(no subject)

[wimdy]

Who: Venti and open /o/
What: laaate post-event thing for him, waking up from a little stress nap and being tiny.
When: near september!
Where: hurikane mostly!
Warnings: none really except maybe coming back from death and trauma-y memories if he talks about that. other than that he’s just a small fairy being an idiot.


[ it's not very responsible of him, but 1) responsibility and 2) venti: pick one. he is actually the kind of person who tends to disappear at occasional moments, sometimes at the most irresponsible times. he's also the kind who could stress-nap entire decades away, so maybe a good couple of days or even a week is being almost responsible for him. there's darkness, then he wakes up in bed rather unexpectedly and painfully by his new roomie. he processes that he's returned to life and rafaela is back and instead of talking to her or going out and checking on other people, why not just... go back to sleep. so he does.

a day later or so, he kind of disappears entirely, like wind invisible that may float away.

and maybe a week after that, the wind may slowly pull himself together. but he is weak, he's not terribly strong, he's rather tired and maybe lost more faith in himself. venti himself hasn't been around in a good while but a fairy-looking thing, something small and white that practically looks like a bird from a distance, would be slowly floating through the ship towards a bar. you can maybe find this creature:

1. fluttering rather dazedly, like a dizzy bee, charting a little path through the ship en route to deck five.
2. it seems to take breaks every so often to simply sit on the ground, or maybe even float to sit tiredly on your shoulder or head if you're nearby and make a nice perch.
3. sitting on the ground staring up at the door to hurikane, looking bemused at how to open it, chirping tiredly at you if you're nearby to please open the door!
4. if he manages to get in the bar, the critter is sitting on the counter making half-hearted little chirps to the ghost bartender who apparently doesn't get the hint that he needs wine.
5. eventually, or maybe a day later or so, venti would find it in himself to transform back and simply be found in hurikane at a table surrounded by bottles. he needs this, he really does.
(6. wildcard/anything else!! i might just make this a catch-all for september too i don't know yet) ]

Comments

[opheliac]

(that is quite fine with her. it's not like she has anything better to do besides sleep later.

assuming he asked if she is involved in said dare, jinx just shrugs.)

Would it make it easier? I still think you oughta go with the first thing.

[wimdy]

[ well if she puts it that way... maybe she's right, it's not that big of a deal. maybe it didn't really matter very much anyway. he's certain that he'd like any kind of music. and in the first place he's still kind of too tired to do much too.

he makes a bit of a resigned sound and then just sits back down with a sigh. fine... who really cared about games. but at least it takes his mind off of other things. ]

[opheliac]

(at least she was able to entertain him for a little while. jinx isn't really sure what happened on his side during the whole excursion but if the words are true how the dead ripped people apart then...

scooping him up carefully, jinx finally climbs up to her feet -- placing him on her shoulder.)

Try and hang on tight, okay? Let's head on inside.

[wimdy]

[ his arms are tiny so who knows how tight he can hang but sure, he'll try. actually he'll try to nuzzle in closer to her shoulder and neck just in case, his wings whirring a little as he gives a little chirp of confirmation.

it's warmer here, nearer to her. ]

[opheliac]

(the closest indoor thing to them is ALL AND SUNDRIES so she heads on inside while keep one hand loosely up to venti beside him. just in case he falls sideways or something with her walking.

she realizes looking at the snacks area that she haven't had dinner yet and going all the way to the buffet is a journey she isn't interested in going. so jinx makes her way to that spot -- looking at the various choices. but in mid-looking, she freezes and stares off beyond the items of choice. jinx is getting that far-off trance look again which could only mean "mylo" is speaking to her or her voices.

psstpstpstpstpstpstpsptpst)

(she resorts back to herself somewhat then answers out loud:)

This isn't slackin' off. I did a lotta trainin' today.

(pstpstpstpsptsptpsstt)

Ugh, call it what you want. But I don't get easily distracted.

(she grabs a few chips and sweets with her free hand before shooting "mylo" a glare. this time though, she doesn't reply back to him. maybe if she ignore him enough, he'll just... go away. so she makes her way to the counter to do the "check out" motion. and while she does that, jinx peeks over at venti at the corner of her eye.)

He thinks this is why I can't get better than Vi. 'Cuz I get distracted.

(she rolls her eyes as she picks up the snacks again with her free hand.)

Totally not true. I've done a lotta things... I mean, lately, I've been... not so great. BUT!! I'm gettin' back on track. So.

