(no subject)

[abundantlove]

Who: The Crew of The Shepherd
Where: Various locations
When: Month of January
What: General crew log
Warnings: None at the moment; EDIT: attempted homicide, violence, and all around insanity, in accordance with the new event
Style: Whichever you feel like
Status: Closed to crew members

And so, at the beginning of January, the Shepherd set off from Isle Impieze back to Green Breeze Island, intent on revisiting what they'd discovered there; there were new crew members after all (in fact, the crew was almost completely different at this point), so there was more than enough justification for it. It would take some time reaching it, but the ship's supplies were well stocked so that wouldn't be an issue at all.

That wasn't the only change, however. The crew had since elected a new captain, and as such, this voyage was a proving grounds for the new status quo.

Comments

January 11th; don't mind the icon journal

[omnomnomurice]

[Even as the voice had urged him closer and closer to committing carnage, Hubert had shied away from the thought in the days preceding. There had to be another way to get home, there just had to! After all, even if he wanted to kill someone, he was a weakling. He simply didn't have the strength or the heart for such a nefarious deed. Asbel wouldn't be happy with him for it, either. Not to mention that it was just plain wrong.

But as Hubert wakes up on the morning of the 11th with a strangely lucid mind (strangely, because he hasn't been sleeping well at all the past couple of nights and so has been greeting the days with a fatigue-fogged brain), it occurs to him that surely he owed it to the voice in his head to at least try. If she could get him and Asbel home, then shouldn't he do as she says? Besides, it's always right to obey those with authority. And Hubert has always been an obedient, dutiful boy.

Asbel, decidedly, has not.

Even now he continues to be a wayward sort. That much was made quite clear when he tried to sneak off the ship earlier. It was just like him, defying reasonable measures put in place for his (and others') safety.

Perhaps...he needs to be punished for his insolence, the voice whispers to Hubert.

Yes. Of course. Father and Mother aren't around, after all. So it must be up to Hubert to dole out discipline. Or "discipline," as it were.

Still, the thought of blood disturbs young, innocent Hubert. He passes up the knives in the galley and clambers atop boxes in order to reach two of the frying pans hanging on the wall. There's no need for any more damage than necessary in order to end a life; his reading has taught him that blunt force trauma to the head will do the trick. Admittedly, even as he's creeping the halls looking for his brother (or any other nonbeliever he happens to run across, really), he's not completely convinced of the efficacy of cooking utensils as an instrument of murder (barring knives, obviously), but this is all his tiny form can handle.

It shouldn't matter as long as he does his best, though, right?]

I MIND.

[protectus]

[Asbel's still curled up in bed, which isn't much of a surprise. His head's tilted back so he can peek through the cracks in the boards at any light or shapes showing through. Anything to keep his mind off how weird everyone's been acting lately. At first he thought maybe it was stress or homesickness, but there's just something about it that feels wrong. Almost totally wrong. Especially when they brought him back to the ship after he wandered off. What was up with that anyway? He's never seen Hubert act like that before...]

[Rolling over onto his back, Asbel stares at the ceiling. Colonel Jade's a pretty smart guy when he's actually being serious. Maybe he should go talk to him, see if he's got any bright ideas. Or maybe he should just go find Hubert and ask him straight out. Yeah, it'd be pretty uncool, but he is the big brother here. And if somehow that made Hubert feel better, then it'd definitely be worth the embarrassment.]

[With a groan, Asbel shuffles onto his side and half-heartedly swipes at his bedhead. All right, enough of that. Time to get cracking!]

WELL NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION ANYWAY.

[omnomnomurice]

[Time to get "cracking," you say? Hubert lurks just outside the door to the room he shares with Asbel, waiting for him to come out so he can crack the other boy's skull with a frying pan or two. Being the earlier riser, Hubert's become quite familiar with Asbel Standard Time, so he can make a pretty accurate guess as to when Asbel will be up and about.

So he doesn't have to wait long before the door opens...

And whenever Asbel steps over the threshold (or tries to), he'll be greeted with a hearty cast-iron swing to the face.]

WOW RUDE.

[curries]

[Asbel stretches his arms as he finally drags his lazy self out of bed. He makes his way across the room to the door, and sure enough, it swings carelessly open right on schedule. He can barely even get a foot out before something heavy and fast comes flying right at him.]

[With a surprised yelp, Asbel drops roughly to his hands and knees.]

--H-holy cow!!

[When he thinks it's safe enough, his head shoots up to see who it is playing such a dirty trick on him so early in the morning (okay, it's not that early, so what). He asked for training, sure, but not like this!]

...Hubert? What are you doing out here?

SORRY CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF RUDEBERT.

