Edge of the World [open]

[Owen Mueller]

One foot after the other. That’s all it, wasn’t it? Walking? When all other factors were stripped away, it really was that simple. It was all just slapping the sole of his shoe against the dusty ground, shifting it backwards, and then doing the same to the next. He didn’t particularly care about the complex movement of the muscles behind it, or the molecular level deeper behind that. For all he cared, they could’ve written a huge book illustrating every intricate detail of the process.

The thought idly crossed his mind as he leisurely strolled along the edge of the cliff. Every so often, his feet would dangerously teeter over the drop, before he would smile, correct himself, and continue to walk. Before, he would’ve been afraid. Before, he would’ve sensed the impending doom – his legs would turn to jelly, his blood would run cold and he’d stray far from the edge, lest he risk seeing what was at the bottom of the fall. He knew he was meant to have a natural disinclination towards these things, but he felt no such thing. In fact, he could only chuckle at the sight of the waves smacking and clawing at the base of the cliff, as if desperate to reach him and swallow him up. Not even the threat of the rising winds managed to incite terror in him.

His shivering breath was visible before him. Daredevil antics, sadly, didn’t protect him from the cold seeping in. He tucked both hands in his pockets and continued on, enjoying the stroll for what it was. And hopefully, it wouldn’t rain.

[Hunter]

There was so much new here. So much she didn't know. So much to find out.
Every tree, every change of terrain, every incline in the landscape was a discovery waiting to be made. She made it her goal to piece together every one of those discoveries until she had uncovered them all. That was the plan anyway- just part of being in a new place.

Her curiosity had led her around various areas until she had reached a rather perilous height. Undeterred from her mission she had began climbing upwards, each little detail however short lived in her memory was something to be enjoyed in the moment- she was just glad to be here, and glad to be alive. She refused to believe otherwise. She was as much a living breathing creature as the next person, entirely existent and 100% sentient. No one would dissuade her from that fact.

It was a bit cold, and she was wearing as little clothing as ever. Some people might say she would have an easier time being "normal" if she covered up more- but the thought, amazingly, hadn't yet crossed her mind. Mainly because her maw would fidget and grow restless underneath any clothing she put on top of it, which was too annoying to be outweighed by the potential benefits of not showing off the giant mouth on her stomach.

She stopped to look out over the ocean, watching mesmerized by the crashing of the fragile, foamy formations as they smashed against the rocks below, she was tempted to spread her arms and see if the wind would hold her up, but she held herself back, her sense of self preservation stopped her. Pity she couldn't join in the swirling dance, bring the spotlight onto herself and scream her presence to the world- but she could imagine it. She could picture it. She could dream- and that fact brought her no end of satisfaction. It was her confirmation, her proof that she was more than a bad dream herself.
She was so enthralled by the movement of the water that she failed to notice the approaching figure.

[Owen Mueller]

He was by no means a nature sort of person, but even he had to appreciate the sights and smells here. The cawing of seagulls circling the grey skies and that salty scent lingering in the air. Okay, so the weather here wasn't too fascinating, but it had been a while since he was here, and his most recent visits had not been pleasant enough to really take notice of it.

The sight of a girl in the distance caught him by surprise. An unfamiliar green female, standing on the edge, and... He squinted, his eyes tracing over the little clothing that she wore - in such cold weather, too.

His gaze tore away from her when his foot missed the ground and dropped, scraping the side of the cliff instead. His heart juddered in his chest and he managed to regain his balance before the rest of his body fell. Pebbles of rock broke off the cliff in his stead, tumbling down 'til they were devoured by the lashing waves - an example of what would've happened to him. "Whoa," he breathed out, his heart still thudding.

Eyes met with her again. "Uh, 'scuse me," he called out, tentative to approach. "You lost?"

Apparently, interaction with the opposite sex was more frightening than imminent death.

[Hunter]

Initially too distracted with the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing a low wild beat, the melody of sea birds drifting unceremoniously over the top to notice the sound of the rocks- and very nearly body- tumbling downwards, her attention was drawn by the sound of a voice, addressing whom she could only assume to be herself, unless this stranger was speaking to the wind.

She had yet to really meet many people on the island, indeed it was something that had brought her endless excitement on the journey over... and yet she had forgotten that excitement when she saw the sheer size of the area she had to explore, promptly setting off into the landscape.
Now she was presented with one such person, that excitement began to return- the possibilities were endless and less likely to include the usual negative outcomes of human interaction.

She turned to face the sound of the voice, a pleasant and somewhat brightly surprised smile appearing on her features as a few stray petals fell from her hair, caught up immediately by the breeze, tumbling and fading in the air.
"Lost?.. Oh, lost no I'm just..." she paused to think of the right word. "Just exploring the island." She studied his appearance, he didn't look very far from, well from what people usually looked like. Still enthusiastic about meeting someone new she stepped forward, intending to introduce herself.
"Name's Hunter- so nice to meet you." Admittedly her knowledge on the structure of introductions was slightly rusty.

