come_sailaway | APRIL OPEN LOG: PIRATE JENNY

APRIL OPEN LOG: PIRATE JENNY

[early risers with odd-numbered rooms might notice that the morning sun doesn't quite come through the curtains as much as it usually does; they can peer out the portholes to see their views blocked by black-painted wood. everyone else won't realize something's off until the morning announcements. there's the chime, and Friday speaks, but...]

Passengers, I'd like for you all to join me in the atrium at your earliest possible convenience! We have a… situation!

[there is no bind on their legs; going is their choice. but, who wouldn't? something interesting is happening, at least. for once.

when they arrive, they will find Friday, and find that she is not alone. a woman - tall, dark, with a flowing coat and a lit cigar hanging from the side of her mouth like an old movie gangster - is standing on the raised area by the stairs; they are having a conversation that's too quiet to hear, and the woman's face is nearly as inscrutable. when enough have gathered, Friday steps forward, her empty hands clasped together in front of her, as the woman puts out the cigar on the heel of her boot and tosses it thoughtlessly to the ground.]

Good morning, everyone! I.. I'd like, I'd like to, well, I'd -

[the woman places a firm hand on Friday's shoulder - spins her, grabs her, dips her low to the ground, and kisses her soundly. at the first touch, Friday freezes; but, at the dip, she squeaks, and throws her arms up to hold herself up. the woman returns her to a normal position, and grins widely.]

Let me handle this, Dajutia. Hm? [Friday nods, and the woman turns to face the passengers.] Tau, everyone! My name is Jenny Storm, but all my friends call me Pirate Jenny! And I'd like to think we're all friends, sí? You could call me an... alumnus of the Serena Eterna; I spent a good five years being a thorn in the side of our good Captain! So, when I heard that he was getting up to his old tricks again, I decided to come around and see the fresh meat! And maybe have a bit of a vacation myself!

[she looks at each of them in turn. her grin widens, showing sharp canines.]

Now, I am sure you are thinking, "Señora Storm? You are a pirate! Are you here to rob us of our valuables?" [she barks out a laugh, then shakes her head.] No, no. First off, we're friends; it's Pirate Jenny! And Pirate Jenny is not interested in such things. In fact, I have valuables for you!

[she makes a quick movement: she sticks her pointer finger in her mouth, and then immediately uses that same finger to make some sort of sketch on her palm. seconds later, that same palm closes around a single white rose, which she extends to Friday. she pauses... then takes it, careful, holding it gentle as a bird.]

I may not be the Captain, but I happen to have a little bit of magic of my own! And, for a very, very low price, I can grant you a few small wishes! Trifles from home, maybe - do you like rocket launchers? I am getting very good at rocket launchers!

Jenny...

Okay, okay, no rocket launchers... Machine guns are as big as I'll go, promise!

[Friday just audibly sighs and shakes her head, but there's a clear sort of fondness in it, and Jenny laughs again.]

So, be sure to chat me up, sí? After breakfast! I may not miss much about this damned ship, but I do miss those little omelets!

[she salutes the audience, and then immediately leaves, taking the stairs down three at a time and needlessly pushing her way through the small crowd on her way to the elevators. Friday merely watches her go; her fingers have worried the rose to shreds that fall at her feet.

the rest of the month, until the 13th, is very much the same, with one exception: Jenny's ship remains at the Serena Eterna's side, a sailing ship somehow keeping pace with a modern engine craft. and Jenny doesn't seem to be keeping an especially close eye on it.]

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[There sure is a severe ~~comedic~~ dichotomy forming between the suddenly very grim turn of this conversation, and...the fact that it's between Natsuno and Clarke, with all the business air of a meeting for information exchange already formally underway. While Jade is still being flattened by Clarke all the while, and--they're genuinely just forgetting he's here now, aren't they? This really is a thing that's happening, isn't it? He's...going to have to actually interject here, isn't he??? ...Unbelievable.......

Jade's pride isn't exactly a fragile thing, and it's not like he's never had to pokerface his way through some truly nonsensical situations in times past. But, you know...! There comes a point where some things just really go beyond the pale!

