exsilium | ‡1st Treasure‡

Entry tags:

‡1st Treasure‡

[The video feed sparks to life as Chloe taps repeatedly at the screen, offering the net a view of a woman with shoulder-length dark hair and bright eyes, wearing a stylish biking jacket and a few layers of leather necklaces with various little charms hanging from their ends. The city's skyline is visible behind her from a particularly high vantage point, and it's likely that she's found herself a resting place somewhere atop the roof of one of the taller buildings. She wiggles a few fingers lazily in greeting before speaking up with a distinctly Australian accent.]

Evening, everyone. Chloe here. New arrival, in case you haven't noticed. All right, somewhat new. Got dragged into this mess a few days ago and decided to take my time getting settled; never know what's out there if you don't bother to look first.

I was a treasure hunter back home-- one of the best in the business, I might add. Problem is I'm getting the impression that there's not much treasure to be found here on Alcatraz, and I'd prefer to stay sharp while things are relatively quiet. So here's the deal: if you need something of value-- for a price-- I'm more than happy to lend a well-trained hand and fetch it for you.

[She moves to shut the call down before adding, thoughtfully]

And in the meantime, if anyone out there knows a place that serves good drinks, I'm all ears. After all this I could sure as hell use one.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Sullivan's mouth hangs open in surprise, an unlit cigar nearly falls from it before he catches it with his hand.]

Chloe?! Well I'll be go to hell! You have no idea how great it is to see a familiar face! What are you doi- How did you- .... How did we get here? What's going on? Have you seen Nate?

[He realizes how frantic he must seem and calms a little, smoothing his hair and cracking his neck to relax.]

Sorry, sweetheart. I'm just glad to at least know YOU'RE okay.

Edited 2012-08-12 03:34 (UTC)

[Chloe's face lights up the second she hears the sound of Sully's voice, and when his face registers, when she knows it is REALLY him, she looks relieved enough to hug the damn screen. ~~Which for Chloe is saying something.~~]

Victor Sullivan, you beautiful bloody bastard! Never thought I'd see your face again.

No, no. Nate's not here, I'm afraid. Barely anyone is, to be honest.

Where the hell are you? Did you only just arrive?

[His head hangs a little at the note about Nate. But he's still plenty excited to see Chloe.]

Damn, I wonder where everyone is...

I'm in my .... new... apartment... I guess? Unit 502. I've been holed up in my room for about a day trying to figure this out. I think I have room mates or something, I haven't checked though. Still not sure if they're friendly or bad news....

I think I've been here maybe a day? ...Wait, sweetheart how long have you been here?!

Give me a few minutes then, yeah? I can get myself over there in barely any time at all, and I think this conversation is best had in person.

[And sure enough, no more than fifteen minutes later, she's rapping her knuckles against his door.]

[As soon as the knocking started he burst from his room and ran to the door. As soon as he saw her, looking as gorgeous as ever, he was at a loss. He didn't know what he wanted to do, hug her, kiss her, cry, or laugh.]

C-Chloe.... thank god... Why does it feel like it's been forever since I last saw you? What in the hell is happening?

[Suddenly remembering that his roommates could be around, he grabbed her hand gently and led her back to his room for more privacy. As soon as he shut the door behind them, he turned to her and held her tightly. For some reason he needed the reassurance that she was real and tangible. It felt as if some wight had been lifted from his chest.]

We're definitely not in Tibet anymore, are we?

[Doesn't matter how tightly Sully's hugging her, she's got an iron grip on him right back. The thought of being without the only people in her life worth keeping, worth protecting, was really starting to get to her.

She's not so fond of the loner life anymore, after all.]

...Tibet?

[Wait a minute.

Chloe drops the hug, taking a step back to peer at Sully.]

Victor, is that really the last thing you remember?

[He wasn't ready to let go of her, but before he could dwell she grabbed his attention again. Victor felt a strange sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, everything was happening really fast, none of it making sense. Though having Chloe with him certainly helped, it seemed maybe she didn't have all the answers either... He was almost afraid to answer her...]

Y-...yes? ....Why? Did... did something happen? I swear the last thing I remember is leaving Nate and Elena alone and... and well.....

[He cleared his throat and looked to the ground, trying to will his mind to find memories he was sure weren't there.]

Looking for you, in that village, that's the last thing I remember.

[He looked back up to her, hoping that his memory synced with hers, but the way she was looking at him wasn't very reassuring.]

[She presses her lips into a thin line; breathes out a little sigh as she tries to think of how best to explain it all. Like Flynn, he's missing a few more years than she's got under her belt.

