come_sailaway | if you'll be my star, i'll be your sky

Entry tags:

if you'll be my star, i'll be your sky

Who: Pollux & OPEN
When: August 24
Where: Around the place!
Summary: Arriving on the boat. Castor where?

1.) but you can skyrocket away from me

arrival, early morning, dining room.

( with a paper in hand and the location set, she stares at the peculiar spiral that hardly helps her situation. normally, she'd lift her head and turn to face her counterpart curiously to converse about this strange sigil, but that's not the case this time. he's nowhere to be found in a (un)familiar place, but this isn't the first time she's been on a ship so she's stuck between a sense of relief but also worry. it is unlike her brother to be apart from her, he's almost like the responsible one by wanting to stick by her, but an uncomfortable feeling dawns on her as a tingling feeling rolls down her back. she feels incomplete, and for a moment she finds it difficult to breathe as she tries to catch her breath and remain stable. pollux closes her eyes, taking in a deep breath, and regaining her composure almost complete as she focuses on the paper in hand. )

Dining room, if that's all I have to find, then...

( everything should make sense. all she has to do is push her way down the halls, take a few turns, and it settles in the back of her mind that she's going in the right direction towards the dining room. the time written is unknown, and so she just has to trust herself that it means to come as soon as possible. what else would a cryptic message mean if not having the answer that she desires, so upon entering the room and spotting no one; pollux finds herself at a loss until she notices someone sitting at a table all alone.

her eyes light up, her mouth part in a small gasp as she walks over and places the paper on the table before them no different than a dealer laying out their cards. )

You must be who I was looking for, are you... my Master?

( because that person would know where her brother is. )

2.) and never come back if you find another galaxy

afternoon, photography room. IMPT: threadhop permission for castor, y/n?

( browsing up and down, side by side of all the pictures around, pollux finds every picture to have their own charm to them. humans in their natural habitat on a ship as they relax happily, or if they're being threatened by some foe. she believes that jason too should have something as nice as this, but being so dated back, they didn't have the concept of cameras so it's nice in practice. hm, perhaps someone could have drew the scenes and placed them there?

there's one photograph that stands out to her, causing her to reach out to pluck it off the wall in order to inspect it properly. what she has in hand is just a simple snap of a thunderstorm outside, and the clouds a murky grey that shows that good sailings weren't in favor of the boat's travel. unable to remove her eyes from it, she glances around curiously. )

Excuse me, how much would this photograph cost to take with me. My brother'll pay a hefty sum!

( yeah, she's talking to you. )

3.) far from here with more room to fly

afternoon, calgona. IMPT: threadhop permission for castor, y/n?

( she should familiarize herself with the ship and it's various locations, and it brings her back into the mind of the old days when she sailed with jason and his group along with her brother. there was nothing short of excitement on the ship which always offered her an amazing surprise, and that's why she's intrigued here just as well. it seems the calgona is enough to lift her spirits despite the rocky morning she had suffered. clapping her hands together gently, she proceeds to read a board of all the activities that can be found in the room.

while she could be normal about this and take a massage, she opts out in favor of something enjoyable when she notices someone close by come up to the board as well. )

Are you interested in a place like this too? It'd be a decent place to spar, don't you think?

4.) just leave me your stardust to remember you by

anytime anywhere, wildcard.

( got something you want to do with pollux, or both of them? just hit me up through dms, discord, or even sakasaki )

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[After plucking the photos, Natsuno goes through the motions of paying and shoves them into the pocket of his cargo pants. Once he's along again, he will tear them into pieces.]

Seeing something through doesn't mean I wanted to go through it.

[Natsuno's tone is still calm, and we turns back to Pollux, all traces of the earlier scowl are gone in favor of a neutral expression. The discussion about his experiences in the photos is over, as far is he's concerned.]

You just showed up here, right? Then you should know that the captain of this ship [Not their captain - the distinction is important] brings passengers so he can use their suffering to fuel his "research."

Yes, we were summoned. ( this is said smoothly, giving the impression that this isn't the first time. ) I'm still searching for my footing here.

