I Was Looking for a Breath of Life

[redlightgreenlight]

Who: Valdis and Open!
What: New Arrival tries to cope with being dropped into a new place after a massive bloodbath
When: November
Where: All over
Warnings: Headaches, grumpiness, will warn if it gets worse than that.




1) Arrival: Her head screamed at her, sharp pain cutting into her vision with every breath. Eyes closed tightly, Valdis does her best to breathe. The heavy death in the air, filled with lingering desperation and trauma tightened her chest. Of all the times to fall into a new world, it would be just after a massacre. With her head in her hands, her black hair hiding her face, she leaned against the railing of the walkway, trying to drown out the pain. This was definitely where it all happened. The pain was worse here.
"Haven't felt this bad since the last war," she muttered. "How many people died?"


2) Revelations: Valdis worked her way through the ship, avoiding her cabin as much as possible, seeking to memorize the layout of the ship and maximize her ability to move quickly should it be necessary. The Void is silent, a fact she should be grateful for, and in some ways, very much is. But now the silence is simply silence, and the feeling that the dead are around every corner sits in her gut. She can’t see them, except maybe flitting out of the corner of her eyes from time to time, but she can sense that they aren’t alone. Footsteps sounded from behind her, she’d been so focused on the dead that she hadn’t paid attention to the living. She turns around, hand on the hilt of the rather impressive sword hanging on her hip.

"Hello?"

3)Buffet: Without the ability to draw on the dead, Valdis must find something to soothe the very human feeling of hunger. She’d known the feeling from home, before her memories had begun to return, but now she found it highly annoying.

“What’s the best thing here?”

Second Week of November and Onwards

4) Library: Valdis has finally taken Erin's advice and found the black binder in the library. She is not thrilled with what she's reading and the tension is visible in her usually elegant jawline and the glowing red in her eyes. Fear isn't found anywhere in her demeanor or soul, but rather a thoughtful, yet tense, aura radiates from where she sits. She's so focused that almost anyone not touched by death could approach without her noticing. If they are touched by death, she may react poorly, so tread carefully.

5) Hurikane: She can't get drunk, but she sure is trying her best with pure vodka and whatever else she can find that's strong. She's not even really trying to taste it, just downing it as fast as the invisible bartender can deliver, and exhausting her healing abilities as she goes. It's still not enough to even give her a buzz though. Disappointing.

6)Wildcard round: Your turn!

Comments

Re: 2

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis' first impression is that this woman is dead. Not in the undead monster sort of manner either, as she seems to be in full control of her capacities. She's more like someone whose soul has been put back into their body, but it is not fully connected the way someone alive might be.

"And you're dead," she replies casually, "Or at least you're supposed to be."

[saltwaterlungs]

Both of her hands go up in a gesture of surrender and a look of panic crosses her face.

"Honest to God swear on my grave, the relevant authorities of my world know and are cool with it. I'm not doing anything wrong."

[redlightgreenlight]

Fear. That's a new one, and perhaps the first time she's encountered it on this vessel. It's so tempting to play with that fear.

"We're not on your world." Valdis smiles softly, eyes glinting. She's never actually encountered this situation before, but it's amusing to keep the poor girl on edge for at least a moment. She lets those words sink in for a moment, then laughs, "But we aren't on mine either, so you get a pass this time."

[saltwaterlungs]

Well it's good to know that her heart can sometimes still beat in panic. They're both probably grateful that Valdis doesn't press any further, Darcy's hand stops white-knuckling on the hilt of her rapier- but she doesn't remove it entirely.

"No, we aren't. What are you?"

Nice and blunt straight out the gate.

[redlightgreenlight]

It's probably a good thing she decided not to play too much, she's not cruel and the poor girl seems to still be on edge. Perhaps she can sense something in the same way Palamedes and Bash did, but neither of them were outright afraid. Her question clears up that though immediately.

"Ah, yes...I'm a Hellhound." Not that she's sure many people even know what that is based on previous interactions. "Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you."

Stale souls probably don't taste great anyway!

[saltwaterlungs]

"...huh."

That could just be a translation of the Kerberoi, or a concept slightly to the left of it.

"Hellhound like a... church grim?"

She's a bit human shaped for that, but it's possible.

[redlightgreenlight]

"Church Grim, Black Shuck and Barghest are other names used. No matter what the humans call us, we are reapers of souls and serve no one but ourselves."

There was a reason that the Angels and Demons feared her kind, so really she's not surprised that this woman is afraid, but she wonders exactly what the woman feels that causes her to be fearful when others have simply been wary.

"My name is Valdis. What's yours?"

[saltwaterlungs]

A thin shadowed line appears on Darcy's face as her jaw clenches.

"Darcy. I'm a Sin-Eater. That probably doesn't mean anything to you, but what it means is that I have a duty to the living and the dead of this ship."

So don't make trouble with reaping souls, left unsaid.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis catches the unsaid meaning, or at least the emotional sensation of it. She laughs again.

