#[ tej01 ]

[crystalslucky]

Crystal listened intently as he gave his thoughts on the situation, nodding along to look as though she was taking it all in. "Death or mass abduction is our only options here? The only way I see mass kidnapping making sense is…aliens. Though, I don't know if I'd give up on the afterlife theory just yet." She had been out in the lake in the middle of the night after all, either death or alien abduction made sense to her as an outcome for arriving here.

"That is kind of weird huh? You get this big group of people and then randomly one offs come around to join the party? You'd think would whoever brought us here just have us all show up all at once and then nobody else, otherwise what's the point of bringing the whole group if you've got a few stragglers every few weeks that you forgot about."

But what did she know, right? That seemed like something that would take way too much time and energy to figure out. Especially when she would much rather focus on Tej than some mystery. At least she might get actually somewhere with Tej, at least she hoped so based off the way he looked at her and licked his lips. "I'm glad you agree. You do strike me as a guy who likes to have a good time though so it looks like I waved down the right person. Maybe you can give me a tour and show me all the best spots on this beach."

Crystal did love the paint splatter effect that his gem seemed to have, from the parasocial knowledge she had of him, it seemed like it suited him. But she wasn't going to say it out loud so instead she posed it as a question. "You into art? Big on paint? Or do these little accents have a deeper meaning than that?" Her own gem, she wasn't entirely sure of. The only blue gems she knew about were sapphires, and it didn't have any special touches like his did. "I don't know. I think it's lovely though. And I do like the idea that I could make someone jealous. Not like I have any control over what I got."

She hummed softly, shrugging at his remark about sneaking into pools. "Maybe. It's also very good when you want some alone time." which in a way was true. Wanting that time to be alone and self reflect, until she ended up here. Then a question meant to be more heart wrenching. Did she really miss anyone? Maybe her parents, despite everything they always did their best to be there for her. But…it was incredibly difficult for her to think about anyone truly special enough to miss. Crystal looked down at her feet dangling in the water, clasping her hands together in her lap and letting out an almost wistful sigh. "I don't really have anyone back home to miss. People in my life are either already gone or don't deserve to be missed. What about you? Feeling homesick?"

Any other concerns? In this moment Crystal didn't think she had any right to have any concerns. Even if her dramatic lore drop caused a shift in the mood, she was still on a beautiful beach with perfect weather, chatting up a hot guy. She was having a great time. "That's about it for now. I don't see this getting dull for me any time soon, I'm a simple girl, easy to please." she answered, giving him a coy smile. "I've met a few other people but not too many yet. Though, you know what I did see that there's that list of everyone's phone numbers hung up. I thought that was so cute and thought it would be fun to text a few numbers to say hi. So there's some I've met just not in person."

"There's actually one," she started, chuckling in amusement to herself as her brain already started to twist the events that took place. "It was kind of funny, kind of weird, I think his name is Zaid? That's what the name was on the sheet next to the number. I think he really misunderstood me and thought I was hitting on him over text. Like, ok, ego much? I was just being nice and all of a sudden he invited me over for 'dinner'." she put emphasis and air quotes around the word, as if he hadn't offered up the information to her that he was a chef. "I don't know what that's all about. But I don't think I'm going, especially if he's some kind of weirdo."

Why were they there. A frost filled his chest, an ice cold spring of dread. Those rows of bungalows did not house as random of a sampling as it seemed. Not when Tej knew a few of them, or discovered being separated by a degree from another. A self-centered view but then again how could he not think that way?

"Yeah," he started. "See, I dunno. Thought maybe I bit it, you know. Died. We're all dead." Tej thought about it enough after Inika, so maybe his wish was granted. "Too obvious, the dead thing? It'd be an elaborate mass kidnapping otherwise, yeah? But, ah. Not sure how long it's been. Months now. Woke up with a big group of people. The first group. Or, first ones in awhile."

Why waste time asking unanswerable questions. Tej wasn't sure he was the type to accept the unknowable or wander blindly through it. However, that did not matter in the moment. Hell, didn't even care if she was real or a figment of his imagination. The anesthetic of grief deadened the nerves for so long, but now they began to feel again. "Enjoying ourselves, yeah." He wet his lips, gaze in a quick sweep over her again. "When you put it that way, it's almost impossible to resist."

She kept his arm in place to admire the stone. "I'm just special, hm. It's nice. An opal, I think. Reminds me of paint. Little splattered specks of the stuff." He did the same to her bracelet, reached out for Crystal's wrist and brushed the pads of his fingers over the blue stone. "Gotta wonder what these mean. Everyone's is different. What about yours. It's bright, clear. I'm sure someone will envy it."

