sure, Jan

“Very lovely,” they added with a chuckle.

With a nod, firm and in total agreement, the subject of home was done. Baskar didn’t mind, they didn’t want to talk about it anyway. Talking about ghosts though… “I do,” they admitted. “And I hear things on the ship even when I am certain nobody is on it. Or out there in the woods. They found a mass grave, so it wouldn’t be that far off to say there are ghosts haunting this place too… luckily none of them the ghost of his father.

Calamity hopped on her feet and giggled. "And he's right!"

She hummed at Baskar describing hearing 'things'. "But couldn't that just be on account of your new super-hearing? Unless 'ghosts' is something you used to hear even before you came to the island."

At Baskar's suggestion of cocktails, Calamity giggled again. "Oh bless you, Baski. How about them pina coladas you mentioned, hm? I've got a grand idea: let's get smashed. C'mon, what've we got to lose?"

"Oh, yeah…that's me." It was always a little strange when people around here acknowledged that they knew her. Considering she didn't have any real solid connections from before the island, it was both surprising and flattering to realize people talked about her to others in any capacity. Her eyes widened at Cala's mention of being Chance's sister. Not that Selin couldn't imagine him having one like Cala suggested, but the fact that she was also here was an interesting turn of events. "Really? That's…it's nice to meet you Cala. Yeah, I guess he told you what happened it was pretty crazy. Terrifying, actually. I'll be honest though, Chance was more the saviour in that situation. I felt like I was kind of…floundering."

At the pull of her hand, Selin briefly lost her footing, not expecting the sudden tag along into the room. The fact that she didn't seem at all worried was both admirable and concerning. Just because she met the good ones didn't mean these were automatically going to be good ones. "Well, what if they aren't programmed differently?" Selin suggested, her eyes darting around the room filled with ample hiding spots behind the countless filing cabinets. "Like, what if they aren't Bobs with an aggressive program and Hobs with a gentle one, but they're one single entity with a programming to be either." She explained, hoping it was coming out right.

She dropped Selin's hand after tugging her further into the room, and then spun away with a giggle. "Yeah he told me alllll about it, but. He said he was so glad to be with you! I think you contributed more than you're admitting, don't be modest. No point in modesty in this place. You...do the growing big thing, yeah? Big and small?"

Cala hummed at Selin's theory. "There's that word again - programmed. Baskar said something similar about the Hobs, something about being connected to one mother-Hob, or...I can't remember. Too geeky for me. But what if..." Calamity's eyes glinted ominously. "...what if the Bob's 'programming' or whatever got mutated. I mean, why would anyone create naughty monkeys?? Oi - where'd the Hob go? Bloody hell, it better not be getting mutated into a Bob..."

Calamity fruitlessly searched and called out for the Hob like it was a cat; but once Selin started pointing out the usefulness of the cabinets (or rather, inside the cabinets), Calamity's attention clocked towards Selin.

"Ooooh aren't you a little bookworm sort! Okay, let's open one and see -" Calamity chose a cabinet, reaching for the top drawer then pulling back. "What if it's booby trapped. Oh well -" She pulled it open anyway.

Inside were files - actual paper files! - and a sweet whiff of old paper and dust. Calamity tugged out a couple of the tightly-packed file-folders, and opened one.

"A manual for...a refrigerator. Oooh, and here's one for the washing machine. The FLOWR brand ones in the bungalows, it looks like. Verrrrrry insightful."

And then Chance showed up and of course he had to bring up the secret note. Darcy shook her head at the question, "No luck yet. Can't really start going around the island asking everyone if they are lying about their entire life. Nobody would actually be admitting to that. And based on your question, you are not closer to figuring out who it could belong to, either, right?" She might have been paranoid about Chance reading more into her reactions, but she would have been paranoid about that with anyone involved, anyone telling her about that secret. And really, no reason for Chance to suspect she had anything to do with that.

"Plagirism? There's nobody who is openly an author or journalist or anything, so it must have been something very specific field related thing, right?" she asked Calamity, adding it to the list of secrets she collected from people. "Oh, mine is about an affair at the work place, though I haven't figured out who it belongs to either." Gave a cheeky grin to the two siblings, "Neither of you were having any spicy time at work, have you?" Not that she actually thought either of them were the subject of her own secret, neither of them really seemed like the type of person who would actually consider it something that needed to be kept a secret, something that would be considered shameful, especially on this place.

The topic shifted, the two of them telling her about the door they found and then quite literally turning into puppies with their eyes as they laid out just why they wanted Darcy's help. It was amusing, really, as they tried listing all kinds of reasons as if she had to be convinced. As if she'd say no if they didn't look at her with those pleading eyes, as if they didn't ask nice enough. Calamity even brought up Darcy saying earlier that she wanted to make the splitting in half thing up to her.

