Mission#24: A Night Off

[nero]

Toroa Island was a gem the likes of which the swordsman had never laid eyes on before now. It had everything in it a man could dream of and more, most noticeably fine dining and women. Best of all however it was free of those pathetic Marines, to say he loathed them would be an understatement. Trevor had docked on Toroa about three days to the hour, most of the time being spent in many the prestigious dojo in an attempt to hone his craft. He used the time not spent sparring by filling his belly with all different kinds of delicacies.

Other than that he needed not, though a good night’s sleep would do him some good. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he bowed to his sparring partner intent on calling it a day, a long one at that. It was a graceful night, tranquility filing the air as he walked. Barely managing to hobble his way into one of the many hotels that lined the streets of the island, he stumbled as he walked up to the front desk.

“Room for one please. Oh, and make sure it has hot water.” he chimed. They catered to your every whim here, if you could afford it.

“Sure sir, here’s the key.” The attendant replied. He was a short stubby man, seemingly unaccustomed to any real work. Trevor could tell in his nervous shaking he hadn’t much success with people, let alone women.

“Poor, poor bastard.” He thought quietly to himself, wanting nothing more than to escape the fatigue that hovered throughout his entire body. He had no doubt in his mind the first thing he’d do when he got into his room. A long hot shower was his fate.

[mihawk]

Toran Island. The only thing that hindered his train of thought was this island. Dominick was bewildered when he saw this beautiful island. Stores, food, trees, and women were all over the island. He was getting very excited for his stay here. Dominick arrived at Toran just an hour ago. "I need food. Now." Dom thought. He was very anxious of getting to eat. He was casually walking around the island.
It was a very nice day outside. The luminous sunny, bright sky, and no cloud in site. Dominick enjoyed this weather. He walked past and swords shop. He looked very peculiar toward the shop. He decided to enter and browse the shop.

"Some of these swords are half way decent," Dominck said, "but they are not my quality swords. These swords are expensive for there quality". Dom went on and on about how the shop's swords where not very well-made swords or just in general, a good sword. The shopkeeper was bitter about the the comments Dom make about his swords. The shopkeeper kicked him out of the shop. Though Dom did not care. He said himself, the swords were not very good.

Dominick passed by a restaurant as he continued to walk through town. He was very hungry at this point. He wanted food. He enter the restaurant and sat down. Dom picked up a menu that a waitress drop off at the table. It had absurd amount of meat dishes. Dom could not decided, so he ordered all of it. Being the way Dom is, he finished the dish with ease. After he ate, he went back outside and found a bench. It was dark outside and he was very tired. Dom slept that night on a bench outside.

[nero]

Irony, that’s what it was. Insomnia overtook the young swordsman for what seemed to be the passing of centuries. You’d think he would sleep if not somewhat well given the hotel’s reputation for having some of the softest beds in the country. That was a blatant lie, and he would be sure to take it up with management. His face lit up in agony as he turned on his side, hell bent on falling back to sleep. “Damn it all to hell!” he uttered, making sure to stir anyone else trying to sleep. If he couldn’t afford the gentle pleasure of a dream neither would they. The swordsman’s face curled sourly as he rolled out of bed, having already made his decision. Trevor would find some way to sleep or he would die trying.

Slumping his coat over his shoulder, he exited the hotel lobby with an apparent look of displeasure stretched across his brow. It was a dark, pleasant night, a tad chilly though nothing Trevor Price could not handle. He guessed he’d walk around until he got truly tired and tread back to the hotel without a thought in mind, or so hoped. He soon found himself in a pretty desolate park, a quaint sight to see. Spotting something or someone in the distance he decided to head out. The man had to be homeless, fast asleep on a park bench without a care in the world. The mere sight of him agitated the swordsman, nearly foaming at the mouth.

“Bastard.” he muttered under his breath, fairly sure the man was unable to hear him. With a devilish smirk he planted a hard kick to the man’s rear. Fair was fair after all.

[mihawk]

"You have no skill of a fighter! You are weak!" said the opponent. "You have no class. I haven't showed you anything yet!" shouted Dominick. He fought in this grand plain. The perfect grass on the ground, trees surrounding the two fighters. Dom still amazed at this setting was struggling. He was fighting an infamous sword fighter in the West blue. This fighter gave Dom a proposition. Being the adventures curious man he is, he accepted this wager. What the man stated was 200,000 beri for Dom if he could beat him. If not, then Dom would give the man 200,000 beri.

His opponent did not have an intimidating physical presence. He was about 5'11. He look about 170 pounds. The katana was a very special, the fighter was wielding. A regular-sized katana but the blade design was one that cannot be decribed. Dom was not scared. Wielding his own two swords he ran toward his opponent with great force. With an incredable speed he stroke him straight at the chest in an X form. "Ah!" Dom shouted. He woke up from his dream, but not pleasantly. Slowly getting up, noticing he didn't just get hit. A man was right next to him, with a look Dom could not comprehend. Dom drew his sword and said, "Why are you here? What did you do to me?!"

