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Post by CJ on Mar 3, 2015 0:30:49 GMT -5
Poor Sam, Joe thought to himself as Terrel roughhoused the woman in his acting. He wished the guy would be nicer to her. He was far from an expert on medicine or health, but he could tell that something was up with Sam. She had a sort of sickness to her that wasn't reflected in him when he accidentally transformed into her. Did she have some kind of eternal damage? A parasite maybe? What was it?
There wasn't much time to think. Joe took in the room around him as they made their way through. He couldn't believe he had just been here. Of course, he looked liked Nathan when he was here last, but he still had the tattered and torn tuxedo suit on. He was grateful he kept it. He fit right in with the hostages.
He nodded to Brivard as his heart began to pound in his chest. It didn't feel right, likely because it wasn't the heart he was used to. He felt tired and distant, like he wasn't really there in the first place. This wasn't the body he was supposed to have, but he knew he had to deal with it if he was ever going to get Solaine out of there. He struggled to find her in the many hostages, but soon his eyes fell long, familar strands of her. She was still wearing the same outfit as before. It was her. It had to be her.
He couldn't see her face just yet and nervously dropped to kneel beside her.
"Solaine," his voice cracked in a hushed voice. "Are you OK, Solaine?"
He didn't know what else to say and instead reached out to gently touch her shoulder. He tried to repeat Terrel and Brivard's advice in his head. All that mattered was getting Solaine out of there. He could figure out the rest later.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 9, 2015 14:21:43 GMT -5
"Are you a family member?" a nurse asked, as he tended to someone in the next bed over who seemed to have suffered an allergic reaction to the food earlier.
Joe was right in seeking her out though, it actually was Solaine, and his observation towards her clothes was correct as well. Though, obviously they were in a pretty bad shape, ripped at the seams and bloody in places from her terrible fall. Though, while it seemed she would not survive before, she now seemed only mildly injured at the worst and this was only apparent from her strained movement.
"There wasn't much we needed to do, oddly enough she just needed a good rest."
Solaine lightly groaned before stirring to make sense of what was going on. She seemed rather groggy when she tried to make out who it was that was touching her, but she wasn't angry with it, just tired and confused.
"Who are you? Another nurse? I said I don't want anything to eat."
Predictably, she didn't recognize Joe, probably because she didn't even know Terrel.
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Post by CJ on Mar 17, 2015 15:35:45 GMT -5
She was here. Solaine was finally here. Joe's hands began to shake tremendously. What was he supposed to do now? Pick her up? Try to move her? His mind went blank.
But then she spoke and he felt like his heart dropped. He knew she wouldn't recognize him, but he felt almost betrayed. He tried to shake the feeling out of his head and focus on the situation at hand.
"No, I don't want you to eat," he said in a hushed voice. "I'm trying to get you out of here. I look different but it's me, Solaine. It's Joe. Remember when we first met. It was when I was fixing Mr. Anderson's gloves. I made them. His boots too."
He clenched his hand hard in nervousness.
"Oh what am I saying? That's not important. Are you OK to move?"
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Post by Kyubey on Mar 20, 2015 15:15:42 GMT -5
"Very well," he mewled, though in truth he would have preferred to look for Sam on his own. "Lead, I'll follow."
By all appearances, Morrison had come out of the negotiations almost unbelievably successful. The terms he presented, as he saw them, couldn't reasonably have been argued with, and had virtually no cost to himself. As long as he could protect his friend, then he'd gladly agree to whatever else Jack wanted. The prospect of being reunited with Sam, to regain what he had left behind years ago, was almost good enough to overshadow any doubts that might have been lingering. But, as was to be expected, only almost.
There was still something he didn't like, made even worse by the fact that he couldn't exactly place it, and therefore couldn't act on it. It was something in the way Jack spoke. It was almost too flippant, too casual. A common thing, when people talked to Morrison, but Jack was smart enough to know the weight of what the cat had proposed. More than likely, they knew something that he didn't, and Jack was very much holding that power over the Warlord. Not a favorable situation, but then again, Morrison could be completely wrong. Until he found out for certain Jack's intentions, there wasn't much he could do but comply, albeit cautiously. He followed along, keeping up as closely as he could, while still keeping a watchful eye on both Jack and Huxley. If he sensed even a hint of malice from either of them, he would act without hesitation. Still, he hoped it wouldn't get to that.
