Something beautiful happens in this world [Open]

[theweakhavepurpose]

Who: Deputy Pratt and YOU!
What: Cake decorating, showing off his artistic prowess, shovel knight time
When: Later half of January
Where:Sand Dollars, the Library, Upper Deck
Warnings: None! (Well that's rare for him)


1. Sand Dollars
Pratt has completed his scientific research (having Sharky eat various cupcakes while naked) and has taken actual notes which are in the little notepad next to him while he sits at a table in Sand Dollars. He has one of the plastic trays from the buffet and has assembled a circle of cupcakes onto it to resemble a cake and is using a plastic butter knife to spread the frosting around so it looks like it's all one piece.

The wrappers from all of them are on the table nearby, along with some colorful other cupcakes that he's going to scoop the frosting off of in order to write out a message on this cake.

Yes, he is making the Captain a "Congrats on the Sex" cake. Sure it's been a few weeks but his memory is trash okay. He's trying.

2. The Library
Well, the binder is gone, which sucks because Pratt has already forgotten 80% of the contents. He assumes one of those people obsessed with blowing the place up stole it. So he will add his contribution to its recovery.

In its place is a Serena Eterna spiral notebook with a ship on the front, the ship is crossed out and instead there's a reproduction of Ryan's original cat drawing of Guatauva, but every page afterwards also has a cat drawing. He has faithfully recreated every cat internet meme he can think of. There's space above and below to make them into ship-centric memes. So have at.

His drawings look like this because I'm not going to draw 30 cat memes.

3. Deck
Pratt picked up the best package from home he's ever gotten. It was huge heavy and when he unwrapped it he squealed like a school girl because he's so damn excited. Friday is his favorite person for the next few hours because he has his shovel launcher now. Which is exactly what it sounds like, it is a rocket launcher, that shoots shovels.

He has a pile of shovels next to him, as he stands on the deck, aiming at the hull of the ship and then KUHTHUWNK the thing embeds itself into the metal siding and Pratt straight up cackles. Oh this is fantastic.

On the other side of him is his Christmas present he never opened which is 99 cans of Pabst in an absurdly long box and he's about to have the best day. Drink some beer, launch some shovels, spend way too long prying shovels out of the ship to do it again.

Montana's finest, right here.

4. Wildcard
Hit me with anything. He's always in the buffet or arcade or around the deck doing random patrols.

Comments

[theweakhavepurpose]

[He gives a half grin back, they're doing so well at convincing each other everything is just peachy.]

It's one of the ones in the hall off the atrium, but it hasn't done anything weird since then.... I don't think anyway? Not that I've been checking it. And it wasn't really the mirror, there was something in it that reached through it and grabbed her. Like a freaky decaying skeleton sorta.

[skaikru]

( everything is absolutely fine. neither of them are dissolving at the seams nor plotting ship-wide chaos at the hands of a vector ghost, what do you mean?

though the hint of wind in clarke's proverbial sails seems to dissipate at that clarification. she'd seen plenty of mirrors around here, maybe even all of them after the several month stint of religiously walking the halls of the serena eterna in order to map them in her brain. and not once had a ghostly arm extended itself towards her. dammit. )

Gross. That does sound really freaky.

( where does she even start with that? is she going to have to make a crapshoot attempt at a single person séance just to set the mood?

... ) It was good of you to save her. It was in the binder, we know what would have happened if you hadn't. And it would have hurt the whole time.

[theweakhavepurpose]

I don't want anyone to get hurt. Or die. Or get their bodies used by ghosts. Which sounds dumb coming from... me. But it's true.

[He can almost hear Jacob telling him he's not a hero, he's a tool, but Jacob isn't here so fuck him.]

Whaddya think we need to do so it doesn't happen again?

[skaikru]

( that punishing self deprecation streak hasn't let up, she sees. quietly: ) It's not dumb. It doesn't sound dumb.

