come_sailaway

[He gives Castor a long, sweeping on river before turning to follow after Pollux. He’s not dignifying that with a response and he isn’t about to discuss classified information in transit where anyone could eavesdrop.]

I wasn’t aware that gods eat.

( It's the way you think you're being perfectly reasonable by asking a yes or no question, not even for the details themselves, but just whether he intends on giving them, and the human decides even that's too much. And you know what, the thread that Castor's patience is hanging by is very, very thin at this point. There's really only so much disrespect he can take before it begins to fray, and that very fraying is probably entirely audible in his voice.

So he'll grab Izzy by the wrist. Again. Whichever one is closest to him; doesn't matter either way to Castor—he's just going to hold it up in the air. Look him in the eye. )

Listen here, Human: it's a yes or no question.

( His grip is firm, but at least it's not painful this time. Takes about all of what little willpower remains for him to keep it from being so. )

If you don't plan on telling us, then don't try to lead us around by the nose either. It's a waste of our time.

( Theirs. His. Either way. The point is that these near-incoherent scraps are meaningless without even the barest of outlines through which to understand them. Rather than repeat a misunderstanding like that of Jenny's blood, this is really just Castor's best way of saying it's fine if he doesn't but god damn do not ignore him. )

( they don't have to eat, it's more than a luxury such as drinking alcohol and sleeping, but they're different due to their second lifestyle. while that could be a conversation topic, it's put on hold as she once again turns her head to catch castor's aggression, as always, castor doesn't intend to cause harm. the circumstances lead him to act this way, and pollux knows that, izzy hands doesn't. he's a man of few words, just like her brother, but their differences are that her brother is willing to explain whereas izzy avoids, and bides his time. )

Izzy, since you value silence, we can talk more once we reach Windjammer. ( she doesn't stop her brother, he'll back off one izzy understands and agrees. ) ...If there's things you can't tell us yet, then you have no reason to fear. That isn't what stirs my brother's irritation, rather he wants there to be no misunderstandings between us.

( as god's value honesty, they turn their nose away from humans who wish to deceive and trick, even the ones who think they're further ahead than a god will ever be only to crumble once they're placed in a situation where no god wishes to free them from their suffering.

she'd rather not have to see izzy go through the same situation she saw earlier today, it wouldn't be as bad, but she has faith in him as much as he do the dioscuri. )

He wants to trust you.

[Izzy is listening to her speak, if he had the ears of an animal they would be swivelled in her direction, but he is standing stock still in deadlock with her brother. Trust him? No, Izzy thinks Castor would rather gut him.

Unhand me you cad, isn’t going to work here. He knows it. Castor knows it. Pollux knows it. It rather feels like being held at the end of a blade.

Finally,]

It’s better we speak here. Captain can hear any conversation held outside a cabin. This is our only respite.

[He doesn’t move his wrist, doesn’t wrench it, doesn’t even try. Too many times has he struggled in a stronger man’s grasp and tended the wounds for weeks as penance for his defiance. That defiance has long been beaten out of him.]

A fog came upon our party in the jungle. All of them succumbed to madness.

[Them, not him. Important distinction. Izzy’s voice takes on the tone of giving a report. He’s given many along the same vein. Informative. Concise. Militaristic.]

When we broke line to the beach she cut her own throat. I tried to save her. It was too late.

Edited 2022-09-22 12:32 (UTC)

( Maybe he would, but the somewhat exasperated look he gives Pollux might give something away in that sense.

If not that, then perhaps the flicker of concern in his eyes as Izzy's report cuts off. There's a moment where Castor hesitates, but the feeling is quickly replaced by irritation as he lets go of the other man's wrist. There's no flourish or distaste as he does it this time—one instant his arm is held firmly in place, and the next he's perfectly free to move as Castor turns on his heel, the anger all but radiating off of him in waves.

