#he always forces lokni to think

[tempestaslokni]

"I think you're right on the money," Lokni murmured in agreement, "if famous people have gone missing, there's gotta' be some sort of search or somethin' going on. Although, with how different all the places are, I doubt that they'd trace it back to the same source." There was Hye-jin, Zaid, this 'survivor,' and certainly more that Lokni had yet to meet. So that was at least two different countries, not to mention folk went missing all the time. In terms of his own folk, the government did little to keep track of those reports, but maybe if a few prized celebrities went missing they might actually do something for once.

One thing was for certain, Tej was on to something. Whoever was watching them was getting a kick out of all of this. Didn't like the idea of unseen voyeurs getting off to the perils of others- Tej had an interesting imagination. "Now that you mention it, did you see any of those flower logos on the ship? It was all a blur for me and I have yet to go back- couldn't remember much except feelin' like shit." Tej's questions seeded new ideas in Lokni's mind as well, who knew if the ship was relevant anymore? "I don't know if it 'matters' to them sons of bitches that snatched us, but the ship might hold more answers- especially if it's not related to the island. After all, it was wrecked on the shore, right? I doubt that the placement was intentional. Maybe a byproduct?" For the first time in his life, Lokni wanted to know what it was like to drink, to take the edge off for a moment. He quickly shoo'ed away the invasive and unwanted notion.

"Moved from Cali to Oregon. Not fancy California, more like the type of area that gets burned down due to unnecessary fireworks at a gender reveal party." Lokni added, a hint of bitterness tinging his voice like coffee grains escaping into and ruining the pot.

Pictures? Oh- That was right, they had pictures on their phones, data that didn't need any connection to access. Nodding sheepishly, Lokni pulled his flip phone from his pocket, thankfully the water hadn't damaged it, actually it seemed to work better here than it had back at the ranch. Why was the reception so damn good? His wary gaze trailed to the tower before them. That's probably the reason, although Lokni didn't see any power lines or wires that would betray what its real purpose was.

He opened up his photos and selected the first one available, a grainy photo of his blue roan mare standing at the Calgary Stampede Indigenous Relay Race event. Lokni was at her side, in basketball shorts and a white t-shirt with the sleeves cut off of it. Chenoa was painted up, as was Lokni's face. He had intentionally placed a white handprint on the back of her shoulder muscle, where he knew her heart was pounding with anticipation, as was his own. He had also placed a black handprint over his own on that worn white t-shirt, signifying their unity. The striking contrast of the colors made them easy to see, even when moving at top speed.

Tej's suggestion was a blood-chilling one. "I don't know how much they know, but they wouldn't find much in here," Lokni replied, a cursory glance at his outdated phone. "Do you wanna' swap numbers-? Just to be safe- that is," Lokni added hastily, feeling a bit foolish for how casually he had suggested it.

All had gone well up until that point- and then the burning hot flash of light- and then pain- coursing through his eyes and into the far reaches of his skull. Teeth clenched, grunting his way through the pain Lokni stumbled back, hearing Tej's words as if he was more than a few hundred yards away.

He opened his eyes, but everything looked a bit too hazy and double- coupled with the sheer pain- Lokni wavered, a hand against the tower as he mustered all his control to not throw up in front of Tej. His body broke out in a cold sweat, the kind that made you wanna' get unshucked, but that was also not something that Lokni was particularly keen on doing in front of Tej. Taking deep, manual breaths through his nose, Lokni managed to keep his witts and stomach.

"I'm fine," Lokni groaned, wiping his brow and tugging at this shirt to try and dry the sweat from his skin. "Just a little dizzy." Experimentally he opened his eyes once more, it was still hazy, but he was no longer seeing everything in double. "I couldn't see for a moment there-"

An artist so practiced and attuned with visual images gave the vaguest description possible. Alex didn't exactly blend in, and all that stood in the way of a meeting now was time.

"There's a few celebrities around, yeah." Tej was known in such a specific circle. Part of a Met exhibition. Regularly caught by street fashion photographers in NYC. All hardly worth mentioning. He'd glimpsed second-hand celebrity, of course. Much of what it took to maintain seemed like a pain in the ass.

Tej threw a look to the silent, ever present paparazzi: the fixed cameras. Singular eyes on the end of an antennae and focused right on them. "Wonder what's going on back home. I'd hope someone might tie together the sudden disappearances of a few famous people. You reckon?"

