Honoria Crabb (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pointofhonoria) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
come_sailaway2022-11-03 02:21 am
pointofhonoria) wrote in come_sailaway2022-11-03 02:21 am
Well, the world might cut you down again [OPEN]
Who: Honoria Crabb & you!
What: Crabb comes back from being possessed
When: Second weekish of November on, mostly
Where: Many places on the ship
Warnings: Discussion of possession, death, etc.
Notes: Feel free to flip me to brackets I am comfortable with either style.
1. And your best might not be good enough [closed to Johnny]
You don't realise how much you take the ability to sleep for granted until it's abruptly ripped away from you. Maybe if she could go right from closing her eyes to dreaming, skip over the quiet, the dark, the almost-nothingness of drifting off, Crabb could bring herself to get more than a handful of hours over as many days, but she can't. So, she hasn't.
She's exhausted. She's terrified. She's still not actually left her room since she woke up, equally desperate for human contact and scared to face the aftermath of everything she missed.
All of this finally comes to a head when she almost passes out standing up in the bathroom, while trying to splash herself with water to wake herself up no less. She barely catches herself before she cracks her head off the sink and the sheer panic that hits is enough to simultaneously startle her awake and realise she really needs to sleep.
Sliding down to sit on the floor, back against the shower cubicle, she texts Johnny: Almost killed myself by falling asleep on my feet. Think I need an assist, here.
2. But just know you're not alone [cabins]
Eventually, she knows she has to brave the rest of the ship. Struggling with such a simple thing as stepping outside her door for more than a few minutes at a time is frustrating enough as it is, but the problem with getting more sleep and thus more energy is the stir craziness that follows.
So, eventually, she bites the bullet. Gets dressed in actual clothes again (pants and one of the assortment of flannels she apparently got delivered at some point) and tells herself she's not going back inside for at least an hour. That's doable.
Still, it's... hard. Harder than it should be. (She's getting kinda a brand new perspective on Johnny's issues, let her say that much...) So maybe you catch her before she's actually managed to leave, on any particular day, standing in the doorway of her cabin awkwardly.
3. And if you slip and lose your way again [food places, calgona, library, photos at sea]
One way or another she does, finally, start trying to get back into a routine again. Stopping by Windjammer for most of her meals in the morning, afternoon and evening—though she'll occasionally stop by Sand Dollars for coffee or a snack. During these times she's quiet, but not hostile to company, and honestly would actually welcome it even if you'd struggle to make her say so.
She starts going to the gym again, whaling on a punching bag almost as hard as Daisy did while occupying her body except, unlike Daisy, Crabb has the sense to wear wraps and stop when she feels her hands getting too stiff. You might catch her while she's still punching away, or maybe after she's decided it's time for a break and is sat against the wall with a bottle of water.
Sometimes, she swings by the library to either sit and read in one of the chairs, or check on the Black Binder and other assorted information to see if anything changed on that front in the time she was gone. Catch her staring at the damage report and mumbling, "What in blue blazes did you all get up to in only a month...?" whilst trying to ignore the creepy drawings.
And then, once or twice, you might catch her stood at the edge of Photos At Sea, staring at the displays from a distance, trying very hard to decide if she wants to risk finding what photos were taken of Daisy throughout the month. Usually, the answer to that would be an unshakeable yes, but, well, Crabb is in fact still very shaken.
Through all of this, she still can't bring herself to use the stairs. You know. Considering being thrown down them is how she got possessed in the first place.
4. Well, I'll know that you will be all right [existing CR or people who met Daisy]
Some people, however, are going to actually get a more... direct visit, from the recently returned detective. Those who she knows that Daisy would have had to interact with somewhat to keep up the act of Being Crabb, or who reasonably might have had a conversation with her at some point in the three weeks she wasn't actually around. People she knows and feels that she can go up to and just ask, "So what in God's name did she say to you, then?"
If you don't know Crabb particularly well but had an interaction with not!Crabb... well, you'll have to approach her first, much as she's tempted she can't actually go up to every single person on the ship and ask them without feeling like an idiot.
5. You still gotta try [wildcard]
Find me at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
bluecitrine or at artisticblueteam#5757/in the discord.
What: Crabb comes back from being possessed
When: Second weekish of November on, mostly
Where: Many places on the ship
Warnings: Discussion of possession, death, etc.
Notes: Feel free to flip me to brackets I am comfortable with either style.
1. And your best might not be good enough [closed to Johnny]
You don't realise how much you take the ability to sleep for granted until it's abruptly ripped away from you. Maybe if she could go right from closing her eyes to dreaming, skip over the quiet, the dark, the almost-nothingness of drifting off, Crabb could bring herself to get more than a handful of hours over as many days, but she can't. So, she hasn't.
She's exhausted. She's terrified. She's still not actually left her room since she woke up, equally desperate for human contact and scared to face the aftermath of everything she missed.
