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[hellonspectacles]

Inbox for Palamedes Sextus

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action;

[mooninthewater]

[ Hello, Pal! You might not be expecting a sea jelly excitedly knocking at your door seemingly at random, but who does really? There should probably be a protocol for this specific situation. It happens a lot, for some reason. ]

Re: action;

[hellonspectacles]

[To be fair, it's a very polite thing for a sea jelly to do!

Pal limps a little as he comes to the door; though no serious damage was done, he is still covered in bruises after his adventure scaling the ship's stairs during the storm and--not to put too fine a point on it--being flung to the relative safety of Jenny's ship. When he opens the door he does recognize Mizuki, though not necessarily from their most recent encounter. He had been focused on other things then. Like not dying. And the tentacles.]

It's Mizuki, isn't it? What can I do for you?

text after the captain's party

[neverleave]

Picture turned out weird but
Captain's got a black void inside him which will apparently kill you if you touch it.
Do you know what it means?

[Attached: a photo of the captain's weird head wound, except it's all warped like a creepypasta.

Look, Pal is like his go-to person to creepy occult shit.]

[hellonspectacles]

[Palamedes had escaped to the deck the moment he could in a desperate hope that it might cure the nausea that had welled up inside him after the captain had appeared and the purpose of the party had become apparent.

Weirdly, the text from Natsuno helps. It’s data. It’s something to focus on besides the matter of just how many of his fellow passengers were willing and eager to resort to violence at the briefest provocation.]

Haven’t a clue. Currently considering three different theories. Will analyze further and get back to you. —Pal [after a moment he sends another text] PS. Clarification. What the hell did you do to him?

[text] a day or two after the captain's party

[light_mischief]

Hell of a party. Feel like trading notes?

[Guess who also happened to get airdropped a couple of pictures of the captain?? And now very much wants to share some shrimp-color-related information?]

[hellonspectacles]

[If anyone ever decides to go through the photos on Palamedes' phone, they are going to be in for a nasty surprise. Serves them right for snooping.]

Mr. Skulduggery,

One of the stranger parties I've had the privilege of attending. I hear the host had his skull crushed open.

I would be delighted to hear your perspective on the events.

Palamedes

[ text, after Lumine's infoshare session ]

[neverleave]

Took another picture of the captain. It's still distorted even though this time I couldn't see the void.
I tried to take a video and the noise was so loud it ruined the speakers.

[Attached: picture of a black smear by the bridge. Oh yeah, Natsuno just knocked on the captain's door hoping he'd answer.]

Re: [ text, after Lumine's infoshare session ]

[hellonspectacles]

How awfully strange. I'm afraid I don't know a thing about photographs, so I can't tell you what would cause such a thing to happen, but I'll hold onto this for our records.

Wait. Did you just...walk up to bridge and knock on the door?

[text] 2 days after the end of camping

[light_mischief]

[Within an hour of this conversation concluding comes this 8-part text message:]

Interesting thing happened. Additional 11 months memory now mine.
Thought it was a bit much, Friday was useless so I spoke to the captain.
Going to try and write down everything before I forget.
The me that's here gained memories from the me that was then.
I know. It makes sense if you say it aloud.
Versions of me not stuck on ship = different moments on the timeline = other versions of self
Asked what I am, I am me but also not me. So hello from a Different Skulduggery. (1/8)

Reference made: Highlander. Never watched it, the commercial was stupid. (2/8)

Physical differences unaccounted for, as in, he does not know how I was physically altered.
He has no idea what happened to me really, even though this is HIS SHIP. (3/8)

You want to know how to talk to him?
He avoids answering questions he doesn't know the answer to. When he starts to talk in circles you know you've found a corner. Back him in.
Always ask exactly what you want the answer to. Otherwise, the runaround.
Direct. No commentary. One question at a time. (4/8)

Research. We're all kindling for the flames of knowledge, but it isn't just apotheosis.
Remembering correctly: tested thousands of ascension rituals but none fit purpose. Purpose??? Repeated again desire to know what he is.
Other purpose??? Possible. Again with the circles.
My gut says this is about freedom of will but my gut is also 451 years rotted away so!
Take it with a grain of salt. (5/8)

