deercountry | ( wow this sand is so quick!! )

[ she hums and eyes his feet for a moment. she needs to step closer to him to be able to reach him. long arms she does not have... but what he doesn't see, he doesn't need to know. ]

I can try. Can you stop moving? You'll be a stepping stone before I can grab you.

[ and she does make a reach for him, looping her hands under his armpits. ]

I'm not exactly trying to move, Katherine. I'm just sinking.

( she grabs him and he grunts a bit. )

Just don't step forward.

That's a little tough to do, love.

[ she grunts as she does her best to abide by what he asks, which is tough to begin with. she digs her heels into the damp ground and tries to pull him back, but it's hard to get a good grip on his underarm. ]

Can you just—Ugh!

[ her hands slip and she stumbles backward, almost breaking her heel. ]

How about you just let me try and figure this out, then?

( his leg's sunk up to his knee now and he grunts a bit, trying to find a handhold so he doesn't end up sinking completely into it. )

We both don't need to deal with this.

You're going to sink before you figure a way out of this one, Stef.

[ katherine's behind him again, mindful of where she places her feet. her heels sink a little, but it's the damp earth not doing its part, that's all. she slides her hands beneath his arms again and ensures to grip him strongly.

added as an afterthought: ] No offence.

Katherine, this isn't going to work. What about...is there something like a rope around here? I can tie it to myself.

( because this feels unwieldy and like she's going to end up in there with him. )

Or a branch that I can grab onto and you can pull?

[ she huffs in annoyance. reluctantly letting him go, she stumbles back and is quick to right herself. looking around, all she sees is branches, but all of them seem as skinny as him.

she turns, and that's when she sees it. he'll hear the cracking of a tree branch as she tugs one straight off the body of a tree. pulling as many of the unnecessary leaves off, she comes back to him and nudges him in the shoulder. ]

Come on.

[ she does her best to try and get the branch around him. ]

I can't believe you just broke that tree to get the branch.

( but it's probably the best bet since all the fallen branches are thin and would probably break. he leans forward as best as he can with his leg stuck and grabs onto it, gripping it hard. )

You have a good grip?

No.

[ she adjusts her hands, gripping and letting go and moving them. she's a little nervous given that it's him. stefan has this uncanny ability to make her hands sweat.

then she focuses, grips the branch tightly, and lets out a breath. ]

I am. Come on.

( nodding, stefan grabs onto the branch and starts pulling himself, confident that he's not going to pull her in. )

Come on, pull hard.

( he really doesn't want to end up covered in quicksand and reliving the quarry all over in a different way. )

Edited 2022-03-24 12:15 (UTC)

Leave that language for the bedroom, Stefan.

[ yes, katherine does snicker.

the problem with her having the level of strength that she has is that she can almost tear the branch in two. katherine sets her feet on the ground, tugs back her shoulders, and does her best to try and manage her strength.

she does pull hard, but not so hard the branch will crumble. ]

Stop.

( when she starts pulling and he starts trying to use the branch to climb out, he can feel his leg starting to come free a bit. he grunts and groans, pulling hard on it. )

If I break my leg doing this, we're going to need to take a break for a few minutes.

If you break your leg, I will carry you home, just like you did me when I lost my shoes in the maze.

[ so, so long ago. katherine had liked it when he had carried hre and she can only hope another opportunity arises for that to happen again. but if he needs her to scoop him up into her arms, well... she's happy to turn traditional roles on their heels.

she gently tugs this time, mindful of his legs. ]

Be slow and lean over. Quicksand doesn't like it when you pull yourself out on an angle.

You study quicksand when I wasn't looking or is this just common knowledge that I've missed?

( he tries to do what she's said though, leaning so he can start to ease his leg out at an angle. )

Come on, pull a little harder.

Would you believe I have a variety of very niche interests?

[ she does as he says, gently increasing her strength. she tries to support the angle he takes, not wanting to make him sink any further by accidentally pushing him back in. ]

You're going to have to have less muscle.

What, do you think the quicksand's going to eat my leg?

( he can feel his leg starting to come loose, thankfully, and he grunts hard as he pulls on the branch and starts to pull free. )

Eat the muscle of my leg? I don't think that's how it works.

Do you want to jinx it?

[ she cocks her brow at him. given that they're in a strange place with quicksand that has a deerington-level twist to it, she thinks that every possible card is on the table. ]

Get skinnier so it's easier to pull you out. [ she shakes her head. ] It was a compliment, my sinking idiot.

You don't think I'm already skinny enough? Really?

( he's not going to do that, katherine. )

I can't believe you're giving me weight loss tips while I'm in quicksand.

I'm multitasking.

[ she shrugs, smiling in pleasure. ]

Besides, you're not thinking about the quicksand, are you? You're thinking about your tiny arms instead.

[ the tiny arms she's going to tug on to get him out of said quicksand. her hand can barely curl around them. ]

I don't have tiny arms.

( his biceps are one of his vanities and he knows she likes them. he grunts and feels his leg free up to his ankle. )

If I'd known I look so terrible in your eyes, I would have started changing my eyes awhile ago.

Incredibly terrible.

[ katherine grunts and ensures not to tug him too harshly. she doesn't want him to sink when she thinks the quicksand is giving way. ]

If everyone thinks I think you're terrible to look at, well... [ she shrugs innocently. ] Perhaps they'll keep their eyes off you.

[ it's all part of her master plan. ]

How many people are actually looking at me on a daily basis? I think you vastly overestimate how much people want me.

( they said hello to him and that was about it. he's not that attractive and wanted, katherine. )

I think you're just looking for an excuse.

[ she furrows her brows and regards him like he's grown three very attractive heads. she tugs on his arm a little more. katherine shakes her head. ]

An excuse for what?

[ yes, she wants an excuse to go gouge out people's eyeballs in the name of love. ]

To release some pent up aggression on someone who just happens to look in my direction.

( to gouge someone's eyes out, yes. )

To be possessive.

Hm.

[ she shrugs a shoulder and grunts as she tries to pull him free of this very stubborn quicksand. ]

You're not turned off by that, are you?

[ she doesn't ask out of genuine curiosity. she knows he likes it. if he doesn't, well... she can always leave him in the quicksand. ]

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