I'M THE BLACK DOG;

sideblog to @solkvost. / jet black rp account.

[thblackdog]

snores.

               when he agreed for them to share a bed, he had not taken into consideration the aspects that would come adjacent with sleeping in the same premises. the adenoidal uproar faye’s been so earnestly producing has him pondering life. although the light is dim, his eyes are glued to the ceiling fan that appears to be completing its two hundred thirty seventh loop. distraught, he tries to shake awake, his arm constantly jabbing her flank. ‘ hey, faye... hey!  ’ the gesture garners no response. after an hour passes, fatigue finally starts to tug at his eyelids. jet almost falls into a light slumber when all of a sudden he can feel a a cold weight clawing at his pectoral. when he opens his eyes in order to ascertain the source of the discomfort, he almost rolls into a somersault.

              in that moment, faye’s head that so comfortably rested against his chest appeared akin to a gorgon attempting to devour him alive. in his drowsy haze, he’d forgotten about their agreement. jet veers backward, removing himself from the bed with projected ease. still bothered by the incessant cacophony her nose emitted, an exasperated breath ushers out of him. 

                belatedly, he decides that the couch is a much better alternative. by the time he reaches it, the sleepless stupor has him careless. seeing spike sleeping there, he refuses to head for the armchair, as he normally would. all he does is scoot spike over just a tad, almost delicately, and settle himself by his side. jet closes his eyes again, rejoicing in this insignificant moment of peace. seconds later, whatever remains of hope ( of having a good night’s sleep ) he’s had until then are shattered to pieces.

              spike’s snores outdo faye’s. 

deceivous & bcbop​​

[thblackdog]

(spike): distorted zombie noises

                since spike’s mouth was still covered in bandages ( an event that’s become quite the common occurrence ), he struggles to discern spike’s objective. ‘ you want me to bring you adenosine? that makes no sense... ’ unable to ascertain the current situation, he paces to where the other rests, setting his ear somewhere close to spike’s plastered mouth. it’s not until spike lifts a finger, indicating that what he wished for wasn’t exactly an organic compound, but fruit. ‘ oh! you meant the tangerine... here, ’ he leans across the table to grab it, halting in his path when he finds nothing but the peel of the citrus in question. 

                ‘ i’m afraid there’s none left... want me to bring you somethin’ else? ’

[thblackdog]

“The night is darkest just before dawn. But keep your eyes open; if you avert your eyes from the dark, you'll be blind to the rays of a new day...So keep your eyes open, no matter how dark the night ahead may be.”

               ‘ is that... --- ’ taken aback by the array of information headed in his direction, he can’t quite process the strangeness of this unprompted metaphor. once he’s set eyes upon the creature, his mouth falls agape, eyebrows lifted in bewilderment. 

              ‘ --- a talking reindeer? ’

[thblackdog]

bcbop​ + spike. 

          “… nothing. i was just thinking it suits you. being a fogey, that is,” he parries effortlessly, throws his coat over his shoulder in the same leisurely manner, before pacing off towards his vermilion red MONO racer. come to think of it—the bebop must be just as old, if not older than ancient gadget in his hand. running smooth though—that ship; no matter how you looked at it. he slides onto his seat and starts up the swordfish’s engines. in the end, only those stubborn enough to hold onto aged bonds and grizzled principles were rewarded with reliability ( and it must be a similar kind of reciprocation that leaves him thinking, somewhere in the back of his mind, what a shame it would be to not be lounging on the trawler’s grubby mustard couch again ). 

        “ready as could be.” if this realization surprises himself, he doesn’t let it show in his routine answer. by the time the gates unbolt his mind is long elsewhere anyhow; engulfed by pitch black darkness whose only saving grace was a handful of million stars. “see you around.” it’s not poetic as it sounds. his personal sun is a 1730 ton-heavy pile of scrap and doesn’t glow. talk about perspective.

               ‘ 3, 2, 1. . . ready for lift-off, the gate’s open. ’ just as he finishes, the bridge keeping the aperture closed falls with a loud thud. spike revs the engines, taking off inimitably fast. the wordless departure has him a bit too nervous.

                defeated, jet chooses to return to his devices. somewhat vexed by the way the discussion unfolded, he can’t quite help the strained grin twisting his lips. his tongue is tucked to his cheek when he decides to soothe his nerves by smoking. after fishing for the pack in his pocket, he angles it askance. no cigarette falls out, however. it is then that he crumples the carton, pitching it behind him as he crashes onto his chair, reclining backwards, crossed arms supporting his head. ‘ damn it. ’

                  jet closes his eyes and sinks his teeth into his lower lip, refusing to check the flickering monitor indicating spike’s location. 

END.

[thblackdog]

deceivous​ + faye valentine.

        she clicks her tongue ; ❛ i was doing just fine, what happened was totally out of my control. ❜ a tragic day she actually prefers not to reflect on. she shakes her head and shrugs. ❛ i’m just sayin’, at this point, what have we really got to lose ? ❜

               ‘ yeah, sure, ’ he argues, his reply uncharacteristically vitriolic. it’s not the first time she’s recklessly fiddled with gambling, and he’s almost certain it won’t be the last. no longer does he stand idle: jet gets up, rising from the lax pose into stand, arms crossed, imposing.

                ‘ our lives? at this pace, we’re just gonna wind up dead. ‘

[thblackdog]

deceivous / bcbop + faye & spike.​

          “… if you had something like that, couldn’t you have used it earlier?” he would not question the how’s and why’s—at least not right now; instead tries to appreciate the fact that she’d yet to take him out with that mixture ( … as far as he’s aware ). “well—i s’pose we could leash it ‘til our next stop. if that’s settled, i’ll let it back out … you ready? 3 - 2 - 1—” fist hits the compartment door-switch with just a bit too much force; the response follows in an instant: a hollow CLANK, two yellow eyes meeting his own, and two rows of pointy teeth becoming acquainted with his shin. “OW!” furiously shaking his leg does not seem to help his cause; the creature answers with a twitching tail and a tightening jaw. “WHAT’RE YOU WAITING FOR, FAYE?! GET THAT ASSHOLE!”

          she gulps as he starts to count down, readying herself in front of the door, aimming the bottle at the spot of the vicious noise. she isn’t too happy about being involved in this situation of theirs after she had just said to count her out — yet — here she is, once again face to face with the reptile for the sake of knowing it won’t go scuttling inside her room at night. she’ll get spike after this - or maybe he’s already been got - it all happens in a matter of seconds as the door slides open. the lunge, the attack, the shaking of his leg, it throws her off a moment and she’s careful as to not be hit by the both of them now. ❛ STOP MOVIN’ YOUR LEG AROUND SO MUCH ! ❜ she positions herself again, on the side of them this time and sprays the liquid. it takes a second or two, it’s jaws now loosening around the other’s shin, and it falls with a thump ! ❛ ha -got it ! ❜ she exclaims happily before turning to jet. ❛ hurry up and tie that sucker up ! ❜ her expression soon changes to concern as she turns her attention back on spike ; ❛ -oh- hey…you’re bleeding a lot.. ❜

               their plan unfolds shockingly smooth; in the blink of an eye, the reptile dashes free from within the confines of the compartment, once again running riot and causing far more trouble than they’d anticipated. he misses spike’s cue, the countdown spoken a bit too fast, a bit too soon. jet’s eyes widen in surprise, and he almost remains frozen as faye so nimbly takes action. in a matter of seconds, the creature is neutralized. in response to her indication, he sprints to the backroom, fetching ein’s cage in order to confine the currently incapacitated culprit. when he returns, he proceeds according to plan. he drags the ( almost too heavy ) reptile across the floor and into the crate, drawing the lid shut. after a moment’s thought, he lets out a sigh and rises, dusting his palms some, victorious. ‘ how brutal... ’ rhetoric, he mumbles under his breath, unaware of the damages the reptile has caused. 

              when he does come to realize the gravity of the situation, he hurries to spike’s side, teeth clenched. of all things, the one thing they weren’t equipped to cure was poison. in order not to further their worries, he refuses to omit the poison part. ‘ sit down, we have to stop the bleeding.  ’

[barcarole]

As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty, dir. Jonas Mekas, 2000.

[thblackdog]

@jet: pats his cheek.

          having sustained several injuries during their last attempt to earn some capital, he now finds himself resting on the lounge, rejoicing in the few moments of well-deserved silence. faye’d left to finish some unspecified business, as per usual, and ed was nowhere to be found. somehow, this is the most silent the ship’s been in a while. he’s not complaining, however. his head is craned onto armrest, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. while trying to distract himself from the overwhelming ache, there’s a moment in which he almost dozes off. moments later, he wakes up cold, sweat trickling down his forehead. he attempts to lift head somewhat, but the lesions scattered across his body oppose him almost immediately. when spike enters the room, he greets him with a pained nod.

          his temperature’s been increasing gradually, and the brisk touch his partner brings about is welcomed. save the callouses from wielding firearms so often, his palm feels almost comfortable. had his body allowed him to move, perhaps he would have leaned in even more. ‘ h-hey, ’ his speech comes to a halt, a rough cough replacing whatever idea he wished to emit then. there’s a dab of blood in the corner of his mouth that he quickly wipes with the back of his hand. he continues, a guttural laughter following suit. ‘ ‘s not that bad. i’ve been through worse. you hanging in there? ’

@bcbop

[thblackdog]

@jet, after yet another failed bounty-hunt that for some reason ended in their marks' marriage: "well, look at it this way ... we may not 've gotten our payout, but we did get two people together. could be this has been our true calling all along." he's not looking forward to another night spent eating cheap fried noodle, though.

          distraught with the outcome, he almost snaps at first, not because of spike’s commentary, which he deemed comical at the time, but because of the time wasted. he belatedly regards the joke with a copious chuckle, the wrinkles at his forehead slowly but steadily fading away. ‘ hn -- could’ve been worse. ’ from the inside pocket of his coverall, he slowly extracts the ever so reliable pack of cigarettes, flicking one out and positioning it between his lips. he does the same for spike, his arm extending, awaiting for it to be plucked. when it is, he’ll light both individually before helping himself to a long drag. ‘ at least nobody’s dead, ’ a pause in which he haggardly exhales the smoke through his nose. ‘ let’s grab a bite. my treat. ’ 

  /  @bcbop

[thblackdog]

faye & spike.

             “… …”    what indeed? unlike what his esteemed partners seem to believe, he’s but an innocent bystander in this mayhem. leisure steps carry him to the compartment door—at last, he closes it with a forceful kick. ( problem solved. for now ). “’what,’ you ask … didn’t we stopover on one of these during our last stay planet-side … ? bet we weren’t the only ones getting grilled by the midday sun. this ship’s nice ‘n cool in comparison … …” he’s ignoring the rampaging noises that are coming from inside the chamber with impressive resolve, by the way. “… don’t you think it plain wandered in?”

       ❛ who says i’m startled ? of course i’d want to distance myself from that thing ; it’s most likely poisonous ! ❜ considering it’s been on the ship since their last stop, she has no doubt it craves a meal; that’s why it’s shown itself, in search for it’s prey, and she’s not going to be one of them ! her feet finally touch ground again, regains her composure while eyes fixate on the compartment with an obvious frown. she definitely notices the rampaging noises. ❛ don’t you two have a cage for ein… ? ❜ fingers reach into her jackets pocket, pulling out a small bottle shaped like perfume. ❛ one spritz of this will knock it out long enough to lock it in there. ❜ 

             ‘ i could’ve sworn i heard you screaming at the top of your lungs, ’ he disregards spike’s question with reckless abandon, offering his input on the matter only after crashing onto the couch with a loud thud. without doubt, the reptile was going to give them even more trouble. jet exhales, somewhat embittered by their lack of concern. ‘ huh? that thing’s almost twice ein’s size. there’s no way it’ll fit, ’ he mumbles, choosing to keep the rest of his doubts within the privacy of his own mind. he props his chin against his palm, eyes scanning the container that once again begins scuttling frantically. ‘ we’re not keepin’ this one.  ’

[thblackdog]

❛ that looks a bit, . .different, doesn't it ? ❜

               engrossed in the data mining they’ve been preoccupied with for hours now, he regards her but with a glance and an approving nod. moments later, when he belatedly realizes what she was referring to, the bounty head they’ve captured and handcuffed to the pipes somewhere behind the couch, he freezes in his spot, eyes wide open. ‘ what!? ’ he rotates in his spot, eyes shifting from the flickering screen to the struggling captive. jet’s mouth falls and stays agape, features loaded with concern. ‘ his face is changing... what have we gotten ourselves into this time  --- ... ? ’

[thblackdog]

bcbop​ ◤ spike.

         his only response is a silent smile. he could let the other man know, but he wouldn’t—which, he’s sure, they must both be aware of to some extent. there is a shred of sympathy within him which is reserved for these moments only; he can offer little more ( rather, doesn’t want to, although he likes to think that is due to the simple fact it’s all better this way ). in the end, his smile is apology and rejection in one.

        “o.k.” be that as it may, he does accept the small device; catches it effortlessly with one hand. even he could compromise if the stakes themselves remained untouched. ( then, he rises. it’s about time ). “what an old-fashioned lil’ thing. you still keep those around?”

               ‘ yeah, i do, so what? ’ he provokes, the question as rhetoric and impish as he can make it sound. normally, he’d try to respond in kind, tease spike about his wrongdoings, however in this instance, he finds himself at a lack of better words. he’s concerned, if anything. it’s not the first time spike just decided to leave without a second thought.