She tried to keep her face expressionless just to see just how long the two would continue with their reasons, tried to not give her amusement and excitement away right away, but eventually she couldn't help the chuckle bursting out of her. "What would you guys even do if I actually said no after all of that?" Would definitely be an asshole move, but still.

"Of course I'm going to help! I want to get through any door, and if it leads to any kind of information, I want to know!" Part of her wondered just where they'd arrive to once the door was open, what kind of revelations it would bring and she just felt excited, eager to get going. "Let's go, show me the way. What kind of door did you guys find? Chance, you said something about some light coming through under the door, right? Are you guys sure there is shadow behind the door I could jump to? Anything you guys heard from behind it? Any other graffiti maybe, like on top of the Tower I saw?"

"It's like that door puzzle... y'know, the - one door leads to certain death, one is the path onward - and you have to ask 'em. Only one door always lies and one always tells the truth and you don't know which is which... Kinda. Ish. Maybe not."

Chance shrugs as though the matter of the secret is something rather matterless to him. It's not entirely materless... He honestly could give a fuck about the pissant little secrets - but the knowledge that there were juicier ones out there just made his teeth itch with curiosity. And honestly? Darcy hadn't admitted to anyone coming forward with 'her' secret (then again neither had Chance, and he doubted very much dearest Cala would be giving much away)... So she was still very much on the list of potentials for this one.

Cala is right though. Between secretly knocking boots at work with someone and plagirism... Chance did seem to get the meaty secret (cala-meaty hah!) - at least of the three they had between them.

"Yeah, I've totally copied someones homework before. So you're probably right in that it's not your run of the mill copy-pasta I'm guessing. Something professional? Do grown-up's do that stuff?"

Said in a way that Chance clearly didn't consider himself an 'actual grown-up' (he really doesn't).

At the grin from Dacry, her teasing, Chance jumps at the opportunity, stepping forward and flinging one of those long arms around Darcy's shoulders.

"When your 'workplace' is a dark room full of games consoles, the only affair you're having is with a box of tissues..."

He grins back, waving his afforementioned 'affair-partner' (aka his hand) close to Darcy's face, grinning back just as widely at his own tease. Shameless, and clearly not the subject of either of those little secrets. Really though? How wholly uninteresting would your life have to be to have either of those as a 'deep dark secret'. Pathetic.

But when Darcy practically vibrates out of her own skin at the potential of exploring a new place, Chance knows they have her. That eager excitement practically visible in the air as a whole stream of questions come tumbling out... And after the determination she'd showed trying to tackle the tower, he'd really have put money on this exact reaction.

"Awesome!"

That arm starts steering her in the direction of the tunnel, guiding the eagerness one footstep at a time, answering each question in turn and waiting for Cala to chip in. He doesn't, however, make any mention of Mr Chuckles. That odd voice that seemed like an echo - until it wasn't. The voice which guided them to one tunnel of three - which led to the door itself... And he waits for just the right moment, when Darcy is so swept up in asking for details, when her attention is clearly focussed on the discoveries as yet to unfold - when he snatches a moment to glance at Cala... Not a wink. Nothing so overt or absurd. But she will know the look... Chalk one up to the Darling siblings...

"Eiwwwww, get that away from her!" She smacked Chance's naughty wiggling hand away from Darcy's face, but Cala is still laughing. "Don't share your late night tissue-and-lotion perversions with our new friend! Darcy, ignore him, he's just a wanker."

Wink wink wink wonk towards Darling Jr, but. Even for all of the sibling's theatrics, it was hardly as if Darcy was showing any doubt or wariness about them. Either of them, even after the little hornet pit adventure. Darcy, in fact, needed little convincing about entering a dank creepy dark cave with the pair of them.

They traipse forward, as Chance provides details, and Calamity prattles her additions. "It starts out as a cave, right? But then yeah the tunnels all smooth out, with lighting and cable wires, all leading to - well, splitting into three tunnels! We chose one tunnel by chance -" Pause for laughter - "And lucky it led us to the big vault door we couldn't get through. Seems you know what both our powers are too, right Darcy?"

The first part of the cave, though rocky and wild, was simply a mucky old cave. They just tread lightly enough not to twist an ankle. Cala and Chance had flashlights, and one for Darcy as well. "Well I didn't see any light under the vault door, I just...heard a humming sort of noise," Calamity fibbed. "I'm sure you'll find a shadow beyond the door, easy! No graffiti now - just a sign on the vault door that said 'No Authorized Personnel' or something like that."

The cave did smooth out as Calamity and Chance said, to a long hallway carved out of stone. Feeling around, Calamity found the switch that brought electric lighting to the underground hall. Dirty, dim light, but they didn't need the flashlights anymore.

