Even after getting back to the compound, I still couldn't shake the guilt. Vaas shoot someone because of me. I know, he's done it before with Baqir but this time… it was someone innocent. From the look of him, he was just a kid; maybe even teenager or young adult. It was hard to tell.
Once I was taken to my room yesterday, I pretty much threw myself on my bed and stayed there. I didn't eat. I barely slept, so much for that planned lie in this morning. Even Emelda was scratching at the door to get in this morning. Sorry sweetie, I can't do that. I don't have a doorknob to do so. A hug would have been great right now.
Still haven't cried yet. It was odd actually. When I don't want to, I have to force myself to stop and when I need to, I just don't. I don't need them seeing me weak, crying at every single thing that scares me. I'm alone and I need to vent, but I can't form a single tear.
It's still morning, based on the lack of movement outside and the position of the sun. This was probably the hottest day I've had since I got here, couldn't even lay with the blanket over me. I decided that a long shower sounds like a good idea. I climbed off the bed and took myself to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and grabbed a towel then placed it on the toilet. I stripped down until I was completely naked, at this point; I was too shaken to even bother to block the door. I turned on the shower and got in, fixing it to the right temperature.
I let the water hit me. It felt so good against my skin, feeling the water run down my body. Since I got here, I've noticed that I spend more time in the shower. With this heat, I'm not surprised. It took about a minute of just reviling in the feel of cool water hitting me, before I start washing and shaving.
Once I was done and had turned off the shower, I wrapped the towel around me then bend down to pick up my clothes. The towel slipped, I quickly reached to grab it successfully. However, due to my crappy luck; I dropped my jeans into the still wet shower. I sighed before grabbing my jeans and leaving the bathroom. Guess I'm wearing my dress today.
Once I was dressed, I hung my trousers over the back of the chair next to the window and I started drying my hair. I tried to focus on how to get everyone off this island. It's hard to try to come up with a plan, I would be shit in the army. My mind is very much all over the place, maybe I would have better luck with winging it. I remember them saying that Jerry is here, but no information on Emily's whereabouts. Once I get that information, me, Jerry and Emily are outta here.
A large crash knocked me out of my train of thought. I looked straight at the source of the noise, the same direction of Vaas' room. I could hear him shouting and swearing, some of them were in another language. Pushing it into the background noise, I started looking through the crate for a hairbrush and started to brush my hair. If Vaas wanted to vent at me, he'll come in and start ranting.
There's normally at least one boat hanging about the dock, if we're all here then we could just hop abroad one and leave. We'll need to go for one of the larger boat to survive the ocean. We could go over to the main island for supplies. It's not a good idea to go to Hoyt's island as we'll get our asses handed to us the second we set foot there. So, we'll have to try Vaas' island, or sneak some stuff out of here. I would have to be the one to get it, since I'm the one who could walk 'freely' and with the state that Jerry's in. He's not fit enough to sneak around this place.
Vaas had gone quiet, I didn't hear him leave. There was a weird hissing sound, it doesn't sound like a snake. It keeps stopping and starting. Curiosity had already got the better of me. I placed the hairbrush back in the crate and I walked over to the wall.
Pressing my ear against the wall, the sound was defiantly coming from his room. It's very loud, must be close to the wall. What is he doing? I waited it to stop and knocked in a little-known rhythm. I think it's called shave and a haircut, I don't know. It's from Who framed Roger Rabbit. Everyone just does it.
"Couldn't you have shouted or… I don't fucking know." Vaas replied. "I'm coming in." I straighten up and just watched the door for him to open it. He opened the door slightly and stuck his head in, looking as tired as he normally does.
"Sorry if I'm bothering you but what was that hissing sound?" I asked. Vaas opened the door fully.
"Come on then, I can show you." Vaas shrugged, stepping out of the doorway and leading the way. "You're wearing the dress?" He asked, as I started walking.
"Yeah, my jeans got wet in the shower." I explained. "And it's too damn hot." He had already opened the door once I got there. I was hit with the strong smell of something chemically. Vaas gestured for me to enter, I held my nose and did so.
He had destroyed his table, it was now just a pile on the floor. With everything that had once sat on top of it, now laying on the ground. His radio was sparking with the speaking hanging off. Paper was everywhere on the ground. There was also a large red fabric sheet covering his window, it was a lot cooler in here then my room currently is. Maybe I should ask for a sheet for my window.
"You… made a mess." I stated, with one raised eyebrow. "That radio is sparking, you might want to move it before it starts a fire." I pointed at it, looking dumbfounded at the sight before me. Vaas started laughing, standing next to me with his hands on his hips.
