Mary squinted. Looked both ways. Made sure to double check.
“Don’t see anything..” she murmured, mostly to herself.
Okay, was Seo-yun spooked, or--
Mary flinched. There was a scream. Seo-yun’s scream. It felt like a knife going into both ears. She didn’t even catch the words, but she knew it wasn’t good. Mary spun around, the oar hitting the door frame.
“What the--”
CRACK.
More screams.
Mary darted forward, her feet crunching all the way.
Then--
WHACK.
명성과 재산
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Okay, that didn't go as planned, but Seo-yun had never been the best at planning anyway, she was always much better at improvising.
She heard that crack, that arm had to be broken. Leo was on the ground now, and he wouldn't be able to block another strike. This wouldn't stop her, she was Seo-yun, all she had to do was try again. Just one swift blow to the head, then she could move on to Mary.
The pan was brought to bear above her head, gripped tight in both hands. Her muscles tensed in preparation.
Leo was done for, she thought, only for pain to shoot through her face as a sudden impact sent her careening to the ground.
She heard that crack, that arm had to be broken. Leo was on the ground now, and he wouldn't be able to block another strike. This wouldn't stop her, she was Seo-yun, all she had to do was try again. Just one swift blow to the head, then she could move on to Mary.
The pan was brought to bear above her head, gripped tight in both hands. Her muscles tensed in preparation.
Leo was done for, she thought, only for pain to shoot through her face as a sudden impact sent her careening to the ground.
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3438
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
It wasn't a surprise at all that Mary sprang into action before Mandy moved an inch. Mary was proactive, the sort of person who anticipated disaster and did something about it. She'd had the hurricane party to keep her friends and acquaintances safe, after all. And while it was going on, she'd run a tight ship, with actual printed-out rules. She had bunnies, and she made sure they were safe too and kept out of the way during the festivities. So Mary would help resolve this, right?
Mandy was pretty used to being right, and honestly also quite familiar with being wrong. What was a lot less common, however, was finding herself in both states at the same time.
Mary was moving to resolve this, but she wasn't helping. Mary anticipated disaster, but a disaster encompassing the whole scope of the game rather than the smaller disaster of Leo's betrayal. She was going to do something about it, but by using violence to attack rather than to defend. She had a plan, and rules, but they were about her chosen partner, not about the good of everyone here.
All this was to say, Mandy went from major relief to major shock as Mary darted across the room and took a swing not at Leo, but at Seo-yun, sending the girl to the ground with a blow from her oar.
Finally that was enough. Mandy moved.
One of the most terrible things anyone had ever said to Mandy was uttered by this nerdy girl in her own year whose name she didn't even let herself remember. This girl had wrinkled her nose and told Mandy that she had "fat girl energy." Mandy hadn't dignified it with a response, but she'd been raging about it in her head on and off for the five months since. Fat girl energy? Like, her spirit needed to hit the gym? And from a girl who probably cried at the mile run in PE? Mandy jogged every single day. She could do a 10K and barely feel it. When she first burst in here, panting and a total mess, her discomposure wasn't because she'd been running around the ship for ten minutes. It was because her dress messed up the flow of her steps, and also she'd been hyperventilating due to panic. Whatever people thought about her aura's exercise regime, Mandy the person was actually pretty quick, whenever she finally chose to use it.
So it was that in an instant she'd darted off after Mary. Mandy raised her umbrella high over her head, then brought it down against Mary's back like one of those wooden samurai swords Hannah used. But one strike wouldn't be enough. Mandy had to stop Mary, had to not think about the party and the bunnies, had to get Seo-yun free. So she raised the umbrella up and brought it crashing down, again and again.
Mandy was pretty used to being right, and honestly also quite familiar with being wrong. What was a lot less common, however, was finding herself in both states at the same time.
