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+---- Thread: all islands in a common sea (/showthread.php?tid=11872)
all islands in a common sea - Jack - 08-09-2025
The trip back from the Greatwood and into Kaiholo is a largely uneventful one, despite one of the three Marin triplets camping out in his cabin until he'd managed to put his mind back together. All appears back to normal and in good order now - though Jack has heard Murphy barking orders at Bassian to demand he stop wearing his Ludo costume whilst completing his daily duties - and they kiss the marina from the sky and ease gently into their berth to put down anchor shortly before noon.
Between Ludo's Woods and his time dipping in and out of King's End, it's actually been a fair while since Jack has had the opportunity to get a feel for Kaiholo, and so as the crew start to unload cargo and take stock of supplies and get some shore leave in, the captain is actually one of the first off the gangplank.
The breeze coming off the Arclight is getting cooler by the day, and that suits Jack just fine; he turns up the collar on his Kingmaker Coat and drifts along the boardwalk amid dockworkers, shanty stalls and other ships, hands in his pockets, magic outreaching for anything interesting. And if his eye is tracking the ships as he walks by in case of a familiar butterfly coloured sail, well, that's just coincidence.
RE: all islands in a common sea - Flora - 08-09-2025
The breeze curling in from the Arclight is enough to tease goosebumps across her bare legs, but Flora’s never been the sort to dress entirely for comfort. The hem of her shorts brushes her thighs, the oversized knit sliding off one shoulder in a way that looks careless and is absolutely intentional, hair piled high on her head in a loose knot that’s already sprouting rebellious curls. Spice is nowhere to be seen—likely off harassing hels—but her absence is more than compensated for by the full volume of Flora’s voice.
[say]"You know,"[/say] she says sweetly, which is always the first warning sign, [say]"it’s the funniest thing. I didn’t ask for a lecture on the dangers of the Cordillera, I asked if you thought I needed different rigging."[/SAY] One hand is on her hip, the other gesturing toward the SugarTide where it rocks lazily in the berth behind them, sails furled and deck freshly scrubbed. [say]"It’s so sweet that you think you’re being helpful, really, but if I wanted to be told not to do something—"[/say] she leans in just enough to let the gold in her jewellery catch the light—[say]"I’d go talk to my parents."[/say]
The merchant, all ruddy cheeks and patronising smirk, starts to open his mouth again, and Flora tips her chin toward the crates stacked neatly at her feet, blocking his view of the gangplank. [say]"Save it. I'm going, so if you aren't going to tell me what I actually need, you can scurry back to your stall."[/say]
Her smile is bright enough to belong on a postcard. Her eyes, decidedly, are not.
RE: all islands in a common sea - Jack - 08-09-2025
Jack hears Flora before his magic even senses her, and he recognises the sugary bite in her voice like it's practically something he taught her to give it. Stifling a smile - home sweet home, anyone? - the captain finds himself drawing to a halt some ten feet behind the patronising merchant, head tilted enough that he can look at the Doubletake over the rim of his sunglasses. [say]"Queen of Torchline, bein' lectured by a man whose riggin' ain't even worth the lies he tells about it,"[/say] he drawls, tutting theatrically under his breath.
Raising his eyebrows at Flora, a silent shall I shove him off the pier in his expression, Jack doesn't approach any further just yet. It's every other day that she's packing to sail off to some place she shouldn't be in, and in all honesty, the Cordillera is probably more familiar to her than a few places based on her parents formerly living there, and all.
RE: all islands in a common sea - Flora - 08-09-2025
At the sound of Jack's voice she glances vaguely over her shoulder, the movement loose and unhurried, before throwing both hands toward the merchant in a wide, see what I mean? gesture that's anything but subtle.
She doesn’t need to hear the merchant's thoughtss to know something’s shifted; she can feel the change in the man’s stance even before Jack’s shadow cuts across them. Whatever charm or false authority the merchant thought he had drains in an instant, his hands coming up in a half-hearted show of innocence as he backpedals toward safer waters—quite literally—without so much as a farewell. The scent of opportunity still clings to him, faint but sour, and if Jack’s already pulled the truth from his skull then he’ll know exactly what sort of “inspection” the man had been planning (he'd thought maybe he could swipe something valuable from aboard the Sugartide and maybe accidentally grab the queen's ass in the process. Tight quarters and all).
