when i'm up here higher than god

i could be the reason you can't sleep at night

It's a good thing that Flora has been around the good captain long enough to be able to listen for the various tells in his voice, such that she has no need to pull back and assess his expression to see whether or not he was serious. "Sounds like you're lacking in imagination." She purrs in response, suddenly wishing that she'd shed Ronin's old shirt before coming to bed that she might feel more of Jack's skin against hers. Alas, with her shoulder still well and truly fucked there was no quick or painless way of slipping out of it.

"mm, you say the sweetest things." Despite the way a smile tried to tug at her mouth, rounding her cheeks where Jack's lips brushed against them, Flora forced it away if only so that she could steal another proper kiss. No, neither of them were in a position to be well-suited for a romantic makeout session like they'd had in the Greatwood, but forgive Flora for wanting to kiss the man she loved, and who, to the surprise of everyone in the room, loved her back.

JACK

"I'd be inclined to agree with you, but my imagination's been in overdrive recently." Yes, he's been envisioning all of the awful ways he's going to make Pierce and the rest of the Family pay for what they've done, but - and trust him on this - it has definitely been imaginative. And now that Flora is within easy reach again, perhaps he can use some of that newfound creativity in other ways. You know, just as soon as he's up to the task again.

"Mm, I thought so too," he rumbles, succumbing to her kiss and shifting ever so slightly in the bed as if that might encourage their injuries to stop protesting at anything more acrobatic than this. It doesn't, of course, and by the time Jack draws back, having continued his tirade of sweet things with his tongue, he's breathless and perhaps a little dizzy - and that's not because of love.

"You reckon I'll die again if I try to get up?" he wonders, his tone suggesting that he's inclined to make the attempt whether or not Flora thinks it's a good idea. "I want out of here."

we've gone way too fast for way too long
and we were never supposed to make it half this far

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i could be the reason you can't sleep at night

"Has it now." Raising a brow, the mischief disappears from Flora's mind, the lavender bubbles popping, leaving only an oily residue are her smile fades. "We're going to kill him...right?" It didn't just feel like revenge. It felt like the pull of something Flora was helpless to resist, a tether linking both she and Jack to Pierce with a red string far bloodier than that of fate.

Wanting nothing more than to shift her hips in order to find herself astride him, Flora reluctantly parts from Jack, sighing softly into the space between them. "That sex swing would come in really handy right about now." She doubts she could get into it without excruciating pain, but the idea of being suspended—touched only by Jack's hands and a few bands, rather than the unyielding press of the flimsy mattress and the groan of her muscles with every movement—gods, that feeling alone might be better than the sex.

The best thing for them both would be to stay in bed for several more days, letting their bodies heal slowly and steadily. But Flora hadn't forced her dad to fly her across the continent to be with Jack because she was concerned with what either of them should be doing. She watches him, her gaze softening, the edges of her resolve sharpening again with determination. If nothing else, Jack would heal better aboard the Ark, surrounded by the familiar sway of his ship. "Well, if you do, you do still have your revivify feather." Flora points out, bouncing her eyebrows; while Jack had died, at least it hadn't cost him his own personal get-out-of-death-free-card.

JACK

With blue eyes growing as dark as the depths of the Maw, Jack smiles down at Flora. "Eventually," he says softly. "I know it seems a little disingenuous to say, havin' just gone through it, but there's still a lot you can do to a man that's worse than death." But yes, Flora. Once Jack is satisfied that Pierce has gotten the message he wants to send, then they're going to kill him.

"Would it, now?" he says of the sex swing, and black and bloodied thoughts promptly crash into the garnet of desire. "Hate to break it to you, love, but you'll have to beat me to it right now." If anyone is going to be suspended weightlessly in some harness, it's Jack.

Grumbling at the logic of her thoughts, the captain is about to point out that even one more night sleeping on this particular excuse for a bed is likely to finish him off, when Flora seems to come around to his way of thinking. (And really, she ought to feel very pleased that he considers her capable of keeping him put at all). "It's settled, then. I'll-- wait, what?"