And then there was that question. What could possibly have been behind that?
"I do not know what I would do," he answered truthfully. "Because I'm confident she will leave. Even if we did abandon her, we are still part of the same crew. I know she'll understand... she must."
Morrison couldn't deny that in leaving Sam, he had left her to face unspeakable dangers alone. He never would have expected their captain to betray her like that, and even if Morrison had stayed, there was nothing he could have done, as weak as he was. Now, however, he was strong. Strong enough to be named Warlord, and now he would be strong enough to protect Sam for good. He was ready to go back. And, if he had a good reason, and was now able to return to how things should be, perhaps the same could be said for the rest of the Phantom Hawks as well. Suddenly, there was a chance that he would be able to go back to the life he had once left.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 6, 2015 13:35:10 GMT -5
"He said he's confident she'll leave with him, since they're still part of the same crew. For that, he knows she'll understand."
"Ha! You act like you understand her pretty well then, that must have been some crew to be able to form a bond like that in as short a time."
Huxley followed after them as best she could, since Jack went at a good pace to get Morrison what he wanted. He gave an empty laugh though when he heard what it was she said, based on the cat's own words. Opening a set of doors for them, he spoke as he went, though it seemed his focus was more on trying to navigate through the halls of the skyscraper rather than holding a conversation. More than anything, it was a convenient way to pass the time.
"I think I know her better than you though, she is my sister after all. You know she'll understand, but I think you'll be surprised."
Jack was almost painfully nonchalant about the way he spoke on this matter in particular, like he knew something Morrison didn't and enjoyed holding it above him. In actuality though, he did know something Morrison didn't, because he'd known Sam for more years than Morrison had been alive probably. The cat could come here and talk about how Sam was his friend and he understood her, but she was Jack's family. For all that had happened between them and their time apart, they still shared a bond that no one in either of their lives could come close to.
---
As Joe spoke, she seemed a little bewildered, as was to be expected. As she heard his words though, her confusion slowly changed to utmost understanding, and he would more than be able to make out the realization that crept into her eyes as much as the soft smile across her face. Slowly, she reached out and held onto his arm.
"Of course I remember."
She didn't need to have anything explained to her, and understood well enough what was going on or at least why he was here. Moving from under the covers, she brought her feet to the floor, and carefully stood up. Initially she held onto him for support, but once she had her feet, she could stand on her own. Taking a deep breath, she looked to him.
"Where to?"
It might have been that the others had been watching Joe all the while and waiting, because once Solaine made for her feet and the could assume that was who Joe had come for, they made their move to leave. Terrel was pretty close by Joe, and Brivard was already by the doors. Sam was the farthest away, but she got up as well and was making her way over.
"Alright, let's get out of here." Terrel mentioned as he passed by Joe and Solaine on the way to the doors.
---
"-and speaking of surprises..."
Jack entered into the far side of the room where the hostages were being kept and treated till proper accommodations could be found. Pretty much immediately he was assaulted by a mix of hails from his comrades, and a din of angry, complaining hostages. The guards couldn't stop all of them, who spared no chance to give him a piece of their mind, even an angry shove or two. Visibly annoyed though, he tried to look past them to the other end of the hall.
"Argh, get out the way! I mean, please stand aside, esteemed guests! Ah, there you see her Morrison? Far end, in the coveralls."
His eyes must have been very good to be able to make anyone out at that distance. It wasn't so much that the room was so large, it was indeed big but comparatively smaller than some of the other halls in the skyscraper. Rather, that he was able to pick her out amidst the fairly crowded hall, and while being confronted by the angry guests.
True to his word though, if Morrison could make his way around the small crowd and perhaps even up onto a bed or ledge, he could follow Jack's pointing hand and probably make out the person he was talking about. Partly because of her attire, partly because of the way she clumsily meandered her way past beds and people and stood out because of it. Because she wore glasses and a fairly concealing hat, and at this distance, it wasn't entirely clear of her identity. The question was, if it really was Sam. Jack could say whatever he wanted, but whether Morrison believed him, was the cat's choice.
"And it looks like... ugh, they're taking Solaine with them? Of all the people here, why her?" even being swamped with complaining guests, his disgust was apparent in his voice at least, of their choice of hostage to rescue.
