Falcon Island Part 1 - Parks and Recreation

***This post is an ooc introduction to the two Parks Canada employees you’ll meet on Falcon Island. We are doing a special event role play series there this weekend. Of course your character won’t be aware of these prelude conversations but Crystal (aka Ziven Ayala) and I (AKA Charlotte and Norman Gibbs) needed to get a baseline for our characters working relationship before hosting a tour group. It’s my goal for this to be an easy anyone can play set up.

There are a few ways role players can join the time on Falcon Island. If you’ve been in a role play where it was mentioned and suggested, that’s one. We’re going with the plan that Parks Canada has put up posters and brochures in Cedar Point and Alexandra for this last excursion time to the island so if you have a character you’d like to have seen the ads and assume you booked online, that’s the second way. Any way you decide to join in the fun for our weekend special event role play, there is a kiosk in the Cedar Point bus station with landmarks to Falcon Island.

If your character is flying there (which would be the most common way to get there), please try to attend or read the role play that is happening for the flight. That extra role play time is added to make sense of arrival and will occur at 1:30 pm grid time today (Friday Sept 16th) beside the plane on Falcon Island. I don’t have a flying plane so we’ll just point our cameras into the sky and use our imaginations. If you are not flying and you see us standing there, please ignore us until we “’land”. We will post the flight for those who didn’t make it but want to assume you were there and sitting quietly. This is the flight rp timeline:

RP begins at 1:30 ... anyone there will emote getting off the plane and oooohhhhhh and ahhhhhhing at the island.

Between 1:30 and say 1:50,  anyone arriving in that time frame has to sort of get themselves together ... maybe airsickness .. maybe they fell asleep and are just waking up ... whatever.

After 1:50 anyone arriving did NOT arrive on the plane and will be coming up from the boat dock/clinic with a plausible story for the boat that brought them (including NPC boat captains or boating/sailor friends who dropped them off and they would fly home after their stay on Falcon Island)

***

_________________________________________________________________________________

Charlotte Gibbs Pulls on her hip waders and slides her water sample kit over her shoulder, ready to wade out in the marsh and do some work. She steps sideways and looks into the sleeping quarters, seeing her father still lying down. He's been sleeping a lot and she's not sure if it's causing healing or sinking him deeper into dementia. She brought him out here to care for him herself after his stay in a mental health ward that wasn't really attending to his needs. With a sigh, she pulls on her hat and clomps outside, going behind the staff cabin along the shoreline.

 Ziven Ayala pulls himself out of the water after his morning swim and shakes his head hard, as if he were a wet cougar. He is as naked as the day he was born but doesn't immediately reach for anything. This was his morning swim/bath and he moved to a tree where he'd hung an old shaving mirror. In his bag is a comb and brush as well as a safety razor and a bottle of 100% aloe vera. He brushes his hair out, leaving it down over his back and squeezes some aloe into his hand, then over his jaw and lower lip for his weekly shave. It is always nice for him to commune with nature in the mornings. His uniform is neatly folded in the grass a bit away with his boots for when the shave is done and his hair is mostly dried in the air.

Charlotte makes her way around the sample area, focusing on the water, the algae and top swimming insects as she carefully fills up some phials. As she keeps moving she catches something out of her periphery on the shore and turns, seeing Ziven naked, again. Charlotte averts her eyes and blushes but turns her head so he can't see her face at all "For fuck's sakes Ziven...." she mutters and then says a little louder "There was poison ivy over there last week, waist high.....pants might help..."

Ziven isnt surprised to hear her, but he also doesn't turn to look at her. He continues to shave, carefully but quickly. "Yes, Charlotte. Over THERE ... not over HERE." he shakes the aloe off of the razor. "And how in the world would pants help me shave?" he asks her, done with his cheeks and lifting his head for his throat. "How is the old man this morning?" he asks, as he often does.

Charlotte slowly fills another phial, seething quietly and not looking up as Ziven argues and then refers to her father that way, again. She stops addressing his nudist tendencies. It's a futile conversation. "My father has a name you know. It's Norman, or Mr. Gibbs if you're going to be ageist anyway."

Ziven does finally reach for a towel ... and uses it to wipe his face off. Finally he turns to face her, seeing her kneeling and working. "Old Man is a term of respect within my tribe." he tries to explain it to her, although he has to admit he never really got into it before her father came. But his talk with Garrett Yamada has him slightly softened towards her. "Your father is an old man and has seen much, Charlotte. I am acknowledging that by not calling him Mister Norman Gibbs ... as if he were just some ... person." he shrugs and reaches for his pants, stepping into them. "And listen to my tone. Or maybe you should hear me call my father 'old man' to understand the difference between insult and compliment. Ageist." he snorts and hops to get the pants over front and back. "Don't be culturally ignorant and insensitive, White Girl From Town." he teases. He'd always been the more laid back of the two of them.

