[come sail away] ic inbox (season 1)

[light_mischief]

Skulduggery Pleasant

Cabin 117 - 6:39 PM

altered from killthecake

Comments

Lucius Spriggs - Catchall

[draughtsman]

Hope you're enjoying the party Skulduggery. Lucius wishes he was there.

[draughtsman]

(OOC in reference to: This Ridiculous Waking Nightmare.)
🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇
⚠️⚠️⚠️🚪117🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️⚠️⚠️⚠️
🔐☞☞☞🚪117↩️
🏴‍☠️🧑🏾‍❤️‍💋‍🧑🏼↩️
🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇🔇

Darcy LeJeune, post-party, a couple of days later.

[saltwaterlungs]

Darcy sulks out of the party after her encounter with the captain with not so much as glance in Skulduggery's direction. The next couple of days aren't much better, Darcy can make herself hard to find even in confined quarters such as these; she hides up in rafters, in the morgue, at the bottom of the pool, clutching her sword to her body in spite of the cuts from the blade digging into her skin, the perfect equilibrium of sheer panic and numbness. When she emerges back into the world again, it's less of an emergence, and instead Skulduggery will find her asleep on his couch. She's sort of... flopped over like she didn't mean to fall asleep, still in some of her clothes from the party, and she looks like shit.

[light_mischief]

There's nobody in the room when Skulduggery enters -- at least he thinks so, at first, with all the lights off and Lucius texting him from another part of the ship entirely. He catches sight of a shape on the couch in the dark, for just a second worried that he's about to find a corpse slumped over in his cabin like a cat leaving an unwanted gift.

But it's not anything so grim. It's only Darcy, gripping her sword to her even as she's slumped over and clearly unconscious. Calling it sleep honestly feels a little too generous, from the way she looks, and the fact that she's still in her suit...

He doesn't wake her. There's no need, and she honestly looks like she could use the rest. He finds a clean glass in the bathroom, recently replaced by the ghostly cleaning crew, and fills it with water, leaving the glass on the desk and within relatively easy reach. Afterward, he settles onto the opposite side of the couch with a tired sigh, feeling a lot closer to his true age than he'd like to admit. If this is how the first excursion turned out... just how bad will the next one be?

text, after the captain's party

[neverleave]

Picture turned out weird but
Captain's got a black void inside him which will apparently kill you if you touch it.
Do you know what it means?

[Attached: a photo of the captain's weird head wound, except it's all warped like a creepypasta.

He bailed before Skulduggery shoved his hand into the hole, but the skeleton man was enthusiastic about every bit of information. Plus, he's an undead magic thing that apparently came through a hell portal, so maybe he'll have something useful to say about this eldritch horror bullshit.]

text;

[light_mischief]

Fantastic shot!
I have no idea. He doesn't know either.
It's a mystery he's trying to solve... Something to do with manifestation of energy?
Not sure. Do you have your lei?

a piece of paper underneath the cabin door (a day or two after the captain's party)

[sabigoe]

[ The paper is slipped underneath the door, blank side up at first. Upon turning it over will reveal a drawing of... you, Skulduggery Pleasant! And a couple of little flower doodles surrounding him, for some reason. (She might have been wishing to give something like pressed flowers too...)

There is no name on it or any kind of message. But it does look like a child drew it. If anyone's in at the moment, there might be a sound of little feet running off in the hallway. It's a thank you gift. ]

After the June arrivals - Text

[makesomedeals]

Two things you should probably be aware of:

1. Remember when I said morgues require coroners? Well one has arrived today.

2. I'm going to speak to Friday today about something vaguely foolish, but if it pans out it will at least be interesting. Anything you wish for me to inquire about?

[light_mischief]

1. Interesting. Maybe you pointing it out led to his arrival? Or maybe you simply knew he was coming somehow... 🔮

2. Ask her when the jewelry store will be opening. Oh, and if she could tell us the details of the captain's resurrection process, that would be lovely.

text, after Lumine's infoshare event

[neverleave]

Took another picture of the captain. It's still distorted even though this time I couldn't see the void.
I tried to take a video and the noise was so loud it ruined the speakers.

[Attached: picture of a black smear by the bridge. Oh yeah, Natsuno just knocked on the captain's door hoping he'd answer.]

text;

[light_mischief]

Interesting. I wonder if this has anything to do with the "entropy field" theory Palamedes suggested.
Was there any discernable sound in the noise? Screaming, wailing?
A strange, unidentifiable humming noise?
Probably not, but worth asking anyway.

