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+---- Thread: [SE] daft pretty boys (/showthread.php?tid=11785)
daft pretty boys - Calypso - 07-24-2025
“[say]Thanks for meetin’ me.[/say]” Caly says softly as she steps beside her father, decked out in a gold sweater and pale pants that are tucked neatly into black boots, stepping across the glittering sand. Her hair is pulled up into a messy bun, with the golden clip Vesper had gotten her tucked in neatly into her blonde strands, adorned with golden jewelry on her ears and a few necklaces that stack neatly.
In her hands she holds a variety of purple and dark blue blooms, nestled into a bouquet of glittering, star-lit hues of glass additions in pink, orange, and yellow. A sunset, if there ever were one. An offering for her mother that she intends to bring to the top of the lighthouse. “[say]An’ thanks for helpin’ out at the party. I uh, had some question’s ‘bout it I thought y’might be able to help with.[/say]” She doesn’t know about Jack's mind readability, so it takes her some time to formulate her thoughts in a way that she could explain them rather than leaving out her gilded mind like a perfectly prized book for Vesper to rifle through. What she does know is that Jack knew Flora the best out of everyone, as far as she could tell, so it made sense to go and ask him about what the Queen's intentions often were. If there were other sides to it or if she could trust it at face value.
“[say]Flora came t’see me and told me everythin’ happened before Kai and I were together but I dunno her as well as you do, so I was hopin’ if you could help me figure out the whole kinda vibe goin’ on there. I... don’t wanna be blindsided again.[/say]” The tone of her voice drops with the thought, a whisper of her frustration and anger of having been made a fool at her own birthday party by being completely unaware of everything everyone else seemed to be aware of. A feeling that continued to chafe and burn. “[say]Kai sent me a letter. An’ now Flora’s askin’ if we wanna keep the bar an’ while I love it... I also kinda knew she might want it back, so, I dunno if I should? Give it back, that is. Guess I'm feelin’ a bit pushed outta everything right now.[/say]” She sighs, rolling her eyes for how frustrated and whiny she sounds, but she’s still young. Her emotions hit her a touch too sharply where she hasn’t had the years to harden it. And between receiving the letter from Kaisel and Flora's request, well, she feels suddenly aimless.
RE: daft pretty boys - Jack - 07-26-2025
[say]"Don't mention it,"[/say] Jack mumbles around a cigarette, falling in step beside Caly as they head for the Aumakua. The captain, for his part, has a small wicker basket in his hand, filled with glittering pearls, opalescent shells and flecks of gold and gemstone that have washed up on the coast. Gifts from the sea that reflect Safrin's stars - as good an offering as he can think of, given his affinity for the water.
Caly is going to mention it though, if not directly, and the captain draws deep on his smoke as he waits for her thoughts to arrange themselves into some sort of an order, and by the time she speaks, he's flicking ash from the tip of the cigarette and exhaling a whorl of blue-grey into the air above them. [say]"The... vibe,"[/say] he repeats, and a slight smirk curls across his lips as he glances sidelong at the Attuned beside him.
[say]"It's fuckin' messy is what it is. If you wanna know if Flora's the type to be spiteful an' passive aggressive, the answer is yes, with fuckin' bells on. But she don't normally offer shit unless she means it. An' if she don't mean it, you'd know."[/say] He shrugs. [say]"So if she's asked if you wanna keep the bar, an' it seems genuine, it prob'ly is."[/say]
Kai, though, is a different fucking story. [say]"What'd the asshole's letter say, anyway?"[/say]
RE: daft pretty boys - Calypso - 07-26-2025
The entrance of the lighthouse is quiet, but it sparks with a starry, serene kind of buzz that proves that the shrine above is worth everything holy to the young attuned. She steps in at first, listening to his voice and aptly taking each word as advice – because he did know Flora the best – and while she felt like it was genuine in the letter… She’d have a better idea of just how Flora felt about it if she heard it from her lips.
Caly wasn’t the type that could read written word well enough to tell the undertones, but she excelled at hearing what people both did and didn’t say when they spoke aloud to her. And perhaps that’s what made it that much more difficult. “[say]Yeah, maybe.[/say]” She hums, starting to take the stairs when he asks what the letter said and her laugh is a gentle trickle of chimes, hollow at its root. “[say]Oh, y’know. An apology for ruinin’ the party. How I deserve better ‘n how he misses me and wants t’make it up to me. Lots’ve flattery.[/say]” Which was charming, but she was smart enough to not go and meet him and let it right all the wrongs.
Instead, she’d let him stew on it. Chew on his thoughts until he couldn’t handle it enough to finally reach out to her, and then – only then – would she show up and make her decision. One that’s still unmade, standing on the precipice of a golden chasm, debating whether or not to walk alongside it or figure out how to climb in without getting hurt. “[say]Said he’d answer anythin’ I wanna know.[/say]” She takes the moment to glance at her father sidelong.
