Fireside Wenches

Who: Sarah and Zania
When: Nighttime
Where: Around the fire

The day had been exhausting, both mentally and physically and as night settled in, things seemed to get a bit calmer. At least for Sarah. Which was shocking, given she'd been dreading nightfall all day. There was a fire nearby, that gave off plenty of light to keep her from becoming afraid. And hopefully she would fall asleep before it died out. Which reminded her that she still had no idea where to sleep. She knew people in the tents had to double up, and sleeping near Dan was a definite no go. In fact, she'd pretty much succeeded in avoiding him for most of the day, other than when he and Nic helped build the shelters.

Sarah stood close enough to the fire for the light, but not close enough to feel the warmth. She felt out of place. She didn't know anyone really, other than the few people she'd met, but even then, she certainly feel close enough to seek any kind of comfort from them. Arms folded around herself, her gaze fell upon Zania who was sitting alone. She hadn't gotten any bitchy vibes from the woman at all that day, even when she'd taken charge in regards to getting the shelters built. And now she looked just as alone as Sarah felt. Biting her lip briefly, Sarah found herself walking over toward the young woman, wanting to reach out. Even if she was rebuffed, well, hey, at least she tried. And with the situation they were all in now, it felt important to try. "Hey," she said, taking a seat next to her. "How're you holding up?"

After the shelters had been built, Zania spent the rest of the day doing little things, chopping wood at one point, looking for berries another. The overall theme though was that she'd done them alone, her mind elsewhere and not necessarily up for company. By nightfall, though, there only seemed to be silence, the sky above them clear, and the fire warm. Zania sat on ground, her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Once, she'd been scared of the idea of being outside, as if wolves would come attack them in the night. After the past week in the house, wolves seemed to be the least of her problems. The light of the fire would keep them away. She felt safe outside, with so many people around her, even if there was no reason for her to believe that.

"Hey," Zania said, looking over at Sarah as the girl took a seat beside her. "I'm okay. I didn't have all that much to lose in the first place." Still, the things she'd lost had all been important to her, important enough that she'd packed them up and carried them with her from the time she was sixteen. That seemed like so long ago, yet now so close. This night reminded her of then, of the first night she'd spent on the street, but without the fear. There was no reason to be afraid. "You?"

Sarah shrugged, drawing her hands up in the sleeves of Dan's shirt to keep them warm. "I'm okay. I think I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what happened. I didn't have much to lose either, but the stuff that's gone was sort of irreplaceable. I keep telling myself that at least I'm alive, but..." Releasing a slow breath, she gave Zania a tiny smile. "You seemed to know exactly what you were talking about earlier today. Did you go camping a lot as a kid? Or are you just adept at survival skills?"

"I-- I went camping as a child," Zania said at first, looking at Sarah, then back into the fire. She thought about elaborating, but she barely knew the girl. They might have built the tents together, but she didn't know that that meant she wanted to share her life secrets with her. "Picked up some basic survival skills somewhere along the way. Building one giant tent sounds just so stupid," she said, laughing softly. She still felt fortunate she'd cut Andre off on that idea.

"I went camping only once. My mom wasn't a fan, so we never went again, unfortunately." Sarah grinned a bit, watching the fire dance. "One giant tent would have just been a catalyst for complete and utter chaos, given the way some people behaved today. And I think there are people who are having enough problems with having to double up and share the tents as it is. At least doubling up gives you some privacy." Sarah would have rather slept on an uncomfortable pew than under the same, well, tarp as Dan and Nic. "Have you been here long?" she asked, wondering if Zania had anyone close in the house.

"One giant tent would end up with half of us dead by morning," Zania said with a small laugh. She couldn't even imagine the chaos that would ensue, especially considering how tight the quarters would have ended up. Individual tents were a far better deal. "I've been here about a month and a half," Zania said. Right around the time that Jesse had tried to commit suicide, if she remembered right. Now Jesse wasn't even there. All that work to care about a person, just to have them disappear. "You're fairly new, right?" she asked, knowing that was the case, but not exactly when Sarah had arrived. She did remember that the girl had camera access though. She'd seen her watching the screens from time to time.

Sarah nodded once, picking a bit at the sleeve of her shirt. "A few days ago, actually. Worst decision of my life, I can tell you that much. It's been nothing but doom and gloom since I got here. Having to deal with having been lied to, then Da..well, just everything. And then the bloody fire. All my stuff is destroyed. And these ugly pajama pants are the only thing I have left that's mine." She paused and gave a tiny laugh. "I sound like a total wanker, whining about things, when at least I got out alive. Sorry."

"I don't think there's many people here who actually think it was a good decision," Zania told Sarah. Maybe a few who thought it a necessary decision, or an unavoidable one, but very few that still thought it good. If they actually thought that, they'd cracked worse than she had. "We were all lied to, in some way. We all thought we could leave when we wanted. But the fire, well... You might get your stuff back. I don't know. I haven't been here for any of the major events like this. But you're right. You're alive. And you have berries and hunted game to look forward to," she said with a small smile.