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Post by CJ on Apr 7, 2015 17:36:58 GMT -5
Tears swelled up in Joe's eyes when Solaine spoke. He couldn't help but cry. Finding Solaine again was made so much more emotional by her acceptance of him.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, realizing that he was crying with Terrel's features. What kind of hero was he was supposed to be? Heroes didn't cry when they saved the day. But then, they hadn't saved the day just yet. They needed to get Solaine out of Vengeance.
"Don't touch my skin, Solaine," Joe warned. "Well, don't touch it unless you want me to turn into you like I did with Terrel. I'm sorry I can't explain it now. We don't have much time. Come on. This way."
A thought passed through his mind that he wished he could save the others too. He hated to admit it, but he cared more about Sam, Terrel, Brivard and especially Solaine. He would have to pray that the other hostages lived through whatever was going on.
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Post by Kyubey on Apr 8, 2015 14:32:52 GMT -5
Again with the cryptic replies. While it was certainly true that the wants of Morrison and Jack did not add up, anyone would have been able to tell that much, it was still unclear to the cat why Jack had to be so unhelpful. All he could do at this point was not let the words get under his skin. He wasn't even sure if they were true or not, so he really wasn't going to think about it too much.
"That is ridiculous," he said, really more to Huxley than to Jack, "humans can't be siblings with fishpeople."
And that was all he had to say on that. Now, he knew, without question, Jack was keeping things from him, possibly telling outright lies. In fact, he knew there were lies, and the real challenge was picking out which parts were true.
As they entered the room, Morrison concentrated his Haki, expanding it as well as he could to the entire area and blending it with his natural senses, constantly adjusting his focus as he saw fit. He wouldn't be able to detect Sam specifically with it, and the sheer amount of people made it tough to get a good grip on any one individual, but he at least he had a sense for how many there were, and the most general idea of where the movement was directed. Unfortunately, his best tool, his sense of smell, was all but useless, as even if he did think he could recognize Sam's scent, he couldn't know for sure with all the other sensory details clouding his judgment.
When Jack pointed out Sam, Morrison wasted no time. Even if he did know better than to let his emotions get ahead of him, he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to think clearly. The cat sprinted to the closest bed, not particularly the one nearest to Sam, but he still couldn't let himself get too far away from Jack. He knew where to look, that was most important. His excitement elated, if only a little, when he found it difficult to recognize his friend. The person Jack had pointed out was the right height and build, anyways, but the disguise made it impossible to tell for sure. He hoped, with everything he had, that it really was his friend he was looking at, but the shred of reason that still had a hold over him prevented him from rushing forward.
If Jack knew Sam as well as he had claimed, it would have been all too easy for him to find a lookalike to serve as a decoy to Morrison. Why would he need a decoy? The cat didn't know, but with how secretive Jack was, and how high the stakes were, there was no possibility that could be ruled out. If he was lying, then if Morrison ran to Sam right away, he'd be playing into Jack's hands. Then again, it was also possible that it really was Sam there, and Jack was simply trying to throw the Warlord off, get him to lose his one chance of reaching his friend again. Or, perhaps, there were no lies at all, Jack was merely being honest and helpful, and it was only Morrison's doubts that held him back. He wasn't sure, but in that moment, he needed to be. He couldn't rush forward, but he couldn't stay behind, either. Was the figure he saw Sam, or wasn't she? If he could just solve that, the answers to everything else would be more than clear.
Morrison closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. The numerous figures and voices in the room, while unpleasant, were something of a blessing, as long as they could keep Jack occupied, however briefly. It seemed that there was some other face in the crowd that had his attention as well. Good enough. The Warlord likely only had this one chance, so it was important he made it count.
"HEY!"
What he shouted was unimportant, since it would just sound like an ordinary cat's meow to anyone else. He probably wouldn't have even gotten the attention of anyone in the room that didn't already know him. What mattered was that he would be heard. If Sam really was there, she would have been able to recognize his voice. Just one glance, that was all Morrison needed. In spite of himself, he found that he was nearly trembling with anticipation.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 9, 2015 23:45:04 GMT -5
"Fine by me, whatever it takes to get out of here."
When Joe brought up the issue of touching, Solaine's hands tensed for a moment, while she took a chance to process what he said and what it might mean and to make sure she indeed wasn't touching him directly. Otherwise though, she was completely understanding and followed him and his directions without question. Despite not being witness to everything that had happened to Joe since they separated, she could tell just by observing their surroundings that if there was ever a time to trust someone and not lose her nerve, it was now.
