singillatim | seven devils all around you, seven devils in your house

seven devils all around you, seven devils in your house

JUNE 2024 EVENT

PART ONE — A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME: The Darkwalker claims another victim, and that is only the beginning of troubles for the Interlopers as they face a month of endless night and green gloom.

PART TWO — POLAR SUN: As June continues, Interlopers are faced with food insecurity as wildlife flees; tensions grow as they face hunger and the Darkwalker's continued influence. On the day of the Summer Solstice, the tension finally breaks and violent chaos descends upon Interlopers.

PART THREE — REPRIEVE: The end is in sight, and an ally comes to the Interloper’s aid.

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME

WHEN: June 1st, then onwards.
WHERE: Milton area; Lakeside area (Carter Hydrodam).
CONTENT WARNINGS: death of playable character; supernatural death; mention of dead body; themes of death; supernatural beings; themes of terror; themes of peril.

The evening is quiet and still. May draws to a close and while the sun does not completely set, it dips low enough for the sky to grow a little darkdim with twilight. The midnight sun is almost upon the Northern Territories, the air is warmer than it has ever felt — even if it remains chilly. If this is summer, it is but a gentle brush of reprieve against the unyielding winter. The Interlopers wind down for the night, many turn to their beds to sleep, others sit awake and ponder their existence in this world. They think of home, of loved ones, of their predicament here in this place. The Forest Talkers, the strange beasts and monsters they’ve encountered.

The moon wanes in the skies, nestled amongst the stars. For those still awake to notice, they can see it: slowly, one by one, the stars begin to go out. Then the moon's light is swallowed whole, and a blanket of green gloom descends upon the Northern Territories.

The sky is dark and green and terrible. Many of those will recognise it, what this means and what will come. Others will not understand it, not know what it is that awaits them all.

They will soon find out: the Darkwalker comes.

Under a green sky, a cold fear washes over you — squeezing the breath from your lungs. Interlopers will find themselves overcome with that fear, and everything in their bodies and minds tells them to run. To flee. And so you run, heading for cover. Curtains will be drawn, some may hide under beds, within closets or wardrobes. Some desperately attempt to conceal themselves, make themselves small, unseen. Some Interlopers, in that fear, may rush to friends or loved ones to hide with them, others may simply cower alone — crawling and whimpering away from the night. The fear is irrational, unable to be overcome — even by the bravest or most stoic of Interlopers.

For those within Milton, it is further away but is by no means less potent: Interlopers will find themselves frozen with the constant loom of the Darkwalker’s arrival — even if it does not come to Milton. Those within Lakeside, however, will feel the true force of this presence: more like a knife edge — painfully gripping your heart as it draws close.

The Darkwalker howls: indescribable, unnatural, demonic. Low moans and groans. It comes from the east, the faint booms of footsteps in the distance growing ever nearer. It is coming, once more. It's coming for one of you. And still, you are powerless, unable to do anything. And it is an agony, awaiting its arrival. You cry, you whimper, you cower. Curling up for some shred of comfort, and finding none.

For those in Lakeside, through the fear, they may be able to note the path: a straight line from the east towards Carter Hydrodam. It seems to go on forever, building into a crescendo. Your heart beats so hard you fear it may burst from your chest, as if you might die of fright.

There is an almighty sound; the Darkwalker devours and even with the distance you can hear it. The sound of gnashing teeth, and… laughter. There is no scream, no bright light in the sky — Enola is silent this time. There is only that laughter, echoing off into the night.

The skies do not return to normal. The green gloom hangs in the air. It is done, but it is not yet over. While the overwhelming fear dissolves away, but a kind of… dread remains on the air — almost palpable.

The Darkwalker has devoured another. Braver souls who go out to investigate into Lakeside will find just who has been devoured once they reach the Hydrodam — although it may be a day or two before they will find the body in the medical bay.

At least it is cold enough that the rot does not fully set in — but death will certainly be here.

And this is but the beginning of the Interloper’s troubles.

