After(life) Party--

[soylentprotag]

[Lenka isn't talking much, though he spends most of the time after the execution either expressionless or frowning, moving among the ones still left at the campfire to check on people and try to make sure none of them are trying to either follow Boa or possibly throw literal or metaphorical stones at each other. Probably everyone's too exhausted for any of that at this point.

At some point he disappears for a little bit and comes back with an entire table and supplies -- not from the kitchen, but from the stash he'd accumulated in Cabin 2. It's not much, but it feels better than eating anything from the kitchen right now. Nobody wants that.

There's just some crackers and fruit snacks and some cheese with them. A few baggies to take them to go since most people aren't hungry right this moment. Once that's set out, he'll idle at one end of the table, staring out into the lake.]

Comments

[trashmouthtozier]

[Richie knows they're all in there, somewhere. that they're still them. and he needs friends right now. whether he killed or not, Lance ... was a friend. before he went into the shack, Lance got him. and he looks normal, mostly. he's not as hard to handle as Lilith, or ... the others.

he sits down next to him, not minding the blood. It had shown him worse. he's personally seen worse, now. he watched]

What are you thinking about?

[it's an extremely relevant question, all of a sudden]

[particlebarrier]

[Lance looks away from the fire to smile at Richie.]

I'm just thinking about all the fun things we still have to do before we all go our separate ways and go home.

[trashmouthtozier]

Fun things, huh?

[he gives Lance a little sad smile. he's ... got a point. the fireworks were fun. swimming with Eddie was fun. some of those first few days, fooling around with nametags and pranks and ... there really have been good moments interspersed with the horror. but ... 'go home'.]

What sort of things do you think we have left? Does Sol give you any hints? Or do you hear it from the other kids?

[he knows where you really are, Lance. will you answer him? he ... wants to know what he's in for if they can't salvage this]

[particlebarrier]

[There's just a flicker in Lance's expression that makes him seem chagrined. Maybe it's just a trick of the lighting from the fire, but either way it passes and Lance's expression brightens to an almost alarming extent.]

Oh, you wanna talk about the Lord, Richie? The Lord's just the greatest of all time! The Lord says all kinds of beautiful, moving things about bringing people together and the importance of interpersonal harmony.

[Eerily it's almost like listening to a pre-recorded message that plays on cue here.]

[trashmouthtozier]

We ... weren't talking about the Lord, Lance. We were talking about camp games.

[squint. if you're going to be THAT far away from home, he's going to try again later, man]

[particlebarrier]

Yes we were.

[Oh god is he pouting. He's pouting.]

You brought up the Lord's name, Richie.

[trashmouthtozier]

In conversation. Not ... I didn't want to like, have a sudden church sermon, Lance.

[particlebarrier]

[That seems to take the wind out of his sails a little. Lance goes back to looking at the fire, expression returning to more of a subdued vacant happiness.]

I think it'd be nice if we could all get along. Not just us, but the counselors and the Lord too. We used to do a lot of trust building exercises back home to help us work as one. It'd be nice if we could do that here, too.

[trashmouthtozier]

What kind of exercises?

[from talking to Lenka, Ren, Cielo, and Usagi ... he might be on to something here]

Do you think it really is something we could do here? I ... I want us all to get along, too.

[particlebarrier]

[Richie gets a look.]

We only have three more weeks left before camp ends. Now's not the time to wonder if we can do it or not, we just have to go for it and make as many friends as possible before going home.

Actions speak way louder than words, so make sure you give this your best. I know I will too.

[trashmouthtozier]

[he nods]

Right. ... So tell me about the exercises? What did you do at home?

[particlebarrier]

It's hard to replicate them here because camp isn't a battle ground.

[Brow furrowing a little.]

A lot of it came down to putting the lives of teammates before your own and making sure nobody gets left behind. Everyone has to be rallied behind one purpose. What do you think that purpose should be for camp, Richie?

[trashmouthtozier]

[he has to think for a moment to find a way to put it which won't have all the zombies swarming him with angry Sol thoughts]

Coming together to learn as much as we can as friends ... before we go home.

[particlebarrier]

Mhm, I'm totally on board! How can I help with that?

[trashmouthtozier]

[THIS IS SO GREAT THIS IS PROGRESS]

Just keep talking to everyone and being yourself. You know, the real you, the one that told me about confidence and stuff.

[he glances around]

And let me know if you hear or see anything weird, OK? We want to make sure everyone's safe.

[particlebarrier]

[Richie (zombiewhisperer)]

Of course I'll keep talking to everyone. I want all of us to stay friends waaaay after camp is over, too.

[But he does frown slightly here. He knows, by now, not to argue the "safety of camp" thing since it tends to just make people upset with him for whatever crazy reason.]

But seriously, who else would I be if not the real me? Red gives good neck massages, but she's not that good that it'd totally change the fabric of ~me~

[trashmouthtozier]

[okay why would Red giving you a neck massage change -- you know what he's beginning to think not asking is wise. so he'll just smile]

Thanks, Lance.