[open] dreams of you all through my head

[pinballer]

Who: Vance Hopper & (mostly) ota
What: Fixing Judith and generally being around
When: Early November
Where: all around
Warnings: eventual discussion of child torture/murder


1 / it's all right now (the drunken sailor)

[ Before the party, Vance was gifted with the mangled remains of Fio's teddy bear, Judith. One of the ghosts did it, and he feels kind of silly doing something so sentimental for a teddy bear, but he knows it's because the ghost was avenging him for Judith's previous attack. So, in a way, he feels responsible.

He chose The Drunken Sailor because it's where Knife Club is held, and also because he thinks Fio is unlikely to wander in and see Judith before it's all fixed up. There's some threads in all different colors set out and everyone is encouraged to take a different one and fix the bear a little bit at a time. That way, Fio will know how many different people all came together for her.

Vance is sitting at the table with a bit of read thread, starting to sew the arm back on. He isn't very good at it, but this is a group effort anyway. ]

[ ooc note: If they know Vance, assume your character got a text and was invited. If they don't know Vance and you want to participate, feel free to handwave that someone invited them. ]

2 / but don't give yourself away

[ Sometime after fixing Judith, Vance can be found all around the ship. He's not as devastated as he was in the aftermath of the party, but he's not entirely back to normal, either. He's...somewhere in between.

If someone saw him take down not-Friday, he's willing to talk about it. He also wants to catch up with anyone he knows who was possessed and isn't anymore.

Once in a while, too, he lifts up the corner of his white tank top and (for the first time since he's been here) takes an actual look at the knife-wound scars that were left behind. He's hated those scars since the first time he saw them and has done whatever it takes to keep them covered. After seeing Judith - all full of stitches but still wanted and still okay - he thinks, finally, that they might not be so hideous after all. ]

3 / it's only teenage wasteland (closed to clarke)

[ As much as he tries to play the tough guy, the last month weighed on him something fierce and he feels like he's about to burst if he doesn't get some of his feelings out into the world. Clarke's been trying to nudge him into sharing a little ever since they went to beach, so he just lets it slip. ]

I lied. I am scared. Of a lot of things. [ About ending up like the ghosts here and being sent to the Nothing, yes, but also of the monsters from his past even if they aren't here anymore. ]

wildcard

[ surprise me. I'm at callico or chimera#5926 if you want to plot. ]

Comments

[pinballer]

"You only think that because you can't see my six-pack abs. And I'm still growing," he says, because he definitely measures himself every day.

"Alright. I'll learn."

[crushed_pearls]

"Excellent. You'll want someone to practice it on but I've got time to burn right now so we can cover some of the basics, and you're welcome back any time. I'm..."

Kicked out of fight club.

"Not gonna be there Tuesdays for a bit but I'd bet you my left foot Peter Smith knows the technique too. So, the goal is to be able to grab the hand like this - remember not to struggle, you'll still break your own wrist even though I'm being very gentle -"

What follows is the slow-motion demonstration of the fundamentals; where and how to grab the hand, getting the lock from an arm that's in motion, how to dig one's thumb in to make an opponent drop what they're holding. There's even a demonstration of the weakness of the technique ("If they don't panic they'll clock you in the face or cut your throat, which is why we're practicing moving away the instant you have the wrist..."). Erin even offers up her own hands to try it out on, so Vance can feel the way the body moves when the joint is torqued, see how even someone much taller can be moved as if they weigh nothing.

Erin looks almost...at peace. Like she's doing something she was put on this Earth, or at least the SS Hellscape, to be doing.

[pinballer]

"Yeah, I've met him," Vance says, "He's been meddling with me for a while now."

And by meddling he means watching over him a bit ever since he showed up, participated in a duel, and broke his teenage opponent's nose.

He pays attention to the demonstration, clenching his teeth when she takes his wrist. It takes all of his willpower not to try and struggle out of what he feels is a very light grasp, but a broken wrist is the last thing he needs here. When she's done he tries to do the same thing on her, but he doesn't get it quite right. His grip is a little too high up.

"Like that?"

[crushed_pearls]

"Almost! Here..."

Meddling, eh? Something to maybe talk to Peter about in a bit, get the perspective. He seems like a very careful and deliberate kinda guy but there's always that pride that Vance seems good at digging at if someone is willing to play the boy's game on his terms.

Erin moves Vance's hand down gently and presses his thumb in. "You want to be able to feel that hollow right there in the meat, where the thumb bone juuust starts diverging from the hand. That's what causes the pain when I dig in on you; there's a bunch of nerves there the body uses to tell your hand how to be a hand. When you press it locks everything up."

[pinballer]

"Okay, I think I've got it."

He lingers for a moment to commit the feeling to memory, and then lets go.

"Why aren't you going to be at fight club? You seemed to be all about that shit last time we talked."

[crushed_pearls]

Erin winces at the question. Everyone else had just let it go.

Ughhh FUCK.

"I...insulted another member very deeply and it's best if I'm not there, to keep the peace and not disturb anyone else while they're learning. Sorry Vance."

[pinballer]

"That's it? I've insulted pretty much everyone here and I go wherever I want," he says, "Get on my level."

[crushed_pearls]

Erin shakes her head. "Not that kinda insult, Vance. I really hurt them, and...well. That's about all I can say without hurting them further, so that's where this explanation stops. You might remember our first conversation when I mentioned I'm not interested in being the big badass who don't need nobody, yeah? Well. This's part of that."

[pinballer]

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he says, "God. Being a better person is so fucking exhausting."

He doesn't get why everyone here seems so into it. Maybe he's trying a little, too, but it sure is a pain in the ass.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin cracks a sideways smile. "It gets easier the more you do it, like anything else. Kicking ass, gardening, being nice...it's all work. Besides, if I don't put in the work I might end up as big of a dick as the Captain and then you'd have to kick my ass."

[pinballer]

"No one can be as much of a dick as the captain," he scoffs, "Except...never mind, no one that matters."

There's someone who frightens him more than the captain, but Vance is worried that speaking his name will summon him here.

[crushed_pearls]

"...You keep well, Vance. You'll do just fine, I think. You let me know if you need anything I can provide, yeah? Right now the list is basically Muppets, hand to hand, and a good listening ear but it's not like my schedule's full."