come_sailaway | [open] how have we come to be mere mirrors to annihilation?

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[open] how have we come to be mere mirrors to annihilation?

Who: Skulduggery and you!
What: General catch-all for any post-announcement/pre-disaster threads
When: Post January-??? (whenever the launch happened)
Where: Hallways, decks, wherever he's passing by
Warnings: Talk about madness, talk about death/dying/suicide ideation, aggression, idk it's Angry/Grieving!Skulduggery time
Notes: Skulduggery isn't leaving the bridge much, and here's a 50/50 chance that the Captain is curled up in Skulduggery's chest cavity when he is outside, so be aware. (Skuls will not be *telling* people this, obviously. And it's unlikely (but not impossible) that the Captain may rear his cute lil head if bothered enough!)

[there aren't many reasons for him to leave the bridge these days, but he has people to check in on and plans to hammer out. Skulduggery can be caught walking the hallways or decks, usually on his way to one person or another. he may stop by the casino to occasionally light a few playing cards on fire -- what??? he can't smoke, let him have some form of physical outlet!

he'll slow his walk for people he cares for -- for the rest of you, learn to keep up with the 6-foot skeleton, kk? (and don't worry if he feels suspiciously warm up close, it's just his naturally fiery personality ~~and definitely not a jinn living in his chest cavity like a small animal~~)]

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[there's no warning as Ava quietly materializes next to Skulduggery. she doesn't care where they're going. doesn't bother saying anything in greeting, just latches onto his arm to walk together.

ah, he's warm.]

[there's no way to tell if he tenses or not at her sudden appearance, but he's accustomed to the sound of Ava's footsteps, her smell, even the unique way the air moves around and through her when she's semi-corporeal, so he doesn't kick her or lash out.]

So far, so good. [it's been like one day but you know what he'll take it!]

Mn. [nods at that assessment.] I did a speedrun through the 5... 6? Stages of grief.

[nods in agreement.

a moment passes. then:]

Seems a bit soon for us all to be giving up, right?

Well. Everyone else has the process backwards. You give up first. And then get sick of it. Because self-pity only feels good for like one good cry or two weeks in the walls.

And then I'm ready to recklessly throw myself into the shredder again. [thumbs up!]

[he tilts his head] Well, when you put it that way, it makes sense. But let's put a pause on you throwing yourself into any shredders for now. I say the next excursion is entirely on their heads.

[he doesn't know if he should be expecting another excursion, obviously, but at least he's preparing for any outcome.]

Oh. Peter and I. And Darcy. Already agreed to sit the next one out. I...

[but no, she isn't really expecting another fuel-harvesting excursion at this point. she expects the next thing to be something she doesn't get to wake up three days later from.]

If I ever want to learn to value myself. I can't keep. Throwing myself away, you know? [so this last time has to count.]

Good. Fio already asked me not to, and of course, I had to oblige. So we'll let the others deal with it, should the need arise.

[not that he thinks it will. but if they need energy quickly, he knows exactly who he would sign up for the good of his family.]

Remember that one. Where the ship sank? Excursions are just... tossing buckets of water over the side as the hull floods. We are going down.

So. We should focus our energy and efforts on... [breathes out] well, not eating myself alive this time.

I'm going to reach out. See what their plans are. So I can account for that, in my own.

You're right. All we can do is plan for whatever opportunities we can imagine, and hope that whoever finds that message isn't brighter than us. Hard to imagine that.

[even in the face of their internal meltdowns, this guy is gonna make jokes about how smart he and his friends are. that's the Skulduggery PLeasant way!]

Who do you plan on talking to?

[he's made an effort to only remember the core mutineers -- but now it's clear he needs to know who to trust, and who can be left behind when he finds a way out.]

Maybe if everyone had the full extent of their powers back... [but she sounds doubtful about even that.]

I'll start with Lieutenant Tayrey. Whether we like it or not, no matter how much we try reasoning with or threatening her, she's not going to stop pursuing her objectives. And she has Sparkles to back her up.

I rather not be in the dark on what she plans on negotiating on the behalf of the rest of us. And I don't want it to come down to her... blind idealism of what she's up against. Imagining some entity coming in and trapping her in some of faustian deal because she's desperate and thinks everyone operates by her contract code is... horrifying, honestly.

Hm... [he smoothes his hand over his tie, Fio's birthday gift to him.] Giving people some of their powers wouldn't be the worst idea. It's something to consider. [in case anyone's listening!]

You're welcome to try. I won't go within thirty feet of her. [he can't risk her pissing him off in person this time. no matter what, he can't be seen retaliating for what she's done. it won't help his case moving forward, and it will only make Ava's work harder.] I tried to emphasize the seriousness of her idiotic stunt, but she's written me off.