Brows furrowing, Jack's clothes and other belongings are somewhere across the room; he hasn't had the chance or the inclination to go digging in his pockets. "Then how...?"

we've gone way too fast for way too long
and we were never supposed to make it half this far

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i could be the reason you can't sleep at night

"Even a man like him?" Not one to doubt the captain in his area of expertise, but given that Pierce came from another world and was seemingly in a position to easily take over this one, all the go-to's seemed off the table. There was no hometown to get information on him in, no lover to torture and kidnap, and when it came to his family, that was another can of worms entirely. "Maybe we could..." Imagining placing his penis on an anvil and crushing it beneath something rusty and heavy, in her mind the queen has someone magically heal Pierce only for them to do it again and again.

Snorting at that, Flora dips her chin, brushing her lips softly over Jack's chest. "I think I can probably take you in a race." She whispers slyly, her smile pressed against his skin before she lifts her head again, her thoughts wickedly placing Jack in the harness he'd once had her in, with Flora on her knees before him taking her sweet time in bringing him to orgasm.

Amusement and smugness rise up in her thoughts in equal measure as the queen presses her lips together. "I knew that Remi always carried around a feather." He did it to keep she and Mateo safe, though ever since Ronin had developed the ability to act as his own personal revivify feather, she assumed the Bastion wouldn't feel so precious about it. That, and at the end of the day, there was no way two demigods were going to let Flora's boyfriend stay dead. "I told them I'd forgive them if they brought us both back," she explains with a casual shrug, her lips quirking at the corners. "I would've used your feather if they hadn’t, but... I dunno. I guess I didn’t want to use the one I gave you when it was my fault you died." The words hang in the air, heavy despite her casual tone, the emotional dissonance twisting like a thorny vine in her chest. It takes a moment for her to push it back, to force her thoughts to soften again, petals unfurling from the sharp edges.

JACK

"Even a man like him," Jack says, before the flurry of Flora's thoughts gives him pause, and he shrugs his shoulder as if to accept the possibility that Pierce might not be typical in that way. "Give me five minutes alone with him without that barrier and I'll soon know either way," he mutters; the set of his jaw already gives away exactly what he thinks about that little ability, his grip on Flora tightening almost imperceptibly.

Perhaps before they flesh out any torture plans for Pierce - though he does like the anvil idea, actually - they ought to ensure they're protected from him should he appear again.

"In my defence, I reckon a tumsea could take me in a race right now," he drawls, though the flare of hazy emotion in the scene she paints in her mind does much and then some to smooth the ruffled feathers of his pride. "We'll see how well we can both run when we're home," he decides.

But then they're talking revivify feathers, and it's almost enough for Jack to go and hunt in his pockets to double check. He gets as far as sitting himself up in bed (and that is exhausting, for the record), flashing a crooked smile down at Flora. "You're a villain, love," he tells her affectionately. "An' for the record, it wasn't your fault I died either. It never will be, unless you're the one puttin' the knife in me. Which... don't, if that's alright between us?"

we've gone way too fast for way too long
and we were never supposed to make it half this far

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i could be the reason you can't sleep at night

Raising her eyebrows in response—oh sure, without his barrier—the queen pauses, nibbling at the inside of her lip. "What if...if my invisibility ring also dampened the noises from walking and breathing? If it could do that, do you think you could get close enough to him to see what makes him tick?" 40ft near a man like Pierce was still dangerous, but if the captain also had Flora's compass and could just leave if things got too dicey?

Pressing another kiss over his heart, the gesture both sappy and convenient given that it didn't require her to move much, Flora nods. "How long until you think you'll be able to fly the Ark all the way home?"

Grumbling dramatically as she's forced to move, Flora rubs at her forehead as her vision begins to swim. Blinking it away—perhaps with a little help from the new ring on her finger—the Doubletake lets her eyelashes flutter as she gasps. "I absolutely am not." She'd have fake swooned had she the energy (or the blood-sugar for it). "I might have grown up here, but I did most of my learning in Torchline." Was she opportunistic? A touch ruthless? More morally gray than she'd ever been before? Sure. Villainy was reserved for the Flora she'd become if ever there was a day when she couldn't claw Jack back from death.

