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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 24, 2013 3:00:54 GMT -5
When the fight broke out, Kaede felt stronger than ever that she wanted to sink into her chair and fade into nothingness. She had believed that with Connor back the way he was, all problems would be resolved, everyone would be happy and everything would turn out alright. She felt stupid though, for believing that would ever happen. There were always problems and now ones of a different nature, it seemed that no one was really happy anymore, and there were no signs that things would turn out for the better. To try and take her mind out of the situation, she ever-so-slightly tapped her fork on the empty plate before her. It produced a soft harmonic ring, and as lightly as she was doing it, it was unlikely that anyone else would hear let alone be distracted by it.
Solaine meanwhile, moved to her feet, not wanting to just observe the conflict from her seat as though she were some child who didn't understand what was going on. Perhaps chief of all, she felt bad for Joe, and in a way regretted not standing up for him. There wasn't much she could do now, especially about that matter she wanted to speak to Beth about concerning Joe. Instead, she heard the exchange between Camellia and Shroud Demon, getting the sense that he was looking to her for support.
"Right."
She rested her hand on his shoulder, hoping to lay to rest his worries.
"Everyone says things they don't mean sometimes, and the... juice, doesn't help."
At this part she spoke aloud rather than specifically to the hero of justice, in an attempt to quieten some of the bad vibes still lingering in the room after the argument (if it could be called that).
"He's right you know, Miss Camellia. The restaurant here may be off limits, but you've got so much more, and so much yet to see. This is an amazing ocean, and you've only seen a small part of it, just wait for what's still to come. Even here in this town, you can see a lot of what the Grand Line has to offer... and if you need a place to stay, I'd be more than happy to support you-"
Mid-speech she was cut off, distracted by a sudden crack. At the other end of the table, for whatever reason Kaede had suddenly struck her plate hard enough to put a chip in it, and break a piece off. By her body language, it was clear to see that she had not intended for this to happen and that it was entirely an accident, but something had caused her to react so strongly that she inadvertently struck the plate in a bad way. Solaine's eye twitched at the mistake, but otherwise continued just as she had left off.
"You wanted to find your parents, and you think they're somewhere in this sea? Well I don't mean to overstep myself, but I'd be glad to assist in whatever way I can. It seems only right, to help someone who's only just arrived after searching for so long. Now, I might be going somewhere soon, but I'm sure we establish something to the benefit of everyone, no doubt!"
In this, while she was directly referring to Cammelia, she was more or less extending her hospitality to anyone there who would take it. After all, for them to get back after such a journey and expect a warm welcome and a place to stay, but to not receive it... well, would have felt bad, not to help them.
"Don't worry, it's no skin off my nose. You said you don't take up much space, well neither does Kaede now, so I'm sure we can work something out!"
How dearly she wanted to leave. She wanted nothing to do with them till now, but maybe those robotic limbs wouldn't be so bad if they could help her run far, far away from this place at this moment.
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Post by CJ on Aug 25, 2013 23:15:59 GMT -5
Piping into the conversation, Joe seemed to be just as excited as Shroud Demon, minus the excess alcohol, of course.
"From what I've read, the Grand Line is an awesome place! I'm sure you've already seen a lot but I know Solaine can take you to places she's been before. Man, the adventures you guys will have."
His eyes seemed to gaze far off and away from the fight he had just had with Beth. It appeared he was trying to focus on other things for the time being. Solaine's words helped but it was only a matter of time before the thoughts rushed back to him.
The twin looked glumly at Camellia.
"Sorry about Beth's attitude, but she's right. We don't have any space here. There's only two bedrooms here, one for us and the other for Nudge. Nudge is a super private guy and I'd hate to see you try and contend with Nathan's mess."
"Hey!" Nathan griped, elbowing Joe as he laughed.
"But still, I'm sure there are some apartments open where Beth was talking about. Then again, I wouldn't miss on a chance to sail with Solaine! That sounds so cool, especially since you'll be looking for your parents."
Meanwhile, Connor snuck into the room, closing the door tightly behind him. He smiled meekly and waved. His blond hair was frazzled into cowlicks. His clothes were disheveled.
