flickerflash: (you don't get to see my face)
flickerflash ([personal profile] flickerflash) wrote2012-09-21 11:49 pm

[Accidental Video]

[Katie's been living in the woods for the last few weeks; it shows in the tangles of her dirty hair and the thinness of her face. Not that anyone can see those right now, because right now, Katie is slinking through the forest toward the northern edge of the village as a grubby kitten. She hasn't gone into the village since she found Helios for the second time. There doesn't seem much point, and it's easier, that way, to fight the nervosa without the creature unwittingly involving the more sensitive villagers into nightmares. Mostly, she can keep the upper hand.

Some nights are a little worse than others. She's let it go on too long.

Katie is so tired. And worried. And sick of being away from human contact, and wondering why she should bother trying to avoid them anyway.

And hungry.

She's trying to ignore that last part.

It's very easy to let herself into a house full of pirates, because she is a ninja. Eternally at war with you lot, she is. It's just a matter of scaling the side of house #6 and opening her own private door through the brick wall. It swings shut behind her, no harm done.

This was Brook's room. He's no longer here, of course, just like Sigmund and Edward and Svala, all gone. Katie is so, so tired of people leaving. Brook left twice. It's not very fair. She wonders what she would do if she saw him on the street again today. He rather deserves to be hurt just as much, she thinks. (But that's not fair either, and really the only reason she's snuck into his room like this is she misses him. Brook was her first friend here. He carried an orchestra with him wherever he walked. It was marvellous...)

Jack's still here.

Jack hasn't left. But if she stays in the attic, he'll get involved, and not in a good way. And Norrington-- well. If she stays, she'll kill him. Or he'll kill her. That's the way of such conflict. It feels like a betrayal, really. She's just not sure who's doing the betraying. (And then, of course, these are silly notions altogether, and some days she wonders what on earth she's thinking. Today is not one of those days.)

Katie-the-kitten winds her way around the legs of Brook's bed (is it still too short for him?) and through the adjoining door into the music room. All the instruments are still here. No skeleton, but you know. These were precious to him.

Maybe she should break them.

She changes, human hands reaching out for the guitar. She could smash it on the ground, lots of little pieces, spell out welcome home in chips of wood and warping strings. From there, she knows, she won't stop. Sanji would be so disappointed. But he wouldn't hurt her, would he? Because Sanji's--

Sanji feeds her fish all the time, and he knows her. And he didn't run away. He's still here.

It's not fair. She's not being fair.

Her hand hovers over the neck of the guitar, and then fingers close gently and she pulls the instrument into her lap instead as she sits down.

She knows how to play. She had a guitar at home. Still has, in the attic. It's a child's guitar, nothing like this one. This one's a little too big for her to handle properly. She plays, anyway. Bink's Sake, for Brook; he taught her to play it, but she's heard it since the very day she arrived in Luceti. Maybe when she's done, she can just pretend he congratulates her on a job well done.

She doesn't intend to be overheard. But her much-battered journal is at hand, and in taking the guitar she's let it fall to the floor. At least it won't pick up her image. Just the music.]

[Accidental Video]

[The journal switches on to show...nothing. Well. Some carpet and what might be a music stand by a window, and a whole pile of sheet music off to one side. Nobody is visible, but someone can be heard tuning a guitar. It hasn't been played in a while. Poor thing.

When the guitarist switches to playing, it's clumsily picked out by rusty fingers, but the music itself is probably highly
recognisable by a handful of people. The piece gets more fluid the longer she plays, until a couple of minutes into the song, when her fretwork first slows, and then trails off completely.

When she starts again, it's
this piece instead, played through to the end.]

...twice more. [The voice is young and distant and distinctly Irish, and she giggles.] D'you think he'd come?

[And she starts playing again. Faster.]

concasse: (glance↠ ponder face is on)

[video]

[personal profile] concasse 2012-10-26 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
No, nothing like that! Just thought maybe you'd like a little treat, if you're hungry.
fierybluebird: (I'm blue daba dee daba da)

[Video]

[personal profile] fierybluebird 2012-10-26 10:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Pretty lights? Really? [Rubs his chin thoughtfully.] I don't know. Kizaru's much too flashy if you ask me. St. Elmo's Fire is always gonna be better on a pirate ship.