( he's better than her, at the very least. the term acceptable losses had started floating around her mind early october, jarred forward when she'd screamed at natsuno that he wasn't one. but it's stuck around since, like a particularly ominous storm cloud above her head.

but, anyway: planning mode. or something like that. )

Mitigate the risk first. Perpetuate the knowledge. Post something next to that mirror, and any others in the common areas. "If suspicious looking, don't touch; you will die" or something like that. And then investigate the root cause, maybe there's something that could be done to fix it at the source.

[theweakhavepurpose]

Ironically if the binder was still around I could add it to that. Though I think I had put the mirror stuff in it already. And the cat.

Maybe it'll turn up again I dunno. It was fucking convenient even if some of the stuff in it sounds like bullshit. It wasn't, but sure sounds fake when you tell people the Captain of the ship is an emotion vampire that sometimes holds game shows.

[skaikru]

I dunno. My parameter of bullshit expanded significantly the first time I died and woke up without a kidney, so. ( a shrug.

and, after a beat of thought, a mental pat on the back for herself; clarke's adjusted to the insanity here rather well, all things considered. but that kinda comes with the whole adapt or die mentality that's ruled her entire life, and that of three generation of space refugees before her. )

Anyways, I think Skulduggery burned it. ( the library had smelled like a book bbq for a few days, at least. ) And honestly, if he can't take a bit of criticism, he's no business playing at a leader in the first place. ( says the defacto leader of her people that was routinely shit upon more than praised, but whatevs. ) It's best to take whatever we learned from there, and expand on it.

Like, tell me more about the cat.

[theweakhavepurpose]

Wait, you lost a kidney? How... how did you even find out it was missing? Did you wake up in a tub of ice instead of your bed? I thought that shit was an urban legend...

Ehhhh, yeah, I get that but also, if I had a book with deets on a dude that could be maybe used to kill him and I started fucking him I'd probably ditch it too. Just in case. Kinda weird to tell your boyfriend that you're keeping notes on him... [Though is that weird? It's a skeleton and a magician, everything about that is weird already.]

Oh the cat is in Tauva, and it tried to kill Cap-- Izzy. [A frown because that still feels weird to say, but Izzy isn't his Captain anymore so...] I haven't seen it since but it's probably still around, I think it's tied to the place.

[skaikru]

( pratt just. continually. hitting. all her vector ghost. hot buttons with that last bit.

but, he'd also asked questions and added commentary so, in no particular order: the binder. ) There wasn't anything informative enough in that binder to be used to kill him. ( god, if only, and also the driving reason behind hunting skulduggery down in the hallway after the meeting. the skeleton is good at secrets.

then, the kidney. complete with a dismissive handwave, because what even is the best way to describe showing up on palamedes sextus' doorstep covered in saltwater and blood, and asking him to palpate her flesh. on like, their second meeting ever. ) No, nothing like that. My necromancer minored in medicine. Now we just know it's the Stupidity Tax.

[theweakhavepurpose]

Ah, [He looks down at his still missing finger.] Yeah that tracks.

Also, my necromancer? [Cheesy grin incoming!] Dude, that's adorable.

[skaikru]

( shit. shitfuck. fuckshit. not the first time she's referred to pal that way, but arguably the first time she's been so spectacularly called out on it. ignore the ugly haze of grey purple staining upward from the collar of her shirt.

grumble grumble ) Shut up.

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Pratt's shit eating grin gets even bigger. The grin that made everyone back home want to punch all his teeth in. It's a miracle he still has them.]

Awww. No it's fine. I won't say nothing. To anyone else anyway. He can be your necromancer, that's cute.

[skaikru]

( the want to punch vibes are there! but colored as the reflexive, defensive jabs one might throw when scared. and are ultimately replaced with a shoulder smack. ) Shut. ( aaaaand another shoulder smack. ) up.

It's not — ( like that? the way the horrified dusky blush colors her ears now belays that defense, yet still clarke scrambles. )

I have titles like that for all my people. Friends. People.

[theweakhavepurpose]

[He takes the hits and does shut up, he even manages to grin normally and not like a cocky asshole. That purply blush is a little weird but also pretty cute considering what it means.]

All of 'em huh? Name another.

