w a v e

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“Dear me, things have been mad recently, haven’t they.  Right - we don’t got no apples on-hand, but plenty of other fruits and veg.  Whatever you like…”  Emre picked up an eggplant, then gave Haneul a cheeky wink.

“Nervous, yeah,” Emre nodded in understanding, listening keenly as he stocked her basket as Haneul chose items.  He looked around, then leaned in.  “In all honesty, luv, I’m bloody worried.  Maybe it’s because I’ve only been here two years…but every time the island acts up, seems like bad things always happen innit.  If there was anything you could do for me, it’d be lending me a spot of that long-term calm.”

Patting the basket, Emre nodded.  “Right.  What about some meat?  We can stop at the smoke house for fish or whatnot.  Come along.”  As they walked, Emre hummed, pausing to look around and consider Haneul’s more serious offer to help.  “What do you reckon you’d be good at, then?  Other than teaching me to be a waterbaby, but I shan’t be selfish.”  He grinned.  “Building, or fishing?  Nursing?  There’s options right now.”

As they headed towards the smoke house, Emre spotted Kaz slinking out of it .  Kaz glanced over his shoulder to look back at them, and Emre gave him a silent nod, and then a knowing chuckle.  Kaz seemed to smile too before ranging away, leaving Emre smirking to himself.

But when he glanced over at Haneul, he made an effort to wipe the smirk off his face.  “Erm.  D’you know Kaz at all, sweetheart?” he asked, feigning innocence. “He manages the smokehouse and that. Slippery bugger, that one.”

Mad was one way of describing the situation, which Haneul felt too small of a word yet it perfectly encapsulated how chaotic all of it was. All she could do was nod and agree, because if she was to speak more about it she might end up telling him about each and every single one of her worries. She didn't want to ruin a seemingly normal (as normal as it could get at the time) day with that.

"That's alright, I think I can still get by without apples for about another week." She joked, though truthfully she was never really an apple girl. "I'll take some mangoes and oranges please. And..." Haneul paused to think about which vegetables she needed, but when she looked back at Emre and saw his teasing with the eggplant, it got her visibly flustered, made her lose her train of thought. "Uhh--" She hummed, followed by a stifled laugh. "Yeah, some eggplant would be perfect. I'll take some cabbage, garlic, carrots and cucumber too, please!"

She kept pointing out which ones she wanted, but stopped as soon as she noticed Emre leaning in, mirroring his actions since he seemed about to share a secret with her. With his confession, Haneul struggled to reassure him without lying to his face. "I mean..." Choose your words carefully, Haneul. She could end up worrying him too much, or giving him a false sense of security. "I can see why you'd think that. It won't hurt to be careful, of course, but..." There was no survival tip she could offer him. Most of what she knew, he probably already learned in the two years he'd been on the island. So she opted to give him a different kind of advice. "But worrying too much might make it harder to cope, so... maybe doing things that could take your mind off of it for a bit... that might help." Haneul offered him a soft smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder. "For me, it helps to swim. And to try and get some more work done, wherever I'm needed."

Haneul nodded at his mention of meat, and followed closely behind him. "Definitely fishing." She answered with no hesitation. "But I can do some building too, if needed! Let me know what's more urgent, I'd love to help out with anything at all."

— ⋆ ✯ ⋆ —

Tamyra couldn’t help a grin. “That’s cause 99,9% of the time I really do know everything.” Okay, that was a lie. She liked to seem like she was smart and knew how things worked, but really, she usually was just good at figuring out who to reach out to for help and make it seem like she could do it herself, but she just wanted other people to do it for her.

(There were instances where she didn’t even try, like at the farm, where she just spent time tagging along to Tomas instead of actually doing anything, but they were both in an agreement there, it was better if she was just the entertainer and nothing else.)

In this case, she mostly didn’t have much idea what to do, either, just what she’s seen other people do and if she was being honest, half the time that was way too fast for her to keep up anyway.

“You’re not going to believe it, it sounded ridiculous and impossible for me too, but this thing doesn’t actually create any of those. All the pictures and the videos are on this device,” she tapped the phone in Haneul’s hands. She would have said it was impossible if she hasn’t seen it by her own two eyes. “Not really sure what good it is for, to have a small machine like this holding all the pictures and videos, but it’s quite impressive in the big scheme of things. Granted, nobody can hang their pictures in their homes or even watch a movie properly, but modern people are weird these days.” And she assumed pictures even in this small size were preferred rather than no phones at all.

She let out a small chuckle at Haneul’s surprise, but really, this was as far as her knowledge went. With others taking pictures and videos of her, she just let them handle the phone, and with Sae-Byeok, well… she didn’t really learn much from that woman, despite how high she thought of herself. “Try tapping at those things? We can try to see what they do.” There were a bunch of colorful squares with so many different signs, and then above them was what seemed like a weather report? “Maybe try this one first.” It seemed accurate, but this couldn’t be a thermometer, right?

“A more updated contact information, and probably more likely the other side would pick up even a random number, since they are still desperately hoping for any kind of news.” Tamyra would have loved to think that if her loved ones were still out there, they would still be that worried, but they probably long accepted that she was dead. “I’d probably try with Jovi, honestly. Still recent arrival and he is extremely interested in figuring things out, making things work on this island.”

