Name: Ratana Bun Ma
Goes By: Crystal Bun Ma / Crystal Armstrong
Age: 33
Gender & Pronouns: cis woman & she/her
Previous Occupation: Multiple Occupations
Power/Ability: Invisibility
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@crystalslucky
Name: Ratana Bun Ma
Goes By: Crystal Bun Ma / Crystal Armstrong
Age: 33
Gender & Pronouns: cis woman & she/her
Previous Occupation: Multiple Occupations
Power/Ability: Invisibility
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"I guess I'm the only punk around here who's gotten used to hearing himself referred to in the plural." A couple of beats passed before it occurred to Alex that perhaps not everyone here knew what his special power was -- was anyone still checking the board where they'd been recording them as they manifested? -- so he elaborated, "--I make duplicates of myself. Two of them, anyhow, they're like ... limited editions of me, is how I would describe them."
Crystal's admitting that she wasn't averse to stumble-upon conversations made Alex laugh in response and recognition, though, and he said, "A chatterbox after my own heart. You get to meet the most interesting people that way, and I mean, what's the worst that can happen if you don't hit it off? A conversation that you can either forget about or tell other people about afterwards."
Her opinion of the soullessness of the room matched Alex's, but where he'd looked at it as a place waiting to have a personality stamped onto it, Crystal saw it more as inherently uninteresting. Alex tried not to give in to pop psychology too much (he never could kick his addiction to magazine and online personality quizzes), but that did speak to him about how she saw the world and people, maybe. Inherent qualities that weren't subject to outside influences; better entirely to find a whole new place that was inherently more appealing. The beach, in this example.
"Those wooden doors are basically like in a cartoon where there's individual animation over the cel because somebody's gonna break through the wall there," Alex agreed. "Or like the doors in a video game where you know that getting through them is gonna advance the main storyline. Which of course means we gotta open 'em."
He stopped his movement, twirling his hands to build up excitement for this prospect; Alex didn't think that a girl like Crystal would need a hype man for some flash-bang, but he liked doing it anyhow. "C'mon, you and me, forging ahead and discovering the next big thing together? We can even take a photo before we open it and after, for the 'gram!"
At the mention of duplication, Crystals eyes widened at the possibilities a power like that could have. She wasn't necessarily jealous, her own invisibility could do wonders for her once she had the opportunity to practice it, but that didn't mean she didn't wonder about how great multiple Crystals would be. What if she could do both, three of her that also turned invisible...would that even be possible? Maybe this place held the answer to whether they could possess or handle multiple powers. But she was getting ahead of herself. "Ok...whaaat? That's insane. How does it work? What does it look like? You gotta show me!" She exclaimed eagerly, pressing her hands together looking like she was praying for the opportunity to be able to witness Alex's power.
"There's so many different and interesting looking people around here, I just can't help it." She explained in response to Alex's musings about their "chatterbox" tendencies. "And if we're gonna be here forever it just makes sense to get to know everyone, right? Otherwise what's the point of being here if we can't find ways to enjoy ourselves? Everyone freaking out are total bummers!" Thankfully Alex didn't seem to have a care in the world, which is exactly what she wanted to surround herself with. Good vibes only and all that.
And those good vibes would surely continue as the two of them figured out what was through these double doors. Alex even cheered them on to bringing a rush of excitement through her mind on what exactly they might find. It was too tempting to not be anything good. "You got instagram access out here and nobody told me? What else am I missing out on?" She asked despite feeling confident there was no social media here. Surely it would defeat the purpose of their isolation. "It's crazy to think it's just...unlocked, right? It seems too special to just be flung open with ease."
Crystal took a moment to inspect the door. Not that she really had any clue what to look for. Maybe some kind of trap? What if touching the door set off some kind of alarm that triggered some sort of security system? Was that too dramatic? They wouldn't know until she tried. So she extended her arms, going in with both hands on both door handles. Gripping them tightly, nothing happened, a good start, and then turning the handles she tried to push the door open only for it to stay shut. A sigh. "Great. Yeah, thought so. It's locked." She tried to use her shoulder to shove it open that way but to no avail. "I think we have to find a key. Or figure out a way to break it open if you have any ideas on that front."
How exactly was he supposed to chill out. Crystal appeared to be hellbent on showing him it was all fine-diddly-do. She posed aside one of the monstrosities and Steve was nearly swept up in the normality of it, mindlessly snapping with his phone, except the wing grunted. Which changed everything––namely that Steve clung to Crystal instead. His breath hard, fast, and uncomfortably so. “Not fi–” No need to finish that one as Crystal brought his attention down. In the space between them, which should’ve been their hands, there was nothing. “What…the fuck.” Steve’s bottom lip trembled, he raised their hands to no avail, he reached out with his other hand. They were there because he could still feel his hand squeezing tight to Crystal’s but their arms ended into nothingness.
