Foolish Immortal

Captain Harlock RP Blog Affiliated with Zeshea, an open group.

[dark-mattered]

((Sorry about delays in replies. I'm not dead yet, but school has been kicking  my ass a bit more than usual, so I'll do my best to get to them this weekend.))

[brennau-blog]

+ dark-mattered

"What’s wrong with your face…” Shale questioned, a disgusted but curious look upon her own.

[dark-mattered]

"You've never seen a scar before?" Harlock drawled. "Oh, but you haven't even seen the worst of it. I look much better with the eye patch on."

[omnxs-deactivated20170102]

"Yeah… Shamefully, we just have to accept things as they are here, don’t we?"

Sethos hated accepting things if he was made to do so, but in this world it was hard to simply live a life in  way that you wanted to. They had tough rules, tough living conditions, and really annoying imps that like to make life harder than what it already was. Though, he wasn’t one to complain, so he didn’t comment on the matter. 

He allowed himself to remain to have his gaze fixed onto the other as he waited for him to answer the question, knowing that it was probably the most common question asked here, that and probably ‘how did you die?’. He has had that a lot of the time. When he heard the other talking to him, he nodded to show that he as listening before replying, looking up at the sky as he spoke.

"About the same time I suppose, though my few weeks are probably a shorter amount of time than yours."

He understood why he would be bad at keeping time in a place that never grew light for any reason. It was the same all day and Sethos hated it. He wanted the sun back, but he knew that was asking for too much.

“I would understand why you would lose track of time in this place. I think I am growing like that myself, since I don’t even know what day it is never mind what time it is.”

[dark-mattered]

Harlock tried to imagine how the young man’s weeks could be shorter, but he could find no reasoning behind those words. Surely his weeks would go by faster than this man of perhaps 25 at most. Time rushed by in years and decades the longer he lived, and he imagined it would stay that way even in this death.

But death surely had its way with upsetting people’s heads along with their circadian rhythms, so perhaps that had something to do with what the man had to say. It seemed to Harlock like one of those things better left unquestioned.

“I spent most of my life in a world without a sun, so keeping track of the days was only done by the clocks,” he said as he stared at the dim sky. “It’s understandable to feel disoriented without light to keep time for you. It’s a common sickness for first-time sailors. Some of them would go mad from it. But at least there are stars here. It helps to watch the way to constellations move.”

A slow shrug lifted his shoulders as his gaze returned to the surface. “And before I forget, I’m Harlock.” Strange to live in a world where no one knew his name. He hadn’t genuinely needed to introduce himself in some time.

[solempressa]

{ ♕ }— What was that cute little thing perched on that man’s hand? Out of every native she has encountered, this one had to be the most gratifying in terms of appearance.

   ❝ Ah! I can see why you would like it as a pet. It is such an adorable little creature. I wish I knew how to prevent apartment fires with it, but it seems to have taken a liking to you. ❞

[dark-mattered]

The woman's tone was far from what he was accustomed to hearing in the underworld. It took him off guard for a moment as he turned to see her. Unbothered, the flirrel continued munching away.

"Animals are easier to win over than people, though I suppose you can win over both with food. But animals do not judge by appearances." He paused, frowning. "I would give you something to feed it as well, but you would need a glove."

[dark-mattered]

Greetings | Cath

[librumvespera-deactivated202306]

Well, at least they were on the same page regarding Cath’s adventures in theft and burglary. She hadn’t described her way of working to Harlock in such a manner to seem noble though; there were many kinds of thieves after all and it would hurt her pride if he mistook her for the wrong one. She had a few questions to ask him of her own, mostly sprung from simple curiosity, but she’d set them aside for now.

"Oh, but it is.” It was Harlock’s dismissal of murder as insignificant that had quickly darkened the thief’s features and tone; he couldn’t have seen much of this world yet, so it was understandable. “Of course, not when it happens to people like us. We can die many times and no one will care… but if it’s a demon’s life on the line, things are different. If you get caught, who knows what they’ll do to you.”

Sighing, Cath strolled towards the living room’s barely used couch to take a seat; somehow this conversation had already become too depressing for her liking. “I try to stay out of fights, because this-” She had unsheathed her dagger to demonstrate. “-is all I have to defend myself. Swords, at best. I don’t know about you, but dying once is enough for me.” A wry smile as she returned her weapon to its place.

