@jovigeorgeâ
Itâs a nice way to pass the time, puttering around on the Bridge. Theyâre not looking for anything in particular⌠though, if heâs being honest, hoping against hope, Joviâs looking for his phone. Heâs missed it since it took a nosedive into the Labyrinth on his, Jupiterâs, and Lilyâs trip to find Kessey. Sure, his momma lets him play around on hers sometimes, but it just doesnât compare.
So Joviâs keeping his eyes peeled, looking for the refracted glint of a partially shattered screen, when Hanan holds up something unrelated. It takes him a moment of squinting before he brightens with recognition. âYooo! No way!â Jovi trots right over, picking the firebender shirt up from where Hanan had delicately put it back down. He holds it up to his own frame before saying, in an impression of Zukoâs flat voice, âThatâs rough, buddy.â
Then Jovi laughs and tucks the shirt under his arm. âWhat kinda comics? I hope itâs some real nerdy stuff. Like â like Enterprise Logs type stuff. Were you into Trek at all?â Back to considering the shirt, he turns it this way and that before asking, âWere you more of a Katara fan or an Azula fan? Or Toph! I loved Toph, but my heart eyes were allllll for Katara.â
It was utterly hopeless, and totally impossible, for her to keep her composure. Hanan snorted, ticking over into laughter alongside Jovi. âHey! That was good! Ohhh thatâs a haaaaard question. I definitely had a soft spot for Katara. I mean hello? Sheâs so badass but has an absolute heart of gold but what can I say Jovi, Azula was totally unhinged but spoke to my totally very repressed young self.â All around the time when she was supposedly not meant to be watching toons anymore, because it was cringe, and she was too old for it. But that hadnât ever really grown out of it. Now, sheâs glad for it, because it felt like having the one-up! Little insights into their bending powers, even if so far Hanan hadnât gotten very far with it.
âNoooot Trek! I was obsessed with x-men. I found a bunch of volumes and gosh, I donât know I was just hooked. I used to just buy whatever I could find! Finding out there was a comic book shop close enough to me to get a standing order was honestly greatest day of my life. Okay maybeâŚsecond greatest? Third? I donât know but it was pretty up there, up there with olympics and all that jazz. So, you were a Trekkie then? Iâm sooo sorry my knowledge is totally limited to those reboot movies with the mega lens flares. A friend of mine was really into them, I think she had a crush on I wanna say... KirkâŚ?â
Hanan leafed through the case, pulling out one of the comics. âAvatarâŚyup makes senseâŚStar WarsâŚâ She paused momentarily, still knelt by the case but gaze tilted up at Jovi, hands paused in prayer over the comics. âHey likeâŚyou ever wonder if maybe avatar might happen hereâŚon the island? Like not as in one person is going to have all the attunements, but what if people split off? I guess thereâs kinda likeâŚbigger fish to fry isnât there? Ugh, sorry! Iâm being a total buzz-kill. Soo if you could pick to be any bender? Which? Donât get me wrong I definitely think itâs super cool to be earth, but itâd be so cool to have air powers! Total freedom. But then water...â
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@akbartheolderââ
âYâknow itâs not a job-job, yeah,â Emre motioned to the sugar set-up, as he observed Hanan.  âNo punchcards, no clocks. You do what you can, then let someone else have a go. We got plenty workers, and no profit to be made.â
Only keeping people fed and happy. The island could fuck with them day and night, month after month; but at least they could make coconut sugar cakes. He dredged up an old hippie-dippie saying of Tomasâ, but botched it completely:  âMr Capitalism is getting well fucked up the arse by Miss Socialism.â OrâŚsomething to that effect. Tomas said it better, not crasser.
He wasnât expecting training, just a thorough trouncing. Anything to keep Hananâs morale risen, even just a little. If she was nearly Olympics, then competition was in her blood. And sure; Emre knew heâd fail, and she knew heâd fail. But Hanan didnât have to know that he knew that. So he smirked smugly at her, as she continued to chat big and realize aloud she didnât have to train him at all. All part of the razzing.
Emre tiled his chin up haughtily, amping the combative sporty vibe. Emre could get mean in a football game back home; worse in cricket. And he and Madi were always challenging each other with farm work. Girls liked to win over boys - that was the one golden rule.
He started heading up to the slated cliffside, as Emre kissed his teeth animatedly.  âYou what - of course Iâll beat you, sweetheart. Youâve gotten weak on the island, twirling about with bloody sugar. Iâve only gotten stronger innit. I donât need no training, I got this locked down, what.â
A snorty-laugh.  âOnly thing Iâm scared of is having to hug you up and offer comfort after youâve lost innit. All that crying youâre gonna do, man.â
âI know.â Hanan said, a little quiet for a moment but smiling nonetheless as she somewhat succinctly added. âI kinda like pretending it is though, keeps me focused.â It wasnât like her watch was synced to whatever time the island ran on. Rising with the sun, and collapsing once the stars blanketed the sky felt particularly freeing. âLessâŚlike thinky time then.â She offered him a lopsided smile, that tipped bigger with a chuckle as Emre offered up a particularly crass saying. âIs that a saying? Iâm like 99.99999% sure thatâs not a saying.â Hanan teased, blissfully light as if she didnât have a care in the world. âI understand what you mean though.â She nudged him lightly wit her elbow.
âInshallah!â Hanan eagerly followed him, happy to fall in step as they headed upwards. Even if Emre was making choice bold declarations. âUhhh, well as long as you donât have a copy of UP in your pocket somewhere I think weâll be okay. Never cried for losing.â If you discounted the times she had when she was little, but Hanan definitely wasnât counting any loser-tears up until the age of eleven. âWallahi, UP made me cry like an actual baby.â
âDid you ever do any sport, like before? Soccer? Could see youâŚkicking a ball around.â Hanan lead them both towards the path sheâd discovered, that eventually led down to one sheâd half-forged from memory of repeated visits, to her special cliffside edge. One of the few places on the island she feltâŚtotally herself. At ease. It wasnât hers but sheâd spent enough time learning the rocky edge, the alcoves, the concave as the cliff momentarily diverged on two paths giving her a neat little chimney to relax in. In some ways it felt more like hers, than her tent did.
âFirst things first. Safety. There is no safety, actually we probably shouldâve asked an air bender to come out with us but okay, totally nooooo worries. Weâll stick to this.â
She did a little jazz hand point towards a smaller bulge of the cliffside edge that was comparatively small, kinda smallish. âThat way the fall wonât hurt too bad.â Hanan added a flourish of finger guns, and another quick smile. âOkay so, itâs kinda a work in progress this was originally pretty easy to send, and I wanted to make something to practice on that at least was kinda challenging. Soooo, weâve got some dodgy stone creations! Can kinda still see where Iâve marked it out in chalk.â Sheâd maybe borrowed that, one afternoon, from the warehouse and promptly put it back afterwards.
