[SE] quick as you like

JACK

Jack has no intention of lingering in Stormbreak. Already this is arguably the most foolish decision he's made in some time, but given the time constraints he's now under, he's determined to see good some of the business arrangements he'd made here in the floating city. Arrangements that had been finalised in the dead of night a few hours before, and so now, with the sun just beginning to peek over The Falling, the crew of The Ark are making quick work of their departure.

Dressed in his Kingmaker coat and with the brisk, chill wind snagging at hair that's rapidly becoming too long for his liking, the captain oversees the crates of supplies and stock (and secret stock) as they are brought aboard and secured down in the hold of his galleon. His hands are buried deeply in his pockets and he turns, only on occasion, to the slender, dark eyed man beside him to murmur a confirmation or a query. Murphy responds with quiet confidence, and before long, they are ready for their final checks.

Jack doesn't look further out into Stormbreak as a matter of deliberate ignorance - see no evil and all that - but his mind and his magic are sharp enough for any danger in range that he's like to have a migraine by the time they're properly airborne.

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper hadn’t meant to linger as long as he did in Stormbreak—hadn't meant to fall asleep tangled in too many sheets and too many limbs—but the moment he sees the Ark floating like a myth over the docks, his blood kicks into motion. Fuck; she's leaving.

His boots strike the cobbled path in a low drumbeat as he sprints toward the floating docks, hair still mussed, shirt askew, and a ribbon of snapdragon heat still humming faintly in his veins. The wind cuts sharp as he runs, but he doesn’t stop or call out. It hardly takes a telepath to know that Jack wouldn't stop even if he had heard his son hollering

Fifteen feet out, the dock shifting closer to the edge of the sky, Vesper lets his body vanish in a twist of darkness and silver light. Misty-stepping lands him beside Jack with a breathless jolt—less than graceful, the heel of one boot catching the deck with a loud scuff—but he's upright, alive, and smirking as he straightens to full height. "Mornin'."

The ship creaks faintly beneath him. The morning is golden and biting. Vesper, shirt open at the collar and constellation freckles aglow in the early light, likely looks a good deal more like Jack just now than either of them has ever probably taken the time to notice. "You’ve got room for one more, yeah?"

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

JACK

Jack wouldn't even need to hear Vesper hollering if the burst of thought from everyone around him is anything to go by - with The Ark having just embarked from her place at the floating dock, he and Murphy turn towards the thunder of the boy's footsteps almost at the same time. Raising his eyebrows as he draws closer and closer, and knowing instinctively what is probably going to happen next, Jack sidesteps to give Vesper a little more room to judge his landing, narrowly avoiding being toppled into when he appears.

"Mornin'," Jack rumbles, not bothering to hide the smirk curling across his lips as he raises an eyebrow up at the young demigod. He looks the sort of worse for wear that suggests a very good night indeed - and no, their similarities do not escape the captain's notice either. "I'll have to throw Bassian overboard, but sure," he rumbles, much to the dramatic protest of the big man carting the last of the crates down into the hold.

"You look like you enjoyed what Stormbreak's got to offer."

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper flicks an amused glance after the shouted protest from Bassian, one brow lifting as if to silently say he can swim, can’t he? But his attention quickly shifts back to Jack, and the smirk he offers in return is pure youthful insolence, low-lidded and soaked in the last remnants of a long night. "Stormbreak’s got teeth," he says, running a hand back through his wind-tossed hair, "and a hell of a bite if you let it." Which, clearly he had. Vesper's voice is hoarse, dulled at the edges by fatigue and the last wisps of snapdragon still clinging to his blood, but there’s a brightness in his eyes beneath it—something wired and sharp, like he hasn’t quite landed yet from wherever the night took him.

He plants his feet a touch wider as the Ark shifts beneath them, shadows sliding subtly beneath the soles of his boots to keep his balance on instinct. "Didn’t mean to cut it that close," he admits, nodding toward the floating dock now retreating behind them. "Didn't expect to see The Ark's sails all the way up here. She here for business or pleasure?" It’s a curious question, maybe a little too pointed for this early, maybe not.

