10-15-2017, 10:36 AM
“I meant, uh- of course she’s my sister! You confused me for a sec there, hah, we’re not sisters by blood and it just hasn’t sunk in enough yet and,” Jade paused to take in a breath, eyes darting to and fro as she quickly realized her crazed stammering was going to get her nowhere. Her shoulders slumped, her body feeling leaden with tiredness. “…Look. If you’re going to attack or threaten me, you might as well get it over with.”
She was met with silence. It was not a complete silence, because people’s footsteps echoed enormously on the polished floors, shrill voices and choice phrases bouncing off the walls, not to mention that Kelvin’s confusion was almost palpable. Rebecca had also apparently won whatever game they were playing at the other table; the little girl was celebrating by singing an outstandingly high and off-key song. Jade couldn’t keep a small smile from appearing on her face at that.
Returning her gaze to Kelvin’s face, Jade was surprised to see the almost complete lack of emotion visible there. His expression was mostly blank, only the slightest furrow between his bushy eyebrows betraying how deeply confused he was by Jade’s words.
“What do you… Why would I attack or threaten you, Miss Harley? Have I given you any reason to think that I might?” Kelvin asked, his voice carefully measured and slow, as if to keep a tremble from creeping into it. His large brown eyes, to say something more, were liquid and sad.
“Humnm,” said Jade. Now she was confused. “…No, I guess not?”
For the second time in her life, it occurred to Jade that maybe she had jumped to conclusions a little too quickly. Kelvin’s stony expression from earlier, his restrained facial movements… all of it had probably been a bid to conceal some very private, painful feelings. And Jade had just ruined everything by accusing him of having some kind of ulterior motive. She was the absolute worst.
There was a short rustling sound as Kelvin reached into a hidden pocket of his velvet jacket. He then laid one of his hands flat on the table, his massive fingers outstretched and at least four times the size of Jade’s own. A small bundle was tucked under his hand, and Jade tilted her head curiously to try and get a better look at it.
It was an envelope. Rectangular, creamy in color, and bulging from all of the folded papers stuffed inside it, the parcel peeked out from the gaps in Kelvin’s thick fingers. Loose script trailed across the paper, nervous and quick and so jittery that the writing looked almost like chicken scratch. Jade could only assume that whatever written letters were inside it would appear much the same. But, before she could question the appearance of the parcel, a heavy sigh whistled out from Kelvin’s nose, his lips curling into a rueful look. Jade’s eyes flickered up to his face. He looked… crestfallen.
“I had hoped to run into someone who might be able to deliver this to my sister. She lives in Rapture, you see, and it isn’t easy to remain in contact when communications are so… scrambled down there, and because of you and your sister, I’d dared to hope again-” he paused, sending a wistful glance to where Rebecca was happily climbing atop a table, much to Montes and Espera’s chagrin. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, Miss Jade. It was certainly never my intention to do you any harm, either. Now, if… if it’s alright with you, I need to step away for a while. I’m very sorry.”
Jade stared, struck speechless and utterly stupefied, as this massive, muscular, meek man shifted his chair back from the table with such care and gentleness that she feared that she could actually feel her heart beginning to bleed.
That was it. She was a terrible, terrible person. Why did she act like this? What kind of human being was Jade, to make other people feel so bad in her company?
I am a human trash heap, it is me.
Kelvin’s retreat was stalled when a hand reached out and gently landed on his forearm. He turned back around to face Jade, every aspect of his being visibly cringing away from further reproach.
Bright green eyes searched his face for a moment. Was it not unusual for him to be looked upon differently because of his outward appearance? Had other people, long before Jade, taken one look at his enormous stature and muscled arms and assumed that he might one day mean to do them harm?
The dog-eared girl couldn’t imagine such a life. It was only just a week or so ago that she’d been exposed to human— physical contact, even— on a regular basis, after all. Her chest ached for the man sitting across from her, ribs and lungs crumpling under the weight of her wretchedness.
