Memories, All Alone in the Market [Foaf and Squi]

[The Prettiest Squish]

Clouds. For miles as far as the eye could see, she saw clouds.

Waves. The endless expanse of ocean around her frothed and splashed against her dinky little boat.

"Where the hell am I going again?" Jan asked herself.

For days, since the disastrous events at Silver Island, she'd been adrift at sea following the trail of clouds that sent her off to this unknown journey. But now, she was beginning to think maybe those were just random formations of water vapor that were leading her nowhere. "Ugh," she groaned, holding her arms and struggling to keep them still.

As much as she had been trying to ignore it since the departure and days after the adrenaline of her battle wore off, pain was beginning to set in. The injuries she sustained during her encounter with the Marines were far more substantial than she originally anticipated and if left untreated, could become dire. She sighed with exasperated breath, "Figures. As if life could ever be easy for me..." The woman with no memory looked to the sky again and followed that random white trail leading her to nowhere. "Where are you taking me? Somewhere safe? Somewhere I can die? Just...let me...rest."

Her boat coasted along the waters, drifting silently for a seemingly endless amount of time - until the cacophony and discord of hollering and hooting filled the air.

---

The marketplace buzzed with the commotion of business and criminal theater. Gunshots, the clanging of swords and various explosions all rang through the air of this place. Thieves pickpocketing pirates, vendors swindling killers, merchants trading with monsters, it was all possible only here at the South Blue's Pirate Market. 

Yet amidst this glorious hub of enterprise, he sat alone in a creaky chair in some dilapidated shack that god knows how many minutes it had left until collapse. The man in the wool grey suit inhaled his cigarette before slamming it into his full ashtray. A rich dark plume of smoke blew out of his teeth as the man snarled with contempt at this busy little corner of pirate's heaven. He sighed with exasperated breath, "Life can't get any harder than this, eh?" He walked up to the window and grimaced to see such hardworking people making a dishonest living. "Where did all this shit go wrong? Something I did? Someone I pissed off?...Just give me a break." He watched the streets for a few more seconds until the sight made him nauseous. He couldn't take it anymore. Fresh air, he needed fresh air. The man spruced himself up in the cracked mirror of his room and headed out the door hole.

[Fox]

Ridley was walking down the beach to calm his nerves. He’d left Blair and Frankie behind to investigate a new lead. Unfortunately… That lead happened to be at the Pirate’s Market. A hive of scum and villainy. Presumably. Certainly not a place for his two fellow recovering amnesiacs. If there were risks to take, Ridley wanted to be the one to take them. Unfortunately, his nerves were a risk in and of themselves. He definitely did not want another episode like what had happened when he’d met Blair.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Ridley rubbed his forearms in an effort to chase away his nerves. It would be fine. At least, if something happened it would be presumably to someone who deserved it? Ugh. That didn’t help him feel better at all. Shaking his head, Ridley looked up and scanned the beach, just trying to take in the peaceful scenery. The fog reminded him a lot of the fog that sometimes clouded his own mind.

“A… boat?”

Ridley had spotted a boat drifting in and out on the surf. It hadn’t been properly pulled ashore. He jogged over to it. What he found inside caused him to panic a tad. A person! They looked to be unconscious as well. Ridley hastily waded out into the surf and pulled the boat properly onto the shore, rushing over to the side to examine the woman inside.

He checked her pulse and did a cursory examination. She was covered in wounds, and most likely dehydrated as well. Fortunately, he’d brought along some medical supplies. Ridley seldom went anywhere without them. It was a simple matter to dress her wounds. Some of them required stitches, but Ridley was a practiced hand at that. He took over his heavy overcoat and laid it out onto the sand, pulling her out of the boat and onto the coat.

Once, this would have been a difficult task, but his body had changed drastically from how he remembered it. Now it was easy. And that ease unsettled him just a little. Once her wounds were sorted, Ridley dug into his bag and retrieved his canteen filled with cool fresh water. He filled the cap with a few droplets and dabbed the moisture onto her lips to see if it would wake her. He also shook her arm very gently, avoiding any of the injured areas.

