glencolareef | Jaws 5: Tentacles Take Glencola

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Jaws 5: Tentacles Take Glencola

WHO: Martin Blackwood, Maddy Perez, Levi Ackerman, and Ishigami Senku
WHAT: A harrowing trip to rescue a damsel in distress.
WHEN: Day 022
WHERE: The Shore and the Ocean
WARNINGS: injuries, shark attack
NOTES: Events follow this search request.

The start of the trip is a promising one. Levi's efforts to drag the raft to the shore have made it relatively simple to get prepare to set sail. Or set... paddle. Getting the raft past the wavebreak is a bit of trouble, but there's not too much issue there.

A few items of interest are noted on the paddle over, and maybe even a few of them are pulled up on the deck of the raft to be brought with the group on their way back.

Finding Maddy doesn't take long, not with the faint traces of blood in the water and a potentially hysterical teen trying to flag them down. But then the shark attacks. A sizable creature cuts through the surf, ready to attack them, the scent of Maddy's blood in its nose.

There's a mad dash to get out of the surf where Levi quickly tends to wounds, and then another larger shark-like creature with tentacles and two dorsal fins appears and chases the smaller shark off. Presumably to eat it.

Counting their lucky stars, the group gets Maddy onto the raft and hauls ass back to the west, hugging the shoreline as much as they can and keeping watch for more sharks. It's a slog to get the raft out of the surf and then carry Maddy to the bungalows, but they manage it. Rescue accomplished with only a few people exhausted for the journey.

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(This is a rough rundown -- let me know which time/scene you're interested in and I'll write up an IC starter!)

Levi spends most of the night getting that raft to the sea, a task that may seem too big for his frame at first glance, but somehow, he succeeds. As agreed, he'll be waiting by the raft at first light, clearly wanting to get going as soon as possible.

He'll do his part in paddling (and/or working the sail), though he may need to be instructed to do it properly -- he's got the strength and the wit, but it doesn't look like he's even seen a raft in his life, let alone sailed one.

It may also be of note that whenever he's not paddling he seems to keep to the middle of the raft, maybe even holding onto the mast, though he's trying to do it as not-obviously as possible. And when his tasks do put him by the edge, he always seems to make extra sure he's secured in his spot, whether it's bracing himself against the more protruding logs or hooking his foot behind the rope tied around the raft.

He'll be taking point once they finally spot a small lonely figure on the beach and immediately walk toward it.

After introductions (and disappointment), he'll help in assessing Maddy's wounds and take it upon himself to patch her up once it's been disinfected. It's probably pretty ugly, but it sure is better than dying.

After they haul ass back to the base, he'll once again take a big share of the physical tasks -- dragging up the raft, carrying Maddy, keeping watch once they settle for the night. Oddly enough, he doesn't seem to sleep much...

Even after they reach their destination, he'll stick around for a bit -- and probably return in the evening or next day to check Maddy's wounds again, just in case. It seems he really takes his promises seriously.

"You... moved that all by yourself?" Martin's brows rise high as he looks at the smaller man who's joined them for this rescue mission. "That's- thank you! Really. I thought we were going to take ages getting it down from where they'd tied it up for the storm."

Levi stares at him for a moment, unsure how to react to gratitude when it's an endeavor he was roping other people into, as far as he's concerned.

"It took most of the night," he finally says, which isn't ages exactly but still a significant chunk of time. And yes. He did it himself, which definitely wouldn't be anyone's first guess looking at him (while he has a cloak on anyway).

"You're really strong. That'd take me, like... a day into the night." A pause. "Um... I can still paddle, though. And-and push us off and stuff. You and Senku should probably get in the raft, and I'll walk us out as far as I can go to get past the rough waves.

"I don't think I ever really said, though. I'm Martin. I don't think Senku mentioned your... name?"

That is actually an excellent idea, especially considering that Levi can not swim so wading into the ocean is far from a good time for him. So he's just going to nod, though he'll still help in pushing the raft the rest of the way to the water (he had left it some meters off the wet patch of sand, just to be safe).

"No," he agrees, and considers leaving it at that. But Martin is helping him get Maddy, and he doesn't look like anybody from their world, so it's... probably fine. So after a bit of a pause he adds, "It's Levi."