"Yes Beth, I brought you in here to fucking show you my destructive personality." He laughed, walking over to the radio and picking it up.
"You don't need to show me a messy room for that, in this situation. It's already clear from the get go." I replied, folding my arms and shaking my head. Vaas laughed once more, moving the sheet out of the way.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He shouted, swinging his arm and throwing the radio out of the window. It went crashing into the ground, the impact made me jump. I could hear the men talking and cheering. Vaas just watched it land, seeing if it would catch on fire or not.
"Anyone hurt?" I asked, not being able to see.
"No, everyone is fine. I did wake the tiger up." Vaas shrugged, dropping the sheet back. He turned towards me. "Well…"
"Well, what?" I asked.
"What do you think?" Vaas pointed at the wall above his pile of mattresses. The wall was covered in eyes, the same ones as the flags hoisted up on the pirate owned bases. He had painted them among trees he had also painted on, almost looked like leaves. All painted in red, oranges and the eyes in a bold white. The three cans sat next to his bed.
"Not bad. It fits in well with the room, giving it that needed splash of colour." I replied, nodding slightly as I looked it over. "What was the motivation behind this piece?" I asked. "What does it mean? The message you're trying to convey? You … feel like you are always being watched."
"My motivation behind this is fuck Jason. Fuck Citra! and fuck Every Single Person WORKING WITH THEM!" He shouted facing the wall, taking a step towards it. I shoved my hands into my pockets.
"You want to talk about it?" I asked. "Or do you want to talk about the painting?" Vaas still looked angry, he took a deep breath and straighten himself up. He looked over to me with a deadpan glare. "Talking can help." I shrugged. "I'm not going to force you, you know that." He sighed, folding his arms and looking at the wall.
"She inking him up." Vaas stated. "Making him into the ultimate warrior, forcing him into a death sentence. Making into another me. I tried to erase him, but he escaped with his fucking puta quejica. This jungle is going to eat him alive, or I will." He started getting angrier, moving around the room and gesturing madly as he rants. Pacing around me, all I could is watch him and nod. At least he was comfortable enough to talk to me about what's troubling him.
"I tried fucking talking to him. Tried getting through to him how much of a bitch Citra really is. Tried telling him how fucked he truly is. But, no, no, no, no, please. He doesn't care, Jason just stares me down and shoots at my men. Like, what the fuck do I need to do to get him to actually listen to me? Show him how stupid he is being right now? Doing the same things over and over to get Citra's Oh so magical pussy. It is not fucking worth it. It is fucking bullshit!"
Vaas stops and just looks at me, I remained still and just taken in everything he says. Something isn't right about this, and I don't mean in a way that I'm taken sides. Something about this has really gotten under his skin with Jason getting a tattoo. What has Citra done to him? Doing to Jason Brody? Does Vaas have one as well? Has Jason even met Citra?
He straightens up once more and acts like it never happened. Becoming calm once more. Vaas turns to the wall then back to me. It's care as day that I am worried about him and all of this, I can't take my eyes off him. Waiting for his action.
"I need a break." Vaas muttered, I nodded in agreement. "Come on, we're going out. Just me and you. Right now." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and held onto me, leading me out the room. I was surprised by his sudden change in mood. I really shouldn't be at this rate, this is just another normal day for him. "How about a meal?" He asked as we left his room, Emelda was asleep on her doggy bed and smiling in her sleep. Vaas shut the door as we moved in one motion. "I made a bunch of stuff down in the kitchen that my men won't touch, we can take our pick and no need to go to far." He explained, getting more joyous as he goes. "We can just run it through the oven for …"
"Hold your horses, cowboy." I interrupted, it didn't stop him pulling me along. "What about yesterday?" I blurted out, as we walked down the stairs. Vaas moved his arm away from me.
"What about it?" he shrugged in a carefree manner, walking on a head of me.
"What about it?" I repeated bitterly, picking the pace and trying to stay close to him. "All that Tom Fuckery that happened. The argument. The shooting incident. The … you know. No comment on it. I just…"
"Beth, sweetheart. It's fine." Vaas replied, reaching back and holding my wrist. "Shit happens. It's fucking normal around here. We both don't agree on everything. We both did stupid shit. We both came out OK. No burns, no scars, no nothing." He leads me across the courtyard and towards one of the large warehouses.
"That kid didn't." I mumbled a reply, hanging my head slightly in shame.
"Ah fuck. Beth, he's 21. Stop calling him a kid. We have his fucking passport. He's a fucking pilot." Vaas grumbled, rolling his eyes. "He was a fucking idiot for grabbing you. It was stupid and nobody was thinking." He opened the door and lead me inside, towards an open kitchen that actually looked clean for this place.
