Kick in the Door

[momo]

The Grand Line was about the last place on Francis' mind when he had left the island he had called home. While a mere look at a newspaper would make it clear that going there might increase his wealth, he wasn't particularly suicidal. On a good day, he wasn't particularly talented at navigation and the Grand Line was known for either turning the best of pirates into cowards or killing them altogether. Besides, he was hardly so devoted to his work as a bounty hunter that he'd actually chase idiots with dreams of grandeur into the Grand Line when anyone he actually had the skill to capture for pocket money existed in the Blues.

Life wasn't particularly fair though. 

Francis had not been trying to hear about Kite at the time. However, it was particularly hard not to hear about the other man. His name seemed to be everywhere, or at least it felt it. Of course, it could largely have to do with the fact that Francis had left home with no destination on a poor excuse for a boat. For all he knew, he'd managed to get to the one part of the world that had heard of the man. 

Looking into that trail was something that he liked to consider was mere curiosity; whether it truly was was questionable. It had admittedly been shockingly easy to find information. The notion of Kite seeming to be everywhere hadn't seemed to be far fetched. However, the more he found the more questions began to linger in his mind. He wasn't too keen on believing everything he was hearing, but he wasn't entirely sure how keen he was to actually actually look for the answers themselves, particularly when the trail he was looking at seemed to be pointing at a destination somewhere in the Grand Line.

In the end, conflict seemed to give in, if only because he was faintly sure that the trip there would be taken by something along the lines of a civilian ship. If it wasn't then this was currently a large waste of time and one he rather hoped did not end up with him at the bottom of the sea. Well, unless they somehow managed to bump into another ship, but that seemed entirely unlikely- or it did in terms of the exact ship he needed.

Frowning, the swordsman stepped outside, glancing at the seawater. It wasn't a particularly distasteful view. He just hoped it stayed that way for long enough.

Phantasma

[Phantasma]

    "I'm glad I managed to catch up to you.. Oh? No, No I wasn't trying to catch you. I would've ran and shouted a lot harder if that were the case," Kite cracked a grin and lightly shook his head peering at the captain who he had cornered at the dock.

    This man was a typical Bourgeois specimen. He wore a rippling white shirt marked with no nicks or scratches and paired it against black silken pantaloons, that gripped his figure and legs as well as some dark brown cowl to his back that billows across his backside. His choice of shoes were browned nearly knee-highs that took on an appearance closer to that of stilettos, the heels and toe of the article being pointed. Brown full length gloves hid his hands and a large Bicorne-like captains hat. His figure was plain or rather it was thin enough and curvy enough that he could've been easily mistaken for a lady. His face held a similar androgyny but his voice really did give him away, crinkled such soft features and placid green eyes into worry.

    A green, bottom painted, lip quivered in silent unease and it forced the hunter to awkwardly put his hands up in a placating gesture. Holding them out in front of him before speaking.

    "Look, Look. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just need to get to Alabasta and I need to get there fast. You came recommended by my uh... folks. Marigolds. Point is I'm not going to hurt you. I even came ready to pay board and everything!" Kite tried another smile but it came off as awkwardly jagged as he tried to put the guy at ease.

    Palm-out hands went to dropping down and fishing around various pockets in the young mans suit. Eventually a fairly heavy bag of cash tender and coins exchanged hands, a not-so-sulky and moderately impressed captain looked Kite up and down. Taking to gripping their chin and skulking around the hunter looking them top to bottom. And grinning by the time they circled around. Kite really couldn't help but gulp and take to looking up at the azure blue sky.

    Typical day in the Bourgeois Kingdom.

    "Hon hon hon... I see, see see see. Very well! I'll drop you off since I'm going down the crocodile way anyway. Got to say I was testing you~, lately the guard has been slacking off and all sorts of folks will try stuff even in broad daylight,"

    "That must be--" Kite was cut off mid sentence as the man backpedaled and spun around pointing his heel at Kite in a surprising episode of flexibility.

    "Not the fun stuff neither!" A southern bell accent leaked through as well as a laugh as the captain ran off, up and down the decks towards his galleon.

    Meanwhile Kite could scarcely shake his head and sigh. Once again silently asking himself if there was some kind of internal WEIRDNESS magnet that kept him meeting folks like this. Admittedly a part of him was curious what would come from this trip and an even tinier part of him prayed to high heaven it wasn't going to be another shipwreck fiasco.

---

    Out on the high seas the white detailed and coffee brown Galleon charged through waves and cut through whatever minimal resistance the open waters threw. Many times it were brief showers as the crew passed by various islands or harsh winds so a majority of the occupants spent time within the rooms on and below deck. The ship was big enough that it supported a small skeleton crew with the rest of its space dedicated to various items and pieces, furniture and large boxes lay fixed to the ground fastened by ropes below deck while a few closets and cloistered rooms cluttered the lower deck. Above deck supported a small walking, viewing area, with rails over the side of the ship while the rest was carved up into an almost inn looking building complete with a roof and windows stuffed with cute little plants spiraling off of them.

The bow of the ship was left relatively naked aside from the rail and one only had to take a few steps to get to it. Sails peppered the skies directly above the ship and a strong mast kept the slightly yellow flapping garments fastened down. Three massive sails emerged while smaller ones orbited and acted as means for long term, steady courses.

    After an hour or two inside Kite had frankly had enough of being the subject and butt end of a lot of jokes. Throwing some back and remaining silent for others he got up, exited the cottage with a slightly reddened face and the howl of laughter hailing him from behind. Taking in a deep breath and slapping either side of his face lightly with gloved hands he absently started meandering about the upper deck of the ship looking off into the waters.

    It took a few seconds for the bounty hunter to realize someone else was above deck and from this distance he could make out a few details. Ultimately the profile was hidden nearly thanks to facing towards the water. Clearing his throat the now somewhat "de-colored" hunter made his own presence known. Pocketing his pants and taking to walking a few steps forward before stopping leaving a few meters or so from him to the other figure.

    A somewhat chilly wind slithered through the sails and drilled into them both. Kite didn't flinch and enjoyed the fresh scent of sea air it brought to him. The waters around them while calm did churn against the ships form, the horizon warped and dotted with distant islands while clouds overhead looked like white strokes on a painted oil canvas. The sun was high, stretched shadows and gave just a hint of heat.

    "Beautiful day today. Lately I've had terrible luck with voyages," Kite started, continuing to walk and trying his hand at small talk.

    "Hope you didn't come out here for my sake? You don't look like one of the crew members so perhaps I haven't scared you. You'll forgive me for being so chatty... Kind of had my fill of being prodded in there. Needed a bit of time to decompress after all those... personal jokes," The male let out a, albeit familiar, flustered sigh.

    Keeping a healthy gap between him and the male Kite was seconds to arrive to the rail and placed both palms against the white furnish. Staring off into the horizon and closing his eyes, breathing deep.

    "Promise I wont stay long. If you wanted to be alone," He assured the figure, unaware of just who was with him.

[momo]

Francis was completely convinced that something terrible was going to happen. Whether something actually would happen, he had no idea. After all, he was a fairly pessimistic individual, but such an outlook tended to be deserved when one hunted pirates for a living. It seemed especially deserved within this moment considering his decisions were leading him to the Grand Line. Paradise or not, people did tend to deal with even these parts poorly. It was a sea that could pluck away the determination of men if they dared to underestimate where they were, charging ahead with little understanding of where they were going.