Besides, I bet no marines can do this. [Because he can't resist the chance to show off, he makes a very small blue flames and sparkles show with his hands. Clearly trying to make it more exciting more than it is. It's not his fault that Aang's marble trick is so much cooler okay.]
keepsmehonest: ([happy] happy)

[video]

[personal profile] keepsmehonest 2012-10-27 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
I'll play with you whenever you wish, Ms. Fiona.
fierybluebird: (sexy)

[Video]

[personal profile] fierybluebird 2012-10-27 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Beams ear to ear.]

Promise to keep a secret?

[Hilariously, it ain't a secret. And depending on his mood, he might not even tell the truth. Given the rest of this day with him, he probably will lie.]
fierybluebird: (Throw your head back and laugh)

[Video]

[personal profile] fierybluebird 2012-10-27 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
[Laughs.]

I'll chance it.

[So much lying.] I'm actually a prince. These lights are using the distant stars to guide my people back to me someday. If they still exist.

[Yeah sure, whatever. Why not.]
fierybluebird: (uncertain)

[Video] 1/2

[personal profile] fierybluebird 2012-10-27 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[In which he seems genuinely worried about this:]

I hadn't thought about that! They never made it to the New World and found me before, but this place could be a lot closer in terms of light-years!
fierybluebird: (blue fire)

[Video] 2/2

[personal profile] fierybluebird 2012-10-27 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
I wonder if I can change the message to tell them to look for the way the Malnosso's droids get in and out. Then we could use it for ourselves.

[Attempts fake morse code with his arm lights. At least it's not his nipples??]
fierybluebird: (wink wink nudge nudge)

[Video]

[personal profile] fierybluebird 2012-10-27 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Will do. After all, the droids get in and out, it's gotta be a two-way street, eh?
alabastajewel: (casual talk)

[Action]

[personal profile] alabastajewel 2012-10-27 08:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Ah, so it was Jack Sparrow after all. Vivi doesn't keep tabs on the pirate, though she's certain she would have heard if he'd been sent back home. So either he's been kidnapped, or is just an incredibly lax--and frankly probably unsuitable--guardian. Maybe she shouldn't be surprised by that. Then again, she hardly knows the man, so perhaps she's being unfair, assuming the worst. She needs to find out for sure what's going on here.]

[Still, she keeps her expression pleasant; her tone light.]
Oh? That sounds lovely. I'd love to see your artwork! In fact, I could even walk over with you once you're done here.
concasse: (neutral↠ my you have a small penis)

[video]

[personal profile] concasse 2012-10-27 02:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[Damn. He'd hoped for a more approving reaction; the one Katie gives him just reaffirms Sanji's concern. Rather than press it, he changes tactics in the hopes she'll keep talking. Even if he can't convince her to drop by the restaurant, some communication is better than none]

Alright, when you have the time. [A pause, and in it, something odd occurs to him] Neh, Katie-chan, where are you right now?

[He hadn't noticed it before, but what snippets he catches of the room do seem a little familiar]
fierybluebird: (cool breeze)

[Video]

[personal profile] fierybluebird 2012-10-27 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I wonder what form that key would take.

[He's pretty chill, but noticeably avoiding saying whether he thinks the droids themselves could serve as one such key or not. After all, even if the Malnosso haven't picked up on this conversation, no need to suddenly get serious.]

Hopefully a sparkly one, eh? I do love sparkles.
fierybluebird: (I'm being suave is it working?)

[Video]

[personal profile] fierybluebird 2012-10-28 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
Aye, it should be made a prerequisite for all keys, you never know when someone is going to run off with it and lose one, after all.
alabastajewel: (mild)

[Action]

[personal profile] alabastajewel 2012-10-28 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
[...well, it was worth a shot. Time now to try a more direct approach.]

[She finishes filling the container with the last of the leftovers; three more large filets resting on a bed of wild rice.] And how long has it been since you've been home, Katie-chan? [Snapping the lid home, she turns to face Katie, her expression concerned, but not accusing. She may be wrong about this, too, but she thinks not. It's clear from the state of the girl that she's been going without regular meals recently, and from the state of her clothes and her pre-washed grubbiness, Vivi would guess she hasn't been in the shelter of a house for at least a few days either.]

[This seems more delicate now; most of the cards have been laid out on the table, at least from Vivi's side. Still, she doesn't want to scare the girl; she wants to help her. She holds out the plastic container of food, trying to make it clear with her body language that Katie isn't in trouble.]
concasse: all unmarked icons were made by me; other icons were edited but still credit original creator (hee↠ go for it gurl)

[video]

[personal profile] concasse 2012-10-30 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
[... Ha.]

Y'know, you're always welcome to visit this room I've never seen, Katie-chan~

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