theweakhavepurpose: (Judge)
Deputy Pratt ([personal profile] theweakhavepurpose) wrote in [community profile] come_sailaway2022-10-13 09:32 pm

Are you on the square? Are you on the level?

Who: Deputy Pratt & You
What: A reckoning is upon you (He's storming the halls looking for Sharky)
Where: Everywhere!
When: Mid-October
Warnings: Violence. Cult stuff. Cannibalism. Skinning. Gore. The standard Pratt warning buffet.
Notes: Bracket or prose, live your truth.



1. The World Is Weak - Laundry Room
It's already been well established that the best place to have a breakdown on the ship is in the Laundry Room, so that's where Pratt is. Though he's not crying, he's not yelling or throwing things or freaking out over a jacket like last time. No, he's pacing. Back and forth and back and forth, again and again while staring at the ground. He has his arms folded, clutching across his chest, which is an awkward position while walking but he doesn't move them.

He doesn't know what to do. Well, he knows what he wants to do, but he also knows that he is the master of terrible decisions so maybe he should think about it?

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Enjoying yourself?

"Shut the fuck up."

2. Eviction Notice - Decks

When Deputy Pratt leaves his room in the morning, he's wearing his full uniform, his belt jangling with every step, along with the dog tags around his neck. Idly he trails his fingers along the wall as he goes, dragging through some of those bloody notes left on doors without even seeming to react to it.

"Sharky! Shaaaaarkkkkyyyy..."

For all that people have seen him sobbing into mashed potatoes, enjoying himself in the arcade, or just generally being a morose but kind of endearing dork, there's another side to him that even Clarke hasn't seen. The last time he was walking like this he was losing himself to the conditioning and barely knew what he was doing. This is different. Pratt is in absolute control of himself and that is so much worse.

"It's been a day and we had a deal. A pact even." Pratt normally sounds like a raven with laryngitis, but right now his voice is so low and controlled when he talks that it could probably be used to grind glass. If it's not obvious Pratt is pissed. He's fucking furious. And that cold fury is being bottled up, saving it for later, for when he needs to act.

"It's okay, you can come out. We just need to talk. We're going to have a little chat. That's all."

He gets to the end of the hall of cabins, blood trailing from his fingers across all the doors from the loving notes left to Ebalon. He reaches up to his forehead, using the blood to draw a cross down his nose and across his forehead.

"Did you think you were finally free?"

This is probably fine.
broshaw: (17. rough diamond)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-17 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
"If he didn't get somethin' outta you, you wouldn't be here. That's how it works. It ain't just about killin' people! It's about gettin' them where it hurts. Until your friends disappear on ya, and you're all alone with a bunch of guys you can't trust, and then..."

He draws a thumb across his throat. "When he finally wrings you out for all your worth, when someone newer and more fun comes along, then you're useless to him. And into the nothing you go."

He shakes his head and picks up the shot. "I dunno why he's playin' this game with you guys, and I don't wanna know. And for the record? Yeah. Sharky would congratulate you for bein' a good boy. Probably give you a pat on the head, or somethin'."

He raises the shot in a salute, lifts it to his lips -- and then hurls it with the force of a fastball at Pratt's face.

"But I'm not Sharky!"

And he's gonna try to bolt.
broshaw: (15. stomp)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-17 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
This is fine. Good, even. Great. Sharky's body isn't as out of shape as it feels when he's sitting on a stool getting wasted; he's slightly slower than Pickles' original body, but it makes up for it in the stride. There are a lot of places he's used to running to when being hunted, but the cabins are a death trap these days and there's too much space between him and the gym with all the heavy weights.

Something he isn't used to, however, is the Halloween Spirit. The shop is new on board and infinite -- and that means plenty of places to hide.

He could text for backup, but -- who would come, really? None of his friends are here. He's on his own.

Pickles busts through the entrance of the Spirit, yanking the first shelf behind him as he does.
broshaw: (09. she's a bad mama jama)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-17 08:54 am (UTC)(link)
Jesus, what a showoff. Pickles wants to hurl a couple of choice insults about seeing Jason pull off better entrances than that in the movies, but talking would be a distraction he can't afford. Funnily enough, the only thing he has going through his head right now is that stupid line from that book Toki would always read aloud to him.

"Whenevers they catch yous, they wills kills yous... but firsts! They must catch yous!"

He sticks his arm out, catching boxes of string lights and scattering all but the one in hand across the ground. Okay, yes. The box crushes under his grip, but these lights are far too small to shatter in Pratt's eyes. Up ahead is a sizable fog machine display -- and are those trigger pads surrounding it working? WE'RE GONNA FIND OUT.
broshaw: (15. stomp)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-17 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Pickles keeps low as he can as he continues to bolt forward, dodging around a few more trigger pads for obnoxious laughing clown animatronics. Fuuuuck he hates clowns. But he hates getting got more!

