI]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=width, 350, true][atrb=cellpadding, 0, true][atrb=style, background-color: #f6f6f6; text-align: justify;, true] LET'S SAIL AWAY FIND OUR OWN COUNTRY, WE'LL BUILD A HOUSE & BEDS OUT OF PALM TREES Sagara became conscious before opening her eyes--she dared to not view her whereabouts right now. She had a vague hope that perhaps everything had been a dream and she was back at home. Mother would come in and tell her she'd be late for class if she didn't get up soon, and Sagara would be able to feel the relief of realizing her life wasn't truly in danger. But even as Sagara's tired mind pieced together this fantasy, she truly knew a fantasy was all it would ever be. She could feel the mossy grass beneath her and the humid, hot air pressing in around her. The waves could be heard crashing just a small ways beyond her location, and she groaned slightly and rolled onto her back. The sounds of the ocean only brought back memories of the other night, and images of screaming faces and hungry waves swallowing her fellow vacationers seeped into her mine. Sagara massaged her temples gently with her fingers and took a deep breath. She had to move today--there was no more time for lying around feeling hopeless. She shielded her eyes with her hands to protect them from any sunlight intervening between the thin canopies above; slowly, she opened them. She had managed to be lying in a shadow, so she put her hands down. Her eyes sluggigshly moved about her; tropical trees she didn't know the names of surrounded her. Vines crawled up them until reaching the richly green canopies at the top. Smaller shrubbery surrounded her on the lower level of the forest, all of it green. So much green, she thought heavily. Though flowers and odd colored patterns in the plants spotted the greenery. Sagara decided it would be a prettier sight if not for her current situation. She let out a sigh again, knowing she was delaying the time until she ventured of. She rolled onto her side to use her arms to heave herself off the ground. Standing, she brushed off some dirt and grime from her clothes, but knew they were far from ever being clean again. Sagara's legs and arms were shaky and sore, but not enough to prevent her ability to move. It just discouraged her from doing so. When she had first caught sight of the island, she had been probably half a mile out, floating in the ocean with support from a few pool noodles that she'd grabbed onto. Sagara had been on deck where the pool is when the chaos broke out, and her composure remained long enough for her to think quickly. Taking the flotation devices had been a vain course of action, she'd thought--she was likely to get trapped under something or be knocked out. Maybe it'd be better if she had died, she wryly wondered. After spotting the island in the distance, with every ounce of strength she could muster--which honestly isn't much--she swam against the current of the ocean until she could feel sand beneath her feet. She had been surprised at her motivation and ability to keep pushing forward. It'd be more characteristic of her to have freaked out from the intense situation and simply give up. But, she supposed, her limits of calamity have never been pushed quite so far before. Besides, the body's instinct is to survive, not have mental break downs. She had immediately fallen to the ground once reaching the island and succumbed to a long sleep. Who knows how much time had passed before she woke up. The noodles were gone, probably taken by the tide. She proceeded to trudge around despite the screams of protest from her body. She found other unconscious people but let them be, only checking to see if they were alive. Sagara knew it would be better to stay with them, but she just needed privacy for a bit longer. And with that, she'd ventured a few yards into the forest and had fallen to the ground in a fit of tears. She knew no one could blame her for crying now. Sagara had curled herself into a ball and screamed into her knees, exhausting herself once more before falling asleep. So she stood here now, prepared to face a promisingly depressing day. She knew there were others, at least, and that was comforting. What kind of people they were wasn't of her concern, as long as they wouldn't harm her. Slowly, Sagara walked toward the beach that peered at her between the trunks of trees ahead. Her beaten up sandals were the only things shielding her from the sand's scalding heat. The sand reached the water, and the water met the sky--nothing between. They were truly stranded. She took a few more rusty steps before hearing someone yell--a girl's voice. She quickly looked to her right and saw a young woman running toward the wreckage that had washed up on the beach. There, another boy and girl stood. Sagara had noticed the wreckage before, but no one had been there. The young lady joined up with the other two, and Sagara could hear them talking, though was they said wasn't obvious. She retrieved her stress ball from her pocket and prodded at it absently as she began to saunter in their direction, just now realizing she must look haggard. Not that it mattered; everyone would.