--And yet. Honestly. The actual worst part of this is that he still can't even quite bring himself to be properly angry about it, because even in this short (and extremely rude) window of exchange Clarke and Natsuno are already actually dropping some fascinating details here...which is just the kicker, now isn't it? No surprise that many have set to interrogating Pirate Jenny ever since her arrival here; Jade has already had a pretty interesting conversation with her himself, for that matter, and on an objective level it's actually very good sense for parties to form together, exchange what's been learned, work towards the beginnings of a plan. (The ship being powered by the literal souls of past passengers is an unpleasant revelation, unsurprising as the brand of it might be. That destruction of the vessel in itself does nothing is also useful knowledge to have, if only to scratch that option right off the list...)]

Considering the extent of control he seems to have over this space in general, that unfortunately tracks...can't have too easy an out to any given game of his, after all. And he's very fond of games, or so I've been told. Can't resist an opportunity to play one when offered, in fact. ...But--

[--But still. Still. Clarke isn't moving, and his nose is still bleeding, and Jade in fact has no actual desire to be a makeshift couch for the rest of the night. So...! He finally speaks up from his spot on the floor, tone still exasperated in equal measures at both the Captain's whims and his current position--and he's also finally moving to sit up, as he does so.]

--At any rate. So terribly sorry--but if you two would kindly excuse my rude interruption, about now... [Just, dripping with sarcasm here...and these words are accompanied with actual vested effort towards properly dislodging Clarke this time. Considering her weight is pretty much entirely settled on Jade's stomach at this point, it's going to take a couple of pretty decent shoves; Jade's aiming to deliver with a bracing of his free arm against her torso, audible irritation finally rising to surface as he pushes--] I'd quite like to be able to stand up before we get to the tea and drink stage of our merry little meeting here, yes? Or is that too much to ask--?

[Now Jade is saying something worth listening to. Natsuno's gaze flicks from Clarke to the older man, this time giving Jade his undivided attention. Right, let's move on from this stupid misunderstanding and focus on what's really important.]

Considering that Jenny only won once and still had to go through all this other crap, most of his "games" are rigged anyway -

[Then Jade starts complaining again and Natsuno huffs. Get off of me would quite suffice instead of this passive-aggressive rambling. They have more important things to discuss than a bloody nose and bruised dignity! He addresses Clarke again, talking over Jade:]

So she came back here to find her brothers?

( it is expressly meant to be commentary on jade's perceived importance to this conversation that clarke finally allows herself to be shoved to the side and off of him, but doesn't break eye contact with natsuno. nor her stride in the conversation. content to remain on the floor, and press against the couch as jade does whatever he needs to do to extricate him from the space between the sofa and overturned coffee table, but ultimately unbothered by his existence except to drawl out — )

No one invited you to this meeting in the first place.

( yes, the tidbit about the captain never being able to resist the lure of a game is fascinating, and being filed away right next to pirate jenny's disclosure that he doesn't like to be laughed at, which could be wielded like a weapon. AND YES she is also aware no one expressly invited her into this bedroom, but moving right the hell along — )

She came back to try. But she's been at it... a long time, I'd guess. She doesn't remember their names, I don't think she'd remember what they look like either. ( personal experience piping up here. first memories to go are distinctive features, but clarke can't imagining how long it would take her to ever forget the repetitive mantra of people she'd caused the death of. it plagues her at night, and the thought of still bearing that guilt without being able to properly grieve anymore... a bubble of sympathy for pirate jenny has firmly lodged in her chest cavity, only slightly undermined by the fact that they consistently never know who to trust here. )

I don't know if we can help her, but I know she can't help us. Off this ship. Apparently she's tried.

Oh, color me surprised this is actually an invite-based sort of occasion...I couldn't have guessed. Silly me.

[Because they might be moving right along, but you better believe he's still! Pointing out!! That you definitely weren't even invited here to start with, Clarke, because invites don't usually involve breaking cabin door locks...! And yes, Jade's going to complain at least a bit about all this in the way he knows best--which generally does involve as much passive-aggressive sarcasm as possible, sorry--because he's not about to shrug off how ridiculous the whole leadup to this meeting has actually been, regardless of how rude both of the teens in this room evidently want to be about it! Honestly, if this whole talk were even a modicum less interesting than it is...

...Well, but there's not much use getting into that, because it is interesting all the same. Not to mention the fact that Natsuno and Clarke both manage to not really miss a beat in talking about it even with interjections considered--to the point Clarke barely even deviates as she's pushed off his person--and there's something admittedly a bit impressive about this all the same. ...If not equal parts very mildly concerning. Goodness, the youths have surely become even more intense these days...or have they?