POLAR SUN

WHEN: The month of June, up to Midsummer’s Eve + Summer Solstice.
WHERE: Milton area; Lakeside area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of survival; food scarcity/food insecurity; supernatural weather; altered mental states; mental manipulation; themes of violence; potential character injury; potential character death; potential NPC death.

In the coming weeks and days, and weeks, the green gloom lingers. From the Darkwalker’s attack, there is no sun. No day, no night. No stars or moon or sun. No Auroras. Just the gloom and biting cold. Life becomes increasingly hard on Interlopers: higher expenditure on fuel — fires and lanterns are imperative to keep the darkness and the cold at bay.

With the green gloom in the air, the wildlife becomes more scarce — as if it has been frightened away into the deeper parts of the wilds. It will be harder to bring in fresh meat in both Milton and Lakeside, and Interlopers will find that they will have to rely on whatever stores they have — and perhaps even rationing for a while.

And it’s not the only thing frightened. Even with the debilitating fear that comes with the Darkwalker’s attack gone, there is still a kind of fear that lingers on the air that slowly eats away at the Interloper’s resolve over time.

Interlopers will find themselves anxious, on edge. Some will be prone to anger in their fear, others prone to fits of melancholy: tearfulness and sorrow. Between the cold, the lack of fresh game and the fear on the air — it’s no wonder spirits are low. Bickering and minor upsets between Interlopers are likely.

They call it the midnight sun, the polar day. It's opposite is the polar night. This is neither and both. On the day of midsummer's eve, that fear on the air is even more palpable. The air feels a little stifling at times, as if the pressure is all off — often quite oppressive, a strange kind of tension. There is something brewing, a low burning thing that begins from the moment Interlopers wake — heavy and sharp in their chest.

’So, Interloper. What will you do now?’ A voice sneers in your ear. The very same voice that has haunted Interlopers since the very beginning. The Darkwalker finally speaks after all these weeks of gloom since its most recent attack. ’When all is gone, when even the sun does not rise? What will you do then?’

A nervousness sits within you as you remember the Darkwalker’s words. What will you do if the sun does not rise? If the darkness is all that is left? If the food runs out? Your wonderings will continue to gnaw away within you. The darkness is hollowing.

’Will you lean on others, like you have always tried to do?’ the voice continues. ’What bonds you hold with them, the ones with those around you. But how strong are they, truly? Can you trust them? Will it matter when your belly is empty and your heart is low? Perhaps it is time to see.

’Never forget, Interloper. I am the Rot. And I will rot within you.’

As the day progresses into the Solstice, that tension lingers in the air, and the wonderings within you continue to wear at you. You find yourself becoming more and more agitated as time goes on. Those feelings that have been brewing for some time now have started to grow close to boiling. You may snap at others, grow restless, become enraged at the tiniest of things — the upsets wildly out of proportion for the smallest slights or issues.

You find your thoughts wandering, too. Perhaps it is to someone you know in this place, or perhaps it is to someone previously unknown to you. Maybe you have an issue with this person, or perhaps the voice’s influence extends further — not only adding to your agitations but creating them, too. A slight, a grudge, a bias.

You feel a bitter gnawing within you. The nightmarish green gloom above you persists and everything bubbles up from within. From the dark, the anger within you become too much. The tension finally snaps.

For some, it might come out as a vicious argument where you air your grievances, or finally let slip the things you’ve been holding close to your chest. A verbal beat down, incredibly hurtful in nature. For others, things may be drawn to getting physical. A literal beat down where your fists grow bruised and bloody, or perhaps even worse. Whatever it is, you want to do damage to someone else — there is darkness here, and so many things come out in the dark, don’t they?

Like a ripple, all around you: all hell breaks loose. Chaos erupts, and the air is filled with violence.

Let’s hope you might stop, or someone else stops you, before someone gets killed.

REPRIEVE

WHEN: Circa three days after the Summer Solstice.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: blood.

