bakerstreet | Marooned!

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Marooned!

THE MAROONED MEME

When you’re stranded. When there’s no way out.

At least this you’re not alone.

WHERE ARE YOU STRANDED?
1: Island. Surrounded by the ocean, shipwrecked on an island. Far away from any civilization.
2: Planet. Is it an uninhabited wasteland? A teeming forest, crammed with alien life forms? Does it have enough oxygen? Storms? Predators?
3: Moon/Asteroid. Low atmosphere, low gravity. You better hope that you have a survival pod where there’s enough air and heat.
4: Adrift. A ship on the ocean; a power-dead space station; a skimmer floating through the levels of a gas giant.
5: Oasis. Not quite marooned in the same sense, but you’re surrounded by empty desert, too far to cross. You might as well be trapped by the water of the oasis.
6: Cave. Again, not quite in the same sense, but something has left you trapped underground. Did you slide down a chasm? Suffer a cave-in? Either way, you’re down here to stay, for the time being.
7: Other.

WHO’S WITH YOU?
1: A friend. You’re in this together.
2: An enemy. Maybe war brought you both here, and war left you stranded behind. Could be that you’re an enemy in a more mundane sense: school rivals, an assassin and her prey.
3: Strangers. You were both on that boat for vacation, and now you have to survive together.
4: A lover. Some honeymoon, huh?
5: Other. For any other variation.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
1: Food and water.
2: Shelter. There’s a storm coming. The nights are cold, here. Or do you just want a sense of security?
3: Communication. How can you get someone to come rescue you?
4: Predators. Something’s trying to kill you…
5: Escape. If you can just fix the ship…
6: Each other. One more hour and you might kill each other.
7: Injury/Disease. One of you needs medical attention. Hopefully the other can muddle through.
8: Other. Any other problem you can think up!

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[Ariadne abandons all pretenses at timidity with that, rushing over and kneeling down by his side, just in time to catch his shoulders as he falls over. For someone so small, she's got a lot of strength. At least enough not to be crushed under his weight.]

Easy. Easy...

Let's get you lying down.

[She tries to guide his body, although, oddly, she refuses to touch his hands, wrists, really anything beneath the elbow area.]

Nngh...

[ His head rolls as she eases him back, and it'll take a moment before he realizes there should be no earthly way she can manhandle him like this. For the moment, he's too busy trying to stay conscious. Between the heat and the blood loss? It's a tricky fight.

He does, however, release his hold on the gun. It lands in the grass beside him as Adriadne eases him down, and while lying down in this suit is far from comfortable, it does ease some of the dizziness.

He can hear water falling, somewhere in the distance. It's a calming sound, in the midst of everything else. Water. He's missed the water, and that seems an odd detail to note now. Maybe it's delirium finally settling in. ]

[That's much better. Ariadne sits on her heels beside him, pleased with the progress. He's still not exactly friendly, but at least he isn't huffing and puffing like a snarly male any more.]

Let's just get this helmet off of you. You'll suffocate in there.

[She reaches for it, but hesitates. She's never seen armor like this.

Frankly, she's barely even seen armor at all.]

Um...

How do I do that?

[ Helmet. Right...

One hand lifts, flounders for a moment before reaching for the latches along his jawline that keep the helmet sealed tight. One comes loose, but his hand falls away before he can get to the other. The movement feels clumsy, awkward.

Like all of this isn't awkward right now. Fortunately he's got more important things to worry about than being embarrassed. Like breathing. That's pretty high on the list of priorities, at the moment.

He watches her through the visor, however. Ready to reach for his gun again, if it proves necessary, but so far she's done nothing to earn the continued hostility. If she has him at her mercy, as seems to be the case, then a little trust extended will tell whether or not that changes. ]

[It's all so fascinating. Ariadne watches with wide-eyed interest. She's never seen a mechanism like that before. But she gets the gist of it right away and makes quick work of the other latches, fingers nimble and gentle.]

I can take this to the waterfall, to get you some water if you like. Are you thirsty?

Well, you must be. It's the middle of the day.

[Carefully, she pulls the helmet off, doing her best to cradle the back of his head against her knees.]

[ The difference is instant, fresh air -- if not particularly cool -- against his skin, and he takes in a deep, ragged breath that ends in a series of strained coughs. Sweat mats his blond hair to his scalp, trickling down his face, and is that a speckling of blood on his lips?

Pretty poor first introductions. He's definitely looked better. But after a moment of squinting into the brightness of the midday sun his vision refocuses on Ariadne, blinking away the dampness around his eyes. ]

I can...I can make it on my own.

[ Stubborn. That's one thing she's going to learn about him in very short order. Half of his tenacity for survival is just sheer stubbornness, the refusal to lay down when he ought.

