3rd Wave

[tentacruelest]

[Jones is a deep, deep sleeper but he wakes with the sunrise. Each day is a new, hellish experience on the Barge but he scowls and stomps his way through them regardless.

Imagine his surprise when this morning he opens his door - releasing a small flood of his usual seawater, which, thanks to Maintenance, is contained by a make-shift dam - and spots children running about.

Not the handful of children he knows to be part of the Barge. New ones. And smaller people are easier to bully than full-grown ones.

Resolving to go about his day unbothered by the mechanics of the Admiral, Davy instead storms his way to the mess hall, literally using his claw to forcefully swat aside anyone smaller than four feet]


I'll thank whoever remains their true, full size to keep the vast majority of whelps under control. I've a mind to toss them over the side one by one; no ship is in need of this many cabin boys. No navy is.

Mind your brats. Or I will.

Comments

[spam]

[tentacruelest]

[Nope, still lumbering his way down towards Lilith, his claw out and ready to either block the blow or scoop up the child should she get too close]

Come here and say that to my face, Lilith!

[spam]

[clockworkflower]

Not. Afraid.

[She's lying through her teeth, because he's huge and while Lilith doesn't really believe he'd actually kill her, she's pretty sure she's in for a beating if she gets caught.

The trouble is, he's called her a coward, he's openly dared her now, and she can't make herself run away. Her pride's bigger than her sense of self-preservation. So she sets her jaw, slots a blood-red marble into the cup of her slingshot, and gets ready to sell her life dearly.]

[spam]

[justplaying]

[There's fish and honey wafting towards him as Victor prowls, but that's not what draws him down the hall. The copper tang of adrenaline and fear works its way into his senses, and three heartbeats overlaid, two hummingbird fast and one slow and plodding, and that's what does it. Instinct digs its claws in, as sharp as his own, and he lopes down the hallway towards the sounds of shouting. A glance towards the smaller form, and then towards the larger, and he really doesn't need an excuse to attack. Doesn't really care, he's been on edge since he first got here, just anticipating a fight that never came.

It's not heroism that inspires him. Not the urge to do right, or to protect those smaller or weaker than he is. It's just predatory instinct and convenience, plain and simple.

He lunges for the captain, claws out, a leap not unlike a lion's pounce. Aiming for his back, somewhere to latch on, not really concerned about where to go from there. He's got ten knives on his fingers, he'll figure it out.]

[spam]

[tentacruelest]

[Smart boy, Victor, even when he's not trying to be; as Davy bears down on Lilith, claw out, his back is left unprotected. This is fairly crucial: as slow as Davy turns, and for however powerful that claw arm is, he has relatively little protection or shielding from the back, and is soft and vulnerable when stabbed from behind.

He gives a roar of rage and pain and twists hard to try and get at the boy clinging to his back, attempting to swat or yank Victor off. His attention is successfully pulled from Lilith, this new threat far more irritating]

[calamari and spam]

[clockworkflower]

[Lilith lets out a positively earsplitting, shrill yell of combined fear for her big damn hero new friend Victor and the sheer thrill of seeing him pounce. WHAT IF HE GETS HURT ARGH.

Naturally, she tries to help. Retreat doesn't really find its way into this girl's vocabulary till she's a bit older. So she aims her marble at the squidman's face, and follows up by launching herself at the clawed arm; she's not over keen on being nipped with it, but she thinks maybe if she can catch hold of it by the elbow she can stop him hurting Victor.]

[calamari and spam]

[justplaying]

[As Davy twists and turns Victor only digs in tighter, pulling his legs up to dig heels in to keep his purchase. He shifts his heels one at a time to get his shoes off in order to get more surfaces to keep his grip; he's got ten claws on his toes too, and zero hesitation in using them to keep his perch, growling the entire time, something closer to animal than human. From there it's a matter of raking his claws, trying to tear through skin to get him to stop, get to the soft parts where all the good stuff is. Claw his eyes out if he can get to them. He's not letting go, and he's too stubborn to give in no matter how furious Davy's retaliation. he can heal, or so he's still certain. No matter what he's dealt, he'll get better.]

[calamari and spam]

[tentacruelest]

[Lilith and her screaming is of little consequence when compared to the porcupine that's the vicious little Victor; her gripping his claw goes equally unnoticed, since it's about the weight and width of a felled tree. Lilith, when she seizes the claw, is easily plucked up off her feet and swung around with the arm's movement.

Less easy is Victor, who seems to be trying to claw his way through to Davy's insides. The barnacles weighing heavily on the sea coat provides some protection, but none where the claws dig in between them. He can't quite reach behind his back to seize Victor, but when Victor brings his arms around to Davy's face, the tentacles that make up his beard latch hard onto the boy's arms, wrists, hands, elbows, anywhere they can reach. If Victor can't pull free, the sea captain will be heaving the brat up and over his head by his own wrists]

[calamari and spam]

[clockworkflower]

[Okay, THAT she didn't expect - Lilith at this age hasn't acquired the understanding of mass and physics that Iris will - but she's brave and determined. She hangs on like a little cursing limpet, and the great thing about being lifted bodily off the ground is that it frees up both her legs for kicking.

She tries to bite, too, in between an astonishing range of swearwords for someone her age. Not that even she thinks that'll do much good at this point; but if she lets go she's liable to be thrown against a wall and that's going to hurt.]

