Shirking Duties [Open!]

[Vio]

Once more, Aluco had messed up a simple task, spilling hot coffee all over a fellow marine, of all the people. This certainly was not her day, though at least she now knew the name of her unfortunate comrade: Konaa. Maybe it was her darker side that had made that happen? Who knows? Certainly not the normal Aluco.

"Oh, I'm so so SO sorry!" Aluco stressed. She may be but I am certainly not. Her other side thought. Aluco hurriedly offered Konaa a serviette to clean himself up with, worrying to herself about how this would go down at the base. It was just an accident, but she still felt completely responsible. Typical, worrisome Aluco, always putting herself in trouble and, somehow, making it worse. Always.

"Oh, umm," Aluco stammered, the question that Konaa had asked momentarily before he had been splattered in coffee finally registering in Aluco's troubled mind, "my name is Aluco. Pleased to meet you, Konaa!"

Not. Darker Aluco sneered mentally. While the normal Aluco had only really just met Konaa, unaware of his personality and capabilities, the cold and calculating inner self had already judged the young man's apparent potential, or lack of it, and had come to a conclusion which most other people would probably agree with: Uncivil, lazy slob.

[Konaa]

It wasn't that bad. It was a step up from crashing onto the pavement from a rooftop. But goddamn if it didn't smart. Even if he was rather quick about mopping it up, his jacked stained brownish-black (having waved off help from the girl), it was gonna be smarting for a while. At least it hadn't scalded him. He didn't need burn marks to improve his good looks none.

Casually showing disregard for his uniform, he curled it into a ball and tucked it under his arm. Great, now I gotta find a way to steal a fresh one. The laundry workers are so stingy with em... Turning his attention to the girl, he learned her name. Right, Aluco, that was it. He had a few choice words for her brewing up in him, but...seeing how horrified she looked and how anxiously she'd stammered out her own name...his anger deflated somewhat. So it was an accident. People seemed to have accidents at him an awful lot, but he supposed it was a coincidence. If he wasn't gonna get mad at that other idiot, it would only make sense to give this one a break too.

He settled for sarcasm, which felt more comfortable anyway. "Yes. Very pleased to meet you too. Delighted. Overjoyed. Thank you for preempting my order of a cup of coffee." Wiping some of his drenched hair out of his face, he sighed. Even that felt like a bit much...Well, whatever. She could deal.

Somehow willing to continue the conversation, he decided to change the subject to something less awkward. "So, you work at the base, right? Same rank as me, if I'm not mistaken. What was it again? Grunt, toadie...Human shield? No, recruit, that was it."

[Vio]

Aluco exhaled a soft sigh of relief. At least the youth had not yelled at her and, from her perspective, had taken the incident rather lightly. Further still, Konaa had opted to try and continue the conversation, which seemed like a positive step forward. She was, at the very least, thankful of Konaa's understanding nature. Right, he was being sarcastic.

"Yes, I'm a recruit, too!" Aluco smiled, cheering up a bit now that Konaa was making conversation. It was good to know the kind of people you worked with, it made the work environment seem more comfortable and easier, even with such a dangerous job as being a marine. Why do you not just leave? I do not like you at all. Darker Aluco thought. Indeed, this malevolent side was rather judgmental and extremely harsh towards others, even if they weren't aware of it.

"Hm," Aluco's mind clicked, "are you on patrol then, Konaa?" She asked. Of course he is not, he is just a lazy, worthless idiot not worth our time, Aluco. We should be training, for the sake of justice! Her other self was starting to get impatient as the day wore on. When nightfall came, the clumsy recruit turned into a merciless killer, but both shared the same belief in justice, pure and true. If only Konaa knew, he would be counting himself lucky.

[Konaa]

I...oh no. She was one of the ones who didn't get sarcasm. This...was bad. Konaa was in danger of being mistaken for a hard working and diligent soldier at this rate. How was he supposed to talk to someone this ditzy without blithely making fun of her with his every word? He didn't...have anything to talk about. He couldn't even think of a single topic to converse beyond their names and their one point of relation, having the same job. But she seemed pretty eager to continue the conversation, for some reason, and he was starting to regret having ever left the base this morning.

Not helping was how bright and cheerful she seemed to be. Aluco had honestly thought he was being friendly there, and that...kind of made him feel bad. She was now operating under false circumstances, after all. There was even a tinge of guilt burrowing under Konaa's skin.

"I, um." Great, how was he supposed to answer that? Honestly? He supposed he might as well. He didn't care about appearing dutiful to anyone who didn't have influence over his salary. "No..Not really. I'm...off duty right now." Technically true, as he hadn't stuck around long enough to be given a duty.

