*titanic theme plays quietly but in bromance* // open, canoeing gone wrong

[juliet s.]

She was either forced or made the terrible choice of going canoeing with Rory. Everything was fine if you didn't count that they had no idea what they  were doing meaning they went in circles or just drifted further off, but otherwise they were doing fine. Until one of them made the mistake of leaning to far and thus Odessa's panic began. Unknown to anyone at the lodge, including Rory, Dessa couldn't swim. However, she would argue she could do some degree, but not strong enough to be in deep water, maybe the deep end of an inground backyard pool, but not like this.

And of course, Rory started rocking the damn canoe. "This isn't funny! I swear to god Rory if I drown I'll kill you!" well it seemed her threat would almost come true. Almost. See later on Rory rocked the canoe too far, resulting in her fear coming true. The two were tossed over, leaving a feared Odessa to not only be shot into the water upon falling in but to sink from there. So when Rory came back up for air, she did not.

Of course, she had inhaled water, as the tip caught her off guard, but it wasn't enough to drown her. Though she had started to panic, which was valid. Odessa wasn't going to blame Rory for this, it wasn't like he knew she couldn't swim. She was stupid and didn't think to mention it, though then again she didn't really plan on going near the water, not to mention canoeing. 

Though her dramatics were cut before they could begin, as she felt someone grab her and pull her to the surface. She clung onto them, coughing and finally getting air. Sadly though for her savior, she didn't intend on letting go.

//please wait for Rory to reply first!! also ignore my shit title it's almost 3:30am

[RORY T.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; color: #494949; font-family: karla; font-size: 9pt; letter-spacing: 0.2px; word-spacing: 1px; margin-top: 10px;"]it seemed that rory was left by exhilirated by his endless amount of bad decisions.

he was growing bored— and frustrated— by the their circling, fearful that they'd be out here all night is neither did nothing soon. he didn't think that someone, that someone being odessa, would go out into a canoe if they didn't know how to swim. instead, he mistook her fear as something as trivial as her not wanting to get her clothes wet. first, he played dumb. but then, began to be a bit more boyish about it, a playful smirk on his lips. only— oops! he went too far. rory's own heart tipped along with the boat as he's submerged underneath the water.

not too long after , he breaks out from under water. he shakes his head, wipes his face from his already wet hands, before turning to look where odessa should be right beside him. except she's not. brows knit together in concern as he looks around, panic rising when he feels the brush of another beside him. "shit. shit. shit." god, was she stupid? did she not think to tell him she couldn't swim— but no— was he stupid? he shouldn't have done that in the first place. he delves in until he can feel her out , brings her to the surface. when he's back to surface , he waves his free hand as he attempts to keep both of them afloat. "hey, can someone help me !" he calls it once , before resorting the rest of his energy into trying to get he and odessa on shore.

[freddie]

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— fred didn’t think there was much that could go wrong on such a simple camping trip. people gave scary stories or joked about nearby bears coming and causing carnage - but it was unlikely for a bear to attack people, right? fred was at least convinced of that as he lounged, bored, on an open hammock. if fred didn’t want to speak too soon, he could’ve easily said that nothing could go wrong on this trip. though, as he heard rory calling for help, he realized then just how unlucky that kid could be sometimes. jesus, couldn’t the kid catch a break for just once in his life?

getting up and leaving the comfort of the hammock, he rushed over towards the lake. and sure enough, there was rory, struggling to keep him and odessa afloat while also get back to shore. their canoe was a few feet away in the lake, floating by. he pursed his lips briefly. only those two idiots would get themselves in this predicament. still, he didn’t want to see rory goddamn drown himself trying to help odessa; he went out to help him without even thinking much about it. “here,” he called once he swam over to the two, trying his best to take some if not most of the weight off of rory. “the hell happened?” he huffed as they made their way back to shore.

[EDMUND.]

Eddie was overly meticulous in the way he planned this camping trip. Rules set out to help allow the trip to run smoothly - he was certainly not expecting for there to be disaster within the first few days. Whilst he sat nearby his tent reading, his head raised at the sound of Rory calling for help in the near distance. By the time he began to rush over to the lake, Freddie had already arrived, in the water to help bear the weight of Odessa as the two men brought her to the shore.

❝ What happened? ❞ Eddie barked, frowning as he stopped at the shore, staring down at Odessa who luckily looked to be conscious at least. Near-drowning. His nostrils flared, eyes staring intently at the younger girl as he suddenly felt a sickening sensation rising in his throat. Head underwater. Lungs starved of breath, choking on water. Ed took a step back quickly, lowering his eyes to the ground quickly as he raised his walkie-talkie to his lips. ❝ We need a medic at the lake, please. ❞

He was blunt as he spoke, clearing his throat before he looked back towards the three before he pointed a finger towards them. ❝ Sorry. One second- ❞ He was quiet, voice cracking ever-so-slightly as he uttered lowly, before he turned and walked in the least likely of directions. Away from the lake and away from the camp. He stopped walking after half a minute of so, hands resting on his hips as he tried to catch his breath. Roughly, he squeezed his eyes shut, head tipped back to face the sky slightly.