( she watches him hide the photos in his pockets, and her eyes fall down the the one in her hands. she's too old to call for her father, but he's constantly watching over the realm no matter where she is, and so she wonders what he thinks about this. without that, she knows how she feels, and there's a heavy weight on her heart. )

I've protected humanity since the moment I was born... it serves no purpose to call both my brother and I.

( this isn't spoken lightly, but as a truth, what battles are done between humans are their own trifles, but an unknown presence that causes disaster is another. it leaves a bitter taste in her mouth as it colors the photographs in a light differently from what she had believed at the start. )

...Are you suffering now?

( Where one lingers, the other is never too far behind. And so, unsurprisingly, Castor has been accompanying Pollux all this time in his Spirit Form. Not that this means he's been paying any attention to what's going on, mind you; if there's a single thing he's paid mind to this whole time, it would really only be Pollux herself, ensuring that she's alright. As such, it's really only that last bit of the conversation that he manages to catch, even as his body begins to materialize next to them, making his presence known. )

Serves you right if you are.

( Suffering, that is—Castor's not all too interested in why that suffering would be happening, but so long as it's happening to a human it's worth a laugh. Actually, you know what? Yeah. He's gonna laugh. This is going to make a great first impression, surely, but the bark of a laugh that passes his lips is another level of obnoxious. )

Hahaha! To think that a ship would be a source of human suffering!

( If there's ONE thing that will never let him down, it's boats. )

Now, at this moment? No.

[Clarke likens passengers to RC batteries. They're used for energy during excursions, but need to be recharged every time.]

Anyway, he wasn't trying to summon you specifically -

[Alas, this explanation of the captain's actions is promptly delayed because another person appears out of nowhere, startling Natsuno. There's a lot to unpack here - for a supposed protector of humanity, the guy is an hostile asshole - but Natsuno is fairly quick to pull himself together.

He scowls at Castor.]

Not "human." Just suffering. Plenty of passengers aren't human.

[Natsuno is a vampire, one of four currently residing on the ship, and among his friends are a sea-jelly and an immortal traveler. The captain pulls in all kinds of people: demons and gods, androids and aliens and every flavor of supernatural creature.]

Whatever you two are, you won't be exempt.

( castor's appearance only means a scant few things which neither of them are good, and the moment he shows that side of him is when pollux frowns, disappointed. enjoying the suffering of a human goes against everything they've done so far, but she's aware that those things hardly matter. natsuno isn't suffering now, but he was before, that is enough for her to attempt to ail whatever pain that is.

she will not have her brother also be the cause of it, and she's quick to reel him in by turning his direction. )

Brother, no, that isn't the takeaway from this conversation! If they're in trouble, we must help them! Do not laugh at his misfortune!

( it bothers her more than anything to have to listen to such a terrible view, the lives of humans are at stake, and despite castor's frustrations there's a role they must fulfill no matter what. though, it's not as if she's fond of either comment that's spoken from both of them. her arm lifts, and it hands straight across in front of her brother as if she is protecting his physical form from the intangible words. )

You're wrong. ( the conviction is there in her voice that she has no problem proving it. ) As long as I still stand, all harm must go through me first. ...As for your warning, it's best to articulate it on a positive note, in that fashion it sounds as though you wish for our downfall.

( you won't be exempt is one way to say things, but why not work together to avoid being a choice in general? )

...It doesn't have to be that way at all. As long as you reside on this boat, my brother and I will do what we can to assist you.

( Bloodsucker then. Alright, you know what, fair enough—but Castor's not exactly going to back down and eat his words so willingly. Instead, he simply accepts the clarification as if it makes no difference to him. The words roll past his shoulders as he gives a shrug, hands on his hips, and he continues along. )

I don't see why. If he's not a human, does it matter?

( If he doesn't want to fall under the "human" category, maybe he can be some kind of "monster" instead—exempt from Pollux's protection. )

And unlike him, I'm not a coward. I see no reason for us to get involved.