"Hey, everyone! How are we looking? Anyone want desert? Cake or ice cream perhaps? Oh, Kaede!"
Nearly gliding across the room, he immediately picked up the fractured plate.
"I'll take care of this for you. Don't worry yourself. These plates are pretty fragile."
Glancing left and right, he inspected the table for any missing shards. In a hushed voice, though not too soft for any pryers not to hear, he spoke directly to her.
"I've been meaning to speak with you. Would sometime today be alright?"
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 26, 2013 4:54:52 GMT -5
The tea that used to be in the form of Camellia stayed cold and still at first, staying that way as Shroud Demon tried to reassure her. In her mood, she caught more of the sadness in his voice than the words themselves. While there was a part of her that wanted to appreciate his kindness, she didn't know how much truth to hear in them, and in any case, was too inconsolable to be cheered with just that. She only stirred when Shroud Demon mentioned princesses and bodyguards, and how he would stay with her.
"...bodyguards?" a small voice said, coming from the cold, grey tea.
Finnegan, while having acted rather distant the whole time, only now looked to be directly involved with the conflict at hand. When Shroud Demon stared at the cup, and then began speaking to it, the butler gave him a gentle, sympathetic look, a look that anyone who had been around him for any amount of time would recognize as being rare for him.
"Thank you, sir," he said to Shroud Demon. "For all your kindness."
But as Solaine began with a speech of her own, Camellia began to stir a little more, clearly listening and deeply interested. Her first choice had always been to stick with her original intention of staying with the group she had met near Colyne, but what Solaine had to offer seemed to be just as good, if not better than what she thought she had before, as, unlike with Connor, Beth, and the others, she was actually given an invitation to go, rather than just tagging along out of happenstance. Coupled with Shroud Demon's enthusiastically reassuring attitude, her spirits were lifted once again, and encouraged further by the promise of more adventures. She was beginning to feel the same way as when she first began traveling with a group.
When Solaine finished speaking, Camellia finally showed her face again, her head rising up from the cup of tea. Her face was red and puffy, her eyes were watery, and it took her a while for her to work herself up to the point where she could speak coherently.
"You mean it? Do you really really mean it?"
When Joe began speaking again, reaffirming the still rather blunt rejection Beth had given her earlier, Camellia sank back down again, only this time it was not out of sadness or frustration, but mostly because she was embarrassed by how she knew she looked to everyone else, and wished she had time to collect herself better. While she was disappointed by it seeming like Beth and Connor didn't want them, she now also understood that there was nothing that could have been done. Buying an apartment was brought up as an option, but, because of her and Finnegan's lack of income, she knew that purchasing one would be impossible. Joe was correct about one thing, and that was the possibility of sailing with Solaine being a far more appealing alternative anyways. Never could she let a chance to explore the world's greatest ocean, and perhaps find her parents in the process, go. It was all she had wanted for the past five years, with the potential for something even better. She took her upper body out of the tea again, her face still wet, red, and puffy, but now with a fierce and determined look.
"I wanna see everything," she declared. "If we're going to go traveling around, I don't wanna miss a single cool place, okay?"
At this, Finnegan leaned forward, his elbows rested on the table. He looked up at Solaine, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Miss... Solaine, was it?" he said. "You do realize, if you take the Little Miss along, we'll have no means of repaying you, right?"
Camellia's attention was briefly put on hold, meanwhile, by the appearance of Connor and the possibility of dessert. While the importance of what she was discussing still weighed strongly on her mind, she was still a thirteen year old girl.
"Cake, please!" she exclaimed. "Madeira cake, if you have any!"
"No cake or ice cream for me, thank you. But if you have some biscuits, that would be lovely, if it wouldn't trouble you too much."
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Post by Kuro on Sept 12, 2013 15:24:42 GMT -5
Shroud Demon looked up to Solaine when she put her hand on his shoulder, and when he heard the word "Right", something stirred within him. He watched as she continued to speak, reassuring Camelia and saying all the right things. He heard a crack somewhere in the background but paid little attention to it. Instead his attention was focused completely on Solaine. She was being generous, kind, and was willing to let them all stay! There was something about her...something, Shroud Demon couldn't quite put his finger on.