Sighing, the queen shifts out from beneath the blankets, placing her feet experimentally on the floor. "If I got stabbed and died because someone came after you and were looking to make a point, you can't tell me you wouldn't think that was your fault." Maybe the man she'd met nearly 5 years ago would have shrugged it off, but now? With her? Flora wasn't so sure.

"Not unless you really deserve it." She hums, of stabbing him, pressing a quick kiss against his cheek, before standing up to test her balance.

JACK

Brows furrowing at Flora's suggestion, where once Jack might have been full of caution and self-preservation at the mere idea of going near the Family, now he's fully on board to hear out whatever ideas the Doubletake might have. (Granted, it might still come back to bite him given that he's never been on the receiving end of Pierce's thoughts, but that's a future Jack problem). "So long as they don't have any weird powers we don't know about to detect me, I don't see why not," he rumbles. "I could train, too, see if I can increase the range of my magic again..."

Absently tucking a loose curl behind her ear and resting heavily against the wall as they both find themselves in sitting positions, Jack scrunches his nose. "Tie me to the wheel an' I'll do it right now," he mutters, before giving it due consideration through a sigh. "I can make preparations tomorrow, if I can get up there today. We could probably fly the day after that." And that's still at least three days too soon, if you asked any healer about it, but Jack's not asking, thanks.

"You're still a villain to your dear old dad's feather," he teases, watching as she carefully wobbles to her feet, feeling less confident in his own balance with each passing second. "If that happened, you can't tell me you'd blame me," he fires back - which is the exact situation they find themselves in reversed, as it happens. Accepting the kiss to his cheek and gazing at his bloody clothes all the way across the room, Jack takes a deep breath and shuffles to the edge of the bed.

we've gone way too fast for way too long
and we were never supposed to make it half this far

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i could be the reason you can't sleep at night

"He didn't seem to sense you in the Woods.." That, or Pierce hadn't cared. Certainly with his dome up he'd all but neutered the captain, and Flora could only hope that someone with that sort of power didn't feel the need to also be overly cautious of their surroundings. "And you'll have another piece of mageglass soon." Flora adds, pressing a kiss against his shoulder.

Though he might be in love with her, the queen isn't so sure she wants to test the new limits of Jack's feelings by telling him he's an idiot who needs to stay in bed, even if he is in fact an idiot who needs to stay in bed. "Tie me into a harness, tie me to the wheel." Flora laughs. "Sounds like you came back from Mort's realm with a fetish." Rolling her eyes affectionately, Flora schemes thinks for a moment before raising her brows thoughtfully. "If you just want to get out of here, the Spillwave is just north of us. We could always anchor there for a day or so while you get the Ark ready for the trip home?" Flora could get food and supplies from the village while the crew got things sorted, and if they all took it easy (Jack), they could probably make the ocean by moonrise.

"Naahhhhh, I'd prefer to be used than just carried around in Remi's pocket year after year. Besides," shooting him a look over her shoulder, Flora stretches her arms over her head, ignoring the sudden rush of blood she can feel pounding in her temples. "How would anyone ever find out?" Wonders the not-villain.

JACK

"Don't say it like that," Jack says with a petulant scrunch of his nose. Neutered. Ugh. Still, if Flora is right, he supposes he could use that to his advantage one way or another. As for the mageglass, he can only raise his eyebrows at that, a mixture of quiet shock and - yes - love on his face at the Doubletake's ability to consistently get her hands on very rare items as if it's an everyday occurrence.

"You don't need to tell me - I can hear you loud and clear," he drawls to her, smirking and, yes, ignoring her thoughts on the matter as well to grab hold of the bedpost and persuade himself into standing. "Bold of you to assume I didn't already have one. I deal with a lot of ropes day to day," the idiot who needs to stay in bed points out, though they both know that Jack's fetish is whatever Flora's happens to be at the time.