He technically had no idea if the crew on this ship was like that or if they at least knew the way to their destination well. It wasn't normally something he'd ignore, but he was a bit more concerned about finding his target. Moreover, there was also the fact that he had not taken too much time to try and converse with the people around him. Instead, he'd simply kept a sharp eye about, not coming off too friendly to those who dared to interact with him. If the crew itself wasn't too nice, he'd have minimal idea about it, having only truly cared to interact enough to get on the boat. 

He'd made no active attempt to talk to anyone. Instead, allowing his gaze to flicker about as the air swept through his dark hair. While the wind was chilly- something he knew wasn't too unusual for being at sea- things were still relatively calm and the distance was spotted with signs of islands instead of nothing but water. Whether the destination was near or not, it would likely mean an eventual stop. He was no navigator, but he'd heard men talk about things as simple as this. Sailing anywhere in the Grand Line was difficult for many reasons, and the length was one of those reasons.

Francis wasn't alone outside for long until someone joined him. It took him a few seconds to realize he was the one being spoken to and even quicker to realize exactly who was speaking to him. He had a fairly good memory and it hadn't been so long that he would have forgotten the other male's voice.

He wasn't entirely sure what to blame for his immediate silence. Sure, Francis was not the most talkative of individuals, but there probably was not much of a reason for staying quiet for so long. By the time his mind and mouth seemed to connect, he found himself displeased by the answers that came to mind because yes seemed to be within the majority of what he had to say. Half hoping he was wrong about who was next to him, he was mildly disappointed to see that he was right about the identity of the other. "Yes, well, unfortunately I have." Definitely not for whatever he might have been presuming though. What was being described wasn't exactly his style. "Though, definitely not what you're suggesting. If I did anything like that for your sake, I would have started with them." He'd never had a good temper and the notion was not too unfamiliar. Perhaps a touch more logical, at best, considering that Francis had lashed out at others for lesser things when he'd been younger.

He ran a gloved hand through his hair, not entirely sure how to take this situation. It felt quick and easy. He wasn't used to things being easy. His gaze flickered over the other male, more waiting for a reaction than anything else.

[Phantasma]

    "Unfortunately? Have we met?" Kite took his right hand off the railing and smoothed back his silver mane that threatened to cloud his vision.

    Turning his head to the direct right he got a look at his stranger. It was a mask to say the least, something that popped a vague sense of realization upon the Hunter. Enough so he was tilting his head to the right and allowing his eyes to squint to the point of becoming skeptical lines. It was a good few seconds of silence as the young man tried to piece together his memory. Running over the variety of faces he had seen in recent. The fact it was taking so long as almost a good sign, since only particularly annoying habits stuck out to Kite in his memory. Pictures or Photos were what prompted the nicer, more fluffy memories.

    "Hmmm... No," He shook his head laughing a bit, but all too suddenly ceasing that tiny ghost of a grin and having his eyes go wide.

    Tilting his head from side to side he crossed his arms and lessened the gap between the two. Now standing at perhaps an uncomfortable distance and slightly lording over the smaller of the men his eyes lidded themselves again. Realization settling into the gaze as the smirk all but vanished into thinly pressed lips. It was hard to gauge what sort of thoughts were running in that younger mans mind but it didn't contort him into a grimace.

    "Yes. I meant yes," He corrected himself, nodded and shutting his eyes some as he let a long sigh compress his chest and signal him backing away to his original position.

    In the years they had been apart it wasn't a surprise he had pushed such imagery to the back of his mind. Thoughts of youth, of distant rivalry and of just what went into allowing Kite the skills he possessed today. The prequel to his Journey seemed to be so muddled with the fog of the past.

    A distant gull cried out its presence and signaled yet more fair winds. The ocean lapped at the side of the vessel and gentle crescents caused nary a bob or a dip.

    "Francis. Francis Sommer. I would really like to joke about you being lost but you said you were looking for me," Kite started turning on his heel and walking-- pacing a bit on the deck back and forth allowing his black coat to ruffle in protest against the light wind.

    "So did you come here for a reason? Between us both we were never really the reminiscent types our families were. It'd be a shame if you went all soft and googly eyed since we last met," He teased the other male, turning about face after the statement to give a very quick flash of a smile.

    In the pacing the older swordsman would get a chance to see just how thoroughly his former rival had changed. Granted he still wore stuffy suits that presented that drab display of black and dark red intermingled with whites, greys and some gold he had gotten a whole lot taller. His form had blossomed out really and was a staple of what it meant to say the phrase 'knight in shining armor'. But perhaps the most intriguing of it all was his face, he was a lot more expressive and willing to smile.

    To joke.

    Which hadn't been the case all those years ago. When training was professional and you had to leave emotions at the door or with your wet nurse. He wasn't just some coddled snooty kid pointy a sword now but an eccentric young man who was making a game at why his childhood friend was standing on this boat.

'I thought of him as a kind of friend anyway. Even when he got all steamed,' Kite corrected himself.

    "I was never ever good at these games," Kite admitted, throwing up his crossed hands and turning around in mock defeat.

    Marching forward with pocketed hands he inclined his head to the side and showed a hint of contentment. Face was absent of a crinkled or stressed brow and his features were softened, eyes looking directly into the other pair across from him.

    "What's the big surprise Francis? Why come to me after so much time had passed?"

    As he waited for the answer it allowed Kite to simultaneously collect and tally the changes to Sommers. He had also filled out and gotten more bulky, in regards to his physique it was near the realms of athletic while his black hair had only become more of a defiant mess. Though he was dressed proper that aura of calculating logic mixed with passion flared around him. Perhaps Kite was imagining the discomfort he attributed to his friend, the way he stood there though...

    It was as if they were on two sides of a valley. Looking across to either end and just barely making out the shape of one another.

[momo]

Francis didn't bother to immediately answer. The question felt like it had an obvious answer, or it did to the brunette. He'd always had a painfully sharp memory, one which only seemed to dull when he grew distracted. He had certainly not forgotten Kite, had even had trouble forgetting him even tough some part of him was adamant that he wanted to, nevermind that distance had never seemed to make things better. 

As Kite seemed to turn his attention to him, it did strike his mind that he probably should have answered. As time seemed to pass, the light-haired male seemed to be nothing short of confused, not a hint of recognition to be seen in his expression. Francis wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing. After all, most of the memories he recalled from his childhood in regards to Kite were not fluffy or happy. They revolved more around two boys who had simply seemed to be incapable of getting along. It hadn't quite been hatred- in fact, it was quite far from that on the brunette's side, something a touch more complex- but he would never call Kite a friend.

Irritation immediately crossed his face at the no and laughter that escaped Kite. Yet, it was gone as soon as it had come. Whether it was because something had simply switched in the other male's mind or the brunette had simply done something, he could hardly know. What he did know was that the distance between them seemed to vanish and Kite was suddenly uncomfortably close.

His eyes grew comically wide and he attempted to create some distance between them. It wasn't an easy feat considering where they were. Distance would be a bit more easily created if he simply fled. Instead, he found himself craning away. Francis didn't care too much about their height difference. The brunette himself was a fairly tall man- certainly not the tallest one might come across among humans- and Kite only stood a few inches above him. He was definitely not too fond of the lessened gap and it undoubtedly was clear on his expression, though it read quite far from the annoyance that had been on his face before.

"Glad you didn't completely forget me," he sniped. He immediately hated how genuine the words sounded, having been drawn far too much on whatever feelings might have been drawn forth after there suddenly was no Kite in his life. His emotions felt like they were in conflict and he couldn't help but begin to wonder if this had been a good idea. It would have certainly been easier to stay in the Blues. He couldn't answer the internal question as to whether it might have made him happy though.