There were crates everywhere in the kitchen, as well as a large oven that looked like the same make as the one in the hospital's kitchen. A very large fridge and freezer, both separate units. Turning around; all I could see is drug packages, a few garden pots of growing weed, tables, sofas and a couple of activities for everyone to partake in. Like a makeshift DJ booth, a beaten down pool table, a basketball hoop for some stupid reason and a couple of TVs. A pirate was watching one of the TVs, it looked like a soap opera. There were a couple doors which lead to different toilets, I'm guessing. And a staircase leading to the second floor. This must be where some of the other pirates live. No wonder they sometimes come here for their days off.
I turn back to Vaas. He had two bags out on one of the counter tops, one looked full and had his name on it with a bunch of threats written as well. He was placing different types of meals into the ovens. I know with this brand of oven, you can cook multiple things at different temperatures.
"So, is cooking one of your talents? Along with undiscovered artist?" I asked, walking around the kitchen.
"Yeah, I was cooking anything since I was allowed near fire." Vaas replied, turning away from the oven and to me. "You know, once I captured a cook and I forced him to make paella. It was just a salty bowl of crap. How the fuck he managed it? I don't fucking know. It was the worst thing. I had to show how to make a goddamn paella." He started laughing at the memory, as he turned back to the oven to check on his cooking dishes. "After that, I made him recreate a scene from Bambi." He added without laughing. I could already guess which one. I continued to look around the room, just trying to find something new while I waited.
I could see hanging out of a large crack; it looks like a yellow fabric. While Vaas was busy, I walked over to it and pulled it out of the crate with one good yank. I just had to know, it seemed so out of place with how clean and bright it was. The yellow fabric was a skirt of a dress. I was looking through it and seeing the other open side for a head. I flipped it around to see what it looked like on the outside, grabbing onto what I think is the shoulders. The fabric felt different to the silkiness of the skirt, it was kinda fuzzy and solid. Most of the skirt went into my face, before I was able to reveal it at full length. I held it up, letting the skirt drop down to show me the whole thing. I was definitely surprised, to say the least. My brow folded.
"Vaas." I stated, sounding annoyed and confused. He turned around, pulling out one of the cooked meats from the over. "How in the hell did you get your hands on an adult side Snow White dress? Did you seriously rob the Disney cruise liner? Or did you just mug some unfortunate cosplayer? This is too detailed to be some random costume you got in some shop." I had to ask.
Vaas had a proud smile of his face, placing it on the side and grabbing a knife and starting to slice it into small even strands. He chuckled a little to himself and shook his head. I just stood there holding it up, it looked like it could probably fit me poorly. It was on the larger scale, I could defiantly fit it over my breasts.
"You're planning to make Jason Brody wear this, aren't you?" I asked with my best attempt at a straight face. It failed, I laughed a little at the fact that I was holding a princess costume in a pirate infested island.
"Great minds think alike, Beth." He answered, smiling back at me. "Put it back in the box, I don't want it getting dirty." I opened the crate it came from and to my shock, there were more costumes.
"Jesus Christ!" I blurted out as I put the dress back and started looking through the crate. There were so many different character costumes, all very detailed. "You did rob a Disney cruise ship, Didn't you? What do you plan to do with these? Start your own theme park or just Disney themed tortures?" I put everything down and looked back to him, pulling stuff out of the oven and placing them into different Tupperware boxes. "Please tell me you're not planning on putting me in one of these?" Vaas laughed at my reaction.
"No, no. We got them from a cargo ship a few years back." He explained. "They were delivering stuff for us and they mixed up some of the boxes. We just didn't know what to do with it." His laughter came back. "Happiest place on earth just got a whole lot happier with the amount of drugs we were expecting." I'm not going to lie, I started laughing incredibly hard and loudly at that. Just the mental image of their face upon opening that crate. Or Goofy being high as a kite and confusing the kids.
Vaas continued to place the boxes into the bags, then anything else he fancied from the other cupboards and the fridge. He picked up the bag with most of the hot meals inside. I walked over and grabbed the other bag.
"Huh. Would you look at that." I smirked, as we looked at each other. "I guess we're going on that date after all." I joked. Vaas smiled. "Well, lead the way." We lifted the bags at the same time. Vaas walked over to one of the crates and pulled out a large blanket, rolled up and held it under his free arm.
