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come_sailaway
ShipTalk | Room 109
[ text | action ]
INBOX for
ShipTalk | Room 109
[ text | action ]
Colonel Curtiss, I hope this note finds you well. This is Flynn Scifo.
I wanted to thank you for raising my spirits at the party. It was sorely-needed and entirely unlooked-for, and a pleasure speaking another soldier.
If you're interested, I also wanted to extend an invitation to join me for morning drills and training. Maintaining a routine is helpful, particularly in a situation like this, and it has been very useful for me. We meet at 06:30 every morning beside the tennis courts on the top deck and training lasts roughly an hour.
I would be honored if you would join us.
Sincerely,
Flynn Scifo
I wanted to thank you for raising my spirits at the party. It was sorely-needed and entirely unlooked-for, and a pleasure speaking another soldier.
If you're interested, I also wanted to extend an invitation to join me for morning drills and training. Maintaining a routine is helpful, particularly in a situation like this, and it has been very useful for me. We meet at 06:30 every morning beside the tennis courts on the top deck and training lasts roughly an hour.
I would be honored if you would join us.
Sincerely,
Flynn Scifo
[Huh, the good-natured enthusiasm sure is just....seeping from this note, now isn't it? This being the first message Jade has ever actually received on this phone, there are probably worse kinds he could have gotten. But it's still a bit...hm....surprising? Is that the word? Not quite. ...Bemusing, maybe...hm.]
Edited 2022-04-10 04:24 (UTC)
we comin back in here in some downtime never let this die
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thinkfirst
- 2022-05-12 14:41 (UTC) - Expanddouble whammy text; later in april after rita & yuri's no-good bad time
thinkfirst
2022-04-10 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
Do you know of any doctors or healers on board? It's urgent. Rita Mordio has been severely injured.
[Well now, here's a message from a familiar sender--containing a name he also knows. But the phrasing, and the context--
He's gotten much faster at typing by now, at least, a response promptly within the minute.]
I do know of a doctor. His name is John Watson. I can contact him through this device momentarily. [But, details, for the doctor...] How severely is she injured? Has she been stabilized? Where is she currently, and are you with her?
He's gotten much faster at typing by now, at least, a response promptly within the minute.]
I do know of a doctor. His name is John Watson. I can contact him through this device momentarily. [But, details, for the doctor...] How severely is she injured? Has she been stabilized? Where is she currently, and are you with her?
Edited (just spams your inbox lmao IM SORRY......) 2022-04-10 04:33 (UTC)
[ She's checking up on a few of the people that she can via ShipTalk. There might be some sounds of objects shifting from all the swaying and faint rain battering against her cabin window in the background... ]
Mr. Specs? I hope you're safe...
Mr. Specs? I hope you're safe...
[The line picks up to the sound of rattling rain striking wooden planks, offset by the occasional puffy gust of wind and a distant clatter of deck chairs sliding into each other in new and interesting ways. There are other muffled voices, somewhere off in the background and too indistinct to decipher under the constant rumble of thunder. But then:]
This is--Fio? [There's Jade's voice, too, much closer to the receiver! And maybe rather a lot more breathless than usual, but you know, that's probably fine. More importantly, the normal constant underlying humor in his tone is also gone, an audible sort of concern taking its place as the caller's ID registers in full.] Miss Fio! Where are you right now, are you taking shelter?
[Whoops, he might have completely forgotten to answer her actual implied question already, but ah well...]
This is--Fio? [There's Jade's voice, too, much closer to the receiver! And maybe rather a lot more breathless than usual, but you know, that's probably fine. More importantly, the normal constant underlying humor in his tone is also gone, an audible sort of concern taking its place as the caller's ID registers in full.] Miss Fio! Where are you right now, are you taking shelter?
[Whoops, he might have completely forgotten to answer her actual implied question already, but ah well...]
Edited 2022-04-16 03:13 (UTC)
[Once the mess is cleared and the ship returns to normal, Natsuno returns to 109. Jade said they need to talk, and there's no point to delay it. He doesn't know what dots Jade managed to connect, but if Natsuno gets hurt because of his own carelessness - that's on him and he'll deal with it.
It's probably late, but not like Jade keeps a normal sleep schedule. Natsuno comes in like he always does and sits on his bed, wearing the same neutral expression. Looks like he fully recovered from the sign incident - in fact, he even looks better after consuming a little blood.]
I guess you have questions, so let's get this over with.
It's probably late, but not like Jade keeps a normal sleep schedule. Natsuno comes in like he always does and sits on his bed, wearing the same neutral expression. Looks like he fully recovered from the sign incident - in fact, he even looks better after consuming a little blood.]
I guess you have questions, so let's get this over with.
[Jade's been in 109 for a little while before Natsuno finally makes his appearance; after all is said and done with Jenny, and it turns out the ship isn't actually going to be sunk by angry storm after all, the fallout's mostly consisted of people picking up both themselves and the ship's scattered pieces in some form or another afterwards. Jade chips in where he can, but eventually there's not much to be done before there's nothing for it but to return to quarters...not that he actually ends up even trying to recover any lost sleep by the time he gets there. No, for the second time this month, Jade figures he may as well call this night a wash, and look forward to a tired and bruised following day yet again.
Still, he hasn't touched base with Natsuno since dropping off the kid in the theater; all told, Jade has been assuming he's probably alright, and isn't terribly surprised to find the room empty initially. Considering what he'd said about talking right before departing the theater earlier, Jade does actually wonder if Natsuno's going to render himself as scarce as possible for awhile yet...
But no, as it turns out, it seems Natsuno's going for the bandaid-ripping sort of route after all!
Jade's indeed still awake when Natsuno comes in; the mess of the room now restored in the strange sort of way the ship seems to repair itself every time there's damage after a day or so, he's shifted to poring over his notes at the desk, as he's often been doing of late. Nothing so important that he can't set the notebook aside as soon as Natsuno arrives, though--he perches on the bed, and Jade's shifting to turn the desk chair towards him in turn, crossing his arms and appraising the latter in a neutral sort of fashion. (Huh, he does actually look surprisingly better than he'd been when Jade had left him, even putting the utter lack of any remaining trace of wounds aside...)]
Yes, let's, shall we? [Right to the point! This is fine. Jade rolls his shoulders in a slight shrug, and then smiles in a wry fashion that promptly segues to tone.] I suppose we may as well get the largest mystery out of the way upfront, hm? ...You're not human in a normal sense after all, are you Yuuki?
Still, he hasn't touched base with Natsuno since dropping off the kid in the theater; all told, Jade has been assuming he's probably alright, and isn't terribly surprised to find the room empty initially. Considering what he'd said about talking right before departing the theater earlier, Jade does actually wonder if Natsuno's going to render himself as scarce as possible for awhile yet...
But no, as it turns out, it seems Natsuno's going for the bandaid-ripping sort of route after all!
Jade's indeed still awake when Natsuno comes in; the mess of the room now restored in the strange sort of way the ship seems to repair itself every time there's damage after a day or so, he's shifted to poring over his notes at the desk, as he's often been doing of late. Nothing so important that he can't set the notebook aside as soon as Natsuno arrives, though--he perches on the bed, and Jade's shifting to turn the desk chair towards him in turn, crossing his arms and appraising the latter in a neutral sort of fashion. (Huh, he does actually look surprisingly better than he'd been when Jade had left him, even putting the utter lack of any remaining trace of wounds aside...)]
Yes, let's, shall we? [Right to the point! This is fine. Jade rolls his shoulders in a slight shrug, and then smiles in a wry fashion that promptly segues to tone.] I suppose we may as well get the largest mystery out of the way upfront, hm? ...You're not human in a normal sense after all, are you Yuuki?