âYouâre going to start down here. Itâs a sit down start. SoâŚâ Hanan plonked herself down, pushing the toes of her boots against the memorised spots. Unfortunately the chalk had pretty much warn off down here. âFeet here, and then youâre going to put your right handâŚhere.â She reached up, almost full extension, to a slight ledge in the rock. All natural, she hadnât tampered with that part. âAnd your left here. Got it? Then youâre going to follow the path up, you can kinda do as you will. Youâre supposed to follow the pink chalk marks but honestly theyâre faded and wellâŚwhatever works, go for it. You ready? Can have a couple practice runs first!â
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Location: Bridge
@jovigeorgeâ
Hanan was cruising through the odds and ends. It was hard to tell if it was sacrilegious to be peering through peopleâs forgotten belongings, or if she should be likening it to a free yard sale. Maybe it was best to keep it to the latter that way  no-one was going to have a moral dilemma. She leafed through to find a suitcase remarkably still intact. Either the contents were undesirable, or this one had just been tucked out of sight. Hanan pried it open to be greeted with what was mostly clothes, but importantly, zipped up in itâs own separate bag a costume sheâd recognise anywhere. Hanan straightened up holding the top half of a distinctly fire nation themed costume.
âHoly moly! No way, youâd totally rock this Jovi.â Or was it too nerdy for him? Hanan was kinda going out on a limb. It was waaay too easy to forget that not everyone on the island was as shocked (and delighted) as sheâd been to find out they were real-life benders. She neatly folded the costume back on top of the case. âThereâs definitely comics in here tooâŚoh I feel soooo bad for whoever lost this.â She carefully perched the case so it wasnât in danger of spilling itâs contents into the ankle deep water.Â
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@akbartheolderâ
Location: by the sugarcane processing
@hananzakiâ
âAlright, Hanz,â Emre called out, sauntering over where he saw her working. He nabbed a stick of sugar cane to chew on, and justâŚenjoyed it. No exhaustion, no waswasah. Nothing to plague his mind, shred at his spirit and willpower. He was elated, really; more than he had been in ages.
(So long as he didnât think about Iyaz. Donât think about Iyaz. It was wrong to not think about Iyaz; and the cycle repeated itself, but that was a cycle that Emre was used to spinning around, like sugar spinning to a flame). Â
For now, Emre just enjoyed the rush of liquid sweet between his teeth, not unlike his hope to see Hanan smile when she looked at him. It seemed like the girl was getting accustomed to him, less of that rabbity-look, like she wanted to bolt but heâd trapped her in a conversation.
Emre nodded his chin up towards the upper settlement, a sheer incline theyâd remarked on a while back.
âYou off work soon? Fancy we get on with the challenge? You prove to me that girls can climb and that. Finally.â
There wasnât too much left to be done, but nonetheless Hanan was an eager student and now finally putting it all into practice. The field had returned to itâs normal state, pre-Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, ready for the final burn. She straightened up, half expecting Emre to have something for her to do. But he didnât look tense, nor did he have a fresh task as if she was still under a month long hazing.
âHey, hey, hey!â Hanan beamed, shielding her eyes from the sun as she waved at him. Could she convince him to alter the nickname path? Probably not. It was a little like how once the course had been set for Zaki thereâd been no going back. âLiiike...I think so.â There didnât seem to be hard ends, she could carry on all day and into the night, if she wanted to. Of which she had, but Hanan had kept that to herself. Thereâd been bigger fish to fry than one lowly worker who couldnât sleep.
She leant on one of the last canes as if it was a prop, it was hard to stop the grin from forming. âYou ready for it Em?â Hanan asked, patting off her gloves on her shorts. Having discovered the wonders of what a buffer could do between her and the earth, everything had settled, or at least a little bit. She didnât feel so stricken but then she hadnât gone barefoot in what felt like yonks. âOne hundred percent sure you can handle it? Iâll train you hard, itâll be like a montage scene from Rocky before you know it.â She chuckled, ducking her head to pull her things all together.
âThough if youâre so sure of yourself beating me from the get-go, I shouldnât even train you!â He seemedâŚbetter? Little livelier. Hanan turned her cane towards him, same gesture sheâd done to Tomas some days ago. Hanan cleared her throat, and dropped her voice. âSo...Emre how do you feel? Have you accepted the challenge, or are you scared of being beat?â
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@sagetomashardyâ
âBasically all of grade school, and then we moved back to the States,â Tomas said. âIt was a good place to grow up.â Not that heâd had a good childhood, particularly, but it was easy to angle the statement into something vague and benign. âWho knew it would come in handy thirty-plus years later when Iâd find myself stranded on a mysterious tropical island? Funny how things work out.â
Funny, though, didnât seem like quite the most accurate word when reality twisted and they found themselves in the factory, with candy in their hands. âDonât eat anything,â Tomas was about to say, but he got distracted by Hananâs quick surveillance and seeming delight in the place. She was already making her way to a bridge that looked like it might collapse if your breath got it wet, and Tomas followed haltingly, testing out his air attunement just in case. Just in case the thing shattered the moment they set foot on it.
âThank god for that,â he muttered when Hanan said the river wasnât chocolate. It was some clear blue liquid, but it just smelled of soda, nothing identifiable. Probably still a drowning hazard, though, Tomas thought direly, and turned to Hanan to dole out some warnings when he saw sheâd already bitten into her candy and was struggling with it. She didnât seem poisoned or anything, though, so that was ⌠good?
He sighed, angling his own candy into his molars and biting off a sliver. âThose little gummy orange slices,â he said into her microphone, then stopped. âNo. No, thatâs not my favourite, I dunno why I said that. I like, um, Junior Mints. Anything mint chocolate. Except the ice cream, ice cream shouldnât be mint.â The candy in his mouth was dissolving into something like blackcurrant and ⌠first snow? That was the best Tomas could describe it. âUh. Tell me your favourite while I think about impossible.âÂ
The bridge seemed to be holding, and Tomas bent and touched his tongue gently to the guardrail. âItâs sugar,â he said glumly. âWould we be cursed if we pocketed as much candy as we could? Would it all turn into ⌠what, bagfuls of disembodied cavities if we blip forward?â
âIt isâŚâ She said, with a slow nod as she mulled over it, instead of rushing to glide on by to the next topic. Tomas didnât say much at all, she tapped the candy cane to her lips and smiled. âItâs really useful! Some serious knowledge thatâs definitely keeping us all alive.â This is all said, before his warning, and after sheâs already nibbled on the end of the candy cane. Well, Hanan had always said that her weakness was anything sweet. Everything was a marvel. Maybe a delirium? Had she drunk enough water today? Could dehydration produce such a vivid hallucination, but Tomas could see it all too.
