We're wide awake now, our eyes are wide open. We're running this world, we keeping it turning

[opheliac]

Who: EVERYONE ON THIS DANG SHIP!
What: IT'S A PARTTTYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When: last week of april before more shit happens.
Where: rischie
Warnings: PG-13??? alcohol is definitely involved, teens being teens, drunk people or doing bad decisions??? who is to say!!!





Fast Travel Thread Links

★ ENTRANCE.
★ THE DANCE FLOOR.
★ AT THE BAR.
★ GAME AREA.
★ DJ TABLE // PRIVATE WITH JINX
★ LOSER CORNER.
★ THE FOOD TABLE.
★ KARAOKE.
★ OUTSIDE RISCHIE.
★ WILDCARD.

Comments

[neverleave]

If it does, I never knew.

[He can't say no with confidence. Six months ago, he still thought vampires only existed in stories, and there are people on the Serena Eterna whose magic is more like science.]

Sometimes people rise from the grave. I guess it's more like a disease than magic, though.

[light_mischief]

Ah, like zombies? Classic. Everybody's got zombies. [No they don't!] And it's smart not to make assumptions. Most of the people in my reality have no idea magic is real. And apparently, anything is possible here over all places. Great place to be open-minded.

[Case in point, the skeleton now introducing himself:] I'm Skulduggery Pleasant, by the way. Good to meet you, not so glad to be here.

[neverleave]

[The undead he knows are vampires rather than zombies, but he decides not to correct Skulduggery. Natsuno may not look like a stereotypical vampire - he can go in the sun, he has a pulse and can eat normal food - but since some people already know what he is, or have their suspicions, it's best to not even go in that direction.]

Yuuki. [Don't comment on the skeleton's dramatic name, don't comment, you HATE it when people do that to you - ] And same, I guess. It'd be weird if anyone was glad to be here.

[light_mischief]

[It's... yeah. Probably better he's just left to make assumptions. He doesn't consider vampires undead, anyway -- just... monsters.]

Full disclosure, I was extremely pleased to show up at first. The shine has certainly worn off since then. I can't imagine it's been easy being here longer than a few days.

[It's been... a week? He's not sure. He's not sure he's supposed to be sure. It's all very confusing for him.]

[neverleave]

Guess a luxury cruise ship looks better than a hell portal, at least for a few days.

[Most people seemed to enjoy the amenities, but Natsuno - who tried to swim for the horizon hours after waking up here - got along better with the few who insisted on being party poopers right from the get go.]

Mostly it feels like you're waiting for something terrible to happen.

[light_mischief]

That waiting probably plays a big part in everything. If the captain feeds off of negative emotions, then it stands to reason that stress and anxiety might serve to... I don't know. Tenderize the meat? It certainly makes us more susceptible to negative emotions.

[Even with music and lights and all that going on around him, Skulduggery cannot resist a solid game of Clue. Especially not one with him as a potential murder victim.]

[neverleave]

[He makes a face at "tenderize the meat." It's disgusting, but also probably accurate.]

But if someone doesn't experience negative emotions, aren't they more susceptible to willingly play his game? Then he gets what he wants anyway.

[light_mischief]

[Yep, that's pretty much how Skulduggery felt saying it. Eugh, but also fair.]

Do you mean that somebody without fear might want to play with the captain? I wonder if he'd even like that. It seems like our unwillingness to be here is part of the appeal.

[neverleave]

[Natsuno shrugs.]

When I just got here, I asked Friday what's going on and she said she'd tell me if "I made it." One freak who enjoys it is enough to make life harder for everyone else.

[Jenny Storm said so, too: the captain wants suffering, and killing each other is a good way to get that. Give him the soul of every other passenger, and maybe he'll let you play for your freedom.]

[light_mischief]

[This is all news to Skulduggery, who is suddenly much more vested in the conversation than before.]

Made it? So is all of this really just a game? What... does anyone get out of it? Why would anyone want to... do all of this at all?

[He recognizes he's unloading here, but he can't help it! These questions need answers!]

[neverleave]

I told you - the captain wants suffering.

[And if he wasn't 100% sure of that before, seeing Rita in the infirmary without a hand made it a damn certainty.]

We can't die here. I don't think it's a stretch to assume certain kinds of people will take advantage of it.

[light_mischief]

It just... doesn't make sense to me. He wants suffering. Okay, sure. He likes to torture us to illicit said suffering. Of course he does. Then why bring people here who wouldn't fulfill that role for him? Why bring in others who might... I don't know, steal the kill? Take the fun out of it? Seems silly to me. I'd rather stock up on fresh meat.