RE: daft pretty boys - Jack - 07-27-2025
[say]"I take you haven't answered her either way jus' yet?"[/say] Jack says as they step in through the entrance to the lighthouse, the captain allowing Caly to lead the way and to take her time if that's what she feels she wants to do; Safrin is her mother and all that. [say]"If I'm honest I always reckoned you'd be keepin' it - or at least that you'd put up a fight about handin' it back. You don't re-decorate a place you're only babysittin',"[/say] he points out.
Following after her up the stairs, his scoff of laughter is a rough harmony to her chiming, hollow amusement. [say]"It's easy to promise the world in a letter,"[/say] he agrees. [say]"Ain't gotta live up to the words when they're just words."[/say] Actions, now, those are the crux of whether someone means what they say. [say]"He's right about one thing, though - you do deserve better."[/say]
Unsurprising, though, to have that be Jack's assessment of Kaisel. [say]"An' what is it you wanna know?"[/say]
RE: daft pretty boys - Calypso - 07-27-2025
“[say]Nope.[/say]” The letter had sat there, heavy and an awful reminder that sparked a strange awkward burning in her gut like she didn’t have a right answer. A fleeting feeling that returns even speaking about it, though hearing Jack’s answer does soothe her some. They had redesigned it. And Flora had ensured when she handed it over that it was something Caly should handle and give life into because it had so much of it to give back.
And now she’s supposed to just give it all up?
“[say]Yeah, that’s what I thought too.[/say]” She takes the stairs as she nods, the spiral guiding them up toward the top with half burnt candles, melted wax surrounding the interior, a dark hazy sort of warmth that this high up during the humid months certainly seemed to hold onto in a chokehold. As the conversation shifts to Kaisel, there’s reservation there. A cold kind of sunlight sparkling her soul that doesn’t breathe warmth but instead seems questioning. As if she can’t tell if she wants to stifle him and make him choke or not.
His assessment of the letter is pretty much what she’d thought, too, and there’s a small bolster of pride in her gut that proves she’d been learning from him, like she’d wanted to since arriving. “[say]Haven’t even really got that far, t’be honest.[/say]” She mutters with a hint of annoyance, the feline part of her soul overriding. “[say]An’ even if I did, I’m not sure I’d trust the answers. I reckon he’s just tryin’ to say whatever I wanna hear.[/say]” Just to make things okay, which wasn’t at all what Caly wanted.
But as she approaches the shrine and sets the blooms down amongst the warm jasmine scented offerings left behind previous to them, she suddenly thinks that maybe a consolation prize for keeping the Hanged Man from Flora would be to give her Kaisel. And then she could be done with it all. “[say]Thanks, Mom.[/say]” Caly murmurs softly, bowing her head before she stretches up to look toward the ceiling, as if she can see past them toward the stars long in the distance and past the warm afternoon that was still too illuminated to see them with the naked eye. “[say]For lettin’ me shine and everythin’. I miss you.[/say]” It's a quiet, far more pure gratitude than she'd had for anything else leading up to this moment, and when she steps away with that sunny smile back on her face, she opens up the room for Jack's offerings.
RE: daft pretty boys - Jack - 07-29-2025
[say]"Well, there you have it. Don't feel shitty 'bout keepin' somethin' you've been offered. Like I said, if Flora was feelin' any sort of way about it, believe me - you'd know."[/say] Jack can't be said to be a betting man - only because while he does bet often, it's usually if he already knows the outcome - but he'd put some high stakes on his assessment of the situation here.
Allowing Caly to enter the top of the lighthouse first, Jack follows suit and spends a bit of time lighting a few of the candles as they chat about her much-to-be-desired lover boy. [say]"Call me cynical but that's pretty much boys in love,"[/say] he says with a scoff; telling you what you want to hear until they get what they want is pretty standard douchebag dating behaviour. [say]"Why don't you have your brother tail you when you meet him? He can hide in plain sight, let you know either way."[/say]
Besides, from Vesper's behaviour at the party, he's got no doubt that the young demigod needs no persuasion to act as bodyguard for his sister's feelings.
Dropping the subject to focus on the shrine, unlike Caly, Jack's offerings are made in silence as usual. But, having lit the candles to fill the top of the lighthouse with warm illumination, he drops to one knee to set out his tribute for Safrin, solemnly grateful for her assistance in all that had happened with the void and The Family.
RE: daft pretty boys - Calypso - 07-30-2025
“[say]Yeah,[/say]” she says with a soft huff of a laugh, the insecurities already beginning to vanish under the new, shiny glint of gold. “[say]You’re right.[/say]” She murmurs as Jack lights the candles and she makes her way toward the shrine, softening with the idea of being this close to her mother. And while Safrin wasn’t right here in this moment, it was still sweet and relieving to be in the here and now.