âProbably? Maybe?â She answered, in reference to cavities. She hadnât given much thought to the possibility of blipping forwards. Thus far sheâd watched her tent deconstruct itself. Seemingly by itself. Apparently that was not a unique phenomena, it also wasnât a coconut-water-induced-hallucination, but forwards. She hadnât considered that. Hanan paused at the blue soda river waterâs edge, though the vivid green grass curved down into a slow banking slope. âHubba Bubba,â she answered without missing too much of a beat. âI was totally obsessed! Probably have to be gummie lifesavers now though, or maybe lifesavers? Oh my gosh! I canât even answer my own question.â
For a man shown a sugar haven of impossibility, he seemed underwhelmed. Hanan didnât dwell too long on this, instead marvelling at the delightfully sweet melted toffee flavour of her candy cane. âI agree with you though, ice cream shouldnât taste like toothpaste. Everything happens here for a reason, right?â But even despite that Hanan toed the bridge with caution. It didnât feel capable of sustaining her weight even if this was an improbable candy land. She didnât want to test her all too sinkable form, again.
Hanan stopped short, behind them as if it had been there all along, was a thick dense crop of what appeared on first glance to be yellow sugar cane. Closer inspection though it was glistening too brightly for that. Flecks of sesame encased in a healthy dosing of sugar. The miniature field was tall, and towered over them both. âIs this place changing with every blink of the eye? Am I losing it. Been trying to be a glass-full-kinda-gal, but it feels like at any second the plug is going to be pulled. I donât know, gosh, sorry Iâm spiralling. I havenât really felt like myself.â She tapped the sugarcane to her chin, considering for a moment which really only seemed to last for the briefest of moments.
âWe should make the most of this right? How many opportunities are we going to get, to have gorgeous candy like this! Tomas I simply donât have the candy entrepreneurship to make all of this.â Sheâs right back into her default, keeping everything light, airy, waving her sugarcane stick at the myriad of candy delights springing up. It felt a little bit like they were springing up a touch too fast. A new one every time she turned to examine the last. More, and more, until they were crowded by sugar creations.
Quickly, it became claustrophobic as if candy shaped walls were pressing in on them. Hanan spun again, using the heel of her boots to meet out enough space for her to stand in from shards of sugar. âUhhhâŚ.like not going to lie, not really enjoying this so much now.â
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@sagetomashardyâ
the burned sugar cane field
@hananzakiâ
âWeâve been doing pretty well with all this,â Tomas said, straightening up from chopping down the last of the burned stand. The fire attuned had done their controlled burn and let the field cool, ready for the cane to be harvested; Tomas didnât generally do much reaping these days, but heâd wanted to this time. There was a specific muscular flex and toil and satisfied exhaustion that the task brought, and Hanan had seemed willing enough to jump in as well, which made the chore less of a stolid exertion and more something companionable.Â
He breathed in deep, remarking, âI love that smell. The scorched sugar. It reminds me of being little and living in the Caribbean.â Not all good memories, but this was a nice one. Unattached to anything more harrowing.
âYouâve been doing really well with all this, Hanan.â Tomas picked up one of the canes, stripping off the thin bark with his cutlass. âNot just the processing side of it. I can see you took it upon yourself to walk the entire length of the sugar. From the field to the plate â that pawpaw candyâs addictive. I think weâll have a good supply set in until the next cane cycle.âÂ
Tomas split the cane into a few manageable sticks, handing a couple to Hanan while he chewed the sweet juice out of his own. âIn fact,â he said, âI think soon enough weâll be able toââ
There was a jolt in the air that interrupted him, like it had been torn jaggedly sideways, and Tomas had enough time to say âoh fuckinâ seriously??â before their scene changed. âGoddammit! I was hoping we wouldnât get a blipââÂ
He was about to throw his stick of sugar cane to the ground, but paused. Opened his hand to see it had been replaced by a beautiful twist of violet-and-white hard candy, and as he raised his head, a building stacked itself into being over their heads. One full of machinery that smelled of butter, and fruit, and chocolate, and most of all sugar.Â
âUh,â Tomas said. âI think weâre oompa loompa doopity-ducked.â
If she could, sheâd spend the whole day out here. There was a certain peace on the farm that was more comfort than it was daunting, and the smell of burnt sugar really did help. Hanan closed her eyes for a moment, tilting her head back just to inhale and enjoy the moment. Sheâd been running at pace ever since signing herself up to help out, this was really the closest sheâd gotten to a mediative state in a long time. Hanan blinked, coming back to with a handful of canes that she set aside to be stripped, and eventually moved. âOh really?â Hananâs brows curved upwards, then slowly her lips joined in tandem for an easy smile. âHow old were you when you lived there?â
âIâm just happy to help out,â she said quietly, eagerly taking the offered cane. Sheâd done this enough times now to know this was the real reward. Maybe the eventual candy was too. Hanan hummed, shuffling about in her boots as she chewed on the stick. Happy enough for a break, if it meant a little jolt of sweetness and enough energy to keep them going into the afternoon. But everything went still for a moment.
Hanan couldnât feel the disturbance, the thick boots were doing their job of blocking her from most of the islandâs deeper vibrations, but sheâd have to be blind to miss how the sugar cane changed. Herâs a twist of rainbow tropical delight. Hanan yelped as the sun was blocked out brick by brick, turning around in a full circle to watch a full entire totally whole building be born around them. âWoooaaah! Tomas please tell me youâre seeing this too?â
She giggled, turning back to him with her candy stick held up. âNothing for it Captain! We must explore. Itâs our duty andâŚwait is thatâŚâ Hanan spied over Tomasâ shoulder a bridge in a sheer iridescent crystal-like material, she skipped over. Taking a few tentative steps over it. âHoly moly! Is this made of candy? Hey, the river isnât chocolate! OkayâŚbut this is likeâŚtotally bonkers.â
Hanan took a bite out of her rainbow candy cane, easier said than done. She ended up with a gob-stopper size chunk of candy to mull over. Hanan pointed her candy cane in Tomasâ direction as if it was a microphone. âFavourite candy Tomas? BothâŚreal and impossible!â
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@akbartheolderâââ
Emre mimed like he was shot in the heart, wobbling slightly and an âoofâ puff of air.  âWounded, mortally. If Iâm not special to Hanz, whatâs the point then,â he bemoaned in his droll way. He admired the way Hanan brazenly spoke about defying her mumâs straight-and-narrow. Â
âDid your parents, erm, was they okay with you being lesbian, like?â he asked curiously. Emre felt sure his mum and dad would totally accept Iyaz - sensitive, a little odd - coming out. But him? Maybe acceptance, but it would be sad. Disappointed, even. Emre couldnât stand thinking about disappointing his parents, so he focused on Hanan. A Muslim girl, no less; Emre liked to believe Hanan would understand. Even if she wasnât practicing, it was about culture, not faith.  âDoes they know?â
The answer for top movie was easy, but Emre had to tease first.  âWhatâs all this - we on a date? You gonna ask favourite colour next? Suppose I could pretend to be a girl, for a couple hoursâŚâ Emre joked, because he liked seeing Hanan protesting and giggling over his silliness.