( Because when you're a prince of Sparta, especially, the kinds of situations that get you covered in blood just don't seem so scary at a glance. Have you ever known a Greek hero who got a happy ending? Truly? But even so—there's meaning to the glory you find in the adventure, and in having your name known and respected. It's something that Castor understands much better than the situation he finds himself in now, though when it comes to the present, respect for the divinity he once had is so scarce to begin with that he has little and less reason to maintain any kind of reputation. So long as Pollux is alright—and he will ensure that she is—none of this amounts to anything significant enough for him to care about. )

[...these two are something else. Natsuno gives Castor an equally unimpressed look, decides it's pointless to argue with him and turns to address Pollux alone.]

I don't wish for your downfall, I'm trying to explain the situation. [It's not the first time he was told he's too harsh, too cold, but Natsuno doesn't believe in sugarcoating his words.] If you want to help - good. We'll need to work together if we want out of here.

[He's not optimistic about their chances and believes this ends with destroying this reality and taking the captain down with them. Still, new allies are important - as is identifying the liabilities.]

But even if you decide not to get involved, you're still affected like the rest of us. The captain's been doing this for a very long time, and unless we figure a way out he'll get bored of this group, burn our souls away and use the remains as ghost servants for the next batch.

You're right, Brother.

( if they're not human then they can take care of themselves, the point here is that they take care of the humans that are in danger. she understands that, and even looks to castor as she confirms that fact with a nod. it's important that her and her brother are on the same page as they share everything from their weaknesses to their advantages, their power is best together than separate, and so any decisions when one is against the other doesn't work in their favor.

she turns to look at natsuno who faces her, sizing him up one last time before coming to terms with a choice. )

In any other circumstance, but the one we find ourselves in are those in need of aid on a ship. This isn't about cowardice— it's our role and pride, as patrons, are to protect those who call for us at sea. Unless, you've changed your mind about our duties, Brother.

( that being their roles and reason for existing, if castor has decided to throw away everything that the twins were gifted as patrons and gods, and live as humbly as the humans had made him out to be; then she'll consider it. she hates to use that logic against him, but if her brother has decided to turn his nose up and away from the passengers on a ship, then she needs to know his answer. and if he disagrees with her words, at least natsuno will be able to see that castor, despite his attitude, is one to stick to his job and title.

in the end, they aren't here to impress. )

Our souls... then that means we must find a way to protect every soul here, does it not? Have you all found your Elysium, to send the souls there outside of the realm here where the captain has no power.

...

( That's not... what he was saying... It's easy to see the way his stubbornness falters—so much as he keeps himself puffed up and his expression remains a resting bitch face, there's a bit of a furrow to his brow now. His lips pull into a light grimace, and he exhales in an exasperated sort of way. Given another moment, he'll turn his attention back to Natsuno. )

Listen up! I'm not going to repeat myself.

( Because it's looking like Pollux skipped the introductions, which means that Castor has all the opportunity in the world to make it more embarrassing for them. )

We are the Dioscuri—the divine twins and patrons of sailors. As long as the stars continue to shine in the night sky, we too shall shine down on you as the stars of guidance. Explain the situation thoroughly, and we shall provide our blessings and assistance.

( However reluctantly it may be on his part. )

[Divine twins, huh? They aren't the first gods to be dragged here, but patrons of sailors can be helpful when you're on a ship. He wonders what all the so called pirates here would think.

They're willing to least at least, so Natsuno simply nods, addressing both siblings once again. Hold on tight, here comes the Serena Eterna infodump.]

You're in a pocked dimension created by a creature called "the captain." We don't know what he is exactly, and he doesn't remember either. His goal is to become a god, and he brings people from other realities to fuel his research and entertain him while he's at it. The captain can't control who gets taken - we were all just unfortunate enough to be caught in his net. Who we are doesn't matter to him as long as we can suffer, because he considers pain to be the most effective energy source.

["Your worst pain will always shine brighter than your greatest joy", Skulduggery quoted.]

Sometimes he lets us off the ship to visit other pocket realities. These can involve anything from a fight to the death, a summer camp and a zombie attack. Death is temporary here and the captain revives everyone by the next day - so they'll keep suffering.

Like I said, he's been doing this for a very long time with a lot of groups, and it always ended the same: the captain used them until he got bored, got rid of them and started all over again with another group of passengers. The only person who ever managed to escape is a storm goddess who was with group before us. [He nods at Pollux.] The photo you liked is from when she came back and tried to drown the captain. Unsuccessfully, obviously.

[Whew! Natsuno falls silent and looks at them, waiting to see if they have questions.]

...It's no different than a lostbelt, and the captain their king.

( she mutters softly to herself as one hand lifts to cup her chin in thought— if the captain has no control on who he calls over, it's safe to say that he's not their master directly. it leaves the world open to interpretation that because he hasn't become god the unfortunate result is that everyone is scrapped for a new group.

as for the old, her fingers tighten on the picture as she glances back down at it. how she eas able to survive, yet failed to truly escape his clutches if she's still trapped within this place. she should be saddened that it's not a picture of her father, but the explanation why she's so attached to it speaks loudly thanks to natsuno.

they'll have to meet with the storm goddess, it seems wrong if they don't. but where would she be? natsuno knows more than either her or castor, and his insight is better when they have nothing to work with. )

If you say he doesn't remember what he is, are we sure this is his choice. Would you think an unknown entity drives his hand? ...His methods are sloppy if not, for taking someone away without bringing them back only to keep a set alive would be a cruel fate.

( for the storm goddess to still be alive, for everyone of the old crew to have died— she wonders how she handles it as a divine spirit. )

Brother, that goddess, it'd be in our best interest to meet with her at least once, right? Perhaps this individual could be our envoy.

( Hmm... So that's the situation, huh?

Castor's own response is less reactive—he only watches with a stern expression for the duration of the explanation, allowing Pollux to voice her questions for the both of them. In any case, if it's godhood he seeks, this "Captain" is going about it in all the wrong ways, now isn't he? Naive to think that such methods as this would work, and careless to boot.

Regardless, his sister has already said as much. What Castor focuses on, rather than distracting from her words, is building on them: )

You, is there still contact with this goddess?

( Because it's not particularly sounding like it, but if not, perhaps that will be their next course of action. If a god can escape this trial, then it stands to logic that gods can put an end to a farce like this. All they need to do is connect with one another to work together. )

I don't know about an unknown entity affecting him now, but he does want to become a god so he "wouldn't be controlled again."

[Pollux brings up an idea that took Skulduggery several months ~~and several dates~~ to coax out of the captain. They may be an odd pair, but their fresh perspective - an actual god's perspective - can be just what they need.]

There's something about himself he can't handle. He makes himself forget, re-discovers it and makes himself forget again.

[It happened four times last month alone, and who knows how many times in the past. As for Castor's question - ]

Her name is Jenny Storm. She keeps sailing through different realities, but her brothers' souls are still trapped here, so she'll probably come back one day. I don't think you can contact her in the meantime, but you can ask Friday to make sure.

( Pathetic reason to chase godhood if you ask Castor, but at least it looks like they're on the right track. Is this what they call a hole-in-one? Though it's really only natural for his brilliant, beautiful, amazing sister to know where to look—her kind heart and love for others, whether deserving of that love or not, can truly open the paths before them.

The storm goddess, on the other hand, has even Castor's sense of sympathy give a little bit. )

I take it you know where her brothers' souls are? Her assistance is deserving of sacrifice, after all.

( And what better to offer her than to be reunited with her family? A pig might be nice too but like, they'll get to that part later, along with the whole checking with this Friday person; it would be a grand affair and require appropriate preparation, in any case. The point is that this is like, the bare minimum they can do for a deity who's trying to put an end to this. Whether her methods are the most efficient or not is up for debate, but there is nothing to be lost in having more allies. )

Ascending to godhood doesn't necessarily mean you're able to prevent possession, he's never experienced it, and newfound power is when someone is at their weakest.

( the script changes now considering he doesn't want to be controlled, it now makes her wonder if the captain is either good or bad, perhaps it's not so black and white. morally ambiguous individuals exist which causes pollux to ponder even more, trying to whittle down the information that falls on self-fulfilment. )

If it's part of himself, then all that follows is failure... no one understands the constant war the body of a God suffers.