Jade’s chin met her chest as she looked ashamedly down at her lap, her cheeks and insides flushed warm from embarrassment. She spoke haltingly, voice struggling to stay above the tide of her mind-numbing mortification. “Hey, I’m… I’m sorry. It’s just been a rough past couple of weeks for me. I guess I’m having trouble getting used to real people again, but that’s no excuse. You’ve been nothing but nice to me and ‘Becca. I shouldn’t have assumed… that… about you.”
In the seconds following her apology (it seemed almost like years!!!!), Jade cringed internally. Well, that was just it. She was the complete worst at apologies, the reigning champ across the entirety of the multiverse, anyone else stuttering their way through a simple “I’m sorry” could go home! To make matters worse, Kelvin was still standing beside their table, just staring at her, his face totally unreadable. Jade wanted to die.
Slowly, as if he were trying not to spook a wild animal, Kelvin sat down again. The close quarters of their table made it almost impossible not to have the urge to whisper, the furniture being crowded so close giving the impression that only private conversations were to be had there— that, and the exchanging of secrets. An attendant bustled out from the café doors to clear a table that had been vacated only seconds ago, discarded napkins and plates littered with crumbs strewn everywhere. Jade’s canine ears picked up on the sound of Montes wheedling his cricket-like legs together, the trilling tune feeling almost ticklish along the lining of her eardrums. Smooth jazz continued to croon from the hidden speakers, the air filled with the steady, trudging beat of the music.
Resisting the urge to shift awkwardly in her seat, Jade returned her full attention to Kelvin. “So... What’s this about your sister?”
Bafflingly, Kelvin’s face immediately bloomed into a grin, a hopeful light brightening his eyes. “You’ll do it? You’ll deliver my letters?”
Jade was uncomfortably reminded of how incredibly trusting she had been just a year ago, willing to forgive the demonically-overpowered Jack Noir for going on a murderous rampage and killing her friends. Now, even when faced with a person who seemed outwardly kind and harmless, she found herself constantly checking for double meanings, that fine line where truth simpered into untruth. John would say that she’d become awfully jaded since then, but he wouldn’t understand.
There had been an awful lot of time for Jade to think about what she would do better next time, being alone on her Prospitian battleship for so long. Really, in the grand scheme of things, delivering a few letters for an amiable acquaintance was the least she could do.
“Of course!” Jade eagerly replied, scooting forward in her chair. “I mean, if I can. I’m still trying to figure out how to get there, honestly. The only information I’ve managed to find was by downloading brochures off the dark web. The rest I found out by word of mouth!”
A confused pucker appeared between her conversation partner’s brows. “But… if you don’t know where Rapture is, then how…?” Kelvin trailed off, eyes shifting pointedly to Rebecca.
The young Witch of Space shrugged and smiled, an obvious non-answer of ‘what can you do?’.
“Right, then,” said Kelvin, pondering this new information— or, rather, lack of. “I do know of one way that you might learn something valuable. There are any number of fisheries scattered across the Deep, one of them is bound to have some ties to Rapture. Any such relationship is probably kept terribly quiet, though.”
“Well, hey, that’s something! All I have to do is visit a couple of those and ask around. Simple!”
Kelvin smiled. “Too true, and I’ll tell you what’s more. Le Dauphin will be anchoring briefly for a celebration on deck— fireworks, music, the whole shebang, all of it tomorrow night. I know for a fact that there’s an underwater fishery near where we’re scheduled to stop, it’s very impressive, but you’ll have to be careful in approaching. Everyone’s always got an eye out for pirates! Maybe take a submersible to seem like you’re supposed to be there, on official business and the like?”
“Yeah!” agreed Jade, eyes flicking between Kelvin’s satisfied face and the envelope he still had resting in his hands. He held it like it was something truly important to him, like an injured bird or a fractured part of his soul, and it made Jade all the more determined to succeed in delivering his letters to his sister.
It was a pretty excellent plan, almost too good. Jade could picture it clearly— she’d go down to this fishery, leaving Rebecca in the care of Bec, Kelvin, and the others, and then come back to the surface just in time to take part in the festivities! And, and, and, aaaand then she wouldn’t have to worry so much about locating Rapture anymore, and she’d be able to deliver that letter and—
Abruptly, Jade blinked, her mouth falling half open in realization. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait. How will I find your sister when I get there? If you don’t know where she is, I certainly won’t! How will I even know where to go?”
Hardly batting an eye at her very pressing and important question, damnit, Kelvin responded: “Fort Frolic, that’s where she is. I remember reading it in one of the, er, invitations she was given. Not to be too puffed-up, but we are both fairly good musicians, and Fort Frolic is apparently the place to be for those with artistic ability.”
Jade nodded, shooting him a grin. “That makes sense. You’re a really, really excellent musician!”
“Thank you.”
“But, something still isn’t making much sense to me,” Jade continued, chewing worriedly on her bottom lip. She didn’t miss how Kelvin stiffened. “If it’s so easy to find information on Rapture’s location, and you have all these plans for how to get it, why haven’t you done it? Not to turn around and accuse you of being terrible again, but you’ve got to admit that something smells a little fishy, here.”
The man across from her suddenly looked embarrassed. He looked away, high points of redness appearing on his cheeks. “Ah, I knew you’d find me out. You’re a little too smart for your own good, Miss Harley!”
“Thanks…?” Jade had to fiercely tamp down on the flush of warmth that filled her at Kelvin’s praise. Instead, she watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed, an audible click accompanying the movement. She suddenly felt bad for putting him on the spot like this, but while Jade didn’t necessarily want to believe he was hiding something from her, something was clearly up. Suspicion prickled at her brain like suspicion is so often wont to do, setting her teeth on edge.
Kelvin continued, “Well, you see… I have a condition. Or, uh, a particular and perfectly reasonable apprehension in regards to water. Namely, drowning. I don’t want to drown. That’s it, that’s the condition. And you’re a Prime, so it won’t take much for you to do this, for me, in my place…?”
“I guess not,” said Jade, although she didn’t recall ever mentioning to Kelvin or the others that she was a Prime. Maybe secondaries could sense that kind of thing?
Ugh, she hated these terms. They made her feel like… like she was supposed to do something impressive, something world-changing, to earn such a grand title. Who cared if you could manipulate Omnilium or not? Apparently, everyone. Weird.
A loud whoop derailed the Witch’s train of thought before she could express any further doubts about her new mission. Jade’s light green eyes immediately focused on Rebecca, the Little Sister approaching fast with a happy skip in her step. Without missing a beat, the young girl climbed Jade’s legs and stood on her lap, all the while gripping Jade’s shoulders and jumping from excitement.
“Jade! Jaaaaaade!” Rebecca exclaimed, leaning into Jade’s space and shaking her.
Very much bewildered, all Jade could do was blink rapidly at Rebecca’s whirlwind-like delight. She grinned her trademark buck-toothed grin, laughing a little. “Uh-huh?”
Rebecca paused in her jostling, keeping Jade at an arm’s length distance by placing her palms flat against Jade’s shoulders. Her yellowish eyes gleamed, face squinched-up and smiling. “Espera and Montes say there’s gonna be a party tomorrow.”
Oh, Jade just knew where this way going. She chose to feign ignorance, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “Mm-hmmmmm?”
“A party, Jade!”
“Yes?” Jade asked, the corners of her mouth twitching up. She heard Rebecca heave a heavy sigh of exasperation, probably lamenting Jade’s utter cluelessness.
“Well. We should go!”
“Oh, I don’t know, ‘Becca,” mused the dog-eared girl, adopting a grave and parental tone as she looked at Rebecca. “Parties are serious business. We’d have to, like, eat candy and stuff. Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I am!”
“You’re sure? Absolutely, positively sure?”
“Absolutely, positutely!” Rebecca exclaimed, sagging dramatically. One of her hands rested over her heart as if she was reciting an oath.
“We-eell…” Jade giggled, clapping a hand over her mouth to keep herself from outright guffawing. Her eyes met Kelvin’s over the Little Sister’s shoulder, the both of them shaking from laughter. Once again slipping into parent mode, Jade arrived at a verdict. “Well, then. I guess we can go!”
Rebecca nearly fell to the floor from relief, hooting in delight. Bec snorted in Jade’s periphery view, tail thumping once against the floor.
She was met with silence. It was not a complete silence, because people’s footsteps echoed enormously on the polished floors, shrill voices and choice phrases bouncing off the walls, not to mention that Kelvin’s confusion was almost palpable. Rebecca had also apparently won whatever game they were playing at the other table; the little girl was celebrating by singing an outstandingly high and off-key song. Jade couldn’t keep a small smile from appearing on her face at that.
Returning her gaze to Kelvin’s face, Jade was surprised to see the almost complete lack of emotion visible there. His expression was mostly blank, only the slightest furrow between his bushy eyebrows betraying how deeply confused he was by Jade’s words.
“What do you… Why would I attack or threaten you, Miss Harley? Have I given you any reason to think that I might?” Kelvin asked, his voice carefully measured and slow, as if to keep a tremble from creeping into it. His large brown eyes, to say something more, were liquid and sad.
“Humnm,” said Jade. Now she was confused. “…No, I guess not?”
For the second time in her life, it occurred to Jade that maybe she had jumped to conclusions a little too quickly. Kelvin’s stony expression from earlier, his restrained facial movements… all of it had probably been a bid to conceal some very private, painful feelings. And Jade had just ruined everything by accusing him of having some kind of ulterior motive. She was the absolute worst.
There was a short rustling sound as Kelvin reached into a hidden pocket of his velvet jacket. He then laid one of his hands flat on the table, his massive fingers outstretched and at least four times the size of Jade’s own. A small bundle was tucked under his hand, and Jade tilted her head curiously to try and get a better look at it.
It was an envelope. Rectangular, creamy in color, and bulging from all of the folded papers stuffed inside it, the parcel peeked out from the gaps in Kelvin’s thick fingers. Loose script trailed across the paper, nervous and quick and so jittery that the writing looked almost like chicken scratch. Jade could only assume that whatever written letters were inside it would appear much the same. But, before she could question the appearance of the parcel, a heavy sigh whistled out from Kelvin’s nose, his lips curling into a rueful look. Jade’s eyes flickered up to his face. He looked… crestfallen.
“I had hoped to run into someone who might be able to deliver this to my sister. She lives in Rapture, you see, and it isn’t easy to remain in contact when communications are so… scrambled down there, and because of you and your sister, I’d dared to hope again-” he paused, sending a wistful glance to where Rebecca was happily climbing atop a table, much to Montes and Espera’s chagrin. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, Miss Jade. It was certainly never my intention to do you any harm, either. Now, if… if it’s alright with you, I need to step away for a while. I’m very sorry.”
Jade stared, struck speechless and utterly stupefied, as this massive, muscular, meek man shifted his chair back from the table with such care and gentleness that she feared that she could actually feel her heart beginning to bleed.
That was it. She was a terrible, terrible person. Why did she act like this? What kind of human being was Jade, to make other people feel so bad in her company?
I am a human trash heap, it is me.
Kelvin’s retreat was stalled when a hand reached out and gently landed on his forearm. He turned back around to face Jade, every aspect of his being visibly cringing away from further reproach.
Bright green eyes searched his face for a moment. Was it not unusual for him to be looked upon differently because of his outward appearance? Had other people, long before Jade, taken one look at his enormous stature and muscled arms and assumed that he might one day mean to do them harm?
The dog-eared girl couldn’t imagine such a life. It was only just a week or so ago that she’d been exposed to human— physical contact, even— on a regular basis, after all. Her chest ached for the man sitting across from her, ribs and lungs crumpling under the weight of her wretchedness.
Jade’s chin met her chest as she looked ashamedly down at her lap, her cheeks and insides flushed warm from embarrassment. She spoke haltingly, voice struggling to stay above the tide of her mind-numbing mortification. “Hey, I’m… I’m sorry. It’s just been a rough past couple of weeks for me. I guess I’m having trouble getting used to real people again, but that’s no excuse. You’ve been nothing but nice to me and ‘Becca. I shouldn’t have assumed… that… about you.”
