Fantasy Cosmical Glitch ( ellarose & starboob. )

[ellarose]

If the cube refusing to back her up was 'classic cube', then Juno refusing to rest is what Lettie deems as 'classic Juju'. (Seriously. What is she going to do with these two?) She even goes on to insist that the faerie's scrapes are what are in need of dire medical attention here compared to her whole... situation. And yeah, it qualifies as 'a situation', because the pirate captain is a bloody mess from head to toe! "Aaaand now we're on the floor." Lettie says pragmatically, as if this warrants a calm narration of events. Even if something in her scrapes up against concern, she knows now not to play it up. Juno isn't responsive to her frustration. (...Or maybe she isn't responsive to her. Why would she be? She is just one little faerie.) She bites her lower lip, at first hesitating on how exactly she should sit down when her only means of covering up are the tattered night shirt and Juno's coat. With a little maneuvering she manages to sit on her knees by Juno's head, bringing the medical supplies down with her. "See, this is exactly why we need more chairs." She shakes the box of cute bandaids and wags her finger. (The polish is chipped. She wonders if she'll ever have the downtime to fix them again. Her days of ducking below deck to hide from tentacle entities from the sky are long gone.) "And fyi, Marjorie implied that we both need tending to. So that includes you." She points sternly at Juno's (bleeding) forehead with the finger she wagged. "Juno." Yeah, she has to clarify this to leave no room for confusion.

"'I swear I'm fine.' Just look at yourself. You're bleeding!" Lettie lowers her soprano to mock the pirate's voice as she rummages through the medical supplies. With lightning quick movements, she brushes the pirate's bangs out of the way with the pads of her thumbs in order to properly disinfect the cut on her forehead. Then, while puffing her cheeks, she sticks one of the adorable bandaids over the wound with an air of finality. There. That's one down. One of many. While she tries to keep her expression serious (because taking care of themselves is a serious matter in these trying times) she can't help but crack the tiniest smile seeing Juno with an adorable bandaid on her forehead. (She's cute... no-- wait! The, uh, the bandaid is cute. The bandaid. That's all.) "You need to take off your shirt." She says this by means of trying to distract herself, to focus on her next task, but this command has a way of turning her cheeks (and wings) pink. Frantically, she waves her hand as she attempts to shake it off. "Because your shirt is-- we need to take a look at that."

If not for the wound on Juno's forehead, Lettie would have flicked it at the implication that she needs to be watched. Like she'd go and do anything that reckless!

"Pffft, as if I'd do that! I'd need you to show me where to go, anyway. Besides-- you think I'd want to go anywhere looking like this?" Lettie points at herself as if this should explain everything. Then she draws the glyph to summon up her purse (this takes more out of her than she'd like to admit) and reaches for her hand mirror to check her own reflection. She winces upon gazing into her own eyes for a second and lowers it, attempting to turn the expression into a theatrical pout. Nothing to see here! It's all fun and games. (Even if her own nightmares say otherwise.) She's just a frivolous, shallow little faerie who cares too much about her own appearance. "I have to look powerful to feel powerful. I'm not doing anything till I can fix all of this." She draws the circle to open her purse back up and chucks the mirror inside with a sigh. "Oh right... you asked about glyphs before. There's no easy way to answer to that question in one go. Like, there are entire courses and sub-courses about the origins of glyphs and their functions at the academies in Avangeline. I know some stuff, but... it's been a while since I've hit the books. You understood more of the script in that tunnel than I did."

"Up, up." Lettie purses her lips and waves at Juno like a conductor, indicating that she sit up if she can so that they can look at her wounds while they talk. "I'll give you a crash course on glyphs as long as you let me take care of whatever's going on under there." The pirate has got to compromise with her here. It's efficient enough, isn't it? They can take care of themselves and puzzle this shit out at the same time.

"Okay." Lettie muses, rummaging through the medical kit for more supplies and bracing herself for whatever kind of wound they're going to discover under Juno's shirt. "...So glyphs. Each type of glyph draws on magic from different sources. The oldest glyphs are connected to purely natural sources-- like the elements, the stars, and souls. Every world has their own unique variants of these. The shapes can usually indicate what they're for if you study them closely enough." Ah, geez. There's a lot of ground to cover and she doesn't want to overwhelm Juno. "I'm sure you've noticed the way I summon my dimensional purse, right?" She moves her fingers in the general shape without really drawing it. "The glyph is shaped like a constellation because it draws on energy from the stars. Everyone has a source that they've got an affinity for. This is mostly based on genetics... and some sources are exclusive to certain species, too. As a faerie I'm naturally attuned to a lot of them." She's not saying this to brag. It's just a fact. Faeries are magical beings in that they are filled with spiritual and natural magic. (...To their detriment, honestly.) "Not everyone is like that, though. So a lot of people have come up with ways to create accessible manmade sources and glyphs by conducting in depth studies of magic. And that's where things get a lot more complicated. There are thousands upon thousands of different sources now because of these experiments. And that doesn't even cover all the variants-- which are overlapped glyphs that can essentially rely on two to three different sources at once to create different effects. Combined sources can be unpredictable... but also very powerful." Powerful enough to destroy worlds, evidently. (That sphere surrounding the faerie and necromancer duo in that vision contained what looked like hundreds of glyphs. It's no wonder that it overwhelmed them and turned Cerise to dust... and killed a goddess and a number of other gods to boot.) This is more or less what the corp studies. All the variants, as well as artifacts from other worlds that might be connected to undiscovered sources-- or sources that belonged to fallen civilizations, lost to time. (...Except it seems apparent that there is way more to all of this than the faerie ever could have known. Some things were 'lost' intentionally, it seems.)

"...Cerise looked so frail because she was deprived of her source. Faeries are a species that rely on magic for survival. If we exhaust all of it, we're dust." Lettie frowns. (Come to think of it, there is something admittedly touching about the way that Juno immediately remembered the other faerie's name. As she herself vowed not to forget the other faerie as everyone else has, it seems that even the pirate has followed suit. Knowing Juno's track record with names, that really means something.) "Presumably, the same thing could happen to a world that's been deprived of all of its natural sources. Maybe the goddess cast those glyphs to protect the sources on Desdemonia and died before she could spare all of them. Or alternatively, maybe those sources themselves died before she could protect them. Either way, Desdemonia's still standing now because she managed to preserve some of the world's sources." Soul magic is prevalent on Desdemonia for certain, considering everyone she's met thus far has been a necromancer. The faerie sucks in a sharp breath when she really studies Juno's wound. She starts to go in with the disinfectant, keeping her touch feather-light. "Fuck. Brace yourself, Juju." She warns and then continues. "...I didn't know anything about the worlds having hearts, though. If it's related to the glyphs we need to find, then maybe the sources live inside the hearts. If that's the case, then maybe resurrecting them will restore the lost sources." Whew. It's a lot and a huge undertaking for just the two of them. But she can feel herself starting to puzzle things out... more or less. "...We won't know for sure until we actually test that theory, though. Not to mention that I have no clue how we're supposed to resurrect the hearts to begin with. That's why I want to study that nightmare energy, even if it's dangerous. I have a feeling it'll be important."

 

[starboob]

“Hey, I don’t need your lip,” she looks up at Olette from the ground with a scowl, but it’s far from being the worst look she’s ever thrown at her. It’s softer and expresses annoyance more than full-blown disdain and that nuance makes it several times better than where they were at before. (Huh, now that Juno’s been given a moment to think beyond survival, she’s realizing that a lot has changed between the two of them. She supposes she must have been suspecting this with all her recent half-hearted shoves and digs. It's like there's a part of her, larger than she would care to admit, that no longer wants to make the faerie’s life aboard Lady miserable and unbearable. Weird.)

Before she can protest any further, however, Olette’s already kneeling by her side and Juno is doing her best to keep her eyes respectful. (Look, she’s one very weak and gay pirate and the faerie is very hot and not wearing much.) It’s hard, so she resolves to stare pointedly at the ceiling. She flinches when Olette touches her at first, out of pure reflex, before she manages to convince herself that she can relax and that the faerie isn’t going to hurt her. In fact, she is taking care of her. (When was the last time anyone cared for Juno?) It’s odd. Uncomfortable. Vulnerable. She doesn’t like it. She doesn’t want Olette to care about her anymore than she wants to be caring about Olette (because it’s pretty obvious at this point that she does). Doesn’t she know how terrible it is to care?

With these concerns floating through her mind, she forgets that the bandaid on her head is pink and covered in white rats who have heads that are way too big for their bodies. She does, however, notice the way the faerie blushes when she requests that the pirate remove her shirt. The pirate raises a brow and smirks. “Aw, ask me to dinner first." This is just to annoy Olette further. It's not real. It’s just payback for her being so annoying about the first aid––like, Juno’s body can heal on its own because it has for the past however many years old she is. “And I’m not cheap, princess.”

Done with her jokes and encouraged by the promise of more information on the glyphs, she obliges the faerie. As she sits up and gingerly undoes what remains of the buttons, she listens with rapt fascination, even if she struggles to keep up with everything. Everything Olette is saying flies right over her head––shapes, sources, magic circles (purses?), faeries being the best, etc. It’s a lot for her to take in at once and while she is impressed, she can’t help but wonder what she’s even doing on this mission other than being the resident asskicker. (She’s not even needed in that department, as it would turn out.) Right now she’s just thankful that she doesn’t need be talking so at least she has a few more minutes where Olette doesn’t know how fucking useless she is.

As she peels off her shirt––and peel is literal in this instance as the fabric and her skin have sort of melted together––she sucks in a breath, not yet daring to look down at the damage and make it real. In fact, she reaches over towards her desk and pulls out a handle of brown liquor from the bottom drawer. She pulls the cork off with her teeth and takes a three second pull before offering the bottle to the faerie. Once she feels the numbing effect of the alcohol kick in, she peeks down at the wound and wishes she hadn’t. Looks as gross as the last time she got hit with that shit––oozing, blistering, splotched, and hot to the touch. It most resembles a burn wound and even that’s not an apt descriptor. She really doesn’t want the faerie to be touching this and her eyes say as much even if she won’t. (Why can’t she just let this heal naturally like last time? Nothing bad fucking happened then and so nothing bad will happen now.) Just before Olette starts cleaning the wound, she clamps down on her jaw and tenses, but even that’s not enough to prevent a sharp cry from escaping her throat. (She can’t even be assed to care that she made a noise at all.) All she can do right now to distract herself is focus on Olette and her glyph lesson. (It’s not such a bad distraction, she has to admit.)

“Sources…” she repeats through her teeth, trying to hold onto anything that isn’t her overwhelming pain. “And your magic circle––purse, draws on stars. Okay.” She nods, pretending she gets it. (She doesn’t.) While she might not understand that, she does understand that Desdemonia’s source are souls. This doesn’t come as a surprise at least––like, at least she can still count herself as the resident Desdemonia expert. “The goddess is… or was always a goddess who we associated with death, so yeah. That clicks. Guess we were morbid even before the Calamity.” Of course, Juno has never been aware of other sources of magic on Desdemonia. Olette speculates they might have been destroyed with whatever spell that the other Duchess and Cerise tried to cast, but the thing is? It’s always been said that this shithole didn’t have magic until after the Calamity happened. The planet was so steeped in chaos, violence, and death––thanks to the nightmares ravishing the place––that the goddess gifted necromancy to her followers to help them fight off the revenants. Of course, now she knows that isn't true. The goddess died when the Calamity struck so she couldn't have helped them after. While documenting actual history might not have been anyone’s top priority back, she does wonder if Cressida managed to spin a different tale––after all, she was presumably the only witness left who saw the goddess fall and that had been a buried secret until an hour ago.

As Olette talks about how faerie’s run on magic, Juno thinks about how the opposite is true for necromancers. It’s a cursed gift from the goddess and maybe now Juno knows why. “Necromancy––” she gasps and winces when the faerie hits a particularly sensitive area. “Necromancy is pretty much the fucking opposite. We die if we over do it, but it’s not ‘cause we run out of magic. It’s cause the magic uses us up. I mean, to make something dead live again," or even to repurpose it, "something has to be sacrificed in return.” At this moment, she looks away from the faerie, not wanting to see her reaction and maybe scared that she'll catch her caring again. “We can replenish, it’s just… well, I’m sure you can guess how that works.” Another sacrifice. And most necromancers do steal life like this, Juno included. “Being a necromancer can be like a slow death sentence. It’s only celebrated here because it’s all we have and it means survival. Those like the Duchess don’t really have to worry though. They rarely use their talents and can easily find lives to steal. People like me? Fuck ‘em you know. We’re just fodder.” She sighs and rests her head against the wall, allowing herself to close her eyes.

“Y’know the hearts might not be… hearts. Maybe that’s just how they’re appearing to us, because we associate them with life? It could be an illusion like the nightmares themselves and there might be something more transparent underneath, something that might actually help us out,” she suggests. This sort of proves that maybe they should study the stupid fucking nightmare revenants before the cube takes them someplace else. “If you can keep those fucking nightmares out of your head this time, I know a spot that should have less intense ones.” Mostly, but she leaves that part out in hopes she doesn’t jinx their plan. (Though the cube has a higher likelihood of jinxing them than anything else at this point.)

 

[ellarose]

Sorry. The faerie's white eyes say it when her lips won't as she approaches an especially tender spot of the pirate's wound. Lettie's been trying to carry on as if Juno's gasps and cries of pain don't grip her when they do, like sharpened claws that peel right through to the soft center of her heart. Her stomach aches with sympathy. It doesn't matter how gently she works, it's hurting her all the same. Shit. How did the necromancer feel, hearing her broken sobs as she mended her wing? Thinking of that night brings a prickling, embarrassed heat to her cheeks. To think that anyone saw her in such a sorry state... (Juno focused on what needed to be done and muscled through it, obviously. Aside from inquiring after her wing, she didn't even take what would've been a golden opportunity to mock her about it. In that regard the pirate captain has been on her best behavior-- perfectly respectful. 'You don't fucking touch a lady's wings! That's super fucking rude!' The words echo and the faerie's toes curl up tight. She fought on her behalf. Got this wound because she defended her.) With a steeling breath, she resolves to do the same and see this through to the end. (It's difficult to hide the way her hands tremble ever so slightly as she works, though.)

"My magic circle...?" Lettie repeats perplexedly, finding a convenient distraction in Juno's words. Her eyes scrunch up a little when she smiles at the pirate's clarification that she means her purse. Magic circle. There's something so endearingly direct about it. Something quintessentially Juno about it. (And it's certainly less of a mouthful than 'pocket dimensional purse'.) "Oh. Yeah, that's exactly right. It draws on energies harnessed from the solar system. We saw a lot of carvings shaped like constellations on that dead world we visited... so it's likely whoever lived there before predominately relied on the stars as a source. As another example, water sourced glyphs will oftentimes have wavy patterns or teardrop quadrants. Stuff like that. With those key characteristics in mind, we can try to decode the glyphs that the goddess sent you and figure out what they're for... Later, that is. When we're feeling better." The faerie decides to go with 'we' here, because Juno being Juno will not be receptive to the concept that she needs to rest. She nods, listening closely as the pirate explains that they always associated their goddess with death. (Desdemonia's goddess was hauntingly beautiful. The association with death makes sense when she considers the sight of all of those bodies that made up who she was.) "The goddess's dress..." It might be 'classic Lettie' to focus on the fashion here, but she can't help bringing it up. It was dazzling and moreover.... "It looked like it was made from the night sky. It makes me wonder if Desdemonia draws-- or drew energy from the stars, too." She remembers the place that resembled an observatory as well as that giant orb that airships traveled through. And then she thinks about that man and how he mentioned something about the 'pathways to Desemonia closing down'. The stars exist predominantly in the spaces between the worlds... so if Desdemonia lost touch with that source, that could be part of the reason why.

Lettie pauses briefly when Juno reacts again, her brows pinching together as she grapples with a wince. Concern cuts even deeper yet as the pirate explains the effects of magic on a necromancer's body in contrast to what magic does to a faerie. It makes her think about wing again. At first, she didn't realize back then just how much Juno would have to sacrifice of herself in order to heal her. (Learning of the pirate's rough condition in the aftermath shined a whole new light on the situation.) Things were different between them back then... but she didn't realize just how much she'd been demanding of the pirate when she brought it up back then. This is exactly why Juno needs to make sure that she rests properly before diving back into a fight. However, she has the tact not to voice this now. While their bodies responses to magic are different, there are quite a few similarities to be found. It's when the pirate says the word 'fodder' when it really hits the target, triggering thoughts of the scar encircling Cerise's wrist (her own wrist), starry floors, the scraping sound of chains...

The faerie glazes over with the reverie, dazedly reaching for the gauze to finish patching up Juno's wound. Nearly done. It's just... she can relate is all. No-- she can relate so much that it physically hurts. And yet she says nothing of it. She can't. (Even if she wanted to, that menacing golden circle will appear around her throat and wrestle the words away from her. Cerise might've had the freedom to speak up, to seek out help and advocate. The estate developed new magic since then, however, and Lettie has been on a fancy fucking leash since she was sixteen.) She shakes her head vehemently, shaking off the thoughts while meaning to simultaneously disagree with the statement. "You're more than fodder, Juju. You saw to that. Like, come on... you're the captain of the Lady fucking Vengeance!" She offers with the stubborn little purse of her lips as she finishes maneuvering the gauze around the disinfected wound. "Is that tight enough?" Then she reaches for one of the ice packs, handing it over to the pirate.

"...That's a possibility." Lettie agrees, nodding her head. The pirate brings up a valid point. With that in mind, she wonders if the 'hearts' they confronted in those other worlds were even the real hearts. If the illusions are sinister enough, isn't it feasible to think that they might create decoys to throw them off the right path? "I know a few ways to combat illusions with my looking glass magic. By learning more about what we're working with, I might find a more efficient way to break through them. Maybe even shatter them entirely." Occupying their other senses with sour candy did help, though that's only a temporary solution. She wants to develop a reliable means of fighting against all of this. Preferably so that those nightmares don't dredge up all of her worst fears every single fucking time. Speaking of which... Juno reminds her of the first night, when she couldn't tear her eyes away, dredging back memories of what she saw. "...If I can develop a means to see through them, I might even know a way to make Lady a safe spot. That's only if we're being optimistic, though."

"This time will be different. I didn't know what I was getting into before." Lettie defends herself, unsure of how convincing she sounds when she wraps Juno's coat tighter around her shoulders for comfort. Does she even know what she's getting into now? She's always been way in over her head, from the moment she first opened her eyes. An ache settles in her chest. Something like shame or outright disgust. (No, she's just sore. Physically and mentally. A wreck in every sense of the word. And now she's feeling the distinct urge to become one with her floor.) She sighs and she reaches behind her to pull her ponytail loose, sending messy white hair over her shoulders. This eases some of the tenseness at the back of her skull... although that persistent throbbing never goes away. "Geez. I must've hit my head harder than I thought. Or maybe all this thinking's frying my brain." She blames her weird behavior on her injuries with an eye-roll, bringing herself back up to her feet (which, yes, is just as awkward as sitting on the floor was) and then offers the pirate a pointed look. "Whether we end up dealing with nightmares or the cube's 'big plans', we've got to make sure we're ready for it. Go get some sleep, Juju." Okay. So maybe she's embarrassed? Or maybe she doesn't know what to say now that she doesn't have anything more to do with her hands... but for some reason she decides to return Juno's coat by throwing it over her head. And then she proceeds to run out of the study. Like a total nerd. Stars. Why is she such a fucking nerd!?

 

[starboob]

Juno doesn’t move an inch after Olette leaves. She remains still for several minutes or hours or maybe even a full day, just sitting on the floor of her study, too stunned to do anything more than that. She can still feel the ghost of Olette’s fingers on her wound and when she looks down at the bandage, she can even imagine the faerie tending to her like she cares about her. (“You’re more than fodder, Juju.”) But she can’t care about her. It doesn’t matter what she does or says, there’s just no way she actually gives a shit about the pirate. The pirate is the pirate and the faerie is the faerie. They may not be in rough waters anymore, but that doesn’t mean that they’re invested in each other on some deep or meaningful level. Juno just can’t let herself believe that. Olette only cares about her because she has to, because Juno healed her wing and Juno’s the captain of the ship she’s been slumming it on. (“When we're feeling better . . . We've got to make sure we're ready for it.”) She cares because they work together and their wellness is paramount to their mission. That’s it. It doesn’t mean anything. It can’t. ‘She ran out the second she could. Remember that.’

Eventually––maybe minutes, hours, or a day later––the pirate pulls the coat from her head and grabs onto the desk to help herself up, then hobbles off into the ship’s underbelly. Naturally, she doesn’t go to bed, because she is Juno and she’s always been restless. Even so, with everything weighing on her mind (i.e., her goddess being dead, the worlds being destroyed, somehow her and Olette being cast as heroes, etc.) it would be impossible to sleep anyway. There’s still work she needs to do and while it might hurt to move now that her body has rid itself of adrenaline and alcohol, that's never once stopped the pirate before. She just convinces herself it’s not that bad and trudges on. (Like a shark, she’s scared she’ll die if she ever stops.)

