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Skulduggery Pleasant

Cabin 117 - 6:39 PM

altered from killthecake

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[The very accurate diss on the Captain earns a short, exasperated chuckle. Tell him about it. But Jade isn't here to talk about the Captain (this time, anyway), and Skulduggery is deeply unsettled thinking about SecUnit Rin's extra body parts, so he'll tuck those conversations to the side -- just the same as he's done to several other topics. It seems that it comes to uncomfortable subjects, his first and main goal is to forget about them as quickly as possible.

The bottles serve as a perfect distraction, thankfully, taking the potions with a minor, curious tilt of his head.]

Aah, that's handy, isn't it? [As he weighs the bottles in his hands, realizing that they are indeed the right size to fit in his trouser pocket, should he need to keep one on hand... He's a little surprised, which shows mostly in his voice as he asks,] If they're expensive, or hard to get -- which they must be, here -- then can you really afford to give me two? Even one, really, unless they happen to be good for broken bones...

[Not the worst coping measure in the world, perhaps, where uncomfortable subjects might be concerned. For all that there's always the distinct possibility of them reemerging at the worst times yet again somewhere down the line anyway, just when the true forgetfulness has set in...

Future things for their future selves to worry about, though, obviously. No, here and now is the time for chatter about medicinal bottles! Now that they've both managed to keep themselves from getting sidelined long enough to truly settle on the topic...!]

'Handy' is a word for it, to be sure. [With the completion of the transfer Jade takes a pace back, hands absentmindedly slipping into his coat pockets. He watches as Skulduggery studies them, and the note of surprise in his tone is...well, unsurprising in its own right. Considering, well, yes...Jade nods alongside his words, the sardonically cheery smile of gift-giving settling into something more wry.] The number is...currently limited, yes. And you're also correct, that they unfortunately won't do anything for broken bones, or general physical injuries more visceral than burns. For that matter, they must be ingested to take effect--an entire bottle at once, for properly effective treatment of any given ailment--and, as we both know, you quite fortunately haven't received a digestive tract of your own from the sundries shop just yet.

[Alright, that'll be the last time he's bringing that up, for real this time...! But, that bit of dry humor aside--]

What I'm sure you do have by now, though, is a circle of friends that you trust aboard this vessel. So, I'd like to leave it to you, to decide upon two people whom you think would benefit from one of these bottles.

[The instructions are easy to remember, and he nods in acknowledgment of the stipulations. Of course, he then immediately begins to wonder who he might give them to -- Max can't use them, same as him, but Ava certainly could. And Darcy, obviously. But then there's Fio to consider as well...]

I appreciate it, although the list grows the longer I think about it. Hmm. Say, have you given one to Fio?

[He knows, thanks to Fio herself, that they know one another. If she's already gotten one, it'll make his decision easier -- if not, he knows Ava would understand him prioritizing Fio over anyone else.]

I did rather figure your list might have some fair length to it. I'm afraid I couldn't quantify myself as much of a social butterfly, but you seem to get around quite well enough!

[For all that social circles in general might be bound to overlap pretty frequently on this ship, limited as the quarters are in the end. Still, after combining his own individuals of priority with Natsuno's, things had come down to two spare bottles in the end...and Jade had figured Skulduggery's own circle might yet have solid options in turn. Something of a trust in the man's judgment, so to speak. Some aspects of him may have grown more unstable of late, Jade's aware, but all the same...when it comes to friends? Well, friends are important, after all. Jade may not yet be as versed in the matter as most people, but he does at least know that much as well...and has a hunch, perhaps, that Skulduggery views such a thing in much the same way.

--Speaking of overlapping social circles, though. The mention of Fio earns a startled blink, as seemingly out of the blue as it is. But there's hardly any further delay past the surprise before Jade's nodding.]

I've a bottle set aside specifically for her, yes. Between myself and Natsuno, we've also decided upon five others we want to distribute panacea bottles to presently, within the scope of the limited supply: Rita, Clarke, Palamedes, Mizuki, and Lumine. [May as well set out the rest of the list, anyhow, so Skulduggery can narrow his prospects accordingly. ...Jade tilts his head slightly afterwards, though, as thoughts come back around anyhow to stick on that--earlier bit, so to speak.] ...Hm, I wasn't aware you're already acquainted with Miss Fio. That's--good. [Genuine?? Yeah, a note of something genuinely pleased here, though even Jade's a bit surprised to hear it coming out of himself. The sentiment remains, though...] She could always use the guidance of more responsible adults, assuredly...

[Oh, if only he were thinking of jokes at this particular moment... he would never be able to let that comment about getting around stand. But (thankfully???) he's distracted by the considerations he has to make, which have (thankfully!!!) been made easier by Jade's forethought. With Fio taken care of, as well as Clarke and Palamedes, Ava and Darcy are back to the most logical choices.

The surprise is reasonable, as he hadn't known Jade and Fio were acquainted, either, until Fio had told him. Still, it feels... odd, in some inexplicable way, to have to announce the connection. As if everyone should already know, somehow, just how much he cares for her.]

I can only hope I'm a suitable stand-in until said reasonable adult arrives... [He chuckles and shakes his head.] I try to keep an eye on her when I can, without being too protective. Her cabin is just across the hall from mine, in case she needs me. [He's trying not to make it sound more familial than it is -- but the trouble there is that their relationship absolutely is familial in nature. He can avoid quantifying his relationship with Darcy for as long as he'd like, but there's no denying Fio. Not after she called Ava and him "mommy" and "daddy." There's just no going back from that...]

[Yes, admittedly, Jade might have been aware of exactly how that phrasing sounded just there--but he's not about to rub it in if Skulduggery's missing it this time!! It can be one of those things he things back on and a delayed reaction about like three hours later, clearly...! Besides (very, very thankfully), considerations about panacea bottle distributions are very valid distractions anyway (or else this conversation sure would be instantly devolving into some kind of Extremely Undignified teasing tennis match--)]

Oh, no need to sell yourself too short--I daresay you've got quite a lot more of a sense of responsibility than plenty of adults around here already, surely. [Jade sure isn't going out of his way to qualify himself in that particular capacity at all, either; despite just how well he and Fio have actually been getting along, he still doesn't think...that he should be around children too much, in general. More for the sake of said children than anything else, where better influences in general might be concerned...

But, anyway, as Jade considers Skulduggery across the way--no, actually. It's not very difficult at all, is it? To imagine Fio approaching him happily.]

Hmm, it's no surprise you two get along. I daresay she was probably entirely unfazed by your skeletal state, wasn't she? From what I can tell... [...Well. The line of thought is actually more of a sobering thing, really, the humor in Jade's tone waning somewhat as he speaks it aloud.] ...It seems to me, that she found more kindness in monsters and strange creatures than she ever did in fellow humans, in her reality.

[...]

Ah, not that I'm calling you a monster or a strange creature, of course. But you're assuredly a strange sight at the very least, to begin with. And Miss Fio seemed quite accustomed to strange sights even before her arrival here. [Jade breezily rallies from there, idle humor returning as he moves on.] ...That said, I suppose either she's told you about me or you've seen us about--for you to know we're acquainted too. What a small world this ship is indeed!

[--Oh, he hopes Skulduggery didn't actually spot the handholding that one time a couple weeks back, or something. That would be. Embarrassing???? (Wait, why is he even vaguely worried about this at all, suddenly...?)]

[There are a few people who might offend Skulduggery by even loosely implying he might be a creature, but Jade isn't one of them. It draws a sardonic laugh out of him, but Jade isn't wrong! Fio is a strange little girl with strange friends, and Skulduggery is ever-more grateful for Mr. Monster for softening her stance on monstrous friends. Really, for giving Fio something other than her tragic past to focus on.]

She didn't think twice about it, of course. She decided my name was Duggy and that was that. [He stops trying to hide his affection, or maybe he simply can't manage to hold it all in.] We were comparing our social circles, and as it turns out, they overlap quite a bit. She's a good kid. She seems to know who to trust.

[Which is, in its own roundabout way, an admission on Skulduggery's part. He can't know everyone Fio talks to, but knowing that he can trust the friends they have in common is enough.]

[~~Oh thank goodness, no hand-holding ribbing for the foreseeable future at least...!~~ Skulduggery's sardonic laugh is met with a smile in turn, and it widens as he goes on to confirm that Fio had spoken of him indeed...to say nothing, of course, of the name assigned--]

Duggy, is it? Ah, it truly fits you perfectly...she really has quite a knack with nicknames, doesn't she? [In any other audience, or topic of person, Jade might not have been able to entirely resist at least a little bit of a sardonic lilt to the humor, on such a topic...but it's Fio they're talking about. And just the same as Skulduggery can't quite suppress the affection in his voice any longer, Jade's own tone is...warm in turn, actually void of any sarcasm whatsoever for just a moment, as he adds:] I myself have been designated as Mister Specs, for the foreseeable future. It's rather novel; nobody's ever actually been brave enough to give me a nickname of any kind, before. ...But her intuition does seem very sharp already, in these ways.

[Jade sincerely hopes it's a trust that's never betrayed--for all that such a hope generally tends to be a bit impossible, in life. ...But there are good people on this ship, and she seems to have found quite a few of them...the smallest of silver linings, in this place.

--Hm, but it is also occurring to Jade around this point that the conversation is starting to get...kind of sappy. Mutual, at least, but--alas, his own sensibilities can only handle being fully aware if it for so long, and the unusually blatant turn of fondness in his own tone and thoughts is already starting to catch up to him. Don't mind Jade pausing, about here, and taking a small pause to idly adjust his glasses in a gesture that totally isn't a distracted cover sort of habit, before--right. Well. Back...to the original topic at hand...]

...At any rate. My apologies, it seems I got a bit sidetracked. ...But I suppose you'll be wondering how I procured these panacea bottles to begin with, exactly...

[He'd mentioned they weren't actually from sundries, after all--in a technical sense, anyway.]

[The sentimentality is... nice. Fio brings it out of him every time; just saying her name is enough to soften his demeanor, but he only rarely speaks about her to anyone outside his immediate circle. It feels so natural to share that mutual fondness with Jade, though, almost the same way it does with Ava and Darcy.

That doesn't mean, of course, that he isn't saving the nickname away for some later gentle ribbing. It's a cute one, and it'll be hard to resist teasing Mister Specs in the future...

If he's left to his own devices in this conversation, Skulduggery will happily go on and on about Fio, singing her praises for however long would be tolerable. Thankfully, Jade's well on top of it, steering them from sentiment and towards a much more familiar topic for them. That is to say, it's time for another magical explanation!]

I was in fact wondering about that. Not from Sundries, exactly... You threw the word "technicality" around, if I'm not mistaken. [Which is, obviously, the fastest way to pique his interest!]

[Well, at least it'll be a mutual nickname-weaponising sort of occasion, as utterly quaint a shortening as "Duggy" is in turn...!

But, right, probably better gravitate back to business--even if extensive praises on Fio's behalf wouldn't actually be the worst sort of rambling to be subjected to, probably. Still, Jade's aware he did say he'd keep this meeting short...and alongside passing over the panacea bottles--well, he'd figured this question would be bound to come up.

Because really, he could have passed off this batch of bottles as a larger gift from sundries or something--quite easily--he imagines Natsuno has been doing just that, to looser acquaintances, and Jade would have as well in turn. But, here and now, in this particular case...well, it's not as if Skulduggery will be the first to learn of it. Palamedes, Natsuno, and Rita...they all know already as well. So, in similar criteria.....]

No, you're not mistaken indeed--"technicality" is the word for it. ...I did receive a set of travel bottles from sundries, about eight weeks back--but only two of them were panacea bottles. Recently, using one of those two as a template...I've created more of them.

[Jade's tone remains even and conversational enough, but--perhaps Skulduggery might notice the slight shift in body language, as they segue fully from the topic of Fio to...this, instead. Generally Jade has no issue retaining (metaphorical) eye-contact and casual composure in posture, when they converse; he's not generally prone to much in the way of restless energy or fidgeting. ...Yet, this time, Jade also seems to be finding his attention drawn back to the coffee table, and he's moving to gather up the emptied sundries plastic bag as he speaks.]

It is a method of materializing replicas--copies, from originals, facilitated by a fonic arte. I coined it "fomicry", when I first devised it...

[The easy and confident cadence with which he normally speaks of his own fonic abilities...is notably absent as well. Replaced, instead, with an even and flat neutrality--not telling much, in the way of particular feelings on the matter...(which is, perhaps, a bit telling in its own way--)]

[The shift in conversation is expected. The tone of it, less so. Other than during the Battle Royale, Skulduggery doesn't think he's ever seen Jade appear anything other than amicably confident. If this were a normal conversation between the two of them, Skulduggery would expect Jade to coyly gloat over his magical advancements. Maybe ask for a pen and paper to diagram out the exact methodology, if this were meant to be a longer visit.

It's impressive magic, but Skulduggery is hesitant to say quite as much, as if it were the wrong impression to take away from the admission.]

It seems to have come in handy this time. [Which is as neutral a statement as possible, offered up with an equally neutral tone.] But it must not be something you can do often. [Or would want to do, from the looks of it...?]

[Even in Jade's reality it's an impressive feat, it's true--he remains the only fonist in Auldrant capable of creating replicas purely by hand with no machine assistance, at any rate, to say nothing of the fact that fomicry is considered to have pioneered an entirely new application of fonic artes to this day. ...But Jade sure is saying none of this, and isn't particularly acting like those facts exist either. No paper or pen being requested for an incoming diagram here; instead, it's just Jade straightening as he slowly folds the bag into a manageable shape between his hands, turning back towards Skulduggery with a slight frown falling upon his features.]

It's--mm, before arriving here, it'd been many years since I last used it. But that was more of a personal choice... [Well, there's yet another thing he didn't necessarily have to say. Skulduggery actually gives him a very seamless out, with a question like that...but all the same, Jade's setting himself to commit to at least some frankness in the matter--regardless of how briefly difficult it still is, to resume actual proper eye-contact. Regardless, too, of how promptly he notices Skulduggery prudently trying to match his own neutrality--evidently already aware of something a bit amiss in this tangent anyhow, no doubt. (Goodness, that obvious, is it? ...Well, no matter. The fact remains that his own hangups just aren't important, here, not when they need every tool they can use to figure out some eventual means of remedying the situation on this ship. If fomicry might help--Skulduggery, a peer in magical matters and a strong source of information in general...he ought to know too. And could perhaps even provide some input, on a certain aspect of this topic. So, continuing on--)] Objectively speaking, I haven't lost any proficiency in utilizing it; extent of use, as well, is generally limited only by one's own natural capacity for fielding multiple fonic artes at once, much the same as any other arte. ...But I have found myself limited in a different way all the same, in this particular attempt with the panacea bottles. I was only able to create seven of them in one sitting...and since that time, I haven't been able to create replicas of anything else whatsoever.

[A very unusual metaphorical wall, to say the least--though it'd felt less like literally hitting a wall, and more like...going through the motions only to find nothing actually invoking? Neutrality breaking just a bit in favor of a more troubled note in tone, despite himself, Jade finally does manage to level Skulduggery with a more proper sort of look as he continues.]

I'm not yet sure what to make of this; it's not quite like anything I've experienced before, as problems with fonic artes go. ...In your time on this ship so far--have you run into any unusual limitations upon your own magic as well, here?

[This, unfortunately -- or fortunately? -- is something Skulduggery has had some recent experience with. Considering how the magic he wields here still feels mostly as it should, the idea that they're coming up on sudden hardlines in the system is... unfortunate. It's less surprising in retrospect, of course, that reflections can't manifest, but that doesn't make it less disappointing.]

I have to confess, there was a spell I tried a little while ago that didn't work like it was supposed to. Or at all, for that matter. Was this the first time you've used fomicry on board? Or have you had successes in the past?

[It's unfortunate for a fact, though it was probably bound to happen sooner or later--considering how this space they currently exist in here seems custom-tailored to accomodate all manner of magic systems across realities, no matter how disparate, Jade has long suspected that the captain would also have imposed limitations on certain aspects. Anything that might pose a threat of some kind to his machinations here, most likely...though it's surprising, in a way, to be seeing the exact shape these hardlines happen to be taking now?]

Didn't work at all...so, you didn't receive even a partial result, from the spell? [The question on Skulduggery's part earns the faintest flicker of something like chagrin, across Jade's features, even as he answers promptly and neutrally enough:] No, this...I first tapped into fomicry on board this ship only a few hours ago, in fact. [Though he could have tried much sooner. Maybe should have, really. If not...for his own hesitations. Still, that's neither here nor there--] Usually, for an object of such small size and minimal complexity as a panacea bottle...I should have easily been able to produce at least two dozen replicas, in a given sitting. Yet the process for the first seven worked exactly as normal and intended--until I tried for an eighth, and it were as if...the fonons needed for the process simply refused to gather as they should. Or react at all. Yet I can still cast any other fonic arte as normal... [Jade raises a free hand in front of himself, forefinger and thumb pressing together as if in afterthought; much the same way he'd demonstrated it to Skulduggery that time back, during their very first conversation on the ship, there's a soft thrum of sound that condenses at his fingertips in a second or so, before a small and smokeless flame leaps to being. Nope, no difficulties there...] --Your own spell, what was the nature of it?

Hm... So you hadn't made any attempt to use that particular magic before now, and only managed to create a quarter of what you're capable of... It's possible that the Captain didn't know you were capable of it, maybe? If he noticed someone practicing magic on the ship that he didn't like, there could be a way for him to...

[What? Turn powers on and off? That... is a terrible thought. Nope. He doesn't want to think about that. And yet --]

It's a bit of symbol magic both mortals and sorcerers can use in my reality. We essentially construct a... placeholder of sorts out of our reflections. They perform surface-level actions in order to maintain the illusion that you are... well, wherever you need to be. [He shrugs.] In hindsight, I suppose it's just close enough to an actual living construct that the Captain would be... challenged by it? Maybe it's the same with fomicry?

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