high_seas | Any port in a storm...

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Any port in a storm...

Who: The crew of the Antoinette
Where: Three Moons Tavern and Inn, Island Empieza
When: January 12th-19th
What: Time to get reacquainted, make new introductions, and weather the storm until they can return to their ship. And collect black coral from the beach.
Warnings: Possible language?
Style: Any
Status: Closed

(Please feel free to make new headings [for your character, for a day, for your character on a day, WHATEVER] and/or threadjack and/or use this as a mingle log. Backdating, forward dating, etc., all more than welcome.

ETA: With regards to Dog's suggestion of the coral, the evening of the 12th will be used to arrange the next week's rotation for keeping Tamaki company and checking the beaches for coral.)

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[A single shard has these people convinced? How gullible of them. Still... Kyouya's never given reason for Hikaru to doubt him before. He's always been the most level-headed of all of them, so if he's buying into all of this, there must be something to it.

Hikaru crouches down to dig in the sand, under the guise of searching for more coral. Really, he just needs something to do while he processes this.]

Zombies, huh? How do you 'verify' something like that?

[It probably involved something really gross, when he thinks about it.]

Actually, nevermind. I don't really want to know. But we're stuck here until someone finds this gem, right? So why are we out here looking for something as mundane as coral? Shouldn't we be looking for it while everyone else is distracted doing this?

Because I know some of the people whose personality was altered by this. If they can be gotten to? Any of us could be.

[His fingers curl around the piece of coral. It's hard to say, really. He doesn't like thinking about it.]

If they can be made to kill their crew? Anyone could be.

Including me.

[He shrugged his shoulders.]

This thing wants all of us dead.

It's simple self-preservation to do what we can do help.

Anyone...? [He looks up at Kyouya in surprise. He--didn't realize it could happen to just anyone. Sure, it should have been obvious, but... none of them were affected. Surely that meant they were just immune, or something?]

People have engaged her without being possessed, and I think people who never engaged her were, too.

[He looks up, meeting Hikaru's eyes.]

We've been lucky. That luck might not hold.

You mean all this time, when everyone's been split up, any of us could have turned into a murderer? Wouldn't it have made more sense for all of us to stay together?

[There's a touch of urgency in his voice as he rises from his crouch. How had he not realized this before?! He had thought it was just outsiders they had to worry about, but if their own friends could be affected, too--!]

Because there'd be no warning.

[It's coolly said. The same sort of calculation that might go into one of Tamaki's schemes. Or against the newspaper club. Or anything else Kyouya set himself against.]

If we're all together when it happens, there are five victims all in one place.

Could any of us act in a split second?

But if one of us comes back alone? That's all the warning we need, isn't it?

[Calculated, separated risks. He sounds much less concerned about the potential outcome of this than he actually is, but... he's spent years practicing looking like he doesn't care about anything.]

[Sorry, he's just going to be frozen in shock for a moment here. Did--did Kyouya really just say that? How could he say that? They're all friends, aren't they? Wouldn't five against one be better than one-on-one?!]

If we retain any of our knowledge? It's easy.

[He's thought too much about it, especially as more and more information kept coming. Especially with Hikaru and Haruhi here.]

To know exactly how to go through our group.

How... can you be saying this with such a straight look on your face?!

[The coral pieces drop from his hand as he takes a step forward, disbelief written all over his face. He's shaking a bit in anger, and has to clench his fists to stop himself from lashing out. How could he? How can someone stand there and just casually talk about their friends killing each-other?]

Any of them could be in danger right now!

[Because if he can talk about this calmly, he doesn't have to admit how terrifying the prospect is. He just has to bide his time. If they survive this... If Dog keeps her word...

There might be a way to help them.

But, until then, there is absolutely nothing he can do. And that? Is the worst thing in the world. Bad enough that he'll put the fear he can't express into someone else. Let them deal with it.

Fair? No.

But this is all he can do.]

Or they could be fine and you're getting yourself worked up for nothing.

[He really can't believe he's hearing this. It takes all of his self-restraint to not take another step forward; he knows as soon as he does, he'll likely end up doing something he'll regret later. He's shaking all over with repressed anger now; his fists clenched so tightly, his knuckles are beginning to turn white.]