He was a touch relieved when some distanced was given. Unconsciously, Francis' posture relaxed slightly, though he didn't hold the appearance of someone who looked at ease and happy. It was doubtful he would unless something big happened. After all, he wasn't someone who usually ever looked at ease, even from childhood.

"The Grand Line would be a terrible place to get lost, particularly for someone who normally doesn't get lost," he said, unable to keep the dry quip to himself. It was something of a joke, even if it wasn't boisterous. 

He couldn't exactly say how true that was. Reminiscent might have been a good way to describe his sister, but who knew in regards to his uncle. It was not the first word that came to his own mind to describe the man, but then Arthur Sommer was the sort of man who usually brought a lot of negative words to most people's minds first. It was a bit true he wasn't one himself- mostly. 

"Ah, yes-" He began, but not entirely sure how to continue. "It's not a game." It wasn't supposed to be anyway. He didn't like to do games, even if him shoving most of his emotions behind a mental wall could be seen as one. It didn't mean that this was easy. If anything, it felt harder than he had imagined, particularly because he could tell Kite was different. He'd clearly stepped into a situation that was different than he'd envisioned. "I guess you could say I was going to ask you if you were lost. Why are you going down the Grand Line?" The Grand Line wasn't exactly the sort of place, to his knowledge anyway, that Bounty Hunters bothered to go. Too dangerous considering the work. If someone was really worried about pirates, then they could become a Marine. Maybe they'd be thrown there. To his knowledge, Kite had no reason to be here, but he rather doubted that there was no reason.

[Phantasma]

    "Not a game? I always thought you were fond of those," Kite momentarily sidestepped the question and took to leaning his back against the railing.

    Looking towards Francis the shadows spiraled around the white haired hunters neck, tracing the musculature beneath and hinted at. It looked like vines climbing up a marble column and at once simply vanished in the own darkness that clung to the innards of that controlled mess of a hair-do Kite called a scalp. The sun was slowly moving off from overhead and in a few hours it would likely be night.

    Even the cry of the gulls had momentarily silenced itself leaving only the ambience of the conversation to make noise. Unbeknownst to either of them the crew was also listening intently. Ears with cups pressed to the doors waiting to hear every juicy tidbit.

    The rail creaked subsequently as Kite put more of his weight on it and took to un-pocketing his hands and once more crossing them. Those red eyes of his once more locked onto Francis and it wasn't soon before that honey sweet voice picked up, a tone that could often be described as gentle and what you'd expect of a father of at least double the age of Kite.

    "I didn't mean anything by it Francis you don't need to be so uptight. We're not kids... we're not fighting anymore... we have nothing to prove. Honestly It's gotten tiring being so angry all the time-- lashing out at everything and being so guarded. Not that I've grown soft I've just... learned when to dial it back," The white haired dreamer practically whispered the quiet admission.

    "I'm kind of glad I get to see you again. Most of the time being near one another was a contest. Never was it really a conversation-- well... We were forced to apologize to one another that one time weren't we?" A bit of a chuckle snaked its way out of the young mans throat and he shook his head a bit face crinkled with a momentary smile and closed eyes.

    "But sure, I'll tell you. Coming back home has put me in a better mood," Shrugging himself off the rail Kite walked towards and closer yet to Francis before spinning around and slowly unbuttoning his shirt and collecting his overcoat.

    His cravat was loosened, necklace collected, under shirt folded across his arm and fully exposed from the waist up. Other than the pants he wore and weapons affixed to his hips, clothes bent and trinkets locked away in the grip of his hand Kites entire upper body was exposed. Though goosebumps slightly prickled him he remained absolutely still showing his childhood 'friend' a secret that he had kept to himself.

    However in their long history it wasn't unlikely that Francis would've remember this. The source of Kite Kalisto's secret shame... Two massive scars that littered the broad of his mostly perfect backside. In the shape of wings this slightly even whiter scar tissue (a feat you'd think impossible given the mans complexion), spiraled across and near the youths shoulders before disappearing completely. Looking over his shoulder Kite didn't miss a beat nor did he mince words.

    "I'm out here because I'm okay with this," He very plainly stated before redressing himself and smoothing over the slightly ruffled clothes after the fact.

    Quickly hiding his body he spared a show and simply went back to being proper. First his undershirt, fixing his cravat and pendant before moving onto his overcoat and various other bells and whistles attached to his clothing. Somewhere in that time a thump was heard near the cottage door, although far too silent for Kite to notice.

    Someone had fainted.

    "Remember Francis? I'm from the Sky. Used to get called Dodo and Gnat, mocked for those scars. But I... finally feel at peace with that. I'm not so angry anymore. I've even made a good friend-- err... I like to think of her as one?" A sudden flicker of child-like naivety rolled over the hunter as he turned around with a wink.

    Gesturing with his right arm and hand outstretched to the horizon he continued.

    "I go to the Grand Line to help my friend, but to also mellow out more. It was only because of my adventures thus far that I was able to accomplish this much and grow. That kingdom was suffocating us Francis and now we're out in the Brave and New! I know I act the part of a stoic hunter but... I can't help but be excited," The emotionally unguarded Kite gave another closed eyed grin.

    A sight that was scarcely seen between the two. Possibly even edging on never given how their scuffles usually ended with either one exhausted or on the ground.

    "I'm looking for something. Maybe its foolish but I know something-- a part of me is out there." He stated rather ominously letting his hand drop and once again pocketing the two limbs and adopting his leaning position on the railing after a short walk back.

    The way he spoke leaked with such a passion that it could likely dismiss all the skepticism a person like Francis would have. It was in as much the tone as the emotions washing over what should've been a very proper and uptight gentleman. Looking at him now you might suspect he had even led a carefree life not filled with baggage!

    "But was that all you really wanted to ask Francis? I've known you long enough to tell when you've got more to say. I'm not going to challenge you to a duel so I implore you to say it. I practically spilled my heart out right then and there," Eyebrows arched and posing the question to the older male.

[momo]

The comment was clearly a sidestep and Francis wasn't so simpleminded as to miss such a fact. "Hilarious," he grumbled. It wasn't, not in the slightest. "Obviously not. I would have thought it a bit clear, all things considered. Besides, who plays games in this way?" He didn't think too hard about an answer. He doubted he'd like whatever his own mind would come up, all things considered. After all, he hadn't immediately wanted to hunt down Kite just out of what he was wholly convinced was curiosity. He'd left home for a lot of reasons, Kite being one of them.

He was admittedly not paying nearly as much attention to his surroundings as he normally would, whether it be in the form of the diminishing sunlight or the crew members who had decided to eavesdrop. On some level, it probably was better he wasn't. While he wouldn't care much about the former- he wasn't part of the crew as the other male had managed to notice- he would have likely been annoyed by the lack of tact of the crew.

Kite admittedly made it a touch easier to not be too annoyed, even if he did seem to be making certain implications the brunette wasn't sure he liked. However, things like listening to someone say that he didn't need to be so uptight felt just like words at the end of the day. Francis didn't try to be uptight. Irritation just came a bit too easily, sometimes when he wasn't even trying to act it. It was only nice that the other male wasn't rude about it, showing a visible kindness about it. The brunette had interacted with people who weren't, people he was even related to, who simply couldn't understand that it wasn't as simple as holding his breath and counting to three. It was why shoving things into a corner of his mind felt a bit easier. If he pretended it didn't exist, people couldn't say anything.

...Right?

