+- Court of the Fallen (https://cotf-rpg.com)
+-- Forum: Out of Character (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=26)
+--- Forum: Important (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+---- Forum: Archives (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: i just wanna be a good passenger (/showthread.php?tid=10439)
Pages:
1
2
i just wanna be a good passenger - Jack - 12-06-2024
What Jack does to get The Ark up and flying away from the Greatwood likely goes against a lot of medical advice, and it results in freshly bloodied bandages and him sacking the fuck out falling into a deep sleep for most of the journey. Luckily, between his first mate and the rest of the crew - not to mention a very calm day for flight - he isn't needed, because there's no chance of stirring him until they are well beyond the forest and the Spillwave is in sight.
The air turns balmy and warm this close to Hak Etme, and as The Ark descends towards turquoise, softly lapping waters, the good captain finally makes his appearance again. He's in different (read: clean) clothes and though he seems pale and gaunt even with the Torchline tan, he's in high spirits and more than able to see his ship touch down into the waves. Leaning against the rail with the warm breeze tousling his sleep-mussed hair, the moment they are surrounded by the sea, a lot of the tension in Jack's shoulders and back seems to melt away.
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Flora - 12-06-2024
Having
Slinking up behind Jack, Flora wraps her arms around him, careful to keep them above the line of his bandages. Her touch was accompanied not just by warm affection, but by pulses of healing as well thanks to the new ring on her finger. Pressing a kiss against the channel of the captain's spine, the queen rests her cheek against his back, sighing deeply. [say]"Crew said that while we were dead Vox sent a broadcast about it."[/say] She murmurs. [say]"You think by the time we get home we'll have missed our own funerals?"[/say]
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Jack - 12-06-2024
With the rest of the crew mulling around, Jack doesn't look over his shoulder preemptively as his telepathy crackles to life with the addition of Flora's thoughts. Instead he stirs from his spot against the railing as she drapes herself against his back, the captain letting a calloused hand rest over her own as he feels the pulse of power from the healing ring on her finger. [say]"Gods, I hope so. I never planned on havin' one, so it'd be convenient to know I'd missed it."[/say]
Smirking back at Flora, he nods at the lapping, clear waters - and the shadow of the pale dragon that goes swooping along the surf in the distance. [say]"Is your dear old dad gonna be escortin' us the entire way back to Torchline, you think?"[/say] He already knows the answer in reality (and is secretly appreciative of the extra protection), but it feels right to ask. [say]"Does he want anythin'...?"[/say] Liquor, a bunk to pass out in, a therapist?
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Flora - 12-06-2024
[say]"I wonder if Hadama is already thinking about replacing me."[/say] She murmurs before slipping herself next to Jack;—being mindful to stay on his right side to protect her left shoulder. Taking a deep breath of sea air, Flora exhales slowly. It isn't her ocean, but gods it feels good to be near the sea again. Unlike Jack who clearly got a bit squirrely when he was away from the ocean for too long, Flora hadn't realized how much she'd come to need the salt in the air and the slow rock of waves in order to feel grounded.
Shading her eyes, Flora peers out, just barely able to make out the pale blot of the Knight as he swooped down toward the surf. [say]"Sure seems like it."[/say] Twitching her lips from side to side, Flora is annoyed by her dad's presence the same way she might have been if he tried to kiss her goodbye in front of her friends when she was heading off to school.
[say]"mmmmmmm...given that it's Leafchange, he's big on fighting and .... "[/say] Bouncing her eyebrows, Flora's grin turns crooked as she peers up at Jack over one shoulder. No doubt fucking the Knight this season would feel a lot like fighting to anyone who wasn't the Bastian. [say]"So unless you've healed up really fast or are keen to die again, I'd say just let him do his thing."[/say]
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Jack - 12-06-2024
[say]"If he is then that's just testament to how much you did and how much Torchline needs someone like you, love,"[/say] Jack purrs, a smirk on his face as he adjusts to let Flora lean against his side as best she can while being mindful of both of their injuries, his arm settling carefully around her. [say]"Those islands are becomin' part of you,"[/say] he quips, more in response to her thoughts than anything, in the need to be near the salt and surf and the slow lullaby of the sea.
Distracted by the way the dragon seems to have snatched a fucking shark from the waves and is swooping upwards again to devour it mid-air, Jack promptly reconsiders his offer - especially with Flora's additions ringing in his ears and in his mind. [say]"Yeah, I'm good,"[/say] he decides with a scrunch of his nose. [say]"Least he seems to be enjoyin' himself,"[/say] he continues; as are all the crew, by the seems of things.
[say]"So are you gonna tell me more about this ghost?"[/say]
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Flora - 12-06-2024
[say]"As if there's anyone else in Torchline like me."[/say] Flora sasses, and though they're both injured, it doesn't escape the Doubletake's notice how comfortably she fits against the captain's side. He might be a shade too thin and too bent over, but the fact that he's warm and alive against her is all Flora could ask for. [say]"Mmm. You never really know what you've got until it's gone, huh?"[/say] Raising a brow and doubting whether Jack needs to lean on his telepathic abilities to see the line she's drawing, the queen grins.
