Come Sail Away Inbox

[saltwaterlungs]

Who you gonna call text or maybe knock on the door of?

Comments

you've just been jinxed.

[opheliac]

(good morning, afternoon, evening, darcy! were you thinking about heading out today? that's cool, that's cool. it's probably good to go out and do something. it'll be lame to just be in your cabin all day and just do nothing, right? there's so many wonderful people to meet and talk to! im sure you probably made some friends, right? that's always important.)

(oh before you go though, watch out for this. im sure you will. have a good day!)

[saltwaterlungs]

[ Darcy leaves her cabin to find a frankly impressive amount of cups stacked up in front of her door, which of course she walks right into without noticing. Now her pants are soaked. Cool. She's going to handle this like the mature young lady she is. ]

WHOEVER DID THIS IS A DEAD MOTHERFUCKER.

[ Truly the picture of grace and dignity. ]

action; cabin hallway.

[opheliac]

(next door to darcy's cabin room, jinx is outside in front of hers and is painting cute little monkeys and smileys all over her door. why is that? simply put. she is bored and wants something to do. and what better way to use your time on art!)

[saltwaterlungs]

[ Darcy's immediate reaction would be to ask 'what the fuck are you doing' and 'why are you graffiti-ing on someone's door'. But her first reaction had nearly earned her Disappointment from Stede at the Pirate Party, and... she didn't exactly feel bad about all that had transpired, she still felt self-righteous about it, but... she could try being nice. For once. To see how it went. Darcy leaned against the wall between their two cabins and offers- ]

Nice monkeys.

Text

[draughtsman]

‼️‼️‼️ Darcy! ‼️‼️‼️

why have i never been to the library before today???? this place is absurd! did you know about this?

[saltwaterlungs]

wtf even I've been to the library before now
nerd mdr
there's no hidden doors or anything behind the shelves before you go looking
just books

[text] an apology in 4 parts

[light_mischief]

The excursion is coming up soon.
I don't intend to do any fighting. If it turns violent or dangerous,
it'll be a good chance to see the resurrection process firsthand.
If it turns out to be "not too bad" like the sheet says, I will eat my hat.
There's no way this is going to be something as simple as camping in the woods. (1/4)

I know that the answer I gave last time we talked wasn't satisfactory, but
the truth is that I don't have an answer I can give you. If I thought for
a minute that it was something that would endanger you or the other passengers
of course I would tell you, but that isn't the case. (2/4)

When I said I hadn't told Valkyrie, I should have been more specific. It's
something about my life from the time when I died, and I haven't shared
it with anybody. Nobody from my reality knows, and certainly nobody here.
Which is why having a reminder show up on the ship was so alarming. Why
I'm so unnerved. It had nothing to do with you, and I shouldn't have
exploded over it. So, there's that. (3/4)

Okay. If it turns out that one of us is randomly selected to be the
hockey-masked serial killer in the woods, and that turns out to be you,
know that I won't take it personally when you murder me.
Even if you want me to. (4/4)

[saltwaterlungs]

It's at least a couple of hours until she responds. In the interim she types out and then deletes long strings of middle finger emojis and repeating lines of 'fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you'. It's not anything to do with sense or reason, it's just a raw wound that Skulduggery apparently insisted on poking. The only reason she doesn't send any of the expletives is the same reason she went invisible instead of fighting him more. The instinct to hide when hurt is older than her death.
Darcy just... keeps scrolling back through it, at his smug superiority over 'not taking it personally' and 'not fighting anyone'. Ugh. When she responds, it's still in anger, with the desire to twist the knife in as much as possible.

fucking whatever dude
maybe if youre lucky and your power of friendship bullshit is right valkyrie will show up and youll get to stop dealing with me
apparently shell respect your fucking privacy
fuck you

a piece of paper near Darcy's cabin door (about two days after the camping excursion)

[sabigoe]

[ It had been her intention to deliver some kind of thank you gift for the friendship bracelet as soon as they returned to the ship. Finding out that her roommate had gone missing after the excursion may have put a dampener on Fio's spirits... but she eventually pushes herself to go about her day as usual, pretending everything is absolutely fine.

About two days after the camping trip, there will be a piece of paper nearby Darcy's cabin door with a little crayon drawing scrawled over it, accompanied by crudely cut yellow flowers made from construction paper glued to the corners. ]

[saltwaterlungs]

[ Darcy almost doesn't notice the paper at first, but bright yellow of the flowers catches her eye on the periphery. It takes her all of a second to put two and two together, and she covers her mouth with her hand, squeezing her face. It's incredibly sweet. It's painfully sweet, and she hesitates to pick it up for fear she'll accidentally jostle one of the flowers off. But she does eventually, noting the friendship bracelet Fio has drawn herself with. For all her tumultuous feelings about how the camp ended, all her self-hatred due to her own weakness, and all she wished she'd been strong enough to go through with it...

For the first time since being stabbed, Darcy is at peace with her decision. It was worth being weak to ensure Fio didn't have to suffer. The ship was a kind of hell for sure, and Fio would be probably exposed to something traumatizing again soon if she hadn't already, probably even because of Darcy's actions if she's right about the Captain using them against each other. But Darcy had made a choice to protect her for now, and... she could live with it. It was worth it. Fio was worth it.

The drawing gets pinned to the wall above the couch in her cabin. ]

[text] after their conversation...

[light_mischief]

[While they talk, Skulduggery forwards the following text:]

Interesting thing happened. Additional 11 months memory now mine.
Thought it was a bit much, Friday was useless so I spoke to the captain.
Going to try and write down everything before I forget.
The me that's here gained memories from the me that was then.
I know. It makes sense if you say it aloud.
Versions of me not stuck on ship = different moments on the timeline = other versions of self
Asked what I am, I am me but also not me. So hello from a Different Skulduggery. (1/8)

Reference made: Highlander. Never watched it, the commercial was stupid. (2/8)

Physical differences unaccounted for, as in, he does not know how I was physically altered.
He has no idea what happened to me really, even though this is HIS SHIP. (3/8)

You want to know how to talk to him?
He avoids answering questions he doesn't know the answer to. When he starts to talk in circles you know you've found a corner. Back him in.
Always ask exactly what you want the answer to. Otherwise, the runaround.
Direct. No commentary. One question at a time. (4/8)

Research. We're all kindling for the flames of knowledge, but it isn't just apotheosis.
Remembering correctly: tested thousands of ascension rituals but none fit purpose. Purpose??? Repeated again desire to know what he is.
Other purpose??? Possible. Again with the circles.
My gut says this is about freedom of will but my gut is also 451 years rotted away so!
Take it with a grain of salt. (5/8)

"All that exists will always exist." The things that happened to me have happened, will happen, are happening.
He knows our timelines and our various selves on that timeline are capable of being brought here and ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
What happens THEN? Always missing the forest for the trees. (6/8)

Can't remember it all. Time has passed and I am not myself.
Thinking in the future I'll record him.
🔉🔉🔉🔉💥💥💥💥
No! Can't. Audio blows out the phone speakers.
Can't write down in front of him either. He'll mock me.
Do you know how frustrating it is to be mocked by that man?
Worse yet to be mocked and still have to admit that he's right?
"I'm always right"
🙄😒🤮 (7/8)

I don't know. I'm going on vacation.
I have sent this exact message to the following people:
Jade Palamedes Natsuno
You three can work it out without me. Have fun.
I've got books to read and karaoke to sing. (8/8)

[saltwaterlungs]

It's a little while before Darcy actually gets around to reading the string of messages from Skulduggery. Then a while longer as she tries to... decode what the fuck this is. Most of it is nonsense, and what she does understand concerns her. Then there's the gauntlets, and when she uncovers them- unlike last time- it feels deathly, saturated in the energy of death in the same way that a memento is. The broken hilt that connects herself and the Scream, that they swore their bargain over, feels similar. But the gauntlets are... unsettling in a way the broken hilt isn't. Like it's... if she trusted her own instincts, she might have thought 'hungry'.