No, when Jade stops to think about it--he could admit that seeing this kind of intensity in any one of the past teen party members in his own world wouldn't have been too surprising either, actually...]

Banking upon any concrete assistance from Miss Jenny seems a poor bet in general, at this point. For that matter, if she already had an idea of how to otherwise free even just her brothers, she doubtless would have already done so the moment she arrived here. One wonders if she does plan to pull something quite drastic before she leaves this time, though...

[She has struck Jade, at least, as someone reaching the end of a rather long rope...especially if Clarke's implication that she's been at this so long she's near-forgotten whom she even set out to free is true. Hm. Unable to quite resist fielding some more murderboard-inclined commentary on this all the same, Jade's finally painstakingly pulling himself upright as he speaks. --Ah, he can already feel a decent headache coming on, just wonderful. Sourced by the ache in his general face, or sourced by the fact he can feel his eyes starting to act up a bit already? Maybe both...probably both.....with one hand held to his nose to at least try mitigating the slow but steady bleeding it's still doing, Jade's now scanning the floor in an attempt at tracking down his glasses. Which had been on the coffee table...at one point...so, they're probably someplace near it...

Combining the search with thoughts still chewing on the more pirate-related topic at hand brings a bit more tiredness to his tone than the initial snark, at length:] In one sense, the fact she's sharing information with any of us at all might be the best she can provide in terms of help. I don't suppose she mentioned any other inherent weaknesses of the Captain's, to you two?

[She did mention one other one to Jade, at least. May as well see if it's redundant or if there might be other pieces between all of them collectively, though...

--Ugh. Really, at this rate he's going to need to get himself a towel too. What a mess!]

[Alas, today's youth are so intense that Natsuno pointedly ignores Jade until he's back to sharing relevant information. It's subtle - a quiet gaze, slight turn of his body - but it's there. His expression hardly changes (does it ever?), but it's good to realize that the situation's diffused.]

Not to me. She said, "I think he can do just about anything he wants". He can shapeshift, and trying to hurt him is like fighting smoke. She did say he's too vain to disguise himself as a passenger, though.

[He puts the gun back in his waistband. As an afterthought:]

Your glasses are under the desk.

( the kid's aren't alright here, jade. not even a little bit. they're intense, impulsive, a little blood thirsty, impulsive, angry, did we already cover impulsive? or was it adequately spelled out somewhere between the splintered wood around the locking mechanism of cabin 109 and the steady ooze of blood down to the bow of his upper lip. on top of that, they're a bit scared. feverish with energy, desperate for a purpose, stubborn enough to dig canine teeth into any loose scrap of information and hang on to it for dear life.

basically, unsupervised teenagers are trying their best to become as much of the captain's worst nightmare as jade's. sure, she's much more keenly focused on natsuno and every morbid tidbit he has to share, especially when they all slot alongside her own newfound knowledge. but jade continually pipes up — butts in — and clarke almost rolls her eyes until he does his part contributing fascinating hypothetical outcomes of pirate jenny's visit. the ultimate culmination of their guests' visit hadn't been a question at the forefront of clarke's mind, but when he mentions drastic measures and jenny's inevitable departure, she's got to wonder — were they going to sink a fourth time?

there's still not a twinge of guilt here, not really. that could come later. but she'll do the favor of pointing directly at his glasses, since there's a descent vantage point from where she was still seated on the floor.

fitting in with the idea of the captain being vain as all hell — )

She told me he doesn't like to be laughed at. So to be careful how I used that power.

( and just in case there's any mystery about what gals get together and gab about during impromptu theater-hangouts, let's just clear that up right now. violence, they choose violence. )

And that magic wasn't any use against him, so I might as well try to kick him in the dick.

[What a good thing, that he has enough interesting information of his own to be spared the cruel fate of being sneered out of his own room by a pair of rude (and impulsive, and anxious, and admittedly justifiably intent) teens, isn't it? Well, not that Jade's feelings would be particularly hurt about such a thing anyway, secure as he remains in his formed opinion that the way this whole meeting kicked off was still very unnecessary. All the same, though, the fact remains that they're all here now--himself included, for better or worse--and if this ends up being at least a little productive anyway, well! Maybe the night won't have been a completely disastrous wash...

