come_sailaway | I Could Show You Incredible Things

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I Could Show You Incredible Things

Who: Valdis and Open with Some Closed
What: Valdis does stuff around the Serena Eterna, feel free to join her
When: December
Where: All over
Warnings: CW for the Thread with Siffleur

December 1st | Bad Blood | Closed to Siffleur | CW For Fighting/blood/death:

She’s heard about the cougar’s little game and she shows up to Tommy Bahama’s, barefoot, wearing a dress, unarmed, and completely unconcerned. The beast killed Nobunaga and ate him, but that fool probably deserved it or did something stupid. They explored it quite thoroughly not long ago, though that means nothing in the grand scheme of things.

“Siffleur!” she calls out, “I have a deal to make with you.”

December 1st | After the Fight | Closed to Palamedes | CW: Blood

It hurts and the slashes didn't heal fully with the shift back into her human form. The bleeding has lessened. But not enough to avoid soaking through the back of the dress she's taken from Tommy Bahamas. Hopefully her roommate isn't here tonight. She needs a hot shower and to try to get the wounds closed as much as possible. She'll text Klaus to get bandages from the infirmary then hopefully he can help her apply them. She growls under her breath as she reaches the door. He is there, and she's just killed someone. Great. She pushes the door open, knowing there is no way he will not notice, and very much hoping he will opt to ignore it.

December 2nd | Closed to Klaus | CW: It's Klaus and Valdis

A text will arrive on Klaus's phone, requesting bandages and some sort of antibiotic cream to be brought to 205, without too much explanation aside from the words 'Don't tell Nobunaga'.

December 4th | It Takes Two to Tango | Closed to Erin

I’m in a mood. Come to Rischie before I summon someone else to help out with that.

Is it perhaps rude to play with Erin like this? Yes. But that’s not going to stop her. Besides, she promised Erin a tango. She’s sitting at the club in the middle of the day. The music is loud, but it’s essentially empty of any other prisoners, the living ones at least. Her wardrobe from home arrived in a large package from Friday, so she’s wearing one of her own dresses with a bare back and a high-low skirt, plus the lovely pendant that was separate from her clothes. The scars from her fight with Siffleur are still visible, several slash marks across her back from his claws. She really doesn’t care too much about it, they will fade completely in another day or two. Besides, she’s found where the music is coming from and has plugged in her phone from home, ready to tango if Erin shows up. If not, she’ll coerce Klaus to join her.

Open 1: Sports Deck

Valdis has recovered from her fight with Siffleur, it was thrilling to hunt again, even though it had ultimately ended in disappointment. She’s sitting off to the side, eyes closed, deep in mediation. Her sword lays by her side, the silver blade shining in the sunlight, the red gem in the hilt glowing softly and steadily. She looks peaceful, like she is enjoying the quiet of the early morning.

Open 2: Library

Valdis huddles in the corner, reading yet another of Watson’s books. She’s read three now and so far they seem to be the same as on her world. There’s always that chance though, and there is more time to read now that she’s starting to get the hang of the ship and where everything is. Still, the library is quiet, something she thinks she wants sometimes, others, she’s not so sure.

“Chapter 4, here we go.”

Open 3: Hurikane

Valdis is not drinking to get drunk this time, she’s mixing various sweet drinks and trying them out, wondering which ones she should share or how she can make them have the most alcohol content while maintaining their sweetness. There are several types of glasses on the bar. Each filled with a colorful drink of some kind. If you ask, she’ll tell you which ones to avoid based on how human you are. If she likes you, she may not even lie about it.

Open 4: Wild card

There’s no reason to stop patrolling the ship, so Valdis can be found wandering, people watching or just thinking pretty much anywhere she can go.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nobunaga pops up over her shoulder, out of nowhere seemingly, though given her ability to smell him, and their general arrangements, it's probably pretty ineffective.

"Whatcha reading?" He's bored. He is also not allowed to linger in the library (self-imposed) since he has a tendency to irritate people, and the silence in turn; irritates him.

Valdis sighs heavily when Nobunaga pops up from behind her. She knew he was coming, familiar enough with how he moves, feels and what he smells like, but she had hoped he had the decency to leave her alone.

She casually puts the book down and pulls her hair back to hide the leftover scars from her fight with Siffleur.

"A book written by one of the other passengers," she replies, "What do you want?"

No! He's indecent. In almost every single way.

"Oh, the binder? Wait I thought you already did?"