Mary was moving to resolve this, but she wasn't helping. Mary anticipated disaster, but a disaster encompassing the whole scope of the game rather than the smaller disaster of Leo's betrayal. She was going to do something about it, but by using violence to attack rather than to defend. She had a plan, and rules, but they were about her chosen partner, not about the good of everyone here.
All this was to say, Mandy went from major relief to major shock as Mary darted across the room and took a swing not at Leo, but at Seo-yun, sending the girl to the ground with a blow from her oar.
Finally that was enough. Mandy moved.
One of the most terrible things anyone had ever said to Mandy was uttered by this nerdy girl in her own year whose name she didn't even let herself remember. This girl had wrinkled her nose and told Mandy that she had "fat girl energy." Mandy hadn't dignified it with a response, but she'd been raging about it in her head on and off for the five months since. Fat girl energy? Like, her spirit needed to hit the gym? And from a girl who probably cried at the mile run in PE? Mandy jogged every single day. She could do a 10K and barely feel it. When she first burst in here, panting and a total mess, her discomposure wasn't because she'd been running around the ship for ten minutes. It was because her dress messed up the flow of her steps, and also she'd been hyperventilating due to panic. Whatever people thought about her aura's exercise regime, Mandy the person was actually pretty quick, whenever she finally chose to use it.
So it was that in an instant she'd darted off after Mary. Mandy raised her umbrella high over her head, then brought it down against Mary's back like one of those wooden samurai swords Hannah used. But one strike wouldn't be enough. Mandy had to stop Mary, had to not think about the party and the bunnies, had to get Seo-yun free. So she raised the umbrella up and brought it crashing down, again and again.
Leo’s screaming hadn’t stopped, instead it ramped up as he tried to crawl backwards away from her, feet kicking at the floor, and yet he didn’t move. He lifted his pained arm again to shield himself as much as it hurt to do so.
She was close now, closer than she’d ever been before smiling at him, but the smile wasn’t for him. It was clear now as she reared back with the skillet in her hands that Leo had been a fool. And now he was going to pay for it.
Leo had stopped screaming at this point, was it because his voice was growing hoarse? Did his voice give out? It didn't matter. His screams were swallowed as he looked terrified at the girl in front of him.
Seeing her like this… this wasn’t how it was supposed to go! Damn it all to hell!
Leo forced his eyes shut and waited for the end.
He heard the thumping of footsteps as the others presumably joined her in her attack.
The sound of someone hitting the floor echoed in his head.
...
...and then Leo opened his eyes and realised he was still alive.
Seo-yun was on the floor and his savior stood in front of him with oar in hand. Leo might have been more blind than he had thought before. Mandy’s shocked face further away from the two mirrored his own.
“Mary?” He said with a tremble in his voice as he started to right himself and his left hand instinctively flew over to the right, as if to feel out the problem and where it was.
But before he could say anything else, a word of thanks or encouragement, Mandy moved in and made her own strike.
Seeing this, he frantically turned himself around to face the floor and pushed up with his arms, only for the searing pain in his right to cause him to grimace and grit his teeth. He was not getting up with that one.
With his right arm clutching to his stomach area, Leo used his left to give himself leverage to get up on his shaken legs and re-orient himself.
She was close now, closer than she’d ever been before smiling at him, but the smile wasn’t for him. It was clear now as she reared back with the skillet in her hands that Leo had been a fool. And now he was going to pay for it.
Leo had stopped screaming at this point, was it because his voice was growing hoarse? Did his voice give out? It didn't matter. His screams were swallowed as he looked terrified at the girl in front of him.
Seeing her like this… this wasn’t how it was supposed to go! Damn it all to hell!
Leo forced his eyes shut and waited for the end.
He heard the thumping of footsteps as the others presumably joined her in her attack.
The sound of someone hitting the floor echoed in his head.
...
...and then Leo opened his eyes and realised he was still alive.
Seo-yun was on the floor and his savior stood in front of him with oar in hand. Leo might have been more blind than he had thought before. Mandy’s shocked face further away from the two mirrored his own.
“Mary?” He said with a tremble in his voice as he started to right himself and his left hand instinctively flew over to the right, as if to feel out the problem and where it was.
But before he could say anything else, a word of thanks or encouragement, Mandy moved in and made her own strike.
Seeing this, he frantically turned himself around to face the floor and pushed up with his arms, only for the searing pain in his right to cause him to grimace and grit his teeth. He was not getting up with that one.
With his right arm clutching to his stomach area, Leo used his left to give himself leverage to get up on his shaken legs and re-orient himself.
Mary hadn’t actually heard the contents of what Seo-yun was screaming about. Too incomprehensible. The fact that screaming and cracking was happening at all was what registered to her. So when she saw Leo crumble onto the floor, with Seo-yun holding the pan?
Well, she didn’t hesitate.
A suck of breath, as Seo-yun fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
She knew it. This was going to be a thing. Was she planning it beforehand? Did it matter? But the important thing was, Mary knew she had to make another choice. If she didn’t, Seo-yun would. And she knew Seo-yun was a quick-thinker. Mary felt the oar lift some. She couldn’t help but hesitate.
Seo-yun… was a friend, wasn’t she?
No, don’t think like that.
Instead, focus on the person behind you.
Mary screamed as the umbrella hit her back. She’d forgotten about Mandy. Mary spun around, raising the oar again.
Well, she didn’t hesitate.
A suck of breath, as Seo-yun fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
She knew it. This was going to be a thing. Was she planning it beforehand? Did it matter? But the important thing was, Mary knew she had to make another choice. If she didn’t, Seo-yun would. And she knew Seo-yun was a quick-thinker. Mary felt the oar lift some. She couldn’t help but hesitate.
Seo-yun… was a friend, wasn’t she?
No, don’t think like that.
Instead, focus on the person behind you.
Mary screamed as the umbrella hit her back. She’d forgotten about Mandy. Mary spun around, raising the oar again.
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
When this first began, Seo-yun couldn't have possibly imagined that at any point she would be reduced to lying on the ground, pain shooting through her face, as shards of broken glass dug into her arm and elbow. In an instant, everything had gone completely off the rails. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Mary was supposed to have believed her ruse, this was supposed to be the start of her success story. Instead Mary had completely humiliated her in one fell swoop. This extra had clearly forgotten her place in the world.
Seo-yun would make sure that she would die for that.
Springing to her feet, Seo-yun hefted the pan with both hands, and stared Mary down with a snarl and unrestrained murderous fury. At least Mandy seemed to believe her, and was helping to distract Mary. Perhaps she wasn't as useless as Seo-yun originally thought. Leo meanwhile was a non-factor with that shattered arm of his, and he could be dealt with later. For now, she was laser focused on making that bitch who had the gall to smack her in the face pay for what she had done.
Raising the pan into the air, Seo-yun charged towards her former friend.
Seo-yun would make sure that she would die for that.
Springing to her feet, Seo-yun hefted the pan with both hands, and stared Mary down with a snarl and unrestrained murderous fury. At least Mandy seemed to believe her, and was helping to distract Mary. Perhaps she wasn't as useless as Seo-yun originally thought. Leo meanwhile was a non-factor with that shattered arm of his, and he could be dealt with later. For now, she was laser focused on making that bitch who had the gall to smack her in the face pay for what she had done.
Raising the pan into the air, Seo-yun charged towards her former friend.
By the time Leo had gotten up and turned back to see, Mary was fighting back against Mandy. Oar against an umbrella, just the kind of fight the sick people in charge of this would want.
Leo was not sure how to intervene with his right arm being in the state that it was and no weapon in his other. All he had was scuba gear whose use was still far away.
And even if he intervened, then what? Kill her? He couldn’t do that, it went against everything he stood for, everything his mother had taught him when he was growing up, like hell he was allowing this show to take that from her like they had taken him.
But what could he do?