Having his glasses pointed out to him is very meager reparation in itself, for the record. But at least slightly better than no reparation whatsoever, too, which is actually a bit more than Jade was expecting from either of them at this point. He's moving towards the desk accordingly--ah, sure enough, there they are. Not broken, very fortunate--that would have been a brand new problem altogether--]

Assuming he's wearing a form corporeal enough at the time to even connect a kick in that sort of area, hm? [A wry comment, on that last bit of Clarke's there; crude to be sure, but not actually an unreasonable sentiment, all things considered. If only the chances of it working were any higher!] ...Still, these details align well. We can surmise the Captain has a very prideful sort of streak--a better word might even be smug. With abilities to back it, unfortunately...but apparently this vanity is a two-sided coin. I could see him not liking to be laughed at, indeed; from what I've been told myself, the Captain positively hates when his plans end up undermined. So much so, apparently, that he'll actually become upset enough to forget his own magic at times, should his intricate designs get derailed.

[Even now, despite everything, the memory of this tidbit is enough to bring a grimly amused sort of smile to Jade's features that isn't directed to any one person in particular. Objectively it's such a fascinating sort of thing, considering...]

This isn't a foreign sort of fallacy at all--which is what I find very surprising. The first basic lesson taught to any practitioner of fonic artes, where I'm from, is that getting too distracted by petty feelings is a surefire way to fall into casting mistakes, if not outright failures. This is a remarkably human sort of failing, for such an apparently omnipotent being to have...

[And perhaps it might mean...that he's not quite so omnipotent after all. Wouldn't that be something? --Jade's attempting to put on his glasses around this point, that said, though getting them over the bridge of his nose in the least painful position possible takes a bit of trial and error. At least there's finally some relief for his eyes at length...bumps down the headache a modicum or two. Time to one-handedly open up a drawer in one of his designated dressers around here--needless to say, the plain white souvenir polo shirt he's been wearing for sleep is more than a little bloodstained at this point. Where are the towels in here again, for that matter...?]

So disrupt his plans without laughing at him, wait until his gets angry enough to forget how to use magic and then kick him in the dick.

[The sarcasm is thick enough to cut. Oh, it's valuable information - every little insight about their captor matters - but not nearly enough. Still, Jade raises an important point about the captain, and Natsuno continues in a more thoughtful tone.]

I thought he was more like a demon, or some weird monster. But maybe he is just a very powerful human, with human flaws. [Which means Natsuno would have to reflect on his own assumptions. Jumping to conclusions is always a mistake.] Either way, we don't really know him yet. We don't know what will piss him off enough to forget his magic, and what will make him burn our souls for "laughing" at him.

( jade is offering a very useful and thoughtful lens beyond the assumptions clarke had first walked away with, and then natsuno's coming out of left field with more supportive evidence — but most pressingly, the idea that the captain might be a shadow of some sort of human himself.

and hey, is there paper and pen easily accessible? if so, she's commandeering any items in her immediate vicinity to start jotting down their rap-scrabble collection of tidbits and notes. a furious chicken scratch of bullet points to touch on everything the three of them has divulged, in no particular order of importance. )

Okay, so. The most important part there is figuring out how to make him lose his composure. And thus his grip on magic.

( she is not from a world what contains magic, but likens it most to a hand getting so sweaty it can no longer grip a sword hilt or reliably pull a trigger. to losing enough composure you can no longer form rational thoughts, to getting so angry you sweep the contents of your desk onto the floor without thought, and don't notice that a shard of glass from your inkwell has sliced deeply into your palm. )

Any plan to overpower him would bank on catching him by surprise, and at his weakest. That part's not up for consideration, which I guess means... That's the part we'd have to test first.

( there's a sidelong glance at natsuno here, because clarke doesn't consider this a big leap from when she suggested at least one of them stay on friday's good side. and out of the two other occupants in the room, she cares the most that he understands what she means.

someone may have to talk a fall. )

How do you exploit arrogance and vanity, and how do you undermine suffering? How do you disrupt chaos without knowing the rulebook?

[There are probably at least a couple of papers and a pen readily accessible, what with how the coffee table likely once held such things...and how all of those said things are now probably scattered right there on the floor. There's probably even a stray hardcover horror book or two within reach, upon which Clarke might be inclined to position her paper, so that her feverish scribbling isn't entirely impeded by the squishiness of carpet underneath.

