[PP-F11] Jack be Nimble, Jack be Quick

[Vex Vexxus 1]

 Sitting upon a tree; a solitary quiet tree that stood between a fork in the road that led both into and out of Taft sat a figure dressed all in white; fine pressed cotton, freshly laundered. He hummed a light-hearted tune, balancing a dagger upon a single gloved finger. Every so often he’d toss it into the air and caught it again.

There was not much to do, on call for the boss, and Khione was still not talking to him ever since he outed himself as a Laughing Coffin member. Little silly woman - worried she too would be exposed. If she were so concerned, why join in the first place. Such worries, naught but a prison of the mind. How silly, how drole…

Vex was also on ‘Alice’ Duty, whatever that entailed. The bosses new pet project, most favourite child, if Vex was someone who cared, he’d be jealous but he didn’t. Tybalt had a certain adoration to Vex, but perhaps that was only because Vex needn’t required much pushing. All Tybalt had to do was make a single offer and he was in.

The dramatics of wonderland, a good show, and all that was and is in between was fun and all. But Vex really couldn’t care a less. Alice though…Oh sweet little Alice. Formally a young and innocent Ceres. She took to it like a moth to flame. Literally. Destroyed by the shimmering lights she had sought. Built up into something new, and Tybalt was oh so enthralled with the end result it gave Tybalt more free time to do what he wanted.

Ahh….but what did he want to do.

What to do…. 



Vex | HP: 180/180 | EN: 36/36 | DMG: 1  | True Tier 3


WC:277

Edited 11 hours ago by Vex Vexxus

[Scar 0]

Three weeks. It hadn't felt that long. The days since Tybalt and Alice still carried the same bitter taste, smoke and silence, fragments of memory that refused to fade no matter how far he walked. The Eighth Floor had left a scar that time couldn't quite reach. The kind that followed in the quiet moments, when everything else went still.

The forests here were different. Alive. The canopy above was thick and deep, filtering the sunlight into scattered pockets of gold that danced across moss-covered roots. Every breath carried the scent of damp wood and earth, a calm that was almost convincing. Beyond the trees, the distant ring of mountains framed the world in a haze of green and grey, beautiful, but heavy with silence. Somewhere beneath them lay the hives, and the remnants of the antmen brood the locals still whispered about.

The settlement of Taft stood as the floor’s shining heart, cobblestone streets, high towers, and the cathedral whose bells could be heard for miles. It's people were devout, wrapped in soft white hoods and prayers to a god Jack didn't know. The knights, The Crusaders, patrolled the walls in armor bright as silver. They were said to be blessed, though their eyes told a different story: weary, uncertain, and haunted by the same name everyone else avoided saying aloud. The Forsaken Champion.

Jack kept to the outskirts, where farmland met forest. It was safer there, quieter. His steps were slow, deliberate, scanning the trees as if expecting the forest itself to move. He still felt the weight of habit, the phantom reach for a weapon that wasn't there. He exhaled instead, steadying his breathing, trusting instinct over steel.

The wind shifted, carrying a faint tune, light and almost playful. Jack's brow furrowed, eyes drawn toward a distant tree at a fork in the road.

Something, or someone, was there.

* * *

WC: 312

[Vex Vexxus 1]

“Ohooo~”

I noticed his approach, solid steps filled with purpose and determination. Eyes shifting around as though he were looking for something. Or someone. He was sans his little bird. I was going to ignore him initially, because frankly - I didn’t care. But he had a sort of wild determination in his eyes that I just found… so… very.. Delectable. I licked my lips. Finding my own form of fun.

“HellooOOoo~” I swung, hanging upside down from the tree, so his my landed smack bang right in front of the man. I giggled. “Well, if it isn’t the one eyed Jack.” I lifted a red gloved hand ‘boop’. Pressing my index finger to the tippy tip of his nose.

 

“What’s got you so down? Are you looking for wonderland?” 

 

Some people who ran into Tybalt would seek him out again, out of curiosity - or perhaps insanity. Both? There was a certain allure to the magic the man extruded, even if that magic was nothing more than the crumbling sanity of his victims.

“Oh!” I shifted, sliding off the tree branch and with a small flip and a flourish, I bowed. “Vex, at your service, little Jack!~” I lifted up my palms toward him, showing him I meant no harm. For now.

“I’m off the clock! So to speak. I have no need to see you bleed!”

I dusted off my pinstriped pants and then started to circle him, humming that same simple and light-hearted tune. I wonder, would this man be easy to hynotize? Mari was. Khione was, oh and Ceres, was almost too easy. Ah. Alice now. My bad…my bad…

How strong was his grip on reality?

