The Calm after the Storm [Open]

[ejikazuma]

[OOC Note: Mainly a followup thread to my last plot thread. Thread is open, just do me a favor and PM me before jumping in. Have a certain number of things that need to happen to really wrap up the previous thread. Previous thread is here.]

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The rain outside beat softly against the windows of the small bar, it was a dreary day… in fact it had been raining for three days now. The weather had been awful, almost as if Mother Nature herself was lamenting his failure. It had been three whole days since the explosion at the island’s barracks. Time seemed like it was at a standstill, and the Tavern had been emptier than usual. After the attack many of the tourists went home, cutting their vacations short fearing the chances of fighting breaking out. It really was a wasted opportunity, and there probably wouldn’t be another chance like that for a while. Security was tightened at the base and they’d begun reconstruction already, in the meantime several of the Marines were being housed at the Augustus Family’s resort hotel.

“Marine Captain declares recent bombing act to be caused by Pirates...” He read the headline aloud to himself, pausing for a moment to consider the meaning. “Suspects still at large, Marine Captain says they are closing in…” The man sat in a motionless slump, one arm resting on the counter and propping up his head, while the other in a makeshift sling worked to turn the pages of the newspaper. The faucet behind the counter dripped slowly, aiding the rain in building a very somber mood. The lights in the tavern were off, or dimmed at least… allowing the gray light from outside to pour in. He didn’t really feel like doing much, and the world around him wasn’t doing anything to aid that.

He slowly pushed himself upward from the slumped over position, and leaned backward on the bar stool slightly. His right hand moved to take hold of a small glass filled about halfway with a light tan liquid. He took a slow sip, before setting the glass back gently and exhaling. The warm sensation ran down his throat, leaving him with a rather relaxed sort of satisfaction. All things considered, it was a good day to drink… so where were all the damn customers. Well, the kid was still here… but he didn’t really have a choice in the matter, every time Eji tried to talk with him the boy just raged against his restraints. Keeping him under control wasn’t too difficult… Akira had a decent supply of anesthetics after all; it was just a matter of doping him up enough.

He gave a soft sigh as the thought stuck in his mind, that boy really was too much damn trouble. If only he hadn’t been so keen on accusing, if only the kid had looked the other way… Things would have been a lot different he thought. “Eighteen killed… what a reckless idea that was…” He brought the glass to his lips once more, taking a much larger sip this time. He gave another sigh after choking down the liquid, forcing himself to drink a bit more then he wanted to. It was about time to give it another go with the kid… try to level with him, and explain the situation. After all, he’d said before he was just a recruit… he didn’t know what it was really like on this island yet.

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Akira slowly stepped through the doorway to a small bedroom, a simple room used for boarders or drunks too inebriated to make it back to their home/hotel. They were keeping the Marine here, upstairs away from where the customers would be able to hear him. It wasn’t hard to detain the boy with some straps and a bit of chloroform but it wasn’t really ideal for them to play host this way. Aki knew that the ordeal was weighing hard on Eji, and thus she tried as little as possible to bring up the subject… hoping things would sort themselves out in time. The somber mood set by the weather didn’t really help the situation; it wasn’t very motivating or uplifting.

She carried a small tray with her, the boy hadn’t been conscious for more than a few hours in the last three days that they were aware. They’d let him alone mostly unless he started to make too much noise or struggle. Still… it didn’t seem fair to hold him, but she knew Eji’s reasoning. She wasn’t bringing anything fancy, just some toast and eggs and a glass of water. After all, his wounds were still healing and not eating wasn’t’ going to help them heal any faster. She sat the tray down on the bedside table, remarking that he still seemed to be asleep; perhaps the smell of the food might wake him up in time. Figuring she’d wait it out a few, the young woman slowly sat back in a large armchair across from the bed.

[rinji]

Chio was done struggling, for the time being, anyway. He was sickened that they were just abandoning him in this room, bound, drugged, and still with several injuries. If he didn't escape soon, he was going to get weaker and weaker until he was just going to die simply from malnutrition and lack of exercise. There wasn't much else he could do except struggle when he felt lively enough, and then sleep when that made him tired. He had to figure a way out of there, and fast. He cursed his legs for not being strong enough to break these bonds that held him.

With the drugs in his veins he found it extremely difficult to concentrate, but that could be overcome, he knew it. Goro-sensei always told him that his mind was strong, and his will was stronger. No matter how dreadful a situation may seem, he could not just roll over and die. He had to find a way! He had to... oh shit, someone's coming!