“No…what the fuck this is not okay. I’m not doing this! I don’t even know how to do this! Crystal this isn’t funny!” Pitch steadily inclined to the point of being neigh unintelligible. Turning invisible, this absolutely was not his power! “Fuuuuuck! Stop it Crystal! Make it stop!” Could’ve been his heart lurched up in his throat, it could’ve been real, but Steve would’ve sworn the invisibility crept higher. Threatening to engulf them both in some godawful wizard trick.
Steve snatched his hand away, palm clammy enough from clinging to Crystal, and without further vex he reappeared. Totally. “Oh thank fuck.” Steve clutched his hand to his chest. The same could not be said for Crystal. “Oh my fucking god…it’s you.” Finger gestured towards her still invisible hand, the wave stopped right at her forearm creating his uncanny illusion of a severed arm. “Okay…” Steve pressed three fingers to his lips, a coy smile working underneath. “Actually this could be a serve. Imagine the untold possibilities. This is waaaay better than anyone else’s powers I’ve seen so far.” Sticky self-immolation? Boring. This had real potential. “Okay but like can you make one of those things invisible?” Steve cast a shaded glance to one of the nearly dismantled drones.
Steve was still as panicky as ever, but Crystal was simply fascinated. How could anyone find this frightening? Maybe nobody warned him about what these bracelets were capable of. Or he was just this jittery all the time, which wouldn't surprise her. While Steve whined about wanting it to stop, Crystal wanted to know more. Her gaze was fixated on the spot where their hands should be, trying to figure out which one of them was causing this. But Steve was quick to release her from his panicked grip and suddenly he was perfectly fine. Arm, hands and fingers visible and intact. "It's me." she confirmed lifting her arms in front of her and seeing right through them, only seeing Steves face contort from horror, confusion and finally a look she could only relate to scheming.
"This is the coolest power kind of glad it wasn't you I would have been so jealous." The invisibility seemed to be creeping up her forearms and now she considered the different ways she could use this to her advantage. "If all of me could turn invisible, then I could have some real fun." She remarked as Steve voiced his own feelings. If she was able to pass on her ability to others that was incredible, but if she was getting scammed with a fine print of only your arms become invisible? then that was less than incredible.
"Oh! Let's try!" No longer overly concerned by any robotic twitching, Crystal moved in closer to these broken hornets. From Steve's point of view it probably didn't even look like she was doing anything. Even to her it was a funny feeling to reach out and touch something without having sight on where her fingertips were. The feeling of her muscles moving in her arm was there but it wasn't until she felt the cold tough sensation of the metal did she know where her hand was. She stood there for a few moments, the seconds dragging on as nothing about the metal changed.
"Hello?? Nothing? Really?" She complained with a post and a sigh. "Maybe it only works with people instead of things? Should I try with you again?" She teased, removing her hand from the to dead robot and be started approaching Steve, hoping for a reaction.
Status: closed for @darcyxpalmer Location: The Tower
"Ohhh, Miss Mastermind!" Crystal cooed in excitement once she laid eyes on Darcy wandering around the tower. She knew that Darcy claimed that she didn't have anything to do with this place and it was highly likely that was true, but Crystal still thought it would be fun to believe that was Darcy's dirty little secret. The person in charge of whatever trial or simulations she believes they're dealing with being right under their noses all along.
Making her way over to her like an excited school girl who hadn't seen her bestie in months, she placed her hands on Darcy's shoulders, eager to hear what nonsensical ravings she would have about this place. "You found your way here too! Though I guess you knew the way here all along, huh?" She gave a playful wink, playing up this Darcy knows all belief. "But this is wild, to know a place like this has been here this whole time and we had no clue! What are you thinking right now? What's the next clue where does this all lead?" Crystal asked rapid fire, despite not having much thought or concern of her own in regards to this place.
It was definitely creepy and a change of scenery, but besides that she had no capacity for theorizing. Darcy, on the other hand, already felt like she knew exactly what was going on around here at any given time. That level of delusion was admirable and also hilarious. So whatever she had to say about this tower right out of a sci-fi movie, she was ready to play along with the hype.
Status: closed for @akhilaasthana Location: The Tower (crystal room)
The room full of crystals was probably the most intriguing room in the entire building. Not only because it was a room dedicated to her namesake, but also because of how many were stored in here. All different shapes, sizes, colours, some of them were encased in glass while others had nothing protecting them at all.
To Crystal, it reminded her of old sci-fi movies, where the government is testing on aliens in an underground bunker. The crystals here replacing the aliens as the test subjects. She didn't know what any of it meant, but the way they all hummed and glowed was soothing.
As she walked up to a large glass tube with a large purple and black crystal inside, she could hear footsteps as someone else entered the room. She didn't bother to turn to look at who it was, too busy staring at the glowing uncut gem in admiration, putting her hand up to the glass. "If you're looking for clues there's nothing to find here." she falsely told the stranger, eyes still glued to the crystal. "I'd go to one of the other rooms if you're looking for anything noteworthy."

