[open] at least the month couldn't get any worse, right?

[fonomena]

Who: Jade Curtiss and YOU!!
When: Several days after That Party but before the start of next month
Where: Various places! Mainly the Promenade / some random hall with a supply closet / in front of the menacingly new Tommy Bahama...
What: Mostly some processing of a few Neat and Fun gifts from sundries! .....But also like, what is up with that Tommy Bahama place though--
Warnings: Nothing too pressing! Some talk of earlier events in the month and all the murder/party stabbing therein may arise, though, considering...well. Gestures at the last few weeks.....
Notes: (I've started out with brackets, but feel free to use prose! I'll match whichever style you prefer)

A; hawaiian shirt hell persists...with a twist??
[It's a bit of a belated sort of takeaway, from the one part of Friday's last announcement before the party that had seemed entirely innocuous in the grand scheme of...everything else. A new shop being opened in the Promenade, apparently--because that's just, a thing that can happen on a ship like this, apparently. Granted, the evening following that announcement had been quite the mess in and of itself--and such small things were promptly forgotten for a few days afterwards.

But eventually, Jade finds the new storefront standing out in a passing sweep of the Promenade one day, its wide display windows now taking up a space that had most certainly not existed between Sand Dollars and John's a few weeks prior. --From that point it's only natural to investigate, isn't it? i.) Perhaps you're investigating it too, and might find Jade rather further inside, staring hard at an assorted setup of polo shirts in various distinctly...tropical color gradients with a thoroughly exasperated sort of frown on his face. One would think it's at the expense of the casual gaudiness of it all--which, to be fair, it sort of is. But........he also feels like he's walked by this display a couple times already. He's been moving in a straight line this entire time. Yet the back wall sure hasn't...actually gotten any closer, for a good few minutes now--??)

...Or maybe ii.) you find Jade outside the Tommy Bahama, after the fact, hovering in front of the entrance once more with a moderately-filled matching shopping bag now on his elbow but...a frown still on his face, too, this one a great deal more perplexed.

If you're passing by, or happen to be looking even vaguely interested in checking it out:] You know, I think you might want to exercise some caution, if you're headed in there...

(closed to Natsuno) Room 109; awkward unboxing session
[Early one morning there's a card slipped under the door; familiar to Natsuno, perhaps, but actually addressed to Jade for once. Several packages waiting for him in the sundries shop, apparently--and so Jade had set out to pick them up promptly enough, probably making some airily sarcastic remark about the impressiveness of the nonexistent postal system apparently afoot here on his way out. It's a half hour or so before he returns...

Though it's not immediately obvious, because it's not like he actually comes back into the room off the bat. No, instead, Natsuno might find Jade's return instead heralded by...well, it's not quite a knock, is it? More of a weirdly muffled thump--and then another one, for emphasis--like somebody's mildly kicking the foot of the door or something?

That's exactly what it is, actually; Natsuno would open the door to find Jade on the other side, sure enough, arms full between a couple boxes stacked in the crook of an elbow and, propped in another hand...something longer than he's tall? Very narrow, shaped vaguely like a pole, with some sort of horizontal piece attached to the top of it...? Not much else to go off but the shape, though, considering it's wrapped in matching nautical wrapping paper as well. --Jade shrugs, insomuch as he's able.] Ah, thank you. Might want to step aside a moment, yes? Let's see--

[--Well, alright, initially trying to move through the door has the pole-thing promptly rapping against the top of the doorframe. Hm, time to attempt awkwardly angling it through instead...]

B; that feel when you get the useful item drop only after the nasty boss fight...
[It's an hour or so after he's processed the "gifts" in his room; at length, Jade opts to take one of the boxes in question someplace else for a closer look, if only mostly out of a discretion for Natsuno's reactions to well over half the contents. Jade can thus once again be found seated at one of the many Promenade tables--this one near a window, in the full light of the sunshine streaming through--considering the contents in said box as it now sits open on the tabletop. Slowly, one at a time, he's pulling a series of pocket-sized glass bottles from it; each one is critically examined, before evidently being considered cleared to be set upright in a growing line on the table proper. A couple of the bottles are an eggshell white, with a very vague but distinct sort of luster; a few other bottles are black, and seem to reflect rather less daylight than glass ought to; and two of them are a deep brown, oddly-shaped in a more rounded sort of way.

Jade's attention lingers rather longer on the odd-shaped ones than the others. In fact, he even opens one of them, and seems to try peering inside before testing the scent of the contents as well. Whether he's actually happy about whatever he finds is difficult to say, though, a rather inscrutable sort of expression on his face as he recaps the bottle and sits back in his chair...though a deep sigh follows the movement, too, and his tone is very dry as he speaks--more to himself than anyone in particular, but perhaps audible all the same if you happen to be nearby.]

Well, this certainly would have been rather useful about a week ago. Seems practical jokes take many forms, around here...

C; obligatory deck-cleaning happens only after burning away to ghostly nothing ok
[The question, though, the real question...is what to do with the most exasperating gift of the bunch.