[dark-mattered]

It seemed they were far from the same page on this topic, but Cath had resided in this afterlife longer than him, so Harlock considered the idea that she might know more on this subject. His consideration lasted no more than a second, because pride be damned, he wasn’t the oldest or wisest thing around anymore. Not that he’d ever been the wisest, really.

Raising his hands in a half-hearted surrender, he offered a nod. “I will refrain from violence unless violence seeks me out first. I’m far from the rank I had when I was living, so it can’t be helped.” As he lowered his hands, another shrug tugged at his shoulders. “Even if I do get in trouble for some crime, I doubt they could do anything worse than what I’ve seen before. But that’s not for you to concern yourself with.”

At the sight of her dagger’s Harlock’s eye widened and followed its path through the air. Anyone who could hold their own with a dagger was a force to be reckoned with. He doubted he could last long with such a small weapon. “If you’d like more of a means to defend yourself, I could teach you to use a gun or a sword.” A lazy wave of his hands showed the weapons holstered on each hip. “I know there are multiple forgeries. Perhaps a sword would be better, because I’m not sure guns are a common item in this world.

[omnxs-deactivated20170102]

"It is best. We don’t know anything about these things after all. Besides, I think that most of the things down here are deadly. This is a place resembling Hell after all."

He replied to the other’s words calmly, actually enjoying this conversation much more than what he had thought he would. The male nodded too as he agreed with him and his words, allowing the other to know that he did so.

He then watched the animal scurry away, causing Sethos to blink a little from confusion as to why it darted off so fast before listening to the other speaking to him again, agreeing with the others words once more. It seems that these two were on the same wavelength.

"I suppose you do have a point. They may be cute but we don’t know what damage they could do despite their small stature. It would be safer to just leave them in the wild it seems."

The demon then stood there for a small moment in silence before talking to the other again, now jut wanting to start a normal conversation with him. It was best to get to know as many people down here as he possibly could.

"So… how long have you been down here?"

[dark-mattered]

“It’s only fair that I end up in a place resembling Hell,” Harlock said with a shrug. “So it would be quite a stretch for me to demand something from this world. But I reserve the right to dislike something.”

The young man stood out as one of the calmer, more agreeable residents he’d come across. And this one didn’t appear to be a member of the law enforcement, making him even more agreeable. So while Harlock wasn’t one to offer up much information on himself, he saw no harm in the sudden question. Perhaps asking something like that here was like discussing the weather.

“Just a couple weeks, I believe.” His eye rolled up in thought. “I’m not very good at keeping track of time anymore.” After so many years, it was better to just let it pass without paying much attention. “And what about you? How long have you been here?”

[dark-mattered]

Greetings | Cath

[librumvespera-deactivated202306]

It wasn’t a mere costume then; good thing he was so willing to confirm this matter. However — tear them apart? Take care of them? The word extreme didn’t even begin to encompass Harlock’s suggested measures. Cath certainly knew how ruthless pirates could be, but this— no, actually, he meant well with that offer, didn’t he? Even if his good intentions apparently included violence. Well, if they were to get along, the thief had to offer at least some honesty in return.

"Uh… I’m kind of a master at… redistributing goods like -err- coins. I take things from those who have too much of them and give them to those who have nothing instead. You could say I’m helping to restore a natural balance in the world." Or just call her a thief. Harlock certainly should have caught on to that, right? "It keeps me quite busy."

"S-seriously though, I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine. There’s no need for violence. Hanging out with a pirate is not the worst that could happen to my reputation anyway."

[dark-mattered]

Cath’s version of her job description made her sound like the Robin Hood of the underworld. It left Harlock with an honest smile. For all her earnestness, she did seem a bit naïve. “Are you trying to make being a thief sound more noble to a pirate?” he asked. “I’m sure you do good work, and I wouldn’t be too concerned with lecturing you about it. Anything that makes the lazy lives of the upper class harder even by a fraction is good in my eyes.” He blinked. “Eye. But keep on as you’d like as long as you’re careful.”