He led me down to the coast, one of the few sand banks on this secluded island. The ocean wasn't going to be raising any higher, but we still didn't get too close to the ocean. It died down once it hit the shore line. Vaas placed the blanket down in the shade of a small shack and placed his bag down. He laid down on the blanket, laying on his side and facing me. Practically throwing himself down onto the ground, geez Vaas it wasn't that much of a walk. I placed my bag next to his and sat down, with my legs curled around me and facing the ocean.
It was a beautiful sight, looking over the main land on the other side of the ocean. It was like I was looking at it for the first time all over again. I could see all the different trees so clearly from here. A couple of wooden buildings and a boat parked up at a dock. Truly breath-taking. Until you remember it's a hellhole with everyone fighting and killing each other. It would have made a nice vacation spot if it wasn't for that little fact.
I turned to Vaas, he was still watching me with a content smile and an innocent gaze. It was nice seeing him like this, yet really strange. I looked forward once more, the wind gently blowing my hair back. It was one of those rare moments of peace, before we get dragged back into the reality of this situation. It was surprisingly quiet, the only noise I could hear are the birds somewhere nearby.
"Look at you." Vaas purred, I faced him and raised one eyebrow. "Watching the world go by. You look like you're in your element." He added, with a cheeky smirk. I shifted myself around to fully face him.
"You want to help me unload the bags? Or do you want to keep staring at me until it gets creepy?" I asked, Vaas laughed at that last comment. He sat himself back up.
"Nah, I'm just going to leave you with all the work." He laughed, as he crossed his legs. I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. Vaas opened his bag and started pulling out all the tubes of food, some of them were covered in condensation and making it hard to see what was inside. I opened the bag I brought and looked inside. It was filled with different types of sweets and treats. I started pulling them out; it was mostly cakes, chocolates and a large box of donuts at the bottom. Some have already been opened with bit missing from him helping himself. Based on all the threats as well as his name being written on there, only Vaas was allowed in this.
"Did you make most of these or just brought them?" I blurted out, placing the box containing two freezing cold chocolate puddings back into the bag before they melt.
"I tried, I can't bake." Vaas shook his head and pulled out a handful of knives, forks and spoons.
"I'm alright at it. I'm not the best cook but mum use to work as a patisserie for this fancy restaurant back when we lived in England." I explained, Vaas stopped unpack and listened to me. "She taught me a few things growing up. I'm not the best cook, I'm pretty bad actually. I didn't learn how to cook until I moved out. I could make chocolate souffles, napoleons, lemon meringue pie, you name it with my eyes closed. But it took me weeks to learn how to roast a chicken." Vaas laughed. "You would hate me in a kitchen. Thank god work had a canteen and you guys make my meals, even if I don't know what it is."
"Actually, Beth. I made all of your meals. Even threw together your sandwiches too." Vaas replied, looks smug about it.
"Oh, look at you." I joked. Vaas laughed again, pulling out a Dr. pepper from the bag and handing it to me.
"How the hell did you get that?" I gasped at it. "I haven't seen any of these anywhere in Bangkok."
"Same place I get everything else. Shipments or mainland." He shrugged, taking the lid off of one of the tubs. He stabbed at the content with a fork. "Here Beth, have a bite." He offered it. I placed the bottle down, leaning it against my legs. "I'm not going to force you to eat someone, before you ask. It's boar. It might have a bullet in it." I leaned over and took a bite off the fork, almost like a child. It didn't take long for me to start enjoying all the favours.
All of the favours mixed well together, all hitting me in different spurts. The boar was pretty rich, I could have easily confused it with either pork or beef. I think he must have soaked it in soy sauce, bringing a sweetness to the meat. There might also be garlic in there too. It was made with risotto filled with ginger and sesame seed. The mushrooms hit me last, they were my only complaint.
"Thoughts?" Vaas asked, starting to eat from the same box with the same fork.
"That's really good." I nodded, after swallowing.
"You want some more?"
"No thank you."
"OK, what was wrong with it?" He asked, frowning.
"Nothing's wrong with it. I just don't like mushrooms." I shrugged. "And you haven't told me what else you've brought with us."
"What else don't you like?" Vaas asked, swallowing another mouthful.
"I don't like fish, eggs, liquorice or any kind of nut." I listed off as I took the lid off of a box containing two sandwich rolls. "I'm guessing these are the same sandwiches, you've pack us from before. Right?" I asked, before taking a bite.
"Yeah, it's Cassowary." He stated, placing a couple of tubes back into the bag. My chewing slowed down once he said that, mostly because I was trying to remember if I was currently eating an endangered bird. I watched him place the tubes back into the bag. "They have fish in them." Vaas added, returning to his boar. I nodded in responsive, then took another large bite of my sandwich.
