Ask Coping Mechanisms

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc remained silent through Renfry and Tiamat’s back and forth quips, though it certainly entertained him. His otherwise depressed vibe already began to shift a bit just from being in their presence. The half Sephi glanced over at Tiamat when she mentioned sailing, his brows rising in surprise.

“You can?” He asked with genuine shock, “Or did you research diagrams in a book and decide you know all about it?” Emryc grumbled, the accusation surprisingly likely when it came to Tiamat. He glanced away to look at Jaikus when he mentioned sailing as well, though he quickly compared it to his fishing skills. The image of Jaikus slapping his palms together like swatting a giant mosquito while fish were jumping upstream flashed into his mind. Emryc’s face cracked into a grin and he had to cough to suppress the laugh that threatened to rise.

“Yeah well let’s hope this boat isn’t haunted,” He said with a grin as he looked over at Tiamat to punt over a quip that she would pick up on right away.

The sun glared down at them as soon as they stepped outside and Emryc popped his shades on. It was a short walk to the dock that had the boats. The boardwalk on the way was rich with live music, food stalls and art all around them. Emryc attempted to ignore most of it, his hands in his pockets as he moodily kept a slow pace behind the others.

Every now and then he glanced over at happy couples holding hands or displaying affection. The sight caused his jaw to tighten before he looked away, pointedly looking down at the ground as he walked.

@Phoenix @Altaris @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Her declaration seemed to catch him off-guard, surprise on his face as Tiamat pursed her lips, unamused that he came to the conclusion that she just read it in a book, therefore she knew all about it. Yeah, she couldn't argue with that, "I knew how to before I could read." she flaunted, however, it had been some years, a book on sailing wouldn't be a bad idea regardless how comfortable she felt it would return to her. The redhead turned her gaze to Jaikus when he mentioned his knowledge on sailing and fishing, her face contorting in puzzlement as it seemed out of place. She begun to wonder if there was something behind it as she eyed Jaikus a bit longer until Emryc mentioned something about the boat being haunted.

"What?! No!" she immediately scoffed, "Boats can't be haunted..." she paused, now really thinking about it and if there were any based-on-true-stories about haunted boats, "No, not possible..." she said out loud, though it was more reassurance to herself rather than to anyone in the group. Tiamat glanced back at Emryc to gauge his response, trying to see if he even broke face to determine if he was joking (he was joking, right?) or if he did hear such things about boats...

"Just the seas are haunted..." she said glancing to the others, suddenly remembering and feeling a bit defeated. Her eyes then followed Emryc's gaze to other couples on the boardwalk, noting how he took to his feet immediately. A shared sadness hit her, but then she giggled to herself finding a memory of the last time they had rented something, "We should avoid renting from anyone named Grub."

@Sreeya @Phoenix @Altaris

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was oblivious to the hidden meanings of both the comments between Tiamat and Jaikus. They earned a quirked eyebrow and little more from her as they started heading in the direction of the docks.

Well I'm glad the three of your are skilled sailors, because I'm going to be useless, she declared without really feeling any shame in the matter. There weren't really... oceans on Dathomir.

Tia launched into a tirade about haunted boats and how that wasn't possible when Renfry interjected.

Oh, no, they can definitely be haunted, she said, totally serious. She was Queen Spooky, after all.

I once heard about this ocean freighter that set sail. Everyone vanished off of it, and when they set sail again, the new crew swore they saw the old crew on board sometimes. They started killing themselves to escape the visions, she said.

As they headed onward toward the rental facilities, they all seemed to be closed except one run by a man named "Grob" who looked exactly like a man named "Grob" should.

@Sreeya @Altaris @GABA

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was the king of keeping a straight face, and he did just that when Tia began to panic about haunted boats. He glanced at Renfry and nodded along, “Yes, the story of Captain Tihsllub,” Emryc said very seriously, “He had been a captain for twenty five years before that and was fearless in the seas. So you can imagine what it took to rattle a seasoned crew like that,” The half Sephi exhaled, “Don’t worry though, I’m sure this boat will be fine,” He glanced at Tia with a face that was about as far from reassuring as possible.

The half Sephi made sure to stop by a shop to pick up some alcohol for their ride, each of them carrying far more than they should ever need on a sailing trip. When they arrived at Grob, Emryc was visibly surprised at their luck. He exchanged quick glances with Tia before looking back at the greasy man that had about 3 teeth total. Emryc felt gross handing over money with his face on it to the smelly man, but it got them on the boat. He checked to make sure that this wasn’t a jalopy like the speeder he and Tiamat had to push on Lothal.

Emryc hopped on the boat and plopped down to sit, glancing over at Tiamat as he reached for a beer to crack it open, “All right, take us out,” He said, genuinely curious to see how she got them out of the marina.

