Lost and Found on a Lonely Sandbar

[Bobbie]

Quite some time passed since Shinsei said goodbye to Kayla, a young woman who had eaten a devil fruit that allowed her to transform into a moth, though he wasn’t quite sure how much time. He knew it was even longer since he last saw the Wolves and his beloved Agnes - although, he had to admit to himself that she was beginning to be less beloved the longer he remained stranded on this sandbar.

He and Kayla had left quite a mess, and with nothing else to busy himself with, he took to cleaning up the beach, piling up materials that were of no use to him and scavenging anything else. He chose to stay here when she offered him a way off this little islet because he believed that Agnes would come back for him, that this was all a joke or a test… but his faith began to waver when he realised that he only had a couple of cigarettes left and his situation was becoming more dire. His body could withstand the heat, but without his fuel, he was sure he would succumb. While he did find some useful items, such as clothing, from the bodies that littered the beach before he buried them, they, unfortunately, had no cigarettes on them. It was great for their lungs, but it was truly a bad stroke of luck for him that not a single man or woman on that crew happened to be a smoker.

As he was nearing the end of his fuel supply, he had given up on the hope that Agnes would return. He took the time to be heartbroken about it, but the cyborg quickly moved on and focussed on surviving. That was the pact he made in his heart with the memory of his late son since being brought back to this world - he would do everything possible to fight and survive, but when his end approached, he would accept it as the closing chapter of his story, and that was it.

Sitting in the sand, dressed in a pair of dark trousers that were tucked into boots, and a loose shirt, Shinsei waited. The outfit came with a red sash that he also took, but didn’t wear around his waist. Instead, he kept that around his neck like an open scarf, draped over his shoulders the nights as chilly as this one. Not far from his spot, however, was a large bonfire made from the supplies scavenged off the bodies of the fallen pirate crew, as he kept a fire burning to keep himself warm and as some form of signal to any passers by that he was in need of help off this forsaken spit of land.

Rather than out toward the horizon, he stared into the flames that reflected their warm orange light in his eyes, illuminating the dark shore, as he longed to have a cigarette to light. He was out, as indicated by his turning his packet upside down and nothing coming out of it. This was the most obvious evidence that more time had elapsed, as he had given up on counting the sunsets. With a groan, he crumpled the empty packet in his hand, as even that little gesture took more effort than it should have. He could function, but his body was weak and in desperate need for its fuel.

As if he were sick, his body shivered and he wrapped the scarf around him like a blanket, a grumpy frown on his face. His eyes were fighting to remain open, lacking energy and stimulation.

“If I die here, I’m going to find that b*tch and haunt her until she joins me in hell…”

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Hakon #1

After his various adventures in the West Blue and meeting with the beautiful Seere, Hakon set off on a quest to become the greatest swordsman under the heavens to prove to his beloved that he is worth her affection. His original plans counted with traveling across the West Blue towards the Grand Line where the most dangerous sword masters could be found, but his skills as a navigator led him to the South Blue.

Some people of lesser spirit would be probably discouraged or even devastated by such a detour but not Hakon as the noble warrior of Elbaf was convinced that rather than his lack of skills fate took his helm and led him there, perhaps to perform some heroic deeds that would capture the attention of his fiancée.

Leading his boat towards a nearby island whose name he didn´t know the giant was passing around a small sand bed that was sticking above the surface like a small island. He would pass it unnoticed if not for a cheeky seagull that tried to steal his snack. Chasing it off with a small rock his eyes ended on the piece of god-forgotten land and something that looked like a castaway.

Was it possible? Could someone really be stuck so close to a mainland? It could be a trap, perhaps some pirates or bandits were waiting for kind-hearted strangers to rob them but…where would they hide?

In the end Hakon decided that it didn´t actually matter as ambush would be nothing more than a test of his skills while saving someone in need could earn him some bonus karmic points. So, turning his boat around he sailed towards the island, jumping out of his boat right after he managed to anchor it.