All things must come to an end, even the most violent of deadly storms. In the midst of the seemingly endless violence of the night, you find yourself outside. Maybe you're fleeing from another Interloper, maybe you're desperately trying to reach someone you care for, maybe you're simply trying to find somewhere new to hide. Interlopers are hunting one another, blood lies on the snow, bodies too — some breathing, some not.

Perhaps it is a trick of the light. Perhaps it's the Darkwalker’s influence still warping your already frayed mind. Or it's the blood in your eyes, your battered and bruised body struggling to get through it all.

In the gloom, you see it. See her.

A woman, dressed in furs, stones and shells glimmering on her chest like armour, stands in the snow before you. Thin and pale, eyes sunken. Her chest heaves with each breath as she looks around with wide eyes. Her hands are bare and bloody. It drips slowly from her fingers. Is it her blood? Or someone else's? You cannot tell, but you cannot mistake how thick it coats her skin.

Her head turns to look at you. You are stunned, but not frightened. Even through the gloom, after a moment or two, her eyes widen in recognition: she knows you.

Slowly and silent, other than her noisy breathing, she draws close to you. Maybe in turn you draw close to her, closing the distance between you. Up close, her eyes are blue, and sad. You cannot mistake the sorrow in them. She is tired, weary. Her hair is dark, worn loose and long. For some, you feel as if you've seen her before, but you can't quite place her face.

Softly, she says your name.

For some, there may be no recognition. This woman is a stranger, who knows your name somehow. She has been silent the past couple of months, after all.

For others, hearing her speak brings a sudden, jarring realisation: this is Enola.

She’s here. Enola. All this time, she’s whispered to you in dreams, in static, in the very air itself.

She raises one hand, dark and dripping in the green light. Lightly, her fingers brush against your chest. You don’t feel the pressure of them, don’t feel the odd heat of blood — only the weight of her stare as she holds your gaze. It’s a long moment of peace in amongst the chaos.

You feel her exhaustion, a tiredness that sinks into your very bones. Apologies, too. You have never known anything like it. But there’s something else too, something that takes a moment or two to put your finger on. Defiance. A renewal. Something shifts in the air, a growing tension, different from the kind that’s been held on the air throughout the month. It’s the coming of a storm, the rolling clouds, the growing rumble of thunder before the first lightning strike.

Enola nods, her expression grave. She pulls away and turns from you — her head lifting towards the skies as she walks. Her arms raise, bloodied hands twisting and tensing before her. They curl, almost into fists, and she makes a gesture: the slow tearing of something huge and invisible before her — a shriek spilling from her lips. A battle-cry, a last stand, a wail of agony. It echoes.

The sky cracks and splits open before you, dazzling light and colours blinding your vision into pure white. The world tilts too hard below your feet, and you don’t remember passing out.

When you awaken, Enola is gone. The skies are clear and blue, the sun is high in the sky. As you pick yourself up from the snow, in the harsh light of the polar day, blood has never looked so red. The horrors of the night laid bare. Interlopers are dead, but the Darkwalker’s influence is gone. For now.

In the wake of Midsummer, all Interlopers can do is try reconcile. Bury the dead, rebuild, lick wounds. But that feeling in the air still remains — that different, new kind of tension that has come with Enola’s appearance. The first of the lightning bolts has struck, but more are coming.

FAQs

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME

1. Alexander Hilbert has been devoured by the Darkwalker. His remains can be found in the Hydrodam. The following note has been left by Kates concerning his death: ‘Sveta gets possession of his research notes + blood samples + creepy lab journal because it's all in Russian, lmao.’

2. Information on the Darkwalker’s attack can be found here.

3. Usually, after the Darkwalker attacks, the sky would return to normal. This won’t happen. Instead, the usual atmospheric changes that occur during Darkwalker attacks will remain in place as June continues..

POLAR SUN

1. For an idea how the setting appears for June, it's like what you see in the game during the Escape The Darkwalker Challenge. Inside, there'll be a degree of green shades to rooms etc via what comes through windows but with it being lit up via fires and light sources, the gloom will be chased back.

