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+---- Thread: the road to ruin (/showthread.php?tid=5428)
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the road to ruin - Aurelia - 04-16-2021
Her boots press through, alongside lengthy reeds and the small bodies of water they grow from. She carries herself with a hopeful sense of alertness, looking for signs of another person. Not Jack, though. Whatever he's doing, she's not presently paying too much mind. No, her eyes scan the mud for smaller footprints, a woman's.
She comes to a halt along the turn of a grassy pathway, her eyes following it into the open ocean. The waves are calm here, where monsoons don't rage across the water. Beneath the surface, Aurelia spots something... different.
She turns now to look back for the captain. [Say]"Hey, Jack? Take a look at this,"[/say] she holds up what she's found in both hands since it's pretty hefty. It looks like an old harpoon, rusted and warped now from sitting in the sea. There's even a bit of rope that dangles from one end, tattered and muddy. [Say]"It's from a ship, isn't it,"[/say] she comments, intending to hand it to him, as she raises her brows curiously, [say]"think there was a wreck?"[/say]
She hasn't yet noticed the ruins of old, unlucky ships in the shallows.
RE: the road to ruin - Jack - 04-17-2021
[say]"Hmm...?"[/say] Jack has been contenting himself with the walk, with following after Aurelia and wondering whose footprints she's looking for and why. He knows where they are going, of course, even if it's not an exact science. Out here in this ship graveyard, there's one wreck that's well-known among the right people called the Yellow Rose. And somewhere within that wreck is a chest, and within that chest is one of several shipments that the Ark will be taking back with her.
Why has Aurelia been included on this trip, exactly? Who knows. Maybe Jack trusts her more than he lets on. Maybe they've been through enough together that he knows she's in this for the foreseeable. Whatever the rationale, he glances up to find her holding a fucking harpoon, and he can't help but scoff out a laugh as he accepts it. [say]"Aye, that's from a ship. Fat lot of good it did her,"[/say] he remarks, nodding over her shoulder out into the Boondocks proper, where the vast expanse of half sunk masts, floating decks and shells of ships laze in the shallows.
[say]"Think there were a lot o'wrecks,"[/say] he says. [say]"The place is notorious for catchin' ships."[/say]
RE: the road to ruin - Aurelia - 04-27-2021
Aurelia turns to him with a shimmer of amusement in her gaze at the sound of his scoff, letting go of the idea of finding Mildew out here - for the moment. She follows his gaze further, further out into the sea, where she suddenly feels blind. Her shoulders sink down a little and she gets this embarrassed, wiggly little smile on her face.
[say]"Ah, I sea that now,"[/say] she smirks suddenly, using her elbow to jab him a little in the side, [say]"get it?"[/say] She holds onto the harpoon for now. Maybe she'll keep it as a trusty little souvenir. But she does lower it and step up onto a rock that's peering up out of the shallows to better scan the wreckages.
[say]"Is that why you brought us here, then?"[/say] She asks without looking at him, [say]"Hoping to scavenge some of the ships? Oh-"[/say] She hops down from the rock, plunging her feet into the water and making an effort to wade through the waist-high waves. [say]"-Maybe there's some long-forgotten treasure down there. Betcha I'll find it first!"[/say] She pauses and glances back towards him, eyeing him with a more excited grin to see if he'll accept the challenge.
RE: the road to ruin - Jack - 04-28-2021
Surrendering the harpoon back to Aurelia and following her gaze out to the floating ruins of ships, he doesn't have to see the wobbly smile on her face to know that she's realised the obviousness of her comment.
[say]"Oh, I get it. I just don't find it funny,"[/say] he informs her with a sly grin. She can keep the harpoon for all he cares; there's all that and more throughout this graveyard of ships, and Jack continues to press forward. He doesn't seem to be going in any particular direction, but he's making his way towards the Yellow Rose, as sideways as it might look.
[say]"Not for the ships, no. I came here for what's on one of them,"[/say] he explains, shooting Aurelia a look before he hops into the water as well, wading through alongside her. [say]"Somewhere here is the shell of a hull with bright yellow roses painted along the side. That's what I'm looking for."[/say]
RE: the road to ruin - Aurelia - 04-30-2021
Aurelia's teeth and tongue press together to make a disapproving 'tsk' sound before she's moving off and away. Jack seems not to have a direction in mind so, her challenge is all for the sake of having a bit of good fun. Unfortunately, it seems to fall on deaf ears as he already knows what he's here for.
