Calm waves, soft sand, and frayed nerves { OPEN! }

[Richard Alpert]

It was getting nearly dark, and the bonfire that the survivors that were currently on the beach lit an almost guided path back to the sand. Richard glanced at all the faces around him and the varied emotions on each one. Some held calm. Some held worry. Most held confusion. As Richard felt the shift from jungle floor onto soft sand, he watched as the survivors that he had brought back from the jungle branch off into a number of different destinations. In the distance, he heard the dog barking, signaling to the rest of the group that the survivors were once again reunited.

Richard ignored most of the people around him as he peered out towards the quickly darkening ocean. In the distance, he saw clouds, and knew that rain was on it's way. The ocean, however, was strangely calm, as was the sounds around him.

The Island had never been this quiet before.

Richard made his way over to the large bonfire, feeling the warmth from it. Ben should have been arriving soon, and then, he could work with the younger man to find out exactly what needed to happen next.

[Alex Linus]

Alex was very close to being asleep on her feet. The only thing that kept her awake was the sound of the survivor's voices near her, as they got closer and closer to the beach. She smelled the ocean before she saw it, and eventually, the trees gave way to the large, open beach.

She broke away from the pack, following Richard to the fire and nearly collapsing on the sand beside him. "I'm so tired." She murmured, face buried in her knees, which she had pulled up to her chest.

"So what do we do now? We've found all of them - what's left for us to do?" She asked, looking up at him, watching the firelight reflect off his unchanging face.

[Richard Alpert]

"I'm so tired."

"Then try to sleep." His voice was unusually quiet against the crackle of the fire as he looked over at her form. "You've had a busy day." Leaving Los Angeles, arriving on the Island, trying not to get killed, searching through the jungle for survivors...Richard had thought she would have collapsed a long time ago. Alex spoke, asking what they did now, now that they found the survivors, and Richard grabbed the water bottle full of fresh water, unscrewing the cap to pour water into two of the cups he had found in the survivors 'kitchen' tent. He handed one of the cups to Alex and took a thoughtful drink before continuing. "I don't know. I didn't ask. I suppose what the survivors need to do right now is regroup. And since some of them had previously been, well, deceased," Richard said, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. "Who knows how long that will take. I'm sure Jacob will be wanting to speak to us later."

[Alex Linus]

She didn't look up when he spoke, simply stared into the dancing flames of the fire. Yes, she had a busy day, and she wanted to sleep, but she knew it wouldn't come. Not here. She didn't feel safe enough, even with Richard beside her, who would probably snap someone's neck before they could even touch her.

Alex took the drink silently, taking a small sip, her throat dry. She hadn't had anything to drink since they'd left Los Angeles. "You mean speak to you." She added when he'd finished talking. "But I want something more to do than just to sit here and watch the survivors grope each other because they haven't seen each other in what? A few months?"