[wimdy]

[ even if this was his original form it's at times like this he really does wish he could at least speak. millennia ago when humans first befriended him he was happy enough with accompanying them, providing as wordless support as he could, providing hope as he could as he was then. but maybe after masquerading as human for so long incognito he really has grown used to it, he's used to wanting to reassure her.

he makes a questioning sound, a tilt of his head as he observes the snacks and then looks around them. it's not as if he could ever see her visions, they're surely hallucinations rather than in reality in any way. but he wishes he could help more than he can now. ]

[opheliac]

(she places the snacks in the bag as she keeps on rambling. well... one would think it's rambling but jinx enjoys airing out things to venti. letting him observe her thoughts floating on by since they get so cluttered in her head so much. it's nice to verbally speak them with someone. there's not many people on the boat she does that with.)

While you've been asleep or away, I've been doin' a lotta work with my legs. The, uh, excursion made me realize I could have done better so that's what I'm aimin' for!

(oh, she forgot drinks. jinx walks her way to the soda section -- looking at the brands.)

— OH! No Face got me some more tools as a gift. So I can actually make weapons. Not just bombs but now decent guns. Two people already approached me about makin' some. I got one down but I gotta test it later to sure the gears arent' stickin'. So... just keepin' myself busy.

[wimdy]

[ hm, if he thinks about it... it's true, jinx is extremely fast with shimmer but it seems she did tire while running to the crash site. maybe it's something of an adrenaline boost, but not quite suited for long-distance marathon running. not that venti would know much, he's basically not athletic at all, he'd rather lazy around and play. but he had been worried for skulduggery and so he'd flown out there and it turns out, that really was a mistake.

he peers at the sodas as well, though he kind of makes a face if he were able to, he definitely prefers wine to the fizzy drinks. hm, speaking of packages at the sundry shop however... there seems to be a box addressed to venti, he catches a glimpse of it out the corner of his eye, he chirps a bit to jinx if he could try to alert her to it. ]

why would u do this to me? aka yes i did peek through the regain page

[opheliac]

(she grabs a soda from the bunch but peeks over at the sound of his chirp and then spots what he is spotting.)

Hm? Oh, is that one of ours?

(turning on her heel, she makes her way over to said counter with a box resting. and the closer she gets, jinx will spot that it is addressed to venti and not her. it doesn't seem terribly big so that's a good thing. it would be tough for him to carry around in his state. setting the drink down beside it, her fingers begins to untangle the ribbon.)

because they happen to be in the area. so perish.

[wimdy]

[ the box with all its cutesy packaging seems innocuous enough, and everything he's received (including the shark bag for jinx) had seemed innocent enough, and even when it'd spelled him back into this form for the first time in centuries he supposes he'd dealt with it fine enough but--

something of this box could be like pandora's when it opens and what's inside is... simply, a brown cloak, one clearly well-worn with frayed edges and slight tatters from going through war. there's the dirt and grime from the struggle of the old rebellion. and dark patches on the fabric, spatters of blood from where a wound would pierce the heart through the mantle.

it looks like nothing more than a dirty and insignificant fold of brown fabric.

venti looks down upon it, falling entirely quiet as his wings still and as if the world just stops. ]

sobbing

[opheliac]

(a brown cloth. it doesn't seem much at first glance although in further viewing, it's the stain blood that jumps at her soon after. cautiously, she exchange her gaze to the cloth and venti. the stillness of him makes her tense up by default, too. she doesn't know the meaning beside said cloth but it's the same reaction she had when she discovered her journal sometime back.

she is beside herself on what she should do. hm.)

Do you... want me to close it back up?

(maybe if she blocks the sight of it, it'll give him a chance to gather his bearings a little? she's not sure.)

[wimdy]

[ if he thinks, which he doesn't, as if the world stopped and if he had a heart it would stop, his breath would stop, all thought stops--

what happened in the desert shouldn't have. he should have been able to save caitlyn, he should have been able to fly, no matter how tired he was. he should be more capable than that. but maybe what completely stopped him from pure action and doomed him was the corpse he'd seen, hair in ragged braids, wearing the look of his beloved friend who he'd based his entire existence on, as if centered around him like the eye of a storm. he'd seen that boy die. and even if he was certain that corpse must be a trick, perhaps was one of the captain's machinations or something, he couldn't leave the sight of him.

he falls down listlessly into the box, so he could fall onto the cloak and just lie there with a small shiver.

all he'd ever wanted and knew he couldn't have was to be close to that boy once again. ]

[opheliac]

(if only he was big enough to receive a hug and she can't seem to come up with any words of comfort, either. so silently, she sets the lid aside with her things before letting her index brush along aside of his "cheek".

there's nothing much else she can do beyond that and it aches her to see him this way. so hurt over... the meaning behind this cloth. but given there is blood upon it and what she knows of venti as a whole, maybe it had something to do with his long lost friend that died. if her theory is correct, then someone needs to be throat punched for giving someone such a horrid gift. possibly friday. maybe she'll make her way to the service desk tomorrow and shoot her in the shoulder for good measure.

but for now, jinx will continue brush along him -- letting him know that she is here with him.)