He steps back inside the room looking about ready to start pacing. His arms are folded tightly over his chest, though one hand is held up to his chin in thought. He's not so presumptuous that he would think something as simple as a sacrifice would have saved her, not really. It was successful—that's all that was said. It was acknowledged. As for her life, though...

...

Regarding her life, Castor supposes he'll have to answer to her brothers.

There's a sharp huff as he reaches that conclusion, and without so much as another glance to Izzy, he's already brushing his way past the doorway. It's only when he's back at Pollux's side that he pauses, seething to himself. Terrible day. Terrible night. Miserable excuse for a boat at this point. )

( that's the first time she's heard that, the cabin being their only method to keep the captain from knowing anything. why is that the case? she accepts it, as much as this night is going, she'll offer castor and izzy that much. before her brother can get too far, she grabs his hand to pull him along back into the room. its respite, a shelter with confirmation that no one will hear them. on the other hand, what information is there that needs to be avoided that the captain can't hear? )

Just a little more, Brother, and then you both can eat.

( she shuts the door behind them, and it closes with a snap. she wants to know the context to who took part, why were they so deep into the jungle, what even brought about such a predicament. as those are concerns, instead, her concerns filter though as izzy never mentions himself. )

The beginning of your journey sounded bleak, terrifying, but it sounds as though you were a small hope. ( she caused harm to herself and bled, izzy is dutybound, and so he must have tried to save her... he had to. she doesn't see him as someone who wants to retell a failing mission to gods that want nothing more than the best of him. ) I truly am glad, you taking part changed so much.

( that goes for all of them though she doesn't have the clearest picture, she gives credit as many here want jenny dead. she even glances at her brother to see if he realizes that considering how many people frowned at them. izzy was different as so was the group he was with, names, they need names. )

Izzy, you say these cabins keep words from leaking to our abductor. If you will tell us here what the Captain shouldn't know, we can still leave to eat together.

( eating with gods is a high honor, yet the other doesn't seem enthusiastic about it. )

[What the Captain shouldn't know. That could be anything. Everything, to be safest.

But about what happened? He'll already know all about it. This was a mission on his behalf, after all, and no doubt Skulduggery, his herald, is currently up on the bridge with him handing over every excruciating detail.]

Well you didn't let me finish.

[To Castor, though, he kinda did, buddy. Izzy folds his arms over his chest, not unlike the god in question.]

Captain said he'd save her life, but it comes at the price of being a passenger, same as us. Means our plans of parlaying with her for freedom are pretty shot... seeing as she'll be just as bound. The plan was always to ransom her brother's souls back to her in return for passage aboard her ship. Have her open the door of whatever brought us here and let us back through.

[And his telling her that he had their whereabouts stopped some ugly bloodshed, but he'll wait to use that card for another time if he needs it. Izzy Hands is not used to painting himself as a hero. His accomplishments are known by his team. Maybe it will spread, maybe it won't.]

If the Captain does raise her, there might be something we can work with, but I don't trust he will. She's sank this vessel several times and murdered everyone onboard for her own freedom. If I were him I wouldn't take too kindly to her presence. There are three other captains abroad this ship in their own right. She would make a forth, and the most powerful. I honestly don't see it being in his best interest.

( Oh, hey, that's the same thing they asked for at the sacrifice. What a coincidence, right? And while it's not exactly good news, and the air around Castor is still thick with an almost palpable rage that bubbles just underneath the surface of his skin, it's still something. Not enough for him to hang on to the thread of hope, but maybe enough to spare their poor wall from getting a new dent in it. Maybe enough for Pollux too. That would be to his credit if so.

As for Castor, Pollux's hand in his helps, if only a little bit. )

Fifth.

( It's the only interruption and correction Castor will make as Izzy wraps up the latter half of his story, and he's not elaborating on that. Jason is more than obnoxious enough to make a name for himself on that alone, so there's no need for him to help. Call the very fact that he acknowledged the guy a show of his favour.