He runs for what feels like forever but is arguably only like, three minutes, tops, zigging and zagging between shelves until he finds a nondescript-looking pile of broken shelving to hide in. This is the hardest part of being hunted; if you backtrack too soon, they aren't suitably distracted, but if you don't find an exit soon enough, you eventually get cornered.

It says a lot about the state of his own cruise when he's almost fond of the game... This is how he bonded with his own cabinmate, who had been a literal six-five, two-fifty pound hulk of undead flesh and mommy issues. It's how he earned any shred of respect from people like Daisy, and probably people like Pratt, too. It feels like he's in the wrong group. Like he was meant for their cruise, but got misplaced somewhere.

While he waits to hear Pratt pass him by (or potentially find him under all this twisted metal and polyester scrap), he pulls out his phone and shoots Ava just a real quick text.

...---...
🐺πŸ”ͺπŸ₯’


Annnd just gonna put that shit on silent...
broshaw: (09. she's a bad mama jama)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-18 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, this guy is a fucking nutjob. Pickles could appreciate it if they were on a team together, especially if he had to face down Daisy, but right now, it just fuckin' sucks.

Ava says she's on her way, and Pickles uses the opportunity to slowly begin creeping in the direction of the exit, hoping to be quiet enough to avoid being detected. That lasts all of a minute before he spots a classic voice changer on the rack...

Shit, he can't not. Especially when it's a limited edition, mid-90s branded Ghostface voice modulator.

"So you want to play a game, huh?" Oh fuck yes, it sounds just like the guy. "You wanna play Regan and the Priest?" When he laughs, it's loud enough to make the thing all staticky. One more line before he tosses it...

"Nah, man, I think you've just been waitin' for a chance to rip Sharky apart. He doesn't think you'd do it, but I know better."

He chucks the thing in the opposite direction, into a bunch of hokey Oujia tin signs, then begins a quicker creep back toward the entrance. A creep that picks up into an alarmed run when he accidentally steps on a pressure pad that triggers a howling werewolf display nearby.
broshaw: (15. stomp)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-18 08:28 am (UTC)(link)
If Pickles had any say in the matter, he would have come back as himself, damn it! He doesn't want to be stuck in some fucking asshole's body, let alone one that feels like it's been through all the things Pratt's describing! This body doesn't feel right, like wearing a skin fatsuit and walking around on stilts, and it doesn't smell right, or look right --

He has no breath to spare on explaining that to Pratt, so he doesn't. What he does do is cut across the winding central path to another rack of wet-looking bagged costumes.

That's mistake number one.

And here, there's only room for one mistake, as Pratt sees his opening and takes Pickles down, the two of them crashing into the water-exposed clearance costumes. Pickles doesn't hesitate bitch, taking a punch to the gut and returning it with his own clenched fist aimed for the bloody gash from earlier.
broshaw: (23. cheeseburgersona)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-19 06:42 am (UTC)(link)
Getting fucked in a Spirit Halloween, and it's not even by a hot groupie in a sexy nurse costume. Just an ugly fucking asshole in a very real cop uniform, wailing on him with all the fury of the thin blue line behind him. For now, Pickles focuses on defense, keeping his arms up over his face to block as many blows as possible.

He isn't gonna die here, that much is for sure. He will not be murdered by this lightweight psychopath, not after getting so fucking lucky the first time! There is nothing for him beyond this body and he isn't going to give it up! He will not go back to being nothing again, he won't, he CAN'T --

The next time Pratt punches him across the jaw rattles his brain so much that Pickles can't think of anything else to do but bite down on Pratt's arm before he can fully retreat it. It's nothing more than brutal instinct, and he chomps down with the force of a man enjoing his first taste of blood in a very long time.
broshaw: (17. rough diamond)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-19 07:58 am (UTC)(link)
It's very close to being the former, simply because Pickles refuses to let go even as Pratt flails and tries to dislodge him. Pickles would rather rip this motherfucker apart one mouthful at a time than risk losing this fight. For Pratt, it's a matter of dying and waking up the next morning, missing a chunk of his arm or his liver or something. For Pickles, it's a matter of becoming nothing.

There's so much going on that Pickles doesn't realize there's glass in his neck until it's tearing open the skin below the corner of his jaw. It's a sharp, searing pain that draws a ragged howl out of him, finally releasing Pratt from his mouth.

"GHHHK--!"