Oh. Sorry. I'm not expecting you to have any of the answers. I'm not even expecting my questions to mean anything. I just... can't not ask. [You get it, right?]

[neverleave]

[He makes a "hmmm" sound. Yeah, he gets it.] I think most of us are just throwing ideas, trying to connect what little information we have. Honestly, I don't really care why he does what he does. I just want out of here.

[Maybe the "why" is important, but Natsuno is content to leave it for others to figure out. Call him when there's a way to destroy the shades and sink the ship with the captain for good.]

[light_mischief]

Agreed on that front. I'm not exactly excited to be dealing with this when I know there are much bigger things going on back home. Feels like an unnecessary waste of time.

[Hmmm.] Has anybody tried... asking the captain for more information?

[neverleave]

[Natsuno just. Stares at him flatly.]

People tried knocking on the bridge's door. [Pause.] He never answered.

And the one time he did, a girl lost a hand.

[light_mischief]

[WHAT! It's a reasonable question!!!]

...How did she lose her hand?

[So he doesn't make the same mistake....]

[neverleave]

The captain turned her fire magic against her.

[All emotion disappears from Natsuno's expression. His tone is eerily calm and clinical as he relays the rest.]

Then he let her go. So she would have to choose between surviving a painful injury, and killing herself to get it fixed.

[light_mischief]

And she chose the former.

[Interesting. He's not sure he'd make the same choice.]

Sorry if this topic is uncomfortable. I'm playing catch-up, but I don't mean to press.

[Because obviously, he noticed the change. Considering how generous with information Natsuno's been, Skulduggery's inclined to look to his wellbeing. The last thing he needs to do is accidentally drive away somebody being helpful.]

[neverleave]

[Another shrug, still emotionless.]

If I feel "pressed", I won't answer and go away. [Uncomfortable topic? Maybe. Rita isn't quite a friend, but he respects her intellect and willingness to endure a painful recovery instead of going for the easy fix. He's mostly angry that the captain plays with people like this.] It's pointless to hide information, or people will keep making the same mistakes and we'll never get out of here.

[He isn't entirely forthcoming, though. Natsuno keeps one piece of information to himself - that Jenny Storm gave the captain the souls of her fellow passengers for a chance to win her freedom. It's nothing personal, but he doesn't want to give wrong ideas to someone he just met.]

[light_mischief]

Glad to be on the same page. I'm trying to make sure that any dumb ideas I get are at least original ones. So anything you can tell me, from the storm pirate to the captain to the barrier keeping us trapped here... you'd be doing me a favor. Even the smallest, most insignificant details that you've found weird about the ship.

[Because if Natsuno doesn't care, then Skulduggery certainly doesn't. Why beat around the bush with someone who understands the importance of collaboration? The enemy of my enemy, and so on.]

You never know what's going to turn out to actually be useful information, after all.

[neverleave]

Jenny Storm left ten years ago. Apparently she won a hand of blackjack against the captain and he let her go. [Not mentioned: how she brought him the soul of every other passenger to be even allowed to play, and how she used those souls to power he galleon.] She came back to find her brothers, but...

[A shrug. That didn't work.]

She learned some of the captain's magic here. With blood and sigils. I can show you the symbols, if you want.

[Maybe the weird skeleton man can make some sense of the weird runic bullshit?]

[light_mischief]

Blackjack? That's it?

[The game fades completely from his mind at the words blood and sigils. The skeleton man doesn't have eyes, but the way he straightens his posture might indicate his excitement at the offer.]

I'm not familiar with many sigils, but yes. Yes, I would like to see them, very much. Did she show them to you? Or did you see them while she was using them against the captain?

[So many questions!]

[neverleave]

Skulduggery Pleasant, right? I'll send you the photos.

[Time to whip up the phone!]

This is what the captain sent Rita Mordio the first time she tried to blast the bridge. [Sadly, the captain's version has no convenient title] Apparently this didn't have "intent" in it, so it must've been a threat. [And Natsuno already told him what happened to Rita on second strike.] And this is from Friday's desk drawer.

I saw Jenny drawing other symbols in blood in the jewelry store. Made the glass disappear. She didn't really care people were watching.

[light_mischief]

[BestDayofMyLife.mp3 plays]

Oh, wow. [Because he's used to pretty ornate sigil work from his acquaintances back home, but this one's... different. The outer ring is full of esoteric symbols and... hmmm.]

Certainly looks like magic. A few of the symbols remind me of alchemy, but that's all hokum, so they must be... different, then. I wonder if they're from Earth...

[Oops, getting lost in that detecting sauce. Still!] I appreciate you letting me take a look at them.