Charlotte's cheeks redden even more. His comment about cultural insensitivity cut through her a bit. She always strives to do better on that front and struggled between wanting to own up to his call out and her conflicted working relationship with him. Awkwardly she mutters "Didn't know..." She looks like she has more to say but stops herself and starts to pack up and walking away. It's hard to tell whether shame or anger is winning this moment.

Ziven grabs his shoes. "Stop, Charlotte." he calls before she can get too far. "Don't run away from me. Besides we have to talk." he leans against a tree to put on his socks and boots. Dressing had always been one of life's great downers for him.

Charlotte turns and trudges to shore and then inhales as she walks to meet him "What do we need to discuss?" This is her work tone now. She's bottled her emotions and shifted, trying to be professional. Charlotte is grateful he dressed. It's distracting when he's not and she doesn't want or need such distractions with everything on her plate right now.

While Charlotte comes ashore, Ziven grabs his shirt and puts it on, not buttoning it. He pulls his long, straight black hair out of the back and finds the air and slight breeze has already nearly dried it. Charlotte's tone of voice irks him. She is being a professional and bottling things up again. But he was figuring out that maybe she wan't doing this just to be a bitch. Maybe there was more to it. He hated to admit it, but for all their time working together ... hell .. living under the same roof on the same somewhat isolated island together, they barely knew each other. "I understand I will be picking up your friend Anna and a friend of HERS in a few days?" he tells her, because it was news when Anna mentioned it to him over brunch in Cedar Point.

Charlotte smiles as if pleased "Oh good, you read your passenger manifests for the weekend already...I did put them in the binder I made you.....but how did you know she was my friend?" Her smile fades as confusion sets in. "There might be a few others coming in today. Anna just emailed me and a few people have made payments to secure rentals by e-transfer this morning. I'm assuming they don't all own boats."

Ziven chuckles. "Yes, I have read the manifests and everything." he shrugs. "I can fit a few more into that little plane, no problem." then he grins. "I know because effective strangers confide in me more than my co-worker and roommate does." it's a chide and he isn't ashamed to use it. "In case you didn't know I spend my weekends as the Cedar Point travelling veterinarian. But I met Anna over pizza one night and we've become friends that wave to each other. But I DID take out her friends cats ovaries last weekend. He;s cute, by the way ... maybe you should talk to him. Use your friend to get yourself a couple nice, relaxing orgasms." he is deadly serious. In his opinion, Charlotte could use a couple nice relaxing orgasms more then he himself could.

Charlotte had been softening to Ziven's humour, almost smiling even, until it got sexual. At that she tensed up, looking irritated again and glanced down at her phials in her hand like she was considering jamming them into his nose "That's neither necessary NOR appropriate Ziven. Anna is my friend and whomever she brings here is part of my work, OUR work. You would do well to remember that." The expression "resting bitch face" didn't even begin to cover what was happening on Charlotte's right now.

Ziven sighs deeply and shakes his head. "Well, the last time I saw Anna a couple DAYS ago, she did NOT look like pond scum ... and neither did her friend. Nor did they look like any form of mammal a veterinarian would look at. I was TOLD she was coming as a sort of mini-vacation. And I remember that VERY well." he narrows his eyes. Part of him knows very well he's pissed her off speaking on any subject remotely resembling sex, but he wholeheartedly believed this woman needed to loosen up. "Now may the Great Spirits forbid you tell me what the HELL is going on, but I hope your little friends are trustworthy enough not to tell the damn Department Heads about our little visitor, because if they do and we're blessed by ALL the gods, all we will do is lose our funding. he growls. He loves the old man now but .. its still one HELL of a violation.

Charlotte glares at him and just says "It'll be fine. Just fly them in please." She turns on her boot heel, which would be much more dramatic and bad ass if it wasn't a marsh mud covered hip wader that squelched as it turned. Charlotte drew herself up to her full height, which wasn't anything significant and stalked off. She knew the risks of bringing her father to the island, but they were outweighed but the neglect and rapid down slide that was happening at the mental ward. Charlotte couldn't lose him to the system, or himself.

Ziven watches her storm off without replying. Just another morning of swiping and snapping. He buttons his shirt and tucks it in, then takes a length of copper colored wire to put his hair in a pony tail. Truth was, he liked the old man who, in his opinion, was haunted by spirits. Not everyone could handle such things. Maybe that was why the old man seemed insane. No matter what, Ziven would do what he could ... which was nothing more than good, solid, wholesome food and nature to bring him back.