Of course, “no need for violence” – a phrase reserved for the mouths of optimists. But in a world of demons and a coliseum, Harlock doubted he would avoid a fight for long. Trouble tended to spread to anyone connected to him because of that. Regardless, he nodded. A thief would already know well enough to keep on their toes. “I hope there will be no issues,” he said. “And I would hate to bring down your reputation.”

“Honestly, I don’t intend to cause problems, but some issues require my interference. I do reserve shooting to kill as a last resort, not that murder seems to be as much of an issue here.” 

[omnxs-deactivated20170102]

"I don’t think that is a demon, I just think that it is a wild animal. Giving the situation of this place, he would have to adapt to his environment, and therefore caused their species to grow the way it has."

Sethos allowed his smarts to show as he spoke about this animal. He hadn’t seen it before, and if it was a demon he would know abut it. They tend to be able to sense the presence of other demons right? then again half of the animals around here was just plan weird, and it caused Sethos to question his senses towards other demons.

"It is a terrible place I must admit, but perhaps these animals could be tamed into being pets?"

You won’t know until you try right?

[dark-mattered]

"Hm." He gave a nod at the explanation. "That does make sense. More like an alien species, then. I have seen stranger, though usually on identifiable planets. Perhaps it is better not to question things in the land of the dead."

With his hand empty, the flirrel chose to dart off. Of course, having something like that following him around would only cause trouble. He dusted his gloves free of soot as he stood upright. 

"Even if it is possible to tame them, I'd prefer a pet that couldn't burn down a city block. Even when the dragons aren't on fire, I'd imagine they're more interested in biting a person in two than becoming anything tame. I prefer to keep as many parts of my body intact as possible."

"These creatures may just be better off as pets for the proper demons. I'll look for something a little less deadly."

[dark-mattered]

Greetings | Cath

[librumvespera-deactivated202306]

Old-fashioned, seriously? The thief could still vividly recall the day she had arrived in this world, utterly confused of all the new things it had to show. The devices and strange machineries even a normal apartment contained had all seemed like some odd kind of magic at first and Cath still had no clue how most of them worked. But they certainly were convenient. Exactly what kind of world did this Harlock person come from to call any of this old-fashioned? She made a mental note to question him about that later.

"Don’t worry, I’ve been friends with a pirate before, it’s fine!" Friends in this case being somewhat of an euphemism for a certain acquaintance Cath had tried to steal from on multiple occasions - close enough. Hold on though, was Harlock even a pirate? His outfit was practically screaming so, but with an attire this obvious, it might as well be a mere costume. Well, he’d probably correct her if the thief had made a wrong assumption. “Anyway, as long as you don’t get any weird ideas, I don’t mind living together. I’m not home too often anyway…”

[dark-mattered]

Assumptions didn't usually play out for the better, but Cath's jump to calling him a pirate made his shoulders twitch with a near-invisible laugh. He'd certainly worn his identity out in the open from the start. Nice to know she was the type who recognized it. But she was harder to pin to an identity - former friend to a pirate and what else? Despite her age, or perhaps because of her age, there had to be more to her than an unfortunate young lady who wound up dead.

"Quite an achievement to be a friend to a pirate," he said. "We're not the easiest to get along with. I'll do my best not to stir up trouble, but should anyone bother you because of me- well, tear them apart if you'd like, or tell me, and I'll take care of them." His eye sharpened with irritation at the thought, but it calmed just as easily as he changed topics.

"What do you do around this city that takes up so much of your time?"

[omnxs-deactivated20170102]

"Taking it out of it’s habitat may cause it to become stressed, so I suppose the answer to your question is no."

The other answered the male with the eyepatch as he overheard him talking about the squirrel. To b honest, it seemed like a rather odd taste in pet.. then again pets were different here and to humans than it was back in his homeland and to him. He looked at the squirrel that was nibbling on it’s food, finding it to  be rather… cute.

"I must admit though, I would understand why you would want one…"

[dark-mattered]

"Right, wild animals and aliens are not made to be pets." He tried to state it as a fact, but disappointment still leaked into his voice. "Or demons in this case, perhaps. I'm not sure what this classifies as."

The flirrel allowed him to pet its back, as long as there was still a bit of food left to eat. 

"I've yet to see a single normal animal. The cats talk. The birds breathe fire and try to kill you." Harlock shook his head. "A world without pets is a terrible place."

