If I am telling the truth, watching my friends break their hearts into two

[decohere]

Who: Ava & whoever
What: learning to fly~ and happy thoughts
When: throughout November
Warnings: possible misunderstanding of learning to fly as suicidal attempt, but fear not. no avas were harmed in the making of this post. 

On her birthday, Ava received a suspiciously light box from the sundries that she shoved under her bed and waited several days to unwrap. Partially overwhelmed from all her other gifts, mostly wary. For all that it had made her nervous anticipating what could be inside, all she found was a single white feather. Ava stared at it suspiciously, shook the box upside down until it fluttered out upon her sheets, expecting something else to happen. But that was it. She tucked the feather into her hair, and hadn't thought much more of it since.

She hasn't made any connection between that, and her sudden ability to float at unexpected moments. Beginning with stealing a quick smooch from 6. Nothing that she's been able to sustain for more than a few seconds, but it's a start just as she'd given up ever thinking it was possible.

After spending the last several days straining herself so very intently, she can't figure out how to do it again. It must have been a fluke? Somebody playing a trick on her because they had caught on to what she was trying to learn with the paperclip. A weird side effect, like months ago with the water? Except nobody else seems to be experiencing it that she's noticed.

But she's determined, because she can't tell Skulduggery that it's finally worked if she can't even prove it.

i. If I could choose anything, I would be good and bad one day
ota- dining room

For awhile she tries jumping off tables with no success. In the dining room, because that's usually less popular than the buffet. Although the sorts that prefer the formal dining are probably the sorts more likely to judge what she's doing, as she steps over place settings and nearly topples right off the side when her foot slips on a plate.

ii. I would fall into love and stay, would fall into love
ota- deck rails

Next she's climbing up on the rails at the edge of the pool deck, something higher. Like a baby bird being pushed from the nest, maybe that's what she needs. A good fear of splatting to get her going. Except... she stares down at the water over the side of the ship and feels far too much self doubt and can't quite bring herself to jump. It seems cold and wet and she doesn't know how to swim all that well.

"Don't worry," she assures whoever might look concerned as they pass by. "It's not what it looks like."
iii. And it's not fair
ota- sand dollars

"Eueughh!!" Ava cries in exasperation after another day of no progress, before allowing her forehead to clunk against the cafe table, her tacky mug (a bday gift from Friday!) rattling but luckily the tea inside is low enough not to slosh in retaliation. "This doesn't make any sense. I can do it, but I can't."

She has no idea that her defeated mindset is exactly what's preventing her from doing it again.

iv. I keep on writing a sequel to stories I know that are not there
ota- various

Once she finally figures out that it's maybe linked to her mood, Ava tries improving it. She's seeking out things around the ship that she enjoys doing. Pulling out her stolen camp boat and floating out in the middle of the pool, with an iced coffee and a book. Dragging her new giant squishmallow around to inflict it upon others. Piling up her plate at the buffet with an obscene amount of shrimp. Singing Spice Girls songs on the karaoke when she thinks nobody else is watching. Slipping into the hot tub late at night to watch the stars and relax.

Come contribute to her good mood! Or absolutely ruin it. You know, whichever.

v. I don't wanna die but I don't wanna live like this
ota- hallways, promenade

After a week's worth of practice, Ava's manages to reliably get herself hovering a few feet off the ground, without losing her balance or immediately crashing right back down. She's having fun avoiding walking as much as possible, gliding with one foot hooked back behind her other ankle. But she's still not quite at the point where she trusts herself to go much higher or faster. Just doing lazy sorts of twirls and showing off to any of her acquaintances she passes.

She's lucky she's having a rather good month and is able to maintain happy enough thoughts!

vi. I just wanna feel something, I just wanna feel
ota- outside your window

By the end of the month, she's at the point where she's getting a bit more daring with her stunts. Any of her friends, or random strangers, might notice Ava floating around the outside of the ship, peering through and knocking at cabin windows. And waving.

No, she's not spying! But she might accidentally catch some moments that weren't meant to be seen, oops.

vii. wildcard
ota- hit me up on discord for any plotting plans, or just go for it!

