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+---- Thread: [Training] you tell me I'm walkin' on water (/showthread.php?tid=11975)
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you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Jack - 09-01-2025
[say]"Dunno what I fuckin' expected but it wasn't this,"[/say] Jack is muttering as he crunches - yeah, crunches - across the icy deck of The Ark, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his Kingmaker Coat, his eyes on the ship's carefully tied down sails. He'd sent quite a covert letter to Vesper towards the end of Leafchange requesting specific canvas dyed a very specific colour, one the young demigod will instantly recognise as the very material used for The Ark's mainsail.
Turns out Jack still has his particulars, even when he doesn't live in the region any longer. (And believe him, he had searched for a replacement he could use before resorting to wares from Torchline again).
Either way, once the sail had been commissioned, prepared, wrapped and shipped, he'd invited Vesper to accompany it. Which is about when the heavens had opened and began to dump snow onto King's End without much sign of relenting, something the captain hasn't been ancitipating given that it's adjacent to Torchline's islands. [say]"Still, guess this means I can get a handle on the new magic without worryin' about any accidents. You in?"[/say] He glances over his shoulder at the boy.
In for a casual magical spar, he means.
RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Vesper - 09-01-2025
Frost blooms white from his lips, hanging like smoke in the still air before it frays apart. Vesper watches it drift with a look of faint distaste, shoulders hunched deeper into the thick cableknit beneath his jacket, scarf pulled high as though the wool alone might bully warmth back into his bones. Snow and ice he’s only seen the once in Halo, and that had been plenty; one encounter was enough to decide he hated it.
Blue eyes narrow toward the captain’s mutterings, a brow lifting as his breath hisses in slow through his nose. [say]"Cold’ll keep your ship from burnin’,"[/say] he says at last, voice low, [say]"but it won’t keep me from it."[/say] The line’s offered with a dry curl of his mouth, almost a smile, before he rolls his shoulders loose against the chill. No doubt that was precisely Jack's point.
One hand slips free of his scarf just long enough for a languid flick of his wrist, shadows rising faint and restless at his boots like smoke uncurling from coals. The gesture is invitation enough. [say]"Go on, then,"[/say] he drawls, bracing himself in the quiet way that’s more thought than posture, his mind’s edge sharpening as he steadies for the first strike.
RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Jack - 09-02-2025
[say]"Mm, least there's one silver linin',"[/say] Jack mutters as he glances up at the iced over rigging. He could strip it away with a combination of water and fire magic, but honestly with the relentless fall of snow overhead, it'd be nothing but a waste of his own energy. Perhaps one day soon he'll dedicate some time to properly protect the ship against the elements for the season, but for now it will have to wait.
[say]"Always a pleasure to have you stow away,"[/say] he drawls, smirking over his shoulder and drawing to a stop at the middle of the empty deck. He thaws the frost under their feet and drives the resulting water back enough to give them space to manoeuvre without slipping, before offering the boy a wolfish grin. Without further preamble, he unleashes a searing, horizontal arc of fire towards Vesper, the flames bright against the muted world around them.
[say]"So,"[/say] Jack says conversationally, [say]"are your sisters rulin' Torchline's underworld yet?"[/say]
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RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Vesper - 09-02-2025
The heat roars toward him and for a split second he’s too close to the blaze he’d felt scalding inside Jack’s mind for him to think the flames were real. Reflex snaps in before thought does; his body blurs and breaks apart, mist curling through the air until he re-forms a few strides off, boots crunching back onto the deck where the boards still steam from the strike he’s narrowly abandoned. His eyes flick to the blackened hiss of wood, then back to Jack, shoulders rolling as if to shake off the echo of flame.
[say]"Nice,'[/say] he remarks, smirk tugging as he sets his stance again, shadows shivering eager around his feet. [say]"Caly’s still figurin’ the best way to ruin Kaisel’s life. Personally, I’d say winnin’ his heart back just t’crush it proper would do the trick."[/say] It had the added appeal of fucking Flora off in the process as well. The thought coils mean and amused in his mind, sharp enough to taste, though he doesn’t dwell long before shifting pace.