Chio acted as if his bonds had not loosened in the slightest from his struggles, as they absolutely had, but still not enough to gain any momentum. He closed his eyes, acting as if he were dazed between sleep and consciousness. Through sheer willpower he stayed at the conscious level, and his mind's eye watched as Akira walked into the room with a plate.

He gain subtle movements and eye flutters toward her to signify that he was at least somewhat conscious before purposely slurring his words.

"Nnnnn'ey, gm'mmnnmm water?" He said, making sure that he was sufficiently hydrated, he had to keep his wits about him and water was key.

Still, looking at Aki, maybe his situation wasn't quite so bad.

[ejikazuma]

[OOC Blah: Just a heads up man, I'm gonna be out for the weekend. so don't feel rushed to respond. =P Have a good Holiday.]

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Motions from the boy had alerted her that he was conscious. The young woman slowly pushed her way up from her chair and quickly moved closer to the bedside. It was the first time in a few days that they’d seen him calm so she trusted he wouldn’t be too wild. Responding to his request she slowly began to undo the straps holding him. She paused for a moment, and her dark eyes locked with his. She was studying his nature, and from what she could tell he still looked rather groggy. As if issuing an unspoken command, Akira slowly broke the gaze and went back to removing his restraints. “He’ll be coming up here in a few moments…”[/b] She paused once more as the straps were undone from Chio’s wrists. She slowly returned her gaze to the boy, reaching to offer him the glass of water. “Your wounds have been treated… we don’t mean you any harm, but he said you were pretty reckless.”[/b]

Akira was pretty blunt in her actions, perhaps it was all the time she spent around Eji… or maybe it was him who got it from her. “I’m trusting you’ll behave… He just wants to talk… and apologize…”[/b] It was odd having to make up for something someone else did, and it was easy to see she was pretty uncomfortable with the situation from the troubled look on her face. She wasn’t really sure if he’d trust them or not… but she figured releasing him was the first step of goodwill. As he took the glass, she slowly took a step back from him to bow her head. The tray with his meal was left sitting on the table beside the bed as she retreated to the chair once more. “Still… I hope you’ll understand that I need to watch you for a few more minutes. Eji wants to make sure you hear him out…”[/b]

No sooner then she said that, did he step into the room. He’d beat around the bush long enough… putting the awkward moment off. The kid deserved some answers to go with the beating he’d gotten at least, and there wasn’t anything particularly secretive about the situation. He was dressed in a somewhat casual manner as he stepped into the room. A simple white button down over his torso, unbuttoned partway down his chest and left un-tucked from a pair of plain black slacks. His left arm was still wrapped up in a black sling and supported across his chest, in his other hand was what was left of the rum bottle from earlier. “Ahhh… I see you woke him up…”[/b]

He smirked a bit, looking to Akira with a rather cheerful disposition. The woman simply sighed, as she recounted how many bottles he’d been through in her head. She knew this whole thing was killing him, but what could she really do? He’d made the mistake already… the plan had failed miserably… sometimes; you just have to move on regardless of how bad things are. He paused in an awkward silence sort of manner, as his cobalt eyes slowly took in the details of the situation. “So Kiddo… how’d you sleep?”[/b] He asked with that drunken grin still plastered on his face. It was arrogant and stupid and he knew it… but he’d already drunk himself happy over the horrific details of the previous event. He still wasn’t ready to accept that his plan was a failure, or that everyone would have to suffer longer, or even that things would be worse now for everyone.

Upon inspection, it would be fairly evident that he was truly exhausted. It looked like he hadn’t slept in a day or so and the stubble he’d had from days before was growing into a full-fledged beard by now. Still, he waited for Chio’s response, half expecting the kid to leap up and thrash him once again. It didn’t really matter though, as rummed up as he was he wouldn’t really feel it at this point anyway. It was probably a good thing that Aki was there…

[rinji]

"Apologize... for killing my comrades and destroying my base? Yeah, that'll work." Chio's sarcasm dripped from his words. He rubbed his wrists, the traces of the ropes still embedded in his hands. His legs were absolutely killing him, but they were much better today than they were before. He could tell that they were healing, they had very deep tissue damage. He took the glass with a nod to her and then began to drink. The drugs were still running through his head, and dimming his senses.

Then she said she had to watch him. This brought a small chuckle.

"You gonna rough me up if I don't be a good boy?" He said and then turned his gaze to her, seeing she was looking into his eyes and trying to read him. Such a strange look she gave him, it kind of brought a smile to his face.

