pleased to meet you

[sailmods]

CW: murder

[it is the morning of the 17th when the usual morning announcement is replaced with the sort of tentative, nervous tone that Friday takes on immediately before something insane happens.]

Good morning, passengers! It's, um... Well, I sure hope everyone had an interesting time on their shore excursion! The Captain sure did! In fact, he had such a good time, he's asked me to inform you all that, tonight, he's going to be hosting his usual captain's formal in the main dining room, but with a twist! This time, it's going to be a, um... victory party! For Natsuno! Because he won! [small laugh] And also to celebrate the opening of a new shop on the Promenade! Gosh, and that really is something to celebrate; I haven't seen that happen since he--

[LOUD STATIC NOISES]

-- Yes, well! The dress code will be cruise formal; everyone can find a new set of clothes in their cabin to celebrate the occasion! I-- Oh, right, we'll see you all tonight! 8PM sharp!

[the connection cuts off. today, for the first time that anyone can remember, Friday can't be found in the atrium. or any other room. smoke 'em if you got 'em.

at 8PM sharp, the door to the dining room swings open. it is mostly empty: the only tables left are a dozen or so under the main chandelier. there are name cards at each table setting, written in Friday's neat script; the seatings seem mostly random, except for everyone who was on the island, who will find themselves at a table with their killer and/or victim(s). except Natsuno, of course, whose name is displayed proudly at the head table, next to an unnamed place. once they are inside, all of them find themselves under the same sort of compulsion that they felt during the muster drill, and their legs will stop working until they have gone to their assigned seats.

Friday enters the room first, dressed up nicely, but with hunched shoulders and her hands clasped firmly in front of her. the door shuts behind her. she says nothing, and acknowledges no one, not even Natsuno, as she takes her spot behind the chair.

a few fashionable minutes pass. it starts as smoke pouring out from under the door, moving towards the table as it slowly solidifies into the form of... a rather normal-looking man. he sits, cross-legged, in the chair that Friday pulls out for him. he looks over the assembled crowd, visibly considering something... there is a flash of silver in the light, and the knife he'd had in his sleeve is across Friday's throat quicker than she can react, and she falls bonelessly to the ground, a spray of arterial blood across the table setting.]

There, perfect.

[he looks out at them again. and he smiles. the knife is placed back in his sleeve, and he holds his hands out, palms up.]

Well. Here's your chance. [he waves a hand lazily, and the compulsion keeping them seated fades like pins and needles.] Try not to embarrass yourselves.

Comments

[sictransitgloriamundi]

It really wasn't. [pause] Yes. Disgusting habit.

[skaikru]

( maybe clarke hadn't parsed out exactly what was in the collars, but she'd watched friday choke and gag on screen and poison absolutely fit. and the more she thinks about it, if natsuno can literally pull moon spears out of his body and keep fighting, it makes a lot of sense that poison doesn't do a damn thing for him. )

I thought he was just trying to be funny. Or maybe marked you as the winner from the beginning. But I didn't —

( didn't what, clarke? consider all avenues in front of you? dig a little deeper? classic mistake. )

I mean, we knew he doesn't like it when things don't go as planned ...what was in yours, then?

[wimdy]

I don't smoke, but why do you think that? Would you get a headache if you fly... float... through tobacco smoke?--Or ash smoke?

[sictransitgloriamundi]

[somewhat sullenly] Just because.

[wimdy]

[ hm. ] Fair enough.

So~ when exactly can we expect to see you again? After the next excursion? We've been deprived of you for so long, more regular meetings and parties could be nice~

[sictransitgloriamundi]

I don't take anything. [pause] Well, no, that isn't true. Dying for stupid reasons should have a consequence. And it does.

[lightconductor]

Watson had initially turned to Johnny with curiosity, unsure what he was going to be asked to forgive, and it's true that he stiffens in surprise when Johnny pulls him into a kiss. In front of everyone. Just like it's not a big deal. Just like this isn't a thing men go to jail for, at least where he's from.

But he lets it happen. And he relaxes into it, after that initial moment of panic, and he puts an arm around Johnny and kisses back.

His face is flushed bright red when they part, and he still hasn't quite worked out how to react to any of this, but then the Captain is talking. It takes him a moment to catch up -- no one had been talking to him, personally, after all, and he's processing a lot right now -- but then the colour drains entirely from his face.

"The hell you say," he says, absolutely leaning on Johnny in order to stay upright. "What would you know about any of it?"

[mooninthewater]

[ She gets a gentle nudge with his head here, closing his eyes for a brief moment to just let the hug linger. She's… probably right. And Mizuki trusts her, implicitly. Enough so that for a moment he truly does have a waver in his loyalties. Because, yes, those were very bad things. He hurt Natsuno. He hurt Natsuno a lot. And he killed Venti and Watson and Lumine — those latter two not painlessly.