With an agreeing nod and a chuckle, Haneul replied, "I don't doubt that at all." A playful tone, but she meant it. "Now I know to come to you for anything that isn't technology-related." If anything, Haneul would gladly bother Tamyra just for the sake of spending time with her. Something about being on the island around the same amount of time, and living their outside lives during the same era... it felt like something to bond over. Of course, they had wildly different experiences out there, but still.

Haneul paused. A little longer than she intended, but the thought of it was a bit hard to process. She then remembered stories that newer islanders told her about those 'smart phones', but she never really took them seriously and thought they were just messing with her. That, and she never really had a visual aid to fully understand what they meant. But now she had it, the small thing in the palm of her hand (it was a considerably bigger phone model, but to Haneul who compared it to giant phones from her era, it was entirely too tiny to be doing all those things). "Okay..." was all she could respond with, but as she swiped around on the screen and saw the boxes move along the same direction, she was starting to imagine how the images would look like on it.

"Definitely weird." She agreed. But the practical side of her was almost beaming at the idea of not having to buy film and tapes constantly. "Saves you money from having to get stuff developed, though. But I can't imagine how much something like this would cost." At Tamyra's suggestion, Haneul clicked on what she pointed out. She wasn't sure what to expect, but her eyes widened a bit as the screen was filled with a bunch of information, numbers and icons that she wasn't exactly sure how to interpret. "Whoa--these can tell you the temperature?" As if Tamyra wasn't seeing the exact same thing she was, she faced the screen towards her and moved it closer, like an excited child showing their parents something they surely already knew about.

location: farm @wavebreakcr​

Despite all the strangeness going on, people still had to eat.  The farm still had to go on, and so Emre was there when Tomas couldn’t be (and from what Emre gleaned Tomas was in absolutely no state to be) to make sure people didn’t run amuck.  No taking advantage of the confusion and conflicts going on, to jack some extra helpings of food storage or help themselves wholesale to other stores.

But when Emre spotted Haneul delicately making her way onto the farm, empty basket perched on her hip, Emre’s face split into a smile.  Coming out from the warehouse, he sauntered over to Haneul.

“You alright, babes?” he greeted her, reaching out in a friendly attempt to take her basket.  “I can help you with that.  Doing a bit of shopping, are we?  Come to the right man.  I’ll set you up proper.”

 As Emre motioned to the food stalls, so Haneul could select things, he asked.  “Honestly though - you alright?  With the Labyrinth waking up and the Heart Tree gone mad, things have been a little topsy-turvy, haven’t they. I hope it’s not affected you.”  Emre used his free hand to cover his chest.  “Break my little heart if our Miss Teacher was troubled.”

.

If she was being honest, Haneul would admit how she didn't look forward to going out and having to deal with all the things the island decided to throw at them this time. As if they didn't have enough to deal with in their everyday lives already. Perhaps the island was in need of some entertainment, and Haneul hated the idea that they were simply it's playthings. 

But she was never honest about that, and only about that. She would never speak about how these events affect her emotionally and mentally, choosing to be labeled as the annoyingly optimistic one in hopes of at least spreading some positivity in the midst of uncertainty.

The day before, Haneul kept to herself with the excuse of taking a break, after working herself even harder the day previous to that. And it was the truth, she did need a break, if only to compose herself for the next day when she would have to go back out and mingle. And also to get some food for herself, though that was never really a tiring task for her. But it had always been pretty uneventful.

The sight of Emre at the farm was very much a welcome change from the past couple of stressful days. As soon as he popped out of the warehouse, a smile formed on Haneul's lips in relief of seeing a friendly face. "Hey, Emre." She greeted, waving to him with her hand not holding the basket, which she then passed to him when he offered. "Yeah, I... didn't realize I was running out of food until yesterday." Usually, Haneul would come to pick up some food with at least two days worth left, but things have kept her distracted.

"Ah, don't worry about me." She waved her hand again, this time as a reassurance. "I'm perfectly fine. I haven't been harmed, just a little... nervous, I guess." It was still a lie, obviously she wasn't perfectly fine, but letting him know she was a bit unnerved was as much as she was willing to share. And only because it was Emre, who had always made her comfortable despite only knowing each other for a short time. She let out a chuckle at the little nickname for her, memories of their past 'lesson' resurfacing and undeniably widening the smile on her face. "And what about you? Things got a bit more hectic since? If you need help with anything that needs work around here, I can lend a hand.”

“Live a little. I think I was forcing myself to achieve too much, more than what was possible for me at the time. I took for granted the time I had with my family, and my friends. If I just took a few more breaks I think I wouldn’t have as many regrets as I do right now.”

with @wavebreakcr​ at the media library

“I don’t know if you’re ready for this.”

They didn’t see each other often. Both had been stranded long enough to know they had unlimited time left to share. Sae-byeok spent more time learning about Haneul’s short twenty-six years of life back home than the thirty-four wasted here. No one else would understand the story, even if was spoken in English. It was an honor to listen.

The media library was an emptied storage space on the high farm, its contents organized by memory device, then by alphabetical order. Music and video players sat where appropriate, including a small, flat portable CD player with speakers. Sae-byeok put a black CD binder into Haneul’s hands. 

“You never learned about K-pop. The albums in here are from past my time to 2019. Pick one. We’ll put it on.”

.

It was an understatement to say Haneul was excited. Sure, she never really had much time to get into bands when she was outside. But she was always fond of music, often listening to all kinds of genres while working on her next lesson plan, or grading some exam papers. "I don't think I ever will be." She laughed. Not having any music, let alone Korean music, to listen to for the past thirty years meant Haneul had no idea what to expect. She heard songs from those who've only arrived at the island recently, and it was appreciated, but she was still curious.