[omnomnomurice]

[No sooner has Asbel finished his question than Hubert takes another swing at his brother, one a little less well-aimed than the first. It might catch Asbel in the chest or arm.]

[curries]

[He doesn't have enough time to react again, the swing hits with a ringing thud, sending a wave of pain zinging up Asbel's arm.]

All right, all right, I get it! [Asbel grabs at his arm and stumbles to his feet, backing off a little in the process.]

Geez, what are you so mad about? I apologized for hiding your comic book, didn't I? Now knock it off, Hubert, that kind of hurt!

[More than "kind of".]

[omnomnomurice]

Sh-shut up!

[If being attacked didn't already tip Asbel off to Hubert being seriously unhinged, the fact that 1) Hubert seems to be glossing over Asbel hiding his precious comics and 2) Hubert actually being outright disrespectful to his older brother (verbally, anyway) would have done the trick. He brings down a frying pan vertically, trying to catch Asbel on the head again.]

[protectus]

"Shut up"? What do you mean "shut up"!? What're you so worked up about anyway?

[Asbel only needs one hand to figure how many times Hubert's said something like that to him. Sure, they have fights sometimes, but not this kind of fight!]

[--No good. Hubert's serious! Asbel tries his best to block the blow - but what he really needs is something to defend himself with until Hubert can cool the heck off. (...) That's it! Aiming a low kick for one of Hubert's shins, Asbel hopes he can trip him up long enough to go grab his practice sword.]

[But where'd he even toss it? What a time to keep a messy room!]

[bitty_blue_brother]

[Hubert might now have full intent to commit violence, but he's still woefully unprepared for being the target of it. With a cry and eyes tearing up, he stumbles to his knees, heart hammering with the sudden, sharp pain.

But the murderous urge returns soon enough. It might even be tinged with a bit of anger.

You'll pay for that, brother!

Hubert barely straightens up before he lunges again to attack Asbel. Better watch your back, bro.]

[protectus]

[Asbel takes his chance, shooting across the room to dig around under his bunk. Where is it, where?]

[He doesn't have a clue what's going on, but it's really starting to scare him. Why won't Hubert tell him what's going on? Why is this even happening? What's he supposed to do about it?! He doesn't want to hurt him, and just that one kick's already making him feel pretty lousy.]

[Ah-ha!]

[Asbel snatches for the glorified practice stick, his own gift thanks to the Christmas ship. But thinking minute's over. Asbel's head whips around just in time to see his little brother lunge at him again.]

[omnomnomurice]

[This time, Hubert makes two swings in succession, one aimed high and one aimed low. In fact, if he's not stopped, he's going to keep on swinging furiously, desperate to land another hit -- a critical hit.]

[protectus]

[Asbel gasps as the first blow strikes between his shoulder and collarbone. The second lands lower. His arms already ache from the force of the previous strikes, but he manages to position the sword between himself and the next consecutive attack. But it doesn't stop. This isn't a sparring match, this isn't a game. Why?]

[...Why is this happening? Why?!]

Rrgh! Stop it, Hubert! Stop it right now!! [Asbel winces, lashing out with an attack of his own, aiming for the flat bottom on one of the weapons in the hopes of partially disarming him.]

I don't want to fight you!

[bitty_blue_brother]

[Asbel's practice sword bounces off one of the pans with a loud CLANG!, the vibrations ringing all the way down Hubert's arm.]

Oww!

[His grip loosens a little, but not enough to drop it. In retaliation, he lashes out with his other weapon.]

Just...just die already, okay?

[Hubert is probably only one of a handful of people in the world who can make a command to "die" sound more like a desperate plea rather than a legitimate threat.

But that's really what it is: a plea. It's like if Hubert wishes it hard enough, Asbel will drop dead in front of him, making the voice happy so the voice can send Hubert home.

(But wait, wasn't his desire to go home with Asbel...? No, no time for second thoughts. Hubert has to go through with this. There's no other choice.)]

[protectus]

No! There's no way I'm just going to lay down and die, Hubert!

[Asbel counters as best he can, continuing to aim for the weapons rather than his brother, swinging the sword as hard as he dares. But despite how much promise Asbel might've displayed before, he feels heavy now. Hubert can't really want him dead...? Why would he? They've been through pretty much everything together. It makes no sense.]

Come on, just talk to me! If someone's picking on you-- or, or whatever we'll figure it out, okay?

[bitty_blue_brother]

You won't understand! You never understand! That's why you're always causing problems for everyone!

[This time there is a tinge of menace to his words, as Hubert actually sounds a bit angry. The possession, along with the frustration of not being able to end things quickly, is starting to draw out all the resentments that he normally keeps hidden or that he normally brushes off, like junk swept under a bed to present the facade of a clean room.]