BY CORINTH OF OTE

[CLAUDIA BENNETT]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,480px,true][atrb=cellpadding,10px,true][atrb=cellspacing,10px,true][atrb=align,center] awake and alive IT'S GETTING HARDER TO STAY AWAKE, AND MY STRENGTH IS FADING FAST. WORDS: 563, TAGS: multiple, SONG by skillet, NOTES: we're finally underway. Drawing closer to the unfamiliar pair, Claudia immediately noticed their tense postures and momentary apprehension … as though they were bracing themselves for her to dissolve and become remnants of a hallucination. That was understandable of course and seemed a normal reaction to the trauma they’d all suffered. Thankfully it took only a handful of seconds for the blonde boy to accept her as tangible and offered a smile and wave. That took her aback, as both seemed perfectly genuine. It must have warranted quite a lot of courage for someone to act so congenially in the face of disaster. Forcing a grin in return, she slowed as she reached them and folded her hands neatly in front of her. “Other than a case of bad sunburn and some aches and pains, I think I’ll live.” Her response was directed to the both of them, though her attention seemed to be focused more on the girl. She seemed much younger than herself and looked to be especially timid and fragile. Claudia immediately felt sorry for her. Another once-over brought her to the conclusion that the girl was a high school student, still dressed in the designated uniform no less. Had she been on some sort of field trip with the rest of her class? Perhaps there had been a teacher that’d survived, or a fellow student? Familiarity at the very least might put her mind at ease. But it was too much to ask now, what they needed was to revel in the good fortune of finding each other first. They might have been strangers, but they were strangers that would find strength in numbers. They’d likely have a far greater chance at survival now that they weren’t being forced to fend for themselves. Pushing her damp hair over one shoulder, Claudia eased herself carefully down upon the sand and dusted off the dress she’d been wearing since the previous night. It looked ridiculous against the backdrop of ship wreckage and rugged terrain. Something needed to be done about that. To be fair, she’d been performing on the evening of the accident and obviously hadn’t the time to change. It didn’t even occur to her that such fanciful attire would make moving around in such a setting more inconvenient. As though in response to this, she began tearing away at the expensive material with deft hands, taking some length away from the skirt and removing the sleeves. While she worked, she turned her blue eyes back to her newfound friends. “My name is Claudia by the way. Claudia Bennett. I was an employee on the ship.” A pause as she attempted to control the sudden waver in her voice, attention again on the dress. “I don’t recall either of your faces however. What are your names?” But before she could gather their answers, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she turned to see another survivor trudge slowly into view. “Oh look, there’s someone else!” Claudia trailed off, realizing that this girl looked the most worn down of all of them. “ … Hold on, I’ll be right there!” Rising quickly to her feet and tossing away whatever scraps of material she’d torn from her gown, the young woman jogged up to the new arrival with a look of concern. “Hey, are you okay? You’re not injured are you?”

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THIS TEMPLATE WAS MADE BY COMATOSE OF ON THE EDGE!

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[SAGARA MALI]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=width, 350, true][atrb=cellpadding, 0, true][atrb=style, background-color: #f6f6f6; text-align: justify;, true] LET'S SAIL AWAY FIND OUR OWN COUNTRY, WE'LL BUILD A HOUSE & BEDS OUT OF PALM TREES As Sagara trudged closer to the three, the woman who had just ran up to the other two began tearing at her dress. She ripped away at the pretty material, and Sagara immediately understood her reasons for doing so. Her own outfit was simply a frilly yellow sundress. It wasn't quite as fanciful as the other girl's dress, but it certainly hadn't been designed for these circumstances. Suddenly the woman looked up, taking notice of Sagara. She yelled out to her, and Sagara immediately felt exposed hobbling there in the open. Her mind returned to how ruined she looked. The group before her didn't look too bad; more tired than anything, but Sagara had been sprawled out on the forest floor and crying. Her eyes must be puffy and red, therefore it'd be obvious she had recently been in a fit of tears, and it probably looked as if a plant were sprouting from her hair. Not to mention her dress...stained and crusty from the salt of the ocean. Sagara sighed, shaking her head slightly. How foolish to worry about her misshapen shape at the moment. It was more of the fact that it was extremely discomforting that truly bothered her. Sagara stopped and directed her eyes elsewhere as the woman ran up to her. It'd just occurred to her that the lass had beautiful pink hair. Usually pink hair wasn't something Sagara would admire, but it looked lovely on this lady. She looked like a nice person, and her worry for Sagara was a bit warming. "I'm...I'm as okay as any of us can be," Sagara spoke softly, her voice a bit raspy. She cleared her throat. Jabbing a nail into her stress ball and still avoiding eye contact with the woman, she continued, "I'm not hurt, really, just...physically and emotionally exhausted, I guess." Sagara glanced past the woman at the boy and girl by the wreckage. "Is, uh, everyone else here okay?" She shot a nervous glance up at the woman, but quickly redirected her eyes toward her stress ball. She jabbed another nail into it.

