✧ — passionfruit green tea.

[boba]

Comments

✧ — the likely canon route.

[transmit]

… Still think I was overthinking it, when I wondered what would happen to us after?

[ there are



two of both of them now, and he can only look between thorns and thorns contemplating the ridiculousness of it. on the bright side, at least his thorns, the one he's supposedly been working towards this entire time, has his back turned to them, eyes fixed on the distance as he should be. elysium looks at him with a quiet sort of awe. ]

✧ — the funny but also kind of tragic route if you think about it, side ely.

[transmit]

[ anyway

he's stowing on thorns' ship like he said he would. they ended up having to go back to their own timelines. he goes through the motions of saying bye to the same people, ghosting thorns, then climbs in as la conquista takes off.




he kind of wants to see how long he can get away with this before thorns notices. ]

[oversea]

[ thorns watches this, his gaze shifting from the other him then to elysium. it's a weird situation to be in, and he isn't entirely sure where to go from here, but they'll have to figure that out shortly. ]

Did you talk to him?

[oversea]

[ OKAY.

well, thorns does not notice immediately, considering he is thrown right away into having to figure out how to be a captain. he follows juana around as she gives the most sparknotes explanation on how it works... maybe elysium should nap... ]

[transmit]

[ the way the other elysium is also just here for some reason and was probably yanked out in the middle of doing something stupid. what's he doing, francy. he's your labubu. ]

What is there to say? His sights are set on Iberia. I don't think he's looking back.

[ he nudges thorns. it can't have been that long ago for him, right? ]

There's only following after him or not.

[transmit]

[ OKAY!!!

well! rumours are about to spread very quickly that the ship is now haunted (pos). whenever someone complains about a particularly annoying leak or an ominous creak in the baseboards, it's mysteriously fixed by the next day. and, incidentally, food also goes missing every so often, with pieces of it returned in the unlikeliest places. for whatever reason… the most common place seems to be thorns' quarters, or wherever he was last. like the ghost is trying to feed him.

you'd think a ghost that's managed to elude them for this long would be more subtle about announcing its presence. instead, it almost feels intentional, like it wants to be discovered. and yet, whenever someone actually goes looking, there's nothing to be found, trails going dead cold.

will thorns ever look into it… or will he just continue to let it be… nene seems excited for some reason. ]

[oversea]

[ he is looking around... as he would in a new place... new sights to see, always moving.

but thorns nods his head. ]

What are you going to do?

[oversea]

[ he will eventually.

it's actually fairly easy to, and he can cheat very easily... but he decides not to. instead, one day when it's calm, thorns will just wander around the ship alone. ]

Where's our resident ghost?

[transmit]

[ here's where he's conflicted. ]

At the end of the day, he isn't who I pledged my heart to.

[ a pinky loosely curls around thorns', tugging it until it's held behind his back. like he's keeping it a secret from their other selves, even if it would be blatantly clear if they just so looked at how their arms fall. ]

But I can't exactly leave him on his own, can I? His journey's just started. He's going to fall off his ship, get scurvy before realises there's no easy access to cabbage at sea. He'll get into all sorts of trouble he'll need his good friend to get him out of.

[transmit]

[ does he really expect an answer…… he has to try a little harder than that.

the resident ghost says nothing. ]

[oversea]

He's not going to get scurvy...

[ it's muttered... he is offended on his other self's behalf.

but it's not like he's surprised by the response. this is, after all, what the point of all this was. ]

I wonder if he knows that he's lucky.

[oversea]

[ oKAY.

he really could just cheat here, but he is going to be polite and not. he keeps walking... peeking into places where no one would reasonably be able to hide. ]

Maybe I should look into an exorcist?

[transmit]

The vitamins I gave you came in handy. Don't lie to me.

[ he stares…… but also huffs. ]

… Wouldn't you know the answer to that one?

[transmit]

[ woah… so polite… so mannerly… unlike these other pirates who have tried upending entire rooms looking for this very friendly ghost.




however! there is a series of angry-sounding knocks. no. ]

[oversea]

Hm, do I?

[ he shifts the hold until he's holding elysium's hand properly. ]

What do you think?

[oversea]

[ he follows the sound of the knocks.... ]

[transmit]

I think so.

[ his gaze flits to their hands and then thorns himself. he tilts his head. ]

If he knew I was in trouble somewhere, he'd put everything down, no matter how precarious his position. Probably without even thinking about why or what. Stupid.

[transmit]

[ the sound of knocks appears to be leading him outside and onto the deck…?

and then they stop. where does he choose to investigate next? ]

[oversea]

As if you wouldn't do the same.

[ as if he hasn't already done the same.

thorns goes quiet. there's the faraway sounds of the other purgatory residents interacting with each other and the people they've been searching for. thorns' gaze wanders until he finds where the other elysium is. ]

Are you excited to go?

[oversea]

[ hm...

he looks up?? ]

[transmit]

[ a pair of hands pop up, mimicking a cawing bird opening and closing its beak.

caw caw. ]

[oversea]

[ ...

he tilts his head back as far as he can go without losing his balance. ]

I thought it was a ghost, not a bird.

[transmit]

[ there are some going home, some choosing to go with others. some even deciding to stay back—or maybe that isn't the decision they've made at all, it's hard to tell. elysium watches them with a careful gaze before he tightens his hold on thorns.

well, he more than just tightens his hold. he clamps down on him in threat. ]

Talking about me going when we haven't even discussed us, yet?

[transmit]

[ hehe

it ducks and goes back into hiding. pursue…? ]

[oversea]

Mm.

[ there's another moment that passes, before he turns so that he can look at elysium–this elysium–properly. ]

Can we go inside?

[ it feels odd to talk about this where they can see them. ]