He winds back both fists and begins punching with blind, random fury; very few punches land, but the few that do are bound to leave a lasting mark.
broshaw: (15. stomp)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-19 11:17 am (UTC)(link)
Pickles goes with him the moment he rolls, bloodied teeth bared in a grimace of pain and determination. He smacks around blindly for a second before his fingers slip around Pratt's throat, and then he's grabbing desperately, thumbs pressing down hard on Pratt's windpipe. He'll kill him. He'll murder him. No, even better, he'll almost murder him, but not quite. Leave him just barely breathing, one leg twitching like a cartoon character --

It's hard to keep focused when he knows that he's slowly bleeding out from the side of his neck, doubly so when passing out is a guaranteed death sentence. Pratt doesn't make it any easier, thrashing and clawing at Pickles's face and arms; nor does being drunk, which hasn't done him any favors so far tonight other than dull some of the pain.

"I'm not going back," he snarls, fighting off the faint sensation of wooziness, "I'm NEVER going back!"
decohere: (but i'm over that)

[personal profile] decohere 2022-10-20 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
After the text for help from Pickles, it doesn't take long for Ava to track them down. Through the dissipating fog, the wrecked displays that maybe slowed their pursuit but not hers. The animatronics cackle brokenly as they sense her passing by in a flickering but purposeful path through the Spirit Halloween. That alone would lead her right to the scene, but the shouting and grunts and scuffling truly give their position away.

There's no shock at the brutality, she's seen far worse. Caused far worse. Just a sad tilt of her head as she watches them desperately get whatever blows in that they can, her quiet presence unnoticed. Because she doesn't yet interfere, doesn't call out for them to stop. Doesn't think they'd listen.

It wouldn't take much to knock them both out. They're just two regular humans, after all. And this isn't cold and efficient, it's an outlet for pent up raging emotions that... she can't quite argue with on either side and so won't bother. No, stepping in too early wouldn't solve anything, it's best to allow them to exhaust whatever fight they have left. Make them feel the consequences of the action better than her own disappointment could.

Pratt doesn't like an imposter living within his best friend. Would do anything to rip him out and bring Sharky back. She wants that too. And Pickles has his entire existence on the line, and she's been in such a position before to know the very real fear. He deserves a chance. But she has no solutions.

None of this is right. But this isn't her fault, she has to remind herself. She told Pratt. But he deserved to know. She wouldn't feel any better if she'd withheld this from him. And she knows asking Pickles not to hurt Pratt could only go so far. Still. Still, she's almost tempted to let this play out to the end, because maybe it's not her call to make. Who deserves to win.

But she cares too much. About all three of them. She silently asks Sharky to forgive her, as she sweeps in from behind to wrap an arm around his throat to hold his head in place before shoving a hand right through the back of his skull, fingertips poking out the other side through his eyes. Unlike the hand in his chest, this time she allows it to hurt. "Playtime is over, boys," she hisses against his ear. "Let him go."

And if Pratt thinks he can get cute and take advantage of her holding Pickles back for him. No, he has both her feet planted into his stomach, a twist of her heel to make sure he feels it. "And you. Stay down."
broshaw: (02. love hangover)

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-20 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
Pickles is howling something about choosing to be blind forever over death, fuck Pratt, etc. etc., and then suddenly there is a searing, awful pain that shoots from the back of his head to the front. So it kind of goes like:

"FUCK YOU, YOU SHITTY RENT-A-COAAAAHHGGHHH!"

He gives Pratt's throat one more hard squeeze, as if hoping to crush his windpipe, then lets go with an awful groaning sound. He doesn't move other than that, though, agonizingly aware of just how bad it would be if Ava decided to turn corporeal with one arm stuck through his head.
decohere: (Default)

[personal profile] decohere 2022-10-20 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
The chaos seems to halt, and Ava can feel the warm blood from the gash in Sharky's neck already soaking through the sleeve of her sweater. Her arm tightens its squeeze like a snake around its prey. To keep him under control, in worry of him bleeding out.

This isn't Sharky. Maybe Pratt is right. Maybe she should just-

Ava slowly slips her hand out of his head with a blur that'll spark through his optical nerves, and pats the top of it with a soothingly whispered "good boy." He'd called her an angel, and so she'll be merciful. And far more patient than she feels.

She fixes Pratt with a stern frown at his childish excuse. "I know. You think it's better Sharky isn't in here right now." She strokes the side of Sharky's stolen face with her fingernails. "But what if he is? What if Sharky is in there. Right now. Watching you do this. Can you really live with that?"
broshaw: (18. take your time (do it right))

[personal profile] broshaw 2022-10-20 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
Pickles hands are up and away, held out like Pratt has a gun to the back of his head. Although he reels momentarily as she takes her hand out of him, he doesn't otherwise move; no way, no how is he doing anything to get himself killed.

He's just gonna keep his goddamn mouth shut and let Ava talk Pratt down. Hopefully, that happens in the next fifteen minutes, so he has time to get to the infirmary before he starts to feel woozy.

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