Tej eyed the calm in front of them. Imagined Crystal alone in a pool with only the glow of the water reflected on the walls (the same color as her stone). "Sneaking into a pool? Thought that's reserved for skinny dipping with friends." In a public pool? Nah. He wondered if Crystal was in the community one at Barretto park but decided not to pursue it.

"Fine, not a black out. I might've seen a light. Barely remember now." His chin lifted. "Missing anyone back home?"

Tej thought nothing of the smooth slide from tacos to pizza. Tej nodded with a sliver of a smile. "Everyone's got their favorite place for a slice, but there's not really a bad one in New York, yeah?"

At the word cuisine, Tej sat a little straighter. Shoulders stiff, smile faded. Everything came back to Zaid, and it was infuriating. A star chef probably could whip up a delicious rival pizza using the processed dregs in the warehouse, no problem. Fuck Zaid. "Yeah, shit out of luck food wise. Well, you've seen the warehouse? There's packaged and tinned foods in there. Nothing fresh. Some people are doing the hunting and foraging thing. There is a fishing hole too. Fish jump right into the baskets. If you find a stand or food truck, lemme know."

"Got any other concerns aside from an empty stomach, Crystal from NYC?" Perhaps the easy air she seemed to move through this horror show with should be unnerving. It kind of wasn't. A temporary relief, more than anything. A chance to shut his mind off to the seriousness around him. "It's not gonna get dull dipping your toes in the water every day? Staring at the same crowd. Have you met anyone else?"

[alexpanganiban]

Tej was doing good -- Tej was doing great, actually, which Alex put down to a combination of his own excellent instructions and whatever it was that Tej had going on naturally for him -- but as was always the case, performing an action that had a clear directive was complicated by the natural world, which delighted in squalling fuck youuuuu! at any possible opportunity. Alex knew that, had found that out at many a point in his life; he simply preferred to enter any foray into Mama Nature with his chin up and an optimistic sparkle in his eye. The photogenic way to do it.

The water had a hell of a pull and the shore felt like that scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where Sir Lancelot kept running towards Swamp Castle and never got any closer, and Alex managed a chuckle to himself at the thought which buoyed his spirits even as he was swallowing river water and angling his damnedest at the most forty-five degrees he could achieve. Fortunately, Tej was more than just a laconically pretty face, and Alex perked up as he caught the movement of that jeans-sling over the tree limb.

"Whoot whoot!" Alex squalled in admiration, starting to make his way over to Tej and their newfound means of escape from the rushing water -- only to have, oh yeah, of course -- one of those complications pop up again. "What is this, sweeps week?" he moaned, increasing his swimming efforts towards Tej. He didn't turn around to look to see what was causing the shift in Tej's expression from tentative success to mounting concern, hearing an irregular splosh and splash, something moving that wasn't just currents.

"And I'm BAREFOOT!" Alex moaned in distress as he reached closer to Tej, imagining sharp reptilian teeth snapping shut on his poor defenseless shrimpies, kicking out harder in an attempt to both avoid saurian attack and possibly scare it off. "Tej! Grab me, man, grab me!"

Not that Alex waited for Tej to take the initiative; he surged forward, wrapping himself around Tej's lean hips and immediately hauling his own legs out of the water, clinging like a koala and trying not to imagine some crazed aqua snake whipping out of the river to attach itself squarely to one of his buttcheeks. Because of course that would be how it would happen.

Of course, reality shows were anything but real. Intro classes and B-roll takes might not sound like serious preparation. Still, more than Tej had to go on, so he'd defer to Alex. "Termites don't seem so bad." A flashback of being dragged to a pop-up in London called Bug Appétit. "But wouldn't share a canteen with Bear Gryllis, yeah?" Low hanging fruit, the crack of a celebrity survivalist drinking their own piss. Yet it took his mind off the wobbly bridge and gusts of wind that reminded how high up they were.

Tej broached a pressing subject that had been skimmed by. "What's wrong with this bridge." A lot, clearly. (If Tej looked to Alex for a safe strategy to cross, he probably should've gone with his gut and avoided setting a foot on the damn thing to begin with.)

Alex's shoes dropped, and then the pit of Tej's stomach followed. The only thing to physically hold in the fall being an expensive pair of jeans. The water landing was as soft as concrete, and for a few terror-stricken seconds Tej tumbled under the water.

This all had to be a type of punishment. The constant near drowning, and this time he hoped whatever element continued to force him beneath the water would just fucking hold him down until he stopped squirming.

But then he broke the surface with a gasp. Tej wiped thick hair out of his eyes. "Alex!" White water circled around to shuttle Tej downstream. Before he was swept further away, he glanced up to see the dangling bridge above-- without Alex. Shit. Not good. Certainly Alex had a top of the line life insurance policy to keep their loved ones comfortable.