It's fine, of course. It could be worse. It's just that she's disappointed that half of what made them so close isn't there-- not for him, at least.]

Come on, then. Sit down. [She tugs him over to the edge of the bed, pulling him down so he can at least have something to lean on while she tells him the most insane story he'll ever hear in his life.]

I doubt they explained much of anything when they brought you here, but this-- as I'm sure you've noticed-- isn't exactly earth as we know it. We're in the future, apparently. Not our future, but a future. This island is a prison set up by the government that rules the rest of the planet. The organization that brought us all here expects us to fight their war for them. Which is why not all of us are here, and why you aren't...

Well, it's why our memories are different. You were taken from a point in time that was quite a few years ago for me.

[This confirmed some of what he'd been told. Most of which he chose not to believe because it just sounded so insane. But hearing it from her lips, right there in front of him.... well it was hard to argue at this point. He sighed and lay flat on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, trying to swallow this monster of a pill.]

So... not only are we imprisoned... but we're also fighting someone else's war? Well, that's just peachy. I thought I was done with this shit. Well... maybe not this exactly... but the army at least.

[He turned his head toward her] Assuming we win this war, for whoever it is we're fighting on behalf of, do we get to return back to where we came from... or more importantly WHEN we came from?

[He finally understood the weight of her last statement and propped up on his elbow.]

When you were last uh, home, was Nate okay? And Elena too? Am I-will I-WAS I still... there?

[She leans over him, a smile tugging at the edges of her lips.] No one said we had to fight. I mean, I don't know about you, Victor, but I've made a nice habit out of avoiding unnecessary conflict for the better part of my life. I don't intend to break that now.

They-- [Her expression drops just slightly; she thinks back to Syria and having to step back from a conflict that was too big for any of them.

She doesn't know if Nate or Sully will be all right, but his question is specific only to when she left home, and technically they were just fine.] Yeah. You're all right, all of you.

Still broke, though.

[Well if this was really a prison, it was certainly the nicest one he'd ever done time in. For one, it wasn't a sausage fest, and to top it off, visits from a lovely lady anytime? Assuming his "cell mates" weren't a pain in the ass, he could do much worse. He smiled at her, perhaps the most genuine smile he'd had across his face since this whole ordeal started.]

Well, I always HAVE been a lover, not a fighter. If we don't have to fight, that gives us more time to figure out a way home maybe...

[As she answered the rest of his questions, he noticed the way her smile faded slightly. Something had happened, possibly, in her time. But he thought it best not to prod, maybe he didn't want to know the answer.]

Still broke, eh? Hah, what else is new! I guess my tell all memoir didn't exactly fly of the shelves then. Shame.

You're worried about Nate, aren't you? [It actually struck her as something of a surprise when his thoughts turned to attempts at going home. She's not expecting to ever make it back, in fact, all her thoughts thus far have been about scraping by without being a person of interest for the rest of...well...however long she makes it here. She'd switched back to survival mode, but Sully was never the sort to settle.]

At least here you'll have some money in your pocket. More if I can find a few decent jobs on the side.

Of course I am, Elena too. Until I knew you were here I was worried about you too! But now that I sort of understand the circumstances of ... all this, I'm even more worried about them. I don't even know if they know I'm gone, if I'm even gone to them. It's a helluva thing, I can tell you that much. I never thought I'd miss Nate's ability to put a wise-ass spin on any situation.

[He knew there was nothing he could do at this point, other than hope they were okay. The last thing he really wanted was for them to be in the same boat as he and Chloe were. He sighed in exasperation.]

Well then... I guess...

[Suddenly he realized this was the first time he'd been alone with Chloe for more than a few moments without Nate around. He almost didn't know what to do with himself in this situation.]

I think I could use a drink...

Would it help if I told you that the pair of them last a few years before he gets cold feet? Longer than he ever stayed for me, I might add. [It's said mildly, of course; she's only teasing.]

As for the drink, there's a shop just around the corner that sells decent beer. We could always snag ourselves a few, spend the rest of the night catching up on old stories. Did I ever tell you about the time I snatched a Mayan pendant from the hands of an Armenian pirate?

Edited 2012-08-13 02:31 (UTC)

Aw... I would have liked to have seen that... I hope I still get to.

[He'd come to realize that Elena could be the escape Nate had needed all these years, his chance at leading a stable, healthy life. Sully'd sort of hoped they would end up together after their first adventure together, but Nate's deep seated fear of commitment seemed to work it's way between the two at the worst times. He caught himself and returned his attention to Chloe.]