"Oi, Darcy, get a load of this - HELLO OUT THERE!!" she yelled down the hall. A gentle echo chased after her yell:

hello out....

Ash set off carrying a backpack with water and wearing a tank top and a pair of coveralls tied at the waist, and big stompy workboots that made the uneven terrain of the volcano easy work. She kept her gaze ahead, missing the split polystyrene rock at the base of the volcano, a fresh footprint. She was here alone, enjoying the shock of the vivid blue sky contrasting against the sharp edges of the black-grey volcano. It was beautiful up here, if a little smelly. The higher she climbed the more it started to stink and stink of rotten eggs, an acidic, sulfuric smell. That and the occasional plumes of vapour from the side of the volcano should have set off alarm bells in any rational person. Ash had made a career of neglecting and overlooking her alarm bells.

The volcano gave a deep, groaning rumble, and that finally gave Ash a moment's pause. She squinted up to the volcano's peak, and decided that she didn't like how the thin cloud of smoke had turned thicker during her ascent. "Guess I'll need a second take," she muttered to herself. She was halfway through turning around when she heard someone calling. Shouting, asking for help.

Ash immediately started for the voice, climbing to her left. Now this was turning out to be a fun little story. With the rumbling from the volcano Ash hadn't been able to place the voice, but maybe it would be Selin (she would make such a cute damsel) or Baski (that would be a fun full-circle), and Ash could be a knight in shining armour. Because she was looking for it, Ash saw the edge of the crevice, but it blended almost perfectly in with the mottled grey of the volcano's rockface. She slowed her approach, seeing a burst of blonde hair.

All of her witticisms and smooth lines dried up on her tongue as she and Cala made eye-contact. Because of course it was Calamity. Ash stared at her, and then abruptly crouched down, out of sight of Cala while she thought things through. She didn't want Calamity to see her face as she told herself that she did have to rescue Calamity. But like, why was life so unfair that this absolute perfect moment, where Ash could be the dashing rescuer, was being absolutely wasted on Calamity. Ash rubbed her hands down her face. "For fucks sake," she muttered. Okay, reframe it, by rescuing Cala, Ash could prove that she was bigger than their break-up, bigger than the bitter little voice that teased her with 'just leave her there, Cala would love to go out via volcanic eruption.'

"Oi! Oiiiiiiii" she yelled, when Ash had the audacity to duck away. Was Ash buggering off, seriously? "Oi, never pegged you as a coward, guv'nor!" Ash loved when Cala used to call her that. Or...did she hate it? Whatever.

"Honestly couldn't think of a better person to come save my hide!" Calamity gleefully continued, fully believing she was enticing Ash with this chat. "You're strong and busting with muscles. You had your five-types-of-protein smoothie drink already? Gotta put you to work! And we both know - I'm a looooot of work, ha ha!" Calamity cackled.

Convinced she'd single-handedly convinced Ash to march over, Cala smirked up at her, from her precarious upside-down hang. "I was just climbing, same as you was," she retorted, not knowing if that was true, but hazarding the guess anyway. She looked behind Ash, then up at her unimpressed, ridiculously pretty face. Calamity meanwhile knew she looked like a damp scarecrow. "Just you by yourself? No friends? Thought you'd have friends. You're so friendly."

And that was when Cala noticed the worst (for Ash) and/or best (for Cala) part of this. Her eyes lit up. "Yooooooooo we match! We're twinzies! Let's not be girly about it and say it's embarrassing or that, c'mon. It's adorable! We're so adorable."

The volcano rumbled, as if pushing the fashion faux pas for what it was. Cala's attention swerved. She motioned at her foot, lodged in the slanted crevice. "Right. Erm. A little help? Got a pick-axe or anything, to chip away at this rock? This actually seems to be real rock, not bloody polystyrene."

Their family definitely had issues, so she was not wrong. Maybe not the ones regular families had however. “Chance is your brother?” they asked with wide eyes. Obviously they didn’t look alike, but that wasn’t necessary. They guessed adopted, but they were afraid to ask. Did they miss home? Indonesia maybe, they were nostalgic for the carefree life they’d once had when they’d been young. But even if they returned to Jakarta now, they might not even have a better life there. They smiled. “Not really,” they admitted. “I moved around a lot, so home was always temporary. Do you?” They asked.

Baskar could’ve noticed the Hobs earlier, if they hadn’t been intent on focusing on other things. Their attention was drawn by the humming. They turned and grinned as they filed out, carrying their assortment of alcohol. Who knew the ship still had so much.

On second inspection, they saw the same thing, surrorosed by the state of the Hobs, feeling a little bad for their physical well being, which wasn’t so good.

