come_sailaway | [open] all of this before i got there

[open] all of this before i got there

Who: Skulduggery versus the world
What: dealing with, uh, you know, December
When: jan 5th thru the end of the month (i guess???)
Where: his usual haunts
Warnings: discussion of massacres, war crimes, uhh, idk, violence maybe? whatever we'll figure it out
Notes: i'm mostly sticking to [brackets] but y'all do what you want.
AS OF DECEMBER 29TH, THE BLACK BINDER IS NO LONGER IN THE LIBRARY.

[for three days, the skeleton detective is entirely absent from the Serena Eterna. nobody receives any communication from him, nor does he return to his room.

and then, on the 29th, the black binder disappears from the library. a few people receive brief messages. there's the smell of burning paper from the casino at new year's.

another week passes, and then Skulduggery Pleasant can be found on the Eterna once more. it's almost as if he never left at all -- except for the fact that he only seems to be seen at night, and only ever hangs out in two public places.]

[library] now illegible forever, an oracle with no tongue
[the library is haunted by a skeleton between the hours of 3 and 6 in the morning, although he doesn't sit around to read anymore; instead, he spends maybe thirty minutes or so selecting a few books to take with him to wherever it is he's spending his time. his room? other people's rooms? the bridge? wouldn't you like to know, weatherboy?

anyone trying to sneak up on Skulduggery as he stands in the middle of an aisle will find themselves abruptly stopped about five feet away by a wall of air. hope you weren't trying to sneak up behind him!]

[chatterbox] faces turned toward the sky that they would never see again
[Skulduggery can be found singing karaoke at a decidedly more muted level late at night, between 1 and 3 AM. the songs he picks are ones he's personally familiar with: the rat pack, mid-eighties hits, twangy folk music -- he seems many, many miles away as he sings a few songs before retiring the karaoke machine for the night.

anyone trying to enter the Chatterbox will find an invisible wall a few feet past the doors, one that extends from one wall to the other. he can feel it when the doors open, the air pushing against the wall, but unless he's certain he's dealing with close friends, he doesn't lower the wall.]

[wildcard] victims of the fallout, i have failed you sweet young men
[Skulduggery can't be easily found outside of the previous locations, but he can be caught in various hallways and decks. it's safe to assume that he's manipulating the air to act as a bit of a shield whenever he's moving from one location to another.

(if you'd like to plan something specific, just hit me up via plurk or discord. (make sure to ping me on discord!))]

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[Okie had prepared his questions like he told himself he would, and done some snooping the he liked to do, to be as sure as possible that he could catch Skullduggery somewhere mostly private. It was to this end that Okie, a week or so into January, had made his way into Chatterbox at midnight, taking a seat and waiting for his killer to come to him. He places himself in full view of the entrance, jacket off on the floor and jeans pockets visibly out-turned, trying to seem as nonthreatening as possible. From everything he'd heard it wasn't a fight he could win anyway, even if he had surprise on his side.

When his interview candidate finally arrives, Okie raises his Mohonk post-it notebook and reads aloud. Reading a pre-written statement has the side effect of lessening Okie's accent slightly, making sure to pronounce some letters that would otherwise be dropped.]

Good morning slash day slash- wait I don't need ta read all of... Good night Mister Skullduggery Pleasant. I have questions I would like to ask you about the night of December 25, and would appreciate any time you could spare to answer them.

[He lifts his eyes from the notebook to look directly at Skully.] If allowed, proceed to question one. If not allowed or questions end prematurely, throw notebook.

[damn, that is such a smart move. you would think the 400-year-old skeleton detective would have figured out that particular hole in his otherwise air-tight defense system...

considering he saw Okie's body first-hand, albeit briefly, it's easy to put a name to the face of his victim. the extremely old-school method of disarming himself would be more charming if Skulduggery weren't still very aware that he murdered this kid a little under two weeks ago.

the notecard recitation is charming regardless of the situation, though. that's just undeniable.]

Don't throw your notebook. I'll answer any questions you have to the best of my ability.

[A nod.] Thanks. First question then. An' feel free to like, take a seat or somethin', I've got a couple'a these to get through.

[He clears his throat and points his eyes back to the notebook.] Did you plan, scheme, or otherwise premeditate killing me in particular?

[well, sure. if he's going to be a good sport to anyone, it would be one of the teenagers he subconsciously murdered. he takes a seat at one of the tables, facing Okie. he makes a point to keep his hands on the tabletop, since Okie took the effort to turn out his pockets.]

No. I didn't plan, scheme, or otherwise premeditate any of the deaths, up to and including yours.

Well, if you said no i was supposed to skip to question five, but you kinda answered that one too, so, uh. Question six.

[Okie takes a deep breath. This conversation skipped directly into the difficult questions, and he's still just a touch scared of pissing off Skullduggery.] What grander objective, if any, did you have for the deaths?