With a dramatic huff that sends a loose curl tumbling from her bun, Flora pivots fully to face the captain. The breeze teases at the hem of her sweater; her gold catches in the sunlight. And despite herself—despite every practical reason not to—warmth spills like sunlight through the garden of her thoughts at the sight of him. She doesn’t mean to think about it, but there it is: the rough press of his hand under her chin, the sharp taste of his mouth, the shiver that ran down her spine when bark pressed cold into her back. It’s enough to have bloomed more than a few late-night thoughts she’d never admit aloud, but then again with Jack, she didn't have to.
She exhales, the sound threaded with a sigh more than annoyance, and tips her head toward him. [say]"Have you ever flown into the Cordillera?"[/say] she asks, eyes narrowing slightly against the light. [say]"Or even near the mountains?"[/say]
RE: all islands in a common sea - Jack - 08-09-2025
Jack's expression doesn't change, not until the seedy merchant has backed all the way the fuck up and is making a swift departure; only then does his lip curl in disgust. [say]"I'll have Murph get a list of all the merchants we're affiliated with,"[/say] he says offhandedly. [say]"Only riggin' that pissant was interested in was the stuff holdin' up your tits."[/say] Rolling his eyes and pushing his sunglasses back up, he steps a little closer so they're more obviously having a conversation than calling to each other across the pier.
And the captain doesn't hide his smirk as he feels the golden light flood Flora's thoughts; silent for a beat, it's the mental equivalent of reaching out a hand to feel the sunny warmth soak into his skin. Once he's had his fill, he blinks back into focus to hear more about the famed Cordillera. [say]"Closest I reckon I've come is that time we sailed up to Halo,"[/say] he says. [say]"Risk ain't worth the reward up there for the likes of me. An' until it is, The Ark is stayin' outta there."[/say]
That being said though, he gestures to The Sugar Tide. [say]"From what I've heard the riggin' you got is fine for it. Weather ain't the problem up there, it's what's in the sky that'll fuck you up."[/say] Danger, here there be dragons, and all that.
RE: all islands in a common sea - Flora - 08-09-2025
Her brows lift, the motion sharp before she exhales through her nose in something just shy of a scoff. She brought it on herself by dressing the way she likes instead of the way that might earn her respect from men who measure authority by how many layers you’ve got on. Still, gods, it’d be nice to be taken seriously without having to sharpen her voice into a weapon every time.
More than familiar with Jack’s little pauses, she bites down on a smile before it can bloom, turning it into a small, deliberate clearing of her throat instead. [say]"I came across one of Rae’s Lilys the other day,"[/say] she says with a slight wrinkle of her nose. [say]"Now that the Family is gone it sure seems like everyone has forgotten that there's still an infection around, so.."[/say]
She’s no telepath, but after this long she doesn’t need to be; she can almost hear what Jack's thinking. [say]"And before you start, my dads have already given me enough dragon-dodging tips to fill a book. I’ll be fine."[/say] Of course fine for Flora wasn't usually the same as for other people, but nevermind
Right on cue, a high trill cuts through the port’s din, and Spice drops from the sky in a swirl of pale wings and frost, the blast of cold air whipping through her curls as the dragon wheels overhead. The icy shimmer she leaves in her wake makes the sunlight scatter, as if to underline the point: dragon duty covered.
RE: all islands in a common sea - Jack - 08-09-2025
[say]"You could always have him arrested for bein' an impudent fuck,"[/say] Jack says breezily, able to sense the twist in Flora's thoughts even if the only giveaway is her scoff of laughter. [say]"You ain't just the captain of a boat, remember - you're queen of the region. He's livin' on your soil."[/say] And a lot of people seemed to forget about that as well. Drifting to sit casually upon one of the dock posts, he angles himself towards Flora and the biting wind coming in off the ocean, eyebrows raising as she explains.