Are you just going around snapping pictures whenever you see him?

text

[wimdy]

[ about a day after they get back from camp, ] Mr Skulduggery 🎵 Seems like nothing extraordinarily dangerous happened after all during that excursion, did it.
Think we should be relieved?

text

[light_mischief]

[after a few days of total silence:]

AUTO RESPONSE: The user you have contacted is currently on vacation and is unable to take your message right now.

Post-truth thread, text

[saltwaterlungs]

The extended hour of forced truthfulness ends that evening. Twelve hours worth of conversations, a murder, a love confession, it all dawns on her, undeniable and awful. There's... too much to process at once, and she's lucky that tears don't reactivate the effects as she tries not to wake her new roommate, muffling her face into the couch cushions. Evidently she's not sleeping tonight. At some point in the wee hours of the morning, remembering he doesn't sleep, Skulduggery gets a text, after something like half an hour of writing it out and deleting it again.

guessing i cant be sorry enough for what i did?
if this is like
it for you i get it
i wont bother you again

This is the second time now she's invaded his privacy in the name of trying to solve him like a mystery. Even if she thinks of him that way, which was a revelation to her too, she shouldn't act like she does. She misses her Geist more than ever, the way he was able to keep her head orderly and separate ghosts from mortal people, catch her when she slipped into unhelpful thinking. And worst of all, she's having to sort out feelings she wasn't aware of until she remembered what she said, along with a tacit rejection of them moments later. If she were still forced to honesty, she'd admit to hoping he does dismiss her entirely instead of having to navigate her friendship with him in light of the revealed familial dynamic she'd apparently been longing for. It would just be easier.

[light_mischief]

The only conversation Skulduggery had the entire day had been with Darcy, and it had proved to be an... enlightening experience. He hadn't trusted himself to speak for hours afterward, even once he realized he could look back on the conversation and recognize just how much he'd said. He'd reluctantly recorded himself lowly repeating half-truths and complete lies, before finally deciding that it was likely over.

He'd thought he'd been truthful enough, but whatever was in the rain had truly plumbed the depths of his subconscious and dragged deeper truths to the surface. That would be all well and fine, honestly, if it weren't for the verbalizing part. He wouldn't mind being forced to contest with hard truths if he could do so in private. But... that likely isn't the point. Not that he's in any position to go looking for the point of truth serum in the rain right now.

He's watching the rain from the safety of indoors when he gets a text, but seeing it's from Darcy, he puts the phone away for a little while longer. He doesn't know what she wants to say, but he can guess. She'll either apologize for trying to manipulate him, or she'll want to argue more about the gauntlets. His money is on the latter, which would be a fantastic distraction from the things she'd said to him.

But he does check after a few minutes more. And part of him wants to tell her yes, that had been a bridge too far for him. That the other reason he hasn't told anyone about the hallucinations is that they can be used against him, and she proved he cannot trust her not to do that. But he knows as well that she is young and curious and reckless; she saw an opportunity and she took it.

And pragmatically, he understands he can't break ties with her, even if he did want that. She's officially the only person to know where Vile's gauntlets are aboard the ship. He's forced himself into the position where he has to trust her, even if that feels more dangerous now than it did before.

It's fine. I understand.
Suffice it to say I have learned a valuable lesson about strange weather patterns.

dated...idk waves hand vaguely at the last week of july

[fonomena]

Going by your contact information on these, you're currently rooming in 117; is this correct?

If so, would you be amenable to a visit there? Whatever time you might prefer, of course. It ought to be a brief one, I think, but I've something for you.

[light_mischief]

That is correct. I'm currently on my way up to the library, but I'll be back down within the hour.

[Interesting! He definitely wonders what it might be about... But that answer will be solved soon enough, as he dutifully returns one stack of books for a pre-laid-out second stack. Once he's back, he makes sure to message Jade as much, then settles in to wait for whatever might come! (He has no idea that it's presents!)]

backdated to after his talk with friday (idk time isn't real)

[neverleave]

Friday doesn't leave the ship because a part of the captain can't afford losing her.
She doesn't know if he will survive her leaving, because she's keeping "himself" for him.
She refused to give further details. I think she could but didn't WANT to.
Said talking about it makes her feel "wrong" like she hasn't felt before.
When I tried pressuring her she begged that I stop and sounded like she's about to break.
Apparently she's "built to care" about what he needs.

text

[wimdy]

I have the star chart if you'd still like to see it in person ✨ Or in skeleton as it were 🦴 ?
Let me know where would be fine and I can bring it!

text

[light_mischief]

[THIS IS GREAT NEWS! he doesn't even care to debate his personhood!]

💀 I'll be in room 117, at your convenience.

[and he is most certainly there!! He's got paper and pencils to do some tracing, he's ready to go!]

Action, post-interrogation

[saltwaterlungs]

Darcy sends Skulduggery a heads-up message that she's at Windjammer for whenever he finishes up, and he'll find her there with a small cup of green tea. She still doesn't like the stuff, still thinks it's too bitter, but one of her methods of calming herself down requires sensory input. So, there it is, warm in her hands and fragrant and bitter as her disappointment in herself on her tongue.

Darcy looks up when he approaches and flashes him an apologetic wince.

"Sorry, I really was trying not to let him get to me."

[light_mischief]

Skulduggery very nearly gives her a little cheer for the job well done, but he's convinced himself that the Captain is most definitely going to be eavesdropping on them. (Even if he isn't stalking the live feeds like some kind of gossipy brat, better safe than sorry!)

Still, he can't hide his pleased mood for long, as it quickly leaks into his voice. "What are you apologizing for?" He settles into the seat directly across from her, slouching forward and dropping his elbows on the tabletop. "You were fantastic, and you didn't let your temper get the best of you. Well, you did, but you only told him the truth, so no harm there."

Because she was right and she should say it -- the Captain acts like a complete child even on his best days.

8/2

[touchofcashmere]

[Sometime mid-morning, a note is shoved under Skulduggery's door]

𝓢𝓴𝓾𝓵𝓭𝓾𝓰𝓰𝒆𝓻𝔂,

ℳ𝒆𝒆𝓽 𝓶𝒆 𝓪𝓽 𝓢𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓓𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓼 𝓪𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝓸𝓷. 𝓦𝒆 𝓷𝒆𝒆𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓴 𝓽𝓸 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝒆 𝓼𝓸𝓸𝓷𝒆𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝒆 𝓫𝒆𝓽𝓽𝒆𝓻.

𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝒆 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝒆𝒆𝓹 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓵𝒆𝓽'𝓼 𝓫𝒆 𝓪𝓼 𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓬𝒆𝓻𝒆 𝓪𝓼 𝔀𝒆 𝓬𝓪𝓷, 𝓪𝓼 𝓘 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝔀𝒆 𝓻𝒆𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓾𝓹𝓼𝒆𝓽 𝓱𝒆𝓻.

ℛ𝒆𝓰𝓪𝓻𝓭𝓼,
𝓢𝓽𝒆𝓭𝒆

8/8 text

[opheliac]

hey skele. got a favor to ask.

[light_mischief]

What can I do for you?

after her first week of dreams (before the event, somewhere!!)

[sabigoe]

[ This message will come in strangely in the middle of the night, past Fio's usual sleeping hours. Skulduggery was one of the individuals that she had been thinking of contacting, much earlier in the week after the first nightmare, but... well. She didn't want to tell anyone. Better late than never!

And better to hide her hesitation through text. ]

Duggy?

Are you awake?

[ No, she still does not know he doesn't need sleep... ]

[light_mischief]

[He responds quickly, fast enough that it's probably clear she hasn't woken him but instead caught him in a moment of quiet, with nothing to occupy him but Fio's text.]

I am. Is everything alright?

action

[businessorlibation]

Johnny approaches on a sunny afternoon, when Skulduggery is out and about somewhere--Promenade, Deck, what have you. He hasn't gotten to know the boneman very well, so he's a little nervous. But there's perhaps no greater not in the social web to touch, now that Stede is on-side.

"Excuse me, Mr. Pleasant?"

[light_mischief]

Out on a deck somewhere, probably debating on throwing himself over the railing for a little bit of flying time. But of course, when Johnny approaches him, that idea takes a prompt back seat. It's still an option, of course, especially if this is about the existential crisis he put Crabb through at the diner...

"Johnny Summer. What can I do for you?"

audio

[sabigoe]

[ The call comes in during the day. Not about nightmares today, thankfully! But she's been thinking about the poster board in guest services when she makes this call- wow, Friday wrote a really bad word on it! Besides that... the beach sounds nice. ]

...Duggy?

