Whispers in the Witching Hour

[Fox]

Rosie woke with a start in the dead of night. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she turned her head to look out of the window. Pale moonlight beamed through it, illuminating her quarters and the plush white tiger on the windowsill. Deman Reeves. The man had eluded her back at Loguetown due to a stroke of luck. Or perhaps it was fate. She often thought about Deman, though her arm sometimes ached when she did. The nightmare was the same as usual, and as usual, she knew that she would not be able to go back to sleep.

Sitting up, Rosie brushed her pink dyed hair out of her face. She leaned over and picked up her glasses off the nightstand, setting them wearily on the bridge of her nose. The edges of the world sharpened and came into focus. She really was hopeless without these. Well, less so thanks to her sharpened sense of smell, but still. There was nothing quite like the clarity that her glasses provided. Rolling out of bed, Rosie straightened out her pink bunny pajamas and slid into her pink bunny slippers. Might as well go for a walk.

She fixed herself a nice mug of hot chocolate and tossed in a couple of marshmallows for good measure. Perfect. Throwing a blanket over her shoulders, Rosie opened her door, allowing a rush of frigid air into the room. Ah, well. She’d have to heat it back up later. Heading out, Rosie marched up the flights of stairs to the bridge proper. As late as it was, she very much doubted that anyone would still be working at this hour. At least the view was to die for… though, not for the first time, she questioned whether this was the best use of resources.

Supposedly, the Celestial Dragons were the ideal in the human race. Rosie had never met with one herself, but surely, they understood that slavery was not an efficient means of developing the populace? She wasn’t totally naive though. They probably did not desire for the rest of humanity to reach their level, but humanity demanded progress. As a species, they were so fascinatingly stubborn and bullheaded. It reminded her of a few of her recruits. A crooked smile wormed its way onto her face. Surely, they could attain their goals with the proper molding. She, on the other hand, was simply a devil in human skin. A worthless mongrel somehow allowed to live. Fate was a funny thing at times.

Rosie dusted off the snow from the side of the bridge and took a seat, staring up at the moon. Well, her sins would catch up with her eventually. And, she would die like a dog. Just as she deserved. Rosie took a long sip of her hot chocolate to dispel the cold.

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Rosie | #fad7f6 (Pale Pink) | Post Count: 1

[Kami-Gaz]

Spotless… That was what the room now looked like after the seaman recruit Rakka Hoshiko had finished cleaning up his own mess, which he had made whilst training. He had spent more time cleaning up oil splats and puddles than he had actually done using his Devil Fruits power… he had not even sparked it alight with a small flame. That may have caused a bit more of a problem than a few very slippery flammable patches on the walls and floor.

Then again it was not all bad. It was more time spending the young recruits seemingly limitless energy reserves, reserves which meant sleeping was more of a difficult task than just slipping a pretty little head onto a pillow and closing ones eyes. Rakka had been on this based for a week or so now and still had not quite fully settled down. He had used his training and subsequent cleaning up of his training to push through the homesickness that had welled up in the back of his mind. Something he was told would go away with time as he made friends and got comfortable. That unfortunately didn’t seem to really be the case.

With a gentle clang the mop bucket was placed back into the supply shed at the end of the room and Rakka let out a long sigh. He still didn’t feel all that tired. The permanent smile was not quite as bright as it normally it was in his lonliness in this training room. The room was empty and all he had to do was grab his larger jacket and head out to the barracks.

Getting the jacket from the hook on the door was a simple task, so was putting it on and heading out of the small building. The real challenge he faced was walking in the right direction, he found himself heading up onto the bridge proper and looking up into the star filled sky, remembering some stories he was told back when he was young. The nostalgic smile brought a slight tear to his eye that he wiped away quickly so it wouldn’t freeze on his skin as he walked on.

It did not take long for him to spot something odd. A pajama clad pinkette sitting alone in the dark. Without hesitation he wandered over, kicking an empty metal barrel along the ground until it get close to his CO.

“Evening Ma’am.” He said as he set the barrel right and hovered a hand over it to fill it with oil, a black ooze that just fell from his hand in a thick stream. The sounds of gentle glooping soon stopped as he pulled a match from his jacket pocket and struck it against the metal and dropped it into the oil. He took a step back as it roared into a lively fire.