So you just don't care? Because they could be fine, that makes it all okay?!

[Hikaru is easy. He's an open book. He's easy to provoke. It's not like getting at Suuichi or Akito. Where it takes careful, sharp, precise blows to make them shift in their seats, to realize the extent that he knows. Here, he can get a proper reaction.]

There's been no indication of a personality shift among any of them. The likelihood of any of them being in danger is low.

[He grits his teeth, biting back his first response - to hit low and hard at Kyouya's personal self. It pisses Hikaru off more than anything to not be getting a reaction. He knows Kyouya cares about them, and he can't understand why he's being like this. There's a time and place to be cold and calculating, and right now isn't it!]

How do you know?! Isn't it possible for someone to hide something like that? Especially that new girl... Do you really know her well enough to say when her personality changes!?

[Despite himself, he takes another step towards Kyouya. He really doesn't want to be picking a fight; he just wants to get through to him. ]

Did you even tell anyone about all of this before you split us all up?

[Kyouya rises, setting the piece of coral he was holding down. His eyes stayed on Hikaru, waiting.]

What am I supposed to do?

[Hikaru wasn't trying to pick a fight, but he was. There was nothing else to do, nowhere to turn. So, one of the more emotional club members had to be his target, and he'd already fought with Tamaki.

He couldn't face those tears again.]

This is the best chance at ending the threat, rather than just dealing with the aftermath.

If you want to spend the next two days sitting around? Go ahead. You can find your way back to the inn.

[It's really, really hard for Hikaru to not just yell in frustration right now. How can Kyouya not get it? None of them should be apart from each-other right now, and especially none of them should be alone! He's strongly tempted to turn around and storm off, but he still remembers that incident with Haruhi at Karuizawa. As much as he wants to leave, he doesn't want to risk something bad like that happening again - especially when the consequences are so much more severe now. Instead of finding his friend crying under an altar, he could instead find him dead.]

Of course I'm not just going to sit around. [He scoffs at the thought.] But you don't have to send us all out as some sort of bait! We could have all stayed together, and just prepared ourselves in case one of us cracked!

And what would happen if we stayed together and one of us snapped?

[It's actually more passionate than Kyouya usually sounds. The words are harsh, his throat tight. His eyes narrowed a little, his shoulders pulling back.]

Tamaki's idea of handling things? Restrain. Which gives them another chance.

Mine? Could you actually kill someone? Watch them get killed?

[His eyes narrow a bit.]

And what if it's me? Which one of you could stop me before I'd already done damage? Especially with Tamaki there.

How can you ask a question like that, and expect a proper answer?! Something that's so situational--you can't just expect people to know what they'd do immediately!

[He sucks in a breath. Kyouya's listening now, which helps a bit. He takes a moment to think, but doesn't leave much of a gap for Kyouya to say anything else before he's able to speak his mind.]

Maybe Tono's not wrong. Maybe restraint is the best option. If they had an opening, we could take it. With so many of us, we could do it!

[As for killing... He hesitates for only a moment, but then the image of Kaoru comes to his mind. There's no doubt in him after that.]

If I had to, if there was no other way... I would do anything I had to.

[He sizes Kyouya up. He's no fighter, and Kyouya looks more like a person competent in violence right now than him. Still, with numbers... Tamaki wouldn't actually get in the way, would he? If it was just restraining? Surely, even he would know better than to interfere with that.

In the end, he lets his previous statement stand, looking Kyouya straight in the eye. He would do anything.]

Someone comes at you. Let's say they decide to go obvious -- come at you with a knife.

Can you stop them in time? Or do you go down?

[His voice stays cold, sharp. His eyes narrow. It's not something he's meant to think about, but it's always in the back of his mind. Hearing about everything going on, it's simply something he's thought about.]

Once you're down, do you think Kaoru would fight? Or worry about you?

From there, a quick turn to take out Haruhi. Then Kaoru. Tamaki last.

[He frowns. The thought's come to mind, how easy it would be if he lost his mind. If he had something to alter his actions...]

