[He almost doesn't respond for two days again, but he pulls himself together after about ten minutes.]
On my way.
[He's absolutely got this under control, and he's fine, and can do a good job of pretending he didn't spend an evening shaking on the floor while SecUnit did Bob Ross paintings. Everything here is situation normal.
He politely knocks on the door, wearing the better of his two suits since the other one was destroyed by tearing through the woods and then faceplanting into the dirt.]
[Skulduggery's own suit is... well, it's hanging up in the closet and dreaming of the day he has time to try and properly clean it. The red suit is, thankfully, a clear winner, although he foregoes the hat and jacket.
He lets Max in with a customary nod and no visible emotion. Well... You get it.]
I didn't want to discuss the excursion around too many people. I'm sure you understand. [Which is partly true. The rest of the truth is:] ...I also wanted to apologize, and that felt best done in private. [For the sake of both of their egos.]
[Max had prepared himself for this conversation, and he nods in agreement about not talking in front of everyone else.]
Understood. Especially after the wakeup everyone recieved the next day. She's probably... [ A pause as his processors catch up to the rest of what Skulduggery just said. Because he had prepared for several ways this conversation could go, but an apology was not involved with any of them.] What?
[Skulduggery assumes the confusion is because he doesn't apologize for things very often. He also knows it's skirting a bit closer to an emotional confrontation than they both like to get, but it bears saying.]
We were successful, don't get me wrong. But I know that it was -- messy. I should have warned you all about potential curses. And since you mentioned it, I'm especially sorry for potentially putting you on Jenny's hit list. You're welcome to throw me under the bus if she comes for you.
[He was confused before, he's straight up floundering now. He should be saying something snarky about Jenny, or accepting the apology in the most dismissive way he can manage. But he legitimately does not know what Skulduggery is talking about.]
Is that what.... happened?
[He looks away at the floor, his eyes flashing briefly as he tries to grapple with this new information. This was some magical bullshit? It wasn't... Well of course it wasn't Max's fault - that would be impossible. But that raises so many more questions: is magic worse or better than some sort of emotional overload? It's got to be equally as bad as an AI taking him over because he had no warning it was happening the way he would if something forced through his firewalls.
No no. It's worse. That's worse. His eyes trace the pattern on the carpet for a while, unsure how to respond further and very much wanting to leave right now.]
[Skulduggery is woefully out of step with both Rin and Max. He knows that now. But Max's confusion and surprise is something he does understand. There are dozens of ways for curses to be inflicted on a person before they're aware of it happening, even if they know what to look for. Max would have had no idea what to expect or look for.
He kicks himself mentally for not realizing that sooner. When he replies, he can't help the gentle tone in his voice. He sticks to the facts; Max will likely appreciate that more than hearing an explanation of more magic.]
Yes. The smoke was the likely source, and it was triggered when we picked up the items. It's why Ava ran the other way from us, and why Jenny slit her own throat.
[Skulduggery lets the subject change, despite the need to address the curses in a more concrete way. One thing at a time.]
It was a partially melted silver cuff. [That's safe information to share, he thinks. All of it is safe, really; he doesn't think for a moment that Max would force control over another person, not unless it was literally the only way to save himself. Maybe not even then.] ...It unlocked memories of human subjugation. I'm sure you're as shocked as I am to hear it.
[Which is to say, not particularly shocked at all.]
[Max's processing power is currently completely tapped out and asking him to multitask is going to cause a critical system failure.]
That tracks with the way he acts, and his disdain for everyone. Did learning such a thing help or make things worse? There are times when... Sometimes it's better to not know.
...He wasn't happy to learn it, no. But unfortunately for him, as well as us, I don't think we can afford to let him continue in ignorance. I don't know how he's going to take it, going forward. But it does make things clearer.
[...]
I'm going to figure out how control is exerted over him, and what it will take to break it. It's likely magical in nature, which means there has to be some sort of spell or charm out there that can prevent him from being used again.
Of course it's magical. Why wouldn't it be. [Scoff.] Is there a danger someone will come into his private realm here and try to do such a thing?
[Wait, there's a much closer option.]
Does he think one of us will? It might be best if you do find out how that occurs, to tell absolutely no one just in case. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.
[Even though he knew Max would feel similarly, he's still relieved to hear his beliefs reaffirmed.]
I'm glad to hear you agree. And yes. Any one of the passengers here could control him, if they found out the proper means. Not to mention, there are any number of people out there who taked to Jenny, and they might come looking, too.
[As well as Jenny herself... But that's a whole other can of worms, isn't it?]
I'm sure Jenny's intentions are less than ideal as well. Considering what she already did to the previous passengers, I've no doubt she'd use the Captain to her own ends as well.
[He folds his arms, leaning against the wall as he thinks.]
I'd say this almost puts us in a worse position than we were previously, especially now that she's a passenger. I presume upon learning all this the Captain didn't have a sudden shift of priorities and decide to gain his power via nothing but fun vacations for us did he?
[His tone indicating he would malfunction if that was actually the case.]
What are you going to tell people when they ask what transpired that night?
The only saving grace is that I don't think the Captain would accept the same bet as he did last time.
[Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.]
Oh, yes, the next excursion will be to Disneyland. [DRYLY.] Unfortunately, I don't think I did much to convince him to put aside his quest. As futile as it may appear to be now, I'm sure he'll eventually realize that diefication will still help him achieve what he wants. What's more, now that he knows what he is, maybe that will be easier to accomplish.
[Is that a good thing or a bad thing? He doesn't know. All he knows is that it can't come to pass.]
I was asked by the Captain to retrieve something with the idea that it would help lead to our freedom. We managed to find the item and return it to the Captain, but the favor was used up in rescuing Jenny. The information the Captain learned was superficial; he was taken as a child from his village, which was massacred in the pursuit of human greed.
[Headtilt.]
General enough without being too vague, eough to engender sympathy without risking thoughts of control, and as truthful as we can possibly be. Explaining why the Captain won't free us will involve more direct lying, I think. Something about needing us to find more clues to his home reality, maybe? Hmm. So long as it avoids the real problem of control.
[He nods along as Skulduggery recites what he'll tell the other passengers. It's better than Max could come up with, not that anyone would ask him anything about this. Still might as well get their stories straight just in case.]
Provided the person you're talking to isn't Jenny, you could say something along the lines of explaining that binding her back to the ship used up the power of the artifact and now we need another one. Without saying what the artifact is.
In fact, claim it was the sealed can, that should get some interesting responses from people.
Speaking of, what are the chances that he might want to send us on such a mission again?
[Because Max is going to flat out refuse unless whatever they're going to get is actually critically important.]
I'm hesitant to tell too many lies, considering there are six of us who need to keep it straight. Best to just avoid answering any questions with too much detail. [Lies of omission are probably the safest. Except:] You're right about the can.
[He pauses for a moment, looking Max over as he contemplates the answer to that question. Even if there were another opportunity like this one... Skulduggery isn't sure he'd want to risk anyone else's safety like he had this time around.]
I don't know, but I can imagine you aren't interested in risking more curses.
Understood. [He won't push that resignation in the slightest.] Curses are a hard boundary for most people. ...The least I can do is offer to answer any questions you might have about what happened.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rosecarmine
[text] within 24 hours of the heist
Date: 2022-09-24 05:31 am (UTC)When you're able, we should talk.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 05:42 am (UTC)Certainly. Shall I meet you somewhere? I'm currently near Sand Dollars.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 06:06 am (UTC)It would be best to talk somewhere private. My cabin?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 06:10 am (UTC)On my way.
[He's absolutely got this under control, and he's fine, and can do a good job of pretending he didn't spend an evening shaking on the floor while SecUnit did Bob Ross paintings. Everything here is situation normal.
He politely knocks on the door, wearing the better of his two suits since the other one was destroyed by tearing through the woods and then faceplanting into the dirt.]
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 06:28 am (UTC)He lets Max in with a customary nod and no visible emotion. Well... You get it.]
I didn't want to discuss the excursion around too many people. I'm sure you understand. [Which is partly true. The rest of the truth is:] ...I also wanted to apologize, and that felt best done in private. [For the sake of both of their egos.]
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 06:42 am (UTC)Understood. Especially after the wakeup everyone recieved the next day. She's probably... [ A pause as his processors catch up to the rest of what Skulduggery just said. Because he had prepared for several ways this conversation could go, but an apology was not involved with any of them.] What?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 07:25 am (UTC)We were successful, don't get me wrong. But I know that it was -- messy. I should have warned you all about potential curses. And since you mentioned it, I'm especially sorry for potentially putting you on Jenny's hit list. You're welcome to throw me under the bus if she comes for you.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 07:35 am (UTC)[He was confused before, he's straight up floundering now. He should be saying something snarky about Jenny, or accepting the apology in the most dismissive way he can manage. But he legitimately does not know what Skulduggery is talking about.]
Is that what.... happened?
[He looks away at the floor, his eyes flashing briefly as he tries to grapple with this new information. This was some magical bullshit? It wasn't... Well of course it wasn't Max's fault - that would be impossible. But that raises so many more questions: is magic worse or better than some sort of emotional overload? It's got to be equally as bad as an AI taking him over because he had no warning it was happening the way he would if something forced through his firewalls.
No no. It's worse. That's worse. His eyes trace the pattern on the carpet for a while, unsure how to respond further and very much wanting to leave right now.]