“Permission to sit with you for a bit?”

[Fox]

Rosie was just a little surprised when her newest recruit, Rakka Hoshiko, approached her in the dead of night. Only a little because he insisted on kicking a barrel loudly over to her instead of using his hands like a normal person. She let out a soft sigh as he walked over and set the barrel upright and produced some oil with his Devil Fruit ability. It was at least fascinating to watch a production type at work. He struck a match and soon set up a bright and warm fire.

“Mm… my, my, permission granted, of course. Something on your mind, Rakka? It’s awfully late to be out and about,” she asked more out of a dull sense of curiosity. Though, she could smell oil and sweat on him. Perhaps he had engaged in some late night training. Admirable, but sleep was just as important to success. She didn’t exactly feel like chiding him for it just this moment. She wasn’t setting the best example herself right now.

Spinning the cup around in her hands to better absorb its warmth, Rosie looked back up to the stars. Truly, it was difficult in her mind to justify slavery to any extent. Yes, it was free and cheap labor, but the next genius or prodigy could be among them, and no one would ever know. They could possibly advance humanity’s technology and knowledge ahead another couple hundred years. Perhaps she could have been the kind of ideal human if not for her sorry origin.

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Rosie | #fad7f6 (Pale Pink) | Post Count: 2

[Kami-Gaz]

The young recruit nodded and used his foot to clear a spot so he could sit on a snow free patch of ground. The cold was piercing right through the young man, despite being in the jacket that Rosie had requisitioned for him. The fire he had just lit in a barrel was a pleasant warmth in this cruel place.

“Just home sick Ma’am… Training normally helps to keep me occupied and forget about it.” He explained earnestly, looking up into the stars… yet another reminder that he was far away from home. The Stetson hatted young man turned to his superior officer and smiled warmly. ”Then I have to clean up the training room and equipment because oil is pretty messy” The young man added, explaining that he wasn’t going to slouch off and cause issues for his fellow marines, especially in a harsh place like this.

“What about you? Officers need sleep to keep their minds sharp, no?” This was a distraction tactic, stop looking at the stars and he would not be reminded that they aren’t in the same place as they would normally be back on karate island. The changes were minor but noticeable enough to a young man who used to train into the dead of night in the jungles of Fighters Island. The south blue was so far away from here.

He did not expect a big answer from Rosie, but something enough to make the conversation grow and let the socialization tire himself and maybe her out. When he was tired enough, he would sleep through anything, even his home sickness. This was the first time he was so far away from his grandparents and mother.

[Fox]

“Homesick? My, my, you’re just a young boy yet, I suppose,” Rosie commented with a crooked smile. It was good that he cleaned up. Otherwise, she would have to discipline him. Seemed like he was a sensible enough sort to know not to cause trouble for others though. Anyone else might have found his warm smile disarmingly sweet, but for Rosie, it was still more of a bittersweet. Much like tea. She wasn’t too surprised when he turned it around on her, but she chuckled a little in anticipation. The answer that she would give was probably not one that he would expect.

“Oh-ho, my turn then? That’s fine. I… had a dream. I suppose you might call it a nightmare, but it's hard to view dreams of the past as anything other than a dream for me.” Rosie took a sip of her hot chocolate for a bit of a dramatic pause, but also because she wanted to savor its warmth. “Vice Admiral Babbage adopted me when I was younger as you may or may not know. I believe I was six years old at the time. Before him, one might say that I had a difficult early life, but before you start, it wasn’t what you’re imagining.”

Shifting her hair around, Rosie revealed her neck, although her skin didn’t take kindly to the sharp chill in the air. Against her pale skin, black numbers were tattooed. The contrast was stark, and the years hadn’t faded their color. Her red eyes gleamed coldly down at her newest recruit. She didn’t care to damper his innocence, but he would find that the world was filled with dark, horrible things in time. She didn’t feel a need to shield him. Especially not when his goal was to be Admiral one day.

“Do you know what this is, Rakka?”

She paused for a moment while wrapping her neck back up in her hair. Mm. Much better.

