The beach, late Monday

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Travis had said it wouldn't work, but he hadn't yet said it was dangerous, either, and Jon knew people sometimes did bonfires on the beach, so...here he was, on the beach. With an ever-growing pile of luggage, matches, and quite a bit of accelerant.

He'd let Summer know about what he was doing, and he'd planned it with Irene, after all, so he had no doubt word would get out.

Self-loathing was absolutely going to be the basis of this fire. The more it came back, the more tinder it could be.


[Baggage fire! All invited!]

Comments

[flamesburned]

Liz nodded, “it’s … it’s like it knows what to say that will hurt the most,” she said softly, “that it wants to make sure ..."

She trembled when a new trunk with ‘should be in jail’ appeared.

"That I don't forget what I've done,"

Like she needed bags to remind her of that.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven moved to put a comforting hand on Liz's back if she'd let him. "It did that to Marc as well. Or tried. Only he doesn't need help remembering and I don't think you do either."

The last was said both to mean that Steven knew Liz couldn't forget what had happened, and in the sense that the island could piss off for feeling the need to throw it in her face repeatedly.

[flamesburned]

Liz would definitely be okay the gesture, she let out a sob, she hadn’t cried since this morning when the first bags started appearing but as the day had gone on

“Sorry,” she said softly, “it’s been a rough day and we haven’t even gotten to the end of the week yet,” she blinked back the tears that had started to fall.

“It must have been hard this morning for Marc,” she said softly.

[hasaknightjob]

If there was going to be crying Steven was going to silently offer her a hug and a shoulder to cry on. They were hers for the taking if she wanted. "He's fine, I promise. Didn't even see them. I got there before he did."

Well technically Marc had been there first, which was why the bags had appeared for him. But Steven got there before Marc had seen them and that was was the important bit.

[flamesburned]

Liz nodded, biting her lip as the tears began to start flowing more freely, she would be very grateful for that hug.

“He’s lucky to have you looking out for him,” Liz said softly, she knew it worked both ways that Marc protected Steven and Steven protected Marc.

That was when a duffel bag with ‘lonely’ appeared and she couldn't stop sobbing.

[hasaknightjob]

Luckily Steven had plenty of hugs to spare. He held her tight, letting her cry on his shoulder all she wanted. He glared in the direction of the duffel bag. "Hey, you're all right. You're not alone. You've me, and Marc, and all your other friends. Not alone as long as any of us have anything to say about it. I promise you that."

Or at least he could promise it on behalf of him and Marc, but he felt certain Liz's other friends would agree.

[flamesburned]

Liz was very grateful for the hug and she couldn’t stop sobbing and she sobbed for several minutes onto Steven’s shoulder, it took her a while before she could even begin to compose herself enough to say anything and she started hiccuping.

“Thank you,” she said softly as she leaned into Steven’s shoulder, “I … I miss Prompto,” she said very quietly and she let out another sob.

The bag had been a very cruel reminder of how just much she was missing him, especially on a day like today.

[hasaknightjob]

"I know," Steven said. He rubbed her back gently. "I imagine right now most of all, yeah? All the bad memories you're dealing with? I'm sorry he's not here for you."

[flamesburned]

Liz trembled as she tried to calm down, the last thing she needed was to have to an episode right then and there, “I feel so stupid,” she let out a sob and another hiccup, “crying over all of this,” she said softly.

[hasaknightjob]

"I'd think it a bit strange if you didn't," Steven said. He briefly held her tighter to emphasize the point. "Not that I care for you crying, mind. But it's a bit much, isn't it? Upsetting. You wouldn't be you if you were cold about it."