Even when he'd probably be better served to. Even now he's pressing a hand to his side and trying to rouse himself, gritting his teeth. ]

[He's a Human. The thought descends upon her in a flurry of mixed emotions. Ariadne loves Humans. They're wonderful and interesting and creative and so tenacious. But they're also hunters. Predators. It was Humans who left her brother to die after shaving him, when he was only a little boy. It was Humans that brought fires to the forests of home, destroying everything she ever knew.

And Humans that her mother taught her to hate and to fear.

What can she expect from this one? This unexpected one?]

Look. You have a very nice face. And I'm sure you're very strong. I'm not questioning that at all.

[Males of all species hate that.]

But you're hurt. And the falls are rough terrain. You need to rest.

Why?

[ Rest? No. He avoids sleep whenever he can. Probably at least one source of his perpetual bad mood. But right now he's more focused on what else she's saying, the gist behind it all. She's here to assist, to bandage his wounds, to help him recover.

That can't be without a price. No one gave anyone anything unless it could be of some use to them in the future. That's just the way the world worked. Even pretty, incredibly strong tree-dwelling damsels weren't immune.

Those blue eyes squint up at her, as suspicious as they are weary, creases of pain evident around them as the shadowy bags beneath them. It's a nice face, sure, but it's not without flaw. A prominent scar across the bridge of his nose. One jutting up from his upper lip. Streaks of premature grey peppering his blond hair around the temples. ]

Why would you want to help me? You don't...even know me.

[She's taken aback by the question. Genuinely and truly. Her eyes go wide, until they look like large, silver coins. It's as if he's suddenly started speaking another language, one that she has to figure out all over again.

But, of course, it's everything her mother taught her Human were, isn't it? They can't be trusted. So why would they trust her? Or anyone?

Actually, that makes her feel very, very sad. Very sorry for him.]

Well. I don't really know anyone. If you only helped people you knew, you wouldn't be able to help anyone.

I'll tell you what. Why don't you tell me your name? Then I can say I know you.

You're serious, aren't you?

[ It's like staring at a goddamn unicorn. She honestly seems to have no ulterior motive here. Maybe he's starting to lose it, if he can't figure out what her angle is, if he thinks that there isn't one at all.

Fine. Alright. He'll buy into it for the time being, if only to have one less thing to worry about. With a grunt, he goes lax against the ground again, chest rising and falling deeply from the effort. ]

...Agent Washington.

[ That's all she needs to know. The less particulars she gets wrapped up in, the better. ]

[She gives him a smile, dimpled and sunny.]

It's nice to meet you, Agent.

[A funny name, to be certain. But it suits him. He's kind of a funny man. In very, very funny armor.]

Now that we're friends, I hope you'll let me get you some water. I'll fill up your helmet and be back here quick as you please.

I'm very, very fast.

[She nods serenely.]

Fine. You...you do that.

[ And he lets his head thump back against the grass, licking his lips and tasting copper again. Not from the back of his throat, as it turned out. No lung damage, as hard as it was to breathe in the moment. Maybe something split or bitten on the inside of his mouth, but it would heal quickly enough.

He just has to hang on long enough to let her get back. And try to wrap his head around the situation. Long enough to think and he'd formulate some kind of plan, but for right now?

Yeah. Lying down wasn't so terrible, after all. ]

I'll just...wait here.

[She stands up with a smile, offering him a quick curtsy. Then she tucks the helmet under her arm and grabs a branch with her other hand, hefting herself up into the canopy.

Easy as breathing.

There's so much to parse out about this whole thing. She wants to know all the answers. Like where he came from. How he got here. And if he has some way to leave. Or, well, most importantly, if he would take her with him. But it's too soon to think about all of that. He's still a Human. And a skittish one at that.

So she settles for putting that aside for the time being, leaping into the next tree. And the one after that. And the one after that, off to the falls to fill the helmet, her braid thumping against her back.]

[ That leaves Wash with time to think about his predicament. Admittedly, it could be worse. He can try to make the best of this, to secure what he needs, and get back again. There's too much riding on being able to make it to Sidewinder at this point, and if his partner comes looking for him...

Adriadne is going to wish she only had him to deal with. Not a fate he'd wish on anyone, much less someone who appears willing to help him despite his less than chipper reception.

Trying to unclench, in the hopes that it will ease some of the ache that radiates through him from the crash, he tries to focus on the sound of that water, wherever it's coming from. ]

[For all of her speed heading out to the falls, it takes her a great deal longer to get back. Balancing the water was something she hadn't quite accounted for and, eager not to spill too much, she has to move with care.

Which, of course, doesn't mean her heart isn't racing.

Another person. She can't even remember the last time she spoke to someone. Other than herself, of course. And occasionally some of the tamer plants she's been attempting to cultivate. It must have been in Valeria, of course. But she has no sense of how much time has passed. Time doesn't matter here in the same ways it did back there.

But after a reasonable stretch of it, she returns to his side--on foot this time--triumphantly holding up his strange helmet, brimming with water.]