[wimdy]

[ no don’t shoot friday… is what he’d say if he has any idea of her thoughts, but he doesn’t. and he doesn’t actually feel like thinking about anything at all other than just lying here. maybe he could pass another week just sleeping here in this cloak just like this, when he doesn’t want to think of anything at all.

whether this is a good gift or not is entirely beyond him. after the war was over and his friend buried, he didn’t consider ever having a physical memento of him. so maybe in a way this is some kind of twisted blessing, he never would have imagined finding or having something of his, like this. he’ll just stay here for a while, eyes closed and unmoving. ]

[opheliac]

(while venti wisps lie on the cloth, jinx makes no effort at all to try and disturb him. at least not right now, anyway. she did the same when it came with silco, quite honestly. she held herself in the brig with the jar she made as a token for who knows how long -- not like she was keeping time. for now though, she moves a few things over before tugging herself up on the counter. from there, she sits with occasionally reaching to him for a few head strokes.

if only there was something else she can do for him. her mind races on what exactly should that be. would singing be helpful? would he even be in the mood to hear it? jinx isn't all too familiar with the 80s music on this boat except the ones she finds are catchy. could that be of some help?)

Hey, I know you can't really... talk right now. But if you ever want to, y'know, later, I'll be here to listen. Always remember that, okay?

[wimdy]

[ for a long moment it seems as if he didn’t hear her at all or doesn’t feel like responding.

then, a small nod. and then he curls up further against the fabric, as if it could still be warm, as if the owner could possibly be… somewhere. maybe he should be stronger than this, maybe he should really have gotten over this two thousand years ago. but it’s a wound that has never stopped paining for that long. he’ll just stay here maybe for the rest of the day, if she leaves him here or takes the box elsewhere, he’ll just stay in the box. ]

[opheliac]

(as moments pass, jinx definitely realizes that yeah, he is not moving from this spot any time soon. which then leaves her to ponder what's the next choice of action. sure, she can just leave him here but would that be a safe thing to do? venti is well-known and liked but in this form, jinx isn't sure how many crewmates are aware of it. would someone harm him in this state? maybe not but... whose to say, really?

mizuki floats in her mind briefly as the next option. but then she also thinks would that help venti or damage him more? if her theory is right that this cloth belonged to his long lost friend, then mizuki with his voice... hm. it could either send venti into a spiraling mess or be comforting.

blowing air roughly through her nostrils, jinx hops herself off the counter then slips the bag hops of snacks in her arm. she turns to the box with the stillness wisp before very carefully picking it up to carry. maybe for now, the two of them can go to the theater -- at least there they can just have some privacy without anyone stumbling in. and from all spots on this boat, she likes to think the theater is the deadest next to the brig. or the morgue.)

[wimdy]

[ he’ll dizzily sleep through the rest of the day, practically dead to the world and whatever jinx might be up to. she’s a busy girl, surely she wouldn’t spend all her time babysitting a stupid depressed wisp like him. and in the meantime he simply drifts off into dreamless or hazy slumber, just barely touching on the memories of the desert.

it’s the next day, morning, when venti finally reforms back into his human self, still clutching the cloak still and tears lingering on his eyelashes as he curls up wherever jinx leaves the box. miserably asleep but maybe it’s better than miserably awake. ]

[opheliac]

(if venti believes jinx is the type of person that would just dump someone somewhere and leave, he is half right. if it was an enforcer, someone she dislikes or have no care for, she would do that. but venti is an important person in her life and babysitting him is something she doesn't mind doing. after all, he had cared for her so many times and it's only right to do the same.

while he had been slumbering away in this said box, jinx had placed him on the stage and fiddled with the stage lights so it would dim. she set it just enough so it wouldn't be jarring for sleeping. as for her, she went up on her deck then kicked one of the mattresses off. why? because it'd be hard to keep an eye on him if she was hanging above when he was such a small thing. and once she managed to place it on the stage as well, jinx settled in and went into her own slumber.)

(it is certainly morning and it's a race on who wakes up first. jinx usually relies on ekko or rin to wake her up for breakfast but if they're nowhere near to do that, she won't wake up for it. and given she had been working late nights prior over her weapons, jinx will stay asleep until her body gets annoyed or ache.)

