escordvi | ❄️ the first blizzard | december catch-all (open)

Entry tags:

❄️ the first blizzard | december catch-all (open)

Who: Jill Warrick
Status: Open
Where: Everywhere
What: MANTA Board prompts including: A Storm of Sneezes, A Steamy Winter Heist, Monty's Python, future Wintertide events
Warnings: None that I could think of at the moment, but will update if needed!

❄️ » a storm of sneezes

[The ground shaking below her does catch Jill off-guard the first time it happens, but after shrugging it off as a random earthquake, the ones that come after don't bother her as long as none of the fragile items in her apartment crash down around her.

Being held on an island with an active volcanic action going on for thirteen years has given her the breezy attitude about it, though that doesn't last much longer once someone explains that it's not a quake at all, but poor Eltrut, the Leviathan underneath all their feet, is under the weather. It's probably just a regular cold, but with every cough and sneeze from the beast, the walls and windows shake and groan and even Jill's patience is tested. They need to help it and fast.

While others are running around with large pots of hot soup, Jill is off to the side of things, in a large enough space where she has the space to start ripping curtains into overly generous squares and hemming the raw edges with a speed that hints to some skill with needle and thread. Someone said they needed handkerchiefs and while Jill knows nothing about soupmaking, this she knows well.

But she is only one woman and can't do this alone. There's so much left to rip and sew before the next sneeze happens. A sharp implement would make things go faster.]

Excuse me, would you have a knife on you, by any chance?

❄️ » a steamy winter heist

[Unless there was good reason, Jill wouldn't usually be taking part in such activities, even though she's a Corsair. The worst kind of them with how she tends to be far more helpful than hurtful, but it is what it is.

But today, there is a good reason, just one Jill isn't willing to discuss. Everybody here is out for the doubloons and while she could use some, she has other intentions.

That's why when a few cases of tea have already been opened and ransacked, Jill hangs around until the most of crowd is gone and any stragglers left aren't even concerned with her presence. It gives her ample opportunity to calmly make her way to an open crate off to the side. No one else is around yet she still doesn't hesitate to start reaching in for a sack or two so she can shove them in her satchel.

Her own personal caper. Never been caught stealing before (not that she's actually stolen much of anything in her life to begin with), she hopes her personal record continues. But does it really? Perhaps there was a pair of eyes that saw a lot more than Jill caught on?]

❄️ » monty's python

[Strange animals seem common more often than not in this world, something that Jill is used to her own world. You see one Morbol, you never trust a seemingly unassuming pile of leaves and sticks again. You get attacked by one eight-headed goose, you never trust any goose ever again.

But she still finds time to seek comfort and joy in the normal ones, like the birds that sing the sweetest song outside her bedroom window or the stray cat down by the shore that Bluetooth has taken a liking to. Normalcy is great, appreciated even, and that is what tricks her into a sense of safety that has her stooping low to the ground with her hand out to a white rabbit.]

Hey there. It's okay. You can come closer. I don't bite.

[Maybe she doesn't, but this rabbit, in its sudden turn of personality, sure does. And it shows her how well it does so with a flash of horrifyingly sharp pointed fangs.

Jill immediately backs up, but she isn't fast enough to beat the rabbit who aims directly for her ankles. At that angle, she can give it a good kick, but it's not enough to dissuade the bloodthirsty beast. It's up on its little paws before long and running right towards her with a growl.]

Stay back or else!

❄️ » wildcard

Nothing here tickles your fancy, but you still want some interaction with Jill? Reach out to me at my plotting comment here or

recipeh or on Discord at misandrycakes and we can work something out!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ REM IS HERE FOR THE MONIES...

And because this seems to be a giant free-for-all heist of multiple corsairs wreaking havoc on one unsuspecting merchant ship, neither of them likely knew that the other would be here in the resulting chaos. Coordination amongst looters? Never. ]

. . . Oh.

[ Imagine her surprise when, while reaching into a certain crate, it's Jill that's also reaching for the same bag of tea. ] Hello, Jill. [ .... ] Please, you first.

[ This is spoken very light, very absurdly, and very casually, as if it's not aphrodisiac tea they're stealing, but they simply encountered each other at the market and reached for the same fruit. ]

[There are so many Corsairs in one place, doubly so when money is involved, that it's easy to not recognize a familiar face in the crowd. Besides, Jill was more concerned with making her own little stash of the tea, not socializing.