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Status: closed for @tejvirani Location: The Tower (file cabinet room)
Rows and rows of filing cabinets was a temptation that was hard for Crystal to resist. She didn't try very hard either, clearly if they were given access to this place (even if it was through creepy tunnels under the beach) then that must have meant that they were allowed to do whatever they pleased. And what would please Crystal was finding what gossip and secrets might be hidden.
There was no basis for why she assumed or hoped that there was any interesting information within these drawers, the only thing being the fact that they were all given a little secret about someone else here, and whose to say that they didn't have more to choose from? There was no way they didn't have at least a drawer of two full of secrets and who they belonged to and Crystal wanted to find those drawers for herself. She found herself wandering through the aisles these drawers created, trying to figure out what exactly the organization system was meant to be here. Whoever made these must have had their own codes for things that didn't make any sense to her. Numbers and letters that had meaning to those who made them up.
Every so often she would reach out and try to open up a drawer, sometimes it would fly open and others it wouldn't budge. None of them, however, seemed to have what she was looking for. Though in her search, it seemed like she wasn't the only one interested in some snooping. "Whatchya looking for over here?" She asked as she came up right behind Tej as he flipped through files in an open drawer. She dragged her finger down his spine, smiling at him when he acknowledged her presence. "Find anything interesting yet?"
location: the tower, third floor costar: @crystalslucky
"So does it ever trip you up?"
Alex turned, walking backwards as they entered the landing room on the third floor together, taking in the dormer-like layout as he moved carefully ahead of Crystal. "I realize I'm the one physically likely to trip right now," he grinned, twirling his hands down at his sneakered feet as he kept moving backwards, "but I mean when people are talking, shooting the shit, about their bracelets and the--" Alex held up his wrist, shaking it to display his own, "--crystals in them."
She was a beautiful woman, so walking this way was certainly no hardship, and Alex had a robust enough ego to weather the possibility of bumping into something (it would give her a laugh, anyhow) -- but in all honesty, the second floor seemed to follow a logical pattern. Hallways, rooms, bigger spaces for gathering. Whatever customizations people might have had there in the past weren't up anymore, though, and it was a little dreary.
"It's kinda like a place that people moved out of already and it's waiting to be staged," he observed, noting the general plainness of the place. "You think this is where people lived, some of those FLOWR people? Instead of the beach?"
Crystal walked through the white tiled halls with an elegant stride, hands clasped behind her back while Alex's movements were more bouncy as he walked backwards to remain face to face with her as they explored. "Hmm, if I hear it in passing it is a little funny. Though most of the time, they're referring to these in plural." She answered, extending her arm out to point at his pink and green gem that he held up on display. "So I don't usually get tripped up, unless on purpose and I just want to talk to whoever said it. Which, there's a lot of people here I wouldn't mind chatting up."
Her words were followed by a playful smirk and a raise of her brows. She had no problem considering the different people she might just stumble into a conversation with purely because she 'thought' she heard them say her name. As weird as this place was, every part of it just made the experience that much more entertaining.
This place, however, really tried to bring the mood down. It was all white and grey, plastic and steel, it was so depressing, if someone threw up in here at least it would add a little colour. Her fingers trailed along the walls as she listened to Alex describe it, and suggest an idea of what it could be. "It feels way too soul crushing in here. If FLOWR people lived in here, I can see why it's empty now." Her brows knit together and her lips curled downward in disgust. "Imagine working in a place like this? Especially when the beach is right outside? Nah, I'd off myself for sure. This feels more like prison."
But maybe that was the point. Leave the people mindless zombies stuck in this bleak and ugly tower and they just work on autopilot. Though, in regards to the aesthetic of this place, there was one thing on this floor that clashed with whatever clean, futuristic look they were going for. "Did you see that one door up here? Those wooden double doors that stand out like a sore thumb? It looked way too fancy and out of place in a place like this."
Adarsh made a face. He was about five seconds away from blowing up based on her tone, but she was supplying him with something nobody else was: his past. Becoming grumpy and angry wasn’t going to help. Becoming non-verbal because he was too frustrated to speak wouldn’t either. He gritted his teeth. “Hopefully,” he agreed. “And it is.” INcredibly tough, and when people acknowledged that, he felt better about it. He was supposed to have that understanding from everyone. Nobody had it as bad as he did. “And up until now, I didn’t know anyone who knew me.” Even if it was barely a connection, it was better than anything. He looked genuinely happy for a moment.
He hadn’t expected the name to be correct. He thought the name would be incorrect, that it wasn't his, because it felt like it might not be. However, he trusted her more than his own instinct. Clearly. He’d been able to smell the bullshit on Chance, but if Chance had pretended to know him, he would’ve gladly overruled that feeling for the sake of being known. He was so desperate to have his past.