We should probably try to get you sitting up. It wouldn't do to have you drowning while you drink.

[She sets the helmet to one side, reaching her hand under his shoulders.]

Do you think you can sit up?

[ She's barely gotten the words out before he's pushing himself upright, swallowing a pained sound as he drags himself off of the grass, a patch of which is now a sticky, rusty-brown color. One shaky hand moves to grasp the bottom of the helmet, before tipping it towards his mouth.

Thankfully, the helmet has protective coating to prevent the wires and electronics on the inside from being damaged by the water, but there's nothing to be done about the smell. And consequentially, the taste. Salt and sweat musk permeate his senses, but he doesn't care. He's gulping down as much as he can until his stomach twinges in pain, and the rest damn near goes toppling to the ground before he lowers it to rest against his thigh. A fresh stab of pain lances through his body, but at least the heat no longer feels quite so intolerable.

He'll still need to peel himself out of the suit. Somehow. Right now it's doing more harm than good, he knows that, but the thought of being exposed is more than a little intimidating...even if his only company is this poor girl. ]

[Ariadne sits back on her heels, watching him drink his fill. When he lowers the helmet, she takes her torn-off sleeve and folds it up into a little pad, before dipping it in the water.]

It's never cold this time of day, but at night, it'll cool off a little.

[Slowly, making sure he can see her hand, she starts to dab at his forehead with the wet sleeve.]

How are you feeling, Agent?

[Her eyes slide over the mess in the grass, before turning back to him.]

Where's the bleeding?

[ At first he jerks away from the touch, his eyes settling on her with the same wariness as before. Then, once it's clear she's deliberately trying not to spook him, he seems to relent with a grumble. The makeshift towel does feel good against his skin. He'd been all but roasting alive in there... ]

Just peachy.

[ He huffs quietly, shaking his head. Alright, no need to bite her head off. ]

Feels like it caught me under the ribs. Won't know for sure until I look.

[ And considering how all of this had taken the wind out of his sails considerably? That might be a while yet. Finally, his gaze shifts back to hers. ]

What were you even doing here?

[She smiles slightly, cleaning off the rest of his face and neck with care.]

It's the only place with water. I have to come by once or twice a day.

I've never run into a person here, though.

[And with that, she starts looking along the side of his armor, trying to find latches.]

We need to get you out of this.

[ It's when she gets to his neck that he jerks, pushing her hand away. Boundaries were boundaries, and that? Was edging close to dangerous territory. No offense meant on that one, Adriadne. ]

No, I mean why are you here. Wherever 'here' actually is.

[ There's that squint to his eyes again, like he's trying to read her, before ultimately giving up and glancing down at his armor. Fair. He does need to get out of it, but the idea of her hovering while he does so?

Little bit awkward, there. ]

...yeah, alright, fine. Just turn around or something.

[Her forehead crinkles up a little bit in confusion, but she nods and stands up, taking a step back before...spinning around. In a full circle.

Why did he want her to turn around? Is he examining her?

Maybe the scars on her back are showing, where her sleeve used to be.

That's an uncomfortable thought.]

I was sent here.

Banished, I guess, you could say.

[ This time, his incredulous look is very, very visible. Alright. Maybe staying out here for so long on her own had an effect on her.

On that count? He could sympathize to some extent. Not that he wanted to. ]

Why were you banished? And...no. That's not what I meant. Turn...

[ He gestures with one hand in a spinning motion. ]

...and face that way. While I get out of this.

[The idea of turning her back on a Human is a little bit unsettling, but Ariadne nods and turns to face the other way. A muscle in her back twitches slightly. And she feels a bit of heat running along her scars.

Finally, she decides to close her eyes and concentrate on listening. She has no reason to believe he'd sneak up on her from behind, but it's a good practice.]

Oh. I took something from someone and gave it to someone else.

The first someone didn't like that.

So you're a thief.

[ Alright, well that makes a certain level of sense. Or at least within the realm of possibilities. She doesn't seem like a violent offender on any level, though what does he know of her, really?

She won't get her scars stared at, thankfully. Wash has plenty of his own, most of which he has no intent of discussing with anyone. The main focus now is peeling himself out of his armor, one piece at a time. She can probably hear him grunt and breathe a little heavier as he stretches to remove the clasps on his pauldrons, his arm guards, and his chest piece. They fall not too far from him, and once undone to the torso, he starts to unzip the undersuit.

Of course, it catches. And he curses again under his breath, trying not to wince as the tugging pulls at the material now matted to his side with slowly clotting blood. ]

Oh, no. Thieves have bad intentions. I never do.

[Which has probably helped her not to regret things too much. At the very least, she finished what she started out to do. If taking a backseat is the price she has to pay--all alone, without any company--then that's more than worth it.

She hopes.

But Ariadne winces as she listens to him.]

Are you sure you don't need help?

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