come_sailaway | Lights Go Out and I Can’t Be Saved

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Lights Go Out and I Can’t Be Saved

Who: Valdis and Open with Some Closed
What: Valdis does stuff around the Serena Eterna, feel free to join her
When: September
Where: All over
Warnings: In each starter

Confusion never stops | Crichton | CW: None

Valdis hasn’t seen much of Crichton since she tried to remove Harvey last, but with her and Cassandra’s suspicions, she knows she needs to talk to him. He appears to be in his room on this particular evening, so she gently knocks on his door.

“Crichton?” She calls softly, trying to find the balance between worry and rage.

It’s not his fault that Harvey took over and started targeting people, but if he’s losing time again, she felt that he should have told her. Or at least somebody.

“Are you there?”

Closing walls and ticking clocks | Siffleur | CW: none

The one person she’s been avoiding is also the one person who she needs to see and it was only a matter of time before the two predators ended up in the same room by accident or on purpose. There’s a tightness in her chest when she sees Siffleur at one of the tables in Sand Dollar, anxiety perhaps. She’s been refusing soul energy again for fear of killing someone. She’d managed for awhile last time, but she knows she’s weakening herself by not having any backup.

But she still tries to ignore him, making some coffee and heading to a table with lots of room for escape should it be necessary.

Gonna come back and take you home | Open | CW: none

Valdis is struggling, but trying to keep her schedule as normal as possible. Meditation in the morning sunlight, sword practice in the afternoons. Reading a book from Cassandra in the spare quiet moments. Sometimes she practices what she’s reading, but mostly it seems frustrating for her and she’ll shut the book firmly before grabbing something else.

She’s doing her best to not withdraw from her friends, but she is less outgoing than people are used to, spending hours in the library or drawing people she knows on the ship.

Event Starters | Open | CW: The flowers are dangerous

Red Rose:
A rose by any other name is still as sweet and the red roses growing on vines in the library smell sweet. So sweet that anyone who smells them falls in love with the next person they lay eyes on. Valdis is wearing a makeshift mask and trying very hard to avoid getting too close to the flowers as she searches the shelves for a specific book.

Angels Trumpets:
Valdis sits in Sand Dollar reading, and another of her sits across the table, the one clearly trying to ignore the bookless one as she smirks and says in hushed tones:

“It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t gotten so weak. Trust is so human.”

Purple Hyacinth:
If her past self following her around hadn’t been bad enough, the purple hyacinths growing outside her door decided to make her day even worse. Faces of the people she’s killed, the ones in the village, keep coming to mind. People she knew. People who didn’t deserve it. People who had once been friends.

She’s back at the bar and drinking as much as she possibly can, making sure it’s not the non-alcoholic stuff. She needs the real stuff and anyone who sees her can clearly see that she has probably had too much, even if they know it doesn’t affect her.

I could not stop that you now know | Wildcard | CW: As Necessary

PM to discuss or just go for it!

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Grace's presence goes ignored at first, but when the girl approaches her to show her to roses, she hesitates.

"Yes, they are very pretty, but the flowers are dangerous. You should avoid them."

~But they smell so lovely, imperious one! Surely they will lift your many sorrows. You have been burdened.~

A bent in Grace's normal emotions. It's hardly some great secret from Valdis that her roommate watches and observes her whenever they're near each other, but gone is the paranoia, the resentment, the faint envy, replaced with a warmth and affection as pure as the front of a furniture magazine. Grace is worrying about Valdis's well-being.

Valdis doesn't step back, despite wanting to, she's quickly trying to figure out the shift in her roommate and how it may relate to the flowers. She knows Grace watches her, though she's not sure why. Of even greater mystery is the sudden innocent affection coming off the girl in waves.

Oh. No.

Red roses.

"I do love roses," Valdis says, "But I'm afraid I am allergic to them right now."

Hopefully that will be enough to deter her from bringing the roses closer.

"Grace, how are you feeling?"

Allergic? Oh no! Grace sets her basket down and slides it far away with the tip of her harpoon; it thunks gently against a chair.

But...

~...Feeling...~ Grace contemplates this. ~Enlightened, I think. It seems absurd that I didn't realize before. You bring joy to the Lord of the Limit, who is a kind and noble gentleman, and my friend. You showed your own kindness in the face of my ingratitude. I have been...unmannerly.~

"Oh, no, Grace. You've been fine."

She's not sure what the girl is referring to. Lord of the Limit must be Max. Valdis fails to remember any ingratitude and poor manners aren't exactly abnormal here. She doesn't expect Grace to be a noble lady, in fact she prefers none of that silent warfare.

What did the roses do???

~The graceful lady even now!~

There's a hug incoming Valdis, at Some Speed, tight and fierce and affectionate.

Valdis struggle to not freeze under the force of the hug. Grace isn't herself. She's acting like she's talking about Helena. Does she hug Helena like this? It seems quite enthusiastic.

"I would argue that I am always graceful."

