( semi-open ) WHITE WHALE HOLY GRAIL

[wheft]

WHO: ishmael and YOU 🫵🫵🫵
WHAT: june catchall + memshares. lots of moby dick references if you widen your eyes a lot.
WHERE: nevada
WHEN: june
WARNINGS: graphic depictions of gore, violence and repeated deaths; emotional and psychological manipulation, gaslighting, aquatic horror, suicidal ideation, tba. see her opt-out for more info.



source | plotting
hmu if you want a starter/specific memory!

Comments

[shiroize]

[ saber isn't seasick. with the combination of their riding skill and their experience in the sea, the violent rocking of the boat is something that is as close to them as the rocking of a babe in its mom's arms.

but their expression is hardly anything like the one that ishmael is wearing right now. it's calm and composed, a front to hide the underlying anxiety that stirs in their heart with every clap of thunder and violent shake of the boat. they know this weather well, as if it were etched in their mind with fire.

it's an omen of disaster. ]

And this Whale...what is the purpose of this hunt?

[wheft]

[ it is an omen, a premonition for what's to come. ishmael turns to saber, slightly raising a brow like "bro were u not there when i was losing my shit the entire time?"

but that doesn't matter. she can drill into their mind again, until they understand where she's coming from. ]

The Whale of all Evils... Our Captain sent our crew to hunt this Whale down so that we can finally absolve this world of suffering. That's what she told us.

[ the thunder roars on, but her voice is dark and crystal-clear - perhaps like the rare nights when the Lake isn't brewing up a storm. ]

But she led us all to damnation in the end. I was the only one who survived the attack. And now -- [ another crack of thunder exposes the grim look on her face ] She is going to pay for what she did.

[ the waves here surge higher and higher, but ishmael's form is unwavering as she weathers the storm, not caring that the freezing cold waters crash at them just now. ]

[shiroize]

Seriously?!

[ that is the only reaction that saber can exclaim the moment that she announces her intention, seemingly equally unshaken by the water that crashes at them, or the creaking of the ship with each wave that crashes against the two of them.

their voice doesn't waver against the roar of the sea, disguising the way that the cold water chills their heart with fear. ]

To sail in this storm is practically a death sentence! What will revenge achieve?!

[wheft]

That's the point.

[ the futility in ishmael's voice is palpable as the boat continues to rock vigorously against the waves. in the midst of the storm, she alone remains resolute - for no one else will be resolute for her. only she alone can do this. ]

My revenge will achieve the death of that bastard. Even if it'll cost my life. And... I have no plans of coming back from it.

[ then, a series of steel-colored pillar-like structures the size of skyscrapers come into view, jutting out of the water like buoys. ishmael weaves the boat with relative ease, managing to avoid the pillars, but not the oncoming wave that is half as big as them. ]

1/2

[shiroize]

That's pointless! If your plan is to die, then—

[ '—throw yourself overboard', they almost shout, terror having almost made them lose their own reason. they stun themselves into horrified silence as they maneuver through the wall of strange pillars, following along with ishmael's rowing with smooth, yet mechanical motions.

they think of their wife, who sacrificed herself in a similar tempest. revenge hadn't been her goal, but instead salvation for her most loved one, but the result had been the same: dead. ]

2/2

[shiroize]

No.

[ they can't let that happen. there must be something that they, yamato takeru, can do. if ishmael wants revenge against the someone that drove her to madness, then the least that they can do is make sure that they don't die in the process. ]

You will not die. If you throw your life away, then the Captain will still have won. So I will not let you make this your grave!

[ they face the wave with determination in their eyes, standing up on the boat with unexpected ease— and swinging at apparently nothing at all.

with the wave of their sword, the wave splits into two, crashing around them. the boat sways and shakes as the angry sea continues, but at least it's not an imminent watery grave. ]

[wheft]

[ in any other circumstance, such as the present, ishmael would've had her mouth agape in awe as saber effortlessly slices the waves in two. she'd done that similarly, almost a year ago in fact, but right now she's utterly powerless in these waters that not even their words spur her on to keep on living.

they'd endured the waves, sure. that's not how the Waves with a capital W would've normally worked irl, but this is a dream so it's whatever. ishmael is silent, almost unimpressed, even. just who is this person on this boat and who are they to tell her how to live her life? ]

It's too late for you to say that.

[ her voice is eerily calm, and despite the stormy weather around them, saber can still manage to hear her anyway. ]

I've long since buried myself in this Lake. No matter where I go, the waters... They will always follow me.

[ another clap of thunder interrupts her, finally shedding some ample light on what is already within reach of their boat. just a few ahead is a giant lump of pale whale hide, as big as an archipelago and looking thick with scar tissue. the more they steer closer to the whale, one can easily see various harpoons and instruments of harm still jutting out of its hide, bleeding in their wake. ]