come_sailaway | And everything I stir into my tea, comes back to conquer me

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And everything I stir into my tea, comes back to conquer me

Who: Ava and whoever

When: Early June

Where: Various

Summary: More Cute! More Fun! Pre-camping ponderings. Possibly some thievery!

Warnings: Currently none

i. NOT TOO BAD - (closed to Ed)
Ava narrows her eyes suspiciously as she reads over the changed details of the new yet shamelessly the same sign up sheet. Is it really that simple? Or is it just a false sense of security to lure more people in, fall for the same trick twice. It's got to be different, right? Somebody's been texting that annoying call for unity letter around, and she doubts they'd be given much a chance to attempt pulling it off.

She traces her finger over where she'd written her name before, now covered in a scribble, and ponders whether she ought to put her name back on the list.

"What do you think?" she asks, aware of the presence of somebody nearby, turning her glance and, oh, it's Blackbeard. She smiles.

ii. DOOM SCROLLING - (ota)
Since the new sign up sheet went out, Ava periodically checks back to see who else has added their name, how many more are willing to chance the excursion. If it's anyone she knows, what their plans might be to prepare.

"Are you worried?" she asks, either to somebody that's just signed up, or somebody that's instead turned away.

iii. INTO THE WOODS?
Back in the library, Ava is flipping through books that might take place in a forest, involves camping. Mostly she's going by covers, as much as she knows the old saying not to judge a book by one. A lot of them seem to be horror stories, but there's plenty of fairy tales that take place in the woods as well.

This really isn't getting her anywhere at all, and she gives a frustrated sigh at her growing pile, resigning herself to the fact they'll be eaten by bears or sacrificed in some weird ritual and there's nothing she can really do to prepare. The book in her hands gives her a confused pause though.

"You ever go on vacation?" she asks whoever else in the library.

iv. FINDERS KEEPERS? - (ota)
Other passengers seem to keep getting all sorts of neat stuff, and Ava has no idea why all she's gotten so far is some giant Hello Kitty. Is she doing something wrong? Is she supposed to want things a bit harder? Does whoever summon those gifts simply not like her? ~~Is her player just too lazy?~~

Whatever, Ava knows one whole way to get what she wants. Stealing. She'll lurk about in common areas and the hallways, invisible, watching to see if anyone's got anything neat worth taking. Better not turn your attention, or she's going for it.

Alternatively, she might find another reason to spy on your character. Are they looking suspicious? Up to anything odd? Having a hushed conversation? (Feel free to even link to another thread that she's welcome to come spy on!)

v. KNOCK KNOCK - (open to cr or their roommates?)
It's the middle of the night, which is when Ava tends to be most active, most bored, and most likely to seek out somebody to talk to. She knocks quietly at a cabin door, dressed in pajamas and fuzzy slippers and holding a mug of tea.

vi. STEWING - (ota)
There's an uncomfortable awareness that the population of the ship is growing. Which has made the use of the hot tub a bit more competitive, and other areas of the ship far more busy as well. There's less and less place to simply be alone and undisturbed. But she catches the hot tub empty at some point and slips in, a piña colada in one hand and one of those Baby-Sitters Club books in another. Yes, the pages are a bit damp. No, she doesn't care.

If anyone choosing to join her is somebody she knows, Ava will give a small "hey" in welcome. If it's somebody she doesn't, she'll simply glare over the top of the book.

vii. WILDCARD - (ota) HIT ME UP!

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"I travelled for work as well," Ava responds slowly, not ready to reveal what sort of work that was. "But I never really got to visit the place, or enjoy it." Ava frowns, traces her finger over the smiling faces of the girls on the cover.

"This is the closest thing I've had to one. Where did you go?"

"Paris."

She said it without thinking. Just an automatic response. Paris would always be the place where she was happiest. Most herself.

Truth be told, it hadn't been much of a vacation, though. Reign of Terror and all. Still, it was pre-Order. So it wasn't like she'd been traveling with the weight of her responsibilities on her shoulders.

Mostly just a lot of questions.

"Are those the Babysitters Club?" she asked, leaning over to look at the other woman's book. "Oh, I used to love those! I read them to some of the kids that I...was taking care of. Claudia is totally my jam."