[say]"Yeah? No shit."[/say] Laughing under his breath, Jack is already raising his hands placatingly. [say]"Love, we're long past the point where I'd poke holes in a plan you've decided on."[/say] It's not the same as I trust you, but it's better than the alternative. [say]"An' let's be honest, you've done more dangerous shit than fuck off to the Cordillera for a gardenin' holiday. Still, I assume you got a channelling in your back pocket just in case...?"[/say]
Glancing up as Spice arrives, the captain's lips curl in a smirk. [say]"An' a dragon guard, of course."[/say]
RE: all islands in a common sea - Flora - 08-09-2025
She rolls her eyes, though there’s affection threaded through the gesture. [say]"We’d need to make the jail a hell of a lot bigger if I was going to start locking up every single person who was an impudent fuck to me,"[/say] she says, brows lifting in silent suggestion that if that were the law, he might have spent a few nights behind bars himself. The grin that follows is easy, one-shouldered in its shrug, as if the idea of arresting him is more amusement than threat.
When he calls her love—just a casual stitch in the fabric of his sentence—familiar threads of gold drift lazily through the garden of her thoughts. She doesn’t tug on them, doesn’t linger, but they’re there all the same, catching the light for a moment before floating away.
[say]"Channeling,"[/say] she confirms, nodding, [say]"and my compass. Though I’m not using that unless I’ve got absolutely no other choice."[/say] Her gaze flicks toward the SugarTide bobbing in her berth, a little furrow tugging at her brow. [say]"Last thing I want is to leave her stranded up there."[/say]
RE: all islands in a common sea - Jack - 08-10-2025
[say]"Maybe,"[/say] Jack reasons, the smirk curling at his lips suggesting that he knows all too well that he'd have likely found himself tossed in a jail cell on more than one occasion if a lack of manners was an arrestable offence. (He wouldn't have put it past Flora to do it when they were together either, if only to provide a new backdrop for some of her favourite acrobatics). [say]"Or maybe they'd get the message after the first few ended up behind bars."[/say]. Food for thought, y'know?
Twisting at one of the rings on his hands - and quietly enjoying the scattering of gold through Flora's thoughts before they both let them melt away - Jack nods his approval. Not that she needs it, but something barbed in his chest relaxes to know she's got backup plans at the very least. [say]"At least you've got plenty of contacts to go an' fetch her, if you do have to leave."[/say] Her demigod fathers are his first thought.
[say]"So when d'you set off?"[/say]
RE: all islands in a common sea - Flora - 08-10-2025
Flora’s mouth curves into a slow, catlike smirk as she tips her shoulders in a loose shrug. [say]"Maybe they’d like it,"[/say] she muses, letting the thought hang for just a breath before adding, [say]"Seems to me I remember you quite liking being put in handcuffs."[/say] Her tone drops quieter, silkier, as if the words aren’t entirely meant for public consumption. [say]"Even if you did beg me to take them off in the end."[/say]
She hums her agreement when he speaks of backup, the sound low and easy, before her gaze flicks over her shoulder toward the Sugar Tide. [say]"Next day or two,"[/say] she says. [say]"Don’t want to give Deepfrost even the chance to think about settling in."[/say]
The garden of her mind warms, soft flushes of coral and garnet blooming in the spaces between thought as her eyes trace the line of his fingers, lingering on the glint of metal there before rising—slyly—to meet his. The memory of bark against her back and his hands on her skin teases like a tide just beyond reach, and she lets the corner of her mouth tip in invitation. [say]"Unless,"[/say] she says, casual in cadence but laced with flirtation, [say]"you want to come aboard and check my rigging yourself. I’d feel a whole lot better knowing your hands had gone over it thoroughly."[/say] The way she says better leaves little doubt she isn’t talking about knots and lines, but if what had happened in the woods was to be a one-off, she was sure that Jack could come up with a number of ways to decline.
RE: all islands in a common sea - Jack - 08-10-2025
[say]"Maybe they would. Granted, I don't believe you'd give them the same treatment as you did me when I was in handcuffs,"[/say] Jack says, his own voice dipping into a low rumble as he raises an eyebrow at her over his sunglasses, not hiding the way his blue eyes drink her in; it's easier now than it has ever been to let himself bathe in the watercolours her mind paints when she thinks of him, and with the memory of their night in Ludo's Woods as fresh in his thoughts as it evidently is in Flora's, his nod is somewhat distracted when she confirms her departure plans.