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 10:26 am (UTC)He kicks himself mentally for not realizing that sooner. When he replies, he can't help the gentle tone in his voice. He sticks to the facts; Max will likely appreciate that more than hearing an explanation of more magic.]
Yes. The smoke was the likely source, and it was triggered when we picked up the items. It's why Ava ran the other way from us, and why Jenny slit her own throat.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-24 10:58 pm (UTC)[That's all he manages for a short while, furiously trying to make sense of this and not just immediately leave because magic is bullshit.]
That explains why she kept running. And didn't stop until.... Hm.
[Yeah we're not talking about that. In fact lets change the subject entirely.]
Which item was it the Captain wanted? I didn't see all of them.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-25 12:26 am (UTC)It was a partially melted silver cuff. [That's safe information to share, he thinks. All of it is safe, really; he doesn't think for a moment that Max would force control over another person, not unless it was literally the only way to save himself. Maybe not even then.] ...It unlocked memories of human subjugation. I'm sure you're as shocked as I am to hear it.
[Which is to say, not particularly shocked at all.]
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-25 12:42 am (UTC)That tracks with the way he acts, and his disdain for everyone. Did learning such a thing help or make things worse? There are times when... Sometimes it's better to not know.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-25 01:52 am (UTC)[...]
I'm going to figure out how control is exerted over him, and what it will take to break it. It's likely magical in nature, which means there has to be some sort of spell or charm out there that can prevent him from being used again.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-25 02:09 am (UTC)[Wait, there's a much closer option.]
Does he think one of us will? It might be best if you do find out how that occurs, to tell absolutely no one just in case. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-25 04:06 am (UTC)I'm glad to hear you agree. And yes. Any one of the passengers here could control him, if they found out the proper means. Not to mention, there are any number of people out there who taked to Jenny, and they might come looking, too.
[As well as Jenny herself... But that's a whole other can of worms, isn't it?]
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-25 04:58 am (UTC)[He folds his arms, leaning against the wall as he thinks.]
I'd say this almost puts us in a worse position than we were previously, especially now that she's a passenger. I presume upon learning all this the Captain didn't have a sudden shift of priorities and decide to gain his power via nothing but fun vacations for us did he?
[His tone indicating he would malfunction if that was actually the case.]
What are you going to tell people when they ask what transpired that night?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-25 05:27 am (UTC)[Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.]
Oh, yes, the next excursion will be to Disneyland. [DRYLY.] Unfortunately, I don't think I did much to convince him to put aside his quest. As futile as it may appear to be now, I'm sure he'll eventually realize that diefication will still help him achieve what he wants. What's more, now that he knows what he is, maybe that will be easier to accomplish.
[Is that a good thing or a bad thing? He doesn't know. All he knows is that it can't come to pass.]
I was asked by the Captain to retrieve something with the idea that it would help lead to our freedom. We managed to find the item and return it to the Captain, but the favor was used up in rescuing Jenny. The information the Captain learned was superficial; he was taken as a child from his village, which was massacred in the pursuit of human greed.
[Headtilt.]
General enough without being too vague, eough to engender sympathy without risking thoughts of control, and as truthful as we can possibly be. Explaining why the Captain won't free us will involve more direct lying, I think. Something about needing us to find more clues to his home reality, maybe? Hmm. So long as it avoids the real problem of control.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-25 06:04 am (UTC)Provided the person you're talking to isn't Jenny, you could say something along the lines of explaining that binding her back to the ship used up the power of the artifact and now we need another one. Without saying what the artifact is.
In fact, claim it was the sealed can, that should get some interesting responses from people.
Speaking of, what are the chances that he might want to send us on such a mission again?
[Because Max is going to flat out refuse unless whatever they're going to get is actually critically important.]
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-26 12:21 am (UTC)[He pauses for a moment, looking Max over as he contemplates the answer to that question. Even if there were another opportunity like this one... Skulduggery isn't sure he'd want to risk anyone else's safety like he had this time around.]
I don't know, but I can imagine you aren't interested in risking more curses.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-26 02:05 am (UTC)[His tone is sharp, determined, leaving no question how he feels about this. ]
I am not doing that ever again.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-26 02:43 am (UTC)Understood. [He won't push that resignation in the slightest.] Curses are a hard boundary for most people. ...The least I can do is offer to answer any questions you might have about what happened.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-26 03:27 am (UTC)Should the effects have worn off by now?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-26 04:41 am (UTC)[A comparatively brief pause.]
Are you experiencing side effects?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-26 05:40 am (UTC)[He drums his fingers on his crossed arms, looking elsewhere.]
To the point SecUnit noticed, and I hope you realize how egregious that is.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-09-26 05:51 am (UTC)If you tell me what you're experiencing, I might be able to help.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: