(Untitled)

[floozyfacade]

Honestly, when the whole idea of heading out to see the dinosaurs came up, it was kind of a relief. I know cliché says autumn is a time of change, but this feels like more of it than I was expecting. Heading out with Wichita to explore the other side of the island is a welcome departure from the rest, neither boring nor too different from the known

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[hastrustissues]

"I think he'd be a little more worried if it was anyone else but you," Wichita declares, as she makes her way out through the door after saying her goodbyes to Columbus behind it. It's not that she's overtly trying to hide their PDA from Olive, but the fact that she happens to share her face and is dating a guy who shares another guy's face - it's confusing enough to anyone who doesn't know them all well, and in the middle of it - well, she's anticipating less awkwardness if Olive doesn't have to see them kiss before she leaves.

"I don't know, though. Maybe he should be worried," she teases, waggling her eyebrows and breaking into a faint smile as she hitches up the bag she's packed over one shoulder. "Shall we?"

[floozyfacade]

"I think I worry most people," Olive deadpans, then nods toward the path. "We shall. This is going to be great, seriously. I mean, if there's one thing everyone should do while they're here, it's see the dinosaurs. When else are you gonna get a chance like this, you know?"

And okay, she complained about it her first night here, but that's only because she was scared of being here to begin with and it all sounded way too Jurassic Park for her tastes. It didn't take long at all for her to get on board with the idea, although she's still dancing around the issue of how close she's allowed to get. When Brooke was still here, she got close enough to touch, Olive knows, but she doesn't want to risk getting hurt when she's sworn to be careful. On the other hand, this is a serious scientific opportunity.

[hastrustissues]

"What? Please, there are things much more worry-causing than you," Wichita promises, patting her shoulder briefly in a reassuring gesture. "Someone told me there was a way to see them from a safe distance, and I figured why not? At first I wasn't all that sure I wanted to bring it up with Columbus though, just on the off-chance he'd outrule it as a not-good idea."

She shrugs, a few pieces of hair shifting over her eyes as she tilts her head. "Although he did make me promise that I wouldn't actually get up close and touch any of them. I think he wants his girlfriend to still have both of her hands when she gets back," she adds, smirking slowly.

[floozyfacade]

"I... promised to be careful," Olive says slowly. "I didn't specify how careful this time. Last time Eduardo caught me heading out there, he came along just to, you know, see for himself we were safe." It's kind of hard to repeat that performance when he has a broken leg, though. Besides, she's pretty invested in keeping both of her own hands. "And seriously, it is pretty safe, they can't cross the electric fence. As long as we stay aware of where that is, we're fine."

[hastrustissues]

"It's always best not to specify," Wichita replies, stage-whispering the words as she moves closer to link arms with the other girl as they walk, even if it only ends up lasting for a few minutes - especially since they both have bags to contend with. "And we're both totally smart ladies, you know? Between the two of us, it's not like we're going to go find a way through the fence and start inviting the dinos to dine on our flesh." She smiles at the mention of Eduardo, although the smile is tinged with a little worry. "How's he doing, anyway? Still laid up?"

[floozyfacade]

As far as Olive's concerned, they're more than fine. She's in much better condition physically than she was when she first headed out there and Wichita's out-run zombies. Between that and their combined intelligence, she has full faith in their ability to escape unharmed.

"Yeah," she says, wincing slightly. "You know, he hates it, but..." She sighs. "Nothing we can do about it for a little longer. At least it's not that bad. I mean, the drop from my window to my floor is not that bad, it was... all the angle. I still feel bad, though, you know?"

[hastrustissues]

"Don't feel bad, okay?" She doesn't know why she's rushing to reassure her. Maybe it's the fact that she doesn't like seeing a look of regret crossing over almost identical features. The real reason, probably, is because of the fact that she's starting to consider Olive a friend, and she doesn't let her friends beat themselves up over shit they can't control.

"Besides, I already told him this, but what he did in there, coming in to save you - that was pretty gallant stuff," she adds, grinning. "I'm sure you thanked him plenty, though."