Calamity shook her head. "Nah, not me," she fibbed. "Home is just a state of mind." She didn't really know what that meant. It was just an aphorism for Baskar to feel soothed by, or give them the ability to move on from.

The Hobs marching out took their attention, and Calamity guided the Hobs back to the Hub (ha ha...Hob Hub) still toting the bottles of booze. Baskar didn't seem too bothered by the disrepair of the Hobs, at least. Calamity paused in the ushering and looked up at the ship, then at Baskar. "Haunted? Like...actual ghosts? You don't believe in that sort of thing, do you? Supernatural...? Then again, we've all got superpowers..." She plucked at her bracelet, the crystal within. Magic, or science?

But that was the thing - it just could have ended badly, but it didn't. And that was due to Calamity. And having that knowledge, having Calamity there, somehow made Darcy feel so much safer automatically.

(Granted, yes, she knew that it wasn't that simple and it wasn't something Calamity could do without an end, it wasn't a bottomless use, but it made the difference then and Darcy believed it could make the difference in life and death situations.)

"What? Calamity, no, please-- you don't need to apologize. I split you in half and you just didn't want that to happen all over again, I totally understand that. You have nothing to apologize for. If anyone, it's me - I should have never been so overconfident and tried to take you along, I should have known it could end up hurting you. I am the one that's sorry."

She followed Calamity's gaze shifting, glad to see that smile on the woman's face, her eyes landing on Chance. She felt so unsure around Chance since she realized what slip of secret Chance got, but for now, she just greated the other with a smile. "Yeah, good friends. Really, if it wasn't for your brother, I would probably not even be here, him saving my ass at the Tower."

"Ah! There's our little astronaut!"

A cheery greeting from his own lips as he saunters closer, his gait all noodle like and boneless. The carefree, chill of a man with no weight on his shoulders. Stepping up next to Cala, it was more than obvious that the Darlings were not biological siblings. Striking in their physical differences. But by luck or fate or... chance... They had been brought together and formed a bond - likely stronger than those made through blood - this was a bond of kindred spirit. Aligned souls.

"Any luck on your investigation into the secrets? Found out who was playing away from home yet? Or who the liar might be?"

It's a casual ask. Though with enthusiasm, as though Chance was invested in Darcy's detective work. But he's more interested in her reaction to the question than in any answer she might have forthcoming. And with not one but two sets of Darling eyes upon her, there would be very little place to hide...

"Oh... Wait, the door! Yeah, Cala found a door!"

He gives whole credit to his sister. After all, she's the one who persuaded Mr Chuckles to choose a path. She's also the one who managed to 'out' the voice as independent, rather than a simple echo. Though he doesn't mention their new 'friend' to Darcy just yet. Maybe Chuckles would be there on their return... Maybe it would be watching, waiting... Maybe it would decide to play another game... Wouldn't that be fun? He also doesn't mention that they'd somehow managed to tie the words on the tower to the tunnels to play their previous game... Given that Darcy had almost plunged to her doom from the tower, he doesn't want to dissuade her from this little adventure.

Can't have the key walking away now, can we?

"Some underground bunker type thing, I think. Weird glow coming from under the door."

"We can't get in. There's no handle or... Well. We can't get in and, well... It was just a thought - and you can totally say no if you don't feel up to it, of course... But maybe with your, uh... Shadow popping... You might be able to help us open it?"

Help us.

Saying 'no' to someone asking for help was a dick move at the best of times. And Dear Darcy. Helpful Darcy. Darcy who was definitely NOT lying about EVERYTHING (ehum)... Might just have a point to prove? A sappy puppy-eyed, pleading look then (one Cala would be overly familiar with as he'd used it on their parents on many occasions).

"Will you? Help us?"

If Darcy could just coo, she'd make the perfect pigeon.

"Wow, well. Aren't you sweet?" Calamity's laugh was rushed, gurgly, as she gave Darcy's arm a squeeze. A quick motion; she was terrified of touching the other woman. "All's well that ends well, yeah?"

And when Chance appeared, she exhaled in relief to have him there. The pair of them, both long and angled and wibbly-wobbly, siblings but not. And Darcy, beaming and apologetic. It couldn't be more perfect.

"Ooooh, right the secrets! What'd you get Darcy? I got something about plagiarism at work." She grinned at Chance, sidelong, then innocently added, "Chance's was verrrrry illicit. What about yours?"

She stood pertly as Chance so naturally and easily brought up the tunnel, the door, what Darcy was needed for. Chance had assured Calamity that Darcy would be more curious than cautious, but just in case, Calamity soberly added, "I suppose if you wanted to make it up to me, I think your help would really help."

She split from her brother like an atom, bounding towards the forest and pointing down towards a slightly swampy looking area. "The cave's just down there! Takes about 5, 10 minutes of cave-trekking to reach the doorway, easy-peasy."

