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[apinkrose]

She had not been very active around the island. She had created many plans of what to do with her time there, of which plans, none came into fruition. She had wanted, once, to create a support group for those who found out that they were from books or films, but once the shock had passed over her own discovery, her plan seemed to fade into the

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[never_atone]

Briony's own peaceful sojourn along the shore was interrupted by the cry of frustration, an intimately familiar sound to her own ears. Not the voice, no, that was not the aspect of the noise she knew, but the tone. Yes, the tone Briony knew, a knowledge which informed her that the discarded object in the sand would be some writing utensil before she'd wandered close enough to see for certain.

"Are you alright?" she asked the other girl, not wishing to intrude but unable to help her curiosity and concern.

[apinkrose]

"Oh!" Cecily said, turning abruptly to the girl, "Oh, yes. Nothing at all is severely wrong." She stood, brushing off some sand and coming closer to the stranger. "I merely became frustrated with my pen for it refused to write the story I am sure is in me somewhere."

[never_atone]

Of course, a pen. "They can be difficult like that," Briony agreed, a knowing smile curving her lips. "Have you tried a pencil? Those can be kinder and more receptive."

[apinkrose]

"Why, no," Cecily replied, "I was not aware that there was any difference between the two writing utensils." She looked back at her pages and wondered if she had ever written with a pencil in her journal. In her studies, yes, but it always seemed difficult to write when she was attempting such an unbecoming language as German.

[never_atone]

Oh, Briony hadn't intended for her words to be taken quite so literally. "What are you trying to write?" she asked. "I'm a writer myself. Perhaps I could assist you."

[apinkrose]

"It is a story," Cecily began matter-of-factly, "wherein the good end badly, and the bad end well." She nodded her head and smiled. After a brief pause, her smile dimmed and she glanced away from the woman, "That is all I have thus far."

[never_atone]

After all the hours she had spent hunched over manuscripts for inclusion in the magazine, Briony's literary ear had grown attuned to sweeter, more complex music than what this girl played. Still, a few notes rang true.

"It's a clever thought," she remarked, her commendation honest. "Do you have any ideas as to characters? Many a story lives on after being read through the strength of the characters."

[apinkrose]

"No, and I do believe that is my greatest problem," she admitted, scowling at her papers as though they had some fault in the matter. She looked back to the unknown woman and smiled, "I am Cecily, may I add."

[never_atone]

"Oh, my apologies!" Introductions had entirely slipped Briony's mind as well, the story having claimed the highest seat of importance in her mind. "I'm Briony Tallis. The simplest thing to do about characters is to take inspiration from those people you already know."

[apinkrose]

"Briony, what a very pretty name," she complimented. "But I do know so many people. How am I to choose who shall be in my story?" She asked, very eager to see how a writer's mind worked.

[never_atone]

"Thank you," she said softly, before turning her attention to the most important matter: the story. "Take the strongest aspects of their personalities to start? Who stands out, and who would be best fit to the idea of the story?"

[apinkrose]

"Oh, this is too hard," she said angrily, glaring at her journal. Everything that went along with writing a novel seemed to expand before her. She needed characters, and a plot, and a clever twist, and far more other things.

"I do not know the story yet, how can I know who best fits?" She shouted to the air, half to herself, but not meaning to insult Briony in any way. "I am sorry," she said, offering a soft smile, "I do not mean to be difficult, although the novel seems to be doing a fine job of making me seem so."

[never_atone]

Surprised though she was by the outburst, Briony did not take it personally. Too often she had been within firing range of someone, broken and a mess, who did not mean to target her but just some responsive body. It was, she often thought, yet another duty of a nurse to suffer such attacks.

Smiling benignly, Briony shook her head. "It's quite alright. I know how frustrating it can be. It's both a process, pieces fitting together, and pure inspiration, just letting words flow onto the page. Balancing the two is difficult. Sometimes it's best not to force it so."

[apinkrose]

Cecily removed herself from her frustration and suddenly became overwhelmed with interest for this new friend. "Do you have any of your books on the island?" She asked, head cocked and the soft smile returning to her face.

[never_atone]

"My books?" Briony repeated, eyes widening with surprise. "Oh no, no. I'm not published," she explained modestly. "I write, but I'm not that good. Yet."

[apinkrose]

"Oh," Cecily said, a little surprise in her voice, "Yet you sound ever so knowledgeable." Briony seemed to know quite a bit about books for never having written one that she thought was very good. "Perhaps you are too hard on yourself. I am sure that your unpublished writings are worth reading."