"Is it as romantic as they say?" She's been, a number of times. But only to take out an ambassador, a traitor avoiding extradition, and some poor soul that knew too much. Not exactly croissants and the Louvre for her.

"Oh... a series?" Ava sounds somewhat surprised, that the other woman knows of it, that this thing is apparently so popular.

Diana clutched the nearest bookshelf and swooned. Not a real swoon, of course. But dramatic enough to be one. She let her head fall back and she gave a delighted little moan, her eyes closing a moment. That was the only way she got to see Paris, these days. Remembering it. Remembering everything.

"It's wooooooonderful," she said, giving a soft sigh.

She let herself hang there a moment, before straightening out again.

"Of course, I've kinda got a bias. I fell in love for the first time there."

All thoughts of the Babysitters Club were forgotten. Now, she could feel Joseph's hand on her hip.

Honestly the dramatics are endearing, and Ava wonders what all the woman must have done and experienced there to have such an impression of the place. Falling in love... she's never experienced it herself. It baffles her a bit how somebody could do it more than once.

"Wish I could go," Ava says wistfully. "What were they like, your... first love?"

It was an unexpected question from a near-stranger. The problem was, Diana wasn't shy. Like. At all. And now that she was living her life more openly than ever before, there was just no reason to hold back on anything.

Well. Perhaps there were reasons. Internal ones. Her own heartache and occasional wave of melancholy.

Fortunately, she was in a good mood at the moment.

Diana gave the girl a small smile, leaning her head against the bookshelf. "Oh, he was the most handsome man I'd ever seen. And the most annoying because he absolutely knew it. We used to chase each other around a library." She paused to give the room a quick glance. "It was...a lot bigger than this one."

Near stranger or not, they are part of the same outcast crew that Stede tossed together. And Diana seems the overly open type, so Ava figures she was more prompting to be asked once she brought the subject up. Either way, she is a bit interested in the answer. What with her own 404 error of a love life.

She giggles at the description, wondering if she knows anyone like that. "Around the library?" Ava raises her eyebrows, because that doesn't seem the type of location for such an activity. Actual chasing? Or more of a slow romantic pursuit, she wonders. She hopes the former, it seems more fun.

"Is that why you're here? Looking for the cute nerds? And all you found is me," alas.

Diana laughed. "Well, don't undersell yourself," she said. "You're pretty cute." She was begging for a Breakfast Club-style makeover. However, Diana had learned from ample experience that people didn't take kindly when she grabbed them and started teasing their hair. So she would restrain herself.

For now.

Which wasn't to say it was completely off the table. They were stuck together. Possibly for a very, very long time.

"I just like libraries," she said, shrugging one shoulder. "And books. Cute nerds are a bonus. Cute nerds who chase me around the stacks? Extra, extra bonus."

Ava imagines her cuteness in a kinda pathetic, sad beaten up teddy bear with a missing eye and its stuffing popping out way. The way people go 'aw' and 'how sad' and possibly want to give it a comforting hug and maybe attempt to sew it up if they're feeling generous, but no real appeal to it. Nobody desires that sad little bear. But she'll take the compliment, grinning.

"Trick about this one is finding what you even are looking for," Ava isn't the sort to try rearranging it herself, but she is trying to see if there's any sort of pattern or logic to it. "So what happened to him?"

Diana's smile fell a little, the luster leaving her lavender eyes. Time occasionally made it easier to talk about Joseph. Time and a good, healthy bit of denial.

Yes, it was easier.

Easier, but not without its pain.

"Oh, he died," she said, keeping as much sadness out of her voice as she could, so as not to upset the stranger. "Two hundred years ago, something like that. Still with me, though." She touched a hand to her heart. "Here." And then she held out that hand to show off the stunning engagement ring she still wore; an opal surrounded by pavé diamonds. "And here."

Aw no, here Ava is again, asking about somebody's lover from home, and ONCE AGAIN THEY'RE DEAD. She needs to stop asking this question, but keeps getting caught up in the moment, wanting to live vicariously through somebody else's love life.