“At least you’ve been able to answer the question about my name,” he said, offering a smile.
He smiled, it sounded… well, not like him. From everything that had happened the last few months, he had found he was easy to anger, into boxing, and incredibly judgemental. That man didn’t sound like the one she was describing, but he’d been younger then. Maybe he’d been like that. He gritted his teeth, set the odd feeling out of his mind, instead offered her an unsure smile. “Dance, drama?” He frowned. “I can barely imagine that.” Maybe not the popular thing. “And after school… did you ever hear anything about me again?” he asked. He sounded so eager, so desperate.
Crystal found it quite fascinating, this desire to be known by others. So far, she didn't know anyone and they didn't know her and that was kind of the fun of it. All her life, she had been morphing and changing to fit whatever she thought might interest and attract other people to her. That was easiest, especially with the threat of disappearing somewhere new, forced to start over again and again. She was basically doing the same thing here, starting over with all these people and giving them what they want, giving them the Crystal that would keep their interest. And clearly, the Crystal (or Kris) that went to UCLA with this guy who knew nothing about himself was the one that would stick.
"Well you've got me now. I'll see what I can do to reboot that memory, I haven't thought about university in so long. It's hard to remember things on the spot." She hoped that would be enough to move on for now but leave him wanting more. She would have to remind herself to think of new things that he might have gotten up to in a college setting.
There was no telling if or when his memory might return, so Crystal felt she might have a very short window of opportunity to play around. He was willing to accept her words as fact, even if he sounded a bit confused he didn't fully try to dispute it, not that he could if he wanted to. "Oh, yeah. I mean. Again, I don't know if it was genuine interest in the art or if you did it to…you know, shoot your shot. There's a lot of hotties in art clubs, so I wouldn't blame you. But I wasn't that deep into your mind, darling." She was about to say that he was the only one who would know for sure but…not even he would know.
"Hmmm…I'll have to think about it. I've been busy. But you know what I really want to know. What the hell is up with this place? What's going on? What are we supposed to be doing exactly?"
Baskar: Iceland! Wow, that's so cool! Baskar: From the captal or somehwere mreo remote? Ive seen videos of the nature there and the whole tectonic plates. Baskar: okay im glad, i dont want to make reading my texts difficutl for you! Baskar: it is weird id say. i wonder if there is a reason whytheres no kids Baskar: uhm definitely not like either of those shows more uhm... lost, that big scifi show Baskar: only with less murders Baskar: oh well Baskar: no definitey less murders
Crystal: yeah! The capital! It's super nice there but I'm a big fan of this place so far Crystal: hold on...you can't just say oh well when it comes to the possibility of murders?! Crystal: people are getting murdered around here? Crystal: I thought we were all brought here to party and relax Crystal: I've never been good at murder mysteries Crystal: but keep me posted kk? Crystal: then maybe you can use that radio ur working on to call the cops to collect whoevers killing around here
"Mm, a little morbid speculation never hurt anyone. I mean, they've got those cameras on us 24/7." Omnipresent electric eyes focused unblinkingly. The bungalows, the warehouse-- all constant reminders some presiding structure took the utmost interest to bring them there. Watch them, keep them. "Maybe we'll never know the whole story of why we're here and who's behind the cameras, but it's still hard not to wonder." Last summer felt so unbearable close, as near as the water they sat by. "Nothing specific makes me think it, it's just another idea. But. I was packing up my flat, moving out." Moving on. Moving away.
Or really, running away. To a familiar old city where the dream versions of Zaid and Tej lived.
"I was supposed to be meeting with an art dealer, to wrap up some business." (Something else he'd never tell Zaid, that Tej finally listened to a piece of advice.) "I found something that belonged to my niece, I thought it was lost. A toy." A bittersweet smile signaled this was as far as he'd go on that point.
"And then I opened the front door and was blinded by light. Next thing I knew, I was waking up on that boat out there." Lost time, but fairly frictionless. Nothing major, and he only retold it in case a new aspect might appear.
Amused, he nodded. "It's a good observation. A little suss, coming from you," he joked. "But yeah, very weird." Crystal seemed keen on the bonfire. Tej stood up in time to follow a pointed finger to the volcano. "Mhm, there's firewood. We're separateed from the volcano by water but we can get as close as we can to build the fire. Yeah, guess it'll make a nice backdrop. Better than a half-sunken cruise ship, hm?" He scratched at the back of his head. "A few bottles, a guitar, some marshmallows. What else do we need?"
Tej feigned offense with a click of his tongue as he played along. "And you claim to be from New York, don't know her most famous up and coming artist." The fun was brief. "My grandfather raised us, me and my siblings, after our parents passed on." For the last decade or so, dealings with Dada had been wrought with tension. Disappointment, anger. He shook it off. "What about chosen family, got any of that back home?"