[say]"Y'know I been hearin' a rumour that says the thieves guild's security ain’t what it used t’be."[/say] His grin flashes quick as a knife, sharp against the frost-hazed light. [say]"I can think of quite a few names on that list of yours that might benefit from havin' their palms greased with the shit she keeps locked up at the back of our bar."[/say] Really, it was short-sighted as fuck on the queen's part, but Vesper would much rather have to come realize that on her own.
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RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Jack - 09-02-2025
[say]"Not bad yourself,"[/say] Jack remarks; the boy gets more slippery every time he sees him, he thinks; the captain has always known that Vesper would surpass him at some point, given the nature of his demigod blood, but it's something else entirely to see it start happening in real time. Reorienting himself to face Vesper in his new spot, Jack listens with casual indifference that the flicker of heat in his thoughts utterly betrays.
Still, the next barrage of flame comes in a condensed bolt, as if he's purposefully crushing it under his control - and this time if it misses, it'll sail harmlessly off the edge and towards the icy, open water. [say]"Good for her, if she can stomach it,"[/say] he mutters. Feelings, he's lived and learned, often make being ruthless a messy sort of business. Still, he can always hope Kaisel has a bad day whatever Caly's eventual plan.
[say]"Oh, has it,"[/say] the captain drawls as talk turns to the thieves' guild. [say]"Well, y'know what they say. One man's tragedy is another's opportunity."[/say] Do they say that? He neither knows nor cares.
[say]"I've heard a rumour here too,"[/say] he adds, raising a pointed brow, [say]"'bout a new guild in the makin'. One that trades in information, an' is damn good at keepin' it subtle."[/say]
2/4
RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Vesper - 09-02-2025
Starlight arcs up in a hard sweep, Vesper’s shield flaring bright as if he’s dragged a piece of the night sky down to meet the captain’s flame. It holds for a blink, maybe two, before the heat crushes through, driving him back a step with a hiss as the sting licks across his skin. He straightens in the aftermath, taller than he feels, shoulders squared even as the warmth still clings raw against him.
[say]"Mm. She won’t own up to it,"[/say] he murmurs, voice edged with knowing humour since holdin' shit in seemed to be a family trait, [say]"but I reckon it’ll do her good if she can make him cry. Maybe even beg."[/say] His smirk twists dry as he steadies again, the shadows restless at his boots like they’d spring if he loosed them.
The talk of his rumour pulls a laugh from him, soft and sharp, and he lifts his brows in wry agreement. [say]"None of us are much use with fire. An’ with Deepfrost makin’ the air bite—well."[/say] He lets his shields slacken just enough for the image to bleed through: the Hanged Man alight, flames curling up its frame, smoke thick in the rafters. The thought gleams for Jack to see before Vesper shrugs. [say]"Nova’s still fond of the place, though, so we'll see."[/say] But fuck if the Marins weren't all keen to make Flora pay for Jack's absence. That too will come through Vesper's thoughts before his shields return.
His gaze cuts back, sharp with interest at the mention of another guild. But his answer comes wordless at first: shadows stretching low and sudden to tangle around Jack’s boots, pushing hard to try and send him stumbling across his own deck.
[say]"Oh yeah?"[/say]
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RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Jack - 09-02-2025
Jack's eyes widen a fraction to see the starlight flare up before Vesper in a shield, even if it can't withstand the full force of his magic. [say]"You got more tricks up your sleeve'n I remember,"[/say] he says softly, and there might be a cousin to something like pride in his voice. Taking a few paces to the left, the captain opts to change his tactics now, and the ground beneath the young demigod's feet will suddenly become sheer and slippery and treacherous with ice, accompanied by a few jagged icicles spearing up from the ground around him.
[say]"Well, if you want a hand makin' him cry or beg, I'll see what I can do from afar."[/say] Maybe he'll send a letter or two. Maybe it'll just be something unpleasant landing on Kai's doorstep. He hasn't decided yet - and besides, Caly might think of something even better besides.
As Vesper drops his mental shields a fraction, the fire reflected in the boy's mind is reminiscent of the one still burning in his own, though Jack has to admit that the Marins are being much more productive with their tempers. [say]"You can always give her a new place to be even more fond of,"[/say] he reasons, which is about when Vesper's mind shuts back down and his shadows shove towards Jack's feet.
He does stumble, albeit briefly, before air magic reflexively buffets him from the back and rights his balance. He scoffs and shakes out his hands, having removed them from his pockets at last.