A shrug, palms turned up with a spray can still in one. "I mean. The ship is pretty cleaned out at this point. But, ah." Tej sidestepped the current drawing to spray on the wall a beast of a cruise ship in a state of decay, complete with a squiggled neon waterline and flat ocean floor beneath.

"It's possible there are rooms no one's been able to explore yet. Doors stuck closed during whatever caused it to capsize, yeah? The sand under the ship can shift over time. Maybe with the shift, new areas of the boat open up. Know what I mean." First memory, waking up and finding his ex in a vertical flooded galley. The line of his mouth slightly twisted and then relaxed. "I go out there every few weeks. Because, you know. Fuck all to do."

While there was a fair amount of concern, Tej had partied enough with Calamity to figure with rest, water, and something on her stomach, she'd be alright. He kept watch regardless. Lose the thread. "That sounds unpleasant." A pin went in that. "Mm, special? You know... I haven't messed around with it too much to know. It's always been in the moment. Amplifying light or... moving the darkness, it's hard to describe."

On her feet once more, Tej couldn't say how he swept through the tower. "Your theory is as good as any." A small crack in the... erm, ass crack on the tower?

Tej routed around the structure to see Calamity's punk mermaid with the huge tits. Maybe I should've left you in there. He stopped, head in a tilt with over-exaggerated sweetness as his eyes and tone. "Aw, really?" A single long bat of lashes that he'd do with few others, just fucking around unserious. After Tej pretended to wipe a tear away that was not there, his hand rested on Calamity's shoulder to give her a little rock. "Leaving me in the tower's asshole-- the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Ten seconds. Tej had his share of dealing with flaky musicians. They wouldn't get too far today, yet so many other days seemed poised to persist. "We don't know about these... I hate to call them powers, but I dunno. We don't know what we're capable of yet, do we?"

"We don't know the limits until we use this more." The plan drawn clear and crisp, and it sure as hell wouldn't fade like Calamity's mermaid. "Ten seconds. You use it more, could turn into ten minutes, hm?" A death, a breakup. If only one could go back in time...

"So if you find Hobs, you can tell them to work for you. But don't try to talk to the Bobs - they look just like the Hobs, but apparently they'll try to kill you. Fifty-fifty, innit."

She imparted this advice as if it made perfect sense in any normal context. But she knew Tej - either he'd get it now, or he'd figure it out quickly. Tej the tack - sharp and pinning.

Calamity huffed a barky laugh as Tej tried to describe his power. "Huh. Sounds...well, don't sound like much but maybe it's one of those show rather than tell, yeah? Here I thought your power would be about these..." She rattled the spray paint. "Draw something and it becomes useful. Or arse-naps you." So the Tower did that to Tej, it wasn't Tej's powers? Or maybe it was magical spray paint...Calamity pocketed a can for herself to try later.

She burst out into laughter that split her head in two, and Calamity dissolved into laughing moans. "Ow, ow, not good for my head. Shut it!" she screamed in amusement, flapping her hand against Tej's arm petulantly. "Don't make me larf, you dick! Oi! That's why you fit - " She choked, barely able to get her stupid joke out. "Maybe that's why you fit so nicely in the arse! Because you're a big long hard dick, oooh la laaaaaa."

Calamity grabbed at Tej, using his sturdy weight to pull herself back on her feet. She swayed a bit, but otherwise she felt alright.

Clinging to Tej, Calamity just nodded against him, having no idea what was going on in his head about her powers. To her, they were short-lived, bursts of energy. "I suppose..." she said in a haphazard, grudging tone. She shrugged. "Practice, ugh. Sounds boring. I never showed up to practice and yet I managed to do my sets perfectly." (In her head, at least. For the audience, at least. Certainly not for the other members of PusseGuts).

She gasped, excited at Tej making plans. "I can introduce you to the Hobs! Make them do all the work, we just sit back and look pretty." She rested her bony chin on his shoulder, and mock-pouted. "Hate that you're still prettier than me."

This place was unsettling in all kinds of ways. To Selin, the emptiness of it felt so liminal. Thank goodness for all the people walking around doing their own exploring to at least make this place less eerie to experience. She was sure that if she was alone in here, she wouldn't last five minutes.

Answers or at the very least hints to their situation were more important than her discomfort. Selin knew she had to get over her fear and worry because of how easily it immobilized her. Remembering that anything they can find would not only help her but everyone else too, was the push she needed to continue her exploration through these halls.

She had barely entered the filing room when she caught sight of one of those little monkey-furby monsters that attacked her and Chance. It was just waddling around, it didn't look like it was aggravated or anything, but she was still terrified. It might attack the moment it saw her and she really didn't want to risk that. Her instincts told her to maybe try another room, and as she backed away an unfamiliar face started cheerfully heading towards the same room Selin wanted to avoid. "Hey, be careful." She warned, wanting to make sure the woman knew what she might be walking into. "That room is full of some dangerous creatures. They nearly killed me. If you're gonna go in there, just make sure you're prepared."