( when her brother takes interest, it feels almost personal, and pollux grows quiet at the reality of it. it feels almost lonely, one arm lifts to wrap around her waist as she prevents allowing a frown to settle across her lips. to be the sole survivor, to lose one's family it's as though she's being mocked. would killing the captain set her brother's free, or if she knew of there whereabouts why not start there? though, she's unable to keep such a sullen mood at the idea that the other comes to, practically beaming with excitement. )

Yes! That's a wonderful idea, Brother. To appease the gods with such a thoughtful and honest act of kindness, a display like that could be taken into consideration by her!

( it seems calling for aid won't work, and thus they'll have to show something concrete and tangible at most. showing one's efforts can go a long way, no god wants to assist those that sit and can hardly help themselves. )

Another idea is to attempt a summoning with an anchor, but I trust brother's judgement on sacrifices. A God would typically stir at the appreciation.

[Natsuno has to be a buzzkill - just kidding, he's totally fine with it. The idea is solid, and Jenny may react better to gods than to puny snooping mortals. There's just one small problem...]

We don't know where the captain keeps their souls. Somewhere on the ship, or maybe in another reality, but no one knows for sure.

...she's a pirate now, though. That's under your jurisdiction, right?

( Oh yeah, not even gonna try hiding this exasperated sigh. Can't even complain about humans when this brat claims he isn't one, but god does Castor ever want to complain. He'll step in for Pollux, at least—it is a more sensitive topic for her, after all. )

Then we'll have to find them.

( Since it is kind of ice cold to just let their souls be lost and missing and not matter. Very human though. Still, the idea of... No, Castor can't even bring himself to think of how he would react if something were to happen to Pollux. To pull them apart and away from one another, and to keep her somewhere that he can't reach. What's certain is that he would cross the ends of the earth to find her, and mow down any obstacle that stood in his path, no matter the consequence.

The bond they share may be one of a kind, but... Surely Jenny must feel something close, something similar for her brothers here. )

( she keeps her eyes on natsuno rather than looking at her brother, a goddess who suffers almost the same fate as them a long time ago. it's not the best conversation to have, but she does feel something towards it— pain, sadness. though her brother showing his compassion in wanting to find them is pleasing to hear, and how she's able to move to the next query that the other speaks. )

Why do you worry? Any being that dares to venture out into the sea are under our care. We were called pirates too, once before. Ehehe...

( they seem to be fond memories from the way she speaks about it. )

King Aeëtes called us a number of names at that! ( thieves, pirates, so on and so forth. )

Being called pirates doesn't mean that they're exempt protection from the Gods, it's about whether they can keep themselves going with that boon.

( it's all about how they use it. )

[He nods. Alright then.]

If you say so. I've never known any gods before I ended up here.

[A contrary teen born to a pair of self-proclaimed free-thinkers who question everything has little use of faith or worship. And after he turned - well. To be a shiki was to be abandoned by god, no longer able to look at holy symbols or set foot in temples.

Even the gods he met here are different from these two. Jenny was laser focused on her brothers, and Venti... Natsuno doesn't even know what his jurisdiction is. Wine? Music? Whatever it is, he certainly doesn't proclaim it or offer his protection. Those siblings seem to take their duties much more seriously.]

( It's fine, these two are no less laser focused.

Well, Castor does pay enough mind to Natsuno to scoff at his words, mind you. )

You have only yourself to blame for that.

( It's certainly not Castor's fault that the humans demoted him. It's even less his fault that they continued to demote the rest of the Greek pantheon when they brought an end to the age of the gods. Does he sound salty? He might be a little bit upset over this. )

Please keep the gods you meet in your heart.

( some individuals give up, sometimes gods tend to look away from the creatures that no longer rely on them. it's how natsuno carries himself that he can carry his own weight, but she offers a gentle smile to smooth over castor's tone. )

Call their name, and rely on them. You don't have to do anything alone anymore, and the same is said for when we help you get back home as well.

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if you'll be my star, i'll be your sky

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1/2 sorry for the wait! needed your surprise to be here :)

2/2 sorry for........him

1/2 do not apologize, A+ entrance right there

2/2

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sorry for the tl;dr

it's more than welcome

!!

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