[skaikru]

( staci pratt, stop calling her out like that this instant!

cue the deeply internalized screaming, but she'd laid out the premise of this challenge and now must rise to the occasion. )

Rita Mordio's my mage. Natsuno's my best friend. You're my ice cream sandwich guy. And Sharky's just my favorite.

[theweakhavepurpose]

[Oh he senses that internal screaming. He can just tell. But, he will let her off the hook. for now]

Fuck yeah, being the ice cream sandwich guy is way better than what other people have called me. I'll take it.

And okay, fine, have your nicknames.

[skaikru]

( she's prepared to keep going! "jade's my go-to stab wound guy, mizuki was my guard dog, venti was my god, darcy is my own personal headache" but. it's for the best that pratt unhooks this conversational fish. clarke huffs, as if to say yeah i do have my nicknames! and if she could reach inside her skin and rip out all the offending blushing blood cells she would, but ultimately has to just settle for taking a breath. )

So. About that cat...

[theweakhavepurpose]

Oh right. Guatauva. Tried to fucking kill Izzy cuz it's a spectral ghost thing so my guess is it needed life force to manifest and be real again. But then I pulled Izzy away and the cat disappeared.

Maybe we gotta feed it. But it didn't seem like it was really... like it noticed we were there other than trying to attack us. And now it's gone. But I could probably get it back.

Why? There's way better cats on the ship than that thing.

[skaikru]

( better cats?? ) You mean like the big one that eats people in the clothing shop?

( clarke very unamused with siffleur's antics, despite having very willingly walking into — and victoriously walked out of — the proverbial lions den not that long ago. )

Or Aiden? ( who, admittedly, made for an adorable cat and let her scratch his face even after she'd thrown him in the brig. )

I'd reckon they know as much about the ship as any of us. A ghost cat, this Guatauva — ( and internally, bc i don't think anyone's actually ever full out told her the connection here, clarke goes: guatauva... gua...tauva... gua-TAUVA??? but keeps cool on the outside. ) ... could be helpful.

( ... )

How would you get it to come back?

[theweakhavepurpose]

Yeah him for starters. A cougar is pretty fucking rad, gotta admit that. [Also he is all about that hunting and being hunted life.] Aiden. The little black and white one that's around the cabins sometimes. There's an orange one that hides in the library too.

[He arches an eyebrow.] Helpful? I guess if you wanna get someone killed by a cat... It's not like we could talk to him since... cat. Or at least he didn't talk to us when we asked him shit. But if you wanna try... Izzy asked for him and he showed up, like on command.

[skaikru]

( ...

it can't really fucking be — ) That simple?

[theweakhavepurpose]

Yup.

Everyone is overcomplicating everything, simplest solution and all that. That's why I kinda thought going up to the Captain and straight up asking him to let people go home if they wanted to had a chance of working. And honestly... if it was possible I think it might of. He didn't seem to care one way or the other.

[skaikru]

...huh.

( bookmark this as an impactful moment for one clarke griffin; one that might even inspire her to stop overcomplicating everything in her brain and just fucking go for it after months and months spent hunched over books and talking shop with her friends. same plans at the heart of it, but maybe. a different approach. )

That's all... very good to know. Thank you, Pratt.

[theweakhavepurpose]

Anytime bro!

[ He grins cheerfully, fully unaware that he may have created an impulsive monster that might barrel headfirst into a mirror.

Instead he's just gonna go back to his cat drawings. Gotta get these memes to the people for the good of the ship.]

[skaikru]

( and let's keep that awareness at 0 for now. it's gonna make it all the more unpleasantly surprising when she goes off and does something stupid with a ghost cat.

this is a good point for clarke to peel away from the library — honestly doesn't even feel like she needs to put on the airs for a proper goodbye. and that's what she plans to do, even turns on her heel to depart before. remembering a text she'd received from sharky, and... )

Hey, stand up for a second?

[theweakhavepurpose]

[He glances up at her, a little unsure about that request, and then puts down his colored markers, scooching the chair back so he can stand up. ]

Am I under arrest?

[Oh he's got jokes.]