And according to one of the twins, there would be more adventures and they would be sailing everywhere and embarking on epic quests of justice, although that last part might have just been in his head. And then Camellia was feeling all better! Everything was getting great again! And then on top of all of that, ice cream!
"Ice cream! Ice cream! Can I have ice cream, please? Vanilla? Pretty please?"
There was a sad time, but now it was all happy again! Smiles and ice cream and adventures and justice! And now he would have a home. He would have a home.
He had a home.
He turned the thought over in his mind, unsure what to think. He had a home? He knew that he was supposed to feel happy, but...hm. Maybe it was just that after wanting one for so long, he didn't know what to think now that he had it. He didn't know. He would think about it later.
He turned his attention back to Solaine again, looking as she interacted with the others. There was something about her. He didn't know exactly what it was. But it was something...special. Something awesome. Something awesome about her. Maybe because of her generosity? Beth was also generous, but if it wasn't for Solaine, everyone would be all sad. She made everyone happy again and promised a home. All he could say was one word as he stared at her from behind his bucket, confused and distracted by this thoughts.
"...Cool..."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Sept 15, 2013 0:37:14 GMT -5
"I've been meaning to speak with you. Would sometime today be alright?"
"Oh I... whenever, is alright. Whatever you or Beth need, just let me know."
It wasn't that she lightened up when Connor approached her personally, though she did thank him for helping her with her plate. Instead, it was more that she was just less on edge with him nearby. His presence helped to calm things down in the situation, where most everyone else emanated some manner of contention.
If he wanted to talk about something, she'd help out however she could. Maybe something about chemicals? She was good with that stuff.
---
"You mean it? Do you really really mean it?"
"I mean everything I say."
Solaine was confident that she would be able to help Camellia out, where no one else had before. She couldn't say if they would find her parents overnight or anything, but a place to stay and help to find them? Nothing could be more simple.
"Miss... Solaine, was it? You do realize, if you take the Little Miss along, we'll have no means of repaying you, right?"
"That's not a problem, don't worry about paying me. Why is everyone always worried about paying me?"
Laughing a bit at the last part, Solaine sought to dissuade any misgivings or concerns they might have. It really was no skin off her nose, as something as simple as providing them with a place to live. She had plenty of dependents already, two more wouldn't knock the whole scale out of balance. She could never understand though, why everyone was always so worried about imposing upon her, and she always wanted to explain the truth even if she never got the chance.
"Dessert? I think I'll pass, maybe some starving children might appreciate it more."
At some point she noticed Shroud Demon apparently looking her way, and responded with a soft smile with her eyes shut and her head tilted to the side, like the way they do it in anime and stuff.
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Post by CJ on Sept 15, 2013 22:45:27 GMT -5
"Great," Connor said, "we'll meet after dessert then."
The smile on his face seemed out of place. Of course, for most of the time they'd been together, Connor didn't have a face to make any sort of expression, so anything might seem out of place to Kaede. But for those who knew him, he looked very nervous about something.
The chef laughed off Solaine's response, apparently thinking it no more to be a joke. But with a sudden shocked look, he bit his lip in despair over Camellia's choice.
"Madeira cake? You mean, like sponge cake that you have with tea? Oh dear. I have biscuits on hand but I didn't make any sponge cake. I wonder if I even have the ingredients to craft it..."
But his fear about disappointing Camellia soon turned into a strange confidence.
"No."
There was an electric spark in his eyes.
"Camellia! I will make you a sponge cake!"
"Mr. Anderson! You're on fire!"
Connor's hands and feet had lit up in flames as he pumped his fist into the air in his new found challenge. Joe pointed it out before the chef realized it himself. He shook his hands and feet rapidly, apologizing incessantly as he ran out of the room.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Be back soon!"
Nathan laughed as Joe merely smirked and leaned back in his chair. The younger twins eyes glanced over the others solemnly. He kept his eyes stuck on Solaine for a bit more than others.