okay so most of that is nonsense
but what the fuck do you mean you're 'going on vacation'
and why do the gauntlets feel weird
they feel like a memento and i know that doesnt mean jack shit to you but MAYBE I COULDVE TOLD YOU ABOUT MEMENTOS IF YOU TOLD ME THESE FUCKING THINGS ARE FULL OF DEATH

[text] july 8-ish

[light_mischief]

It's the morning after Skulduggery's chat with Friday and ensuing late-night talk with the Captain, and he's fired off a few generic text-chains before breakfast. He took extra care to compose them rationally, as he's been doing with most of his texts these days. Darcy, on the other hand, requires much less of an act.

Found time to visit Friday. Not something I enjoy.
Unsettling to look at. But I learned something I thought might be interesting to you.
This whole thing was the Captain's mistake.
He was trying to use magic to access subconscious memories.
Now Friday is stuck telling the truth for 1-2 weeks.

It's more than he's telling the others, but that's mostly due to his desire to seem brief and coherent after that humiliating breakdown he suffered.

[saltwaterlungs]

yeah i have to admit i dont like her face either
or
you get me
that could be useful though i might think up some questions to take to her
do you think we could use it against that motherfucker too?
or is it like
that hes so bad at this that hes the only one not affected?

[text] last weekend of july

[light_mischief]

The rain has started again. I think I might go to the bridge one more time while there's
a chance that the Captain is still affected. If we can convince him to talk, he may wind
up divulging the things he's been trying to forget.

If you feel confident enough that you could resist engaging in a physical altercation, it
would be good to have you along. I need an objective set of ears, preferably attached to
a rational brain, and you fit the bill.

Re: [text] last weekend of july

[saltwaterlungs]

Darcy doesn't want to, obviously. Doesn't especially want to throw herself back into the lion's den after her last stabbing.
But she's already offered to help, and she'll be damned if she doesn't keep her word.

already said i would help with it my guy
let me know where and when
anything to help get us out of here right?

[draughtsman]

Alright, when are we picking out 🎁?

[saltwaterlungs]

are you free now?
also i have an update on the pickpocketing thing
but thatll wait until we meet up
i want to see your face when i tell you mdr

8/2

[touchofcashmere]

[at some point mid-morning, a note is shoved under Darcy's door]

𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓬𝔂

𝓘'𝓭 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝒆 𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓹𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓰𝓲𝔃𝒆 𝒇𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝒆 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝒆𝓻 𝓭𝓪𝔂. 𝓘 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝒆 𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽𝒆𝓷𝒆𝓭, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓭𝓲𝓭 𝓷𝓸𝓽, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝒆𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝒆 𝓸𝒇 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓱𝓾𝓻𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾. 𝓟𝓵𝒆𝓪𝓼𝒆 𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝒆 𝓽𝓸 𝒆𝔁𝓹𝓻𝒆𝓼𝓼 𝓶𝔂 𝓻𝒆𝓰𝓻𝒆𝓽𝓼 𝒇𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝒆 𝒇𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂. 𝓢𝓴𝓾𝓵𝓭𝓾𝓰𝓰𝒆𝓻𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝒆 𝓲𝓷 𝓢𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓓𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓼 𝒇𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓷 𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝓸 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓷𝓸𝓸𝓷.

𝓘𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓾𝓹 𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓱𝒆𝓽𝓱𝒆𝓻 𝓸𝓻 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝒆, 𝓸𝒇 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼𝒆, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓲𝒇 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓭𝒆𝓬𝓲𝓭𝒆 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓽𝓸, 𝓹𝓵𝒆𝓪𝓼𝒆 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼𝓷'𝓽 𝓶𝔂 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝒆𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝒆 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓷, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝒆𝓷 𝓪𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷.

𝓐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓽𝒆𝓵𝔂,
𝓢𝓽𝒆𝓭𝒆

Action; 2nd August

[ninetoes]

Izzy is early to training today. They train almost every day. He is vocal and engaged and corrective. Supportive when it's earned. Demonstrative in certain things he wants Darcy to focus on as he guides her away from classical fencing to vicious battle.