Not only that, but it meant more time with Sae-byeok. Some bonding time, not doing something island-related, but a fun little activity that could bring them a little normalcy from the outside world.

.

May the best runner win. “The best runner will win,” he corrected, emphasis included. Twelve years ago, Kaz’s lungs would’ve been taxed by too much weed and too many Camels. Brain and body weighed down with a weekday hangover (so many nights, and every one of them worth it, even then). Now, he could outrun anyone and cheated with air to boot. Her determination was cute. Not in a condescending way either. More like his sister with her unstoppable hope and endless easy charm. We’ll get out of here one day, and we’ll be free. 

But he would win the race. Facts. 

She explained more about the opening of the drink. He watched, entranced to an extent. Outwardly untraditional while secretly wishing for traditions of his own. “Makes sense, yeah.” A finish with a flourish from Haneul, and they exchanged bottle for bag. “You’re a fuckin’ pro by the way. Gonna take me some practice for that.” He had a long pull from the bottle. Alcohol so good, even as hot as the beach was. And the spark for any worthwhile conversation. They might yet have it. His head bobbed. “I got it, I won’t get tired. Relax.” Kaz well used to carrying all types of materials back and forth. 

He got lost for a second but wouldn’t explain. Important and not so much, all the same. Necks of their individual bottles clinked together. “Jjan,” he said, the hope of a mimicked pronunciation intact. “You get lit after work then? Dealing with kids?” A hiss of air in amusement through his teeth. “That’d do it. Where’d you go to drink in Incheon? Was your friend a teacher too, Kwon Seo Yul?” Hey, Kaz paid attention. When he wanted to. Then, quieter. “I drank with my friends too. We’d go see live shows. Bands playing at bars, you know.”

“You don’t have to know my friend.” An assurance that they were winging it. Or a reminder, for her. Nothing assured, nothing set in stone. Surely they have new technology they could use, right? “Well,” he started. A hand swept back hair out of his eyes. Chin tipped for another drink from the bottle. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“People arrive here all the time. New. From outside. From… whatever fucking year it is now.” Did Kaz once relentlessly track them down and hammer away for every detail? Yeah. Now, did his heavily bent brows and threats of a knife drive them off? Probably. He still got what he needed out of them. Origin stories and updated facts to jot down, a history recorded and continued from what went on back there. He showed no one, but no one had ever been interested either. 

Point being: “Wouldn’t we know if there is new technology to help us out?” Maybe not. He recalled every consumer update his sister tracked on video cameras and editing software, even back in the day. Had to keep up every five fucking seconds.

But, maybe. Accelerating returns, exponential growth, a barrier crossed in profound ways. Who said it? The keyboard guy– Kaz once knew all this so well. His grandfather’s brain overflowing with ideas Kaz could only pretend to understand at times. Kaz no where near as agile in thinking. High school drop out. The island dulled the brain. 

And… it was so easy to confess to someone who knew nothing about you. He’d told no one his plans and even now wouldn’t divulge too much. “Listen. I heard some shit about Jupiter and Tamyra talking to a ghost.” Again, a problem to consider if they wanted to consider themselves alive. “Through walkie talkies.” And fucking hell, did that sound dumb. “I’m taking off for a bit. But I need you to go to Jupiter and find out more about it.” 

This was far flung and totally fucked. He knew. But. “I want you to find out what you can about it. Can you do that for us?” 

.

She nodded, feigning confidence while her lips pursed to hold back a laugh, asking herself why she'd just gotten herself into a competition she can't win. But that was quickly forgotten when Kaz complimented her little pre-drink ceremony. "Takes a lot of getting drunk to get used to it. It's muscle memory, at this point." Haneul was amused at how quickly it felt normal to her despite decades of not doing it. But as she realized what she'd said to him, she looked back and shook her head. "Wait, no. Scratch that, I meant to say it takes a lot of drinking to get used to it, not getting drunk." She felt the need to correct herself and make sure he knew she was a responsible drinker. Her brows furrowed as she realized her correction didn't sound any better. "I mean... I drank but not too much... You know what I mean!"

He told her to relax, and she did. But with every step they took, she still felt a little bad making him do the heavy lifting. Especially after acknowledging the fact that he might not be doing all this extra work if she hadn't asked for his help. And sure she fulfilled her end of the deal, but it seemed like he ended up doing more than what she initially expected. Her train of thought led her to the question of whether Kaz would've eventually done all of this himself, if Haneul hadn't asked him. He was hesitant at first, knowing the limitations of air attunements. But perhaps he also wanted to put some hope on something so seemingly impossible, she thought. If that was the case, she was glad she could at least act as some sort of bridge for him to take a step towards that.

Haneul gave him a thumbs up with her free hand after he cheered back. "Just a little bit. I love my students, but they drive me crazy sometimes." She gestured with her fingers to show just how little it supposedly was, but that was a lie. "Only as much as I can without getting bad hangovers." That part was true, but only because she'd always had a strong tolerance for alcohol. "Ah, no. He wasn't-- he's not a teacher. I don't think he has the patience for it... But we did drink together a lot." Seo-yul made her feel safe, she knew he'd protect her even if she did get black-out drunk. "That sounds like a lot of fun! So you've all seen a lot of bands then? Oh!" Haneul remembered a thought from earlier. "You were listening to music before, right? When I was following you? Is that one of the bands?"