The testimony did interest Cala though, and she stepped closer. "Hang on, you're, erm...Selin, right? I'm Cala! Cala Darling, Chance's big sister! Yeah, can you imagine that long gangly monkey's got a sister? He's as harmless as the Hobs - but you and him. I heard you two met Bobs. Nasty buggers who nearly tore you to pieces, he said." Calamity exhaled. "Thanks for saving my brother."

Taking Selin's hand, Calamite pumped it enthusiastically, and then turned to prance into the room. "C'mon, I promise, these are the goodies! There's the goodies and the baddies. Problem is they all look the same, but. I don't think the baddies are programmed to be deceitful, just attack on sight. Yeah - they're robots."

Inside the room though, Calamity flicked on the low flourescent lights, casting a green-blue glow over...filing cabinets. She blew a raspberry of disappointment. "Oh. Really? This it then? An office storage? Borrrrrring. Oi, Hob! Why'd you bring us in here? Now where'd that little nutter go..."

If it all worked out worse, both of them could have easily gotten into trouble like Calamity and her got themselves into now with the attempt at the shadow jumping together. Everything happened so fast, but even after looking back, Darcy didn't even blame Calamity for pushing her down the ledge when she turned it all back - it was instinctive, right? To make sure she didn't jump the two of them again.

And it didn't end up being the end for either of them. The pain was excrutiating, feeling like it would never end, the seconds passing just as if they were hours and days on end, but then it all turned back, all of it and they were once again standing on the ledge and at this point Calamity pulled the two of them back from the ledge, not towards it.

It felt like deja vu, it felt like an out-of-body experience, it felt like something Darcy could have just convinced herself none of it really happened, only in her brain, if the pain wouldn't have lingered. And really, in the moment she didn't even put together what was happening, that it was something Calamity was doing.

"What the hell was--" she breathed as she landed on Calamity, confusion in her eyes as Calamity grabbed her face and then she quickly pushed herself off of the woman when she passed out. "Shit, no, no, what happened? Calamity, are you okay, shit, you need to wake up! You can't just die on me now."

It took her a little bit of time to coax Calamity back into wakefulness and then she let the woman lean onto her and helped her back to the beach, made sure she got the rest and fuel she needed. They could get back to the hornet robot parts at a later time, they sure did have plenty of that. (And maybe she can until then bury what could have happened to both of them if Calamity didn't save their asses from getting split into two due to her powers.) This was enough adventure for now.

He does twitch momentarily as she reaches out for the door and mocks a jolt. Poking his tongue out at her at the flash of dread and panic subsides from his gut.

"Cowbag."

He grumps. Not serious. Still to hyped with their discovery to be angry in the slightest.

"Maybe Mr Chuckles forgot the key?"

He quips, brow furrowed again in thought, though no inspiration was immediately forthcoming. The same couldn't be said for Cala however as she blurted out a name...

Darcy!

...Yes. Darcy - their 'friend'. That might just work.

"Brilliant once more, dearest."

There's a grin peeling onto his face again. It's not a nice smile. Nor a particularly friendly one. Dear Darcy, the batshit astronaut. And Calamity confirms the teleportation. So at least there was a definite power there. He suspected as much after the birds and the tower, but hadn't had been 100% sure.

He does, however, notice the quick shift in Calas demeanour. Suddenly insular and twitchy.

"Hey, hey... It's okay. No touching. I promise."

The grin is replaced by genuine concern this time. Chance reaching out and wrapping one long arm around Calas shoulders, steering her away from the door and back along the tunnel. No humming. No skipping. Just a quiet presence. He doesn't push for what's in her mind, or why he shouldn't touch. 'Bad things' is enough for him.

"C'mon. Let's go get our 'key'."

Calamity curled up against him like a cat begging for a plastic wrapper that would probably end up in a $5000 dollar vet bill. "I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion- but I'm not leaving this boat. I rather take my chances with it than throw myself out there like a hunk of meat that's just gonna' get snapped up. You've made up your mind, yeah? Go ahead, I'm not keeping you here," Lokni replied, keeping his voice neutral as he spread an open palm toward the water. If she couldn't wait a second longer, then who was Lokni to stop her?

Well, she'd gotten what she wanted - she was out of the boat. And Calamity had no choice but to swim, and Lokni as well. The boat...the boat was in pieces around them, floating uselessly in shards and splinters. Calamity could've cried in frustration, and she could only imagine how Lokni felt.

