JULY PLANET MINGLE

[save_the_souls]

Who: YOU. ME. EVERYONE.
Broadcast: IF YOU WANT
Action: YEAH!!!!!
When: July!

[Congratulations to the crews that did not get themselves blown up! Welcome to the Blue Planet, a planet full of charming islands and even less charming weather patterns! Are you going to take the time to enjoy the beach? Help out with the local Nunnilis population? Get caught in a storm with another person and have a rating boosting sexual tension moment? The world's your oyster!]

[Yeah in other words: ITS A MINGLE GET IN HERE]

[July Planet Info!]

Comments

[openhands]

My friend?

[She arches an eyebrow. Cassandra has many friends, Zhas. You're going to have to be far more specific than that.]

[theboogieman]

The vampire.

[how's that for specific?

his stillness is notable. he's not particularly tense or on high alert, and doesn't seem any more abrasive than usual... but he is watching. for movements, for reactions. for hints and signs that lead to things other than a perfectly civil conversation.]

[openhands]

[She does nothing to hide her physical reaction to those words. Cassandra tenses and her eyes narrow. She had expected that sooner or later, this would become an issue. It was inevitable. But that does not make Cassandra any less immediately defensive. That he does not use Mal's name and speaks around her as a concept more than a person speaks volumes to her even if he remains perfectly still. The way she sees it, even a wolf must remain calm and unassuming until the time is right.]

[She has little reason to give him the benefit of the doubt. Cassandra raises her chin some, standing taller.]

Mal is none of your concern, Zhas. Nor is my relationship towards--[no, she corrects herself,] with her.

[theboogieman]

[he observes carefully, confirming two things.

first, he can now be completely sure that Mal is a vampire, and wasn't just playing up some bullshit joke or a long-winded ruse for her own flighty amusement. she is close enough to his traditional definition that Cassandra has reason to be defensive.

second, Cassandra goes out of her way to validate the vampire's humanity and their relationship (however that could be classified). she really does like her, and it is committed to liking her. as much as it disgusts him, this context is vital to every single thing that he says and does around her from this moment forward.

his eyes narrow, but nothing in his posture shifts. he doesn't bother posturing. everything he needs to show is in the way he remains articulate, even-tempered, and almost inhumanly still.]

You don't believe she is a danger to others.

[he tilts his head, but only to imply the question his tone doesn't convey.]

[openhands]

No. [Cassandra won't get into it, but she understands Mal quite well. She has no desire to be human, but she also has no desire to give into that part of her species' nature.] She does not need to feed on blood and she is in control.

I watched over her while she transferred her cravings to something more manageable and reliable here. She harmed no one even as she was suffering from hallucinations and paranoia.

But even if she were to become a threat, [and this part is so very deeply important to Cassandra; it's something she feels is also important to Mal as well,] I or someone else she trusts will handle it. You and Coil are not to lay so much as a finger on her.

And should either of you try for any reason, I will stop you. [She pauses there, letting it sink in that she is absolutely serious about this as she holds Zhas' gaze steady. Maker forbid that Mal should lose control, but Cassandra made a promise. And Cassandra is a woman of her word. She will not hesitate to put Mal down, but she will not let it be at the hands of Zhas or Coil.] Do I make myself clear?

[It's not up for debate.]

[theboogieman]

[for the most part, Zhas trusts her judgement. he does not blame her for her misguided attachment. he knows fully well that vampires can be just as sympathetic, fascinating, and charming as humans--sometimes more so. he still believes her to be of sound mind, and so, believes her when she says she thinks Mal is not a threat.]

Very clear.

[he acknowledges her words. he understands her intent. but since nothing about him budges, it's apparent that he's not going to let this rest where it now lies.]

But you must understand... I have been watching creatures like her since I was a child. I have seen them slaughter mothers and children. I've watched them war with no regard for human life. I've seen every kindness and good intention they have, laid waste by their own devices, by the mere passage of time.

I don't care what your "Mal" does while she is here. Outside, elsewhere... You've made it clear that it is not my responsibility. However.

[and here's where he finally shows something, tipping his head forward to look at her with a sudden sharpness. his eyes... they shouldn't glow in daytime, but something about them seems unnatural and bright all the same.]

I have never known a place free of their threat, until this ship, this crew. I see it as a home, as something I want to protect. I watched a girl with a face like her's tear both of my parents apart, and eat my baby sister. [he tilts his head, again. he hopes she understands.] If I find her within the walls of that ship, I will kill her.

[he returns to neutral posture. everything back in its place.

is that understood?]

[openhands]

[Cassandra does not feel as though she needs to understand anything. That doesn't mean she does not listen to what he says. She will extend him that courtesy, but at first, she offers no real understanding or empathy towards him. She understands that vampires are dangerous and violent. Had she known Mal was a vampire sooner than she had, she probably would not have hesitated to do something about her instead of giving her a chance. But Mal proved herself to be with honor and kindness even if neither come to her exactly naturally nor easily.]

[But is the mention of a sister that catches Cassandra's attention and while her intensity in her desire to protect Mal does not falter, this is something within her that does soften. She knows what it is like to lose a sibling and she knows what it's like to indiscriminately hold hatred like that.]