"What about you?" I asked, after swallowing. "What don't you like?"
Vaas just shrugged and got on with his meal. "I don't like oysters and that weird black tar shit I found on a bunch of British tourists. Why the fuck they bring that with them?"
"Marmite?" I asked before taking another bite.
"Yes. That."
"I'm not a lover of it either." I replied. "But we all bring stuff with us. Really, it should be part of our stereotype. We just like things our own way with the paranoia that they wouldn't have our brands. I sadly have the habit of smuggling teabags wherever I go." Vaas laughed at my honesty, having to cover his mouth to avoid spitting food all over the place. "Seriously, Hoyt should invest in it. Might make more money too." Vaas was laughing hard now, I just smiled at him and continued eating.
We focused on eating and talking with each other, getting know our dislikes and interests mostly. Vaas repeatedly went back and forth on his favourite film, pretty much every 12 seconds if I've timed it right. We also managed to tell a couple of stories about ourselves when we were young, he obviously avoided saying anything about his sister. I understand completely. I almost choked on a donut when he told me about the first time he had to shoot a deer, with a bow and arrow. He was about 7, not wanting to do. So, he chased after it, crying and trying to give it a hug. Vaas found my story about four-year-old me climbing under the rails and touching the diplodocus' skeleton at the natural history museum in London, hilarious. Beer actually came out of his nose, which made me laugh even harder.
It was honestly nice but strange being this open with him. For that one moment, I didn't feel like I was being held here against my will. It was… normal in fact. My mind was clear. I was smiling, laughing in fact. Enjoying getting to know about him, well how little that is. Just doing something that you would expect to happen back at home. A little escapism isn't going to do me that much harm… can it?
It was sunset when we finally finished eating and headed back to the base. We placed the bags into the kitchen, having not finished most of the sweet treats. There were a couple of pirates making themselves dinner and drinking. A couple greeted us, I waved back and Vaas cracked a couple of jokes. It was nice seeing everyone like this. Vaas took me back to my room. I went straight to my jeans, they had dried so I could wear them tomorrow.
Vaas closed the door, I turned towards it and found it odd that he didn't say goodbye. I saw standing right behind me. He had closed the door with his backside, with his hands in his pockets and an alluring look on his face. He straightened his back and walked up to me. Vaas placed a hand on my cheek.
"I had a lot of fun with you. It's just what I needed it today." He smirked. "I know how we can make it better."
"I completely agree." I nodded. "What did you have in min-"
Vaas leaned towards me and crushes our lips together, he ran a hand up the back of my head. His fingers tangled with my hair. His other hand pulled me close to him, with his hand on my back. Our bodies pressed together, I could feel the raise and fall of his chest. I melted into it, not caring that he cut me off again. I wrapped my arms around his waist. The kiss grew rougher, our mouths only parting briefly to take a breath. My eyes were closed tightly, slowly become lost in this motion.
I felt myself being laid down onto my bed, the mattress pushed down with our combined weight. I opened my eyes to see Vaas pinning to the bed, a hand now placed on my cheek. He was still looking at me with that some look. I was blushing when he leaned in and returned to the kiss. Slowly becoming rough again. His tongue slipped into my mouth, now I know where this is going. I started to breath a little deeper, trying to stay calm. His tongue danced around my mouth, my own trying to get out of his way. His free hand gripped onto my dress and slowly pulled it up. Did I want to do this right now? Vaas caused my mind to slip in and out of this mindset, with the more he kissed.
"VAAS!" Someone called from outside. Vaas had ignored them and continued to focus on feeling me up. "VAAS!" He shouted again. Vaas pulled and groaned.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'M REALLY FUCKING BUSY RIGHT NOW!" He shouted back.
"JASON BRODY HAS BEEN SPOTTED HEADING TO BAD TOWN!" The pirate shouted back. Vaas groaned again and climbed off, muttering swear words under his breath in both English and Spanish.
"I'M COMING!" Vaas shouted, I rolled onto my side and watched him. I pulled my skirt down. He leaned down and kissed me once more. "I'll see you when I get back, hopefully with his head mounted on my car." He purred, rubbing my cheek once more.
"Be careful. OK?" I insisted. Vaas laughed at that.
"Are you going to say that every time?" He chucked, kneeling down to my eye level.
"For as long as you keep running into danger." I replied.
"With you waiting for me. No motherfucker can stop me." Vaas kissed my forehead and stood back up. I laughed at that comment. He waved and hopped out of the window. I eventually feel asleep while waiting, not know if he came back or not at all.