The idea of having the ocean beneath them and a sea breeze in The Ark's sails is enough to put fresh steel into the captain's gaze, even if he doesn't look as if he'll make it across the room by himself, let alone up to his ship. "That's a good idea. Let's do that," he decides.

we've gone way too fast for way too long
and we were never supposed to make it half this far

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i could be the reason you can't sleep at night

"I didn't." The queen is quick to point out; pedantics aside, she does know what he means, wrinkling her nose apologetically in response. Knowing better than to think she could have ever bought Jack's love (his loyalty, sure), Flora nevertheless is delighted by the look that he gives her. True, she'd wanted nothing more than for him to fall in love with her, but she wanted him to like her as well.

"Yeah well, you deal with a lot of morons day to day too and I've yet to hear you ask to bring one of them into your cabin to join us." Flora sasses back, and though her smile softens somewhat out of concern, she lets Jack fend for himself as he makes his way across the room to his clothes. Sure, she could tuck herself against his side to make it all easier, but if they both went down, they'd likely end up spending a week on the floor.

Glancing down at the state of herself—still entirely in her dad's clothes—Flora winces. She might not be in the Greatwood to win any beauty or fashion contests, but certainly it's been a while since she stepped out looking so rough. "Pretty sure the Fae will give me anything I need if it means getting the ice man out of the woods, but any special requests?"

JACK

"You're awfully sassy for someone who looks as rough as I do," Jack grumbles good-naturedly, waiting for the world to settle around the edges before he gingerly makes his way across the room to where his clothes have been folded, still stiff with blood. The good news is that once he's wearing them it's doubtful that anyone is going to be looking too hard at Flora, especially given that he's got no patience for his shirt buttons, so the bloodied banadages underneath will be visible as well.

"If they keep that ice man shit up I really will bring Deepfrost here early." He won't, not any time soon, but the threat of it is enough to cheer him up, and he leans heavily against the desk to wrestle his leg into his pants. "Other'n bandages and liquor?" he wonders of any special requests, the captain furrowing his brow and thinking for a second. "Peppermint bark. And sunflower seeds," he decides. "If you wouldn't mind."

we've gone way too fast for way too long
and we were never supposed to make it half this far

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

i could be the reason you can't sleep at night

"What's that? I look beautiful no matter what? Aww, thanks babe." Shooting him a wicked grin over her shoulder, Flora is still far too high off of hearing the captain say I love you for the first time, for any of his comments to do more than have her rolling her eyes adoringly.

"Oh no you won't. There's a lot more of them than there are of you, even if they are half your height." Flora points out as she watches Jack struggle into his clothes; while he might not have patience for buttons, the queen does. "If this gets infected, you're to be unbearable to be around." She whispers, reaching out and buttoning his shirt. "So call me selfish, but seeing as I don't plan to leave your side for a good long while, I'd rather you not be a grouch because you're oozing puss."

The peppermint bark she'd have gotten without him saying so, but the sunflower seeds made her smile to herself. "I'm also going to get us real food." Overly salted meat and fish might be the best thing to have onboard for long voyages, but the queen, despite lacking in nearly every kind of culinary skill, was sure that the Sidhe Village could offer something better that she could get the kitchen to prepare.

JACK

"Didn't realise you'd learned how to read minds as well," Jack fires back with a crooked smile, shimmying into his pants and fastening them just as she reaches out to help dress him. Reluctantly falling still to make it easier for her to button his shirt, his petulant frown and flat stare are prescisely because Flora is correct, and if she looks close enough, she'll be able to detect a hint of amusement in the captain's expression as well.

"I'll make sure I'm a grouch for other reasons, then, just for you," he decides, straightening up and, despite already feeling a little feverish from the effort, seeming all the more determined to reach his ship rather than having to spend another hour on the forest floor. "I didn't ask for real food. It was meant to be a special request," he points out, though he's far from going to stop her at this point.

"C'mon. Let's fuck off outta here."

we've gone way too fast for way too long
and we were never supposed to make it half this far

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!