He was right. She didn't have to know his friend to find something useful to do, she's not the one who needs to communicate with her anyway. Haneul was relieved. "Well..." Kaz had a point, and she knew he'd give her a logical answer. She expected that from him. It wasn't like they, who've been in the island longer than others, had no idea how the outside world was like. Sure, they haven't seen it for themselves, but they hear about it through stories. "Maybe they don't know either. The people outside might just... not know what to look for?" Even as she said it, she worried she wasn't explaining her theory very clearly. "It's not like they're actively searching for missing people in a hidden island right? At least not the ones with access to whatever might be able to find us. I don't know..."

— ⋆ ✯ ⋆ —

Tamyra let out a small chuckle. “You assume I know how any of it works. I found one for a bit and I couldn’t figure it out, so I got one of the guys to help me and take some pictures and videos. This is just as much of a mystery to me as it is to you.”

She wanted to learn, but asking people to explain just felt– kind of embarrassing. Something Tamyra Williams didn’t know, when she tried to act like she knew everything. Modern technology was her limit.

(And okay, maybe a part of her was stubborn and didn’t want to fully figure it out. There were other people around who knew how to use it, not to mention how she survived for a long while without any of it, she can just make other people do the work she couldn’t and she could get by.

Except, it really wasn’t that simple, and as much as she didn’t wanna figure it out, she also did want to. Contradictions all the way.)

“What I do know, however, is that people don’t only use the buttons, they use the screen somehow. Siding and tapping and all that, so maybe try that first?” She glanced around just to make sure nobody saw them anywhere near the two of them - she didn’t want anyone actually witnessing their trial and error. 

“You still remember their phone numbers? Impressive.” Said as if Tamyra didn’t know her parents’ or even Nakeisha’s phone number still by heart. FOr a long while whenever she found a phone, it was their numbers she dialed without even thinking - all failed, of course.

“Maybe calling 911 would be the best options. If we only have one chance, we gotta make it count, right?” After a moment of pause, she couldn’t help but add, “But yeah, I’d try my parents, or my friend. Maybe– maybe try to find somebody who for sure has people out there to make sure we can actually reach somebody.” Find Jupiter or Jovi and let them call one of their family members. The chances of her parents or Nakeisha having the same phone number was slim.

"I don't know, you just always seem like you would know things, you know?" She joked, but she also meant it in a way. Sometimes she forgets that they've been on the island for about the same amount of time, a very very long time. "At least you have some experience with it! I didn't even know what it looked like." A chuckle, still in disbelief at how the phone looks and it's lack of buttons. If Tamyra was to tell her right then and there that she was messing with her, and that the 'phone' was just some random cube thing, Haneul would find that easier to believe.

Her brows furrowed for a second, thinking. "Pictures and videos, huh... were you able to get them developed? Did you get the videos on tape?" She asked excited and confused after forcing herself to remember whatever she could about the technology from their time. She wouldn't know how Tamyra could do those things though, but she assumed the phone had something for that.

"The screen..." She repeated, before giving the screen a puzzled look. Unsure what was supposed to happen next, but followed Tamyra's advice anyway. Haneul poked the center of the screen once, and when nothing happened, she let out a chuckle in relief. Of course that wasn't going to work, she thought she'd fallen for a small prank. But then she poked the screen twice quickly and it lit up, a little weak but enough for Haneul to see its colorful wallpaper. "AH!" The scream was quickly followed by a laugh, embarrassed and amused at the same time. "What is that??"

She looked closer at it, examining the entire surface of the screen. Tamyra mentioned something about sliding, so that's what she did. Haneul swiped up on the screen, and it's contents changed. Now there were several small squares all over, and she looked to Tamyra with a pout, as if asking for help.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

“Might be I just like to learn different… practiceologies innit,”  Emre said.  That was definitely not a real word, but in their current timbre of student-teacher playfulness, it fit the tone.  “Reckon you’re the sort of teacher I could beg an extra-special make-up project out of, to bring my grades up to A. Not strict innit.”

Haneul’s question about Iyaz leaving was fortunately a scenario that Emre had started playing out frequently, in the past year or so.  The result of Iyaz leaving Meridium somehow far more palatable to Iyaz disappearing, Iyaz giving up, Iyaz becoming a tree in the North Beach grove.  “Yes.”  No.  It was too complicated to be fully honest with Haneul. but at least his response was partially true. Instead, Emre turned it with his crooked smile.  “You worried about me?”

The mischief in Haneul’s tone was oh-so dangerous, in the flirty, fun way.  So Emre responded in kind by immediately retorting with a pretend-scoff.  “I’m not.  You just caught me off-guard with your cheeky little fingers innit.” he caught one of her hands, brought it up to nip the tip of her index finger.  “Don’t you try again or it’s back in the waves with you. You know I’m not bluffing, luv.”

An extraordinarily harmless threat, considering how the water swirled around them now, softly responsive to two waterbabies at play.

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She laughed at his assumption, because in a way he was still correct. Haneul was never one to be too strict to her students, she tried her best to have a balance between discipline and fun. "You got that right." She replied proudly.

