Team Tembo: Day one

[sparednothing]

[By now you should have already woken up to your surroundings. Your camp is in the jungle, surrounded by tents, vehicles and cages full of dinosaurs. Wander around, check out the armoury, wonder why there are a bunch of dinosaurs in cages, or get yourself a tent]

[[ooc: The camp | Pick a tent | The dinosaurs | Roland Tembo | Day One OOC post | Plot Hub]]

Comments

[ensorceler]

Two men from your...syndicate? The one that spelled the death for your lady love and yourself?

Were they here before? Have they been here since I have?

[gottaknockhard]

[He invited that tone, but the way she tosses out 'lady love' hits a sore spot. Still, he's determined not to back away now.]

...Not exactly. He only formed the partnership here. The other one just had ties.

[The last question he hesitates on, which is an answer in itself.]

They've been here.

[ensorceler]

[ She continues to stare up at him, unflinching. Maybe a better person would be forgiving; a Christian woman would be kind. She feels like neither anymore, and she barely feels alive. It seems neither is he, so again, what does it matter?

Anne's lips pinch tightly together, paling, and her grip tightens on the rifle in the only warning before she moves to swing and try to slam the butt of the gun against his stomach. ]

I had you follow my daughter everywhere she went! You dared...!

[gottaknockhard]

[He'd been anticipating a shot, so her using the rifle as a club comes as a surprise. Rather than attempt to intercept, he takes the brunt of the blow, and immediately regrets it. She can swing harder than he expected her too.

He straightens back up though, halfway by necessity.]

I kept her safe.

[ensorceler]

You did nothing! She was under no danger until those men's attention might be drawn, and that could have only been a matter of time, and what could you do to protect her, when you couldn't protect your love? Elsewhere you would not stop following me, and only God knows what other fancies.

You have protected nobody! You have only made it worse. Everything! Everything!

[gottaknockhard]

[The barb about Julia strikes him harder than the rifle did, and that was from only revealing a fraction of that side of his muddled story. As harsh as it sounds, she's right. Spike can't even claim that he would have handled it after how things ended on the spaceship.

He tries to meet her eyes, and any other excuse he had leaves him once he sees her expression. He's always wondered how someone might react if they learned the truth about him. At least this finally settles his curiosity.]

If anyone deserves to lose their head.

[ensorceler]

I would shear it from your shoulders myself had I an axe now instead of a gun.

[ But despite the blatant threat, she doesn't move to shoot him as Plan B, instead just swaying on her feet a bit as her leg begins to complain for true. Anne lets the rifle hang by the strap as both hands quickly move to cover her face, but they can't conceal the sound of her sobs, and she can barely get her words out between them. ]

We have...doomed one another plainly...enough.

[gottaknockhard]

[Death threats aside, all it takes is seeing her break down to make him feel like an idiot. Arguably a certifiable one. The wrong time and the wrong place -- one too many concussions affecting his judgment.

Vicious is back there in their camp. Does he point him out to her? It's not as if running off is an option.

He clenches his jaw, as if he has to physically hold himself back from pushing her further than she's able to take. Then he steps forward to hold a hand tentatively above her shoulder, before moving to grip the rifle and alleviate the weight.]

I've made worse mistakes.

[ensorceler]

Oh, how lucky I feel...not to be the worst of....your mistakes!

[gottaknockhard]

[He exhales, unsure if it's possible to say the right thing anymore.]

You're not the mistake.

[ensorceler]

Do not patronize me!

[ She continues to wipe at her eyes until they're nearly dry, forcing her weeps to silence in case someone else might hear and wander over. With a sniff, Anne moves to turn away, back towards the camp. ]

It matters not. What is done cannot be undone. I am only reminded that I ought to be grateful that Queen Elizabeth is not here to suffer danger. She has no shortage of guard where she belongs, I am certain.

[gottaknockhard]

[Spike says nothing, his thoughts still wrapped up in what just transpired and the good it would do to tell her who they left at camp. The kindness thing to do may be to send her back alone and disappear into the jungle somewhere. If he didn't think she needed the escort, he may have.

He doesn't help her walk, but he attempts to lift the rifle to sling over his own shoulders if she'll let him unburden it.]