All usual, all normal, but today he is almost entirely silent and absolutely vicious. His attention is on the fight, as it always is, but he seems distracted in a way that isn't normal. His aggression is enormous in every step he takes, engaging relentlessly, unfairly taking beats he should have pulled back on. Ignoring pauses needed, taking strike after strike and snarling when Darcy needs a moment to recover as if stopping might make him explode from compounding stress fractures.

It isn't fair. It isn't fair at all, but nothing today is fair, it would seem.

[saltwaterlungs]

Seeing Izzy like this is genuinely a bit frightening. Darcy's working hard as usual to keep up, but he's being vicious in a way that is not so much uncharacteristic as not usually aimed at her. Something's up, and she doesn't know what.

"Okay-" she takes a few steps back after wearing a strike she feels is going to bruise, her hands up as if in surrender, "have I done something wrong?"

[draughtsman]

Good news!~ Looks like Izzy isn't going to stab me to death repeatedly! I know you were...just. So. Worried.

[saltwaterlungs]

i was actually
because he wouldve kicked your ass
and i worried i wouldnt be there to see it

It's not admitting to genuine concern if you stick a joke on the end of it, right?

still good tho
told you that apologising would work
hes just prickly

Like herself, in many ways.

Wow really bad timing late evening aug 2nd text un:Basilica

[ninetoes]

Darcy.

I haven’t much time but this is to let you know I have not died. Parlay was positive in its own way. No blood was spilt. I will update you at which hour I can.

Izzy x

[saltwaterlungs]

yeah no fucking shit
lucius just told me
that youre not dead
which is good btw im glad
gimme details as soon as you can
also you dont need to sign off your texts i know who you are

text

[pinballer]

[ He wakes up from his encounter with Fio and his mind's just...blank. There's something wrong, but he can't quite put his finger on it until he realizes.

His name. He's forgotten his fucking name. He remembers having one, but any time he tries to think about what someone might have called him or what he wrote on his school assignments it's just out of reach.

Until someone reminds him of it, he doesn't have a name anymore. Just like the rest of the ghost boys in the Grabber's basement. Dammit. It's not a good feeling, it's like being an incomplete person.

When he picks himself up off the floor he remembers that he at least has the phone. He can talk to someone.

But the only person whose information he has is....ugh. Shit.

Better than nothing. Maybe. ]

are you there

[saltwaterlungs]

what do you want?

text;

[opheliac]

(she is taking a break from building to text her favorite person in the whole world.)

wyd?

Re: text;

[saltwaterlungs]

i thought i blocked you
what do you want

[text] post-vance talk

[light_mischief]

Pretty much as he's walking away from this conversation with Vance, Skulduggery pulls out his phone and texts:

Thought you should know: Vance tried to terrorize Fio in the library. She's alright, but he managed to rip a seam on Judy before the teddy bear blasted him into a wall.

Ava sent me to deal with him. Suffice it to say, he will not be harassing Fio again.

[saltwaterlungs]

of course he did
of course
of FUCKING COURSE
god he probably did it to fucking spite me
okay
i did threaten to put his eyeballs where his kidneys go and his kidneys where his eyeballs go
so
i might need your help holding him down when he comes back tomorrow

it gets dark and then / i feel certain i am going to rise again

[prince_of_beasts]

A while after Dimitri gets off the tender, he realizes Darcy didn't come back.

At least, he doesn't think so.

She's not answering her phone. Which, granted, maybe that's payback, which would be fair, except that she hasn't been ignoring Dimitri prior to this. And Skulduggery isn't responding, either. And no one else saw her get back on the boat, and Dimitri is rapidly realizing there are shockingly few people on this boat he knows well, which is what he gets for vanishing for something like half a month, but --

In the end all he can do is pace in circles outside her door. And tear his hair out. And pace in circles more. And curse himself. And plead, silently and sometimes out loud, with the ghosts that damn him for leaving another friend to die. And pace. and pace. And pace.