Still, he isn't expecting such a blatant invitation, Jack tilting his head as if surprised but absolutely not objecting to the heat that purrs along the strands of his magic, like a finger curled and beckoning. [say]"It'd be remiss of me at this point not to check you're in ship-shape,"[/say] he agrees, straightening up from the dock post and approaching the gangplank, stepping effortlessly over the crates. [say]"I trust you'll wanna supervise, though? Never hurts to have two sets of eyes on it."[/say]
RE: all islands in a common sea - Flora - 08-10-2025
Flora’s smile is quick and sunlit, curling sharp at the edges. [say]"My treatment of you made you a good deal more compliant,"[/say] she murmurs, the words wrapped in sugar but laced with memory.
When Jack agrees to come aboard, she bites at the inside of her cheek, not to hide the smile so much as tame it. There’s no masking anything from him—not when the garden of her mind is already gilding itself in molten gold, paths unfurling like welcome mats through an arch of blooms—but she still makes the faintest show of restraint. It’s instinct, maybe, to keep her cards close even when she’s laying the deck out for him to see.
She turns toward the SugarTide, the pier’s boards hollow under her sandals, the wind teasing strands of hair loose to trail against her neck. Every step feels buoyed by a quiet current running under her skin, adrenaline and something lighter, quicker, flitting in her chest like a school of startled fish. The woods had been hazed with liquor, their edges blurred by laughter and the intoxicating allure of just how easy things could be between them when they let it; this is sharper, more deliberate. Not a thing to poke at for meaning—not when heat is already creeping across the bridge of her nose and sliding lower, gathering heavy and warm in her belly.
The stairs to the cabin pass in a heartbeat, the shape of what she intends to do already firm in her mind before her foot even touches the first step. And the moment his boots cross the threshold, she’s there, fingers curling into the lapels of his coat, tugging him down to her. Rising onto her toes, her mouth finds his in a kiss that tastes of salt air and the kind of impatience that skips right over conversation. If his hands slip beneath the loose knit of her sweater, they’ll find no rigging to check at all—just skin, warm from the sun and waiting for his touch.
RE: all islands in a common sea - Jack - 08-10-2025
[say]"To a point, I'll agree,"[/say] Jack retorts, though in all honesty he can't recall objecting to anything she'd asked of him whilst he'd been handcuffed and her mouth had been around his cock. Distractions will do that, apparently. Glancing fleetingly over his shoulder as he passes by on the gangplank, the captain makes a show of letting calloused fingers dance across the rope securely tying her furled sails, tugging here and there, letting his touch ghost along the colourful canvas.
Of course, neither of them expects his checks to go beyond that (even that is a cursory excuse), and his footsteps echo dully on the steps down to her cabin. Jack has enough time - just - to slip off his glasses and set them down, to savour the allure of her thoughts as they turn wicked and molten, before her hands are on him and he's pulled down against her waiting mouth.
Her kiss is like water to a man dying of thirst in the desert, Jack wasting no time in tasting the sun and sea on her tongue for himself. One hand grasps at her hip, guiding her flush against his body as he edges her back against the counter, the other gliding beneath the soft fabric of her sweater like this is a dance they've choreographed. Humming a low note of approval to find nothing between his clever fingers and her bare flesh, his thumb sweeps beneath her breast, pert and perfect, before teasing across her nipple as if to hint at what his mouth might do if it were there instead.
RE: all islands in a common sea - Flora - 08-10-2025
Normally, Flora's perfectly content for anyone wandering by to witness her more clandestine activities—half the fun is in the spectacle—but this? Whatever the fuck this is with Jack? Better that no one, especially Bassian, catch sight and start drawing conclusions.
His mouth on hers is already shortening the distance between thought and action, and when he presses her back against the counter, her breath hitches against his lips. The garden of her mind burns hotter under his touch, petals curling molten as his hand sweeps across her breast, throwing sparks that light up the paths between them, bright enough to scorch but never destroy.
She shifts, pushing up onto the counter with a smooth, practised motion, hooking her legs around his waist to pull him closer. The knit of her sweater drags against her skin as she catches the hem in one hand and yanks it over her head, leaving nothing but sun-warmed skin that glinted gold in the light, marred only by the now-healed scars on her back.
Flora's thoughts flicker quick and sharp through the possibilities—him fucking her right here against the counter, the grain of the wood biting into her thighs; the little dining table groaning under them as he pins her down; the narrow hallway giving way to her bed and the heat of his body filling every inch of space. Each image flares and fades as her kisses grow more insistent, pressing herself tighter against him until the wanting is less a garden and more a wildfire, hungry and unstoppable.