âYou trust my taste in people, or you saying I know all the people. I could give you recommendations, I suppose. I - oh bloody hell.  Of course you choose the one person I donât know, innit! You cheeky thing. Bloke is Tamyraâs nephew, yeah? Tamzy seems to think the best of her fam, so. Wager this Joviâs alright. Whoâre the other two you knew before the island then, go on. Tamyraâs one, yeah.â Everyone from the past 40 years would know Tamyra Williams.
He wasnât selling himself short so much as his current state post-tree. The plague in his head, the lack of sleep that truly played a number on his body. But he just went along with Hanan, not wanting to explain the effects of the tree to her, make her sad and worried.
âLord of the Rings,â Emre proclaimed. âAnd thatâs three films innit, so - there you go. 2001 was a big year innit.â Likely moreso for Hanan, given she was American. Emre counted off on his fingers:  â9/11 happened, I got -â Arrested, but Emre skipped over that part, â- sent to basic training, Lord of the Rings comes out in December. It was all I watched on-base innit.â It kept him sane, really. Ringing up Iyaz when he could, just to hear his sweet little baby raving about this sick epic based on some old book by some old white geezer who was in the old Great War. Listening to Iyaz go into details about this elf, that dwarf; while Emre liked Galadriel, well fit.Â
And, he liked how Gandalf spoke about the creature named Gollum in the Mines of Moria. A compassion that Emre - beaten and ostracized for being the very creature his platoon were training up to fight - had found so entirely alien, so touching.
âIâm guessing youâve seen it enough time to quote scenes, innit. Go on, give us a line, and Iâll tell you which of the trilogy itâs from.â
Hanan exhaled a light laugh at Emreâs mimed out tragedy, it was easier skating along lighter topics. It didnât mean that Emre couldnât throw a spanner her way. Hanan didnât know whether to duck, or attempt to catch it. She slowed, not quite stopping, but not chugging up the path on her own steam either. Hanan parsed a look sideways at him. âAm I that obvious?â She couldnât recall ever telling him, but maybe she just unknowingly screamed queer. âErrrrrrrâŚâ Hanan filled the air with disgruntled vowels. âThey kinda knew? I think my dad just wanted me to be happy likeâŚI donât think he would have said much about it.â
âMom is a little trickier but. Thatâs normal right?â Hanan said with a shrug as if trying to ease off that burden. She knew more than a few people also shared the burden of a fraught mother-daughter relationship. âI donât know, I never really came out, it was easier just be like hey this is my friend! Gal pals. I kept thinking this time Iâd tell her, or this time. Then we had this big argument because one year I sewed a rainbow patch to my chalk bag for a comp. In interviews I said I was just being an ally for pride month! But she flipped. Sorry you probably didnât want to hear all this.â
âI know it comes from a place of care, like she just wanted the best but her view of that was limited. LikeâŚshe was always so proud of my brother for getting married, having kids and I just. She thought I was wasting my time climbing! I miss being an auntieâŚâ Another thought tangent, not one Emre had even asked for. So Hanan pivoted. Jogging back along the path to keep up with him, and the talk of the islanders.
âOh my gosh! Yeeeeesss I Love Tamyraâs movies.â Coming full circle to her gay awakening, it was all rather fitting. âWait Jovi and Tamyra are related?? Woooweee so much talent in one family thatâs totally bonkers. Actually now the grand total is going up! Sooo I sorta knew Cordelia? I mean she was my landlady for a while. But I didnât know know her. Sorta same theme Mik reached out to me about sponsorship with his shake company. This was after the rainbow patch craziness before I got big brand deals so I was kinda desperate. But Yas Shakes was a yucky pyramid scheme sooooo absolutely not! I didnât know him though, I mean he seems like a totally really nice guy!â
âHold up!â Hanan said, not because Emre was going at speed but because this new Emre lore drop was a lot to process. âYeahâŚit was a big year. You were in the army? Iâm coming back to testing your metal on quotes donât worry. How old were you? I didnât think you were much older than me and like, I was a kid.â
âTold myself I was too cool to watch spy kids in the cinema. I donât think Iâve ever been cool. But uh, Iâm getting away from the point. Ok maybe quote is betterâŚâ Hanan drifted, though she loved Lord of the Rings (who didnât) it hadnât necessarily been an obsession. âOkaaay letâs start easy. What about side by side with a friend?â
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@starlit-liliesââ
âYou do!â Lily affirmed, smiling. Madi also seemed a little too quick to dismiss her own achievements and strengths, but hopefully that was changing. And hopefully it would change with Hanan, too, given time.
Lily clasped her hands behind her back, still feeling awkward and stiff, still tasting vine at the back of her throat. Still, she tried to muster some enthusiasm to match Hananâs. âYeah! It really doesnât need much, it can make do with any lightâbut if you want the pretty white-and-green leaves, more sunlight causes that. And just stick your finger in before watering; if the soilâs dry to the second knuckle, thatâs when you drown it.â
Hananâs casual mention of Cordelia as a âbeforeâ made Lily blink, tilting her head. âYou knew Cordelia? How?â she asked. âYou mustâve heard the news about her family, then. Iâm sorry, if you knew Tao and Mei too.â
The revelation that Hanan and Madi had been lured into the jungle made Lilyâs throat tighten, thinking of Jupiter in the vines, Libby in the green. Blood and laughter, the common denominators between all of them. What had the copiesâ goals even been? But Hanan breezed on past this like it was no big deal. Wasnât it?
âI do know Harry,â Lily confirmed, looking a little more closely at Hanan, catching that but that had trailed off. âWhy are you sorry? Donât be sorry, you didnât do anything wrong.â (The better question is, why arenât you sorry? the voice asked, laughing.) After a moment, Lily cleared her throat and continued, âCan I askâdoes it bother you thatâthat you canât really do anything about what happened? Like you canât confront Harry because it wasnât really her.â
âOkay, I think I can manage that. Thanks Lily itâs really kind of you.â It was probably going to have to live outside of her tent but that was okay. Little bit of decoration for her makeshift porch. Maybe this was a starting point to make a more permanent home. She wasnât sure where to even begin with that though. âOh! I kinda like didnât really know know her. She was my landlady a while back so.â But nothing like a deeply traumatic event to bring them momentarily together. Hanan let her chin rest on her knees. âI am sorry to hear about her family though.â
Loss seemed to be deeply intertwined with the island. Be it through the depths of time, separation or grief. Hananâs face momentarily bunched up. âI talk faster than I can think sometimes and likeâŚmust be kinda odd to have a newbie come in and talk your ear off about people you know. I think Iâm overthinking it but yup, yeah, Iâm doing it again.â Hanan huffed a laugh, and leant back stretching her arms out behind her.