BY CORINTH OF OTE

[HOTARU TAIYOU]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,border-left: solid 5px #f7c8a3;background-image:url(http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj194/commodore-sixty-four/bgweave.gif);background-attachment:center;-webkit-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-moz-box-shadow: -5px 0px 0px #f3a180;-webkit-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;-moz-border-radius: 0 30 30 0px;width:450px;] Hotaru Taiyou ❃ with your ear to a seashell you can hear the waves in underwater caves The youngest girl stood up and walked towards the two older ones, listening to them talk about their current state. Or lack there of. Idle and awkward chatter from a handful of the survivors. It was too be expected, after something like that. Strangers trapped on even stranger tides, would lead to something like this. And it's not like they could act normally. In fact, Hotaru didn't want to meet the person who could act normally in such a situation. But it brought up the question: what was normal now? Looking at the newest member of their conversation, a girl with long black hair and pale skin, she untied her hair ribbon and shook out her hair, before tying the ribbon around her left forearm, the bells jingling the entire time, at an almost soothing melody to the young girl as ran a finger through her hair. It was almost as if she was trying to relieve her own stress by doing this. Or even trying to find something familiar in this surreal situation? "That's good." She said, slightly more comfortable talking with people of her own gender in this situation, than the happy-go-lucky seeming Kaden. Not that she doubted his pure intentions, but it was more calming, for her, despite the age difference between the two women and herself. A security blanket as it were. It was easier to empathize with females, than males, in this situation. It probably had more to do with her age than anything else. She was still in her awkward years after all. And in this situation, it caused those already awkward moments to escalate even further. "I-I'm alright." She said, looking up at the two girls, with her red eyes, as she glanced from Claudia to the new girl. "Did you see any other people?" She said, speaking to the raven-haired woman. She was still holding out a little bit of hope out that her mother was alive, somewhere on this island. A little sliver of hope, in this nightmare paradise, in this beautiful hell, would help calm the young girl. At least, until that hope was ripped away... tag: Hotaru, Sagara, Kaden (MIA~), Claudia; words: 352 ; notes: I tried to be a little more poetic with this post. I dunno how well it worked, as usually I'm better off with plain narration. I haven't even nailed down what perspective I want to post with as Hotaru yet, but third person omniscient might work out... Shorter again, but it's hard to work with these earlier posts XD Every character has the same scared and apprehensive thoughts~ I didn't focus much on her movements in this post either, beyond their hairtie thing. Dunno what that was about, but I just went with it XD *long note...*; music: Last Way out of Here - Paloalto ; coded by hannie of OTE

[SAGARA MALI]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=width, 350, true][atrb=cellpadding, 0, true][atrb=style, background-color: #f6f6f6; text-align: justify;, true] LET'S SAIL AWAY FIND OUR OWN COUNTRY, WE'LL BUILD A HOUSE & BEDS OUT OF PALM TREES The other girl spoke to Sagara with cautious red eyes, and Sagara felt sorry for this younger female more than she did for anyone else. Surely she had been with a parent, or perhaps a grandparent -- or maybe even several family members. None of the others standing before Sagara appeared to share any resemblance or closeness with this girl. Then Sagara noticed the girl was wearing a school uniform. At first her sorrow faded a tad. If the girl hadn't been on the ship with family members, then at least they were safe. But she realized that losing friends was just as tragic. Plus, that would mean there were possibly a lot of children who perished in the wreck. These thoughts made Sagara glad that she had arrived alone. Even if she never saw any of her loved ones again, at least she knew they were safe. They'd be grieving over her disappearance and always wondering what had happened to her, but still alive. Sagara gave her stress ball another squeeze as she dared herself to look directly at the red-eyed girl. Though she seemed nice, she had an extremely cautious and skeptical aura about her. The way she looked at everything was as if she were about to question its authority. Sagara was tempted to look away, but willed herself to speak: "Well, um, yes. When I first came to shore, I found some unconscious people. Just two or three. I-I shouldn't have, but I left them after checking if they were alive." Sagara averted her eyes toward the sea. "I, um, wanted to be alone for a bit. But yeah, I saw some others. I hope they're still okay." She was trying to make herself appear less scared and foolish for having left the other survivors. Gathering everyone together was important, she understood that. She glanced back at the girl.

BY CORINTH OF OTE