Zhas, it is not as though I do not understand your position. I empathize more than you will ever know. [Cassandra will not speak of Anthony to Zhas, however. She rarely speaks of him to anyone, but she would not even begin to broach that topic even after what he's shared with her.] But Mal is not responsible for the deaths of your family and it is unjust for you to hold her responsible like that.

You and Coil posed a greater threat to the well-being of this crew not too long ago than she ever has. If anything, Mal has been an asset. Or have you so quickly forgotten that she once helped you without question?

[A low blow? Perhaps. But she will not allow Zhas to try and claim the higher moral ground right now. She hates the way he talks about Mal like she is a thing and less of a person and will not let it lie.]

I cannot say that she would aid you again if you asked, of course. She's well-aware of what you are and what you are capable of, and while I am not truly speaking for her, I can imagine she does not trust you any better than you trust her. But that does not mean she would ever do anything to harm you or Coil unless one of you instigate.

I will not let Mal's presence on the ship be your decision to make. You call it your home, but it is likewise my home as well as Coil's, Syeira's, and Nunnally's home. I will leave that in the hands of the crew, but particularly in Nunnally's. For now, Mal has already agreed not to come aboard unless I am present and to remain within my sight. That is the best you will have unless Nunnally says otherwise.

[And Cassandra is quite confident Nunnally (and Syeira) will agree it is a fair enough compromise. It's not as though, anyway, that Cassandra spends most of her time with Mal on their ship anyway. She often goes to Mal instead for this exact reason. But she will not have Zhas or Coil continuing to try and push their morals and ethics or rules from their world on the ship instead of seeking compromise.]

[theboogieman]

[he extends that same patience to her in turn. they're both righteous, determined people with strong (albeit different) opinions of how the world should work. he disagrees with each and every point, but says nothing, even after she's finished speaking.

he'd like to tell her that he thinks her little trail of affection means absolutely nothing next to his literal lifetime of suffering, but doesn't. he's already not going to do what she says. he doesn't care what the crew thinks; if there's a vampire within his safe walls, he's going to destroy it. that part was never up for discussion.

after only looking at her for a few seconds too long, something changes. he shifts his weight. it's barely anything, but after all that stalking stillness--it almost seems casual.]

How did you get that scar.

[openhands]

[She doesn't know where he's going with this and she doesn't particularly care. It feels like a distraction, meant to lull her into a false sense of victory or finality on this issue. But Cassandra knows when she's being ignored and dismissed. Too many in the past have tried to do this with her for her to mistake it as anything else. Zhas may shift into something more casual, but Cassandra does not. She stays just as tense and ready. She is like a dog with a bone and refuses to let it go. Not when it's this important.]

That is irrelevant and quite frankly a stupid question.

[She got her scars as most people do: by surviving.]

Don't try to change the subject.

[theboogieman]

[something about that makes him smile, which is not a comforting sight. even without his facepaint there to warp it into an apparition of teeth and bones, his expression is not reflected in his eyes.

it was a distraction, sort of. he didn't really think she'd divulge. he's just under the false assumption that women who have scars have them because of crueler men--and that could have been a thread to tug on and send them both in circles.

but if she won't bite, it's not worth it. he looks away, finally, turning as if he thinks he's done with this conversation.]

We'll see what they say.

[openhands]

[The conversation is done. They are both too stubborn and righteous in their differing philosophies and ethics to be easily swayed by the other. The only difference Cassandra can see is that she would relent based on Nunnally's command. She's not so certain Zhas would do the same.]

[But she's not letting him end the conversation or walk away. Not so easily.]

I trust you have seen the people on the planet. [A beat, but no more than that in waiting for a response or reaction.] It seems you and Coil were not just wrong in your actions, but in your perceptions as well.

[She says this not to berate him--though if it has that effect, that's fine by her--but to make a point. He thought the creatures they found on that ship were nothing but mindless beats bent on destruction. As it turns out, they were far more sentient, their minds had simply become corrupted. There are notable parallels here.]

It seems it is easy to become blinded by prejudices. I, too, was once like you in that regard, but I make an effort now to see with open eyes. I pray that you will do the same in the future before you decide that it is up to you to judge who and what is deserving or undeserving of life.

[theboogieman]

[being reminded of the people on this planet finally gets him to budge--his gaze turned more into a glare as his smile disappears entirely.

the truth is, he hates being wrong. he's never been wrong, before. he's never been challenged in his actions or his beliefs, because he follows his Master's word, and her word is indisputable law.

for a second, he finally tenses for a fight. he's had to learn to argue with words here, but his first instinct is physical force. months ago, that was all he ever needed. if he could just make her listen to him-- but she's human. she doesn't understand. he can dress it up in a dozen ways; step outside of the morals of "normal people" because he's fighting for a "higher cause".

he bites his tongue and starts walking away, instead. maybe it'll all sink in, eventually, when he's by himself and the only enemy he has to lash at is his own mind.

or maybe he'll stay stubborn and blind forever.]