"Met that new kid of yours," the demigod murmurs casually as he fishes out a toothpick from his pocket and slides it between his teeth. "Doesn't talk. Just...writes shit out in starlight."

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

JACK

Jack can only shrug in response to Vesper's silent question, flicking a glance over the side of the ship as if to mark just how long a fall it would be down to where Bassian might be able to swim. "Does she, now?" He grins as the boy speaks of Stormbreak and her teeth, the captain nodding to Murphy as if to say he's content with their trajectory away from the port. In response, the small, dark eyed man disappears across the deck to get back to his own work.

"Let's hope she didn't take a bigger bite outta you than you planned," Jack adds. "Place is riddled with the void." And as for how close Vesper had cut his teleportation, Jack glances behind them at the departing port before he ambles away across the deck, presuming the young demigod will be in tow. "Business," he says. "Real quick business, too. Got a few loose ends to tie off 'fore Torchline gets locked down." And the sooner they're out of here the better.

Vesper gets his toothpick and Jack is already following suit but with a cigarette, raising his eyebrows at the boy. "Oh? Sounds..." He scrunches his nose. Obnoxious? Weird? Time consuming? "Different. You make nice with him or?"

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper trails a few steps behind Jack, shadows shifting like lazy cats at his heels as the Ark creaks and tilts beneath them. His gaze flicks once more toward the horizon—Stormbreak shrinking behind them now—and then cuts back to the captain at the words locked down. "Locked down?" he echoes, voice low as he slides the toothpick between his teeth with a casual flick of his fingers. "That some metaphorical shit, or should I be worried?" When Jack talks about 'loose ends,' he’s learned it could mean anything from minor smuggling issues to someone getting quietly thrown off the deck mid-flight, so Vesper refrains from asking any follow-up questions on that account.

As for the not-so-chatty new addition, Vesper shrugs one shoulder, the motion loose and unconcerned. "Didn’t not make nice," he replies, eyes slanting toward Jack with a flicker of a grin. "Kid’s… odd. Quiet. Seems older than me'n the girls, actually."

He leans his forearms against the railing, gaze tipping lazily toward the sea. "Whole constellation thing’s a bit much, but whatever." It wasn't like Vesper needed to actually read out the words written in stars to know what his brother was trying to say. "I bet Nova will love it, though."

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

JACK

"Depends on how badly The Family want you dead, I s'pose," Jack replies, striking a match and manipulating the air around them to keep the little flame still as he lights his cigarette on the move. "There's plans to keep 'em out of one part of Torchline, but the way Flora went about it means they'll be bayin' for the blood of anyone she gives a fuck about, I reckon." And unfortunately, these days that includes him. "So providin' I don't get killed before that happens, I guess I'll be sittin' pretty and playin' house until this is over."

Inhaling deeply and holding the smoke in his lungs for a beat, Jack sighs it out in a thin stream and pauses against the rail opposite one of the main masts so they aren't in the way of his crew. "Older? Huh, go figure," he says with a scoff. "Maybe it's because he's meant to be used to fight the void. Seren's replacement an' all that," he says with another draw on the smoke. "You reckon he actually has a voice, or is he just makin' some weird point?"

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper scoffs under his breath. "That's twice now her name has come through on a broadcast," he mutters around his toothpick, but there’s no real bite to it—more resigned amusement about his dad's choice in women. The queen of Torchline did have a flair for dramatic solutions, and while it might be effective, it sure as shit wasn’t subtle. "Playin' house sounds like hell," he adds with a smirk. "But you're always welcome to visit me'n the girls. Though I'm sure you can imagine what it might entail." Fatherly things, he means. An abundance of glitter at the very least.