“It is my product ID. My number.”

She didn’t feel the need to elaborate further. She imagined that Rakka was smart enough to piece it together from that alone. Taking another sip of her hot cocoa, she thought back to Deman’s last words to her on that lonely pier. Mm. It seemed like she was surrounded by people who had pulled themselves from the dark and shone brightly… those like Reynard and Rakka… they almost shone too brightly.

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Rosie | #fad7f6 (Pale Pink) | Post Count: 3

[Kami-Gaz]

Rosie began her answer, describing that her early life was tough before her adoption by a vice-admiral… something that gave the two a commonality, they were children of achieved marines. Her words came as the biting wind slowed down and the howling ceased for a perfect moment of calm, something rare on the icy bridge of Tequila Wolf. The next motions she took were simple, her hair was moved and her neck revealed…

The young marine's eyes widened seeing the evidence of the atrocities that she had been put through, no words could come to mind as he processed this. He couldn’t answer the question that was posed to him. He knew the answer, the boy just could not bring himself to say the words. His eyes stayed on his Superior Officer as she recovered her neck from the icy breeze.

“It is my product ID. My number.”

After the cold eyed woman finished sipping her hot chocolate Rakka moved, not saying anything. He plucked the mug from her hands and placed it beside the barrel and out of the wind. In the next second he pushed forward and did his best to wrap his arms around Rosie mainly to hide the tears in his eyes.

“I know! I’m so sorry you had to be that. Had to get that mark.” He started, gripping tight for a few seconds. This was exactly the goal his mother failed to achieve, the one thing she beat herself up about most and the reason Rakka took to the marines. He wanted to abolish the system from the inside by becoming an important figure.

“We can stop it, if we get big enough, we can do anything and change the system!” The young idealist spouted as he pulled himself back from Rosie and wiped his eyes clean. “My Mum tried and failed but I am going to do it for her. And you as well!” The young marine stood up and his smile had come back, it was shaky and strained. However, it was there, and it was something he was going to wear as much as possible.

[Fox]

At first, Rosie was vaguely concerned that she might have broken Rakka. He hadn’t said anything. Her eyes fell from the stars above to the boy’s face. Ah, a bit of shock then. Well, she supposed that it was only natural. Her history was a bit of a bombshell for some. Certainly for a soft-hearted boy like Rakka. However, the tragedy of her past, as some would call it, didn’t hold that much emotional weight for Rosie. She recalled it clearly without anger or remorse. It had simply been a fight to survive against the odds.

What Rakka did next surprised her a little. He took the mug of hot chocolate out of her hands and went in for a hug, burying his face in her side. She tilted her head to the side curiously. Her own father had done something similar for her when he’d agreed to adopt her. She hadn’t understood it then, but she knew now that it was meant to be something of a comforting gesture. She waited patiently, and it was not long before Rakka spoke. He apologized for her sorry past. Of course, it wasn’t his fault.

Rosie was about to say something along those lines when the boy continued, pulling away from her with a newfound determination in his voice. Changing the system from within… was certainly a better approach to it. No, it was the best approach. Something Deman Reeves had never quite managed to grasp for all his intelligence. What Rakka said next did surprise her a little. It earned the boy one of her usual crooked smiles.

“My, my, for me too? I am honored,” she said softly, reaching out and patting the boy gently on his head, “I look forward to seeing you do it then.”

They could crack down as much as they liked on slavery perpetuated by ordinary nobles, but the World Nobles were a different matter. Going up against their will was tantamount to treason… but well, there was nothing saying that they couldn’t be convinced to do otherwise if a better option was presented to them. Perhaps Rakka could do that. If it meant that she got to see a Celestial Dragon in person, well, all the better. She’d been curious about these supposed perfect specimens of humanity. The next stage of humanity’s evolution… what did it look like? Perhaps they would find out. And sooner, than later, if they got ‘big enough’ as Rakka so eloquently put it.

“You and your mother seem like very kind people, Rakka. I will assist you in every way that I can so that you can achieve your dream… but be warned. The path ahead will be harrowing. Are you certain you’ve the resolve for it?”