"All that exists will always exist." The things that happened to me have happened, will happen, are happening.
He knows our timelines and our various selves on that timeline are capable of being brought here and ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
What happens THEN? Always missing the forest for the trees. (6/8)

Can't remember it all. Time has passed and I am not myself.
Thinking in the future I'll record him.
🔉🔉🔉🔉💥💥💥💥
No! Can't. Audio blows out the phone speakers.
Can't write down in front of him either. He'll mock me.
Do you know how frustrating it is to be mocked by that man?
Worse yet to be mocked and still have to admit that he's right?
"I'm always right"
🙄😒🤮 (7/8)

I don't know. I'm going on vacation.
I have sent this exact message to the following people:
Jade Palamedes Natsuno
You three can work it out without me. Have fun.
I've got books to read and karaoke to sing. (8/8)

no need to reply unless you want to send an 'away message,' we can continue this in Skuls TL!

[hellonspectacles]

Well, that was weird.

There's information embedded within Skulduggery's strange ramblings, no question about it. Palamedes will be pondering the implications for days, weeks, perhaps even months, if that is how long they are trapped here, struggling to solve the mystery of their maniac captain. But getting at that information involves wading through some truly manic prose that sounds in every way unlike the Skulduggery Plesant Palamedes has gotten to know.

Something is up, no question about it. where are you??? We need to talk, he texts as soon as the stream of messages ceases.

Regardless of what response he gets, Pal goes off to find him.

[text] july 8-ish

[light_mischief]

[The morning after these two threads, Skulduggery sends another text message chain: this one is only 2 parts, thankfully...]

I'm sure by now you have discovered the unfortunate side effect
of contact with water. This effect has trickled down from a misguided spell
from the Captain. Friday is currently affected and as far as I can tell, is only
capable of telling the truth. Use this information as you will. (1/2)

Friday told me she would like the Captain to give up.
She also informed me that some of her blood is his.
I refrained from asking anything too probing. It's likely the Captain will
still hear everything she says, and it wouldn't do to needlessly risk anything. (2/2)

[the closest he's going to get to "maybe I don't want Friday to be murdered for something that isn't entirely her fault" to be honest...]

Re: [text] july 8-ish

[hellonspectacles]

[Oh, thank goodness. Skulduggery is sending normal texts again! Pal hopes it lasts. There's probably no one on the ship who are better equipped to think through their situation than Skuls, and it would be a problem for all of them if he started losing his mind.]

Fascinating! Do you know what kind of experiment he was trying to conduct?

[After a moment or two he texts again]

The morgue is a very good place for a private conversation. Just for future reference.

text, july 8-ish (after skulduggery's)

[neverleave]

Skulduggery Pleasant talked to the captain.
The water thing is because one of his spells backfired.
Also, there's a good chance next excursion will be bad.
Be careful if you decide to go.

Re: text, july 8-ish (after skulduggery's)

[hellonspectacles]

Mr. Pleasant was kind enough to fill me in. A fascinating revelation. Can't say I expected it.

[Almost a minute passes before he sends another text.]

Noted.

[Will this bit of information stop him from signing up? Yeah, that seems unlikely.]

backdated to july after he talks to friday (idk time isn't real)

[neverleave]

Friday doesn't leave the ship because a part of the captain can't afford losing her.
She doesn't know if he will survive her leaving, because she's keeping "himself" for him.
She refused to give further details. If think she could but didn't WANT to.
Said talking about it makes her feel "wrong" like she hasn't felt before.
When I tried pressuring her she begged that I stop and sounded like she's about to break.
Apparently she's "built to care" about what he needs.

[hellonspectacles]

Well, that's awfully interesting.

The more I learn from Friday, the more I surmise that she is doing everything in her power to break the Captain's bonds on her. Given the obvious strength of those bonds, it's a commendable effort.

We should continue to work with her however we can. She may even be the key to our freedom.

[text] 1st of august

[light_mischief]

[Some radio silence from Skulduggery to be expected here and there. When he texts Pal back at last, however, he has more juicy gossip to share!!]