As much as the water thrashed him around, Tej saw a figure in the rough blue river headed his way. Alex swam heroically towards Tej without an ounce of panic in his expression or in the eyes. When they bumped together, Tej grasped the shoulder of Alex's wet shirt, but they were quickly broken apart again.

Angle with the current! Tej did his best and tried not to be sucked under once more. Feet up as instructed, he paddled and rode through the current, speeding faster along the closer he was to shore. The 'shore' being a steeply graded rock and sand wall that would require a climb up to solid ground.

A tree limb grew horizontal over the rushing water. Sturdy and established, but over both their heads. Alex's jeans were tangled around Tej's neck, sticky and weighted from being soaked through. Once he slipped the denim loose, Tej tossed the pair up and over the branch. He gathered the ends of the looped jeans together for a demonstrative tug.

"Hey, hey-- think we can use your jeans to climb up to the tree branch, then get to shore." He reached out. "Get over here, give me your hand."

Tej noticed a splash behind Alex. A few yards away, and not from the natural agitation of water in the stream bed. What could be out there, what took an interest enough to slip into the water? (And did Tej hear splashes behind him, was it a crumbling of sand and shoreline that held the tree up??) Tej stressed, "Something's behind you, so hurry."

[oldtownizel]

The way Tej grinned at her, a wide and confident smile that was so effortless, how could one not follow along with him? It made Izel ponder for a moment, if Murat had the same thought when he was spending time with Tej before he left. She never knew for sure what their relationship was, Murat insisted they were friends but to trust Tej with such a huge secret that he didn't even tell his family, there had to be something more, right?

"I used to play the piano. Took lessons when I was younger but its nothing more than a party trick now. There's a couple songs I remember how to play but that's about it." She answered, not that she was ever expecting the music lessons to get her anywhere. It was a fun skill to have, something that kept her occupied until she eventually got tired of being cooped inside practicing songs over and over. Oh how the tides have shifted now. Just as Tej pointed out, her always being confined to her Inn more and more these days. Her younger self would be shaking her head at her for getting so boring.

Tej was nice enough to try and reassure her, though there was a part of her that didn't really believe he felt that way. "Yeah, it's okay, you can say it. Izel is getting boring in her old age. Forgetting how to have a little fun once in a while." She was playful about it, not bitter or resentful of the idea that her slowly losing her sense of adventure was a negative. "I think five minutes is manageable. And I don't doubt your ability to keep people… distracted."

He started looking around the building, not saying anything before his head tilted back slightly, up towards the fire escape. Her initial reaction was to object, but she could hear her 20 year old self in her mind telling her how much she would have loved the thrill. So instead of questioning the offer, Izel flashed a smile and went along with it. Taking his hand she let him help her up the fire escape, following him up to the windows for this studio space he was looking at.

"Is this the kind of stuff you'd drag my brother out to do?" A question that was seemingly innocent but with how much Izel had pestered Tej about Murat it would be easy enough to know that there was more to come. "Just a simple answer, yes or no is all I need. Have you talked to him lately? Has he told you what he's been up to, where's he's been?" She asked, not even waiting for him to try and change the subject up on her. It had been four years since her brother left and any piece of information that she hoped Tej would have would help keep her sane.

“No, we can’t have you crying your eyes out for months, regretting this once in a lifetime chance,” he deadpanned. “Plus, this is really the only choice. Coming along with me.” Tej smiled wide with a flash of teeth. “I could also use some ideas on how to spruce the place up. Make it really classy, hm?” An ego stroke for Izel was painless and perhaps a few decent ideas might come from it. Tej looked at her curiously. “Do you play an instrument?” She never mentioned, but then again their conversations usually revolved around an absent brother. “Or sing?”

Izel had a defense already built and ready to go. It did not take long to accept defeat. His grin faded somewhat when the topic of Hazel Mora’s disappearance came up. “Mhm.” Didn’t exactly lift the mood. The infernal Supreme the center of attention even after someone did the town a favor by making Hazel vanish. “Yeah, I get that,” he murmured quietly with a decision to let the subject trail off, just as he did. 

“I don’t think it’s boring,” Tej assured even as he lied: realistically, yeah. Seemed boring as fuck. To putter around a musty old inn, or guide the dusty old guests around town. Especially for someone who looked like that. A waste to be locked away in essentially a stuffy crypt in a town that had seen better days. “I think not talking about the inn sounds… well, we don’t have to deny its existence. Nothing so drastic. But perhaps five minutes without talking about it might do some good? I’ve been told I’m excellent at helping people get their mind off things.” 