"I'm not trying to fight." Really, he wasn't and it was frustrating that it seemed to be coming off exactly the opposite. "And I'm not trying to prove anything." The rest felt a bit obvious. Kite did seem different, but the brunette had hardly interacted with him enough to point out in what ways. He could only point out what he observed. The fact they technically weren't fighting was probably proof enough. He was old enough to realize they'd not been too good at coexisting as children.

For a brief moment, it felt like he'd forgotten how talk. He'd admittedly never considered the idea that Kite would be happy to see him, even in the slightest bit. He could recall them getting along so little that he'd been unable to consider nothing but an attempt to find the other male resulting in tension if he succeeded, perhaps worse depending on how the other male had aged. "Right," he said, the words coming a bit more blankly than he might have liked. It took a moment for him to continue, things clicking into place. "You might have to be a bit more specific," he admitted, a moment of rare sheepishness creeping to the surface, "I'm pretty sure that happened more than once." Exactly because of who was probably debatable. It wasn't like Francis had been the nicest person from the beginning.

He was a bit surprised to get an immediate yes, something which pulled out an owlish look from the male. All of this was feeling a bit too easy. The idea that it might be being a bit too easy certainly left his mind as some of the distance between them vanished and the other male began unbuttoning his own shirt and collecting his overcoat. Francis merely stared at him with a wide-eyed look. This had definitely not been what he had imagined. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure where this conversation was going any longer. 

The sight of scars wasn't too surprising to see, though he couldn't say he had ever recalled them in great detail. However, he was a touch surprised that they were the answer and one which had been given so publicly. Moreover, he was a bit confused as to why they were the answer, something which he rolled around his mind for a moment, trying to seek a more detailed explanation.

His attention was briefly brought away at the sound of a loud thump. A scowl immediately crossed his face. Of course someone was listening, he thought. He was half prepared for this conversation to become a problem because of some ignoramus. 

"Well, yes." He'd admittedly never thought much about it, not as a child nor as he'd grown older. He was a lot of things, but never someone who judged others because of silly things like who they were related to. To be honest, his uncle was likely the entire reason for it, not that Francis would ever admit to it.

He was entirely unsure of how to think of the wink. It probably meant nothing. After all, they were talking about someone else here, a someone else who was apparently a woman. "That's good," he said, a genuine kindness rushing to the surface. A flicker of a smile crossed his face. It was small and looked more like just a small curved of his lips, but considering his normal expressions it was a clear smile nonetheless. "Not sure about the latter. I'm pretty sure friendship is a mutual thing and it's better to ask before making presumptions. Things might get complicated otherwise."

The first bit made some sense; he wasn't entirely sure about the latter. Did anyone go to the Grand Line to mellow out? It seemed like the last place anyone would go to do that. "I'm pretty sure you're the only person I've ever heard say they're going to the Grand Line to mellow out," he said bluntly. He gave an owlish blink, not entirely sure he had heard everything right. "We?" Who was we? This friend and Kite? It couldn't be him right? Though, he supposed he was here, but it did seem a bit silly to include himself in this sudden we.

He made a sound of understanding. "I guess I can understand." Sort of. Kind of. It wasn't like Francis had any idea of what he wanted to do with his life. He'd literally jumped on a small boat and headed off to anywheresville, just being a bounty hunter because it was easy money and settled with him better than being a marine. The only real thing he was interested in finding he had no idea how to even begin searching for. "Not like I'm not looking for something too. Though, you sound at least ten times more sure about what you are looking for than me."

He grimaced. "I am pretty sure you'd win, if only for the fact that your name seems spread across the Blues." It was pride that had him refuse to mention the fact that despite being older Francis had also never been the better swordsman. Perhaps time would change that, perhaps it wouldn't. "Besides, this is also a terrible place to challenge someone to a duel." That seemed like something that would have consequences. "Unless you want to get thrown off this boat anyway." Getting thrown off a boat in the Grand Line was definitely not something he wanted. 

For someone who had accused him of playing games, it was starting to feel like Kite was actually doing such a thing. Francis was admittedly not a terrible liar, but he had his tells, one's that anyone who realized he was actually a fairly empathetic individual might catch upon. "Erm-" Guilt twisted within him, because yes that was exactly what the other male had done. It quickly became clear that Francis was poorly trying to conceal something. However, he didn't want to admit to the truth, his mind shifting to the worst of thoughts. 

"I was just...worried," he mumbled, the words seeming to have been reluctantly drawn forth. Whether they were what he had been hiding wasn't entirely clear, particularly since they sounded genuine. "I can't go anywhere without hearing about you and then I hear you going into the Grand Line. I was curious about why you'd do something so stupid, especially considering how much worse this place has gotten." Admitting that he had been worried was rare if not shocking. Saying that he had been worried was not something he would have ever said in regards to Kite in the past. He was not apathetic, but he'd simply seemed to always have trouble properly getting along with the other male. Now, it was less a matter of fighting and more being reluctant of admitting to what was in his mind because of how complicated everything felt. "I guess I was afraid you were going to do something stupid."

It didn't sound like he was though. While helping a friend sounded vague, he imagined it couldn't be so bad if Kite help a goal to mellow out.

[Phantasma]

    "Can't really control what the heart feels. Miu and I squabble about as much as we did back then," A very lazy shrug rolled its way off Kite and allowed him to slouch further in his posture.

    "She's as much of a friend as you are," Inclining his head towards Francis he nodded and wistfully took a deep breath before continuing reciprocating the phantom flicker of a knowing grin.

    Those red eyes of his were laid bare. Perhaps it was the angle of the sunshine but it seemed to glimmer, never waning in their open placidity. How could a person be so calm given their history? The answer to that question was paramount and would've made sense of this whole meeting.

    It was something that Francis Sommer would find caused his heart to flutter. Brought about all those confusing emotions, likely. Kite had, even given their fights, enjoyed his company. Because despite the tantrums it was an outlet for the young mans growing frustrations... the violent tendencies he displayed back then were cries of some kind of outrage but now that was all evaporated. It was surreal in that respect to hear such misty eyed nonsense coming from what was hailed as a 'Demon Swordsman' long before he became a knight and solidified when he left home as a Bounty Hunter.

    "Even if you put up a struggle I'm still going to call you a friend haha," He stuck out his tongue a bit and tilted his head to the left allowing him to look up at the sea of blue above that only now had splotches of clouds start to creep.

    For a time silence fell again and a the young mans brows furrowed. A frown took away his tiny sparks of happiness on his face and his eyes seemed to lose focus. Only to very suddenly snap back to attention and push himself off from slouching and changed to standing proper. Hands running down to his blades and unsheathing the weapons in a agonizingly slow manner.

    Cross Charmers were a curious set of knives. Belonging in holsters to the hip that looked like Gothic crosses their blades measured a length around a feet or so and ended in fine points. Steel grey with other dark colors comprising their pallet. Gripped in either hand the hunter took to juggling them. Tossing the weapons into the air and catching them in either hand, often adding a flourish that left them spiraling in the air. Continuing for a while the juggling intensified to the extent the pieces were blurring and becoming hard to follow for an ordinary person. The show climaxed when both of the pieces were modified in trajectory thanks to a collection of catches to land in Kites left hand all at once.

    What should have been a harsh metallic pang was instead a kind of humming as the metal pushed against itself and was quickly flattened further by Kites free palm pushing against fusing material. Embedded with Wapometal the shimmering silver blades complied to the gesture and all at once assumed a sword like shape mimicking the original cross hilt and pointed slender blade of its parent weapons. Only now the edge, being held skyward by both hands, emitted a rainbow like glow along its edges and points on either side. Flipping the blade over the hunter made ample time for Sommer to drink in the details of the heavily modified blade.