The seeds she planted quickly took root. He stood silently toiling over make you jealous... fucking hell. Zaid would totally want to flaunt whoever he so easily moved on with in Tej's face. The prick. (Forget the fact Tej employed jealousy any time he didn't get his way.) After a distant moment, his jaw set tighter and his gaze went back to Crystal. "Hm? Oh, ah. We split about a year ago." Plenty of time let go (for fuck's sake, let it go). "Sorry, yeah. Sounds about right for Zaid. Sorry you're getting dragged into it." The curve of his smile brought on by vindictive thoughts. He swiped away a long stray lock of hair that the wind swept into her face. "We could have a bit of fun with it. You can tell him I invited you to a bonfire?"
Crystal listened to his story, nodding along and making sure he knew she was paying close attention. She would have loved to pry deeper but she wasn't going to overstep and lose any opportunity she might have here. So rather than ask more questions that he might shrug off or refuse to answer anyway, she just absorbed the information of what he remembered last before coming here.
"Honestly. Aliens is starting to sound more and more likely." she claimed in a sing song voice hoping that might lighten the mood as she respected his privacy with the more deeper details he implied but didn't say outright.
She was sure that they could go on and on about theories but the prospect of alone time on the beach with a guy like Tej was more enticing. It reminded her of sneaking out during summer nights with whatever beautiful person caught her interest that week, finding a secluded spot just for them and returning back with all kinds of marks they tenderly scattered across their bodies. Even reminiscing made Crystal feel delighted at the thought that her first night on a beautiful island that looked straight out of a promotional cruise ad, could end with her hooking up on the beach with an absolute hottie.
"A guitar too? You gonna tell me now that along with your art career, you also played in a band on the side? Did someone slip you a list of all the qualities I find irresistible before I showed up here?"
Crystal liked to exaggerate the truth when she could. To her, it made things more interesting, even if she stretched the truth so thin that it was impossible to tell which part of her tall tales was based in reality. So when he asked about chosen family as a supplement to her lack of real family she sighed. "Everyone is always focused on themselves nowadays. It's hard to connect with people and choose your family when everyone has moved on from that ride or die mentality. Now everyone is too busy protecting their peace. So it's just been me, myself and I."
Tej seemed to be on board with a little revenge plot which was perfect to her. Sometimes making people jealous was one of the most fun someone could have. Being in control of someone else's emotions was a treat. "I can tell him more than that if you really want to drive him crazy." she offered with playful smirk, letting her fingers gently glide along his collarbone as she fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "A gorgeous guy like you, it wouldn't be unbelievable to think you could be getting some laid and moving on. Especially here. There's no way people haven't been finding themselves hooking up with strangers for a little bit of comfort since arriving."

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“I’m sorry HOLD THE DOOR…pit full of skeletons?” Steve yanked them both back into motionless awe. “That isn’t cute spooky forest Crystal! That’s legit Saw-trap-material. Not even the sexy kind.” Steve’s expression was falling deeper into a pit of despair. Blair Witch Project fame be damned he didn’t legitimately want to die out here. He’d thought killer was being used as a fun zany adjective. This was not it, but he’d come too far to turn back. Plus he hadn’t been keeping track of where they’d been going. Crap.
Slowly, Steve disentangled himself from Crystal’s arm enough to go survey the hornet pile. “Ugh…the turn of the millennium called it wants their junk back.” Stacked atop of each other he was at eye level with a blacked out screen. Grimace and then a hesitant hand reached out, but at the first tsk of static Steve yelped. “Noooooo, hell no.” On second try, the lifeless television did fuck all. Much better.
“Imagine? I thought you were the go-to woman for all happenings?” Steve eyed her up over the top of a malformed hornet. It was missing it’s trademark television screen, politely decapitated. Crystal was otherwise unaffected. She could’ve struck a pose against one of the killer hornets and they could’ve turned this whole ordeal into a high fashion moment. Steve snapped a picture of one of the hornets instead, on his phone, a poor substitute for capturing the melodrama of it all.
Steve came around the side of one. “Lift up that flap…wing…thing, for me? If we’re doing this we’re going to do it properly.” Though now Steve was starting to fear his totally ridiculous plan of documenting this true-crime-style were a little too real. “Are they always like this…I mean are they transformers? Or is this their one and only form cause they aren’t even that big.” Steve spoke quickly, trying to talk himself down out of the rising panic. Pictures snapped between quick sharp ragged breaths. One of the wings twitched, or it was tampered with, but Steve jumped to ghastly conclusions.
“CRYSTAL!” Hands joined, again, he’d squeezed hard. Beads of sweat building in his palm, but that in no way explained why on inspection downwards, his hand had gone. Steve screamed.
Crystal was well aware that this horrorfest they were experiencing was definitely throwing off the island paradise vibes she thought she had been thrown into. But there was something...enticing about it too. The surreal movie moment of it all made it hard for her to turn away. And as much as she knew that matching Steve's energy might have made befriending him easier, there was a rush that came with doing the opposite. Pulling both of them deeper into what could quickly turn into a bad situation purely for the sake of being contrarian was the kind of thrill she needed right now.