@Altaris @Phoenix @GABA

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus didn’t miss the way his joke about fishing elicited a grin from the half-Sephi, a site that caused his own lips to tug up into a wide smile in response. Even if it was fleeting, the man was more than a little bit pleased that his quips might've been improving Emryc's mood.

The Axxilan walked alongside the group as they filtered out onto the beach, seemingly enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the feeling of the sun against his cheeks. Never mind the fact that he was wearing dress pants and a button-up shirt, rather than actual beachwear. He didn’t actually have any intention of getting in the water, after all.

Constantly glancing towards Emryc out of the corner of his eye, catching the way the half-Sephi’s face hardened and his eyes cast downward at the sight of the couples. Confusion flashed across the Axxilan’s face for a moment, the cogs turning behind his eyes as he searched for the underlying reasons. The answer did not come immediately, and Jaikus forced himself not to linger on that thought for very long. Instead, his attention was drawn to the mention of boats may or may not being haunted.

The man had a penchant for being able to smell bullshit a mile away, and this entire story reeked. Still, he simply nodded along – citrine eyes narrowing slightly and lips flattening into a hard line. He looked very serious, which was saying something for Jaikus.

“From the stories I heard, new crews would come, and it would always end the same way for them – driven to suicide by the visions of their predecessors. Strangely, the ship would always make its way back to port even without its crew, leaving the dockworkers to find the grizzly scene and prepare it for the next set of sailors. Some say it was the ship itself that was possessed, and would only return to attract its next set of victims.”

Jaikus cleared his throat, looking as if he was nervous. “Eventually the ship just.. Disappeared, never returning to port. But, some sailors swear they see the ship during long voyages – lingering out just beyond the fog bank.” With that, he shrugged. Surely this boat was safe, right? The Axxilan kept a straight face as he plopped down to sit between Emryc and the two ladies, reaching for a drink. While the half-Sephi grabbed a beer, Jaikus plucked a mimosa from the cooler. It was a mimosa in a can, but it was still better than beer.

@Sreeya @GABA @Phoenix

 

[Darth Tiamat]

"What?" she looked at Renfry, uncertain if she was to believe the woman or not, it just seemed crazy, but then again, she had no reason to not trust what she was telling her...but Emryc joined in, then Jaikus. Emryc spoke about Captain Tihsllub and Tiamat frowned, trying to decide if that was a real name, and why did it sound awfully familiar. Jaikus added to the story, and surely if they all knew this story, then it must be true! The logical reason she concluded was she had heard this story once before too, "Haha, ok, but that's like...not true, haunted boats....hahaha!" her fake laugh was obviously fake with an underline of nervousness as she walked ahead to the liquor store, talking to herself about how none of these boats would be haunted.

Seemingly happy with the armfuls of wine, Tiamat nearly dropped all her bottles when she and Emryc both gazed upon Grob. She met Emryc's gaze with a look of bemusement to the coincidence. Her blue eyes followed the crowns to the gross hands of Grob and as they walked away, Tia smirked with a stupid coy grin, "Your face is gonna touch his butt at some point."

Once onboard, she quickly took to checking everything and possibly checking to make sure none of it was haunted before taking off. Emryc seemed to be fine with her sailing the boat, which was fine, she may have ended up telling someone what to do until they threw her off the boat or let her sail out from the dock. While she navigated out to the open ocean, she was still thinking about the ghost boat story, "Captain Tihsllub?" she frowned, "How do you spell that? T-i-z-l-u-b?" she asked, moving around to adjust the sail.

@Sreeya @Phoenix @Altaris

 

[Amon Aldinari]

Red's abrupt vacation or disappearance as others claimed wasn't noticed at first by his friend. What made him suspect was that it had been the week they would play each other in fantasy. Competitive trash talking had been the norm between them but not a single response had been sent. They had only seen each other a few times over the years, a fact that didn't bother the Sith as his friend was the president of a entire independent state, and Amon was... Amon, their schedules weren't perfect for each other. Either way, he still knew Red never missed his opportunity to flex about his own team and that was a warning flag.

Amon knew the half-Sephi could take care of himself and his safety didn't worry him. It had to be something else. Using knowledge based on what he knew about his friend and applying some elbow grease with the help of some contacts, he eventually found the half-Sephi's general area. That was all the Sith really needed as he could do the rest of the tracking from there, the assistance from the force cutting away tedious obstacles that he didn't want to hop through.

The trail eventually led him to a dock and at the exact moment when he could spot Red's massive frame before boarding a boat, a few others following him on. It hadn't been exactly what he expected but he was too far to give up then. There wasn't much time to think in the end as the boat began to churn in the water, earning a hurried pace from Amon to reach the end of the dock. A tiny distance sat between him and the boat and he gave a little hop to get on it, the vessel dipping slightly before adjusting to his weight.