In a word, the next few days are awkward. Juno avoids Olette where possible, only seeing her for their sparring sessions or whenever they’re puzzling out the mission (the study is now covered in spiderwebs of red string and crumbled paper). It’s not that she doesn’t want to be around the faerie––as much as she hates to admit it, she does look forward to those hours when they’re together, but when there’s no reason for them to be hanging around each other? When their conversations start to move from business to casual? She knows that it’s a sign that the walls they had built up to keep the other out are crumbling. And Juno can’t have that. She doesn’t want to become more attached than she already is and even admitting that she is attached settles like a ton of nails in her stomach. She just can’t put herself through that sort of pain again, because even if Olette won’t die at the end of this (at least that is her hope), she will leave. She doesn’t see any other way for this to end. If given the choice between going back to that luxurious life on her fancy ass planet versus staying on some crummy flying rust-bucket with an asshole pirate? Yeah, even Juno wouldn’t choose herself. However deflated this realization makes her, she understands it too. (Should she ever let herself get too upset thinking about this, she tries to imagine what her own life will be like when this is all over. She wonders what Desdemonia will be like and what her new place on the restored planet will be. Will she still remain a scummy pirate? Will she be regarded as a hero? Will the Duchess still be chasing her? Most of the time she can’t imagine that life at all, it’s just so different from the life she’s known, but maybe she will get something quieter. That could be nice. That would be nice.)

So, yeah. Life on the ship is awkward and it’s also boring. Juno’s more restless than ever before with little to do, especially now that there’s a full-time mechanic onboard; especially now that she doesn’t feel so inspired to rig Lady with deathtraps. She’d start fights to help pass the time, but the cube has been insistent on keeping them out of danger. Any time a foreign ship gets within a few klicks of Lady, they’re gone before Juno can even make out its colors. With all this down time this should mean that the pirate is more rested, yet the bags under her eyes really speak for themselves. Even though this could be attributed to the fact that she still avoids sleep where possible, it still comes for her eventually and lately it hasn’t been peaceful. Her dreams keep reminding her of their mission and it usually ends gruesomely for them––with Olette exploding and Juno haunting her grave, like their counterparts before them. Knowing that those haunting images await her if she so much as closes her eyes for more than five minutes doesn’t exactly inspire the pirate to rest. In that, her avoidance is a bit more reasonable than usual.

Thankfully the long days of waiting are over and the day finally arrives where Juno is deemed fit enough to go nightmare hunting (even if she still thinks this is fucking stupid). It’s close to dusk, the hour when the nightmares generally start to rouse, and Juno’s set them on course towards a nesting site in the hopes they can wrangle an infantile beast.

The cube, however, apparently doesn’t agree with their new course because before Juno can even announce that they’re ready to descend, the piece of shit interrupts to say, “Houston, we are go for launch.” Juno doesn’t even have the time to groan before the cube is shaking and each of its faces are lighting up with their signature burning white light.

blip!

Once again, the pirate and faerie don’t land on top of each other and Juno decides she is grateful for that. Lately she’s been way too confused about whatever is happening between her and Olette (not that anything is happening) and it’s just better to keep the physical contact to their sparring sessions. (Even then the pirate catches herself getting flustered––like that one time Olette managed to pin her to the ground after a dive bomb tackle. ...Those wings are making her a real nuisance.)

It takes a minute for Juno’s vision to clear up enough for her to see again so the first thing she notices about this world is the air––it’s salty. (A flavor she has recently discovered is fairly safe and reliable.) Salty and somewhat sticky, like it’s trying to coat her skin and hair. There is a gentle breeze combing through her hair and she can feel the rays of sunshine bathing her skin in comforting warmth. There’s also the soft sound of… Water? Yeah, lapping water. It’s all so relaxing. So much so the pirate actually feels her muscles loosen, the tension from her shoulders drop, and a slight dopey grin even pulls at her mouth. This doesn’t strike her as odd, because when she opens her eyes? Yeah, she’s pretty sure they’re in paradise.

Lady has been transformed into a seafaring vessel, rocking gently from side to side with each ripple of the ocean water. The skies are a clear crystal blue (the bluest blue, really) and the birds that fly overhead don’t caw or squawk, they sing literal lullabies. (It almost makes the pirate want to sleep.) Some distance ahead, she can see a seashore with rainbow sands and dancing palm trees.

Usually, this kind of scenery would elicit the pirate’s signature three word catchphrase, but either she’s desensitized to weird shit because of the cube or she’s too relaxed to care. (She doesn’t want to jinx it, but she feels kind of happy?) Before Juno can comment on any of this, she hears a soft call coming from the water.

“Yoohoo!” the voice chimes, sounding pleasant and sweet. When Juno goes to the edge of the ship to peer over the railing, she sees a group of beautiful women wading in the water––they're all topless and giggling. (Yeah, maybe this is what Juno needs to clear her head of certain faeries. Not that the faerie has been occupying her thoughts more than would be expected, of course. It’s just, um. Well, it has been a while since she's been with a woman (or three) and to prevent from getting desperate and ruining the tepid alliance she has with Olette… This is going to be good for both of them. Mhm. No way this will backfire.)

“My, oh my! Isn’t she handsome?” one of them, the redhead, giggles.

“I bet she’s got some real muscle under that shirt of hers,” the blonde one adds. “Are you just going to tease us, pirate?”

“Please don’t be a tease,” the ravenette coos, “Won’t you join us in the water, pirate? Your weary soul seems as though it could use some rest. Come, come––join us! And don’t bring the faerie. Faeries are just so vapid and jejune.”

 

[ellarose]

The faerie makes good on her word and becomes one with her floor once she escapes the study. There is a lot to process. A lot she doesn't want to process. ("Ms. Olette, you missed the bed..." Marjorie's muffled voice observes at one point. The skeletons pass through to check up on her and they all have their own commentary on the situation. Inez, too, says, "Ms. Olette, the bed's right there.") Deadlines. Timelines. Forgotten faeries. Dead worlds. Worlds in danger. Nightmares. The cube can talk. Geese shouldn't talk. Geese are disturbing, just like the cube when it pretends to be Abigail's head. Juno, Juno, Juno. Lettie focuses on the feeling where her body presses against the floor, on the sound of her breathing, going into an unofficial meditative state. This method may not be praised in any renowned books (not that the faerie would know, because she's never had time to read any self-care books) but she's been using it since she was a kid. It's pretty... 'grounding'? (Cue the sound of the audience boos.) Eventually Abigail strolls in (with the cube for a head) and makes a 'tsk' noise. "The Maestro says this is unacceptable." ("This is... unacceptable." The cube might have actually said this or she might have hallucinated it.) The skeleton then removes the faerie from her floor and tosses her unceremoniously onto the bed. It's the moment that her body sinks against the hard mattress that she automatically begins sinking into a deep sleep. "Nighty night." (The faerie definitely hallucinates Abigail and the cube saying that in creepy unison right before she drifts off. This is made infinitely creepier by the fact that the cube is pretending to be Abigail's head. Geez! Juno needs to fix this asap. But Juno also needs rest, just like she does... Juno, Juno, Juno.)

So. Lettie isn't going to analyze the fact that she dreamed about Juno. She isn't going to analyze the fact that she dreamed about being safe and warm in the cocoon her stupidly buff pirate arms created around her tiny faerie frame. And she definitely isn't going to analyze the disappointment that sunk her stomach when she woke up all alone, without a stupidly buff pirate in her bed to hold onto. It's-- it's just been so long since she's been held like that, let alone even flirted with another lady. She's been deprived of affection over the past couple of months and her brain is desperate to fill in some blanks with a familiar face... that's all it is. It's not a hint of any secret desires she's harboring or anything like that. It doesn't mean anything! Hahaha. Unless...? (Shut up, Letts! Don't be a nerd.) The faerie peels herself out of bed with the urge to work out to get it out of her system... but then she notices how weak her legs feel while supporting her weight and immediately gives up instead. Aaaaand she's lying on the floor again. (Besides. If she goes to the gym she might... will probably see Juno. Who really shouldn't be there right now. Potentially without her shirt on. Working out without her shirt on. Muscles. Abs. Sweat slicked hair sticking around her forehead, over her focused brow and her eyes-- ah! Ahhhh! Cut it out, cut it out!) With a frustrated sigh, she holds the sides of her head and kicks her legs to express herself instead.

Eventually Lettie needs the gym mirror to complete her comeback look. With her magic restored, she finally has it in her to select new glamours for herself. She settles on light pink hair (her comfort color) and warm brown eyes. Once she's looking like her normal self again, she starts feeling like her normal self as well and begins a routine that involves something other than lying face-down on her floor. This involves immersing herself in studying alongside Juno (which always serves as a nice distraction) but then picking up on the awkwardness of their conversations whenever they veer away from Lady or the mission. (Oh stars. Is it her? Is she making it awkward? Does necromancy include some hidden ability to dive into dreams, allowing Juno to somehow sense that she had an intimate one about the both of them--? Okay, no. No way. That's way too far-fetched. If Juno could see into her dreams she'd totally have made fun of her irrational perfectly rational fear of geese by now.) Lettie is able to vent all of her pent up energy into their sparring sessions... which she claims her her aggravation that Juno won't let herself rest. (Which is legitimately part of it.) She tries to make a point that she will beat the pirate a hundred times over with dive bomb tackles if she isn't fighting at her best. It doesn't work... and it sort of kills her on the inside whenever she gets a glimpse of the dark circles under her eyes. After a while she is tempted to steal her bag of bones and tell her that she won't return it until she sleeps for a full eight hours.

They inevitably hit a wall with their studies after a while, finding that they'll need more data if they want to continue any further. It's at that point when Lettie begrudgingly agrees to scope out the spot that Juno is thinking of... but it is evident that making any plans whatsoever is impossible when the cube ultimately decides where they go and when. At this point the faerie can only roll her eyes with exasperation as the cube pipes up and glows. Blip!

Lettie opens her eyes only to squint them, having to shield them with a hand from how bright the sun is. (The vibrancy of this place really stands out after having spent so much time on a world like Desdemonia.) It's almost... too nice? That's why the faerie isn't immediately sure if she can trust it. However, the cube also knows what's up. Maybe it's taking them to this place specifically to get Juno to rest. This could be a strategic move, bringing them to an environment with no danger whatsoever so that the pirate can finally lower her guard, if only an teensy bit, and sleep. The cube has been more conscientious of them as of late, keeping them from harm and providing them with food. Long gone are the days where the faerie had to dine on roast wasp to survive. (Thank stars for that.) So maybe cubey is actually looking out for them now? That's surprisingly nice of it. It's been so long since the faerie has taken what can be considered a 'vacation' that she could cry (and in Juno's case she's no doubt never taken a vacation) so...

Nope. Nope, that'd be too good to be true. Because when she hears the nauseating, cooing voices and her gaze slowly pans down to the water, she discovers (with horror) that Lady has been completely surrounded by demonic fish ladies. It's obvious that Lettie should've trusted her first fucking instinct because-- because fucking mermaids!

"Shit. Fuck. Damn it!" Lettie wheezes. The fucking cube! Why would it do this to her? She instinctively backs away from the railing at exactly the same time that Juno moves towards it. Ah! "Juju, no! We need to fire up the canons right away and--" The faerie feels a peculiar sort of fury rising in her when she connects the dots between the pirate's gaze and the mermaids and their... toplessness. Juno's totally ogling them, falling for their charms hook line and sinker. Her cheeks flush with heat and she balls her hands into fists at her sides, going as far as to stomp her foot to try and get her attention. (Lettie would approach to slap the pirate's arm or yank her backward... but she doesn't like water and doesn't trust the fish ladies that live within their depths. On account of their wings, faeries are not very good swimmers.) "...Wake up! As a pirate you should already know this shit. Never trust a mermaid."

Lettie's not going to outright take off her clothes to draw Juno's attention away or anything-- she's not quite daring enough for a move like that. (The dreams of them just cuddling have been shocking enough for her to cope with. Anything that exceeds that in intimacy might just cause her to combust.) Instead she glamours herself a cute swimsuit with a sweetheart neckline that shows off enough cleavage to be distracting, striking a pose and fluttering her (greenish) wings behind her with a flair. The faerie might not be topless, but surely she's adorable enough to break through the mermaids sinister illusions? But of course, one of the fish ladies choose that exact moment to start a war against faeries altogether by going as far as to call her vapid and jejune. The faerie gasps. No she didn't.

"Ugh, the nerve! They're totally lying. And even if it was true, mermaids are way worse. They're soulless flesh eaters." Lettie warns with an offended pout. But at this point, one of the mermaids starts to hum and the air practically buzzes with their magic. (Given that their lullabies work sort of like a faerie's glamour, they're both naturally immune to each other's illusions. It's the humans who are susceptible and often get caught up in all the trickery. Humans like her stupidly buff Juju. Her!?) "They don't want to feel your stupidly buff arms! They're going to sink their teeth into them and rip them to gory shreds--"

"Come on, pirate. We want to feel your gloriously buff arms." The redhead mewls seductively. "We've been so lonely. Won't you join us in the water? We'll take good care of you." She punctuates this statement by licking her lips. The other mermaids giggle and urge her with waves of their hands. One strategically flips a small portion of her hair back to put a little hint of her chest on display, as if to give a preview of what could be. Fucking mermaids.

Fuck. Lettie's cheeks puff up to the point where they look like they're about to pop. Eventually she blows out a puff of air and they deflate into a frown. "If you want someone to feel your stupidly buff arms so bad I'll gladly volunteer!" What. D-desperate times, desperate measures! That's all! Did she say the gladly part out loud? Because if she did... fuck! "Whatever you do, Juju, don't get in the water. Look at me! Don't you do it."

 

[starboob]

Juno might as well be in a world of her own with the mermaid magic wrapping her mind in a vise. It leaves her with an increasingly dopey grin as she hangs over the railing, resting her chin on her palm and waving at the topless women with her free hand. (She hasn’t yet figured out that they’re mermaids, but she will be aware of that rather soon.) Her eyes have completely dilated, leaving only a thin ring of her usual gray storm clouds, and her perception of reality becomes increasingly warped with the ocean waving her in and her ship feeling less and less like home. Though in all honesty, manipulation might not have been necessary given how long it’s been since the pirate’s had a proper lay and, by the dead goddess, does she fucking need the relief. And she thinks she more than deserves the chance to decompress, considering the massive shitshow her life has become.

While the mermaid magic is certainly having an effect on Juno’s judgment, she always would have turned on some form of charm when presented with three (3) topless babes (if only she had six mouths or more hands). The pirate chuckles at the compliments, offering a rare flirty grin as she licks and bites her lower lip. “Ladies, there’s plenty of the captain and her muscle to––”

Naturally, Olette has to try and ruin this. (For being winged, she’s a terrible wingman.) The pirate, without turning to look at the swimsuit-clad faerie, waves off her concerns and rolls her eyes. “Oh, fuck off, Olette––no need to be jealous that they’re not interested in a fuckin’ crewmember and wanna get in with the captain. Swear, next time we’re at a tavern, I’ll be a better wingman than you’re fuckin’ being.” She says all of this while she undoes the first few buttons of her shirt, pulls it over her head and throws it over her shoulder into the faerie’s face (although that’s unintentional).

“Captain!” Marjorie scolds, “You are being a real ass! Ms. Olette,” the skeleton looks apologetically at the faerie. “You must understand that much like faeries, mermaids do not exist on Desdemonia. Moreover, the captain is an airship captain. Of course she’s too unaware to realize the danger she’s in, look at her! She’s totally googoo gaga over their… breasts.” She says the final word like a curse and motions towards her own (non-existent) chest as if Olette doesn’t know what’s happening. The skeleton shudders at the indecency of it all (or maybe she’s offended that a certain pirate isn’t giving her exclusive attention to a certain faerie). “I’ll have the crew ready the cannons––”

“No you fucking won’t,” Juno calls, catching snippets of the conversation happening behind her while she simultaneously shows off her muscles, watching the mermaids swoon and fan themselves over her biceps. (“Oh, captain please show us more!”) While this makes it clear that the captain is in no state of mind to be delivering orders, the skeletons are unfortunately still bound to her will and thus are incapable of readying the cannons. (Much like how they could not help Olette escape despite their fondness for the faerie and sympathy for her situation.)

“She’s a goner and so are we,” Inez sighs. “Farewell, Ms. Olette. It was nice being a Lettie skellie. Perhaps we could have one last show, hmm? Will you make me into a cheetah girl again? I feel at my sassiest in that form.”

Inez isn’t even wrong to make that assessment seeing that the pirate is not listening to Olette’s warnings at all. (She hasn’t even once turned back to look at her––which is impressive given that the faerie has been able to successfully command the pirate’s attention with her beauty in the past. Clearly, the mermaids have a tight grip on the captain.) In fact, she totally misinterprets the concern around the women being soulless flesh eaters. “Shit, that’s kinda the whole point.” She licks her lips again, then winks at one of the mermaids who blows a kiss back to the pirate. Distractedly, Juno continues, “Shoulda fuckin’ thought about volunteering sooner, ‘cause these fine ladies have already called first dibs on feelings my arms,” (“Let’s do shots off your abs, captain, hehe.”) “Maybe after you can––that is, if these women don’t keep me all night.”

“Oh, pirate, I don’t think we’ll ever be able to let you go.”

“Yeah, we’re going to take care of you for the rest of your life, pirate.”

Juno doesn’t even recognize the danger of those statements and they even seem to further encourage Juno––she’s already yanking off her boots and stripping down to her skivvies. She only stops once when the blonde flashes a bit more of her chest. 'Oh, fuck yeah. Boobs.' It’s a forgone conclusion that the pirate is going to jump into the water at this point, but the mermaids seal the deal when they start to chorus.

“Praise, pleasure, and paradise
Come from teasing pink tips
Dive into these slippery depths
And learn to sing with the angels
And swim with the fish.”

Even with the transparent warning at the end of the song, the pirate is helpless to their voices. Her heartbeat turns her blood to lightning, filling her mind with fantasies of herself under and over and tangled with the three different bodies. “Sorry, but I’ve got needs and three women to help me.” She hoists one leg up onto the railing, readying to climb over the barrier, but a few of the skeletons rush over to their captain and attempt to pull her back. One is even smart enough to gag the pirate to prevent her from giving orders. They might have had more success in wrangling in the captain if Juno weren't Juno, because all she has to do is touch their bones to render the appendages to ash.

“Crickets!” Abigail gasps, throwing her hands up to her face (the cube). “This is not why you are here, cappy-cap!”

“Worry not,” Inez announces, grabbing some rope from the deck to form a lasso, “I was a cowboy in my former life.” Though Inez cannot ever be trusted when it comes to her eclectic and long résumé, there might be some kernel of truth to what she says as she does manage to capture the pirate in the lasso, yanking her backwards towards the mast.

“You nerds are thwarting our fun! Do you not see that the captain wants to be with us?” (Juno rapidly nods while struggling against the ropes and trying to pry herself free.) “Don’t ruin this for us, faerie! If she wanted you, she wouldn’t be trying to escape to join us.” Well, that could also have to do with their spell over the captain, but the mermaids don’t seem to think that they’re cheating by using magic. “You think your silly little glamours are doing anything for her? She clearly wants women less green, hehe.”

“No, I think she wants women less… ghastly.”

“Some just don’t have the stuff, hon, and that’s okay. Just let us real players take care of this one, why don’t you?”

With that said, the three mermaids pick up a new haunting song, one that encourages the pirate to break free of her bonds at any cost––whether that means hurting herself or those around her. All the while, Juno can only think of how badly she wants and needs to get into the water, like her life goddamn depends on it. In fact, with how rapidly her chest is rising and falling and with how the rope is already cutting into her skin and with the tears in her eyes, she might really feel like she’s dying the longer she’s kept from the mermaids.

“Won’t you be our baby?
All this teasing is driving us crazy,
Do you really, really want us?
Come, show us your lust."

 

[ellarose]

Nothing-- nothing-- gets under Lettie's skin like mermaids do. And to make the record crystal clear, the rage boiling her blood has nothing to do with a certain pirate or the way said pirate is reacting to the mermaids spell or anything like that. It has nothing to do with the way she is told to fuck off right before being whacked directly in the face with Juno's discarded shirt. (Naturally, she feels like garbage when she's ignored like this. Especially when she put in the effort to look especially cute. The faerie's glamours are like works of art in that others are free to interpret them however they like. The mermaids? Their underhanded magic blatantly manipulates their victims. That's got to be the one and only reason why her charms aren't working right now. Because the faerie is the real deal while the mermaids are fake fucking bitches.) Seething quietly, Lettie pinches the fabric and slowly peels the shirt off of her face before dramatically tossing it aside. "Hmph!" Immediately, she glyphs her swimsuit into a cute outfit the covers her up a little better. (For all her touted arrogance, she can't help the fact that she's like this. She's now vehemently ashamed of the swimsuit because of the way it was so entirely disregarded.) She gets it's because of the magic. She does get it and tries practicing a few calming breaths as Marjorie attempts to placate her. (Her wings resemble bleeding paint as the color deliberates between red or green. Ultimately they settle on a striking emerald green as Juno goes on to call off the canons and flex. (Not only is she 'googoo gaga', but she's putting on a whole fucking show for the fucking mermaids! This is her pirate, damn it!) Ugh. Fuck off with this shit!) She can only watch this scene unfold, ominously silent with her anger jealousy as the chaos between Juno and her skeleton crew ensues.

Inez's words scarcely reach Lettie through the blood that's rushing in her ears. When they do, however, she squints her eyes to slits and bites her thumbnail. Okay. Okay, wait a sec. The benefits of playing a 'final show' with the band begins to run through her mind like data scrolling over a computer screen. Presumably if they play their music loudly enough, then it might be enough to drown out the mermaids and their cursed fucking songs. Juno won't be susceptible if she can't hear them anymore. (It's sensory magic. And kind of like the sour candies helped them to see through illusions before... if she has a better (louder) song to listen to--and a prettier sight to feast her eyes on-- then it could be just enough to break through the mermaids bullshit like a bat to a teapot.) However, putting on a whole production like the one she's envisioning might be... how should she say it? Impossible. With a sulky flick of her finger, she grants Inez's final wish to be a sassy cheetah girl. Why the fuck not? Fuck. Is this really how it's going to end? With Juju drowned by a bunch of fucking mermaids? No way.

"Please. I don't wait in line, Juju! If I'm not your first choice then I'm no longer an option. You have no idea what you're missing out on!" Lettie huffs. (If no one has confidence in her then she needs to have confidence in herself. That's how it goes. She's not saying any of this because she's bitter, or jealous, or anything like that.) She rolls her eyes frustratedly. "Besides, there'll be no muscle left to touch by the time they're done with you. Like, they literally want to eat you! And not in the fun way."

It doesn't matter, though. Nothing the faerie can say will break the spell and the mermaids continue to stab away at her pride. (Although the worst stabs pierce through her as she watches Juno scrambling to get close to them and nodding her head enthusiastically in time with their words. Ugh! At a certain point it's just gross, the way she's being influenced against her will.) Inez spares Juno from instant death with her lasso skills. (At this point it seems like she might just be prolonging the inevitable. Oh stars. What is she going to do if her pirate turns into fish food? That can't happen! She can't let it--) The fish bitches proceed to gang up on her and--

...Ghastly. Lettie becomes vividly aware that the line she's been walking lately has been quite thin actually. Because the moment the mermaid calls her ghastly it fucking snaps. That's it. Red blazes through the green of her wings and brings a similarly rosy flush to her cheeks. The mermaids giggle like a clique of mean girls at a lunch table.

You wanna fucking play...? Despite the blue skies, the faerie is gloomily shrouded by her own personal storm cloud as she strides purposefully across the deck towards Abigail. (The cube.) She takes the skeleton by the shoulders and yanks her down so 'the Maestro' is at her eye-level. "You can transform this whole fucking ship. I know you can, 'cause you just fucking did it." She waves her hand indicatively at the fact that they're sailing in the sea now instead of through the clouds. "Listen. This is a matter of life or death, cubey! I'll need a stage. Complete with lights, cute instruments, and a massive fucking amplifier. Can you do that?"

Apparently so. Because the cube tilts itself forward (almost like a head nodding) before floating off of Abigail's body and settling itself down onto the deck. A moment later it enlarges and opens up... transforming itself into the very stage she asked for. The sides bloom with speakers and amplifiers galore. Lettie didn't expect the cube to actually back her up... let alone do this. What the fuck?

"The Maestro is so talented!" Abigail swoons and clasps her hands together with delight. Mysterious beams of light shine down on the stage (the cube) and the colorful instruments that the faerie asked for appear in them. The cube even goes as far as to create a neon sign with the band name, 'Lettie and the Skellies', as a backdrop. Well, alright then. She's actually doing this. I'm gonna blow those fucking mermaids out of the water. Lettie puts her game face on and nods at the skeletons before climbing up onto the stage (the cube.) Inez hands the end of her lasso to Phillip and does her 'sassy cheetah walk' to the stage. The other skeletons follow her lead. They need to hurry it up, because the mermaids are going into a deadly verse that the faerie can tell is making the pirate's state even worse. (Their true voices are probably ghastly. Like nails on a chalkboard. It's time for the faerie to teach them how to sing like a genuine angel. She learned from the best.) Is this thing on? She taps the microphone, listening to echo that indicates that it's working properly. Behind her, the skeletons warm up their instruments. Marjorie tunes her bass guitar and Inez taps her drumsticks together over her head to 'get herself in the zone'.

Lettie's got this. (And she's got the pirate, too.) With her killer voice and a skellie squad to back her up, they're gonna make it out of this alive. Hang in there, Juju. With that, she snaps her fingers to create a cute but punk rock stage getup, which appears around her in a frame of diamond dust and whirling stars. (She goes for a black and violet color scheme, knowing that her candy world attire caught the pirate's attention once before.) Then she begins to sing.

"Praise, pleasure, paradise? ("I can't even say it with a straight face.")
They’re asking for your sacrifice!
The so-called angels are wailin'
And their siren’s song's impalin'
They're stringing you along
Cast their spells with the tide
Not takin' you to a rave,
But down (down!)
To a watery grave!"

They're a little noisy, a little rough around the edges (it's a part of their charm as an up and coming band!) but the faerie and skeleton crew have got this. Lettie sways in a dance and swishes her hips back and forth as she sings, the same way she did at their karaoke session. To accommodate the timing of her lyrics she draws glowing neon shapes in the air with her forefinger that sort of resemble her 'magic circle'. This is what the pirate would probably define as her 'raver magic'. And for once it would be accurate to call it that, because it really only exists to entertain and draw her attention. Like a bright, flashy rave. It's not that she's extra. (She totally is, though.) She just has to pull out all the stops in order to steal Juno's attention from those bloodthirsty mermaids. (Who look pissed, much to her pleasure. Now they're hissing, showing off their sharp, ugly teeth.) Time to crank up the volume!

"Praise, pleasure, paradise? ("I'm calling bullshit.")
They're asking for your sacrifice!
Tell ‘em to fuck off (fuck off!)
Say I won’t be your baby
Don’t care if it drives you crazy
And what I really, really want,
Is to show you my fist!
You soulless fucking mermaids!"

Instead of drawing any shapes for these lyrics, Lettie throws a few punches. Like... not to call herself a genius or anything, but she's a genius. Juno loves punching people in the face! It's got to resonate some part of the pirate's soul. Marjorie then begins her guitar solo (which the skeleton is very proud of) and the faerie peers out to gauge the audience reaction (Juno and the mermaids but especially Juno)-- just to see if she's making any progress or if she needs to up the ante.

 

[starboob]

All of Olette’s words swim through the pirate’s head, exiting as quickly as they enter and making no home in her heart. The pirate is not totally the pirate at this moment and so she cannot consider the faerie or what she says. (It’s hard to say how she would react were she not under the mermaids’ spell. On the one hand, she certainly has started to consider what Olette has to say (in certain aspects) and, on the other hand, would she really let the faerie come between her and three women? Probably not. Being ignorant to the dangers of mermaids and, having already proven she doesn’t listen to Olette’s advice when it comes to basic warnings like ‘don’t lick trees,’ she might still have gotten herself into this situation––spell or not.) Juno exists in this in-between state where she can feel herself, but she also feels feathery nudges that are influencing her decisions and each time she responds to the nudges, she’s filled with something akin to ecstasy.

Currently, being bound as she is, she cannot respond and this noncompliance makes it feel as though barbed wire is being wrapped around her neck and whipped against her skin. It’s agony. The longer she’s kept from jumping into the womens’ bosoms, she feels herself becoming more strangled and choked. It only gets worse with each new verse and the longer the spell grips her, the more clouded and hazy her vision becomes––like an animal that can only ‘see’ through scent and the scent she wants to follow involves hopping over the railing.

“Ghosts and ghastly ghouls?
You know you’re no fool
Why settle for anything less
When you can have the very best?”

She tries to protest through her gag, but everything that comes out is muffled. She tries to twist out of the ropes, but only ends up burning her arms against the bindings. The veins in her neck are starting to bulge as she becomes more strained, as her heart starts to squeeze in her chest like it’s going to pop.

“Come on, pirate
Become a work of art
Show us what you’re made of
Give us your heart!”

This just about sends the pirate over the edge, to the point where she’s starting to claw at her own chest (well, to the best of her restrained ability), but something disrupts her. At first, all she can make out are reverberations. It’s enough, at least, to start diffusing the fog wrapped around her mind and after a few more riffs, her vision starts to return to her. Her eyes are still dilated and her features reflect confusion, but she can at least hear the new song. When she her gaze pans over to the stage, she blinks a few times, confused. ‘Who?’ Her brows knit together and while she is having trouble placing everything, her attention is fully on the winged singer. ‘She’s hot.’

After a few lines, Juno’s hooked on this new beat and her mind starts to return to her, slowly placing where she’s at, who she’s with, and what’s been happening. The raver effects coming from Olette (right, that’s who the winged singer is) also help bat away the mist that had been clouding her judgment. ‘Wait, did she say she’d gladly touch my muscles earlier?’ Yeah, slowly she’s starting to recover and the squeeze on her heart loosens. Though watching Olette perform only makes that small animal in her chest go absolutely wild. ‘Who the fuck is Lettie?’

Since the pirate seems calmer now, Phillip cautiously loosens the rope around her (which stings––also where did her clothes go?). Juno doesn’t move from where she stands, she just watches Olette perform, mesmerized by her swaying hips and punk-rock outfit scheme. "Fuck," she mouths. While she’s not paying super close attention to the lyrics, on account of there being a really hot faerie to pay attention to, she does catch enough to be reminded of both the mermaids and the spell they must have cast on her. ‘Those scuzzy little bitches…’ Though the pirate still hasn’t grasped what they were planning, she’s not one to let someone get away with manipulating her. And, in-sync with the faerie’s punches to the air, Juno’s hands roll into fists at her size as her chest swells with rage. Her jaw clamps shut and she half turns her head towards the mermaids, offended they tried to use her. ‘I’m gonna make ‘em wish they hadn’t done that.’

Before she walks over to them, however, she flips one of her hands up through the air to signal the band to crank the volume––she’s not taking any chances. With the volume up, the pirate approaches the railing and looks down at the mermaids, recoiling in disgust––how the fuck had she missed those shark mouths? Right, their fucking manipulation. Her eyes darken recalling that and it’s the only warning those fishy bitches are going to get before the pirate fucking goes apeshit on them.

Juno gathers her discarded pants from the floor and pulls them on, fastening her belt around her waist. She then places her hand over her whip and debates just how she should handle these pieces of shit without getting into the water herself. (The cannons are, of course, an option, but Juno doesn’t feel that option is personal enough for the offense against her.) Appropriately, and perhaps taking some inspiration from a certain faerie who has a love for thematic aesthetics, she manipulates her whip into the shape of a trident with a tether at the end to hold in her non-dominant hand. She smirks, lifting the weapon over her shoulder and cocking it back. (The mermaids are doomed before they can even react.) She sticks her other arm out for aim and launches the weapon towards the fleeing blonde, piercing her tail. Blood spreads in the water like ink, much to Juno's satisfaction. With no regard for the mermaid or how she screams (thank fuck she can’t hear that over the music), she yanks on the tether, pulling the mermaid out of the water. (If only the mermaid knew that there is nothing Juno does better than revenge.)

The blonde writhes and flops around, screeching in pain, and trying to beat the pirate back with her rough hands. “Pirate, can’t you see / that this ruse wasn’t me? / It was my sisters, the total––!” she starts to sing, though out of the water her voice sounds like she’s been swallowing shards of glass her entire life, it’s so grating. It makes Juno wish she couldn’t fucking hear.

“Like I give a shit, you stupid little bitch,” the pirate sings (?) back. No time to question that, however. Not when there's the mermaid to kill. She puts her boot on the mermaid’s tail, grips the trident, and tears it out of the wound––adding a cacophony of ear splitting screams to the music. “This is gonna hurt, y’filthy fuckin’ flirt.” The mermaid continues to struggle, flailing her arms, but that doesn’t seem to slow the pirate. She just drops to the ground, making sure to land a knee on the mermaid's chest to pin her down, while ignoring her bared teeth and the claws cutting into her skin. (Ugh, Olette is going to be pissed that she’s getting hurt so soon after mostly healing, But, to be fair, these bitches started it so maybe she'll get a pass.) The pirate presses her palm to the mermaid's skull to keep her head firmly in place. She digs her thumb into the soft part of her temple, feeling the threads of energy that make up her corpse to be. Once she has a decent enough feel for the patterns under her thumb, she wills the threads around the digit to loosen so that she can press it through her flesh, then through her skull altogether; and once she's touched the actual bone, she flashes the mermaid a damning grin and forces her skull to expand until––pop!

Blood and other bits splat all over the pirate and the mermaid’s hands drop while her tail continues to flop as her soul is wrested from her body. A few seconds later, the body dissolves to seafoam and Juno rises, wiping the foam from her knees. “Yuck. What the fuck?” (Not sung, but apparently she’s stuck on rhymes now.)

She turns to look at the faerie, but before she can even say anything (like sorry), hysteric shrieking comes from the water and the remaining two mermaids (who Juno thought dipped) rise from the ocean, held up by vortex of water.

Uh oh.

 

[ellarose]

It's working, it's working! The faerie squashes the fierce urge to squeal and hop around in circles to express her innocent joy over this victory. Okay be cool, be cool. She has to keep her cool while she's on. (It's called stage presence, baby!) Her persona has a punk rock edge that does not permit her to squeal or hop like a cute bunny rabbit. Let it be known that that is exactly what Lettie is doing on the inside when she catches Juno's eyes on her. (As they should be. What. No, no, no-- it's a good thing because she's not going to experience a gruesome death by mermaids! And yes, that is genuinely something to celebrate here. The pirate does not deserve to be mermaid food. And she can't lose her. All around, this is a win that she is quickly getting high on.) She winks at the pirate, who she knows is watching, and then quickly throws Marjorie an encouraging thumbs up for her guitar solo before she can overthink that choice. Be cool, be cool. She turns to face forward again, nodding at Juno's signal to keep the show going. Now that she's got her stupidly buff pirate back, there's no way she's letting her slip again. It's not happening under Olette Lycoris Radiata's watch! (Ugh. Why is her own name such a mouthful?)

"Yeah, I'm a ghastly girl
With her band of ghosts ("It's us! We're the ghosts!" "Don't ruin the vibe, Abby.")
And you're the ocean's pearls
We're gonna haunt you (haunt you!)
Then you'll wash up on the coast
We'll show you what we're made of
And rip out all your hearts!"

Lettie cutely draws a neon heart in the air with both of her forefingers and sends it flying forward with a playfully spooky wave of her hands. The heart then explodes and scatters into a iridescent dust of heart-shaped sparkles. The faerie uses this opportunity for a quick change moment. (Listen, she's got a whole ass stage at her disposal. It's now or fucking never and she needs to live out her fantasies while she's got them in the palm of her hands.) She twirls on her toes and glamours herself the pastel (still badass) outfit of her dreams. The lights flash and change to reflect this change, as does her stage presence. (The cube is finally backing her up-- for just a moment, she's making all the rules and it's marvelous.) Not only that, but Juno is fucking pissed and hunting down the mermaids. She raises a trident in her stupidly buff arms and the faerie almost has to fan herself at the sight. (Fuck. She's hot. The stage lights are hot. Uh huh.) Anyway-- they totally messed with the wrong pirate and faerie duo! There's a hint of this horrible, grating screaming that she can hear between the verses of her song, and it encourages her to keep the performance going so they have no way of cutting through her sound. To compliment her change of attire, her performance takes on a cuter vibe that reflects her own tastes. (But, again, let her stress that it's still badass.)

"Yikes! What's that sound?
I hate to break it to you,
But your screams don't sound like music to my ears ("Just be quiet already! Geez!")
Bitch, move out of the way!
You're no match for this crew ("Gonna tear you up in two!")
'Cause we're better (so much better!)
And we're all your worst fears."

There is now a gory, foamy mess on the deck thanks to Juno. Things are going well. (Take that, mermaids!) Lettie offers her another nod of approval just as she hears the water nearby rippling before it turns into a full-blown roar. Fuck! The mermaids are coming at her in a wave, perhaps in retaliation for their lost sister. (Haha, yeah right! They'd have to have souls to care about that. Nah, they're probably just upset that a tiny little faerie totally just wrecked their pride.) There is no time to soak in the self-satisfaction, though, because Lettie will be soaking wet if she doesn't move-- like now! Reminding herself that her wing is healed and she can indeed just fly away, the faerie's wings hum as they beat rapidly behind her and she does just that. She dodges just in time as a wave smashes over the stage and sends the skeleton crew and their instruments floating away.

"Aw! Look who's green and ghastly now." Lettie taunts them from the sky, bringing her hands to her cheeks.

"You fucking faerie!" The redhead shrieks, showing off her bloodstained teeth. "You little fucking shit!" (Had this mermaid not decided to make an enemy of Juno and had this happened earlier, this mermaid and the pirate might have gotten along swimmingly. The faerie considers herself fortunate that she's dealing with this now-- and with a healed wing and a less homicidal Juju. Well... judging by the mess on the deck, maybe Juju's not less homicidal... but less homicidal towards certain adorable faeries. (Her.) Otherwise her faerie dust would probably be settling at the bottom of the ocean by now... her soul destined to be around those fucking mermaids for all eternity. It sounds like her worst nightmare. Unless she gets some super cool ghost powers to haunt them with-- okay. This is getting out of hand now.)

"We're going to drown you and make sure you never sing another note!" Her sister chimes in with the threats.

"Boo-fucking-hoo! I came to play, bitches. Don't be salty that my voice is the real deal." Lettie flies in quick zig-zags to dodge the fist-shaped blasts of water they're hurling at her. (Water which is salty and naturally makes it impossible for mermaids to be anything but salty. Logic.) Fuck. She seriously needs to focus now. One hit and she'll go down. Her wings aren't equipped to handle massive fucking bodies of water. She is so focused on flying away from them that it's difficult to focus her energy on retaliating with attacks. Shit, shit, shit. Picking up speed, the faerie flies circles around the mermaid vortex and leaves phantasmic faerie-figure illusions in her wake to disorient and distract them. These illusions wave and prance mischievously, compelling the mermaids to hurl watery blasts at the them, dissolving the fake figures to try and unveil the real faerie amid them. (Little do they know that the real Lettie has already flown high, high above them. She sends a rain of her butterfly daggers down from the sky like an angel of vengeance, grinning wickedly at their screams before she darts downward to dive bomb tackle them back into the sea. The faerie nimbly turns herself around just before she can touch the water and kick them under-- and she does manage to nail one right in the nose with her high heel, which causes her to sink below into the depths of the sea. Unfortunately for her there is another mermaid that she misses. Cut up by her daggers but still conscious and furious.

Lettie is almost fast enough to escape-- but her heart sinks when the mermaid manages to grab hold of one of her ankles. Desperately, the faerie kicks and grab ahold of Lady's railing to try and pry herself out of the fish's gasp. (The skeletons are all in disarray with all the water that has washed up on deck. Many scramble to piece themselves back together so they can come to her aid.) Enough becomes enough when the mermaid sinks her sharp teeth into her calf. With a scream, she glitches herself out of the bitch's clutches and through the ship's railing, sending her rolling onto the deck. Ugh. She sits up, looking sort of like a distraught kitten after taking a bath it did not want. Her hair and clothes are now soaked, sticking all over her skin. (She no doubt looks like a mess, even with her glamours, and...)

"You really are a creepy fucking bitch!" The mermaid seems to think she's still relevant. How sad. "Your pirate girlfriend's gonna ditch you the second all your glitz and glamour disappears." Lettie seethes, she is this close to sending a bomberfly at her, but the fish seems to grow a brain when she decides that she's not going to win this fight and disappears under the water.

The faerie rolls her eyes, pretending that those parting words didn't get under her skin. (Pffft. Um. If they did get under her skin, it's because the mermaid insinuated that she and Juju are girlfriends. Like... haha! Yeah, right. As... as if. Besides, Juno has already seen her without her glamours.) Lettie turns her attention to the stage, her cheeks puffing up with frustration at the sight of the ruined stage. Another dream that ended too soon. "...This is a mess." And that's an understatement. There is a mix of bubbling foam and blood mixed with the salt water on deck. Bones are scattered everywhere, headless skeleton bodies scramble around to reassemble themselves. Juno is bleeding. Fucking mermaids! "Fucking mermaids." She sighs and draws her magic circle (she's totally stealing Juju's name for it) and reaches inside for the cute bandaid box. Then she points for Juno to sit in front of her. "You know the drill, Juju. Get over here."

 

[starboob]

Juno gets tossed backwards by the wave, along with the rest of her crew (and the stage plus all of the instruments). The saltwater washes over her, getting in her mouth (gross) and eyes (ouch), soaking her down to the bone. She has enough sense to grab onto the railing the second she feels herself ram into it, bracing herself for the following waves to come. While she still has the time, she grips onto the rail with one hand and uses the other to clear the water from her face, before she blinks her eyes open to assess the situation, her body already tense and ready for a fight. She spots her trident lying on the opposite side of the deck, next to a washed up pile of jumping bones that are trying to piece themselves back together. With her eyes set on the weapon, she waits for the rocking to calm before she dashes forward, scoops it up, and then grabs onto the nearest railing, preparing for when the next wave will hit. This is going to be one helluva––

“Captain,” Marjorie interrupts, hopping over to Juno while she spins her head on so it’s straight again. “Can we fire up the cannons now?”

“Y––” However, before she can officially give the all clear, her eyes catch on something bright from the corner of her vision. When she turns to look, she sees little apparitions of a faerie, all taunting the mermaids into hurling their attacks at the fakes. She’s not sure how she knows they aren’t the real faerie, maybe it’s because none of them move in time to dodge the attacks or maybe it’s because she’s faced similar during her sparring matches with Olette. Whatever the case may be, she knows they’re being played and when she looks just a little higher, she can spot the real deal, glowing under the sun. ‘She’s an angel.’ Yeah, she might not have feathery wings and the whole fuckin’ shtick, but she’s a goddamn fucking angel with the rays of sun lighting her silhouette like that.