Picture turned out weird but
Captain's got a black void inside him which will apparently kill you if you touch it.
Any idea what it might be?
Or why the image is distorted?
I just know you're on several international wanted lists for dabbling in forbidden arts.
[Attached: a photo of the captain's weird head wound, except it's all distorted like a creepypasta.]
Captain's got a black void inside him which will apparently kill you if you touch it.
Any idea what it might be?
Or why the image is distorted?
I just know you're on several international wanted lists for dabbling in forbidden arts.
[Attached: a photo of the captain's weird head wound, except it's all distorted like a creepypasta.]
[It is 6am and you better believe he did not sleep a wink that entire last night yet again and wow this accusation sure is--!]
Well, perhaps you'll be reassured to know! They don't put you on a wanted list when you place the ban on the forbidden arte yourself 😊
[Is he joking? Is he serious??? A mystery this shall remain.Sometimes the best way to conceal the truth is by saying it outright in the most ridiculous framing possible......or maybe he really is just very tired, and his personal filter has become very frayed. Maybe a bit of both--]
Well, perhaps you'll be reassured to know! They don't put you on a wanted list when you place the ban on the forbidden arte yourself 😊
[Is he joking? Is he serious??? A mystery this shall remain.
2/2 [ICly after Lumine's info sharing session, just keeping it in one thread]
neverleave
- 2022-06-02 10:18 (UTC) - Expand[Within an hour of this conversation concluding comes this 8-part text message:]
Interesting thing happened. Additional 11 months memory now mine.
Thought it was a bit much, Friday was useless so I spoke to the captain.
Going to try and write down everything before I forget.
The me that's here gained memories from the me that was then.
I know. It makes sense if you say it aloud.
Versions of me not stuck on ship = different moments on the timeline = other versions of self
Asked what I am, I am me but also not me. So hello from a Different Skulduggery. (1/8)
Reference made: Highlander. Never watched it, the commercial was stupid. (2/8)
Physical differences unaccounted for, as in, he does not know how I was physically altered.
He has no idea what happened to me really, even though this is HIS SHIP. (3/8)
You want to know how to talk to him?
He avoids answering questions he doesn't know the answer to. When he starts to talk in circles you know you've found a corner. Back him in.
Always ask exactly what you want the answer to. Otherwise, the runaround.
Direct. No commentary. One question at a time. (4/8)
Research. We're all kindling for the flames of knowledge, but it isn't just apotheosis.
Remembering correctly: tested thousands of ascension rituals but none fit purpose. Purpose??? Repeated again desire to know what he is.
Other purpose??? Possible. Again with the circles.
My gut says this is about freedom of will but my gut is also 451 years rotted away so!
Take it with a grain of salt. (5/8)
"All that exists will always exist." The things that happened to me have happened, will happen, are happening.
He knows our timelines and our various selves on that timeline are capable of being brought here and ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
What happens THEN? Always missing the forest for the trees. (6/8)
Can't remember it all. Time has passed and I am not myself.
Thinking in the future I'll record him.
🔉🔉🔉🔉💥💥💥💥
No! Can't. Audio blows out the phone speakers.
Can't write down in front of him either. He'll mock me.
Do you know how frustrating it is to be mocked by that man?
Worse yet to be mocked and still have to admit that he's right?
"I'm always right"
🙄😒🤮 (7/8)
I don't know. I'm going on vacation.
I have sent this exact message to the following people:
Jade Palamedes Natsuno
You three can work it out without me. Have fun.
I've got books to read and karaoke to sing. (8/8)
Interesting thing happened. Additional 11 months memory now mine.
Thought it was a bit much, Friday was useless so I spoke to the captain.
Going to try and write down everything before I forget.
The me that's here gained memories from the me that was then.
I know. It makes sense if you say it aloud.
Versions of me not stuck on ship = different moments on the timeline = other versions of self
Asked what I am, I am me but also not me. So hello from a Different Skulduggery. (1/8)
Reference made: Highlander. Never watched it, the commercial was stupid. (2/8)
Physical differences unaccounted for, as in, he does not know how I was physically altered.
He has no idea what happened to me really, even though this is HIS SHIP. (3/8)
You want to know how to talk to him?
He avoids answering questions he doesn't know the answer to. When he starts to talk in circles you know you've found a corner. Back him in.
Always ask exactly what you want the answer to. Otherwise, the runaround.
Direct. No commentary. One question at a time. (4/8)
Research. We're all kindling for the flames of knowledge, but it isn't just apotheosis.
Remembering correctly: tested thousands of ascension rituals but none fit purpose. Purpose??? Repeated again desire to know what he is.
Other purpose??? Possible. Again with the circles.
My gut says this is about freedom of will but my gut is also 451 years rotted away so!
Take it with a grain of salt. (5/8)
"All that exists will always exist." The things that happened to me have happened, will happen, are happening.
He knows our timelines and our various selves on that timeline are capable of being brought here and ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
What happens THEN? Always missing the forest for the trees. (6/8)
Can't remember it all. Time has passed and I am not myself.
Thinking in the future I'll record him.
🔉🔉🔉🔉💥💥💥💥
No! Can't. Audio blows out the phone speakers.
Can't write down in front of him either. He'll mock me.
Do you know how frustrating it is to be mocked by that man?
Worse yet to be mocked and still have to admit that he's right?
"I'm always right"
🙄😒🤮 (7/8)
I don't know. I'm going on vacation.
I have sent this exact message to the following people:
Jade Palamedes Natsuno
You three can work it out without me. Have fun.
I've got books to read and karaoke to sing. (8/8)
Edited 2022-06-25 08:31 (UTC)
[The morning after these two threads, Skulduggery sends another text message chain: this one is only 2 parts, thankfully...]
I'm sure by now you have discovered the unfortunate side effect
of contact with water. This effect has trickled down from a misguided spell
from the Captain. Friday is currently affected and as far as I can tell, is only
capable of telling the truth. Use this information as you will. (1/2)
On a personal note.
My apologies for wanting to shoot you the other day.
Still not feeling myself but I feel like a version of myself that can handle
the situation that we are currently in.
Better, perhaps, than the me who was me before.
No hard feelings, I hope. (2/2)
[in the words of darcy: are we cool?]
I'm sure by now you have discovered the unfortunate side effect
of contact with water. This effect has trickled down from a misguided spell
from the Captain. Friday is currently affected and as far as I can tell, is only
capable of telling the truth. Use this information as you will. (1/2)
On a personal note.
My apologies for wanting to shoot you the other day.
Still not feeling myself but I feel like a version of myself that can handle
the situation that we are currently in.
Better, perhaps, than the me who was me before.
No hard feelings, I hope. (2/2)
[in the words of darcy: are we cool?]
So you mean to tell me that even this whole mess wasn't some intentional ploy to sow disarray and distrust among us, but a complete accident?
Color me truly surprised. Utterly astonished. Why, there's practically starting to be a track record here! 😮😮 [ARE YOU FEELING THE EXASPERATED SARCASM YET....the captain bandying around unimaginably powerful magic like an aspiring fonist being overcome by the typical first-time power trip of casting one whole arte correctly sure seems to be becoming an increasing trend here? Why did they have to actually be guessing right about this?? Unbelievable......] Thank you, for the tip. So Miss Friday is affected as well...I assume there's a recommendation to take advantage of this, while it lasts.
[And maybe he will! But, hm. Yes, there sure is a second part--and no more than that, at least, all traces of Skulduggery's previously far more manic format seemingly laid to rest. ...Seemingly. Though at least he seems to be acknowledging as much too, so. That's a start?]
No hard feelings at all, not to worry! It's not the first time anyone's wanted to shoot me for being positively insufferable, and it probably won't be the last time either. 😊 I'm sure it wouldn't surprise you to hear this, but I do tend to get that sort of thing rather a lot back home!