“Hey you, are you still breathing?”

He asked the man who looked more like a dried-up mummy than a living person.

[Bobbie]

As Shinsei sat there by the fire, his body trembled no matter how tightly he wrapped the scarf around him to keep himself warm. Eventually, when his body couldn’t handle a state of consciousness anymore, the cyborg dosed off, severely lacking the fluids that fuelled his system.

Much of the evening remained a blur to him when he awoke the following morning. The fire was no longer burning and he had slouched forward, sitting with his legs crossed and his head slumped forward like a lazy buddha. Perhaps it was the luckiest thing to have happened ever since being marooned on this island, as it seemed that he had been spotted by a sailor passing by, and the man’s voice prompted Shinsei’s eyes to shoot open, his shoulders jolting.

Turning his head just enough to stare at Hakon for a moment, the redhead was terribly confused. He wasn’t sure if this person before him was a figment of his imagination or not. His senses were beginning to fail him and he was losing his grip on reality. Shinsei didn’t need to look at his own reflection in the sea to know that he probably looked like utter rubbish. He could feel it, his lips, dried as they were, curled into a heavy frown, his brow knotted, his eyes swollen from exhaustion with dark circles under them that made him look like he just stepped out of a boxing ring after a devastating loss. His joints ached and his muscles protested against even the slightest movement.

“Am I still breathing?” he repeated Hakon’s question slowly before the cold air touched his neck and caused him to shiver. The sudden jerking motion of his shoulders caused the cyborg to wince and immediately tighten the red sash around him to serve as some form of blanket. However, now that the initial shock of hearing another voice had passed, Shinsei’s head started nodding again, his eyes closing, until he forced his body to move in hope that it would keep him awake.

“Yes…” he stretched out his right leg first, bringing it out from its crossed position slowly and carefully like a man three times his age and well into his 80s. Then he did the same with his left leg. “But I could really use a cigarette…” his hands placed on his knee caps, he gently rubbed them to try and keep warm and soothe his aching body.

“Please tell me you have one…” there was shame in begging, he knew this, but Shinsei was a desperate man.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Hakon #2

Keeping a safe distance from that stranger, Hakon watched as the redhead slowly opened his eyes, clearly too tired and dehydrated to pose any real threat to him, still he wouldn´t survive decades as a mercenary if he wasn´t a bit paranoid, so while the guy slowly talked he carefully looked around to make sure nothing was moving around him. Only after that did he turned back to Shinsei.

“Cigarette? Do you have me for some uncultured barbarian or what?”

The loud man exclaimed, while pretending to be offended.

“Of course, I don’t have one, I am smoking a pipe as all true Warriors of Elbaf And no, I wouldn´t share with you even if you were dying sorry.”

He laughed, leaning down to grab the dried remnants of the man, only to toss him across his shoulder.

“You need water and food anyway. And if your stomach can hold it, I can give you cigar I got from…let´s just say some pirates picked a bad target”

Hakon laughed again, talking clearly and loudly to warn any potential troublemakers, before turning around and walking back to his boat, where he threw the guy on the deck as if he was a sack of potatoes.

“I´ll be right back, just…don´t die before I´ll return alright?”

Grinning, he disappeared under the main deck only to return a moment later with some crackers, dried meat, large mug filled with fresh water, orange and single cigar still hidden in a wooden case.

“Have to say when it came to fighting these pirates were trash, but their captains definitely knew his stuff. Name is Hakon by the way, what about you?”

The giant warrior of Elbaf asked, while putting everything in front of the castaway, before backing up a bit so he could sit next to the main mast with a good view on the island.

[Bobbie]

Hakon’s grasp was enough to jolt Shinsei’s weakened frame, feeling as brittle and fragile as he looked. Being thrown across Hakon’s shoulder didn’t feel very nice, as the cyborg’s groan indicated, but he had no strength to resist and the redhead considered the very plausible ending that he would be approaching if this man who claimed not to be some uncultured barbarian, despite this barbaric mode of transport, did not act fast.