Brivard held the doors open and led the way, Terrel in tow and Joe and Solaine close behind. Sam followed after, though she got a bit separated in trying to avoid tripping over any beds or bumping into anyone, but she wouldn't have a problem catching up. Indeed, she was about to make her exit and had her hands on the doors, but stopped short holding them open. It was anyone's guess as to why she stopped, but something seemed to have caught her attention and kept her from leaving the room just yet, something she heard. It was almost like she was in disbelief about something, just standing there holding the doors, probably some internal conflict as she tried to make a decision. Finally, she did turn around to look. For who, for what, she wasn't sure. But she scanned slowly about the room, as though there was still something here important enough to delay her escape. After having made a visual sweep but not finding whatever she was looking for in the crowded room, she let out a long sigh, and continued on after the others as the doors slowly swung shut behind her.
"Enough, get them what they want, I don't care! I'll take care of it all myself in a minute, just get them off me for now!"
Jack, still troubled by the guests, finally lost his patience and called for his comrades to help out. Of note that even as annoyed as he might have been, never did he offer any hostile action or words to the hostages, and while he did seem to genuinely care about their well being he just wanted to deal with something else right now. The same thing Morrison was after it seemed, though the cat had a clear headstart on him, not having to cope with understandably upset hostages.
"Did you see her? Jack seems convinced it's her. Let's not miss this chance, you may not get another to meet her again."
It was Huxley though, that caught up to Morrison and sought to continue on ahead with him, with or without Jack. For whatever reason, she seemed more intent to help him reunite with his friend, than she was helping Jack to do the same. As such she made her way for the same exit Joe and the others had taken, perhaps rightly assuming that the cat would need help with the doors.
---
"It can't have been this easy... it's almost like we could have just walked in and out through the main entrance."
"Don't jinx it, you saw on the way in, everyone seems too busy with the celebrations!"
Brivard was audibly perturbed as he parted a way through the bustling hall on the way to the elevators with his imposing figure, Terrel keeping an eye out for Joe and Solaine to make sure they weren't struggling. He instead, took it as a lucky chance, which spending enough time Sam he came to expect. Again, probably another lucky chance that there was one elevator almost full but clearly on its way down. Brivard pushed his way in to some minor objection, and held it open for Joe and Solaine. There was room for Terrel too, but he waited outside the elevator for Sam, who had been lagging. They couldn't see her yet from the elevator lobby, but Terrel at least knew she was close behind since he saw her not too far away just before he rounded the corner with Joe and Solaine. In truth, she had succumbed to another coughing fit after all this recent activity, but would have been able to make it to the elevators after a short breather.
"Home stretch guys, take this one down if you have to, I can get another one if S-... she takes too long."
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Post by CJ on Apr 17, 2015 13:46:17 GMT -5
Joe kept checking if Solaine was there, as though he was expecting her to suddenly be spirited away. She couldn't believe she was actually safe. It was so surreal.
But they weren't out of danger yet. They still had to get out and it seemed that the group wasn't entirely together. Joe's heart sank when Terrel revealed that Sam was lagging behind.
"Shouldn't we wait for everyone? We came here together. We should go back together."
Truthfully, Joe didn't want to go alone with Brivard. He was scared out of his mind. The euphoria of finding Solaine again was fading as the realization of the dangers they were facing settled in once more.
"Where is she?" he begged, hoping desperately that Sam would come running right around the corner.
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Post by Kyubey on Apr 18, 2015 14:02:08 GMT -5
It was her. It really was Sam.
When Sam stopped, confirming Morrison's hopes, the cat almost paused in disbelief. If there really was any such moment, however, it lasted less than a single second, before he moved onward. After confirming which direction she was headed, Morrison hastily jumped down from the bed, breaking into a sprint from the instant his paws touched the floor. With brilliant precision even in his hurried state, Morrison dodged and weaved through the crowd, deftly avoiding collision. In any other circumstances, the Warlord would have chosen a more winding, erratic path to the doors, to throw off any onlookers, but he stopped caring about that as soon as he confirmed Sam's presence. With how fast and how direct he was running, it was likely that he would draw some notice, but it he likely couldn't be followed for too long. Even if Jack did see him, Morrison was sure he would get to Sam first, that was what mattered.