[dark-mattered]

Luckily for Harlock, his gloves were fireproof to an extent, because the little burning squirrel eating now-roasted almonds from his hand wouldn't be doing his skin any favors. 

"Is there a way to make it not burn the apartments down if I were to take it as a pet?"

[captainharlockk-deactivated2015]

[dark-mattered]

Greetings | Cath

[librumvespera-deactivated202306]

The usual scenario was this: an empty apartment, its residents currently going about their business elsewhere, leaving all of their riches conveniently on display for any skilled thief to take from to their liking. Very often that thief would be Cath. Today, however, was different. Today, the stranger intruding into another’s home was not her, but some guy she had never seen before. To make matters worse, this was her apartment. The whole scene was so surreal and shocking, for a moment there words entirely escaped her. There wasn’t even anything to steal here!

"…what?", the thief finally managed to respond, still not entirely convinced this was actually happening. It took her a few more seconds to fully process the stranger’s words. "You live here now? But this is my— oh.” Finally things were beginning to make sense - if the man’s words could be trusted. Truth to be told, he looked even more suspicious than Cath did herself. 

"Uuh, sorry, I wasn’t told I’d be getting a new roommate. So soon too… Ah, goodbye, sweet freedom…" The last set of words was a mere murmur, spoken with a rather wistful expression; but the thief recovered soon enough, hesitantly offering him a smile. "So, errr, welcome? Make yourself at home, I guess. I’m Cath by the way. Who’re you?"

[dark-mattered]

For better or worse, Cath looked just as unsure about this as he felt. In fact, she didn’t appear entirely convinced. He couldn’t blame her, as he did feel like an intruder. From what he knew, however, there was no option to move, so stuck they were.

“I’m Harlock,” he offered with a nod. “It’s a pleasure.” The word was bit of a stretch, but manners would make being stuck together easier. He strode a few steps further, eye roaming the amenities. “This apartment, it’s-” He frowned at the bulky fridge. “-old fashioned, isn’t it? I’ve never seen carpet in person.” He toed at the fluffy floor with his boot as though that might explain its existence.

“I suppose I should say I haven’t had a roommate in…many years.” Trying to count up the exact number required too much mental math. Turning, he leaned against the nearest wall. “I’ve certainly never had a young woman as a roommate. I’m sure I don’t look like the sort you’d want to have around, but I mean no harm to you.”

[dark-mattered]

Greetings | Cath

Harlock couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this sober for this long. Not exactly a bad thing, but he’d long-since begun to crave a drink by the time he made it to the apartment the little cretins said he now took residence in. His eye found the kitchen as soon as his foot hit the small living area, but there wouldn’t be anything there.

At least, nothing there belonged to him. The imps might have mentioned a few things about someone else living with him, but he brushed that off as a joke. As he kicked the door closed behind him with the heel of his boot, he frowned at the signs that the place was occupied – small things out of place, a cabinet slightly ajar. Four doors lined the walls, too many to house one. Perhaps the most telling sign of a roommate was the young girl already in the space itself. He blinked at the sight of her, as if willing her to be a momentary hallucination.

Still, she remained - a very young girl. Not his ideal roommate, but then, no one was. And where were his manners? “Excuse me,” he said at length, reaching back and belatedly knocking at his own door. “May I come in? I believe I live here now.”

[dark-mattered]

Interrogation | Raidou

[fourteenthcase-blog]

A question that was a bit too vague. There were quite a few responses that could suffice as an answer, each one depending on how ‘far out of line’ one would or could go; the lengths can vary, of course. There were the simple and basic rebellions, then what Raidou took care of at a daily basis in part of the Hellhounds and lastly, complete insubordination. 

“That is where he comes in." A voice spoke up, deep and yet somewhat hollow, resembling something of an echo. A black tail slowly swings behind the detective’s neck, the feline’s gaze hardly faltering once as it now raises it’s head high; the very words belonging to the cat, Gouto taking care of the answer in the summoner’s stead. "It’s his job to put them back in line."

In agreement, Raidou nods. “I am a police detective for the police force here. However, what Gouto mentioned usually pertains towards common criminal acts. Punishment is incarceration, unless other methods are necessary… Once the situation gets out of control, I believe it is up to the Demon Lord to deliver punishment." A pause, "You do not plan in going ‘out of line’, do you?" Honestly, he hoped not.