Huffing out a breath through her nose—Flora is not at all impressed by Ronin's antics, nor does she find them particularly threatening—she nods. [say]"I bet he's miserable, actually."[/say] Tilting her head to the side, the Doubletake watches the cloud of red spray away from the shark's throat as Ronin tears into it. [say]"He probably won't settle down until we're home, and even then, not until he's back with my dad. They both get funny like that."[/say] She explains with a soft shrug, though given Flora hadn't felt okay until she was back with Jack after their ordeal, maybe the behaviour of her parents was starting to make just a little bit more sense.
[say]"Ohhhh!!! Right! So!"[/say] Twisting, Flora fit herself between the captain and the railing. [say]"I was coming home from the Bodega and I hear the strangest voice coming from below. It was this...I mean, I guess he was a man, but he had this really boyish way about him."[/say] (Malnutrition. That's what it was). [say]"And the way he was all covered in rags, I thought he was some trickster of Ludo's because he asked me to give him his cane so he could get himself unstuck from the rocks."[/say]
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Jack - 12-06-2024
[say]"A'right, I'll give you that,"[/say] Jack says with a huff of laughter, and though he doesn't dare hold her any closer given the state of the two of them, the ease with which he keeps her against his side is something that is certainly reflective of not knowing what you've got until it's gone. The crew have noticed the change too - and one doesn't have to be a telepath to see it, even if it does help - but the worst is truly yet to come. Once Jack is really back on his feet, that's when his feelings for Flora will truly start to make themselves known.
[say]"Oh?"[/say] Not remotely empathetic to the Knight's misery given that both he and Remi had been assholes in the past, Jack is at least in the mood to hear the reasoning behind it, what with the bringing them back to life and all. [say]"I see. Probably wise to let him keep as much distance as he wants in that case."[/say] Best for everyone involved, you'd think.
But anyway. The ghost.
Jack tries hard to bite his laughter into the side of his cheek as Flora explains, but the way he tilts his head at her practically gives the amusement away. [say]"So you're sayin' you nearly abandoned a crippled man at the side of the river,"[/say] he concludes.
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Flora - 12-06-2024
Sighing softly, Flora would have been content merely to lean against Jack for the next few hours, simply watching the way the white caps far out on the sea bled into waters so teal that they made her think of sour candy and sweet nectar. It was as close to intimate as the pair could get given their various injuries, but one of the (many) benefits in dating a telepath was the ability for Flora to completely share herself with Jack in a way that most couples could only manage with their clothes off and with one (or both) ramming some part into the other.
Glancing shrewdly up at the captain, Flora very nearly elbows him in the ribs before thinking better of it. She does imagine it though, assuming that to be sufficient punishment for his laughter which sounded a lot like disbelief. [say]"No, I'm saying that I was appropriately skeptical of someone asking for aid in a very strange situation. I mean, he'd clearly fallen, but his cane was just sitting there, upright on the bridge like someone had left it there. Definitely seems like one of those things you'd hear about in stories."[/say] Only...in a story, not helping the cripple was probably the thing which would result in being eaten or cursed or whatever, so maybe Flora shouldn't actually have thought too hard about it.
[say]"Listen
[say]"But then I helped him, he said he hoped I didn't die on my way out of the Greatwood, and then gave me his business card if I ever needed anything."[/say]
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Jack - 12-07-2024
[say]"Trust me, love, when I'm feelin' better you can share yourself with me while we're rammin' parts of ourselves into each other,"[/say] Jack says, the words soft and casually spoken as if he's just remarking on the weather, his fingers tiptoeing down the length of her side to settle at her hip. Any heat that threatens to spark in his blood vanishes, however, at the (quite detailed) imagining of Flora's elbow in his ribs, and he subconsciously tenses in preparation for it.
[say]"I've never heard this sort of story before,"[/say] he continues, his amusement lessened but not entirely gone, though he supposes he can start to understand where Flora is coming from as the caricature of the raggedy young man blinks into her mind's eye. [say]"Ah, so that's why you asked if ghosts gave business cards,"[/say] he says quietly, understanding dawning in his expression. [say]"Well? D'you still have it? If it's vanished then there's your answer."[/say]
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Flora - 12-08-2024
[say]"Ewwwuh,"[/say] Flora groans, her eyes rolling hard enough that she tilts her head back as if with the weight of her revulsion. Ramming parts was an apt enough description when talking about other people fucking, but it certainly wasn't how she wanted to think of herself. Though of course now that she was, her thoughts were shaded with traces of garnet and silver. [say]"I still think one day I want to try and do the ramming."[/say] She murmurs mischievously, before she's fitting herself between the captain and the railing to regale him about Niki the maybe ghost.