“No, I need… smoke…” his words came out as little more than a breathy whisper and his speech was terribly slurred and slow. Before he knew it, the journey to the man’s ship had been made in what felt like mere seconds as he wasn't sure if he was conscious for it all or not. Either way, he was quickly brought back into his senses when he was thrown on the deck like a bag of food ration - the indestructible sack of potatoes.

As he hit the deck, Shinsei felt anything but indestructible. He had very little energy and every part of his body hurt, a very specific kind of pain as his body screamed at him for what it craved, the fuel that he couldn’t give it. It was as if his own body was revolting against this denial of access to nicotine, not unlike withdrawal for an addict, he imagined… only he felt like he could genuinely die from it. He never understand the diagrams he had taken from the lab his body was modified in, and only dared to test if how badly his body would need its fuel one time in the past, yet never to this degree.

Forcing his body to roll onto its side, he pressed his palm into the wooden floor of the deck and with an arm that shook with his weight, he lifted his body enough to slip his other arm between it and the floor. Such a simple movement seemed to take him an age, his jaw clenched tightly with the effort exerted just to raise himself into a seated position that seemed to leave him heavily out of breath. As Shinsei’s eyes caught the shoes that returned to him, he glanced up at Hakon to get a better look at him as his rescuer put everything that he brought right in front of him, and it was only then that he realised how hungry and thirsty he really was.

First, he grabbed the mug of water in both hands, drinking its contents quickly while, despite his rush, making sure not to waste a single drop. Then he grabbed a cracker and that went in his mouth, though he had barely chewed any of it before reaching for the cigar. The food was nice, but it wasn’t what his body wanted most, and the look of disgust on his face was enough to reveal this.

Sticking the cigar in his mouth, he frantically flicked his ring as his hand concealed the lower half of his face. Finally, he drew a long breath to inhale the smoke and his eyes closed again, this time out of relief, as his hands were lowered and his head tilted back.

Shinsei then looked at Hakon again, having been listening to everything that was said, although offering no response until now that he could feel some life returning to his body.

“Shinsei. Shinsei Zen Shisui…” he paused to take another puff, very well aware that the way he was burning through the cigar was probably painful to watch - perhaps even considered a crime to some - but it couldn’t be helped. “Thank you,” he uttered, showing a visible improvement in his energy levels, although he still didn’t look well at all. The cigar was in his mouth again in an instant.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Hakon #3

Relaxed a bit by the obvious lack of hostility, coming from his guest, the giant warrior of Elbaf watched Shinsei going through the offered cigar, while preparing his boat to set a sail.

“Guess you don´t mind if we leave this beautiful place right?”

He asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, while pulling up the anchor and throwing it at the deck.

“Have to say you must be one unlucky son of a gun for being stuck on this piece of sand. According to my map…”

He slapped a piece of paper that was lying on a large barrel next to his helm.

“This is quite frequent route so usually someone should find you in like…hours a day at worst.”

Hakon laughed from the top of his lungs.

“Care to share the story?”

He continued, guiding his boat towards the main island.

“How did you ended up at that place I mean. Seeing you are half dead with a lipstick mark on your forehead I presume it was something hilarious.”

The warrior laughed again, finally feeling at easy next to his strange guest.

Their journey wasn´t a long one. Hour, hour and half at best, before they found themselves back in the port town of Cinna Island, where Hakon lead his boat to the dock, securing it firmly before heading out to find the clerk and pay whatever taxation and fees had to be paid.

“Soooo, do you have any big plans now?”

He yelled across shoulder on Shinsei.

I am going to find a inn and spend some coins there. Could use a company if you don´t have anything better to do. My treat.

He threw few banknotes to the clerk, before heading out of the port, seemingly unbothered whatever Shinsei follows him or not.