Was he selfish for leaving Freddie and Rory to deal with Odessa? He wasn’t sure, but he did know that he had to step away before the haunting memories became too overwhelming.

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family:verdana; font-size: 7px;"][spoiler=tags :: updated 03/06]basics.
⋟ edmund theodore stirling-moray // ed, eddie, moray
⋟ goes by the name edmund moray
⋟ male // he/him
⋟ twenty four // ages real time // born seventh august
⋟ captain of flintlock lodge // formerly a traveler with his family
⋟ mob boss of the stirling crime family
⋟ joined FL two years ago

appearance.
⋟ faceclaim - finn cole
⋟ voice claim - finn cole
⋟ 5'9ft // stocky, well-built frame
⋟ muted blue eyes and dirty blonde hair
⋟ physical health - 100% // current injuries: n/a
⋟ mental health - 60% // depression and deluded thoughts

personality.
⋟ quiet in nature but confident in himself
⋟ completely fearless, almost foolishly so
⋟ insensitive and callous // cares for very few
⋟ very calm and calculative // always planning in his head
⋟ disciplined and practices good self-control
⋟ very flirtatious and persuasive // overly lustful
⋟ aloof and untrustworthy // jealous and deceitful
⋟ tactful and knows how to get what he wants
⋟ can be very nasty when he wants to be
⋟ but can also be very protective and faithful too
⋟ has a strong set of morals // has the quality of honor

relationships.
⋟ alfred stirling x leonora moray // both deceased
⋟ three older brothers // alfonso, thomas & franklin
⋟ the fifth stirling-moray brother, dominik, was killed
⋟ two younger half-siblings // henry & ida
⋟ bisexual but he stays silent about homosexual activity
⋟ ex-husband to blake kegan // was caught cheating
⋟ father of thomas moray and charlotte moray

interaction.
⋟ storage // playlist // pinterest
⋟ physically: very hard // mentally: hard
⋟ father taught him how to kill at a young age
⋟ insensitive towards injuring or killing others // will do so without hesitation
⋟ mentally, he is slowly becoming undone from stress, grief and guilt
⋟ often found guarding the lodge with a rifle
[/spoiler]

[juliet s.]

Once it was shallow enough for her to touch the sand in the bottom, she shrugged Freddie off her and more or less let go of Rory save for holding his shoulder maybe for balance reasons. Once to the shore, the sat down, knowing it would just cause sand to stick to her but that was her last worry right now. She was embarrassed, meaning she was also a bit...irritated. You know when you sound angry when embarrassed? That was her.

Eddie called a medic, she spoke only then with an auditable but quiet "I am a medic" she didn't like telling people she couldn't swim, it was fucking embarrassing. Besides, if she thought Rory would tip the damn canoe she probably would've told him, but she didn't think he would. Stupid on her part, but hey, she also didn't blame him. Odessa looked over to Rory then, not looking at him but that's cause she just assumed everyone was angry with her at this point.

"Probably a bad time to tell you I can't swim..." she meant it as a joke, to say it then, but she knew it wasn't funny. She watched Eddie leave and looked from Freddie to Rory. What had happened? She figured it was obvious, the canoe tipped over. She frowned then, realizing this could certainly be pinned as his fault "It wasn't his fault, he didn't know" her voice was soft, but still managed to make her cough.

[HOLLAND]

[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.4; color: #333; word-spacing: 1px;"]when he heard rory calling for help ,  he didn't make a move to go towards the lake at first .  he only frowned and turned his head in the lake's general direction from where he was relaxing in a hammock .  he wasn't entirely sure if rory was fucking with everyone or if there was actually trouble ,  but as soon as it hit him that he'd gone canoeing with odessa ,  he quickly slipped out of the hammock and raced to the lake .

these kids are giving me grey hairs ,  already .

he was thankful that freddie and eddie had gotten there pretty quickly ,  and when he saw eddie walk off ,  he almost went after him .  and had it not been for the sight of odessa looking like a drowned cat ,  he would have .

his frown deepened ,  not out of anger but out of concern for dessa .  he stood close to her ,  and then looked up at rory after she told them it wasn't his fault -- which probably meant that it was ,  and that filled him with anger .  he clenched his fists and took a deep breath ,  resisting the urge to raise his voice and stomp off to punch a tree .

" just because he didn't know ,  doesn't mean he should have taken the risk . "  he didn't even know what had happened ,  but he was sure rory was at fault .  that kid was always getting himself and others into some kind of trouble .

his eyes softened a little as they drifted down to dessa ,  and he gently placed a hand on her shoulder ,  trying to give her some sort of comfort .

