come_sailaway | SEPTEMBER EVENT: SKULLY'S ANGELS

She attacked herself. Island did..something to her brain.

We don’t have the time to talk about this, we need a fucking doctor!

[He swears he heard the captain saying something about her reviving but that means…

Well, that means letting her die.

That’s a big ask. Are these two captains not at odds with each other? Why the hell should they trust that. Yeah, sure, okay, just let her die and be mad later when she doesn’t revive.

It is so much easier to lie and shoulder the fallout later.

Izzy’s attention turns to Friday on Jenny’s other side. It’s hard to appeal to someone without eyes, a construct of their master, even.]

Friday- she can’t die.

[she pauses in her ministrations for a moment, turning her face to him.]

I wish she didn't have to, but... That's the only way she can stay alive... [pause] I know that magic must not make a whole lot of sense when you're not from a place where it's real, but... It does work. Here.

... She'll be okay. She's used to this.

[You're right, he doesn't understand. He doesn't understand how it works or why he should believe it or how suddenly that's The Option. He should have been paying better attention to Skulduggery's conversation, clearly.

Then again, where he's from, a blade to the throat at all would only ever end one way. Modern science is witchcraft to him just as much as actual witchcraft.

Is magic not just science we don't yet understand.

Izzy clenches his teeth. He doesn't like the answer, and looks down at the vice grip he's got over Jenny's wound. The fabric of his shirt is thin and sopping. There is so, so much blood.]

We just...let her go, then? Trust him to bring her back with all the chaos between them.

[He would never in a million years entrust his enemy with something like that. Jenny can't speak for herself, so Izzy must. If only to further his own agenda.

(Or maybe he's just getting really sick and tired of losing people.) ]

[a pause.

softly:] It's not really his decision. It's my Will.

[From Izzy's understanding, Friday is part of the Captain, so her will is his will, but saying things like that sure sends his concept of balanced sums out the window. He's missing something. A great many somethings.

Difficult as it is to look Friday in the face on the best of days, and now factoring in the clog of teeth and hair and dirt she'd been back on the island not long ago, Izzy squints. Mentalmathwoman.gif]

Exactly what power of will do you possess?

[a small shrug] I don't really know! I guess we'll see...

[she turns her attentions back to Jenny, smoothing out her hair.]

...

[Yeah, because that makes sense. He turns his attention back as well, pauses for a moment like he's seeking permission, and then pulls his hand and the rag away from Jenny's throat.]

[Izzy's initial answer at just how Jenny even reached this state was quite enough to preoccupy Jade in the meantime; Friday and he go on to talk a bit more from there, and there's little room or desire to interject until the words properly fall to a lull. Jade spends the time slowly and painstakingly drawing himself to his feet properly, a slight and tight sort of frown settling on his features as his attention is divided between Friday's answers...and the deal Skulduggery's also brokering, outside the tender entrance--that other interaction interspersed with the captain's unpleasantly familiar tone.

....Truthfully, he can readily understand Izzy's hesitance. If Jade hadn't been unconscious for the majority of the tender trip, he probably would have suggested something the same--that perhaps they might be able to bring her to some sort of doctor, or a healer--Tear Grants is on the ship now, for better or worse, one of the most accomplished Seventh fonists Jade's ever met and surely perhaps capable of attending even this kind of wound. ...But that would have been a suggestion made well before now. Izzy's person and the entire area surrounding Jenny's body are positively soaked in blood, far more than a normal human could afford to lose; it's incredibly impressive she's even still been alive at all, doubtless some result of her "goddess" constitution. But she's clearly on the absolute brink, at this point...and it seems they'll have to place her in the captain's hands after all.

On very unfortunate terms, by the sound of it out there.

He could...probably move to leave, at this point. Max has already stormed out of the entrance by now, and it seems Darcy's departing too. But instead of moving to exit the tender, Jade is shifting to stand next to Izzy after a moment, joining him in watching as the last of Jenny's life--and her freedom from the Serena Eterna--simultaneously bleed away.]

...It's unfortunate, all the same. She's going to be bound to this place, same as she was once before--and I imagine she's going to be very angry about it. [Jade sighs, and then shifts his glance sidelong at Izzy.] Enough so to attempt sinking the ship yet again, perhaps. I don't think you were present here at that time, were you?

I wasn't, no.

[Answered softly with his eyes still on Jenny. Letting this happen feels wrong with every fibre of his being. She was supposed to be their ticket out of here, with tales of her own ship and seemingly incredible power. An actual goddess.

This is so, so very wrong.

Izzy thinks there's a good chance she won't revive at all despite the Captain's, or Friday's will. Jenny is a known threat. Anyone with common sense knows not to save the life of a threat. They can not be tamed and they will turn against you when the opportunity arises. To assume anything else is madness.

Then again, the Captain isn't a sane man. Come to think of it, Izzy has never known a sane captain in his entire fucking life.