“You know, little Alice still screams about her one eyed Jack sometimes. You’ve left quite the impression.”

WC: 296

[Scar 0]

The voice came out of nowhere, a playful lilt that didn't belong in a forest this still.

"Ohooo~"

Jack's eyes followed the movement of something, and immediately an image flashed in his mind, white hair,sharp and layered, swept to the side like a blade of snow. Before he could even process it, the man swung down from the tree, upside-down, red glove pressing a single finger against the tip of Jack's nose.

"Well, if it isn't the one-eyed Jack."

Jack jerked back, a reflex born of instinct and memory. His boots dug into the earth as he covered his mouth and nose, breath tight in his chest. He wasn't going through that again, not another hallucination, not another trick of sight and sound. He couldn't. Raven wouldn't survive it twice.

"What's got you so down? Are you looking for Wonderland?"

The word hit him like a shard of ice. Wonderland. Again. His eyes narrowed, the brief shock giving way to something steadier, harder. The man's tone was teasing, melodic, too similar to them.

Vex flipped down from the branch with a flourish, bowing low. "Vex, at your service, little Jack!~"

Jack said nothing at first, just watched him, the crimson gloves, the spotless clothes, the unbothered grin. He didn't drop his guard.

"Alice.." he finally said, voice low behind his hand. "You're with those two, aren't you?" His weight shifted slightly, boots angled toward the open road. Every step, every breath measured. He needed space, an escape route, before this man decided to twist the world again.

"Who are you three?" he asked, tone controlled but sharp as drawn steel.

Because if there was another trick of Tybalt's design.. Jack wasn't going to be the fool twice. 

* * *

WC: 288

[Vex Vexxus 1]

The man immediately covered his nose and mouth, I tilted my head to the side. “Hmm?” I never did quite catch what little Alice did to the man, just that her whole little schtick was with flowers, roses in particular. Oh. Ohh. I see…It made sense, why he was practically twitching on the floor, smart. Alice was smart. I hadn’t pegged her to be, I thought in all honesty she was a little bit of a dimwit. “Ah!” My grin grew slow, languid. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to fool around with any roses today, little Jack.”  I hadn’t a clue what his actual name was, and I didn’t care.

If sweet little Alice wanted to call him Jack, I would too.  The man jerked back and I took a long step forward, following him. “Those two?” I asked, though I knew exactly what he was talking about. “Yes. Yes, in a sense. Yes. In another, no.” I shrugged. “Ask the right questions and you get the right answers.” 

I was bored and I wasn’t quite ready to give up all my fun, not so soon. I reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a hard jerk forward and a quick shake. “Be more polite, good sir! It’ll take you oh so far.” I let go and took a step back, allowing him the sense he had space, enough to flee if he so chose, but I knew he wouldn’t He had that look in his eyes.

He wanted something, he thought I could give it to him.

“Who? Three?” I turned to look over my shoulder, seeing no one behind me. Of Course, I knew what he meant. I wasn’t insane. No, I was perhaps the most sane of Tybalts merry troupe. But oh I so loved playing the part. “I see only…me.” I paused, clasping my hands together in front of me, offering him a wide grin. My words slow, with purpose. I wanted him to know I was fully aware of what he meant.

I wanted him to wrack his brain and ask the right questions.

“I could reintroduce myself, if you are hard of hearing.” A scrape of a foot and another low bow was offered to the man.

“Vex, Vexxus - “ A pause for dramatic effect.

“Of the Laughing Coffin, at your service, One Eyed Jack.”

WC: 394

[Scar 0]

"Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to fool around with any roses today, little Jack."

His guard stayed up, but something in the man's tone made Jack believe him, at least for the moment. He lowered his arm that had been covering his mouth and nose, though he maintained distance, every step measured, eyes sharp.

"Those two.." Jack's voice was low, controlled. "Alice.. Tybalt.. Are you.. working with them? Or following them? What do you know about her? From him?" Each word carried suspicious, but also urgency. He had to understand the scope of this before it became dangerous.

"Ask the right questions and you get the right answers."

Jack clenched his fists. Of course, he was being toyed with. That's all these people do… toy with others. But he couldn't afford to flinch. Not now. 

Then the man's hand closed around his, giving it a hard jerk and quick shake.

"Be more polite, good sir! It'll take you oh so far."

Jack didn't move, didn't flinch, though the gesture rattled him slightly. His expression remained cold and unreadable, but inside, his mind raced. I can't let Raven meet anymore like this. I have to be ready.

When Vex reintroduced himself, "Of the Laughing Coffin, at your service, One Eyed Jack," Jack froze for a heartbeat, the implications sinking in.