Tej checked his phone and glanced around. The real estate agent ran late (rude). He motioned for Izel to follow along the side of the building. Another door was checked (locked) as well as a window (also locked). Then, his head tipped upwards at the zig zag of a fire escape. Tej jumped to grab the bottom rung of the ladder to pull down. Izel would still need a boost to reach, which meant the day was looking up. “Let’s see if any of those windows are unlocked.” 

Tej knew for certain the one was– he unlocked it himself during the first walk-through with the real estate agent. He held out a hand. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

[crystalslucky]

"Oh thank you. That makes me feel better already."

Honestly, Crystal wasn't exactly brimming with questions or in desperate need of answers. If people weren't so curious themselves, she would have been happy to just consider this a happy daydream of sorts. Was it real? Was it all fake? It didn't matter when she was enjoying herself. But she was happy to toss out some questions to Tej if he was full of them

"Well, I guess I'm wondering why? What's the reason we're brought here? How we got here is also weird, obviously, and why did I only just arrive but some of you got here...how long have you been here?" At least that was one question he could possibly answer, unless he wasn't keeping track of the passage of time. "I don't know, there are so many unknowns but, maybe it doesn't even matter. Why waste time asking unanswerable questions when we could be enjoying ourselves?"

He showed off his bracelet to her and she couldn't help but stare, eyes wide at the colorful crystal shimmering under the sunlight. "Whoa, hold on a second." she reached out to hold his arm, keeping him from moving it so she could get a better look at his bracelet. "Look at that, that's beautiful. How'd you get so lucky with such a pretty gem?" Not that she knew what the differences meant, for all she knew, the prettier the stone the bigger the target on your back.

"No, I didn't black out." she answered with a playfully offended tone. "At least it didn't feel like I blacked out. I was by myself, I snuck into a public pool after hours, and I was just...floating there. Enjoying the tranquility of nobody being there. I closed my eyes and it felt like seconds. Like one minute I'm there, the next...I'm here."

While her eagerness to claim New Yorker status wasn't necessarily false, there was a point that she failed to mention. That being that her time there was only for a couple of years, before her age had even reached double digits. So he curiously asked her about taqueria preferences which wasn't her area of expertise. "You know, taco spots weren't really my thing." she told him, as if she was admitting a deep dark secret. "They're great! Don't get me wrong! But the pizza? A slice the size of my head? Cheesy, greasy, garbage. I was always willing to splurge a little on that." Crystal hoped that would be enough to bounce off from the subject of potentially having to name a place for him.

"I'm guessing I won't be getting the same type of…cuisine around here. I'm guessing finding some decent food stands further down the beach is wishful thinking? Are we expected to hunt and forage to get our food around here?"

Clothing worn on arrival had been stored away (too expensive to ruin, kept with other important items). What he wore wasn't anything he'd voluntarily choose to at home. Dark shorts, sandals, and shirt worn open.

The pattern of the shirt was obnoxiously kitschy. From a distance, the print resembled red hearts with wavy lines above and across them. A closer inspection revealed the red was actually the sky. The lines were clouds from erupting volcanos in between the red.

And a FLOWR emblem stitched on the bottom hem.

I bet you'll make things even better. Gorgeous, at first glance. Both disarming and charming when she spoke. Reminded Tej he was single, and also a little rusty at flirting. His brows rose and fell, a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Well, I'll do my very best. Just for you."

Tej did not think too deeply about how outgoing or unbothered she operated. Because it was selfishly refreshing and connected Tej to a forgotten part of himself. She could be a trick of this island, for all he cared. A siren to lure Tej to a death in the shallow pools. Eh. Worse ways to go...

"I may not have a lot of answers." He'd like to argue she couldn't have been there that long. However, if anyone avoided others, it was Tej. Maybe she'd been on the island since day one. "But we're already here, so try me."

As her hand shot out. Tej moved in, bent down, shook it. Just as she said she was from New York too. "Really, no shit?" The handshake was delicate and pretty, and as confident as she seemed. She joined him in sitting at the side of the pool, legs dipped into the water and leaning back on his palms.

"Crystal. Like, this thing." He sat up for a second in order to tap the bracelet around his wrist. "A pool? How was that, you black out or something. Wait. Was anyone else with you in the pool?" Still interested in the mechanism of this island. Everyone came alone (so far). "I haven't heard of anyone disappearing in public yet, and ending up here."

"I lived in Brooklyn." Low, almost uninterested. Tej's strained relationship with New York City lived on. As if he'd broken up with not just Zaid but all of the boroughs personally.

However, the island was lonely as hell. He'd take this little touchstone back to reality, no matter how small. "Had a couple of friends in the Bronx. Used to always argue about the best taqueria out there. Which one was your favorite?"