Though Steve's proclamations of fear and disgust certainly weren't helping her own feelings. As brave and nonchalant as she wanted to be, occasionally his aura would come her way and she would think that maybe they should turn back. But those split second thoughts made her double down even harder. Especially when her eyes drifted to the the large, sharp, drill-like pincers these things had. "Nothing's gonna happen, you gotta chill out your vibes right now or else every little thing is gonna freak you out."
Moving in closer to this pile to prove they weren't a threat would be a big help. So Crystal followed his instructions and went over to lift up the wing flaps of one of the closer busted up robots. She posed with it, her face expressing dramatic shock, fear, surprise at every snapshot Steve took, followed by a grin full of amusement. "See? We're fine, we can do whatever we want—" she started before getting cut off by the sound of the metal groaning, followed by the twitchy movement of one of the wings.
She told herself if it hadn't been for the quickness in how Steve grabbed her hand to pull her back and called her name, she wouldn't have been so scared. But her heartbeat was racing and she became less and less sure that everything was safe. His scream that followed also didn't help the situation. Before Crystal could tell him to calm down, she looked down to where their hands should be and understood his fear. "What the fuck...!" She exclaimed, still holding on tightly to Steve's hand because she could still feel it. His hand, the flexing of her fingers, they were still there but they were just... invisible. "Hold on, hold on, are you doing this? Are you turning us invisible right now?" She asked, remembering that Darcy lady telling her about the weird powers everyone here was given.
Adarsh felt desperate to have people believe him when he was at his lowest. When his standing in a conversation was at the mercy of another, his whole being was afraid to be laughed at, to not be taken seriously or worse… to be taken pity on. His face contorted when she voiced her disbelief, but he just managed to stop himself from lashing out because of it, instead managing to shake his head in annoyance and letting out only a huff of frustration. “I wish,” he said. “But no, real case of amnesia.”
He shook his head. “A name, maybe,” he offered, and perhaps she would be able to - once and for all - establish whether his odd feeling with the name was correct or not. “I woke up thinking the name Adarsh,” he said. “Does that ring a bell? Or does it sound wrong?” He gritted his teeth against the boiling frustration. “And a language, which I figured out is Malayalam. Meaning I am probably from Kerala.”
UCLA. It didn’t ring a bell or spark some kind of memory - but he’d gotten used to that. Nothing seemed to trigger anything, as if everything was so well stored away that there was simply too much static. “California,” he said with wonder. Given the state of his appearance now, he could guess he’d fallen. But if he’d been an international student… scholarship? Rich parents? “Oh,” he sounded disappointed. She recognised him, but clearly he hadn’t been an important piece of her life. “Pottery classes?” he laughed at that. “Was I any good?”
"And I thought the stories of the giant robot hornets were crazy. Well, those still are pretty crazy, but...full blown amnesia." Crystal was mystified. Maybe it was insensitive, treating him like some sort of spectacle, but how exactly did one address this delicately? (Maybe pretending to be someone he knew in the past wasn't a great start.) "Hopefully I can be of some help." she offered with an innocent, unassuming smile. "It must be tough, not knowing anyone, not even yourself."
He offered up a name, though it sounded like he didn't know for sure. Crystal was positive given her many years in Missouri, the only names she could feasibly generate were more common among Southern white guys. So instead of agreeing with his uncertainty, Crystal nodded as if he'd hit the mark. "Adarsh! Yeah! That does ring a bell! The language though...I don't know how much I can help you there. Geography isn't exactly my strong suit." She didn't even really have a firm grasp on her own birthplace and culture, figuring out his wouldn't be much easier.
She also didn't dwell on the fact that maybe they weren't so different. But at least he had amnesia as an excuse.
While Crystal couldn't give insight on names, languages or culture, she could sure come up with stories about fictionalized college life. "You were a master at pottery, I do remember the countless girls whispering to each other wondering what else your hands could do." she claimed, with a raise of her brows and a mischievous smirk. "You were pretty popular from what I remember. I don't know if that was on purpose though. Pottery, dance, drama. You were in a lot of different clubs."
Una: Wherever we are in the world we're surrounded by strangers. Only difference is there were more distractions back there. It's up to us to turn strangers into friends, don't you think? Una: Perhaps she had a lot of insecurities or fears and just didn't know how to deal with them, or coped with them poorly.
[ though people can just be dicks - like I was, Una contemplates, but she's not going to dwell. there's also that 'niggle' in her brain. the 'i used to know someone'. perhaps this is her 'note person'. perhaps not. either way she's not going to judge. ]
Una: Did you tell her how that made you feel? Una: If there's one thing I truly believe, it's that people can change if they want to. Sometimes they just need a little help to do so. Una: Well, hello Crystal. If you would like to meet, I'm usually on the beach every morning. You're more than welcome to come along. Una: Do you like yoga?