               ‘ just be careful out there, alright? faye an’ i won’t be able to come rescue you if you get caught. ’ or so he says, as if he hasn’t just given spike a tracking device in order to monitor his whereabouts. when he finally decides to leave and head for the docks, he halts when he reaches spike’s side, giving his shoulder a rigorous, prolonged pat. ‘ come back in one piece. ’  he then withdraws, refusing to face spike before his departure. when he finally reaches the computer meant to unlock the gates, he comms spike one more time. ‘ ready for take off when you are. ’

[thblackdog]

deceivous​ 🚀 faye valentine

bcbop  ​◤ spike.

         he takes a step back; narrowly avoids a tail-induced whiplash. that his arm had begun to tired was far from a lie—but perhaps it would’ve been better to trap the critter inside the bathroom upon release. “that? it’s a komodo dragon,” he states matter of factly—almost blasé—in spite of his precedent transgression, “they usually live on volcanic islands, no?”

        ❛ you know if you let ed see it, she’s going to want to keep it     then we’ll really have a problem ! ❜ only spike would bring such a thing in without being cautious ! she gasps, a hand going up to point at the feral lizard that is now launching itself recklessly through the bebop. ❛ it’s getting away, look ! ❜

               ‘ then what’s it doin’ on the ship!? ’ as much as he wishes to simply ignore faye’s almost ludicrous wailing, he scoots over to her side, trying to alleviate her with a subtle pat on the back. after growing accustomed to the chaos, it’s only then that the epiphany dawns upon him.  it was spike’s fault. after the reptile finally takes off, it haphazardly starts crawling about the floor. after a few moments, it finds shelter underneath a compartment that was SUPPOSED to be closed. noncommittally, his shoulders droop low immediately after he sighs. ‘ the poor creature’s even more startled than faye. how are we gonna get it out of there? ’

[thblackdog]

bcbop​  ​◤ spike.

           “it’s just that.” he slides a back-up gun underneath his suit coat and lights himself another cigarette; almost breaks the matchstick when his flame-producing flick comes out a tad too fervent ( the only indication that his apathetic facade is close to bursting at its seams ). “the less y’know about it the better. i’ll give you a ring once i’m on my way. might have no signal before that.”

               ‘ the least you could do is let me know where you’re headed. ’ intently, he continues surveying spike, helplessly observing the gradual increase in distress. craning his head sideward, he tries to determine the other’s thought process. no luck, howeveer. despite his attempts, he knows the chances of succeeding when it comes to persuading spike are dim.

               ‘ take this with you, ‘ from his pocket he extracts a small metal wrought contraption, propelling it in spike’s direction with a tilt of the wrist. ‘ it’s a jammer. you know what to do with it. ‘

[thblackdog]

deceivous​ 🚀 faye valentine.

bcbop  ​◤ spike

          “… … ha ha.” he drops it right at her feet; registers with some satisfaction that the prolonged period of captivity has made the animal more erratic than ever. go get her. good boy.

      ❛ h—m? — hey ! ❜ she immediately takes 5 steps back, stands on top of the couch to avoid the feral being about to chomp at her feet. ❛ what did ya go and do that for, huh!? we don’t know what that thing has, idiot ! ❜

                as he enters the room in order to find the source of the commotion ( that could be heard from rooms away ), he’s stopped in his tracks by faye’s frantic call for help. prepared to speak, the words remain lodged in his throat until he finally lays eyes upon the creature running amok. ‘ what the -- what the hell is that thing!? ’

[thblackdog]

bcbop​ ◤ spike​

        “… don’t sweat it.” he makes it a point to NOT meet the other man’s eyes; gaze instead set firmly on the small pile of explosives before him which he’s been—meticulously, one by one—relocating to his person. “all i gotta do is tie up some loose ends … then join back up with you guys. we catch our mark, get fancy dinner to celebrate; easy.”

              ‘ loose ends, ’ he parrots, his voice riddled with vague undertones of exasperation. since he’s almost too weary to even attempt to collect more details concerning spike’s position on the matter, he discharges a rather prolonged sigh. in order to accommodate himself with the idea, jet scratches the back of his head, distressed.

               ‘ y’ say that too often. what’s it about this time, spike? ’

[thblackdog]

deceivous​ 🚀 faye valentine.

       ❛ we can’t just keep waiting for it to be low risk you know ! this is the second time; what happens if the next bounty is just as risky ? we’re already low on money. ❜ she throws back a questioning look and a tone to match.

               ‘ maybe if you stopped gambling all our money we wouldn’t be in this situation. ’ visibly disconcerted, in order not to fiddle even more than he’s already allowed himself to, he reclines in his chair, arms crossed and frown ever present. ‘ and you think getting involved with th’ mafia will make things any easier? ’