Truthfully, the bouncy castle is one of Olive's favorite things about the island. It's not so much that she likes to use it - though she has, on occasion - but just the fact it's there, sitting out in the middle of nowhere, a little faded from the sun but still in decent working condition after God only knows how long, absolutely tickles her.
She hadn't planned on stopping today, but when she sees Chris there, somehow she's not even surprised. That kind of just seems inevitable. And since he's already bouncing, well, she can't just walk past or stand there. "Chris," she calls out, kicking off her shoes before pulling herself up inside. It takes her a little bit to get her legs, but soon enough, she's bouncing with him, grinning. "Is this not like the best thing ever?"
That's one of the best things about Olive: before he can tell her that she's coming in to bounce about whether she likes it or not, she's already climbing in, bouncing right along with him.
"How long's this even been here?" he asks, because it's mental that he's been around so long and hasn't done this. He should always be doing this. It should have been down in the cave for the party, for fuckssake.
"Uh, forever and a day," Olive says, jumping up and twisting around in the air, although she only manages to get about halfway around before her feet hit plastic again. Even if it doesn't last long, she enjoys the sensation of being up in the air, hair flouncing around her shoulders, a grin firmly in place. "I don't know, man, I was out walking and there it was and that was, like, months ago. I think it's been here a while."
"That's it," Chris says, "You're gettin' the silent treatment or something, 'cause you knew this was here and kept it all to yourself. That's what they call selfish, Olive."
The look on his face is serious and joking all at the same time; even if he thought that Olive had kept the bounce house a secret on purpose-- the idea of that happening's bollocks anyway-- he wouldn't have been angry about it. Because they're here, they're bouncing now, and everything's fuckin' brilliant as far as he's concerned.
"No!" Olive protests, though she's almost laughing as she does so, in part because that's what happens when she gets in a bounce house and in part because she doesn't really think Chris would ever do that to her. "But if you won't talk to me, how can I show you all the other cool stuff around here? Or ask how you are? Or if you've been up to see Claire yet?" It's an idle question, what with the things Claire told her lingering in her mind for a while now, but asking it now reminds her she actually did want to ask him about the other girl. She just has to figure out how to be subtle about it, which isn't really her strongest suit.
The expression on Chris's face changes a bit when she mentions Claire, though he's not exactly frowning. Of course he's seen her, a couple of times, in fact, but it's so fuckin' depressing up there in the clinic that he doesn't like to think of it much. Even though Claire's alright, he can't shake the feeling that she'll be another person who goes into hospital only to never come out again.
"Yeah. Yeah, I've seen her," Chris replies, turning so his back's to Olive as he continues to bounce.
"Oh, good," Olive says, a bit more careful now. The way he turns away could be coincidence, but it's probably more a sign she shouldn't push. That's not a kind of sign she reads very well when she doesn't want to, though. "I mean, if there's anyone she'd want to see, it's probably you. Or, I mean, obviously Eden and, I would hope, me, but you, definitely, top five easy."
"Yeah, I made it round soon as I'd heard," says Chris, though he doesn't like to think of it. He hadn't liked seeing Claire there at all, bruised and bandaged and hurt. It's ridiculous, but in some ways, he still blames himself for it. For not being there to stop her. And somehow, he even thinks that what he's done with Thalia's to blame in some ways.
"No one likes them," Olive points out. "I mean, I guess... doctors and nurses and all probably do, but that's -" She shakes her head, waving that off, still bouncing. "Y'know, beside the point, anyway. It's totally normal, I hate them, too. And it's not even like a proper hospital, it's like something out of a war movie with everything in one room. But they'll let her out soon." At which point Olive means to make it her business to visit Claire virtually every day with every scrap of island news she could dig up. She's known Claire for a couple months now, and though there are things she didn't know until recently, she still should have seen that something was up.
She hadn't planned on stopping today, but when she sees Chris there, somehow she's not even surprised. That kind of just seems inevitable. And since he's already bouncing, well, she can't just walk past or stand there. "Chris," she calls out, kicking off her shoes before pulling herself up inside. It takes her a little bit to get her legs, but soon enough, she's bouncing with him, grinning. "Is this not like the best thing ever?"
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"How long's this even been here?" he asks, because it's mental that he's been around so long and hasn't done this. He should always be doing this. It should have been down in the cave for the party, for fuckssake.
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The look on his face is serious and joking all at the same time; even if he thought that Olive had kept the bounce house a secret on purpose-- the idea of that happening's bollocks anyway-- he wouldn't have been angry about it. Because they're here, they're bouncing now, and everything's fuckin' brilliant as far as he's concerned.
At least for right now.
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"Yeah. Yeah, I've seen her," Chris replies, turning so his back's to Olive as he continues to bounce.
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"I fuckin' hate hospitals." he adds.
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