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

[decohere]

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!

Comments

[latersgators]

"Yeah! They have decent vegan options, which was surprising." He was expecting to wander through a whole array of food he couldn't eat before getting to a tiny little vegetarian spread that he can only pick half the things from. So he was pleasantly surprised that there were decent enough options to fill a plate.

"Are there any other interesting places on the ship, d'you know? Or anywhere I could-- buy some some extra clothes, perhaps?"

[decohere]

Ah, perhaps not the individual to express appreciation to for the daily lunch plate she piles high with shrimp. "I'm happy for you and your quinoa," Ava says with as much sincerity as she can manage. Because being vegan means you can't even eat cheese, isn't it? Or add too much honey to your tea? Couldn't be her.

"There's all sorts of interesting places, depending on what you're looking for. But the Bahama Mamas is your best bet for cruise appropriate attire." Because she truly cannot remember the actual name of the store. And she's suspicious of whoever Tommy might be.

[latersgators]

That gets a small laugh out of him. Not many people can throw shade on his diet so gently. But seeing as the last time he had a piece of steak everything went crazy, he's not touching meat unless he has no other options left available to him.

"Mostly just books and a fresh change of clothes for the moment. Some toiletries maybe. Emergency supplies. Maybe a-- place with weapons." That's more for Marc's peace of mind though. Steven is more likely to accidentally blow off half his face or drop a knife through his left foot than to know what to do with any of that.

"Is it quite dangerous on this ship, d'you know?"

[decohere]

"That's hardly the weirdest diet onboard, there's a vampire that sips blood out of a mug. So." And she won't mention the time Claudia dragged Friday's lifeless body underneath a table to feed. Hey, she figures eating preferences are quite a personal thing. She used to have her meals all prepared under a rather strict diet for her with no real room to be picky about it, so she's not about to tell somebody else how they should be eating.

Ava nods along, because she knows where to get the clothes and toiletries, wonders how this bookish nerd might define emergency supplies, and then raises her eyebrows at weapons. "Ah, I'm not really one for weapons. Some people came with their own. Some have received them... as gifts. But I think the only weapons you can get outside of that are limited to your own creativity." She's pretty sure you could easily take somebody out with the cord to the karaoke mic, for example.

"It can be. We've had a visiting pirate turn into a giant hurricane. And a particularly gruesome dinner show. But most of the death has been off the ship." Is killing people vegan, Ava wonders.

[latersgators]

"A wot?" Steven seems alarmed by the revelation, shrinking back a bit and picking at the hem of his shirt nervously. Is it hypocritical to be judgy? He's not really judgy, he's just-- hoping to make it off this boat in one piece, you know.

"Have they attacked anyone?" Should he be prepared? Does garlic even work? Will he get in trouble for breaking the furniture if they're stuck in a rut?

"Wait, you mean like-- the excursion into the forest? Do you mean like, hunting deer, or...?"

[decohere]

"A mug. You know, like a teacup but sturdier." She knows what you meant.

And sighs. "Nobody not already dead, that I know of?" But there's a lot going on that she doesn't hear about. So maybe! Vampires gotta do what they gotta do, in the shadows and all that.

"Sure. That's why I was doing research," Ava gestures to all the forest-themed books. "Hard to know what to expect. Some people are bracing for it to be like last time. Calling for unity and all that, to not hurt each other."

[latersgators]

"No I-- know what a mug is... it's also a face." Actually he knows what a vampire is too. He just-- he thought he might've misheard.

"Aren't we all already dead?" Steven whispers almost conspiratorially. Oh no. What if he's on the menu? He doesn't want to get bitten and sucked off! That's terrible! It sounds painful. What an awful way to die die?

"What happened last time? I signed up for something-- I thought it'd just be a day trip out! Camping or something?!"

[decohere]

"And you sure have one. A face. Not everyone does around here. Not with the whole eyes and nose and mouth situation."

(It sure is good that Steven didn't say 'sucked off' out loud, goodness keep those dirty thoughts to yourself, sir.)

Ava shrugs indifferently. "Perhaps we are, it certainly is a theory. But that doesn't stop us from being killed again. And again. Last time I buried myself right into the ground to escape. Woke up back in my bed. But some... never came back."

[latersgators]

"What?" Steven squeaks. There are faceless people here? People are dying dying? Like dying more than dying? Steven makes a noise he'd be embarrassed to admit he made as he wrings his hands some more, pulling his fingers, rubbing his thumbs.

And then the most awkward kind of confused, hesitant laugh bubbles out from the base of his throat.

"You're pulling my leg, right? Nearly had me there. You could give Stephen a run for his money!" None of that can be real. Can it?

[decohere]

How did he manage to miss Friday...

But this poor dude looks way too stressed out. She's not going to be responsible for his heart attack.

"Yeah." He'll figure it out on his own soon enough. "I'm quite the joker," she says in a rather dry tone.

"Do you need help on the way to the shop? Somebody might drop the moon on you on the way there."

[latersgators]

The day that comes after Thursday right? You know he used to lose time... Of course he didn't see the blonde faceless lady. He would have freaked out.

"The what? No I'm-- I'd be-- well I. Wouldn't mind the guide..." It's like a little city on board the boat. Easy to get lost. Maybe on the way he can explain to her that this isn't the kind of place to be researching normal camping trips or anything. He didn't see a single non-fictional title browsing through the books here.

[decohere]

"For the... supplies? Toiletries?" Ava gives the man a sort of don't you remember what you were asking about just a moment before? squint.

"We're on deck 3. So we could go down to 1, to the sundries and souvenir shops. They have clothes there if you don't mind it being all... ship logo'd."

And if he really wants to 'explain' to her the nature of research, he's in for a sorry surprise. She will smack him in the face with the paperback Baby-Sitter's Club.

[latersgators]

"Yeah. Just. A change of clothes, I suppose I don't care what's on it." He'll just get something a size bigger and sleep or lounge around the cabin in it, he's not expecting to wear it out too much. He'll find the Tommy Bahama soon enough, anyway.

"Thanks for this." She didn't have to, especially since he rubbed her the wrong way earlier, and will more than likely rub her the wrong way again a few more times until he figures out what he's doing wrong or someone tells him. He moves to stand and put the book away, making an effort to at least tidy the place up a bit before they depart.

[decohere]

"The ghosts clean all that up," Ava tells Steven as he tries to do the polite thing of tidying up. "Any mess you make, anything you break. It all just goes back the way it was. You can't even organize the library, people have tried. It just resets."

But it's sweet he's trying anyway. "Anyway, you don't need any money for the shops. You just... pretend to pay. And then you can take it with you."

[latersgators]

"The ghosts?" There's ghosts in the library? "I did get sucked into that conga line..." Ghosts would be a logical explanation for that - and they're all dead, aren't they? So it would make sense here more so than anywhere else that there's ghosts. But... he's still a bit sceptical.

"Alright, I'll-- give that a go. Cheers." He would still feel like a dirty thief - he would have at least offered to work off his debt or something - but if everyone's doing it then maybe he'd feel less bad about it.

"Is there anything... else that's a little strange around these parts?"

[decohere]

"There's ghosts everywhere, they're just not really visible. Sometimes I just barely catch a glimpse..." but it's nothing more than fleeting movement from the corner of her eye. Or maybe that's just her own flickering getting to her.

"No, I think that's about it." It's not even close to it. But some things you just have to experience on your own. "Anyway. Thanks again for the story," Ava wants to at least end this encounter on a positive enough note.

And then she gives a small, blurry wave, and takes off right through a wall.