[say]"I see,"[/say] she tries not to sound disappointed as she pauses to look around for this fabled, painted ship. Once she finds it, she follows Jack's lead as the water hugs higher and higher around her abdomen. [say]"What's so special about this ship?"[/say] She'll let him answer that before asking him a more serious question.
[say]"And uh, how are you feeling lately?"[/say] She looks up at him expectantly. Since the incident on the Leap of Faith happened, she hasn't mentioned it much - and neither has he (no doubt). It's probably intentional on both their accounts and, seeing how Jack seems to be fine, she's not sure there's a better way to go about it than to just... check in.
RE: the road to ruin - Jack - 05-02-2021
[say]"Oh, hush. I've caught cloud manta with you, I know you can make anythin' into somethin' you enjoy if you try,"[/say] Jack shoots back, as if hearing the disappointment in her voice. They wade deeper into the water and the Yellow Rose comes into view, Jack making a beeline for it. [say]"This is a business transaction,"[/say] he tells her. [say]"A lot of what we're gonna be smugglin' back with us will be on that ship, an' I've got somethin' to leave in return."[/say]
Then she asks something that barely anyone asks the captain, strange as that may be, and Jack is uncharacteristically caught off guard. Pausing beside the hull with its yellow roses, he glances back to Aurelia. [say]"No lingerin' effects,"[/say] he says, tapping the side of his head. [say]"An' that curse has been lifted. I can get drunk again, so it's better than it was this time last season."[/say]
He hauls himself up onto the deck, moves to set off, then thinks better of it and reaches out to help pull her up as well.
RE: the road to ruin - Aurelia - 05-05-2021
Aurelia's brows lift and curl with genuine surprise. Well, that's touching. She considers the truth of his statement with a thoughtful tilt of her head. [say]"Yeah, I guess you're right,"[/say] she grins, eyes softening as she looks at him, [say]"it was all you that time, though."[/say] If she recalls correctly, he had gotten tangled up in his own nets and nearly drowned. Maybe that last part is a stretch.
Jack forges a direct path through the slowly-churning waves. Aurelia tries to follow in his footsteps so that she doesn't have to pay too much attention to her own. She smirks and barks out a short laugh, [say]"What're you gonna leave in exchange? A steamin' hot pile to let 'em know how ya really feel?"[/say]
The ship towers over them as they near, Aurelia's gaze moving to take it in now that they're closer. Jack stops to look at her and tap his head. Her eyes narrow at his declaration of being un-cursed.
[say]"That so?"[/say] She mumbles thoughtfully, an idea stirring in the back of her mind. She's already begun to climb up after him when he reaches out to help her. Her hand clasps around his wrist, offering him a grateful nod once she's on the deck.
Not too concerned with the smuggled goods yet, she doesn't even look around before she says to him, [say]"You know, I got something uh... 'new'. Been meaning to try it out more. Wanna see it?"[/say] Except she's not really asking his permission, so she doesn't await an answer.
There's a buzzy confidence building within her chest but, with the snap of her fingers, it feels as though it's spread. Silvery glitter - not unlike the first - promptly sprays across the top of Jack's shoulders and hair like snowflakes. Aurelia looks at him expectantly, a brow arching.
Glitterific | Aurelia snaps her fingers and conjures a dusting of glitter over a 5ft area. It can be any color she chooses. It's very hard to remove and trying to wipe it off makes it spread. Effects one user. Success is based on END stats. A difference of 10 or more is ineffective. 5 or more is weakly effective. And below 2 is effective for surface-level emotions. Lasts 1 minute. Restrictions: Cannot successfully compel characters to feel emotions outside of their normal range.
Aurelia is attempting to make Jack feel especially cool - like confidence, but with sunglasses B] You can decide if it works for him and interpret it accordingly.