During this he could see Seo-yun getting up, glass from the floor having embedded itself into her ridiculous costume. He could hear her snarl in rage, something he’d never imagine her doing before this mess. If she got involved, it would be two against one, and she would try again, and again to kill them. Leo could not allow that.
So, Leo stepped closer, reached out with his left hand and took hold of Mary, arm trailing around her waist made easier thanks to their height difference, and pulled back sharply. Mary almost lost her balance because of this, but Seo-yun’s attack sailed them by.
“We-we can’t stay here!” He said as he frantically pulled her towards the door, and only let go once they were outside.
“Go!” He yelled as he turned and ran away from the quarters that once seemed safe and inviting. His right arm clinging tightly to his stomach as he did so.
Wherever they would go, he hoped it would be better than this place.
((Leonard Kenter continued in...))
Leo was not sure how to intervene with his right arm being in the state that it was and no weapon in his other. All he had was scuba gear whose use was still far away.
And even if he intervened, then what? Kill her? He couldn’t do that, it went against everything he stood for, everything his mother had taught him when he was growing up, like hell he was allowing this show to take that from her like they had taken him.
But what could he do?
During this he could see Seo-yun getting up, glass from the floor having embedded itself into her ridiculous costume. He could hear her snarl in rage, something he’d never imagine her doing before this mess. If she got involved, it would be two against one, and she would try again, and again to kill them. Leo could not allow that.
So, Leo stepped closer, reached out with his left hand and took hold of Mary, arm trailing around her waist made easier thanks to their height difference, and pulled back sharply. Mary almost lost her balance because of this, but Seo-yun’s attack sailed them by.
“We-we can’t stay here!” He said as he frantically pulled her towards the door, and only let go once they were outside.
“Go!” He yelled as he turned and ran away from the quarters that once seemed safe and inviting. His right arm clinging tightly to his stomach as he did so.
Wherever they would go, he hoped it would be better than this place.
((Leonard Kenter continued in...))
Oar against umbrella, umbrella against oar.
Mary swung the oar around a few times, hoping to reach contact. Her own loud breathing, her loud heartbeat, echoed in her ears like a noxious song, perhaps full of bass. She stumbled backward a bit.
A new instrument entered the song. It was an inhuman snarl. In the split second she processed it, it was hard to believe that a human being would be able to make that kind of noise, let alone someone like Seo-yun.
Another new instrument. This one was a shout. She didn’t get the words, but she understood when she felt an arm around her pulling her away. Her own shout filled the mix.
Then, she was being pulled away, the oar still swinging. In a second, she saw Seo-yun’s face, Mandy’s face, as they stumbled through the suite.
Leo let go, and ran for it. Mary looked inside, clutching the oar. But she turned her head and followed, the world blurring around her.
But even in that blur, she noticed the camera’s lens turning to follow them. A judgemental audience.
((Mary Cheung continued in Chapter 46: Fantom Frigate))
Mary swung the oar around a few times, hoping to reach contact. Her own loud breathing, her loud heartbeat, echoed in her ears like a noxious song, perhaps full of bass. She stumbled backward a bit.
A new instrument entered the song. It was an inhuman snarl. In the split second she processed it, it was hard to believe that a human being would be able to make that kind of noise, let alone someone like Seo-yun.
Another new instrument. This one was a shout. She didn’t get the words, but she understood when she felt an arm around her pulling her away. Her own shout filled the mix.
Then, she was being pulled away, the oar still swinging. In a second, she saw Seo-yun’s face, Mandy’s face, as they stumbled through the suite.
Leo let go, and ran for it. Mary looked inside, clutching the oar. But she turned her head and followed, the world blurring around her.
But even in that blur, she noticed the camera’s lens turning to follow them. A judgemental audience.