At the sound of her name, she follows the length of arm stretched out above the sacks and it leads to her to Rem. It's bad enough to have gotten caught. Worse so that it's by someone so much younger. Especially when everybody knows the real use of the tea isn't just for a warm beverage.]

Hello, Rem. [Jill's voice comes out cracked, shattered all around the edges. She clears her throat a little too loudly and glances away from Rem as her face burns up, pulling her own hands back as if she wasn't just about to take something.] No, no. Don't mind me. Take what you want.

[And sell it all, Jill hopes. Rem seems too young to have need of such a drink.]

[ Long stretches of war campaigns across the Continent leave many soldiers lonely. Something like this would fetch as high a price as cigarettes among the legionaries. Rem imagines, then, that merchant marines experience the same thing when they're weeks out at sea... so it's not as if she doesn't know what this tea can be used for!

Still. It is a bit like being caught red-handed, so before Jill makes the wrong! assumption! Rem stammers out: ] J-just so you know, this isn't for me. I'm going to sell it, I am.

[ The denail probably only makes her more suspicious. Oh well. Hastily, Rem begins stuffing a bunch of the bags into a satchel she carries. ] There's enough for both of us to take.

[If she was privy to Rem's inner thoughts (and had the bravery to respond to them), Jill would say that marines weeks away from home probably didn't need the effect of this tea when they finally did step ashore. But then that would open her up to questions on why she's here trying to bring some to her own home.]

Yes. That was the plan. To sell them.

[Jill's reply is not in the least bit filled with the confidence of someone who has full intentions in trading on the black market which is correct. Her little stash was to be for her own personal use, an experiment to fulfill some growing curiosity. But explaining that to anyone would further the embarrassment she already feels and Jill just is not willing to go there.]

Oh, I've already taken what I need. [A lie what with her empty satchel alongside her usual skill in lying proficiently seemingly having fallen to the wayside with the cracking of her voice again.] I wanted to leave some for others.

[ Unless she has some reason to be suspicious or cautious, Rem is usually one to take others' words at face value. Indeed, this is how she regards Jill-- or would have in this situation, if not for the small, obvious crack in her companion's voice.

...

........ ]

[ Aha. ]

Jill.

[She hears her name loud and clear. Really, she should pretend to not have heard Rem call it? Suddenly act like her given moniker no longer exists and now she goes by something else.

But her lips are moving before she can think and she's replying otherwise.]

Yes, Rem?

[ Rem doesn't care for how or what Jill will use the tea for-- that's a private matter-- but. As a friend...

She most definitely wants to know with whom the woman will be using it, and better yet, how to best support her!! Which means encouraging her to take more. Did someone catch her eye on the island? Is it a gentleperson from Elah or a rogue from Nogard? She must know! So now the question becomes, how does she get this information out of her without being too overt??? ]

You know, [ Rem tilts her head, bringing her hand up to her lips to conceal the corner of her smile. She needs to start... subtly! Subtly, then build up to directly ask who. ] I don't think I can carry all of this supply by myself. I'm going to need some help. Mind putting a few more packets into your bag?

[ And if she forgets to ask for them later... Oh well! ]

Edited (reading comprehension and clarity) 2023-12-05 18:50 (UTC)

[The person Jill has her eye on... Well, Clive is on the island. He was in their home world too and her eyes have been on him for many years now. It's a very long and involved story that she hasn't told anyone outside of two people who already know: Joshua, by way of relation and wingman and Cid, purely because he shamelessly dragged it out of Jill in the middle of a tavern.

But neither of them are fully aware what goes on behind closed doors. Or what doesn't. The people who responded to her anonymous letters know that part, but faceless and nameless strangers are no risk to her. So she thinks.

Jill's shoulders visibly relax from the tension she wasn't even aware was there when Rem doesn't call Jill out on her lie. Good, good. Moving right along.]

Not at all. You'll need to take as many as you'd like if you're going to trade them.

[Because selling. Sell all the tea, especially the ones she begins putting in her bag. New plan to work with.]

That's so considerate! Here, let me hand you a few more... [ So she says, shoving a handful into Jill's bag. Because clearly, Rem's satchel is completely full!