Crystal: I guess I can't argue with that Crystal: who knows how long we'll be here its better to make friends than enemies Crystal: no way. I tell her how I feel and it turns into me bullying her and being insensitive to how she feels Crystal: trust me I know an emotional manipulator when I see one...but I will admit I can't make that judgement about this secret owner yet Crystal: I've never done yoga but you seem like the best person to try it out with Crystal: I'd love to join you for a morning yoga sesh
Baskar: Where areyou from? Baskar: 😅 i always fight with autocorrect, because i use dot also text a lot with myf amily from indonesia and it would always completely change anything i wrote in bahasa as something competely different Baskar: also im too lazyto go back and fixmy mistakes. Baskar: i think i have the worng phone because i also tend tomiss hiting the spacebutton a lot Baskar: but if itsreally annoying i can try a bit better and not make so many typingsmitakses
Crystal: ever been to Iceland? crazy cold there all year round! got its name for a reason Crystal: well I wouldn't say it's annoying but it definitely threw me off Crystal: though thinking about it, it's kind of nice there's no kids here Crystal: really adds to that resort feel! adults only~ Crystal: or is it more of a love island/too hot to handle situation? you've been here for a while, yeah? what's the atmosphere like?
If Darcy didn't know any better, she would have assumed this woman has already spent at least some time here, on this beach, and not literally just arrived. Was it possible that she misunderstood something? But no, the way she was talking about waking up here, it must have happened just recently, in the last hour or so. Maybe two.
(Has anyone has ever seen any of the new people actually arrive? It was something Darcy would have to look into, ask around. It couldn't have been just the people appearing out of thin air, but however it all happened, the fact that nobody saw any new person being placed by other people was curious.)
"So you were on a ship - do you remember what you were doing last? Or did you just fall asleep and then woke up here?" There were plenty of different last memories (blood, hospital, her eyes, but no, Darcy was not thinking about any of that), and yet Crystal was the chillest person, whatever she remembered from her last moments, Darcy loved it.
She looked around, almost expecting somebody to jump out and take over the conversation, but nobody actually was there, and after a moment's hesitation Darcy stepped closer to the woman and sat down into the shallow water, letting the waves lap at her side. "Okay, if you really want to know, I think we all signed up for this. I think-- no, actually, I know we all agreed to do this, we just don't remember cause it's part of the experiment. We gotta learn to adapt, learn how to use special powers we get - which is also a thing here, believe it or not, you'll find out eventually what yours is, too -, and we gotta pass through some tests. I am certain of it."
There was something so natural and fun about making up stories about her life to strangers. Who did it hurt for her to play around with a fantasy life she created in the blink of an eye? It kept peoples attention at least, got them asking questions, and it meant she got to have moments like this where she could say anything she wanted without suspicion following.
"We were throwing a party. just me and my girlfriends on one of my families yachts. I do remember going to lay down and rest for a bit... hm, yeah that's about it." She tried to look as though she was thinking trying hard to remember more but couldn't, followed by a wide eyed look as though a horrifying realization dawned on her "Oh no... my friends must be so worried! Probably thinking I drunkenly fell overboard of something."
Of course, there wasn't really anyone back home to miss her. Maybe her parents but anyone else might just assume she was ghosting. But really what did she care what employers and horny strangers on the internet thought of her sudden radio silence?
What she did care about was the story Darcy weaved about what they were doing here. Making this sound like some sci-fi adventure. She wasn't sure if she immediately believed this claim of belief, but if she played along she might get to know more. "Really? So we all agreed to some kind of experiment and got swept away to this random island? I guess...yeah I can get behind that. Having our memory wiped of any agreements, and powers too?! What kind of powers? What are these tests? How do you know all this? Are you in charge? I won't tell anyone if you are."

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"No, doesn't have to be only those two things, two options." The first explanations that came to mind, but certainly there could be more. "Alien abduction, hm. May explain the warehouse mimicking food." The food was bland and at this point he'd kill for an actual vegetable, however it wasn't the worst. Complaining to complain. Until the warehouse ceased to be stocked.
"And the small bungalows." His chin lifted as he looked out at the water. "Set us up in an environment that is very Earth-like. You like the afterlife theory too, why?"
When Crystal put it like that, the arrivals disconnected from the first big group... "Should I give you the side-eye then?" Or. Replacements for those who kicked it? He had to admit, she was an improvement over Qwan. But Tej kept it all to himself.
A good time. "Yeah, I remember what those are like." A nod, a quick smile. "Know what I miss? A bon fire. So, maybe we can search out a spot for that, together." Sure, why not.
The smile returned, but softer. Longer lasted. "Big on paint. Yeah. You can say that. I'm an artist. Mixed media. Got my start with graffiti." Tej never had an issue bragging. "My work has been exhibited at the Met. And the Saatchi in London." A few other smaller galleries, not near as impressive as the ones he mentioned.