    From this distance it would likely look as if it were one step away from a master work level weapon. Something you'd see in a textbook rather in the hands of some Bounty Hunter.

    Locking eyes again with Francis the hunter lowered the sword and lightly pressed the head of the blade to the ships floor and braced his hands atop one another using it in the same respects as a cane. The blade rose up in front of Kite, not far from him and positioned to form a triangle with his feet.

    "My name is a consequence of what I've been up to. Reinvention was a symptom-- a reward for me getting better. This sword was just a part of that Francis. But... well knowing a chatty pirate or two will spread your name around fast," breathlessly Kite corrected himself.

    "I say pirate but the lady was more like a merchant. Just happened to practice some... unsavory tactics. I saw no reason to turn her in... same for Miu I guess,"

    "People and places outside of the blues really aren't all that bad and I suppose I could be saying that because I haven't gone out of Paradise yet. Something is making my hopeful and just drives me onward-- I can't explain it," A bit of a frustrated groan welled up in his throat.

    Taking a few steps forward and swinging the blade up and over, resting it atop and across his shoulders the Bounty Hunter once again narrowed the distance between him and his supposed friend.

    "Also could have sworn I heard you said you were worried?" Once again the very inquisitive and hackneyed perch of the brows, the lowering of one over the eyes while the other soared ever so higher across the face.

    "Me going into dangerous waters to blow off steam and grow as a person is strange but you jumping onto a ship you weren't even sure I was on just to give you piece of mind is... logical? My my my Francis if I weren't mistaken I might think you were up to something," The last part was nearly a sing song tone.

    "I do appreciate it though. Gives me the opportunity to make up for all the times we butted heads-- I didn't have the heart to search you out when I made it home and I was slightly starting to regret it. Only a little," He quickly added on that last bit while taking his sword and performing the inverse of the melding.

    Letting his weapon speak for him was just part of the weirdness this puzzle presented and while the blade dissolved into its counterparts, being sheathed into their crosses Kite gestured for Francis to follow him. The quickly approaching pair caused the spies at the door to scatter and go about their chores.

    "You still cook?" Kite idly asked as he waited for his friend to follow suit towards the cabin door, having recalled faint memories of mocking such a skill in frustration a few times.

    How he had come across such information was either through rumor or witness. Since childhood it had just been a piece of Trivia Kite kept.

[momo]

Francis wasn't entirely sure he was hearing things right. While he might have never hated Kite before, he would have never considered the other male a friend or that he considered him one. The brunette was admittedly not good at making them to begin with, but he was fairly sure that most of how they had interacted did not qualify as how friends acted. After all, the two had struggled to spend much time within the same room without breaking into an argument. The more peaceful moments were arguably not the most friendly. Whether it was because of their personalities or because they were children he couldn't entirely say. If anything, it could easily have been several things. 

"That doesn't put to mind the best idea of what your friendship looks like," he admitted after a moment. He wasn't entirely sure what to think of the grin sent his way, if it even meant anything to begin. It didn't, right? They were talking about friendship from what he could tell, unless Kite was being far more subtle than he could pick up. There was some doubt nonetheless. Kite was being quite honest, right down to his expressions. 

He wasn't entirely sure of what to think of being called a friend whether he liked it or not. A visibly conflicted expression crossed his face, clear surprise lingering in his gaze. He was admittedly not used to being told things like that. If anything, he was used to the opposite. If people didn't find his personality frustrating, then it had admittedly been easy to judge him for his family. After all, his uncle had held quite a reputation and youth had not stopped him from hearing more than one person muttering foul things about a man that Francis had only known to be flawed, but a good enough man.

He hardly realized that there was more, seemingly small things that his uncle refused to tell him. No doubt he had wanted his niece and nephew to have a normal enough childhood instead of realizing why they were not being raised by their parents. Better to offer them a lie.

An odd sound escaped him. Did he want to be Kite's friend? He admittedly had no idea. He'd thought of the other male in a limbo, not quite able to move on from the negative but also not quite wanting to stay there. "I- what?" he blurted out, feeling a bit dumb after he said it, "Why would you want to be my friend?"

The silence that settled pulled at the brunette's nerves. He was a pessimist at heart and had been convinced that something terrible was going to happen. The fact that things seemed to be going along so easily was nice, but he was not entirely sure what to think about it. Part of him couldn't help but think that it was all just the calm before the storm and something terrible was about to happen. He didn't know what this something was, but he was absolutely sure it would happen. The more logical part that he tended to offer only a half ear knew he was just being paranoid.

He wasn't entirely sure if he should be worried when Kite pulled out blades, but he wanted to think he didn't have to be. He was fairly sure that being stabbed was not something he had to worry about, at least not from Kite. Well, not unless he thought him an imposter, but he doubted that saying one nice thing would suddenly lead to that...right? He was pretty sure it wouldn't. He was pretty sure he didn't usually come off as so much of a jerk that people didn't generally expect a lack of kindness from him.

Kite didn't seem to be in possession of any hostility. If anything, his display with his blades felt more showy. Francis admittedly seemed to be keeping a just a touch too much attention to it, his gaze not drifting to Kite himself until the other male spoke up. "Hm?" he mused absentmindedly, blinking owlishly, "Oh, that's not too surprising. The more people you know, the more others hear about you, especially if those people talk a lot."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't really know. I only know what people say, especially these days." Ever since Whitebeard's death, it was a bit impossible to not hear about the Grand Line whether you wanted to hear about it or not. "That doesn't sound like a particularly bad thing. After all, it is driving you towards something." Kite had admittedly not said what this something was, but Francis was kind enough to presume it wasn't something terrible.

Of course, kind words not be ignored. Briefly, he eyed the distance before turning his gaze on Kite. "...Yes," he moodily admitted. He wasn't quite able to keep the flush off his face, particularly as the other male just seemed to rub his actions in his face. I shouldn't have said anything, he mentally grumbled. "I hardly just jumped on the first ship to the Grand Line and hoped you were on it. There was some logic to what I did." As far as he was concerned, Kite could take from that as he pleased. He was pretty sure the light-haired male's first guess would not be that Francis had put in the amount of work that he had out of 'worry.' "I have no clue what you are talking about. Besides, this is hardly the supposedly least logical thing I've done before." Even he could admit how he'd chosen to leave home had been the least logical.

"I already regret saying anything," he groaned, "I'm not sure I want to know what your idea of making up anything to me would be." He didn't bother to admit that he was a bit happy to hear that the other male had regretted not searching him out. It made him personally not feel like a total moron. Well, at least slightly.

He frowned slightly as Kite gestured for him to follow him. Taking only a moment's pause, he followed after the other male. He wasn't entirely sure whether to be surprised by the change in subject. He could recall vague memories tied to such a skill, but the topic itself felt a touch random.

"Not exactly," he admitted, "At least not as a job anymore." He shrugged. It wasn't entirely bad work, being one of the few things he found relaxing, at least in terms of the cooking part. "I work as a bounty hunter now."

[Phantasma]

    "No one is perfect Francis, you'd think living in a place so focused on the material you'd realize that. I call you a friend now because despite how violent our bouts were you never called me names or looked down upon me. Also went around beating up other kids that strangely happened to be ones to often tease and make me tear up," Practically listing various instances Kite took to counting the times Francis inadvertently helped him on his hand.

    "Wasn't a formal relationship, honestly it was far more abusive than anything. But you saw me as a person. I could never really hate you for that," Kite admitted with a snap of his fingers after having finally filled them with various proofs to the contrary of the other mans statement.