The others had been respecting his wishes to keep his name and its relation to his callsign a (relative) secret, so he can only hope Martin will be, too.

"...I'd prefer you don't mention it to people I have not met face to face."

Somehow, it sounds a little more like a threat than a request, but maybe it's just his inflectionless tone sounding unnerving. He still doesn't trust the radio people, mostly because there's no way of knowing who is actually who.

"Oh... okay?" People here are really concerned with privacy considering there are like... 30 of them max. At least based on the callsign list. There are obviously more like the Glencolans, but what are they going to do with a name?

Well, then again, some people are probably working on the assumption that this is their world. Martin makes a mental note to maybe seem mildly more paranoid about that. "I mean, of course. Who have you actually met? You only got the airfield recently, right?"

In Levi's case, he works on the assumption that he may not be the only one from his world here, and that the other people may be ones who wish him dead. In that scenario, his name is more than enough, especially considering he's something of a mini celebrity.

"About ten days ago," he confirms. "I know Senku, Randvi and K." He looks at Martin. "And now you." Pause. "And Maddy."

So he may have broken his introduction rule for her because he did let her know his name before meeting her. But it seemed like it might give her some comfort to know who's coming for her, and he couldn't deny her that.

That is... definitely not an extensive list, though.

"Okay! That's easy to remember, then." He offers Levi an encouraging smile. "It's pretty scary being in a new place like this. And just... all new people. Totally get that. You're being really brave leading this mission to rescue her."

He glances down the beach where Senku seems to be getting ready before they head out into the water.

"Not really something I'm used to. Rescuing people. I know Senku is from what he's said. I was just an admin at home. How about you?"

"..." Levi looks away, apparently uncomfortable with the praise. "She reached out to me," he grumbles, even though technically he had reached out to her first. "What would you do if you were in that position?"

The raft is halfway into water now, so as soon as they're all here they can set off. Levi hops onto the raft, sitting near the mast to wait.

He's still not certain if he should tell people he's military combat veteran, just in case, but from what he's been observing so far, sharing his criminal career start might be even worse.

"I'm not really used to that either," he finally admits. There was no rescuing somebody once in the mouth of a titan, though he did succeed at tearing people from their clutches a few times. "But I have some experience fighting. It's not that different."

Okay, it's different in plenty of ways, but both things required one to put aside their fear and doubts, so ultimately, he thinks it probably runs on the same fuel.

"I'd help. But not everyone would." God, this man is reminding him of Jon in some ways. The grumbly reluctance to accept that they're doing anything remotely good just because they're a decent human being, the awkwardness... the height. Martin keeps those thoughts to himself and holds the raft, waiting for Senku to board.

"And it's good you've got fighting experience. Haven't got that, either. Mostly, I'm just good for numbers and making tea... or other little things like organizing. I know they're important!" Just so he doesn't get chided about that. "But definitely nothing flashy or super useful for survival.

He also doesn't like to be called kind, even though he absolutely is. You're welcome for that dose of deja vu, Martin.

"Nobody survives for long without organizing," Levi retorts, because yes, actually, those things are very important. Especially... "Or tea."

He may be a massive tea enthusiast. Oops.

Adorable. Martin's brows lift along with the corners of his lips. "Oh? Nice cuppa wouldn't go amiss. Wish we had some in a thermos for Maddy. I'll remember to save some for you if I ever find any, though. Little creature comforts are important in a place like this."

Wherever you can get them.

"Yeah." He hesitates for a moment, then adds, "I do have some."

He'd actually found a thermos pretty early on too, which is lucky for him.

"I tried to make some with sage, but I don't think it tastes very good."

Still, if memory serves, hot sage leaf water has some anti-inflammatory properties so at the very least it should be a reasonable part of whatever treatment they end up needing to administer to the girl.

Edited 2023-10-07 12:52 (UTC)

Martin blinks at the other man. "You've got tea? Lucky!" He's a little jealous, but he isn't going to ask for Levi to share. "Well, keep it close. If you've got any left, I think it'd be something nice for Maddy's spirits."