It explains the amount of blood though. The exhaustion. Explains a lot of things, really, and understanding a grim situation is far preferable to blissful ignorance. Particularly when it manages to clear the name of one of the humans Pollux has chosen to favour, and after another has shown just how fickle and selfish their nature can really be. So while it may have taken some figurative... some literal twisting of his arm, he did spit it out in the end. He did better than could be expected of a human for the circumstances. )

... I suppose you could have done worse.

( That's the best you're getting out of him at Bond Rank: 0. )

( a passenger like them, now that's a problem without her having freedom she'll be just like them. they are gods, and she's a god who could see where the paint starts to wear off. And where a clear coat was colored over it. she knows the nooks and crannies, and that in their book is an advantage if she had to portray it in a positive light. it's whether she wants to assist those here who treat her as nothing more than a nuisance, but that doesn't mean that they will when they all share a common goal.

she says nothingbat castor's correction, understanding whay he means by it, and closing her eyes as she finally lets go of his hand. )

He has to raise her. There could be Gods on this ship that will share their power, even if it's risky. She would be under our rule, and not his.

( that would be in his best interest, leaving her to rot means nothing to dieties among the stars. she does make sure to be mindful of what power they're willing to spare, her divinity isn't something she's willing to part with so easily, as that is a conversation she'd need to have with castor beforehand. she does leave the idea alone, ignoring the other possibilities as she watches izzy. )

Brother, do you mind if I thank Izzy in my own way, unless there's more he needs to tell us that's confidential.

( information that he shouldn't say, but should be said to them that they know. should she ask who was all part of it, or can she ask at the eatery. she would leave to bring food back, but she doubts that would be a good idea. she can't ask castor either, oh, perhaps they have a few mangoes left to cut them individual slices... )

[Castor's correction is news to Izzy and he gives a look of surprise, brows raised, before turning his attention back to Pollux. What the fuck does thank him in her own way mean.

Sorry, not to be suspicious, but you did try to hug him when they met.

Considering said bond level 0, he's about to give you another choice of piece information.]

No need, Pollux, really. But there is one thing felt weird. Wrong, even. I asked Friday- bird without a face, Captain's right hand? She was there'n I asked her about the resurrection situation. She said it was her will, not the Captain's. Dunno what that means, she's part of him, but. That's confidential between the three of us until I know whether it'll hurt more than it helps to know, yeah.

[Psyche, one other one more thing.]

Who's the fifth captain?

Edited 2022-09-23 00:00 (UTC)

( Hey... "No need"... That's his line... His brows furrow as Izzy turns away Pollux's wish, but the dice dictate that he'll let it slide on account of a human knowing his place this time. Instead, he decides to offer Pollux what he thinks is a good enough reason for her to allow it as well, though with her letting go of his hand and all he can't help but be a little petulant about the way he looks at her. Why are you embarrassed to hold your brother's hand, Pollux? Give it back. )

He should be grateful for your words alone.

( Which is a no, you can't, or he'll stomp his feet like a spoiled child. But it's also not scolding her for, in a way, already having done so. As far as he's concerned, to be thanked by an ancient goddess—especially one as kind and beautiful as Pollux—isn't a blessing that most humans would get to experience in their entire lives; if it wasn't enough there would be a real problem here. As for the matter at hand... )

The captain of the Argo, Jason, is here as well. He's a fool, but he has his uses.

( Castor says this as if he wasn't the one taking orders on that ship, but we're not worrying about that right now. If Izzy is in any way familiar with such stories, the name might ring a bell. Otherwise, Castor mostly offers a shrug. Jason doesn't need any help to drag himself through the mud, so that's probably enough on that. )

If you say so, Brother...