[calamari and spam]

[justplaying]

[Tentacles latch on and Victor fights like a wildcat, spitting and snarling as he claws at them, fully intent on tearing them off if he has to. He'll do it, he doesn't care, and his healing factor makes him bold; if he can't claw them off he'll bite, tear them off that way, and when the arms finally jerk, pulling him bodily ass over teakettle he twists and growls and continues to try to attack even as balance is lost. If it breaks it will fix itself in minutes, if he bleeds it will seal itself up sooner, and if he doesn't well. He won't notice until it's already too late.]

[calamari and spam]

[tentacruelest]

[His face is sensitive to pain, and as Victor claws and screeches and fights Davy bleeds more and more heavily. However, boundless, stubborn determination keeps him from letting go, and when Victor is swung up and over so that his back is to Davy's chest, the captain keeps Victor's hands well above his head and crushes him to his body with his free arm, pinning him. The teeth and claws are the things to watch; if he can hold Victor without touching his face or hands, he can manage.

With barely a second to rest, Jones raises his claw arm to look at Lilith scrabbling to keep a hold. Giving a derisive snort, he flings her up and catches her by the back of her shirt in the same motion; child's play for someone so light and tiny.

From there, it's a simple motion to set her up on a hook against the wall ordinarily used for drapes, keeping her well above the ground.

Victor may need a more careful hand]

[calamari and spam]

[clockworkflower]

[If her shrieks were piercing before, that's nothing to Lilith's reaction to being hung helplessly on a hook like a smoked ham; but once Davy's out of kicking range, shriek in impotent fury is all she can do.]

You squidfaced bastard, I will cut your head off and feed it to the dogs! Get me DOWN! Get him, Victor! Poke his eyes out!

[It's some very loud and thrashing impotent fury, though.]

[calamari and spam]

[justplaying]

[The attempt to subdue, to restrain, only makes Victor struggle harder, feet scrabbling air and kicking backwards to try to gain footing as he twists and squirms, fingers curled and claws fully extended even though he can't reach anything. He's a flurry of constant movement, straining his neck around to try to bite his captor, trying to get enough slack to claw, and all the while trying to make enough room between him and Davy's arm to twist around to get at him better. He growls and shouts in frustration and rage, Lilith's shrieks only setting him more on edge and he doesn't really care that she's been effectively put down for the count too except for the part where that means all of Davy's attention is on him.]

LET ME GO YOU FUCKING BASTARD. I'LL KILL YOU. I DON'T CARE IF YOU KNOW ME I'LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES AND SHOVE YER TENTACLES DOWN YER THROAT. I'LL RUN YA THROUGH WITH YER OWN CLAW. LET ME GO OR I SWEAR YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD.

[calamari and spam]

[tentacruelest]

[The kid is slippery and stronger than he ought to be for his size, but Jones holds tight to him, giving him a vicious shake when he won't shut up. It's like trying to wrestle a tiny mountain lion.

But he knows this is Victor. He likes Victor. If it was anyone else, this kid would be over the side faster than he could blink.

Instead, Davy gives him the same treatment as Lilith, hanging him up by the back of his clothes, far up high from the ground. He steps away before the brat can get a few good swipes in, sneering at them both. His claw comes up, pointing in Victor's face]

You and your beau can remain here until your legs grow properly long enough to stand on the ground.

[calamari and spam]

[clockworkflower]

[Lilith doesn't run out of breath, exactly. It's just that once she's been placed out of reach of the claw, once she watches the big man handle Victor with it, it becomes clear how much real damage he could have caused them both, and hasn't. She realises in almost the same moment that she only has to wriggle out of her shirt and she'll be free.

She looks across at Victor and offers him a rueful grin. But she doesn't start to wriggle till Jones is out of sight.]

[calamari and spam]

[justplaying]

[He growls and snarls after the captain as he walks away, twisting and jerking and generally being pissed off and frustrated because he should have had him.]

She ain't my beau. Get back here. Get back here or I'll run ya through!

[He meets her gaze but only huffs in annoyance. It's not funny. Not even a little.]

[calamari and spam]

[tentacruelest]

[Giving a dismissal of Victor with his claw, Davy sets out to go play on his organ for a bit, too annoyed about the proceedings of the day to pay Victor and Lilith any mid]

[spam and sushi]

[deadliestviper]

[There's virtually no way anyone missed that commotion -- Bea had heard Lilith's screams and Victor's roars from the stairwell and immediately run toward the sounds.

She expected to find a few kids duking it out in a tussle. Two children on hangers and an adult walking away is a bit of a surprise.]

You are fucking kidding me.

[spam and sushi]

[clockworkflower]

[It's not easy to do a good injured innocent impression when the echoes of your threats are still ringing in the air, but Lilith gives it her considerable best.]

We were only playing.

[spam and sushi]

[justplaying]

[Victor doesn't even bother with looking innocent. He's hanging up here, completely undignified, and angry as hell about it.]

He's just scared.

[spam and sushi]

[deadliestviper]

[Beatrix's jaw is set as she approaches and grabs Lilith by the waist to hoist her up off the hook.]

I don't care what you were doing, neither of you are doing it again.

[spam and sushi]

[clockworkflower]

I won't.

[Now that she's out of danger, Lilith is quick to see the funny side. This large golden lady is also angry, but even before she touches her, Lilith can see that it's not an anger she needs to fear. This is like Mary's anger, one that can be defused easily with affection, and that's part of the reason she twines her arms around the huge lady's neck.

It's also partly out of honest, immediate liking. Lilith's always known she can't grow up to be like Mary or the Aunts or the nearly-faceless mansion house staff, any more than she might grow up to be a tree or a doorstop or a loaf of bread. Beatrix, for the first time, gives her a living picture of a thing she might aspire to, fierce and brave and beautiful, and she wants to wrap herself around that like ivy.]

I promise.

[She's not even lying.]