Post by BEX on Feb 27, 2011 21:20:10 GMT -5
Li would remain in his room for the remainder of the day. Mostly he would lay on his back staring at the mundane ceiling that resided over his head giving him the eerie impression that he was in prison rather than in a recuperation room, not that he would see the difference. Licorice black hair, now a few inches longer since his time in Pecos Town, draped over the unwashed sateen pillow cover raising his head as his frown would bore holes into the ceiling. Of course he couldn’t see it since he had made sure to shut the lights off and by night the room would fill with penetrating darkness that stripped away any light save for the dim, half hearted silver rays of the moon.
His mouth would work tirelessly while his body would protest for sleep. Everything that the Green bearded officer would have told them seemed something that people of higher rank should handle, not to mention that he had been only recently found injured in the streets of Amino. A thoughtful hum would shatter the muteness of his room for it seemed that everyone at the base had gone to sleep or their patrol was extraordinarily silent. Closing his eyes he would struggle to quell his mind with the task put to him and his thoughts despite himself would drift towards the faces of his comrades back in West Blue.
“Are they alright? Did they defend the town? Was Greenbeard certain on his information?
Deciding to no longer harass himself he would turn over in his blankets and allow the tiredness that filled his bones to carry him to a distant slumber.
He had sent the message to Dice’s quarters on their meeting in the debriefing room of the base and it was there that he would be waiting tight lipped as he tossed the firearm in his hand lightly into the air; the Marine’s effort at preparing him for a mission seemed so over abundantly lackluster. The Captain that had spoken to him earlier would have given him all the information that base had on Blackeye, which wouldn’t have been all that substantial, but at least Li would be able to identify the man from a crowd of people. That’s if there would be any alive and unharmed people left in Serine City. Footages of shattered shop glasses and several public beatings painted the man to be quite the villain in Li’s mind, but the man would appear to lack any of the mysterious edge that made a few of the pirates still looming in the Blues quite dangerously. In his brief conversation afterwards the Captain conveyed a few of his concerns for Bando which Li would politely nod to while maintaining an attentive face, but his mind was miles away with the more pressing question in mind: Where in the hell was Bando?
In his irritation he would accidently brush a finger against the belt of bullet rounds now strapped to his Navy blue pants. The wardrobe at the base had been meager and in wanting so when he asked for a clothes they could only scrimmage up a basic Ensign’s uniform and one more commonly associated with those of lower rank, but it would prove to be trivial to Li at first glance. Now however as he would thumb the cotton amidst the nagging of the superior before him his face would furrow with disapproval as he would force himself to meet the man’s gaze across from him rather than stare at the pants,
“Dice very much looks up to you Ensign Li…” the man would stare sheepishly with slight shades of rouge playing at his cheeks now as he spoke, “…that’s why I…well that’s why I worry quite frankly that the boy will do something reckless. I mean, he’s a good kid, but given his connection to the missi-” suddenly the Captain would stop as Li’s eyes would flicker with a questioning light though he managed to maintain a inexpressive demeanor as he sat in the spacious room.
“Connection, Captain?” he would ask inquisitively in a casual frame of voice only barely managing to hide the vice grip he now had on the shining flintlock in his hands; he had felt something had been wrong and this might have been it,
“No, no…” the man would wave and laugh nervously as his eyes became downcast before quickly looking back up at Li as if considering something, “No, no…” he would trail off as his face would break into a clearly strained smile, “Ah! Just the man I wanted to see. Dice, my boy! You ready for the big day?” the Captain would ask shooting a quick side glance to Li, but then focusing on the recruit coming in through the entrance of the room.
Yes, it was clear that something more was to the mission. Li’s eyes would narrow as he turned around in his seat that had its back towards the exit,
“About time…” he would think and not for the first time, “Finally ready I see, Recruit Bando” he would say aloud before actually catching sight of the sanguine young man he had become acquainted with; unbeknownst to Dice, he would be the star of the show.
His mouth would work tirelessly while his body would protest for sleep. Everything that the Green bearded officer would have told them seemed something that people of higher rank should handle, not to mention that he had been only recently found injured in the streets of Amino. A thoughtful hum would shatter the muteness of his room for it seemed that everyone at the base had gone to sleep or their patrol was extraordinarily silent. Closing his eyes he would struggle to quell his mind with the task put to him and his thoughts despite himself would drift towards the faces of his comrades back in West Blue.
“Are they alright? Did they defend the town? Was Greenbeard certain on his information?
Deciding to no longer harass himself he would turn over in his blankets and allow the tiredness that filled his bones to carry him to a distant slumber.
The Next Day…
He had sent the message to Dice’s quarters on their meeting in the debriefing room of the base and it was there that he would be waiting tight lipped as he tossed the firearm in his hand lightly into the air; the Marine’s effort at preparing him for a mission seemed so over abundantly lackluster. The Captain that had spoken to him earlier would have given him all the information that base had on Blackeye, which wouldn’t have been all that substantial, but at least Li would be able to identify the man from a crowd of people. That’s if there would be any alive and unharmed people left in Serine City. Footages of shattered shop glasses and several public beatings painted the man to be quite the villain in Li’s mind, but the man would appear to lack any of the mysterious edge that made a few of the pirates still looming in the Blues quite dangerously. In his brief conversation afterwards the Captain conveyed a few of his concerns for Bando which Li would politely nod to while maintaining an attentive face, but his mind was miles away with the more pressing question in mind: Where in the hell was Bando?
In his irritation he would accidently brush a finger against the belt of bullet rounds now strapped to his Navy blue pants. The wardrobe at the base had been meager and in wanting so when he asked for a clothes they could only scrimmage up a basic Ensign’s uniform and one more commonly associated with those of lower rank, but it would prove to be trivial to Li at first glance. Now however as he would thumb the cotton amidst the nagging of the superior before him his face would furrow with disapproval as he would force himself to meet the man’s gaze across from him rather than stare at the pants,
“Dice very much looks up to you Ensign Li…” the man would stare sheepishly with slight shades of rouge playing at his cheeks now as he spoke, “…that’s why I…well that’s why I worry quite frankly that the boy will do something reckless. I mean, he’s a good kid, but given his connection to the missi-” suddenly the Captain would stop as Li’s eyes would flicker with a questioning light though he managed to maintain a inexpressive demeanor as he sat in the spacious room.
“Connection, Captain?” he would ask inquisitively in a casual frame of voice only barely managing to hide the vice grip he now had on the shining flintlock in his hands; he had felt something had been wrong and this might have been it,
“No, no…” the man would wave and laugh nervously as his eyes became downcast before quickly looking back up at Li as if considering something, “No, no…” he would trail off as his face would break into a clearly strained smile, “Ah! Just the man I wanted to see. Dice, my boy! You ready for the big day?” the Captain would ask shooting a quick side glance to Li, but then focusing on the recruit coming in through the entrance of the room.
Yes, it was clear that something more was to the mission. Li’s eyes would narrow as he turned around in his seat that had its back towards the exit,
“About time…” he would think and not for the first time, “Finally ready I see, Recruit Bando” he would say aloud before actually catching sight of the sanguine young man he had become acquainted with; unbeknownst to Dice, he would be the star of the show.