( she's not happy about it, but she doesn't give off that she's disappointed in herself for not being someone humans would accept praise from. it's without question that one hand remains pressed against her lower stomach, but the other finds its way to holding castor's hand that's offered to her. fingers lace one by one, her grip firm and with a soft exhale, she keeps up a more normal appearance with a smile along with her eyes closed as they speak; leaning against castor's now. with jason as the topic of conversation, she finds that to be something she can speak on. )

A man favored by the Gods, our father, Zeus' wife wanted to see his accomplishments through to the end. He is someone to not be reckoned with.

( this is spoken with an air of confidence, as though what she and her brother says holds no lies. as she thinks about it, she's met with a few other captains here, and she does wonder when jason will meet them. they'll get along splendidly as long as they aren't the type to ask money from him and never pay him back, or be too overly confident— they can't be like him or he'll have a problem. )

I've met another Captain, but he seems to be the type who wants everyone to get along. As long as Jason can give orders, he'll work along with anyone.

[How could he not know of Jason and The Argo. Any sailor with a few years under their belt would have heard a version of the story. Even if it was a bad version told drunkenly and half remembered...then half remembered again.

It gives Izzy pause, as well as the fact they just dropped the fucking cannonball they're Zeus' children. What the actual fuck. God, (and Goddess, apparently) if only Edward were speaking to him right now. He would fucking love to hear about this shit.

A small pain worms itself through Izzy's chest but he kicks it back where it belongs. He doesn't have time for personal emotions right now. He doesn't have time for vulnerability ever.

He'd listen if it were Stede, that terrible little pain says. Izzy can't knock it back fast enough this time. He'll be sitting with that for a while, but, speaking of, an opportunity to do his favorite thing: Bitch about Stede Fucking Bonnet. Izzy really is blessed by the gods.

Right, secret telling is over. We can go eat now.]

So he's a proper captain, then. That other bloke you're talking about is Stede Bonnet. Fucking disgrace.

( Hope the drunk version included Pollux ripping a man's eyelids off with her bare hands in a fistfight.

But hey, hold on a minute, even if Jason doesn't quite live up to the bar his story sets for him either, Castor's always down to talk shit about humans. Even as he pulls Pollux a bit closer to himself he raises a brow, betraying his interest in the topic. Forget food, they're gossiping now. )

We've met.

( Well, Pollux has—but it isn't exactly incorrect when the two of them make up a single existence. And an Avenger would never forget the kind of impression that he made. )

All he did was talk over Pollux, and trying to keep a secret from me? Ha! As if Pollux would listen to some human ingrate over her own brother.

( They're all but one person!! What kind of fool tries to keep a secret from only one half of the Gemini twins!? )

Brother! ...That may be true, but he clearly didn't understand!

( oh, now this is embarrassing to have him talk about that conversation. he didn't talk over her that much, or well, she's a very patient goddess compared to her brother. then again, pollux makes things out better than what they really are so she's unable to make eye contact with izzy for the moment as she stares at castor.

where they're more aggressive in their words, pollux is kinder though she can point out a few problems that he seems to have. )

He told me that he... was a new captain. ( sounds like we're off to a great start as she finally let's go of castor's hand, yes, turning around so that she can open the door.

walk boys or be left behind. )

The thing is... he seems a little confused? ( ... ) He's got the spirit, that's one thing, but I'm worried that he's a bit too soft around the edges?

( well, can pollux say that when she, herself, is a soft individual. )

That's putting it lightly, yeah.

[Ope, here we go, walk and talk and gossip, Castor. Izzy peels out to follow Pollux. It would be rude to deny her their mission of pancakes or whatever.]

He plays all nice like ohh, I care about you, I want my crew to be all rainbows and fucking butterflies, oh Blackbeard you're so amazing~

[All delivered in falsetto, of course, and punctuated with foppish hand gestures. Izzy is something of a, uh, dramatic. Are we ranting as we're walking? You bettcha.]

