OO1 }{ AUDIO }{ CALLSIGN: MZ114C }{ DAY 17

[somethingintangible]

[ The voice that comes over the network is a young woman's - late teens or early twenties. A little deep, throaty, but still obviously belonging to someone quite young and female.

It's shaky though, like the person on the other end of the radio is really struggling. Maybe like she's even been crying, although it's hard to tell. She definitely sounds distressed, though.

This is also clearly someone who has never actually used a walkie talkie before, as the message periodically cuts in and out. Maddy was mostly able to figure it out by playing with it, but she's not used to having to keep pressing the button down. You don't do that with touch screens! ]

Um... Hey...

I don't know if anybody can hear me. Or if [ brief silence; she has lifted her finger off the walkie so whatever she says is missing; her voice picks up again later-- ].

--name is Maddy Perez. My mom's name is Sonia Perez, my dad [ she lifts her finger again, so her dad's name isn't heard ] -- I go to East Highland High School. I think I'm lost. I don't know where I am. I need help.

[ There's a pause; this time, it's not because she lifted her finger. There's distraught breathing on the other side of the radio. ]

Please, somebody help me! I'm lost. I don't, I don't know where I am. I -- I think I'm in a jungle or something? I'm not sure where to go next.

[ Then there's a quiet, sound -- sniffling, and a mechanical huff of someone breathing into the walkie too hard. ]

Comments

OR817S | voice

[cuteandquarky]

Hi! My name is Jade. I think I am in the same jungle as you, so... at least you're not alone! Did you wake up on the beach too?

[Jade's trying to keep her tone gentle but positive. She doesn't really know how to help, but at least hearing a friendly sounding voice might calm Maddy down a little?]

[somethingintangible]

[ Oh! It sounds like another girl close to her age. Instinctively, Maddy relaxes and although Jade can't see it, she can probably hear the slight change in Maddy's voice. ]

Hi, Jade. Are you okay? Nobody, like, hurt you did, they? Or did anything to you? If they did, I'll kick their fucking asses. [ How will she accomplish this??? Unclear. But it's her nature to feel protective over someone so cheery and sweet. ]

Yeah! Um, yeah, I woke up on a beach. What did it look like where you woke up? Do you think it was the same place? I could try to get to you, but I'm not sure where to go.

[cuteandquarky]

I'm okay! I am kind of used to being on my own in jungles, and I have not run into anybody other than some little animals. And they didn't hurt me. They just ran away.

[She's not typing, but the cutesy ":(" can practically be heard as she talks about the animals running away. Maybe best not to mention that they ran away because she was trying to hunt those little animals down for a midnight snack.]

I got here last night, so I didn't get a good look at the beach because it was pretty dark. I kind of just went straight for the jungle, since I figured that would be the best place to find food! I did find some eggplants. And... also a giant hole in the ground. I don't know where that is in comparison to you, but... I think I'm headed south?

[somethingintangible]

Ran away? [ Maddy thinks about it. ] Like, from you? Or from a bigger animal? [ It would make sense for bigger animals to be in the jungle, even though the thought makes Maddy's stomach twist with anxiety. Also: ewwww, does that mean she has to watch out for stepping in animal poop? Gross. ]

Last night? Did you see who took you? Where were you before? Do you remember? I mean, I remember where I was, but I don't know how I got from here to there...

[ There's a giant hole in the ground TOO??? What the fuck even is this place? ]

South? Uh. How do you know which way you're headed? Sorry if that's a dumb question. [ Pause. ] ...Are you and your friend always like this? Like, I'm suuuuuper happy you found each other or whatever, but-- you guys are talking a lot. I can't hear everyone.

[cuteandquarky]

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I did not realize that the texts were public too! Though I can't say that we're always like this, since I just met him! Kind of.

[Jade doesn't even understand the time shenanigans afoot, so she's definitely not going to subject Maddy to that.]

Sorry again - I just got excited because we're friends with some of the same people.

But from my perspective, I was asleep in my bed, and then I woke up on the beach. I don't really remember being moved or anything. And I'm basing it off of the direction of the sun! It rose to my left, so that must be east, meaning that I'm headed south.

HE412T | text

[timaeus]

[Sorry, he's threadjacking because hello, that's a somewhat familiar voice and name.]

Jade English?

[cuteandquarky]

[Oh cool, this thing has texting! Too bad she can't set a fun text color like on pesterchum. :(]

no thats not me!
my name is jade harley
though jade english is a pretty cool name o:

[timaeus]

[Was he mistaken...?]