Something about all this felt like her fault. Her brash actions, and Lokni might just blame her for the boat's demise Easy reason to do so.

First, she focused on swimming back to shore, but the moment her feet finally touched sand below the water, she spun around to scan the water.

Nothing. No sign of any shadowy, attacky....whatever it was. The ocean was just its own regular self. A bit scattered with boat debris, but no angry churning waves, no dark looming shadows. She looked down in the clear water, and even watched a school of tiny, silvery fish peacefully swimming past her legs.

It was like nothing happened at all.

"This fecking place!" she gasped, then waded out of the water and fell onto the sand. "Lokni! You alright?!" Propping onto her elbows, she searched for the guy. Hopefully not eaten by the sea monster. Calamity sat up and reached for him - not to hold or help, but just in commiseration. "Are you pissed? Your boat's gone."

They bit the inside of their mouth. There were things Baskar would like to keep a secret from the people on the island, and there were things that they’d gladly tell - should people ask - that perhaps better be kept a secret. “I had to move because my dad showed up,” they said. They didn’t mention that their dad was a ghost. It didn’t really matter. “He’s been haunting me all my life and making my life difficult whenever he finds me. I don’t think he’d be coming to this island.” 

They blushed, clearly having given Calamity the idea that they knew stuff, while they had been completely, utterly, at a loss when the hornets appeared. “Not really, I didn’t notice they were robots until they were very close. And they seemed happy enough to act like actual hornets.”

Calamity became even better in their eyes, her fierce protectiveness of the little Hob. They smiled and nodded. “It would be unfair to do it without them accepting it,” they agreed. “And I promise I won’t hurt your Hob ever, clearly they like you.” 

To Calamity, Baskar's explanation sounded like family problems, issues with the dad, so she just nodded along. "Family issues, yeah. It happens. Some family do seem to end up here together though - like me and Chance." Mystery upon mystery. Coincidences that weren't. Incidents that seemed important, then turned out to just be nothing. Her brother was in hog heaven, here. "Do you miss home?"

Just then there was an echo-y clatter from inside the ship, and then - the Hobs! They marched out in the same line they'd come in. Each one happily toting a bottle of some liquor or another, humming their weird little tune in unison. Calamity screamed in delight and clapped her hands, then gripped Baskar's shoulder. "Look at the little buggers!"

Some Hobs were just dirtied up, but others had an eye hanging out by its wires, missing ears, pulled out fur. Lost hands and hopping on one foot, because the other was ripped out. "Damn."

Any thoughts of playing lesbian cupid were spoiled as Cala didn’t so much ask him to get up, but demand it by tugging on his shirt. “Hey! I’m coming, bitch!” Steve reeled upwards, free hand frantically going to smooth out his shirt incase of any popped buttons. Thankfully, Cala had not inflicted any damage on his new button-up.

“Love public humiliation, we really should bring that back.” Did Chelsey deserve it? Probably not. There was one minor flaw in Steve’s ramshackle plan. “I kinda feel like maybe we shouldn’t hang, draw and quarter her, or whatever. Maybe something a little more lowkey. Easier. She’s kinda…simple.”

Poor Chelsey…

Steve looped his arm through Cala’s, well they were damned to this now, might aswell swagger back towards civilisation together. “So…and you can’t tell anyone this okay because I’m not supposed to be sharing this. Chelsey’s an old colleague of mine. Total moron.” The story spun itself as Steve intermittently stopped to sip wine. “Anyway, so…she’s this junior art director that totally got up on her high horse soon as she made it. Definitely been using the intern for all her ideas. I mean c’mon…lame.”

Steve seemed more than happy to target this Chelsey, and provide her full story. "Fuck me, that sounds embarrassing! Proper career-ruiner, that! And I'm guessing in your line of work, it's all cut-throat and built on reputation and all that, innit. What's that word....? Integrity." Calamity snorted, having little integrity herself; never any need when orchestrating blow jobs and backstabs were her bread and butter.

She flapped her secret around with one hand as they staggered through the sand (Calamity was positive they were striding righteously), finishing her wine with the other, and tossing the bottle to one side. "And to think, all this time you suspected Chelsey's fuckery, and had no way to prove it! Now you do, this'll be a well treat, watching her face."

They faced Chelsey's bungalow and Calamity didn't hesitate to bang on the door. "Chelsey! Chelseyyyy we know you're in there! Come out now, with your hands up! You're under arrest for..." Calamity paused, then turned to look at Steve. "Hang on. If she was already caught out by Pepsi for stealing someone's work - how is this a secret?"

The door opened, to reveal a large, gentle-looking Hawaiian guy, who looked like he was waking up from a nap. He rubbed his eyes. "I'm not Chesley. I took this bungalow, my name's Paul." He yawned. "I think there's a Kelly two doors down. Are you looking for her?"