He watched as the distance expanded between him and solid land, solidifying his decision to be on the boat. Turning around after, a slight shrug was given to himself, "Surprise..." The word muttered only to him as the others were at the front. With a step forward, he navigated that way. Amon was the type to act first and then ask questions later.

Reaching the other side, he would find the others sitting around a table and conversating about all of their chances of being on a haunted boat. Amon didn't try to be quiet with his steps and if any of them turned to see who it was, they would find the young man lifting his arms up slightly in a silent greeting, a rack of beers hooked by a couple of his fingers. "Hopefully you don't mind another." Before someone could say anything, he would first walk over to Red and stop behind him, dropping one hand to his shoulder to give him a soft squeeze before sliding it down and giving his chest a couple of pats next. "Well... you have to be a wreck, huh?" An ice-cold beer would fall from the sky and into his lap, the second round and on Amon. The rest of the case would be placed on the table.

Walking around the couch next, his gaze went to Tia and he gave her a slight cock of his head as greeting, "Tia, pleasure. The rest of you." A nod for them. But then he turned back to Red, "Before I forget." He reached toward his ear and pulled out a pearled joint with a gloved hand, tucked away behind his curls. With a simple motion of his hand, it floated over to Red for him to have. "Takes off the edge."

Instead of waiting by the table, Amon would make his way over to the railing and open space, leaning against it as he faced toward the ensemble. He absorbed the full rays of sunshine as he cracked open his own beer and took a sip.

@Sreeya @GABA @Phoenix @Altaris

 

[Renfry]

Renfry kept a straight face as everyone took off with the story. It had grown, and how it would haunt Tia's nightmares, particularly if she fell asleep while aboard the ship.

The comment about Emryc's face touching the greasy man's butt caught her attention and earned a quirked eyebrow as she wondered exactly what that story was.

As they boarded, another man appeared who she didn't really know, but recognized from her time around the Sith.

Renfry, she said, motioning to herself and deciding that a boat was no place for titles and Darth names. I didn't catch your name, she said as he gave his greeting. He seemed to know the others and he brought drinks, so he couldn't have been all that bad.

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc looked over at Jaikus as the man easily joined in on the complete bullshit story they were crafting. It was a testament to the half Sephi’s control over his face that he didn’t crack a grin. He eyed the mimosa in a can with visible distaste, always finding the Axxilan’s drink preferences to be bizarre. At least there were no infuriating umbrellas this time.

He blinked at Tia as she asked him to spell the Captain’s name. He opened his mouth to spew more nonsense when another figure hopped on the boat to join them. Emryc’s face visibly lit up when he spotted Amon come over. He grabbed the man’s hand and leaned in with the other arm around his back to pat it, colliding their shoulders together.

“Fuck you too,” Emryc said with a grin as he pulled away, “I’m flattered you’re here considering the Rancors are thoroughly destroying you this season,” The half Sephi was just as guilty. He had gone out of his way to interrupt Amon’s day during very serious missions to gloat about Trady being on injured reserve or another player being out for the season. The two men would travel to any corner of the galaxy to gloat in one other’s face about any terrible misfortune that befell their respective teams.

The half Sephi was visibly in a better mood just from being around the others. He took a sip from his beer as he stepped over to the railing with Amon, lighting up the joint. He put his shades on, the sun glaring down on them all. The winds rustled his hair that he still hadn’t bothered to style. Emryc leaned into the edge, quietly listening to the conversations around him. Every now and then his gaze flicked over and lingered on Jaikus, but no one could tell behind the dark shades.

“Let’s have some thoughts and prayers since we are all putting our faith in Tiamat to steer us through the ocean,” Emryc muttered after a while as he took a swig from his bottle. He inhaled from the spice before exhaling a cloud. He tilted his head back in satisfaction, "Where did you get this?" He asked Amon as he passed the joint to him.

@GABA @Phoenix @Orbit @Altaris

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She watched Emryc intensely as she waited for him to spell the captain's name before being interrupted by another guest. Her eyes widened with surprise, but then with delight in seeing him joining them on the boat. Though her encounters with him were brief and relatively calm compared to some others she ventured with, his presence was always a welcome.

Tiamat watched as Amon and Emryc did their dude-guy handshake thing before greeting her and the others. She gave him a cheeky salute with two fingers before focusing back on the boat to get it safely away from the docks and out of the port before finding a place to kick back and drink. Though Tia already skipped to the drinking part as she had poured herself some wine, overhearing Emryc thinking he was being clever by taking a jab at her sailing skills.

"Look out into the Ocean, Emryc, do you see them?" she paused, waving her arm slowly as she gestured to the open ocean, "Do you see all the fucks that I care to give." she gave him a pouted frown, "Please pray, that you jump off right here." she grumbled and took a sip from her wine glass.

