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'xxxxshift. american martenxxxlocation. cabin deck/porch --> kitchenxxxmentions. sebastian, josie, averyxxxtags. carsus, vivette, toby
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- 'Perhaps Kenna was a bit naรฏve, typing up labels for each of those she shared a home with even though she had only been on Fox Island for a little under a year, but Carsus appeared to catch onto her humour quickly enough. He had even managed to crack a smile, which Kenna presumed was getting extra attention to divert his mind away from her teasing words that had pained his cheeks red. Carsusโs words were short and sweet, but enough to earn a hearty laugh from Kenna, who gripped the wooden rail as she tossed her head back to prevent herself from stumbling backward. โHow dare you,โ she gasped rather dramatically. โYou picked the wrong fight, Mister Howell.โ And then she dropped it, allowing the blissful breeze to take ownership of the conversation as it swayed on by. Her eyes remained steady on his person, though. Was it an act of clumsiness, or was he genuinely scatterbrained? She made note of the way his own gaze flitted about, as if trying to seek out the culprit of the rustling crackle that sounded every time a leaf fluttered from the breath of nature. She didnโt dare label him as jumpy, if anything he seemed more in tune with the woods than even the inanimate objects that lived in the treeline, but Kenna was able to pick up on the shift in his mood. His voice, while soft-spoken, seemed to drown out the chorus of birds nearby, and even the ghostly rush of the seaโs waves felt as if it had gone extinct.
____Her smile naturally depreciated, and a solemn look took over, her eyes particularly fixed on him as she patiently waited for him to form the words he felt were most suited for his thoughts. She couldnโt say she was familiar with the area he made mention of, but Kenna didnโt often head out in that direction. The water was beautiful, but her fear of the deep sea was often powerful enough to prevent her from even travelling along the shoreline by herself. It was a stupid thing to admit, and even stupider to bring up to someone like Carsus, who seemed to feel much at home in that very area she shied away from, but just because she didnโt feel comfortable around the big body of water didnโt mean she didnโt understand the serenity Carsus was describing. โI get it.โ Her acknowledgment was just as quiet as his original words were. Returning to her original position of leaning against the wooden rail, she lowered her head into her hands once more, closing her eyes for a fleeting second as she tried envisioning where Carsus often spent his nightly visits. She was honest with her response, too: the sound of the ocean was like natureโs version of white noise. Her eyes fluttered open once more, returning back over to glance at him. By now, he was evidently lost in his head, eyes gazing aimlessly out into the forest, posture practically frozen in place. Kenna could see the paleness against his skin, and made note of the way his shirt consisted of slight wrinkles that scattered about the fabric like wormwork, likely from dozing off in it.
____Something shifted, then, something that even Kenna was able to pick up on. Her head tilted in concentration as his gaze molded into a stoic expression, and she was sure that if he were holding onto an object, his knuckles would surely be as white as a fawnโs belly. โIโll pack you a basket,โ she intervened his thoughts โ or so she hoped. โA picnic basket. What do you take out there with you? Anything? I know itโs not far from here, butโฆโ Kennaโs voice temporarily trailed off just long enough to offer him a faint smile, which only grew the more she mentally planned out this idea. โJust some snacks, maybe a blanket? I can throw some honey in there for the bear, too.โ Her attempt to crack a joke was weak, but she was desperate to lift up the mood. Something told her that packing an overnight bag was the last thing on his mind, but Kenna was beginning to obtain the impression that this method of relaxation he engaged in didnโt always go as smoothly as the way he described it to her, as vague as that had been. It was almost a bit strange that she hadnโt routinely picked up on this habit of his before: night walks โ or adventures amongst the trees โ had almost become part of her daily schedule, and yet not once had she run into him on his way out. Perhaps that was for the best.