[Vio]

"Oh? So am I!" Aluco chirped, responding to Konaa's answer to her previous question, believing it to be the complete and honest truth - something which it was very far from. You do realise he is lying? The inner Aluco asked, pointlessly attempting to commune with the currently active version of herself. Certainly, Konaa had unwittingly fallen into an unintended trap, and it was obvious to Aluco's more observant side that his only hope of escape was to tell the truth, which she already knew was something he did not want to do. Though, she could be mistaken, of course. Fat chance.

At this point, Aluco was beginning to feel like she was slacking off, appreciating the fact that Konaa was off duty, but nevertheless feeling as if she should be doing something important. Still, something unusual caught her attention and, turning her entire head quite suddenly, looked across the street to an alleyway. Nothing. Aluco gently turned her head back towards Konaa as if nothing had happened, attempting to continue the conversation.

"If you're not busy, Konaa," Aluco began, "would you mind doing some training with me?" She smiled softly, patiently but nervously awaiting his response. He certainly did not fit the part of a decent warrior, but anyone was better than no-one at all. Hmmm, this could turn out to be an entertaining afternoon, after all. Dark Aluco thought somewhat viciously, wanting to put this sorry excuse for a marine through his paces. However, both sides of Aluco were prepared for the frail-looking youth to refuse.

[Konaa]

This was getting more and more bizarre by the second. Never mind that this was the longest conversation he'd had with anyone in at least a year, but he was not equipped to handle someone who was treating him like an equal and seemed...happy to talk to him. For the most part, he had been standing rooted in the spot, face still tingling with the aftereffects of the coffee grenade, doing his best not to gape or look more clueless than usual. Why was she taking his words at face value? Learn some damn skepticism! Don't believe everything someone tells you! These sorts of thoughts were flying through his head, as he desperately attempted to construct a response strategy to see him through this conversation.

At her request, though, he faltered. Great. Obviously he didn't want to do something like that. She'd take him apart in five seconds. But...the way she'd so naively bought every pack of bullshit he'd fed her was making him very reluctant to do something to upset her. What do I do...I don't want to work today, but...Grah! Why does this feel like refusing would be akin to kicking a young child's ice cream cone out of their hands!?

So against his better judgment, he cleared his throat and nodded, slowly. "Alright...what did you have in mind?"

[Vio]

Aluco thought for a moment. Now that Konaa had accepted her request, she would finally be able to do something worthwhile even while off duty. However, whether or not Konaa would be a worthy opponent was yet to be seen, physically he did not appear to sort of man to have peak physical skills, but often physical strength can be blown out of the water by mental tact.

"How about some fencing?" Aluco asked, moderately proficient in the use of a sword herself. While she had skills in swordsmanship, she was not exactly as skilled as others in the art. In truth, Aluco - or, more precisely, her alter ego - preferred the use of multiple blades than just a single sword. Fortunately, this would just be a match with simple wooden swords for training purposes, not the real deal.

Certainly, the day was wearing on, touching mid-afternoon already, and Aluco's other self was getting more and more restless. She needed to scout the town, to make sure there was no sign of injustice. If there was, her duty was simple: Eradicate the source. Still, there were several hours left until sunset, let alone the darkness of night. The only reason this merciless assassin normally cooped up inside Aluco was getting so agitated was because the normal side of her was bored.

"Just with wooden swords, of course," Aluco specified, "if that's okay with you? Or," Aluco paused again, before confirming, "we could just have a race?" She smiled, either was a decent prospect, but perhaps having a race would be a little more relaxed and, potentially, a lot more fun.

[Konaa]

Just ONCE. Just this once, he would play along with this idiocy and never again. Konaa certainly didn't intend to let this girl catch him in conversation ever again, that was for sure. This was akin to torture. It was already far more painful than any training session they'd put him up to back at B-3. But he'd already made his choice and didn't have much room to back out at this juncture. So, time to weigh the options.

Fencing...Meaning with wooden swords. He wasn't much of a swordsman. He wasn't much of anything, mind you, but he handled the training swords like a toddler handles a ten ton weight. He could already tell that "fencing" was secret code (so secret even she didn't know) for "be beat mercilessly with a stick and stay sore for the rest of the week." Which left the other option, and something he might actually stand a chance at. Racing. Given his knowledge of the rooftops he could potentially even win...

Not. In actuality, the pretense of a race was the perfect opportunity to lose this chick. He could just say that he'd lost his way the next time they saw each other. Not exactly a kind thing to do, but Konaa didn't recall ever claiming to be anything other than selfish and work shy.

"...Race sounds good. From here to where, exactly?"