[Bobbie]

Shinsei chuckled at Hakon’s sarcasm, the cigar in his mouth. “Oh, please…” he said, his words muffled slightly before he removed the cigar to talk more clearly. “By all means, as far away from this spit of land as possible. It’s got some nice fruit though, got some pretty sweet lychees… don’t get to have those often.”

Then the cigar was in his mouth again, or what was left of it. His gaze followed Hakon’s hand as the giant, though no larger than Shinsei himself, slapped his map and spoke about it being a frequent route.

Shinsei was grateful to be rescued, but this man had a very, very loud laugh, and he seemed to like to talk… a lot.

With a groan, he rose to his feet and discarded the remains of his burnt out cigar, then made his way over to the helm where Hakon stood. The cyborg was grouchy and not in the mood for a narrative, so he merely grunted and shook his head in response to his saviour’s invitation to share his story. Where would he even start? He fell for the wrong woman and when he saw an opening to be with her and join their crew, he snatched it. Sadly, it seemed that the universe was not so kind.

However, when a lipstick mark on his forehead was mentioned, the redhead suddenly moved with renewed energy.

“What?” he asked, reaching up to rub his forehead with a deep frown. It must have already been smudged in his encounter with the pirates that reached the shores before Hakon did, when Shinsei so stupidly chose not to leave the island in the blind faith that Agnes would go back for him.

She never did. Looking at the makeup smeared on his hand filled the man with rage, and the time that wasn’t spent silent throughout the journey, was spent complaining and uttering insults toward The Wolves, namely Agnes. Eventually, Shinsei shared his story after all, while his energy gradually faded once more. This didn’t stop him from the occasional pace around the deck, however, as the cyborg was terribly restless and craving nicotine.

Once they finally reached the dock, he followed Hakon off the ship.

“Plans? No, what plans could I have? They took everything from me including the money I earned from a very long job with that pack of feral animals!” He snapped, but shortly took a breath and closed his eyes, slowing down his hands in his pockets.

“Sorry…” he rushed after Hakon, who just offered him shelter at an inn. “Thank you, I'd appreciate it. I also really need a cigarette… or two. I don’t have any money, obviously, but I can repay you with odd jobs, or whatever it is you need. Some works on your ship? Cleaning the deck, scrubbing the hull, whatever…” he sighed, hating that he had to do this. It was humiliating, but the worst part of it was not the embarrassment, but the broken heart Agnes left him with.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Hakon #4

The mighty warrior of Elbaf laughed from the top of his lungs as he watched Shinsei desperately rubbing his forehead in a attempt to erase these red lips imprinted on them.
“Well, whoever marked you like this sounds like a funny person to hang out with.”
Hakon grinned, before he waved his hand in a response to Shinsei´s offer.
“No need to my friend. In the past fifty years or so I am traveling these waters I was stranded many time myself! So in a way I am repaying you for the kindness some other soul showed to me years ago.”
He laughed again, leading the red haired man towards one of the better inns in the port. While he wasn´t the wealthiest man alive, the warrior of Elbaf liked a good food and more importantly good drink that couldn´t be easily acquired in establishments of poor reputation.
Being true to himself, Hakon broke the door open, his voice resonating through the whole pub.

“Table for two, mead, meat and cigarettes here for my friend!”

He ordered, pushing the red-haired man inside, before heading towards an empty table. Obviously, their, or rather Hakon´s arrival caused a ruckus among the patrons and personal alike, but seeing the heavily muscular man with huge sword across his back was enough for most to quickly overlook his lack of manners and focus on their own drinks.
“Here we go…”
Hakon grinned, taking a seat an waiting for his companion to join him for the upcoming feast, before realising, that there was one more thing he would like to hear.
“Hey you remember when you offered to repay me for saving you life? Well I think I found out a way. Tell me your story. I am dying to know how did guy like you ended up on that god forgotten lump of sand.”