[dark-mattered]

Harlock felt he shouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point, though the talking cat did make him raise a brow. The little beast’s tone almost sounded unreal, but the firmness fit how he imagined a cat would speak. He certainly wasn’t going to argue with the legitimacy of a talking cat in the underworld. Hopefully there were more about, and hopefully the opposite was true for the police.

Upon learning the man’s occupation, Harlock took him in a second time, a quick dart of his eye to size the detective up. Harlock had no intentions of fighting him, but there was always a chance.  “Of course, a detective.” He gave a nod. “That would be my luck. I should say I have no intentions of making trouble. I’ve only just arrived, and I’ll need to learn the law more clearly before I can make my decision. It all depends on whether I find it agreeable. I do hope those who uphold the law do so justly. You seem like a reasonable man, detective. I prefer not to fight reasonable people.”

A twitch in his shoulders hinted at a shrug, his boots shifting against the gravel to a looser stance. “And if I had to fight you, it might disturb your cat’s perch. I would hate to do that. But should you hear of someone named Harlock disturbing the peace, at least you’ll know my face.” If all went well, it wouldn’t end up on another set of wanted posters. 

[dark-mattered]

Interrogation | Raidou

[fourteenthcase-blog]

Dull gray eyes focus themselves upon the one-eyed man whom cut in his path, facial features hardly shifting from it’s serious expression, despite the abruptness of this situation. Who was this person? It was a face unfamiliar to the detective— a newcomer? Perhaps so, however, Raidou’s guard does not falter in the slightest. Rather, the hand that casually rests upon the hilt of his katana, hidden beneath the black cloak, now twitches, readily prepared for any means of use. The aura this individual gave off was… unique; the firm green gaze of the feline resting upon his shoulder fixates upon the other as well.

“That is correct." Raidou answers with a nod. Although, he inquiry that follows is quite strange, a thin brow quickly raising in concern.

“However, no, that wouldn’t be the case. It is possible for our bodies to perish once again in this realm…" And able to revive in order to continue living the afterlife; an endless cycle. Even so, in the end, multiple deaths were unnecessary. "Please do not attempt it.”

[dark-mattered]

The young man's reaction, or lack thereof, mirrored what Harlock might except from himself at such a sudden question. He saw no fault in this, though it did leave him wondering if all the humans in this world might have been called demons in the last. Unlikely, considering this was but one person of many, and being surrounded by people like himself sounded like a dull afterlife.

Though the answers he received were not what he wanted to hear, his interest in it lessened as his eye rolled to return the gaze of the cat. If there were cats here, he would need one. "A shame." His eye snapped back to meet the young man's. "Hardly a point in dying if you still have to limit yourself with drinking. But if that's a form of punishment here, I deserve it." He didn't find his own jokes amusing enough to crack a smile. There were more important matters at hand.

"I don't mean to hold you up if you have somewhere to be." If there was somewhere to be in the afterlife. "But I am curious - if this world follows a leader and a system of rules, and death would theoretically just return us here, what is the punishment for stepping too far out of line?"

[dark-mattered]

Interrogation | Open

Morbid as it was, Harlock had looked forward to dying for a long time, but this afterlife was like none of those he'd imagined. Every new sight around the place brought him further disappointment. At least Hell sounded like an interesting place. This world, less so. 

But he was in no position to complain, having spent so much of his life dancing with death. People called him a demon in the past, so perhaps it was only fitting to live, er, be dead in a place swarming with inhuman creatures.

As the gravel crunched beneath his boots, he passed enough bars to put the old pirate colonies to shame. Once he learned more on the monetary system, he would need to give them a proper look. For now, he took in the culture and layout as best he could with a single, darting eye. His wrist leaned against the curved handle of his saber in case any of the denizens began acting as their appearances suggested. No matter all those things about judging books by their covers, Harlock preferred the idea of interacting with another human, if he had to interact with someone. And he did have a few important questions.

The first human he spotted became the unfortunate subject of his interrogation. He stepped in front of them, the sharp intensity of a command in his eye. "You've been here for a time, yes?" The answer hardly mattered. "I need confirmation on something. Because I'm already dead, does this mean I wouldn't die from alcohol poisoning?"