He pauses to hold the raft steady as Senku gets on and then starts walking it out further until he's up to his chest and waves aren't breaking against him. "If you guys can move to the other side while I, um... hop on?" This is going to be so undignified. Martin knows he's not a particularly graceful person, so dragging and rolling himself onto the raft is going to look stupid. But he'll try to be quick about it.

"Well, it's less tea and more lukewarm leaf water," he points out. He did have some tea with him when he arrived, actually, but that's long gone. "And that's the idea."

Though he seriously doubts the ability of that concoction to lift anybody's spirits.

As the raft gets pushed deeper into the water, Levi scoots toward the middle, leaning against the mast and maybe holding onto it a bit. But at Martin's request, he does grunt in acknowledgement and move to the opposite side from him.

If he does need any help, he trusts he will tell them. Hopefully the raft doesn't rear too much...

It's... graceless. Martin has to try hopping twice before he gets enough of himself onto the raft to grab for the mast and use that to wriggle up. It also causes the raft to rock more than he wants, but he's hopeful the others will be able to stay on. When he's finally up, he's panting soft, kneeling on his hands and knees.

"O-okay. Okay, I think I can... paddle." Just hand him an oar and point him in the right direction! He grimaces slightly, looking over at the others. "Sorry. That wasn't quite as easy as I thought it was going to be." But it's over, they're on, and they have a destination. Onward!

Levi definitely seems a little startled by the rocking, considering how he grabs onto some ropes tied around the raft to keep himself steady as soon as it moves. Maybe he just doesn't want to accidentally tumble into the water, though. Surely that's a reasonable reluctance!..

He also doesn't judge Martin for his climbing attempt; he did what needed to be done, result is what matters and all that. So once they're all settled and have caught their breaths, he'll be picking up those oars, handing one to Martin, and keeping the other himself so he can help with the rowing.

And so, the raft swiftly slides through the waves along the shore...

Senku doesn't really expect Levi to stick around with him and Martin there to take care of Maddy; he hasn't figured out yet how much Levi's dad instinct kicked in here. But he's true to his word and takes a watch at the bungalow where they're holed up for the night. Senku is already aware Levi doesn't sleep much.

"Hey, Steampunk. I got a question." Yep, he definitely just called Levi Steampunk out loud to his face.

He'd better figure it out before it gets focused on him for a change. Senku's not exactly out of brat bracket either just yet, though his competence and (mostly) calm attitude has him acknowledged as more or less an equal for now.

Levi turns his head to stare at the teen for a few long moments. He knows both words separately, but he has no idea if it's supposed to mean something when put together like that. He also has no idea why it's being used on him, as he's never worked with steam of any sort (he may have been called a punk though, especially by the MPs that he was giving the slip to), but figures he's been called worse.

"What."

Senku just stares back. That's the name he came up with and he's sticking with it most of the time! Maybe he'll explain it at some point; he's pretty aware Levi won't really know what it means, but that changes nothing.

"Can you swim?"

One thing they have in common ~~other than being put out about everyone else's horny bullshit~~: no wasting words when they want to know something.

Maybe one of those days he'll tell him to stick to Captain instead, but today is not one of those days. There's a silence for a few moments.

He's half tempted to ask why he wants to know, but decides that would just be postponing the inevitable.

"No."

Senku looks a little surprised by the confirmation. Or maybe by the straightforwardness of it.

"Damn. You agreed to take a raft even though you knew you'd be screwed if we capsized?"

He's a little impressed. A lot of people wouldn't do something like that. Senku will put himself in danger for science (and for others — he won't easily admit that second part), but this was a trip to save a girl. They could have got other people who could definitely swim, but Levi never even acted like he was going to pass the rescue mission off to someone else.

That had indeed crossed Levi's mind, but it was for that reason that he agreed to wait for the others in the first place. Bowing out of the task had never occurred to him. After all--

"I promised to get her to safety," he says, as if that's an indisputable fact that explains everything.

And sure, he'd done that before he knew there would be any water travel involved, but he wasn't going to go back on his word just because of that.

Aha, so this guy takes promises very seriously. Good to know. But he's also apparently more selfless than he might seem. Senku has no hard feelings at all about the kidnapping thing. Waking up on a weird island in another world is a wild ass thing to have happen to you.