I'm sorry Chloe, you know Nate loves you... But I mean the idea of both of you settling down together... it just seems so unlikely. It's nothing against either of you, but it's not in your nature. WIth both of you being so full of wanderlust... just... [He didn't want to make a big deal out of what was probably a harmless comment, so he decided to quit while he was ahead.]

AAAnyways... beer sounds like a godsend right now, let's go stock up and you can tell me that story! It'll give me time to find one from my mental library that I feel comfortable telling in mixed company.

Uh-huh. [Sully, you're getting the kind of glare that could kill a man. Much as she loves you, it's a good thing you stopped where you did.]

You're buying, by the way.

[That glare definitely had him sweatin' bullets. He knew he'd screwed up, and he felt truly awful. It was frustrating that he could win over just about any woman he's come across, and he wanted nothing more than to please Chloe... But she was the one of very few women he struggled with. It was always the ones that were most important to him. He'd make it up to her somehow.]

Uh, I'm sorry Chloe, really. It's been an off day for me, in many respects. But trust me, I would never let you pay for a drink as long as I live. Come on, let's get something with a good kick, I know I could use it!

[He smiled weakly and led her out of the apartment. Then realized he had no idea where they were going.]

Uh... I'll let you lead...

[His response is quick to calm her temper, though she certainly doesn't burn as hot as she used to. A more pleasant smile makes its way onto her face as he gives her the chance to take over, and she stuffs her hands in her pockets, making sure she's walking a good few steps ahead of him.]

Always a good plan.

Which reminds me, if we're going to be business partners, I think we'll need to lay down a few ground rules. You know, keep things straightforward.

[He felt like he was being punished for some reason, having to stay behind her. At least until he realized this mean he got to watch her walk for a little bit. He followed mindlessly until she started speaking again.]

Alright, sweetheart, what did you have in mind?

Considering the constant state of your bank account, I think it's best you let me manage things. [She thought that might do the trick. Watch butt, think less. ]

I'll get the jobs, I'll handle the money, and all you have to do is help me with the footwork.

[He was expecting stricter ground rules, but maybe that was because the last time he'd partnered with a woman she turned out to be more monster than... well that something he didn't need to think about. He hadn't really given it much thought until now, but maybe this meant his finances were wiped clean. No more debt.... no more living from job to job? He could get behind that, he skipped to meet with Chloe, and walk by her side at this point, feeling a little better.]

I can do that, sweetheart. That's probably for the better. I'm no good with numbers, as I'm sure Nate told you many times. But... what if I want to treat you every once in a while?

Well, who am I to say no to an offer like that?

[Normally she'd give him a playful little fistbump, or even grab his arm to lean on, but as she starts to reach for him she realizes they're not on those terms yet. He's not on those terms yet.

Her hand slides lazily up to rub at the back of her neck instead.]

You just let me know and I'll be sure to subtract it from your funds.

[He cocked a smile at that last statement.]

What a world we live in... Victor Sullivan, letting a member of the fairer sex manage my budget. Hahah, but really, I think I can trust you. ...

[He suddenly remembered everything that had happened in his last adventure back "home". Never knowing what side Chloe was really playing for, and it made him hope against all hope that she was at least past all that with him. His face grew stern and he turned to her.]

...I... CAN trust you, ...right?

[He really hoped the almost pleading nature of this question wasn't showing through. But of all the things he needed right now; Nate, food, alcohol, women, ... just a little reassurance was probably the most important.]

Edited 2012-08-14 18:58 (UTC)

[Sully earns himself a slap on the arm for the budget remark. Even when his tone drops along with his expression, she holds her mischievous smirk, denying the sting of his words.]

Who do you think carried little miss sunshine out to safety while Nate was off being a hero?

Victor, I can tell you whatever you want to hear, but the bottom line is always going to be that I can't dictate how much faith you should have in me. That's your call to make. Not mine.

[He had to admit she had a point. She could have bailed back then, but she did carry Elena to safety, risking her own neck even. Really though, right now she was the only person he knew, and compared to all the other faces he'd come across in his short time here, the one she trusted the most. He really did want to put every bit of faith he had in her, and that scared him.]

Alright sweetheart, you've made your point. I like to think I can trust you. I have no reason not to really. Just know that I'm not normally the type to trust so easily... You're the only goddamned thing I can hold onto right now though, Chloe. You're all I've got!

[He smiled warmly at her, just before noticing they'd reached some sort of convenience store.]

Is this the place we're looking for, hon? I sure as hell hope they're prepared. I've worked up a mighty thirst.

Video

video response FOR NOW

Re: video response FOR NOW

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject