10-5-2018 - Mason (Hikaru) and Jessi (Ruby)
Mason: Hikaru leans with his hands against the railing, visibly exhausted from the chaos. He wipes his sweat from his brow and looks around at the limping, crippled ship, and finds himself shocked at the damage. He staggers away from the railing and calls out for his friends.
Jessi: Ruby makes her way along the halls of the ship, away from the engine room. She'd helped bandage up Azandar's burned hands as best she could after the attack, but felt so flustered at her mistakes. And the new fellow aboard... she shakes her head to get rid of the thoughts.
Hearing you call out, and glad for a distraction, she wanders toward your voice. "Mr. Karu, are you alright? You ain't hurt too bad are ya?"
Mason: "No I ain't hurt Ms. Ruby, I'm alright. Just a little worn out. Are you ok? Tarj Almighty you're covered in ash!" He takes his hat off and runs it through his sapphire hair.
Jessi: Ruby lets out a relieved sigh. "Thank the Triad, I was worried we'd'a lost someone overboard after all that shakin'. I..." she trails off, looking at her dress all covered in soot and smudges. "Oh what a mess I look, and... what a mess I made." She pouts and sits down, promptly removing her greased gloves.
Mason: "Well Ms. Ruby it is to be expected to be a little messy after all this. Although I rather would've expected it to be Rodrick not you. Then again he may have been busy with the insects."
Jessi: "Too true. I hope he's alright as well. I may need to speak with him later. But… all that time in the Pestle and I barely learned any useful alchemy, nothing combustible... Zander called me down to the boiler to help and, gosh, he wanted me to start up the fires again with alchemy! The coal is all gone. I..." She blushes. "I didn't know what to do, so I used one of those bullets Rodrick made special for me. It was.... let's say a bad idea is a good way'a puttin' it."
Mason: He sits down and offers her a flask, "coffee? It's not hot but..."
Jessi: Looking over at the flask with a raised eyebrow, she takes it slowly. "That’s right... I think the last time we saw each other you weren't doin' so hot. You're havin' coffee now then?"
Mason: "Trust Rod to have come up with a bullet that explodes so much it didn't work."
Jessi: She takes a small sip, and seems calmed by it. "Well puttin' a bullet in a boiler probably ain't never been a good idea. I was thinkin' 'bout as straight as a cog spring."
Mason: "Yeah rod has been ridin me about drinkin. He says now I need to be responsible and grow up some. Sounds mighty rich considerin he's constantly drunk. Not that I don't keep a bottle round mind you. I just don't touch it"
Jessi: "Ah... that sounds like it'd be too temptin' for me. I didn't know Rodrick is drunk most times... is he?" She frowns, trying to remember.
Mason: He whips his tail to his front and takes out a dirty cloth to dry it out the sweat. "Well not like I was. He's just a little tipsy sometimes. He's much better about restraint than I am. I have it but I..." He trails off. "I mean I'll never use it right?" That sounds unconvincing, but he doesn't correct it.
Jessi: Ruby nods and looks down. After a minute of sitting quietly, she pipes up again. "Oh! We have a new... visitor?" She scrunches up her nose. "I'm not sure what to call it… him?" She looks concerned and wrings her gloves in her hands.
Mason: "A visitor?" His eyes flash and he fingers the bolt action on his rifle.
Jessi: She's taken aback a bit but doesn't stop you. "I'm not sure what to make of him. He was rowin' a boat away from shore, to goodness knows where... There's nothin' out this way for miles. Nothin' safe anyway. He's… strange looking." She has a bit of an awkward expression, not meaning to be offensive since half the people on this team "look funny" to her.
"He also don't speak no common language, least not well. We almost crashed into him, and Zander had to go down and convince him to come up. Not sure why we tried so hard to be honest... I really... didn't want to." Ruby looks a bit ashamed.
Mason: He thinks for a minute. "What do you mean by strange looking? I mean he can't be worse than us motley bunch. Unless he is. Does he seem dangerous?
Jessi: "He... I dunno. You may be a better judge of that when ya see him. He's got red-colored skin, and big horns on his head. He doesn't look like no one I ever seen before. He also had a big great sword, lots of armor patched all over. Broad shouldered, muscular, looked like he could rip a man in half."
Mason: He looks at Ruby and thinks hard. "Well looking strange ain't much different than the rest of us, but acting strange. That may be more troublesome. Although that... Is odd. Can't say I've ever seen one of those types."
Jessi: "Yeah. He seemed... afraid of the ship? The automatons? Like he'd never seen this sorta stuff before. Zander took him to the guest room..." She looks uncomfortable at that. "My room was right next to it, but he offered to swap rooms with me until we figure out what to do with this stranger."
Mason: "But... Even tribes people have seen those..." he thinks but shrugs. "To be honest I can't really think of anything. Maybe keep that Derringer close. Wouldn't want no one to sneak up on you. I don't know that he would but, I don't know that he wouldn't either."
Jessi: "True, true..." She unconsciously moves her hand over her calf, where she has it strapped. "How's your wound healin'?"
Mason: He pulls open his coat and lifts his shirt revealing the scar. "It's not as bad but it still stings a little. I think I'll be alright soon though.
Jessi: A little taken aback by the suddenness of it, she looks at your wound with a concern, but glad it's healing. "It's lookin' better, I think?"
Mason: "I'm not really sure to be honest since I ain't a healer but I think it is. How are you doing with... everything, now that you have that different amulet?"
Jessi: "Oh, that.” She turns away, and fiddles a bit with her pseudo-Tarj necklace out of habit. "I'm not sure why I still wear this one. It's… comforting, I guess. And it's traceable." She smirks. "If I get myself into more trouble than I'm worth again…" She sighs. "Every day my head feels a little bit clearer though, so that's good."
Mason: "Well if you need it you need it. So long as it ain't doing that funny thing to you the other seemed to I see no harm. I'll admit, I was a might worried about doing that but we won't track it unless you're in danger. Your privacy is important Ms. Ruby”
Jessi: "I appreciate that. You're very kind, Mr. Karu."
Several moments pass. "You know… I've been meanin' to bring something up." She looks uneasy. "I was plannin' on talkin' with the others about it too, but, I'm just so nervous to."
Mason: He looks at her expectantly although a little concerned.
Jessi: "I’m sorry I never mentioned it afore now, it did not seem relevant at the time. But… Mr. Luther had a…a lockbox, hidden in his office. He kept some of the worst rumors there. Anything that passed by his ears havin’ to do magic artifacts, or places so deadly no one would ever return from. Several months before he hired y’all, I helped him retrieve some documents from an old friend who passed away, Mr. Willstock. They ended up in that box." She shifts uncomfortably.
"It was a deed to some material possessions, and a long letter. In it, Mr. Willstock described a trip he’d taken in his youth; he was blown off course during a fierce storm, and when it finally abated, he was left with one engine blown, hundreds of miles off course … in… the Rift." She looks at the horizon. "That was the direction we was startin' to head in, and it got me rememberin' about all of it."
"I'd forgotten a lot cause of that darn necklace..." She glares, thinking hard.
Mason: "Did.. You hear about any weapons of power?'
Jessi: "I did..." She trails off. "In his notes, he detailed a cove of strange artifacts he came upon... Glittering crystals, rare furs of animals thought to be long extinct. Dozens of ancient weapons from the pre-Rend in pristine condition, radiatin’ some otherworldly power. Even gemstones that… floated. Unsupported. It almost seemed too coincidental, ya know? Especially with Thorin's strange rocks he's been findin'."
Mason: A sort of strange almost manic, villainous gleam enters his eyes, he clenches and unclenches his hands and slightly crazed grin breaks on his face.
He stands grabs Ruby by the arms and lifts her up into the air laughing almost hysterically "Do you know what this means?!"
Jessi: Her eyes grow wide, somewhat frightened by the sudden change in your demeanor, and surprise at being lifted into the air. "W--what would that be?"
Mason: "Oh Ms. Ruby this is the best news I've heard in months!" He spins her and puts her back down then he begins to pace his hand running through his hair.
Jessi: "Oh! So... you're... not mad at me?"
Mason: "No Ms. Ruby I'm not angry..... Not at you..." He trails off into his thoughts. "Do you know how long I've waited to murder my uncle? The months I've spent pouring over texts, the years I've spent searching? If we find these weapons I may be able to destroy him!" He turns back, a very murderous glint in his eyes.