____When he spoke once more, Kenna found herself physically biting her tongue in an attempt to reel her wandering mind back into the moment. It was easier than she was expecting it to be, perhaps because of the grave look on Carsusโ face that managed to hook her attention with ease. While her smile had once again begun to disintegrate, she consciously felt it drop the moment he brought up their sides. It was true, what he had said: Kenna was truly amazed by how easy it was from some of these people to essentially snap their fingers and take on a whole new form of themselves. She wasnโt going to say anything out loud, instead deciding to stick to a simple string of nods. Piping up to exclaim that she understood what he was getting at sounded absolutely ridiculous when comparing the two of them; her shift was surely no more than the size of his paw. She was aware of her own struggles with it, though. She knew about the uncomfortable stir in her chest when the sun fell, when her senses heightened as nocturnal prey roamed about. She was familiar with the unfamiliarity of shifting, of when to and when to not, and more importantly, how. Kenna supposed she was lucky, in some way. She was all too familiar with the untamed hiss of her fatherโs sharp words, the way both parents addressed her like a wild creature rather than their own daughter. But at least her shifting wouldnโt accidentally cause too much damage, as far as she was aware. It wasnโt likeโฆ well, a bear, one of the grand mighty predators of the forest. She opened her mouth, then paused for a fleeting moment, before deciding to speak aloud: โIโm not sure itโll ever not be strange,โ she mused, keeping her gaze fixed on her hands to avoid embarrassment in case she sounded like a complete idiot. โI mean, itโs not like another organ in our bodies or anything. The biology of it is justโฆโ She shook her head as a way to wrap up her sentence, letting a puff of air escape harshly from her lips. Despite having studied environmental studies, this sort of anatomy was something Kenna couldnโt wrap her head around in any sort of way. โWellโฆ If it means anything, I think youโre handling it greatly.โ She flashed him a small smile, although she wasnโt exactly confident that it would do much to ease the tension he was battling. โThe worst thing any of us could do is pay no mind to it at all, right? Youโve just gottaโฆโ It was Kennaโs time to stumble over her words, and she tossed her hands up as if that would help her formulate her thoughts better. โโฆTune in to what it needs. Which, you seem to already be doing.โ Her smile remained present, because really, that was all Kenna could offer. If he wanted genuine, accurate advice, Josie was the person to go to about that.
____As much as she didnโt mind listening to him mutter out those thoughts that had been clouding his gaze, as sheepish as she was to admit it, Kenna was a bit relieved when the conversation entered a completely new room. It wasnโt that she didnโt want to talk about that uncertainty of the unfamiliar soul within them, but she had just as many answers as he did, and feeling helpless wasnโt her forte. He had grabbed the door just as she had picked up on the presence of Sebastian in the distance. โAh! Such a gentleman,โ she chirped, taking the door from him. The change in temperature was surprisingly dramatically different as she stepped foot into the kitchen, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Carsus as she flashed everyone else an awkward greeting smile. โMorning,โ she spoke a second later, the word tossed out as a general greeting, although it did turn into somewhat of an awkward squeak at the very end as she made eye contact with Josie. Abandoning Carsusโ side, Kenna beelined towards Vivette to give her friend a hug, which was rather awkward given that she was standing and Vivette was sitting. โThat looks delish,โ she practically gawked at Vivetteโs plate, standing straight once again and bounding over to the cupboards. โCarsus, here-โ she grabbed hold of two plates and extended her arm for him to take one of them. The cracking sizzle of the waffles Toby was in the process of making made her stomach grumble, and her attention was suddenly all back on her hunger, which she had been battling since the second she woke up.
____ โToby.โ The name came out exasperated, as if she had been holding her tongue this whole time and finally found a way to steal the floor. โDid you see that both Grace and Karissa were eliminated on Survivor? Apparently Grace totally sabotaged Karissaโs plan for one of the endurance challenges, so Karissa was eliminated, but then a few days later Grace was no longer on the show. Some sort of ethical reason, or something rather. I havenโt watched it yet. I knew she was a snake. You can never trust snakes.โ Her last statement was spoken firmly, in a matter-of-fact tone, but the second she felt Averyโs intense stare on her, raising her brows silently as she raised her mug to her lips, Kenna faltered a bit. But it disappeared quickly as her eyes settled onto the plate of waffles, and she grabbed one single one, ripping off the corner to pop into her mouth before placing the rest of it onto the plate. โWhatโs the plan for today?โ she asked once she had swallowed the piece of waffle, her comment yet again offered generally, given the small posse that had formed inside of the kitchen.