âRightâŚabout the doppelgängers? Not really.â Maybe a little. âIt wasnât really her, it wasnât really you either.â Lily curiously was the first person to even claim she knew Harry, but in this moment that felt secondary to it all. âAre you worried about that? The doppelgänger it wasnât youâŚlike I know Iâm not the one to be judging here and I donât really know you.â But sheâd like to think that the real Lily bore no resemblance to the fake. The same with Harry. The same with them all. âAre you okay?â She knew a common thread between all those thatâd had a less than restful retreat in the trees now didnât rest easy. âCanât imagine how terrifying it must be to come back and know something was impersonating youâŚâ
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Defensive, treating everyone like her enemy. Amelia had been working on it. Or trying too. Thinking about it a lot anyway, her habit of assuming the worst in people and their motives. Like many of her bad habits it had been her default long before Meridium, and it wasnât easy to kick, especially in the constant chaos of the place.
But Hanan didnât lash out. She offered distration, comfort, cookies, and it made Ameliaâs chest feel tight because she didnât know how to accept it. Everyone wasâŚÂ Everyone was trying to be helpful, and she just kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe it was time to stop looking at the floor, so ready to flnch when it clattered to the ground.
(That was good. She wished she could write that down. Later, if she remembered it.)Â
âYou make cookies too? I thought you were dealing with the sugar. And then- those candy things, with papaya, didnât you have something to do with those?â Amelia wasnât sure why she latched onto the food topic, of all things. Perhaps because it was easiest, but she really didnât have a lot to say about it. Theyâd circle back to the doppleganger of it all, sooner or later. âIâm⌠Okay..â She drew the word out, like she might want to change her answer halfway through. âTrying to be out and about more, I guess. Iâm not busy though, I actually literally never have plans.â
âYes! Well, sugar is my real job I guess? The one Tomas gave me but the cookies were just for fun.â Hanan dipped her head as they walked, concentrating momentarily on the earth beneath their feet. But her heavy hiking boots shielded her. Kept the aches at bay (somewhat) and thus left her locked out of any deeper bond. Amelia seemed quiet. Extra quiet. But Hananâs reference point was merely one afternoon on the train.
âAnd yes! Did some sugar fruit candy experimenting. I was definitely the one learning then like, you would not believe itâs so technical! Although actually Emre did make rum with the run off molasses and woweeee that looks complicated. I have no idea how they figure that stuff out. Trial and error, probably I guess.â She said, answering her own question.
Hananâs gaze lingered on Amelia for a moment, it was easy to forget that Amelia had seen more than sheâd ever had. But even still as they walked side by side down to the lower farm, she inevitably wondered what had led Amelia to here. To the island. âIâm still not sure Iâm used to this place.â Hanan said earnestly, her gaze realigning to the path and where they were going. âThereâs so muchâŚthe attunementsâŚthe island itself? Now the glowing sand! Ever since I landed not sure whether Iâve been coming or going, kinda likeâŚjust let people sweep me up and take me with them. But I really want to understand it all. Now I totally get why people get into philosophy and all that. I just want to know the deeper meaning of this place! Why we all ended up here.â More to the point, why they couldnât leave.
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âCouldâve been a rat,â Emre said, licking his teeth at remembrance of the biscuits.  âDonât eat kahk that much back home, canât say I got a comparison. But on their own merit, they was delightful, darling. Cheers. Well sweet of you to think of me.â And Emre felt he knew the culprit behind the thought. Heâd have to thank Wren later.  âYou planning to make them again or is they loads of work? Suppose nothing else to do but make biscuits though. Not like thereâs films or facebook here.â
Emre just nodded, to confirm that he knew Mik. No point in getting into details; if Mik wanted to warn Hanan away from Emre, what was within his right. Mik, technically, hadnât done anything to piss Emre off. And Emre didnât dislike someone just because they didnât like him. People had plenty good reasons for disliking him, after all.
He nodded also about meeting Harry.  âHonestly Iâve only met Harry once, when I was out in the jungle. So I suppose to answer your question, I havenât seen her outside the jungle, not personally no.â Emre then teased. âAnyone else you stanning, that I need to confirm?â
Hanan seemed placid about not talking about his fake; and Emre had little desire to mire her with what (he assumed were) bad memories. Or at least just memories Hanan would rather just pack away and not think about. Why shouldnât she? Denial was their best chance of a soporific on the island.
A pbbbhht of a laugh and Emre shook his head.  âNah, no one I know would dare say âcream-crackeredâ and make it out alive. Is just some old-fashioned slang innit. But youâre right about a fair match. Iâm deffo not at my top shape these days. None of us from the tree is, itâsâŚis just been difficult.â Emre shrugged one shoulder, to brush it off. He believed Hanan, like most of these squirrely sorts, might get worried. Then promptly anxious, then feel guilty about even just smiling when someone else was suffering.
And he definitely didnât want to traverse the high settlement denizens, who low-key resented him. And he resented them too. No regrets, chopping Billyâs fingers off or laughing at Guys bleeding out. No regret guarding them like prisoners after it was all over.
 Instead, he proposed something that Hanan might fancy.  âRight. How about you show me how you climb rock, like. Iâm curious to see how itâs done, right.  Not like just watching you means Iâll learn any of your tricks and skills innit. Just like to see an expert doing what she does best. If you donât mind, Zimmy.â
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âFor everyone so donât go thinking youâre special now.â Hanan teased, although yes she had baked the cookies for anyone that wanted them. She had also reserved some treats for those that she actually knew. âProbably make them again. My mom used to say baking was the key to a manâs heart. Iâm nooooot making them for that though. She was kinda barking up the wrong tree. Hey! Iâm good with a digital detox and thereâs soooo much to do! I wouldnât mind having a movie night though. Got a favourite film? Orr if you canât pick one, I can never pick one, top three?â
Hanan bobbed along to Emreâs acknowledgement of Harry, not knowing her personally. Looked like she might remain an enigma. Sheâd like to one day get a little more than a grunt out of her. It would have to be reserved for the far slung future however, as evidently not many knew her. âHey, youâre my inside man now. Need you to vet people so Iâm befriending the right ones.â She couldnât help but volley his tease right back at him, feeling a little more at home, a little more comfortable. âOnly really know two people from before the island. Actually! Wait! I watched Joviâs stuff before but I didnât know, know him.â
âI guess I didnât really know the other two either, but familiar faces. Anyway. Yeah, but! Thatâs why weâre here right? Team work makes the dream work.â Hanan gave Emre a light prod to his shoulder. Nudge of sorts and then a smile that beamed from ear to ear as Emre made his suggestion. âHey, donât sell yourself short! Especially after all the big-talk other day Emmy.â Which had been more like the other week, a month ago. Hanan glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the upper farm, hopefully, no-one would miss her for an hour or two.