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Rosie | #fad7f6 (Pale Pink) | Post Count: 4

[Kami-Gaz]

Resolve? That was a question that did not even phase the young man, having a strong will was something he inherited from his mother and it was going to play a big role in the story to come. The shaky smile that Rakka had on his face grew in confidence and was almost whole again. “I was always told that children of the Star-child clan have one of two lives. We either live our lives, barely twinkling at the edge of space barely accomplishing anything… Or we burn bright, live fast and shine as a perfect example for others. Like shooting stars flying through space to adventure and change.”

The young man kneeled down to pick up the hot chocolate and carefully handed it back to Rosie, his eyes sparkling with determination again. He had psyched himself up, blown away his own home sickness… he was going to be the shooting star that saw change to the world.

“My Me-Maw said that at every great change in the world there was a Hoshiko, and I’m going to be at the next big change!” Rakka announced, his voice raised in excitement and certainty at his own worth.

The young man bounced on the spot, shifting the snow that was around his feet with a soft crunching sound. What snow that had clung to his coat had now dropped off with the movement and his thoughts were on his face like an open book. Rakka, he was going to be the shooting star, he was not going to sit around and not be noticed.

[Fox]

Rosie chuckled at Rakka’s explanation of his family. How quaint. She wondered if bloodlines really had such a power. She took the hot chocolate back from him carefully, warming her fingers on the mug. It was good to see the confidence return to his adorable smile, going back to almost normal. Not completely, of course, but that didn’t surprise her. She had just dropped a rather large bomb on him. He was so obviously thinking of being one of those shooting stars, burning bright.

Reaching out, she placed a gentle hand on the boy’s head, musing about his future quietly. “My, my, have a care not to live too fast, Rakka. Wouldn’t want you leaving us just yet.” With a ruffle of his hair, she took another sip of her hot chocolate. Hm. She would certainly have to do her part in ensuring that her little subordinate could shine for as long as possible. It would just be such a waste for him to be snuffed out by the filth in this world. No, it wouldn’t do for any of her promising subordinates. She would have to take care of them all.

“But I’m sure that you’ll be able to shine even brighter than you do now. One day.”

With her sentiments shared with Rakka, Rosie let out a yawn, covering her mouth with one sleeve. She tilted her head to one side in thought. Hm. Perhaps this was an opportunity to get to know Rakka better? She supposed that if she was going to be their superior, she had ought to commit to them as much as she wanted them to commit to her. “Hm… I am curious. Tell me more about your mother?”

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Rosie | Pale Pink (#fad7f6) | Post Count: 5

[Kami-Gaz]

This question hit him hard. His mother? Where would he start? Rakka stood in the cold and pondered. Then he sat in place by the barrel fire and pondered more. The snow continued to fall slowly as the fire crackled away, keeping the area around the pair warm enough to be comfortable. After a few moments the smile that was on Rakka’s focused face grew warmer as he looked to the woman at his side.

“She’s my hero. She has been a marine since before we were both around.” He started, leaning back and resting his hands in the snow to keep himself balanced. “She was a rear admiral before a nasty fight made her take a step back. A bombing pirate took her arm and leg. She says she gave as good as she got though so I think he won’t be bombing anyone ever again.”

Rakka explained, waving his feet around in place of his hands in the explanation. “You’d like her Rosie. She’s Headstrong, Smart, Always wants to help everyone and to break the wheel.” The Stetson wearing man noted.

Looking directly up into the sky Rakka carried on. “When she was back home from her assignments we’d train, she would teach me to defend people and she would practice. When we got tired we would eat her awful cooking and watch the stars… I’d usually fall asleep and wind up getting carried to bed… Those were the fun times. Once I got my fruit she beat me black and blue for not being careful when I foraged. It could have been poisoned… or worse a useless power.”

His eyes eyed a patch of clear sky and saw the stars, chuckling to himself before repeating words that were spoken to him when he first joined. “When I joined the marines she said. ‘Rakka, I joined the marines to fix it. The system that’s rotten to the core. But to do that I have to shatter the wheel from inside and rebuild it better than what it was.’ And when I got to her broken In the hospital she said. ‘Rak. I can’t do it anymore. Go and get it for me.’ So I did.”