"You don't even know her, right? And you still did everything you could."

He's impressed! Not that he's really any different. Senku doesn't openly express emotional attachment to people most of the time, but he's always wanted to save everyone — whether that's at home or here. The end goal is more or less the same.

"Good thing we didn't capsize, though, with that freaky shark thing in the water."

He laughs because of course he does. He just does that.

"Waiting til morning wasn't too bad, huh? Imagine having done that in the dark."

"I knew enough," comes a laconic answer. He knew that she was a kid, scared and alone, and injured after weathering three days of terrible storm by herself, outside with no shelter.

What else could anyone possibly need to know?

It definitely would have been more difficult and potentially dangerous in the dark, at the same time, it wasn't too bad only because they still succeeded. He bets Senku wouldn't be saying this if Maddy had died overnight.

And they had no idea which would happen when they were making that decision.

"We got lucky," he just says instead.

It's still something to know about Levi: he takes promises seriously, and he takes rescuing someone in need seriously. Considering how Senku's acquaintance with him started, it is surprising. Levi has some violent streak or something but he's not a bad person (not that Senku is a good judge and not that he particularly cares in the end).

"Sometimes that's how it goes," he says with a shrug. They got lucky, sure.

"What exactly did you do where you come from? You don't tell people shit about you because you're paranoid or whatever, but I'm curious."

He knows very little about Levi and his world. He makes the Steampunk comment because that's what airships make him think of. He's guessed Levi has some kind of military training from context clues, but that's as far as he's got. He's good with how things are made and how things work, but people are a lot harder to figure out beyond basic biology.

Levi side-eyes him for a moment. He is still paranoid, at the same time, Senku has done quite a lot to earn some trust in the last twenty-four hours. Not to mention he probably heard Levi's vague mentions of military and taking care of himself when Maddy had asked him where he learned first aid back when they were patching her up. So there's probably nothing really worse than can come if he just outright tells him.

But Levi still isn't sure which part he's supposed to play up to better fit in here. Soldier or criminal? Which would make people less suspicious? Does anybody actually care that much, aside from the few people who have expressed distaste toward police so far? It's possible that he's overthinking this for no reason.

"What was needed," he says instead. He's not completely against telling him at this point, but Senku may need to ask slightly more targeted questions if he wants more precise answers.

Maddy smiles a little when she sees Levi coming. She's pale and tired, and she's lost a lot of blood. The urge to keep moving, to wander, is strong, but she's so exhausted that moving takes a lot out of her.

"Hey," she says, almost sweetly. She sits up and angles herself to give him the best possible view of her wounds. "Are you okay?"

She doesn't know if she should be the one asking him that, but she feels compelled to. She should be asking all of them. They went through a lot for her, after all. The depth of her gratitude is hard to overstate ~~even if they don't look as expected~~.

Curiosity gets the better of her. "Where'd you learn all this stuff, anyway?"

Levi breathes a sigh of relief. She's alive. Alright. They can salvage this. He pauses a bit of a distance away at first, but as she doesn't look scared he'll head the rest of the way to her.

"I brought some help," he says, canting his head slightly at the two other guys trailing behind him, ~~none of them looking as expected~~ as if it's something he's ought to apologize for.

He kneels down to inspect her wound, pulling the bloodied cloth away and grimacing slightly. He's seen much worse, but it's certainly a good thing she called him for help when she did.

"What stuff?" He's not sure if she's referring to the storm tips, or whatever's he's doing now.

He's quickly cutting a beach towel into several pieces, soaking one in disinfectant that he snatches from Senku, and then using another small amount to clean his hands, a wonky looking needle and a stretch of thread. Then he folds up another towel piece into a roll and holds it out to her; no time to waste.

"Bite down on this. It's gonna sting."

"I brought some help."

The apologetic tone in his voice doesn't escape her and her brow furrows a little. "Good," she tells him, trying to reinforce that it was the right decision for him to bring help with him.

She whimpers a little bit when he leans down to inspect her wound. She's not used to being hurt like this. Only the shock right now is keeping her from breaking down. From falling completely to pieces.

The shock, and the hope of knowing that help was coming.