[nero]

“You were sleeping, that was all. Why can you sleep when I can’t? That’s just not cool, man.” Trevor spoke with an apparent haughtiness in his voice. The swordsman was determined to have fun with the man, however he could. Challenge him to a duel perhaps? Eh, whatever he did he knew it’d be enjoyable. The Sonic Youth skillfully unsheathed his sword before pointing it at the man in a threatening manner. “I see you have a sword. I suggest you use it.” he barked, though not before cutting the bench on which the man slept in half. “Get up.”

The swordsman’s words echoed throughout the park in a displeasing reverie. He was noticeably displeased, and would release all of his apparent frustration on the man sitting in front of him. Trevor’s act amused even himself, unaware he could be so cruel especially at such a late night. He mused to himself just how he could be even more of a nuisance, before he questioned his soon to be opponent. “Who are you anyway, a vagabond? You don’t look the likes of which.” He chimed in a rather snobbish tone. His nostrils were flared, making his act seem even more real to the pathetic guy groveling in front of him.

[mihawk]

"Jeez, I do not know what is up with this guy. He does not look very strong. He looks like some punk rocker. I guess it does not matter. I can not underestimate him. He may be a very good," Dom thought, but he was interrupted as his bench was cut in half by this man standing in front of him.
"Wow, why did he do that? Now I can't sleep anywhere," Dom though as he was listening to this man.
"Hey, Can I tell you something?" Dom said as he walked closer to the man, "I do not want to fight you. I do not want to be enemies or anything like that." Dominick sheathed his 2 swords. He brush off some of the debris from the bench of his sides. He continued to speak.
"I am not a vagabond. I was here to do some traveling. I came here from the East Blue town Rougetown. I had a little mis-happening in that town. I am going to leave here after a couple of days, hopefully go over to the Grandline. By the way, my name is Dominick."
Dominick was considering tell this man about his story at Rougetown, but he didn't even know this guy.

[nero]

"My name is inconsequential, given you're about to die. Fool." Trevor spat, his voice losing it's deceptive tone. The killing intent had wavered from his act, his sword but a harmless toy pointed toward the man's chest. He stood a lot farther away from the man then he had previously thought, his nodachi taking up much of the length between them. Trevor had to be careful not to severly injure the man, lest he suffer the consequences. In hindsight however, there were no marines stationed on the island. Still though, he knew his conscience wouldn't allow him to needlessly kill or maim another human being.

Trevor flung his sword at the man's midsection looking for a counter attack. His sluggish movement would give the man who had addressed himself as Dominick ample time to mount a reaction, or so he hoped. The man had two swords after all, one was all that was necesarry. "Rogue Town ehh, what a nice place to grow up in. You must've had it good." the young man's words while piercing were sufficient in showing their underlying meaning. The man had to have been babied for the majority of his life, free from much turmoil.

[mihawk]

"About to die? You don't know who your messing around with." Dominick said demanding voice. He slowly backed up slowly as this man's sword was pointed to his chest. No way Dominick was going let him kill him let alone hurt him. Dom saw the man strike him. Just before, he quickly back flipped behind the bench, dodging the sword just before it hit him. Angered in why he was attacked, but did not care for it.
Dom said, "Why? There was not reason to this attack." Confused at this nonsense, Dom was.

It doesn't not matter now. "Ok let us try to talk and not get in to a fight. I really do not want to fight right now, and it would be to your benefit if we did not fight." Dom said. Dom gradually walked over to this man, hoping he would not fight back. Dom though to him self, I really hope this man has some smarts. He stopped walking as he got 6 feet away from the man. "Ok lets get things straight. All I want to know is your name. If you are not going to say anything, fine by me. I will just leave then."

[nero]

There some reluctance in the man’s voice as he spoke. "Why? There was not reason to this attack." It wasn’t the response Trevor had expected after the man’s assured reply. Facing the swordsman, the Sonic Youth charged him once again intent on sparking some kind of conflict between the two. All the effort he had expunged would truly be wasted if he couldn’t at least get to spar with the man. Dominick or so he was called, held a fearful look in his brow. It wasn’t becoming of a man who dared hold a sword, let alone the discretion to wield multiple swords.

Walking away from a challenge just wasn’t to be taken lightly; Trevor would make sure to pay back the man in full. Trevor unsheathed his sword, quickly and without warning. Befitting a swordsman’s honor he would attack him from the man’s front, it’d be a disgrace not to. A wry smirk lit up the Sonic Youth’s face as he went, acknowledging the fun that was to be had. “Turn and face me. Hmph, are you scared?” Trevor stood there perplexed at the man’s indecisiveness but yet was unable to differentiate fear from reluctance. God help the poor soul.