[Bobbie]

Every time Hakon laughed, it was like a mallet smashed into Shinsei’s skull. He was grateful for the man’s kindness, but he sure had an interesting laugh… it was as if Hakon put all of his energy into each and every breath coming out of him in that sudden burst of laughter, and he did so at times when Shinsei felt there wasn’t really anything to laugh at.

“Thanks…” he replied with a sigh and a smile as he followed his rescuer past the outer limits of the port to get to some finer establishments.

Then the man went and burst through the door. There wasn’t a single thing about this man that was subtle. Their presence became known in an instant and the cyborg wondered if he should apologise to the other patrons on his behalf.

Before he could do anything of the sort, Shinsei was suddenly pushed inside, staggering and nearly tripping over before steadying himself once more and offering an awkward smile.

Without a word, he went to the table and sat down with Hakon, watching him curiously. How on earth is a man like this not hated for being so… boisterous? Sure, he had the physique to prompt people to have a second thought before messing with him, but there must be someone who was better built than he was. It would shock Shinsei to hear that he actually hasn’t pissed off the wrong people yet.

“Hm?” Pulled out of his thoughts, he heard Hakon’s request and smiled at the simple trade that he was asking for. “Well… it actually started with a job to save a wealthy man’s fiancée who had been kidnapped…”

Shinsei continued to explain how he and the crew he was tasked to work with didn’t get along and the tides turned, but he made sure to emphasize that the woman was returned to her lover safely. Unharmed, for the most part. He hesitated for a moment before mentioning that despite their difference, he was asked to join their crew.

“Remember that pretty rock-goddess I mentioned earlier? She struck me in my blind spot and knocked me out, before the crew left me on that stupid sandbar.”

While he still had flattering words for Agnes, he was under no delusions and included her in the mix of savages.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Hakon #5

Taking a seat Hakon waited till the pretty, young lass that worked there as a waitress makes her way towards them, with two glasses of the ordered mead, only to find out she slammed two mugs of beer in front of them.
“We don´t have mead, so it´s beer or nothing. And next time, don´t yell like that or I won´t refill these.”
She snaped, turning her back to them, before moving to another table.
“Feisty one, I like that.”
The mighty warrior of Elbaf grinned, taking a long sip from his mug, before putting it back down to listen Shinsei´s story. And man, it was a hilarious one. When the redhead finished, he couldn´t but laugh from the top of his lungs.
“Well, I have to say, she played you like fiddle!
Hakon roared, hitting Shinsei´s shoulder with an open palm, before emptying his mug and gesturing to the waitress for another.
The woman made a grimace, but headed towards them, this time bringing a pack of cigarettes as well.
“Food will take a while.”
She added, this time with a softer tone, before disappearing again.
“But you know my friend, you shouldn´t let it slide like that! She played you, mocked you and now is probably spending your hard-earned money on booze and women…or men? Whatever, the point is, you should take your revenge and I can help you with that!”
He grinned, reaching in one of his many pockets for a piece of paper folded many times over. As Hakon unfolded it, it became clear that it’s a wanted poster for pirate known as Hernan “Two Sabres” Benzema, with a bounty of 13 000 000.
“See this guy? He claims to be an expert swordsman, one that bested hundreds of men in duel. I want to fight him, but my guts are telling me, that his crew won´t take it nicely if I´ll beat his ass, so here is the deal. You will keep his friends from my back, and I will give you half his bounty. Enough for you to get back on your feet and find that rockstar goddess of yours.”

[Bobbie]

As the woman brought their drinks, Shinsei looked up at her and offered her a kind but apologetic smile for Hakon’s behaviour. Once she left, he glanced at the man accompanying him and picked up his drink.

He was cautious about drinking it - Hakon had clearly made quite the impression on the people here and not in a good way. While he wasn’t worried about poison, he couldn’t help but wonder if the waitress or somebody behind the scenes spat into their drinks.

He was about to put his glass down again before Hakon hit the cyborg’s shoulder, causing half of his drink to spill out onto the table and drip onto his lap.