[RORY T.]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; color: #494949; font-family: karla; font-size: 9pt; letter-spacing: 0.2px; word-spacing: 1px; margin-top: 10px;"]freddie was their saving grace.

with his help , he was able to navigate odessa— and himself— back to shore. while he is glad that there was someone there to their rescue , he anticipates the questions that are most likely to follow. rory knew that , no matter which way you looked at it , it'd be his fault.

low and behold, freddie asked. rory went to speak , but odessa gets to it first— and hey, at least she's fucking alive and well! she's right, it would have been nice to know that she couldn't swim! that way they could avoid the drama that followed suit , with a flustered rory feeling enclosed in his space , fight or flight senses ignited.

rory stands just as holland approaches , and knowing holland , he knows what's to come. holland , more than anything else , was best at scolding him. quick to point out every discernable flaw. feeling as if he had no other option , rory's fight options ascend and quickly , the boy gets defensive. "i was just fucking around , if she told me she didn't know how to swim i wouldn't have done it."

rory turned away , immediately riddled with guilt. he knew he was in the wrong. shouldn't lay the blame onto odessa to protect his own ass. she defended him , after all. sometimes his fragile ego got the best of him. he's still tense as he turns , facing them but not quite. he looks at odessa without meeting her eyes. "sorry." he was bad at this , wasn't he?

then with that he turns , walking away. he knew that could have been better. but for now , it'd have to do.

[freddie]

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— well, well, well. who thought that frederick stirling was going to be the hero in this story? as much as he outwardly portrayed himself as kind, almost painfully innocent at times around strangers, and perhaps a bit too confident, usually he hardly filled the role of the daring hero. granted, odessa gratefully shrugging him off of her wasn’t the reaction he anticipated. god, being the good guy sucked.

taking a moment to catch his breath, he peered over at ed as he came onto the scene at just the right time. and now if he was trying to be the good guy in this story, he was definitely not doing a very good job at the part. barking the words sternly, like a worried parent… and then, a sudden chip in his armor. he blinked away droplets of water from his lashes, squinting his eyes at the subtle crack in edmund’s voice. the other man, usually so fearless and strong, turned and left, seeming to be holding himself together long enough to get away from anyone else. freddie sucked in a sharp breath. oh, he was going to harass the man about it later. something was up and, of course, freddie just couldn’t fucking leave it alone.

snapped out of his thoughts by the escalating situation at hand, he settled for holding up his hands as if that would de-escalate the situation. to summarize: it didn't. instead rory grew defensive, holland pointing the finger one way, rory pointing one the other. as much as fred lived for drama, he didn't want to be caught up in it.

yet he still involved himself anyway. “hey. everyone needs to calm down,” he started, turning his gaze throughout the group. ”no one is perfect, here.” he paused, almost so noticeably that the next remark could be anticipated before he even said it. “except me.” he huffed a short breath at his own words- and upon seeing nobody else beginning to laugh with him, sobered slightly.

“it was an honest mistake. lack of communication. it’s not just one person’s fault.” of course he had to play the devil’s advocate a bit. still, in a light stab at humor, he ended up huffing a short breath, lips twitching shortly before he remarked, “now we know not to throw odessa into the lake, right? lesson learned if you ask me.

//this post sucked i'm sorry
fred just can't be serious for shit jfc

[juliet s.]

"Shut up! All of you shut up!" she snapped just then, though that aggressive desire to cough was still there but between Freddie being...himself and the other two sort of bickering she just. No. No. She kicked off her soaked shoes and the top layer she had on, leaving a tank top. She threw them off to the side carelessly.

She then went to trying to wring water from the black tank top and pushing her hair from her face. While she did this, trying to get herself as dry as she could, she then looked to Freddie "You really like pissing people off, huh?" she asked with smirk before looking to Holland "Apologize to Rory. It wasn't his fucking fault." she huffed, coughing again though this time it went on for a while but finally that tickle went away.

She watched Rory walk away with a frown "Hey, boy wonder, if you're gonna walk off all moody could you at least help me up so I can come with you?"

[HOLLAND]

[align=center][div style="width: 450px; text-align: justify; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.4; color: #333; word-spacing: 1px;"]his nose twitched and scrunched up at freddie's words .  the guy never took anything seriously and it made holland want to punch him square in the face — but who else would deescalate a situation that could easily become more heated than it needed to be ?  the thought made him unclench his fists and huff out a quiet breath .

the anger on his face quickly fell ,  and his shoulders slouched when odessa snapped .  when she told him to apologize ,  his hands balled into fists again ,  and he tensed .  he did not appreciate being told what to do ,  much less by a child ,  and even lesser when he was being told to apologize — but he knew she was in the right .  he needed to apologize .  his anger had gotten the better of him again ,  he'd made rory get defensive and turn away .  the kid might have done something stupid but he was only trying to have fun,  right ?  that's what kids do — they make stupid mistakes .  and at least rory was able to help dessa ;  if it had been anyone else ,  holland's anger wouldn't have been put out so fast or so easily .

and now he just felt bad for turning something that could have been brushed off with some laughter and jokes into a short - lived but heated argument .

with an apologetic glance and tight smile towards freddie ,  holland turned to walk away from the group with his hands in his pockets .

he would apologize later .