[Training] never givin' in again

JACK

"And how're you findin' Torchline so far?" Jack wants to know as they head up onto the Rainbow Road, the kaleidoscopic stones shimmering beneath his feet where they hit the light. He'd invited Vesper up here under the guise of seeing what there is to see of the islands from a different vantage point, and with the potential of a favour to ask. (Given their similarities, reluctant as Jack might be to admit them, he doesn't expect the boy to say no at a chance to have Jack owe him one).

And besides, with Flora away at the Greatwood doing that thing she does sometimes where she fights the good fight, the captain has to keep himself occupied somehow.

He draws to a halt at a vista not far from where he knows Frey's shrine to be, the sea breeze tousling his hair, the afternoon sun bright if not quite as strong as it had been the previous season. Folded over one of Jack's arms is a leather coat, black as pitch, the buckles shining almost as brightly as the stones. "This place ain't as busy as it used to be. I don't really care as long as I don't have to collect any more rocks from it, honestly."

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

"How am I findin' it?" Glancin' at his old man over one shoulder, the young demigod raises a dark brow, hardly needing access to his magic in order to know that Jack wasn't the gee how are things going for you sport? type, and so immediately assumed whatever favour Jack wanted must have been big enough to try and warrant small talk. Smirking as he pulls a toothpick from his pocket and places it into the corner of his mouth, Vesper shrugs. " 'bout what I expected. Ain't really lookin' forward to it gettin' much colder than this, though." 

Despite the natural beauty around them, the demigod's eyes wandered regularly back to the man at his side. It felt so...bland around Jack. If he thought the gesture would be reciprocated, Vesper would have dropped his shields just so that he could feel something. He probably wasn't much different than Jack in that regard; the world around him just wasn't as interesting as the minds of the people in it. 

"Yeah, we saw a fair amount of that." You know, when he and his sisters were just star stuff flitting around. "Oh yeah? Were you hopin' it'd be busier?" Vesper wonders, plucking out the toothpick and turning it around to nibble on the fresh end, trying to decide if it'd be better or worse for whatever favour Jack was looking to ask if there was a crowd around.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

JACK

Raising a brow right back at the boy - with or without telepathy, he can see the suspicion all over Vesper's face - Jack rests a hand in his pocket and waits for the response he knows is going to come despite all else. "Ah, it shouldn't get much worse'n this. Not unless there's some god fuckery about." Torchline is tropical no matter the seasonal changes, at least compared to those places where there's snow.

Able to feel the eyes on him (and appreciating it even less than usual given that he's similarly blocked out of the young demigod's mind), if Jack adjusts the way he's standing to keep Vesper more or less in his line of sight, gods, so be it. Perhaps if the two telepaths were able to, you know, talk about these things like adults, they could drop their shields and their paranoia and enjoy the buzz of each other's minds.

"Mm? On the contrary, I quite like it quiet. This might be a new place to do business, is all I was thinkin'." But anyway, back to right here and right now. "What would it take for me to be able to punch you while you're wearin' this?" he wants to know, holding up the coat for Vesper to see. "Your dear mother has me on a quest, and this is one of the requirements."

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

"That happen much around here?" Vesper wants to know of god fuckery. Given the way his mother had made Torchline into her little pet project, he couldn't imagine that she'd be the one to subject it to fits of ice or snow, nor did he think she'd take kindly on Ludo or Frey trying to toy with her subjects.

Whatever quip might have been brewing on the boy's lips died as he heard Jack's request. Turning towards his old man with his eyebrows expressively raised, Vesper takes a long look at the coat before his blue eyes shift back to an almost identical pair. Sure didn't seem like the sort of thing the captain would lie about, not when he could be caught out so easily given who Vesper was, and as Jack had rightly guessed, being owed one wasn't necessarily a bad thing either.

"Nothin' much." Grinning around the toothpick in his mouth, the demigod reaches out for the Jacket, his eyes still locked on Jack's. "Few more smiles around my sisters should do it. Oh, and-" Vesper's smile grows though there's no resulting warmth or sparkle in his blue stare. "-I get to hit you back each time."