    "These feelings are hardly old ones. Most of what I'm saying is because I'm looking at you now, aware that for whatever reason things have changed. Call it curiosity... optimism. Whatever you'd like to excuse it under,"

    In rapid fire Kite answered and dismissed the accusations that the Sommer youth had presented. Although somewhat biased and perhaps lacking in common sense there were arguably a few good points. In Kites words he never hated Francis, so it wasn't too late for them to become friends. On Francis' side you rarely if ever visit someone you hate unless under the guidance of some kind of schadenfreude. What it showed was the ties that bound the two were far more complicated than simply 'we fought as kids'. The awkwardness Francis was burdened by and the ability for Kite to smile means at some point during youth or perhaps due to recent events there was something that clicked.

    "Can you really say you aren't happy to hear you have a friend? Least of all one capable of swatting aside those swords? Always got me at arms length that way," Referencing the passionate duels that left them exhausted Kite let out a very small laugh.

    "Kids fight, Francis. We were frustrated... I didn't have a Father in my life while you were trying to survive your own family drama,

    I just want to be able to move on is all. So I'm giving you the chance as well. You don't have to accept my friendship but at least accept my forgiveness, alright?

    I'm sorry I gave you so much Hell," Throughout the speech the male had adopted somewhat of a pensive stance, prepared to take whatever thrashing that Francis elected to extend.

    All the same a hand was extended, intended for the older male to shake and make peace with. Given the sight perhaps there might be hesitation? Wasn't often you would see Kite with his eyes so tightly screwed shut.

---

    "You seemed to get a bit flushed back there, thought the sun was getting to you. Besides I'm hungry and curious... Whether Chef Francis let his cooking skills dull in response to blooming into a manhunter," Kite teasingly took his right hand across his neck and jerked it into a horizontal slicing motion completing it with a choked gurgle.

    Letting out a puff of air from his mouth as a suppressed laugh he shook his head for good measure to remained straight faced as he walked into the cottage. Turning the door knob and allowing the dark brown wooden surface to retreat inward. A rush of cold air greeted them and the dim light within revealed three out of the four person crew scattered about in a nook near the corner complete with a table wedged beside a bay window in the far left direction. Bookshelves, rugs and a rug orbited that direction and for the most part the oddly dressed men were reading silently. Unlike their captain they were full Okama possessing exaggerated features. All wrapped in various dresses and gowns flowing with floral print and bright painful colors.

    "Right this way," Kite held the door for Francis before stepping in himself and shutting it.

    Once or twice one of the crew members glanced at Francis and blew silent kisses. Giggling and going back to reading or quilting or some similar task to keep them nice and quiet.

    Fortunately the white haired lanky tease didn't see anything and made his way towards the right and plopped himself down on a bar stool. While the interior was more like the den of a common room this part had a bar, fully stocked, with an open air kitchen design stretching beyond the back of the bar counter. A white, steel framed fridge that bulged with a retro circular-like design moving it look more pill-like than square. Sinks built into a back counter with a prep area complete with breadboxes, overhead cabinets that no doubt made up the pantry and hanging vegetables and herbs that were otherwise too numerous to store or safe to leave out in the open.

    Vents faintly hummed from the ceiling above, thanks to the minimalist design the cross hatching of the interior roof were visible as well as the metallic snake that spiraled along the wooden spokes. The source of the cool air and possibly the lack of an overbearing smell of perfume that no doubt wafted off the occupants of the room.

    "So Francis, since this ship is heading towards Alabasta do you have business outside the kingdom? I only ask because of what you mentioned earlier. The Grand Line not being worth it and all," Deadpan as always, the tone carried over the tapping of acrylic nails and got a few sneaky looks from the nook section.

[momo]

Admittedly, Francis didn't have much of a comeback to what Kite said. He could vaguely recall what the other male was talking about. The brunette had never had a good temperament and Kite was hardly the only person he'd lost his temper with; he'd just been the primary one. He was sure if more details were given he'd recall things better. However, whether he'd purposely started fights because people had been bullying Kite was not something he could immediately remember. There was certainly a chance of it when he'd been older, but if he took a moment to consider things his first thought would just be that he'd lost his temper with people because he'd thought them to be idiots. The fact Kite was part of the equation would have been a coincidence.

Maybe.

"Of course," he agreed. It didn't stop him from questioning why him. Even he didn't like himself a good chunk of the time. Why would others like him enough to consider him a friend? "Well...that..." He frowned, not entirely sure how to form an answer. "Maybe they should have been less of idiots. Nobody has to like everyone they meet, but don't do it for stupid reasons. Might as well just slap jerk on your forehead in that case. At least everyone will have a warning." He was fairly sure that that wasn't the whole truth. A teenage him would have definitely been stupid enough to cause fights with Kite, only to lose his temper behind the other male's back at anyone who insulted the male. "Well of course I did. It isn't like you aren't a person." The small details were inconsequential and hardly something he even thought much about. 

He wasn't entirely sure how to take that answer. The notion that things had changed wasn't incorrect. Even he had noticed it on some level, though to what level he could not say. It was telling that they seemed to be getting along well enough. However, it did seem like Kite had changed more. He wasn't entirely sure that any of it had anything to do with the suggestions the other male had offered. He wasn't even sure he could explain any of it. Things felt a bit too unknown at the moment to explain how different were at the moment.

"Well...no," he reluctantly admitted. It wasn't something he could deny. He didn't hear it often enough to be upset by it. He was a bit torn about hearing it from Kite though. Admittedly, friendship was not what he'd wanted to hear, but then he supposed it was enough for someone who had always expected anger. "Very funny." His nose wrinkled. Family drama...that was a nice way of putting it. 

The notion of a thrashing hadn't crossed his mind. If anything, he wasn't entirely sure of what to think. His faze flickered to the extended hand. He took a brief moment before hesitantly accepting. "You're...hardly the only one who needs to apologize." It was one of the easier things to say, if only because he tended to find it easier to make himself the villain. In this case, he knew not everything had been Kite's fault. "Though, from the sound of it, we're already friends. I'm not entirely sure what denying anything would do." 

Entering the cabin door, he glanced about curiously. It didn't take longer than a few seconds for hit to stop, stumbling slightly at what the other male said. He hadn't entirely realized that Kite had realized how flustered he'd become, as brief as it had been, as he hadn't said anything. It was a bit embarrassing to realize otherwise, but only mildly comforting to realize that he didn't seem to realize anything.

"Well, I do burn easily," he said, only for his brow to furrow. Frowning slightly, he glanced at Kite with a suspicious gleam in his eye. "Please...don't tell me you brought me in here because you're hungry." That was honestly what it sounded like and he wasn't sure if that was less or more ridiculous as calling him a chef.
 
The laugh the other male let out wasn't too encouraging. Frowning slightly, he glanced around. As they walked in, the air was cooler and he finally noticed that the light was dimmer than it had been earlier. The inside was fairly nice to look at, though he paid it more attention than who was there. Annoyance briefly crossed his face before it was hidden away and he ignored the crew members altogether.

"Ah, I was more speaking in terms of life and death," he said lightly. There was a chance that the Grand Line might hold something for him, but if it did he had no idea what it was if only because he had no idea what he wanted. It wasn't like he wanted the One Piece nor was he particularly interested in protecting people much. The job he currently had was something he did for money after all. His gaze flickered from the bar stools to the more kitchen-like part. "I'm not actually sure what I want to do. Bounty hunting is just so I have money on me. Not really something I want to do for life, but then I'm not sure what I want to do for life. I can't really say I have business outside the kingdom." He paused. "I might have not thought past this boat, to be honest." 