That's why it's better if you just go away!

[protectus]

[Okay sure, maybe he does get into trouble sometimes, but he can't have caused that many problems, can he? It doesn't help when Asbel's questioned similar things in the past.]

["I wonder what my parents actually think of me."]

[Dad's annoyance with him has never been a secret, but he didn't think Hubert of all people... Has Hubert really gotten so fed up with him that he'd prefer it if he just disappeared? Do Mom and Dad?]

How'll you know unless you give me a chance!

And what happens once I go away, Hubert? I can't just leave you here. Didn't you say you wanted to go...home?

[omnomnomurice]

[There's not even any hesitation when Hubert yells:]

I'll go home without you!

[He's wasted enough time talking; there's no way he can convince Asbel to actually listen to him. (...right?) Hubert swings at his brother again.

if this were in the game this might be the beginning of a boss fight]

[curries]

[Asbel gasps as the blow sends him stumbling and tripping backwards. Dammit, those pans hurt! Trying to catch his breath, he mutters in frustration and locks eyes with Hubert. Okay, little brother! If this is how it's going to be, he's just going to have to defeat you somehow! This can't really be what Hubert wants; he refuses to believe that! And he's not gonna leave him under any circumstances!]

Hubert!!

[Picking himself up, Asbel charges towards him, trying to get a few good swipes in with his practice sword.]

[bitty_blue_brother]

[Hubert's eyes widen as he realizes that Asbel is actually actively fighting back now. This is bad, this is really bad -- he's never been able to match Asbel in any of their practice spars.

Then again...those fights had always been more or less fair.

Hubert skips away from Asbel's strikes, nearing his own desk. He reaches for the books stacked on top of them, flinging them at Asbel one by one to distract the other boy. He'll even shove the chair at Asbel with a foot once there's nothing else on the desk to throw.]

[protectus]

Gwahh!! [Incoming! Books?! Asbel veers, but it's hard to dodge with thick covers and flapping pages flying in multiple directions. One of the hardbacks manages to strike his already bruised arm, and another actually knocks him upside the head. The others either miss or get deflected, but Hubert's tactic has successfully slowed Asbel down - and given him a headache to boot. Shaking his head to clear it, Asbel dashes forward again - one goal in mind - and nearly falls over the chair being shoved in his direction.]

[Think. Gotta think...! Already halfway down, Asbel scoops up one of the heavier books to use as a shield.]

[omnomnomurice]

[The pan hits hard against the book that Asbel is holding with a loud thud. Hubert swings upward with his weapon to try and disarm Asbel. He thinks he's almost got him cornered now, but he just needs to get Asbel defenseless again.]

[protectus]

[Why can't this be over! Asbel wishes this were done! Even worse than the sting of metal and the lead weight of Hubert's words is the awful look on his face. It's a face he's never seen him make before.]

[Asbel manages to lunge forward with another brisk swish of his wooden blade, but with his focus on attack, the connecting swing sends leather slipping from his fingers. Shield gone, the book clatters open against the deck.]

[jadethenecromancer]

[Fortunately for Asbel, the other battle has ended and at this very moment, the possessed crewmembers are being taken to the brig. It's then that Jade hears the commotion from the crew quarters, and given the events of that morning, it doesn't take long for him to come running.

...Oh dear. This is quite the scene.]

Now now. That's quite enough of that.

[Without wasting a movement, he strides in and grabs one of Hubert's wrists, easily yanking the boy off balance. His other hand catches Asbel by the shoulder and pulls the elder brother back.]

[bitty_blue_brother]

[So intent had Hubert been on trying to kill Asbel that he doesn't even register Jade's presence until after the colonel has yanked him away.]

H-hey! Let go of me!

[He tugs violently at his captured arm, trying to break free. If that doesn't work (as it likely won't), he'll try to swing at Jade with his improvised weapons, or otherwise attack Jade somehow. Basically, this kid's got some fight left in him.

But he's still just a 10-year-old kid with only basic fight training and a lot of sleep dep.]

[protectus]

Jade?

[Sword still raised, Asbel at least isn't putting up the struggle Hubert is. His eyes flash up to the adult's face, and then his attention's back on his brother again, his brother who's still fighting even now...]

[Jade could handle this, he knows that. But it feels wrong somehow. He and Hubert are family. Should he really let a grown-up take over before he's done everything he can? There must be a way to get through to him. He can't have tried everything.]

[The redhead makes a half-hearted attempt at shrugging Jade's hand off, but in that brief glance Asbel's fear and distress were plain to see, and Jade could probably feel the boy trembling beneath his hand even as he squares his jaw now and tries to pretend he has everything under control.]

R-relax, Hubert. It's fine... Everything's going to be fine.