[The steadiness present in reading from something you've already written vanishes suddenly.] I-I've heard that there's some, uh, political shit goin' on 'round the ship, b-but I ain't been 'round long enough to really absorb all that info.

Oh, sorry. [he has a tendency to over-answer questions, and that's probably going to continue through this entire thing. but he can at least try to limit the answers to yes or no, right?

...wrong, because:]

It's... a tricky answer. Apologies in advance. The part of me that animated itself enough to go on a murder spree was... a subconscious persona of mine. Something I resorted to a long time ago, once I came back like this. [points a thumb at his skull like, 'you know, with no face.'] The only motive it ever had was, "kill everyone." Full stop. I can't say with any certainty if there were deeper inclinations than that this time around. I don't have any access to the memories of the 25th. As far as I can tell, other than Ava, Darcy and Clarke, the other murders came about... instinctively. It simply couldn't help itself.

[pause.]

I found out afterward that most of the teenagers killed had a secret meeting to discuss fighting the Captain. So. In hindsight, it probably doesn't look very good. But I promise, it was just a blind bloodlust. [which is... better, right?]

Oh, uh. Okay. Lemme process "subconscious persona" for a sec. That, uh. Curve ball.

[A small moment passes.] Okay, so the next question I have written is "do you have any intention of killin' again", but I feel like I know the answer to that one, so... Does the other guy? He a persistent enough problem I gotta worry 'bout the answer to that one? And I'm gonna apologize in advance, I'm not sure how many o' these questions will still be relevant if I'm not talkin' to the guy who was drivin' when it all went down, but I'm gonna ask 'em anyway an' they're not exactly fun.

I ain't exactly keen on fighting the captain myself, but I get the sentiment. Only a handful of conclusions to come to about magical kidnappin's, in my experience.

I should be apologizing to you, not the other way around. Whether or not I was actively aware of what I was doing, it's still my fault you wound up dead. But no, we shouldn't need to actively worry about Vile in the future. I don't think there's enough of a person there to stand on its own without me. It's just... gone.

[into the ship and the nothingness inside. it may not even notice a difference.]

I can fully appreciate their feelings on the matter. It's how I felt for a good while, thanks to the way the Captain designed everything. But -- don't let me distract you from the relevant questions.

Well, I mean, can I really hold you all that responsible if you weren't in the cockpit? If yer that strong, a lot could happen if you left the helm, right?

[Surely we're only talking about Skully here.]

Anyway. Question 8. Why was my death so much less horrible than the others?

I'd be lying if I said I wanted you to hold it against me, but I feel that it deserves to be said. [he doesn't want anyone to think he's trying to avoid responsibility, which is precisely what it would be if he didn't say anything himself.

but the next question? that one throws him for a loop.]

What? [Ava, Darcy and Clarke got the worst of it, but all of the deaths to him seemed equally horrible.] I'm afraid I don't know. If you're talking about having experienced a quicker death than some of the others, I can only assume it was a combination of surprise and speed that enabled him to kill you more quickly.

That's... I knew there wasn't gonna be, but I thought maybe there'd be some better reason I went down so quick. Everyone else got some kinda fuckin' brutalized, so I been thinkin' too much 'bout how I just got, like, normal stabbed.

Question 9. [Okie's face turns to stone, and his voice gets a touch colder.] What did Steve or Dimitri do to deserve the deaths they got? I can remind you the circumstances 'fore you answer if you answer if you'd like me to.

Vile can shadow-walk, so it could be that you were literally in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[that's the one problem with not having any memories of the night in question; he can't explain any of it. he can only give his best estimations. the troubling part is how he knows he should be able to access those thoughts and memories -- they're technically his own, after all -- but he simply can't. probably a sign of how close Vile was to manifesting as something separate from him.

at least Dimitri and to a lesser extent Steve can be reasonably inferred.]

Dimitri's strength is reminiscent of the strongest man I've ever met. Vile wouldn't want to deal with that. Steve... ["has bad hair" probably isn't the right answer.] He reminds me of another teenager I knew back home, who I'm not... particularly fond of. He's fine. Really, he's a nice kid. And I'm sure Steve is, too. But as much as I enjoy teenage shenanigans, Vile... does not. And it was likely too stupid to recognize the difference between the two boys.

[Sigh. He should've known there wouldn't be real answers the second he heard that this guy was so out of it when it went down he was going by a different name. Dimitri died because he was strong and Steve died because he was annoying in the eyes of a guy so cartoonishly evil he called himself Vile.]

These questions sounded a lot better when I thought I would be talkin' to a guy who actively knew what he was doin'. I'm gonna apologize again for specifically this question, but I feel I still gotta ask.

[Ahem] Question 10. Did you take any precautions to insure Darcy or anyone else close to you wouldn’t be falsely blamed by association? If not, did it not occur to you to do so or was there a reason not to?