"I'm sure someone watched the bridge collapse. Probably jerked off to the whole thing." (Which made Tej wonder: his subs were going through the roof, but how many did his abandoned OnlyFans have now?) With a gesture once again to reference whoever sat on the other end of the camera lens, "Those stupid flowers on the cameras. On everything. Except this bracelet." But the stone somehow provided an exhale when worn. A fog of uneasiness surrounded Tej when it was off his wrist.

"I wonder what will happen to the boat. It was a waiting room, I guess. Now it doesn't matter?" As new people dropped in infrequently, and no longer through the decaying carcass of a cruise ship. Tej nodded-- yes to keeping Lokni up to date, yes to the boot up the ass their captors deserved.

Lokni shared in a way so few bothered to do back in New York (which included Tej himself). To leave without looking back was relatable. "Bold move, just the two of you leaving the rez like that. Starting up in... same state?" A lot of questions to ask, although immediately Tej didn't want to pry. A curiosity best saved when they were out of the shadow of a looming tower.

An brow arched., unusually expressive for Tej. "Mongolia? Because of th horses, hm?" His lips pressed into flat line. "Mm. Got to go to a few places I never dreamed of going to." A twist at the base of his throat made Tej question if he'd ever be anywhere else again.

His mouth shifted into a lopsided amusement. A boy and his horse. Not difficult to imagine Lokni running an affectionate hand along the soft felt of hair, the swivel of an ear and lazy swing of the tail as Lokni shared a secret with Chenoa. "Horses tend not to interrupt too much. Keep their controversial opinions to themselves. It's a nice name. Got a photo of Chenoa on your phone?" Another anomaly, the phones.

"Ever wonder what they know about us." The contents of their phones. The name of Lokni's horse. Tej's jaw hinged tighter as his hand played with the light and the dark at the top of the tower.

A flash caused Tej to briefly shield his eyes. Warmth radiated across one ear, the cheek. Much like being behind the wheel on a hot summer day with the sun mercilessly following along the driver's side. But the light aimed for Lokni, who reeled back with a shout.

A small horror: I did that. (And the first real thrill in a long time, I did that.) Instinct moved Tej a few feet away, with hands locked on top of his head in disbelief. "Fucking hell, man. You okay?" Shit, the last thing he needed to deal with was blinding someone.

His hands lowered and he took a tentative step closer. "Not sure what happened." Lokni was way too savvy for Tej to feign innocence, so might as well fess up. "The light followed my hands. Don't understand how, or why. Wasn't thinking it would get that bright." He watched Lokni, carefully searching for signs of retaliation. "Sorry."

[tempestaslokni]

Even though Akhila's sharp focus was directed at Lokni, he strangely didn't feel the same nerves as he had the previous day. She was listening intently, giving him the time to get his words out. Few people were that patient. Her quip about his boss made him laugh heartily. "Well, he might be an asshole, but he knows how to run a business. And- he gave me work even though it technically wasn't legal, and for that I'm grateful. My mother and I couldn't survive off of just her salary anymore." Which was very true. Most businesses were scared of getting caught. Big Jim's ranch was conveniently out of sight and out of mind for the government. If Big Jim had decided to dip a toe into agriculture, however, Lokni was sure that that would've changed in a heartbeat. Self-sufficiency was something that the government feared, but most Indigenous folks knew that. Why did The Great Buffalo massacre happen? It forced Indigenous people onto reservations. Made them easier to control. Funny how when you take away a main source of livelihood and food that people suddenly became more maeleable. That was why Lokni was determined to not take any handouts from this damn island. He would become self-sufficient, or die trying. No bungalow, no feast- but Akhila, she didn't have to help him, but she did. And in return he was teaching her how to fish. That was a simbiotic relationship built on respect. In turn, he focused intently on Akhila describing her day-to-day duties. Some of the terms she used went over his head, but he tried his best to focus on the words that he did know, weaving together an idea of what her life was, and just how vital she was to the ebb and flow of the happenings between the two hospitals. Sounded like just as much paperwork as patient interactions. He nodded his head in respect at her early rising, something that he was also accustomed to. He also knew that it didn't come naturally for everyone. If it weren't for his mare, Chenoa, giving him attitude if he was late, he would've probably overslept more often than not. Chenoa was almost as ill-tempered as some of the aunties back at the rez when it came to not getting her oats on time. Her own morning sounded like she made sure she had time to do stuff. Getting up early was her choice, so that she could start her day the way that she wanted to. It was admirable. Lokni wasn't that disciplined. He could probably have a longer morning if he wanted, but sleep was one of his only escapes from reality. "I'd always heard that doctors were hypocrites when it came to their own health, but it seems to me like you take good care of yourself. That's not something easy in practice," he commented, eyes flitting to hers. Akhila's sudden yank on the pole, followed by the exasperated sigh and recast left Lokni with many questions. However, he wasn't about to go barging into her china shop of personal business. Not yet at least. "Moving's a lot of work-" he trailed off, eyes flickering towards the movement of her wrists, as if half expecting her to do another miracle unbeknownst to herself. "Nicely done," he commented on the arch of her cast, she was getting better already, something that Lokni wasn't even the least surprised at. Akhila was a natural. All she had to do was get the relaxing part down and she'd be right as rain.