Still, you do sound like things have [hmmm what phrasing to use here...] improved, somewhat, where your headspace is concerned. Manageability is a reasonable enough baseline, and it seems that it has indeed become manageable. So that's good.
[...]
Does this mean your vacation has officially ended?
Color me truly surprised. Utterly astonished. Why, there's practically starting to be a track record here! 😮😮 [ARE YOU FEELING THE EXASPERATED SARCASM YET....the captain bandying around unimaginably powerful magic like an aspiring fonist being overcome by the typical first-time power trip of casting one whole arte correctly sure seems to be becoming an increasing trend here? Why did they have to actually be guessing right about this?? Unbelievable......] Thank you, for the tip. So Miss Friday is affected as well...I assume there's a recommendation to take advantage of this, while it lasts.
[And maybe he will! But, hm. Yes, there sure is a second part--and no more than that, at least, all traces of Skulduggery's previously far more manic format seemingly laid to rest. ...Seemingly. Though at least he seems to be acknowledging as much too, so. That's a start?]
No hard feelings at all, not to worry! It's not the first time anyone's wanted to shoot me for being positively insufferable, and it probably won't be the last time either. 😊 I'm sure it wouldn't surprise you to hear this, but I do tend to get that sort of thing rather a lot back home!
Still, you do sound like things have [hmmm what phrasing to use here...] improved, somewhat, where your headspace is concerned. Manageability is a reasonable enough baseline, and it seems that it has indeed become manageable. So that's good.
[...]
Does this mean your vacation has officially ended?
Skulduggery Pleasant talked to the captain.
The water thing is because one of his spells backfired.
Also, there's a good chance next excursion will be bad.
Be careful if you decide to go.
The water thing is because one of his spells backfired.
Also, there's a good chance next excursion will be bad.
Be careful if you decide to go.
So I've heard...I wonder if we're witnessing something of an incompetency streak, all of a sudden. Truly remarkable. [But, well, nevermind that when that second bit's--] A good chance of a bad upcoming expedition--is there, now? I can't say that's terribly reassuring, but I can't say I'm exactly surprised to hear it either...we've been far overdue for a second horrible shoe actually dropping properly, of late.
Did you have a word with the captain yourself? Or did you pick up this hint from elsewhere?
Did you have a word with the captain yourself? Or did you pick up this hint from elsewhere?
[???? Yeah this sure is a context-free message out of nowhere which, you know, makes one wonder--]
Well, I heard him speak at various points this morning, yes, as is generally the case with a roommate. I have to assume you're not asking about that, though; care to be ever so slightly more specific?
[.....]
Did something happen to him? Or are you looking for him?
Well, I heard him speak at various points this morning, yes, as is generally the case with a roommate. I have to assume you're not asking about that, though; care to be ever so slightly more specific?
[.....]
Did something happen to him? Or are you looking for him?
[Somebody has been busy this month! A renewed fevor for investigation, perhaps? Or maybe just a renewed effort to distract himself from the PTSD madness that threatens to consume him the moment he stops working? Who is to say, really? Certainly not Skulduggery, now that the truth serum is out of the water...]
The rain was only meant to last for 1-2 weeks. You may have noticed that turned out to not be the case.
The Captain took a second dose of the truth elixir that started this mess in the first place, likely to relearn what he'd forgotten the first time around.
He then promptly took a memory charm to forget what he'd learned. AGAIN.
He said that he'd taken the charm a total of four times this month alone.
There's no reliable way to tell how many times he really took it.
"I only forget irrelevant things" he says, having forgotten too much to know that with any certainty!
Turns out, he likely forgets information that is either "compromising" or "detrimental." (1/7)
He claims the only reason we're here is to fuel his magic and entertain him with our pain.
He has a narrow view of his own project and I fear that's caused more grief and pain than we'll ever be able to uncover.
He said that he wouldn't use the memory charm on himself again.
Furthermore, he said that Friday would keep them from him.
To quote him: "If I order something once, I cannot take it back no matter what I do." (2/7)
There is a secondary goal that he has been purposefully obfuscating from himself: to ensure he cannot be controlled again.
He's clearly forgotten it too many times now, and that amnesia of his has stalled out this project for who knows how long.
There are hundreds of passengers who died for nothing, all because he couldn't handle whatever truth he found.
We could very well be the next if we don't take more proactive steps to solve this. (3/7)
He mentioned Jenny. ("Guabancex.") She limits her power by asking for memories of emotions, as opposed to taking the emotion as the Captain does.
He said that she dragged the passengers of her time out onto the pool deck and slit their throats.
I think she may be trying to make up for this by hunting down ways to fight the Captain.
I also think that the Captain may have started out similarly, which makes me concerned for Jenny's future.
The next time we see her, she may more closely resemble the very thing we're trying to stop. (4/7)
August is likely to be a difficult excursion. "Difficult" being a massive, horrifying understatement, of course.
After the events of last month, combined with what he intends to do, he'll need more power than before.
I'm sure at least one person will die before the end. Perhaps all of us. Whatever happens, we'll have to accept that some casualties are inevitable.
My hope is that the tentative cooperation we're all struggling with will hold. If it doesn't, and even one person turns on the rest of the group...
Well. That's how Jenny wound up the way she is. (5/7)
He says that death is the most effective way to gain power.
"Your worst pain will always shine brighter than your greatest joy."
More confirmation that he is, indeed, a fool. (6/7)
On a separate note, one I think you'll enjoy personally:
Darcy and I decided to bring a cup of coffee and a waffle to the bridge, just to see what would happen.
As it turns out, he doesn't take his coffee black. He prefers the foamy animal lattes from the cafe.
Completely tossed the waffle aside. Can't blame him, waffles seem like they'd have an awful, rubbery texture. (7/7)
The rain was only meant to last for 1-2 weeks. You may have noticed that turned out to not be the case.
The Captain took a second dose of the truth elixir that started this mess in the first place, likely to relearn what he'd forgotten the first time around.
He then promptly took a memory charm to forget what he'd learned. AGAIN.
He said that he'd taken the charm a total of four times this month alone.
There's no reliable way to tell how many times he really took it.
"I only forget irrelevant things" he says, having forgotten too much to know that with any certainty!
Turns out, he likely forgets information that is either "compromising" or "detrimental." (1/7)
He claims the only reason we're here is to fuel his magic and entertain him with our pain.
He has a narrow view of his own project and I fear that's caused more grief and pain than we'll ever be able to uncover.
He said that he wouldn't use the memory charm on himself again.
Furthermore, he said that Friday would keep them from him.
To quote him: "If I order something once, I cannot take it back no matter what I do." (2/7)
There is a secondary goal that he has been purposefully obfuscating from himself: to ensure he cannot be controlled again.
He's clearly forgotten it too many times now, and that amnesia of his has stalled out this project for who knows how long.
There are hundreds of passengers who died for nothing, all because he couldn't handle whatever truth he found.
We could very well be the next if we don't take more proactive steps to solve this. (3/7)
He mentioned Jenny. ("Guabancex.") She limits her power by asking for memories of emotions, as opposed to taking the emotion as the Captain does.
He said that she dragged the passengers of her time out onto the pool deck and slit their throats.
I think she may be trying to make up for this by hunting down ways to fight the Captain.
I also think that the Captain may have started out similarly, which makes me concerned for Jenny's future.
The next time we see her, she may more closely resemble the very thing we're trying to stop. (4/7)
August is likely to be a difficult excursion. "Difficult" being a massive, horrifying understatement, of course.
After the events of last month, combined with what he intends to do, he'll need more power than before.