[he'd say "no apology necessary," but they've already gone over that. despite the question being aimed at someone who knew what he'd done, it still manages to resonate in an uncomfortable point in his chest, nestling next to the deserved criticisms he's already received from others.]

...No. I didn't. Even before the outburst, I didn't consider how it might affect them in any form. The only thing I was concerned about was ensuring they knew how to kill me, if I were to get too far gone. Which is why they wound up dead. That part of myself knew what I'd told them, and knew how dangerous they would be.

[a beat. his voice is even and resigned.]

They came back three days before me, and had to weather arguments over their deaths and my responsibility without me. I still don't know how to fix things for them, so that they aren't held responsible for their own murders.

Sure sounded like it. I only ever talked to Darcy 'bout it 'cause I wanted to hear stuff straight from the horse's mouth, but holy hell it sounded like she'd been havin' a time of it. 'Course, don't think no one blamed her as much as she did. I don't know her that well but I swear hatin' her is a contest an' she's in it to win it.

[sigh]

I feel like I definitely don't gotta ask this one, but... Question 11. Do you feel any guilt or remorse for any of the deaths? If you just wanna give yes or no, we can just keep movin'.

[he can't do anything to stop the tired laugh that comes out.] That certainly does sound like Darcy. She is her own worst critic. I... don't know what to do about that, really. [but that's more due to being a bad parental figure than anything, and not really something he expects help with.]

And yes. Of course. [look at him, listening to instructions and not going into a lengthy diatribe about how he feels!]

Only so much you can do 'bout somethin' like that, I s'pose. She's decent folk, though. [beat] Tell her I said that an' I play you like a xylophone.

[He readjusts himself in his seat and took a deep breath that may have been preparation or may have been to release the apparent teenage embarrassment.]

Okay, almost outta material here. Question 12. What do I look like to you? This question is literal. [If anyone would be magical enough to skip over the Mask it'd probably be the talking skeleton with an evil side.]

Hah. You got it.

[he tilts his head. as usual, he doesn't know which answer will be the teenage-approved one, but he's going for honesty in these conversations, isn't he?]

Like a teenage weather forecast.

[he's really hoping the answer wasn't supposed to be "mundane and nonmagical"...]

Good to know. Not everybody sees this, an' I don't decide who does, so it's nice to know who it'll surprise that I got some magic up my sleeve.

[Okie sighs, and makes a note to pass that info on. He wants to pass it onto Erin, but she'd tell him to take it to the other two, and he figures he's gotta properly introduce himself eventually.]

Alright. Last one. Question 13. I would like to meet with the Captain directly, at minimum because I believe appeasing one’s captor is a valid tactic for survival and possible escape. Would you introduce me?

I've noticed that with a few passengers. To be honest, I tend to keep it to myself if I notice anything odd. I know what it's like to have people stare.

[you know. because nobody wears full suits with a vaguely 1940s silhouette anymore.]

Hmm... [there's a moment of genuine consideration. if Okie is still on good terms with Darcy, he's less likely to do anything that might upset her, like threaten the Captain. he'd also staked Skulduggery out long enough to find a way to confront him, then chose to do so nonviolently...]

It depends. Can you promise to handle a confrontation with him as peacefully as you have this one? Even if the person you're speaking to says something... well. Mean?

[yes, he is fully aware that the Captain can be a huge dick to people.]

All I want is for him to know my name an' face. I got no intention of antagonizin' my keeper. Cross my heart hope for Nothin'.

[He chews on that last bit.]

I can't promise I won't be a bit of a smartass if he does get mean, but I ain't gonna resort to sticks an' stones.

A fair enough request. So long as you don't challenge or threaten him, you should be fine.

[in truth, it isn't Okie that Skulduggery is worried about. but it's not particularly helpful to frame things as benefiting the Captain, and he isn't about to share his real sympathies with anyone but Ava.]

As far as introducing you to the Captain goes... If you want me there, I can be. But you can also visit the bridge on your own. Don't knock on the door; just let him know you're there, that we've talked, and you're not there for a fight. [most people only need the push from him, but that doesn't mean he's opposed to mediating.]

I... Can make that trip on my own, I guess. But, uh, feel free to put a good word in for me anyway. I've been doin' better 'bout it but I've got a habit of pissin' people off.

[Okie stands up slowly, grabbing his jacket and then extending a hand toward Skullduggery.]

Thanks for yer time, Mister Pleasant. Promise not to get so on yer case next time, if you can keep from killin' me 'til then. [There's a specific kind of smile for trying to lighten the mood with a joke and regretting your choice as you make it.]

Edited (title add) 2023-02-03 08:45 (UTC)

[some people might take offense at the dig, but it's the sort of joke Skulduggery's made himself before. he chuckles wryly and gives a firm, brief handshake.]

Can do.

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[open] all of this before i got there

Chatterbox

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wrap?

that's a wrap!