come_sailaway | (no subject)

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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) ]

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[ ah, this song is rather familiar. he hums along for a few bars, but only that, then falling quiet again. ] It’s a good idea, certainly, especially for those who might not have weapons or means of defense. I suppose, for me, I… should have been more capable. [ but he froze, seeing the face or clothes of someone he treasured. it cost him and trying to save caitlyn. ]

… I just realized, I didn’t ask but you came through all right, did you? [ apart from, probably, sore legs. ]

(she hums along with him until he speaks again. at the sheer moment he goes off to a self-loathing route, jinx spins around to face him fully. she scoots over without needing to re-sit herself then places both of her hands on the side of his face. jinx makes absolutely sure his gaze is at her and nothing else. her pinks are glue to his aqua green -- even glistening for a split second before resorting back.)

Oh no, you don't. I'm not gonna let you fall off that cliff while I'm here. You did what you could. And that's what matters, okay? Don't make me poke you again.

(she then lets her hands fall to her lap.)

And yeah, I came out of it fine.

[ he wasn’t going to be that depressed. … all right, maybe he was, but even he knows he has to try to pull himself out of this, slowly. he was a god meant to protect people after all, but it seems that he’s just been doing a poor job of that.

but it helps to have jinx’s support, he tries to offer another smile that quickly fades. ] … Thanks.

I tried to help… Caitlyn, back when the undead were attacking. But the both of us were overwhelmed. [ at this point he’s unsure how much of a hot button caitlyn is to jinx, but he watches her carefully; probably too tired to do too much if she might be angry. ] Have the two of you… not that you might be friends, but have you considered what I said? That the two of you could put any enmity on pause, for a while.

(it's hard to get a reading on her expression. is she upset? angry? secretly fuming? one can only guess. during her upbringing underneath silco, jinx had learned to keep a straight and default look whenever it's needed. it's normally during missions or for integration purposes if the rare chance she got captured.

this particular mask she hardly wears on the ship except for now. jinx sits motionless without a word as the song continues to bounce along the theater walls; it echoes once the chorus sings.)

(there's finally movement from her though after such intense stillness -- a roll of her shoulder as she speaks:)

Y'know when we were up there the air and I was havin' the time of my life? You probably didn't see 'cuz you were focusin' on us not fallin' to our doom but — (a small pause.) — one of the undeads I killed were the ones comin' after the Enforcer.

(and she will leave it at that. no further explanation.)

Edited 2022-09-06 16:46 (UTC)

[ ah.

… he quietly leans against her, and this time his smile is more sincere, the curl of the wind around the both of them is warmer and with the faint of cecilia. actually, this did take him a little by surprise, but in a good way. that he does have faith in her despite everything, moments like these gives him hope. ]

I’m really glad to hear that.

I hope the two of you could come to some understanding, someday. Whatever temporary or genuine alliance might be found, here on this ship.

(it's a real shame her complexion is so pale. the redness spread along her cheeks at the lean, wind, and the scent of the flower. quickly, she darts her gaze to the instrument working its halfway point to the song. a rough air huff through her nostrils and a grumble:)

Yeahyeahyeah, whatever. It was Pow-Pow's time to shine so I was MORE focus on her than anythin' else. Her happiness is my happiness.

And did Pow-Pow have fun blasting away, now? [ well... he could imagine, maybe firing at zombie hordes could relieve some tension for jinx who might itch for action. for a moment, it seemed like she was having fun. ]

The biggest!! — Fishbones was pretty bummed, though. But I couldn't use him, y'know? That rocket would had made tooooo much of a damage.

(let alone it would also destroy the diner, their escape route, and the remaining crewmates. if she was her old self, she probably would had done it anyhow. boy, she really has changed over the several months. funny how a few people can change a person.)

So he’s that destructive, is he…

Do you think he might be too powerful to use, to risk killing or hurting all of us?

In a sense. Fishbones is a more of a one-on-one kind of guy. His whole deal is to hit one big target but not several.

(the song ends but she is too lazy to switch it up to something else. instead, jinx floats back on the mattress with her hands behind her head.)

'Course if you get in front of him, you'll get blown away, too. He lets out a BIG punch so it's better to be at the other end. Take the desert, for example. If I had used Fishbones instead of Pow-Pow... (she grants him a small shurg.) — Yeah, the undead would had been gone in a snap. Buuuut so would be everyone else and the diner. It would had just be you, me, and Lumine out there. Or... whoever else was behind us.

(idly, she sways her feet from side to side.)

So Fishbones is used for a big project, if ya catch my drift.

Edited 2022-09-07 19:10 (UTC)

Mm, that makes sense enough. And if you have only one missile for him, it’d be best to be careful with it and make it count.

Are you still planning on using it against, say, the Captain?

(...)

If my pirate caps want me to, I guess. It's a lil' hard to say since these excursions are so... — (she lifts up a hand to make wave gestures.) — random. Kiiiinda on the fence if I should hang on tight in case we come across somethin' where he'd be needed.