So who knows.

Finally, he forces himself to glance at Jade. There's some guilt here, like he should be the one holding vigil, but Friday is there too.]

What happened?

She brought about a fully realized storm, entirely of her own volition. Any given wave on this sea could have ended us. Even before that, she claimed to have sunk the ship three times past...not that it ever stuck, apparently. ...But the only reason there wasn't a fourth, was because she was talked down...for the sake of her brothers.

[Jade's not sure what Izzy's already heard and what he hasn't; it's a highly condensed summary, of those events that time back. ...What a contrast there is, between the past and now--Jenny was a towering being with lightning joining every strike of her fist against the bridge door, then. Yet now here she is, strangely mortal all the same in death. Again and again, Jade always finds himself encountering god-like beings with the strangest human traits...even Lorelei's appeals for freedom, back home, had been grounded in just the same very odd sort of fashion. There's probably something to conclude, from the consistency of the trend...

But such thoughts don't change what's happening now. Perhaps it's rather morbid, to be standing and talking over her like this when she's passing; still, it's not the first time Jade's watched the life drain from a body, and it feels...like they ought to observe this, all the same. As the party condemning her to the same lot as the rest of them yet again, now. Unpleasant and uncomfortable as it might be. ...Still, as he speaks of her brothers, the thought can't help but settle...]

...Even if we let her truly die, free of the captain--she still wouldn't find her brothers, in whatever afterlife she might pass to. After all, their souls are still here. ...And apparently we now have some idea where they are. Is that right? [Izzy spoke as if that were so, back on the island--the key words to snuff Jenny's rage at that time. Even with the grim circumstances considered, a slight curiosity does briefly tint Jade's tone and glance alongside the question.]

[Izzy listens, nodding here and there to show he's listening. Jade had proven himself competent on the mission for the most part and now he was proving knowledgeable. Two things Izzy holds in very high regard.

Recent lessons in his own life had suggested that Izzy, might, have a tendency of withholding important information. something he ought to think about should he wish to be seen in the same light.

And he does.]

Yeah. I know where they are. I haven't seen'em but I Skulduggery and I...

[No, back up.]

I had parlay with the Captain before any of this happened. He told me their names. Our screaming leader'n I put it together from there."

[So the souls have been located. Approximately, apparently? Through--a parley, with the captain? Immediately, naturally, the urge to ask several questions at once arises...and the strongest one of all wants to ask just where they've figured the souls actually are on the ship, but--

....No. Perhaps that shouldn't be discussed too thoroughly--here. Not quite like this. Gauche enough to be having this conversation next to Jenny's dying body already...the least they could do is keep it brief, and--there's the topic matter, too. If Skulduggery knows as well...then, between him and Izzy, Jade's sure he could pursue further details on all this later. Once things are done here--once they can all get together in general, perhaps, to actually consolidate the information they've collectively attained today.

On an external level it's a slight pause on Jade's part, accompanied by a slight frown. It certainly seems as if he wants to ask something...but in the end, he also visibly folds down the temptation. Nods slowly in the end, instead, as his glance inexorably slides back over to Jenny.]

It sounds as if it must have been quite an ordeal, attaining this information. I commend you being able to. ...We can discuss the finer details later, I suppose...but I could already say this knowledge will likely be quite prescient to bring, when we confront Jenny's inevitable fury tomorrow. Should she indeed return. [Here, Jade forces his attention to return to Izzy once more, a wry smile touching upon his features.] You've already used just the implication to great effect, recently; fast thinking on your part, back there. I suppose similar minds would think alike in such ways, considering you're both pirates...

[Izzy snorts, not quite sure if that's a compliment.

Well, no, it was. It's just so fucking rare that he receives one, his first instinct is to dismiss it entirely.

The moment he does realize however, Izzy, by instinct, sits up a little straighter and gives Jade his full attention.]

Ah well, I um-

[We're flustered over here, kids.]

It's the only leverage we have on her.

[They, he, teamwork makes the dream work. Say he's a dick, say he's an asshole, but he knows what to do in a team - especially in perilous moments.]

Though I suppose it won't be much if she becomes like the rest of us lot. I thought she might be our ticket home.

[Oh, what's that? Flustered, you say? From Jade's ~~blissfully oblivious~~ perspective of things, Izzy certainly seems to be having a moment's pause over this for some reason or another...but, he's assuming it's something to do with the thought the latter man eventually speaks aloud--that Jenny will no longer be the 'ticket home' in the conventional sense, trapped like the rest of them now. Which is a moderately fair point, all things considered...

But Jade's shaking his head at that, too, a slight and thoughtful sort of thing.]

This may be true in a sense--but we'd best not write her off quite so quickly, even if she does end up bound here. Her extensive experience with the workings of this ship and the captain can't be discounted--to say nothing of her goddess status, and the knowledge that affords her on the matters of such higher beings. In terms of sheer firepower she could yet be a valuable ally...and we'd far prefer that to her being an enemy to us, at the very least. ...Either way, we're surely going to need all the leverage we can get, if we want to avoid her killing us on sight tomorrow.