“Miss? Miss, please wake up. I have water for you.”

---

Ridley | #800080 | Post Count: 1

[The Prettiest Squish]

Through the fog and darkness of her dismal lethargy, she began to hear a muffled voice calling out to her. “Miss? Miss, please wake up. I have water for you.” it spoke gently by her side. The mention of water sprung her tongue to action causing her mouth to unhinge and drink up the small pool of liquid touching her lips. In the blink of an eye it was gone yet she was already seeking out another drop. She blindly clutched the figure holding on to her and tightened her grip, all the while whispering, "M o r e . . . N e e d . M o r e ." Jan opened her eyes to the best of her ability and looked up to see her savior with her own two lenses. To her surprise, instead of an ordinary man, there sat a bandaged abomination of a figure with blackened eyes and snow white hair.

She stared with a lazy glazed look and gently inhaled through her nose. I'm dead. I've woken up in Hell because I'm dead. Well I'll be damned. Literally. The pale lady crossed her arms together over her chest and exhaled. "Take me to your judge, unholy guide. I'll accept whatever eternal punishment awaits me."

---

"Eugh." The man in the grey suit trekked to the docks, he couldn't stand being in the presence of this market any longer. On his way, a few familiar faces - none good - passed him by on the commute. He spat at their general direction but not so close as to incur their wrath. They were a group of individuals and he was only just one man after all. Nevertheless, he hated them. All of them. They were nothing but reminders of his current state and partial bearers of the misery he'd sunk into these past months. "Just you wait. One of these days, I'll come back with a swift vengeance. And you'll all be sorry for mocking me." Just before he walked down the stone steps leading to the docks he looked back with contempt and sneered, "Just you all fuckin' wait." He hacked up a thick ball of phlegm and coughed it onto oncoming foot traffic just before dashing out of there lest anyone discover him.

[Fox]

Ridley was relieved to see the young woman waking up on her own. He was a little taken aback when she grabbed him, but he was all too happy to give her his water. He readied the canteen only to witness something quite perplexing. She crossed her arms over her chest like she was being laid to rest in a coffin. He raised an eyebrow at her, equally perplexed by the words coming out of her mouth until he remembered what he looked like now. With a soft sigh and roll of his eyes, Ridley wrapped one arm underneath the woman and lifted her gently, bringing the canteen of water to her lips.

“This unholy guide needs you to drink some water first. You’re dehydrated,” Ridley stated somewhat flatly, but the tenderness never quite completely left his voice, “Clearly.”

Feeling self conscious, Ridley looked away. Did he really look that frightening? Maybe he needed to invest in glasses to hide the black sclera of his eye. Hm. Maybe a hat too? Top hats were classy. Hehe, he wondered if Blair would even recognize him in a top hat. He snuck a peek down at the woman after giving her a chance to drink and get her bearings.

“I’m a doctor. O’Bannon Ridley. You are not dead, though you very nearly could have been. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Do you know where you are?”

Maybe she had shipwrecked? Or perhaps she’d escaped from the clutches of a band of pirate scoundrels. Or maybe she’d just had both the misfortune of washing up on the Pirate’s Market while also having the fortune for the first person to have found her be Ridley. He wasn’t quite so sure which it was. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“I’m… sorry if my appearance frightened you.”

---

Ridley | #800080 | Post Count: 2

[The Prettiest Squish]

"O-oh. Hm. Well this is quite embarrassing isn't it?" The woman's cheeks lit up with a warm pink before she finally took the canteen in one hand and gulped down a heavy mouthful of water. She exhaled a heavy sigh of relief now that the drought in her throat had been settled for the time being. Jan wiped her mouth of any excess moisture then handed the canteen back to its owner.  "Th-thank you, uh Doctor." She sheepishly pushed her fingers together and did her best to smile.