[Owen Mueller]

In a way, he was glad that she hadn't noticed his slight slip-up, but at the same time, he sort of wanted her to see how well he'd managed to save himself from it... for some indiscreet reason. When he looked to her, his eyes widened with slight surprise at the peculiar hair... Were those petals? He tried to squint at her face, but it was hidden. Needless to say, she looked a bit peculiar.

The green skin, unavoidably, reminded him of Esteban, whom he'd still hadn't seen since the 'revival'. His brows furrowed slightly at the thought - he could see the two together, in fact, he could've seen himself setting them up, he'd be all over her like a--

Blinking, he refocused his attention on her words. At least she wasn't screaming about how alive he was. He could almost feel her eyes judging and scrutinising him, and forced a grin onto his face, striking something of a painfully casual pose. "Hunter," he said, looking amused. "Any reason for that?"

It was of course, a joke, and a horribly executed one at that. He tried to regain himself, scratching an arm on the back of his head as a foot nervously explored the corner of the cliff. "I'm Owen. I'm just walking here. It's not safe, yaknow," he warned, giving her a look.

[Hunter]

Owen, that was a nice name. It had a good sound to it- full and pronounced. You had to really feel the vowels- Owweeen. She repeated it over to herself a couple of times mentally. She liked that name. The conversation had moved passed his name and onto hers though so she didn't dwell on it for very long.

"Ahh... well I suppose it's a family name of sorts." this was true enough- her 'family' weren't exactly the most creative types. She had at least five close relations with the same name. That said it was her name, and it suited her. She hunted. She hunted for the things that she wanted. For new experiences. For new relationships. She was a hunter. A different kind of hunter. "I like your name better- it has a sturdier sound to it."

Not safe? If it wasn't safe for her it couldn't be safe for him. Unless he could fly. That would be cool, she wondered if he could grow wings, or if maybe he simply floated due to some magical buoyancy. "I'm sure I'll be fine- heh I haven't fallen yet." She was tempted not to ask him if he could fly, but she thought perhaps the question would seem a bit out nowhere, especially if he couldn't. Tempting though.

[Owen Mueller]

He could feel his face warming at Hunter's words. She liked his name. It wasn't as if he picked it or anything, but he was prepared to take it as a compliment anyway. Sturdy. That could definitely be applied to him. And it was definitely a sign that she liked him.

He grinned widely, a deep, unflattering chuckle escaping from within, before he disguised it as the clearing of his throat. "Thanks," he said, before quirking his eyes towards the rushing tides. "Well, thing is, if ya fell, then you probably wouldn't be getting back up. If the fall didn't kill you, then you'd probably either get your bones smashed against the cliff or you'd drown in the freezin' cold water. Or both." He grinned to himself at the images, before it faltered, remembering exactly who he was talking to.

He looked towards her again. "I mean... Yea. Sorry." His eyes awkwardly searched the ground as he screwed his lips tightly in thought. "...You wanna sit?" May as well risk it.

[Hunter]

True if she fell she didn't know what would kill her first- but she'd be pretty dead. Which made her wonder about death. What was death like? Where would she go? Would she even die like everyone else? Would she disintegrate or would there be a body? She didn't know. She wanted to know- but she couldn't. Frustrating.

Best to distract herself by doing just that- sitting and talking. That sounded nice. They could talk about alive things, like plants and birds and music. Or whatever he wanted to discuss- she wasn't too fussy, she liked listening to what people wanted to talk about. It was as interesting as her own interests.
"Sure" She smiled, sitting down a bit back from the edge, gesturing next to her before leaning back on her hands. This was pleasant, amiable. A good way to spend time. "So have you been at the island long?" that sounded like a good conversation starter...

[Owen Mueller]

She accepted. He didn't know whether to be satisfied or just throw himself off the cliff right there and then. Or perhaps even be courteous enough to explain to her what a horrible, horrible mistake she was making. Torn in three directions, the most he managed as a response was a flummoxed bleat.

Somehow, he managed to get over the initial confusion and sit down by her side. Trying not to pay close attention to the close proximity, he looked out into the sea. "...Yeah," he said. "Two years." Had it really been that long? It seemed to have passed in a blur, and honestly, it might've been three years judging from how long he was out. What had he even been doing this entire time...? He grinned bitterly. "You should prolly get out while you still can. It's pretty horrible."

[Hunter]

As Owen sat down next to her she felt her maw twitch, grumbling to itself. She knew it was itching to lash out and swallow him whole. It wasn't quite sentient as much as it was... hungry. She could usually stop it from acting of its own accord- a part of her own mind she was at least able to override even if she couldn't always control it. Still it's low rumbling growl made her frown slightly. The sound wasn't dissimilar to the growling of any other stomach, if slightly lower in pitch.

