following the footsteps of a rag doll dance, we are entranced ...

[seeingyou]

WHO: OPEN to all passengers.
WHAT: General mingle log for the first part of the month, including new partner pairing stuff.
WHERE: Navi, all over.
WHEN: Now until the next event (Oct. 3-17).
WARNINGS: If things get messy and/or upsetting, please put warnings in your comment subject lines! And if you absolutely can't keep from strangling your new partner, please report it on the death page.

Hello, passengers! Today begins just like normal, but it’s far from an ordinary day. On this fine point in space-time, passengers will notice a little something different when it comes to the glyphs marked on the backs of their hands.

They're glowing. The light is a deep shade of blue, and it's slowly blinking on and off. Maybe it's searching for something? It's entirely possible, because affected passengers will also feel a gentle tugging sensation that stops once they've come face to face with their partners. The glyph will switch to glowing a steady blue once partners are synced with each other, and they'll be able to communicate telepathically with each other, too.

Have fun getting to know each other a little better! Or, you know. Yelling at each other. Just try to keep the murder to a minimum, OK?

Comments

[betterhavemammoney]

Arrival
The fifth floor should be calming; it has that hydroponic garden providing some soothing greenery and fresh oxygen. Its lounge is probably a nice place to sit and relax. It's probably quiet and peaceful until the door to room 505 is thrown open with a shouted "HEY! Who d'ya think you are?!"

Out sprints a lanky white-haired young man in a leather jacket and jeans, hands on his hips, glaring from behind a pair of gold-tinted sunglasses. "Think you're good enough to summon the Great Mammon? I'm a busy demon, ya know! I'm gonna give ya ONE chance to fix this and that's more than you deserve! If you don't make it worth my while I'm gonna eat all you weak humans! Who's in charge?!"


Around the Ship
There are a lot of unlocked cabins to root through. Most of them are vacant, and Mammon roots through them seeking out anything interesting. There's nothing valuable in there, but each does have its own toiletries and towel, which he stockpiles in his room. Eventually someone will need soap or a toothbrush and they'll have no choice but to buy it off him.

He's more interested in the occupied cabins, which have locks he can't get past yet. The thought of something beautiful and golden hidden behind those doors makes Mammon itch and he tries all of them, increasingly frustrated that he can't get in. He's decidedly sulky by the time he storms away from another cabin and growls at the nearest person, "Ain't ya got anything good around here?"

Arrival

[albatrossomen]

"No one is in charge."

Comes the bored, drawled monotone. While impossible to miss the sudden prickling arrival of a demon aboard the ship, the shouting would have ensured that he couldn't have been missed anyway. Really, what kind of demon went and announced himself like this?

Murmur had planted himself leaning against a wall near his own doorway, which wasn't very far at all from the room this loud miscreant had come bursting out of. While he knew exactly what this strange man was, he was working to pull his own energy inward. Disguise as much as he possibly could while he felt out the situation.

It wouldn't do to start a fight between Celestials in the middle of one of Navi's hallways.

[betterhavemammoney]

Mammon turns to the source of the voice, narrowing his eyes at Murmur. Not because he's an angel (even though Murmur's hiding most of his energy, he can sniff out the Celestial elements), but because of the bored monotone. He is a great and powerful demon, dammit! He deserves fearful reverence! Or at the very least a polite greeting!

"Sure they are! SOMEONE summoned me, an' you! There's gotta be a sorcerer or witch here somewhere pullin' the strings!"

[albatrossomen]

Mammon will receive neither from this angel. Of course, Murmur expected he wouldn't be able to hide himself completely, but he could conceal enough to not raise any particular alarms for the moment. Best to keep that card up his sleeve in case things become hostile.

"Not so. Did you see any evidence of ritual upon your arrival? We are merely the victims of chaotic space-time anomalies."

His tone remained bored, if perhaps a little chilly. That's just Murmur being Murmur, though.

[betterhavemammoney]

He has a point, it wasn't a regular summoning circle or anything, but it was similar enough to a summoning that Mammon is still angry. "Even if it's nerd stuff like that, someone's still in charge!"

Mammon huffs, not paying enough attention to pick up Murmur's frostiness. "If they can bring me here they can send me back, y'know? And if they want me to stick around it better be worth it. I ain't hangin' around for free!"

[albatrossomen]

"All aboard this ship have experienced the same fate as you. No one is in charge." He repeats, slower, because clearly Mammon is hard of hearing when he doesn't like the answers he's given.

"You're in luck, we are working toward that goal presently." Sending everyone home, that is.

[betterhavemammoney]

He doesn't care what boat everyone else is in! And he doesn't trust that this isn't orchestrated in some way. Weren't most things?

"Great, who's makin' that happen? 'cause that's who I wanna talk to, dummy!"

[albatrossomen]

Of course he doesn't. Demons aren't exactly known for their strong sense of empathy. Granted, Murmur might have been inclined to agree this was orchestrated in some manner, but the only source he could think of wasn't known for answering questions.

"Ah, well, I might have told you, but now I realize I am a... dummy you said? Suppose it is time to practice my skills at being mute."

Guess it's time to be difficult to the demon. Oh how the tables turn.

[adaptiveimmunities]

Shaun has finally figured out why his hand is blinking like an unpaired bluetooth device--apparently it is an unpaired bluetooth device. So that's neat. He follows the faint pull and blinking until he comes across someone trying unsuccessfully to get into a locked cabin.

"You lose your handprint or something?" he asks.

[betterhavemammoney]

Mammon noticed the blinking lights before but hadn't spent much time investigating it, not when there might be beautiful treasures just behind these locked doors. That takes precedence, and he'll start caring about the situation in earnest once he's done casing the joint.