This is embarrassing.

"This affection is not required, Grace."

Grace looks up and blinks distantly, but she pulls away with a distinctly let down expression, like she'd asked Valdis to play catch and the Hellhound had said 'after work'. She pulls away and just sorta stares, expectantly. Expecting what? Good question.

The feelings are like when Grace talks about Helena, but they're more...deferential, somehow. Colored with anticipation. Of what? Again, good question.

Valdis is still trying to figure out what the red roses did to Grace. Increased affection, but not romantic affection. Friendship maybe? But very touchy-feely. Love?

How incredibly cliché.

"What's wrong?"

She's almost afraid to know the answer.

~You are pleasant to witness. I am waiting to see if you require assistance. Flower allergies...I can clear the way for you, if you desire. The reach of my arm is long indeed.~

How cliche indeed. Grace has one love language and it's 'what can I do for you'.

That...actually might be useful, using Grace to clear the flowers from her path. Selfish. But useful. It feels wrong to consider how Grace can be useful though. She's a person in her own right. Things are useful and Grace is not a thing.

"Thank you, Grace, but I am quite alright on my own. You are welcome to accompany me though."

Getting the spooky lake ghost away from the roses is the first step.

Grace takes this as an excuse to hold Valdis's hand like a small child who wants to walk with you. A happy little hum, louder in her heart than in her throat.

~I have neglected my manners in other ways as well - what news from your life, imperious one? I confess the last I saw was after the fight in the other world with the strange trees, when you left the feast with the bird-woman. I have been a negligent neighbor.~

Valdis doesn't flinch when Grace takes her hand, but she does quickly run through what she knows of Grace and how to best answer the questions without lying.

Though if anyone were to go on a murder spree in service of a friend or loved one, it would be Grace. Even Erin isn't hot headed enough to just go kill another passenger on her behalf, even if she wanted to, she'd let Valdis handle her own shit. She careful steers them out of the library.

"Not much has changed since you last saw me, but I am spending time with new people. Have you made any new friends?"

~Not yet, I do not think, but the gentleman magician has exciting news for me. You will see when it is done - I anticipate great things!~

That upwelling of affection is rather warmer; Grace thinks incredibly highly of Maxwell, and trusts in his skill and his word absolutely. ~Though...~ Pensiveness, cutting through the power of the rose. ~Imperious one...what are your thoughts on the hunter Siffleur?~

The magician? Oh, Maxwell, the man with strange vibes. It is a tad concerning that Grace feels so warmly for the man. Her naiveté was going to get her in trouble someday.

"Siffleur?" Valdis arches a brow. "Siffleur is a strange one. Back home I would have despised him for his love of flesh, but we all can be more here than on our homeworlds. Here I consider him a honorable man, a bit of a philosopher, a little creepy at times, but overall not a bad person."

Though she's not sure why Grace is asking.

~Radiant Helena introduced me to him, as a fellow hunter of the living, and advised that I seek his wisdom. His help has been invaluable, but with the issue at hand resolved I have perhaps been wondering if we might be friends. It is good to hear him spoken of thus.~

"I enjoy his company and I'm sure he would like talking to you."

Though he might find her a bit odd. He's not intimidated by much so she doubts he will be worried by her and as dangerous as Grace is, she's kind of sweet actually.

Grace nods.

And goes right back to staring up at Valdis in wide-eyed affection. Wisdom is being dispensed. Grace must Listen to the Wisdom.

Grace is feeling something akin to love, but it's got to be the flowers. Maybe the roses she was carrying. Of course, now Grace is going to think she's allergic to roses, her actual favorite flower.

"Are you alright, Grace?"

~I am basking in your wisdom, but I do not know what to ask. After such long neglect I must gaze upon you with new eyes.~

Just.

Radiating pure affection from this fish, Valdis.

"I haven't felt neglected, don't worry about that."

The affection flowing from Grace fills her senses with a sort of ease and a tiny amount of malice. It's feelings like this that can be used to accomplish goals, but Valdis quickly squashes those thoughts.

"It's fine, really."

~No! I have wronged you. It must be corrected.~ It's not quite a glare on Grace's face, but a stubborn determination to stick to this framing. ~Let me help you, or - or - ~

Aaaand there reaches the end of her ideas.

"Grace, look." Valdis sighs, "I like you, I kind of even care about your feelings and I appreciate the current desire to help."

She knows this has to be the flowers, but she also knows that Grace doesn't like her and perhaps that's why she feels she has wronged Valdis.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I just really missed Palamedes."

'Kind of'. Grace's face falls; her lip trembles as something wrenches in her heart. Yes, her current feelings are the flowers, but she's still just a girl, even if she doesn't believe it.

Grace flees, rather than be seen to cry.

"Grace!" Valdis calls after the girl, but she makes no move to stop her. "Damnit."

She'd been operating off the non-poisoned Grace, she'll have to apologize later.

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Lights Go Out and I Can’t Be Saved

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