In the seconds following her apology (it seemed almost like years!!!!), Jade cringed internally. Well, that was just it. She was the complete worst at apologies, the reigning champ across the entirety of the multiverse, anyone else stuttering their way through a simple “I’m sorry” could go home! To make matters worse, Kelvin was still standing beside their table, just staring at her, his face totally unreadable. Jade wanted to die.
Slowly, as if he were trying not to spook a wild animal, Kelvin sat down again. The close quarters of their table made it almost impossible not to have the urge to whisper, the furniture being crowded so close giving the impression that only private conversations were to be had there— that, and the exchanging of secrets. An attendant bustled out from the café doors to clear a table that had been vacated only seconds ago, discarded napkins and plates littered with crumbs strewn everywhere. Jade’s canine ears picked up on the sound of Montes wheedling his cricket-like legs together, the trilling tune feeling almost ticklish along the lining of her eardrums. Smooth jazz continued to croon from the hidden speakers, the air filled with the steady, trudging beat of the music.
Resisting the urge to shift awkwardly in her seat, Jade returned her full attention to Kelvin. “So... What’s this about your sister?”
Bafflingly, Kelvin’s face immediately bloomed into a grin, a hopeful light brightening his eyes. “You’ll do it? You’ll deliver my letters?”
Jade was uncomfortably reminded of how incredibly trusting she had been just a year ago, willing to forgive the demonically-overpowered Jack Noir for going on a murderous rampage and killing her friends. Now, even when faced with a person who seemed outwardly kind and harmless, she found herself constantly checking for double meanings, that fine line where truth simpered into untruth. John would say that she’d become awfully jaded since then, but he wouldn’t understand.
There had been an awful lot of time for Jade to think about what she would do better next time, being alone on her Prospitian battleship for so long. Really, in the grand scheme of things, delivering a few letters for an amiable acquaintance was the least she could do.
“Of course!” Jade eagerly replied, scooting forward in her chair. “I mean, if I can. I’m still trying to figure out how to get there, honestly. The only information I’ve managed to find was by downloading brochures off the dark web. The rest I found out by word of mouth!”
A confused pucker appeared between her conversation partner’s brows. “But… if you don’t know where Rapture is, then how…?” Kelvin trailed off, eyes shifting pointedly to Rebecca.
The young Witch of Space shrugged and smiled, an obvious non-answer of ‘what can you do?’.
“Right, then,” said Kelvin, pondering this new information— or, rather, lack of. “I do know of one way that you might learn something valuable. There are any number of fisheries scattered across the Deep, one of them is bound to have some ties to Rapture. Any such relationship is probably kept terribly quiet, though.”
“Well, hey, that’s something! All I have to do is visit a couple of those and ask around. Simple!”
Kelvin smiled. “Too true, and I’ll tell you what’s more. Le Dauphin will be anchoring briefly for a celebration on deck— fireworks, music, the whole shebang, all of it tomorrow night. I know for a fact that there’s an underwater fishery near where we’re scheduled to stop, it’s very impressive, but you’ll have to be careful in approaching. Everyone’s always got an eye out for pirates! Maybe take a submersible to seem like you’re supposed to be there, on official business and the like?”
“Yeah!” agreed Jade, eyes flicking between Kelvin’s satisfied face and the envelope he still had resting in his hands. He held it like it was something truly important to him, like an injured bird or a fractured part of his soul, and it made Jade all the more determined to succeed in delivering his letters to his sister.
It was a pretty excellent plan, almost too good. Jade could picture it clearly— she’d go down to this fishery, leaving Rebecca in the care of Bec, Kelvin, and the others, and then come back to the surface just in time to take part in the festivities! And, and, and, aaaand then she wouldn’t have to worry so much about locating Rapture anymore, and she’d be able to deliver that letter and—
Abruptly, Jade blinked, her mouth falling half open in realization. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait. How will I find your sister when I get there? If you don’t know where she is, I certainly won’t! How will I even know where to go?”