2. Characters are free to use this event to kill NPC Interlopers. Methuselah and Young Bill are off the table, as are two marked NPC Interlopers. Please let Mods know if you intend on doing this for record keeping!

3. These acts of violence can be physical or verbal altercations, players are encouraged to work with the prompt however they'd like! However, anything potentially world-altering (ie. building destruction) must be first discussed with mods.

4. Interlopers under the Darkwalker's influence can be stopped in a number of ways. Showing genuine care and compassion in the face of violence is one way. Knocking an Interloper out is another way. Sometimes killing an Interloper may be needed, or simply restraining them and keeping them locked up somewhere so they can't hurt anyone else until the night is over would also work.

5. Talismans made by Heartman back in March with a Ward Sigil against the Darkwalker will come into effect during this prompt. It's been an ongoing process, with new Interlopers being offered them from their arrival. Players are free to choose what kind of talisman they received, or if they chose to get one at all. Their effectiveness is dependent on the type of blood used on the talisman.

— Animal Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood from animals found in the world, such as deer, rabbits or wolves will find themselves more susceptible to the Darkwalker’s influence and disposition towards violence. They will be much harder to break out of the hold over them, and become almost frenzied state.
— Monster Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood from any creatures or monsters that Interlopers have encountered in their time in the Northern Territories, such as the Serpent from December’s TDM will find there are no negative nor positive effects. The talisman is essentially useless. and Interlopers will fall under the Darkwalker's influence.
— Interloper Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood for Interlopers will be offered protection/resistance from the Darkwalker’s influence and disposition towards violence. They may be slightly affected but will have their wits about them more compared to others. If the blood came from an Interloper with an Aurora Feat — this protection/resistance will be largely increased, an the Interloper may even feel braver, less affected by the fear in the atmosphere.
— No Talisman: Similar to the Monster Blood Talisman, Interlopers will be affected typically by the Darkwalker's influence in due course.

There are no additional affects with an Interloper using their own blood, just if they have an Aurora Feat or not.

6. Animals owned by Interlopers will be more frightened and will want to hide away in the build up — they will be disturbed by the world. Mostly lying down and whining/restlessness. They may display some signs of aggression on occasion, but not to the same degree of humans.

7. Forest Talkers are hidden away and will not be able to be reached during the Solstice.

REPRIEVE

1. Enola can only be met alone, but she will appear to all Interlopers in Milton.

2. Enola will be nowhere to be found afterwards, there are no tracks to be followed. She has simply vanished.

PLOTTING POST

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There's a quiet stare.

Even though there is - even by Billy standards - nothing all that judgemental in it. It just looks like he's thinking for a moment before his head dips into a slight nod.

"Alright."

It's not like his decision is going to change anything. If he'd refuse, find some dumb excuse, what would that change? Whatever corpse Hickey found - or made, he wonders - won't magically come back to life just because William Gibson decided to be a noble man who refuses to eat another person. And the nerves-- They don't help. Even if they haven't gone nearly long enough under the current circumstances for him to be close to starving, there's the fear of it. Especially when Billy remembers the illness so well. He remembers the feeling of it in his limbs, the way it hurt, how pathetic he felt, how scared.

He doesn't want go back to that. The atmosphere only amplifies that desperation, making the decision easier.

"Will you be having some too?" Because that's what this is, right? Just the two of them having a normal dinner. Hickey bringing home meat, just like he has for all these months. "I can set the table."

Hickey treats this with the same unearned confidence he treats everything. This is going to be fine. He'll make it fine. He can do this. Everything will be perfectly fine. And if not? He'll just find a way to make it fine. The hunger still gnaws at him, that over-powering draw of the Darkwalker's influence is still dictating his every action. He's got to do this. He's got to keep his people alive. He doesn't want to think of the alternative.

"Course I'll have some," he says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm starving. And I'm not one to ignore a meal when it's offered."

Just a normal dinner. Just a normal, every day, not out of the ordinary dinner.