((Mary Cheung continued in Chapter 46: Fantom Frigate))
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3438
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
The oar flailing in Mandy's direction backed her off in a hurry. If she was cool like Seo-yun, then what she did would've been parrying, but she wasn't so it was just her own flailing creating interference. Once, twice, the makeshift weapons crunched against each other, and both times Mandy became acutely aware that hers was a whole lot less sturdy a tool. The good thing was that Mary seemed just as off-balance, just as on edge, and both she and Mandy were more interested in creating distance than pressing the attack.
The howl that came from off to the side told a different story. Mandy's eyes widened, and then there was a flurry of motion and activity that was hard to process while she was also trying to keep her guard up and maintain her balance, the cumbersome backpack adding to her momentum and swinging her this way and that.
In any event, seconds later the activity settled enough for Mandy to take stock. Leo had intervened in the not-so-epic duel, diverting Seo-yun's renewed attack and vanishing down the hall with Mary in tow. That left Seo-yun and Mandy as the victors, standing tall on the battlefield as their foes fled, or at least that was how she was processing it right now because the overall sequence of events was still extremely nebulous and disturbing. Leo turning nasty was within the realms of possibility, but Mary?
Mandy shook the umbrella belatedly at the empty hallway.
"Yeah," she called, but not so loud they might actually hear, "don't come back."
Then her attention turned to Seo-yun. The girl had taken a spill onto the floor, picking up some cuts and scrapes Mandy really hoped were superficial, but figured they likely were since Seo-yun had still bounced back with enough ferocity and power to scare off their assailants. The both of them were breathing heavily, and that pretty costume didn't look quite so neat and collected now, but if this was the worst they suffered, they'd come out of it lucky. For just a moment there, Mandy had been afraid that Seo-yun's rage at the betrayal might carry her down the hall in pursuit, might turn their defensive success into a bitter, uncertain continuation, but things had come out okay and the conflict had been allowed to drop.
Mandy turned towards her companion, shaking her head as she turned the umbrella around and around in her hands, feeling the fabric rotate against her fingers and palm.
"Are you okay?" she asked, whoops, a little bit late. And then, because she had to express her consternation somehow, she added, "What even was that?"
The howl that came from off to the side told a different story. Mandy's eyes widened, and then there was a flurry of motion and activity that was hard to process while she was also trying to keep her guard up and maintain her balance, the cumbersome backpack adding to her momentum and swinging her this way and that.
In any event, seconds later the activity settled enough for Mandy to take stock. Leo had intervened in the not-so-epic duel, diverting Seo-yun's renewed attack and vanishing down the hall with Mary in tow. That left Seo-yun and Mandy as the victors, standing tall on the battlefield as their foes fled, or at least that was how she was processing it right now because the overall sequence of events was still extremely nebulous and disturbing. Leo turning nasty was within the realms of possibility, but Mary?
Mandy shook the umbrella belatedly at the empty hallway.
"Yeah," she called, but not so loud they might actually hear, "don't come back."
Then her attention turned to Seo-yun. The girl had taken a spill onto the floor, picking up some cuts and scrapes Mandy really hoped were superficial, but figured they likely were since Seo-yun had still bounced back with enough ferocity and power to scare off their assailants. The both of them were breathing heavily, and that pretty costume didn't look quite so neat and collected now, but if this was the worst they suffered, they'd come out of it lucky. For just a moment there, Mandy had been afraid that Seo-yun's rage at the betrayal might carry her down the hall in pursuit, might turn their defensive success into a bitter, uncertain continuation, but things had come out okay and the conflict had been allowed to drop.
Mandy turned towards her companion, shaking her head as she turned the umbrella around and around in her hands, feeling the fabric rotate against her fingers and palm.
"Are you okay?" she asked, whoops, a little bit late. And then, because she had to express her consternation somehow, she added, "What even was that?"
-
VoltTurtle
- Posts: 491
- Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2018 5:41 am
Seo-yun stood there, bent over, her chest heaving, listening to their footsteps disappear down the hallway. She could've chased them down, but she was already exhausted--who knew a fight to the death could be so tiring--and doing that wouldn't fit the image of a girl whom had merely been defending herself. Keeping appearances up was even more important now than it had ever been, and while the audience might be aware of her true machinations, Mandy obviously wasn't--and there was power in that.
Though, she couldn't believe what had just happened. She had Leo--she had both of them dead to rights, and yet, somehow they had still managed to slip right out of her grasp. That had not been how she envisioned this, and frankly she was offended that the two of them just had to go and ruin her plans like that. She was better than them, this was supposed to be where she established herself as a real threat. Yet, if she was being honest, in the end she just looked like an idiot with a welt on her face and scrapes up and down one of her arms. She would make the two of them pay for making her look bad in front of the cameras, she was damn sure of that.
She stood up straight as her breathing began to return to normal, focused on the pain now gnawing away at her. She felt the side of her face that had been struck by Mary's oar, while sparing a glance at her injured arm. Her arm bared the marks of a few superficial abrasions and lacerations, nothing a few bandages couldn't fix. The welt was more immediately bothersome--she might not have a mirror on her person, but she knew that would definitely bruise, and she would probably look awful in front of the cameras. Add it to the list of things that she would need to make Mary pay for in blood.
"I think I'll be okay," she lied, through her teeth. "Thank you for your concern, though."
Without saying anything else, she walked over to the nearest intact chair and took a seat, pulling her bag out in front of her to access her medical supplies. She got to work bandaging her arm shortly thereafter, sparing Mandy a few glances as she did so.
"I can't believe that Leo tried to grab at me when my guard was down," she sobbed, shedding a few fake tears on cue to really sell her story of betrayal. "I panicked and hit him, but then, Mary..."
She closed her eyes and shook her head, faking a sniffle. There was no way that Mandy wasn't going to buy this. Seo-yun had always taken herself as being a master at playing her peers like finely tuned violins, but with Mandy it was more like playing a drum with how easily she fell for Seo-yun's lies. Given how much of a disaster that scene had turned into, she might as well get something out of it, and a loyal, moldable pawn hanging off her every word that she could use and discard as needed was a fitting consolation prize.
"Mary was my friend, but she took his side and hurt me, and-"
She sniffled again, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she finished wrapping her injured arm and shortly thereafter put her supplies away.
"If they were so quick to betray us like that," she swallowed, and stuttered. "Then I'm not sure how much we can really trust anyone here."
She stood back up on slightly shaky legs, reaching one hand into her bag as she approached Mandy.
"I think we were lucky to find each other as-is. In the future, we should probably assume that everyone is a potential threat. We'd be safer that way."
She pulled out the pathetic excuse for a weapon she had been given, and foisted it into Mandy's hands. While a paltry gift like this meant nothing to her, it would presumably mean the world to Mandy. Regardless of what it actually was, handing over a weapon was a show of trust. One that likely would not be lost on her "friend".
"Here, that's the weapon I was assigned. It's a bag of powdered ghost peppers, like I said before. Maybe you can make better use of it than I can."
Then, she pulled Mandy into a gentle, brief hug.
"I'm glad that I have you with me," she whispered. "Let's get out of here, together."
((Then, without another word, she left the captain's quarters behind.))
Though, she couldn't believe what had just happened. She had Leo--she had both of them dead to rights, and yet, somehow they had still managed to slip right out of her grasp. That had not been how she envisioned this, and frankly she was offended that the two of them just had to go and ruin her plans like that. She was better than them, this was supposed to be where she established herself as a real threat. Yet, if she was being honest, in the end she just looked like an idiot with a welt on her face and scrapes up and down one of her arms. She would make the two of them pay for making her look bad in front of the cameras, she was damn sure of that.
She stood up straight as her breathing began to return to normal, focused on the pain now gnawing away at her. She felt the side of her face that had been struck by Mary's oar, while sparing a glance at her injured arm. Her arm bared the marks of a few superficial abrasions and lacerations, nothing a few bandages couldn't fix. The welt was more immediately bothersome--she might not have a mirror on her person, but she knew that would definitely bruise, and she would probably look awful in front of the cameras. Add it to the list of things that she would need to make Mary pay for in blood.
