chatzy // let’s die drunk and high
DATE: Tuesday, October 16, 2020 CHARACTERS: Casey and Jesse ABOUT: Casey and Jesse discuss their game plan for Bermuda.
Although the first day of his quest had been wasted queasy below deck, by the time the sun rose over the Atlantic the next morning, Jesse was feeling closer to normal. The weathered wood of the ship still creaked with each step, politely reminding him that there was nothing but dark water for thousands of miles beneath his feet, but nothing had happened overnight and if they wanted to have a plan before arriving in Bermuda they needed to speak before the ship came into port. Casey wasn’t immediately in sight as Jesse found his way onto the deck so he took a moment to gather himself. None of this felt real, from boarding the ship as the market packed away in New Athens to now, partway across the ocean, staring up at the massive sails. Not wanting to be in the way of the actual sailors, Jesse started towards the other end of the ship. Ah, there was Casey. Without looking over the edge, Jesse joined Casey at the side of the ship. He cleared his throat. “Uh, hey. Sleep okay?”
"No," Casey grumbled. "The dude bunking beside me snored like a lawn mower." Casey didn't bother adding that the dread of his apparent death also kept him from resting at ease. "How long are we going to be stuck on this ship anyway?"
Jesse turned his back to the water, leaning back against the side of the ship as he looked up at the billowing sails. “With the speed we’re going, from Long Island to Bermuda? I’d say one more day, maybe two if we slow down at night.”
"Great," Casey muttered back in response. The prospect of going to Bermuda would have been much more exciting if he didn't have the lingering fear of death hanging over his head. "What are we even supposed to do there?"
"Find Demeter," Jesse responded immediately. Chiron's instructions had been playing on repeat in his head all night. "And ask if she knows anything about Persephone's disappearance. But, um." He hesitated as his thoughts caught up with his mouth. "I guess there's a problem there? Since no one can contact Demeter. She could be in trouble. So, uh, I think we– we might have some trouble locating her? Apparently she first dropped out of contact when she went on a, uh, vacation. There's a big hotel there, called the Empress– I was thinking that would be a good first spot to check. If that's... okay? With you."
"What the actual fuck," Casey snapped. "Chiron is sending us to an island resort in Bermuda and we have to work? Like, hello! These are my last dying days!" Casey pointed out, waving to some hypothetical Chiron in the distance. "It's like he's showing me all the cool shit I'll never get to actually experience. That's just cruel."
Jesse sighed and looked down at the ledge he was resting his arm on, still avoiding any focus on the water beyond it. He couldn't imagine the weight of the prophecy Casey had to carry for this, but part of him couldn't help starting to grow frustrated. "If it's going to happen no matter what you might as well drink some pina coladas while you work." Maybe it would lighten him up a bit.
Casey pointed a finger at Jesse. "Fucking correct." He let out an exasperated sigh. "How hard can a goddess be to find anyway? Can't we just, like, blaspheme her and she'll show up to smite us?"
"You're welcome to try." Jesse looked down at his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, so... yeah. I'm thinking..." He had to stop to take a breath and gather his thoughts so he didn't stammer his way through the next sentence. "I'm thinking we start at the hotel, ask around. I doubt gods are great at being, uh, subtle? And from there I know a few other spots we can check. There's an old dockyard that supposed to be haunted. If we're lucky she's just taking a really long nap."
"Sure, yeah." Casey suddenly felt a little guilt prick at his conscience. He was so wrapped up in his own doom, he hadn't even thought of researching the area. "I mean, she's the goddess of plants, right? Wouldn't she probably be chilling with a plant or something?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah, that's a good point." Jesse focused on a spot on the deck as he tried to recall what the vegetation looked like. "There's... palm trees? Oh! Oh." He exclaimed, quickly becoming more subdued afterwards. "There's botanical gardens. We could go there."
"Great," Casey agreed. "Maybe she can grow us some weed. We'll die drunk and high."
Pointing out that, according to the prophecy, only one of them was going to die seemed a little crude, so Jesse just smiled and nodded. "Seems like the least she can do."