The recruit shifted his gaze from the cloudy sky down to his commanding officer and smiled softly. “I’m going to become an admiral and fix it all. Slavery, Racism, Hate, the lot. All because she raised me to be who I am now.”

[Fox]

Oh, dear, how sickly sweet. Rosie sipped at her hot cocoa just as the first few words escaped his lips. Something about the history rang a distant bell in Rosie’s head, so she resolved to do a little more digging on the history of Rakka’s mother. If just for her own curiosity. She glanced down at Rakka as he said that she would like her. And, indeed, it seemed like she would just from the description.

“It certainly sounds that way.”

Rosie simply nodded as Rakka went through his days with her and the time that they spent together. She had memories similar to that, though she couldn’t say that they were necessarily fun. She hadn’t felt much at all back then. Her mind wandered back to a birthday where her adoptive father showered her in all the pink things that he could find. And, true enough, it was reckless just to consume odd fruits in the wilds. When Rosie had eaten her fruit, it had been intentional.

“Rotten to the core, is it?” Rosie remarked softly to herself. Certainly, the system had its failings. Ones that she was attempting to rectify herself. It would be a hard and dangerous path, requiring someone capable of making the hard choices. She could make those choices rather easily, of course, because she amounted to some subhuman monster. But Rakka… well.

“Have a care to carve out your own path… not simply follow your mother’s.”

A good word of warning. She hoped that he might heed it. True, all of those things hindered humanity’s progress. It’s evolution. Humanity needed people like Rakka and his mother. And definitely not those like herself. She’d see them eradicated when necessary. And, eventually, she would retire when her job was done, being slowly forgotten by those who’d known her. That was the best end. After all, she would never be anyone's hero.

“I’ll be counting on you, young Rakka.”

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Rosie | Pale Pink (#fad7f6) | Post Count: 6

[Kami-Gaz]

Rosie had sat and listened to the young man waffle on about his mother for the best part of long arse time! When she finally spoke back with encouraging words and a warning, he took it in. Watching her and admiring her as a respectable authority figure, it made him feel comfortable… almost as if Rosie was some kind of aunt or close relative.

“I know… I’ll carve out my own path… I just don’t know what I want to do yet. So I’m going to do this and when I figure out what I truly want… Then I’ll do both.” Rakka spoke like a truly greedy child, wanting to have all of the toys in the room. A trait that he also shared with his mother, if the news stories and articles on her could be believed.

He took this moment to stand tall and proud with that wide grin he was coming to be known for plastered to his face. It was something the mooks of the base had come to lose, seeing it almost brightened their days. “Well Auntie Rosie! I am going to go to bed now… I feel a lot better and really really tired now.” The youngster noted before a long and drawn out yawn, the kind that forces the body to stretch out and really announce how tired you are. A couple of joints popped and cracked and then his arms fell to his side limp.

“I’ll report for duty bright and early.” Rakka said as he shifted his feet and turned around, waiting a moment for auntie Rosie to reply.

[Fox]

Her signature crooked smile tugged at her lips again as Rakka greedily declared that he’d accomplish both his and his mother’s goals. Would he now? Rosie could not say whether he would or not, but she would do all in her power to support him for the time being and prevent his premature death. It was the least that she could do for someone who matched her ideal even at this early juncture. She balked inwardly at his new pet name for her. Auntie Rosie? Well, that was certainly a first.

Perhaps she was able to fake being her ideal person rather well. He surely wouldn’t call her that if he knew that lurked beneath the surface. She offered him a dismissive wave as he yawned. Yes, yes. Sleep deprivation was no stranger to her, but she didn’t want her recruits falling into her own bad habits.

“Yes, yes,” Rosie said, “Go on then, dismissed. Be prepared for some harsh training, of course.”

Rosie sipped from her mug of hot cocoa again and considered the stars above. Perhaps she could try to sleep again. Or she could work on the plans for that device… hm. She did have more equations to do in order to make it more… wieldy. Mm… but sleep was a good option. Decisions, decisions.

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Rosie | Pale Pink (#fad7f6) | Post Count: 7