improvised brutality

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

“Ark business” was a very good term for “Melita’s allowed to bombard pirate ships just because” and “Ludo said I could”.

Which was why they were skimming along the air amidst the Firecracker, out over the ocean with sails flapping and chaos brimming underneath the skin. She’d already given the description of the noteworthy sails, the plot behind the movements. The favored incendiary devices already sitting amidst the seats of her beloved skyboat.

And it seemed like Vesper would be the type to not really give a fuck either.

“Let me know when you see it,” she shouted over the wind surrounding her ears, because she was busy driving them in a headlong rush of ridiculous speeds over the Spillwave Sea; known to be inviting, but not when she was on the prowl.

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent

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

The wind yanks at his hair and tugs salt into his grin, but Vesper doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, he looks like someone born for this kind of recklessness—long legs braced against the Firecracker’s shifting deck, one hand lazily gripping the rigging, the other shading his eyes against the sun. His shirt flaps open behind him like some dramatic afterthought, and his expression is all lopsided charm and idle curiosity, as if he’s scanning the Spillwave not for a target, but for something vaguely entertaining.

"Yeah, yeah," he calls back over the rush of air, voice lazy but carrying. He flashes her a glance, shadows slipping along the deck beneath him as if tasting the air. They don’t stretch far—yet—but they curl against his boots with the easy comfort of something familiar.

Truth be told, he doesn’t know Melita all that well. She’s wildfire in a bottle, all teeth and conviction.  Right now, she’s the kind of chaos that gets invited, not avoided. And Vesper? Vesper’s not the type to turn down a front row seat. "We in international waters yet, or are we goin' covert?" he asks, squinting toward the sea like he might catch a glimpse of political sanctions etched into the waves.

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

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

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

Melita’s sails were plain, purposeful, nothing concrete or identifiable. Save for the flash of her crimson hair, but her intentions were to distract any and all crew from ever bothering to identify them piercing and flashing by. “Why not both?” She smirked in return, because she didn’t really care who the pirates belonged to – the seas were open and wild, chaotic and free, and smuggling’s prevailing business was to ensure others didn’t ride upon theirs.

So she immediately went invisible, to be on the safe side.

Humming lightly, as if to signify she was still there, she maneuvered the rigging slightly, allowing for them to open up more – the Firecracker roaring along the seas, born to its dangerous and treacherous gallivanting.

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent

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

Vesper nods once, slow and easy, like Melita’s answer has confirmed exactly what he’d hoped. No borders; just ocean and opportunity. That kind of freedom suits him fine—suits his blood, his shadows, the drift of his name.

She disappears, but he doesn’t need her voice to know she’s still there. He feels the hum of her conviction like a live wire in the air. Vesper’s eyes flick to where she’d been a moment ago, his grin curving slightly as he tips his head in acknowledgment to the empty air.

Then he turns, squinting back toward the Spillwave with a hand shading his brow. The skyboat cuts a sharp line through the air, and his shadows skim the deck like a second crew, flickering and trailing behind him.

"Oi," he calls casually, raising his voice just enough to carry, though not loud enough to be urgent. "Tell me, Melita—what d’you reckon a plain ol’ merchant ship needs with curtains over its cannons?"

He nods toward the vessel in question, a small unassuming thing bobbing a little too innocently on the waves. Painted dull, sails trimmed to look non-threatening. Except the gunports are barely concealed beneath frilly fabric, like someone threw a table runner over a powder keg. The smirk on his face widens, sharp as salt on a split lip. " She's a bit overdressed for a trade route, don’t you think?"

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

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

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

“Gods, how very odd indeed,” she snickered, a vicious little laugh still curling through the wind and sails. Her eyes slipped downward, momentarily, from her perilous voyage along the air – spying the dull ship down below, purposefully not ostentatious. While there were many who ventured along the ocean waves, some with their cute crafts and some with their massive liners, only a few would make themselves stick out by being ‘indistinct’. Jack would call the something else altogether, but Melita harkened to ‘bait’ and ‘pirates’ and ‘future victims’.

Humming a tune, she gave forth the suggestion they’d been waiting for anyway. “We should say hello,” by way of fire and explosives. Steering her ship overhead, hovering slightly out of initial noticing by the plume of clouds streamlined nearby, she snagged at one of the incendiary devices down at her feet. Purposefully modeling, Vesper would likely only be able to see the pin pulled out, and then the weapon tossed down below – but the gist was there.

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent

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

Vesper sees the flick of movement before the explosion—the arc of Melita’s arm veiled by her invisibility, but he caught the sharp gleam of the pin caught in passing light. The grin that curls across his face isn’t surprised. It’s entertained. Impressed. Thoroughly, deeply amused.

"Well, I suppose that’s one way to knock," he mutters to himself, one hand coming up to shield his eyes as he tracks the descent of the incendiary. His shadows slick along the deck like water, coiling tight at his feet in anticipation, reflecting the tension singing through the Firecracker's hull.

He doesn’t need to see the impact to know what follows. The dull thump of ignition, the telltale bloom of heat and smoke rising like a signal flare through the clouds—inevitable, theatrical, and absolutely on-brand.

Vesper leans one shoulder against the rigging, the wind tousling his hair, and lifts a lazy salute toward the ship below. "Hope they brought marshmallows," he drawls, before casting his voice skyward again. "So what’s the plan if they shoot back, oh fearless captain?"