"You don't frighten me at all really, I just haven't seen anyone in a while. Must've gotten delirious during that boat ride..." She then realized he had asked her in doctorly fashion some questions to assess her mental condition. "Oh! Right! I do not in fact know where I am. Is this a (gulp) safe island?" Jan nervously asked, hoping for a fortuitous answer for once. Though the sound of gunfire and explosions in the distance did nothing to quell her anxiety. "I...I remember following the clouds to take me somewhere, call it destiny or fate. But I feel like I was meant to come here for some reason. Though I have no idea why. To be honest I don't remember much of anything, if you can believe it." The girl looked down at the sand, unsure what he would think of her pathetic state.

Losing one's memory was such an insane notion yet for her it was a cruel and bitter reality. All the people she knew and loved, were they still there for her? Did she even have anyone like that? Sometimes it was better left imagining a life where she was happier than ever encountering the truth that it was worse than she what she had now.

[Fox]

Ridley smiled, a little amused at the woman’s embarrassment. Oh well. It was understandable. He didn’t exactly… look normal. He gently took the canteen back from her when offered and nodded. She could probably use a little food to go along with that. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he gave her a once over. Well, he had enough money to spare for that. It did relieve him a little to know that his appearance wasn’t overly frightening, though it did seem to garner some initial stares and confused looks.

“Ah…” Ridley sighed, rubbing the back of his head, “There are safer islands… We’re at the Pirate’s Market. But, don’t worry. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”

Ridley’s interest was piqued when she mentioned that she didn’t remember anything. His first thoughts were that, perhaps, she was another of Doctor Moreau’s victims. But… that didn’t make sense for a lot of reasons. She’d at least remember the crash, right? Well. Perhaps not. Another cursory look around her body didn’t reveal any numeric characters branded into her body, but perhaps those were just some place that he couldn’t see at the moment. She had plenty of scarring… Hm. Regardless, Ridley put a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder and kept his voice soft and gentle.

“You know, I can believe it. I’m in somewhat of a similar position myself! Perhaps it was destiny or fate for us to meet,” Ridley said somewhat cheerily, “But, before we worry about that, how about we get you something to eat? Hm? It’ll be my treat.”

Ridley slowly rose to his feet, extending a hand out to the lady to help her up. Honestly, if she was a victim of the HG Project, and she didn’t remember anything, it would be a blessing. Ridley remembered only fragments, but even those were painful enough memories that he didn’t want to dwell on them for very long.

“Ridley’s just fine, if you like. Do you remember your name, miss?”

---

Ridley | #800080 | Post Count: 3

[The Prettiest Squish]

Her eye twitched once the man revealed where they were. "Oh..." She looked down and played with her fingers as a means of coping with that revelation but suffice to say she did not enjoy hearing such news. At the very least, he offered her some help and that would be enough to keep her calm. "T-thank you." she whispered softly.

It was a rather odd way to start the day, she thought. One minute she's half awake staring at the sky and then the next she's marooned on Pirate's Market with a horribly deformed gentleman offering to be her guardian. Perhaps it really was fate that brought her here, some strange force anyway. But never mind that crazy philosophical nonsense, the girl thought. She brightened up at the prospect of a free meal and teared up as a result.

"Food? Good. Yes. I've been starving for days you have no idea." Jan took the man's hand, now known as Ridley, and dragged herself to her feet making sure to dust off some of the sand on her tattered clothes. As for his inquiry, she had nothing to offer but the simple moniker she went by ever since she lost her memories. "Jan..." she shamefully murmured, "I don't remember anything, so please just call me Jan." The woman brushed her hair aside and looked away for a moment before turning back with a forced smile on her face. "But hey, let's not get sappy! I'd like to hear your whole story over some lunch. Oh but wait, I forgot something!" She scurried back into the boat and dug around for a few seconds before emerging out of it equipped with a chained hammer and dagger tied at her waist. The woman made a point to glance at Ridley then to the weapons then to him again and chuckled nervously, "I uh, haha - things are a bit complicated."

