Honoria Crabb (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pointofhonoria) wrote2023-05-05 02:36 am
pointofhonoria) wrote2023-05-05 02:36 am
come sail away inbox
Text | Voice | Action | Other
Text | Voice | Action | Other
Text | Voice | Action | Other
Text | Voice | Action | Other
no subject
Not that the boat they're on is a pleasure cruise, of course. But still, it's a thing.
"Mimley apparently had a run-in with a Herron once. I remember seeing the scar."
no subject
"Shoulda said three guesses and the last two don't count, yeah. So much for 'protecting' them from Armorian hostilities..." Not that those intentions were believable for a second, really, but.
She flips the page, reads as the attack starts and they move to the cellars.
"He would've, yeah. I think it was—" she snaps her fingers a couple times, "Batton what hired 'em? Back before even I knew Bastrop was the face behind the mask. Reckon there ain't a type of assassin he hasn't dealt with since, too."
no subject
Clearly for his own sake, clearly. Not because Johnny feels guilty about loving people other than him.
no subject
There’s that knowing look of hers, knowing but not judging. For the first time she briefly wonders if telling Johnny the reality of their situation would relieve some complicated feelings, to some degree. Back home, there’s still a version of him navigating his relationship with Bastrop in a way this him likely won’t ever have to, but— it’s the damn existential side of things, you know, how do you just spring that on someone?
“…lot more reasons to not want anyone else to get stuck here than the reverse, yeah. But it’s alright to wonder, I reckon. Be conflicted and all.”
Another flipped page. Ferrier putting the pieces together, the unused vial of Petricoyle, violent shelling… the Prince Regent starting to explain the reality of the situation.
no subject
He's absolutely and completely not serious there, flashing her a cheeky grin before going quiet, watching her read.
no subject
She rolls her eyes non-seriously in turn and shakes her head with a laugh and is quiet herself for a long moment.
She’s not to the end, yet, when her eyes widen and she jolts up with a stunned, “Shut the front door you are kidding me—” There’s clearly more of what Berrada wrote beyond whatever’s earned the reaction, even if perhaps it’s becoming clear his retelling may not be as long as some in the series.
She doesn’t even explain before she holds the book out to show Johnny one sentence, as if she’s checking she’s not just seeing things. “The Princess. The bleedin’ Princess. He called her their Nightjar.”
no subject
He lets out a helpless laugh, reading that sentence.
"Not what I expected this book to be at all."
no subject
"It's gotta be, right, y'don't go handing around letters with a secret code using a lost Princess's nickname for no good reason, no way Ferrier would be so cagey if it was just— a symbol for the sake of being a symbol, right? I know there's all sorts of whispers and people figuring ways to defend themselves since ol' Jack vanished, and—"
She's up on her feet now, restless energy taking over. This is— important. Important enough she can't believe Ferrier really doesn't think it's relevant enough to explain.
"There's more there, 'course, and I figure we can make a damn good guess about what even before reading, God rest his soul, but— this is big, yeah? Why wouldn't Ferrier think she could trust me, us, the League with this? Might be protecting the Princess, I s'pose, but another possible ally, a piece of the puzzle this big— we could be more prepared for Gall. For Hawthorne. For all of it. So why—"
Groan, dragging her hands over her face, flops right back down.
"And why do I even bleedin' care when it's not like knowing makes a damned difference!"
Whether you hear that as the obvious, that they're currently powerless to act on it, or what she's really talking about, that they will always be powerless to act on it... well that depends, doesn't it.
no subject
He sits up and reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
“Just...don’t let your anger with Ferrier fester. She must have her reasons.”
no subject
She sags just a little at the touch, but there's still an uneasy, restless tension in her and she suddenly has no idea what to say. It feels wrong to just agree, because agreeing would be as good as lying—sure, it would mean something if they could take it home with them, but they can't.
But telling the truth is no easier.
"I— yeah, I know, it's Ferrier, she always does things for a reason, but I'm never gonna get to— to—" Goddammit. "It's— it's not as simple as taking this home with us, Johnny."
Not Summer right now, apparently.
no subject
If this is a first-name basis conversation, it goes both ways. He gives her a sharp-eyed look, and the time to explain, but he's demanding that fucking explanation.
no subject
Yeah, she backed herself into this corner. Apparently what it took for the existential crisis to hit for her was finding information that should be groundbreaking in their lives suddenly useless.
At least Johnny was always on the list of people she would've tried to tell eventually...
"We— we can't go home. I talked to Skulduggery 'bout some things, general this and that about this place I hadn't got my fingers in and I mentioned our situation, yeah? Arriving so far apart when you were never missing. Apparently, that's 'cause we never actually leave, it's not like time's frozen or something we just— we're still there, carrying on with everything none the bloody wiser that any of this is happening. The us here? I dunno how to even put it right... we're— separate. Copies. Moments taken outta time."
no subject
Denial. The first of the stages of grief.
no subject
"All of this should be impossible, Johnny, yet here we all are."
She manages to soften most of the anxious edge out of her voice so she doesn't sound snappy, at least.
"Apparently some folks have been getting new memories, 'cause there's a version of us all out there still... making new memories from home. That and what happened with us... I hate it but it makes some amount of sense, as much as any of this does."
no subject
"Chrissakes, Honoria. This is...I mean, everything about all of this is impossible, I know that, but."
Okay. Here's the thing. He doesn't feel as bad as he thinks he ought to about this news.
And he feels terrible about that.
no subject
"Kinda a lot, I know. Original plan was to think of some proper way to say it all, but two weeks and some spare change out and that weren't happening and then this..."
Her leg starts jittering, as she suppresses the urge to get up and start pacing again.
"Look, whatever you're thinking, whatever questions— well not like I can promise much more of those, but—" You can talk it out at me is what she's trying to get across.
She knows she just dumped a whole heap of complicated on his shoulders.
no subject
But he's been with them for nearly six months, perhaps it's an understandable feeling.
no subject
It makes sense. Both the feeling and the guilt about the feeling.
"Is there even a 'right' way to feel about this in the first place? It's insane. It's— Johnny, you got a life of a sort here. More established than I am by far. Makes every bit of sense in the world you wouldn't wanna have to deal with reconciling the two. Like I said when you mentioned him before— it's complicated, yeah?"
She may not be the best at the people thing, but she damn well tries with her people.
no subject
A pause, he almost looks for a moment like he's doing math. Which isn't entirely wrong, social calculus is a skill in his toolbelt.
no subject
"Probably gonna be working through it in my head for a while yet myself..."
She doesn't have the same level of connections outside their world, yet, and she certainly never expects to form the same kind that Johnny has. Like he thought before: they both know why she's aggressively single on this love boat.
But she hates the idea of essentially dying because she forgets all of this just as much.
Inhale and exhale. "...what plans? Whatcha working on?"
no subject
He flops back down against the bed. "Medical preparation so if people are hurt on excursions, there's someone on hand to help with that. Parties--and hosted by multiple people and groups so it doesn't seem like you need to be in with Stede and Lucius for all of them. Lessons for those who want to learn. Lots of alcohol, inevitably."
no subject
Huh. That makes... sense. "That's... a pretty damn good thought. Even besides helping with keeping people from falling into madness and despair and all, anything that gets folks on this ship to cooperate with each other..."
See the other passengers as a unit, as allies. She's not sure how many people have real trouble with that, but it's better to foster it further than not, right? They're all stuck in this together and division only feeds the Captain more with the damn drama that comes of it.
no subject
He pauses, lifting his head to give her a wry look.
"Your homework assignment, besides a three-page book report, is to go make friends."
no subject
Blink, blink, then a huff of air and waving a hand at him, "Hey, I'm not a total recluse, I'll have you know. But, alright, alright, point taken. This is life now, innit, so..."
Granted, a good chunk of the people she knows is thanks to her efforts to get in on figuring this place out, but mostly having friends from her work isn't exactly new, is it. It's still going to take time to really wrap her head around the fact they'll never see any of the rest of the League again unless they arrive here, but... she'll work on it, alright.
A beat, then dryly half-joking, "When's the book report due?"
no subject
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)