No relation to Jake, then?
Ectobiological or otherwise.

[cuteandquarky]

[Wait a second.]

i do know jake!
im his... grandma? sort of
i am not grandma age but i guess if you are using the term ectobiological then you probably are familiar with time shenanigans :P
how do you know jake???

[timaeus]

Yes, I'm familiar with your mutual grandparentism.

[There's a brief hesitation before he answers the actual question, because...fuck, that's complicated now. He and Jake are cool, right? They had an short awkward but decently friendly interaction on the lily pad in between all the other reunions going on there...]

Jake's a friend.

[cuteandquarky]

oh! :o
well it is nice to meet you jakes friend
did you play the game with jake? is he here too?

[timaeus]

Yes we played together, and no he isn't here.
That I'm aware of anyway.
I don't think we were properly introduced in all that chaos at the end there, but I was the guy in the deliriously sick shades.
So ill they're on bed rest, doctor's orders.

[cuteandquarky]

[Okay now she's a little lost.]

um
i agree that i do not think we have been properly introduced but i think you are also remembering something that i am not!
the only guy i know with very sick shades is dave
but i have not seen him for a couple years now :(

[Wait, no! She can't act sad in front of a stranger. That's rude!]

i havent been to jakes session yet
so maybe... it was some other girl named jade?
did she have fluffy dog ears and black space pajamas?

[timaeus]

[Ugh. Is nothing easy??]

Goddammit.
Alright, let's skip this whole confusion song and dance.
There's clearly some kind of time shenanigans going on here, and as Dave doesn't seem to be present either, we're currently lacking an expert in the field.

[cuteandquarky]

i am good with that
still it is nice to know that at least someone here knows about the game even if there are shenanigans afoot
what is your name?
i cannot just call you jakes friend forever!

[timaeus]

Dirk Strider.
Good to officially re-meet you for the first time apparently.

[cuteandquarky]

lol
well it is good to remeet you too dirk!
or premeet?
i am going to try and not think about it too hard

so if your last name is strider… are you related to dave?
that would explain your sick shades hehe

[timaeus]

Yeah.
As it turns out, the shades are genetic.
Good thing we didn't come out of an actual mother or we would have torn the fuck out of that poor hypothetical lady's insides.

[somethingintangible]

[ Lmao what are you talking about? The shades? Are genetic? WHAT.

If she wasn't extremely stressed out she might be nicer to Jade's (?) friend (?), since Jade has been nice to her so far, but Maddy is very stressed!

Unfortunately, her stress manifests as bitchiness. Time to be insanely rude for no reason. ]

who says "shades" anymore
fuck off back to 1992
SOME OF US are trying to learn to make fires over here

[timaeus]

[The irony is that this is like, the one piece of all this batshit nonsense that was actually just a joke.]

Wow, rude much?
My family's genetic eyewear and predisposition to rad ancient slang is a sensitive subject.

[somethingintangible]

[ She has no idea what is a joke or what isn't!!! It ALL sounds ???? the fuck? to her!

The thing he says this time is pretty funny tho. ]

hahahaha
ummmm im not rude, im just assertive
(pretend there's a hair flip emoji)
speaking of ancient, this crusty-ass fucking thing doesn't even have emojis

u know about the storm?
ppl are saying one is coming

[ "People" - as if there's more than one. But the guy contacted her privately, so she figures he doesn't want to be exposed on a public channel. She hopes making it sound like more general gossip will take the heat off him somewhat. ]

[timaeus]

[Someone's gonna have to introduce this girl to kaomojis.]

I'm aware of it.
I've been camped on the beach keeping an eye on things out in the ocean for about a week now and shit in the sky is definitely looking treacherous.
Time to amscray the fuck outta here to somewhere a little less ocean-adjacent.

[somethingintangible]

[ We can only dream. Someday!!! ]

so when u leave the beach where are u gonna go?

[timaeus]

At the rate it seems to be rolling in, I'm not gonna risk blindly wandering around in hopes of finding one of the abandoned buildings others seem to be hunkering down in.
I'll head over to a nearby village of locals I ran into when I first woke up here.
Hopefully I can ride it out with them.

[cuteandquarky]

[Jade's been through some tropical storms before so that doesn't sound good.]

a storm sounds... very bad :(
so far i have not found any place that would make a very good shelter
though theres this big metal hatch that probably WOULD make a good shelter if i had a way to get in :/
where is the village? any chance its close to the north side of the island?
i dont really know where i am other than that