The lady quickly scampered up the sandy surf and onto some steps leading to the plaza ahead. She waved to the man below and smirked, "C'mon doc, stomach's not get any fuller~"

[Fox]

Ridley smiled at the turn in the woman’s attitude. Food had that effect on hungry people. Well, he could do with a little morale boost himself. He took her current moniker in stride, realizing that it probably wasn’t the name that she remembered. But! A name was a name! She forced a smile - Ridley recognized it because he so often had to do so as well - and spun around to dig through the boat. He raised an eyebrow at her, half expecting her to pull out the signature silver suit that all HGs seemed to wear when they came out of their pods, but no, she had weapons. Heavy duty nasty looking ones too.

“Ah… hm!” Ridley uttered, trying to keep his tone light, “That seems to be the way of things.”

He was struck by the possibility that this Jan could have very likely been a dangerous sort of person in her past life. Well, she didn’t remember anything, and Ridley didn’t recognize her, so he wouldn’t treat her any differently. He just shrugged and followed along in her wake, catching up with a light jog.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming.”

Taking the lead, Ridley walked into the plaza, feeling entirely uncomfortable with the amount of ruckus that the Pirate’s Market apparently operated on. A man flew out of the window of what Ridley presumed to be a bar, bloodied with glass sticking out of him. The man just picked himself up and marched right back into the building. Ridley issued a shaky nervous sigh. Maybe… not a bar then. He turned to Jan.

“Why… don’t we head toward the docks? We can find a seafood restaurant and arrange passage off the island.”

Because, honestly, Ridley wanted off this island as soon as humanly possible. He’d come here to investigate a possible HG lead, and he might have found one in Jan. Even if she wasn’t related to the project, he’d do his best to help her. Maybe while they were arranging passage off the island, he’d hear something about a pod or falling star? Ridley wrung his hands anxiously as he diverted to the dockyard he’d arrived in just this morning.

“Do you see something you think you’d like, Jan?”

---

Ridley | #800080 | Post Count: 4

[The Prettiest Squish]

"Seafood hm? That could be good, I think?" And so it was decided. The pale lady took her doctor's lead and followed him across the plaza in search of a bite to eat. Unfortunately for them the path to get there was not lacking in hazardous conditions. Guns fired freely in the marketplace, knives were thrown just inches from her face, and she swore she saw a dead man leaning against a barrel in the street. "Ooo, they don't call it Pirate's Market for nothing, heheh...." she nervously laughed before scooting closer to Ridley's side for the remainder of their travel.

Soon enough, however, the two made their way to the dockyard, a somehow busier place than the already bustling plaza they left. It was quite a bit to take in as Jan gasped and held her hands to her cheeks just marveling at the dozens of pirate vessels all stationed in their spaces. "I've never seen so many ships in one place. This is kinda crazy."

Before she could observe over every single one though, Ridley brought her back to reality with the question that everyone had been waiting an answer for: what would you like to eat? The miss chuckled as her attention was brought back into the fold, thankful that her friend was patient with her lack of concentration. "Sorry about that. Ahem. A place I'd like you ask?" She scoured the area for any giant signs of restaurants but found primarily shops dedicated to ship repair or maintenance.

"Hmm...I don't know the place very well. Maybe we can ask a local?" The woman then looked for the least pirate-like person she could find: someone with a pristine aura around them, a person of class and dignity, not too smelly really - that'd be good enough for her. Her eyes peered into the various miscreants roaming the streets until finally, she saw him. "Aha! He looks respectable. Even has a suit."

Jan jogged over to a smoking stranger - smoking in the literal term as a cigarette was clearly hanging from his lip. "Excuse me sir, me and my friend were looking for a restaurant nearby, any suggestions?"

---

This place was filth. This place was diseased. Yet for that very reason he found ruling these streets all the more appealing. Control in one hand, his enemies under his boot. Those were the days, he mused. He huffed a breath of hot smoke from his mouth and sighed. If only he had a fraction of his power again, then maybe just maybe he could -

He could -

....His eyes glew red with rage as he turned his head. Who the hell was this dumb broad talking to him in the middle of a smoke break? Did she have a death wish? He pulled a knife from his pocket and brandished it behind his back. He didn't have much power in these streets but at least he could manage this.