"I have to admit," Joe sighed, "I'm rather jealous of you guys. I wish I could go too, but I'm locked here. Nathan and I have to work off our debt a little longer before we can think about going anywhere.
"Still, I'm excited to see where your adventures take you! Man, just think about it. Tropical paradises, towering cities, post war battlegrounds, just like I've read in my books."
The twin was beaming in happiness just thinking about it. Nathan was about to say something when Connor busted into the room again.
"What? How'd you make dessert so fast?" Joe asked before Connor starting naming off people's orders.
"Solaine passed on dessert this time. So first, we've got vanilla ice cream for Shroud Demon. Vanilla's a little dull so I added chocolate syrup, some strawberries, caramel and sprinkles. I don't know, you seem like a sprinkle guy to me."
Sliding the ice cream in front of Shroud Demon, the chef continued, taking two plates off of his platter, one at a time.
"The twins get Loguetown Silk pie, with dark chocolate for Nathan and white chocolate for Joe as usual."
"Yeah!" Nathan exclaimed at the chance to eat even more food.
"Here's some sponge cake for Camellia made of yellow cake, topped with sugar powder and cherries."
The cute array was suitable for a princess, though maybe not a sea pony one. Despite being made in what appeared to be a minute or so, it would taste fantastic.
"For Finnegan, assorted biscuits and blueberries."
This arrangement was a little more sophisticated than Camellia's adorable mini cake.
"And for Kaede, a lollipop replica of Gum Gums the Gator Goat-Man. This kind of food isn't to be eaten; it's meant for display. It's composed of sugar shards, which will cut your tongue if you lick it. I hope you don't mind. I didn't want to... well, I thought you should get something too."
The lollipop was placed on a cheap plastic stand. It was radiant, each shard reflecting light off of it. The gator itself looked rather silly, with big bulging eyes, ram horns, a top hat and cane. It was a character from a popular brand of Water 7, recreated by Connor for Kaede. It was small, but the quality was outstanding.
Connor placed his hand to his mouth in complete uncertainty. Was giving Kaede something like this the right thing to do?
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Post by Kyubey on Sept 18, 2013 1:21:59 GMT -5
Camellia's face shone brightly when Connor declared he would make sponge cake for her. Just the idea of it made her delightfully happy. However, she was already happy to begin with. How could she not be, when soon she would be given a brand new adventure with a new friend who wouldn't abandon her? As Solaine affirmed the new arrangement, the tea girl did not doubt what was being said in the slightest.
Finnegan, meanwhile was not smiling. He was not frowning either, nor was he giving any indication that he felt anything at all about what was going on, but he did not at all share in the Little Miss' delight. After being served his dessert, he looked intently at Solaine, his expression and mannerisms serious, but calm, and firmly businesslike.
"While you are being most kind," said Finnegan, "we cannot so readily accept this offer. It would not be right of us to take such advantage of your generosity. You would be getting nothing in return for doing such a service to us. I'm sure the Miss will come to understand when she's older, that the upright thing to do would be to graciously decline. I do thank you, though, for being so willing to assist us."
"Mmmrphrumprrmparrrrrmmmph. Mmmmm!" Camellia exclaimed, her cheeks stuffed with her delicious cake, her arms waving about excitedly while she talked. Who this statement was directed at, Solaine, Finnegan, Connor, or whoever, was lost, forever as was the true meaning of what she meant to say in that moment. But she did seem happy. Getting to have sponge cake at long last, having to go without due to her and the humble butler's inability to pay for it, was a pure joy for her, and was possibly enough to get her to forgive the Andersons for rejecting her before.
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Post by Kuro on Oct 11, 2013 17:15:42 GMT -5
At Solaine's head-tilt and smile, Shroud Demon felt his heart pounding. W-what was that? That tilt, that smile, what did it do to him? Was it magic? Was she a magician? A witch? No, she couldn't have been a witch...Maybe it was a devil fruit? Yeah! That was probably it. She had a power over his heart or something. Yup, that made sense. Must of been a really weird devil fruit. Even with that explanation though, he was still blushing behind his bucket with a goofy smile.