He tips his head toward the rail, squinting into the sunlight like it’s got something personal against him. Jack’s smoke curls between them, and Vesper absently flicks away a curl of windblown hair from his brow. "Dunno," he says, considering the question of Zenith’s voice with more seriousness than expected. "Didn’t feel like he was trying to be performative. More like…" His brows knit, shadows shifting subtly at his boots like they echo his thoughts. "Like he just didn’t want to give anything away. Not even tone."

His gaze flicks toward Jack, blue eyes sharp now. "He’s not like us," he says simply. "Not like Nova or Caly either." There was something coiled and cautious behind the new demigod’s silence, and Vesper hadn’t missed it.

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

JACK

"Tell me about it," Jack mutters curtly regarding Flora and her apparent fame with The Family, the captain drawing hard on his cigarette and exhaling it out over the side of his ship. "I can imagine it so well, I'm sure you can understand why I respectfully decline the invitation," he adds with a raise of his eyebrow and the slightest hint of amusement in his tone. "Bein' caged in some part of the region will be hard enough without makin' nice with everyone."

Flicking ash over the railing and feeling himself relax a fraction as they disappear into the cloud cover and Stormbreak becomes a vanishing haze behind them, Vesper's sudden serious tone does have him tilting his head. "Didn't expect you to have such strong feelin's about another sibling," he admits. "Sounds like he's another type of demigod entirely, then. You worried he ain't gonna be as loyal as you are to your sisters?"

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper gives a low exhale, something that could almost be a laugh if it weren’t weighed down by the implication. "Dunno," he says, voice quieter now, his eyes still tracking the mist-thick horizon as Stormbreak fades behind them.

His fingers tap once against the railing, as if brushing away a stray thought before it could settle. "He’s blood, and that definitely means somethin'." There’s a flick of his gaze toward Jack, brief but pointed. "Guess it's just the way he showed up. The fact he said he wasn't stayin' in Torchline."

The wind catches at his coat, and his jaw shifts. "I’d kill for my sisters without askin’ why. But him?" His mouth twists into something that’s not quite a smirk, not quite a scowl. The vibes are off, Vesper might have said. "Then again it was just a quick meeting on the beach, so...guess I'll give it some time."

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3

JACK

"Oh?" Never even having met his extra starchild, Jack can't say he feels much either way about where the new addition decides to stay. "Maybe he's been given a job elsewhere," he supposes, absently stubbing out the cigarette half finished and flicking the butt over the railing. "Ain't anythin' to be ashamed of, not feelin' loyalty to someone you've only seen once - and not even hearin' their voice, too."

Stepping back from the rail now that the crew seem to have finished with their initial preparations and have secured the hold with all her cargo, he gestures for Vesper to join him as he crosses the deck towards his cabin. "Patience'll get you a long way," he agrees. "Took me a long time to realise that myself. Anyway, you know how to read a map? An' if not, you want to? It's a long way down to Torchline and I got shit to do."

And clearly Vesper has earned a spot at Jack's elbow for a passive lesson, if that's what tickles his fancy.

if you try and chase the sun you're never gonna catch it

Vesper falls into step beside Jack, hands sliding into his pockets as the wind tugs at his coat. "Probably not the way you can," he admits, glancing sidelong at the captain. There’s no shame in it—just a wry self-awareness, like he knows exactly where he stands in the hierarchy of charts and compasses. "But I’ll try to pick up what I can," he adds, the corners of his mouth twitching. "I'm sure Murph will love havin' me as his shadow." His tone stays light, but there’s a thread of genuine interest beneath it, subtle but unmistakable. Because if Jack was offering something—knowledge, trust, time—Vesper wasn’t about to waste it.

Before he moves, Vesper pauses at the railing, one hand resting lightly against the wood as he casts a final glance out over the sea. Stormbreak is nothing more than a haze now, half-swallowed by mist and distance, but his eyes linger on it like he’s trying to see something—or someone—hidden up there by all that mist. Then, without a word, he turns and follows Jack across the deck, the shadows tickling at his heels.

~FIN

And now it's turning out to be the worst of my bad habits

Code 100% taken from the queeeeeeen herself, Sky <3