Comments

iv. I keep on writing a sequel to stories I know that are not there

[crushed_pearls]

There is a competitor for the shrimp in Windjammer.

Well.

Some of the shrimp, anyway. After several days in a row deprived of her favorite protein, the coconut shrimp, Erin has returned to Windjammer with hope in her heart to a veritable showcase of Shrimp But Sweet and her usual habit of loading up on desserts in one plate with the technically-needed other food groups on another has been replaced by still doing basically the same thing but all of the desserts are shrimp. Coconut shrimp, walnut shrimp, honey-glazed shrimp, breaded & fried shrimp tossed in what she will learn later is actually a spicy wing sauce, and juuuust for fun, some normal-ass shrimp hiding on one side of the plate near a questionable selection of sauces to try with them.

None of those are fated to be good ideas.

When she realizes someone else also wants the shrimp Erin flashes Ava a guilty grin and scoots aside. "I uh. I think I left some survivors there. I've been missin' the coconut shrimp and I maaaaay be going overboard."

She's going overboard.

II

[konpeito_aji]

"Are you trying to levitate like Klaus?" Maybe it's an over-assumption, but given Klaus constantly trying to jump from crazy heights, it seems like the best guess.

iii. And it's not fair

[be_seeing_you]

"What can't you do?" he asks, coming up behind her and putting a hand gently on her shoulder. If she sounds distraught enough, he might even consider a nice neck massage while she's sitting there.

v.

[busball]

Klaus just watches for a while as she does her little twirls. "Nice." He's been working on his levitation for what feels like forever at this point. Except obviously isn't. At least he's stopped levitating in the middle of his sleep. They casually pull their feet up, staying seated in the air, which is taking way more concentration than it looks like it is. Unless you focus a little closely on the fact that his shoulders are a little more tense than normal and his eyes.

"So you, too, huh?"

vi.

[millay]

Maeve is making herself take daily walks at this point. At least for the benefit of the sun, which is mostly non-existent outside of it making things feel a little less daunting than they have most of the month. So the sight of Ava floating around isn't exactly news, but she leans over the railing, spotting her knocking on a window somewhere.

"Should I be expecting knocks on our window more often?" She assumes yes since Max also lives there.

ii

[latersgators]

"Well if you know what it looks like then you should know! I'm very worried about what I'm seeing!! And you shOULD COME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT YOUNG LADY!" Steven will stomp his foot if he has to.

"You have-- so much to live for!" Don't make him give this half-baked hopes and dreams speech. He hasn't thought it through yet.

iv. I keep on writing a sequel to stories I know that are not there

[ossie_oswald]

"What ho, Ava!"

Ossie sits himself down near to Ava at Sand Dollars, already beaming at the morbid plushie accompanying her.

"Now, who's this? I haven't seen you about before- Oswald Wuthridge, how do you do," he extends a hand for the plushie to shake.

Look he knows it's not a person, but he's hoping to get a laugh out of her.

ii. obviously we're flying together?!!!

[light_mischief]

"Well, that's certainly reassuring," but her assurance isn't going to stop him from coming up next to her as she climbs the railing. "I'd love to know what you're planning, all the same."

2.

[treading_water]

Edward barely glances up to her as he's passing by. He recognizes her from before, but also recognizes that she's as bat shit crazy as he is, so if she wants to fuckin swan dive into the ocean, that's her prerogative.

"End it all, if you gotta." he grunts in reply to her defensiveness, "Like I give a fuck..."

vi.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis is reading Watson's book that she had taken from the Library when there's a tap on the window. The...window? She looks up to see a woman hovering outside. She blinks, goes back to her book, flips another page and looks back up. The woman is still there, so Valdis sets the book aside and cautiously goes to the window, opening it.

"Are you supposed to be out there?"

wildcard - post game show talk

[be_seeing_you]

Now that the excitement has ended and prizes have been collected (good heavens, where are they planning to put that table?) he is aware, on the walk home, that there is still something they really do need to discuss. He came very close to losing his cool back there. He recovered admirably, but that doesn't undo the damage.

"I can't forgive him for this," he says quietly. Him being the Captain. "You understand, don't you?"