Juno’s mouth parts in awe as she watches her play the supposed players. It must be clear that she’s forgotten her order, because Marjorie tilts her head to the side and taps her shoulder. “Captain? Were you going to say yes or, hmm," she taps her chin, "y’nope?”

“Shut up, Marjorie.” (Marjorie bats the pirate’s arm for her rudeness.) “She’s got this.” The assertion comes out effortlessly and she doesn’t even think twice about it. She had Juno back there in the tomb, she had her just now when the mermaids cast their spell, and, more than that, she’s seen what she can do during their sparring matches. Olette’s got this. It still feels uncomfortable to accept, but not in a way that makes her want to resist. It’s only uncomfortable because it’s different and the pirate supposes that if she really wants to see if the faerie can handle this, if she’s really going to be tough as nails fighting nightmares and restoring worlds, then she has to let her do this. In a show of good faith, the pirate even shifts her trident back into a whip and clips it to her belt as she watches the fight. She watches with the same interest a drill sergeant might watch their cadets practice––although she withholds giving Olette in the moment feedback like her own drill sergeant used to.

Juno doesn’t move an inch to help the faerie when she's is clinging to the railing and trying to fend off the stupid fish woman. Even when the faerie screams out after the fish freak bites into her leg, she doesn’t rush to her. On some level, she knows she doesn’t have to and that she shouldn't if she's going to let Olette prove herself. It turns out to be the right call, because a second later Olette is back on the deck. 'Knew it. Knew she could do it.' (Yes, the pirate does feel bad about the pain she must be in, having been bitten herself on a number of occasions, but injury is just going to be something they have to get used to.)

Then when the mermaid starts taunting the faerie, she almost thinks that the bitch has a death wish because she’s definitely brought the pirate into the fight with that fucking comment––what the fuck is the deal with people thinking they’re girlfriends? And how dare she fucking think Juno would be that shallow! (Besides, Olette’s beautiful no matter her look. It’s legitimately frustrating sometimes.) Luckily, the bitch swims off before Juno reaches the railing, bomb in her hand. She glowers at the water for a second and once satisfied they’re not going to be attacked again, she looks over to Olette with concern plainly written on her features. (Should she say something about the mermaid’s comment? She’s put together that the faerie has some hang ups about her natural look, having spent enough time with her at this point, but… but is it really Juno’s place to say anything? They don’t do that shit and bringing it up could cross a line––not necessarily in a bad way, but it might send the message that they’re more than just colleagues. ...Yeah, best not to say anything at all because she doesn’t need anymore confusion in her life.)

She rolls her eyes when Olette orders her to sit, but it’s not like she protests either. She just walks over to her and as she does, the deck changes into the ship’s sad infirmary. Nothing is weird about this, because the infirmary is where first aid is supposed to happen. Nevermind that they were just on the deck a second ago and neither of them actually got up and moved there. She sits on the table, keeping as much distance as she can from Olette, but the table isn’t particularly large so they end up bumping knees. “You’ve got injuries too, y’know,” she points out, glancing at the bite mark on her calf. “That’s gonna be a nasty scar if you don’t let me treat it.” She even shows her her forearm, where there’s a bite mark scar from their first night together and the first time she ever saved her. Not that it had been particularly noble back then since she had only done it because Olette was worth more alive than dust. She still is, but it's different now. “Nothing wrong with scars, but you… you seem like you wouldn’t like ‘em.” She scratches her cheek, absently touching yet another one of her scars. (Another one of her flaws.)

“Least I’m not as roughed as last time, right?” It almost seems like she’s asking for the faerie’s approval, but she tries to mask it and pretend that she’s simply pointing out a solid fact. Because it is true. There’s no way she looks worse than she did after being hit with that energy blast, on top of having to channel the goddess’s spirit. (Something she’s still convinced should have killed her given her lack of skill where spirit magic is concerned.)

“And, uh, thanks. And sorry," she starts, awkward as ever. (Fuck, is this weird? Is she being weird?) "Thanks for saving my ass back there and sorry for being such an ass. I mean, I know I’m ass and I dunno how I would have acted without their spell, but it wasn’t fucking cool telling you to fuck off like that. ‘Sides, I know you wouldn’t keep me from three women without a good reason.” Actually, she doesn’t know that, but it feels right as she honestly cannot think of another reason why Olette would try to keep her from a night of fun––it’s not like the faerie is into her. (She probably hadn’t even meant it back there when she said she’d gladly volunteer to touch her muscles. Of course, she is having to touch her muscles now because of the cuts and scrapes, but this is different. This is just medical.)

“Also, I have some notes on your fight with the mermaid––you kicked ass,” she affirms, “but we’re both going to need to be more conservative with our magic if the cube keeps tossing us into dangerous situations. Obviously, I don’t know what your reserves are like, but I was thinking––have you ever watched a dogfight before?” She’s referring to aerial fights, not animal cruelty. Obviously. (She once went apeshit on someone for abusing their pet––that landed her a one way ticket to jail.) “Back in the Academy, I used to fly some smaller attack ships, ships way smaller than Lady, and we’d run drills to practice maneuvering away from attacks. Shit like loop-de-loops and spins. Those might be good to practice…” She rubs the back of her neck, shutting her eyes as she mentally chastising herself for being that person. You know, the person who doesn't fucking let someone have their win––and the faerie fucking deserves to have her win. She was incredible. She is incredible. “Shit, sorry, I’m being an ass again. You fought well, I should... I should just leave it at that. You totally fuckin' handled that, dude.” Fuck, dude? Really!? 'You're such a fuckin' dweeb...'

 

[ellarose]

Nothing wrong with scars, but you... you seem like you wouldn't like 'em. Lettie frowns and draws her hand back for just a second. It's a reflex. The scar around her wrist burns as if it's been made shamefully visible by this topic of conversation alone. She resists the urge to clamp her hand over it to make sure her bracelet is still there to cover it up. (In the process she sees Juno scratch over one of her own scars. It's a small tic, something she doesn't necessarily need to be overthinking or anything, but knowing what she knows about herself...) "You're right. I don't." (Not on me, anyway.) The faerie tries to give her smile a good-natured but teasing edge as she goes back in with the disinfectant. "That doesn't mean some people can't pull them off, though." She hopes the pirate gets that by 'some people' she actually means 'Juno' so she doesn't have to explicitly state it. There are plenty of things she thinks to say to follow it up with to narrow it down a further. Things she obviously can't say. Such as that sometimes scars will show that those muscles aren't just for show, or that they suit a badass pirate whose reputation has a 'don't fuck with me or get wrecked' kind of vibe. That'd sound way too much like she's trying to flirt. In a way, maybe she just wants to redeem how vain she must appear like from an outsider's perspective. For the faerie, her own looks were always everything. (And she's aware that this automatically sounds bad on the surface level. It sounds horribly vain, like she's the sort of person who would sacrifice innocents to drink from the fountain of youth or some shit. But that's not true! She's too nice for that. Besides, with the way her disaster magnet life is going, it'll be a damned miracle if she lives long enough to see herself age.) Her looks are all anyone ever sees. They can help her get by in the world. They're everything, Letts. This is just how she is. This mentality has been ground into her from the second she opened her eyes. Her creepy fucking nightmare eyes. Needless to say, she doesn't hold anyone else even remotely the same standards she holds herself to. (...And these standards aren't always based on her own preferences. They've always been constructed by what everyone else thinks is beautiful.)

Thankfully Juno has more to say, promptly ceasing Lettie's debates as to whether or not she should follow that up with anything else. (She nearly tipped herself over an edge by claiming she would 'gladly volunteer' to touch Juno's muscles. This reminds her that technically, she is touching her muscles right now. Her face and wings bloom with a pink that matches her hair.) This flusters her so much that she can't sagely inform Juno that while she didn't get seriously injured this time, she was still tired because she didn't rest up like the doctor (the cube) prescribed. The pirate has more to say and the faerie has more scrapes to treat. (There is an instant where she realizes she is rubbing disinfectant on her skin in a place where there isn't even a scrape to treat and hurriedly moves to amend that. Shit!)

The pirate proceeds to thank her. And apologize. Lettie blinks twice. Juno continues by elaborating further on her reasoning for doing this and she elects to put more focus into treating her injuries.

"...They're fish. Fucking mermaids." Lettie elaborates with an eye-roll when Juno calls them 'women'. She huffs, enraged all over again thinking of her ignored attempts to get Juno's attention and the way the pirate put on a show for those mermaids instead. (She tells herself it's only because it was mermaids. Fucking mermaids. But when she thinks of a scenario where this happens at a bar she finds that she doesn't like that idea very much either. It's because she's my fake girlfriend, that's all. What. What!? What does that fucking mean!? Wh--) "I'm an excellent wingwoman, thank you very much. I totally helped my friend Ravan find eight of his ten boyfriends." That vampire wannabe, with his 'dost thou want to go out with me?'-- guy needed all the help he could get. Not in the movie make over transformation type of way, but to find someone who would think that specific part of him was charming. (She's not going to force her friend to pretend he's not a nerd to get a date because that's not cute.) This reminds her of all the reasons why she hasn't let herself think of him. That's one part of Avangeline that she misses like hell. So much that it physically hurts to breathe sometimes. It's been so long now.

...Notes on her fight? Lettie squints inquisitively as Juno speaks up about it, going into her academy days (for a moment she remembers getting chewed out by that figment version of Carpet) and also remembers the bit the real one had said about the pirate getting kicked out. (She is sort of curious about it but bites the inside of her cheek, deciding only to listen and take whatever information she gets. If she asks the pirate might just clam up, or give her some non-detailed answer in response.) Juno proceeds to act like a dork as she rubs the back of her head and awkwardly (cutely) gives her yet another apology. (Who would've thought she'd see the day the pirate apologized-- let alone thanked her-- for anything?) And a compliment. And validation that she did good. You totally fuckin' handled that, dude. Juno thinks she totally fuckin' handled that. Dude. (Pfft.) The faerie soaks this up like sunshine she's been deprived of all her life, unable to help the way she beams (like a nerd) at the sound of it. (It sounds better than any compliment about her looks ever has.) Completing the glow, her wings glow a whitish gold. Her freckles sort of sparkle too and she immediately gets a bit shy when she realizes it. Geez. Sparkly, magical features make her happiness so fucking transparent. (Nerd, nerd, nerd.)

"I fucking killed it." Lettie claims with a stern little nod, trying to gloss over her reaction with a tough exterior as she finishes with the last of Juno's scrapes. "And fixed you up with these cute kitty bandaids. You're welcome, cupcake!" She winks. (Oh. Oh stars. Why is she winking?) Then she promptly lifts her leg for Juno to inspect. (The table is so small and their knees are already touching, so this involves practically draping it over her lap. Why does everything she do scream that she's flirting when she's not flirting? Not trying to, anyway--) "...Anyway, what do you think I've been doing all this time? You've basically been training me to dodge since I landed on your ship with all those death traps you laid around my room." She purses her lips playfully. She's basically over it now that things have changed, but still. It's not like she hadn't been on survival mode constantly back then. She sassily flips her hair over her shoulder. "Seeing as I'm not a pile of faerie dust right now, I'd say I know what I'm about."

Juno isn't bringing these things up specifically to be an ass, though. On some level Lettie recognizes that. "...Yeah, yeah. You've got a point, though. I should be more careful so I don't burn myself out. We both should be." Then she points at the pirate's nose, almost touching it. (Her cheeks are puffed up, meaning that she's in for a lecture.) "And you need to try and rest when cubey says it's time to rest. You wouldn't have been nearly as susceptible to the mermaids song if you were more alert. I seriously don't know if I could've gotten through to you if cubey hadn't been able to set that stage up. Like, my cutest swimsuit didn't even work. That's saying something." (Cough. Nerd. Cough.) "We've been dealing with tons of magic that fucks with our heads lately. When you're tired it gets even worse." Her theatrics have all disappeared from her face at this point, melting into an amalgam of seriousness and concern. Because what would she have done if those mermaids took Juno away forever? "I mean it, Juno. If we need to take shifts we can do that. I can make sure we're not in any danger while you're asleep."

 

[starboob]

Juno has never been one to care much about appearances––at least not outside of her physique––but it’s hard to ignore the game of comparison when her (???) is… Olette. Olette who is beautiful no matter how beat she looks. (She looks especially beautiful then, actually. Like a goddess of war, come home victorious.) Olette who sparkles, literally sparkles, under the right light. (Like right now. Damn. Juno can’t help but wonder if she were to brush her thumb (or her lips, if she’s daring enough to go there) over her cheeks, would she become glittery too?) Olette who has wings that make her look like a flower in bloom. (Juno has recently learned to appreciate flowers even if they smell weird. So, sort of exactly how she feels about the faerie.) Olette who has flawless skin, plush petal lips, a heart-stopping smile (has she ever looked at Juno like that? Has anyone?), silken hair (seriously, does it ever fall out of place?), and…

What. the. fuck.

No, there’s no fucking way Juno just thought all of that one her own. While none of it is untrue and while she may or may not have come to these very conclusions a while ago, she can’t be thinking about them now or ever. ‘Fuck. Maybe I do need some sleep.’ It’s obviously just because she’s exhausted. (Yes, she's exhausted. No, she won't go to sleep.) The proof is under her eyes. The mermaid might not have punched her in the nose, but her eyes are bruised just the same. They’re so heavy, in fact, that had she jumped over the side of the ship and answered their song, they wouldn’t’ve needed to drown her. She would have sunk all on her own.

She shifts uncomfortably and pushes all of this to the side, focusing her attention on the faerie’s hands and watching them brush over her arms with the cloth (like she cares). She tries to ignore how much she hates the stupid bandaids, but it’s not worth fussing over and suffering through some pointed lecture about how she needs to take better care of herself. (Juno does agree with that, for the record. But she doesn't think she needs to take care of herself for herself. See, when Olette mentions her friend back home, it’s clear to her that she has a life waiting for her on her fancy ass, not-faerie land planet. As her captain, even if temporary, she has to make sure her crew mate makes it home safe and to do that, she needs to make sure she’s strong enough to protect her. Olette has people waiting for. Juno only has the Duchess. It doesn’t fucking matter what happens to her.) She closes her fist over her knee, absently. Maybe to remind herself that she needs to make sure she’s well enough to bury that very fist into any of their enemies––like that weird shadow freak. ("You’re gonna become the baddest, scariest motherfucker out there––make the wolves 'n shit bow to you,” she reminds herself, in Eliza's voice.)

“You did fucking kill it,” Juno nods, looking down at the leg that’s now draped over her lap. Ah, fuck. She has to touch her now, doesn’t she? ‘Shit.’ She swallows down the lump of whatever lodged in her throat and reaches for a clean cloth, the bottle of disinfectant, and the box of bandaids. “Wait, these are supposed to be cats?” She narrows her eyes and holds the box closer to her face. (Is she stalling? Yes. No. It’s doesn’t fucking matter and it’s not your business!) “Thought they were mutated white rats.” She sets the box down and starts to clean off the bloody mess left behind by that mermaid. “Anyway, the deathtraps…” She smiles, remembering them fondly–– but only because some of them were particularly crafty. Some of her finest work when it came to wards and seals, to be honest. “Those were just insurance and you can’t fucking pretend you weren’t trying to kill me too.” Olette may claim they were “pranks,” but Juno’s not convinced nor will she ever be. She saw danger is every single one of those fucking pranks––especially the one where she’d turn everything fucking pink. That was obviously her placing a large fucking target on Juno’s back, because anyone who looks like a fucking wuss is fucking asking for it. (Not that Olette looks like a wuss when she dons pink, mind you. She could make yellow look like a goddamn death sentence.)

Just as she’s wrapping the faerie’s leg up, there’s a finger in her face and a very irritated, puffy-cheeked Olette. ‘Fuck. What’d I do?’ Her expression reflects that question perfectly and when the faerie reveals what she’s done, she deflates some and looks back at her leg, hiding that obvious ache the subject brings. (Her chest twists whenever she recalls those gruesome images of the faerie. She doesn’t want to face those fucking nightmares and wake up feeling like a fucking baby.) She waves off Olette's finger and, in the same motion, tries to wave off her own crop of discomfort. “Just fly in front of me the next time I ignore you in a swimsuit,” she mumbles, trying to brush off the topic entirely with a joke that’s not really a joke. “Hell, dance around in your sexiest underwear if you really want my attention.” She smirks at that one, but the idea immediately makes her think of that first morning and catching Olette in her bed wearing nothing but her underwear. Fuck, she really must be tired if she said that without thinking twice about it. And it must be bad if she doesn’t even have the decency to blush or feel embarrassed. “But I swear––I am resting,” she quickly adds in an attempt to cover up her accidental flirtations. “Don't pretend you haven't noticed the hours where I'm not yelling at the other crew members for being boneheads."

“No need for sleep shifts. I told you, I’m fucking fine. I’m resting.” She’s lying through her teeth, but her tone clearly says that the conversation is over. She knows that when she's asleep she's dead to the world and she can't be in that state when shit goes down. She won't leave Olette to fend for herself. She needs to make sure she gets her home in one piece. “Just not used to this kind of magic is all. I’ve gotta build a tolerance 'n shit for it, that’s all.”

Gently, she removes the leg from her lap and then stands up from the table, offering her hand to Olette if she wants the assistance. “Come on, I’ve made us dinner.” Yes, because in between setting a course to find nightmares and then fighting mermaids, Juno has also managed to cook for them. Never mind that Juno still hasn't ever admitted to cooking and has actively been hiding that part of herself from the faerie. Never mind that the infirmary transforms into a lavish dining room that Lady definitely doesn't have. Never mind the two chairs that are set around the fancy three course meal (it appears that the main course is fish). But, no, Juno doesn't notice or question any of this. This all makes sense, especially the chairs because they've always had two chairs. One for herself and Olette and the second for... "Hope you don't mind, I invited your friend."

 

[ellarose]

"Juno." Lettie pushes sourly, trying to hold the conversation open as the stubborn pirate tries to jam it shut. It's obvious from the way her eyes scrunch up that she's not buying anything the pirate's selling about this so-called 'rest' she's been getting (because if anyone can match pirate in stubbornness it's the faerie) but they're not going to make any progress when Juno changes the subject and shuts her out. (Again.) If she's been resting, then what are those dark circles doing under her eyes? There's no way she's going to build any kind of 'tolerance' to the nightmares when she's exhausted! Maybe she acknowledged that Lettie fucking killed it back there, but it becomes apparent from that 'no need for sleep shifts' that she still doesn't trust her to keep things under control on her own. No matter what she does, it's not enough. Probably because nothing can change the fact that she's just a little faerie. She childishly averts her eyes when Juno offers her hand. "I can get up on my own, thanks."

'Don't be such a diva, Letts. She made dinner and everything.' The part of Lettie's conscious that wears an angel halo tuts disapprovingly while the one that wears the little devil horns sulks much like the real Lettie does in the present. (Much to her annoyance, she wobbles a bit on her injured leg when she does stand. Trying to play this off, she jostles it a little. Doesn't it know she wants to look cool and dependable right now? Apparently not! Hmph.) Then, unable to hide her curiosity for all too much longer, she looks from the fish on the table to Juno. "...You made this?" (She doesn't think to ask when she did this. Of course the pirate had time to prepare this meal... just like she had the time to go out and gather the berries that are sitting on the little side dishes. There's nothing weird about it.) "It smells so good." Suddenly she can't seem to remember why she was acting so sassy in the first place. Maybe she was getting kinda hangry? That's reasonable. Just like it's perfectly reasonable to share one of the two chairs with Juno by sitting on the pirate's lap while leaving the other free. Free for... a friend, apparently?

"Really!? Aw. You're surprisingly sweet, aren't you Juju? Setting this up and all." Lettie grins and pokes the pirate's arm teasingly. Sweet as a cupcake. (She has a feeling this statement might be taking it a touch too far, so she keeps it to herself.) The friend in question will be Ravan, obviously. She doesn't consider the fact that Juno has never met any of her friends. Juno totally knows Ravan. "We should have cubey take pictures later. This is our first dinner party, after all." (...Does cubey even have a camera? Eh, probably. Cubey can do all kinds of stuff. It even has party mode. And clearly it can also help them communicate with Ravan, even though he's on Avangeline and she hasn't seen Avangeline in what feels like a lifetime.)

Before Lettie can think any further about what the cube can and can't do, Ravan shows up. But somehow he appears sort of fuzzy to her, like she can't bring all of his details into focus. (This makes her sort of sad. But she ought to be happy to see him right now regardless of how he looks. So she smiles.) "Ravan, look! Juno made us dinner." She greets him as if they do this every Tuesday. However... "What's up? You seem sort of bummed." At least what little she can see of him seems bummed.

"I must asketh, when shall thee cometh home?" Ravan asks with his fanciful vampire wannabe talk. He's totally overdoing it right now, sticking that 'eth' on the end of words that do not need an 'eth'. Geez! (...Despite their ridiculousness, these words do touch something in her. Though she cannot say for the life of her what it is. All she knows is that it presses down on her sadness until it hurts. The sound of his voice, the mention of home. It's like she's confronting something she's lost. But what could she possibly need right now? Juno and Ravan are right here. There is food on the table and even two chairs. Everything is perfect. Should be perfect, anyway.) "Or is the Lady Vengeance thy home now?"