Edited 2022-09-07 20:16 (UTC)

[ he could kind of hazard a guess that jinx might be looking for… possibly a new father figure, or some kind of leader now that silco is gone, and might be seeking it in those captains. whether or not that’s true, he’s unsure what to think of it, simply cushions his cheek in a palm for now. ]

It might be nice to be part of a crew, but… I just hope you keep your best discretion in mind as well. I’ve been thinking lately that perhaps force isn’t the way to go in regards to this mystery anyway.

[ even if the captain did unleash those zombies. which, did he spring those or not? but he supposes it’s hard to say. ]

Oh yeah? (she doesn't really turn to look over his direction. her eyes are practically up to the stage curtains but lazily reaches over to flick his braid with her index.)

What's your new thoughts about it?

Edited 2022-09-08 01:23 (UTC)

[ well. … he tries to gather his thoughts with some effort, but a longer moment passes because thinking of the rise of that horde and those corpses just kind of has his mind run into a wall again. one that he knows he’ll have to confront more fully, but maybe right now is still kind of fresh and raw. his hand tightens to his cloak, reflexively. ] I…

[ a pause, his stare goes distant, then he forcibly tries to focus back to her. ] What… what do you think of that excursion? Or about the… what we saw, what happened to the Captain for instance.

Edited 2022-09-08 03:12 (UTC)

(she stops in mid-flicking his braid to finally turn her head to him; quirking an eyebrow. jinx's been hearing somehow these excursions are linked to something.)

I didn't get to see what happened but Darcy explained it to me. Some... small kid he turned into? Which practically means he has an Arcane talent of a shapeshifter.

[ he kind of waggles his braid back at her, a brief smile, then trying to collect his thoughts more. ] Hm, I think…

We were warned that things could get bad here, but maybe what was interesting was that he did offer a… not exactly a fair chance, but he noticeably didn’t try to cheat or overtake Mr Skulduggery in the race. They did both die, but then his corpse burned and he rose from the ashes, like a revival… so even if he’s killed, he’s presumably able to recover himself.

As terrible as the undead were, he did offer us more of a chance of escape and survival than that first Battle Royale, in which there could be only one victor. I can’t say whether there might be a pattern, but I wonder if he might be offering more fairer chances, for some reason. It’s been almost half a year, but that Battle Royale was so far the only and worst instance of pitting us against each other, whereas in this excursion we were almost encouraged to band together in order to elect a racer like Mr Skulduggery.

(jinx listens attentively while scrunching up her lips (aka duck facing it) as she takes in his thoughts and letting her own gears turn, too. it is pretty strange how the last excursion seemed so different and how he gave them so much wiggle room. she folds her arms over her chest before returning her glance back up at the curtains/stage lights above them.)

He could also be fuckin' with us. That's another possibility. — If I were him, I'd do a lotta random stuff just to throw everyone off. It's a lot more fun to watch everyone scramble around and trying to figuring me out when they're not even close. Or when really there's no meaning to anythin'. It's just pure mindless fun.

(she shrugs her shoulders before letting out a deep breath.)

Buuuuuut the Cap and I work differently. Well... more like our brains do their things differently. So you can't really take my word for it.

Edited 2022-09-09 04:08 (UTC)

Mm, all we have is speculation. Or perhaps other people know more about him than I do, I don’t try to seek him out at all. [ though he occasionally wonders if he should. ]

… By the way, Jinx, did you happen to hear a voice while out in the desert, before the race occurred?

(it's a blank stare for a moment before she pulls herself back up to sit. jinx bends her legs so she can prop her elbows on her knees in a loose fold. with her cheek resting on her palm, jinx can't help but to display a grin over his question. in fact, she doesn't reply right away in hope venti would able to retrace the question and figure out the flaw in it.

but just in case he didn't catch it, she'll explain:)

Braids... (she grins further.) — You're askin' a girl who hears voices almost every single day if she heard a voice.

(jinx then teasingly raises her eyebrows at him. she is probably not the correct person to ask this to.)

[ . . . ] You’re right, but I meant… a different one than usual! Or maybe—

Oh, maybe it’d be difficult for you to tell if it happened or not. Never mind then! [ awkward. and now he’s embarrassed, his face goes a little red as he sits up in fluster. he really was out of it, to ask a question like that. ]

Edited 2022-09-11 02:57 (UTC)

(okay she can't help but to just laugh at him stumbling along that. jinx bumps her shoulder to his to at least try and make him feel better.)

Ha ha ha, it's okay! I mean, I do believe you. If there was a voice out there, then there was one out there. Just, y'know, I hear a lotta of 'em. They get pretty noisy so it's not like I can pick what's what.

Edited 2022-09-11 03:31 (UTC)

Mm, of course. It might be I’m still rather tired.

… I heard the voice of a friend, out there in the desert before the Captain arrived. It makes me wonder if there might be other entities out there in that reality or others.

Like an alternate version of that place with different people we can't see?

(that... would be rather wild if that were the case. a different realm where the exact same thing is happening with them but with different people. a mirror version.)

It might be…? I’m not sure, though I know at least one other person heard a familiar voice. I suppose I’m not sure what to do with this information at all.

But I rather miss her. She sounded as if from very far away, shouting a warning… I hope she’s all right, back home.

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opheliac - 2022-09-11 04:13 (UTC) - Expand

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