Okay, so maybe Kite had been a bit right about him not being a bit logical about this trip. Was it so wrong that he had not wanted to admit to that?

[Phantasma]

    "Tricky thing about being a Bounty Hunter is you tend to make enough enemies you can't just put it down like a hobby. Eventually someone will recognize you and either out of fear, anger or some other emotion possibly even multiple, try to menace you," Clicking his tongue Kite made his slight reprimand more pronounced.

    "The Marines have the benefit of number and protection besides the fact. Bounty Hunters are far more cavalier. One of us gets hurt we don't get paid," Waving his hands like the maestro of a symphonic Kite did his best to brush past a very real and scary reality.

    "If you weren't planning on making it your station I'd suggest going somewhere quiet... I'm just one example of how your fame can develop overnight. Even if you never made food for me in your life I would've much preferred seeing you pepper a dish with spices and hoist meat over an open flame versus weapon in hand and bounties on the mind," His tone grew a little more poignant and he dropped his gaze clearly recalling something and all too easily letting silence wrap around them.

    The Okama huddled in the corner quietly whispered to one another, cupping hands over ears and devising a plan to break the tension. At a glance it honestly looked like they were invested in each others tabloids and books craning their heads into each others laps to read and giggle but it was far more than that. The bulk of that circular nook only served to hide what movement they were preparing and the sinister grins wrapped to their faces. This kind of drama was like a sweet candy and instinct drove them to get whatever tension was boiling beneath the surface to come rushing out.

    "I can't order you to cook but you did seem to enjoy it from what I heard. Who knows, it might help you calm down some? Since... you're still not really telling me all there is to this story. Now before you trip on yourself trying to save face I'm fine with it. Whatever it is, you'll tell me when the time is right. You never really sparred words and that was a quality a person could rely on," Suddenly coming back to his body the hunter gestured with his hand in Francis' vague direction as if to dictate the words were indeed directed at the brunette.

    Though from the slightly raised brows and rather neutral alignment of the lips it was clear malice wasn't a component in such a comment. Sort of like stating a fact in that Kite readily called upon a memory to confirm as such.

    Meanwhile his ability to weird the older male on point was a skill evolved from crossing blades, in the fighting sense. Often when two swordsmen battered metal and put will to will emotions would weep across the blades and time would slow down. This extrasensory moment was like a sort of Zen, a mind zero that folks chased the ends of the earth to experience. But with kids thoughts were innately easy to disperse, the only emotions allowing them to lash out back then was rage. But a rage so powerful that it expressed a persons displaced pain and inevitable frustration at such an uncaring society. Only in a beautiful but secretly dreadful place could emotions like that bloom, perhaps the kingdom had grown better since then-- whose to say?

    Rather than blame the land, responsibility should go to the people. It wasn't the Bourgeois Kingdom, but rather egotistical nobles and their children that tortured these two men in the past. Inflicted wounds.

    "I can stop if you need me to. I'm aware that this is difficult," Kite nodded a bit, softening his tone in a way that previously hadn't occurred.

    Almost like the mewl of a small animal it cut through the air and remained in open question long after its point of origin had stopped. The suddenness had even caught the Okama off guard and forced them to delay their plan of charging the bar and demanding the two young men either ; A) Kiss or B) Talk out their problems.

    Light idly drifted into the cottage few windows and swept along the hard wooden floor and deepened the rugs with spiraling tendrils. Drifting along walls you'd find in a log cabin, flitting across various pictures of romantic views and scenery like a forest lake or some beach painted with pastels. Products from the captain and signed with his signature, a big loopy O with two hatch marks near the top and bottom. A curious point of trivia being before this merchant company ever formed and did business with Bourgeois traders it was going to be investing in allowing the captain to tour and fill galleries. That however had fallen through.

    But these two heart throbs and their curious tale had become a source of interest for the crew. The captain, listening nearby of course, ready to jump in should his fellows decide to take matters into their own hands. He treasured his comrades and appreciated their eccentricity but he was all too aware that some people needed their layers and masks to feel comfortable. This was one of those times.

    Francis and Kite had a very complex history that was only come to light piece by piece. He'd rather they reach catharsis by themselves.

    Of course it was also important to make sure the ship was on course and while crouched beneath the stairwell leading to the lower deck, a hatch that sat closest to the door on the left surrounded by racks and wall cubicles (cubbies), he studied his logpose and maps. 

[momo]

Kite wasn't wrong. Becoming a bounty hunter was not a good occupation to take up if one was looking to avoid making enemies. After all, one might be turning in criminals, but not being a marine tended to receive a certain amount of judgement. Nonetheless, it probably was not a good argument to offer someone like Francis who didn't hold much care about the opinions of others, let alone whether people were going to menace him. "I know that," he said flatly, "And I never said it was a hobby. I needed a job so I wouldn't starve to death and I didn't want to stay at home or in the same place, so I took up something more mobile." Sure, he could have become a Marine, but he held absolutely no interest in doing so and chances were that his personality would prove even more problematic there than him simply being a Bounty Hunter. At least bounty hunters received some leeway. The amount they didn't was something he was convinced he could handle. He just had to not be an idiot.   

There wasn't much of a way to argue with the fact that the Marines had numbers and it did work in their favor. It wasn't like he was a man with an impressive bounty on his head. Even if he was, it would probably be more of a reason to be worried. 

"That sounds boring," he said bluntly, "I mean, it would probably be safer, but that is exactly why I left. I could make money another way, I suppose, but most of them aren't things I want to do. I just...don't know what I want to do. And honestly, if I cared about the fact that someone might eventually try to intimidate me, I'd have stayed back home. My family's reputation wouldn't be much to worry about in that case after all." It would probably be something that a person who worried about reputations and consequences to the point of tucking himself away might not like, but it would likely not be as bad as whatever reputation a bounty hunter might get.

Nonetheless, Francis didn't like attention, didn't seek it out like some sort of madman, but the thought of tucking himself away in a quiet part of the world held less appeal. He'd rather be doing something. "Erm...thanks, I think?" That sounded like a rather roundabout way of saying he'd rather see him safe and he was sure that Kite's heart was in the right place. He just wasn't entirely sure the other male understood what he was saying. 

He did feel a bit like he was being lectured, which was a touch annoying if only because he was a grown man. He hadn't gone into bounty hunting as a hobby. If anything, he would have avoided doing that considering it effectively acted in the exact opposite manner that he would have preferred a hobby to act. The brunette was an easily stressed individual and being a manhunter didn't exactly help even if he was fairly good at it. If anything, cooking had always worked better as a hobby, being far more relaxing.

"Well, you're not wrong," he admitted, "Though, the cooking is my hobby for that exact reason. Fairly relaxing and all that." Exactly what that said about him he didn't want to know. An annoyed grumble escaped him. "I don't know why you're convinced I'm keeping secrets." He headed to the kitchen part, looking around for a brief moment. It was admittedly better than anywhere he'd been. However, that was not particularly surprising. After all, Francis had not worked in the most lavish of places. After a moment, he began looking through the fridge.   

He wasn't entirely sure whether he should feel nervous about the confidence that Kite had. The other male wasn't exactly wrong. The brunette was probably a bit more blunt than he should be. However, whether what he was decidedly not telling him was something he ever would was something even he was unsure about. At the moment, it seemed best to say nothing after all.

The fridge was fully stocked and there was more than enough to make something. Taking a brief moment, he began taking things out. "Stop?" he echoed blankly, glancing up. A frown crossed his face. The other male had briefly annoyed him, but not in any manner that would have drawn out demands. If anything, those might have been just a touch more obvious. "There's no need. You're not doing anything wrong." Unless he was misunderstanding. 