Should you happen to be passing through one of the smaller and quieter halls connecting one part of a deck level to another, you might end up bumping into Jade lingering in one of them. In front of one of the more basic janitorial supply closets found throughout the ship, specifically? The closet doors are opened, anyway, and there sure are some very boring cleaning supplies in there...though Jade's still hovering and staring inside in a weirdly intent sort of way, for some reason.

Then again, difficult to miss is the fact that he's also got a deck brush with green bristles propped over one shoulder. Did he...just take it out of the closet? Or--?]

Hm, what do you think? [Oh, he's looking over to address you now, noticing your presence and acknowledging it with a cheery sort of smile, as if this is now a totally normal conversation in totally normal surroundings happening here.] If I put this inside, do you suppose it would stay put? I'd almost bet it doesn't, if I were a betting sort of man... [...Jade this doesn't actually offer anything in the way of any context here, though--]

D; wildcard!
[This log can also serve as a catch-all for any other interactions that might arise before the end of this month! Jade can generally be found in most any of the more-trafficked areas of the ship, as he does like to check around all the more common facilities at least once every few days. Feel free to have your character bump into him for whatever reason! As always, if you have something more specific in mind you'd like to thread here and want to hash it out beforehand, feel free to hit me up by message or on plurk at rainbell!]

Comments

[fonomena]

There do seem to be several new faces appearing of late. You know, I hadn't actually considered that...but you bring up a very good point there, now. It would align with the logic of the non-logic, concerning the space here...perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep a running count of just how many cabins there are, down the halls. Rather prompt way of noticing when there are more than two passengers newly-arrived...

[A little unsettling as a thought, true, but also an interesting one; Jade would be folding his arms in thought, if one of them was not currently burdened with recent Tommy Bahama shopping. Spatial warping in this fashion is rather unheard of where Jade's from too, though 'magic' (to put it in utter layman's terms) does at least exist as a mechanic of its own. Minor temporal manipulation isn't unheard of in Auldrant, though--even if it's generally an immense and very brief sort of feat--so, expanding one's horizons to applying that spatially...isn't quite as daunting a notion, to Jade.

Especially with rather solid proof it's actually happening. He knows for a fact this store wasn't here before, anyway--that the room to squeeze it in hadn't been either. Hm...]

Very pertinent questions, those. From what I could tell in a preliminary sort of look, the clothes certainly never seemed to decrease in density. There was a vague sense of seeing repeats...but repeats are also the nature of a clothing store, too, so whether there's a repeat in layout is more difficult to confirm without gathering more data. [He peers at one of the innocuous display windows on the store front, speculative.] I suspect it might grow more difficult to locate the entrance the further one goes in, though...wouldn't do much good to get lost in the depths. Considering there isn't exactly any food or water to--

[--Oh, hold on though, actually. Jade's attention is promptly drifting back over Max's way, with a curious tilt of his head to accompany it as a new thought seems to quite abruptly occur to him.]

--Hm. Say, out of curiosity...do you happen to need food and water on a regular basis?

[makesomedeals]

We could keep track, but it might be easier to just pay attention to when Friday is preparing for the safety drill. Though that wouldn't tell us when additional cabins appeared, it would let us know when the population increased.

[Which might be useful to know. It wasn't as if there was a roster. Though maybe Friday had one?]

No, I'm an Omnic. I require neither food nor water, I...

[And then his eyes narrow. Wait a minute....]

Absolutely not. No.

[fonomena]

[A roster could be pretty handy, actually, even if they'd probably have to compile one of their own...perhaps it'd help keep better track of the rumored "disappearances" that seem to happen to some passengers on occasion--

But alas, that tangent's set firmly on the wayside now, isn't it? Honestly, it's a little impressive just how expressive Max manages to be just with that squinting of eyes; his specification of being an "Omnic" and general metal person may be entirely unfamiliar things to Jade, but there's a very human bent to the emotion he's quite clearly feeling about now...and Jade's own vaguely pleasant smile is widening to a perfectly innocent sort of beam in turn, to see it.

Nothing too ominous about that, of course. Nothing at all ominous about the couple of steps he's now taking in Max's direction about now, too, an idle affect still in place but the intent curiosity very plain all the same. (.......And okay so it's all maybe a bit ominous about now, probably, sorry Max--)]

My, but I haven't even asked anything yet! [They both know exactly what Jade's going to ask, of course, and the amused lilt in Jade's tone is very clearly aware of this.] ...Still, it'd be for science, of course. Surely there's a worthy cause in testing the bounds of the captain's abilities, yes? It wouldn't need to be too extensive, either, so long as we could figure a way to properly retrieve you-- [JADE DO YOU HAVE TO PHRASE IT LIKE THAT THOUGH.......]

[makesomedeals]

[Max is mentally going to start cataloging everyone he meets in order of who he would murder first should it come to it. A dual purpose list of knowing how many people are here, and should there be cause for whole sale slaughter he already has that all worked out! Work smarter, not harder.]