His eyes glint as they skim the waves below, already searching for escape routes, flarebacks, or signs of retaliation. But the smirk stays fixed on his face, all teeth and satisfaction. Because really, why should Official Ludo Business be subtle?

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

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

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

“My plan was that they wouldn’t be able to,” she hummed in return, which was a way of saying there hadn't been any outline or plot beyond 'ship go boom'. “Feel free,” and she plopped several down by him, in case Vesper felt the inclination to participate, rather than continue in the running commentary mode.

Besides, the sounds of the explosions below are sweet, sweet music to her hears, as well as the sudden swelling and rising of panic. Chaos in a gloriously dangerous form. Maneuvering her boat off to the right a little, in case the bastards did find a way to escalate the situation, she pulled the pins on two more, this time permitting her opportunity to glance over the side to watch and witness.

Lots more yelling and screaming, a boom, a thump, a wild, wide outcry. Some little specks even launching into the water, clearly trying to make it to the shoreline.

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent

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

Vesper hums low in his throat, the sound almost appreciative, as the explosions begin in earnest. He doesn’t ask if they were justified, doesn’t ask who was on board. He just leans into the rigging, letting the smoke and spray hit his face like a kiss from the gods of bad decisions, and reaches down to pluck one of the offered devices from the deck.

"Well, far be it from me to let you have all the fun," he drawls, fingers turning the little explosive over like it’s a particularly interesting fruit. His shadows coil near the edge of the skyboat, then shoot downwards, slick and sinuous, searching for the best cluster of scrambling bodies—ones too focused on saving themselves to notice a second gift falling from above.

With casual precision, Vesper yanks the pin, kisses the tip of the explosive for flair, and lets it tumble from his fingers. "Hope y’all swim better than you aim," he murmurs under his breath, watching the arc.

He doesn’t look over at Melita just yet, but his grin stretches wider as the second set of booms rolls across the water. The skyboat rocks slightly as the smoke begins to thicken below. A couple of stragglers are trying to swim toward one of the lifeboats, limbs flailing more from panic than progress.

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

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

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

The screaming below was something amusing. Not so much suffering, but the calamity, the bedlam, the mayhem in the rush of those they’d consider enemies. Perhaps they shouldn’t have been pillaging and pirating. Perhaps they should’ve known their territory. Regardless, maybe there was a lesson to be found in all this.

The crack of wood and the smell of smoke was another reign of an arsonist’s dream. The Firecracker moved with the pulse of the flames raging below, but Melita remained unbothered. If anything, she was deeply entertained, her mind a fractious and unrelenting pace of all those ardent, avaricious, vicious little dreams come to life. A worthwhile proof of all the dangers and treacheries lurking in her midst, if people kept daring to scratch and reel at the surface.

“All right, I’ve got four left,” and she handed over two to split the deal, as if to emphasize on making it count. Some of the swimmers seemed to be making it to shore, screaming at one another, and others continued to flail around in panic and upheaval. “Wouldn’t it be awful if there were ghost whales or sharks nearby,” she hummed, clearly unbothered by the whole thing. She didn’t think any of them would truly be maimed. Just their shitty ship.

To which she pulled the pin and dropped another, intending to mark the vessel as no longer sea worthy.

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent

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

Vesper takes the offered explosives with a flash of silver ringed fingers, weighing them like dice he’s already decided are loaded. "Ghost whales, huh?" he echoes, voice dry as sunbleached driftwood. "That'd be a real fuckin' shame."

He edges toward the rail again, boots scuffing against the Firecracker’s warm deck, and peers down through the bloom of smoke. The swimmers are still struggling, soaked in fear and salt, their yells echoing up like a chorus of regret.  ""Think I’ll try for style points," he murmurs, yanking a pin with his teeth and flicking one device with a graceful arc toward the lifeboat. He's hoping for it to land such that it blows the lifeboat temporarily out of the water.

The second one he holds a moment longer, letting the smoke coil around him like a stage curtain. He casts a sideways glance at the empty air near Melita, knowing she’s close even if he can’t see her. "Folks are gonna start screamin' when they see the Firecracker comin' now," he notes, all smooth menace and humour, before lobbing the last explosive in a neat underhand toss straight into the breached hull.

The bloom of sound is satisfying. Almost beautiful.

He leans back against the railing, flexing his fingers like a pianist between sets. "How long d’you reckon ‘til someone shows up wantin’ to investigate all this generosity of yours?"

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

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

I've done nothing wrong
Except for all the atrocities

“Good,” and she grinned, even if he couldn’t see it. She relished the thought of others fearing her. Of being so intimidating that they’d never try to maim or tear her apart, because she might do the same to them. So she wouldn’t be massacred immediately on a battlefield again, torn apart by a singular strike of lightning.

As for his style, she shrugged. “You get two for going for the lifeboats,” with a wrinkle to her nose, as she tossed her remaining portions over the Firecracker. The pins pulled, they wheezed down below, slung into wooden pieces cracking under the sudden multitudes. Either the pirates would have to find a new ship, new crew, or new occupation.

And how much longer? She laughed – head already back up in the wind as she turned the sails. “Won’t know – we won’t be around to find out.” Finding another semblance of thermals and traversing across the open air, they’d be able to coast along the clouds for a bit further, before managing an opposing way home, to fight off any suspicion, of course. If she voiced any gratitude, it was silent – but it was nice to have company in mayhem and chaos sometimes.

[FIN]

the honeybee

Besides that
I'm innocent