[Jade really is still half-expecting her to attempt drowning the ship again, himself. But, truly, only time will tell...

All that aside, though. It's an adjustment of thought tracts, in the slight pause that falls after Jade's words, before he's tilting his head a bit in Izzy's direction.]

At any rate. Are you well, yourself? I confess I cannot tell if you've any injuries or not, with all the blood positively everywhere at the moment...but you did seem to be holding up quite well before I lost all sense on the beach. [Did Izzy experience any effects of the curse at all, for that matter? He'd been holding quite a good luck streak all the way to the end, anyway...] Do you not plan to step out of here, soon? Or will you be remaining with Jenny?

[He waves off the question of his health. He’s fine. He’s Always Fine. He has to be.

And genuinely, his vision has cleared and the bump on the back of his head isn’t even worth acknowledging.

He’s actually in perfect condition, taking in all Jade’s thoughts about leverage and skill. There’s so much he doesn’t know about Jenny. So much he suddenly finds himself wanting to know. How odd.]

I’ll stay a little longer. Whatever got you all in the jungle must have missed me.

[Be it luck or the divine blessing of protection from the twin gods he shares a cabin with. A small mercy for their imposition in his privacy.]

Do you think we should bury her? It’s tradition. And her name is Guabancex.

[Ah, well, suit yourself sir. Not the first time Jade's encountered that Always Fine sort of handwave--seeing as he also practices it himself, on occasion!--and otherwise Izzy does seem quite lucid enough, no signs of hiding any particular pain or injury. So, Jade simply nods, appreciative as that first tidbit sets in.]

It's good to hear that at least one of us has managed to dodge the worst of all the curses, at the very least...or perhaps your near-beheading earlier on was sufficient enough karma to balance things out, hm?

[A flicker of wry humor there, that fades as quickly as it came. Jade's glance invariably falls down to Jenny's bloodied frame once again.]

Right--Guabancex. ...I imagine it'd have to be a sea burial, considering where we are. But I'm not sure. Possibly, the body may need to be preserved for resurrection...Miss Friday would know the finer details, and may have a preference on the matter either way. [A brief glance up to Friday as he says this, cradling Jenny's head as she likely still is.] Tradition where death might be concerned...is really rather tenuous in a place like this, more's the pity...

[curves her body over Jenny's...

muttering:] I hate when you throw the bodies overboard... I have to get the net out and my hair gets all wet...

Mm,

[Well there's the answer, then. A sea burial would be right for a storm goddess but if the bodies are needed and not simply reformed then...maybe not.

Besides, Izzy has sewn too many people into their hammocks as it is. Each stitch pulling guilt more than the weight of the fabric, with the last stitch through the corpse's nose. Just in case they are somehow, miraculously, still alive.]

Seems that way, yeah.

[He considers the situation for a moment but doesn't for a second think Jade is somehow inviting him off the tender, so he'll just. Hm. Dismiss the both of them, then.]

I'll help move the body. It was a pleasure working alongside you, Jade.

[Yeah, that...seems like a pretty solid answer for sure. Absolutely catching those muttered words in the small distance between them, Jade surreptitiously mentally notes that tossing any future corpses overboard in general probably ought to be a last resort, if only for the sake of maintaining Friday's good graces...

Anyway, though. Attention back over to Izzy, now, who also seems to be taking this verdict with resignation. From there...is a mildly awkward beat, indeed, as the question of what to do or say next hangs vaguely in the air. Probably for the best, that the conversation closes out as naturally as possible in the end--"natural" in the form of a somewhat delayed dismissal, anyway. Jade indeed isn't exactly about to try coaxing the man off the tender, seeing as Izzy seems set on seeing through Jenny's fate so long as Friday's willing to allow him to linger; so, putting that aside, a conclusion like this is just as well.]

A pleasure working alongside you too, Izzy Hands. This venture may not have been a rousing success...but it surely could have gone much worse, and you certainly had your hand in preventing as much. [Not...a great setup for a handshake here, considering how Izzy has his hands full currently. ...With, the blood of a goddess, mostly. Awkward. Instead, Jade offers a slight and professional dip of his head, before straightening again.] We ought to speak again sometime--perhaps in slightly less bloodstained circumstances, yes? But I'll leave you to your vigil now, in the meantime.

[...Right, between him and Friday--Jenny's body probably won't have too difficult of a transit, and so Jade's content to forego offering any assistance on that front. Getting off this tender in general...also just really appeals as a prospect, at this point. But, turning away and stepping towards the entrance, Jade ends up joining Skulduggery in getting Ava to her feet before they're all collectively heading out.]

SEPTEMBER EVENT: SKULLY'S ANGELS

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