[Vio]

"Hmmm," Aluco was glad that Konaa had accepted the race, she had a slight hunch that the youth would turn down fencing so that did not surprise or disappoint her in the least bit, "a good place to race to..."

A little race might be fun, I suppose. The darker Aluco thought while her normal self decided on a good landmark to race too. They needed somewhere decent, an obvious location so that neither would get lost. Where better than "...would be the docks! We should race from here to the docks, is that okay?" Aluco asked. You should have raced him back to base, that would have unnerved him.

In reality, from this point of town, a straight route to either the docks or the base would be around the same distance, so it really did not matter which. Both were well known landmarks for Loguetown, either the base that upheld justice or the docks at which countless ships rested, awaiting there journey to the Grand Line. Subconsciously, Aluco was hoping to scout some pirate ships, but her conscious thoughts were firmly fixed upon racing Konaa. The destination would be the docks.

[Konaa]

The docks, huh...Yeah, there were enough buildings and alleyways on that route that he could easily lose her. This nonsense was about to come to an end, thank god for that. Nodding in assent, not even wanting to gasp out another awkward almost-phrase in this almost-conversation, he turned around and walked slowly out onto the street, padding his way across the cobblestone street and turning to face in the general direction of the docks. Even from where he was, he could already see a few ways to get up onto the rooftops - there was a ladder propped up against the building to the left, for example, and up ahead there were enough window ledges to prop himself up if he really had to.

Konaa was decent at parkour. He had a lot of practice, having been avoiding people in this town since he was old enough to walk, and figured out that most people weren't inclined to be welcoming towards him. Resolving to return the favor, he stayed up high, sticking to the rooftops and giving the local garrison a headache when it came to keeping track of him.

There had been one Marine even the rude and antisocial youth couldn't help but feel some respect towards, however. With a sudden jolt, he realized that he missed Captain Smoker. The tough garrison commander had never really taken notice of him, but he had, in his own way, influenced his career choice. What was it he had said to Konaa?

...Oh yeah. "Stop slacking around up there, kid, or I'll drag you to the recruiting center."

That guy was long gone, though, chasing after that lunatic with the straw hat. Maybe he'd see him again and properly introduce himself?

Blinking, he brought himself back to the present, probably looking a little odd to Aluco, having spaced out for a moment or two.

[Vio]

"To the docks it is then," Aluco cheered, "but I guarantee I'll win!" She started doing some warm up stretches, unaware of Konaa's brief meditation. Aluco herself had a habit of spacing out at times, and on occasion it was her meticulous and more aggressive side that would intervene, taking control while she dawdled and daydreamed. Sometimes she would emerge from her daydreams totally unaware of what her body had been doing in the meantime.

She recalled one such event, a couple of years back, shortly before she had qualified as a recruit. Back then, the base was under the command of Captain Smoker, a famed marine with the power of a Devil Fruit. Such a man had taken down many a pirate entering Loguetown, a real inspiration to the people, especially those like Aluco. While she had already been determined to become a marine due to her family history, it had been Captain Smoker who had given her the extra drive necessary.

That fateful day was pretty simple, Aluco was just a chore girl serving at the base, working hard to make herself known. She had been assigned the duty of cleaning the Captain's office while he was out, a task which she had been nervous about at first, so much so she had practically fainted once in there, her other side taking over. It had taken several hours, but by the time her other side had finished, Aluco snapped out of her daze and the place was spotless; the smell of smoke had vanished and the entire room looked as good as new. She had even been congratulated on the job and, unbeknownst to her, Smoker had reviewed her files and put her in as a recruit after seeing the work she had done. Bringing herself back, Aluco locked eyes with Konaa, who had also returned from spacing out.

"Well then, Konaa," Aluco grinned, "on your marks... Get set... Go!" Aluco dashed forwards suddenly, whipping up a small breeze as she did so, potentially leaving Konaa behind. The race was on!

[Konaa]

"Yeah, yeah, competitive spirit, I get it." Waving his off, he rolled his eyes. To think that even this klutzy girl was basically the same as those musclehead training-freaks that were constantly on his case about his "poor performance." What was it about rushing to fight ruthless criminals in distant hostile waters that got these idiots so fired up? Konaa would never understand it, nor did he want to. A Carefree Life was his policy, and that meant no getting hung up over "Justice" or whatever.

Aluco seemed ready to roll. Getting so excited over a simple exercise...sheesh. It amused him that she even thought he would be at all enthusiastic about this. Still, when she locked eyes with him, he was more than a little taken aback. The girl was all fired up...It was kind of bizarre to him.

