Learn to Howl {Alex Vreeke | Jumanji}

8; rust red & inebriation

"There it is, Transportation Shed," Alex explained as they all found themselves crouched by the outcropping of boulders placed conveniently out of sigh of the guards, a perfect vantage spot, "there's all sorts of vehicles inside." They all peered over at the wooden shed, Fridge with his binoculars in hand, the others just looking on with their plain eyes. Tetra was on the end, by Spencer, with Fridge and Alex in the middle of the group, followed by Bethany and Martha. "We gotta get one, get across the canyon, and get to the Jaguar Statue."

"Okay," Bethany, map in hand, sat back and analysed it, "I see the Transportation Shed, I see the canyon, but I can't see the statue, which is weird because it's like the most important thing in Jumanji; it's huge." Frowning at the map, her attention is only drawn away when Fridge barks out a laugh.

"That's what she said." He snorted with laughter, swaying on the spot and continuing to giggle as the others stared on in disbelief.

"Are you drunk, Fridge?" Spencer asked, a little horrified. Tetra sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose between her two fingers.

"What are you talking about? No, I ain't drunk!" Fridge tried to argue, but Martha cut him off.

"He is drunk." She agreed.

"I only had like three little margaritas!" Fridge tried, but Martha, once more, smirked at him.

"Well you are about half your usual size." The way she said it, it was with something akin to barely concealed amusement, as Fridge waved her off with muttered 'whatever's as Spencer turned instead to Alex.

"Alright, Alex, what do to get past these guards?" He asked, and Alex caught Tetra's gaze, as she had looked up, and she shrugged helplessly at him. They had waited, the past times they had been there, waited for days upon days upon days. It wasn't the most glamorous thing in the world.

"I don't know, last time we just waited them out." Alex admitted, and Spencer quickly looked to Tetra, who nodded in confirmation.

"Well how long did that take?" He asked, and Tetra sat back on her thighs, shrugging and looking pointedly at Alex.

"Three weeks?" He estimated, to which Fridge threw up his hands.

"Oh, we're gonna die!" He announced, his shifting not only limited to his physicality as he switched rapidly from the cheery, playful mood he had found himself in only moments earlier, to this one of defeat.

"Okay..." Spencer said, trying to keep Fridge quiet and content, "plan B?" He suggested.

"There's another door, around the side," Tetra supplied, gaze hollow as she looked to the middle distance, remembering how her wolf pack had carried her to safety through it as Alex struggled with his hot air balloon, "but we can't get to it unnoticed." She paused. "We need to distract those guys or we'll never get through."

"I've got it!" Bethany announced, looking, for the first time since Tetra had seen her, triumphant and hopeful. "Distracting guys is like, the main thing I do!" In her current body, the middle-aged, male, Dr Sheldon Oberon, Tetra was having a little trouble taking her seriously. "He plays video games, I distract guys!" She pointed from Spencer to herself, bright despite everyone's obvious skepticism.

"Uh, Bethany," Fridge began, "I hate to break it to you now, but you don't exactly have the, um, the toolkit." He gestured to her avatar. It was all she could do to roll her eyes at him.

"Not me," she said, before stepping back and gesturing to Martha and Tetra.

"What?" Martha spluttered, and Tetra's eyes widened, before she snorted out a laugh, as did Alex, though he tried to hide it with a cough.

"You don't want to do that." Tetra assured Bethany, making herself more comfortable on the ground. "I've been here with only NPCs and Alex for company, and as much as I love him, I just," and she floundered a little before shrugging helplessly, "I'm not good at... at that sort of stuff." And she tried to focus on the soft smile Alex was giving her, and not the way her mind flashed to falling from the Jaguar Statue.

"Okay, fine..." Bethany half scoffed, before turning to Martha, "Looks like you're up, babe." Martha looked terrified. "You have to go down there and flirt with those guys-"

"No." Martha tried to interject, but Bethany kept talking over her.

"And hold their attention while we sneak in-"

"No!" Martha snapped, louder, more defensive this time. "I can't just go over there and flirt with some weird soldiers I don't even know!" She was shrinking back, hands covering her bare midriff, anxiety written all over her face, Tetra felt a little bad for her.

"I know, girl, but right now we don't have a better idea." Bethany said, her hands on Martha's shoulders, pleading with her.

"You don't understand, I actually can't do it." She admitted. Swallowing her pride, she leaned in to Bethany. "I can't talk to guys." She whispered. "I'm terrible at it." Even after a pause, and Bethany offering to give her some pointers, Martha still refused, "No, I'm sorry, we have to come up with another plan, I'm not, uh-"

"I... I can go with you." Tetra piped up. "Two guards, two of us. Would it help?" There was nerves in her voice, but her eye contact was solid, even so, Martha still looked doubtful.

"With the two of you, it should be easy to distract the guards long enough for us to get into the shed." Spencer said, taking a few short strides to stand in front of the ginger.

"I really don't think I can, Spencer," she sounded... young. Nervous and unsure, like a teenager, and it made Tetra's heart swell. Without thinking, she reached out for Alex, but thought better of it with Fridge still between the two of them. She felt cold, not physically, they had already been apart for so long, she thought she had mastered that feeling. "I'm not actually some badass girl." Martha said, avoiding eye contact.

"What are you talking about? You're a total badass!" He said, and the feeling in Tetra's heart dissipated somewhat at the clear admiration, though it was closer to love, in his voice. Martha looked up at him with hope. "You can do anything." He assured her, and they shared a nice moment, safe and intimate, which would be great if they weren't trying to escape from a death game.

"That's beautiful, Spencer," Fridge interjected, cutting their moment short, "why don't I just set you guys up with a nice, candlelight dinner? Or do you guys wanna get the hell out of here?" He snapped. Spencer looked a little guilty, but Martha, she looked determined.

"Alright, show me how it's done." She said to Bethany with a new, more confident aura.

"Class is in session." Bethany smirked in reply, before looking over her shoulder to Tetra. "You too, Jungle Queen, let's go." She beckoned to Tetra, and the girl got up without hesitation, making good on her offer to help Martha, and followed them into a more secluded part of the jungle with purposeful footsteps.