The doors were the one issue that could have possibly held him back, and even that was solved for him before it could turn into a serious delay. Unfortunately, the one who opened the doors was Huxley, who somehow managed to catch up to him. While Huxley had, so far, been nothing but helpful to Morrison, even when their causes seemed to conflict, he still prevented himself from trusting her completely. Above all else, she was directly working for Jack, who the Warlord knew was still keeping things from him and undoubtedly had ulterior motives. Just by her being there, Huxley was complicating Morrison's mission tremendously. Still, that said, Morrison wasn't really detecting an ill intent from her. She did seem to want to help, and from what he was able thus far, Huxley didn't seem to wholly agree with Jack's goals, so it was possible she wasn't an enemy, in this situation. Not strong enough a possibility for him to put all his faith in it, but he wouldn't spend time trying to stop her, either. He looked up at the guide just long enough to acknowledge her assistance, and then kept running, even faster than before. It would have been ideal if he could get her attention right then and there, and have a full reunion on the spot, but he knew the situation wouldn't allow for that. He didn't even want to think of what could possibly happen if Jack had a chance, even for a moment, to catch up with them. So instead he aimed to merely catch up to Sam and her group and run alongside them to wherever it was they were going, hopefully somewhere safe. Full introductions and explanations could come later.
Getting to Sam came first. Any other matters, he would deal with, without any shred of hesitation, afterwards.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 23, 2015 23:32:13 GMT -5
"If someone waits for her, they can just take another lift with her."
Although she could understand Joe's distress, Solaine more than anything just wanted to leave this place, before they got caught again. In addition to this, some of the people in the elevator would have disagreed with Joe and actually did speak up in protest, but Brivard put his rather large hand on the door of the elevator to keep it from closing. He silenced any dissent, with words as firm as his voice.
"We are going back together, no one stays behind."
"Oh hey, there she is! HEY! Over here!"
Terrel also didn't want to leave her behind, but he was completely open to the idea of remaining behind to wait for her. It seemed that wouldn't be necessary though, since as he spoke, she rounded the corner. Wiping her mouth on her sleeve, Brivard at least could tell she had been slowed down by her sickness, and could have slapped himself for not thinking of that before. Either way, while she had some trouble making it through the bustle of people moving things in and out of the hall, she didn't need assistance to catch up with them now.
That is until, she tripped. It wasn't even over anything, one of her shoes was just untied after all this running about the tower. She caught herself with her hands, but had to bring herself to a knee so that she could take the shoe off. Rather than falling prey to some stereotypical scene where the bomb goes off or the villain catches her because she stopped to tie her shoe, she figured the smart thing would be to just tie it in the elevator during their ensured escape. Thus, she paused for just a moment on the ground to take it off, waving at the others in the elevator that she would be there in no time.
Understandably, it was probably for the best that she didn't actually call this out. Brivard on that note, had to try hard not to slap Terrel when he called out to her, and the attention it might have drawn.
"H-Hey Joe, you know we could just go down out the window again..." Solaine mumbled to him as she waited, laughing quietly to herself.
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Post by CJ on Apr 24, 2015 22:54:04 GMT -5
Joe thanked whatever deity was out there that Sam was back. But they weren't out of the clear yet. He bit his lip when she tripped. How could this happen?
At her joke, Joe looked down at Solaine in distress. How could she joke about something like that now? He chalked it up to nerves. He was terrified. She was likely too, given whatever horrors she was likely subjected to. The memory of fall down the side of tower was enough to make Joe sick.
Solaine and the others in the elevator might notice that patches of his skin were reverting back to the mirrored texture he had assumed before. He knew it too. He wanted to call out to Terrel, but knew that they were on a time crunch. He couldn't expect Terrel to stop to make contact again with him, even if it was only for a few seconds. He had to tough it out and get through it.
He could feel himself slipping. He was seeing through his eyes, but it felt like he was watching a video of someone else's experience. He clutched onto Solaine's arm tightly, almost forcefully, praying that they'd get out soon.
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Post by Kyubey on Apr 25, 2015 5:48:42 GMT -5
With Sam slowed, and Morrison running with a driven rush, it was only natural that the distance between them would close fairly quickly. He was going so fast, and was, by this point, so single-minded in his mission, that when a corner came up ahead, he almost had some trouble with it, being in danger of going too quickly to make a proper turn. Since it didn't seem like Huxley was following him, however, or simply not fast enough to be a concern just yet, he could allow him to slow a little, enough for him to know where he was going. It was a good thing, too, since, when Sam tripped, he likely would have overshot her entirely at the rate he was speeding along.