Even if they are talking about Kaisel and his decisions. Such that she looks over her shoulder with a smile a touch too much like Jack’s. “[say]Funny, he offered the same thing. But I think I’m just gonna try it on my own first ’n see.[/say]” But don’t worry, she isn’t stupid enough to let him back in after all of this unless he managed some impossible feat.
But for now, she settles in to give her mother a proper thanks, withdrawing with a deep inhale of the scent from the lighthouse she’d descended from, before she steps back to let Jack give his offerings. Her fingers trace along the smooth, hardened wax left behind from years upon years of candles burning and melting over it as she waits for him to rise again. “[say]What’s all she’s given ya?[/say]” She asks curious, realizing she’d never really asked what he got out of all of this.
RE: daft pretty boys - Jack - 08-01-2025
[say]"I know,"[/say] Jack says breezily, a catlike smirk on his face. [say]"Always nice to be told, though."[/say] Tweaking his arrangement at the shrine here and there, only as Caly mentions that Vesper had also offered his services does the captain scoff out a laugh, inclining his head as if conceding that, perhaps, he and the Marins do absolutely have more than one thing in common with each other. [say]"Can't fault you doin' it alone - s'what I'd do. Just keep your nosy brother in the loop, otherwise he'll interfere with or without your permission."[/say]
Rising back to his feet and sweeping a few petals and some glitter from his knees (he's blaming Nova for it regardless of when she was last here at the shrine), Jack pinches out his cigarette and flicks it out of the lighthouse window down into the crashing surf below. [say]"Hm?"[/say] He glances over his shoulder, before gesturing vaguely to himself and the cloudless sky outside.
[say]"She got The Ark to fly properly. Made me immortal - at least to look at, anyway. An' I got this."[/say] He pushes up his sleeve to reveal the compass tattoo on his forearm. [say]"Takes me back to the ship if I need it."[/say] Not from anywhere. Not yet. But, y'know, there's time.
RE: daft pretty boys - Calypso - 08-02-2025
Rolling her eyes with all the arrogance of a child that didn’t really know that much better, Caly can’t hide the amusement and agreement that blossoms under her skin. She doesn’t have any qualms with telling people they’re right, a sort of subtleness that makes it easier for people to hang onto her words later down the line when they thought she actually valued her opinion. But with Jack, it was different, not only because he was her father but because he’s also the sort of someone that Caly admires the fuck out of.
At his next comment about her brother, though, a very girlish uuuugh leaves her before it breaks into a soft chime of a laugh, an incline of her head. “[say]Yeah, yeah, I know. He’s real good at it.[/say]” She doesn’t feel the need to add believe it or not because both of them were of the mind that Vesper absolutely could. And he’d have zero qualms with it.
Softening, though, the young attuned listens as Jack explains what all Safrin had done for him, for all the deals he’s made with her — some of them ending in the result of her existence. “[say]That’s pretty neat.[/say]” She says, coming closer to inspect the compass tattoo despite her answer covering most of everything else, too. The Ark flying, immortality. All things she could also get behind, but a quick escape was one that she appreciated and more.
RE: daft pretty boys - Jack - 08-02-2025
[say]"He's just lookin' out for you - ain't that what I'm s'posed to say?"[/say] Jack smirks; given that they're standing in her mother's shrine, the captain figures he ought to play the part of giving fatherly advice, at least while they're mere feet away from their prayers and offerings. [say]"He's also a know-it-all who likes to keep his fingers in other people's business. But I figure you can use that to your advantage."[/say]
Holding out his arm for her to see the compass tattoo properly, Jack hums his agreement and gives a small nod. [say]"Ain't bad,"[/say] he agrees, which is a very brusque way of saying it's absolutely been worth everything I've been asked for. Even so, he's not sure he wants to tempt fate and accidentally call Safrin down here and now, much as Caly would likely enjoy it, and so Jack sidles back towards the door.
[say]"Shall we? Or d'you want me to leave you to speak with her alone for a bit?"[/say] he asks.
RE: daft pretty boys - Calypso - 08-02-2025
“[say]Yeah, yeah, somethin’ like that.[/say]” Caly sighs with a playful roll of her eyes. Her amusement is palpable, at least, even for someone who isn’t a mind reader, so it should do well enough to prove that Jack’s doing his fatherly duties. But when he calls her brother a know-it-all, the laughter that trickles out of her is warm and full of agreement, because damn right she was going to use it to her advantage.
She already has.
But then she’s looking at the compass tattoo as he holds out his arm, admiring it with a hum of appreciation. It wasn’t bad at all, as far as she was concerned, and a part of her wonders what kind of fancy tattoos she might be able to ask her mother for. All thoughts to ponder over later, though, because Jack’s moving toward the door and she’s got things to do, too. “[say]Yeah, I’m comin’.[/say]” Turning back toward the shrine with an almost childish wave, Caly beams a smile over to her mother’s shrine. “[say]Bye mom. Miss you![/say]” And she trails after Jack out the door and down the steps, back into Torchline as a whole.
- FIN