"Don't worry, I'm not about to go reap anyone. Unlike the rest of my kind, I actually have my own soul, so there's no reason to take anyone else's."

Not that she can't take them, she simply doesn't want to or need to. She can feel the magic still lingering within reach, ready to move and consume at will. She suspects that there may come a time in this strange game when she will need it.

"And you're right, I don't know what a Sin-Eater is, I can probably guess, but why don't you tell me so I don't risk being wrong."

[saltwaterlungs]

"Good."

Says the teenage girl acting tough. She's still got pimples.

"We're people who came back from the dead through a pact with a spirit. The Sin-Eaters are ghost hunters, mourners, shepherds to keep the living and the dead from hurting each other."

Hence the intensity of her whole. Everything. In the face of Valdis right now.

[redlightgreenlight]

Oh yes, very tough, very scary, Valdis is very intimidated. She eyes Darcy, evaluating a bit more as the girl explains.

"Well, I assure you that I am very much alive and I am not interested in interfering with the ghostly dead."

Besides the things she kills stay dead and don't linger as ghosts, because they are broken down into pure energy and consumed, but she's not telling Darcy that.

"How does one form a pact with a spirit?"

[saltwaterlungs]

"Ask it nicely."

A shrug like 'why are you asking me?'

"I'd ask mine for more details, but he's not here."

[redlightgreenlight]

"You don't know the terms of your reanimation, but you know what you were tasked with doing? That seems a little unfair. What happens if you fail?"

Surely she knows that much. Yet, Darcy also recognized that Valdis is more, so she must have some sort of experience with something similar.

[saltwaterlungs]

"I don't fail."

Firmer even than before, "the deal was perfectly fair. I don't need to know the details, same as I don't need to know how my heart beating works."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis tips her chin down, contemplating the words, but not quite believing them.

"You don't even want to know?"

There must be some sort of trauma behind that firm statement.

"What is it that drives you then? Surely you don't do it for the sake of doing it. No one is that simple."

[saltwaterlungs]

"I don't do it for the sake of it. I do it because it needs doing. Because the world sucks and people mostly suck, and keeping the living and the dead safe is how I change that. Having a sense of duty isn't simple. It's hard and it sucks and I do it anyway."

Darcy folds her arms, trying less to exude badassery now and more protecting her own position, as if trying to shore up her own defenses.

[redlightgreenlight]

Darcy is very young to have such steadfast ideals, but, she could be older than she looks. She might have died as a teenager, but becoming a reanimated entity means she might be much older.

"I apologize, I wasn't questioning your...duty...more your lack of interesting in understanding why. Though perhaps I'm projecting too much." She's willing to admit that. "As for duty, not everyone has to follow theirs. I'm a Hellhound. My instinct is to consume and destroy souls, perhaps a twisted version of my original duty, whatever that might have been."

[saltwaterlungs]

Fortunately for Darcy, she does not in fact have to be a teenager forever. Unlike some others on the boat. Pour one out for Natsuno.

"Why what? Why me? Why I was doing it?"

It's a testament to how fucking weird this ship is that Darcy barely blinks at her next sentence.

"What do you mean 'original duty'?"

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis shrugs, "I would want to know why a god, or spirit, saw fit to choose me to revive over someone else. I would especially want to know the terms of said exchange and have a choice in it."

Free will and choice is a big thing for her personally.

"As for original duty? I don't know. I just know there was something else before this. A long time ago. But I have no memories of it aside from that."

She still didn't have all her memories of what she currently is either. Just feelings and random thoughts.

[saltwaterlungs]

"Okay- hold on, I think you've got something fucked up. I know why I was picked to come back; literally just random chance. And it's not like I didn't have a choice. I know what's been asked of me. I just don't know the fucking, necromantic formulas or some shit, and if I did, I don't know why I'd tell you."

Because y'know. That seems like a good way to get her shit turned against her.

"Weird."

[redlightgreenlight]

"I mean, I don't need to know the formula in order to kill you, so if that's your concern, put your mind at rest."

That's not anything that would help anyone trust her, but she's joking.

"And just like the gods to meddle with loot boxes."

A sigh.

"Are you at least happy with your new life?"

[saltwaterlungs]

"To try to kill me. And no gods. None except the big one, and it wasn't him that brought be back. Just ghosts."

The question is trite enough that Darcy feels every inch of the scoff she returns.

"Is anyone happy with their life."

[redlightgreenlight]

"I stand corrected, try to kill you."

The scoff is honestly amusing. Valdis looks away for a moment, a small smile on her face, trying to hide the amusement.

"No, not even those who have everything."

[saltwaterlungs]

"Bingo," Darcy affirms with a gesture of her pointer finger.

"'s a dumb question. Pointless. I'm upright and thinking and able to act, happy or unhappy doesn't mean anything."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis watches Darcy with an evaluation gaze. The girl is fairly negative. Probably doesn't have many friends and probably also doesn't care about that fact.

"Well, if you are bored of the niceties. How did you die? I smell water and mud, so I assume drowning."