Okay, probably not everyone... [because ya know.]

No. No, I don't think she'd be receptive to you at all. She knows you won't compromise your relationship. And that any reasoning you attempt with her will be interpreted as you trying to skew things in the favor of her enemy.

And she knows how I feel as well. So there's no use in trying to deceive her of my intentions.

[he assumes that Ava has been keeping herself sympathetically neutral -- obviously in support of the Captain, but nihilistic enough to agree with the mutineers where they need her to.]

But she'll likely listen to you over me. You can still be convinced the Captain can't be trusted. [theoretically, anyway. he doesn't doubt her loyalties in the slightest.]

I'm convinced that they have legitimate reasons for why they'll never trust the Captain. And will not listen to any of my reasoning otherwise, so I'll keep that to myself.

But I trust him over every single one of them.

[ Several negative outcomes have crossed her mind after the rocket launched. Maybe there won't be a "rescue" and something horrible will get in, destroy everything. It's happened to the Cage. But right now Fio's been more unsettled by the gloomy mood that she's seeing nearly all around, especially from the grownups who have always been there to give her reassurance. And so, she thinks she needs to be the tough one at this moment. Put on a brave face.

When she spots Skulduggery on his walk, she rushes over to catch up and reaches to clasp his skeletal hand in both of hers. It's a gesture that usually helps her calm down, but today, it's her attempt to comfort him. ]

[He barely looks over before he's taking her hand in his, squeezing it gently. Like Ava, he knows Fio's approach by feel alone, so it doesn't take him by surprise.]

Hello, Fio. [He slows his steps so she can keep up easily.] How have you been today? I hope nobody has been giving you a rough time. [Either by upsetting her, or by judging her for her relationship with Skulduggery. He's already ruined Darcy's life here -- he'd rather not be the cause of Fio's pain on top of it.]

Hello. I'm... okay.

[ That would sound more sullen if she wasn't confused by how strangely warm is hand is right now. Curiously, she squeezes his bony fingers, feeling the joints like she's re-living the first time holding hands with a skeleton.

She falls into step with him easily. It doesn't matter where they're headed. She just wants to walk with him. ]

...Daddy, are you scared?

[Even with Fio, he hesitates to bring up the Captain's whereabouts. It isn't that he doesn't trust her -- it's simply something he'd rather keep to himself. If the Captain wants to make himself known, he can; otherwise, it's best to pretend he's safe back on the bridge.

So, even as he stretches his fingers out to let her look it over, he doesn't come clean about why he might feel different to the touch. Besides, there are more pressing questions to confront.]

I... am not scared, exactly. But I am nervous. I don't like not knowing what's going to happen next... and I don't like that I didn't catch things before they got to this point.

[ She stops examining his fingers and decides to accept the warmth without question. And there isn't much of a chance for her to ask. It's a different feeling than from what she's used to, but it's not uncomfortable. When Skulduggery admits that he's nervous, she gives his hand another squeeze. ]

We've been through big scary situations before. Like... the time when the cracks showed up all over the ship. And the labyrinth. [ Of course, she wasn't awake for that, but she knows about it. She still has some regrets being unable to talk with Sparkles before it got to that point. ]

I'm... a little nervous too. [ Though, it's mostly because he and others are. ] But whatever comes next, I'm sure we'll get through it.

[Skulduggery gives a single, sturdy nod in agreement.] You're right. We've dealt with all sorts of nasty surprises. But we're smart, and we're capable. Whatever the infinite wilds of eternity throw our way, we're going to sort it out.

[It's been difficult to stay optimistic against everyone else's sense of doom. But just when he thinks it might be better to resign himself to pessimistic battle plans and suicide missions, Fio manages to remind him why he's been making such an effort to remain hopeful.]

I promised that I would get you out of here, and I'm going to uphold that promise. We're going somewhere much, much nicer than this.

Yeah... as long as we're together, we'll be fine.

[ This time, she'll be awake. If something dangerous comes for them while on the ship, she'll be able to protect him too and everyone. There's a pang of guilt, thinking about how many times she's stayed behind during excursions, while others got hurt.

While the future is uncertain, a smile slowly creeps back up on her face and brings the brightness back into her voice. As they walk hand in hand, she begins to lightly rock their arms back and forth. ]

We are! I know we are. [ Cheerfully and a little sing-songy. If she's like this, maybe she can whisk away some of his nerves. ] We're gonna live together in a nice house... [ With him. And the Captain. ] I get to go to school... [ With Sparkles. Can it come with them too? ] I'll make a bunch of friends and maybe I'll finally have a ballet teacher!

...What kind of place do you wanna live in, Daddy?

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[open] how have we come to be mere mirrors to annihilation?

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i am in your posts yet again

always and forever love to see it!!!

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