[crystalslucky]

As the wanderer approached and came into view, Crystal was surprised to discover this face was recognizable to her. Well...face, body, tattoos...the hair was a little different though. What an interesting development! Seeing him was like witnessing a movie star existing in public after only seeing them in movies. The slight hesitation, the curiosity of 'is that really them?' when they were living normally instead of performing, just to get a better look and determining it totally was.

That was how she felt gazing up at Tej, someone who wouldn't recognize her, never actually meeting her or knowing her face. No way she was going to start their conversation with announcing it to him either. "Hey, it's so nice to finally meet you! I'm a big fan of your OnlyFans work! I've been subscribed to your page for months!" She was sure he would love to hear that.

So instead, Crystal simply nodded at his non answer to her question. A hum didn't exactly give her much detail. But he was sticking around so that was nice. "Oh, I'm doing fantastic, darling. And I bet you'll make things even better." He could take it as he pleased. A genuine compliment, casual flirting or even incredibly energized sarcasm. Whichever way he perceived her words would at least give her an insight on his personality that wasn't taking his clothes off on the internet for money.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have any specific answers to her question about where they were, making it clear that everyone on this beach wasn't here by choice. No willingly planned vacation goers strutting about, just a bunch of confused and disoriented castaways. "Well now that you bring forward this mystery and intrigue, I guess I have a few more questions than I initially thought. But it doesn't sound like you would have any of the answers."

She raised her arm up, protecting her face from the spritz of water her flung her way before extending that same arm his way for an introductory shake. "No way! I'm from New York too!" she couldn't help but claim excitedly, in an effortless attempt at a connection. Letting go of his hand she went and pushed herself up out of the pool to sit next to him. "I'm Crystal. Which part of New York were you from? I lived in The Bronx area. Last I remember, I was swimming at a community pool before I got here." Little white lies, but not exactly that far off from the truth, right?

The absolute wretchedness of losing Inika (losing everything) had been a sick form of protection in a way. An excuse. The anvil of an uncle's anguish and broken relationship pinned him in place and no one expected Tej to move. Least of all, Tej.

Jarred into this new unwanted experience, Tej had been forced to wake up. Maybe not quite out of bed yet, but coming around. Thinking of getting up. Simply because he had no other choice.

The bright sun made the thoughts weirder. Lonely. He missed London more lately and wanted to scratch the sensation out from under his skin. This feeling butted up against the friendly voice that called out to him. How are ya? It certainly wasn't meant to be that deep. But in all this time, no one had asked him such a basic thing. (Then again, how many had he let get close enough to ask?) "Mm." A clipped hum, meaning alive. Here. Whatever. "You seem to be doing alright."

Tej walked carefully closer over the slick rocks towards the pools. "Dunno where we are. It's like a bad hangover. Everyone wakes up disoriented. Don't know much about the place or where we are." Waking up in a stranger's bed would be preferable to this shit. At least you could grab your clothes and call an Uber of escape. Nurse regret later. "Sure you have one question? I've got plenty."

Maybe he'd start with another. Closer, he kicked a small spray of water towards her. "Who the fuck are you then? Seem a little relaxed to be asking where you are." Oh right. There was thing called introductions. "I'm Tej. Was living in New York. Going about my business. And I woke up here with a bunch of strangers." Mostly.

[alexpanganiban]

"They made us take introductory courses with survivalist experts! They being the producers and us being mostly me, a couple of guest hosts throughout the years. It was for the occasional spots to fill in during writer's strikes and that kind of thing, background footage of us swinging over crevasses and disguising our scents to get away from animals." Alex offered a self-deprecating smile even as the bridge swayed nauseatingly beneath their feet. "Bear Grylls said I was a natural," he said, undoing his belt and grasping it folded over in the hand not wrapped with trailing rope, just in case he needed something else to hang on to. "I think it's because I ate a stickful of termites without hesitation."

Alex was pleased that Tej was invested enough to be inquiring about his previous experience, although it was entirely possible that he was questioning Alex's credentials and not just curious about the wheres and whyfors. But that wasn't so important when Tej and Alex were actually following the course of action that Alex had mapped out, inching along the wooden bridge towards that tantalizing tower on the other side.

But -- bullshit goeth before a fall.

Alex was just managing to reach for one of the sturdier-looking ropes, hoping to god it would give him a chance to stabilize before hauling ass up what was left of the fallen bridge before it gave way entirely. He'd wrangled enough to strap his belt around one of them when he felt a weight against his legs, jolting him down so his body was pulled flat. A whole sexy human man's worth of weight, to be specific, and he squawked in protest as Tej's grip started to pull down his now-beltless jeans.

Of all the fucking times for him to have lost some pounds specifically so that he could cut loose and gain them all back on vacation. Without his midsection being its usual heft, and robbed of the help of his belt, Alex's jeans gave up the ghost and started to tug loose; for a moment he thought his ass might manage to save the day, but nope. Even the cakes couldn't hold out against Tej's weight and the lure of gravity. Off came his shoes, off came his jeans, off went Tej as Alex watched in dismay, tumbling down to the water.

