[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Sun, Sand, and Sludge [Flux]
Oct 10, 2020 1:45:24 GMT -5
Post by Cintra on Oct 10, 2020 1:45:24 GMT -5
Episode 3 | Week 3 | Day 7
Ahh... Hawaii coasts!
Unobstructed sun, warmth and comfort that was bit into by crisp winds from the sea! A twang of salt and freshness that was hard to contest versus busy cities and high populated areas. Broad palm trees or banyan trees, banana leaves and plumeria flowers, encircled by white sands and black lava rock that created high contrast beauty...
Except... That wasn't the Hawaii Cintra and Flux found themselves.
A Hawaii coast, yes... A part of the great island technically... there was sun, salt and some foliage, yet the fresh air was overpowered by a cascade of rot and death.
Up towards the mainland, the rich abundance of the island was visible. Thick green foliage, tropical plants left to spread wildly with no meddling to try to build a tourist site... Lush grasses and broad leaves... only to fade away to large black lava chunks that had been tumbled like river rocks into smoothed shapes. This crisp dark stonework broke down into gritty gravel-like sand, and some bits did streak out into the throwing waves in ridges and lava flows, yet it was all overshadowed by what was described by some as 'one of the world's dirtiest places'.
Fishing nets, water bottles, milk crates, five-gallon buckets, deflated beach balls, plastic utensils, soda cans, broken plastic patio furniture, organization totes, unidentifiable chunks of jagged shapes smeared over by dirt...
The ocean's currents took many things lost around the coast and sea and spiraled them all to this point, creating a mass graveyard of anything that floated and found its way around. Many things were whole, others were broken apart, while the objects that had been there the longest were broken down into shards of plastic grit that mixed and blended in with the minimal sand and stones that were visible. Trapped seaweed and animals were also washed ashore to rot, mounds of plastic and debris that collected water that had long since gone stale and rancid.
Kamilo beach would not be on anyone's brochure for a tour of Hawaii, unless they were scientists or activists that wanted to try to make an impact on the horrific buildup of pollution and human negligence.
This day, however, it wasn't being occupied by the native species, and instead had two very confused individuals far outside their typical realm of comfort.
Cintra... she was a frontline support fighter back on the sideline world ((whose name she already forgot because she didn't care)). She piggybacked with Flux, holding territory and helping to keep their outpost stable and safe. They had a rather simple job that didn't require much intelligence to really put together. They would probably be fine doing that again, no contest there, only today they were set out to scan a coastline for fuel.
Ok... can't be too hard right?
They even had a tool to help!
A tool she didn't understand.
She had been shown how to use the device, and while Cintra retained the majority of the information, there was something about the machine that made her uneasy. It wasn't picking up anything at current, so did that mean they weren't in range? Or did that mean it wasn’t tuned in right? She could see it was ON, but did she have to hold down a button to make it pulse out?... Or just leave it running and it would chirp?
Trudging forward, Cintra was transfixed on the device, her peds crunching down onto lava rock with an occasional stumble that barely broke her attention away from the little sonar looking weird thing. Triangular thumbs poked at a few of the buttons, orange eyes staring at it before she flung her arms down to either side, and she let out a loud frustrated heave of a sigh. It was only then she stopped in her irritated stomps, spinning around to face Flux head on who was a small ways back.
"I don't assume YOU remember how to use this?"
A frustrated sound, she would hold the device out and wave it about frantically as if that would help jog his memory somehow despite it being a blur of gray, while her other hand was clutched into a fist on her hip.
As of this moment she wasn't too focused on the world around her, though she did sneer a bit at the gross smell that was catching up now that she wasn't focused on the tool fully. She, however, kept staring at Flux with an accusatory stare, waiting for him to catch up.