He nods again, actually putting away his coat now and instead moving to grab two of the plates out of the cupboards. Despite the knowledge of what they're doing here, everything about it seems very familiar. Billy has done this plenty of times in this place, after all. It's almost habit by now, something he doesn't really even have to think about as he grabs the knives and forks out of the drawers to bring those over to the table as well.

"Is the hunger really that bad?"

It's not like he hasn't heard Hickey talk about being hungry - but a part of Billy felt like it might be exaggeration, especially coming from Hickey. It's not like Billy feels anywhere close to starving right now, after all. There's a certain anxiety about that and illness within him, thrumming far more strongly than it usually does, mixing in with that strange hot burn within him that always occupies his emotions nowadays, but it's definitely not rooted in the actual reality of starvation in the moment.

Slowly he's starting to believe it might really be different on Hickey's end. It comes with a bit of a frown on Billy's voice, some actual concern in his voice.

(And, look - it's a better thing to discuss out loud than this not-so-mystery meat source.)

Hickey nods. He knows that he needs to explain it to Billy. He's just not exactly sure how to explain it. He frowns a little, thinking things over, before starting his conversation.

"You know that I'm changed now. Like you and your fire. I can keep going longer, traverse over difficult terrain. I can scramble up cliffsides just under my own power. No ropes, no belays, nothing like that. But every time I do something like that, every time I push myself further out into the woods to find more game in less traveled spots, every time I climb down to a new location, I get hungry. I've been dealing by eating a little bit of what I catch when I catch it. But now...it's different."

There's less game, to start with. There's this darkness, cold and oppressive, the influence of the Darkwalker working it's way into everybody's brain. And there's the hunger. It's more, it's stronger, it feels like it's driving Hickey's every move, like it's the one who's deciding things, not Hickey himself. He'd do anything to satiate it.

And...well, based on that body, based on the meat he and Billy are about to eat, it's obvious what lengths he'll go to.

"It's worse now. I'm constantly hungry."

It explains so much.

And it makes sense, right? Billy's power has its own drawbacks. Not hunger, thankfully, but it's not exactly fun either to walk around knowing that if you ever slip up and get a little too emotional, you might set something on fire - yourself included. He also knows that the people who seem capable of projecting their thoughts into other people's minds aren't always consciously doing that. So the way Hickey hardly ever seems to get tired.. of course that has a drawback too.

It just happens to be a terrible one to give to Cornelius Hickey of all people. Who already ate someone back home under similar circumstances, as he himself confessed.

".. Cornelius." The frown is still there, but the look in his eyes definitely isn't angry. It's worried. Not even about the actions this hunger drives the other to, but for the other in general. "Why didn't you just tell people?"

Maybe a little bit too late for that now, but..

"I know it's not as if our crewmates would spare any food, but even under the current circumstances, perhaps certain others in town might. Especially those who don't share your ability."

"Because I could handle it," Hickey answers. Why didn't he just tell people? Because the woods had game, he could always find fish, there were plenty of small animals out and about in the forest that he could sate his hunger with. "It's not like either of us planned for the bloody sun to stop working and all the animals to vanish."

He can't help it: there's a slight hint of defensiveness in Hickey's tone. Because to be fair, he did have it under control. It's just that everything very quickly went from 'under control' to 'not under control in the slightest' in the way that he didn't anticipate. As far as Hickey's concerned, this shouldn't have been a problem.

But it was a problem. So...yeah. He's not sure what to think or do about that.

"Besides, it's not like you go around telling people you can set them on fire. Everybody's got their secrets, things they don't want to admit. That's one of mine."

He opens his mouth to protest that it's different, maybe even to say that he can handle it, though thankfully he's got enough braincells that kick in that make him realise he's just saying the exact same thing as the other man, rendering the entire point moot. So he just doesn't.