His intention, previously, had been to simply hold out until Sam and whatever companions she had had arrived at their destination, and give his proper greetings there. But when she just happened to fall, he found himself with a chance he hadn't considered before, but he'd have been foolish not to follow through on, if only for a moment. Of course, he knew better than to take up any of her time, but he could very well still make himself known. Coming up beside her, Morrison slowed to a momentary halt next to Sam, and looked up at her as wide-eyed and expectantly as any cat would approach someone they were familiar with.
It was strange, in a sort of sad sense, that, while he was so driven and determined to find Sam, and spent so much of the short time he had knowing she was alive thinking about what they would do once he found her, that he had no idea what the first thing he would say to her would be. It wasn't for a lack of not having anything to say, he had years worth of words he wanted to tell her, it was simply that he hadn't considered how to phrase them. After spending months believing that she had been killed in Marineford, and all the time spent after learning the truth in a near-crazed blur, he felt more like he was in a dream than anything else, mental haze included. Then again, he didn't exactly need words in the moment. Whatever he did say, she wouldn't understand to begin with. Whatever happened from there, he was just so relieved that she was still alive, and that he was able to find her, that nothing else even mattered at all. Just to make himself known, that would be enough. They'd have plenty of time, now.
"Mrow."
Still looking up at her, as if she would somehow vanish if he glanced away for an instant, he nudged his head in the direction she had been going. She would be able to talk while they were moving, anyways, even if he couldn't, and he wasn't about to stop to write anything right there in the hallway.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Apr 26, 2015 2:08:51 GMT -5
She already had her shoes off and was making for her feet again to join the others at the elevator, when she heard a sound she probably should have forgotten years ago. Morrison might be a bit disappointed though because the Sam next to him, was not the Sam he knew. She wasn't the young and naive, goofy and clumsy fishgirl he sailed with, stopped a monster king with, and turned into metal with. It would be easy for him to see, she took off her glasses to see him; she was haggard, her big eyes were sunken, and skin was a pallid contrast with the black stains about her mouth and clothes. She also didn't practically jump on him in a hug and shout his name out in surprise mixed with tears of joy after not having seen one of her very few actual friends. If he was expecting something, anything like that, like who she used to be, he would be sorely disappointed.
Instead, she merely turned, slowly to look at him. She didn't believe her ears so she trusted her eyes to tell her the truth, taking off her glasses. When she saw the metal cat beside her though, she almost non-reacted. She just looked at him for many more seconds than it must have actually been, only her strained breathing to remind her this was actually happening. Her actual reaction, well it was small at first, but it was there. A smile, soft as could be and if you blinked you might miss it, but it was there. If he was expecting something, anything like that, like an old friend, he would find everything he'd been looking for.
"Hey Morrison..." she said in strained words with a sigh, but a voice saturated with fondness. Like a longing now rewarded, clear to tell in her words.
She had been halfway to her feet of course, but she actually settled back to a seated position to face the cat, as she nailed her attention to him. She dropped her shoes without thinking, because there was only one thing on her mind, as she reached into her clothes and rummaged for something. Slowly unfolding a piece of paper and half chuckling to herself, she set it down in front of him. It was in bad condition, torn in places and heavily frayed, but he might be able to recognize it; the first piece of paper, the same piece of paper he had used to initially communicate with her. It still bore the same written words, albeit in faded ink, visible before she turned the paper over for him to write on the blank side. He might not remember it, she didn't expect him to, but she had kept it all this time and he would need something to write on if they were to understand one another.
It was almost a little surreal as though she didn't care about anything around them, or even anything outside of the tower. The world with all its problems could keep on turning, but in this moment, her life meant something again. So absorbed in the moment was she, that it might have been rather jarring when she violently lurched to the side and went sliding far across the floor, leaving only her shoes and the paper behind.
"Oh, nice shot Sir!" said one of the fellows from the elevator Joe and Solaine were in, piping up when he noticed someone in the hall go shooting across it.
"All my shots are nice, Roberts." responded Jack with Five Aces, nonchalantly leaning against the wall next to the lift. It seemed some of the people within only just noticed him there, but he leaned to the side to look in with an earnest smile.