He answered, and maybe it was true, but Haneul was still concerned. It wouldn't be easy, probably for either of them, but she supposed they've planned it before and talked about what to do in the unlikely occasion that one of them gets to leave. Haneul would certainly be one to make plans Iike that if she were to find herself in a similar situation. "Of course, I'm worried about you." Haneul answered sincerely, though she mirrorred the smile on his face with a smirk of her own. She cared deeply for her friends, and to her Emre was already one of them. Perhaps with a little something extra, but a friend regardless.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

“You’re probably right, if I’m honest,” Emre nodded, licking his lips and falling back to the deadpan British standard.  “Jungle’s always on the lookout for the tasty sort innit.   And don’t take it wrong, but I reckon you’re well tasty, luv.  Easy to grab too,” he added cheekily, as his hands snaked underwater and scritched at her elbows, as if he would grab Haneul herself.

He’d only been teasing, but of course Emre was good at negging (how he pulled most of his hook-ups) so he basked in the way Haneul adorably made the effort to clarify. She wanted no misunderstandings, only good feelings.  That seemed to be Haneul’s thoroughness - and kindness - shining through.  Playing along, Emre heaved a sigh of understanding.  “ Best student ey?  I fancy that title.  I was never ‘best student’ as a youth, but here’s to making up for lost chances yeah?  I’ll bet you was always best in class innit.”

The sweet timbre of her shy response was too much.  Haneul likely didn’t know how effectively she dialed up the attraction, probably because Emre anticipated Haneul didn’t have a cunning bone in her body.  She seemed to speak from her heart - watery or otherwise - a trait Emre found entrancing.  So rare back home, especially when it could get so easily corrupted.  But Haneul; was this always her?  Had three decades on Meridium rose this Haneul from ashes of some old self, or just allowed the bud to bloom?  Emre had no idea.

But he was looking at her intently now, as the waves lapped against them like small playful shoves.  The ocean was in a pleasant mood today; perhaps a reflection of Haneul, and how she also calmed Emre.  “All that determination - you sound like Tamyra.  Well; how Tamyra used to sound. Reckon she’s given up trying to find escape, in the past year.  She’s tried all manner of attempts innit. But no, my luv.  I’d send Yaz back, if I could; if he wanted to go. I wouldn’t go back.  There’s -”  Nothing for me there.  “I wouldn’t go.”

Haneul kissed him back.  It was a moment of hesitation, but the way she warmed to his persistence was like water gently eddying to fill a pool.  Slow, almost luxurious in her sweet, gradual opening up to him.  Not innocent; Emre didn’t doubt that Haneul was new to any of this.  Perhaps experimental. Like she was trying this, with him, to see if she liked it.

Turned out Haneul did; Emre felt her hands gracefully against his waist, and he let out an involuntary huff of a laugh.  Just a bit ticklish, but in a good way. Her sigh of ‘I know’ truly sealed Emre’s instincts about what Haneul wanted, and he was glad to provide.  A little flattered even, in a strange sort of way.

.

Oddly enough, she could only think of his statement as a compliment. She wondered if he just happened to word it that way or if he meant something else, so she just laughed. Thankful that the conversation was playful despite of very real threats from the jungle, in a way it made her less afraid of it.

She nodded with an encouraging smile. "That's the spirit!" Always one to cheer her students on, Haneul enjoyed the chance to do it again. "Maybe this is your time to shine. Or maybe you just needed the right teacher." She joked. "Ahh... not always! I had my moments of not wanting to study too." It was embarrassing to admit for a teacher, but it was only right to open up about it. Haneul was able to do it with a smile knowing Emre wouldn't be one to judge.

At the mention of Tamyra, her smile stayed yet it seemed sadder. They've been on the island for almost the same amount of time, and she hoped Tamyra could once again find the will to try. And Haneul hoped she wouldn't eventually lose hope and give up. She'd been trying too long to let it all go to waste. "Would he be okay without you, if he were to leave?" A pause. "...Would you be okay without him here?" Her question, though a little too personal, came from genuine concern for Emre. She quickly regretted asking, worried it might upset him.

— ⋆ ✯ ⋆ —

“Of course, come on over here!” Tamyra called back, and then took a moment to actually look around where she was and… it wasn’t the worst place on the bridge, really, but she didn’t want to settle down in the middle of the bog where anything could come and snatch the phone away through the water.

(She hoped it would not turn against her like that, and they probably would not be able to use the phone if it contained any kind of hidden information, but she gotta at least give it the best chance.)

“Actually, let me come to you.”

Once they settled down on a relatively dry portion of the bridge, far away from the hole that led right into the jungle, the labyrinth, whatever people wanted to call it, she handed over the phone to Haneul. “Not completely sure how to use it, if I am being honest. I’ve seen a couple of ones used but once it lost its buttons, I lost the ability to follow along. Most people just tap a bunch and then it works. –Well, not as a phone, nobody could actually make calls on any of their phones, as far as I could tell, but they are good for others. For example - I got another phone for a while and that had a camera and could take pictures and videos, Han! This tiny and could do it. Not sure why they are even calling it a phone, why not just call it a camera, so much easier and less confusing. And I also saw a couple people playing on these. Not really sure what’s the fun in tapping the phone for a bunch of time, but it’s just– insane, really, to me.”

If for nothing else, they could use it for all the other options these phone provided, that was what Tamyra was looking for. She didn’t really have any hope for anything else. Still, she couldn’t help but ask, “if this thing actually worked, and somebody we’d even know what phone number to call– who would you wanna call? Who’d you wanna talk to?”

Haneul was already gathering her things (a bunch of random stuff she thought might come in handy someday) and dusted off her clothes when Tamyra offered to go to her instead. She smiled and yelled, "Thank you!" She waited and once Tamyra was near, she couldn't help but stare at the 'phone' in her hand.