I'm sure at least one person will die before the end. Perhaps all of us. Whatever happens, we'll have to accept that some casualties are inevitable.
My hope is that the tentative cooperation we're all struggling with will hold. If it doesn't, and even one person turns on the rest of the group...
Well. That's how Jenny wound up the way she is. (5/7)
He says that death is the most effective way to gain power.
"Your worst pain will always shine brighter than your greatest joy."
More confirmation that he is, indeed, a fool. (6/7)
On a separate note, one I think you'll enjoy personally:
Darcy and I decided to bring a cup of coffee and a waffle to the bridge, just to see what would happen.
As it turns out, he doesn't take his coffee black. He prefers the foamy animal lattes from the cafe.
Completely tossed the waffle aside. Can't blame him, waffles seem like they'd have an awful, rubbery texture. (7/7)
[Well, it's not a surprising thing to find Skulduggery digging so intensively of late. They'd already spoken of how difficult it is for an animate skeleton to pass the time in a place like this anyhow...to say nothing of his past bouts of instability, which surely may or may not be related here. No real way to tell from an outside perspective--but, well, if waking up to an occasional letter-length wall of text stuffed to the brim with new information is going to become something of a norm in this friendship, Jade's certainly not about to start complaining?
There's a lot here, to be sure! It takes a couple of passes in reading, all of it very interesting to say the least...though, as Jade goes through the motions of acquiring breakfast with phone in hand, that last bit there...sure does feel very topical to address first and foremost, about now. If only for the brief twinge of utterly dry amusement that it does manage to bring about, despite the rather grim prospects of the rest of the message chain--]
Oh, of course he doesn't take his coffee black. 🙄 With designed foam, no less...goodness forbid we might yet mistake him for a man of well-rounded adult tastes, after all! [Yes he is enjoying this news, it's the little things to add to one's internal captain-roasting dossier...!] Actually waffles can be quite agreeable enough, but timing is very critical in the matter; I prefer them on the crispier end of things myself, less syrup and a few more fruit sides. If left to cool for too long they'll turn out rather more rubbery than not regardless, too.
But, all that aside. No surprise he didn't eat the waffle, no. Did you even actually see him drink from the coffee cup while you were there? Surely he's beyond the need for worldly sustenance, at this point...I'm not even sure why he would have a preference for sweet coffee. Can he even taste things? Whatever would happen to anything he eats? Burn away like flesh in the void of his head? I wonder
[--Wait, no, getting sidetracked. Knee-jerk scientific curiosity over the matter of what in the world the captain even is will have to be set aside--and it's easier to cut oneself off through text, at least. Pardon a bit of a pause, about here, while Jade's cutting himself off that tangent and also settling properly at a café table on the Promenade. But at length!]
There's a lot here, to be sure! It takes a couple of passes in reading, all of it very interesting to say the least...though, as Jade goes through the motions of acquiring breakfast with phone in hand, that last bit there...sure does feel very topical to address first and foremost, about now. If only for the brief twinge of utterly dry amusement that it does manage to bring about, despite the rather grim prospects of the rest of the message chain--]
Oh, of course he doesn't take his coffee black. 🙄 With designed foam, no less...goodness forbid we might yet mistake him for a man of well-rounded adult tastes, after all! [Yes he is enjoying this news, it's the little things to add to one's internal captain-roasting dossier...!] Actually waffles can be quite agreeable enough, but timing is very critical in the matter; I prefer them on the crispier end of things myself, less syrup and a few more fruit sides. If left to cool for too long they'll turn out rather more rubbery than not regardless, too.
But, all that aside. No surprise he didn't eat the waffle, no. Did you even actually see him drink from the coffee cup while you were there? Surely he's beyond the need for worldly sustenance, at this point...I'm not even sure why he would have a preference for sweet coffee. Can he even taste things? Whatever would happen to anything he eats? Burn away like flesh in the void of his head? I wonder
[--Wait, no, getting sidetracked. Knee-jerk scientific curiosity over the matter of what in the world the captain even is will have to be set aside--and it's easier to cut oneself off through text, at least. Pardon a bit of a pause, about here, while Jade's cutting himself off that tangent and also settling properly at a café table on the Promenade. But at length!]
[So. About a half-day after...a certain event...Rita's insides sure were rebelling hard. Not that it means the sandwich was related in any way!! Estelle ate it and never got sick--and she ate the whole sandwich, rather than a single bite! (And...okay, maybe Rita feels...a little bad Estelle actually got through the whole thing, but hey, what the hell else should they have expected, suddenly adding Rita to the cooking rotation like that?!)
ANYWAY. After a very rough night, she at least doesn't feel like she's about to implode anymore, so she's knocking loudly on the door of 109. Not...to check on its occupants or anything!! Because clearly this was just some weird fluke. No, has topics she wants to bring up to Jade, seeing as they didn't get very far into their discussion at all before...everything else happened.
(She's not thinking about the mugs. She's erasing that from her mind, it didn't happen!)
Also yeah don't mind if she does look a tad worse for wear when Jade opens the door. It's fine!! She just didn't sleep well, obviously.]
ANYWAY. After a very rough night, she at least doesn't feel like she's about to implode anymore, so she's knocking loudly on the door of 109. Not...to check on its occupants or anything!! Because clearly this was just some weird fluke. No, has topics she wants to bring up to Jade, seeing as they didn't get very far into their discussion at all before...everything else happened.
(She's not thinking about the mugs. She's erasing that from her mind, it didn't happen!)
Also yeah don't mind if she does look a tad worse for wear when Jade opens the door. It's fine!! She just didn't sleep well, obviously.]
Edited (let's!! change it up!) 2022-09-16 02:21 (UTC)
[That whole thing yesterday sure was...something, to say the least. Jade's still not actually sure which part of that particular unboxing session was worse, between being quite nearly force-fed a raw egg sandwich and the positively mortifying discovery of those mugs' true properties. (The mugs probably...still win out, in the end. But only just.)
Anyway, yeah, truly an utter disaster of a meeting that time. It'd certainly completely sidetracked the both of them from the tangent Rita's initial visit there had been trying to take...and perhaps, in the end, that really was a rather steep price to pay for it. With that in mind, it's actually not so surprising that Rita's found on the other side of the door when Jade opens it...
But the rather wrung-out state of her person does give Jade just the slightest bit of pause.]
Well, good morning to you! ...Or perhaps not quite, hm? You look as if you ought to be nearer to a bed than anything else right now, you know...
[Naturally, Jade looks pretty much exactly as he always does--seemingly well-rested, already dressed for the day, and not a hair out of place, as per usual. He could...actually take a bit of a guess as to what's probably ailing Rita about now, though. Which makes a question like 'are you alright' rather redundant, all told...but the implication's probably somewhere in his tone anyway, in the way he's arching his eyebrows slightly about now. --Though Jade does open the door a bit wider to let her through anyway, as he steps aside.]
Anyway, yeah, truly an utter disaster of a meeting that time. It'd certainly completely sidetracked the both of them from the tangent Rita's initial visit there had been trying to take...and perhaps, in the end, that really was a rather steep price to pay for it. With that in mind, it's actually not so surprising that Rita's found on the other side of the door when Jade opens it...
But the rather wrung-out state of her person does give Jade just the slightest bit of pause.]
Well, good morning to you! ...Or perhaps not quite, hm? You look as if you ought to be nearer to a bed than anything else right now, you know...
[Naturally, Jade looks pretty much exactly as he always does--seemingly well-rested, already dressed for the day, and not a hair out of place, as per usual. He could...actually take a bit of a guess as to what's probably ailing Rita about now, though. Which makes a question like 'are you alright' rather redundant, all told...but the implication's probably somewhere in his tone anyway, in the way he's arching his eyebrows slightly about now. --Though Jade does open the door a bit wider to let her through anyway, as he steps aside.]
