high_seas | To go with your crew...

Entry tags:

To go with your crew...

Who: Everyone who is fighting in the battle to kill the witch.
Where: The Black Fortress in the East
When: Jan 24th-25th
What: The grand battle to get back what you have lost, get revenge for what was taken, and avert disaster.
Warnings: Language. Death. Victory. Defeat. True love. Miracles.
Style: Text or prose
Status: Open to all

The black fortress ripples with shimmering iridescent energy, the piles of black coral heaped on roped together barges around it, bobbing in the waves. On the largest barge stands a slender man with a copper belt, wearing a face mask, orange red hair flecked with black from ash or dust. As the dawn slowly folds over the ocean, he'll look up, as if hearing some hidden voice.

At the top of the fortress, a figure climbs into vision, a woman, dressed in gray, features obscured by a hood with impenetrable darkness behind it. She staggers a moment as if she is weary, then straightens to her full height. As she speaks, her voice comes out of the journals, echoing over the water, low but clear.

"This is no small task ye do. She that rots within'll do anythin' ta stop ye. Don't hesitate to kill what ye find. If they were human once, they hain't no more. Watch out for her golems, too, or they'll drain ye dry quicker'n a wink. But if ye can get rid of 'em, it'll weaken her." She hesitates, cants her head to the side. "And if ye lot aren't as much of a bunch'a idiots as usual, ye might come out alive through this."

That said, she raises her hands. After a moment so does the man on the barge. For a moment, nothing seems to happen and then iridescent light shimmers over the coral, seeming to match that which surrounds the fortress. It crackles and dances like a fire, and then without warning bursts into a furious life, slamming against the energy of the fortress. There is the sound like thunder and light snaps and crackles, zipping with energy. Then with a woosh the light flies upward, taking the figure with it. The man on the barge lets out a cry like a seagull and dives into the water as if intending to swim after her.

For the boats that remain, a part of the fortress will crumble away into the sea, revealing a small harbor and an open doorway. Enter all ye who dare.

[If things become too crowded, feel free to make another thread outside of these. Just put where you are in the header.]

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*Selphie nods to show that she's heard him, but doesn't turn her head to look at him. Instead she sits slightly apart from him, closer to the other side of the boat. Her head is so full of so many questions, and different things she wants to say. She tries to sort these out on her head, staying silent until she figures out what she wants to say next*

You know... I never thought I'd see the sea again. Or the sky. I thought I'd be in that cell until I'd rotted away...

Hn, I can understand that feeling.

[And why she would think that way, specially if she remembers everything. He isn't sure how much she remembers, but he bets on the "most of it" side at least, she has to given the state he found her in.]

Now that you are seeing them again, what do you think?

*His question causes a lump to form in her throat, and she looks away while fidgeting with her hair, swallowing hard before she can speak. She lifts a shoulder in a half-shrug, happy to act like this was all no big deal*

They're... big. And... pretty. And...empty.

Empty... In which sense?

[He figures what she means but he wants to hear her say it herself.]

Just...

*There's a moment where she's searching for what she means, drumming her hands on her thighs until she stops. Then there's the smallest sigh and she continues to look up at the sky*

...empty.

[He sighs and shakes his head at that.]

I need my arms to row, and rowing with just one arm would just make us go in circles, you know. I can't exactly give you a hug right now.

No. I know. That's okay...

*She still keeps her face turned away, but his idea of rowing in circles has at least made her sound a little less gloomy*

Do you know how long I was gone...?

*Selphie glances at him for a fraction of a second, not expecting him to know this, since he didn't seem to have much of a concept of days*

Thirteen days, twenty hours and twenty minutes.

[He refuses to say anymore on his own, thanks. He doesn't look at her, though he doesn't either look away from her and his tone is firm and serious, he knows well how long it was.]

*Such exact information surprises her, and it shows in the small gasp she makes, sitting up suddenly to attention. Her eyes stray over, but he's not looking at her, so she looks back out at the sea*

Oh...

*Her next question is carefully constructed, a pause between each word as she asks what she's been terrified of asking, but wanting to know*

Did it hurt, that I was gone for so long?

Edited 2014-01-27 17:09 (UTC)

[No. Yes. Does he really have to answer?

Ikki falls silent for a good while at that. Had it hurt? Yes, more than he wants to admit. But he couldn't hurt, he couldn't let it hurt him, because he had done it himself. He was the one who killed her. He had no right to hurt. Or to expect that she would be back.]

I didn't hope you would return. I was sure you wouldn't.

It didn't hurt that you were gone for so long. It hurt that you were gone.

[Even if he had no right for it. One day, thirteen or twenty years, the pain was the same every day. The anger and hate boiling inside of him where the same each day.]

But - Why...?

*Selphie turns to him suddenly, her eyes wet with tears, breathing quickly, though she had barely raised her voice, spitting out her words*

You did it. You killed me. You thought I wouldn't come back, and that didn't stop you. You could just throw me away, into nothingness...

*She rubs at her eyes and pulls her hair out the way*

But then, you come back to me and you - and you kiss me and tell me you love me but...