Hardly batting an eye at her very pressing and important question, damnit, Kelvin responded: “Fort Frolic, that’s where she is. I remember reading it in one of the, er, invitations she was given. Not to be too puffed-up, but we are both fairly good musicians, and Fort Frolic is apparently the place to be for those with artistic ability.”
Jade nodded, shooting him a grin. “That makes sense. You’re a really, really excellent musician!”
“Thank you.”
“But, something still isn’t making much sense to me,” Jade continued, chewing worriedly on her bottom lip. She didn’t miss how Kelvin stiffened. “If it’s so easy to find information on Rapture’s location, and you have all these plans for how to get it, why haven’t you done it? Not to turn around and accuse you of being terrible again, but you’ve got to admit that something smells a little fishy, here.”
The man across from her suddenly looked embarrassed. He looked away, high points of redness appearing on his cheeks. “Ah, I knew you’d find me out. You’re a little too smart for your own good, Miss Harley!”
“Thanks…?” Jade had to fiercely tamp down on the flush of warmth that filled her at Kelvin’s praise. Instead, she watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed, an audible click accompanying the movement. She suddenly felt bad for putting him on the spot like this, but while Jade didn’t necessarily want to believe he was hiding something from her, something was clearly up. Suspicion prickled at her brain like suspicion is so often wont to do, setting her teeth on edge.
Kelvin continued, “Well, you see… I have a condition. Or, uh, a particular and perfectly reasonable apprehension in regards to water. Namely, drowning. I don’t want to drown. That’s it, that’s the condition. And you’re a Prime, so it won’t take much for you to do this, for me, in my place…?”
“I guess not,” said Jade, although she didn’t recall ever mentioning to Kelvin or the others that she was a Prime. Maybe secondaries could sense that kind of thing?
Ugh, she hated these terms. They made her feel like… like she was supposed to do something impressive, something world-changing, to earn such a grand title. Who cared if you could manipulate Omnilium or not? Apparently, everyone. Weird.
A loud whoop derailed the Witch’s train of thought before she could express any further doubts about her new mission. Jade’s light green eyes immediately focused on Rebecca, the Little Sister approaching fast with a happy skip in her step. Without missing a beat, the young girl climbed Jade’s legs and stood on her lap, all the while gripping Jade’s shoulders and jumping from excitement.
“Jade! Jaaaaaade!” Rebecca exclaimed, leaning into Jade’s space and shaking her.
Very much bewildered, all Jade could do was blink rapidly at Rebecca’s whirlwind-like delight. She grinned her trademark buck-toothed grin, laughing a little. “Uh-huh?”
Rebecca paused in her jostling, keeping Jade at an arm’s length distance by placing her palms flat against Jade’s shoulders. Her yellowish eyes gleamed, face squinched-up and smiling. “Espera and Montes say there’s gonna be a party tomorrow.”
Oh, Jade just knew where this way going. She chose to feign ignorance, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “Mm-hmmmmm?”
“A party, Jade!”
“Yes?” Jade asked, the corners of her mouth twitching up. She heard Rebecca heave a heavy sigh of exasperation, probably lamenting Jade’s utter cluelessness.
“Well. We should go!”
“Oh, I don’t know, ‘Becca,” mused the dog-eared girl, adopting a grave and parental tone as she looked at Rebecca. “Parties are serious business. We’d have to, like, eat candy and stuff. Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I am!”
“You’re sure? Absolutely, positively sure?”
“Absolutely, positutely!” Rebecca exclaimed, sagging dramatically. One of her hands rested over her heart as if she was reciting an oath.
“We-eell…” Jade giggled, clapping a hand over her mouth to keep herself from outright guffawing. Her eyes met Kelvin’s over the Little Sister’s shoulder, the both of them shaking from laughter. Once again slipping into parent mode, Jade arrived at a verdict. “Well, then. I guess we can go!”
Rebecca nearly fell to the floor from relief, hooting in delight. Bec snorted in Jade’s periphery view, tail thumping once against the floor.
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Gamzee Makara Wrote:S’aight. After all, dogs have a tendency to motherfuckin’ bite.