And that's if we didn't suffer from what other groups have -- poisoning.

[He can't claim to know if he'd be able to avoid someone with a knife. He'd like to think he can - he's fast, he can dodge, his reflexes are good - but at the end of the day, he's never been in a situation like that.]

Of course Kaoru would fight. He would--[Except he doesn't know. Just like he doesn't know if he'd be able to avoid the knife, he doesn't know if Kaoru could. If he were in trouble, Kaoru would definitely get involved, and that would put him right in the line of danger.

Haruhi's reflexes were obviously too slow to even be considered anything other than a liability in a situation like that.

And Tamaki... they'd be lucky if he recovered from the shock in time to hold their funerals.

The understanding dawns on him harshly, and he drops his head to hide his tearing eyes. Anger, frustration, and despair are the primary emotions in him right now, and his shaking hasn't stopped.]

It can't be... [His voice cracks at the softly spoken words, and he clears his throat to repeat himself.] It can't be that hopeless. We'd find a way to do something.

Maybe we would. Maybe you would. Maybe not.

[Kyouya swallows hard, his own voice uncertain for a moment. It's everything he hasn't been able to say. Everything he can't admit. And won't admit. Not here, not now. Not to Hikaru.

If he finds a way... Maybe then he'll tell them. Once he's got everything worked out.

But, for the moment, he collects himself and holds Hikaru's gaze, tries to keep his expression as muted as possible.]

If Dog says this can help us stop her? Then this is what we need to do.

If we don't help end this... it might not end. And we might have to make those choices. Might have to see what happens in those situations.

I want to avoid that.

[It takes him a while - a minute or so - to collect himself. He doesn't respond to Kyouya; he just remains quiet, processing everything he's learned just now and trying not to cry. Eventually, he regains his composure. He's speaking much more normally now, though a touch quieter than usual.]

How do you do it? How do you realize all these things, and just go on treating us like everything's going to be okay?

[His tone is more than a little accusatory, and he's not sorry about it.]

[He has a hundred things he could say to that. A hundred lies he could tell. Instead, he replies with the truth. Carefully phrased, carefully intoned.

Like he doesn't actually care. Like it's easy to say. Like it doesn't matter. One way or another.]

Because someone has to.

[He even manages to say it like he's talking to a child. Like a mother explaining something she's said a hundred times.

"Because I don't have a choice. Because I have to pretend like everything's okay. Because I'm not allowed to freak out!"]

[As much as that should piss him off... it doesn't. It actually makes something click into place in Hikaru's mind. That's the reason for the cold attitude, the detachment, the clinical analyses - because if Kyouya doesn't, who will? It's not like Tamaki is ever going to be fit for that job, and he doesn't think anyone else present is capable of doing what Kyouya does. He's still not happy about being split up, but it makes more sense now. Kyouya is trying to make sure they can all stay as safe as they can, and while it still sets his nerves on edge, Hikaru will let it be for now. He's not daft enough to misunderstand what has been happening here, and he's not selfish enough that he can't appreciate it even a little.

He's not ashamed for getting mad, but he does feel a bit bad about going off at him like that. (Just a little - he still deserved it for not explaining himself properly right away.)]

Kyouya-senpai...

[He doesn't really know what else to say. He kneels down to collect his bits of coral again; now that he understands how important they are to their safety, he's not going to let a single piece slip by.

There's more that he wants to say and point out, but he won't. Not right now. There's still so much for him to take in, and he feels a bit foolish for not understanding things earlier.]

Thank you.

[But he is going to be much more attached to his journal from now on. If someone does go crazy and one of their friends tries to reach out for help, Hikaru will be one of the first to know about it.]

Edited 2014-01-17 09:44 (UTC)

[Kyouya says nothing, but he does offer a slight nod. An acknowledgement, really, of the place they've reached between themselves.

What is there to say? Nothing. Because this situation is too dangerous. Maybe someday later, they'll actually get to relax.

But until then, he'll simply keep his hold on everything. Keep pushing. Keep trying to find a way to protect them.

Which, for now, involves getting more and more covered in sand as he looks for more coral. It's all they have to really work with right now.]

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