Charlotte drops off her kit at the staff cabin and sets aside the phials for later testing. Ziven's reminder about the weekend guests compels her to make checking the guest cabin supplies a priority first. Her father still sleeps, but fitfully. He's mumbling but it sounds distressed. Charlotte tiptoes too him. She notices he's thrashed again and his sleeping bag has fallen to the floor. Charlotte picks it up and puts it on him and he sits bolt upright and grips her arm blurting out "Harley!" His eyes are still closed and she eases him back down. They've done this dance before. With some quiet soothing words he drifts back into a peaceful slumber. Charlotte moves her hand from his arm to her mouth, stifling a small sob.

 Ziven is halfway to his 'clinic', a shack on the other side of the island when his phone vibrates in his pocket. He takes it out and reads the alert. Grumbling he turns back to the staff cabin, walking in without looking up from the notice. When he DOES look up he sees Charlotte kneeling by her father's bunk, hand over mouth. He stares at her in this moment of sensitivity.

Charlotte raises her head from watching her father after his little episode and sees Ziven standing there. She backs up from her father and defensively wipes the tears that had spilled out. She suddenly has a great need to re-roll the sleeping bag on the top bunk and takes it down to start fussing with it. It's fine of course, but she's clearly trying to pull herself together and look busy.

Ziven watches her and suppresses a knowing half grin. Charlotte wouldn't appreciate it. "When you're done, Susy Homemaker, meet me on the pier." he stage whispers and goes out, hanging a left and going to the sunny end of the pier where he has a strip of electronics batteries recharging on a solar strip. She should be happy he is still sniping at her. Its affectionate or him, but seems to annoy the hell out of her, which also entertains him.

Charlotte doesn't answer him but finishes with the sleeping bag and gives her father a last glance. The dreams are more frequent, and he seems more frightened than ever. She feels so helpless sometimes. She stands at the kitchen basin and then pours and downs a glass of water before following Ziven to the pier. She arrives dry eyed and calm, waiting to see what he needs.

Ziven is kneeling over the electronics, checking on their charges. Nodding he stands and turns to face Charlotte. "How's he doing?" he asks, his voice concerned. But he also goes on. "Your friend invited her friend ... and the list keeps going." he holds up the newly updated passenger manifest. "My bird only holds fourteen passengers ... the park capacity more or less. This is turning into a second summer camp." he grouses. Summer camp ended at the end of August and he felt like he was still recovering. He was more comfortable with the lower animals than humans sometimes.

Charlotte sighs "He's having an off day....not sure if I should wake him so he's not up all night again. I don't think he knows his days from nights anymore." She looks at the manifest and grimaces "You know Parks posters for fall rentals right? Bit of a last cash grab before it's only research grants and private donors. I'll handle the people once you get them here. We still have one cook on staff and supplies enough to feed them. If you could dazzle them with your falconry at some point I'd be grateful, Hitchcock." When Charlotte was feeling less guarded she actually snipped back. Ziven had just seen her cry. It was a rare crack into her well defended shell and for some reason the stars aligned to let her keep the crack open for the time being. She was also talking more than normal. "I can only offer so many guided hikes and dip netting marsh talks. Maybe they all just want a real vacation and not an educational eco vacation. I know Anna will want some space. I couldn't get time off my research deadlines for the funeral but her brother's service was today."

Ziven sighs himself. "At night, he and I scry the stars." he tells her about a night or two he and her father had had when he found him wandering. But then he moves on to their weekend. "I know I know. After this bunch I get out my knee pads for winter begging. I know." he considers. "I can do one. There a couple birds that will over winter here until their spring release." he looks at her. She's almost human. "They're all adults, so maybe a skinny dipping swimming class? I know the guy coming with her turned vampire white when I mentioned outhouses. I promised him a pamphlet. That's what I was working on a couple nights ago. How to use an outhouse. My life has peaked." he rolls his eyes, chuckling to himself. "I figger that's what they all want ... a vacation in the middle of nowhere and that's us. So unless they look bored enough to burn the place down, I'll leave them to it. I'm just the limo pilot." he nods again. "Is there going to BE a funeral? I mean ... did they find his body someplace?" considering the length of time, he doubts that any body washed ashore in Canada ... maybe the US .. but it would be a mess. Most likely her friend’s brother was shark or whale droppings by now. But he doesn't say that out loud.

Charlotte looked truly touched by Ziven reaching out to her father and then actually burst out giggling when he talked about making an outhouse pamphlet and then shakes her head, but still smiles at the skinny dipping "No naked time with the tourists. The department head would shut us down for sure. Why don't we just play it by ear. If they need stuff to do we can offer it." She shrugs sadly about his questions about Lee "Sometimes there's a funeral with no body. They've been mourning him and needed closure. Did you actually write an outhouse pamphlet?"