Sat down next to Tamyra, she carefully received the item being passed to her with both hands. For a second, Haneul hesitated and wondered how they were supposed to be held. It looked so... small. And fragile. The reflective front seemed to be made of glass, and she worried that one drop against the rocks beneath them would shatter it. Everything about it contradicted all she remembered about what phones looked like during their time. They used to big and blocky, with so many buttons and a tiny screen. Not to mention the fun little antenna at the top. Now it was all glass and metal, with no buttons. Or at least she thought, until her fingers closed in on the object and she felt a few bumps on its' sides. Buttons.

She tried clicking on the buttons. There were three buttons, two together and one on its own. Haneul, having no idea what any of them were for, tried clicking all of them. One by one, and when that didn't work, at the same time. She sighed and laughed at herself. Haneul remembered how her students used to call her a grandma when she couldn't keep up with the trends and technology. It was as if she could hear their voices poking fun at her, affectionately of course. "I think I'm going to need you to show me how to open this. The buttons don't seem to be working for me." She admitted in defeat, reaching out to return the phone to Tamyra.

At some point, as Tamyra told her about all the things phones could do, Haneul thought she was being pranked. It couldn't possibly have that many features, could it? Such a tiny thing? Haneul tried her best to imagine how that would even work, and came nowhere close to the correct answer. "No, I totally get what you mean. That sounds crazy!"

which unpopular archetype are you?

the ghost

.

Sounds boring. He laughed, a real one. Unpitying and freer than before. Lacking sarcasm even as his words insinuating as much. “Aw, not being entertained?” So… the appearance of slowness to Kaz was a concern to her. Noted. Still, he added: “I didn’t think that.” 

Haneul winning in a race against air attuned Kaz? Delusional. His head slowly shook, slick grin on his lips. “Oh. I’m always up.” Smile wider before it disappeared. “I’d win. Hands down.” She could not outrun the wind. Didn’t matter how determined, it was a fact. 

He took one of the green bottles and watched Haneul’s well-practiced ceremony with the drink. A twist, a shake, a funnel inside and slap at the bottom before the mouth-watering crack of the seal. Kaz enjoyed shit like that. “Why’s it done like that?” For a purpose or a random ritual? Kaz tried not to grin as she took a swig and instead offered up his bottle. “Don’t you wanna shake mine? I can’t do it like you. Miss Expert.” 

Kaz took the bag of bottles from her without a word and slung it over the shoulder not completely wrecked. A deal made and fulfilled, as Haneul had done, made Kaz more pliable of a personality. She had been the first on the island to figure it out. Much more necessary than beating him at a childish footrace. No more sneaking around. “Good,” he nodded.

“Yeah.” He blanked on the name of their show for a second. “Halifax Be Haunted.” That was it. “Jupiter’s seen ghosts here.” An aside. In the real world, Kaz was all skeptical doubt. Here, who the fuck knew. Something happened when he and Jupiter practiced their attunements, he at least acknowledged. 

What’s there to lose? Everything going swimmingly until the remark. Not one he’d ever been fond of. Usually said in a certain context which made him prickly. Kaz turned and began to silently walk. He found a location in the jungle, a higher rise off the flat floor or sand, dirt, insects, dead leaves, rotted logs. A place to point out a few things to her. Landmarks, mainly. 

Once they arrived, he did not immediately begin the climb up. They could finish the drinks first. He held out the bottle expecting a clink and a cheers with her. His request for alcohol neatly bookended with Meridium treasure chests on an empty sea bed. Top shelf, the good stuff all around, and now Haneul’s soju. “It’s good, by the way. A little sweet.” Kaz not a fan of sweet things however if it’ll give him a buzz he wouldn’t be picky. “I like it.” Another hoist of the bottle. 

“And I might send a message to my friend.” Never contact someone, only message. The former possibility too delicate and inconsistent to think about. Maybe he didn’t want contact at all. “Have you given thought to much of this. How’re you going to tell someone where you are, Haneul.” How in the fuck would anyone ever find them?

.

Her eyes widened in reaction to his laugh, not much of a shock anymore at that point but still a pleasant surprise. The more they talked, the more comfortable she was getting around him. She hoped the laugh indicated he was feeling the same too, like he could freely laugh at the dumb things she'd say. "Good! Just making sure."

She knew she couldn't run faster than him. Sure, she had a lot of stamina for someone her size, and she was faster than average when she's got water. But it just wasn't possible, she realized too late. Though since she had already talked big (she tends to lose common sense when feeling competitive), there was no way she was going to back out. Better lose and be embarrassed later than now, she thought. "Perfect, may the best runner win." She tried to say confidently, but by the end of her sentence her voice cracked a bit at the thought of Kaz possibly coming up with some punishment for the loser.

"It's just tradition now, at least when I was last out there. But back then the bottles had corks and some bits of it would fall in. So they'd shake it to make the bits come up and then," Haneul then bumped the top of her already opened bottle against the space between her index and middle fingers, letting some of the soju spill out. "We do that to get those bits out!" Gladly, she took the other bottle from him and repeated her process, aside from the last part since she didn't want to spill any of his drink.

She gave him back the newly opened bottle before he took the bag from her. It was appreciated, but she didn't want to tire him out too much, especially since their message-sending relied heavily on his attunement. Of course, there was friendly concern there too. "We can take turns carrying that, just let me know when you get tired."

