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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 19, 2014 12:46:07 GMT -5
What a nice little festival it was and on such a perfect day. The shady little town of Brenvist was situated right by the coast, though suffered none of the traffic due to a much bigger city just a ways up the coast. If anything it was a resort town, with buildings of a similar style, nice cobble roads and verdant tropical trees and plants hanging from the buildings. A few palm trees here and there reached over the buildings and offered respite from the sun where roofing did not.
On this particular day, the town was hosting a festival. A local custom, chefs both professional or no were free to take their trade to the streets and give or sell directly to the people. Some of the bigger name chefs on the island, roughly akin to celebrities, had their own stages. Aside of them though, everyone, down to simple citizenry whom cooked at home had at least stands ready to offer the curious passerby something good to eat.
Of particular note was the disparate style of the foodstuffs, and even though the town itself had a common theme to hold to the resort style, people of many cultures from all over were here so there was a wide range of eateries available. The thickest part of it of course was the main town square which usually functioned as a market, as as was the case today, but only for the purpose of selling food. The place was quite busy amidst the narrow pathways between the rows of stands, and the air was thick with the noise of sellers and the assault of all different kinds of smells. Little streamers hung overhead, and in places it was hard to fit past the throngs of people.
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Post by CJ on May 21, 2014 0:16:38 GMT -5
"Hey, Connor. I'm sorry about before. I know I shouldn't have forced you out of the fight with Pet Shop, but you have to understand it was for your own safety. I hope now that we're both in the third rank of the Grand Path, you might forgive me for what I had to do..."
Beth blinked and looked around, realizing Connor wasn't standing with her.
"Um, Connor?"
"Excuse me, sir," the man in question said, standing some distance away at one of the stalls. "What kind of apple did you use in this cider? It smells like Jaya Yellow, but I can't be certain."
Beth sighed and stomped over to the stall, watching silently as Connor talked wildly with various chefs and vendors. This went on for several minutes with the cook increasingly getting more and more excited with every new ingredient or technique he learned about.
"Connor."
"I would have never thought to use scallions in a Super Sparrow egg omelet. But what about chives?"
"Connor!"
"Oh, Beth!" he exclaimed with a bright smile, leaving the stall for a moment. "I got so excited I forgot what we came here for."
"Look," she said with another frustrated sigh, "we'll have plenty of time to enjoy the festival later. Right now, we've got to find out where this "Devastator" is."
"Devastis," Connor corrected.
"Yeah, that. What kind of name is that anyway? Sounds like another robot..."
The two were huddled close together, trying to avoid the crowds in the narrow path. Unlike most fights before, Connor only wore his metal boots, electing to keep his gloves in a backpack for the time being. This time around, Beth wore a casual dress with a large bow on the collar. It looked rather off putting with tennis sneakers, but she figured she would have to sacrifice style for practicality.
Connor's previous excitement was soon forgotten, it seemed, having been reminded of the trial before them. He shifted his head this way and that, searching the crowd for any suspicious eyes. Seeing this, Beth put her arms around him and pulled him closer.
"Don't freak now," she said with a rare smile. "We're going to get out of this just fine. We have to. For Meek."
"For Meek," Connor repeated, smiling sadly back.
But as confident as she sounded, even Beth was scared. Sure, the two were a great team together, but this was the Grand Path. Any slip up could make their son an orphan and leave him a target for evil powers. The uncertainty of the situation at hand was driving her insane. At any moment, something more powerful than Tomohawk or Pet Shop could appear and they might not be ready for it.
Beth could only hope the people around them wouldn't be involved.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 21, 2014 3:30:31 GMT -5
"Excuse me! Beth!"
"Oh my gosh, it's Connor!"
"This is amazing!"
As the couple made their way through the crowd, two boys and a girl ran up to them all wide-eyed and cheery. Clearly starstruck, the wonderment was clear to see in their faces. Like meeting their heroes in person, they almost couldn't believe it.
"It really is you! Could you sign this?"
"No no, mine first!"
"Please, it would be so great if you could!"
Each of them had letters, holding them out to varying extents hoping the couple would acknowledge them. They were all wishing for good luck, and weren't addressed to either Beth or Connor in particular, but the Anderson family overall including Meek.
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Post by CJ on May 21, 2014 17:01:38 GMT -5
"Oh hey!" Connor said with a bright smile, seeing the children with their letters. "It's great to meet you! Did you make all these? They're so cool!"
He was quick to react to the excitement of the kids, having already been thrilled by the festival around him.
Beth felt sick. It was just like back at the hospital. She couldn't imagine being famous for anything, much less participating in a competition of violence and death. She saw Meek's name on one of the letters and quickly grabbed onto Connor's arm.
"Don't sign them."
"What?" he asked, puzzled.
"Hold on a moment, would you?" she asked the children with a forced smile.
Taking Connor aside, she showed him one letter with Meek's name.
"They know who Meek is," she said, holding the letter with shaking hands. "Why would they know that? This is the same as the letters I got at the hospital. We shouldn't be famous for hurting people, Connor. This isn't right."
Connor paused for a moment and looked back at the children. He took the letters and looked over them quickly. How did this information spread so quickly? How was it carried in the first place? As a civilian, he had never heard of the Grand Path. These children somehow knew not only that they were participating in the competition, but of their child, Beth's win and their recent partnership too. The Andersons didn't read much news due to the stress in their lives. Was there something they were missing?