In case you didn't hear her, Jenny has woken up and is not pleased. Please be advised she's currently lying face-down in the atrium. 💀
I spoke with the Captain, by the by. If you'd like, I can relay the information to you in person or through text. Short summary: we found the item required, and he remembered something of his past. We are still trapped on the ship and will likely be this way for a while yet, but I think eventual freedom is possible.
Oh, I certainly did hear, yes! I must say, I've never had someone threaten to obliterate my entire bloodline right through a remarkably thin neighboring wall before, but I suppose there's truly a first time for just about anything in life 😊 In completely unrelated news, I profess I half-expect to be smited well before I ever even reach the atrium today, truth be told! But the warning is quite appreciated all the same.
[So, you know, everything's great and fine and the next entire week isn't about to be a life of nearly-literally weaving around landmines.....anyway--]
[So, you know, everything's great and fine and the next entire week isn't about to be a life of nearly-literally weaving around landmines.....anyway--]
[He's been out and about for most of the day today, and the door was perfectly normal enough when he stepped out that morning. Returning this evening, though.....
Well then.
Let's just disregard the entirely unwarranted bit of a chill up the spine here, just now. --Blood directly on the door. Whose? To not even--start on the actual contents of the message here, which are already setting several pretty unhappy thoughts in motion in quick succession...
For a long moment Jade simply stands and stares at the door, expression darkened. ...Scans the vicinity for any other signs. Blood spilled anywhere else, possible tracks or traces of a perpetrator?]
Well then.
Let's just disregard the entirely unwarranted bit of a chill up the spine here, just now. --Blood directly on the door. Whose? To not even--start on the actual contents of the message here, which are already setting several pretty unhappy thoughts in motion in quick succession...
For a long moment Jade simply stands and stares at the door, expression darkened. ...Scans the vicinity for any other signs. Blood spilled anywhere else, possible tracks or traces of a perpetrator?]
Colonel.
I don't know how to tell you this
But there was a message written on my cabin door today...
[ enclosed, there is a picture of the exact same message jade
himself had received, except next to it is her own cabin number. ]
I didn't talk about Luke with anyone here, so it's kind of strange.
I'm not sure where this could have come from...
[ she's worried, but she isn't exactly suspicious of jade himself.
just ... keeping herself together, cautious about what this all could mean. ]
I don't know how to tell you this
But there was a message written on my cabin door today...
[ enclosed, there is a picture of the exact same message jade
himself had received, except next to it is her own cabin number. ]
I didn't talk about Luke with anyone here, so it's kind of strange.
I'm not sure where this could have come from...
[ she's worried, but she isn't exactly suspicious of jade himself.
just ... keeping herself together, cautious about what this all could mean. ]
[The message arrives before Jade gets around to sending one of his own; it would have been much more prompt, on his own part, but the knee-jerk notion had been to call upon Palamedes Sextus and his unnatural proficiency for blood investigation in the end.
The meeting with Pal concludes eventually, and the gap of time isn't quite so long enough as to be alarming, when a reply finally arrives from Jade's side.]
My cabin received the exact same message. Someone's not much for originality. Or tact, for that matter.
[A dry sort of humor that's barely humorous at all, likely practically seeping through the text. After a moment, Jade sends a picture in return--identical message indeed, on his own door.]
I was about to ask, if you'd ever mentioned Luke. I had a feeling you hadn't, however...
I can't say I've spoken of him much either. There are [hm] very few people on this ship who'd even know him by name...much less that he's dead. But I cannot see any of the ones who do engaging in something half so gauche as this.
Clearly it is a death threat of some variety, however. I do not care for it. Where are you at the moment?
The meeting with Pal concludes eventually, and the gap of time isn't quite so long enough as to be alarming, when a reply finally arrives from Jade's side.]
My cabin received the exact same message. Someone's not much for originality. Or tact, for that matter.
[A dry sort of humor that's barely humorous at all, likely practically seeping through the text. After a moment, Jade sends a picture in return--identical message indeed, on his own door.]
I was about to ask, if you'd ever mentioned Luke. I had a feeling you hadn't, however...
I can't say I've spoken of him much either. There are [hm] very few people on this ship who'd even know him by name...much less that he's dead. But I cannot see any of the ones who do engaging in something half so gauche as this.
Clearly it is a death threat of some variety, however. I do not care for it. Where are you at the moment?
in typical 'torn' fashion, it reads:
tO thE SKeeVY OlD MAN WitH tHE GlAsSeS:
you're just a villain who thinks he's a hero.
a total scumbag who thinks he's atoned for everything,
but you don't deserve the body you have right now.
so why do you get to live while others don't?
i'll be watching.
don't think for a second i won't come for you.
it was a makeshift calling card! she tried her best, okay.
she wasn't exactly the artist of her friend grou, or anything.)
Edited (illiteracy take #2343) 2022-10-23 02:20 (UTC)
( as the eldest — second eldest including palamedes — of your unofficial band of adopted children, it should come as no surprise that clarke griffin's the first to make terrible, awful, no good decisions in regard to substances this month.
...she's so stoned right now, and it's "philosophical questions without a filter" hour. aka probably ass-o'clock in the morning and she's covered in cookie crumbs. )
Why are your eyes red?
do you think we could put The Captain in a box? How strong of a box would we need?
have you ever seen a hippolatapus
hippocampus
Hippogriffin
hippypompamus
...I'm having a hardtimetyping but youre smart, you know what I mean right? A water rhinoplasty
...she's so stoned right now, and it's "philosophical questions without a filter" hour. aka probably ass-o'clock in the morning and she's covered in cookie crumbs. )
Why are your eyes red?
do you think we could put The Captain in a box? How strong of a box would we need?
have you ever seen a hippolatapus
hippocampus
Hippogriffin
hippypompamus
...I'm having a hardtimetyping but youre smart, you know what I mean right? A water rhinoplasty
[Well, Clarke might actually be the second to be making terrible substance-based decisions this week--as an earlier intoxicated message from Rita Mordio will prove, retroactively--but Clarke will still have distinction as the first correspondence using...this, particular substance. So. There's that!
--Not that Jade has any idea what exactly is afoot just yet, though. The first layer of oddness is the fact they've never corresponded much through messages to begin with...let alone the second layer of oddness on the late hour it's sent, and the third layer of the...actual contents, of the message.
Jade, currently more in the habit of being awake at terrible hours than ever, is in full not-sleepy possession of his faculties when the contact is made. But...he's already immediately wondering, if the same thing could actually be said of Clarke right now. Considering. Uh.]
To answer in order:
1) Made a pact with a demon once, as you do, and the price was the color of my eyes! It was all very traumatic 💀 How hurtful of you, to ask someone about the color of their eyes out of the blue like this! [BLATANT SARCASM HERE or at least it should be...blatant....]
2) I suppose we could get him in a box, hypothetically. Perhaps lure him in with something sufficiently ridiculous. The trouble would be him staying inside it, though, if that's your goal in this idea. There may not be a box strong enough in this entire plane, unfortunately.
3) I'm not sure what you're trying to ask me here. Referring to some kind of creature, I presume... [Water rhinoplasty......]
Are you having a rather long night, Clarke?
--Not that Jade has any idea what exactly is afoot just yet, though. The first layer of oddness is the fact they've never corresponded much through messages to begin with...let alone the second layer of oddness on the late hour it's sent, and the third layer of the...actual contents, of the message.
Jade, currently more in the habit of being awake at terrible hours than ever, is in full not-sleepy possession of his faculties when the contact is made. But...he's already immediately wondering, if the same thing could actually be said of Clarke right now. Considering. Uh.]