Lokni thought hard for a moment, turning Akhila's question over in his mind. Did he miss it? Sighing shakily, he wiped his brow, "Yes, and no. I miss my mother, my horse- even my coworkers a bit. I miss not having to think, but maybe that in and of itself was a luxury. Now that I'm here, I'm realizing that people actually might need me, and that I'm not so replaceable. It's both encouraging and nerve-wracking at the same time. Like for the first time in my life I have the chance to prove myself." he admitted, feeling a bit foolish and arrogant for what he was sharing. There was one thing he took comfort in, however, and that was that he knew Akhila would be honest with him. If she thought that he was reaching too far toward the stars, he trusted that she would ground him once more.

Curiously, she observed his confusion ebb and flow into joy, and if she wasn’t mistaken, pride. Akhila didn’t necessarily agree, if only because she was her own worst critic, but she didn’t argue. Acknowledging his positive feedback with a bob of her head. “Ah…” She tried not to sound disappointed, university, school, college, it wasn’t the be-all-end-all. Though she herself had never imagined a life straying from that path, her younger siblings had deviated but been no worse off for it. There was a poignant anecdote that Akhila had not given due care for. The luxury of education due to remoteness. 

Akhila held the pole steady, but kept her gaze on him and not the line bobbing. Because Lokni began to carefully weave her a narrative about his day, skimming no doubt on the details. No less relinquishing enough for her to picture it. She’d never had any rosy ideals about farming, or ranch work, but hearing the first-hand account of hard graft illuminated the unknown for her. “Sounds like your boss was an asshole.” Akhila remarked, she knew a thing or two about those, but didn’t they all. She slowly shifted her weight, and let her gaze follow the rolling waves momentarily. 

Before she could cut in to ask anything further, he’d turned the question on her. Each day had been different from the last. Rarely was any single day the same as the previous. “I work for predominately two hospitals, one is a major trauma centre so dependent on whether I’m on call.” Which she would often volunteer herself for given she was the clinical director of the orthopaedics department. “Predominately, I spend my time in outpatient clinics and managing the team. We implemented a new, to the UK, day-case lateral unicompartmental knee replacement so much of my time has been spent getting that paper published as of late.”

Akhila wet her bottom lip, she’d taken him a touch too literally and disregarded the notion of painting a story. She cleared her throat. “Usually, I’m up at five to get an hour of movement in. Whether that’s walking, stretching or light-to-moderate weights. Shower, breakfast, cup of tea and usually I read emails, or its early meetings. Brisk morning walk to work occasionally I’ll get a coffee on the way, then it’s largely seeing patients. Managing the clinic. I’m a surgeon, but practically a larger portion of my time is out of theatre.” It was no secret she preferred being in it.

“Lately…it’s been a touch different because I’m in the process of moving…” She drifted, unmoored and unsure. She prematurely yanked on the pole, reeling it in to find nothing on the other end. With a huff she fixed the bait and tossed the line back out.

“Do you miss it?” Akhila asked, finally. She wanted to know if she was alone in having a split between yearning for the past and being relieved of it. She missed her clinic. She missed Greene. There were slithers of her life she did not miss.