Jessi: Ruby kind of wishes she could sink into the wall she's leaning against, somewhat taken aback by your demeanor, and the emotion in your eyes; that utter look of revenge and manic eagerness. "I'm glad you're happy, dear. I just.. I'm sorry for..." Flustered, she tries to find the words as she fiddles with her hands. "I just feel like I made this strange."
Mason: "He will pay Ms. Ruby. My brother was perfect. My father was a good man. My mother a gentle woman. My brother should have been the next to be head of the house. He was perfectly gentle and just. He would've led us happily and prosperously. But gentleness can be weakness. So my uncle will pay for taking advantage of their kindness.
"He will die. And I will give him no mercy."
Jessi: She quietly contemplates what you say, feeling that resonate with her somehow.
Mason: His hand rubs his mouth absently, over and over. Ruby has seen him do this when he's itching for a drink. When he can't control his need for liquor. His other hand seems to grasp absent mindedly for a bottle.
Jessi: "W-would you like to get some fresh air? We could go to the upper deck?" She honestly feels afraid for what would happen should he start drinking now, in this state.
Mason: He looks up about like he forgot she was even there in the first place, and for the first time in a long time it seems like he is distant from her, but looking at her it seems as though he comes back from a great chasm of time and space to the present. "Oh... Yes Ms. Ruby. I'd like that." The manic look leaves and he seems to return to how he was earlier although a little more hollow.
Jessi: Ruby notices the change, and, pained, isn't sure if she made the right choice mentioning what she did. She stands, and gesturing, leads the way out to the upper decks.
As they walk and finally make their way onto the upper decks, she continues with slight hesitation. "He wrote that he thought this... place...was a lair of some unnatural beast. He and his men hurried to made repairs before the creature returned. They dared not take anything for fear of retaliation, or what the treasures might do to ‘em. If we go to this... place, we would need to be ever so careful."
Mason: He follows and says, almost child-like: "M-Ms. Ruby.." he looks almost like he's seen a ghost and is pale as one too.
Jessi: She looks back at you quickly, hearing you speak again. "Y-yes?"
Mason: But then his vulnerability seems to pass and he hardens his face like it normally is. "Sorry nevermind. Dangerous beast? Well we could probably get a trove for Mr. Luther if he's still around somewhere after this mess."
Jessi: Her gaze drops. "Y-yes, that's true." Staring over the railing, she continues. "It was just this man's word that this existed. NO one ever comes back from the Rift. But… I reckon if it was true, and if that lair is still there, these many years later…? I just… seekin' out magic and all that isn't somethin' I'm keen on, but at this point, I think we need a place no one will follow us."
"There's no guarantee that we'll find it... or find things. But I know it was important to you. It's worth trying, if nothing else."
Mason: "No one would dare follow us there. Even if there's nothing... It may be a safe place to be well... Safe made not be the right word."
Jessi: "Right... too right." After several moments of silence, except for the wind blowing by, she quietly speaks up again. "Mr... Mr. Karu? Are you sure you're alright? I didn't upset you?"
Mason: A little fear gathers up and roosts in his face, and he winces. "Ms. Ruby... I've been chasing my uncle's death all my life. But what if this was the wrong choice?"
Jessi: She looks away, and thinks for a while, letting the question rest in the air.
Mason: Without a quick answer her presses on, "what if I was supposed to be gentle like my brother and courageous like my father? Instead I'm a killer. I don't know a lot but I know my father wouldn't be proud of my life."
Jessi: Without pause this time, "Your father would be grateful you're safe. That you didn't meet the same fate." She puts her hand on yours and gives it a little squeeze. "You carry with you what they left behind. Your brother's gentleness. Your father's courageousness. And your own fierceness. Your choice to protect or to take life is not so black and white, I think."
Mason: He doesn't answer. He looks at the deck darkly.
Jessi: "It's a hard line to decide... what's fair. What's a just punishment?" She looks away. "What if choosing to spare a life but condemn it to pain, sweat, mutilation, or incarceration? Is that worse? Is death sweet? I've never been able to choose that means to an end."
She lets a long sigh. "I sometimes wish I could. But then I fear... what Rodrick said the other night. About hearing, remembering, all of those last cries. Screams. Breaths. I... don't think I could handle it."