Upon hearing the name, she remembered how Jupiter mentioned having a show about supernatural things with her family. That must've been what it was called, she thought, even though she had no idea what the title meant. Maybe she would ask Jupiter about it the next time they bump into each other.

When Kaz became silent, Haneul worried that she might've said or done something to offend him. She followed him as quietly as he was being. With one hand holding onto her soju bottle, the other started picking on her fingernails. Pursed lips as she tried to convince herself that maybe he was just saving his energy for the walk, that's why he stopped talking. And when he stopped and turned, raising his bottle towards her, she sighed in relief and brought her bottle to his. "Jjan!" The term she used to say cheers was the more informal version of the word, used often with close friends, and Haneul was starting to see him as one. "I'm happy you liked it! We used to drink this a lot after work... I missed it." She turned away from him and drank a bit more of the soju.

She nodded as he told her the plan. "I don't know how I could help since I don't know your friend... But let me know if there's something I can assist you with." Even if it reached his friend instead of Seo-Yul, it didn't matter. Sure, she'd want to see her old friend, but anything that could potentially help them escape would be a successful result for her. The question that followed, she didn't know the answer to. But there was one thing she'd been hoping for, and her lack of knowledge when it came to the modern world helped her keep holding onto that possibility. "I don't know, but surely they have new technology they could use, right? I think... they have a better chance of finding us from out there, than we do from in here." Haneul prepared herself for his response, which might be an answer she didn't want to hear.

"Why should I make that choice? I'm not one of the leaders; I wouldn't dream of it... I'm not the best when it comes to making hard decisions."

"Trying to find a way out. And then failing. But that doesn't matter, it's not going to stop me from trying over and over again. I've been doing this for thirty-four years , I don't mind a couple more. I don't care how many times it'll take."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That Haneul was able to avoid the depths of the jungle (or the deeper Labyrinth) wasn’t luck, it was circumstance.  Like how one person could go through so much hardship, while another person survived relatively unscathed, even if they existed in a similar space.  This wasn’t to say Haneul had it better or worse, she was just different.  “I reckon by now I’ve been in the jungle more times that I can remember.  On purpose or not…”  Emre’s gaze hooded as he looked out to the treeline in the distance.  Eventually, he shook his head roughly.  “Always a gamble if you actually make it out alive.  I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Emre feigned a look of shock.  “You mean you’ve taught other waterbabies than me?  Bloody hell, didn’t realize I had competition here.  Now I’ve really got to study hard and excel innit.”  And there Haneul did it again, giving Emre an in, wanting to hear his ‘ideas’.  “Polish your apples and clean your chalkboards, Miss,” he teased, laden with a silly, gentle double-meaning; they were being playful.

Shamelessly, despite the reality of his lies and Iyaz’s betrayal, Emre basked in Haneul’s praise.  Her generous confirmation that he was a good older brother who raised Iyaz, felt like a balm on buried wounds.  “Cheers, my luv.”

His lips curled a smoky smile as Haneul assured him about Flight 441, and then she continued to get more prettily flushed.  Her pale cheeks blossoming, smooth and sweet enough to make his mouth water.  Emre kissed his teeth softly.  “Don’t say that now, darling.  Give yourself a bit of credit.  Extra credit, even.  I’m exactly where I want to be.”

Emre was making his way closer to Haneul.  Maybe not physically just yet, but certainly sopping up her attention, her thoughts.  She blushed one moment, and then shared some difficult feelings with him - about returning home, getting closure.  The graves of her loved ones, she bravely stated, facing the possibility.  Of her friends from the cruise, of her parents.  

“You’re going to keep trying, aren’t you.  To find a way back.  You’ll keep looking.”  Emre spoke the conjecture softly, neutrally like it was a fact.  Haneul was a waterbaby, her hair was blue-black, and she would keep hoping to get back home, for that connection.  For that closure.

Her mischief easily tipped them back into silliness, as Emre retaliated with an ‘attack’ of his own.  Emre didn’t use any of his water-magic to mess with her.  Ice wasn’t exactly playful, except when offered in smooth fat little hearts.  “Where’s the fun in a warning?” he laughed.

And when Emre held Haneul close, he peered into depth in her dark eyes, saw the delicate drop of water tipped off her nose, the way her pink mouth parted.  Whatever she was thinking made her bob closer, her legs under the water sliding against his.  She replied, and there was nothing more to say after that.

Emre kissed Haneul.  His fingertips slid instead up her collarbone, hand cupping her shoulder to steady them both in the lapping waves lapped.  Emre kissed Haneul with intent, parting her lips to taste her.  He took his time, slow, heated, like they had all the time in the world.

When he finally pulled back for a breath, Emre rested his forehead against hers.  “Lesson-time over, yeah?  It’s just a bit of fun now.” Emre grazed his lips over Haneul’s cheek, to her ear and back.  “Don’t got to mean anything, yeah?”  A confirmation, her permission, a final clarification.  Because Emre had played this game enough times to know not to lead a good girl on.  “I want you, Haneul.”

"Every time I get a little close, I feel like something's gonna come out and grab me." She felt comfortable enough to mention one of her many fears, though she was more afraid of what would happen after getting taken, the part where she'd be stuck inside alone. "Have you just gotten used to it after all those times?"

Haneul shook her head with a laugh. "No, no! I meant, uhh..." Her forehead creased as she tried to word it differently. "I meant I've never had students who can do magic like that. Or any magic at all. So that already makes you my best student!" She clarified. "But it'll make me very happy if you still do your best." She nodded, amused with what he mentioned he would do, though there was some confusion since she thought those were normal things students did, failing to understand any other meaning attached to it. She played along though, sensing he meant something else from his tone, and the smile on her face turned into a smirk.