"Yours though. Reminds me of pool water. Since you were in a pool when it happened, yeah? I do wonder if these have a connection to us, to the powers. All that."
Crystal kept the conversation flowing. Nothing earth-shattering, however he'd take it over the recent fuckery. Tej paused, unnecessarily so. "No, I guess I'm not so homesick." Couldn't help but see Inika flash before his eyes. Zaid. "I do miss my grandfather. That's about it."
A simple girl, easy to please. Dark brows rose, a smile unavoidable. "Ah, are you? I'll keep it in mind." Crystal noted the list of phone numbers. Right, from the meeting. Tej avoided adding his, or any information about himself. While the concept was understood, he didn't personally care to add himself to the list. "Texting randos? You're very friendly, aren't you?" Not the worst idea. Crystal definitely was not shy.
He was going to ask if any messages received weird responses, but Crystal had one ready. The name attached caught him off guard, like he'd stepped barefoot on a wasp.
Zaid. Flirting, inviting someone to dinner. Fucker certainly did not waste any time. (Tej chose not to think about how long they'd been broken up, and Zaid had every right to do as he pleased.)
"Ego's right, yeah," he remarked as his gaze drifted along with the words, almost right off the horizon. The temptation to lie so great. Trash him. Yeah, Zaid WAS a fucking weirdo, she got that correct. But he tried to reel in the pettiness. (That Zaid had the nerve to cook for everyone but him??)
"He's not a weirdo. Well, he is. A harmless one." Tej scoffed and suddenly sat up straighter, an arm crossed over his chest to scratch at a shoulder. "Talk about jealous." A throwaway comment Crystal made earlier. "He is easy to set off." A different pause, a debate, yet at this point Crystal would probably ask. "I used to date him." Date, more than that but whatever. A huff of amusement. "Used to love to wind him up too, he'd get so fucking jealous over the dumbest shit."
Crystal nodded her head with a raise of her eyebrows to say 'see?' to all his observations relating to her theory. Maybe it wasn't as crazy as it sounded, but given how odd things were, there probably wasn't a theory too out there.
"I don't know, no reason in particular I guess. I mean I was in that pool, whose to say I didn't drown and just don't remember that part? Pretty morbid to consider. What do you remember last, what were you doing that made you think you probably died like you said?" Maybe in the end, it didn't matter, but Tej appeared to be the curious type, so Crystal was willing to stoke that curiosity as long as he wanted to indulge the conversation.
Holding her hands up defensively, Crystal looked over at him innocently. "Hey, don't side eye me, I'm just making an observation, that's all I can't be the first to be thinking that's weird."
Crystal raised a brow as he suggested finding a spot for a bonfire. A random idea but she wasn't dumb enough to defuse. "I love that idea! Does this place have any firewood? Or any tools to make our own?" She asked as she stood up, placing her hand over her face like a visor and eyeing the tall trees off in the distance. "You know where I think would be a good spot?" she began, pointing in the direction of the volcano looming in the distance. "Somewhere close to that, feels like it would be so picturesque, especially when the sun starts to set. Don't you think?"
Especially as an artist, she thought he could appreciate the picture she was envisioning "Seriously? Geez, here I am in the presence of a famous artist and I didn't even know it? Please, forgive me for my rudeness." She apologized dramatically, even bowing her head low to add to the playful performance.
"Hm.. you and your grandfather were close then, I take? I didn't really know any of my family if I'm honest. I mainly jumped between foster care homes until I got phased out of the system so, even having one family member you were close to sounds nice."
Tej's reaction to her highly edited admission was interesting and made her quite glad she shared this even if it was partly a lie. "Oh, wow.. that's a coincidence, huh? How long ago did you date? That just seems pretty rude of him to be texting me like that when he knows you're here too." She paused before letting out a soft gasp. "Oh...do you think he's trying to make you jealous? Asking me over in the hopes you would have seen?" She suggested, not sure of that would even be a believable angle but hoping the spiteful ex-lover in him might accept the notion. "If that's the case that's pretty hurtful to both of us, using a stranger like that..."
Una: What a lovely greeting, hello to you too! Una: Thank you. I hope people take me up on the offer. Una: Sometimes there's a reason. Or they might just be shy. Or lonely. There are lots of different reasons. Una: I'm sure I'll be fine. Thank you for being concerned though, it's very kind of you. Una: Sorry, I don't think I know who this is? Have we met yet? I apologise if we have.
Crystal: You are incredibly optimistic and trusting for someone on a beach full of strangers Crystal: I used to know someone who cried about having no friends and how everyone leaves her only for her to be super toxic and clingy and manipulative Crystal: I'm Crystal, I'm new here so I don't think we've met yet Crystal: But still thought it best to warn you even if I don't know you yet