[He keeps rowing, his expression an impassible mask. It's not the frown he usually wears, it's literally nothing. As if his own face was unable to pull out an emotion according to it.]

I couldn't safe you. The only way I knew to try to safe you failed, so I made the choice I've always done in those circumstances. Rather than let someone else have your body and use it to do things you didn't want to do, I killed you with my own hands and killed myself in the process.

[He doesn't really expect her to understand. He doesn't think anyone could.]

I thought that since the witch was Davy Jones' enemy he wouldn't bring you back, neither could she. So you would be able to rest in peace until everything was over, or until I gathered that stupid jewel and wished for you to be returned to live and sent home where you would be safe. Maybe strike a deal with Davy Jones, I'm not sure, but I would have found a way.

[Even if it meant being stuck in that world, or not seeing her ever again.]

*That he had killed himself in the process was clearly new to her, and she presses a hand to her mouth in shock. That part wasn't in her memories. But still, he could regenerate. She couldn't. That was the difference. Now though, she doesn't know what to think. She believes him, that he would go to extreme lengths for her. But now she doesn't know what to say or do either. So she just pulls her knees up to her chest and looks over the edge of the boat, stretching out a hand to dip it in the water*

[Part of him hadn't actually expected to regenerate, actually. He may not know much of pirates or sailors, but he's sure that killing a crewmate isn't a good thing. So part of him expected some sort of punishment, and if not... He would have found a way.

Still he knows it's hard to understand. That there may be nothing to understand. And she says nothing so he remains silent as well, just rowing and leaving his mind blank.]

*Selphie sniffs a little, pressing her eyes into her knees as Ikki continues to row them along. They both sit in silence that, with the quiet and the gentle rocking of the boat, Selphie is eventually lulled into sleep. Which is understandable, given how tired she has been lately with lack of sleep, but it starts to become problematic when she begins to tilt towards the edge of the boat*

[He sees that, and as tempting as it is to let her sleep, he has no wish for her to fall from the boat. He stops rowing and lets the boat stay still as he shifts, moving to pick her and bring her down until her head lays over his leg, using it as a pillow. Only when he's sure that she's in a position that doesn't present danger to her he continues rowing.]

*There's a moment when Selphie's eyes open where she looks incredibly unhappy, and maybe she might stop him to protest, or move to try to keep away. But as he moves her nearer her eyes close again, and she falls asleep with her head in his lap.

Eventually, after a good long nap, she begins to stir, half asleep and rubbing her head against his thigh like it was a pillow. She murmurs something in her sleep, then turns and places a hand in his lap, just getting herself comfortable*

[She can look as unhappy as she wants, he won't let her sleep in any other way than that. Besides, she would be unhappier if he let her fall over the edge of the boat.

By the time she stirs, they have put a good distance between themselves and the Sun, as well as the other ships. And in the horizon Ikki can see what could be a ship for them to take care of. It's still in the distance so he lets her sleep a bit more.]

*Finally, her eyes do open and she looks up to see Ikki still rowing the boat alone. She's not sure if he's noticed that she's awake yet, so she decides to just keep her cheek against his leg and watch him for a while. Her eyes drift towards his arms, feeling her cheeks flush as she watches the way his muscles move as he pulls the oars. It's really rather distracting...

But then she remembers why they're out there. And it's not because Ikki thought it would be fun for them to get away, or because they'd decided to have a nice holiday together, it was because they both had way too much anger to deal with right now. That thought leaves her feeling a lot less impressed, and she pulls herself so that she's sitting up*

Guess I fell asleep...

[She wakes up just in time and Ikki welcomes her with a quite clear smirk.]

You did, and in a bad position as well. You should be more careful, you don't want to fall over the edge, do you?

*Selphie manages a small smile in return and stretches her arms above her head before resting her head against his shoulder for a moment*

You should've woken me up... so I could help with the rowing... And so that I wouldn't fall out of the boat. It's nice...that you saved me again...

[Ikki snorts bitterly at that.]

I guess that makes it two out of four?

[He shakes his head and points to the horizon where a ship can be seen. It's not close enough to have spotted them, just a boat in the middle of the ocean, but it's size makes them able to spot it already. And Ikki has calculated that it's already close enough for him to be able to fly there.]

I found our first prey. How are you feeling?

*Selphie bites her lip at that and glances away. Maybe that wasn't the best thing she could have said. But she looks over at the ships and grins, grabbing her weapon from her bag*

That's a... well, an enemy ship, right?

*Turning to him again, Selphie grins slightly and nods*

I'm hungry! But I can eat once I've blown up some bad guys!

It certainly doesn't belong to any of the ships of the people like us. It's a pirate ship of people from those lands. And if they are already pirate... I don't think it will be a problem if we take care of them.

[The thief who steals from a thief shall be pardoned for a hundred of years... Or something, he's sure he has heard that somewhere. He frowns at the mention of food, though.]

Didn't you eat while you got ready to leave?

Alright. Let's go.

*Pulling her nunchaku free, she holds them in her hands as she wobbly gets to her feet, staring at the ship as though that would get her there quicker*

Eat? No, I didn't have time!

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