[Phantasma]

    "Puh-LEASE!" One of the more louder of the three man group spoke up from over the side of the nooks circular seating bench, possessing a mask so caked in make up it was white with various card suits stenciled on.

    "Goooooosh you guys should just say itttttttt," Spoke up the middle of the trio a man who possessed hair that practically cloaked his entire upper half in flowing blond bangs tipped with pink highlights.

    "This is becoming so tedious~!" Spoke the final, far more sneakier of the group that had managed to not only evade Kites notice but lay atop the bars counter leaving BOTH males beholden to the full glory of an Okama.

    In short, Mankini mixed with fur coat mixed with fishnet stockings in a color pallet that shifted from on imaginary line running down the afro wearing diva's middle. Hot pink and a similar bright blue, his skin being bronzed and tan while his chin possessed the barest hints of five o' clock shadow while the rest of his gender was hidden behind heavy amounts of make up. Suffice to say his somewhat muscled up form did defeat the purpose of all that.

    Kite nearly fell out of his seat and caught himself. Wide eyed, huffing and puffing looking to the Okama and Francis then BACK to the Okama. His expression exaggerated in some stage of shock and awe at the veritable specimen that sat before them.

    "You wanna touch~?" He whispered and winked at Kite causing the younger man to jump up from his seat in such a way that nearly left a cloud of dust.

    Falling with a thump to the ground and leaving his clothes to billow about on the brief fall down Kalisto wasted no time and crab crawling his way to the furthest corner of the cottage. Only tacking time to stand up when his back was to the door and pointing at the Okama at the bar with a now outstretched gloved right hand turned to pointer finger.

    "DIE!" Face becoming comically contorted as he let his mouth fling wide open to shout the threat at what had nearly given him a heart attack. 

    Meanwhile that Okama had taken to rolling his head over and letting a wink blow into Francis' general direction before the crew mate dropped off the counter. Rolling off the edge and somehow dodging, contorting his body and limbs he avoided the stools and got up onto his heels and went back to his seat giggling to himself at the ruckus he had caused. Naturally the captain was howling with laughter trying not to give away his position as he focused on somewhat more important things, glad that he hadn't interfered and now nearly crying from held back laughter thanks to a hand cupped over his mouth.

    Sighing to himself and rolling his shoulders as he made a noise that only hinted at his discomfort, a noise caught somewhere between a sigh and a groan he walked back to the bar. Looking over his shoulders and staring daggers at the now fully attentive and laughing Okama's who in between glancing at each other and imitating what their friend had done would wave. Showing a curious amount of unmarked, brown glass containers previously unseen around the table behind books. Suddenly the actions made sense and yet another groan exited the pressed lips of the Kalisto boy.

    Sitting back down on his seat he pressed both hands to his face and smooshed his skin around before looking up at Francis and gesturing with but his right hands pointer finger again. Wagging it as he did so.

    "Not a word Sommer. Not a peep. Not a grin. Not a laugh. Not a word," He threatened, albeit a bit playfully as mulling over what just happened he very nearly smiled before forcing the expression to disappear.

    If Francis Sommer had managed to work this entire time he would notice the fully stocked climate of the fridge was reflected well in the rest of the kitchen. Cupboards dedicated to spices, a fully stocked and tuned wine rack was perched to the side of the fridge on the nearest counter top and hoisted above near that a complete and well taken care of knife rack. What tools weren't visible at first were put neatly in draws and cared for showing on the mildest hints of age but being otherwise spotless. Plates, rags even mugs for mead or beer were stored in the kitchen which made it a wonder one would drink straight from the bottle. In any case though this large area with a central isle for cooking things on top of a built in, center grill protected fire pit, was an amateur chiefs dream. There was even a cute little chiefs hat perched atop the fridge for whatever reason, while various magnets held into place lists and papers.

    One of those papers in particular seemed a bit off, lines were scrawled across the surface and seemed to be so at random. From the way the chicken scratch presented the deep rich presence of granite suggested the pencil or tool was pressed hard against the surface and upon inspection the back was even raised and had tiny holes from the rips that it suffered. Hidden by the black stains of the pencil. At best the pattern could be described as some kind of stripe repeating itself like that on a Zebra.

[momo]

Francis had only taken a slight notice to the fact that they had some eavesdroppers around them. However, he had been paying far less attention than usual, leaving with a lack of knowledge to exactly how much unwanted attention they had. At most, he'd caught onto the fact that there seemed to be the odd eavesdropper- he could hardly say as to how much- and certainly a distinct amount of attention that he had not asked for.

It was a bit hard not to notice the sudden company though. A rather wide-eyed look took over his face, not entirely sure what to say nor entirely sure he liked the implications being offered. He didn't focus on the notion for long as he quickly realized that they'd been spied on which was something he decidedly liked less considering the nosiness of it all. 

Setting what was in his hands aside, he closed the door with his foot. He pursed his lips, absently trying to rub away what was feeling like the beginnings of a headache. This wasn't exactly the sort of trouble he'd imagined and he wasn't entirely sure if it was worse or better than the imaginary scenarios he'd had of invasions from pirates or creatures that only lived on the Grand Line. His gaze flickered to Kite as the other male's gaze seemed to shift between him and the Okama. The brunette's lips twitched upwards slightly, finding a smidgen of humour in the exaggerated expression that had taken over the light-haired male's face. It was definitely not a look he could recall seeing on the other male often, if ever, in the past. 

He wasn't entirely sure what their distinctly unwanted company had said to Kite, but considering how Kite had nearly fled away he could at least hazard a guess. A brief look of concern cross his own face as he looked at the other male who was beginning to look a touch wild. It lasted only so long, taken over by a far more familiar look of deep irritation that was offered in response to the Okama.

Definitely a headache. He didn't entirely trust the distance. He wasn't entirely sure how much it would do. Considering the humour that seemed to be bubbling out of the other okamas, he wouldn't bet on it.

He rose an eyebrow, briefly shifting his attention for a cutting board and knives. "It might be a bit too late for that," he admitted. He'd definitely done at least one of those already. "Though, can you blame me? I wasn't aware your face was capable of making an expression like that." The statement was said with only half-seriousness. 

It didn't take too long to find what he was looking for. The entire kitchen seemed to be well stocked despite its size. Moreover, it wasn't too hard to find things, even if they weren't tucked away in the same manner as he might have stashed things. He took just a moment to wash his hands. Before getting to work, he paused at the fridge. While he might have normally not paid much attention to what was stuck to it- what was he to care what people stuck on their fridge?- the abnormality of one stuck out to him. Frowning slightly, he plucked it off, taking a moment to try and read it. A brief look gave the look that it was illegible. However, the longer he looked at it the more he realized that it was likely like that on purpose. "Weird," he said aloud. A code, perhaps? he mused to himself. The notion seemed strange though. Why would that be here, right out in the open?

Walking over to the bar, he put it down before shifting his attention to the vegetables he had and began chopping them. "Something bad is going to happen," he said aloud, not quite able to keep the thought in his mind any longer. On some level, telling someone else might be easier, if only because they might tell him he was being paranoid. It didn't tend to always help when he told himself. There was sometimes too much negativity up there. This sudden paper wasn't helping things. "Before Alabasta, I mean. Like pirates or sea monsters. The weather can be funny here too, right? Or something like that."

It wasn't entirely clear whether Francis was just being paranoid. After all, he didn't sound it, his voice sounding confident that the thought could have easily come from somewhere. It would have taken someone who knew him well enough to realize that his pessimism might be at play.