The towels, incidentally, are also in a separate drawer in the dresser! Not that this is of particular interest to anybody else in the room at the moment, of course, but Jade's remembering as much around this time. He now has a change of clothing in hand--proper pants and the dark undershirt of his uniform from home, at least--and he's adding a towel to the bundle, as he turns slightly from the dresser to consider Natsuno and Clarke's comments alike. The significant of Clarke's sidelong glance at Natsuno is lost on him, indeed, but...]

The chances of figuring out any of the rest will likely remain very low without knowing the rulebook, I'd think...and that means, simply put, we will have to learn it. [It's not exactly an active and rousing sort of suggestion, though, is it? Yet again, Jade finds he can sympathize with Natsuno's grim notes and Clarke's restless anxiety in equal amounts, for all that he himself exhibits little of either; no, his own energy off to the side of the room is a far more resigned form of calculation, weighing what little they know against what needs achieving...emphasis on little--which is the crux of the matter, as far as he can tell. As ideal as it would be to put an end to this within the week, with some elaborately proactive storming of the bridge or something...] Observation of patterns, trends, indicators towards an overall motive...we cannot go on an offensive that might actually work without this sort of information, so it'll need to be collected. Which will take time...much as we'd all quite prefer it didn't, I'm sure. But it seems at present that there will not be much choice in the matter, more's the pity.

[And that's his boringly practical take, on the whole. Jade sighs, daubing at his nose anew with the towel, and turns towards the bathroom.]

--At any rate, I think that's about the end of my own contributions at the moment. [You're welcome, he doesn't say, despite a moment's petty temptation, though there's a wry note somewhere in his tone that probably gives shape to the sentiment anyway.] I'll be washing up now, if you'll both excuse me...

[You know, since it sure doesn't look like he's going to be getting any sleep in here anytime soon...!]

[The meaning of Clarke's sidelong glance isn't lost on him, and he frowns in return. While he does prefer to work from the shadows until the moment is right, he doesn't like the idea of her taking the blame again. Not that he can really bring it up with Jade in the room...]

I'd say the best way to undermine suffering is refusing to play his game, and not turn on each other the way Jenny did. [He glances at Jade.] If we want to learn and observe, we'll need to endure. I doubt the captain will wait much longer to mess with us.

["We'll probably have one chance to reverse the situation. We need to be patient, even if people we care about will keep getting hurt."

Oh, and Jade's final comment? Completely ignored. Hope he picked up some first aid stuff, because Natsuno never bothered.]

( just to round out all the edges, the second jade stops contributing anything meaningful to the conversation, he's also lost all of clarke's interest. later, when the thrum of adrenaline and the desperate pull to plan wears off, maybe there will be some room for sympathy in her heart. or at least chagrine. but right now it feels like the man who'd been ready to stab her in the throat with a magical spear is awfully caught up by a little trickle of blood and the promise of fierce bruises in the hours to follow. shake it off, jade. put some dirt into it.

still, she allows a brief aside from brainstorming to listen for the click of the bathroom door before clarke's catching natsuno's gaze and just... shrugging. )

I'm sorry.

( about the door, about the mess from the overturned coffee table, about the bleeding roommate or, less the bleeding part and more than his roommate kinda seems like a tool who'll complain about this long after this evening. sorry about the drama, their situation, the kneejerk inclination towards violence. maybe a little sorry about her budding codependence.

her apology has all the genuinity of someone who would... absolutely do this again if she felt it was necessary, but can at least recognize it hadn't been this time. )

I just came here to talk, but he startled and grabbed me.

[He nods, accepting the apology that he absolutely has no business to accept and shouldn't even be aimed at him in the first place.]

So long as you're not hurt. I had no idea he can summon a weapon like this.

[Natsuno looks back at the door, frowning slightly at the broken lock. Probably should ask Friday if she can get it fixed...]

Just try the phone first next time.

...Yeah, sure.