Instead he puts the cutlery he was holding down on the table before looking over at Hickey again. Not like they can change anything about the current situation at this point, so--

"Well, then inform me next time. Why would we need to keep secrets from each other? If we don't help each other, then who's going to?" Not that Billy is necessarily excited to deal with Hickey problem #4352, but it's better to know in advance than to have to scramble to deal with it when it's dropped into his lap like a terrible surprise later, the way he's forced to do right now. Even more so when being unprepared always makes him feel so terribly antsy, and even more so with this darkness hanging like the worst kind of blanket over town.

At least his tone shifts a little after letting out those words. They were accusatory at the edges, perhaps even lecturing, but that instinctive emotion does seem to fade from Billy a moment later. It leaves something softer about him when he adds: "Haven't I been good to you here? Hm?"

That much is true. Hickey can count the amount of allies he has here on one hand. And given the opportunity, if someone like Jopson or Rorschach found out about his hunger, Hickey's sure they'd find a way to take advantage of it (how, he's not sure, just that they would). Thinking he had everything under control...well, he did at the start of this. But this place delights in throwing curve balls. If not now, one of them would be tossed his direction at some point.

Besides, there's another point he needs to mention.

"You have been good to me," Hickey nods. "Better than I deserve." After all, he set Rorschach on fire. That certainly counts as 'being good' in Hickey's book. He takes a few steps closer to Billy, closing the gap between them as he points out,

"I should reward that somehow."

With sex as well as telling Billy things!

"Good to see you are finally realising this as well," he says - just a touch dryly, given the intent behind the statement.

Truthfully, despite his current attitude, it's not like Hickey hasn't done anything in this place. He's been the one getting the majority of the food here into their home. Which is the exact reason why Billy hasn't minded doing much of the cleaning around said home in turn to keep the place from looking like pigsty. And Hickey has certainly been causing less trouble here than Billy initially anticipated.

But that still means he's causing some trouble. Like right now. Billy has not forgotten about the meat and its implications. Or what could happen because of it. What did Hickey do with the remaining parts? What if anyone else finds out? Billy doesn't doubt the other guy is at least smart enough to only share this with people who either would be dumb enough to not realise its true nature or who wouldn't mind, but that doesn't take into account someone else finding out what he did.

.. it's been such a stressful time though, ever since the Darkwalker attacked. Ever since the sun disappeared and didn't come back. Billy is so tired of worrying, of constantly feeling nervous, of not even being able to go outside without someone in town trying to attack him. He doesn't want to think right now about the potential trouble of Hickey's current actions.

He just wants to shut his brain off for a few moments before it threatens to make him go crazy, and instead indulge.

"You could reward me with a nice romantic meal." No thinking about what that meal is! Brain turning off! Bye!! "Which could then perhaps lead into a little something more."

If you catch his drift. Probably not too difficult, with the way he's looking down at the other with their now increased proximity.

For Hickey, what matters is the moment. Not the past, not the future, just the here and now. What can he do to make his life better right now? What can he do to improve himself? Things like 'consequences' or 'planning for the future' slip his mind more often than not. Yeah, he killed that guy. But he was hungry. And he'd do anything for food. And things like 'dealing with the corpse' are a problem for future him.

And right now? In this moment? Hickey wants a bit of sex. Feeding Billy will lead to something more, Hickey will happily get that something more.

"In that case, sit down and I'll prepare you a lovely meal."

Of dead Interloper.

It all threatens to feel too ridiculous if he thinks too hard about it, so he doesn't. He treats this like any ordinary situation with the two of them, without a person's flesh on the table or a mystical being's shadow hanging over them.

Which means that Billy lightly rolls his eyes when he hears that reply, but in that sort of way that's not only exasperated, but also fond.

"Seems like I finally found a way to keep you compliant," he adds in a tone that very much matches the mixture of the two emotions. A moment later he leans down, the closed proximity between the two - thanks to Hickey's movement from a moment ago - making it very easy to plant a kiss against the other's lips.

Billy pulls back soon after, very much aware that otherwise this might just end up evolving a little bit too quickly, and he's not going to have sex in the dining room next to a bag of someone's butchered flesh, thank you. He has some standards. Instead he moves to do as Hickey asked - sitting down at the table now he's finished putting all the tableware on there for dinner.