"Listen bitch, I don't care what you or your dumb friend wanna eat. Eat the dirt for all I care. Just stay away from me or," With one swift motion, he brought the knife to her pale skin. The tip of the blade dangled just a hair's breadth away from her throat. He paused then slowly turned toward his victim to finish off the threat. It was part of the fun after all - the theatrics of power.

And yet, as his eyes landed upon that woman's face, something in his mind clicked. His cold sneer melted away into a gaping jaw of utter bewilderment. The knife dropped from his hand and his finger brushed over her face until coming upon those brilliant blue eyes of hers. He gasped for air - he could hardly breathe as he struggled to speak. But with one ounce of breath in his lungs, the man in grey spoke the words clearly enough for her to hear without fail.

"Jades? Is that you?"

[Fox]

Despite Ridley’s anxiety, Jan seemed to be enjoying herself, taking in the sights and all of the vessels docked around. He smiled and took a look around himself, scanning the Jolly Rogers. He wasn’t terribly familiar with any of them to be perfectly honest. He hadn’t thought to look into pirates before heading here. Probably a pretty big oversight on his part. None of them brought any memories to the surface either, so that either meant that he’d never seen them before or he’d only seen them in passing before. Neither was particularly helpful.

His violet eyes fell on Jan again as she confirmed his earlier question. He nodded and watched as she glanced around for something that immediately shouted food. Ridley didn’t see anything himself, but he vaguely remembered passing a restaurant on the water earlier. He put his hand to his chin as he struggled to recall just where exactly that had been when Jan had the idea to ask a local.

“Ah, hm, I’m not sure that’s…”

Ridley didn’t have time to finish that thought before Jan jogged over to a very grumpy looking man in a suit. His eye widened as apprehension washed over him.

“Jan? Jan! Jan, wait!”

Running after her awkwardly, Ridley got tripped up by some passersby getting between them. Which was why, when the way was clear again, Ridley saw too late the man in a suit draw a knife on Jan. He gasped, a surge of adrenaline making his body feel electric. Ridley blacked out. His body moved, darting through the sea of people and grabbed the man in the suit’s wrist. Electricity sparked from Ridley’s body and delivered a vicious shock to the man.

It was then that Ridley came back to himself, blinking and finding himself tightly clutching the man’s wrist. He let out as if he had been the one shocked and glanced at Jan. She… she looked fine. He swallowed hard, his hands beginning to shake. He clasped them together tightly and tried to keep the fear from his voice.

“S-Sorry, I…” Ridley shook his head, “Are you alright?”

His question was directed at Jan, of course. The man in the suit had just pulled a knife on her after all. Ridley was rather shaken up himself, though he could roughly surmise what had happened while he’d blacked out. He’d attacked someone. Again. He inhaled slowly, trying to steady his nerves, and pushing aside his own fears. Jan… He had to be strong for her. He was the one that was supposed to be helping her, after all.

---

Ridley | #800080 | Post Count: 5

[The Prettiest Squish]

"Bu-but you...you're supposed to be dea-" Before he could finish that sentence, a desperate hand intervened and gripped itself tightly onto his wrist. The man in gray looked down to find a horribly deformed man looking at him with enraged, almost mutantlike, eyes. He gasped. "What the- get off me, you frea- GAHHH!!" But yet again his words were cut off only this time by the sudden surge of  electricity coursing through his body. The shock sent him flying into the pillar behind him where he lied motionless for a time.

"Ridley, Ridley! Are you okay?" Slightly perturbed by the incident, Jan rushed to her friend's side after that unexpected episode. Yet when the woman went to check on her companion, all he could offer in his daze were words of mutual concern - something that warmed her heart to know that he cared that greatly for a complete stranger. The girl sniffled and nodded, trying to stifle a tear behind her grin, "I'm fine, yes! He didn't hurt me at all. In fact he..." And it was then that her face turned dark and downcast as her eyes wandered over to that slumbering stranger by the pillar. Jan's voice grew cold and quiet, like a phantom's whisper on a breezy night. "He said something that...I'm too afraid to know."