RE: the road to ruin - Jack - 05-08-2021
[say]"It was,"[/say] Jack agrees, [say]"but that wasn't intentional."[/say] The sharp grin is audible in his voice; had he and Aurelia not been on numerous adventures excursions by now, he might have made something up about trying to make her feel less out of her depth by tripping himself intentionally. They both know that's not true, though. Still, obviously they're still getting to know each other at least a bit, based on her amusement, and he raises his eyebrows at her.
[say]"You don't get particularly good stuff that way,"[/say] he points out, before patting one of his pockets. [say]"What I got in exchange is between me and them, for now. You an' I are just around to haul this shit back to the Ark."[/say] But first he has to haul her aboard the Yellow Rose, and Jack can already hear the shitfuckery going through her mind even without his magic.
Turning slowly to glance over at her, his suspicion all but rolls off him. [say]"That is so,"[/say] he says. [say]"And no, I really don't want to s--"[/say]
Obviously, it's too late. Jack winces and steps back as he's covered in glitter (again, Aurelia?) only there's a creeping smile flickering across his face even as he raises his eyebrows at her. [say]"You want to explain while I feel like I can sail this ship outta here even though it's dead in the water?"[/say] he inquires, wanting to laugh but resisting it.
RE: the road to ruin - Aurelia - 05-08-2021
She shakes her head at him even if he can't see it, something to the effect of [say]'you probably shit gold'[/say] swirling around in her head, but it never makes it past her lips. She's not sure if it's a compliment or an insult - or if it makes any sense at all. [say]"Whatever you say, Captain,"[/say] she says - and means - right before he helps her aboard. Honestly she's not too concerned about it, happy to just be here to help, though her curiosity is quickly getting the better of her. He wouldn't have come all this way just for more liqour... or... would he?
Anyways. Fingers snap and glitter is bombed, or.. Jack is glitter bombed. (Again, yes!) She spies the slow smile that crawls onto his face and seeps into his eyes. In return, she meets it with a wide one of her own, quite happy that this worked!
As for an explanation? [say]"Well... first of all, anything is possible if you try hard enough. Like you said, I can always make something out of nothing. Ships included. Second of all, I... only discovered this after we got here,"[/say] she continues, [say]"all I really know is that it kind of effects emotions? And it takes on the form of-"[/say] and she reaches out to pinch a bit off of his shoulder, squinting at it, finding once again that it's spread very easily, [say]"-glitter, ridiculously enough."[/say]
She tilts her head a fraction, considering his response to the magic. She could tell him that she's just trying to make him feel something nice, because she thinks he deserves to, but that's a lot harder than telling him he probably shits gold. No, she wouldn't dare say that.
So, she turns to survey the deck with no further intention of messing with his emotions. Though she does hope he can 'ride the wave', so-to-speak, unsure of how long it will really last on its own.
Her hands find their way to her hips and she hums thoughtfully, [say]"Y'know, be real cool if you got a pair of sunglasses, special for me,"[/say] she eyes him from her peripheral then, a grin forming, [say]"but something tells me we wouldn't have to come all the way out here just for that."[/say]
RE: the road to ruin - Jack - 05-08-2021
If only, Jack snips quietly back, though unfortunately they can't have that particular conversation out loud without revealing certain things about the captain. Still, whether it's in his own head or out loud, Aurelia's quite right. Whatever he says. Except now he's covered in glitter that seems to multiply when she touches it, and he feels like the best thing swaggering through the Boondocks, to boot. He has no idea what the fuck kind of magic she's packing, but he's not complaining right now.
[say]"Of course it takes the form of glitter. It would, for you,"[/say] he scoffs, turning to strut across the deck like he owns it, heading for a chest set low down between a couple of splintered boards. His steps only falter as he catches the reasoning behind her thoughts, and Jack takes a moment to mentally shrug that off. He's a fucking crook and she's fucking delusional, but nice is nice, he guesses.
[say]"You want a pair of shades?"[/say] he asks, hopping into the little crevice where the chest is. [say]"What kind?"[/say] Is he considering her request? Maybe. Shut up Aurelia.
Levering open the chest reveals a few tightly wrapped parcels that reveal exactly nothing about what might be inside them. [say]"Bingo,"[/say] Jack mutters.