[zaidshair]

Zaid listened to Lokni's chatter, and thought to himself: bruv likely doesn't know he's a natural conversationalist. Sharing and curious, it was a winning combination, and likely Lokni would get along with pretty much anyone here, even if they were mostly all strangers. And honestly, if someone did try to start something with Lokni, Zaid decided he'd be pretty fucking pissed off about it. There was no reason the big man should have altercations, unless the other person was a wanker.

Zaid decided he'd keep a lookout for that, just in case. For now, he peacefully smiled, easy as a lazy cat. "We're cut from a similar cloth in that respect, mate. Work is life. Not much room for much else. You...did you have anyone back home, then? A girl? And I'm not talking about the horse," Zaid was deadpan, but gave Lokni a wink so he knew it was a tease.

He held up two fingers. "Two restaurants - my first in London, my newest in New York. Owner and executive chef, yeah. And if I don't get back home, they'll both fold. People will lose their jobs...bloody hell, it pains me, you know. It honestly fucking pains me. They might think I've abandoned them..." He shook his head, allowing himself ten seconds of palpable distress, before he forced himself to swallow it back down.

Lokni, bless him, tactfully moved on about their own eating habits, and Zaid dragged his smile back, wistful and wry. "You're a proper worker; I'm just vain, mate. Public eye and that, I suppose." But that wasn't it; Zaid just always had his own regimen. More things to control, was how Tej used to put it. "I'm always good for a cheeky Nandos, erm. It's a chicken franchise, grilled chicken, like. Not sure if it's Stateside, if I'm honest. What's your takeaway of choice then?"

This started to feel like a first date, Zaid thought in amusement, with Lokni's curiousity. "I'm forty-one. I'd guess you was about...twenty-five?" Whenever guessing someone age, '25' was the safest bet.

Zaid was curious about what 'brought out the white sage' meant, but he was distracted by Lokni's mashua find. He took the bunch, breaking off a piece of a thinner tuber to taste. Obviously cooked was the way to go but Zaid knew what to look for in raw sampling. "Hm. Good for pickling, maybe. Or fermenting. Or as my ammi says - 'acha, just put it in a curry beta, it'll taste good.'" He did a little impression of his mum, just to give Lokni a giggle.

"Mate, I'm from the city, I grew up in towns. No place for hunting unless it was small game. And that was never my thing, yeah. Lamb, beef, goat, fish, chicken - I'll eat most meats. Not pork, that's a religious thing." The map was a great idea, and Zaid felt a warm wriggle of pleasure that Lindi had also mentioned a garden to Lokni. Zaid just hummed and grunted along in agreement, looking around whilst Lokni made his notations. Their next find was even better. "Fennel! Fennel!" Zaid exclaimed in surprise, reaching for the one Lokni had. "Oh mate, this is brilliant. You need to add this to your gard-"

There was a loud crash behind them, which genuinely made Zaid flinch in fright, sudden as it was. A young man, wide-eyed and panting, appeared before them, looking slightly...singed?

"Fire - fire in the forest - help - fire -" the young man blithered, pointing behind him. Had Zaid seen him around, was he from the cruise ship? Of course he was, but Zaid couldn't place his name. The young man pointed, down a forested path and that was when Zaid smelled it: smoke. Not a lot, very wet and woodsy.

"Go get help," Zaid told the younger man, pointing in the direction he and Lokni had just come from. "Go now!" At the order, the young man just looked from one to the other with a strange, weirdly apologetic look on his face, before he bolted away.

Zaid, unthinking, followed the path. It was dangerous, it was likely very dangerous and charging ahead was a bloody stupid thing to do, but Zaid just had to see for himself how bad it was. If the young man was just exaggerating, or if it was serious.

When he got to the clearing (and he just assumed Lokni wouldn't leave his side), the fire revealed itself to be serious, but for a different reason. It was a circle of fire in a clearing, and right in the middle was a very terrified-looking small deer...thing. It kept bolting, trying to escape the circle of fire, but was clearly too intimidated and small to make the leap over the flame.

Zaid stared in confusion, but only for a brief second. He twisted to stare up at Lokni, grasp Lokni's forearm. "Oi - Lokni. Listen, you said you could make clouds and - and your storms. That means rain, yeah? What do we need to do? What do we need to do to make it happen, love?"

"Saddled with chores is exactly what it is. Not that I mind too much, helps keep me from thinkin’ too much. A luxury few can afford," Lokni replied as he wiped his dirty hands on his jeans. Hearing about Zaid's restaurant experience was surprising and gave Lokni pause. "So you're telling me that you own a restaurant, Chef? I didn't know about that, I just thought you cooked for a livin,'" Lokni couldn't help but grin. Not that he thought that Zaid was incapable, it was just a little surprising, that was all.

