Where's my troll? [open]

[Olivia St. Michaels]

Olivia was furious. She was hopping mad. She couldn't find it. She couldn't believe, she couldn't find it. How could it not be in her bag. She had packed it in her bag. damn it. Where the hell was her troll?

When she had been eight, she had lost a swim meet for the first time in her life. Her heart had been shattered. Her dad hadn't been able to look her in the eyes, he was so disappointed. That was how he was. She herself was disappointed. She knew she was a let down. He mom however, had taken Olivia aside and made her feel better, and had given her the troll.

It was a simple children's toy. One of those little flesh-toned rubber dolls with a shock of pink hair and a bright blue jewel for a belly button. Olivia had taken it and listened as her mom spoke words of comfort. She told Olivia that it was good luck. That it would help her win if she rubbed it before every race. And it had worked. Olivia hadn't lost another competitive race until she was sixteen, and that was only because she had been desperately ill that summer.

She had kept the troll for years and years after she stopped believing in it's magic. Maybe as a way to remember her mom. Maybe as a way of holding on to the past in general. But none of that would matter if she couldn't find it now. She searched her bag one last time.

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

The last thing someone needed to do was go through the luggage on the beach. Ana-Lucia Cortez was well aware by now that this wasn't a safe place to be. They needed to move out. Something in her gut told her to have them move out. But not yet. They needed to get themselves situated and that was that. But they needed to do it soon. Or so she noted in her mind. Long tendrils of ebony fell over her shoulders and Ana thought of maybe finding something that could help them keep track of everyone. As if it weren't bad enough that there had been a list of everyone to begin with. Squashing the idea in her mind the slender Latina moved toward Olivia, watching as she went through the luggage.

Cortez needed to choose her words wisely, but with her... it was always comforting others that meant the most in bad situations.

"Are you all right?" rasp of a voice had exhaled. General concern in her tone and an expression that painted the picture of sorrow and regret. Most of the Tailies knew her by now as their leader, and some leader she turned out to be. Ana frowned at the thought.

[Olivia St. Michaels]

Olivia heard the question from behind her and it sent her in to a tailspin. "No, obviously I'm not. We crashed on an island, no rescue has come, now someone's taking kids, and I can't find Maurice!" She yelled all of this in an exasperated tone, not even realizing that Ana Lucia had no idea who Maurice was. "Sorry, Ana. I didn't mean to snap. It's just, a sentimental thing, y'know? I need it. My mom gave it to me. It's got my favorite colours and everything." Olivia caught herself regressing to the age of five and kept it in check. "Whatever. Just let me look, okay? I need to look."

Olivia kept searching but felt the other girl's presence still on her. She grabbed the bag she was holding in her hands and threw it hard against the sand, falling back on to her butt as tears welled in her eyes. "What? What is it Ana?"

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

Oh for crying out loud. Ana stood there, taking it all in. A woman in need, she lost her... well what exactly was she looking for? The woman took this situation in stride now as she lowered her body into a squat and placed a friendly hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Hey, hey. Chill." the girl smiled, it was a thoughtful smile. "You're in shock, I can understand. Things... haven't been so good." a frown. Her leadership sucked, that's what hadn't been going so good. "We're going to move out by tomorrow... I'll let the camp know, but right now we can't have any weaknesses or panic attacks. Okay?" trying to console her. Her brown eyes stared to the woman's for a moment and managed to sit in a kneel, looking to her.

"Where was the last place you left ... well first of all, what are we looking for?" with utmost respect and seriousness she could muster. "Maurice right? Is it... a toy? A blanket?" puzzled, she arched both dark eyebrows.

[Olivia St. Michaels]

"He's a troll. You know, one of those little cheap toys that were so popular in the eighties. My mom got it for me before she left. I take it everywhere." Olivia looked up at Ana Lucia, tears in her eyes. She tried hard to blink them away, but one fell on to her cheek anyhow. She let her eyes gaze upon Ana's face, finding the mercurial compassion and fierceness that laid behind those eyes. She looked on with something like awe, respect, and maybe fear. She realized she was staring and let her eyes drop back to the sand. "I don't want to move until I find him. And where are we going anyways?"

Olivia blew out a deep huff of air. "I mean, where can we go that they aren't going to find us. You saw what happened as well as I did last night. There was nothing we could do to stop that." She nodded towards Bernard. "Posting old men as sentries isn't gonna work either. We need a real plan." Olivia went back to looking through the large amassed pile of luggage to no avail.

"So Ana Lu, what's it gonna be? DO you have a plan? Or are we just looking for a nicer place to sleep when we get dragged off and killed by strangers in the jungle?"

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

Maybe there was a sentimental value there, not just because of the troll but more or so because of the entire situation. Ana-Lucia didn't know what to say however when the other started spouting basic fears of them being killed or whatever those 'Others' did. That's what she'd call them. 'The Others'. What else could you call them? Monsters? Beasts? Deranged Psychopaths? Yeah maybe so. However she wasn't good with this emotional crap. Ana frowned and pushed her palm onto the sand as she got up into a stance, folding both arms across her chest and looked to Olivia's back when she was trying to go through all the luggage.