[floozyfacade]

"Until he told me I didn't need to thank him," Olive admits with a wry grin, nose wrinkling up sheepishly. "And then I did so a few more times, since that was... the first time I'd said thank you. He has this annoying habit of not taking a compliment." It's more sad than annoying, truthfully, but she doesn't want to dwell on that either. At least he believes she means what she says, even if he can't take it at face value. "The main thing is, we're all okay. And it's not that long before his cast comes off, so..."

[hastrustissues]

"Yeah, I kinda noticed that," Wichita muses out loud, tilting her head in thought before she shrugs. "Some people just honestly don't know how, though. Yours truly included - well, depending on who it comes from, at least."

She shifts the bag on her shoulder, grinning slowly. "And then you plan on thanking him a little more?"

[floozyfacade]

Olive gives Wichita a look of feigned shock. "You think I haven't already?" she asks, though. It's easy to be open about these things in select company, when she trusts the friend in question not to be judgmental or repeat what she's said, and Wichita falls under both categories. Besides, there's a sense of security on the island she doubts she'd ever have felt in high school again. "You just have to know how to get him to accept gratitude. Me, I love compliments. Just pile 'em on. I don't promise to believe any of them, but far be it for me to stop anyone who wants to shower praise on me."

[hastrustissues]

"Well, there's thanking a guy and then there's thanking a guy," she counters, waggling both eyebrows until it's impossible not to realize how she's intending her words to be interpreted.

It's not that she wants to know all the gory details - she barely considers herself someone who enjoys 'girl talk' in whatever form it comes - but she's inclined to want at least some knowledge of the fact that Olive and Eduardo are doing well. They have to be, at least, if he's jumping through windows to save her. He's seemingly mild-mannered but prone to acts of heroism. It's the kind of behavior that reminds her a lot of Columbus, most of the time, and maybe that's the reason Olive likes him too.

[floozyfacade]

"Like I said," Olive answers breezily, "you think I haven't?" Granted, there are things she hasn't yet worked up to, but she's hardly about to go into detail. "You know, you can still have sex with a broken leg. It's just a matter of... changing things up a little." Even that much information makes her blush a little, a fact she has trouble reconciling with how at ease she is with the topic itself. It's just when the subject of discussion is herself that it isn't simple.

"And I had him move in temporarily, I... I don't like the idea of him hobbling around alone in his house at night. It's sad."

[hastrustissues]

"Well, good," she replies pointedly, adding a little extra emphasis on the word with a sharp nod of her head. She's not begging for any specifics, but if their roles were reversed and Columbus had successfully performed the whole white knight routine, she'd definitely be arranging a whole other kind of performance later on after he was on the road to recovery. Something tells her Olive isn't any less grateful a girlfriend where Eduardo's heroics are concerned.

"That's probably a good idea, you know, in case he falls or something," Wichita adds thoughtfully. "Better to avoid adding injury on top of injury."

[floozyfacade]

"That's what I figured," Olive says, glancing away and squinting through the trees, trying to make sure they're still on the right track. It's not that bad a hike out to dino territory, just a long one, but she doesn't want to complicate it by getting them lost. "And he's on crutches, so it's the whole little... wobbly raptor arms thing. Which is strangely endearing, but I do have a soft spot for dinosaurs."

[hastrustissues]

"Wait, I haven't seen the wobbly raptor arms routine yet," Wichita responds, and there's no denying that she's a little disappointed about not being a witness to that particular thing. She notices Olive glancing around, though, and some reflexes are difficult to shut off completely these days. Like the fact that seeing anyone remotely distracted, even for a second or two, immediately has her on higher alert. "Something wrong?"

[floozyfacade]

"Oh, no," Olive says quickly, reaching out to touch Wichita's arm. "No, it's cool. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't gotten us lost. I tend to, you know, walk and talk and not so much look where I'm actually going, you know?" She's gotten herself into trouble more than once that way, both before and since arriving on the island. The last thing she needs is to drag someone else into it.