"Laughing Coffin.." Jack repeated, testing the weights of the words. "So.. it's not just Tybalt and Alice? There are others?" His gaze narrowed. "Are you.. in a guild? How many are there? Are you all.. dangerous? And Alice.. Why does she call me One Eyed Jack?"

The forest seemed to hold its breath with him. Jack's jaw tightened. He wasn't going to be fooled. He needed answers, all of them, and he wouldn't stop until he found them. 

There's more at play here than I thought. And I'll figure it out.

* * *

WC: 313

[Vex Vexxus 1]

I laughed, watching him lower his hands - slowly, ever so slowly. My, if I wanted to, I could have done him in ten times over by now. He thought he was being slick? Safe? Sly? Still, no use bursting his precious little bubble yet.

I shrugged when he started asking me questions about Alice. “Ohh, does she tickle your fancy? All I know is that she's the bosses masterpiece. You were too addled to notice, no? How he dotes on her.” I pressed my palms to my cheeks. “Oohhh..you should  have seen it! Ahh. she slipped so perfectly into wonderland, Oh Alice! Yes Alice! My sweet little Alice.” I would dote on her too, she was like a dear sister to me after all.

As close to a sister as I would….could ever have, that is. “Please, do look after her when you Marry!” I pulled out a handkerchief from my front pocket and dabbed my single uncovered eye with it. “Parting is such sweet sorrow, is it not?”

He asked more questions, one after the other, and in such a demanding tone. I suppose I did tell him if he asked the right ones, he’d get the right answers…but wow, he just latched onto that didn’t he. “Greedy little piggy aren’t you?” I asked, voice lowering. I didn’t appreciate that. The dark tone shifted. Lasting only a moment as my face brightened again with a loud and sharp clap of my hands.

“Right! You don’t know? Really? Truly? Never heard?”  It was odd to meet someone who had never heard of our little troupe before, but I wouldn’t get hung up on that. The less he knew, the better.

“You aren’t playing fair One Eyed Jack. You’ved asked me so so many questions, but where is my chance? What would I ask you?”

I stepped closer. “Why are you so interested in our dear, sweet, Alice?”

Another step. “Are you naive? Or just stupid?”

WC: 327

[Scar 0]

Vex's laughter grated against his nerves, but Jack didn't flinch. He held his ground, eyes narrowing beneath the shadow of his bangs. When the jester finally spoke, voice dripping with mockery, "Ohh, does she tickle your fancy?"

Jack's response was immediate, flat. "Tickle my fancy? No."

No hesitation. No humor. His tone carried the weight of someone who'd seen enough madness to know better than to joke.

Then came the next wave, sing-song words that twisted through the forest air, manic and bright.

"Ahh. She slipped so perfectly into wonderland, Oh Alice!"

Jack's jaw tensed. "What did you mean by 'slip into your Wonderland? I also heard the name.. Ceres." He drew the word out carefully, watching for Vex's reaction. "She became.. crazed.. after hearing that name."

The jester's theatrics didn't make it easier to follow, the way he pressed his palms into his cheeks, voice lilting like a mock prayer to something only he could see. But Jack kept watching. Studying. Every twitch, every inflection.

"Please, do look after her when you marry!"

That earned only a slow exhale through Jack's nose. His reply came cold and controlled. "I don't plan on marrying her," he said evenly, "but she clearly needs someone to look after her."

It wasn't affection, it was duty. Something quiet and heavy, buried deep under the surface.

When Vex clapped his hands again, the forest seemed to tighten with sound.

"Right! You don't know? Really? Truly? Never heard?" Jack's mind started racing. Why's he so surprised? Of course he'd heard of player killers. But not like this. Not organized. A group. A troupe.

He didn't like where this was heading. His muscles stayed loose, ready, but his hand twitched uselessly at his side. He wasn't armed. No sword. Not this time.

"You aren't playing fair, One Eyed Jack," Vex said, stepping closer, grin widening. "You've asked so, so many questions, but where is my chance? What would I ask you?" 

Jack braced himself.

"Why are you so interested in our dear, sweet Alice?"

Another step.

"Are you naive? Or just stupid?"

Jack instinctively took a step back, matching distance with distance. "I'm not interested in her," he replied, tone cutting through the space between them. "I was out and about trying to figure out the eighth floor, and she appeared before me."

His gaze hardened. "That's all."

For a moment, silence hung between them, the forest hushed and waiting.

Jack's pulse drummed steady beneath his skin, but his mind was sharper than ever. He didn't know what game Vex was playing, but he knew this much, Laughing Coffin wasn't a rumor anymore.

And if Alice was tied to them.. then she was already in far deeper than anyone realized.

* * *

WC: 454