Loot acquired, Rem pulls the drawstring of her satchel, afterward dusting off her hands on the tarp. Something as rare as this tea can't be sold all at once, otherwise it diminishes the value, and Rem plans on living off the profit for at least a month. She has many things to buy in the coming weeks, after all. ] Phew, that should be enough.

[ After securing the strap of the bag around her front, Rem lifts a hand to her cheek, giving an airy sigh as she closes her eyes. A bit dramatic, but. ] Just in time to encourage a bit of romance for the winter holiday... Even the corsairs will be cozy instead of brawling, I hope!

[ She cracks open one eye to observe Jill's expression. Lookit her being so subtle! ]

[This is plenty of tea being stuffed into her bag, so many sack that could fetch a decent amount of doublooons. Also an amount that maybe Rem won't mind Jill keeping a few of. Maybe Jill will cough up the nerve to ask about that.

Jill does the same with securing her bag and shoves to lie across her back rather than along her hip. Like this, it'll be easier to break into a run if the guards end up coming. This is a theft operation, after all. Wouldn't do to actually get caught.

They should leave immediately, but Rem pulls a pose causing Jill to stop and look at her because something is off. Not badly so, just like Rem is beating around the bush for some reason.]

I suspect some find brawling to be the romantic part.

[Not her, though. Jill wants flowers, candlelight dinners, held hands, verbal affirmations of love, a bit more physical intimacy... her only problem is getting Clive to do these things. She knows he loves her. There is no question about it. She just finds herself desiring the things she reads about in the romance novels a little more each day.

That's why she's here for the tea. Maybe it'll give both of them the push they need.]

[ Time to go.

Having marked their exit before they even got here, Rem turns in a direction and waves Jill over to follow her. With the other corsairs already departed to the deck and gaining most of the security's attention as a result (or what's left of the security on this ship), they'll probably have no problem on their way out. Probably. Doesn't mean they should linger.

She continues the topic, linking her hands behind her back innocently. ]

....Oh, you included? You don't seem like the type, you don't.

[Rem's leading the way for the second time again. Jill goes along because she has no reason to doubt her and if push comes to shove and they find themselves in the company of a few guards, Jill believes she can handle them well enough.]

For brawling? No. I find no entertainment in such brutality, much less romance. That probably doesn't make me the best Corsair, but it is who I am.

[ There's no judgment on Rem's part for the "doesn't make me the best Corsair" comment. Exactly who gatekeeps piracy? Not her! She'd be a hypocrite, too. Violence with affection is.... is.... hm... It reminds her too much of her childhood friend who she thought she knew, who she thought was kind, who became far too cold, far too volatile, far too possessive--

Why are feelings complicated? She's not thinking of that, n o p e. ] Probably a good thing. That doesn't sound pleasant-- the fighting part to it, I mean. [ She comments, lightly, and moves on. ] But, um... really? No interest in romance?

[ There's a glance in her direction. This time, there's less of a playful angle to it, but rather-- genuine surprise, which then settles into a conclusive look. ] ...Ah. I get it.

[ WHAT DOES SHE GET. Jill will just have to ask. Rem does appear as if she does want to be asked. Ask her. ]

[Jill's preparing a verbal defense in how she did not say she had no interest in romance nor did she imply it. What she truly meant was that she found neither entertainment nor romance in brutality, but perhaps her wording just got jumbled up along the way. It happens.

But then Rem is eyeing her, expectant, like a child waiting for a sweet, except in this situation, the confection is Jill asking the question Rem seems to expect her to ask.

Fine. She'll give in. But just this once. Wouldn't want to encourage these kinds of shenanigans (too late, it's been done.)]

You get what?

Welll... [ She'd drawing this out, definitely finding something entertaining. ] Firstly, Jill, [ She lifts up a finger as they walk, as if counting up a list. ] you're beautiful! [ She waves that finger back and forth as if she won't take an objection on that fact. Really, anyone can see how lovely Jill is. With clear eyes, fair skin, and silver hair, it's as if she's carved from marble. If she worked at the academy, Rem is certain she'd have no class with an absentee, to say nothing of faculty meetings. ] If you don't find romance all that entertaining, I can only imagine how many have fallen at your feet to have bored you with it.

Second-- [ She pivots on her heels so that she's walking backward as they talk, and up goes finger number two. ] if you've no interest... could it mean you've already tried once, then found it dull? [ Her two lifted fingers curl back into her palm, which she brings to her chest. ] If that's the case, I feel sorry for whomever failed you.

[With Rem walking in front of her, she probably won't be able to catch Jill's immediate expression of confusion. No one's ever really called her beautiful in her life. That one single finger Rem holds up Jill can use to count the one time someone did. And that person was Clive a couple months ago. He hasn't said it again since, but he never has been a man of many words so Jill doesn't hold it against him. Not like she's used to compliments anyway. They take her off guard far too much for her to easily accept them.

But her responding argument isn't about the compliment, but Rem's assumption on romance.]

I never said I didn't find romance entertaining. I meant I didn't find brutality romantic. And no, I mean... I have... no, no one's failed me.

[Jill's at a loss as to how to correct Rem without telling her entire life story, about why she's in her thirties yet so far behind in her knowledge about romantic relationships. She sighs, shoulders drooping as she pinches the bridge of her nose and decides to just go with the simplest and most truthful response.]

I just don't have a lot of experience with it.

[ ..... Oh. That's. Not exactly the reaction Rem had been expecting, but it also enlightens her.

"I mean... I have... no, no one's failed me."

Rem's lips press together, mulling over the other woman's words. Does that mean-- she's with someone who has not failed her? Could also mean that there's someone on her mind.

...As if that hadn't been obvious since the moment Rem caught her looking like a spooked chocobo just minutes ago when looting the tea. No one has failed her, she claims, yet she's here for what many couples enjoy.

This seems like a little too delicate of a topic to assume, and so with this, she decides to be a little more direct. Rem stops her walk, leaning forward and lowering her voice. It's the same manner in which she would when sharing secrets between the aisles of the lecture hall, carrying a promise in its tone-- a promise to not divulge elsewhere. Gently, ] ...Can I ask who it is?

[Jill would never ever claim Clive failed her, not even when it seems he has to be pushed to do things for her by outside forces instead of taking the initiative. Not that she's aware of Joshua and Cid's machinations, but even if she did, she knows he has just as little knowledge in the love department. Neither one can blame the other, what with their developing years spent enslaved, stunting their maturity in various ways.

Thus she shakes her head, pressing her lips together before parting them to speak.]

I don't believe you know him.

[At least Jill gives away that it's a man. Clive's identity is kept close to keep his honor and perhaps his reputation as a suitor as well intact.]

Edited 2023-12-06 00:01 (UTC)

[ By now, Rem knowns that this isn't a "he goes to a different leviathan-- you wouldn't know him" situation.

Testing her luck, she decides not to ask for a name, but instead presses for: ] Aaand... how long have you known him?

[ It's a benign question, in Rem's mind, practically small talk! Anyone would want to know a friend isn't running off with someone they met twelve hours ago. ]

[No, the other person in this situation absolutely exists. They share an Armada and soon enough, an independent ship crew. Clive is real and solid and some nights, Jill remembers to be thankful for that.]

Many years.

[Does she count the thirteen years they spent apart or no? It doesn't matter. Rem seems intent on peppering Jill with more questions as soon as one is answered. Little details aren't needed in small talk!]

Why are you asking me all this?

[ Her lips close, another question dying upon her tongue as soon as Jill asks a question in return.

Her brow lifts. ]

...Oh. [ A pause. ] Isn't it obvious?

[Jill returns that brow quirk with one of her own, now suspicious over Rem's intentions. She's a fellow Corsair, but that doesn't mean she can be fully trusted when she beats around the bush so much.]

No. It is not.

[Just like Rem pushed her into asking that question earlier, Jill is going to turn the tables and push her into answering instead.]

[ Now.

At this.

Rem cannot help but wonder. Really wonder, what in Jill's life circumstance has made her not be able to pick up on something that should be obvious-- rather, "obvious" in Rem's mind. It reminds her, if only vaguely, of how guarded other soldiers can be.

And that obvious thing would be-- ]

Because I'm your friend.

[ She clasps her hands together happily, finding herself smiling at the declaration. Before Jill has a chance to respond, let alone protest both the label and the assumption, Rem continues to talk: ] Okay, that doesn't mean you have to tell me everything, it doesn't but... [ She nods in Jill's direction. ]

It does mean that I'm asking because I care about you, and I want to see you both be happy and have fun with whomever Mr. Mysterious Romance Man is.

❄️ the first blizzard | december catch-all (open)

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