[Voice/Action for peeps on the Million Merry]

[alwaysgrumpy]

Really? Really? We're all just gonna' jump right into the abyss, huh? Why not? I hope everyone gets as spun up as possible and this turns into an even bigger fiasco. Let's go all out. Why not sink a few Navy vessels while you're at it? Make some more fireworks, so they know where to find you.

Let's face it, life here isn't complicated enough, yet. What we need is more random acts of destruction. I'm quite sure that'll make everyone's lives so much better, and won't bite people in the ass in any way.

[Akira actually has to take a minute to suppress his temper, centering himself as best he can.]

Maybe I'm over-reacting. Who knows, could be stress. Perhaps the air on these islands is just too thin. Still, I've never been more glad to not be on the ocean, than right now. Damn it, I'm so frazzled by all this, I think I'm shedding...

Oh! Luffy, if you're hearin' this, we'll have a guest for a little while. I'll take responsibility for her, so you guys have fun with whatever.

Comments

[alwaysgrumpy]

*His blood gradually stops pounding in his ears, his breathing returning to a more normal pace. The fire in his eyes gradually dies down and the tension slowly leaves his body. His hands is already mostly healed, the last of the tiny glass shards being pushed out of his flesh and falling into the sink.*

Well, that's good to hear.

*He washes his hands and wipes up, then goes back to seasoning the meal. Thankfully, he didn't get any blood or glass on it. He was mostly done, anyway.*

Good. In that case, we're ready to cook this bad boy.

[myfayevalentine]

*Faye was ready to help clean up his hands, get them bandaged up, but it seemed that, somehow, his body was beginning that process anyway. She frowns in concern, at his hands, then up at his face. Faye takes a step or two back, but doesn't go back to her chair, staying close enough as he continues with the cooking*

...I'm looking forward to it.

*But she looks like she's still thinking of how he had been just a few moments ago, of how suddenly angry he was*

How was...the wedding island place?

*Just a casual change of subject*

[alwaysgrumpy]

*Akira stokes the flames in the oeve, then sets the prime rib to roast.*

Boring and I was glad to be rid of it. Peaceful, I like. Boring is just...well, boring. I couldn't even find anything to do in the town.

*He picks up a towel to clean his hands, then sets his apron aside.*

[myfayevalentine]

*She watches and moves out of the way when he stokes the flames. Then with concern she follows his movements as he cleans up. Tentatively, she reaches out and puts a hand on his forearm again*

Are you okay?

[alwaysgrumpy]

I'm fine. I just...Stuff happened. It was before I came here. Someone I cared about had a lot of some bad things happen to her, because of me. Someone wanted to hurt her, to get at me.

[myfayevalentine]

*Faye frowned at this, feeling that now she maybe had some idea of how that felt. She had been badly shaken by her experiences, and she couldn't imagine what it would be like to have lived through them. She gestured towards the chairs at the table*

You want to sit down and talk about it?

[alwaysgrumpy]

Well, we do have time. Gotta' wait for this thing to cook.

*He pours some iced tea for the both of them, before pulling out a chair for her a the table.*

Have a seat.

[myfayevalentine]

*Faye takes a seat, leaning over to right the chair that she'd knocked over earlier. She sits back up and takes a sip of her iced tea*

I'm all ears.

[alwaysgrumpy]

Anyway.

*He flops down, idly swirling his drink in his glass he filters back through his old memories.*

Bad things happen to people I get close to, Faye. Always has happened. Always will. I can't think of anyone I ever knew well who didn't end up traumatized, maimed, or dead. That's what it is, to be a werewolf. We're plagued by misfortune, most of it due to the actions of humans.

Before I came here, I was going to the latest in a succession of schools. Typical cycle. I try a new school, shit happens, and things escalate. Problem is, this school had a problem student named Haguro. Imagine a guy my age, but even bigger and scary as hell. Yakuza's son. Pretty much held the school in fear, until I showed up. As usual, shit happened, but even worse than usual. People died by the end of it all. Lots of people.

It all came to head when he kidnapped my teacher. You'd like her, she's a nice girl. Beautiful, kind, and with a strong sense of justice. After I finally forced Haguro to realize exactly what I was, he kidnapped her to get me to fight him on a New Moon. Sent me videos of her being...

*His entire body tenses again for a moment.*

...Anyway, he hurt her very badly. So I went at him, even without my powers. Tore through all of his thugs and took it to him. I got fucked up pretty bad, too, but I got her out.

[myfayevalentine]

*Faye continues to sip at her iced tea, finding that it's at least doing something to cool her down, in more than one sense. She occasionally looks up at Akira with eyes of concern, thrn gently puts down her glass as she explains what happened to his teacher. Her voice is low and bitter when she speaks, her eyes flashing with anger as she looked down at her drink. This was too much for her, especially with her own recent experiences of violent men*

Fucking bastard scum. You beat the fuck out of him, right? You got her out and tore him to pieces, didn't you?

[alwaysgrumpy]

Actually, she saved me. I was already tore up by the time I got to him. He came at me with a sword when I was half-dead. Sliced off all the fingers here.

*He raises his right hand.*

Then I lost my left arm just down from the shoulder. Nearly disemboweled me. Then he slammed the blade straight through my heart. When I was almost unconscious, something in her spirit...responded to me. I'm not sure what it was, but he managed to force a semi-transformation out of me. Enough to heal some of the damage, but not everything.

After that, I just walked right into the guy. The blade that was still in my chest, I shoved through his.

[myfayevalentine]

*Faye tilted her head, trying to really understand what he was telling her. Then she gave a solemn nod, and again trusted herself to pick up the glass and take another sip*

Good. The asshole deserved it.

[alwaysgrumpy]

Got off too easy, really. Son of a bitch was beyond obsessive with me.

[myfayevalentine]

Mmm... It stops becoming flattering after a while, huh?

*She raised a brow as her finger ran around the rim of her glass. Whatever she was thinking, her expression soon turned to a drown, and she shook her head*

There are just way too many bastards in the world. Even here.

[alwaysgrumpy]

Way it goes, I guess. The strong and dumb always wield a lot of power.

[myfayevalentine]

*She rubbed the centre of her forehead a second*

Pricks. Treating women like shit for the kick of it. You know, the ring leader of that gang at Gun Frontier, he actually wanted to kill me and then -

*It had just sort of tumbled out, but she didn't really know what to say then. Was it still rape if she was dead?*

[alwaysgrumpy]

Well, at least the only dead who come back are outsiders, as far as I know.

[myfayevalentine]

*She gives a snort as she glares at her iced tea*

No matter. I'd kill him again if I could.

[alwaysgrumpy]

So would I, believe me. Nobody is every gonna' fuck with people I love, again.

[myfayevalentine]

Creeps. That's what they are. Just a bunch of fucked up creeps.

*But still, she gives Akira a small, curious smile*

This teacher of yours meant a lot to you, then?

[alwaysgrumpy]

She was...

[He leans back in his chair, lost in thought. He looks like he's working really hard to think of a word for it.]

...the first person to understand me in a very long time. I loved her. I'm just not sure what kind of love it is. She was a good decade older and she certainly doted on me in an almost maternal way. I just know that on a deep level we were connected.

[myfayevalentine]

*Faye watched him for a moment, casually observing and listening, and she sipped from her glass. Thens he smiled a slow smile and inclined her head*

That's sweet. You miss her a lot?

[alwaysgrumpy]

I do. I know she's out there, somewhere. Back home, I mean.

[myfayevalentine]

People are dropping into this world all the time. You never know when she might just pop up someday.

[alwaysgrumpy]

I'd really rather she didn't. She's been through enough.