Maybe there's some part of him that knows that in Ebalon's shoes he very well may have had the same kneejerk reaction. He may have not done what Ebalon did, but would have definitely thought about it. And, to Mizuki, it's the same thing. Just heavy slabs of "evil" on the scales. But he's trying to get better. He's trying to be the good person he thought he was when he got onto this cruise. If that means scrubbing away all the gunk he's realizing is on his skin, so be it. He really does believe Ebalon can, too, because… ]

People can absorb the good around them, Clarke. Expel the evil and truly be good. I've seen it. I've lived it. I know that much to be true. So I'll do my best to be the good for people to get it from. This cruise hasn't been very good at providing us with a lot of good, so I just have to do better. But I want to give him that second chance. I know he'll do better.

And... if he betrays my trust... [ He pulls away here, hands on her arms now to look at her with a sweet face, small smile. ] I'll tear all the evil out of him with my teeth.

[sictransitgloriamundi]

When I feel like it.

[increasingly sullen]

[light_mischief]

Why would it matter how somebody dies? And if you don't get anything out of our deaths, why keep pushing for them? Isn't it more work than it's worth to put us back together again?

[wimdy]

[ okaaay maybe this is good enough for now. ] Then, I'd hope it might be soon! Don't be a stranger, all right?

[ time to flounce off like an idiot but hopefully a slightly more informed one. ]

[sictransitgloriamundi]

Oh, no, I get plenty. I said I don't take. And I don't. [pause] Unless I'm annoyed.

[which is, like, a smidge more honest than he cares to be but y'know, third base privileges.]

[luminessense]

[ Oh, cool cool cool cool cool. Just the girl she wants to see. Totally not the second person on her (angry shrieking) list right now. Lumine doesn't have it in her to even force a pleasant face, and she's certainly not going to smile. The only person here who might get one out of her at a shitty party like this is Natsuno. And that's a big might. ]

Yes, well, I'm sure you had some negative associations with your party. [ Don't be sassy, don't be sassy, don't be sassy. Venti told you everything he did in confidence, you don't need to go rubbing it in Jinx's face. ] And I have negative associations with this one, too. Your party was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I can't say the same for this.

[sictransitgloriamundi]

[the smile grows.]

He threw him in, but didn't fall himself. He avoided the path on his way back up; he knew you'd check for footprints. He spends years traveling the Middle East before he returns to England. Not for you, of course. For a case.

[pause] Mycroft knows. But, only because he needed money.

[neverleave]

[Worst sitting place, he should get up and take his anger out on La Pluma, but first:]

So what was in my collar?

[sictransitgloriamundi]

A bomb.

[opheliac]

I'll take it as a compliment! Someone asked for me to make another one but I think it's someone else's turn to take a shot.

(she then glances over the captain; a pause.)

... Guess the Captain overheard and wanted to beat all of us to the punch.

[light_mischief]

[feeling that familiar frustration again, but there's no water stress ball here to save him]

You? Annoyed? Hard to think that's possible with how unflappable you are. [after all, not even having his head caved in has phased him.] I mean, I'm surprised this night didn't end with every one of us dead. I would've thought that's what you'd want, especially considering everyone's... lukewarm reception of you.

[businessorlibation]

Johnny knows, he knows who this is referring to, and this is indeed a dick move on the Captain's part. But Watson has support here, and not only from him. He casts a look back at the back of the room; yes, they'll need César, and his knowledge of dealing with a trauma, and his boundless support.

"You're a real rat bastard."

[neverleave]

Hm. Makes sense.

[His guess was either that or a weird guillotine. Now he kinda regrets not taking it off near Ebalon, a murder-suicide would've felt better.]

[sictransitgloriamundi]

[smiles]

Then you don't understand what I want as much as you think you do, do you.

[sictransitgloriamundi]

[thumbs up, here to help]

[sictransitgloriamundi]

[hm. hard to not have anything to work with, to get back at an annoyance...

of course, there's always the girl.]

[neverleave]

[Poor Lumine. Her (lack of) expression is the one thing that makes Natsuno feel a little bad for flipping the table. But at least the Moon Fucker is now on the other side of the room.]

...hey. Sorry - did something fall on you?

[light_mischief]

I suppose I don't.

[shrug. honestly, maybe it's for the best that he can't fathom the whims of someone, something like the captain. no matter how much it grates at him, them being too different for understanding should be a comfort.

nosy, nosy, nosy. it, unfortunately, is not comforting at all.]

I am trying, for whatever that's worth. I'd absolutely love a monologue about it all sometime, actually. You don't seem like the type, but who knows, you could surprise me.