To answer in order:
1) Made a pact with a demon once, as you do, and the price was the color of my eyes! It was all very traumatic 💀 How hurtful of you, to ask someone about the color of their eyes out of the blue like this! [BLATANT SARCASM HERE or at least it should be...blatant....]
2) I suppose we could get him in a box, hypothetically. Perhaps lure him in with something sufficiently ridiculous. The trouble would be him staying inside it, though, if that's your goal in this idea. There may not be a box strong enough in this entire plane, unfortunately.
3) I'm not sure what you're trying to ask me here. Referring to some kind of creature, I presume... [Water rhinoplasty......]
Are you having a rather long night, Clarke?
[Considering the two-person party of her and Shi Qingxuan likely started around midday, this text is probably coming at a reasonable early-evening hour! Even if the contents are...]
you need to prepare
[That's a perfectly reasonable text to send, right? Oh, and those little pictures to add some context-]
💀
[There we go.]
you need to prepare
[That's a perfectly reasonable text to send, right? Oh, and those little pictures to add some context-]
💀
[There we go.]
[Receiving a message from Rita, at a reasonable early evening hour...neither of these things are particularly unusual. It's been a rather wrung-out week for pretty much everyone on the ship, of late, and for his part Jade has been content to try giving his friends space where he can; subsequently, it has perhaps been a bit of time since he and Rita last spoke. Her wanting to touch base here wouldn't be too much of a surprise, all things considered...
But.
...Yeah, give him a minute to just sort of. Frown at this message. Which would be very nearly outright ominous, if it weren't for the...skull emote. --Okay, but actually, it is still kind of ominous though???]
You know, this sort of advice is generally more helpful when there's an actual subject attached to it.
Care to try again, perhaps?
But.
...Yeah, give him a minute to just sort of. Frown at this message. Which would be very nearly outright ominous, if it weren't for the...skull emote. --Okay, but actually, it is still kind of ominous though???]
You know, this sort of advice is generally more helpful when there's an actual subject attached to it.
Care to try again, perhaps?
he needs his teens to not be involved in murder for like one week
myagic
- 2022-11-07 03:24 (UTC) - Expandwell...no............AT LEAST TAKE IT IN TURNS YOU GREMLINS--
fonomena
- 2022-11-14 04:55 (UTC) - Expandand this is how pal and natsuno make their death schedule...
myagic
- 2022-11-14 18:32 (UTC) - Expand[He was hanging out with the Dioscuri, playing a ridiculous and convoluted question game. At one point they opened a bottle of wine and Natsuno had some - and then some more, and a bit more after, can't recall exactly. Not that it matters, because he's physically incapable of getting drunk.
It takes him longer than usual to walk back to the cabin, but maybe it's because he's too hot. The captain must be messing around with the temperature or something, probably makes the ship sway too.
He fumbles with his phone at the door, dropping it twice. Perhaps Jade hears the thuds and muffled swear before the door opens to reveal Natsuno. He stands at the threshold, looking stoic as usual - maybe even a little flatter around the eyes. He's also taking his sweet time walking in, first because he stays on the threshold like he forgot what he came in for, and then because every step needs to be considered, like when you become aware of your own breathing. One foot, then the other, in a straight line...
It's probably fine.]
It takes him longer than usual to walk back to the cabin, but maybe it's because he's too hot. The captain must be messing around with the temperature or something, probably makes the ship sway too.
He fumbles with his phone at the door, dropping it twice. Perhaps Jade hears the thuds and muffled swear before the door opens to reveal Natsuno. He stands at the threshold, looking stoic as usual - maybe even a little flatter around the eyes. He's also taking his sweet time walking in, first because he stays on the threshold like he forgot what he came in for, and then because every step needs to be considered, like when you become aware of your own breathing. One foot, then the other, in a straight line...
It's probably fine.]
[Jade sure does hear that thudding and muffled swearing over there; settled at the desk as is his custom around this time of day. The tabletop in front of him holds the normal spread of open notebooks, although there's also a yet-unopened small box in the typical sundries nautical gift wrapping at his elbow, a notable new addition.
--Or at least, it would probably be immediately notable to Natsuno. If he wasn't...well...
The noises had already drawn a half-puzzled half-wary glance to the door from Jade--though the wariness does subside pretty promptly, at least, when the door opens in another second or so. Natsuno is an expected appearance on the other side, and for approximately three seconds or so his expression is flat enough that it certainly seems like nothing is amiss--
--And then he...starts moving. To walk inside.
Very...slowly........]
...Long day today, I take it? [Jade settles his weight back in his chair such that it shifts away from the desk slightly, idly curling an arm over the back as he turns a bit to better peer over at Natsuno. The faintly sardonic lilt on the end of the question is sardonic enough, though it's also accompanied by slightly arching eyebrows.] You certainly seem rather tired.
--Or at least, it would probably be immediately notable to Natsuno. If he wasn't...well...
The noises had already drawn a half-puzzled half-wary glance to the door from Jade--though the wariness does subside pretty promptly, at least, when the door opens in another second or so. Natsuno is an expected appearance on the other side, and for approximately three seconds or so his expression is flat enough that it certainly seems like nothing is amiss--
--And then he...starts moving. To walk inside.
Very...slowly........]
...Long day today, I take it? [Jade settles his weight back in his chair such that it shifts away from the desk slightly, idly curling an arm over the back as he turns a bit to better peer over at Natsuno. The faintly sardonic lilt on the end of the question is sardonic enough, though it's also accompanied by slightly arching eyebrows.] You certainly seem rather tired.
[ Another day and another set of packages picked up from the sundries shop! And yet another package that isn't for her, which Fio realizes after removing the nautical wrapping paper. This time, the title inscribed on the box is "The Colonel" and there's only one person aboard the ship that she knows addressed as such...
This is the third time now. The difference is that the package is smaller, far lighter than the one she received for Rita and Skulduggery. It almost feels empty. Maybe whatever's inside won't be as weird as the other packages! (It's even weirder!)
It's while she's in her cabin that she goes through her packages, so she doesn't bother contacting Jade by phone. She can simply walk over to make the drop off, since he's down the hall after all.
When calling out or knocking on cabin 109 goes unanswered, Fio is hesitant to stick around. As she lingers, she mulls over the events from the previous month. She's not even sure what his or his roommate's feelings are after the trial. If it comes up, it's a discussion she feels uncomfortable with at the moment.
After about another minute, she leaves the package out front for Jade to discover on his own. ]
This is the third time now. The difference is that the package is smaller, far lighter than the one she received for Rita and Skulduggery. It almost feels empty. Maybe whatever's inside won't be as weird as the other packages! (It's even weirder!)
It's while she's in her cabin that she goes through her packages, so she doesn't bother contacting Jade by phone. She can simply walk over to make the drop off, since he's down the hall after all.
When calling out or knocking on cabin 109 goes unanswered, Fio is hesitant to stick around. As she lingers, she mulls over the events from the previous month. She's not even sure what his or his roommate's feelings are after the trial. If it comes up, it's a discussion she feels uncomfortable with at the moment.
After about another minute, she leaves the package out front for Jade to discover on his own. ]
[In the end it's later in the day before one of cabin 109's residents finally returns. Fio isn't the only one with recent events uncomfortably in thought, and though by now matters had been vented between Jade and Natsuno in a conversation shortly after everyone's collective return to the ship, there's still something quietly...heavy and unhappy, about the atmosphere in 109 of late. They've both been avoiding the cabin rather more than normal, for multiple reasons--and so situations like this now arise, where a mysterious package can sit at the doorstep for several hours...
But it's hard to miss, at least. Jade picks it up, notices the strange script that flickers to legible letters intermittently, and--alright, weirdly indirectly direct. Clearly not in the style of Friday's usual nautical wrapping. ...No sign of anyone else lingering in the hall. Let's...bring it inside, then...