They're here now. She tries to tell herself the worst is over but she doesn't really believe it. Sometimes it seems like the worst is over, but it's really just beginning.

She can't show him that kind of fear, though. It wouldn't be fair to him, and after everything he's done to help her, she thinks it might hurt him to see her scared. He's stoic. She can barely make out an expression on his face. But actions speak louder than words.

"Like... all this stuff. Treating injuries. Are you, like, Special Ops or something?"

Seeing the towel soaking in disinfectant makes her stomach tighten. Maddy is suddenly acutely aware of the pain in her arm. Of all the blood. She's never been squeamish about blood, but she's also never been cut this bad before.

"O-Okay," she says. Voice uncharacteristically shaking. She takes a deep breath and takes the roll. Usually, she would say ew, she's not going to bite down on some old towel that she doesn't even know where it's been... but she knows this isn't the time. Not right now. Not here.

She looks away from the wound on her arm, and closes her eyes. Watching it will remind her of what's happening. It'll make it worse.

His expression lightens up a little when she doesn't express disapproval. He had been worried she may see it as a breach of trust, considering she had only reached out to him, but it seems that's not the case.

He wouldn't take it personally if she was scared, though. This is a hell of a shitty situation to be in regardless of age, let alone having to trust complete strangers as your only lifeline.

"...Something like that," he says with a slight frown.

Once he's sure she won't bite her tongue, he takes the disinfectant and pours it over the wound. There's blood everywhere, but at the moment it's not bleeding a lot anymore, so the stinging liquid also washes it out a bit allowing him to get a better look inside; it doesn't seem like any major blood vessels are burst so it shouldn't need cauterizing. He gives it a couple more washes, then carefully pushes the edges of the wound closed and sticks his makeshift needle in it.

"It's just basic first aid. I'm no doctor." He pulls on the thread and repeats the motion, stitching her flesh back together where it's been split apart. "So this might leave a mark. Sorry."

At least he's not terrible at stitching, so it shouldn't be too ugly. Hopefully.

Maddy had been wondering about him; if he'd be able to make it on his own. She had reached out to him, only, because she had feared that having too many people looking for her might jeopardize Jade's safety. And even now, she does worry about that.

But him endangering himself for her wouldn't do. She'd worried about that, too. So it's nice to see him alive and safe.

Less nice is the stinging sensation of the disinfectant. Actually, to say it's "less nice" is an understatement. Maddy screams into the towel as he pours it on, her body vibrating in pain.

"This might leave a mark. Sorry." It's funny. Back home, that's exactly the kind of thing she might have freaked out about. And her eyes do widen at him questioningly, from behind the cloth she's biting down on. But here, where she's mainly concerned about staying alive, it's hard to get too mad about maybe having a scar.

Her other hand reaches out to clutch any part of him she can, desperately needing the support. She's terrified, despite her (poor?) attempts at bravado. She realizes, not for the first time, how deeply out of her depth she is. This all feels like a weird drug trip or some kind of fever dream, but the pain reminds her it's all too real.

On the bright side, the sting of the disinfectant should drown out the pain from the stitches, at least for the start. It's not ideal, and he'll have to pull those out later causing her to bleed again, if less than this, but it's the best they can do at the moment.

At least he doesn't even flinch from the screaming -- heard plenty of that -- or the hand clutching at his arm, and sutures the cut with a steady hand, fully in focus. It only takes a few more stitches and he's pulling on the ends, tying off the thread and pouring some more disinfectant over it before reaching for the towels.

The disinfected piece of towel comes first, then a bigger, dry piece that covers it fully. Then he wraps it up with some long, narrow strips to hold the bandage in place, carefully testing the pressure to make sure it's enough to stop her from bleeding out but not so tight than the circulation in the rest of the arm is compromised.

Alright. This should be good.

He finishes it with a double knot, and only then glances at the hand still clutching at him, though he doesn't do anything to remove it. He just looks... a bit awkward, maybe, like he's not sure what to do about it.

"All done. You can spit that out now."

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Jaws 5: Tentacles Take Glencola

Levi

Raft at the Start

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think we can ftb on this one!

sounds good!

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After reaching their destination!

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waves hands, pretend it's anatomically accurate,,

8D okay!

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