jeu terminé.

             her  smile  grows  as  she  watches  the  lifted  arm  before  replying,  ❝  see,  that  just  tells  me  you  worked  really  hard  and  exerted  lots  of  effort  for  the  people  we  were  lending  a  helping  hand  to.  ❞  a  single,  matter  of  fact,  nod,  ❝  which  means  you’re  one  of  the  few  who  absolutely  deserve  to  enjoy  this  break.  ❞  reese  waves  a  hand  in  response  to  the  question,  ❝  i  haven’t  had  anything  at  the  restaurant  yet.  i’m  always  too  shy  to  go  to  places  like  that  alone,  ❞  but  she  never  fails  to  do  her  research,  ❝  the  menu  looked  amazing,  though,  so  i’ve  got  high  hopes!  ❞  the  brunette  laughs,  ❝  i  just  gotta  stop  myself  from  asking  for  one  of  everything.  ❞

.

“that may be true...i’m excited to get to the next spot, i haven’t been streaming for a month and it feels strange.” it had been the longest break manon had ever taken from her job and, though she knew people would be excited for her to be back, she couldn’t help but have a a small, minuscule worry that they’d forgotten about her. “nothing yet? you shouldn’t be too shy. i love getting a meal on my own, it can be really relaxing.” although, it didn’t happen too often it was a rare thing but it was nice after you got over the initial fear of seeming weird for being on your own. “that’s why you have me! i’ll make sure we only order what we can eat and tomorrow we can get everything else.” she added with a laugh.

             sepia  hues  watch  manon,  her  features  softening  at  the  edges.  it’d  been  far  too  long  since  she’d  spent  any  time  with  her  friend  and  that  was  downright  unacceptable.  ❝  i  know  the  feeling,  ❞  she  responds  with  a  laugh,  though  the  brunette’s  training  has  caused  her  arms  to  be  just  about  the  only  thing  that  wasn’t  completely  weak.  ❝  if  you’re  starving,  we  gotta  eat,  ❞  because  reese  was  always  hungry,  ❝  i’ll  even  let  you  borrow  one  of  my  arms  if  you  need  to!  ❞

.

"oui, it might have to happen. look how weak i am.” manon said, lifting her arm only slightly before it started shaking softly. “mon deiu, it’s so embarrassing. i thought i was in good shape.” then again, most people would probably be struggling after that long doing manual labor when you weren’t used to it. “what have you tried at the restaurant so far? i ran into the café for some coffee and a sandwich when i woke up but haven’t tried anything else yet.”

"i know this sounds étrange but i’m glad we aren’t back yet because i don’t think my arms have rested enough to lift up a controller yet.” manon said, laughing a little at the dramatics but she wasn’t lying! after all that work, her arms still shook a little when she lifted anything up. “i’m starving but i don’t think i could even lift a fork.”

zeki pulled up the sleeve of his white t-shirt, taking a look at the line that had formed on his skin between lighter and darker skin. “guess i’ll take that over a hefty sunburn,” he said to no one in particular, letting the sleeve fall back just over his bicep. “they weren’t kidding when they said wear your sunscreen religiously, huh?”

@interchangestarts​

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“oh, wow, you should be careful and reapply.” manon said, glancing at the impressive tan that was already forming on his skin. she’d been very cognizant of sun damage since they’d gotten to uganda. considering how pale she was, it was surprising she hadn’t turned into a tomato yet. “do you have more? i might, if you need it.”

HE   SAT   DOWN   .   he   liked   manon   ,   she   was   gentle   and   kind   .   he   didn’t   really   talk   about   things   ,   his   problems   bottled   up   until   he   was   fit   to   implode   over   them   all   but   when   she   asks   ,   he   figures   that   he   might   at   least   try   .   taking   a   short   breath   ,   he   leans   back   and   looks   briefly   at   the   night   sky   ,   hands   on   his   knees   .   “   i   ,   “   be   beings   ,   a   pause   that   seems   like   he   might   not   continue   ,   “   i’ve   just   made   a   real   ass   out   of   myself   back   in   london   and   i   don’t   really   know   how   to   undo   it   .   “   

.

manon nodded slowly in understanding even though she wasn’t entirely sure what he’d done, she’d been there before. it was always so much worse in your head than in reality. “do you have to undo it? or..” she started, unsure just how bad things had gotten. “is it possible to work through it?” sometimes when bad things happened, they eventually led to something good. it could take a while but it was possible. placing her notebook down, manon turned her attention and herself, in his direction. “either way, i am here if you want to talk about it or simply sit and watch the stars.”