He looked up. The bridge had come to rest against the ravine wall, and his belt was holding steady, regardless of Alex's now bare legs and feet waving over the drop. He might be able to clamber up to the top, to safety, and see if he could find where the river led to meet Tej at the foot of it. Or never find him again. Who would know?

Alex started to pull himself up, toes doing a good job of grasping the wood planks, but then he sighed. Tucked his forearm beneath the bridge so he could retrieve his belt, doubled it over and held it between his teeth, before he pivoted out from the bridge and the ravine side and pushed off from it, taking what he was pretty certain was an impressive dive down into the water. Hope the fucking cameras caught that, Alex thought as he hit.

Swimming without the drag of his jeans and shoes meant that he was able to move faster towards the tossing, roiling figure of Tej ahead of him, and Alex managed to swim close enough to bump slightly before they had to separate around a tangle of branches. "Angle with the current!" he hollered. "Don't put your feet down, do what I'm doing!" A 45-degree ferry angle, aiming them towards the shore. Provided they didn't run into any more branches, or rocks, or a drop in the water, or some kind of hungry beast.

Well, Tej, Alex began. Innocuous. Conversational, not intimately but in a general and informative-sounding way. With only a sprinkling of razzle-dazzle in a smile as broad as Alex's product line. Just enough to remind of their status as friendly face of a particular cable network survival show. Despite the vague way Alex spoke, the confidence behind the words had Tej looking up for those cinematic helicopters.

Yeah, but. Tej wanted to interject more than a few questions. Not entirely gullible but also too exhausted, hungry, and all the rest to pause and pick over the shell game of sentences Alex gave him. Maybe it was all part of the show?

"Wait, so. There are issues?" Just not dry rot? Tej eyed the frayed vines and ropes that held it all together, already (foolishly) a few steps in. His own wounded survival instinct took a back seat, and Alex provided what seemed to be a reasonable plan of action. He reluctantly wound the rope loosely a few times around a wrist without gripping. Seemed a painful safety measure if anything failed.

Tej looked directly into one of the cameras. Too confused to give even a smolder, only a blank stare. "When did you learn all this. The survival shit." He wasn't necessarily asking for credentials. Well, okay kind of. And curious too.

With a show like that, they must've made bank. Tej tried to mentally place Alex in an expensive car and sprawl of a house in the Hollywood Hills. Those were Tej's thoughts as Alex ooched them out further. The bridge rocked and groaned under their combined weights. Tej held his breath and tried to focus on moving urgent but steady.

There was no dramatic shake or snap. All he noticed was a sickening, panic-inducing spiraling of rope from the other end.

Tej turned right around and into Alex. "It's breaking, go back!" All he got out before the bridge dipped and flipped. As their horizontal view threatened to go vertical, Tej instinctively grasped at the flimsy rope, which suddenly cinched angrily around his wrist. Unable to grab the planks to hold, Tej dangled for a few seconds. He looked down: a healthy drop to water below, but he had no idea if it was deep enough to land in.

The rope that held him began to slacken and there were no Michael Bay summoned helicopters in sight. Tej did the only thing he could, which was make a leap towards Alex's legs. Unfortunately, as Tej tried to use Alex as a ladder, the denim began to slip down.

"Fuck!" Not time for anything else. Tej found himself falling towards the water, with a pair of shoes ahead and hugging Alex's empty jeans.

[alexpanganiban]

I used to watch the show. The best foreplay there could possibly be, in Alex's estimation. "Well, Tej," he said, with a warmer intonation on the man's name and a dip of the chin, a smile to match, "I'd say that wherever this is, we were brought here for a purpose. So the cameras are gonna be part of that purpose, and our goal -- assuming we've got one, and we might as well proceed instead of twiddling our thumbs staring at the horizon for Michael Bay-style helicopters to crest into view to collect us -- is to give the cameras something to watch."

Which had been Alex's life for roundabout twenty years, so it was no nevermind to him. It could prove unsettling for the common folk, but they'd get used to it. Once you started seeing the cameras as part of the environment, it was crazy the things that people would do in front of them without thinking.

Tej, at least, was as bold as he was good-looking, and didn't require a ton of prompting and ootching and coaxing to take a step out onto the bridge, which Alex appreciated. He approached as well, looking down when Tej did, and his stomach did a slow, sick-making loop at the sight of how far up they were. Not Temple of Doom levels, but ... high enough.