Before either of them couldnât be caught playing truant she slung her arm over his shoulder, and wheeled them both away. âOkay, but back to top three films. Very important question. This could be make-or-break in our friendship Emmy. You could secretly be a Twilight fan and Iâd never know.â
There was definitely worse things than Twilight, but she didnât quite feel like exposing herself like that. Besides the mood was light, buoyant and they were on their way towards the edge of the ridge sheâd been using for training. If she couldnât undo the damage caused by the trees. She could do what she did best. Comfort, distraction, and a positive silly attitude. Hanan was almost positive that Emre was not the kind of guy to put Highlander, or Princess Bride, or any fantasy film, good or bad, high on his list but she was holding out hope. Hanan drew away from him so they could walk side by side up the path.
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At Hananâs grimace, Emre relaxed.  âTake who literally? Whatâs âliterallyâ even mean. No idea what youâre chatting about.â For an inexplicable reason, Emre was so taken by nervous types on the island. The garden variety of Mazzys and Nellz, and Hanzys and Wenzs. The kinds who, to Emre, liked the idea of being good, better than they were good at being good. Hampered because they lacked confidence, doubted their own potential, carried fears, guilts, or haunted pasts, self-sabotagedâŚsomething that manifested an anxious disposition. Â
On Meridium, Emre loved it. He loved it. He wanted to tease and coddle and encourage their badness - no; not that last part, not anymore. Why he took a shine, Emre didnât know. Iyaz was never like this; and after Iyaz, Emre had no ready reasons.Â
âYeah. Leave that to the experts innit,â Emre agreed. Tomas had the talent. Emre had no talents in cultivation. So he felt he understood where Hanan was coming from.
âYou what. Them coconut biccies was from you and Wren? When I got there, I found two. One had a bite out of it - didnât know if it were a mouse or man. But I gobbled them both, honestly. Bloody hell, they was brilliant.  âKahkâ, then? I -â But Emreâs stomach dropped when Hanan brought up the fake. His fake had got to Hanan too, and Emre stepped away suddenly, distraught. It felt like the fakeâs memories were lying in wait to ambush him. One more twist of the screw Emmy; you should suffer so much more. Blips of leading Hanan into the jungle, with promises ofâŚ
Her girl. Cecil. A body. Poor little Hanan, abandoned.  âYouâre alive mashallah. You made it out alive and youâre baking me biscuits for itâŚâ Emre shook his head, rubbed his face to allay the overwhelmed sensation.  âRight. WasâŚand that was when Maz - Madi and them found you, yeah? She told me about that.â
Hanan was so chipper now; and Emre actually wanted to rise to her mood, than drag her down to his.  âWell knackered. Buggered, zonked, cream-crackered. Itâs maddening, but is life now innit. Weâve all got to deal with it. Hope you havenât run into anything too bothersome, luv.â
A challenge. Hanan was looking sly, and Emre was taken by it. His smile slid sideways as he thinned his eyes at her.  âYou naughty thing. You want a climb innit. Right - anything for our Hanz, yeah. You got a cliff picked out and all? Oi - you know when I fall, you better make that ground nice and soft for my landing.â
âSeriously!â Hananâs brows shot up, trying not to laugh even though it wasnât really a joke at all. Just one of those reflexes that couldnât be easily stamped out. Hanan turned over her hands. âDeffo leaving it to the experts. Iâll stick to what I know.â She gave him a mini-salute. Which wasnât much, but she could weed, she could work with the sugarcane now, and she was willing to learn. She was so ready and willing to be their steady hand. It was a distraction, and a good one, especially now she had some kind of handle on the earth sickness.
âOof sorry dude, wait a mouse? Itâd have to be a preeetty big mouse.â Her smile twisted into something bigger. This time when her brow arched itâs a challenge, a dare to him to over-exaggerate and spin a ridiculous tale. She brought her hand balled into a fist underneath her chin as if leaning in to listen onto his every word.âWe had to sorta remix them slightly, but pretty tasty huh?â
âMadi found meâŚ? Ohââactually I met Madi with Mik, do you know him too? Anyway, we got pulled out into the jungle by Harry, well it wasnât Harry, it was her doppelgänger she left us out there. Do you know Harry? Have youâŚhave you seen her since? I feel like I should talk to her but I havenât seen her. I didnât really see her all that much before everything, someone was saying she doesnât come to camp much is that true? Sorry! Iâm asking you like twenty questions huh.â All at a rate of naughts too, any wonder he could keep up.
Hananâs shield of relentless positivity felt chipped, but she held it up nonetheless. âNo Iâm made of strong stuff donât you worry about me. Well you did promise. Or rather I think actuallyâŚâ Hanan smiled, with a finger pressed to her cheek as if deep in thought. âYou said you could beat me? Anyway itâs silly we can do it when youâre a little lessâŚcream-crackered, I have not heard that before. Do you really say that? LikeâŚreally really say that? âSides I want a fair match hmm.â
âWalk? Maybe? You said you wanted to come see the farm right? Wait a second hold up, did you call me Hanz?â A new one. She couldnât contain her laughter this time. âNooooooo it just makes me think of Hans Zimmer.â
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Something Amelia hadnât stopped to consider would be a side effect of her decision to try and be a bit more present around Meridium; people were⌠Approaching her. Chatting casually, polite throwaway lines about the weather or water. It was not entirely unwelcome, but still quite jarring. She was still getting around mostly barefoot, so she did have some advanced warning of these approaches, but some surprised her regardless.
Like Hanan, who⌠Well, Ameliaâs memory of the event was fragmented, but her fake had definitely treated her quite badly. So far, Tomas and his fulfilling conversation were the anomale. But she was on her way to the farm, so, even if she said no theyâd still be walking in the same direction. She gavea non-commital shrug, wary of whatever it was Hanan could have to say.
Ameliaâs brows furrowed in confusion when she apologised first. âYou have every right to not want to see the same face as the thing that⌠Well, whaever she did.â It felt like the first thing listed in the book of poor excuses, but all she had was the truth. âI donât remember it well. I⌠Iâm glad youâre alright. And I hope- I hope it wasnât too awful.â
Hanan fell silent long enough to watch, just enough that she could get a gauge on Amelia, nothing deep nor personal, just hungry eyes searching for a flicker. Everyone seemed soâŚtired these days. Hanan didnât really known Amelia well enough to make a guess here nor there. In the end she didnât really need guesses as Amelia spelled it out for her. âIt wasnât you.â Hanan supplied, feeling the cracks form in her hastily clad happiness armour. It hadnât always been this way. But something about the island had made Hanan bolt for an approach of overzealous happiness whilst in the face of all adversity.