I'm exactly where I want to be, he said. At that point, she couldn't deny her attraction to him anymore and she let her mind wander, will they or won't they? After being distracted with that for a good minute, Haneul cleared her throat and chuckled. "That's good to know, I appreciate it." She replied, a hint of shyness in her voice.

A firm nod and a hopeful expression on her face. "I am." She confirmed. "I will. There's gotta be a way, maybe not now or anytime soon, but that's fine. As long as it comes." She pursed her lips as she hesitated to ask him. "...Would you go, if we find a way out? You and your brother, would you want to go back?" There was effort to make it not sound too heavy, like a passing remark and ignoring the everything else that would come with it if it does happen. But it would all depend on how Emre felt about it.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to argue with that." She admitted defeat, because it was more fun being dragged into the water without warning. She liked it, straying from the original plan of having water lessons with him. She liked his spontaneity, something she didn't think she'd enjoy, thinking it was similar to the island's usual unpredictability.

And it led them only inches away from each other. With the way he looked into her eyes, suddenly she couldn't think about anything else but him. Their skin touched, and she could feel the warmth of his breath. For a second, hesitating to close the distance before he did.

Haneul instinctively opened her lips for him, allowing him to take the lead and matching his movements. Still hesitant to touch him until she felt his hands on her shoulders, steadying and holding her in place as he took his time. Slowly kissing her, just as she liked. Her hands then found the courage and moved to hold onto each side of his waist to keep close to him.

.

No! She started. Kaz expected some stomp of petulant feet and heat on the cheeks, but Haneul steered differently. She wanted to keep up and present her bounty of bottles another way. Then, screaming his name… “Not asking for dramatics. Saying my name at a normal volume is just fine.” A quick smile and amused hissed laugh between his teeth, chin tipped down. “Think water can outrun air? Maybe it’s a race we should have one day, hm?” Kaz’s competitiveness moody and flighty, yet he would entertain that type of race. 

Haneul took two green bottles from the bag. His brows knitted together. “No. Haven’t tried it. But I will. What is it?” Offering alcohol only to share wasn’t the deal, but the bag looked (and sounded) filled with more. She had done her part and complaints were few, surprisingly. And Kaz would try anything for a buzz. “Alright.” He held out a hand. “I’ll open them up for us. Let’s share right now, yeah?”

You would know better than me. “I don’t know,” was his flat and factual response. To clarify: he didn’t know but she wanted to try. They worked on a whim, an idea someone had years ago. “There’s a spot behind me. Not the tallest point, but. High enough to see over the trees. If you want to try now.” 

A pause. “Guess we should nail down how regularly we’re gonna be meeting like this.” Commitment not his strength. It was why Kaz negotiated with Tomas to come and go on the farm as he pleased. His own timeframe more motivating than a strict schedule. “Every fifteen days sounds good. You keep track of it. Find me on the day to remind me, if I’m busy we can do it the next day. Because, you know.” A lopsided smile as he drawled. “You seem to know where I am. All that spying and sneaking up on me.” 

“Yeah, yeah Jupiter’s son. I was talking to him. We had a mutual friend. The one I told you about, when you asked who I would contact. Jovi said she didn’t think me and Jupiter were dead this whole time.” Carmen also thought she talked to the dead. Which made it metaphysically tricky for Kaz to consider, and talking to Jovi was like trying to catch two trains simultaneously. It wasn’t possible to untangle thick and damning thoughts on what Carmen actually felt. “Dunno if I believe it. But I might try to send her a message too.” 

"Sounds boring, but alright." She raised her hands in defeat, smiling as she did. "That's not what I'm saying. I just wanted you to know that I wouldn't have to be dragged along if I didn't have anything on me, that I can keep up with you. I don't want you to think I'm slow or anything." Haneul scoffed playfully at the thought of it. "But... if I can beat you then that would be more fun. For me, probably not so much for you." The bragging rights did sound appealing to her. "I'm up for it someday, if you are."

Maybe she got a little too excited at his willingness to try it. And the fact that he was letting her drink some of it with him. She'd always been a good drinker back then, and after so many years without soju she was close to forgetting how it tasted. "Here." She handed him one of the bottles, and held the other. "I'll show you how we open this." With a proud smirk, Haneul lifted the bottle so he could see better and started aggressively twisting the bottle, creating a tornado effect inside. Got it right on the first try, thanks to muscle memory. Then she tapped on the bottom of the bottle, before finally opening it. "You don't have to do all that, by the way. Just a thing everyone used to do back home." With that, she took a sip of soju followed by a long and relieved aaaahhhhh.

"Yeah, of course." Her answer came a little too quick after he asked. She wasn't about to turn down the chance for some progress with their experiment. "But we can leave this somewhere, right?" She asked referring to the bag of bottles she was holding.

With a nod she repeated his words in her head. Fifteen days. "Alright." It was more help than she expected from Kaz before the first time she approached him about it, he was even setting a schedule for their meetups now. "Fine, yes okay, I get it. No more sneaking around." She teased.

"I don't always have a positive attitude. More often than not, I'm terrified and upset. But I don't see any reason to show that to anyone. I'm sure most of them feel the same way, so I wouldn't want to... I don't know, add to it? There's not a lot of positivity going around, I'd like to at least give some of that to them."