But he's never done a day of hard work in his fuckin life. I mean, what kind of fucking idiot runs his ship aground? Not to mention he is completely unprofessional, rude, selfish, and alarmingly self assured for knowing absolutely nothing. He's only a captain because he bought himself a boat. He doesn't know the first thing about it, much less the industry. Over thirty fucking years I've been at sea. And here he comes bouncing in with a hope and a fuckin dream. Takes me off my ship, bewitches my fucking captain to the point he's absolutely useless, and then he has the absolute nerve to try an' make a crew here. I've got fucking news for him, holding pool parties and talent shows does not a captain make. Not even a sailor. He bought it all, never earned a fucking scrap of it."

( Pool parties and talent shows... )

...Is that all?

( Sounds like you got quite a bit stored up there, buddy... Wanna let it all out? Well, though it is hard for Castor not to draw parallels to certain aspects of that description in his mind, but the rest of that really makes him cringe inside. Way worse, he thinks. Even for all his shortcomings, Jason at least had the (at times reluctant) respect of his crew when it came to the calls he made and the way he led them.

So for what it's worth, Castor agrees. )

Pathetic.

( But nothing to worry about. After all: )

There are other captains to choose from. Anyone who takes the idea seriously only has to choose another.

...

( it takes everything in pollux not to giggle, oh, it truly does, but a hand goes to cover her mouth as they walk in tandem. one step after the other, she'll lead them to the windjammer as she thinks about izzy's performance. he would certainly win the talent show, but she should focus on what's important. )

He does have hope and dreams, but I believe every sailor does at the start.

( but he does sound unprofessional at best, like a kindergarten teacher that wants all his children to get along. it's endearing enough, to a god that is, and she gives a small nod. whatever the case may be, the dioscuri watches over all that takes sail on a boat, no matter how disorganized or embarrassing they may be. unfortunately stede bonnet counts.

though, should she give credit for him turning another sailor useless? was that a skill, it's certainly terrifying. )

What is your stance, Izzy? We, the Dioscuri will always look upon you with kindness no matter your choice in captain. It's been awhile since we've seen a coup, Brother.

A coup? against Bonnet? He isn't my captain, nor will he ever be.

[You want him to have a proper moan, do you Castor? Famous last fucking words my friend.]

He fucking stole my captain. Filled his head with fucking- drivel about sunshine and hugs and feelings. Made him weak. Made him- made him something awful.

And I don't think he'll ever recover.

( Hmmm... Yeah, okay, this one's a bit harder for him to fault on. Sure, there's a certain amount of strictness required at sea, a time and place for everything as they would say. At the end of the day though, far be it from Castor to deny that sunshine and hugs and feelings can be important despite his typical attitude. After all, it is all but his one real priority to make sure that Pollux can continue to embody those things—that the happiness in her smile can remain as radiant as it has always been, a guiding light for those who are lost.

He's not self-aware enough to think that he might be the one being led through the storm this time.

The most response he gives to the complaints is an absent-minded hum. )

( as a goddess, pollux is meant to listen to the wails and pleas of humans— acknowledge their feelings and pain, what makes them happy, what they've done that's brought them down to their knees. she listens to it all as she pays mind to izzy's words that keeps her quiet. are those positive reinforcements actual drivel? it's not as if that isn't what she does to her brother, but it comes from the heart, it's meant to motivate and support. she couldn't see it as a weakness completely when this body offers everything where castor has difficulty.

her father, at that time rewarded them for their feelings of love, dotted them in the sky to guide humans lost, and probably unsure of their own feelings. the sea is a terrifying beast, the beautiful marks of civilizations love on the sand can be easily erased, and that happens too on a ship when they find feelings getting in the way of their goal. with a hand to her chest, settled over her heart as she feels it beat, slow and steady.

those words where a captain is a supporting and leading role for those who listen, there's a possession to it— he has a brewing annoyance, a festering distaste just like...

izzy, those words are bold, but there's a reason for it is what she believes. )

Has anyone ever told you those words before, Izzy? Are you familiar in a way to save him?