Ziven grins a bit at the laughter. He doesn't often make her do that. Growl, yes. Giggle, no. Maybe they were at a change in their relationship. "Fine, they probably wont like the water now its getting cooler." he nods his agreement about both the winging it and the mourning and then straightens and pulls a pamphlet out of his jacket. "I certainly DID." he shows her one, which even has art showing it is not best to sit directly on the seat and how you obviously cannot flush. And emphasizing that they DO use toilet paper, but the kind more likely seen in RV's which decomposes more quickly. "The guy probably thought I was joking, but you didn't see this guy! I don't know if he's gay or straight but he is one of my fantasy men from now on." he winks. "And he rescued the most interesting little kitten he named April after that girl in Parks and Recreation? You know the one?" he has all the seasons both on Google Play and pirated on an external and watches it pretty regularly. "He's her Andy." he chuckles.

Charlotte looked at the pamphlet, shaking her head and laughing and then when he started going on about his fantasy guy she had a brief but completely transparent look of disappointment and muttered "Figures..." almost under her breath. then she put on a smile but not the real one she'd been wearing and joked "So that's why you wanted a skinny dipping class huh? Instead you get to talk to dream boy about pooping. That's attractive." She chuckles a little "I do like Parks and Rec. It's possible I channel Leslie Knope....you know...the binders."

Ziven chuckles. "Yes, private lessons. But yea ... I have to admit ... discussing pooping isn't the most romantic thing BUT I got practice in approaching the subject at all with taste, style and maybe some humor." he chuckles. "We should watch it more together ... and with your father. And you do not CHANNEL Leslie Knope, I think you are who she is BASED on." he snorts, slightly. He pauses. "Charlotte. What is it you think is wrong with your father?" he asks, bold enough to try and ask finally. If she exploded, it isn't like she was ruining more than five minutes of close companionship.

Charlotte sits down on the dock, dangling her feet over the edge above the water "There are a few layers to it Ziven. He saw a guy...basically die or something...let's go with die, in front of him in an earthquake. He thought it was something else, some kind of disappearance. I mean maybe he snapped then...My mother and brother and sister took him to doctors...they gave him all sorts of drugs and therapy. It seemed to make him worse. Living with him was hard. Then there was...stuff with my mom....and he got way worse and ended up in the psych ward eventually. He got moved from hospital to hospital. My brother was overseeing it all but he's a clueless asshole. One day I went to visit and Dad had soiled himself and they just left him in a hallway for hours and then sedated and restrained him when he screamed for help. I snuck him out the next day, cleaned him up and brought him here."

Ziven listens and nods. "He's had a hard time, to be sure." he agrees. He is silent a moment, sitting beside her. "He doesn't feel ...." he growls in frustration. "Are all those hospital poisons out of his system yet?" he asks her, never finishing what her father feels like.

Charlotte looks at Ziven with an unsure expression "I kept one of his prescriptions. He's still taking an anti-psychotic. I let him go off it in Vancouver and he tried to choke me. I knew it wasn't him....but as soon as he was back on he leveled. It might be OK to try again now. He was coming down from about 6 drugs then. But not this weekend for the sake of our guests. He's pretty weird but docile now. What do you mean by he doesn't feel....did he say something to you...something lucid?"

Ziven frowns slightly. "One man's lucid is another man's crazy-talk, Charlotte. I think the food on my plate for giving its life that I might live. Vegetables, meats, fruits, whatever. And a lot of people think I am five beers short of a six-pack because of it." he tells her. "I come from a whole line of people who aren't stuck in some box is all and I sort of have to wonder if yoru father is even crazy to begin with ... or was BEFORE they put all those mind altering drugs in his system to get him thinking liek everyone else." he shrugs. "But you also have to consider my grandmother was a medicine woman shaman so ...."

Charlotte squints at him "Ok...you're spiritual...that's cool and all. I respect your culture Ziven. You think my Dad just needs some kind of detox plan?" Charlotte is a loudly declared atheist and a known skeptic. If asked what her belief system is, her standard and resolute answer is "Science."

Ziven blows out a breath. "Well he's as close to that as he’s ever likely to get already so yes and keep up the good work." he almost says something more, then closes his mouth. He's dealt with realists before now and they can be ... difficult. "Now come on, we have blown off enough of Canada's time and money sitting by the dock of the bay wasting time. I have birds to tend to and you have scum to examine." he smiles and stands straight, offering his hand to help her to her feet.

Charlotte looks at the hand as if about to refuse and then at the last second clasps it and allows him to help her. Awkwardly she says a quiet "Thanks." before moving past Ziven.

Ziven follows her a few steps. "Thank YOU." he quickens his step. "I am glad you let me be the one to set Women's Rights back more than one hundred years." and with that swipe he laughs and starts jogging up the trail to get to the clinic.

Charlotte had begun to smile until he cracked the women's rights joke and she groaned loud enough for him to hear. Once he was out of earshot she muttered "Maybe it's just as well he likes men....jackass."