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

Instead of any ominous, life-threatening scene, you are greeted by the sight of cloud wyrms hovering slightly beyond your reach. They twist and turn through the air, puffy forms following their wakes; giving some refuge from the sun.

One even seems to look at you, uttering a soft greeting, before moving on, after its brethren.

---

You’ve encountered a Cloud Wyrm. This counts as an uncommon creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements.

Cloud Wyrm (uncommon/mythical) - Cousins of the dragon, these small and serpentine creatures boast no wings or destructive breath. Rather, they breathe clouds. Their four-legged white bodies can be seen slithering through the air, puffy clouds streaming from their mouths to ease the intensity of the sun on the plains. They never get any bigger than a weasel, and are known as docile, playful creatures, and they seem to enjoy collecting shiny things.

JACK

"Not as much as it used to. Lately it's less god fuckery and more..." Gesturing out towards the purple-hued horizon, Jack doesn't know how to adequately refer to void-fuckery, but hopefully Vesper gets the idea. "Luckily even that's been banned from our shores for the most part. Should be a quiet Deepfrost," he says, tempting the fuck out of fate.

Vesper raises his eyebrows at Jack, and Jack watches the cloud wyrms drift lazily overhead, the captain already flashing the boy a sly grin as his attention returns to him. "You drive a hard bargain. Reckon I can take a few punches and give a few smiles if it'll get this done," he agrees, turning to unfurl the coat and sweep the fine leather around the demigod's shoulders. (No need to put your arms in the sleeves, lanky).

No sooner has he done so, Jack aims a quick punch between Vesper's shoulder blades. Listen, he wants to make sure he hits the coat properly at least once.

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

Vesper's never had the wind knocked out of his lungs before, but as Jack's fist connects right between his shoulder blades, the demigod decides right then and there that he isn't a fan.

Stumbling forward, he heaves in an ugly-sounding breath as he whirls around, nearly throwing Jack's coat off his shoulders in the process. "Fuck you." Said without surprise, still Vesper's upper lip curls in Jack's direction as the demigod straightens with a strained grunt. Experimentally rolling his shoulders, this being the most pain he'd ever experienced in his entire life so far, Vesper eyed Jack with a blue stare that said he knew his old man was going to be stronger and faster, but wanting to best him just the same.

Doubting that he'd be able to track Jack fast enough against the sands, instead, the boy grabs at a few whisps of shadow, placing them right behind the captain's feet so that as Vesper feigns a rush directly at the captain, hopefully in trying to evade, Jack will trip himself up.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

JACK

Spreading his hands in a gesture that tries to remind Vesper that he's literally just agreed to this, Jack tries and fails to keep the shit-eating smile (the sort that many an angry businessman has likely wanted to punch off his face in the past) from his lips. "Aight, that was a cheap shot," he admits, taking a few steps back to both put some space between them and give the boy a chance to catch his breath.

And as Vesper rushes forward, Jack doesn't have any telepathy to rely upon this time, so of course he's forced to take the movement as given, sending him tripping right over the shadows writhing behind him. With a soft curse, he's already twisting to hit the ground in a roll, springing back to his feet and scoffing. "I said you could punch me back," he points out, before darting in to deliver an example to the boy's shoulder over the lapel of the coat.

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

Now it's Vesper's turn to grin as he watches Jack go down. "Don't know what you mean. Looks to me like you just tripped over your own two feet." He scoffs. Having already learned that Jack's wirey frame wasn't just for show, as the captain rolled and began to get to his feet, the demigod braced himself for another hit. There wasn't any point in trying to dodge, not least of all because Jack was faster, but as the captain had reminded him, this literally was what Vesper had agreed to.

Grunting as his shoulder was struck, rather than rubbing the bruise which was quickly forming instead the demigod tried to lash out with his own punch, aiming for the same spot on Jack's shoulder. It was an uncoordinated effort at best, this being the first time he'd ever actually tried to hit anything before, but you know, beginners luck or whatever.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

JACK

"Won't be the first time, an' I won't be the only one. Can't read the minds of rocks, y'know." Is Jack comparing the boy to a rock, or is he just pointing out the downsides of their telepathy? That's entirely up to Vesper's interpretation. As his fist strikes as intended, the captain almost expects something magical to start happening with the coat (listen, it's Vesper's first punch and it's Jack's first fetch quest); as such, he's in a prime position for the demigod to hit him back.