 

[Amon Aldinari]

With the warm words from Red, the smile on his face couldn't be stopped as it spread wide. While Red could be an entirely different person around someone else, this was the one that Amon knew and was familiar with. Amon would visibly wince when he mentioned the Rancors were destroying him. He came in disarmed and had earned a little jab to the nose. Still, he reacted with a slight shrug as he took slow steps to the railing, "The things I do for love. Don't forget it." A quick tilt of his head following his words to knock them straight toward Red.

A woman, one that he had never seen the likes before this close, introduced herself as Renfry. Amon knew what her real status was, both of them having worked together before but not properly introduced. "Amon, love. Nice to meet you." The situation was far from the normal circumstances he would have met most these people and that meant they were introduced to the real him. Either way, the constricted space of the table wasn't meant for him and he still made his way to the railing.

Amon soaked in the warm and enjoyable rays of the sun, a blessing he rarely experienced as he spent most of his time in cities. Red came over to join him, the joint in hand as it would be quickly ignited, the smell of spice lingering in the open air. Hearing his comment about Tia, a smirk touched Amon's lips at the thought of the last time he had been on something where she was on the controls, his whole body having been practically slammed into his seat and ground. With a soft snicker accompanying his words, "You know I don't pray. Not my style." Everything was always a choice. "But I do think my knees are still recovering, so let's hope."

When the joint was passed to him, he pinched it between his fingers and brought it between his lips. With an inhale, the smoke quickly transferred to his lungs and he instantly felt pressure in his face at first before it transformed into a weightless feeling. Exhaling, the smoke rode the top of his lips before entering into his nose before the joint was passed back to Red. An arched eyebrow was offered to his friend at the question, speaking a little more slowly as the drugs took effect, "Just because I'm not frequently smoking doesn't mean I forgot what made me." A mental escape had sometimes been the reason he was still alive when he had been young.

That's when Tia would speak out loud as she surveyed the ocean, earning a chuckle from Amon before he took a sip of beer. With a glance over to Red, he smirked, "You always do keep lovely company."

@GABA @Sreeya @Altaris @Phoenix

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus had been in the middle of taking a swig from his drink when he glanced at Emryc, immediately recognizing the expression of disgust that was painted across the half-Sephi’s face. It was enough to earn a half-hearted roll of his eyes. Considering the old, warm beer that Emryc was drinking back at the apartment, there was precisely zero chance the Axxilan was going to stomach any kind of judgement from the half-Sephi.

As if to enunciate that point further, Jaikus sipped this drink a bit louder, slurping the mimosa-in-a-can while staring down the half-Sephi. What he wouldn’t give for colorful little umbrella.

It was at this point that Amon leapt onto the boat, the sudden appearance causing Jaikus’ eyes to widen with surprise. He didn’t know the man at all, but was pleasantly surprised by the reaction from both Emryc and Tiama. It was enough for the Axxilan to recognize him as welcome company. “More the merrier.” He tipped his can towards Amon, greeting the fellow Sith with a smile before motioning back to himself. “Jaikus. Pleasure to meet you.”

His eyes casually flicked to the joint that Amon had brought. Briefly thinking back to the last time he had tried smoking with Emryc, Jaikus quickly decided it didn’t interest him whatsoever.

Instead, The Axxilan reclined a bit further back into his seat and focused on relaxing. His free arm lifted to rest behind his head, while his ankle came to lay comfortably atop his other knee. Jaikus basked beneath the comfortable warmth of the sun, the gentle breeze brushing against his bronzed skin and keeping the air pleasantly cool. Every few seconds, his citrine eyes flicked back towards Emryc briefly, the faintest smile tugging at his lips before drifting elsewhere for a moment or two.

He eventually settled his attention back into Tiamat. “Come to think of it, I’m fairly positive that Captain Tihsllub was from this planet.”

@Sreeya @GABA @Phoenix @Orbit

 

[Renfry]

Renfry snickered at Tia's comments, smiling widely as the ship began to head out into the water. She reached down and pulled up a small bottle of fruity rum before pouring herself a glass and beginning to sip. She sat back in her chair, contentedly smiling out at the water as the others talked.

He was, she said to Jaikus without missing a beat, lending further credibility to the story of Captain Tihsllub.

Amon introduced himself, and though she wasn't sure how she felt about him calling her "love" she decided it was probably fine for the time being. And it could be made up for with something else he could do for her.

As he and Emryc started passing around the joint, she pushed herself up and walked over. I'd like to try that, she said. She had never done any kind of spice before, and this seemed like a good time.

She took a drag that was followed less than halfway through by a nasty fit of coughing. She was not a smoker and wasn't sure how one was supposed to inhale this without dying every time, but she was determined!