The man in grey groaned, clearly in pain but not enough to knock him out cold. That wrist of his was quite numb though, clearly a product of the abomination's supernatural power. But that was the least of his concern. His eyes hadn't failed him. That was her, he was sure of it! As he attempted to shuffle his body upright, using his only free hand to pull himself up, a pair of footsteps approached his seat. He looked up and found those icy cold eyes staring down at him. An anxious grin overcame him. "Ja-"

Jan held out her hand to pause him for a moment. She looked the stranger up and down, looking for a clue to his history. But alas, nothing. His suit was cheap - made to look luxurious at face value but tacky and poorly made when inspected up close. Even the cigarette he was smoking carried a foul odor like it was cut with poor ingredients. Just who was this downtrodden loser? And why, oh why, did he call her - she shook her head with frustration. Questioning her memories would be a futile attempt. The only truth she could find would be in those who knew of that woman's past and how it related to hers. She glared at the man in grey and breathed in to prepare herself. "You. Why did you call me Jades? What is it you know about her?"

He was speechless. Was this a joke? She was a bad comic in the old days, nothing's changed it seems. He could only chuckle that this was how she chose to reunite after all these years apart. But he didn't have time for this nonsense, not anymore. His eyes looked up at her with bitterness and contempt yet with a hint of nostalgia. He laughed.

"Heh, c'mon now. You may have changed your whole look but you can't fool me, doll." The suit pulled himself up to his feet, dusted himself off and humbly spread his arms like he were inviting for a hug. "It's been a long time. Welcome home, pirate killer."

[Fox]

Ridley sighed with absolute relief. He hadn’t hurt her, at least. Ridley forced a smile until he noticed Jan’s expression take a turn for the worse. He reached for her shoulder to comfort her, but hesitated when he saw the residual crackle of electricity sparking off his fingers. He pulled away and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat. His face creased with concern as he looked over to the man in grey who was coming to after his shock.

“I see… You know, you don’t have to do this. But, I’m here for you if you decide this is what you want,” Ridley said softly to Jan. She walked over to the man’s prone form, and Ridley followed. The man in grey groaned, looking as dubious and sleazy as possible. Unfortunately, knowing this man was likely scum didn’t assuage Ridley’s guilt for attacking him. What if he’d attacked Jan instead? He sighed and ran his hand through his snow white hair. The man spoke, but Jan cut him off and asked him her question.

The man didn’t seem to understand. Well. Amnesia wasn’t a common condition. He seemed to think it was some kind of joke. He laughed and spread his arms out as if for a hug. Ridley took the initiative and stepped in front of Jan slightly, shielding her with his body. He couldn’t imagine that she’d much care for it if this man attempted to actually hug her. If anything, his little black out episode might have at least made him a pinch more intimidating to this gentleman. Even if normally, Ridley would have never laid hands on anyone. That loss of control was terrifying.

Ridley looked to Jan, tilting his head at her and considering her with his gentle violet eyes. Pirate killer or not, she wasn’t that person right now. Ridley could hardly imagine what she was going through right now. Or, well, perhaps he could. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“Do you still want to do this?”

---

Ridley | #800080 | Post Count: 6

[The Prettiest Squish]

As much as Ridley did his best to comfort her - his gentle voice and touch working their doctorly magic to soothe her soul - it just wasn't enough. She shuddered at how casually the grey stranger addressed her, the way he opened his arms like a long lost friend had manifested in front of him, the candid manner with which he presented himself. This was no scheme, this was genuine and honest behavior. Which could only mean...

"I..." Jan trembled in place, unable to even look him in the eye. "I need..." She held herself tight, fingernails sunk into her skin in a desperate attempt to stop the endless shivering. "I need to - !" But before she could say any more, the man thrust his hand out to stop her. She froze. Did he know what she was about to say? Was he responsible? How much did this man know? She stood there, waiting for someone to answer her most burning questions.

Instead, he did the unexpected. He smiled, not a mischievous grin of some ill mannered criminal, but a warm and tender smile. Jan's shivers melted away. He sighed, "You....need to eat? Isn't that right?" The man looked at the two of them - the pale lady and her bandaged friend - and clapped with a confident smirk before turning back around to the market street. "I know a good surf and turf steakhouse just around the corner. Come on, the day's not getting any younger." And before she could protest, he strutted down the road with a whistle in tune and a pep in his step.