"It's been here for a while, but it's not ancient old. Mostly any issues are from disuse and disrepair, so we shouldn't have to worry about dry rot or anything." It was almost horrible how easily it all came out, built on years of playing to something being safe enough that the contestants would do it, but with a frisson of danger to titillate the home audiences. "Here's what we do. We make our way over walking on either side of the bridge to parcel out our weight, and never put our full weight on any one plank. Plus we wrap one wrist in the rope for further stability."

It was a good plan, Alex thought, and when he motioned that Tej should move ahead so that he could also make his way onto the bridge, the way that the structure swayed but didn't break supported his notion. At first. Because after the next couple of steps, the rope on the other side started unraveling. Tipping them down and spinning the bridge over, in a way that prevented them from grabbing the planks like rungs, and as it turned out? One piece of rope wrapped around a grown man's wrist did absolutely nothing to prevent his wrist from slicing out of it and leaving him to hurtle down to the water below.

Half survivalist, part showman. Perhaps the key to their success? Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, Alex hit their mark effortlessly for the cameras. Then spoke to an invisible audience. Tej's eyes scanned around almost expecting to catch a glimpse of a producer stepping out the overgrowth, a director following after to yell cut!

Alex Panganiban. "Yeah, I used to watch the show. I'm Tej." His head bobbed once. "So what is with the cameras then, if it's not for a show?"

Because it was difficult to let go of the notion that this-- everything around them --was anything but a set. And a set up to something. Especially with Alex's obviously remark, seemed specifically directional. But Tej only commented on the last part, with a smile that lasted as long as a flickering spark. Was celebrity survivor flirting or high? Either way, Tej went along with it, if it meant he could get some answers. "Same. I prefer forward too."

Tej rested a hand on the ropes that held up the bridge, one that also felt cinematically wobbly when a hesitant foot stepped on the first twisted branch that formed a plank. Tej looked down, down, down to a wide ravine under the bridge, carved out of stone and earth ,and filled with deep teal water.

"You can probably tell how long it's been here, yeah?" How many times had he watched Alex make their own rope bridge, among other things. While in worse shape, all their energy spent just to find the smallest bite of energy. To get more for the next miserable day in the heat/snow/wherever they were filming from. He looked to Alex for guidance (who else would he look at?) "What do you think-- is it safe? What's the best way to cross, besides quick." No hesitation at all, he imagined. But he wasn't the expert.

[oldtownizel]

Izel couldn't help but smile at the somewhat ridiculous claim. Tej, as charming as ever, making it hard to refuse the extra drink he arrived with. It seemed so effortless for him, like no matter what her mood and attitude towards him was, she still felt compelled to soften up. It was a bit annoying, like a school girl with a crush, even though the main thing Izel wanted out of him was information.

"Alright, if you're gonna say it like that. I will admit that wanting my opinion on something like this is a bit of an ego boost. So I know I'll regret missing out on this if I say no." She told him, feeling a bit more prideful at the idea of her opinion being wanted. Izel had worked hard on the business that she ran, and while she wouldn't consider herself an expert by any means, it still was nice to hear that her opinion on the topic mattered to someone.

Though, even with the kind sentiment of her opinion holding some weight to him, Izel didn't expect his interest in how she had been doing and handling things. She didn't really think of them as being that close, but maybe she had been misinterpreting things this whole time. "That's–hey, that's totally unfair! I don't spend every second of every minute at the inn or doing tours." She still tried to defend herself but even she could see it wasn't working at all. "It's just been a little busy that's all…" letting out a sigh, she was forced to concede. "Alright, fine, I haven't really been doing much of anything these past few weeks. And it's a little hard to go out and enjoy yourself when there's so much talk about Hazel's disappearance going around."

Was she throwing herself into her work because of that? Maybe unintentionally so, perhaps that was something Tej was able to pick up on without Izel even realizing it herself. "Okay, I get it. I've been a boring workaholic for a little while. So I won't talk about the inn, it doesn't exist, how's that sound?"

Izel teased. Tej responded in kind with a slow, wicked smile. "Nah, just been taking an extra coffee with me everywhere. Hoping one day I'd run into you. It's finally paid off." Tej achieved the point in extended life where blood was sustenance. For the most part. But sometimes, the curve of Izel's lips redirected his gaze to her neck, to her wonderfully slender wrist, and...

In the moment, he had to settle for a drink of coffee. About as exciting as ash in his mouth.

His attention snapped back to the nearby building. "It's a bit of both. I've outgrown my ratty old rehearsal space. And, well. I've got a bigger plan." Truthfully, Tej didn't often seek out company, but he played along. "Can't tell you what I'm investing in if you don't want to come along with me. What can I say, I want your opinion on it."

Perhaps there was another motive too. Another disappearance had to weigh on Izel's mind. Her brother's memory would bloom like mold on a leaky windowsill. Unfortunately, Tej needed to clean it up. Keep it at bay until more drastic measures were needed.