RE: the road to ruin - Aurelia - 05-11-2021
Aurelia smirks at his comment. [say]"Yeah? 'Cause I'm dazzling, right?"[/say] She watches him turn away and saunter across the deck, noticing the distinct way he seems quite at home here 'all of a sudden'. She can't help the giggle that broaches the air. She does catch the way his steps falter for a split moment, but doesn't think much of it (certainly not that he's reading her mind, anyway).
Slower, she meanders after him, eyeing where he drops himself into the crevice. Reactionarily, she jumps a little bit after him, but stops herself short upon realizing that whatever he's standing on appears to be stable. Old ships with rotted boards; you never know what might crumble and fall apart beneath you. He asks her what kind of shades she wants and at first she just stares blankly at him.
[say]"Wait, what?"[/say] She blinks and then a grin forms, casting dimples against her cheeks, [say]"I was just joking, you don't have to get me any. But, I mean... I like that pair you have."[/say] Which begs the question: does she like them because she thinks they look cool, or because they're Jack's? [say]"So if you happen to run across more like that..."[/say] she shrugs, and promptly hops down beside him.
[say]"You gonna give me a clue as to what's in these?"[/say] Maybe at this point her curiosity has turned nosy, and she reaches out to grasp one of the parcels in her own hands. She gives it a little shake, listening for what's inside.
RE: the road to ruin - Jack - 05-14-2021
[say]"More dazzlin' than starlight, love,"[/say] Jack retorts easily, his smile sly and the glitter on his shoulders continuing to shimmer in the sunlight. He doesn't know when it'll disappear and he doesn't fucking care, honestly. He's getting what he came for - at least until she's talking about shades again. Scoffing, Jack gazes across at her (possible now that she's come to join him) over the rim of his sunglasses, before he slips them off and promptly slides them onto her face. And if he pokes her in the eye or the ear or whatever, fuck you, he was being nice.
[say]"Then keep 'em. I can get more. If you lose 'em, though, you're on your own."[/say] He grabs out the rest of the parcels and, in return, digs in his pocket for a small, compact wooden cylinder. Setting it down inside the chest, he closes up the lid. Payment done. [say]"Drugs,"[/say] he tells her simply. [say]"Snapdragon, dreamdust and thirdeye. They'll go into the Ark's stores and they'll mysteriously disappear when we get back home. Speaking of - let's head back."[/say]
RE: the road to ruin - Aurelia - 05-16-2021
He does, indeed, poke her in the ear. She can't help but to flinch and laugh a bit, whether it's at the small mistake or just out of a bit of happiness. Who cares, he's being nice. She takes a moment to adjust them so they're more properly set on her face and turns her attentions back to him, shaded glory and all. There's something about wearing sunglasses that makes her feel just a bit more confident. [Say]"Oh don't worry, I'll take good care of 'em for ya,"[/say] she winks at him, though he may not be able to see it.
At his declaration of heading back, she shrugs and hops back up onto the deck, proceeding to turn and lend him a hand up this time.
[Say]"Snapdragon, dreamdust, and thirdeye,"[/say] she echoes thoughtfully as they begin their departure, carrying some of the parcels for him if he so wants her to. She smirks, [say]"sounds like a fun time!"[/say] She arches a brow at him curiously, [say]"You plan on keeping any for yourself?"[/say] She wouldn't put it past him. Is she a bit interested in what effects they have? Maybe. Though that interest is also accompanied by wariness, so she's sort of asking in a roundabout way.
RE: the road to ruin - Jack - 05-26-2021
[say]"You'd better - you're not gettin' another pair from me,"[/say] Jack informs her with a smirk, reaching up to clap his hand into hers and pull himself out of the hole in the deck. With the trade made and the chest closed, the captain does indeed request that Aurelia carry some of their spoils back to the Ark. So off they go, Jack being particularly careful as they splash back into the water - the last thing he needs is any of this stuff getting wet.
Humming an affirmative as he wades through the water, he doesn't need to be a mindreader to know she's asking about the drugs, but it definitely helps. [say]"Snapdragon's your upper, Dreamdust's your downer and ThirdEye'll just plain fuck you up,"[/say] he explains, glancing over his shoulder. [say]"I keep a little,"[/say] he tells her simply. [say]"Just for special occasions."[/say] And usually he's not the one taking it.
[say]"Why? You consider yourself special?"[/say]