𝑶𝑷𝑬𝑵 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹 / @interchangestarts​

IT   WAS   A   BAD   WEEK   .   that   may   not   have   been   the   best   way   to   describe   it   actually   but   in   general   ,   it   was   what   he   was   going   with   .   he   had   struggled   since   coming   on   this   trip   and   it   seemed   that   things   added   and   added   on   until   he   wasn’t   quite   sure   if   he   was   coming   or   going   .   an   UNCOMFORTABLE   type   of   person   in   his   own   skin   ,   he   cleared   his   throat   as   he   approached   the   outdoor   seating   ,   voice   loud   in   the   night   air   ,   “   hey   .   mind   if   i   join   you   ?   “

.

manon had no issue staying in her room with birdie but being here, it seemed like a missed opportunity to not spend as much time as possible out underneath the stars. as the sun was starting to set, she’d brought her notebook out to jot down ideas for her stories only to be pulled from them as someone approached. seeing a familiar face, she smiled softly and nodded. “of course...is everything alright?”

saiyr was sitting in the middle of the sun shelter surrounded by her crystals tarot deck in hand as she smiled up at them. “ come sit. ” she said patting the space in front of her. “ i’ll give you a reading. ” @interchangestarts​

.

“moi?” manon asked, looking around to see if there was someone else they could have been talking to. nope, they were the only two around. “a reading? i don’t think i’ve ever had a reading done before. what should i do?” she asked curiously, taking a seat across from the other. 

“You’re right, let’s do it before the end of the day.” It was hard to remember they wouldn’t be here for as long as their stay in Russia and London. “I think so. They’re all so pretty, though. Hopefully we can spot at least half of them, just to say we did.” Slipping her phone back in her pocket, she decided she should spend as little time staring at the screen as possible. It would be sad if she was looking at a picture of a bird and that caused her to miss out on seeing it in real life. “That’s a beautiful name! But that’s silly. You may not have even been named after that Juliet.”

.

“good plan! shall we stop by the counter and sign up before looking on our own? so we don’t miss it?” though manon was thrilled at the thought of spending the day doing their own bird watching expedition, she didn’t want them to get too caught up and miss the tour all together. laughing warmly. manon nodded before shrugging. “it’s a popular french name but people always think of the tragedy first.” wasn’t that the way of the world? “oh, wait was that one?” the brunette asked, suddenly distracted by a bird flying by, following it with her eyes. 

ramona grinned with anticipation of all their trip could hold. “i am too! i’ve never been before either, but it seems like it’ll be a really educational and pleasant experience.” they pressed their own hands together, interlocking fingers. “streaming will be there when we return, right? you won’t miss out on anything?”

.

manon had heard a few people complaining as soon as they had landed and she hadn’t been able to wrap her head around that. how could you complain about this? it felt like a dream. “streaming will always be there.” she said with a nod. “i had planned on streaming the new elden rings game but plenty of people are doing that.” that game wasn’t one of her better ones and, though her management didn’t want her disappearing for so long, they’d planned something big for her comeback. “it’ll be nice to take a break for once.” not that manon didn’t love gaming, she did, but it had been years since she’d taken this much time to herself.

“If there’s time for a tour, I’d love that! Plus, I’m sure the tour guide would help a lot.” She wasn’t even sure where to begin when it came to bird watching, where to look, what to look for. It had just sounded like such a neat, wholesome activity. “Oh, I saved a bunch of pictures,” Birdie informed her, pulling the album up on her phone and scrolling through. “This one is the Red-Faced Barbet! I… think. You know, I don’t know as much about birds as one might think…”

.