[say]"Not with a dad like yours."[/say] Flora agrees, unable to imagine Barclay Sr. even being capable of reading much less tucking his son into bed with whimsical parables. [say]"Mmhm. Seems like the sort of thing that...maybe they would? I mean, Enzo always shows up fully clothed, I bet he could bring a business card with him if he ever wanted."[/say] As for where it was? Letting her fingers trickle down the flowing kaftan, her palms pressing the material in to indicate her curves beneath, Flora grins and shrugs. [say]"Must have left it back in your cabin."[/say] She purrs, raising her good around and curling it around Jack's neck, her fingers softly tangling into the back of his hair. [say]"Maybe I can bring it to one of those seers I keep seeing all around Torchline."[/say] This time of year they popped up like little occult daisies, offering tarot card readings or other sorts of glimpses into ones future.
[say]"Do you ever stop by them? Just to mess with them?"[/say] With Jack's gift being what it was, no doubt he could have them packing up shop after just the first flip of a card.
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Jack - 12-08-2024
[say]"Promises, promises, Flora."[/say] Jack sighs, as if he's heard this sentiment from the Doubletake enough times to feel as if it's a bluff at this point. Still, the remark is punctuated by a sly sort of smile, and he keeps his arm laced around her while fumbling in his pockets with his free hand to draw out his (albeit battered, thanks to falling and dying) cigarettes. Placing one between his lips and striking a match, he scoffs at the mention of his father.
[say]"Bold of you to assume he spoke to me much at all, unless he had to."[/say] Suffice to say that Jack's childhood was a rough one, especially before he had other people's minds to listen in on. Glancing down at her and taking that first, satisfying drag on the cigarette, of course the captain notices the way her outfit hugs her curves, though he does flick wary blue eyes up towards the dragon on the horizon; he has no idea, especially with Ronin out of range of his magic, just how good the Knight's draconic sight is.
Luckily distracted from wanting to let his own hands roam by the mention of the crooked fortune tellers of Torchline, Jack raises an eyebrow and shrugs perhaps just a little mischievously. [say]"Not lately,"[/say] he drawls. [say]"When I was younger, for sure. Some of 'em had real magic, though, so I didn't stick around for those."[/say]
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Flora - 12-08-2024
[say]"Maybe that's what I had planned for your birthday."[/say] Lifting an eyebrow, Jack would of course be able to instantly call her bluff based on the newness of this particular thought as it bloomed in her mind, and yet the way it immediately began to take root very much suggested it was something he could expect in the coming season. It might not top death and resurrection, but a girl had to try.
Inhaling sharply as Jack struck the match in order to catch the sulphur flare while it was still fresh, Flora let the scent of tobacco and rich smoke fill her senses as her gaze wafted across Jack's face. He looked a fair amount more rugged than was normal, though that had more to do with the scruff on his cheeks and the lingering bags under his eyes than anything else; his eyes were every bit as blue and overwhelming as they'd always been. [say]"Psst."[/say] Reaching up to pluck the cigarette from between his lips, Flora arches her brows. [say]"No looking at my dad while I'm trying to flirt with you."[/say]
Trickling her nails against the back of Jack's neck and then following the cords of muscle up into his hair, the Doubletake smirks, easily able to imagine the warning bells that would have gone off in younger Jack's mind around any seers who weren't entirely full of shit. [say]"And none of them came close?"[/say] She wonders, before lifting his cigarette to her lips and taking a deep drag, her mind explicitly imagining that it was something else.
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Jack - 12-09-2024
A girl is on the right track if that's what trying entails, Jack raising his eyebrows at Flora and leaving it at that, especially if she's decided she'd like to surprise him with such a thing. Well - as much as anyone can surprise the captain, though she does have that handy ring to rely on to some extent. And, case in point, distraction works wonders too. [say]"Mm?"[/say] Finding the cigarette gone from between his lips, such has been his focus on Ronin, Jack scoffs and sighs out the rest of the smoke he'd inhaled.
[say]"How else am I meant to know if the Ark is about to get covered in dragonfire? I reckon your dear old dad would do it for less than catchin' you flirtin' with me."[/say] And me enjoying it. Luckily, it appears the Knight has contented himself with catching sharks to eat and is circling the ship as a mere wink in the sky above.
His head dips reflexively as her fingernails dance up the back of his neck and into his hairline, and though Flora's thoughts might still be flirtatious, he doubts either of them will be up to the task right now even with their healing sped up by her new ring. [say]"Came close to what? Readin' the future I've got right now?"[/say]
RE: i just wanna be a good passenger - Flora - 12-10-2024
[say]"As long as I'm on the Ark, it's literally the safest place anyone could be."[/say] Flora counters, aqua eyes wide with a combination of arrogance and mischief as she stares up at Jack through the dissipating haze of cigarette smoke. Leaning forward ever so slightly, that her breasts brush against his chest through the thin fabric of her kaftan is far from accidental as her fingers continue to press starburst patterns against the back of the captain's head.
Replacing the cigarette back between his lips, rather than letting her wounded arm hang uselessly at her side, instead the queen hooks her fingers inside the waistband of Jack's pants where the lines of his muscles have oh so conveniently left the perfect amount of space for such a thing. Laughing, Flora gives her head a shake. [say]"No I mean...did any of them ever come close to—"[/say] figuring out what you could do? [say]"I know reading futures isn't the same thing as knowing what abilities people have, but..."[/say]