And then a sprinkly ice-cream paradise popped up in front of him. What was this day?! Was this the best day of his life?! Was there just happiness raining from the sky?! Almost every single aspect of this day was perfect!
"AH! Yes yes yes, the most amazing-looking ice-cream ever! Chocolate and strawberries and karmel and sprinkles and everything! Oh, thank thank you so much!" He didn't even reach for the spoon as he sunk his hands into the ice-cream and stuffed it under his bucket and into his mouth, devouring the treat almost as quickly as it had come. Before he finished the poor thing off, he looked in Solaine's direction and raised his container of food towards her. "Are you sure that you don't want any dessert? You can have the rest of my ice-cream if you want!"
Everyone was happy, everyone had a home, and everything was working out great.
Best. Day. Ever.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Oct 16, 2013 2:43:57 GMT -5
It was splendorous, she'd never seen anything like it. Based on her skillset she could destroy things quite easily, but building things, not so much. Even up until recently, she only tried to understand and get into robotics at Solaine's request, in order to help with Connor's problem. It wasn't like she had created all that much with the new knowledge though, and before that why, she was really only good at mixing chemicals and other things together. Connor though, he made this creation entirely out of sugar she assumed. She couldn't even begin to understand how, and at least a small part of her wished she had her prosthetic eye, so that she could better examine it.
"It's... how long will it last for? I want to keep it forever."
It was simply amazing, but she was afraid to touch it, waiting for Connor's approval before picking it up. She wanted to hold it, but she didn't want to risk breaking it, of course.
Meanwhile, Solaine was presented with the opposition to her offer by Finn. She was relatively nonplussed however, and simply responded as plainly as she ever had.
"It's really not a burden, but I understand if that's what you want. Still, if you ever change your mind, the offer will always be there."
"Are you sure that you don't want any dessert? You can have the rest of my ice-cream if you want!"
In response Solaine blinked a few times with an uneasy smile, clearly taken aback. Whether it was Shroud Demon's generosity or his liveliness, she was rather caught off guard, though she was not put off by it and enjoyed the presence of the bucket headed hero.
"If anything, it sounds like I should be offering you some, you must really like it! I appreciate the offer, but I'll let you have that this time. Maybe next time though we can try something together, there's plenty of flavors other than just plain old vanilla you know."
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Post by CJ on Oct 17, 2013 10:55:54 GMT -5
Best day ever indeed.
Laughing meekly, he had expected Camellia and Shroud Demon to enjoy their desserts. He missed Finnegan and Solaine's interaction, too distracted and embarrassed by the others' delight. It might have been a good thing too. If he had heard Solaine's comment about flavors, he might have started on a rant about the many different kinds of ice cream flavors that would have lasted forever.
But he was caught off guard by how happy Kaede was. He didn't believe her reaction at first, but reminded himself that people were grateful for things. People had empathy.
He felt a sinking feeling in his chest as he wondered why he would ever question someone's gratefulness in the first place.
"It'll last for years if it's left alone!" Connor said rather loudly in nervousness. "I'll go wrap it in plastic so it stays nice and I'll give it back to you later."
Bowing out, he cupped the plastic stand in his hands and went back to the kitchen.
---
"I suppose we should be going back to work too," Nathan suggested after stuffing the last slice of pie into his mouth.
"Yeah," Joe sighed. He had barely touched his plate.
"Leave your plates on the table when you're done," the older of the two continued with a grin. "We'll be back to pick them up and clean them later."
"But before we go," the younger continued right off the speech of the first, "we'd like to thank you for helping the Andersons with getting Mr. Anderson's body back. You see, they're rather like..."
"family."
"They're like family to us so it means a lot."
The two bowed in perfect synchronization.
"Thank you."
As they stood back up straight, Joe glanced at Solaine and blushed. He looked quickly away and tried to keep a calm composure.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Oct 17, 2013 23:27:10 GMT -5
"I'll go wrap it in plastic so it stays nice and I'll give it back to you later."