He turns to Shaun in surprise, then looks down at his hands trying to force the door handle. "My what? These things use handprint recognition?"

[adaptiveimmunities]

Shaun shrugs a little. "I don't know. Some kind of biolock or something. I assume it has something to do with the handprint, because the idea of it taking a DNA sample freaks me out."

[betterhavemammoney]

"Huh." Mammon considers for a moment whether a DNA-based lock would be easier to break into than a biometric one. Handprints can't be that hard to collect.

"Show me."

[adaptiveimmunities]

He shrugs and moves toward the door Mammon is messing with. He grabs the handle and tries to open it. It doesn't open. "Not my door." He tries again with the next one down. "Not my door." He tries a third and it opens under his hand, then he glances at the door, then back at him. "This one's mine."

[betterhavemammoney]

Well, that's one great mystery solved. Now Mammon just has to get everyone else to open up as easily as Shaun has.

"Hey, cool!" He pushes into the cabin, looking around. "What ya got in here?"

arrival as well

[sisterswitch]

Welp, that sure is someone out in the hallway kicking up a loud fuss. Jack's been in her cabin, jotting down some thoughts in her journal and generally minding her own business, but this loudmouth - demon, he said? - has disrupted her train of thought, so she might as well investigate. With a long sigh, she picks herself up off the bed and makes her way to the cabin door, opening in to poke her head out and inspect the offending party in the hallway.

"Sweetie, if I'd summoned you, you'd know it." She flashes him a sarcastic half-smile. "Fortunately for you, I don't have much use for a demon at the moment."

[betterhavemammoney]

Mammon rounds on Jack and stands with his hands on his hips, looking her up and down with what he expects is an intimidating glare. She looked human, but was lacking the clear jewel-like soul most had. That paired with what she said probably made her a witch who'd sold her soul. Possibly for impressive power.

That said, she wasn't a witch Mammon knew, and he wasn't going to back down off blowing his own horn now.

"And I don't got time for some witch who didn't even summon me! Hey, you, hand over all your money an' tell me where the other witches are!"

[sisterswitch]

Sorry, Mammon - Jack isn't intimidated. In fact, she's downright amused, and laughs lightly at his demand.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, kiddo, but I'm the only witch on board." As far as she knows, that's true. Not all spellcasters are witches, so Murmur doesn't count.

"And we don't really have money here, either. Name's Jack, by the way - not hey you."

[betterhavemammoney]

"That can't be true! And don't call me kiddo, I'm way older than you!" Which is true but it doesn't change the fact that Mammon, at his absolute most mature, emotionally resembles a college freshman. "Call me the Great Mammon, 'cause that's who I am!"

He considers threatening to eat her again, but it doesn't feel right. Maybe just because he isn't hungry, or maybe because Mammon's intimidated by witches. He can try to bluff his way past that?

"Then ya better come up with some, because I ain't getting summoned without getting reimbursed!"

[sisterswitch]

Jack pauses, gives Mammon a pointed look up and down, and laughs. "Not that great," is her determination, "and you might want to clean out your ears, 'cause like I said, nobody here summoned you. Welcome to the chaotic nature of the multiverse."

Around the ship

[unnecessaryflourishes]

Emet-Selch is not actually anywhere near his cabin when he runs across Mammon. Nor does he really have any particular mind to care that someone has been attempting to get into the locked cabins. None of the ones on this floor are his, and the attempt has quite clearly failed, besides.

He is however, perfectly willing to hold a conversation - and perhaps more relevant, is dressed in clothes that are very distinct Fancy.

"Had you been looking for something in particular?"

This is, of course, no guarantee that he'll actually offer anything, should Mammon say yes. But the question hurts little enough.

[betterhavemammoney]

It's just as well it's not Emet-Selch's cabin, or Mammon might be a tiny bit embarrassed for half a second. As it is he just takes the man's appearance in, immediately zeroing in on the earring he wears, the medals on his jacket, every shiny thing on display. It's all he can do not to grin in pure glee.

So there is something he can go for. He can practically smell the precious metals.

"Just -- somethin' good. Pretty. Interesting." All of these are synonymous with 'valuable' and 'shiny' to him. "Is there anything like that around here?"

[unnecessaryflourishes]

"Those are all rather subjective."

There's a shrug with the words. He won't deny that there are things that he has found interesting on board the ship. And - rarely - off it, though there's been but the one chance to get off the ship thus far. But whether those are the same things that Mammon will find interesting is quite another question.

"But I suppose you might be able to find something suitably attractive onboard, should you look hard enough. Though you might have better luck when next we stop."

[betterhavemammoney]

"Gold," Mammon clarifies. "Or silver. Or gemstones. Y'know, somethin' pretty and interestin' like that." His gaze may be apparent at this point. "Attractive."

Wait what? "When we stop? What're you talkin' about?"

Which greedy demon has two thumbs and didn't pay attention when arriving on board?...

[unnecessaryflourishes]

Mammon's gaze is absolutely apparent, yes. Not that Emet is inclined to do much of anything provided it remains little more than simply a gaze. But he is very much aware of it, all the same.

"Were you not aware that this ship made stops, periodically?"

It's - mostly - honest curiosity. After all, he's not going to suspect that everyone will be given the same sort of rundown he might have, on first arriving. Or be inclined to listen, either. But it is nonetheless something worth inquiring about.

[betterhavemammoney]

No no, those valuables are like an absolute beauty at a party who definitely doesn't need a chaperone, and Mammon's still making eyes at them. He'll be gentlemanly, though... for now.

"We do? Huh, okay." Makes sense, he guesses. They need a pit stop now and then. "So what's pretty on these stops then?" Is there something better than that bling Emet's sporting? Maybe he should just make a move for that now.