Hickey indulges in the kiss, enjoying the taste of Billy on his lips. He knows what this is. This is Billy indulging in a moment of normalcy, a moment of something close to what they could possibly have had. And honestly? Hickey will happily give that attention.

As Billy pulls away to finish setting the table, Hickey goes back to the kitchen. He's got some of the meat already cooked (easier to ignore it's true provenance, that way). But he has something else to make it a bit less obvious. A sort of half-assed sauce, something that might be a gravy if you look at it the wrong way.

"Wish I could treat you better," Hickey sighs. "The lack of food, of vegetation, of all that in this place...it's wearing on me."

There's an initial moment where Billy is quiet - maybe contemplating Hickey's words, or maybe just judging the odd sauce the other is working with.

It's likely a combination of the two as he sits there and waits for the other man to get the meal ready, considering that sauce definitely does not look very appealing. If they were being any less coy about this, Billy would have pointed out that's not really the way to make a meal like this look more appetizing to anyone, in case he was planning on serving this to anyone else in town. (Chloe, maybe? Or Kieren, considering.. what's going on with him.)

He holds his tongue on that one though, everything considered. Instead he slowly speaks up again after that moment of contemplation. "It's not as if this is the first mess we got into together."

If anything, he'd say that this one is a little better than the last one. At least there's some slight hope that things might get better here again. That maybe the darkess will lift soon enough. The downwards spiral back home was much more inevitable, especially past a certain point.

"But I am.." A little slower, like he's considering his words. Or maybe just bad enough at saying this that it just comes a little more slowly. ".. glad. That we are in it together. It is just about the only thing that makes this situation slightly bearable."

There's a moment where Hickey pauses, listening to what Billy's saying. Because he's right. This isn't the first mess they got into together. And honestly? This mess gave them a room over their head and usually fresh meat on the table. They could keep to themselves and not have to worry about sharing a berth, a dinner table, such close space with dozens of men. Hickey can deal with this mess.

Something that might be a smile if he worked at it more briefly crosses his face. Hickey's expression is quickly schooled back to neutral before he gives Billy a little nod.

"Y'know what? You're right. This situation's slightly miserable. But at least it's a miserable I don't mind sharing with you."

For all of the annoyances that Billy could find with Hickey, he definitely knows this is one of the reasons he can't help but stick around him anyway. Because things are nicer together, even when they might be starving together in a dark hellhole that's one step up from the Arctic hellhole they were in before. Because Hickey gets it in a way most other people don't.

And - more than anything, it's just nice when someone gives a shit about you. Funny how most of their crew mates don't seem to think Hickey capable of doing that much, when Billy is pretty sure he cares more about him than in his own particular way than any of the others ever have. Which is a low bar to clear, but-- still.

Which he could point out. But, you know, why talk about feelings when you can instead point out--

"Now those are words I would not mind hearing a little more often. 'You're right', I mean." At least it does sound like there's a faint playful edge to the way he says it.

Honestly, Hickey feels the same way. It's wonderful to be needed, to be paid attention to, to have someone simply give a damn about you. He can count the number of people who gave a damn about him in his entire life on one hand. Billy's here. Billy gives a damn. Hickey's not going to let that slip away, not when they've got the whole world in front of them.

That being said, he is not above giving Billy a hard time.

"Dunno. There'll have to be a reason for me to say that. What else have you been right about lately?"

"No one is going to want to eat that meal with that sauce."

Hey, if Hickey is going to give him kind of a hard time about what he just said, then Billy can match tit for tat and mention this after all. Maybe it's for the better, before stories start going around about Hickey having some sort of mystery meal that he's been handing out to people..

Only god knows what some people might do if they decide it sounds a little bit too suspicious during a period where people are already overly violent. It's helpful and bitchy at the same time, okay. Clearly.

"You will find that I am right about that too. You may have many talents, but I do not think being a cook is one you should count amount them, Cornelius."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

seven devils all around you, seven devils in your house

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