Lettie bites her lip uncertainly. Is it? How is she supposed to answer his question? She's a crew member now. She has a place, a mission... and Juno. It's complicated. The faerie finds her breaths are beginning to rise from her lips in puffs. It's so cold. The fish on the table has frozen into a block of ice and the berries wear shaggy coats of frost. Snow trickles down from the thick clouds that have gathered all around the dining area. She blinks when a few flecks gather on her eyelashes. Huh. She squeezes her eyes shut and shivers. Her teeth start to chatter. Ugh. There's something weird about--

The faerie opens her eyes again to find herself in a bed. (Juno's bed, to be specific.) With arms around her. (Juno's stupidly buff arms, to be specific.) Though her face and wings naturally glow pink with this realization, she doesn't try to push herself away. Probably because this shade of pink is warm. Comfortingly so. The cold was eating her down to her bones and now it's finally thawing away. "...Oh. We need to keep warm, right? Or else we'll freeze." Of course. That's why they're like this. Logic. It's all very, very logical. "This world is so cold. Do you think it has a heart somewhere, Juju? Maybe that snow abomination was guarding it." They've got to be on that icy world they visited together, where she threw a snowball at Juno... and Juno threw a bomb at her. Things have changed a lot since then, haven't they? Anyway, she hopes Mammy doesn't have the heart. Fuck Mammy.

"...Guess we can look for it later, though." Lettie nestles in closer to Juno. (It isn't weird.) Her eyelids are so heavy she can hardly keep them open anymore. They're starting to drift shut. "Aren't you tired, Juno? Let's go to sleep already."

 

[starboob]

The faerie’s fucking mad at her. Juno’s not surprised, after all she’s expressly lying to her and pretending she’s fine when she so clearly isn’t. Olette isn’t wrong to be upset, especially knowing that her partner in this fucking mess isn’t doing the basic maintenance necessary to make sure she can keep punching fuckers in their stupid faces. There’s a reason behind the negligence this time, but why bother herself with that when they’re supposed to be having a nice dinner with Olette’s dweeb ass friend, Raven?

Yeah, there’s no point in fretting over the faerie being mad at her when she’s made this lovely fucking dinner for them and even invited a fucking dork onto her ship. All just to… just to… Well, she doesn’t know the answer to that, actually, but it doesn’t fucking matter because they’re here to have a great time. (Has Juno ever cooked fish before? No. Has she ever even had fish before? Definitely not. So for a first attempt, this is pretty stellar because it looks likes she cooked the shit out of that stupid fucking fish just for fucking Olette. She better fucking appreciate it.) “Just wanted see you fuckin’ happy and you never shut up about fucking Reven.” There isn’t anything nonsensical about that statement. Olette talks about her home life all the time and Juno obviously knows she’s been missing it––why wouldn’t she miss her fancy ass home with her fanc… dorky ass friend? And, of course Juno wants to see her happy; she’d love to make her happy for the rest of her fucking life. (What?) It’s fucking good for fucking morale and the better their morale, the harder they can fucking fight. Duh.

As if it’s the most natural thing in the world, Juno places her arm around Olette’s waist when she takes her (rightful) seat on her lap. (Her heart skips a beat and then two and then she’s pretty sure she’s going to pass out. Damn, will she ever get used to having the faerie this close to her?) When River starts asking his questions in some funky fucking accent, Juno can’t help but to squeeze her partner tighter, keeping her close to herself. She can’t go. (Olette is free to do what she wants, obviously, and… she can’t go.) While she knows she should play nice with someone who is important to Olette, she can’t help but snap, “What’s it to you, punk?”

Fuck, of course it starts turning into a fucking ice box the second Juno starts to get heated. At least she has Olette resting on top of her to both keep her warm and calm her down. The weight of her on her chest is comforting, like it always is when she sleeps on top of her. It gives the pirate the security of knowing she’s protected and safe and alive; that in her stupidly buff arms, Olette cannot be hurt or taken from her. Sleep doesn’t seem so bad when she has this assurance. She wants to kiss her forehead, but she knows that’d be too much. They aren’t girlfriends, just friends. (Just friends who do shit like this.) “Yeah, we can look for the heart later. Not like it’s going fucking anywhere.”

The pirate closes her eyes, burying her nose in Olette’s hair and breathing in her scent. She smells like––

Fire.

When the pirate opens her eyes in alarm, fire is everywhere. Bright yellow and orange walls climb high into the dark starless sky. The ground beneath her is shaking, people the size of giants are running around her, pushing past her and making it impossible for Juno to stand. (Why is she with someone with pink hair and wings?) Screaming drowns out the crackling flames, drowns out her thoughts, drowns out everything. (Where is she?)

“Wha––what’s going on?” she asks, and despite still looking like her usual self, her voice sounds small, hurt, and confused. Her eyes are searching down the street for something (someone), but her expression reveals that whatever (whoever) she is looking for, they’re long gone. She’s lost. She’s alone. “Where’d they go?”

Before the winged person can answer, there’s a menacing giant outfitted in a uniform she doesn’t yet know to fear stomping down what once was the dirt street she lives on. (Used to live on?) The giant wears a terrifying mask that gives them bug eyes and a weird fly-like snout. They stick out their hands and fire emits from their gloved palms, hosing the street in more fire as people continue to run. (It’s chaos. It’s home.) Why? (She remembers being confused. She remembers wondering why were the stewards burning her home and never getting a clear answer.)

More uniformed giants start to fill the streets with flaming hands, flaming eyes, flaming mouths––all of them are fire demons and they don’t even seem to care what they burn, just so long as everything is hot and orange. (Juno witnesses one incinerate a man who couldn’t run fast enough on account of a limp. His skin blisters and pops, melting off, and she remembers not being able to look away.)

“C-come on!” she finally says, breaking free of her trance when she realizes that she could be next. (Her and this winged person, to be honest.) Her tone is all worry. It’s shaking and it’s very unlike Juno, but this is Juno and this is exactly how she felt back then. Now? Doesn’t matter, they need to go before it’s too late. They have to catch up to the others before they get left. (She's already been left. Doesn't she get it?) She grabs onto the winged stranger’s hand and pulls her down the street, running as fast as she can away from those giants, while also trying not to get run over in the stampede of other giants. (She’s so small and this street is so long. She doesn’t think she can make it to…)

“Oi!” She hears one of the bug monsters call from behind her. “Bet we can get the little piggies to run faster. Watch this.”

Juno doesn’t need to turn to see what they’re doing, because she can feel the heat burning the back of her legs; the flame is so fucking close to her. Her lungs feel like they're going to burst and her legs are surely going to runaway from her any second now, but she can't fucking stop. That's not a choice unless she wants to die.

“Let’s sic the goose on ‘em,” another laughs, and the laugh slowly morphs into a quack. Wind beats behind her, sounding like the flap of wings––

'What the fuck?'

 

[ellarose]

For a moment everything is peaceful. The faerie drifts off so soundly that it's reminiscent of one of those days from her childhood where she would shrink herself down to her four inch size and find a flower in the Belladonna's garden to sleep in. (Spring flowers are better than any mattress, the way they soak up sunlight and rock gently on the breeze. Kind of like the way the Lady Vengeance will sway about on a windy day. The soft sound of Juno's steady breathing, the rhythm of her chest rising and falling beneath her, it takes her back to those lovely spring days.) One day she stopped shrinking herself down to do that, though, and she's so warm right now that the reason as to why she stopped elude her. It was so nice. She finds the safety she's been missing for so long in the pirate's arms. It makes her nostalgic for a simpler time in her life, before she became a magnet for chaos. (Lettie knows she needs this. Needs to rest on a deeper level than just getting enough sleep at night.) And Juno needs this, too. More than anyone else the faerie knows. She can rest contentedly, knowing that the pirate is not running off to the gym or yelling at the crew. Or fighting a monster without her. She's not out there getting herself hurt or torn apart by fucking mermaids because she never fucking slept--

Fire. Lettie coughs when she breathes it in, her nose scrunching up as she comes to. Blinking her eyes open, they immediately become teary from the exposure to the smoky air. She can't help but feel bitter that peace for them lasted less than a minute. Geez! Did Juno set something on fire while they were sleeping? That's totally just like her, prioritizing arson over sleep. She will prioritize anything over sleep, or listening to anything the faerie has to say about it. (...No. No, that's not right. Juno's stupidly buff arms were wrapped securely around her the whole time.) Maybe Inez tried to set off the fireworks cubey's been letting her hoard for a future rager and it went all wrong? No, it's not that either. She can tell from Juno's voice, which sounds smaller than usual and just as confused as the faerie feels. Except...

"They?" Who's they? The crew, maybe? Lettie rubs her eyes with the heels of her palms, gradually adjusting to the fact that they are no longer in the bedroom or on the Lady Vengeance... and of course they aren't. Because they're here now. On these streets, dealing with giants. While that realization isn't necessarily a shock to her, she is struck still with horror as their fire paints every deteriorating surface around them in a bright orange glow. A destructive glow that will catch up with them and swallow them up if they stay here any longer. Juno realizes this as well, with a fear that paints her just like color orange does everything, grabbing her hand and jarring the faerie out of her trance in time to move after her.

"Juno..." Lettie stumbles just slightly behind the pirate, having trouble keeping up with her strides on her exponentially shorter legs. Her figure clad in all black is starting to blur around the edges and the faerie's breath comes in short, raspy gasps from breathing in so much smoke. They're here now and that's not strange. But she also has no fucking clue what's going on. (There are plenty of things to worry about when everything is on fire. When those freaks are chasing them. But the faerie worries more about her stupidly buff pirate than anything else. The childlike fear she picked up in her voice has her heart in a vise.) "Juno, what's happening--"

The goose. That's right, the goose. (That is why she does not shrink herself down anymore.) The towering flames gradually morph into a garden full of oversized flowers, the laughter into the cruel cackles of the Belladonna's brat, and the monstrous sized goose is now chasing them down the stony path. (Either they have shrunken down or the rest of the world has grown much, much larger.) It has a beak that seems curled up into a snarled, teeth, and a disgusting tongue that seems to reach out for them like a freakish tentacle. Lettie lunges and clings off of Juno's back, hitting her shoulder with the heel of her palm to encourage her to keep running. "Juno, hurry! Or it's going to-- going to--"

The goose moves too quickly, the faerie looks back to see it's open mouth coming right for them. Remembering all of a sudden that she can fly, the faerie furiously flaps her wings, grabbing fistfuls of the pirate's shirt to shove her to the side to dodge it. This motion sends the both of them tumbling, rolling through the shade of the oversized flowers and blades of grass. Lettie lies perfectly still once they come to a stop, not daring to make a move or even breathe. The goose's beady eyes dart around from above, searching for them. And then it disappears. Gradually she curls herself into a little ball, trembling and resisting the urge to cry. "I want to go home." Why does mother always take her to the Belladonna's? She knows she doesn't like it anymore. Why doesn't she let her stay with Ravan and Ariel and their moms instead?

"Olette! You're here to play with me, remember?" Beatrix Belladonna calls out tauntingly. That's when a giant hand peels through the flowers and scoops with Lettie and Juno up from the ground. "Why do you always hide in the garden?" The demon child grins like a cheshire cat. "...You know I don't like playing hide and seek. Let's go back inside!" Beatrix runs back into her house, weaving her way through the lavish grown-up party to make it to the winding staircase. She climbs them two at a time, hardly giving Lettie the chance to peer through the crowd for her mother, and brings them into her bedroom. The oversized girl hums thoughtfully before setting them down in her gothic-style dollhouse. The dollhouse, which is like a normal sized house to them at their current height.

Beatrix, being the absolute freak she is, has the interior designed in a horror movie style. Her poor, mistreated dolls are unsettlingly tied to the fancy wooden chairs. Red crayon is scribbled in random places on the floor and walls to make it look bloodstained.

"Wait just a moment, little Lettie. I'll find you and your friend something suitable to wear. I'm thinking... murder mystery party! Or should we do a slasher tonight? Your friend looks like she could probably kill someone. Where'd you meet her, anyway? At the end of a dark alleyway?" Beatrix locks up the door on the dollhouse with a 'click' to keep them shut inside. Since the windows are boarded up to fit the theme, there is no escape. Her heels click on the floor as she walks around her room to find the box of doll clothes. "You know why your mommy always stays so late, right?" She snickers, as if she's in on some kind of secret that the faerie is unaware of. "I think we're going to be sisters soon. Won't that be fun? I'll be your big sister. I'm already doing a great job. Wait 'till your mom hears how I saved you from that goose in the garden!"

"I know you sent that goose after me!" Lettie scrambles up to her feet and pounds on the side of the dollhouse in attempt to push the door open. It's too heavy and her cheeks flush pink from the effort. She slumps down against it. It's cramped and dark in here. (She's scared. The walls seem to close in all around her.) The girl laughs. "It's not funny. I could've died, Beatrix!"

"Yes, well..." Beatrix waves her hand as if this is just a trivial little detail in the grand scheme of things. "To be honest, I don't know if I really want a little sister. You'll have to prove you can be a good playmate, okay? If you do everything I say then I guess you can stick around."

"Let us out." Lettie's wings and eyes both flare a bright red to match her cheeks. With her hands balling to fists, she brings herself back up to her feet. "Let us out of here right now or I'll--"

"Or you'll what, you silly little faerie?" (Through the walls, Lettie can hear the muffled music from the party coming to a halt as an announcer on a microphone announces that Titania Lycoris Radiata will be performing a song. There is a smattering of applause. She shakes it off. Mother will understand, right? Because enough is enough.)

"I'll do this." Lettie opens her palms, covering the wall of the dollhouse in bomberflies to explode it off.

Beatrix shrieks in a piercing rage when her dollhouse bursts into flames. Gradually her shriek sounds more adult, more like the Duchess... and before she knows it, a hand grabs the faerie by the waist and stuffs her into a glass bottle. A cork is stuffed to block her only escape before she can even try to make it out.

"You should consider yourself fortunate that I've decided to forgive you, Juno. After all, you have no one but me on Desdemonia." Cassidy says gravely, inspecting the faerie as she beats the sides of the bottle with her fists. The pirate stands at her normal size now while Lettie is still little. Well... littler. "I am so looking forward to mounting her on my wall. She deserves it, after what she did to my home." With a shake of the bottle, Lettie falls on flat on her face. When she tries to use her magic it doesn't work. In fact, the slight glow to her seems to dim altogether. What...? The Duchess grins and looks at Juno, offering her other hand out. Gemstones of every possible color manifest in the palm of her hand, overflowing and clattering onto the ground all around their feet. "How much do you want for her?"

 

[starboob]

This is one of Juno’s first memories. She realizes this, but she realizes it a moment too late when her legs have carried her from the burning slum she briefly knew to a garden she distinctly doesn’t.

The air is so fresh and clean that it instantly clears away the smoke she had been breathing in (as well as the smell of burning tin homes; the smell of burning flesh). Everything is so green she forgets about the orange. And when the faerie says her name, she remembers that she’s with Olette, because she’s always with Olette these days. This is probably one of the many fucked up worlds they have to fix––and it’s obviously super fucked if there’s a giant long-necked chicken chasing after them like it wants to fucking eat them. (She’s not an expert on birds, because she’s only recently started seeing them in the flesh, but she’s fairly certain they’re not supposed to have fucking teeth.) But then they’re tumbling over each other when Olette pushes them to the side and when they come to a stop, Juno sits up and looks over in time to see her friend (?) curled up and shaking. ‘She wants to go home, of course she does.’ It stings, but the pirate shoves her own feelings on the matter to the side (for now) and scoots closer to Olette. “I promise, we’ll get you home––I’m gonna fuckin’ make sure of it, okay, Olette?”

The pirate wants to wrap her arms around Olette so that she knows she’ll be safe and taken care of while they figure out these stupid fucking hearts, but she doesn’t get the chance when a devil of child lifts her up and places her in some freakish miniature house. “What the fuck…” When the devil starts talking about dressing them up, she shoots the faerie a look. “If she touches me again, I’m biting her fucking hand off.” That she’s clearly a child doesn’t seem to bother Juno. She’s a fucking devil and Juno will bite her fucking hand off.

But before that fantasy can be explored, the pirate gets the distinct feeling she’s learning something she’s not supposed to know. Olette knows this Beatrice girl. There’s something about that detail that makes this feel off. (Is Juno supposed to know Olette’s childhood woes? She can’t remember. There’s something wrong––)

She’s sitting across from the Duchess and Olette is trapped in a bottle. But at the same time, Juno isn’t Juno and Olette isn’t Olette and the Duchess isn’t the Duchess. They’re actors assuming different roles, but Juno has yet to realize this. All she knows is that she’s sitting across from a woman who should be the haggard old woman in a tin shack not too dissimilar from the tin shack that burned down years ago.

The gemstones turn into beetles of many colors that fly away and reveal a pile of dehydrated gruel discs. It’s not even a week’s worth of rations––not for the number of mouths she has to feed. “Really? That’s it?” Juno asks, and while the gruffness in her tone is the same as it usually is, it’s a different voice as well. (One she thought she forgot; one she hasn’t heard since...)

“Well,” the Duchess says in the haggard woman’s voice, “You said she’s got no necromantic skill. If she did, I’m sure you woulda taken her to the stewards. They pay a premium for youngins.” The Duchess sits back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest, raising her brow. (She's supposed to be Gran, Juno realizes, and she’s supposed to be––) “Take it or leave it, Rebecca. I’m doing you a favor by even offering this much for the runt. If y’want more, throw in Avril––girl’s got a sharp mind.”

Juno scoffs and rolls her eyes, “Absolutely not. Girl helps me out far too much with the rest of the little idiots. But, fine––suppose the price is fair,” (“It’s more than fair.”) “for the runt.” The matter is settled and Rebecca, who Juno can now see from the outside (she looks similar to Juno), sweeps up the rations and pushes Juno forward. Somehow, Juno has shrunk down to the size she was when she was seven––in fact, she is a child again with her sweep of pure black hair and scarless eye. She’s trembling and shaking as she’s pushed towards the old woman (who is no longer the Duchess). She clutches the bottle that contains the faerie closer to her chest.

The scene changes in the blink of an eye and Gran is taking Juno and Olette (who is no longer trapped in a bottle) through the tin shack and out towards the back. There are a bunch of other children in the yard, running around and wrestling with one another. A few of them are trying to reanimate a two headed cat’s corpse. Gran lifts her ancient fingers to her lips and cuts the air with a whistle. All the children stop and look over at the newcomers (Juno and Olette). Before Gran even makes her announcement, the children all seem to understand something as they stiffen and shoot hostile glares at the duo. “Oi, we got two new ones today. Don’t fucking kill them.”

Gran then looks down at the pair and says, “Y’might wanna make some shivs. The little brats get murderous when they recognize new competition, but don’t worry. If you survive your first week, you’ll have earned your spot among the pack.” Gran pushes the triad forward and turns back into the main part of the home, slamming the door shut behind her. (It’s honestly surprising the house doesn’t fall apart.)

Juno is still shaking and fearful, turning to look over her shoulder like she’s hopeful someone might be there to take care of her or pick her up. But there’s no one. Just herself. Herself, Olette, and a boy around their age (seven). He has curly auburn hair, warm brown eyes, and smattering of freckles across his nose.

He steps between Olette and Juno and then turns faces them––he has a sweet face, like he couldn’t harm a fly. (Juno remembers that he always looked kind.) He also looks scared, but he places his hands on each of their shoulders and, trying to hide the tremor in his voice, he says, “We should stick together. No point in us fighting each other when they’re all looking to kill us for our rations. What do you say to an alliance?”

Juno looks at him then to Olette, then past the boy’s shoulder over at the children. Some have gathered into a small circle to conspire; she can see them stealing glances at the newcomers, most likely coming up with some sort of strategy. Her stormy eyes meet his brown ones and she nods, “Y-yeah. I’m Juno and this is… Olette.” (Somehow she already knows Olette. Maybe because she’s always known her?)

“Right,” he smiles, but it’s weak and full of fear. He knows they aren’t safe, but he’s trying to be brave. Juno tries to still her own fears, recognizing this. (He was always like that, always trying to be braver than he was. In a way, that made him the bravest person she’s ever known.) She wants to be strong too. Then maybe he won’t ditch her. “Well, Olette and Juno, I’m James and as long as we stick together, nothing can touch us. If we want them to leave us alone, we’re going to need to make a big first impression. What can you guys do? I’m decent at reanimating stuff and have been experimenting with siphoning.”

“I can make bone constructs,” Juno whispers, like it’s a big secret and it is. Avril told her to keep it from mom, otherwise Juno would have been handed off to the stewards. (It’s been so long since she’s thought of Avril that she thought she had forgotten her entirely.) “And Olette’s a badass. She can pretty much do anything, right?” Juno looks at the faerie when she asks this, looking as sincere as ever and she is being sincere. She does think the faerie is a badass.

“Cool,” James nods, looking over his shoulder at the group of kids who are slowly starting to gather their arms. “We just need to hit them with everything we’ve got. We can’t be even with ‘em, we gotta do something that’ll make ‘em think twice before messing with the untouchables.” James’s brow suddenly furrows together as he looks at a new (dorky) figure who has spontaneously joined their group. “Oi, what can you do, vampire wannabe? You wanna join us?”

 

[ellarose]

Lettie holds onto Juno's arm, just to remind herself that there's still someone around that she can hold onto. Someone she recognizes despite the way that this world does and doesn't resemble everything she knows. They're only kids. The harsh reality of their situation is painful and it is only natural to be confused. What she does know is that they've been left behind. How could mother... (There's no time to process this. She's already processed this. So she blinks hard to keep herself from crying and clings tighter because needs it... and Juno seems like she might needs it, too. Right now they're small and they're scared and need someone.) James, like the world itself, is sort of familiar in a way she can't quite place. He's asking what they can do and her mind is too hazy to come up with any coherent answers. (What can she do when she's small and her heart is broken?) Why did they let them take us here? For once, the little faerie lets the little pirate do all of the talking for her as she covers their introductions.

And Olette's a badass. She can do pretty much anything, right? Lettie blinks, her white eyes widening with awe when she meets Juno's gaze. If she couldn't find her words before, she definitely won't be able to find them now. (She is a little faerie and now she feels littler than ever. But Juno, the baddest badass she knows, is saying she's a badass like she believes it. Has anyone ever believed in her quite like this before? She's always had to reach inside of herself for the strength to believe in herself, that's for sure, but...) A little natural color returns to her face, warming up her once wraith-like appearance as she offers James a hurried little nod. "Yeah. Yeah, I got this." Then James addresses a newcomer and a rush of shock pulses through her yet again. Ravan? What is he doing here? His moms would never... he's not supposed to be... this isn't right. Her throat flickers with a circlet of gold for a split second and she clamps her hands over it.

"I've not cometh to fight. I've cometh to help thee escape." Ravan lowers his voice to tell Lettie specifically. "To take thee home."

Static washes over the yard, fizzing and buzzing, and suddenly they're standing in a dark but elegant bedroom with unsettling bars bolted over the windows. There are bags settled on the bed and none of them have been unpacked yet. There is nothing but a broken music box on the floor. (...A present from mother, with a note tucked inside saying that the only reason she won't come to visit her is because people will spread rumors if they see her here. You understand, don't you darling? Be a good girl.) Mother doesn't know what they did to her, no, but the words ring so hollow now. Was the love only ever there for show? Of course. Everything's for show. Nothing's real. Ravan is, though. And he'll get hurt if he stays here.

"Ravan, no." Lettie urges him, her brows furrowing. She pushes him hard, causing him to stumble backward a few paces. "I don't know how you found the estate, but you have to go! Before someone sees you." She pounds his chest again and he grabs her wrists before she can land another hit, inspecting them. "Don't you get it? Unlike you, I don't have a home to go back to."

"Lette, who did this to you?" Ravan indicates her scarred wrist, so stunned that he drops the fancy talk. (Oh. She doesn't have her bracelet yet. It's gone. Of course it's gone. Because she hasn't met her yet.) Questions, questions, and more questions. Everyone has questions-- about her, about mother-- and she has no answers for them. (None she can give for free, anyway. She has all the answers and her words are sealed inside. Or maybe they're not? Not yet. It wouldn't have happened yet, since there is a broken music box on the floor at their feet. But she doesn't dare to try, too afraid to test the sinister curse that strangles, strangles, strangles--)

"Get. Out." Lettie's demand is all bite and forceful enough that Ravan simply blinks out of existence altogether. (Thank stars. If he got caught... she doesn't know what she would've done if he got caught.) She deflates with his absence as the world around them is swallowed by static again, replacing the yard from before. She's on her own now. She's all alone. No-- she's not alone. Juno and James are here. That's right. And they still have a fight to square away.

Fine, good. The faerie is eager to kick some ass, to be honest. She has so much fight pent up inside of her tiny body and she needs to get it all out of her system. Fuck all of this. Fuck it straight to hell! She opens both of her palms, creating two bomberflies, and...

"Easy there, tiny. I wouldn't start any trouble if I were you." Another faerie grabs her wrist, stopping her before she can make the first move. Lettie whips around, indignant, and then freezes in her tracks. (It's her.) "Listen. You get enough strikes and it's..." She tilts her neck sideways and draws her thumb across it in a cutting motion, making the appropriate sound effect. She lets her head hang, playing dead for a second before she peeks at her smiles like they're in on some kind of secret. (She always had a charming smile.) "You just gotta be sneaky with your rebellions." She whispers and winks, her dark blue eyes flashing. "I have a feeling that you'd be good at it. I can take you under my wing, if you want." She flutters her greenish blue wings as she says this. "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm--"

"Lina." Lettie finishes. (She knew it all along.) This isn't right...

The scene flickers... and suddenly the four of them are all teenagers instead of children. Lettie hasn't grown much taller herself yet, but her clothes are dark and her hair is that rebellious shade of pink. Lina has taken a similar edge with her own appearance, though her pixie cut is a striking shade of blue-- more radioactive than Lettie has ever tried to go herself. (She's tall for a faerie.) The yard is filled with groups of necromancers and faeries alike. The city they're in looks like an amalgam of that dusty yard and the underground cities of Avangeline.

"...We all know the plan, right? Juno and James will rush those bastards while Letts and I take to the skies. We'll sneak in and steal their loot while they're distracted." Lina grabs Lettie's hand, her wings buzzing behind her as her feet leave the ground. Something tugs at her before she can follow, compelling her to look back at Juno.

"Wait." Lettie doesn't know how to describe it. (She has a gut feeling, a bad feeling, and she doesn't want to do this. To be honest, she doesn't want to be separated from Juno, either. They're a team now. They shouldn't split up.) "Maybe... maybe we should do this another time?" ...Juno is tired. And why should she and James have to do all the fighting? It doesn't sit right with her. Something is going to go wrong, she just knows it. (She's a magnet for chaos. Of course something will go wrong.)

"You're worrying too much, baby. Just because we almost got caught last time doesn't mean..." Lina's grab on her hand tightens. (Lettie just doesn't want to lose anyone. What if she can stop it before it happens this time?) However, this urge to scream and making everything stop is silenced. Instead, she's forced to watch and go along with it as dread fills her up to the brim. "Hey. Look at me. We got this. Right James, Juno?"

"'Course we do." James offers Lettie one of those kind smiles. He seems really nice. (...For some reason it breaks her heart.) Then he turns to Juno, nudging her arm. "You ready for this?"

 

[starboob]

From the corner of her eye, Juno catches a flash of gold but by the time she looks over at Olette, it’s gone. She assumes it’s just a trick of the light or maybe one of the kids behind them trying to flash the sun in their eyes before the fight. Either way, she doesn’t think much of it and places an arm around the faerie like a shield; they’re both scared and somehow that helps her be a little braver herself. (Except, in this moment, she never became brave for Olette. She’s not supposed to know Olette. She did become brave for James, however, and with his image here, she doesn’t know how to spot the trick. It feels as right as it does wrong.) ‘It’s okay, I’ve got you.’ They’ve both been hurt and burned; she knows that they need each other more than anything else and she doesn’t intend to let the faerie go. The faerie or James––she’s known Olette for what feels like forever and she can tell that James is going to be her mate for life. ‘Nothing is going to get us.’

She automatically doesn’t like that this vampire wannabe is trying to take Olette from her. Doesn’t he get that she has a home already? (On Lady, with Juno… But that can’t be right either because Juno isn’t that Juno yet and––)

Now they’re in some unfamiliar place. Juno can’t make sense of it because it’s so different from her childhood experiences, but something about it feels familiar. But the way that it is familiar feels like taboo, like she shouldn’t know anything about this. Maybe that’s why herself and James are invisible while Olette pushes away the dork. ‘Good. She has a home.’ But there is something else here too, something Juno’s never noticed before and it comes when Rave points out the scar on Olette’s wrist. Juno’s never seen that before and she can’t quite place why, because––

They’re back in the yard and the other kids are hungry and closing in on them. Some have raised zombies, others have made skeletons, and there’s at least one who’s possessed a small pack of mutated feral dogs. They’ve got this. Her heart might be beating faster than faerie wings, but they’ve got this. (There’s no other choice, really. Not unless she wants to die and she distinctly does not want to die.)

However, before any of them can start, yet another figure joins their little group and they’re teenagers. They’ve long earned their spot among Gran’s pack of young ruffians and are even regarded as the kings of the yard––things are better for the newcomers now that Juno and James (and Olette and Lina) have enough clout. Life isn’t good, but she’s got James (and Olette and Lina). They’re teenagers and while Juno and James are still scrawny wisps of people, they’ve got grit. (Always have.) The heist shouldn’t be any issue––they’ve been up to no good since they were born and shit like this is carved into their very fucking bones. (Still, she doesn’t feel good about it this time. She can’t place it, but it’s like she already knows how this ends and she already knows she doesn’t like the ending. Even if she’s also somehow excited and confident that they can rob the Shrike.)

When Olette looks back at her before taking off, something in her chest squeezes. (It’s a small gesture and it means everything to Juno. No one really looks back for her.) She sees her worry and just understands it as a reason to straighten her back and offer the cocky grin she wore a lot as a teen. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re gonna doubt us now? Pfft. Are you just tryna get me to admit you’re a fucking badass again?” She leans in close and whispers conspiratorially, “Honestly, I'd hate to ever have to fight you without Marjorie’s rules. You’ve got this and we’ve got you. I've got you.”

She nods in response to James’s nudge and waves off the two faeries. “Go, you two––the timing has to be fucking perfect otherwise we’ll miss the Shrike.” After Juno says that, the landscape ripples and the bastards they’re meant to rush disappear in puffs of black smoke. Instead, impaled bodies appear along the buildings of whatever city they’re in. (This does strike Juno as odd. She knows that herself and James never made it to the city. Only Juno did and she didn’t make it there until much later. But enough is right that she can’t quite make out what’s wrong and in her tired state, her brain happily fills in gaps that should be chasms.) In addition to the bodies along the building, the ground is littered with fractured skeletons and the ghosts of the victims seem to grab at Juno’s and James’s ankles, and being young necromancers, they aren’t scared or daunted. They’ve got this.

The temperature drops by several degrees and their breath comes out in foggy puffs. A chill runs down Juno’s spine and when she looks over at James, she notices that he's shaking. Shaking, not shivering. He’s scared, Juno remembers that he was scared. She reaches for his hand, lacing it with hers as they approach a building that is more or less covered in impaled skeletons. James gives her hand a squeeze and tilts his head to look up at the building. “Juno… This isn’t… This isn’t how it happened.”

“What do you mean?” she asks, getting ready to grab onto one of the spikes. “You stare into Gran’s eyes again?”

“No––”

“One. Two. One. Two,” a whisper counts, low and husky but growing louder with each repetition. “One for glory. One for gore. One. Two. One. Two.”

A thick milky fog appears at one end of the bone covered street and thin tendrils reach out and crawl forward, pulling the white wall along with it until everything is covered in the opaque mist. “One. Two. One to tell the story. One all guts, no glory. One. Two. One. Two.” The disembodied voice bounces off of the buildings and seems to come from all directions at once. Juno turns to James, but he isn’t there.

Immediately, she whisks around to look for him, shouting his name, “James! James!” He doesn’t respond, and she still screams until her throat is torn and raw. (In her heart, she knows what’s happened, because this has already come to pass.) Her heart is drilling against her chest as sweat pours down her brow, until she’s drenched despite it being cold enough to give her frostbite. (But it didn’t happen like this…)

“One. Two. One. Two. Two down. One to go. One. Two. One. Two.”

She can’t see anything through the fog. As she runs, she stumbles, and she has to stick out her hands to help her wade through the haze as she searches for James; her head whips around, trying to see everything at once so that she does not miss her friend. The air around her ripples with laughter, sending tingles of worry over the young necromancer’s skin, raising her hackles. “Sh-show yourself, coward! You scared of some little kid!?”

Something flies over her and pushes her forward onto the bones that cover the ground. When she presses herself up, she's staring into a skull that is covered in glyphs. (She shouldn’t know what a glyph is.) She picks it up to inspect it, but when she hears something coming at her, she morphs the skull around her fist to create a spiked glove and doesn’t hesitate when she turns to bludgeon the assailant’s face. A wet crack fills her ears and she must have closed her eyes, because when she finds herself opening them again she sees James. (It did happen like this.)

His chest has already been ripped open, his organs are spilling out of him, and there’s a stake already punched through his struggling heart. Before horror can swallow Juno whole, she watches her friend’s body stumble backwards and collapse. She doesn’t believe it. She can’t believe it. It doesn’t make sense. What happened––

“J-James,” she whispers, ashing the bone gauntlet in the same moment that she scrambles over to her friend. She grabs the side of his face that she didn’t bludgeon, holding him and trying to search his lifeless brown eyes. (They’ve never looked so cold.) “No––No, you can’t.” But she can feel the sparks of a fresh death and she knows he has. “We–we gotta get you to Olette. She knows everything.” (This is not how it happened.) Haphazardly, she stuffs his insides back into place, ignoring the sick feeling washing over her, then scoops up his sad mess of a body and runs through the receding fog. She does not notice the dark figure in a white plague mask who follows her.

No, there are only two things on her mind: saving James and, “Olette! Olette!”

 

[ellarose]

You've got this and we've got this. I've got you. Lettie feels a catch in her throat, seeing Juno's smirk. The pirate (?) believes in them, believes in her. Shouldn't she, too? (The faerie doesn't want to be that person. The one who holds everyone back, the one who's insecure. It's just that--) The shouts of 'please don't go, please don't leave' are left unsaid, rising to screams at the mention of the Shrike. (She shouldn't know this but she does. Juno shouldn't go there, she can't... but she's already gone.) Juno and James have already vanished to do their part. That's it, then. They're doing this. They're really doing this. There's no one left to turn to but Lina. Lina and those blue eyes she used to drown in. (Used to?) Looking into them now cuts through her like a knife. This is someone who sees her, who saw all of her. The only one who carried it with her. And now...

"Should I be jealous?" Lina asks with that teasing grin, draping a hand over her heart. "Seriously. If you looked at me they way you just looked at Juno I'd feel like I'm the only faerie in the world. Guess it makes sense. You two were close friends before you even got to the estate, huh. I dunno if I can compete with that." (They were. But... they weren't?) The other faerie leans forward and presses a kiss to her cheek, effectively silencing all of her thoughts. "Nah, nah. I know you love me. C'mon! You need to bring your A-game tonight, Letts. I know those guys are total trash, but we're so close. I can feel it." Lina grabs her hand and this time when she takes to the skies, Lettie follows her. Avangeline's nightlife is all flashes of neon and the vibration of music, which reverberates off the walls of the underground. The glow of their wings and colored hair in the dark is just an extension of their environment. The air is slightly cold, crisp with the beginnings of all the adventures they're not free to go on. "What's the first thing you're gonna do when we break this stupid curse?"

"Other than run away with you, you mean?" Lettie grabs her hand. That was the plan. Once upon a time it was her lifeline. (Love only exists in the stories. It isn't any softer for her because she is a faerie. If anything, it's worse because she's a faerie.) Lina squeezes her hand back and snorts. That's a gimme. "...I want to sleep."

"Lettie." Lina laughs, automatically judging her. "That's so lame. You sound like an old lady." (She purses her lips into a pout. Old lady. It's harmless coming from Lina lips, but... Lina notices the nerve she touched and softens.) "Right. For our first order of business, we'll take a nice long nap. Then we'll go out, see the world, and make it our bitch. 'Kay?" The blue-haired faerie steels herself, nodding at the rainbow skylight windows they're approaching. Silver and pink speckles of light dance across the purple-tiled dance floor below, the place is packed with eccentric partygoers. "Just gotta get through this first."

Lettie glamours herself a tighter, sparklier outfit and Lina fishes in her pocket for the tube of emergency lipstick. Once she's all fixed up, she manages a the kind of smile a party girl is supposed to wear to prove that she's not in her head anymore. She's going to bring her A-game, because that's what she needs to do. For Lina and for herself. (...And for James and Juno.) She's got this.

"I can promise you that wherever we're going, I won't be sending you off into a den of sleaze ever again." Lina glares through the window at the usual suspects, disgust curling her lip. No one ever got angry on her behalf quite like Lina did. (Except for... 'You don't fucking touch a lady's wings! That's super fucking rude!' Juno always takes it a step further, doesn't she? She's so reckless like that. Punching things in the face while Lina seethes from the shadows. Juno... what is she doing right now?) "Fucking creeps."

"I can handle a couple of creeps." Lettie rolls her eyes, brushing it off to offset Lina's temper. (It's easy. Too easy. She learned all of this by watching mother. The way she could wrap people around her finger with nothing more than a perfectly timed smile or the simple brush of her hand over a knee. Even then, something in her knows she's too young to be used to it. That she shouldn't have to be used to it. She sees Ravan and Ariel with their moms and knows there is something better out there. Something she's never had and never will have.) "It'll be fine." (Why does she say that? Why does she always say that? It jinxes everything.)

"You're more than all of this, Lettie." Lina gestures from the color in her hair down to her outfit. She doesn't need to say it, but she reminds her every single time anyway. (She's the only one who does, lately. And... Juno, who's been calling her a badass without hesitating.) "You deserve your nap and the whole fucking world, too. We're gonna take our lives back from those bastards. Just you wait." She kisses her and wraps her arms around her and Lettie sinks against her. (She wants to hold on forever, but moments don't last forever. Don't go. If this is the last time, we need to savor it--) The moment ends, though, as all moments do.

And suddenly they're submerged in the heart of the club and the bodies are an ocean around them. Lina wades through the crowd towards the demon at the bar to negotiate the terms... and Lettie finds her way towards the couches to find his right-hand man to provide a distraction. (Breaking a curse like this is risky business.) From here, the scenes change with the flashing lights-- rapidly, blanking out and coming back into focus, much like her memories of these nights. With Lettie perched on the demon's lap, head tilted as she humors the lips traveling down her neck, smiling prettily when he calls her his 'favorite' even as something in her wants to die. Then she hears screaming through the music and looks over his shoulder to see Lina disheveled, being yanked away by her golden thread by a figure in a dark, smoky cloak. Lettie's wrist glows, too, and a fog that distinctly doesn't belong to the smoke machines begins to rise all around her, taking her consciousness along with everyone else's in that club...

"You fucking sold us out!" It's all a blur after this. (Her memories are a blur, too. They made certain of that. That's how she knew they got close.)

Fuck. Lettie blinks slowly, groggily, and finds herself lost in a world composed of only static. Dancing speckles of gray and white, with hints of shadow passing through. She can hear voices but they are muffled and faraway. Chains rattle ominously and they're louder than anything else. 'Keep one and make an example of the other.' Her stomach twists. 'She'll know her place.'

The ground beneath her sparkles as it fills out with starry tiles. Then it rumbles, a few of the pieces chipping away and opening up a giant chasm. Lina is being lowered into it by the magicked chains wound around her, limp and weak. So much that she can't even protest the fate she's committed years to running from. Lettie can hardly move herself. (They were deprived of their sources while they decided on their punishment... as if being deprived of one's source isn't already punishment enough.) She scrapes herself across the floor, inch by inch towards the gaping mouth of the chasm. Towards Lina. Get up, Letts. You have another chance. Maybe you can stop it this time--

Bolstered by this thought, Lettie flutters her wings and pushes off the tiles like her life depends on it (Lina's does) and flies down into the chasm after the other faerie, reaching out her hand. "Lina!"

Lina looks up at her. Lettie doesn't even have time to define what emotion she sees in her eyes when the weights attached to the other side of the chains drop down from above, plummeting her down into the abyss faster than Lettie can fly. The shapeless thing in the depths gradually takes the form of a gaping mouth the closer the faerie gets and... snap! (It happened horrifically quick. No gore. No body. No nothing. Just the snap of teeth and...) The colossal reaper's mouth full of blinding white teeth grins up at her. And Lina's just... gone. As if she had never even been there at all.

The reaper laughs and then blows a puff of air that blows her away, like an insignificant bug. Lettie is caught in a gust of wind that carries her through several of the worlds she's traveled through before until she lands on... none other than Juno. "Juno, you're here." Rather than push herself off, she instead wraps her arms tightly around the pirate, burying her face against her and taking comfort in the fact that she can feel her heartbeat. (She's still got someone. Thank stars Juno is... wait.) "You're... is that blood?" Fearfully, she blinks through the tears in her eyes as she scrambles up to get a better look at her. Trying to see whether or not the pirate is injured. "What happened?"

They're on Lady now. Lettie can hardly tell that this is the case, though, because the fog around them has become so thick. (It reminds her of the inside of her brain. Huh... the inside of her brain?) The faerie might have tried picking that thought apart if she didn't notice the figure in the plague mask stalking towards them. And on the other side? A figment of the reaper comes shuttering closer and closer as well.

"Where's the cube? We... we need to get out of here. Before..." Lettie tries to explain... but she can't. A circlet of gold tightens itself around her throat and she's unable to say a single thing about the reaper, about what it did to Lina, about what it could do to her. All she can do is gasp and wait it out until it finally disappears. Shit. Shit. "We just need to get out of here!"

 

[starboob]

You don’t cry on the ground. That’s something Juno remembers learning early in her life.

“You want a fuckin’ reason to cry, runt!?” She doesn’t remember who used to scream that at her, she doesn’t even remember the voice, but the words are crystal clear in her mind. (A message is easy to remember when it leaves bruises and scars.) Whenever she felt her throat close and her eyes well with tears, she’d suck in her breath and press down all of the emotions until they were small, compact, and easy to quash. Juno stopped crying before she learned to talk properly.

When James died… When James dies? She can’t stop her tears. She can’t even make the attempt–– they fall before she even remembers that she’s not supposed to cry, because she’s not a fucking baby. The tears pour down her face like waterfalls and it’s damn near endless. Like she’s never going to stop crying now that she’s released the latch to the floodgates. Grief floods through the valley of her heart and consumes her as she runs through the streets, searching for the one person who might be able to fix this. The one person smart enough to supply an answer that will bring James back. (She’s the necromancer though and, between herself and the faerie, she is the one who is supposed to know the secrets to undoing death.)