"No, it was written by a lovely young man named Dr. Watson. It's a mystery."

She holds it up so he can see the title, A Study in Scarlet.

"I'm reading all of them. He created quite the collection."

"Neat." A beat. "How many hobbies does the man have? He also likes photography, and he's a Doctor. Though I suppose with Tendi and her phaser around there isn't much for him to do regularly."

"I'm an empath, not a mind reader," she reminds gently, "I only know for sure what people actually tell me. I'm fairly good at guessing, but he's so nice I don't want to assume."

She hasn't met Tendi yet, but perhaps she should.

Nobunaga would inform her Tendi is green and very sexy, as agreed upon by every human male he's brought it up with, including Klaus.

And an evil smirk. "Have you ever wanted to read minds?" Given how fucked up Nobunaga's mind was... no, she's probably relieved.

She turns around and leans against the chair, looking him straight in the eyes.

"I don't need to read your mind to know what's on it. You are pretty much an open book when you aren't planning. Especially when Klaus is around. Sometimes it's so intense I almost want to join in."

Almost.

"But in all honesty, dumping you in the pool was more fun."

"Klaus would let you," a smirk.

And he waves his hand. "Mitsuhide always says that about me anyway, and I only met Klaus here. So it's not unique to him." A laugh, "Me being an open book I mean." Evil leer, "Not always the sex." A beat. And then another laugh. "Maybe that too. You'd have to ask Mitsuhide, honestly." Probably that too now that he thought about it.

Valdis hums, rising up closer. "That's a thought."

Another hum and suddenly the book is on the table and she's behind him.

"You've mentioned Mitsuhide several times now. I assume they were well aware of your...exploits, to be so insightful."

Piv9uc8yc8tc8yc

Valdis makes his hair stand on the back of his neck worse than Mitsuhide, he swears. He wonders if this is how Klaus usually feels whenever he's flirting with death.

"Which exploits?"

The tattoo? No, he wasn't here for that. Kichou and Ranmaru? Yes, intimately. Every worst terrible thing he ever did, every sin ever committed? Mitsuhide carried the worst of them out. Torture and genocide. Not to mention all the Hell Nobunaga personally put him through.

With a shit-eating grin Nobunaga sits, and leans backwards. "He's my left hand man. I didn't turn his hair white on my own, but I'm sure banging his head like a drum, and throwing his pottery in the koi pond didn't help. People call him a kitsune though, so it isn't just me he reads so easily." We'll that's more the trickster thing.

Valdis leans on the chair he is now sitting in, far enough into his space to keep the emotional pressure on.

"I see. Kitsune are considered a type of demon in some circles. Tricksters that they are."

Just a little closer.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you torment your friends too."

"Of course. A demon left hand for the Demon King. Hideyoshi isn't a demon though. He's a monkey. And not in the Wukong Monkey King way, even if he did ally with the Demon King like the real Monkey King should have," don't even him started on that one. "But calling Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi my friends might be a bit much. If he were here, he'd be free from my service, but not our past. So even then he might just try to keep you guessing, even if you were to ask. Hideyoshi would say Demon Kings can't have friends, which is true. When Klaus first called me his friend, I told him to tell Hideyoshi if he ever shows up. Hideyoshi would challenge him to a duel, and then Klaus should set the terms as a dance off." A nod!

"Klaus says they're basically my siblings. Difference being, I sent my siblings away, and killed some of them," a bunch really. "And I never would with my Generals. But--" Mitsuhide has it in his contract with Nobunaga to kill him if he ever goes too far, or needs to fake his own death, so there's that. A shrug. "It probably works. I'm closer to Hideyoshi than any of my brothers." Nobuyuki was the last person he trusted, but he pushes that back into the corners of his mind, and focuses on glancing up at Valdis.

"Remember Arthur on the expedition? I wasn't surprised Crichton called me a friend because I'm an asshole, though I am," a smirk. "But he's literally the first person to ever do so. He's never treated me like a demon king, or any differently from anyone else. You know I said once, I'd rather someone I like kill me than an enemy. That's true for Mitsuhide too. I'd never let Hideyoshi do it, I think it'd break him. And Klaus and Siffleur ARE my friends, but whatever my left hand would deem himself, his past and our sins are inextricably intertwined. So that's probably why I'm so mean to him. Teyrey says I'm too hard on him too," a small laugh.