And then she counted down and was off, far, FAR faster than he could've hoped to run. Wow. Konaa supposed that was what happened when you did more than the minimum required exercises. Blinking for a few seconds, he eventually started running as well, lagging behind her, just for a bit, to see if he could catch her.

He hit his top speed - and as he expected, it was below hers. Well. Just another thing to note, really. Odd that he was even curious about it...Gah! Was she infectious!? Was he starting to get passionate about justice and training? This was serious, he needed to lose Aluco, posthaste. Waiting until he was certain her gaze was fixed ahead, he darted to the side, into an alleyway, leaning against the wall and panting heavily, even though he hadn't been running that long.

"Well...since Miss Rocket back there is so damn fast, she'll do the losing for me. That takes care of her..."

[Vio]

Aluco's speed was something else, easily outrunning some of her peers. She had naturally strong legs, giving her the power necessary for good acceleration, coupled with her relatively lengthy strides. Within seconds she had left Konaa in the dust, racing ahead like this was some kind of life or death scenario. However, her attention was so fixed on winning that she had failed to notice that Konaa had disappeared down an alleyway. Obviously an attempt to lose her.

Years of training had turned her into a speed machine and, despite her rank and inexperience, she had the physical fitness of a lower-ranking officer. That is the kind of strength you obtain from hard labour and not shirking duties. And if Konaa had thought her speed was already superhuman, he yet to witness her alter ego's outstanding agility - peak performance for a normal human. Her breathing was steady and silent, regardless of the effort she was placing into each and every step.

Fifteen minutes or so later and she had reached the docks, the masts of the countless vessels towering above. Ships of all shapes and sizes were anchored here, from simple merchant vessels to majestic marine ships, right down to the scum of the ocean: Pirate Ships. No doubt there were a fair few pirate crews lurking around Loguetown, after all, the place was considered legendary in the eyes of such criminals, the very town in which the Pirate King himself was executed. Pirates from all over the East Blue, setting sail for the Grand Line, would come here to witness Gold Roger's memorial. Or at least they would do, had not the chaos caused by Straw Hat Luffy and a very bizarre storm taken it down. The execution platform had been rebuilt, but it had lost some of its legendary aura in the process.

"Hmmm?" Aluco looked back, regulating her breathing back to its normal state, "No sign of Konaa. I guess that means I win!" Aluco hopped, excitedly, on the spot before checking the rest of her surroundings. The docks were relatively quiet at this point, the crews of many merchant vessels anchored here were having a day's rest before they set off in the early hours of the morrow, shipping Loguetown goods to other islands of the East Blue. The pirate ships, ominously silent, their crews most likely having split up to avoid being captured all at once by the world famous marines of B-3.

The day was wearing on, now into late afternoon, and Aluco decided to call it a day and head back to base, having subconsciously memorised the flags of each pirate vessel. The hunt was soon to begin, and Aluco's other side was preparing itself. Pirates, a terror to the seas. They do not care for justice, only for mayhem and greed. Those who dare set foot on this island will feel the talons of justice. A subtle, internal monologue, a pep talk for the oncoming mission. Aluco Striggs; servant of justice by day, deliverer of it by night.

[Konaa]

Slooowly poking his head around the corner of the building, he waited and watched, but there was no sign of his counterpart after a few minutes. Looks like Konaa's Escape From Overeager Recruit Strategy was a roaring success. What a ditz. Did she think he'd gotten lost or something?

There was a nagging feeling tugging at his conscience - she sure had seemed like a pretty gullible person, and he had totally taken advantage of that. But...whatever, it wasn't like he'd done anything to hurt her. He just wanted to extradite himself from that awkward awful conversation without any further harm to either of them. So really, what Konaa had done had been for the best, as it usually turned out to be.

Guilt rationalized away, he leaned heavily against the wall of the building, slowly lowering himself to the ground, his forehead sweating up a storm. That was more running then he cared to do in a week. Tight sacrifices have to be made at times, however, and because of that, the plan was an absolute success. Now it was just a matter of making sure Aluco never caught him to ask any awkward questions about the race later on. That was going to make life back at the base...interesting.

It was getting closer to evening. Konaa would have to head back soon, lest he get wrapped up in any kind of trouble the crooks who frequented the streets after dark were cooking up. Not just yet, though...Having regained some of his breath, he looked at the wall he'd been up against and saw that it had several windows, not too far from each other, making a practical ladder to the top.

Just a minute or so later, he was up on the roof, sitting cross legged and watching the setting sun, a small smile catching on his face. Whatever else happened to him...As long as he could keep moments like this, Konaa thought he would be able to handle himself. For now, at the very least, he was absolutely content with the world.