Sarah laughed, the feeling sounding strange, and welcomed, after the last couple of days she'd had. "Believe me, I'm completely adept at hunting game. All I really need is a spear. I can use the berry juices for war paint. And maybe wear a loincloth of some kind, because I think people could use some form of entertainment after what happened." Her laughter settled into a small smile. "And, I think I've completely gone off the deep end if I'm talking about berry juice and loincloths."

Zania laughed, amused. "You know, I don't think I've ever gone for war paint and loincloths, but that would be damn amusing," she said. She'd had quite the variety of costumes when she'd done belly dancing. Sometimes she missed it, especially in the traditional sense. "We'll figure something out. And think of it this way-- at least you're in pajamas that make you decent. Some of the guys were just in their underwear." Zania watched the fire for a moment, a smile fitting on her face. "Just as long as we don't become like that book. The one with the kids on the island? Where they kill the pig and make it bleed?"

"Yeah, and if we have to stay out here for an extended period of time, my pajamas will dwindle away into worn, shredded bits barely covering me. Which means everyone in their underwear will eventually be naked. Or...wearing loincloths or using leaves to cover up." Sarah grinned a tiny bit. She remembered seeing some of the people run out of the house in a lot less than she was wearing. It hadn't meant anything to her at the time. Now it was just a tiny bit amusing, even though it shouldn't have been. At least she was completely covered right now but for her feet. "Lord of the Flies? God, I hope not. Because kids acting like savages is one thing. Adults would be a completely different story." And something told her the scientists, wherever they were, would probably love that. Did that mean she was finally accepting what everyone else had told her about the experiment? Probably.

"Well, we'd need spears. And we'd need wild pigs to hunt, so I think we're safe," Zania said, drawing a completely incorrect conclusion on purpose. It just sounded so ridiculous. For one thing, people didn't seem to care enough to go that wild. "But if we did? I'd want someone to play the bongos. Then we could dance around the campfire and chant. It'd be loads of fun, if we could find some liquor." Now she was greatly amused, even if the situation wasn't anything like that. Just smiling felt good.

Tilting her head to study the fire, Sarah pushed her hair away from her face. It still smelled like ash and smoke. Still, she didn't really seem to care at the moment. "So okay, bongos, chanting, dancing and liquor. I can't play the bongos, but I can dance. And probably chant, especially if it's just gibberish. And you realize that involving liquor means people would probably end up dancing around the fire naked eventually. Or maybe that would just be me." Why she kept going back to conversations of nearnakedness, she had no idea whatsoever. But whatever, it felt good to have a lighthearted conversation again. Sighing, she settled her elbows on her legs and rested her chin in her palms. "That sounds like a lot more fun than hunting or picking berries, if you ask me."

"I'm not sure I'd end up naked, but maybe topless," Zania said, sliding her feet out in front of her. She didn't feel quite so obligated to roll up at this point, more able to relax. "Though the guys are already topless, most of them. And dancing is good. We could be the entertainment! Send everyone else out to hunt and gather, and we'll be fireside wenches," she laughed, pushing her toes through the grass. "I can play the drums, if need be, but it's better to find a guy for that." Part of her knew this, from past experiences. Part of her was making it up completely. "So, we put up the tents," she said, looking over at Sarah. "Did you ever claim one?" she asked. Zania hadn't done so herself because they were required to pair up, and she had no one to share with. Besides, she'd slept in plenty of churches.

"I could live with being a fireside wench," Sarah replied with an amused nod. "Doesn't sound too stressful, or physically taxing. I've never been a wench of any kind before. So why not try something new?" Her eyes shifted to look over the tents they had helped build. "I didn't claim one yet, no. I don't think I will. You have to double up and I don't know anybody. Well, no one that would be up for sharing. So I don't know. I suppose I'll find place to sleep. You?"

"If you want, you can share with me," Zania offered. "I don't have anyone to share with yet. But I don't mind sleeping in the church either." She was good with just about anything, as long as she felt protected, and that came about fairly easily. "And I have a blanket. It's covered in cat hair, so that won't work if you're allergic to cats, but otherwise, it would make up for the fact that those with tents don't necessarily get sleeping bags."

The offer was a pleasant surprise and Sarah found herself giving her a grateful smile. She didn't really know Zania overly well, but Sarah liked her enough. And just knowing someone would be around in the middle of the night made her feel better about the situation. "That'd be great, actually. I'm not allergic to cats, so no worries. Even if I was, I'd put up with it just to have some kind of warmth, believe me. Thanks. I'd offer something in return, if I had anything."

"You don't have to offer anything," Zania smiled, pulling herself to her feet. "Let's go see if there are any tents left. I know someone around here was trying to keep track of things like that." She remembered seeing Kaori and another woman earlier, and she thought they were probably still around. It wasn't all that late, just dark. "Wanna come with?" she asked, offering Sarah a hand up.

She certainly didn't want to sit there alone so Sarah took Zania's offered hand and pulled herself up. A tent would hold a bit more privacy than the chapel, which is what she preferred. "Sounds brilliant." She felt better already, even if all of her worldy possessions were gone. At least she didn't totally alone in all of this anymore. And she supposed that was the important thing.