"So Hideyoshi is just as culpable in your sins, and you punish him for it. But you also care, and trust him to some extent." She knows Nobunga has a side as dark as hers. She did tear the cougar to shreds; an unnecessarily vicious action, but it had been exhilarating. She's not sure if Nobunaga would be ok with her doing that to his friend, but he had let Siffleur eat him.

When he glanced up, she folds her arms against the chair to be almost at his level. "What do you mean by free from your service. Did you have a contract with him?"

"Mitsuhide is. I punish Hideyoshi less because he punishes himself. Mitsuhide and I do things to make Hideyoshi the next ruler of Japan for when I could finally leave and going exploring. To be the first Japanese in Europe or even the New World. Hideyoshi is blameless. We try to make sure politically he has no sins."

A head tilt, "I don't trust them though. I know they will follow through to carry out our dream, but this isn't trust. I still monitor everything. I wouldn't trust Hideyoshi to handle my darkness, he'd try to subvert it, do things I don't need or want. Mitsuhide could foment a rebellion if I let him."

As for contracts...

"We have a blood pact." They really don't! He's purposely making it sound as fucked up as possible again.

"To drag Japan put of Hell and return it to Earth whatever the cost. But we succeeded, so fir the purposes of here, it would have to be dissolved."

Lalala grandiose bullshit about politics. For the sake of political maneuvering, so Mitsuhide could pretend he was 'freed' of Nobunaga etc.

"Hmm, truly a sadist, aren't you. Punishing someone for helping you achieve your goals."

She wouldn't care so much about which was which, except he is apparently comparing them to herself and Ari.

"So, in essence. You feel I am a powerful, manipulative trickster, and only trust in the idea that our goals are aligned."

"Yes," a small smirk. He is a true sadist, and he doesn't trust her, only motivations and goals. "People are fallible, ambitions are easier to see true intents and work around."

She's not behind him anymore, but in front, hands on either side of the armchair, just a little too close.

"You know, I actually believe you, if only because I've felt that longing when you look at Klaus."

Then her book in back in her hands and she's walking way.

There's a small growl, he has to suppress the urge to dance with her power play, to rise and instinctively respond, escalate it, and flirt with death, like normal. No one in his world would have been so bold with him, so of course, he's not used to it, and if he'd met her before Klaus...

Speaking of...

And then she's walking away, and just like she probably planned for; he instantly follows along behind her doing his best to catch up like a puppy. "Explain?"

"Explain what?" She asks, not looking back at him.

He is following exactly as she planned. She's well aware that the game she is currently playing might have consequences. But there are worse things.

"You think my ambition is Klaus? He kind of works against it though. He's always telling me not everything has to be part of some big grand scheme, and people don't have to he weapons, and all that." An irritated huff and still following, without knowing where they're going.

"No, I believe you are a sadist and do not trust me. If anything, Klaus is a good influence on you, and he has altered your ambition ever so slightly."

She's not sure where she is going either, but it's fun to see how far he will follow her and she can at least get him out of the library so he won't bother anyone else.

Nobunaga laughs so hard at this. It's true of course, he doesn't trust her, and he is definitely more of a sadist than most people EVEN KLAUS who takes the full brunt of his affections, gives him credit for. Good thing she planned to get him out of the library, yes.

"You give him too much credit. He hasn't changed my ambition at all. I decided before I even met him here that I wanted to free everyone's hearts and minds, souls by any other word, from the artificial structures here -- castes by any other word."

"You don't give him enough. But I do realize that not even Klaus can sway you from your goal, but you might divert temporarily for him, even if you return to your path immediately after."

She suddenly stops. Going from a crisp pace into sudden stillness in the breath of a second.

Perfect opportunity to kabedon her against the wall, not quite pinning, not even touching,, but still leaning on his arm over her shoulder and using the weight of implication that would keep most people feeling trapped. Not that Valdis was most people, or wouldn't be fully aware she could literally throw him back if she wanted to.

"I wouldn't love him so much if I didn't think he was already free and a good example for others on how to enjoy life no matter what the tragic circumstances. How about you, my Queen?" It's a million kinds of dancing on a knife's edge. Before this place, he'd never have been leery of touching under her chin, or curling some of her hair around a finger of his. But this wasn't his lands. He no longer owned the whole world. Just like Klaus, in general, the whole no touching others was a tough one to follow. "Are you enjoying life the fullest, and not letting concerns of caste roles get in your way?" Carnelian red eyes dance with amusement, because it's so funny to him. All of it a joke, and like Klaus, Nobunaga is pretty sure she understands the humor of it.

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