All of this finally comes to a head when she almost passes out standing up in the bathroom, while trying to splash herself with water to wake herself up no less. She barely catches herself before she cracks her head off the sink and the sheer panic that hits is enough to simultaneously startle her awake and realise she really needs to sleep.
Sliding down to sit on the floor, back against the shower cubicle, she texts Johnny: Almost killed myself by falling asleep on my feet. Think I need an assist, here.
2. But just know you're not alone [cabins]
Eventually, she knows she has to brave the rest of the ship. Struggling with such a simple thing as stepping outside her door for more than a few minutes at a time is frustrating enough as it is, but the problem with getting more sleep and thus more energy is the stir craziness that follows.
So, eventually, she bites the bullet. Gets dressed in actual clothes again (pants and one of the assortment of flannels she apparently got delivered at some point) and tells herself she's not going back inside for at least an hour. That's doable.
Still, it's... hard. Harder than it should be. (She's getting kinda a brand new perspective on Johnny's issues, let her say that much...) So maybe you catch her before she's actually managed to leave, on any particular day, standing in the doorway of her cabin awkwardly.
3. And if you slip and lose your way again [food places, calgona, library, photos at sea]
One way or another she does, finally, start trying to get back into a routine again. Stopping by Windjammer for most of her meals in the morning, afternoon and evening—though she'll occasionally stop by Sand Dollars for coffee or a snack. During these times she's quiet, but not hostile to company, and honestly would actually welcome it even if you'd struggle to make her say so.
She starts going to the gym again, whaling on a punching bag almost as hard as Daisy did while occupying her body except, unlike Daisy, Crabb has the sense to wear wraps and stop when she feels her hands getting too stiff. You might catch her while she's still punching away, or maybe after she's decided it's time for a break and is sat against the wall with a bottle of water.
Sometimes, she swings by the library to either sit and read in one of the chairs, or check on the Black Binder and other assorted information to see if anything changed on that front in the time she was gone. Catch her staring at the damage report and mumbling, "What in blue blazes did you all get up to in only a month...?" whilst trying to ignore the creepy drawings.
And then, once or twice, you might catch her stood at the edge of Photos At Sea, staring at the displays from a distance, trying very hard to decide if she wants to risk finding what photos were taken of Daisy throughout the month. Usually, the answer to that would be an unshakeable yes, but, well, Crabb is in fact still very shaken.
Through all of this, she still can't bring herself to use the stairs. You know. Considering being thrown down them is how she got possessed in the first place.
4. Well, I'll know that you will be all right [existing CR or people who met Daisy]
Some people, however, are going to actually get a more... direct visit, from the recently returned detective. Those who she knows that Daisy would have had to interact with somewhat to keep up the act of Being Crabb, or who reasonably might have had a conversation with her at some point in the three weeks she wasn't actually around. People she knows and feels that she can go up to and just ask, "So what in God's name did she say to you, then?"
If you don't know Crabb particularly well but had an interaction with not!Crabb... well, you'll have to approach her first, much as she's tempted she can't actually go up to every single person on the ship and ask them without feeling like an idiot.
5. You still gotta try [wildcard]
Find me at
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This really is as good a test as any for how Crabb's going to handle anything between Erin and Cassandra, and it... feels alright, actually. There's no sting like when Erin told her about Daisy. If anything she's glad someone else cares right now.
"...fine by me, yeah. Makes it easier for one of us to pop out to get stuff from other rooms or food an' such, too." It means they don't have to leave Erin totally alone.
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And then, just a little hesitantly, looks directly at Erin.
"It's going to be all right," she says, keeping her voice steady. "You're going to be all right."
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Erin bites her lip. Chews on it for a long moment. "...I. I think I'd like to sit in the shower for a bit. Just. Stop being touched. Wash some of this off my soul. I already know where Crabb keeps her stuff in there -" walking right past THAT revelation to Cass without noticing she made it, "- so I oughta be fine and I can. Y'know. Leave the saber propped up next to the tub in case something happens. Wouldn't be the first time I had to fight ass naked."
A beat. In a strangely speculative voice. "...Last time they came out of the pipes, admittedly. Do we. Do we even have pipes?"
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Erin might not notice what she said but Crabb definitely does, and her face gets just a little bit warm for it.
"Pretty sure we don't, think it all just runs on the same logic as the rest of the tech. Works because it should."
She gives Erin one last kiss on the head then gently releases her, since she mentioned stopping being touched. "Do what you gotta do, Erin. And don't worry about us too much. No one can get in here right now, yeah?"
Plus she'd fight any damn person on this ship for Erin right now but she doesn't think 'squishy mundane human girlfriend will fight even overpowered foes for you' is reassuring.
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Only now -- more slowly than she ought, really -- she's realizing that this will leave her and Crabb alone together for a while. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe ... well, they both know that they're both invested in protecting Erin, and that should get them through whatever else happens.
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After a few minutes the water starts going. Just above the level of its volume is a faint and wordless song.