[wimdy]

[ very eventually, after a week+ worth of sleepiness and worthlessness and just plain post-death depression, he does finally rouse, finding himself clutching the cloak and… ah, so that part wasn’t just a bad dream. it could be both a mercy and not, and yet when he looks down upon the clothing and feels the hollowness of his chest ache like it’d done so long ago, recalling the vision of that corpse that had dragged him down and clawed at him—

despite everything, he couldn’t want to give this up.

he wears it, drawing it quietly around his shoulders with a shudder. despite finally regaining human form it seems he doesn’t even really feel like crying, as if crashed through a boundary even of tears and heartache. he simply puts on the cloak, reaching fingertips vaguely to the chest wound of the torn fabric, bringing it away with flaked dried blood.

…

he goes to jinx at her bed and lies down next to her. exhausted not just physically, just spiritually and in all manner of the word completely. just curls up next to her with another shiver and lying beside her until she might wake. ]

[opheliac]

(some days jinx is a light sleeper and other days a hard one. this particular time, she is sleeping pretty heavily. somehow the lightening of the stage lulls her and coaxes her into a slumber where her monsters are kept away. but she does feel the shift beside her and there's a slight stir. her eyes flutter lazily and then rolls to meet face to face of someone familiar.

just like before, she is quiet as she peers over. maybe she should start saying something but what words can be use? to say "everything will be okay" seems empty now a days. and it's hard for her to say such a thing when she often believes things will never be. jinx can only hope her presence will be enough for comfort to him because like him, she lost loved ones. some in death and some, well, relationships no longer in tact. with a weak smile, jinx reaches over to move a strain of his locks away from his eyes.)

... Hey.

[wimdy]

[ he watches her slowly rouse and… it’s almost painfully bittersweet how dear she’s become to him. it’s something he’s known for this long but sometimes, he just needs a reminder. that she’s taken care of him in her own way like this, stayed with him through so much, through his weakness—

at this moment he kind of forgets about ekko as well as he simply cuddles close to her; his body still cold, despite returning human. he presses his forehead to hers, eyes fluttering half-closed. ]

… Thanks for staying with me, Jinx. [ when he was a voiceless wisp. when he didn’t feel like doing anything but sleep. he still feels that way, but he supposes he really has to try to face reality. ]

[opheliac]

(she expected him to be close to her but not exactly like this. although, she also feels him doing this is an exception. mizuki and ekko would understand, right? he is currently hurting and who would just leave someone in pain like this? ... well, she has the capability of abandoning someone in their time of need. and if she was the jinx from many, many months ago - she would had done just that. look out for yourself. that's what she was taught.

but venti, who is her first friend, softened her cold heart and truly he is the blame to why she cares for others so much. of course, she tends to get carried away with that "care" and it gets twisted into knots with questionable and concerning acts from her. but in it's core, jinx just loves and cares so deeply for her favorite people. she wants them to smile and experience happiness. and she wants to bring them those feelings whether it's from herself or something she can physical give.

so whenever they're like this, down or upset - her immediate thoughts are to hurt who or what hurt them. is it drastic? definitely. but it's only right to behave that way - it's a natural reaction, she thinks. but with this. there's no one she can charge at (besides friday) so there's not much she can do to make his pain go away but... be here beside him.)

(as he cuddles close, she can feel his cool temperature - which makes she shift a little more to wrap an arm around him for warmth. and as their foreheads press, she shuts her eyes too with a soft hum.)

Mm... — You know I always will if you need it. It's okay to... fall apart sometimes. I won't think of you any less for it. You're still gonna be my friend, I'm still gonna pray, and believe in you.

[wimdy]

[ her words mean more to him than he knows how to say. and when he’s usually someone rather quick on the uptake, someone who’d like to think of himself as swift with words and even thought, someone who could often talk or act before thinking… the rather sluggish brain fog curled over him is just difficult. it’s what he’d want to stifle with alcohol until he passes out. it’s what he’d want to sleep away for maybe fifty years.

but he supposes he can’t do that. he struggles through trying to simply think, through misery, as his fingers clutch to the cloak. ]

This…

It belonged to my friend. [ every word rather slow, dragged out of him with the strained tone of his voice. ] I… didn’t think I would ever see something of his again.

But I did see him, or his undead self… or the vision of it in the desert.

[ it probably was a trick. it couldn’t possibly be the actual body of him. but it almost didn’t matter. ]

[opheliac]

(so her theory was correct but she didn't feel any less thrilled figuring it out on her own. jinx steadily moves her head -- her lips press sweetly on his forehead as she stares off... to nowhere in particular in the theater behind him. her hand now caressing his back; nails lightly dragging along to give little scratches for further soothing.

breathing in and slow breath out, she speaks almost in a whisper:)

You know he isn't suffering, right? He's at peace. — Try not to... linger on that fact if you are. From what you've told me of him, I think... he would be so proud of you with what you've done so far and he would never hurt you. Ever.