By the time Kaede went to thank him, Connor was already gone. Even so, it was time for everyone to leave, but she at least had a reason to stay. Thus she began the task of getting back to her feet from her chair, or foot, now it was. She still found it to be difficult, but to her unwelcome surprise, Solaine was there to help her in no time at all. With an arm under hers, Kaede was helped to her feet, and given her crutch for support. It was only a few seconds and Solaine was kind and caring in touch as ever, but the short interaction made Kaede entirely unnerved.
"So then, do you need any help getting back to your place? If I'm not mistaken, you can't stay here... why, if you're not using those replacements you got, then you'll have to carry them. That is an awful lot to carry, even with the help of that bothersome little machine you have."
"No, I... Connor, asked if we could talk about something so I'll... be here for awhile longer. I think maybe, it has something to do with my... condition."
Of course she didn't really know what Connor wanted to talk about exactly, but hoped it was enough an excuse to remove any suspicion Solaine may have had. After all, who better than well, anyone to talk about her situation than with Connor? Of course, what was said was true, Kaede probably would need help moving. But, she didn't want Solaine's help at least.
"Well look at you, making friends! Good for you." It seemed she bought it, and smiled lightly. As well she went to pat Kaede on the arm, but it was missing so instead she ended up patting her side instead. Whether this was intentional, or Solaine had simply forgotten was unclear, but she wasn't apologetic about it at least. "I'll have someone over to help you when you're ready to go. It'll be late, wouldn't want you getting lost on the way to your new room or anything."
At that Solaine moved back around the table and towards the entrance to the restaurant.
"Give the Andersons my thanks for everything, and tell them we were only too happy to help. Now that we're back again, I'm sure we'll all be seeing a lot more of one another." Returning a bow to the twins and a wink to Joe in particular, she stood by the doors ready to head back to her place for the evening. Chances were Finn and Camellia might change their minds, and at the very least she had a feeling that Shroud Demon did not have arrangements while in Water 7 if he was planning on staying, which she hoped he was. "Well I guess that's it for us then, I'll be heading out now. Anyone who needs a place to stay, come with me and I'll see what we can set up."
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Post by CJ on Oct 21, 2013 15:21:56 GMT -5
Later that evening, Connor insisted they talk in the waiting area of the restaurant. He wanted Kaede to be able to relax in a comfortable chair. Beth and he used to own the apartment above the restaurant, but not since his wife sold it to Nudge to focus on caring for Meek. Without having to go through the hurdles of explaining who Kaede was (it was clear the man had some problem recognizing names and faces), he choose to sit here instead.
"Kaede," he began. "I know you've done a lot for us. If I would have known you'd have been hurt in Seven Gates... I didn't want to put you in danger... I..."
The chef was at a loss for words. Sure, he could have easily said that he would have never suggested the journey if he would have known Kaede would have been hurt, but there were several times that he did suggest turning back. The others wanted to proceed on the journey. They took the risk. Hell, it could have easily have been Beth instead of Kaede like this now.
Despite his guilt, Connor knew that Kaede had only herself to blame for her injuries. She could have ran like he wanted her to but she was a lot stronger than he though he ever would be.
"What I'm trying to say is," he continued, "I know what it feels like to not be complete and whole. Even in the cyborg body, everything felt numb. It was cold, not as in temperature but in the way everything was. Nothing seemed real.
"But you have dreams and aspirations, Kaede. You have skills and talents that can help the world. If you continue the way you are without your prosthetics, things are going to continue to be incredibly difficult for you."
Shifting in the seat across from her, he looked extremely uncomfortable.
"The fact that you haven't gotten ridden of your prosthetics already makes me think you're not willing to give up. Am I wrong? Oh, I shouldn't be asking this. What am I doing? This isn't my place. I'm sorry. Forget I ever said anything, please."
Holding his face in his hands, his pale green eyes peered out of the gaps in his fingers at the floor.
The Gum Gums lollipop sat with a grand smile next to Kaede, cutely wrapped in plastic with a bright blue bow. Even it didn't seem to bring up the mood of the situation.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Oct 22, 2013 4:19:01 GMT -5
"So this is what you wanted to talk about? Just ambush me like this, are you going to make fun of me too?!"