Mason: "I act brave and nonchalant. But even I hear them. You don't want to hear them. It's easier when it's self-defense though Ms. Ruby. Almost as though your brain can justify it. But when it's in cold blood. Well know you know why I drink."
Jessi: "It's hard, though. To live with the alternative too. Knowing if you don't kill, the law will. You helped make it happen. Or if they don't, that suffering is longer. More bitter. More festering, and then there's fear of, what if they find you again? What if they come back? I think either way, it's not a pleasant choice to make."
Mason: "I don't like loose ends. I don't like them able to come back. That's why I have no mercy."
Jessi: She nods, looking frustrated and forlorn.
Mason: "But I won't be killed. Not yet."
Jessi: "You better not." She looks over and smiles, but her eyes seem far away. "You got too much to do, young man." "We can see what's there… see what we can find, and then you can make your path from there."
Mason: "Far too much." The steel returns to his eyes and he seems himself again. "We'll get out of this Ms. Ruby just you wait."
Jessi: "Promise me you'll stay safe?"
Mason: "That's a fairly promise Ms. Ruby. I promise."
Jessi: "I appreciate that, Mr. Karu. We've lost a lot already... don't need to go losin' no more."
Mason: He looks at her. "You too Ms. Ruby. We don't need to lose you either.”
Jessi: She hesitates. "I promise I'll keep as safe as I can."
Mason: He eyes her but he keeps quiet. “What are you gonna do when we're done with this all Ms. Ruby?"
Jessi: "I... I'm not sure, honestly. I've enjoyed workin' for Mr. Luther, and it has its perks. But with how things have changed, I'm not sure I see the end of the tunnel yet. It just seems to stretch on and on in the dark... I don't know what happened to his business, what happened t-to him.." She chokes up a little. "What happened to m-my--" She startles a little, and shakes her head. "Sorry, that's--that's me bein' too negative, forgive me."
Mason: "That's fair Ms. Ruby. I don't know if I'll do anything. I've only thought of revenge my whole life. But being friends to be people has opened my eyes. I don't know what to do."
Jessi: "I guess.. we can take it one day at a time. It's--it's all we can do, really." She quietly adds, "It's nice having friends here."
Mason: Startled he looks about and then back and sets his face. "It'll be ok Ms. Ruby. We don't know what happened to him yet. Maybe he's still alive out there."
Jessi: "Yeah, maybe so."
Mason: "Maybe when this is done we'll either find him or his remains. If we find him bam-- it's great. If not, we can at least give him a proper burial." Scratches his head, like, am I doing this right?
Jessi: "Yes... yes that would be nice, I think."
Mason: "I guess I know what I'm doing after all this now."
Jessi: "Hm?"
Mason: "helping you find Mr. Luther."
Jessi: "Thank you... I appreciate that. He always felt like a 2nd father to me... I wouldn't feel right not findin' out what happened to him."
Mason: "Then we'll do that. Guess it's a might nobler than my usual goals."
Jessi: "Well..." She thinks for a while. "You've done noble things on these journeys, Mr. Karu."
"I remember... in Wuxia you saved that poor swordsmith's girl. She would have burned alive if it weren't for you."
Mason: "That scared me. I'll never know what possessed me to save her. She was real pretty too."
Jessi: Ruby chuckles a bit. "She was."
She thinks again. "You helped me escape that rotting dragon... I couldn't see in the dark caves, and you guided me through them."
Mason: "I tried as best I could. I swore I was gonna get eaten alive.”
Jessi: "But you could'a left us behind. You didn't, you thought of my safety, too."
Mason: "I don't think I told you, but I almost did in Wuxia. I almost did."
Jessi: She gives you a long look. "But, you didn't. You're still here. So something in ya won out in the courageous bits."
"Sometimes we gotta help each other be brave. And stay together... You came and found me when I... wasn't myself anymore." She furrows her brow. "I'm not sure I would have ever come back to my senses without... without seein' someone."
Mason: "I never was brave before that girl you know that? It was kill or run away to kill when they didn't see me again. I don't know what changed."
Jessi: "...You did."
Mason: He thinks and then leans against the railing. Then shrugs. "Shall we check in everyone else?" Hikaru takes a swig of coffee and then gestures to allow her to go.
Jessi: "Yeah, that might be good. We should land sometime this evening, so we have a little time to get prepared."