[say]"Yeah,"[/say] he says. [say]"They say the guy runnin' it has an ace or two up his sleeve. He could use some similar minded folk from other areas to keep their ears to the ground an' their fingers in all the gossip, too."[/say]
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RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Vesper - 09-02-2025
Vesper’s smirk cuts pale against the frost. [say]"Been wearin’ sleeves more lately,"[/say] he drawls, tugging absently at the thick knit pulled down over his wrist. [say]"Guess the tricks came with ’em."[/say] A joke, thin but deliberate, stitched between the bite of cold and the weight of what they’re really doing here.
His gaze drops to the sudden slick sheen beneath his boots, lip curling as the ground pitches treacherously. Shadows twitch and coil at his ankles, restless as he works for balance. [say]"Somethin’ tells me Torchline’s gonna feel a lot less warm an’ cozy to him than he thought it would,"[/say] he mutters, voice low as the ice creaks under his weight.
The effort to move jars him wrong, and the unfamiliar surface slips him sideways, arms bracing out wide. Instinct claws in fast—shadows surging to catch him—but in the clutch of that reach he snags something new. Thick ropes of absolutely darkness lash forward without warning, snapping through the air like whips and cracking out toward Jack.
He steadies with a stagger, arms spread for balance, breath misting hard. His head jerks up just in time to see the tail end of his own power recoil. Blue eyes flare wide, surprise breaking clean through his composure as he stares at what he’s just unleashed.
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RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Jack - 09-02-2025
[say]"Developin' a sense of humour too, I see,"[/say] Jack scoffs, though it's true that the two of them are wearing far more layers than they'd normally need - a new normal for the captain, and one he's trying not to balk at. Watching with partial amusement as Vesper fights to get his footing on the slick ice beneath his feet, he can't help but snort at the Marins' idea of cozy when it comes to Kaisel Ashborn. [say]"I ain't sure what the fuck he thought it was gonna be like if I'm honest."[/say] Rare words, from a telepath.
Either way, Jack reckons he probably thinks he's struck fucking gold right now, and perhaps it's that sullen distraction that has him noticing Vesper's new and nightmarish power far too late. Gritting his teeth as all three tendrils hit home - and his coat is useless against the assault - the tang of blood fills the air as it appears in jagged rosettes in the captain's shirt and stains his lips as he coughs.
He doesn't speak, but his mind briefly flares, all stormfire and surprise - what the fuck - and his own magic lashes back instinctively, mageglass glinting at his fingers and on his wrist. The lightning he calls bursts out of him towards Vesper, the air humming with it, snowflakes crackling with static.
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RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Vesper - 09-02-2025
Vesper’s mouth crooks, a smirk dry as kindling, offering neither denial nor agreement. [say]"Ain’t sure he’s thought a day in his fuckin’ life,"[/say] he mutters, head giving a small shake as if the very idea of Kaisel planning further than the length of his own shadow is laughable. Truth gnaws quieter beneath, though, because the demigod is much more interested in what Flora thought she was invitin’ into her life, and how the fuck she thought that was gonna go.
The thought curdles fast as crimson blooms sudden and stark across Jack’s shirt, and Vesper’s eyes flash wide, throat tightening at the sight of blood his shadows drew without command. He barely has time to register it before the world snaps white. Lightning snarls into him, starlight shield sputtering desperate, only enough to blunt the edge before the force hurls him backward.
He crashes down hard, knees biting the deck, lungs cinched tight as if the breath’s been ripped out of him. Static claws through his veins, body trembling against the crackle of what lingers. One hand braces against slick wood, another drags up shaky, palm out in wordless signal. A cough wracks him, blood spattering sharp against the frost, but he lifts his gaze all the same, teeth bared in something halfway between a grimace and a grin.
Not fine. But not dead.
[say]"I see you kept her gifts,"[/say] Vesper mutters with dry approval when he has the air for it, spitting a wad of blood onto the ground before attempting to get to his feet.
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RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Jack - 09-02-2025
No sooner has Jack unleashed his bolt of lightning when he's forgotten all about it in favour of the crimson flowers Vesper has unintentionally gifted him, the captain slouching back against the rail to tug at his coat and shirt and examine the damage done by the... darkness that had spilled from the boy in a way his shadows had never quite managed.