Then there was Eji. Chio didn't lash out like they were probably expecting, he simply gave him a dubious look, and then continued to drink the water. It felt great to get a good amount of water, and be able to stretch his legs. Then he got a strange feeling, which drew his attention to his legs for a moment. It wasn't pain, it was something else.

Chio's eyes darted toward Eji as he called him Kiddo.

"Very deep and intoxicated, thanks..." Sarcasm was ever present in his words once again. "How did you sleep with the murder of my Marine Brethren on your conscience?" Chio was quick to retaliate, and then look back toward Aki for a moment. "Is the water drugged too?"

[ejikazuma]

Akira mostly ignored the boy’s comments, it wasn’t that she was cold hearted but more so that there just really wasn’t anything else to say. She felt horrible about the whole situation and she wasn’t really even involved personally. Eji’s recklessness had caused trouble before, but usually his work was a bit cleaner… a bit more refined… for as clean and refined as killing could be that is. Her gaze turned from the boy to stare out the window for a moment figuring she’d just let the boys work this one out and mediate if it was really necessary.

Despite what she looked like, Akira could take care of herself quite well in a fight. After all, she was trained as a Koga Shinobi as well. In most cases, she was even better then Eijimaru was with the uses of various poisons and Assassination techniques. She was also smaller and a bit more agile then Eji was, but when it all came down to it she didn’t have a true desire to carry out the will of the clan like Eji did. Her dark eyes took on a distant look as she sort of locked herself up in her thoughts, recalling the details of the event as Eji had told her. Chio seemed like he was looking for a fight in everything he did and in general just seemed so short sighted.

The boy’s words rattled Eji a bit, not so much in that they brought out lament, more so rage. It angered him almost instantaneously that Chio would react so haughtily to what had happened. Death was nothing to sneer at, or to put oneself above. The drunken grin that held his face melted away to a very stern and serious look. This was really what Eijimaru wanted after all, a chance to confront this boy whose reckless resolution collided with his own. He slowly moved across the room, to set the bottle down on the table beside Akira. The sudden jarring noise perked the woman up as if breaking her train of thought. She tilted her head upward, and immediately could tell he wasn’t nearly as far gone as she’d thought.

“My sleep wasn’t nearly as sound as yours I’m afraid…”[/b] His words broke past the moment of silence, seething with anger he kept his gaze to the floor for a moment or so before raising a convicting stare to the boy. His eyes seemed a bit lighter in the dimly lit room, that off shade of blue piercing through as if everything else around were shades of gray. “We’re done with the Drugs… they were for your own safety.”[/b] He paused for a moment or two before continuing, his stern stare holding against Chios as if he was diving into the boy’s soul through his eyes. “If we hadn’t sedated you, your erratic reactions to the poison might have caused it to seep through your system faster than it normally would… You might have been among the dead as well.”[/b] He paused for a long second, slowly taking a seat in the chair at the table opposite Akira.

“See it however you’d like… but Akira and I saved your life.”[/b] As he spoke, he could feel the rage quelling within him. He’d wanted to get this all off his chest for days now, but Chio’s condition had only truly stabilized recently. Eji figured the Atropis had probably been haunting the kid’s dreams this whole time, he’d expected the boy to just be happy his mind was coming back into one piece but instead was greeted with such a prissy tone. “Still, you’re right… a lot of your friends died because of my poor judgment. Nothing I say or do can bring them back... But you should really be angry at that piece of shit Captain De’Avris, he's still going around pillaging women and money as if nothing happened at all...”[/b] As he brought up the details of the situation, his resolve slowly began to fade along with the rest of his anger. Instinctively he reached out for the bottle once more, wrapping his fingers around the neck before realizing what he was doing. It took quite a bit to resist the urge to keep drinking, but he did. His grip slowly loosened and the hand fell flat to the table, deflated and motionless.