Bracing against the punch and the way it glances across his shoulder, Jack raises his eyebrows as he realises Vesper's uncordinated efforts are due to youth and inexperience. And so let it never be said that he doesn't bond with his goddess-granted offspring. "You're all over the place," he says, forming a fist to show the boy how to position his fingers, and extending an arm in a slow test punch. "Keep your feet planted too, so you don't go stumblin' into it."

As if to properly demonstrate, here comes Jack again with another punch to that same shoulder. Though maybe it's a little softer this time.

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

"Maybe you can't." Vesper sasses back. It was a bluff to be sure, but given that he was a demigod and the only mind in all of Torchline that Jack didn't have access to, it was one he felt confident enough in making. Maybe Safrin gave her baby boy the ability to gain insight of his surroundings from inanimate objects.

Raising his eyebrows at the criticism, Vesper nearly opens his mouth to ask whether or not proper form had fuckin' anything at all to do with Jack's quest, when he found the words dissolving on his tongue as his old man offered up some helpful advice. Tracking the captain's movements as he'd done with so many other things when he was up in the clouds, though it was another thing entirely to put it into practice, Vesper was sure his second effort would be a good deal better than his first for the demonstration.

If the second punch is softer, it doesn't feel that way for the bruise forming on the demigod's shoulder, but never mind. Grunting into the pain and finding it easier to bear when it wasn't on the heels of complete fucking surprise, Vesper does as instructed: planting his feet this time he pivots from the hips, utilizing the length of his arms rather than shuffling his feet forward to try and connect.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

JACK

"Maybe not, and for that I'll be grateful. Listenin' to rocks all day would probably make for a pretty dull life," Jack sasses right back, because whilst Vesper might have gotten much of his power from the lady of the stars, odds are good that he got his smart mouth directly from his old man. Still, throwing insults as well as punches aside, it does look as though there might be a lesson to be learned here, and Jack, after delivering his own blow, angles himself into Vesper's punch so he might be able to get a feel for how it lands.

"Better," he says, deciding not to comment on how the boy's noodle arms could use a little muscle on them, wiry or otherwise. (He doesn't want to 'trip over his own feet' again). "Now just keep yourself movin' - a sittin' target is an easy one." Nodding at Vesper's feet to indicate he can sidestep out of the way of any retaliatory blows, Jack darts in for another hit to see if he can get out of the way.

I'm just a cherub riding comets through the night sky

Had Jack access to his son's mind, he'd have felt the shimmer of satisfaction as his punch hit. The boy wasn't naïve enough to think he'd done it all on his own merit, but that didn't take away how good it had felt to properly connect the way he had. Grinning, Vesper bounces his eyebrows—perhaps to communicate his appreciation or merely acknowledgement that Jack had let himself be hit—before dropping his eyes toward his old man's feet and nodding.

"Right, right, I—" Not having expected Jack to come in so quickly (and really, that was on him), Vesper's long legs are too slow to bring him out of the way. Swallowing down a bark of pain, the demigod immediately pivots, trying to follow in Jack's wake to connect his fist against the back of the captain's shoulder.

VESPER

Styling stolen from Sky (obviously)

JACK

Ducking his head in a quick nod and giving a brief smirk - as much of an acknowledgement as Vesper will get in response to the raise of his brows - Jack is too focused on their little skirmish to chat any further. And maybe it's luck (or a sudden influx of stats, wot), but the boy is able to strike him in return, and properly this time. Hissing in a breath of surprise that he huffs back out in a laugh, Jack lets the momentum carry him forward, his free hand already reaching down.

"Last lesson of the day - never be afraid to play dirty," he advises, and as he whips around to face Vesper, he's already holding the blade he keeps hidden in his boot. He obviously doesn't intend to use it in this fight, but it goes to show how quickly a bout of fisticuffs can turn sour. Rolling his shoulder and slipping the knife away again, he gestures a hand for the coat around the boy's shoulders. "That's enough excitement for now, I reckon."