Hunters brow furrowed slightly in confusion. Horrible? Was it that bad here? It had seemed nice to her so far- and certainly seemed like a great concept. A place where people wouldn't prosecute you for your appearance or abilities. A place to be free. She supposed he looked more human, he could fit in better. Perhaps he enjoyed other lifestyles more... but then why would he still be here?
"Haha it hasn't seemed to bad so far- if everyone is as nice as you are there shouldn't be a problem and even then..." she sighed. "I don't exactly fit into other societies so anywhere people won't run screaming is a step up." It was that or go home. And she wasn't going home.

[Owen Mueller]

He gave her a look as her stomach growled, still pleasantly ignorant to the gaping jaws there. He smirked, but managed to resist the temptation of making an unwelcome jibe, lest it be unwittingly returned.

'As nice as you', she said. And then he was met with another decision to make. To enlighten this poor, misguided fool, or to reassure her blind optimism just so that he could keep her around a bit longer? Unlike the dilemma beforehand, this one was immensely easier to overcome. "...Yeaaaah, it'll be fine, no problem," he said, keeping his tone forcibly light. "Not everyone's as nice as me though, really..." He looked up towards her, wearing some obscenely stupid grin. "And why would anyone be running screami..." He trailed off, squinting more closely towards her. "...Is that blood on your face?"

[Hunter]

He was funny. She certainly hoped there were more people like him there. Not everyone could be expected to be quite so pleasant of course she was prepared for that but... it was nice to know at least one- possibly some- were.

She looked over at the sudden question confused for a second before- "Blo- Oh! Damnit I'm dripping... sorry!" How embarrassing. She raised a hand to wipe the blood away when she suddenly remembered why he perhaps was confused at the idea of people running from her in a panic. The illusion, perhaps he still hadn't seen through that oh so clever piece of misdirection. What if he noticed all of a sudden?

"U-uhm hey, I need you to promise me you won't freak out... okay?" She flicked the drips of red off her hand, looking to him earnestly. "D-don't freak out but uhm... just.. just come a bit closer and you'll see... it's partially disguised from a distance." Even with all her words she wouldn't be surprised if he reacted poorly- she had to admit she probably would in his place, but she could hope. She could hope.

[Owen Mueller]

He stared, not sure whether to be concerned, or just... concerned. There was nothing else to be. His expression was flat as she wiped her eyes. 'Dripping'. Most people called it 'bleeding'. Maybe it was a species thing....

He had every right to become more concerned at the promise he had to make. He opened his mouth as if he was about to question it, before simply deciding not to. He shuffled closer as he looked at her, not quite sure what he was meant to be seeing... that is, until he saw it. A huge, gaping maw on her stomach. His eyes widened and he jerked back a bit, staring at it. "...Whoa." He blinked. Why hadn't he seen that before? With a squint, he tilted his head to the side. "...That's... That's so cool." And it was. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

He gave her a look as he waggled a finger in front of it. "Why's it sewn shut?"

[Hunter]

She looked up uncertainly. Cool?
No one had ever had that opinion before. She wondered if he was just saying it to try and be nice. She couldn't think of anything cool about it, but then- it was supposed to be different here. Maybe that was just part of it. How different it was. Better. Nicer.
Well she wasn't about to challenge such a compliment when she received them so rarely.

"Well... to stop it from eating you." She raised a brow- it wasn't obvious? Well, to be fair she did have control over it. Sort of. But at the same time... sometimes she wasn't quite sure she did. Either way it was making a statement. Her statement. No more eating people. Not for her- it wasn't who she was. "I... don't want to eat people, so I sewed it up."

(Sorry for delay went to dads!! Moving out atm so I may be delayed again...)

[Owen Mueller]

As soon as she answered, he jerked his hand back away from it, grabbing it with the other as if he now savoured its existence more than he ever did before. He looked at her, slightly concerned.

...So, that was the twist. Well, nothing was perfect.

"So...  ya..." He continued to point at it, holding his hand now at some assumed safe distance. "You're some sort of... man-eater then?" As he said it, a perverted thought crossed his mind, but he tried to stifle his immature smirk. Upon realising that he couldn't, he directed it towards Hunter instead, grinning in a way which he modestly thought was completely irresistible.  "I know I look appetising, babe, but you're gonna have to resist."

[Hunter]

She sort of expected him to pull his hand back- actually she expected him to leap backwards and run away at any second, so pulling back his hand was sort of a welcome outcome. Hardly too bad at all.

She had to chuckle at his humour however, it was sort of refreshing to have her oddities met jokingly for once. It was different- new. Nice. Good. Positive. The list went on for some time. Being called 'babe' was pretty funny and nice too. She raised a brow in return, happy to play along.
"Yes, well you do look very tasty- but my man-eating days are behind me, it's a strictly non-sentient diet for me." She nodded as if there was unfortunately no getting around it. "Even if do appear to have an appetizing flavour." Truth be told she didn't really taste it when she actually ate people- her stomach-tongues didn't have taste buds. Instead she sort of felt the digestion. It was refreshing and it felt nice but the taste of food was a pleasure reserved for her actual mouth- but she could ignore that for the sake of the joke.

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