“This isn’t why I brought you here though…”[/b] He paused for a moment, considering how to put to words what he wanted to say. “You should understand, regardless of the Pirate’s interference… you are the reason why my mission to kill the Captain failed.”[/b] As he spoke, his eyes came to settle on the boy once more… the same convicting stare, albeit not nearly as intense as before. “Whether it was just foolishness, angst, or stupidity, you challenged me with little to no reason. It was reckless, it was dumb, and you should have been killed for your mistake…”[/b] It was almost turning into a parent’s lecture at this point, Eji wanted to beat the self–righteousness out of the boy with his words… hoping Chio would see through to reason, hoping his words weren’t wasted. “I kept you alive because you have potential to be great, but being reckless will only cause others pain. Just like I have to learn this lesson, you should too…”[/b]

[rinji]

Chio found himself somewhat torn. What Eji was saying was making sense, a little too much sense. There were so many things he had heard about him, many of them were things he simply didn't want to believe, and all of them were things he couldn't do anything about on account of his rank. The Captain wasn't the brightest star in the sky, hell, he wasn't even strong from what Chio understood. He made his way up the ranks mostly because he knew which ass to kiss and where.

"Every man should not have to pay for the wrongs of a single man. What you did is inexcusable. I didn't fight you because you were going to kill the captain, I kicked you because of the ashes that use to be part of my squadron! And I'd do it again if you told me you'd plant another bomb on Marine Soil!" Chio stood as firm as a redwood. He could feel himself sobering up a little bit, and he was able to focus on the here and the now. "But... is what you said really true... even women?"

Chio started to imagine that bastard of a Captain laying his hands on the innocent. Such an act only the worst of pirates would perform. If this man felt strong enough to try and assassinate him, then it must really be true. But still, he considered the source of this information. He still wasn't one hundred percent on this subject. But still...

Chio sat on the side of the bed and intertwined his fingers as his foot began to bounce a little bit. His knee bounced his elbow, and he thought. He knew about this nervous tension act, but he didn't really care. For some reason it helped him concentrate. Then he sighed.

"What are you planning to do?"

[ejikazuma]

[OOC: Sorry for the delay, things have been busy and a bit Stressful IRL, Hopefully after this weekend things will settle back down. Also my apologies for the short response, due to stress… my creativity has been pretty low the last week.]

Eji listened quietly as the boy vented, he wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t know. He understood the marine mentality; all in all it wasn’t much different from his own. It all revolved around justice, sense of duty and pride… the self-righteous attitude of the marines was more often than not the part that got under his own skin the most. Who would understand more the price of life; the price of necessary evils? He gave another soft sigh as he leaned forward in his chair slightly, he didn’t want to argue on these points anymore. Chio would learn these lessons in time or he’d die, that was the way of the world after all. “I understand your resolve, and it’s admirable in a sickening way.” He spoke with a very relaxed and distant voice now, it seemed more so as he’d gotten what he wanted to say off his chest the mental strain and stress on his body was beginning to really wear him out.

There was something about the hero mentality that all ways disturbed him; perhaps it was how much it went against human nature, or perhaps it was just the idea of someone trying to attain perfection in a warped sort of sense. He wasn’t really sure, but he’d seen it before and knew it was something that you couldn’t talk out of someone. “You’ll just have to learn these lessons for yourself I suppose…” A part of him wanted to see the results of enduring such a lifestyle, the broken bitter soul that would be left over… but another part of him couldn’t help but cheer him on. Still, he knew Chio wasn’t really getting any of what he was saying; even when he told him blatantly the boy’s mind only seemed to stick to certain parts of the information. He shrugged slightly in a dismissive manner. “Well, the truth is security around the Captain has been heightened, and will be for quite some time. I doubt there is really anything I’ll be able to do against the Captain now, so I’ll probably just lay low for a little while… let my injuries heal up.” He paused for a bit watching the boy’s reaction before continuing. “If you’re really worried about what the Captain is doing, you should find out for yourself…”

Eji wasn’t in the most optimistic of moods, he really felt as though it was time to sit back and plan some more. Scheme a bit, and see how things turned out… after all, Aityaia wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. His dark eyes turned to the bottle for a moment in consideration, but passing it up he quickly nudged Akira who was left starting kind of blankly off into space. “You’re quite the chatter box today ehh?” He remarked with a slight grin to his friend, she’d been so quiet the whole time it was almost like she wasn’t even there. He quickly gestured toward the bottle with a smirk before asking. “Aki, you want a drink?” As the woman was shaken from her thoughts a scowl quickly took her face and she slugged him back in his good shoulder. “I didn’t make this mess; it’s your job to clean it up…” She huffed a bit, quickly standing up from her chair and swiping the bottle from the table. “Play nice boys, I’m not cleaning up any more blood…” She shot a somewhat stern look as she walked out without another word, stifling another heavy sigh from Eijimaru. “Thanks Aki…” He muttered a bit under his breath, deep down he was pretty happy she’d taken the hint.