“we should check for a tour if we’re running out of time.” they only had so much time in the lodge before they moved to wherever they had to be to work and manon would hate it if they left without seeing all the birds on birdie’s list. “very smart!” she said with a warm smile, moving to stand next to the other and look at the pictures she had saved before the blonde landed on one particular specimen that fit the red-faced name well. “that does make sense, i think i’ll be able to remember that.” manon said, looking around as though the bird would fly by at that very moment. “in a similar but different way, when people find out my middle name is juliet they think i know everything about shakespeare. it’s quite confusing.”

“So, I have this,” Birdie announced, showing the other the long checklist she’d been carrying around. She realized with her name the activity probably seemed a bit cliché, but she was genuinely excited. “There’s over three hundred bird species here, I’m gonna see how many I can check off before we leave. Do you want to help me try to spot a Red-Faced Barbet?”

@interchangestarts​

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“incroyable! it’s so thorough. are you going on the bird watching tour or trying to see them all on your own?” manon was thrilled to have birdie as her roommate for this leg of the program, happy to be back to having one single roommate and somehow she’d managed to luck out once more. she knew people had issues with their roommates sometimes but so far, she’d been blessed. “what does a red-faced barbet look like? i can try to help but i might be horrible at it.”

“you have to like, layer, you can’t just put one sheet on and think you’re good to go! not with sun like this!” was she being dramatic? oh she was without a doubt but how was she ever going to convince ms brown to let her just take care of everyone if she failed in the first few days. “we just need to whip you an extra seventeen layers on and with that hat you’ll be sorted!”

.

"seventeen?” it seemed like a lot but considering the passion with which odie was speaking to her, manon couldn’t very well doubt it. “i’ll trust you.” she said with a nod, taking her sunscreen back out and offering it to the other. “whatever you think is right, i don’t want to burn and i know it’s going to be a challenge here. i have a hat, water, something to cover my shoulders...that should do it, non?””

“no, no, no.” odette was not a fan of this already, everyone was going to burn to a crisp and none of them were going to make it to the next stop. she was a fan of the heat and the sun when it came with a five star resort, cocktails and an infinity pool. not back yard animals and a lack of sanitary stations. “you did not put nearly enough sunscreen on, you have to lather, you’re not on a beach back home now cover your head and get more sunscreen on, please for the love of god.” 

@interchangestarts​

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“non? i thought i did...” manon wasn’t used to the sun like this and she was as pale as a ghost, taking care of her skin had always been a priority. “what did i miss? i have a hat,” she said, opening her tote to pull out the small hat she’d tucked inside. “i thought i was prepared but now i’m worried, mon deiu.” 

🦒 open starter @interchangestarts​

there were no words for how excited ramona was for this trip. “do you think they were serious about the giraffes?” they inquired, eyes lit up with anticipation and excitement. “i hope so, that would be so cool.”

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“oui, i think so!” it seemed like a strange thing to lie about and she would have been very disappointed if they were promised giraffes and none were to be seen. “i’m so excited. i’ve never been to uganda before, i had to take time off of streaming but it’s worth it.”

A   LAUGH   .   maybe   an   unusual   response   from   him   but   the   question   about   his   name   is   so   innocent   that   it   makes   him   do   it   anyway   .   “   no   ,   my   last   name   .   .   .   it’s   scooters   ,   “   he   points   out   ,   clarifying   where   the   nickname   came   from   .   somehow   it’d   stuck   with   him   from   the   playground   for   an   entire   lifetime   and   now   it   was   part   of   his   identity   .   promptly   shaking   his   head   ,   “   no   ,   not   yet   ,   “   he   hoped   it   would   stay   that   way   ,   unsure   how   he   would   cope   with   seeing   the   dead   .   he   hadn’t   even   liked   funerals   never   mind   psychic   or   supernatural   experiences   .   “   i   think   i’ll   leave   talking   to   the   dead   to   the   experts   and   keep   my   eyes   on   the   ground   ,   “   he   tells   her   .   

.

“oooooh, that makes far more sense.” manon said with a nod, grinning over at him. people had the strangest nicknames but scoots coming from scooters was way more normal than it could have been. “me neither and i would like to keep it that way. i don’t know what would happen if i saw one.” though there was a small part of her that wanted to especially if others had. it felt like a once in a lifetime experience to see a real ghost. “but what if a ghost comes through the floor?? there’s no way to be one hundred percent safe, non? unless you stay in your room with your eyes closed but that would be quite boring i think.”