"Erm...yeah, probably Kelly. Yeah...good night," Calamity slurred, then gripped Steve a bit tighter, and tugged him off the porch as Paul shut his door. She waggled Steve's arm. "What're you doing? What's going on! Something doesn't add up...gimme a sec..." Calamity tapped her lip.

"You know Chelsey, but she's not here. But she is a known ideas-thief who got caught out by one of the biggest global companies...except that was Paul. And Paul's not Chelsey. But Kelly isn't a plagiarist neither...this all means...wait I got this...."

A sudden resentment for Benji simmered but was covered up with a grin. "Don't know if I'd want Akhila hunting me down." Actually, nah, he wouldn't mind getting roughed up by Akhila (pure fantasy, he was well aware). "Come on, you of all people can dream up a reasonable way into the dispensary. A chronic ailment or something, hm. Isn't a steady supply better than a smash and grab?" Tej hadn't thought of Adarsh as Calamity described, but made sense. "Mm, yeah he does have an air of authority for absolutely no reason at all. Narc vibes. It's not just you. Probably frowns at himself in the mirror too."

As the effects of Calamity's power took hold, Tej initially thought she was kidding. A joke in poor taste perhaps, but Calamity knew Tej was rarely fazed. Yet over long suspended seconds the rigid movements and whites of Calamity's eyes became alarming. A possession of death in someone so alive. Selfishly morbid curiosities that had long been gone then flooded his mind (his mother, last images a toddler shuttered away forever).

And then wild brown eyes looked to him once again, groggy but recognizable. Oh fuck me, did I wee myself, again? His lips parted for a few wordless seconds. Brain pedaled fast to catch up to the fact Calamity was alright. With a huff of relief, he asked, "I dunno, you can't tell?" He didn't particularly want to know.

Tej motioned to the water bottle, and dug out the only food with him to hand over. "I've got a protein bar. The savory flavor of cardboard. Help yourself. Does that happen every time? You scared the shit out of me, seriously. Freaked me out, didn't know what was happening to you."

Back in time, reverse time. And Tej already began to calculate how many months ago he last saw Inika. Before he begged Zaid to just come home, both of you. His brow pinched tight, and he rushed through the sentence to get to the most important part. "No, no I can do something with light, it's not a big-- how far back can you go?"

"I don't mind the coaching from the sidelines, as long as we get inside." The next attempt was a failure, as Calamity ended up on the ground again, and Tej clumsily pushed into a wall with no give. He scrutinized Calamity's arm. "Take it easy. Believe it or not, this tower is tougher than even you."

He took a look around. "Can't imagine where the hell a door inside the place like that even goes to. You believe me though, yeah? That I saw it, I was in there." His foot swept a fair bit of dirt away from the base, at the point the 'arse-port' initially worked. "Fine, no more asses." As he tested a few sprays of paint in other locations around the tower, the colors quickly faded as before. "Maybe we draw your drums. Your band logo. Tits to go with the ass, I don't know..."

A snicker. "I could take on Akhila. She fancies me, you know? Pretends it's all resentment, but I know she's obsessed with all this, yeah. Way more than Adarsh is; bugger's happy enough with the steel rod up his arse." A reckless laugh at Tej's clever disparaging - a mirror, good one - and she shrugged. "What about drugs on the cruise ship? Have you tried?"

Once her spasming was over, Calamity barely realized she'd gone all wonky. In her mind, she just sort of swooned for a bit, then came up in the strong arms of a handsome anarchist. One who came prepared with water and protein bars so...maybe a slightly tamed anarchist. She chowed down the protein bar and water without protest. "It's messed up, it's like pulling a thread on a scarf and watching it all unravel? But it's got to take just a split second, or I lose the thread. Eating and drinking helps, though. What about you, what can you do that's so special?"

She shook her bracelet in Tej's direction, then grabbed his wrist to look at his. "Ooooh dark and sparkly, just like youuuu~"

Bounding back up on her feet, Calamity started to circle the circumference of the Tower, patting its concrete and brick surface, as if trying to find some pressure point, some marking of a paved-over door, some loose brick or crack in the facade. Nothing. "I believe you, yeah. Is that because of your power, you reckon? You were able to travel through because...I don't know. The light and darkness pulled you in? Maybe the arse was just a distractor...that's disappointing."

Caution to the wind, Calamity thought: why not. She picked up a can of green paint, rattling it as she stood back to survey the blank canvas, and then rushed forward to start painting: a mermaid with a mohawk, spike necklace, and giant bazongas. "I can only go back in time right at the moment, and only about ten seconds back. I can bring others back with me - like you. Sorry I pulled you out of the arse..." Calamity paused in her work of art, to give Tej a contrite frown. "Maybe I should've left you in there."