When he's worn himself down, the burning in his mind burnt down to an exhausted ashen smear and the corpse-beetles gnawed him to the bone, he winds up curled up against Darcy's door. One arm wrapped around his knees, nose tucked into his elbow, the other arm curled over his head. Sheathed sword folded into his tangled ball of limbs like a child's safety blanket. One bloodshot eye keeps restless watch on the hall while he twitches in and out of half-waking nightmares.

He expects to see Friday, more than anyone else.

[saltwaterlungs]

Someone arrives down the hall. It's Darcy.

She looks like shit.

The girl's drenched in mud like she was dragged through the jungle backwards. There's some spattering of blood on her from Jenny and... surprisingly nobody else. The mission went better and worse than expected. No murdering, no backstabbing, nothing but...

God she's not going to sleep tonight from the memory of Skulduggery screaming, is she?

Lucky then that Dimitri's there. She braces herself for a rightfully earned dressing down for making him worry after all of their everything recently. But she's glad to see him all the same.

"Hey."

[text] the morning after the heist

[light_mischief]

Need to talk. Are you available?

Re: [text] the morning after the heist

[saltwaterlungs]

always
im in my room and dimitri just left
but i can meet you wherever too

text; un: Basilica Oct 1

[ninetoes]

Are you still cross with Lucius?

[saltwaterlungs]

i still have him blocked
but he also hasnt spoken to me in like a month
why?

[stairwellshadow]

[ Late in the evening, a piece of black paper is slid under Darcy's door. There's no words or signature on it, but there is a crude drawing of a gallows and several blanks in a row: ]



[ Perhaps it's time to play a game. ]

[saltwaterlungs]

Huh. That's weird.

Darcy takes the paper and, forgetting literally every instinct she has, looks it over. After a while she makes a shrugging gesture, "E?"

early morning of the 11th, cw mention of hanging

[firewalled]

i fuond césar
in our rooom

i dont knwo what happened
or who diid it

somethng killed him
he was hanging there

im so fcuking scared

is anyone awake

Text, Sometime During Giles Reveal Thread IDK When I'm Playing This Shit By Ear

[crushed_pearls]

Unknown hostiles impersonating passengers. Giles confirmed compromised. "Sharky" Charlegmane suspected, unknown total number of hostiles. Clear personality changes might help you detect them. Don't be alone. Don't go unarmed. Capabilities of hostiles unknown. Status of originals unknown. Giles copy displayed a disposition towards cruelty and emotional manipulation. Repeat, do not be alone.

If you make me watch you die I will fucking lose it.

[saltwaterlungs]

yeah one of my friends is acting weird too
im guarding him in the brig right now
ill be fine
im never unarmed
you okay?

text

[pinballer]

[ Ugh, okay, he isn't super enthusiastic about this but he has to tell somebody and...well, Darcy's the best option. ]

hey i just talked to a ghost
another one i mean
this one seemed more like i used to be back home than what i am now

Re: text

[saltwaterlungs]

...
did you play hangman with it???

[croquisbook]

( a painting will be on darcy's door after the info meeting:



GIVE BACK OMORI

some ghost sounds upset maybe )

[saltwaterlungs]

A short while later someone comes by with a marker and amends it, adding-

Rich first

Where Omori had been, and-

BITCH

In all caps.

[text] october, after "visiting" with the Captain

[light_mischief]

This is business related.

The ship is falling apart because the Captain is struggling to find a reason to continue. He doesn't believe there's any possibility for his future freedom, and he seems irritatingly disinclined to even try. He assumes, although he cannot possibly know, that his parents would have taken every known precaution against being enslaved. Therefore, why bother trying to save himself?

Nevermind him. We'll do it without his input if we must. Have you seen any books in the library that might be related to his mythology? Have you met anyone who may have experience in the matter? Have you managed to speak with him at all this month?

Also, he knows about the ghosts and possessions. He doesn't seem to care. I think he expects us to deal with it on our own.

[saltwaterlungs]

k