At the sound of knees hitting the deck and a hacking cough, there's already fresh static crackling around Jack's body and burning in his eyes, though as he realises Vesper is calling a halt to their little spar - that what he'd done hadn't even been intentional - it blinks back out again. [say]"No need to waste good mageglass,"[/say] he grunts, peeling blood-sticky fabric away from the raw punctures against his skin.
[say]"Fuck'd you learn how to do that?"[/say] he wants to know, levering himself upright and ignoring the way his breath rattles in his chest and his hands want to start shaking.
When he crosses the deck, it's with slow and careful steps, Jack holding out a hand for the boy, not that he thinks he'll actually be much help in getting him upright. [say]"'Fraid we ain't in Torchline now. No healin' water on tap."[/say]
RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Vesper - 09-02-2025
Vesper wheezes out a breath that steams the air in front of him, the sound ragged and thin in his throat. He doesn’t waste the effort of speech, just gives a small, sharp shake of his head, blue eyes flicking toward Jack even as the weight of pain settles heavy in his limbs. His shields drop like a curtain pulled back, and what Jack will see there is raw and unguarded; no intent, no direction, just the whipcrack of instinct grabbing the wrong thread.
When the captain’s shadow lengthens across him, Vesper’s jaw tenses, ready for something more than words. Something more like a lesson to be taught. But then Jack’s hand is there, offered rather than demanded, and the breath Vesper draws next is deeper, steadier. Shoulders slouching, he reaches up and grips Jack’s hand with cold fingers, shadows rising like braces to help him push himself upright.
The grimace he gives at Jack’s muttered comment is all teeth and cold humour, his mind flickering briefly toward Torchline’s warm waters and the healing magic therein. One point for stayin’, his thoughts murmur, tired and half-sarcastic, before he starts pulling the mess of himself back behind fresh walls. [say]"Rum’ll do,"[/say] he mutters aloud, dusting snow from his sleeves with a flick. [say]"Assumin’ you didn’t leave all that behind in Torchline too in favour of somethin' else."[/say]
RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Jack - 09-04-2025
Grunting as Vesper grabs his hand, Jack nevertheless helps to get the boy upright (though the VIPs here are his shadows, let's be real) and huffs out a shaky breath as the curtains of his mind part seamlessly to reveal the unintended nature of his assault. [say]"Well,"[/say] he says, sounding dryly impressed, [say]"let's make sure we test that out next time on someone else, yeah?"[/say] He doesn't need to imagine who: he's sure Vesper has several ideas already.
Releasing the boy and gingerly straightening back up, the cold alone has already to sluggishly slow his bleeding, but Jack is far from happy with his current state. [say]"Oh? That mean you're considerin' not stayin'?"[/say] He wonders of his thought, nosing towards his cabin and starting to carefully head towards it. [say]"An' for the record, I didn't leave anythin' in favour of this. Look at the fuckin' place."[/say] He gestures at the frigid world around them.
[say]"But yeah, for that matter. I got plenty of good rum left. Gonna make a bar here soon too, so I can keep it imported an' on tap."[/say]
RE: you tell me I'm walkin' on water - Vesper - 09-04-2025
Vesper grunts low in his throat, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth to smear away what blood still lingers there. The motion’s casual, though the taste of iron clings stubborn in his teeth. [say]"Like I said,"[/say] he mutters, shrugging beneath the heavy knit, [say]"Nova’s set on stayin’, Caly’s happy to go. Ain’t gonna be me stuck choosin’ between ’em."[/say] His jaw feathers with the admission, eyes sliding away toward the rail as if the sea itself might offer some better answer.
Falling in step a pace behind Jack, his gaze drops briefly to the deckboards, brows quirking at the blackened footprints seared into the ice-slick wood. A snort escapes him, dry as frost. [say]"Wonder if Safrin would make us our own little floatin’ empire. A couple islands just for us."[/say] The shadows coil at his boots as though they’d take to the idea quick enough.
The huff that follows is edged with amusement, a plume of breath white against the cabin’s looming shadow. [say]"Bar, huh."[/say] He tilts his head, grin breaking sharp as the cold. [say]"Conveniently, turns out I’m a decent bartender these days."[/say]