[mihawk]

Dominick was waiting for an answer. Not trying to show any emotions. Obviously this man was not going to leave Dom alone.
Finally the man replied, but not a in very positive way. Dom knew right from his words, he was going to be in one hell of a situation.

"Alright, I am not scared, I just don't want to fight right now and I don't want any trouble, " Dom said.

Dom saw the man unsheathed sword and attack him straight at the chest. With his very attuned reflexes, Dominick unsheathed his own sword and blocked the attack with ease. Dominick was a little disappointed, but he knew that wasn't his full strength.

"Wow, so you really want to fight?" Dom asked.

He finally nerve was hit. This was when he was really going to get serious. He took out his second sword and started to approach his opponent.

Dom ran toward the opponent with great force. Then with incredible speed he attacked and sliced the opponent in a X shape form. "If he can block this attack, this guy is for real." Dom though as he was waiting for a reaction for the man.

[nero]

Light beamed off the man’s twin swords, as they inched toward Trevor’s neck. Irony was a dastardly thing, indeed. Within milliseconds his nodachi struck the underside of Dominick’s two katana, they being but centimeters from Trevor’s neck. While his deft motion had served to block the incoming attack, he was forced to shift his weight onto his heels leaving him open for a counterattack. Steeping back, Trevor readied his blade for another strike. In that instant his eyes met Dominick’s his mettle highly apparent now. It was that certainty that he had sought from the man, and known he had found it. It was seemingly always there Trevor could tell, it had been kept dormant until now however.

“Good try. A little off but…” Trevor’s words came out in long slurred syllables, fatigue was dawning on him. They were a bit more condescending than he had hoped, though they would suffice. “Come.” there was an assured haughtiness in voice, as if he’d be ready to deal with anything the man sent at him. He would offer his life as forfeit otherwise. It was a smug gesture quite unlike them, though it served well to solidify the persona had just taken on.

[mihawk]

The seconds before the hit was most nervous for Dominick. He had no idea why he was feeling this way. As he is attack he could see the chest and neck of the man. His intentions were not to use much skill on this attack, but just to see if the man can do something.

Obviously, he could. Dominick saw the mans sword that as he was going to strike. The sound of multiple swords colliding was one of Dominick's favorite sounds. He could see that this man blocked his attack with ease. He released and took two steps back, setting him self in a ready position. No more goofing off and time to get serious. Dom unbuckled his scabbards to his swords and threw them on the ground. Dominick then spit on the ground, disgusted from his own spit he started to look at the man, with ambition.

Dom thought, "This guy is not going to win, I am not going to allow him to beat me. If he can beat me, we really is something." Dom looked at the man's eyes. He quickly then dropped and swung his leg toward the man's feet, trying to trip him then kick him far.

[nero]

A sagacious grin found its way to his brow as he narrowly dodged the kick, though not before allowing himself to be swept. To many this was a less than favorable position, though Trevor would weasel out of it somehow. What other choice did he have in the matter? Dropping to his back, the black clothed man hastily rolled beyond Dominick. Gripping his sword with both hands, Trevor let loose a powerful thrust aimed at the man’s neck, though a kill shot was not his intent. As far as he was concerned, their fight was over. Picking himself up from the dirt, he kept his sword steadied on Dominick’s head, hesitant for any movement.

“You did well, you should be proud.” This marked a capricious change in his speech. Before now, the man was but a means to an end for Trevor Price, now he was applauding him. Patronizing words sullied his tongue as he spoke, disgusted by his indecency. As he took back his sword, he spoke, sheathing his sword all the while. “It’s about time I got going, would you like to come with me?” Color had finally returned to his face, emphasized by a slight grin cast at Dominick. He left the man with one outstretched hand.

[mihawk]

He took sight to quick reactions from the opponent. The man dodged Dominick's attack. Briskly, Dom got out of the way from the his opponent. He stood strong like a tree stump in the forest. His stance was flawless. He positioned his swords for anything that would come to him. "Your an exceptional fighter," Dominick affirmed. The more he eyed the man, the more he admire his style of fighting.

Dominick was watched and noted by his opponent. Dominick noticed the man sheathed his swords and asked if Dom wanted to join him. Dom shook the man's hand. Dom replied, "You are a a good fighter, and it would be a great experience to travel with a man of your caliber. I do not want to be a pain but I have questions for you. We never talked about this, but what is your name?". Dominick picked up his scabbards and sheathed his swords. He attached the scabbards on his belt and continued to speak, "I also wanted to ask, to you have any plans or goals you are trying to fulfill?" Dom is excited to travel with this man and is hoping they will both have a good experience.