She does look rather sympathetic though, even as she checks out the very pretty ring. Ava isn't the type of girl for jewelry herself, but she can see it has sentimental value more than anything. If she's still wearing it. "Two hundred..." Ava wonders, "Are you a vampire?" And listen, yes, there are other types of long-lived and immortal types of beings. But Ava is a simple woman. Her mind always goes back to vampires.

There was something kind of refreshing about hearing that question and being able to answer honestly. Not the least because Diana was a crap liar and she knew it. She just...felt so much more...real. Which was a funny way of looking at it.

At any rate, she nodded. "I prefer the term 'Cainite,'" she said. "Although I fully admit that it's kind of a euphemism to make me sound way cooler and more biblical than I actually am."

Ironic, given the last name Grandmother had saddled her with.

But that reminded Diana that manners were a thing. She offered the girl her other hand. "Hi, I'm Diana."

"Oh, is that a more specific sort of vampire?" Ava asks with scientific classification curiosity. It hadn't occurred to her that there might be different sorts, but Diana doesn't have the same sort of... cold emotionless demeanor as Claudia. Or maybe that's just Claudia's way of being.

"Ava," she hesitates, but takes the hand to complete the introduction, to see if Diana feels cold or if she can sense a pulse. "We were at the crew meeting together," she reminds softly. "But I mostly kept to myself."

As much as it hurt, Diana couldn't blame Ava for hesitating. She probably wouldn't have done the same, once upon a time. Back when she didn't know there was the possibility of meeting someone out of folklore.

Diana's grip was incredibly gentle. A weak handshake, really. Two centuries of being afraid of hunters had taught her not to give too much away. Her palm was dry, but not cold. And she had no pulse, which was the real problem. But apparently not for Ava. She'd accepted that hand.

"I remember you, Ava," she said, offering her a gentle smile. "In a group of really loud folks, it's not hard to remember someone who's a little quieter."

Which was meant to be a compliment, anyway.

"And yeah, I guess there are different kinds of vampires."

The hesitation came more from her own hangups about dealing with unfamiliar people than any outright concern about Diana, but she knows how it can read. She attempts to make up for it by allowing her hand to linger instead of snatching it back away.

"They are a rambunctious lot, aren't they? Still not quite sure how I got talked into joining, other than Stede is a rather persuasive fellow."

She turns Diana's hand over in her own, quietly inspecting once she picks up on the lack of pulse. Very interesting. "So are you going on the camping trip, then? Are you concerned about... well, the sunlight?"

Diana loved physical touch. It was one of many ways that made her a total weirdo among Cainites. Being close to humans, trying to emulate them as much as possible--it kept her sane. It kept her in touch with the best parts of herself too.

She winced a little at the question, though.

"I'm not going," she said. "Even if sunlight weren't an issue...after what happened the last time people left the ship..."

No. Just...no.

"Oh, that's smart," Ava agrees with the woman's choice. "Can't help but feel like a fool to sign myself up again, but curiosity got the better of me. And it's probably a good time to take advantage of being alone."

Didn't seem like there were all that many that hadn't decided to go, judging by the length of the list.

"Maybe you can do a bit of snooping."

As it happened, Diana could be very good at snooping. It helped when you were able to turn invisible and all. Nevertheless, the suggestion caught her off guard a little.

She raised both eyebrows. "Did you have something in particular in mind?" she asked. And maybe she was hiding the slightest hint of a smile in the corner of her mouth.

Maybe.

Ultimately, this was probably why Diana wasn't the Cainite messiah. Aside from the fact that she was pretty sure there was no such thing. She was an excellent team player. But not much of a leader. She always benefitted from having people around who were much, much smarter.

"Hm, do you think there's anyone that seems particularly suspicious?" Ava wonders, because to her everyone is always suspicious and everything they do seems potentially up to no good. So perhaps Diana has a more reasonable perspective on the matter.

"I mean...the Captain seems pretty sketch," she said. But Diana suspected she wasn't the only one who thought so. The daily announcements were kind of hard to forget and pretty much impossible to ignore. "And Friday? Don't get me started on her. I'm pretty sure she's not actually a real person."

A pause. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

In case anyone was listening in.

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And everything I stir into my tea, comes back to conquer me

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