When the subject of her disabilities were brought up, immediately Kaede took offense, and became rather indignant. An angry look, and by the time Connor mentioned things being harder for her, she had heard enough. He sounded like Solaine now, and she wouldn't hear it. Due in part to her situation though, she had difficulty get up out of the chair however, and by the time she grabbed ahold of her crutch Connor already had his eyes locked on the floor. She was ready to go, but the sight of this caused her to pause if only for a second. She was very cross, but she took a moment to reconsider what Connor was saying. Although she didn't let go of the crutch, she leaned back in her chair and remained quiet for a very long time. When she did finally speak up, it was clear that she had some difficulty talking about the subject.
"You know my Captain, he said... when I was part of the old crew," absentmindedly she gestured to the mark on her neck "the Captain always put himself in harms way for our sakes, even when it was something trivial. I used to... one time I asked him why he did it. He said... he said he didn't do it because it was what was right, he did it because we were his friends."
At least to some degree, the memories of her old crew helped liven her demeanor, and she wasn't angry anymore. Rather, she was wistful and her mind was somewhere else at that moment.
"I... don't really have any dreams or aspirations, at least not any that are realistic. When Solaine told me about your situation though, I didn't think much of it at first but... you gave me something to care about. I wanted to help your family, and I didn't just give you your life back, I gave it back to Beth and your son. To be able to help someone like that, I would have gladly given much more than... than an arm, or a leg, or everything else." At this part she actually grasped her neck with her lone hand, holding the mark as she leaned forward in her chair to peer at the floor, similar to Connor. "Why did I do it? I don't know if Solaine told you, but I didn't get a reward or anything for helping you, I could have turned away at any time... I guess maybe I'm the only one who thought so, but I wanted to believe you were my friends... that's why I did it."
She spoke hurriedly at the last bit, clearly conflicted over what she was saying. It was embarrassing to express her true feelings in this way to him, as she was normally so analytical about things, and didn't want to talk about stuff like that when she was the only one who felt the way she did. After all, why would the Andersons want anything to do with her now? Who would want to be friends with something like her. She closed her eye as she spoke, very carefully the next part.
"When you were a cyborg, you didn't have a choice, did you? If you had a choice though and someone said you could give up who you are and become a machine, would you have done it? After the accident, the doctor said more than eighty percent of my body didn't survive. That's more than an arm and a leg, there's nothing left inside me. You said you felt numb? I feel empty; I can't eat anything, I don't have a heartbeat anymore, I can't even have kids now... I mean, not that I was planning on it anytime soon, but there's very little of me left now." Slowly she sat back up in her chair again, though she didn't let go of her neck. "At least... at least though I can't see it. If nothing else, this is still my skin, even if it is covering up metal or whatever they put under it. I can't look and see what I really am, but neither can anyone else, at least I have that. I have a choice and I'd rather be a cripple than a robot, and if I start using the prosthetics... those robot parts, I may as well just strip away the skin."
For a moment she extended her arm and moved it around, looking from her shoulder to her hand, flexing her fingers to see if she could make out the metal bones inside. To her best efforts though she could not, for which she was content. The problem was, that even if she could hide it and strangers would not know, Connor would always know the truth. Why then, would he want to waste his time with her, some half-form broken machine.
"You could have said, follow me to Colyne, and I'd have gone. You could have said, cut off your arm and your leg and cut out your eye, and I'd have done it. What you're saying now though... I don't think I can do it. I don't want to lose what shreds of humanity I have left. The reason I didn't throw away the prosthetics, because they're valuable and maybe someday someone else might need them, someone better than me. If what you said is true though, and things will be incredibly difficult for me, then I guess I'll just have to learn to live an incredibly hard life."
What she said, seemed to resonate very deeply with her, as if she had been on the fence before but hearing herself actually say it solidified her position. Even so, she looked to Connor with an expression she had not done before; pleading. There wasn't any sarcasm or doubt, simply an honest desire to understand.
"Please Connor, do you really think I can't handle it? If you were in my situation... what would you do?"