And I should care about this worthy scientific cause?

[He knows exactly what Jade is gonna ask, and he's going to flat out refuse unless he does some pretty intense convincing.]

I'm not going to get lost for days in a silk and polyester blend landfill on the off chance we can prove that the storefront is bigger than it looks. Especially if someone is going to need to retrieve me.

[Like he's a lost kitten in a tree.]

well this notif sure never appeared in my inbox aaah so sorry for the delay!

[fonomena]

[Not the worst idea as lists go, all things considered. Will Jade yet move himself further up the order with shady scientific proposals in this vein? Only time will tell, clearly...!

At the very least, he doesn't seem terribly put out by Max's aggressive lack of enthusiasm all around here--for better or worse, anyway. His approach does stop at a perfectly polite conversational sort of distance, and the pleasant smile remains, though he does nod a bit at the counterarguments presented.]

Well, I certainly couldn't say whether you should care or not! I can only explain the reasons I find the phenomena in that store so interesting myself; the chances aren't zero that we'll see spatial strangeness along these lines replicated at some point later, somewhere else. Be it on this ship or during another excursion...for my own part, testing how it occurs and the limits it might have could go a long way towards dealing with it in other instances more effectively.

But--you do bring up a rather valid point there, I must say. An endless expanse of tacky clothing can be its own sort of purgatory, hm...? [An airy sort of sigh, about here, coupled with a shrug of his shoulders. There's probably a vaguely disingenuous sort of vibe lingering here all the same, but--Jade isn't quite so invested in these particular science prospects that he's about to argue too fervently about sending this mechanical man in there against his will. The unwillingness...really is too relatable, after all, even with a lack of need for food or water considered. Ah well...] There's probably a few ways we could track your progress in there and make retrieval swifter--but no matter. Actually, I suppose I'm really being quite rude about now! Here I am making such harrowing requests of you, and yet...I don't believe I've even asked you for your name yet, have I?

No worries!

[makesomedeals]

[Everything Jade is saying makes sense - it would be important to figure this out in a vaguely neutral environment like the ship in case something similar presents itself in an excursion. And were the person investigating anyone other than Max he would agree. But...]

Maximilien.

[He looks back at the Tommy Bahama, trying to see the back wall, but even without magic breaking the laws of physics he can't see it due to the racks of clothing and various mannequinns.]

I suppose...

[He's going to regret this.]

I suppose if I just walked straight I could turn around and come back after a set period of time.

[It hasn't occurred to him that this might be some insane labyrinth that will close in behind him.]

[fonomena]

[An insane labyrinth comprised solely of tropical shirts and bad life choices really wouldn't be terribly off-brand at all here, all things considered....

But, there's only one way to find out! And...it does sound like Max is actually considering it now? Which is a mild surprise, honestly; Jade had already been about ready to write off the prospects of Max's particular involvement in future Tommy Bahama-related science experiments. Seems his line of logic actually is being rather more seriously considered here, though...?]

Indeed you could. That would probably be the first ideal test to do, actually--it's generally better to keep these sorts of things basic, to begin with. [Tone at a carefully measured and pleasant sort of neutrality--no need to scare off Max with too much enthusiasm here now, after all--Jade follows the line of his glance through the entrance of the shop, the back wall indeed obscured at this sort of angle.] Your progress could be tracked with the clothing available, actually--have a pile of shirts on hand to leave on the floor behind you, perhaps, as you go. The better to ensure your path remains straight, and could be traced; it can be easy to start moving in a circle without realizing...well, for humans, at least. [Maybe Max's perception is rather more different in that sense, though? Goodness, the potential ideal variables in a mechanical man really do start coming to light...

Anyway, Max is almost certainly going to regret this indeed. But it's not like he's getting coerced into it, or something! Mostly!! ...Jade's taking a couple paces towards the doorway now, and checking sidelong to see if Max would in fact be willing to follow suit. If so, they'll both be drifting back into coconut-scented hell...]

Ah--and I'm Jade Curtiss, in the vein of introductions. Perhaps it may yet be a pleasure to meet you! [You know, assuming...All This, goes well. If it goes at all. Would Max accept an offer at a professional and business-like sort of handshake?]

[makesomedeals]

[Max has regrets already actually. He should have just left when Jade suggested any sort of excursion into the dreaded tropical clothing wasteland. But he is a little curious how it all works, especially because where he comes from doesn't have magic, so physics just shouldn't do this. And yet it is. There must be a reason, an answer. He normally doesn't care to find out, though he's also normally the one calling the shots.

Not the stores.]

Leaving a trail of polyester in my wake. Considering I haven't seen coils of rope or string around, that's probably the next best option to make sure I don't double back on myself. Generally I can triangulate my own location, but that system isn't working properly here because I'm outside of my world. I don't have degrees of latitude and longitude to ping while on the ship, nor cardinal directions, but I should be able to track distance.

[He does follow Jade, a doomed Omnic. The handshake is accepted, with the confidence of someone who has made thousands of deals in his life. ]