Feather-light thing, this small box. Shaking it slightly doesn't even offer the vaguest rattle within, and it becomes pretty clear why when Jade finally does gingerly pull the lid off at length. There's a glowing light inside, that leaps up and vanishes straight into his torso with no warning and no sensation whatsoever; "weird" becomes "unsettlingly concerning" in an instant. But the box is...empty, otherwise, and within the next ten minutes nothing else actually happens. There's no change he can sense in his own body whatsoever, and no particular energy he can discern through the same means he might detect fonons either. ...The end of the day is near anyhow, but Jade spends it in a state of mild trepidation that has him examining the box rather far too long. (No further hints are found.) When he does finally retire to bed later that night, before Natsuno has yet returned to the room, a resignation rather unique to the ship's inexorable oddities has fallen upon him. This is all still pretty foreboding, but apparently not fast-acting, and he decides he'll ask around about what a delivery like this might possibly entail tomorrow. No help losing sleep over it.
The Cage's gift does not wait that long, unfortunately.
I was never very strong, nor very good at anything. My life was normal. Average. Boring, even. And that's all I ever thought I'd be--until I got this gun.
Thoughts. Feelings. Images--hazy. Memories...not his own. Foreign in the strangest way, as if watching the events unfolding through somebody else's body--and what grim events they are. A gun that tells a fortune every time it's shot, as if dispensing a piece of a Score through some utterly bizarre reaction mechanic. It grants only visions of accidents and death, inevitably followed by a desperation to avert disaster, and the backfire of those actions upon loved ones instead. The prophecies grow more and more unavoidable with each shot of the gun, until it finally predicts--
Jade doesn't sleep terribly thoroughly on a normal night to begin with. It's abbreviated by habit at this point, a necessity thanks to the nature of his eyes...but even then, for all that a variety of unpleasant dreams do tend to visit him frequently, he's a fairly still and quiet sleeper. --Not this night, though. With this sort of nightmare. It's a new and jarring experience, to jerk awake with a shout barely caught in the back of his throat and the taste of gunmetal still in his mouth, and there's several seconds where he can't tell where he himself ends and that stranger's despair begins.
Nauseating, nauseating. The dread that is but isn't his own takes far too long to fade, and he has to get up, barely manages to get the bathroom door open with hands that shake. Breathing far too fast, need to get that under control. There's a dizzying urge to be properly sick, but nothing ever does quite come up in the end. Nothing for it but to lean against the sink and run icy cold water over his hands until the numbness feels more real and familiar than the sensation of the gun in his grip. ...His face is still his own in the mirror, at least, for all that it's still pale and drawn even after a couple rinses. Jade wonders if this is what the aftermath of the possessions was like for those possessed--no, but for them they at least remembered nothing of the souls that overtook them. ...It's just a bit like trying to recall being hypnotized, though, unearthing memories of thoughts and actions that didn't feel like his own...
This is still very new regardless. And the box must be the cause, because Jade finds he now somehow knows exactly what was actually in there. The gun from the nightmare--"Umbra 1945". If he held out his left hand...he's somehow certain, too, that it would now materialize--
But not now. Not--in here. ...Trying to go back to sleep is going to be an impossible task, too. In the end, there's nothing for it but to wash up and change and set out for the day, hours earlier than he would have normally. ...There's certainly at least one thing he'd now like to properly investigate today...]
But it's hard to miss, at least. Jade picks it up, notices the strange script that flickers to legible letters intermittently, and--alright, weirdly indirectly direct. Clearly not in the style of Friday's usual nautical wrapping. ...No sign of anyone else lingering in the hall. Let's...bring it inside, then...
Feather-light thing, this small box. Shaking it slightly doesn't even offer the vaguest rattle within, and it becomes pretty clear why when Jade finally does gingerly pull the lid off at length. There's a glowing light inside, that leaps up and vanishes straight into his torso with no warning and no sensation whatsoever; "weird" becomes "unsettlingly concerning" in an instant. But the box is...empty, otherwise, and within the next ten minutes nothing else actually happens. There's no change he can sense in his own body whatsoever, and no particular energy he can discern through the same means he might detect fonons either. ...The end of the day is near anyhow, but Jade spends it in a state of mild trepidation that has him examining the box rather far too long. (No further hints are found.) When he does finally retire to bed later that night, before Natsuno has yet returned to the room, a resignation rather unique to the ship's inexorable oddities has fallen upon him. This is all still pretty foreboding, but apparently not fast-acting, and he decides he'll ask around about what a delivery like this might possibly entail tomorrow. No help losing sleep over it.
The Cage's gift does not wait that long, unfortunately.
I was never very strong, nor very good at anything. My life was normal. Average. Boring, even. And that's all I ever thought I'd be--until I got this gun.
Thoughts. Feelings. Images--hazy. Memories...not his own. Foreign in the strangest way, as if watching the events unfolding through somebody else's body--and what grim events they are. A gun that tells a fortune every time it's shot, as if dispensing a piece of a Score through some utterly bizarre reaction mechanic. It grants only visions of accidents and death, inevitably followed by a desperation to avert disaster, and the backfire of those actions upon loved ones instead. The prophecies grow more and more unavoidable with each shot of the gun, until it finally predicts--
Jade doesn't sleep terribly thoroughly on a normal night to begin with. It's abbreviated by habit at this point, a necessity thanks to the nature of his eyes...but even then, for all that a variety of unpleasant dreams do tend to visit him frequently, he's a fairly still and quiet sleeper. --Not this night, though. With this sort of nightmare. It's a new and jarring experience, to jerk awake with a shout barely caught in the back of his throat and the taste of gunmetal still in his mouth, and there's several seconds where he can't tell where he himself ends and that stranger's despair begins.
Nauseating, nauseating. The dread that is but isn't his own takes far too long to fade, and he has to get up, barely manages to get the bathroom door open with hands that shake. Breathing far too fast, need to get that under control. There's a dizzying urge to be properly sick, but nothing ever does quite come up in the end. Nothing for it but to lean against the sink and run icy cold water over his hands until the numbness feels more real and familiar than the sensation of the gun in his grip. ...His face is still his own in the mirror, at least, for all that it's still pale and drawn even after a couple rinses. Jade wonders if this is what the aftermath of the possessions was like for those possessed--no, but for them they at least remembered nothing of the souls that overtook them. ...It's just a bit like trying to recall being hypnotized, though, unearthing memories of thoughts and actions that didn't feel like his own...
This is still very new regardless. And the box must be the cause, because Jade finds he now somehow knows exactly what was actually in there. The gun from the nightmare--"Umbra 1945". If he held out his left hand...he's somehow certain, too, that it would now materialize--
But not now. Not--in here. ...Trying to go back to sleep is going to be an impossible task, too. In the end, there's nothing for it but to wash up and change and set out for the day, hours earlier than he would have normally. ...There's certainly at least one thing he'd now like to properly investigate today...]
Ava found Ebalon's corpse and used it to summon a spirit in one of the bars.
The spirit ate the corpse, said "play" and disappeared.
I don't know what it means but it can't be good.
Be prepared for chaos.
The spirit ate the corpse, said "play" and disappeared.
I don't know what it means but it can't be good.
Be prepared for chaos.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being "exasperated" and 1 being "actively designing additional bone accessories," how likely is it that I'll be able to talk to Natsuno and Clarke about the Captain without risking my own wellbeing?
I'm worried that if we continue with these idle mutineer games, we're not going to be able to unite when we really need to. And considering the sudden appearances of literal cracks in the fabric of reality, I think that time is fast approaching.