“Yeah, she sure did…” Shinsei muttered in response, not particularly pleased to admit it. Hurriedly trying to address the waitress, he asked for something to soak up the spilt beer, then shifted all of his attention to his ginger companion.

The proposal put forward to him was certainly an interesting one. Whether he actually used that money to help him find Agnes or not, it was still money that he needed to replace the funds he lost after her little prank. Shinsei’s eyes scanned the poster, narrowing slightly with a frown appearing in his brow. It wasn’t so much the target’s bounty that put him off, but rather Hakon’s confident and boisterous personality - if his loud mouth was capable of walking into a bar and annoying the waitress in such a short amount of time, there was no telling how angry this man’s crew would be after watching their captain lose to him. Shinsei was quite certain that them not taking it nicely would be an understatement of how they would react.

“How many people are in his crew?” he asked, looking away from the poster to meet Hakon’s gaze with some reluctance. He took down quite a hefty number of crewmembers back on the beach with Kayla, but had to admit that it was a close call.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Hakon #6

Shinsei seemed to be quite reluctant, when it came to his beer, which resulted in half of it being spilled all over the table. Strangely this didn´t seem to bother the Elbaf warrior at all, as in his hometown this was only a natural part of every visit to the inn.
“My friend, beer belongs to your belly, not on your trousers!”
He laughed, resisting the urge to pat his shoulder again.
“Or is it not to your liking? Please don´t tell me you are one of these si*sy wine drinkers!”
His booming voice resonated through the whole place, earning them wrathful gazes from several tables, where wine was served.
The giant however ignored them all, focusing only on his prospective partner in crime and his question.
“How many.. well, I have no idea”
He grinned, emptying his mug and smashing it down on the table.
“Another!”
Hakon yelled, before continuing.
“But it shouldn´t be much. These scoundrels usually have around twenty guys under their command. But…you know these are no real warriors. Just bunch of p*ssies that loves bullying fat nobles and…”
He paused as three local guys made it to his table.
“Sorry fellas, but I am not looking for girlfriend, so if you left me and my friend…”
The one in the middle, a tall and stocky guy with the physique of a lifetime butcher grabbed Hakon´s collar and pulled him on his feet.
“Listen you a*shole! I don´t know from where you came from, but here, people behave with proper manners, or…”
CRACK
He didn´t finish the sentence as a sneaky uppercut from Hakon smacked his jaws together and send him to the ground.
“What the…!”
His companion managed to say, before the warrior from Elbaf grabbed his mug and shattered it over his head. He even managed to grab his chair and raise it above his head, but before he could bring it down on the last pitiful soul, the guy in question decided that running away is a better idea.

[Bobbie]

Shinsei raised his brow at Hakon’s comment about the spilt beer, the warrior seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was the cause for it. Glancing down at his wet trousers, an irritated sigh escaped him while he tried to pat them dry, soon to realise it was futile and so he just left it to dry by itself.

Looking around him, he could see a significant number of people with wine glasses on their tables. For a man who was all for making a show with theatrics of his own, Shinsei had never wished to simply be swallowed up into the floor more than he did at that moment. While Hakon spoke, he grabbed the packet of cigarettes, unable to hold off anymore and hurriedly lit one.

“Twenty guys, the odds could be-” he started to rationalise his chances, comparing the numbers to what he faced on the beach before Hakon found him. Shinsei never got to finish his response, however, as some of the locals approached their table.

In truth, the lad’s complaint was a perfectly fair one as Hakon’s manners had truly been abysmal since they got there. Had Shinsei not needed Hakon's help, he may have very well been among the three men. With the intention of defusing the situation, the cyborg rose to his feet to try and get between Hakon and the three guys, but his movements were still sluggish and he failed to keep up. Everything happened so fast and before he knew it, one person was running with his tail between his legs, the other two men on the ground.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Shinsei unintentionally blurted out with his cigarette in his mouth as he finally lost his patience with this man, snatching the chair from Hakon’s grip to put it down. Picking up the packet of cigarettes from the table, he was of the mind to light a second one, but realised that he still had one burning and simply put the packet in his pocket instead. The nicotine was barely enough to calm his nerves, leaving the cyborg incredibly irritated both by his addiction and his company.