His body is so small in her arms. He was always small. They both were, but they found ways to make themselves big. Big enough that no one would ever fucking mess with them. But it wasn’t (isn’t?) enough. It never was going to be enough to go up against the Shrike like and demand her secrets. They were so fucking stupid. Juno was so fucking stupid. (James didn’t want to go. He was scared. She just called him a wuss.)

As she runs, she feels the heat leave his body and she clutches him closer to her chest, ignoring the laughter that follows her. (More than likely, she doesn’t hear it.) The body in her arms starts to glow, pieces of James flaking away into the air. The pirate quickens her pace. “C’mon, James. Just a little fucking longer. Not yet.” (This is sort of how it happened.) But the pirate will never be quick enough to stop the inevitable, because this has already happened and the history has been written in stone. Eventually her knees crash into the metal hull of Lady when she realizes that she won’t make it. That he won’t make. (He’s already dead.) More of him flakes away in bright wisps and she clutches him tighter, like that might keep his pieces together but it only slows what’s already been set in motion and soon, she’s left only hugging herself. The glowing pieces swirl around Juno, as they did that day, swirling into the sky in a tight spiral before diving back down and hitting the necromancer in the chest. For a second or two, the spot on her chest glows and when it fades, she's left with a white stripe in her hair, marking the Shrike’s blessing. (It never felt like a blessing.)

The pirate closes her eyes tight as her mouth forms a strained line. Her heart beats against her chest like fists and all she can think to do is lift her head and scream at the goddess who doesn’t care about her. (That’s not true, she’s dead.) She might have done just that had another body not crashed into her, pinning her to the ground.

She’d recognize the figure pressed against her anywhere and it’s such a fucking relief that she can’t help the new flow of tears bathing her cheeks. Her stupidly buff arms slip underneath the faerie’s wings and she squeezes her to make sure she’s real. (She’s scared to look down.) But that’s undoubtedly Olette’s voice and the realization causes her to shake as the broken sobs break through her weak defenses. At the questions, she just shakes her head, because she can’t say it. (She’s never said it.)

When she realizes that the manic faerie dream girl isn’t with Olette anymore, her brow furrows together, but she doesn’t ask about her. She… she doesn’t think the answer is a good one and she doesn’t think she gets to know that. (There are tears in the other woman’s eyes too and… well, she doesn’t want to know what made her cry.) Instead, she just gets them to their feet, keeping Olette close to her all the same. Admittedly, there is a part of the pirate that wants to shove the faerie way and snarl out a scathing remark, but… Those days are behind them. She can’t be bothered that she’s seeing her like this. Still, she holds her breath and presses the aged grief back down into its bottle and wipes away the tears from her cheeks.

“Cube…?” She asks as she lowers her palms away from her eyes. Though whatever she might have said next is lost when she sees the golden noose wrap around Olette’s throat. No. She grabs onto the faerie’s arms and searches her eyes for an answer. “Olette, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” The noose disappears but Juno’s worry doesn’t and it’s written plainly in her stormy eyes. “Who the fuck’s messing with you?”

That’s when Juno finally notices the two figures coming at them from opposite ends. One is laughing through its pointed nose, outstretching two sets of inky feathered wings and the other, some abstract figure, blinks in and out of existence but comes closer to them with each reappearance. “Fuck.”

“We’re not running,” she says through a sniffle, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m getting my fucking revenge.” Anger is easier than grief, than fear, than anything else she knows and so that is what she clings to. That is what she’s always clung to. (She learned that from the woman who didn’t care about her.) Her fists are already tightly wound at her sides and the deadset determination in her eyes means she’s not backing down from this. Gritting her teeth together and sucking in a breath, she forces the joints in her own knuckle to punch through her skin and form spikes. Being a bone magician, this really isn’t out of the realm of possibilities––it just hurts like a fucking bitch and not even Juno can muffle the guttural noise that comes from her throat. (It’s nothing compared to the wounded animal in her chest. Maybe that’s why she resorts to this. She just needs to feel something else. Anything else.)

Juno doesn’t turn her back on Olette just yet. She looks down at the faerie, a storm of words in her chest and lodged in her throat, and just as she is about to say something, the counting starts to echo all around. “One. Two. One. Two. Twice? Ready to pay the price? One. Two. One. Two.” The figure behind Juno, the one with the plague mask, seems to smile as it spreads out its wings, tilting its head until it’s hanging upside down in an unnatural away. Even more unnatural is the way the head spins, making the pointed nose into a drill, as it rushes towards the duo.

The pirate turns before it can stick its fucking beak through her chest and lands her spiked fist in the monster’s face, cracking the mask. It's a blur from there, but Juno's on top of the Shrike, beating her fists into her mask until it's in pieces, revealing... A sparkle faced faerie with white eyes. The pirate jumps backwards, tripping over something and when she looks to see? Another mangled faerie. The entire deck is full of them––bits of Olette fall from the sky onto Lady’s deck. Thud. Thud. Thud. The pirate's bathed in a cold chill as she tries to scramble away, but limp bodies are landing all around her, impossible to avoid, and she feels sick all over again. (This is just like in her dreams.) Her mouth opens and closes, she tries to look around for Olette, because these can't all be her but she can't see past all these fucking nightmares. The pirate whimpers as more continue to pile around her, wanting to scream her name, but she can't find her voice. She can't lose her.

Thud... Thump, thump, thump. (The bodies continue to fall, but it’s starting to sound like a heartbeat.)

 

[ellarose]

Lettie shakes her head listlessly, too shaken to try answering any more questions as she struggles to bring her breathing back to an even rhythm. Fuck. (She can't tell Juno that there is no use in fighting an immortal foe. The best revenge could have been escaping. Outwitting them with some kind of workaround, severing the terms to live her life like she and Lina always planned, but...) Lina. She blinks through the tears that reemerge, blurring her vision of the present. Doesn't work. She finally crushes her eyes shut, hard, rubbing them with the heels of her palms before opening them again. Juno stands there instead, in her present, bloodied and choking out sobs of her own. Juno. (The Shrike. It has something to do with the Shrike. And James.) And the pirate wants revenge. Of course she does. It's a feeling she understands from her gut. (Lettie wants revenge, too. But when released, that angry, mourning faerie did so, so much more damage--) No matter what, she is of the firm opinion that Juno should not be maiming herself to do so when she sees the fresh blood spilling over her hands. She'll set the world on fire and allow herself to burn with it if she doesn't stop her now. And she can't lose her.

"Juno." Her throat burns, remnants of the vicious golden thread lingering on her skin. Words may be brittle things on her lips right now, but she is still that faerie who would fill her cheeks up with air and put her foot down underneath it all. Don't. She shakes her head no, pleading with her silently, but another voice speaks up and captures her attention first. (And her pirate has always been so damned stubborn. Stubborn and reckless.) A blessing and a curse. Juno is like this because she had to be tough to survive the world she lived in... and because of this, she is able stop that creepy bird thing before it can tear them both to pieces. (It would have. One look at the blood on Juno's clothes and she knows it would have.) But now that she's started punching, Lettie isn't sure if she's capable of getting her to stop. (She doesn't listen to me. She never got any sleep.) While she's distracted with fretting over what to do about this, she forgets the reaper flickering closer and closer to them from behind.

"Olette." The voice is warped, like several sloppily taped together, and crackles as if traveling to her through layers upon layers of static. (The reaper has never actually spoken to her. But she hears this voice in her head, always in her head.) Her heart drops as her gaze does, down to find herself tied up in magicked chains. More than that, though, she can see right through her hand... and her legs, and all the rest of her for that matter. She gasps. It's like she's vanishing. The reaper yanks on the chains and she slams down to the ground on her side. There's a horrible scraping noise as she's dragged across the deck, off into the thick fog. Closer to the reaper. "Juno!" She watches as the physical body she left behind falls dead on the deck. She watches as Juno trips over it, as more versions of herself fall all around her. What is this? What's going on?

Thump, scrape, thump, scrape. Lettie hears Juno cry out and the sound she makes breaks her heart. "Juno, I'm right here!" The pirate doesn't make a move to indicate that she can hear her. Along with her physical body, it seems that her voice has vanished from Juno's world as well. (Well. They do come from different worlds, after all. It's hard to swallow that they did not grow up together... because the nostalgia she felt for those days meant something to her, for however short a time it lasted.)

"Did you really think you could escape?" Another voice taunts her. Deep and smooth as silk. (It's...) "Traveling across the worlds on a pirate ship? What a childish fantasy."

'Who do you think you are?' 'So arrogant for a faerie. If she doesn't know her place, it seems we'll have to teach her again.' Voices whisper like phantoms in the air, looking down their snobby noses at her. 'You have a responsibility to pay your mother's debt.' They pick at her wings, examine her as if they're looking at her under a microscope. No. "We're taking you home, Olette."

A portal opens up behind the reaper. Lettie can see the ominous, shadowy silhouette of the estate through the fog within. No, no, no. Tears fill her eyes again as her heart pounds faster, in time with the 'thumps' of dead Olettes on the deck. She kicks her legs, but there's nothing to connect them with but the deck. Thump, thump. Her struggles are futile and do nothing to change the pace she's being dragged away at. Scrape, thump, scrape.

"Jun--!" Lettie coughs, the pirate's name dying in her throat as the thread flares up again. Unseen and unheard. It's like she doesn't exist anymore. (They'll erase her. Like they erased Cerise. And Lina. And with her, the memory of them dies as well. Because it's a vicious cycle. No bodies, no crimes...)

"Oh, give it up. Don't you see?" The voice is undercut with a hysteric laugh. The bastard takes way too much pleasure in this business. "You're already dead to her."

Already dead. Already dead. Lettie blinks through burning tears, looking back at Juno. Those bloodied versions of her have piled up so high that she can hardly see the pirate anymore. But isn't that... wrong? Not a single one of those bodies has turned to dust yet. Meaning that she can't be dead. This is wrong. This is all wrong. (Her heart hasn't stopped because she can feel it beating. Just like she can hear the beat of a distant heart, pounding along with those bodies that never disappear.)

Briefly, Lettie recalls being tied to a chair and Juno rolling her eyes at her because she couldn't do something as easy as standing up... because the ropes tied around her were actually... "These aren't chains." Lettie whispers, peering down at the chains holding her tight. Let this work. Please let this work. "They're clouds." She watches with wonder as the chains become translucent as she simultaneously takes a physical form again, rising all around her in whimsical, fluffy wisps. The world is bending to her will. Just like last time. She recalls what Juno says-- that she has to stay anchored and act fast, before the scene can change again. Her wings beat quickly behind her as she takes advantage of her newfound freedom, pushing herself off the deck and up into the sky.

"Olette!" The chains rattle urgently. "Your time is running out!"

The faerie doesn't look back, doesn't humor it even if the words are claws specifically designed to carve into her. She drifts down among the piles upon piles of her own mutilated body, her heels clicking against the deck. I'm real. I'm here. I exist.

"Geez, Juju! Did you actually think those impostors were me? It'll take more than that to take me out. Got it? 'Cause I'm tough as nails." Lettie tries to keep her tone light and airy as she lands in front of the pirate, giving her entrance all the flourish of a faerie who has come back from the dead. She promptly swirls her wrist around as she wills her duplicate bodies to collapse into a sea of sparkling, diamond dust all around them. "...There. That's better. Let's clean up this mess, shall we? We live on Lady and we need to take good care of her. That includes keeping her nice and tidy." She nods sagely and then turns around to face the Juno, bolstering a sunny grin in spite of her exhaustion. "C'mon, captain. Up on your feet. We've got a heart to find." She snaps her fingers and the crew appears on the deck at her command. (Inez is rocking her cheetah print bones. Abigail's head is fully intact again... thank stars. Marjorie is a banana. Phillip is wearing a tutu.) Then, considering how to make their situation clearer without outright stating it, she glamours herself an elaborate starry dress that pays homage to the goddess again. (Our mission, Juju. Remember?)

 

[starboob]

She’s going to suffocate. It doesn’t matter how hard she tries to pull oxygen into her lungs, her breaths are too shallow and hurried to be meaningful. The tips of her bloodied fingers are tingly and numb, and it’s not long before she can’t feel her hands, no matter how many times she tries to open and close her fists. They’re in front of her, but slowly they stop feeling real. She stops feeling real. (Thud, thud, thump!) She tangles her fingers into her hair, trying to hold her own head together, like that might make this all stop; stop the feeling of not being real; stop the dread settling into the pit of her stomach and weighing her down. But it does not go away. It becomes more persistent with each new mangled Olette that lands on the deck, creating a fortress of dead faeries around her. “Stop,” she whimpers, shutting her eyes tightly. (Except the back of her eyelids are a movie screen that replay the scene of her punching James––both how it happened then and how it happened now––and then of her punching through the Shrike’s mask to reveal Olette.) ‘Again. I did it again. She said no. She warned me. Just like James––’ She clamps her hands down over her ears, but it’s all too loud. Too much. Her heart is going to burst, she swears it’s going to fucking burst. ‘I didn’t get her home. I fucking promised––’

When Olette lands in front of her, Juno doesn’t immediately notice. Not until the thud, thump, thud stops echoing behind her hands. It takes her a few moments to be sure that it’s gone and when she feels brave enough to remove her hands, she’s able to blink open her eyes. ‘Olette.’ Relief doesn’t come over her like a wave, however, even as the faerie airily brushes off the gruesome display, turning everything to sparkles. ‘Right… faeries turn to dust.’ Still, even remembering that, she doesn’t trust what she’s seeing. (Who she’s seeing.) Her heart isn’t there yet. (She wants to reach out to touch the faerie. She wants to pull her close. She wants to put her head on her chest to prove to herself that she is alive.)

The faerie, who may or may not be real, reminds her of her ship and her crew, reminds her she’s the captain, and orders her to get up. Though Juno is still too scared to test whether or not this truly is Olette, she listens and pushes herself off the ground, to her feet. (That smile… It’s like a flower blossoming. It sets the pirate at ease.) She’s shaking still and most of her body still feels cold and numb, but she does recognize the need to get the fuck out of wherever they are. (Or is it only her who needs to escape? No. She can’t think like that. Otherwise she won’t want to leave and she’ll give in, like she almost did the weeks following her encounter with the Shrike. It’s them. It has to be.) Slowly the pirate nods and sucks in a deep breath, holding it until she’s sure she can breathe properly. When feeling starts to return to her body, she recognizes the splitting and bruising pain in her knuckles, and grounds herself in that. The spikes still stick out from her hands and she knows it’s better to keep them like this until she can wrap them. (Goddess, she can be so self-destructive when anything becomes remotely too heavy for her to handle. That’s exactly how she lost years to dust.)

Whether or not Olette is real (she knows that she is, but she’s scared of the off chance she isn’t), she steels herself and tries to mask the fact that she’s been caught crying twice now. (And one of those times was over the faerie herself.) ‘Olette is tough as nails.’ She rubs the back of her neck and looks around the deck, over at the skeletons, and the fog that makes it impossible to see anything. ‘There’s a heart to find…’ That reminder helps her accept that this is Olette and that she’s not leaving. (Not yet, at least.) Moreover, it starts to click that everything that happened wasn’t real. Maybe pieces, but for as real as everything felt it wasn’t real. Most of the details are in the past. They’ve already happened. (That doesn’t make it hurt any less.)

‘Shit.’ It’s another nightmare world and now the thumping heartbeat is starting to make sense––everything is starting to make sense. (What the fuck is Olette going to think of her now?) The pirate clears her throat while Marjorie (the banana) rubs Juno’s back with her peel-hand. Surprisingly, she doesn’t shake off the small gesture, she just accepts it like this is normal. (It is hard to tell whether or not they are really the skeletons or not.) “Y-yeah, there’s the heart. That fucking heart,” she mutters the second part under her breath, squeezing her fists and suggesting she’d rather fight the heart than restore it and collect glyphs. Not that she’s actually going to fucking pummel it (but she wants to). “How the fuck are we supposed to find it?”

She doesn’t remember how they came across it the last couple of times––she just remembers it appearing, seemingly out of nowhere. Well, no… The first time, it appeared only after they started breaking through the nightmare, bending the world to their will and beating the heart at its own game. The second time those nightmare fucking children led them to the heart (something about their hearts being too confused to find it). She isn’t quite certain what the thread of connection might be––if there even is one––but it gives her an idea, because if these infected worlds thrive off of grief then that could mean... (“Damn, kid, you look like you could use a fuckin’ pick-me-up.” Her version of coping left Juno blurred for years, but it did keep her alive through the worst of her grief.)

She’s not like Olette, she can’t put on a fake cheery smile to lift spirits––that’s never been her style––but she does remember how the kids on the ground made do with the little they had. She remembers the games her and James used to make up; how they’d try to bring up everyone’s morale with silly little competitions, pretending their limited world was limitless. “Let’s tear the place up.”

As always, the pirate doesn’t explain a damn thing. She just snaps her fingers and lets her plan explain itself. After she’s snapped the fog retreats and pulls back to reveal a deadly obstacle course. They’re also standing on the ground now and Lady floats above them; the landscape is reminiscent of both Desdemonia and Avangeline, with a few elements taken from other worlds. Tentacles, for example, appear from the ground and thrash wildly through the air before slapping the earth; there’s also an electric bag (jellyfish) forest; tiny clay people with readied flaming catapults line a particularly fiery section of the course; and on and on and on.

“Hope you’re hungry, princess,” Juno says, not able to smirk but her tone is lighter and her gaze softer. “‘Cause you’re about to eat my fuckin’ dust.” That’s the only warning she gives for what’s going on before she takes off and starts hurling her body through the field of angry tentacles, hopping up on them and using them to launch her forward. (The obstacle courses with James obviously weren’t like this, but she knows he would have loved this shit.)

“Don’t be so confident, captain! Mayhaps you will be eating bubbles!” None other than Abigail (intact skull version) calls from behind. Though Juno doesn’t turn to look (that’d be fucking dangerous), Abigail, Marjorie (banana version), and Inez (cheetah print version) are all riding on Philip’s back (tutu version) and chasing after the pirate. Sure enough, Abigail is also waving a bubble wand through the air and each time a bubble pops, strobe lights flash to blind the other participants behind her. (Yes, aside from Olette, Carpet, the weird bug woman, Sir Regis, and many others from their travels are also zipping through the course.)

“Ono! The ‘mare pair turned dream team are in it to win it––competing for the world’s heart! Who will win!!!” Yup, Juno’s even brought on that annoying robot host––the more absurd the better, right? (If Juno’s hypothesis is correct, the hearts are brought out by whimsy––like a fun concert to complement the epic showdown between Sir Regis and the tentacle god or the innate silliness of children who don't grow up on shitholes. She guesses, they might be attracted to comfort and use grief as a shield.) And the pirate's plan might be working as the thumping heart in the background seems to be close and, at the same time, far away. Like it can’t decide where it wants to be.

 

[ellarose]

Lettie waits patiently for Juno to stand again. There's a version of her just beneath the surface who wears her heart on her sleeve and wants nothing more than to go to her, to wrap her arms around her and help her stand back up on her feet. Because Juno needs someone. But the faerie isn't sure whether or not she's entitled to be that someone while she wears an invisible noose around her neck. (Juno gives a shit. It matters to her whether she lives or dies and knowing that is-- fucking terrifying.) If she never fell into her life with the cube... she wouldn't have dragged her into this mess. Disaster befalls anyone who involves themselves with the disaster magnet she is. She has never seen the pirate like this before, so thoroughly shaken and wracked with grief, and it's killing her. It has to be killing Juno, too. Of course the badass pirate who refuses to rest for anything wouldn't want to get caught crying... even if there's nothing wrong with crying. (Just like there's nothing wrong with fucking resting, but that is a debate for another day.) Lettie just holds tightly to her composure, because it's all she has, and opts to keep things between them as normal as possible. (Except she's not quite sure whatever the fuck 'normal' means for them these days.)

There's another part of her that's scared to take the step that will close the distance between them as it shortens day by day. What if she tries only to get pushed away for overdoing it, or perhaps for misplacing what the pirate's grief is about altogether? (Isn't it possible that the nightmares are showing them two different versions of the world to reflect their worst fears?) They may have held each other a few times through all of this... but now the rouse is shattering. Without that dreamlike haze, won't they have to acknowledge what they're doing if she makes that leap? Are they even ready for that? It's too much. All of this is already too much and Lettie is reluctant to make a move that will send the whole world crashing down on their heads. And if life is just one big game of jenga, then the faerie is always picking all the wrong pieces.

Lettie isn't really sure if Marjorie is actually Marjorie or if the apparition she created of Marjorie is doing precisely what she wishes she could do herself in that moment. Either way, she is glad that someone is offering the comfort she justly needs after that absolute shitstorm. 'Y-yeah, there's the heart. That fucking heart.' The tenseness knotted up in Lettie's shoulders unravels with a breath of relief when Juno speaks, revealing that she's on the same page. There is another issue, though... being that they still have no fucking clue what the fuck they're doing. 'How the fuck are we supposed to find it?'

Good question. "I dunno. Fucking cubey doesn't explain shit." Lettie twists her lips into a pout, gliding over to the railing and keeping close to the deck to ensure that she doesn't get lost (or dragged somewhere else) squinting into the distance. "Like, a warning would've been helpful, dude!" (She shouts this part as if the cube can hear her. She has a theory it can... though whether or not it's actually listening to her is debatable at best. The cube is an asshole.) Without the gruesome faerie lookalikes falling from the sky, the thump, thump, thump has vanished somewhere within the ocean of fog they're sailing through. But it's still there, there's no mistake about it. ('Why bother fighting when you're doomed?' Voices pry at her mind, replacing any useful thoughts she could be having to contribute to their predicament. Shut up, shut up, shut up! 'You've just seen how it ends, Olette. You're going to destroy her. Just like you destroy everything you touch--') Suddenly Juno suggests that they tear shit up and she turns to look at her questioningly (reluctantly) wondering if her those voices were somehow being broadcast outside of her head.