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Post by CJ on Oct 23, 2013 16:22:43 GMT -5
"I wouldn't do that," Connor said, before he shut his mouth. If he was to show that he respected Kaede, he would let her speak her mind.
If Connor could cry, he would have. This was exactly the kind of response he was fearing. He saw more of himself in Kaede that he would ever like to admit. He could imagine himself in her place, putting himself in unspeakable situations for friends. But, looking back, he wondered how different things would have been if Arch had given him the choice to stay human.
"No, I wouldn't have asked for the machine body," he said. "You're right. I never wanted to die."
Regaining his emotions, he laced his fingers together and nodded, taking Kaede's feelings into account.
"If you don't want to wear your protestics, you at least have to let us help you. You gave up your way of life to save me, so I'm going to do everything I can to help you. If you're my friend, Kaede, you'll let me do this. I'll respect your decision not to wear your protestics, but you have to let me support you in whatever way I can, like your old Captain and crew did. It's not because I owe you anything, but because you're my dear friend. I think you can live a fulfilling life without your protestics, but you can live a better one with your friends."
Leaning back in his chair, he glared back at the floor.
"Still, it doesn't make any sense, Kaede. I don't understand how you or Beth would even it was OK to make me weak again. Were you thinking coherently when you tried to save my life for me to be put in this body? Or have you forgotten that I'm still in the middle of the Grand Path?"
Now it was time for him to be angry. There was a cold anger about him, that was almost uncharacteristic. It was clear he had been thinking about this for some long time.
"Forget about ascending the ranks, now I have to rely on the impossible hope that someone ranked below me won't try and kill me. Snake might appear again someday and go easy on me..."
He doubted that.
"But the Valentines... Kaede, I shot the kid and I don't even know what I did to the girl. All I remember is her turning into blood with some kind of Devil Fruit or something. She'll come after me and kill me for what I've done and then I'll have to face death all over again. I don't want to feel that again, praying death comes quicker so the pain will go away. It's horrible, Kaede."
The chef looked absolutely terrified. His face was pale white, drained of nearly all color and life.
"How can Solaine smile at me when she knows I'm going straight to my grave? How can I live with myself knowing you sacrificed everything for me to die anyway?"
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Nov 7, 2013 3:15:47 GMT -5
"How can Solaine smile at me when she knows I'm going straight to my grave? How can I live with myself knowing you sacrificed everything for me to die anyway?"
"...because even if you only lived one day as yourself again, then it's a sacrifice well worth it. You're living Connor, really living, with your family again. Tell me it isn't worth it."
Kaede was quite thankful that Connor shifted the attention away from her. All this talk of needing help, or having help from her friends, it was a little disconcerting. Partly because it meant that at least to some extent Connor didn't think she could handle the change, but mostly because she didn't have any friends to rely on. Or rather, she had friends, but not ones she could rely on in the capacity that Connor was suggesting. Him helping her, the Andersons? He had his body back and they were a family again. What was she going to do, live with them? No, they didn't need someone like her around, making things worse for everyone. That wasn't what she risked her life for.
Beyond that, well, she couldn't really say. There wasn't anyone left that she knew well enough to ask to burden themselves with her presence. It would have been an impossible standard anyway though; she wouldn't rely on someone she didn't consider a friend, but if they were a friend, she wouldn't bother them with her situation.
"If you really want to help, the best way you can support me is by living your life better than you ever have, being happier than you ever were, and not having a fear or doubt in the world." As she spoke those words, she had about the most honestly satisfied expression she could have. "That would help me more than any robot limbs ever would, then I'd know I didn't sacrifice everything for nothing. You're not going to die, you act like the Grand Path is some sword hanging over your head. All that has to happen, is for Beth to reach number one, and you'll both be out of the running... and you know better than I do, how strong she is."
At this last part, she scratched at her neck absentmindedly, as she stared off out a window for a moment.
"As for those other people, the ones above you who might want to take your place, or want revenge?" in response, she turned her attention to him once more with a completely serious face as she clenched her only fist. "I'll protect you."
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