"Look, Olivia." Ana tried to be firm, yet kind. Which was impossible for her considering all she ever did was talk to her mother, criminals or cops. How could she speak to a civilian? Normally of course.

"You need to calm down. Worrying isn't going to do any good but send a panic through the entire camp. We'll find ... Maurice, don't worry." offering a faint smile, but it faded. "We're moving to the jungle, come dawn. We'll take what supplies we need, leave the pleasures behind and trek . There has to be another side of the island... there has to be something else out there besides these people. And if I'm wrong? Feel free to chuck the troll at me." the woman ended with a little bit of humor.

Brown eyes caught something sticking out of the sand. Looked like fire engine red or pink hair with a bit of peach plastic coloring. "What's that?"

[Olivia St. Michaels]

"Oh, hell yes!" Olivia dove for the plastic troll and soon Maurice was back in her grasp. She squeezed him gently at his bellybutton, where the color was becoming worn from her touch. The tears were gone replaced with joy as she leapt up and uncharacteristically grabbed Ana Lucia, pulling her in to a tight hug and laying her head on the other girl's shoulder before letting her go. She smelled vaguely of coconut. It was nice if not a bit nauseating. That seemed to be all they had to eat now.

"Thank you so much," she said as she released her grasp. "I don't know what I would have done without this guy. He's been with me forever. Now, to your plan. We should really get people moving up the beach or inland... It would be harder to cover our tracks moving inland, but if we wait for low tide, then walk along the water, it should cover our tracks, no?"

Olivia waited for an answer from the girl with the intense brown eyes while biting her own bottom lip. They both had dominant personalities, but Olivia had cracked slightly at the discovery of Maurice, and her respect for this other girl was slowly growing as she waited for a response.

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

At first her brown eyes widened slightly, Ana-Lucia was no good with hugging or squishy feelings but she smiled faintly, in a motherly way and gave the woman a hug back softly in an embrace before the two let each other go. "That might work, but if we're in plain sight...it might not work as well, you know?" the brunette frowned. "We move through the jungle, and we don't stop moving until we find shelter. They came from the jungle true, but if we can make it to the other side of the island before they do? I mean, it can't be just us living here. The plain broke apart, we witnessed it. There has to be another side." Ana explained logically.

"We just have to keep our senses up and stop worrying about trolls." a smirk as she elbowed the girl lightly. "Come on, we have to get back to camp before the nuts hits the fan, again." what could Ana say? How could she say it? This woman seemed like the perfect co leader in her opinion, but it didn't matter considering that even with Libby around it still meant any of them could be taken, even herself.

[Olivia St. Michaels]

"You got it." Olivia said smartly. "Let me pack a few things. No one should be carrying more than a backpack of some sort if we're going to make decent time. Maybe Eko. He could probably carry two or three." She started walking towards the rest of the group with Ana Lucia. In all honesty, it felt as though the two of them were being thrown into leader roles, but she wasn't sure she was ready for it. She was strong physically, but mentally right now she was a wreck.

"When do you want to leave, Analu?" She looked at the girl sideways and smiled, wanting to brighten the situation, but Ana Lucia didn't seem like the type who joked around too much. Olivia walked next to her in silence after that. She would do what she could. She would be strong. If for no one else, than for Ana Lucia.

[Ana-Lucia Cortez]

“We leave this afternoon.” A hint of a smile was there not for the situation but because Olivia was so smart. “Sometimes it’s like you’re my daughter or something.” A smirk. “Well, obviously older than me but still…you have the qualities of being a leader… more than me anyway.” She started to head back to camp but then turned to Olivia. “I’m putting you in second in command. No one screws with you, you tell them what to pack and how to pack it. They need to find backpacks, no carry on bags, no large luggage. Leave everything that isn’t needed here.” She commanded hopping right back into leadership mode. “We leave before night fall, that’s when they like to strike. They’re like animals, they just come and go at night fall with no care, no remorse. With the sun to guide us, we’ll be all right.”

Ana frowned. “Bring the troll, seems to be good luck, and don’t lose it this time.” A faded smile. “You know what you’re bringing already? There’s water bottles scattered around from the plane, but not much. My guess is we make for the other side of the island and stop at night fall to rest. The soil seems to be thick, but it ‘s easy to dig… I’ll make a pit and if we have any problems with someone, we’ll shove them in there. No ways of getting out.”

[Olivia St. Michaels]

"Okay, sounds good." Olivia grinned a little and was filled with the slightly hopeless hope anyone in an impossible situation feels when someone with a plan takes them under their wing. Would it work? Probably not, but the confidence, the confidence practically oozed from Ana Lu, and it was impossible not to feel it starting to stew in herself as well. She was beautiful and fierce in her anger, and Olivia admired her as she watched her walk away. Finally, she snapped back to reality, gathering her bag and some of the things she needed to bring, helping others pack as well. This was going to be hell, but if they were smart, and lucky, they may still survive.

Olivia smirked again. She was ready.