"Going down?" he asked, probably directly of Joe and Solaine. Terrel had shouted in surprise and worry when he saw Sam take a hit, but when he noticed Jack pretty much right behind him, his expression shifted to anger as he went to draw a knife and lunge at the fellow. It was Brivard though that caught him, seemingly without effort, and more or less hurled him into the elevator. Particularly right at Joe since he could tell the boy was fading. The force though knocked most everyone over, enough of a chance for Brivard to press the button to close the doors before anyone could act to keep them from actually shutting.
"You know the way out. Go." he said, before the metal doors slid to a close. He knew this wouldn't save Joe, Solaine or Terrel, and that Jack could find a way to get at them. But if he were to prevent that, then the could reach safety to his hope. He should have known however that Jack didn't really care about any of them in the elevator, and beyond some small displeasure shown, the man in chains attention returned to his main concern.
By now, the comparatively fewer bustling people in the hall had realized something was up, and cleared the way. A few stayed behind to watch, but there were only about fifteen of them left and from a good distance away, leaving their chosen representative more than enough room to work. Huxley was visible from the group towards the front, but she didn't move to stand out. It probably went without saying, that she wouldn't be able to translate anymore.
"Integer vitae sceleri- I... I can't do this. Forgive me Morrison, I don't suppose you could do this instead? I know it needs to be done, and it's been planned since the beginning, but now that I have to... I don't want to." he said, as he pushed off of the wall, shuffling a deck of cards in one hand. Despite his actions though, he did seem to be genuinely reluctant just from the hesitation in his behavior alone. Morrison would be able to see that his breathing was sharp, and he was shaking. He tried to laugh it off as usual, but even then it was a nervous laugh, and he was obviously anxious.
Sam meanwhile had suffered a coughing fit from the blow, and it might have been clear to see what hit her, as a shattered roll of poker chips lay strewn about the floor and some even rolling off. She struggled to reach her hands and knees, but staggered a bit in fear, when she saw she had ended up dangerously close to the broken window. Brivard meanwhile noted this, and was obviously worried about the situation, but he felt like he could be of the most help by just simply grabbing ahold of Jack and breaking him before he did anything else. He hoped Morrison noticed this, because he waited to make a move in the hopes that he could time an attack from behind with whatever Morrison might have planned. He didn't know who or what the cat was, but he saw the way Sam interacted with it and made a gut decision to trust the cat just as she did.
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Post by CJ on Apr 26, 2015 11:00:25 GMT -5
Joe was shocked to see of all things appear what looked to be a metal cat. In a strange moment, his eyes locked onto the creature. All he could think of was that the animal was just like him. He wasn't a mirror, sure, but he was different. Something told him that the metal texture wasn't the result of a devil fruit. He wondered what it was, but was then interrupted when Sam was struck by an unknown force.
What remained of his left eye widened in shock to see Jack of all people standing over Sam. This was the man that Solaine and the others said was responsible for all of this. This was the man who nearly killed her twice. Thoughts ran wild through his head. If he stayed behind, he could possibly stop these people for enough time to get Solaine and the others out. It would be painful, but he knew he would eventually see Solaine again once Nathan recovered and the others could live out their lives in peace.
Instead, Brivard took matters into his own hands and threw Terrel straight for him.
Joe let out a desperate cry for Brivard to stop, but it sounded more like glass shattering in a hollow tube. Despite Brivard's best efforts, simply throwing Terrel into him wasn't enough to change him back and the chaos of the situation only made him panic and despair. He clambered to his feet at the front of the elevator and looked just in time to see the doors close.
Sam and Brivard were gone from their sight. They had saved Solaine, but they lost two people in the process. As his mind began to disconnect, he only thing he knew to do was to assume the identity of the last person he saw. And the last person he saw was Jack.
Now fully the mirror construct again, the being known as Joe stood still, almost at attention and peered forward. It looked like a statue impersonating Jack, but a rather disgraceful one, given the tattered remains of the suit that clung onto its form.
It was conscious, but it had difficulties understanding how to interpret the flood of emotions that carried over from its previous form. Its thoughts melted down into the most basic commands.
Become the danger. Eliminate the danger. Save the host.
But as it stepped forward to try and pry open the elevator doors, the construct instead lurched into them. It slid down the side of the doors, making an ugly metal scraping sound. The others would notice more that it was starting to fade away, with bits of its skin looking as though it was burning away like embers, though it would be cool if touched. It seemed it couldn't function or hold itself together on its own anymore.
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