The rain was only meant to last for 1-2 weeks. You may have noticed that turned out to not be the case.
The Captain took a second dose of the truth elixir that started this mess in the first place, likely to relearn what he'd forgotten the first time around.
He then promptly took a memory charm to forget what he'd learned. AGAIN.
He said that he'd taken the charm a total of four times this month alone.
There's no reliable way to tell how many times he really took it.
"I only forget irrelevant things" he says, having forgotten too much to know that with any certainty!
Turns out, he likely forgets information that is either "compromising" or "detrimental." (1/6)

He claims the only reason we're here is to fuel his magic and entertain him with our pain.
He has a narrow view of his own project and I fear that's caused more grief and pain than we'll ever be able to uncover.

He said that he wouldn't use the memory charm on himself again.
Furthermore, he said that Friday would keep them from him.
To quote him: "If I order something once, I cannot take it back no matter what I do." (2/6)

There is a secondary goal that he has been purposefully obfuscating from himself: to ensure he cannot be controlled again.
He's clearly forgotten it too many times now, and that amnesia of his has stalled out this project for who knows how long.
There are hundreds of passengers who died for nothing, all because he couldn't handle whatever truth he found.
We could very well be the next if we don't take more proactive steps to solve this. (3/6)

He mentioned Jenny. ("Guabancex.") She limits her power by asking for memories of emotions, as opposed to taking the emotion as the Captain does.
He said that she dragged the passengers of her time out onto the pool deck and slit their throats.
I think she may be trying to make up for this by hunting down ways to fight the Captain.
I also think that the Captain may have started out similarly, which makes me concerned for Jenny's future.
The next time we see her, she may more closely resemble the very thing we're trying to stop. (4/6)

August is likely to be a difficult excursion. "Difficult" being a massive, horrifying understatement, of course.
After the events of last month, combined with what he intends to do, he'll need more power than before.
I'm sure at least one person will die before the end. Perhaps all of us. Whatever happens, we'll have to accept that some casualties are inevitable.
My hope is that the tentative cooperation we're all struggling with will hold. If it doesn't, and even one person turns on the rest of the group...
Well. That's how Jenny wound up the way she is. (5/6)

He says that death is the most effective way to gain power.
"Your worst pain will always shine brighter than your greatest joy."
More confirmation that he is, indeed, a fool. (6/6)

Re: [text] 1st of august

[hellonspectacles]

[Drinking tea in the atrium—the water spell is broken! he can have tea again! hallelujah!—Palamedes reads the texts carefully and thinks for a long time before replying. His first text, though, is rather stating the obvious]

For a god-adjacent being who is at least a myriad old, the Captain is VERY VERY bad at this!!! Emperor’s bones, I’ve seen 7 yr olds with a better grasp on theory. And significantly more self-control. I don’t know a lot about spells and charms, but surely lesson one is DON’T SCRAMBLE YOUR BRAIN. Big yikes.

[After another minute or so, he sends another text.]

In any case.

Thank you for the updates. Given this new evidence, I am inclined to return to my previous theory: that he is a sort of necromancer who requires some something like thanergy to fuel his powers. Thus, the pain and violence. Thus, the slowly disintegrating souls. Thus, Jenny’s own need for the same. Perhaps I am trying too hard to make his powers fit my understanding of the world, but the parallels are striking. Even his obsession with control is…familiar.

[Again, there is a pause. Pal is thinking hard about what to say next.]

I know a theorem that could allow the Captain to maintain his power and his autonomy without having to continually kill people. But it’s tricky. It could make the situation worse, particularly if the captain just wanted to keep killing for fun. Also, I don’t have my notes. Let me think.

[yup, you guessed it, another pause]

I’m sure you are right that some people will die in the month ahead. But there is a difference between preparing for that likelihood and accepting casualties as inevitable. The latter may allow people to begin considering certain individuals worth sacrificing, and that way lies chaos. If we are going to maintain this unsteady alliance among passengers, we must fight for one another as much as for ourselves.

[text], after the early morning Cabin 107 'Party'

[businessorlibation]

Palamedes,

You showed me an interesting trick with my cigarette case the first time we met, at the introductory party. I may need you to duplicate that trick again, under less playful circumstances.