Of course, he'd wait for her to bring up the topic of her fuckwit brother. He gestured for Izel to follow across the square. "The real reason I came here... yeah, I do actually want to show you what I'm doing." A nod to the building, and he bumped playfully into her, arm to arm. "I wanted to see how you were doing too. Check in, make sure you're not locking yourself away in that stuffy old inn."

A thoughtful pause, brown eyes turned soft around the edges. "Or running those tours. And I can already hear you denying it too. So if I'm wrong, tell me how. Tell me three things you've done this week that haven't had anything to do with that damn inn."

[alexpanganiban]

"Is this the show, he asks?" Alex lifted his hands in a shrugging gesture, turning it into a look around us! gesture as he did a slow half-spin in each direction, twisting at the hips before coming back to smile at the extraordinarily cute guy who'd materialized out of nowhere. Which, honestly, would be a mark in the favour of this being the show, but no. Alex would've known.

"No," he said, "I would've known."

But the cute guy was asking questions anyhow, and Alex supposed that made sense. He was as close as it came to a natural authority figure in this place, and though that caused a few little belly-worms of anxiety, all in all, it could work to his advantage, right? In fact, considering cute guy was looking to him for answers, that seemed to be the case already.

"I'm Alex," he said, a polite formality to prompt an intro from the other side of the equation, then frowned thoughtfully and folded his arms, stroking his chin as he thought. "The bridge," Alex decided, injecting confidence into his voice and the course of action. "Obviously we're meant to be able to reach that tower, and the bridge is the way there, so maybe it's not the way back, but I've always been partial to the way forward, y'know what I mean?"

Wilderness w/ @alexpanganiban

To think he used to pride himself on his sense of direction. It wasn't a the simple orientation needed after stepping out of a tube station in London. He hadn't gotten turned around in Central Park. Tej arrived at that damned rope bridge he'd already passed by once.

Every path looked like the last and all the trees appeared cut from one pattern. Time to admit he was a bit fucked. Lost. Unsure where to go.

Except the bridge, but it looked as if it hung on by a hair.

Then a recognizable figure. One Tej used to watch as he recovered on the couch from nasty Sunday hangovers. He'd overheard a rumour they were on the island. Lo and behold. "You're that. You had that show." Had, have, huh. A loud snap of the fingers. "We the Survivors, yeah." A beat. "Wait, is this the show?" Tej pointed to the ground, and then over to one of the ever present cameras, the one which could provide a compelling view of anyone who dared to cross the bridge.

His brows drew closer, tight enough to cause a headache if he let it. As soon as it left his mouth, it made no sense. He only wished it did. Wouldn't explain how he got there. "Do you know how to get back?" To the beach. To civilization. Anywhere but the middle of nowhere.

[oldtownizel]

The moment Izel reached the end of the tour, it was impossible to miss Tej not too far off from her and the group. There was a brief moment where her eyes met his, before she looked away to give her final thanks and goodbyes to everyone who took the tour. As they all went their separate ways, Izel looked back in his direction, as he offered up a coffee cup. Normally she didn't mind coming across Tej in her day to day activities, it would give her an excuse to try and get updates on Murat and what he might be up to (even though it wasn't often Tej gave her any helpful information on her brother). But this was around the time four years ago Murat seemed to have just up and left Hexmore, and with Tej being the person who spoke with him last, Izel wasn't sure she was up for his games today.

"Been keeping track of my tour route have you." She teased dryly as she walked over anyway, arms crossed over her chest until she reached out to take the coffee from him. She took a sip, raising an eyebrow curiously as he explained his reasons for hanging around here. "Business must be booming if you're looking for a new space. Or is your current spot falling apart?"

She couldn't help but make small talk, in a place like this it was easy to chit chat with everyone, so even if she wasn't really in the mood, she was still interested in something as mundane as house viewing. "Peeking in windows sounds like more of a one person job to me. You must really want some company if you came around with a bribe."

Somewhere in the centre of Hexmore With Izel @oldtownizel He checked the time on his phone before it slipped back into a pocket. Tej was already in position to be seen by Izel as soon as her walking tour ended: in the shade of a tree and with the old clocktower to serve as a backdrop. Right in her eye line and no way to miss him. Three... two... one. Timed within seconds, and the small group she led slowly dispersed. A nod, a lift of the coffee he'd brought Izel was enough to call her over.

"Thought we might cross paths here." Thought, planned, same difference. "So I brought something." The coffee was handed over. "I'm waiting for a real estate agent to arrive. I've been looking for a new space to give lessons. They're going to show me something in that building over there..." A gesture not far away, one of the older buildings near the square. "Wanna peek through the window with me?"