"I think I'll be okay," she lied, through her teeth. "Thank you for your concern, though."
Without saying anything else, she walked over to the nearest intact chair and took a seat, pulling her bag out in front of her to access her medical supplies. She got to work bandaging her arm shortly thereafter, sparing Mandy a few glances as she did so.
"I can't believe that Leo tried to grab at me when my guard was down," she sobbed, shedding a few fake tears on cue to really sell her story of betrayal. "I panicked and hit him, but then, Mary..."
She closed her eyes and shook her head, faking a sniffle. There was no way that Mandy wasn't going to buy this. Seo-yun had always taken herself as being a master at playing her peers like finely tuned violins, but with Mandy it was more like playing a drum with how easily she fell for Seo-yun's lies. Given how much of a disaster that scene had turned into, she might as well get something out of it, and a loyal, moldable pawn hanging off her every word that she could use and discard as needed was a fitting consolation prize.
"Mary was my friend, but she took his side and hurt me, and-"
She sniffled again, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she finished wrapping her injured arm and shortly thereafter put her supplies away.
"If they were so quick to betray us like that," she swallowed, and stuttered. "Then I'm not sure how much we can really trust anyone here."
She stood back up on slightly shaky legs, reaching one hand into her bag as she approached Mandy.
"I think we were lucky to find each other as-is. In the future, we should probably assume that everyone is a potential threat. We'd be safer that way."
She pulled out the pathetic excuse for a weapon she had been given, and foisted it into Mandy's hands. While a paltry gift like this meant nothing to her, it would presumably mean the world to Mandy. Regardless of what it actually was, handing over a weapon was a show of trust. One that likely would not be lost on her "friend".
"Here, that's the weapon I was assigned. It's a bag of powdered ghost peppers, like I said before. Maybe you can make better use of it than I can."
Then, she pulled Mandy into a gentle, brief hug.
"I'm glad that I have you with me," she whispered. "Let's get out of here, together."
((Then, without another word, she left the captain's quarters behind.))
-
MurderWeasel
- Posts: 3438
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:56 am
- Team Affiliation: Jewel's Leviathans
"Yeah," Mandy said. "Yeah, let's."
She'd been pretty quiet as Seo-yun told her story, for a few reasons. The first was that she was mostly taken aback by the hug, the contact, the sudden closeness physical as well as emotional. She'd felt tied to people before, had wished for reassurance like this, but was pretty used to being disappointed.
Second, less positively, she didn't know how to help, what to do or say. Mandy had enough awareness of her own strengths and weaknesses to know that she wasn't a rock other clung to in disaster. The best she could offer was to try to not mess up.
Third was she didn't quite one hundred percent believe everything Seo-yun said. Or, more precisely, Mandy didn't think her companion she was following behind out of the chambers was lying, but she was a little bit sharp, jeeze, and she could tell when a story wasn't quite complete. Seo-yun's tale went along just as Mandy had experienced it, right up until it reached the part where Leo got smacked in a panic.
The first hit? The one Mandy hadn't seen? Sure, panic. She would've done the same, except probably messed it up. But when she turned, when she intervened in Mary's intervention, Seo-yun was pressing the attack. The girl had looked almost about to finish it.
Mandy's fingers bunched tight around the smooth plastic baggie of powdered pepper, feeling how the mass shifted in its container. There was power in the gesture, the transfer of a tool, and trust behind it. And she returned that. She was pretty sure she'd figured out what actually happened, and it was that after Seo-yun took the plunge, after she was betrayed yet managed to turn it around on her assailant, she was going to seal the deal. That was the story of the follow-up scuffle, of that howl of rage. It was strange and scary and a little upsetting, but also it wasn't wrong. To pull something here, of all places and times, Leo had to be really crazy or stupid or overconfident. He couldn't be trusted after that ever again—him or Mary, once she showed her true colors—and if that meant they had to feel the weight of their mistakes? Mandy didn't have to be entirely comfortable with it to accept the truth.