I don't want to say too much over text. Can we meet in person, ideally with some degree of privacy?

Johnny

[hellonspectacles]

Ever since his conversation with Bash the day before, Palamedes has been turning the question of possession over and over in his head. It's no surprise that the ship's ghosts are angry and in pain, given what the Captain has done to them, but why is one of them striking now, and how can it be so effective? After decades, even centuries of being used to power the Captain's magic, these revenants should be barely shades, surely not able to do something as violent as supplant another soul.

When he receives Johnny's text, he has no reason to believe that it's related to his current puzzle, but something about it sends a shiver down his spine.

Johnny,

Gladly. Would my cabin suffice? I've taken the liberty of warding it after receiving some unsettling news of my own yesterday, so it should be quite safe from intruders.

PS

nov 7th-ish

[skaikru]

( clarke griffin has been in tauva for an unreasonable amount of hours. luckily she currently exists beyond the control of space and linear time, in addition to well beyond the confines of her usual social filters. )

You like me right?
like me
Ooooh I spelled it right the first time

Re: nov 7th-ish

[hellonspectacles]

[More often than he'd like to admit, Palamedes looks up from his work only to realize that Clarke is gone, and has probably been gone for hours. This time, it's the buzz of his phone that alerts him. Oh, right, hadn't she said I'm going to stretch my legs a few hours ago?

He blinks at the text. Pal isn't complaining at the outpouring of fondness, but it's decidedly uncharacteristic.]

I do.

[After a pause he adds a smily face]

Is everything all right?

PS.

text

[astrogator]

Citizen Sextus?
I have a query.

- Tayrey

[Despite her new friends' best efforts, she hasn't quite grasped the informality of texting, sorry]

Re: text

[hellonspectacles]

[Don't worry, Ari, Pal still signs his texts! They can be weird and formal together]

I will endevor to answer to the best of my ability.

PS

[After a few moments, he sends another text.]

If we're doing titles, then the correct honorific is 'Master Warden.' But you are free to call me Palamedes, if you like.

PS

Text

[neverleave]

Ava plans to celebrate Fio's birthday on the excursion.
Assuming nothing goes horribly wrong, can you make some dancing skeletons? Fio would enjoy it

And Rita will lose her mind.

Re: Text

[hellonspectacles]

[Palamedes can barely contain his excitement.]

Yuuki,

I would be delighted! Perhaps a full-sized conga line this time?

P. Sextus, your friendly neighborhood bone adept.

text; after natsuno sunslimes himself

[myagic]

Hey, Natsuno needs some help. Get over to 109.

[Yes, she calls him Natsuno now. More importantly, Rita is reluctantly turning to Palamedes only because magic is the only likely way to treat him.]

Gdi natsuno

[hellonspectacles]

[What’s even more interesting than the fact that Rita calls Yuuki Natsuno is that Yuuki apparently lets her. Pal knows they’ve been getting close, but he also knows how careful Natsuno is with his given name. This is an interesting change.

It’s also one that he’ll be examining in a non-emergency situation. Pal doesn’t bother to text a reply; he abandons his half-eaten sandwich in Windjammer and heads straight to 109, knocking sharply on the door when he gets there.]

text, february after the carnival

[neverleave]

Ava found Ebalon's corpse and used it to summon a spirit in one of the bars.
The spirit ate the corpse, said "play" and disappeared.
I don't know what it means but it can't be good.
Be prepared for chaos.

Re: text, february after the carnival

[hellonspectacles]

[Palamedes signs deeply. He wish he was surprised. You see the face he's making in his icon? He is making that irl.]

Thank you for the update.

[And, because he has been trying to summon a ghost since his very first day on the ship--]

Do you know how they did it?

[Look, at least he's a professional.]

[astrogator]

Peace and prosperity,

I wish I had an explanation for the time rifts opening across the ship. I haven't yet figured it out, but it might interest you to know that I was drawn into one that appeared to lead to the past of the man calling himself Captain. It was very strange.

- Tayrey

[ooc: context]

[hellonspectacles]

Lieutenant,

I have some theories regarding the rifts, but this is a decidedly more interesting development. What did you learn from this encounter?

PS