[ And she just politely waits for a response first before saying anything else. ]

[light_mischief]

[Of course, Skulduggery's so used to texting that calls, to him, mean something's wrong. Fio doesn't sound upset when she says his name, but...]

Fio, is everything alright?

[pineapplesalmon]

[ A while into this scene, César sends separate messages to Skulduggery and Number 6. ]

FYI: Rin is with me, safe, and taking a break. It reports its performance reliability is back up to 70%.

[light_mischief]

Understood.

Text; un:Basilica; day after mission

[ninetoes]

In the interest of posterity, how secret is the secret mission to remain now it’s been executed.

[light_mischief]

I think it's safe to say the cat is out of the bag on that one.
Jenny alone will make sure everyone knows who is responsible for her return.

text; evening of 10/03

[fonomena]

For the record

It appears that resurrections are currently quite delayed. Three days following death, as opposed to the next morning. Unsure if the new timing will maintain any consistent pattern going forward. Strongly advise NOT attempting to test and find out

So kindly do try your best not to die for the foreseeable future, would you?

[Yes he's very tired and yes he's extremely irate right now too, why do you ask!!! Text messages are supposed to be expressionless, right--]

[light_mischief]

Three days???
Please tell me you aren't speaking from personal experience.

At some point early in the chaos of October, post-Erin-talk

[saltwaterlungs]

There's a knock at Skulduggery's door in the early evening. Darcy- looking rumpled and haggard as he's ever seen her- clutches a couple of pieces of paper in her hands. She doesn't want to be doing this. But unfortunately... well, some parts of her talk with Erin stick in her memory like a fish hook buried in her cheek, and the biggest hook currently is that question of if a world where he helps is a better one than he doesn't. Skulduggery hosted the information sharing meeting, Skulduggery's been sticking his nasal bones in everyone's business, so he ought to know about this too.

Even if the words she's rehearsing in her head are already sticking in her throat.

[light_mischief]

Things have been... different. The helmet is ten miles away and below, and yet he feels it as if it were pinned to his shadow. Maybe it's always been there, the permanent weight he's been carrying and will continue for the rest of his life, which now has to extend at least until the end of this reality. What a miserable prospect.

He's gotten to the point of oscillating between mindless cleaning and sitting in a semi-rest state on his chair. The knock comes while he's doing the latter, and he forces himself through the motions of getting up and opening the door.

Of all the people he'd expect outside his door, Darcy, for once, isn't one of them. His voice carries all the surprise his body can't show, opening the door for her.

"Darcy? I... didn't expect to see you." Not so soon. Maybe not ever.

[croquisbook]

( hey feeling a little moody, skulman? a messy painting will be waiting on the cabin door after skulduggery's talk with friday. here's something to cheer you up!



aww, it's a clown! it's smiling! ...or is it crying? this is either trying to cheer him up.

or insult him. )

[light_mischief]

[it's like looking in a mirror...]

"Ah, but doctor," the man says...

[yeah that's just gonna be on the door for a couple of hours before he gets the motivation to clean it off.]

[tempingainteasy]

[A text from... Well, surely someone at the information meeting, right?]

Hey there, man with the binder, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being some looney tunes Wile E. Coyote big red x on the ground level obvious, how sketchy do you think the Halloween Party is?

[light_mischief]

A solid 8. The Captain isn't involved, so we don't have to worry about his sense of humor... But given the lurking possessions, the decaying ship, and the alarming uptick in murders, I'd say chances are good at least one person will die.

Text, Early Afternoon Nov 9th

[crushed_pearls]

Apologies in advance for sounding like a GPS over text. Erin here we met briefly at the information meeting and then lost track of one another during October. Is there a convenient time we might meet? I have some potentially relevant information with regard to the contents of the binder but I would rather be able to say it with my human mouth. Also someone left me a note three days ago and I have been too much of a bitch to ask someone with working vision to read it for me so there is that as well. Thank you for your time.

[light_mischief]

As it happens, I can help with both of those things. I'm currently in the library, but can meet anywhere you'd like.

Nov 3- afternoon

[decohere]

suit fits quite nicely, but i'll need your opinion on shoes

anyway i talked to the captain yesterday
before my party
so i figured since youre the one that nudged me that way
i can tell you how it went?

[light_mischief]

Damn, I knew it was missing something. Hmm. Limited options on the ship, but we'll sort that out.

You did? How did it go?