My, opening with the easy questions first today, aren't we? [Just, dripping with sarcasm here, can you feel it off that line of text.....anyway--] A bit difficult to answer that off the cuff. I think their reactions may hinge heavily upon what it is regarding the captain you wish to speak to them about, though I'm sure neither of them are going to be terribly happy hearing from you on the matter by default...
Still, I do agree that these cracks in reality don't bode well in the least. I have heard that Ava fed a corpse to one of the ship's ghosts, at some point last month; do you suppose it correlates to these rifts now?
Still, I do agree that these cracks in reality don't bode well in the least. I have heard that Ava fed a corpse to one of the ship's ghosts, at some point last month; do you suppose it correlates to these rifts now?
Vance experienced a memory and met Fio's friend. It apparently promised to eat her last, as thanks for being a good friend to it in her dreams. 💀
I need you to do me a favor and keep an eye on her while Ava and I do something heroically stupid. I'm reaching out to Darcy as well, but I want to make sure there's an actual adult around. At the very least, you might be better at helping her understand what Ava and I are trying to say.
Copying Fio's message for you:
Vance met ❌ in one of the cracks.
It killed him.
It told him to tell me that it's going to eat me last.
❌ told Vance that it's the one that made cracks all over the ship.
It's going to eat everyone because it's bored and hungry.
I don't know why. It never said mean things like that when we spent time together.
[Hey ❌ what the actual fuck--]
One has to wonder if this thing is actually aware of just how remarkably morbid that assurance is...but then again, I'm not sure which answer would actually be worse at this point 💀
This notice is quite appreciated. Naturally I'd not mind keeping an eye on Fio at all. Where is she right now?
The silver lining here is that it sounds like she at least opted to consult you and Ava first, before doing anything rash...but it does sound as if you two are about to take up the banner of rashness in her stead. Not that I wouldn't love to be proven wrong on that point. Dare I ask what this heroically stupid thing you're both about to do is going to entail?
One has to wonder if this thing is actually aware of just how remarkably morbid that assurance is...but then again, I'm not sure which answer would actually be worse at this point 💀
This notice is quite appreciated. Naturally I'd not mind keeping an eye on Fio at all. Where is she right now?
The silver lining here is that it sounds like she at least opted to consult you and Ava first, before doing anything rash...but it does sound as if you two are about to take up the banner of rashness in her stead. Not that I wouldn't love to be proven wrong on that point. Dare I ask what this heroically stupid thing you're both about to do is going to entail?
Colonel.
[ the text arrives late at night, spurred partially by her emotions.
after sending it, she thinks its foolish of herself to have acted so quickly,
without taking to observing him first, and wonders if there's someway to
delete the message before he can see it. ]
[ the text arrives late at night, spurred partially by her emotions.
after sending it, she thinks its foolish of herself to have acted so quickly,
without taking to observing him first, and wonders if there's someway to
delete the message before he can see it. ]
[Alas, for better or worse, it seems there's no actual way for the message to be deleted.....
And so, oblivious to the second thoughts Tear's actually having on the other end, Jade answers her late night text quite promptly. He doesn't generally retire to bed until later still, himself--in fact he's still not even in his cabin yet, at the moment--and it's also not unusual for them to have late correspondences in this way sometimes...]
Good evening, Tear.
You've a thought to share, perhaps?
And so, oblivious to the second thoughts Tear's actually having on the other end, Jade answers her late night text quite promptly. He doesn't generally retire to bed until later still, himself--in fact he's still not even in his cabin yet, at the moment--and it's also not unusual for them to have late correspondences in this way sometimes...]
Good evening, Tear.
You've a thought to share, perhaps?
[...Rita doesn't want to face Jade. Some of the reasons are probably clear enough, but for the most part, she doesn't really want to examine them. After all, it's embarrassing for anyone to know about, right? Even if that's...definitely not all there is here--not in the least.
Anyway, what this boils down to, is that Jade may find Rita mysteriously absent. She stays in her cabin, doesn't go to 109 to visit Natsuno. In fact, the one day she does carefully poke her head out just enough to peek around the doorframe and spots Jade?
She pulls right back and shuts the door.
No, she's totally not avoiding him. Totally not!!]
Anyway, what this boils down to, is that Jade may find Rita mysteriously absent. She stays in her cabin, doesn't go to 109 to visit Natsuno. In fact, the one day she does carefully poke her head out just enough to peek around the doorframe and spots Jade?
She pulls right back and shuts the door.
No, she's totally not avoiding him. Totally not!!]
[The first day of Rita making herself scarce...does not necessarily raise flags off the bat. By now she's a close friend, yes, and they're bound to bump into each other more often than not on a given day. But sure, every now and then either of them could end up busying themselves with some project or another on their own for some stretch of time. And it's also not as if Jade has ever tried to actively take it upon himself to supervise her every move, either, because that'd be taking up an amount of responsibility that still feels overbearing and unnecessary. Rita is a functional person, who can surely take care of herself just fine on a typical day, and definitely does not need an adult to be hovering over her shoulder at every hour just to make sure she's not getting into ridiculous fights over perceived slights or anything like that--
Yes, so Jade thinks, on the first day.
...But by the end of the second day he's still seen neither hide nor hair of her--not even the briefest of visits by 109, which does become more unusual after this much time. Because Natsuno's relationship with her does mean that Rita is more or less an honorary member of cabin 109 herself at this point, more often than not. (...When the oddness does finally sinks in, a very brief and unpleasant remembered sensation from the start of October last year arises, but--) Jade quells the urge to text a message her way mostly because Natsuno returns to the room fairly unfussed. He's a generally reliable barometer on the wellbeing of their friend circle, after all, with how closely he's been following everyone ever since the Sparkles incident.
Then, the morning of the third day finds Jade returning down the cabin hall from breakfast just in time to spot Rita sticking her head out from her door.
She takes one look at him, and hides, pulling it right back shut--
And alright, so now he really has no choice but to investigate??
Highly unfortunately for Rita, she'd soon find a single very precise knock being made on her door. Before Jade speaks, from the other side.]
Good morning to you too. [That's how morning greetings work, Rita, in case you forgot!!!] But you know, I must say...I actually hadn't thought that ending to our workshop those couple days ago was so messy you'd outright disown me. At this rate my fragile pride might never recover!
[His tone's cheerily sardonic enough, and the words are innocuous too. But Rita's probably familiar enough with those first two elements by now to discern the underlying questioning note in there all the same...]
Yes, so Jade thinks, on the first day.
...But by the end of the second day he's still seen neither hide nor hair of her--not even the briefest of visits by 109, which does become more unusual after this much time. Because Natsuno's relationship with her does mean that Rita is more or less an honorary member of cabin 109 herself at this point, more often than not. (...When the oddness does finally sinks in, a very brief and unpleasant remembered sensation from the start of October last year arises, but--) Jade quells the urge to text a message her way mostly because Natsuno returns to the room fairly unfussed. He's a generally reliable barometer on the wellbeing of their friend circle, after all, with how closely he's been following everyone ever since the Sparkles incident.
Then, the morning of the third day finds Jade returning down the cabin hall from breakfast just in time to spot Rita sticking her head out from her door.
She takes one look at him, and hides, pulling it right back shut--
And alright, so now he really has no choice but to investigate??
Highly unfortunately for Rita, she'd soon find a single very precise knock being made on her door. Before Jade speaks, from the other side.]
Good morning to you too. [That's how morning greetings work, Rita, in case you forgot!!!] But you know, I must say...I actually hadn't thought that ending to our workshop those couple days ago was so messy you'd outright disown me. At this rate my fragile pride might never recover!
[His tone's cheerily sardonic enough, and the words are innocuous too. But Rita's probably familiar enough with those first two elements by now to discern the underlying questioning note in there all the same...]
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