âItâs okay likeâŚâ Hanan It wasnât necessarily okay but theyâd all work through it. Somehow. If the stories were anything to go by this wasnât out of the ordinary, island messing with them all, the whisperings of jinn â- well she hadnât wanted to believe it. âBetween us I mean, what happened it doesnât really matter I justâŚhowâre you feeling? I know it hasnât been easy since it all and I promise if you donât want to talk about it we wonât. Iâll distract you, but Iâm here for you. If you need it. Should you need it.â
That was all she could really offer. Some semblance of hope, or reassurance, the knowledge that the deceit of the island would not ruin their shot at friendship â or so Hanan was hoping. âActually I wanted to bring you a cookie but theyâve all somehow disappeared so, maybe if you arenât busy later can come visit?â Or they could go now, except that was probably wishful thinking, presumably Amelia had somewhere to be, something else to be doing.
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Maybe it was ignorance, but Cordelia didnât even know climbing was included in the Olympics. But that really didnât make much of a difference, not when the Olympics itself was pretty big and a clear indication of what level Hanan achieved. âOh wow, that is amazing! And so impressive. Congratulation, Hanan. I know it didnât just happen, but wow! Really, really impressive.â
Weirdly, that knowledge took off the tiniest bit of anxiety Cordelia had about climbing and failing in front of Hanan - the woman was a pro, the kind of pro she would never be, and knowing just how much better Hanan was, she could just try and fail and enjoy it, there was no point in even trying to reach up to her level. So once she fall down, she just laughed and then let Hanan take over - she didnât remember her own route, but based on Hananâs comment she could tell that was what Hanan was doing, and she was watching her fascinated by how naturally Hanan moved on the side of the rock. it was just so much fun to see somebody do the thing they excelled at the most.
And then Hanan fell down too and maybe that was a bit of an ego boost - even hanan couldnât do it all right away, even if she was much better than Cordelia was. âI am not sure my air could help, I donât usually do that kind of stuff, and it kind of feels like cheating I guess. I wanna be able to do it by myself, without that kind of help.â She pushed herself back onto her feet, pulled Hanan up, and then faced the rock again. âOkay, letâs try this again.â
END.
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akbartheolderâ
Oh blast. She was taking him seriously. Emre watched in increasing (yet still slightly amused, because Yanks were always amusing when they didnât get it; poor Peter. Poor poor earnest midwestern Christian-boy Peter, sandwiched between acerbic Iyaz and sardonic Emre) dismay as Hanan made excuses and then began beating herself up. A Yank special, that one. Especially in the girls.
Emre rushed over then, hands held out in a placating way.  âNo, no no no, darling it were only teasing, my luv. Taking the mick, honest.â Emre replayed her words in his exhausted mind, choosing what to tackle first, out of what Hanan said.  âYou mucked nothing up. Youâre perfectly fine. You can work both farms, no one minds. Bismillah - you could start up your own little Hanan Farm and youâd get all the encouragement for it. Including from me, alright? No offense taken, honestly I was just having a laugh. No need for panic attacks, sweetheart. Soz about the fright; seems Iâm chatting as poorly as Iâm looking these days innit.â
Ever since those blasted trees. Emre liked to think he had the waswasah whispers under some control now. And the insomnia? His body was reluctantly adapted (not well, but still) to the change in sleep schedule, or lack thereof.
He looked down at the field they were standing in.  âErm, having fun then?â A silly, trite question; so Emre then opted to distract.  âHonestly I just came up here to see how it were all going innit. Havenât been up here in a while.â
He almost teased again about Hanan better having a preference for the right farm; but stopped himself. Seriousface only. Literal and non-dodgy, the way Amercian girls needed to felt safe and reassured. It was adorable.
Clarity struck her as he spoke. Hanan stuck out her tongue with a grimace-come-smile. âOh man, oh no. Okay, pretend I didnât take you literally.â She set down the trowel sheâd been using. âNoooo way, not starting my own farm starting to worry my thumbs are too far gone to ever be green. Everything I touch tends to go allâŚwilty sad.â Hanan did an exaggerated roll of her shoulders to act out the magic death touch. The trees. Anyone that had been in the trees looked worse for wear these days and he was no different. Though she wouldnât admit it aloud.
âAlhamdulillah, itâs going good. Aam Sisco has been busy, we planted a bunch of trees and Iâm just on weeding duty now. âHey, did you get the kahk we left you? Me and Wren baked some, I couldnât find you so left the extras for you on the farm.â Sheâd wanted to give them to him in person, in so much that food always helped to bridge gulfs. âI donât know if you remember what happenedâŚbut I know it wasnât you.â Hanan tentatively smiled, which grew and grew, it was easiest to let the good mood be infectious. âThe island is crazy!â
âTotally loco. But, the people are good.â Hanan said, lifting her gaze to meet his. âYouâre good too. Anyway, howâre you diddly doing? I know no-one is really sleeping right now.â A soft way of saying she was worried, Hanan came about to nudge him. âIfâŚhow do you Brits say itâŚknackered? I heard a Brit climber use it once anyway, but if you arenât too knackered still have a challenge for you. That is if you think you can beat me.â Hanan said, with an easy lighthearted smile, sheâd like to think this was akin to Serena Williams beating normal guys, but it definitely wasnât. But maybe it was just a little. To her.
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Watched a special and it just spurred Hanan onto the path of climbing step by step. It sounded to Cordelia like Hanan was destined to learn how to climb, to become somebody who lived her life dedicating them for the most part. She wondered sometimes what it would have been like, to dedicate so much time to one single craft, to know what was that one thing you were so good at.
⌠Then again, she did having a single focus for so long, she wasnât sure if she was that interested in it for now.
She didnât quite understand what Hanan was talking about - this bouldering was puzzling -, but in context she had an idea about it, so she didnât ask about it, just let Hanan continue to talk. âItâs kind of fascinating - how a single hour of watching the tv can change so much, plant a seed that will turn into this amazing, huge part of your life. And now youâre here and you got earth power, right? You can fully embrace the climber and have a connection with the rocks while doing it. That must be really fun.â
She wasnât quite sure where the Zaki nickname story came from, but it was kind of cute so she just nodded along until, âOh, youâre on the mountains like the goats, thatâs cute.â
They then focused back onto the wall and now she was taking in the wall more - the beginning didnât seem too hard, that was probably why she got about a meter up and then Hanan showed up. She wasnât quite sure how she could get further ahead, but she wasnât going to just not try. Hanan suggested planning the route ahead of time and not to overthink it, so she was going to attempt that at least. âI feel like falling being the fun feels just wrong but I donât know enough to refute it,â she muttered, more to herself than to Hanan, really, more as a comment than anythnig else - she was already focused on how to get higher up than she originally got.