Something to relax to.
An assurance that Erin is alive in there.
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Thank God Cassandra either doesn't notice or has the decency not to comment on Crabb's embarrassment or the source, or this would be... far more instantaneously awkward than it already sort of is. As second conversations go, this has already been one hell of one.
Crabb flops back against the mattress and rubs her face with both hands.
"Christ, it's like this month is making me make up for all the insanity I missed..." she sighs, peeks back out at Cass. "Thanks, really. You knocking some sense into her back there helped."
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She puts her back to the headboard and draws her knees up a little.
"I'm glad it helped her."
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"...y'know, I think that actually makes me respect that even more. Wouldn't'a been so uh, eloquent about it, but I probably woulda had some choice words for anyone who actually went for it." Beat. "And a fist with their name on it."
She doesn't hold any illusions that she could stop a lot of people on this ship, with their superpowers and magic and so on, but she can't say that would have stopped her.
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"If it weren't a terrible idea, I'd have had some choice words for the captain as well." A touch of venom comes into her tone. "That howling hypocrite. As though he has any room to condemn taking slaves."
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"Right?" Crabb throws her hands up vaguely towards the ceiling where she's still laying on her back. "He's been using people like us as batteries for his own— Godhood crap for bleedin' decades and he thinks he has some sorta moral high ground here? The ghosts are still bein' used as staff, for Chrissake!"
She's struggling with full and uncomplicated sympathy for the ghosts considering the 'lost a month to being possessed' thing, but she's felt the Nothing, she knows how horrid it is being there.
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If it would put her at great risk but had a chance of accomplishing something, after all, it might be worth at least considering.
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"Yeah, uh, maybe don't do that. Can't pretend I don't wanna kill the bloke right now, but it's really no use. Believe me, I saw multiple people try the first time he really showed his face. Even just giving him a piece of your mind ain't hardly worth it, he just... seems bored, half the time, when people try."
Why care when no one can hurt you unless you let them, she supposes.
"So... yeah, for Erin's sake as much as your own, no unwise business. Might do my blood pressure a few favours, too. Less to worry about."
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Crabb takes pause for a moment at the tone of voice. Bites her bottom lip, breathes out through her nose, and props herself up on her elbows a moment later.
"I ain't tryna patronise you or nothing, alright, just... I've always been the one on the ground while people around me are pulling nutty stuff. Used to being... braced for something to happen that I'm gonna have a harder time with than I'd like, but know I ain't gonna back down from if it comes. If that makes sense."
Bastrop has his fancy gear and his martial arts training and then there's Crabb, with no such advantages even now. Just normal clothes and learning on her feet.
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"It makes sense," she says quietly, seriously. "I'll do my best to see that doesn't happen on my account."
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"...thanks. And, look, it ain't like I won't fight or back people up when things go south, it'd just be nice if things didn't go south." She shrugs a shoulder. "We might have enough trouble on hour hands the next few days dependin' on if people decide to be bastards about this..."
Ugh, she hopes they don't. Erin's trying. She's not acting like her old self here. She doesn't deserve to this.
"Just... barely five years ago I was just a normal cop with rocks for brains and then I got pulled into this whole... thing, tryna rip the corruption out of the heart of our city, and then I end up here and... I adapt, but it's been a crazy half a decade."
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"...yeah. Whatever we have to do." She flops back against the bed again, dragging her own hands back over her own face. "Don't think we'll be the only people on her side, for what that's worth. We ain't the only people with details, and I know at least one friend of hers who specifically asked for no details. Everyone else... well, we're gonna have to see how the dice fall."
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So to speak."Yes."
A pause.
"Thank you," she says, much lower. "I know it was for Erin and not for me, but ... I'm glad you were here for this."
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Crabb manages to almost sound sheepish. "It was for her, yeah, but it ain't a downside it helped you with it all at the same time. Some things are easier with a few people taking the weight between 'em. And— look, you're kinda in my orbit, now, so you ever need something, Erin related or not..."
It's an offer made not because she thinks Cassandra, specifically, needs any help she can ever provide, but because this is what happens when you start getting absorbed into the circle of people Crabb tries to watch out for. Being close to people she's close to and caring for them just so happens to be a fast track into that circle.
Erin described her as someone who knows that the strength of the wolf is in the pack, not the teeth. She was not wrong.
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"Thank you. And I don't know how much help I can be in turn -- I'm without most of my usual resources here -- but should you ever need anything that's within my power, please do tell me."
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Crabb flashes her a bit of a smile in return. "Yeah, will do, thanks. See, that's somethin' I've got going for me, I'm real used to working with nothing but my own wits and a good right hook. This place couldn't take that from me."
Light and almost joking, though the point is true. Crabb's actually pretty relieved that some things haven't changed, even if she often feels out of her depth here on account of the whole... magic crap.
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A dull heat blooms in her ears and cheeks; she hadn't meant to say anything like that, and hates how self-pitying it sounds.
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