Jan looked to her partner with nervous eyes, who was this random man? "Can we trust him? H-he know something about my past, I have to learn what he knows!" Yet even with such a powerful motivation, the woman could not help but look to her shoes for comfort. "All this time I thought I was content living a lie, but with the truth dangling inches from my face I realize how much this means to me...Will you help me Ridley? Please."

[Fox]

Things took an unexpected turn when the man who presumably knew Jan offered them something to eat and beckoned them onward, waving them along as if they were friends. Ridley still felt terribly uneasy about the man, but he was careful not to let it show when he exchanged looks with Jan. She was nervous. Rightfully so, admittedly, but she needed this. If it were him, Ridley wondered if he would pass up this chance. Probably not. But still, he wanted her to manage her expectations.

Ridley took his hands out of his pocket, noting that the residual electricity had died down, and took Jan’s hands in his own.

“I don’t think he’ll harm you,” Ridley said with some amount of confidence, just judging by the man’s reaction to Jan, “I think you two used to be on friendly terms at least. But, we should be careful. He could be dangerous. We don’t know anything about him.”

Gently reaching under her chin, he tipped her head up to look at him, trying to reassure her with his gentle eyes.

“Of course, I’ll help you. I promised, didn’t I? But, let’s be careful, and, you may not like the person that you used to be, but you don’t have to be that person anymore if you don’t want to, alright?”

He wanted to help her manage her expectations somewhat. The hints that the strange man had dropped about her weren’t very flattering, and, given how heavily armed Jan was, Ridley suspected that his comments weren’t baseless accusations. But, Ridley only knew Jan for who she was right now. A scared, lost woman in need of help. Not a dangerous criminal. A fellow amnesiac who was confused. Nodding to her, Ridley offered her his hand to hold if she wanted it. Regardless of if she took it or not, he turned and set off in the strange man’s wake, feeling more than a little apprehensive, but he would be strong for Jan.

---

Ridley | #800080 | Post Count: 7

[The Prettiest Squish]

Hearing Ridley's reassuring words did help to ease some of the tension inside her. Whatever ugly truths would come out of this, she wasn't the same person that these men claimed her to be. She didn't even know who he was and if he could be trusted. But if anything did go wrong - after that dramatic electrical performance - she had no doubt Ridley could protect her should things go awry. Jan nodded to her doctor and took his hand as they followed the mysterious suited man.

---

It was an arduous walk to wherever the man planned to lead them. For a place just around the corner, this restaurant was far off any main street they came across. But it wasn't about the destination for her. The whole way there Jan said nothing as she did her best to observe all she could about this bizarre man hoping to figure out any motives underlying his oozing 'charm'. So far she found nothing of interest. His grey suit was certainly fancy - or was in a previous time but all luster had been lost with age. His slate grey pants though they carried the illusion of class had the slightest tears at the seams and marks of dirt at the frayed edges of the legs. And his grey blue boots had neither spit nor shine evident by its dry cracked surface. All she could figure out was that he certainly had a colorful palette.

"Well now, here we are." Jan stopped in the middle of her manwatching and looked around surprised that they had finally reached the...restaurant. "Huh..." In front of the three stood a rather broken down shack, a dilapidated wooden building with holes punched through the walls and window panes left shattered and unfixed. Pirate flags hosting several jolly rogers decorated the upper story along with a ship's steering wheel and anchor clumsily hanging off the sides. "Uh, we're eating here?" Jan asked, staring at Ridley with a queasy face.

The grey suit held up his hands in defense and nodded, "I knows, I knows! The place may have a certain charm to it many would find...unappealing. But you must try the lobster stir fry and spicy basil clams, they are to DIE for, Red." The man began walking up to the door when from behind the woman spoke up with a soft yet firm voice, "Jan. My name is Jan." He looked back at her with an apathetic gaze and grinned. "Right. Whatever you say, Janny."