But Seo-yun didn't seem willing to look at it straight on like that yet, probably because she'd been the one to actually hurt someone worse than just swatting them with an umbrella. Mandy wasn't going to force the issue, either. Seo-yun was always so controlled, so composed. It had to be terrifying to see herself in this new light, and Mandy wasn't equipped at all to support her in that like a therapist.
She'd just have to do a better job helping keep them safe. She was glad to have the pepper for practical reasons too, at that. Seo-yun had definitely been underestimating it, but Mandy had had habanero food once or twice and touching her face afterwards was bad enough. Ghost peppers were supposed to be like a million times worse or something. If she played it right, they wouldn't have such a hard time if something like this happened again.
Speaking of? Mandy's dress was messing her up again, and she really needed to trade for something more practical. That at least seemed like a safe enough topic, a little thing she could insist on to prove everything still was a little bit normal.
((Mandy Gross continued in Consumer Culture))
She'd been pretty quiet as Seo-yun told her story, for a few reasons. The first was that she was mostly taken aback by the hug, the contact, the sudden closeness physical as well as emotional. She'd felt tied to people before, had wished for reassurance like this, but was pretty used to being disappointed.
Second, less positively, she didn't know how to help, what to do or say. Mandy had enough awareness of her own strengths and weaknesses to know that she wasn't a rock other clung to in disaster. The best she could offer was to try to not mess up.
Third was she didn't quite one hundred percent believe everything Seo-yun said. Or, more precisely, Mandy didn't think her companion she was following behind out of the chambers was lying, but she was a little bit sharp, jeeze, and she could tell when a story wasn't quite complete. Seo-yun's tale went along just as Mandy had experienced it, right up until it reached the part where Leo got smacked in a panic.
The first hit? The one Mandy hadn't seen? Sure, panic. She would've done the same, except probably messed it up. But when she turned, when she intervened in Mary's intervention, Seo-yun was pressing the attack. The girl had looked almost about to finish it.
Mandy's fingers bunched tight around the smooth plastic baggie of powdered pepper, feeling how the mass shifted in its container. There was power in the gesture, the transfer of a tool, and trust behind it. And she returned that. She was pretty sure she'd figured out what actually happened, and it was that after Seo-yun took the plunge, after she was betrayed yet managed to turn it around on her assailant, she was going to seal the deal. That was the story of the follow-up scuffle, of that howl of rage. It was strange and scary and a little upsetting, but also it wasn't wrong. To pull something here, of all places and times, Leo had to be really crazy or stupid or overconfident. He couldn't be trusted after that ever again—him or Mary, once she showed her true colors—and if that meant they had to feel the weight of their mistakes? Mandy didn't have to be entirely comfortable with it to accept the truth.
But Seo-yun didn't seem willing to look at it straight on like that yet, probably because she'd been the one to actually hurt someone worse than just swatting them with an umbrella. Mandy wasn't going to force the issue, either. Seo-yun was always so controlled, so composed. It had to be terrifying to see herself in this new light, and Mandy wasn't equipped at all to support her in that like a therapist.
She'd just have to do a better job helping keep them safe. She was glad to have the pepper for practical reasons too, at that. Seo-yun had definitely been underestimating it, but Mandy had had habanero food once or twice and touching her face afterwards was bad enough. Ghost peppers were supposed to be like a million times worse or something. If she played it right, they wouldn't have such a hard time if something like this happened again.
Speaking of? Mandy's dress was messing her up again, and she really needed to trade for something more practical. That at least seemed like a safe enough topic, a little thing she could insist on to prove everything still was a little bit normal.
((Mandy Gross continued in Consumer Culture))