( no doubt, the door will be miraculously fixed the very next time no one is within close enough proximity to notice the wood knitting back in place and the lock unbending itself.

but mysterious fun cruise magic aside, this is almost a moment where the entire debacle could be laughed about. if only natsuno was a fraction less stoic, or clarke a modicum less frantically fixated. as it stands, she's said her apology (to the wrong person, but it exists in the world now) and there are so many worse mistakes that could be made here, one little misunderstanding isn't going to break them and she doesn't have time for relentless embarrassment. they still had work to do.

she's finally picking herself and her commandeered note taking materials, and sitting on the couch that had previously been jade's bed. )

So what else did you learn? You know, Jenny told me that anyone could do the sort of magic she'd been doing earlier in the day, and that makes me wonder if that sigil —

( and... yeah, clarke is going off on a brief tangent about the sigil rita received from under the bridge door, tidbits about gal friday's apparent continual rebellion against the captain despite also being his favorite and most well kept plaything. perhaps most importantly, that jenny's main article of advice — aside from the laughter thing — had been that they'd essentially need to figure out how to kill a god. and then how to kill whatever's managed to bring said gods to heel so many times over.

ultimately ending upon — )

And the gun. It was Jenny's. I don't think it's going to matter much if... we gave it back.

[Natsuno absorbs the rest of the information with a stony expression. He doesn't have much to add, except that Jenny doesn't know if one can destroy a soul to the point even the captain can't use it.

As for the gun - ]

So it was kindness. [He still can't bring himself to feel much sympathy for Friday, but there's no point in keeping the gun just to torment her.] Guess we can give it back. It's only got one bullet left, anyway.

One bullet, and Jenny said she could just conjure another. ( another nod, another pointed look as if to say the gun has gone from a mystery to a bargaining chip. a chance to reinforce one of their positions in friday's better graces, and maybe prey on any measure of relief she showed in order to extort some answers to carefully crafted questions... )

So it's kindness, or consolation. My take away was that she'd tried to bring Friday with her and run away, but it never worked. And that, among killing every other passenger on the ship, she'd tried to protect Friday from suffering, at least.

[At least this little segment has panned out to be a nice little reprieve from the overbearing presence of a Mildly Aggrieved Adult being in the room all around, right? Yes? Well, here's hoping you two got all the mileage you wanted out of it, because it's ending about now...!

Between the bathroom door being closed and the need to run the sink on and off for a bit, Jade picks up pretty much none of the conversation that continues to ensue in his absence--which doesn't bother him, particularly, since Clarke seemed to have hit upon the most pressing topics pretty much the moment Natsuno came in anyway. Doubtless whatever talk they're getting into now involves things they'd rather an outsider weren't hearing anyway, or--decently likely--some disparaging words at his own expense, or something. (Which actually end up pretty minimal in reality anyway, for all that he'll never know. Surprisingly generous, these teens! Or just too preoccupied with stressing over everything else, much more likely...) Alas, this does also mean Jade will probably never actually know that an apology even happened...! But maybe that's for the better too, considering how thoroughly misdirected it ended up being in the end.

Either way, the night's been cut short and the day's about to get very long; Jade's biggest concern at this point now involves washing off errant bloodstains and getting a more presentable set of clothing on, maybe brush out his hair while he's at it. It doesn't take a very long assessment in the mirror to guess that his nose is definitely going to be bruising a decent amount later, to say nothing of the other bruises he's accrued in all this too...goodness, a looming headache probably isn't the only ache he's going to have to be worrying about later. Have they got painkillers in the room? Well--in general he might end up needing to crack open a first aid kit anyway, before all's said and done. Which they do have, no thanks to Natsuno--Jade had picked one up on his very first day investigating the infirmary, though at least they haven't had to use it yet. Until tonight, anyway, for pretty much the most ridiculous sort of reason. Ah well...]

--Oh, still in session, are we?

[It's a remark that's only vaguely sort of pretending at any kind of feigned surprise, considering how Clarke's just finishing up the leading end of her last sentence when the bathroom door opens again. Jade emerges considerably more put-together than he was going in, the bundle under his arm now consisting of the nightclothes he's swapped out for proper pants and the dark undershirt of his uniform. But--the towel's still in hand, as his nose is still bleeding. A lot less now than it was earlier, at least! But just enough for him to still be daubing a bit at it, as he's starting towards the dresser again to store personal effects and maybe pull out that first aid kit in question. ...Though he does pause midway to cast an idly wry glance from Clarke to Natsuno.]

You know, I don't think you actually got around to introducing your friend, here...she does have a name, yes?

[It's settled, then - they'll give Friday's gun back. Upon hearing Clarke's take on Friday and Jenny's relationship, he decides not to waste his anger on the faceless director from now on. He doesn't like her, but - she's the captain's prisoner in her own way. Stay out of her way whenever possible, be polite when it's not.

Jade's return is welcomed with the flattest of stares. For a moment it seems like he won't even deign the snark with a reply, until he finally shrugs.]

There's no need to be sarcastic.

[So deadpan. So rude. Also, Clarke can speak for herself and if she doesn't want to bother with introductions - who's he to argue...!]

( the degree of enthusiasim that natsuno's agreement and jade's return spark are... polar opposites. underwhelming however you slice it — her confidant gets a solid, sharp nod in place of any verbalized affirmation (that's all it took, right? a jerk of the head and they had a plan to follow through on). and then his roommate gets the most unimpressed up and down scan. she clocks his freely oozing nose and the red bloom on the towel he holds to his face. she clocks that sarcasm, the beating-round-the-bush way he talks, the crisp edges of a uniform equating to his own level of composure, and belatedly — that she doesn't know his name either. )

We are. ( still in session.) And she does. ( have a name, but also a bitter streak that runs a mile wide and doesn't feel like powering through the boring platitudes of smalltalk and introduction. they're past that, aren't they jade? he's had a blade to her throat, and there's probably a few flecks of his blood drying along the ridges of her knuckles. )

Do you feel like contributing more, or are you just going to be moody in a corner until we're done?

Edited 2022-04-17 02:58 (UTC)

[Wow, cold reception much!! Well, not even cold so much as aggressively lukewarm--which is maybe better or maybe worse, depending on how one might tilt their head to look at it. Either way, it doesn't surprise Jade in the least, seeing as this falls quite on track with the dynamic that's been trending here from the moment of Natsuno's arrival and onward: a pair of teen friends trying to get Very Important Matters done, while an unwanted adult heckles them incessantly from the sidelines. (Which maybe boils it down almost too simply, when you then factor in that the Important Matters are a developing gameplan to overthrow a nigh-eldritch jailor, while the unwanted adult lives in this room and was also very rudely punched in the face even before it all began....but, you know. Details, right?)

Is it a dynamic that hurts Jade's feelings? Not particularly. Is it a dynamic that he even wants to rectify? Also not particularly, honestly, if only because he sees no reason why he should be the one trying to extend any kind of metaphorical attempt at repair here. Who decided to have this meeting in this particular room? Who decided to barge their way inside by the most ill-considered means possible? All three of them know exactly what the answers to those questions actually are, in here...and Jade sure isn't about to conduct himself as if he doesn't. So!

Natsuno's pointed and deadpan rejection of sarcasm, followed almost immediately by Clarke being more or less sarcastic anyway, pair into a combo so perfectly-timed that it actually prompts a short laugh on Jade's part.]

My, no need for sarcasm, was it? But of course. [With a level of cheer that in itself loops right back around to being, distressingly, just as sarcastic as earlier. Sorry Natsuno! Old clothing put away and first aid kit retrieved, Jade's bringing it over to the desk across the way from the sofa and popping it open one-handed, nary a proper pause or further glance afforded in Clarke's direction at her response in general. Though he is answering, idly.] I'm sure you'll both be overjoyed to know that I've nothing further to offer, where information from Miss Jenny might be concerned. I am quite flattered to be offered the chance to sulk in a corner of my own room, though! The generosity really knows no bounds in here, does it?

[Look, if Clarke's bitter streak is a mile wide, Jade's own contrarian streak is about as wide in turn, when invoked--which it sure is, at this particular moment. Her lack of interest in introductions couldn't be clearer, and so Jade is naturally breezing right into that lane of conversation anyway.]

You can call me Jade, in any case. And I suppose I could call you "Yuuki's friend, who doesn't know how to knock on doors", if you truly do prefer it! Though that is going to be a bit of a mouthful...

[Really though....you guys............]

Edited 2022-04-17 04:45 (UTC)

( ...you know what? she's been called worse. clarke will take it, with a casual shrug of indifference. )

Yeah, that's fine.

( and then immediately back to demanding natsuno's attention — because they've touched on the facts of the matter, but not their intended game plans. not the heavy emotions the circumstance evokes, not the pit in her stomach that grows deeper every time death is demanded. )

I don't know how to do this any different than Jenny did, but I don't want to give him souls just for a chance to play a hand of cards. And to maybe not burn for all eternity.

( because really, look at jenny. she's smoldering over hot coals in one way or another, and her anguish probably satisfies the captain just as much as that of her brothers' fueled him. this isn't her first sadist. )

Agreed. That's not an option.

[He knows that in the moment of truth, he probably wouldn't be able to do that to someone else (except perhaps another vampire).]

Maybe we should focus on finding a way to destroy the souls he already has. It's be merciful at this point, and destroying his engine will definitely get him angry.

[He glances at Jade.]

You're a mage, right? Do you know how to destroy souls?

[And back to talking shop they go, by the looks of it. Clarke's refusal to divulge an actual name is met with similar indifference on Jade's part--if not maybe tinged with a vague sort of amusement, as utterly petty as the whole matter is. But then they're moving on, once an overall unimpressed atmosphere is collectively established here, and Jade's just about content to leave them to it. He's pulling some painkillers out of the first aid kit about now, anyway, and...hm, there's a packet of tissues in here too, which is nice. Maybe--

--Oh, huh. Natsuno, now the designated deadpan middleman to these overly sarcastic 109 proceedings, actually addresses a question to Jade directly anyhow, which is mildly surprising enough for him to finally glance up in turn. Honestly, he'd figured the both of them would be considering him a lost cause after his prompt confirmation of having nothing more to contribute intel-wise--and that really would have been just fine by him, at this point--but if Natsuno is actually asking anyway...]

The technical term is 'fonist', actually, on my own part...though I've gathered an impression from similar instances on this ship that a 'mage' would be about equivalent, yes. ...That being said, I'm afraid my specialty lies more in destroying bodies.

[Or replicating them, he doesn't say, because Jade has never mentioned that to anyone here and still pretty much never plans to if he can help it, fraught as the topic of fomicry remains. ...But even there, fomicry never could reach the soul of anything anyhow, much the same way no fonic arte on the whole could ever hope to affect that domain. ...Hard as he'd tried to find one.

Notably there actually isn't anything particularly sarcastic about his words in that moment. If anything, even, there might be the slightest note of something more like resignation instead--but then it's gone, just as quickly. Jade's attention falls back down to pulling open the tissue pack, but he's still turning the question over a few times more in his head anyway. Regardless of the audience, after all...it is still a prudent matter to think about, here.]

Not a bad question to ask, all the same. Addressing the power source here would be one way to tackle multiple issues at once, alongside capturing the Captain's attention in an effective sort of fashion. ...Even if a specialist in souls couldn't be found among the passengers here...locating someone with a specialty in energy manipulation might be a more feasible angle. I've met only one other peer here who deals in an arte system similar to my own, so far-- [and that peer is fifteen-year-old Rita Mordio, believe it or not, for all that he's never actually telling her that he considers her an approximate peer to her face] --but as other 'mages' go...hm. I did speak with a young man by the name of Palamedes...and he did mention he was a "necromancer", of some sort. [Here, a wry smile, but it's more to himself than anyone else, and so directed to the desktop in front of him.]

( just as she's listened to every other piece of information willingly given (or vaguely alluded to), when jade talks about his occupation. he's turned away from them, looking at the desk. it's fine to openly stare at the back of his head, gaze doing it's best impression of archaic trepanation tools; it's appraising, sizing him up, making a mental note to add his name and fonist/necromancer to the rough-scratched passenger manifest in the back of one of her many composition books.

and oh hey, shout out to palamedes — )

We've met him. He's talented.

( clinical and composed. knowledgeable and helpful. equally willing to sit her on an observation table and try to work out the details of her maybe-death back home as he is to bleed over slips of paper and scraps of bone in order to date them. but hang on, did he say arte? )

...huh. ( a few stupid, slow blinks before an expression of better understanding settles across clarke's features. yeah, sure, this tracks. he's absolutely a mage by her metric, just nowhere near as helpful and friendly as rita, flynn, or yuri. ) So that's how you did the trick with the spear? I thought blastia just channeled power and elements, but you made a whole weapon out of nothing.

[Oh hey, blastia. He's heard that word before! Natsuno looks Jade up and down, looking for jewelry like Rita and Yuri's.]

He's not wearing any blastia.

[He tilts his head. Rita and Yuri mentioned 'artes' too, but...]

I don't think it's like Rita's magic exactly. She does call herself a mage, not 'fonist'.

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