"'Course there aint' nothin' wrong with having your occupation as your identity. God knows that's what I've been doing all of these years," 'to make up for the fact that I'm nothin' else without it,' Lokni mentally added, "'specially runnin' a business, that's somethin' to be proud of." Running a business was something that Lokni couldn't dream of, or at least he hadn't thought it was possible for someone like himself, but Zaid was undeniably more than capable. His food was delicious and his skills were not your everyday run of the mill.

At Zaids admittance to his diet, Lokni raised an eyebrow, giving him a slow, up and down look before saying, "you don't look like you've ever eaten much, no offense, Chef." He hadn't meant offense, but Zaid was rather trim, more trim than Lokni pictured any average chef to be- but then again what the hell did he know about the culinary world. The closest thing he had to culinary skills was when he put chips on his sandwiches. "I'm lucky that my job keeps me in shape- or else I imagine that I'd be a lot rounder." A half-truth, his father had always been somewhere in between malnourished and reasonably in shape, but Lokni hadn't wanted to admit to any similarities between himself and that piece of shit. Eager to change the topic, Lokni switched gears, "what's your favorite "takeaway" place?"

Lokni couldn't deny that he was amused at Zaid's quip about being "young and eager to please," his lips curled into a smile. "You're implying that you're no longer young?" Lokni asked, not really sure how old Zaid was. It was a question that he often wanted to ask the other islanders, however, he found himself resisting the urge. But here Zaid had offered up the information as if it was a matter-of-fact. "I like my food with a good amount of seasonings. I like to try different things. At home, I have a hot sauce collection, but some of them are so spicy they take away the flavor and are just painful. My mother used one by accident and was so upset she brought out the white sage." A fond memory of her, a mysterious warmth spread throughout his body, as if her spirit was there next to him.

"Well, just your luck Chef, these are bitter but they add flavor. They're kinda' like radishes, I guess." Lokni waved the mashua in front of Zaid for emphasis, "I'm sure we can find other spices and stuff as well. Is it for religious reasons that you don't hunt? Do you eat meat when it's available?" Lokni hoped that his questions weren't too straightforward, but he was genuinely curious. There were so many cultures and religions outside of his little bubble, and his thirst for that kind of knowledge was insatiable.

"We can find this again by looking for these little flowers." Lokni indicated the brightly pigmented flowers that looked like drops of sunset, "also, I'm making a kind of rough map. I was gonna' ask Gael to help me make something a little more accurate and topographical, but I thought I'd get a basic map made first." Lokni pulled out the piece of paper that he had kept tucked away in his backpack, and used a small pencil to make a little rudimentary drawing of what he thought the mashua looked like. This was pretty far from his camp though, so he knew that this wouldn't be an area that he'd visit often. Still, it was good to have a reference for it.

Without further ado, Lokni began to head deeper into the wilderness, in a direction that he hadn't been before. Surely they would find more edible plants that they could forage, right? Lokni couldn’t help but nod in agreement at Zaid’s mention of things being more “long-term” if they were to set up a communal garden. “Funny that you mention that, I had the same conversation with that nice lady, Lindi, just about a week ago. We were talking about setting up a garden. It does feel long-term, but if rescue is coming, we have no idea when that will be. Better to be prepared than starve before rescue gets here, am I right?” Lokni reasoned, although he couldn’t deny that making a communal garden was something that he was looking forward to if it ever happened.

Carefully skirting the ferns and brush in the jungle, Lokni spied something familiar ahead. The fine leaves that grew up over the heads of the ferns were a little reminiscent of the scarring Lokni had from the lightning a week or so ago. Lokni wondered if his identifying skills were correct, because if he wasn't mistaken, that was definitely fennel. He stepped over an outstretched tree root and crouched next to the plant, examining it carefully. Experimentally, he broke off one sprig and took a sniff, not always a safe thing to do, but Lokni was certain at this point. The familiar scent of licorice wafted into his nostrils causing him to smile confidently. Handing it to Zaid he said, "take a sniff of that, I think we've found fennel." Off in the distance, there were violet flowers shifting in the wind, undisturbed by the wildlife.