( that's her way of learning if he's ever felt those feelings before. )

[A funny sort of look crosses Izzy's face. Something painful and shameful and vulnerable before it's gobbled up by iron ring fencing and clamped down for good measure.

This was never meant to be about himself. He doesn't want it to be about himself. Looking too closely, stopping to examine anything too deeply, will show across the mirror surface of his tightly controlled image a mosaic of spidering cracks. the glass still hold, but one stiff knock could send it all cascading down to nothing.

And then they would see, Castor and Pollux, they would see his hollow insides where a whole person should be solid. His teeth creak with the force of his jaw holding shut, lips a tight line. Any possible answer to that will be humiliating, he just knows it.

He is sick and tired of being made a fool.

He can manage one word. Relievedly, terribly, horribly, it answers both her questions in truth. One small, grunted, scowling-]

No.

( There's a moment where Castor catches that look, watches as it's shut away and hidden behind cold iron and steel, and it sparks an absent sort of curiosity. He is, unfortunately, not one particularly interested in the comfort nor preferences of humans, after all. Not when he can himself at best be considered as maintaining a low simmer of never-abating bitterness, and white-hot with hatred at worst. The difference here is that Castor's affliction is an open wound—something that bleeds through no matter the circumstance, unable to be hidden.

Maybe that's why he can recognize the nature of a similar injury. )

If you say so.

( A simple response—dismissive of both the honesty of the answer, and the weight of it. It's only a matter of time until Pollux gets his ass anyway. After all, no matter how humans may hate Castor, and how he may hate them in return, it's that very aspect of Pollux that he most wants to protect in the end. He continues after a moment with an absent wave of his hand. )

Humans are ungrateful anyway. They don't recognize what they have—decide something's convenient to them and toss it aside as soon as they're done with it. It's always the same with them. If you ask me, that's why we should let the human world stay gone!

( it was brief, but that feeling is dominating his heart if he allowed it to show for just a moment. pollux never lets izzy leave from her sight, his complaints had showed her something sensitive and tender; a part of himself that she's never seen before. it's raw, bloody, but she knows that she cannot get her hands dirty to sew close that wound. no, she doesn't want to dig and pry at it, she would never want to irritate the skin. her grip tightens around castor's hand, restraining herself from doing so, she knows that she can't not because her brother would be against it, but because it's not time. izzy didn't want them to see that.

but to see humans hurt, knowing she can't immediately mend what she sees— there's no gold she can cover over those cracks, it would only hurt him more knowing they're visible. a bright gold painted over red cracks on a dark black color that he normally wears, and it'll cause people to take notice and acknowledge. she can't smear gold to make it better, and instead she wants to acknowledge him as the human that he is whose feelings eat away at him too. )

That's wrong, Brother.

( she cannot place her attention fully on izzy, that was her mistake first time to make him feel so fragile— but now she knows he's never known love, that he doesn't know the touch of someone that cares for him. jack before asked her how can a constellation love so many people, but pollux's heart encompasses a growing love thanks to her brother; if it wasn't for him, she would never care for humans through thick and thin wanting to see the best in them. it's thanks to her brother that every individual means something to her, why she becomes heartbroken when they die, and that never-ending love she has manages to leak over to the humans of the world, endless, just like the ocean that swallows up most of the world. )

Why should they be punished for being clumsy? ( pollux corrects him, shaking her head. ) That's what makes them human: they make mistakes. That doesn't mean that they shouldn't be allowed to try and learn from them though. ( humans should live in harmony as always, but when they're just a few steps away from the windjammer. ) Forgive me Izzy if I had asked something thoughtless, to show my apology, why don't I make your plate while you and Brother find a table?

[Izzy nods, desperate for a small respite, though he is expecting Castor's fury as allowing his sister to serve him.

A fury he hopes to cut off in the immediate the second Pollux has left and headed towards the buffet. He looks over as they sit, a bit of space between them now.]

You are right, of course. Most humans are fucking useless and the world would be better off without them.

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