“We’ll grab our food on our way out, if we’re lucky enough to be served after your stunt, and you can tell me all about this bloke you have a bone to pick with while we walk.”

He was already beginning to regret agreeing to this task, but there really was no other option... he had nothing.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Mr. Moon]

Hakon #7

Still standing with the chair raised above his head, Hakon turned to Shinsei looking genuinely confused.
“What? They started it.”
He just muttered, putting his chair down so he could sit back to his beer.
“And we most definitely won´t. We are going to risk our lives on this quest, and I definitely don´t want to eat what can possibly be my last meal on this Earth while walking.”
Hakon laughed again, turning in the direction where he expected the waitress only to find her standing next to him looking angry as a devil from the ninth circle of hell.
“You two…! These were paying customers! Who do you think will pay for them now huh?! Get out, both of you, OUT!”
She yelled, prompting Hakon to get back on his feet with a tired sigh.
“That´s all right honey.”
He grinned, reaching into his pocket for a small roll of banknotes that could probably pay for everyone in the room and something extra.
“I got it, these are tough times for small businesses like this one, so why won´t you take these and bring us another round hmmm?”
Looking at all the money the waitress was trying her best not to look smithed by them, but was failing miserably.
“I am not your honey…”
She grumbled after a while, taking Hakon´s money, before disappearing again.
“So, where were we?”
The swordsman smiled, sitting back on his chair.
“Right, mister “Two Sabres…” Well, I don´t know much about him just that his ship should be docking in the neighbor village right now, oh, and he…”
His grin became a genuine smile when another beer found its way in front of him.
“Thanks, honey.”
Taking a large sip he ignored the waitress´ grumbling and turned back to Shinsei.
“Yeah, he is supposed to be an expert swordsman. One who never lost a duel they say.”

[Bobbie]

Seeing that there appeared to be no convincing Hakon that it was their time to leave, Shinsei grumpily sat down in his seat again, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently while he took a long drag from his cigarette.

Suddenly taking the cigarette out of his mouth and stubbing it out on the table, he angrily leaned toward Hakon. “You’re-”

However, it seemed he was not the only one who had something to say about his behaviour, and understandably so. It was a relief that they were being kicked out before further damage could be caused, and the cyborg was just about to rise to his feet and drag this supposed giant out by his… well, an uncomfortable spot... if he had to. Unfortunately, that relief did not last very long, however, as Shinsei hadn’t even stood up before witnessing the most despicable act, and simply sat back in his seat.

Stunned, he stared at the waitress. What started as a sympathetic expression changed into one of shock and a little bit of disgust, though Shinsei couldn’t decide what he was more repulsed by - Hakon’s disgusting flaunting of his riches and his act of bribery, or the waitress accepting it. It seemed there wasn’t really one better than the other after all…

Shinsei decided to keep his mouth shut and say nothing about the matter this time. Lighting another cigarette, he averted his gaze and tried his best to hide his dislike for this brute of a man, focussing on the task at hand instead.

“Right… and with a name like ‘Two Sabres’, I’m guessing he’s skilled in dual wielding.” He sipped his beer once the waitress brought it over, then took another puff, turning his head away to blow the smoke away from all unwilling smokers. “If you want to be the one who actually takes him down, then I guess the swordfighter’s your problem. If you expect me to hold off an entire crew while you do that, you’re going to have to give me something. You have no idea how many there are, so I'm working blind. I can only assume that many of them would follow in the footsteps of his fighting style and that’s only if they don’t take the route of spicing things up with variety.” Pausing to take a breath, Shinsei couldn’t keep the frustration out of his tone. “Do you at least know who his second in command is?”

---

Shinsei: #ba0303