She didnât really waste much time. Cordelia had a route in her head, so she went and started on it. The first few steps were on the easier side again, it quickly became pretty hard, though - it wasnât just finding the right route for it, it was the physical side of it that was even harder, possibly. She knew some air attuned could make themselves lighter, but it wasnât something she could do herself, or at least not without much preparation and focus, but then she would have just lost her grip and so eventually (relatively) she got stuck on a place where she didnât feel like she could move further up help herself, either.
âUhhh, I thinkââ she was about to ask where she should go next, but then her hand slipped and all she had time for was to make sure she didnât fall right onto her back, instead fell onto her side, which wasnât quite a fun experience and she groaned. âWell, itâs not like I thought Iâd climb this in a single attempt,â she joked as she pushed herself up onto her feet. âHow long do you needed to feel like you got the hang of it?â
âThat and pestering my baba to take me climbing. He was always easier to win over.â It was her brother whoâd clearly been their momâs favourite. Hanan had never taken much of an issue with that. âItâs been a journey. Hey! When I met you I was just climbing nationally, well youâll never guess. I made it and I competed in the Olympics.â Hanan struck out her ankle to show the tattoo that still largely looked fresh, even some years old now. âAnyway, yes thatâs me a lil mountain goat.â Thereâd been a time when sheâd hop, skipped up ascents that didnât require rope but here she was. Humbled to be back at her roots.
Hanan watched intently as Cordelia made a second attempt. âYouâve got this.â She said with eager encouragement, hands splayed and knees braced incase she needed to help. Often when spotting it was about righting someone so they didnât fall on their head. There wasnât much more that could be done. Perhaps if sheâd been blessed with air itâd be different. Cordelia had paused, Hanan recognised the indecisive nature of her hesitation well, and braced.
Sure enough, moments later Cordelia fell with a great deal more grace than Hanan had. âRome wasnât made in a day!â Hanan offered a hand to help pull Cordelia up to her feet from the makeshift mat. Really it was only enough to take the edge out of a fall being no more than sleeping mats piled on with sleeping bags. âIt depends from person to person. But thatâs the beauty of it, isnât it? Hey here.â Hanan had memorised the route Cordelia had taken, and slowly copied it for a fresh attempt at an ascent. âHereâŚâ Hanan said, her grip steadfast but it was as if she could feel a steady buzz echoing up her shoulder. âSwing up to here andâŚâ Hanan used her body weight to swing herself upwards, but the move backfired and she slipped. Landing back on the mat without grace.
âOh shoot.â Hanan righted herself, legs spread out in front of her. âOkay definitely still canât do that. You might have an easier job of it, with your attunement if you can use air to propel yourself up? Maybe?â
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Sylver regarded to the obvious with a nod of his head, not minding her jumpiness much - the flowers died down as his focus went away, loosing their petals and their color until there was simple dirt left, spreading over the rocks like a path left by dirty shoes. âAs long as itâs not edible.â, he explained, âMy marigoldâs tend to look horrendous.â He couldnât grow them at all, to be exact, and if he would have been able to, they would have likely been poisonous, or something like that.
He wiped the dirt from his fingers and pushed his hands onto his hips, with his back hurting from all the work he had been doing on his hut, the posture was pure relaxation and allowed him to relieve some tension from his shoulders. âWith the way you made that stone bend, Iâm assuming it might be the rocks.â Amusement made his eyes twinkle as he leaned down to inspect the slide-thing she created. âStone wonât even budge when I say please and thank you and chère pierre.â Something that has never bothered him before - his calling was the earth, the plants and occasionally the metal (something he hadnât fully gotten to realize yet, but it definitely should have been obvious from the beginning, with the way he felt most secure with his knife in his fingers).
In his eyes, she was fidgety - he was still used to the calm and patience of rich assholes from all over the world, and he liked this fragment of unfamiliarity that reminded him of so many people. ���Donât worry.â Sylver made a dismissive gesture with his hand before pushing it back onto his hip, âI donât own this place, after all.â Then, after his little attempt to soothen her guilty conscience, he repeated her name, let it roll of his tongue and tested the sound of it, âPleased to meet you, Hanan.â Lots of words and questions and energy opposing to his quiet and calm, and that raised even more amusement inside of him. A smirk spread on his lips, his eyes closing momentarily as the clouds budged to shine the sun in his face, and he only re-opened them when it was hidden again.
âRoundabout a decade. What about you? Newly stranded?â
Somehow his specifics to which flowers he was better at, and worse at lightened her mood enough to induce a round of giggling. She had never really given much thought to growing flowers, nor the specifics of what might be easier. Hanan had never had much of a green thumb. Really, his accent shouldâve been a dead give away the same sing-song lilt sheâd come to love. âPeut-ĂŞtre que tu neâŚdevrais pas demander⌠si gentiment.â She didnât quite have the same ease, or comfort in her French but practice was the only route to being better.
âI actually donât know if thatâs the route to success. A friend used to say that to me when I was annoyed withâŚâ Hanan waved off the story. âOffloading stories on you and weâve only just met. Nice to meet you too.â Had she said that? Sheâd definitely already said that. Hanan stopped down to scoop up her pack, digging out a mango from within. âShare half? Feels only right after disturbing your peace. I guess you could say Iâm new itâs been likeâŚmaybe months? Iâm not sure  no-one has washed up since I got here and apparently thatâs the way of tracking time. Oh wait, why am I telling you this. Youâd know thisâŚâ
Hanan kissed her front teeth and set about splitting the mango instead. She only had a small utilitarian pocket knife on her but it did the job. If a little messily. âLast I knew it was July 2022 but I think weâre well past that now. Are youâŚdid you spend time in the trees? Here have thisâŚâ Hanan offered up one half of the mango, that had been only moderately butchered by the short knife. âMa tournĂŠeâŚah that isnât right, is it? Iâm a little out of practice. Wow...decade feels like a lifetime, any tips for a newbie?â
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Location: Somewhere between the farms
@ameliaxdalton
Hanan, if she was being honest with herself, felt a little embarrassed for not coming to visit sooner. Sheâd made the trek up to the upper farm to assist Sisco tending to the tomatoes, well itâd been a little more than that but that had been just this morning. She slung her pack over her shoulder and intended to hike all the way up to the train. Except she got as far as the perimeter and she just happened to come across her. Hanan chased down the path that led to the lower farm a little breathless as she called. âHey!â Hanan hop skipped to come to a stop. âAmelia!â
âSorry to ambush you. Hey, I was heading down to the farm you mind if I walk with you?â The clumsily put together story was reinforced with a cheery smile. âHowâve you been? Iâm sorry I didnât come and find you soonerâŚâ Hanan drew her bottom lip between her lip. What did Amelia remember? It was so easy to forget that it hadnât been them. It would be so easy to brush it all under the carpet but Hanan was worried. Worried for the ex-tree-people. Worried for them all.
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