Instead, the world around them changes again. "...Hungry?" Lettie echoes dumbly. She doesn't have time to take in every elaborate detail of the new scene that the pirate has created for them before she finds herself staring bewilderedly at Juno's back as she rushes into the heart of the dangerous course ahead of them. The faerie swallows hard as she watches her wrestle tentacles with her stupidly buff arms. Might not be hungry but she sure as hell is thirsty. Damn. (...She's not putting on a show, Letts! She just fucking challenged you!) She shakes her head rapidly as the skeleton crew zooms by over her head. As all of the other racers zoom past the staring line and leave her behind. She shields her eyes as the strobe lights from one of Abigail's bubbles pops in her face. "Ah!" She blinks as she waits for her vision to return to her, her cheeks blushing fiercely pink. Geez. Juno totally could've warned her where she was going with this, too! (Just like cubey, always throwing her for a loop!) "Hey!"

The course ahead of Lettie looks like a big adventure. Probably because it is like a physical scrapbook of all of their escapades thus far. (Might not have always been sunshine and rainbows... but they really did see some incredible sights, didn't they? There is so much out there, and so many worlds that have been unexplored.) Standing at the starting line, she finds that she doesn't want it all to leave her behind. Wait for me. She doesn't want Juno and the crew to leave her behind. 'Traveling across the worlds on a pirate ship? What a childish fantasy.' (But she wants to be a part of the picture, too. She doesn't want to go home anymore because she's found a new one.)

"I'm coming, too!" There's a thumping coming from right behind her and Lettie realizes it's the sound of her wings beating. She raises her arms, sending bomberflies out to blast anything that dares to stand in her path, zipping forward to make up for the time she wasted watching everyone else (Juno) get ahead of her. Thump, thump, thump. Severed tentacles fall all around her. Thump, thump, thump. The snow abomination's footsteps shake the earth behind them. It screams out as the tiny people catapult their flames at it. Thump, thump, thump. Lettie almost gets trampled by the centipede lady, who is unnervingly fast, but Phillip comes in for the save and scoops her out of the way before tossing her way ahead. The faerie grins gratefully and blows her skellie bestie an air kiss. (Inez promptly whacks him on the skull with her drum stick to chastise him for helping the competition.) Thump, thump, thump. Lettie's beating wings and even the sound of her own heart contributes to the sound. It's at the end of the course. It's got to be. She just needs to fly faster, needs to catch up so this life doesn't leave her behind... (So Juno doesn't leave her behind.)

Finding that they're missing just one more thing, Lettie creates a giant stereo with wings in the sky to blast some classic 'Lettie and the Skellies' hits. (If Juno is providing the atmosphere then she's got to provide the soundtrack. Because they're a team. And the 'thump, thump, thump' of Inez hitting the drums heightens the volume of the world's pulsing heart.) With a little shout as she pushes herself to the limit until the faerie is finally flying at the exact same pace that Juno is running. The faerie's beating wings and the pirate's footsteps go 'thump, thump, thump' in synch. They're neck and neck now.

Once they break past the course, Lettie notices Juno's footsteps have softened because they're treading over sand now. The trees gradually turn into two gigantic walls of raised ocean, holding skeletal fish within. Spiky pufferfish float around like decorative lamps and the massive bones of sharks bat them around playfully with their tails. Mermaid bones are strewn all about and dissolve into globs of burbling sea foam as they pass by. And at the very end of this watery tunnel? They find a giant mermaid skeleton buried halfway in the sand... and the pulsing heart is right there, lodged in her ribcage. It leaks purple ick and tiny veins are tangled around the bones underneath it.

"You found it." The cube announces, beaming down from a light in the sky. It hums like a printer, apparently because it is printing something... and Abigail (the headless version) digs herself out of the sand nearby in time to rip off the printed page to reveal a sticker sheet? She joyfully peels them off, pressing gold star stickers that say 'good job!' onto Juno and Lettie's chests. The faerie glares down at it, unimpressed. Really? Is now really the time for this? The cube really is an asshole. "The heart of the sea."

"Yeah, yeah. We found it. Now what?" Lettie tries to peel off the sticker and (annoyingly) it does not come off. (Ugh. It doesn't even go with her dress!)

"It is my time." The cube says simply, explaining nothing as it floats towards the heart. It whirs before shining a light that projects a giant grid over the heart as if to scan it. Then it returns to them, tilting forward to nod at Lettie and Juno. (...Oh. The giant mermaid bones are glowing now. And. Um. So are they, apparently? Lettie squeaks and then claps her hands over her mouth when she realizes this. What the fuck?) "And now... it is your time." What does that even mean!?

There's no time to ask questions, though, because their bodies are glowing brighter and the waves suspended in time around them roar to life again, closing in to crash over their heads. Lettie reaches for Juno just before they get swept up in the waves, her fingers do little more than slip against her skin... and then everything goes dark.

Lettie wakes up again to find herself coughing up a lungful of water. She's covered in sand (gross) and one of those pufferfish skeletons got caught in her hair. Based on the sound of waves lapping at the shore nearby, she guesses they washed up on land. (...They.) "Juno." She sounds lost and small right now, but she can't be bothered to care when she doesn't know where she is. She coughs out a little more water and her wings unbearably heavy behind her as she pushes herself to sit upright, gaze darting frantically across the beach to find her pirate. (Beyond the shore, she notices ruins made up of crumbling pillars that circle an unknown something that's glowing faintly. But she can't be bothered to care about that right now, either.) "Juno!"

 

[starboob]

When the wave pulls them under, Juno doesn’t have time to prepare herself––in part, because she’s far too busy trying to wrestle off that stupid patronizing gold star from her chest (but the fucker is sealed on and not going anywhere). She doesn’t even notice how her body is starting to glow nor does she realize what’s happening until she feels Olette’s fingers sliding against her skin. By the time she looks up, it’s too late and the wave has come over her, stealing everything away from her.

The pirate wakes with a start, feeling like she’s fighting against something to catch her breath (she’s never drowned before––she barely knows how to swim). The cube collides against her chest, helping the pirate hack up all the water she must have sucked in when she tried fighting the ocean. She turns on her side, gasping for breath as water pours from her mouth. She doesn’t fully process that they’ve been washed up on the shore––no, her memories are still trying to put together what happened, because last she remembers is the cube making some menacing noise before producing stupid fucking sticky badges (she doesn’t know what stickers are). When she looks down, not only is that smug little asshole (the cube) lying next to her, the star is still there. She collapses back into the sand and groans. ‘Stupid fucking cube. Stupid fucking Abigail.’

After a few minutes, once she’s started to breathe normally again, she pushes herself to sit upright, blinking as she peers around the beach. Something’s miss–– “Olette,” she gasps, collecting the death box (she fucking hates touching the cube) and tripping over herself to look for the faerie. ‘If those mer-skeletons got to her, I’m destroying this entire fucking––’ There will be no homicides today as the pirate spots the sparkly woman and hears her call her name. The pirate would have immediately broken into a run to meet her, but instead she just stops. ‘She’s… she’s calling for me?’ And she doesn’t even sound angry or annoyed like she usually does when she yells her name. Juno doesn’t want to identify what she thinks might be lingering in the cry, but it… it means something to her. Even if she can’t fully admit it to herself yet.

“Dumbass!” she calls as she trudges through the sand towards Olette. “Over here!” Of course, while Juno could have used a voice that suggests she’s trying to insult the faerie, "dumbass" is said with affection, like they’re the sort of friends who don’t mind these kinds of jabs. (Not that she knows whether or not they’re even friends, but she is certain they aren’t like they were in the beginning. It also doesn’t feel like they’re in between being sworn enemies and… whatever this is.) Though, admittedly, she does call her a "dumbass" to cover her own ass after having been caught crying twice now.

When she finally reaches the faerie (which takes way too fucking long––fuck sand), she tosses her the death box and looks her over, checking for injuries. “You’re alright,” she breathes and then seems to clam up when she realizes she’s just expressed that she cares about the faerie. It’s true, but Olette doesn’t need to know. (Her reaction to all those dead Olettes, however, might have already given away that the pirate cares.) Whatever. There are more important things to focus on. (Like how her dress now clings to her skin and leaves very little to the imagination. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck. Fuuuuuuck.’)

She pulls her eyes up and clears her throat, pretending that she hadn't just been checking her out. It's easy to refocus her attention when she notices the struggling spikeball stuck in the faerie's hair; the sight causes her to chuckle a bit. “You’ve got a passenger,” she comments, once again stating the obvious. “Here, lemme,” she mumbles, stepping closer to Olette so that she can detangle the sentient spikeball from her hair. As she does this, she’s careful not to tug or pull on any of the strands and even makes sure to smooth over the spot that had been all messed up. Carelessly, she tosses the spikey thing over her shoulder, only to feel it bump against her a second later. “Wha––?” She looks over just as it butts its beak against her again then appears to nuzzle the pirate. This definitely makes the pirate clam up. “Hey––fuck off. Go back to… wherever.”

“Captain Juno has a new friend,” the cube supplies. “Ms. Olette has competition.”

“Shut up, asshole.” As if a weird skeleton can even compete in the same category as Ms. Olette. …Olette, she means. Just Olette. “But, fine, whatever,” the pirate concedes, guessing that the cube will burn up the weird spikey thing the second they’re done with this infected planet. (Juno will be wrong about that, because the cube is an asshole.)

Ignoring the little skeleton that keeps floating around Juno and trying to get her attention, she looks back at her companion. Though it’d be easy to just fuck around all day with Olette (what), she supposes they should figure out what “their” part of this mission is as she vaguely recalls the piece of shit passing the buck to them. With that in mind, the pirate pans around the beach and notices the ruins of something and, given that there’s nothing else on this stupid beach, she guesses that’s where they’re supposed to go. “C’mon, Olette. Try to keep up this time.”

When they arrive at the crumbling pillars, the same massive mer-skeleton from before lies there along with the throbbing heart, looking as sickly as ever. (The skeleton reminds her of the goddess and Juno feels a twinge of sympathy for whatever happened to this planet; even if this mer-skeleton suggests that it had been infested with evil fish bitches.) While the goddess of her planet used Juno to channel her message, the pirate’s not sure she wants to attempt that again––not just because this is a goddess of evil fish bitches, but because the last time left her so fucking drained. Besides, that didn’t actually do anything for the heart of Desdemonia.

She does, however, remember that the goddess mentioned something about resurrection and glyphs. She scratches her head as she looks at the glowing, pulsing mass (thump, thump, thump) and looks over at Olette. “Cerise and that other Duchess worked together to bring all these planets down. The little asshole chose a like duo to undo this mess…” She trails off and looks between Olette and the skeleton, as if that explains the rest of what Juno’s thinking. If her silent indication isn’t enough, the necromancer offers her hand to the faerie. (She has no idea what she’s doing––it’s not like the last duo left nifty little instruction booklet regarding whatever they fucking did.) “I… I don’t think on my own I can resurrect the heart of a god, but I think together, I might be able to? Cerise––I think she somehow channeled her magic into grandma Duchess.” After all, if necromancers are like magic batteries that can be used up and faeries are a collection of magical energy… It makes sense that Olette might be able to give her a boost and act as a source, in some way? (It sounds fucking dangerous, even Juno can admit that. Necromancers are the ones who can get used up by magic, but maybe faerie magic, being something purer or more organic, doesn’t have those damaging effects? Though that doesn't negate the fact that Olette has a limited source herself, even if her capacity for magic is higher. Fuck. Why the fuck weren’t they given instructions?) “Do you know anything about channeling?”

“‘Cause it might be a similar principle here. I don’t know how to explain it other than it's basically like letting someone’s spirit inside of yourself,” as opposed to siphoning which involves pushing someone’s soul out of themself. Mind you, Juno’s never channeled a living soul before. She’s barely channeled a dead one. (Really, why the fuck did the cube pick her and not that actual fucking Duchess? There are at least ten other necromancers Juno can think of who’d be better fit than a fucking bone magician.) “When you take my hand, I’m going to try and let you in. Like… literally and I have no fucking idea what you’ll experience. And I sure as Hell don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I guess we’ll figure it the fuck out. Together. We… probably got this?” They kind of have to "got this," because otherwise the worlds are screwed.

 

[ellarose]

She's okay. Lettie deflates with a sigh and it's a breath she doesn't realize she'd been holding onto until she releases it. The faerie turns to confirm with her own eyes that Juno is indeed making her way towards her through the sand. Juno's okay. (The pirate calls her a dumbass and... yep, that's Juno all right. Couldn't be anyone else. Which means that she did not get eaten by fish bitches or drown from exhaustion. Thank stars. Well, thank all the stars except for the gold one on her chest courtesy of the cube, anyway. Fuck that star specifically. Especially because Juno is flat out staring at it right now. Ugh, she knew it! It totally clashes with the stars on her dress in the most tragic way. Cubey doesn't understand shit when it comes to fashion.) 'You're alright.' "Yeah. Could say the same about you." She is alright, Juno is alright. They're alright. (Now why does she feel so awkward? What comes next? The admission of 'Good, I'm glad you're not dead?' But maybe that just goes unsaid at this point. Because they've already said it without saying it and there's no way to back out now.) Juno is staring at her and Lettie fidgets. She clutches the cube and purses her lips, about to inform the pirate that there is a similarly tacky star stuck on her own chest, when...

Juno gives a rare, soft little laugh and the sassy voice that usually commentates the train wreck of Lettie life falls silent when confronted with it. (Nothing occupies her mind except for a replay of that laugh. Over and over again, as if to convince herself she actually heard it or perhaps commit the sound to memory.) And okay, it's not like she's never heard the pirate laugh before. However, that mocking laugh the pirate used to bark out whenever something unfortunate happened to the faerie does not count and cannot possibly compare to this one. It's just so... gentle? And warm. And even then, she's not sure if those words do it enough justice. Like she is lucky just to be alive at the same time as her to be present to hear it. (...The voice in Lettie's head that tells her she'd never associate words such as 'gentle' and 'warm' with a homicidal pirate falls suspiciously silent as well. How can she claim otherwise when it's happening right in front of her?) Since the pirate is unmistakably looking at her, she also has to cope with the fact that she's the one who drew it from her. She is, not some lady in a bar or a mermaid who's got her under a spell. "I've got a wha--?" A passenger? What is Juno saying? What is anything anymore in comparison to that laugh? Lettie blushes when the pirate reaches in her hair and untangles the pufferfish skeleton that somehow she didn't even notice until now. (Gently. She gently untangles it and a little shiver runs down the faerie's body as she imagines how those fingers might feel elsewhere--) Her head is so full of the pirate that even her hair comes secondary. That's saying something... and that something is a something she'll have to process later. The faerie moves her hand to touch the spot where Juno's hands had just been when she pulls away, as if to smooth her hair down herself, but the pirate has already taken care of that for her. (She didn't even take the opportunity to muss it up to get a saucy reaction from her. She just fixed it, perhaps because she knew she'd want to have it fixed. It's... sweet? Is she calling Captain Juno of all people sweet now!?) "Oh. Thanks."

Well, maybe she is. Because that's the word that comes to mind when Juno clumsily interacts with that cute little pufferfish skeleton. The pirate can crush skulls if she really wants to. She's seen it herself... seen it happen to that fucking mermaid. (That the faerie herself has survived for as long as she has when they met the way they did is nothing short of a miracle.) The point is, she could've easily exploded the poor thing by now if it really annoyed her so much. Instead she just lets it float happily behind them. Of course, cubey ruins the moment by commentating, throwing in a jab at her for good measure. Because the cube is an asshole. Apparently it has the voice to pipe up about this and not about the important shit? Like that mermaid skeleton or the way their bodies started glowing? "Shut the fuck up, cubey." Lettie says exactly at the same time that Juno also tells it to shut up.

"In case you haven't noticed, your legs are way longer than mine! And I've been keeping up just fine." Lettie humphs, shaking off her wings to dry them before pushing herself off the ground to glide at Juno's pace towards the ruins. In her mind, she traces the broken pieces of pillars and reconstructs them in her head, to what it must've looked like before it was destroyed. Seeing a place which once might've been beautiful and populated so empty and desolate hollows her out on the inside. It's horrible. And somehow they're supposed to fix this?

Lettie listens to Juno piecing this out, what they're meant to do next, and the faerie gives a silent nod as she calls the memories of Cerise and the... 'grandma Duchess' back to her mind. Standing hand in hand, they summoned up that big sphere of glyphs. While they're not fighting with the same ambitions, it does make sense that they would need to follow their lead in some sense of the word. (Cerise turning to dust... that makes sense if she was channeled as a source. She must've given all of herself.) Lettie takes a steeling breath and tries to shake off her nerves. Unlike Cerise, she hasn't been deprived from her source. (It's a blessing, really, that she lives on an airship and able to recharge constantly.) She's fucking powerful. This... this isn't going to kill her. After everything, she isn't going to let this be the thing that kills her. (“But we’re both going to need to be more conservative with our magic if the cube keeps tossing us into dangerous situations." Juno wouldn't let that happen to her, either. She'd know to stop before taking too much if she could help it. If she ever needed any proof of that, it was that heart wrenching expression on her face while those lookalike faerie corpses piled around her.)

"Yeah, I have. In a way." Lettie muses, breaching the subject reluctantly. 'In a way' isn't terribly specific, she knows, and she totally would elaborate on the extent of her knowledge on channeling if she could. Hell, she'd scream it from the rooftops with hopes that someone who could help might hear her. But she can't. (Her throat prickles when she thinks of it.) It's a known thing that a demon will draw on their faeries magic for an extra boost. (Some get addicted to that rush like a drug and drain them until they've got nothing left to give. And if a faerie has any qualms about their fate being used, then... then it's the chains, starry floors, the reaper... Lina.) Her heart clenches in her chest and then eases, offering a little reprieve when she looks at Juno's open hand. It's going to be okay. This is going to be inherently different anyway. Juno is a necromancer and not a demon. Or a reaper. The concept of letting her in is something she's never experienced or seen before. This is something entirely new. "Okay. Okay. That makes sense. Guess we're doing this." The faerie nods and then shakes her head to clear through the distracted haze swirling around her. She closes her eyes. Slowly, the color drains from her hair and her dress morphs back into that tattered shirt she's been wearing. When she opens her eyes again, they're white as well. (Sigh. Complete with cubey's stupid gold star on her chest, she does not look even slightly stylish right now. Boo.)

"...Just to be safe. We gotta conserve our magic, right?" Lettie fidgets, unable to look Juno in the eye at first as she explains her reasoning. She hopes the pirate can at least appreciate that she's listening to her advice, even if she looks really fucking lame for a partner in crime. To make matters worse, that fish bitch's insults are still fresh in her mind. (Get it together, Letts. You got this.) Maybe she doesn't look the part, but they could be changing history right now. They could be right on the edge of accomplishing something extraordinary. (She never asked for this, though. Neither of them did. But this is what they're doing now. When confronted with the reality, with these ruins, there's nothing left to do but this.) The faerie pushes it all back, the holdups and the grievances, and smiles. "We've got this." She sure hopes they've got this, anyway.

With a deep breath, Lettie reaches for Juno's hand and--

The scenery of the ruins is snatched away from them so quickly that Lettie can't be sure that cubey hasn't dropped them onto another world entirely. Light streams over them in flowing, turquoise patterns and when she realizes they're standing underwater her gut reaction is panic. "Oh, fuck." But-- but strangely enough, she can still talk? And breathe? That's when it becomes apparent that they're standing inside of a glowy orb thing. (If she puts it less poetically than 'glowy orb thing', it's more or less like a giant hamster ball.) The faerie's body glows like a phantom's, too, somewhat matching the glow of the orb around them. Her form flickers and her skeleton appears in flashes. (But this is normal when she harnesses her magic and does not phase her.) "...I don't like this. Not one bit." She confesses, squeezing Juno's hand tightly. They're at the bottom of the fucking ocean. But... they're together. And they have air to breathe. Two things she finds herself immensely thankful for.

"...Hey! Your little buddy came along, Juju." Lettie observes, noticing the pufferfish skeleton swimming ahead of their bubble. It swims indicatively in circles around a fallen pillar... where something glows faintly just beneath the sand there. "You think that's the glyph?"

When they make their way towards it, it becomes evident that the glyph is shining on the skull of a mermaid that got crushed underneath the pillar. Lettie frowns at it, tugging Juno to follow her lead as she kneels down beside it. (They have to keep holding hands is all. Because... because who knows what will happen if they do!? Maybe the bubble around them will burst and they'll drown! You never know.) Gently, she brushes some sand away to reveal the entire glyph... and when it is fully revealed, it glows brighter yet and then sticks itself onto the surface of their orb. It's tiny and it just hovers there. (Strangely, the second it appears it surges a rush of energy through her-- it brightens the glow of their orb and her by association.) "Huh. You... uh, think that's right?" She squints and tilts her head. Suddenly a whole path of these faint lights flicker to life one by one, stretching deep into the darkness of the sea around them. They illuminate other skeletons and sites of destruction. (Do they have to collect several glyphs to find the main one? The heart?) "...I guess we should go collect them all. Do you sense anything from the skeletons, Juno?"