"It's not right," Beth repeated. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."
Going back to the children, she tried to keep her composure and forced another smile.
"Hey, do you mind if I ask you kids something?" she asked. "How did you learn about us? I mean, what's so great about the Grand Path anyway?"
Connor watched silently nearby, clutching onto the letters nervously.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 21, 2014 17:44:41 GMT -5
"Learn about you? I've known about you since the beginning!"
"If you were in my position, I think you'd probably want to know about something like that as well."
"It's not really great, but meeting people like you is a start!"
The kids seemed glad at first when Beth returned, but she hadn't signed anything and was just talking, so it was like taking candy away from them. They mused amongst themselves, but their answers were given in a fairly straight fashion. The were clearly anxious for some sort of results towards the autographs.
"Come on, sign them! Please!"
"It's for good luck, who doesn't want good luck for a fight?"
"Besides, I'd like to have something to add to my... well it's not really a collection, but it could be!"
The last child rummaged around, and eventually produced a similar letter. Wishing good luck and such, signed by Beth to a one Meredith.
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Post by CJ on May 21, 2014 18:05:04 GMT -5
Beth didn't know very many children, but she was sure children didn't talk like this. Their fascination seemed too fantastic. They'd known since the beginning? Since what beginning? Did they know about their personal lives this whole time?
Taking the letter in hand, she couldn't hide her emotions any longer. Fear and confusion overtook her as questions flooded her thoughts. Standing straight up, she took Connor's arm and began to walk at a fast pace away from the children.
"Beth," Connor said, "what's wrong? What's going on?"
"I don't know," she said, looking for any way out of the crowds. "It's strange, but I don't think those children were real. They had the letter I gave to my nurse back at the hospital."
"What? How?"
"I said I don't know."
Connor followed closely behind Beth in her attempt to weave through the crowds. If Beth was scared, he knew it was something to be concerned about, but he wasn't so sure the children were people to be feared.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 21, 2014 18:56:40 GMT -5
"Hey! You didn't-"
"Beth! Connor! Where are you go-"
"Don't leave, we wanted to-"
The children tried to follow after the couple, but being kids they were easily lost in the crowd. Not simply because they couldn't see through easily, but just being able to follow after was too hard. Eventually their pleas would be drowned out by the regular hustle and bustle.
Walking as they were though caused them to push past several people on the way, and while they acted in various ways ranging from anger to being startled, they quickly set aside any such feelings for amazement.
"Is that Beth Anderson?!"
"Connor! Connor, over here!"
"Please, just a moment, it really is you!"
Eventually they happened to knock over a fellow whom couldn't see well where he was going, carrying crates and such. Rubbing his head from the ground, he seemed annoyed at first but when he saw who it was, his eyes went wide.
"Why don't you watch where you're- oh! Forgive me, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson! If I'd have known... please, sign these, if you would!"
Rather than picking up the crates, he actually took the lid off one and reached inside. Hundreds upon hundreds of letters and cards and all manner of written forms, all expressing hope and cheers and a wish for good luck. All addressed to the couple, and the fellow held numbers of them in his hands, holding them up.
If they stuck around for much longer, the people whom had noticed them already, and more around would start to gather around and share in the amazement of seeing the Andersons in person.
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Post by CJ on May 21, 2014 22:15:07 GMT -5
Every recognition, every call of hers and Connor's names, drove her closer and closer to the breaking point. She felt like a fused dynamite, with each person wittling her down until she'd explode. The letters were poison to her. They threatened not only hers and Connor's privacy, but Meek's safety. Where were these letters coming from? Why did they exist? Why were there so many of them?
"I told you!" she said in panic to Connor amid the crowd. "I told you something was wrong!"
Connor knew what Beth was going through. He had felt it himself in Grand Path fights before. Was this what he looked like in the fight? Confused and broken in the insanity of the participants, he could hear her words mirror the ones he himself said in his memories. His worry for Beth overshadowed his fear of the people surrounding them or their knowledge of their personal life.
Grabbing onto Beth, he pulled her close to him, shielding her eyes from the crowd.
"You're right," he whispered in her ear. "These people are crazy. Devastis is likely using these people to get to us. You can't let them get to you. We have to figure this out together."
For once, Connor was the calm and rational one. Letting Beth go, he waved to the crowd.
"Excuse me!" he shouted with a cheerful smile. "Do any of you have a stage or platform Beth and I can stand on? We want to make an announcement to all of you about a new development in our lives."
Beth's face scrunched up in frustration. Her own eyebrow twitched as she questioned what Connor could have been talking about. She kept quiet and stayed close to him, glaring at those around her.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 22, 2014 11:16:42 GMT -5
"Platform?"
"Stage? A stage!"
"Here, it's good enough!"
The crowd surrounding them gave way a little, to afford the couple an area of clearing. Unfortunately there wasn't a stage to speak of, at no fault of the townspeople. Simply, here in the town square-turned market, no area of particular note as being elevated had been set up nor existed. Still though, the townspeople felt that giving the couple some room was sufficient enough.
"What's this announcement?!"
"Come on, let's hear it!"
"What's the hold up, are you singing anything or aren't you?!"
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Post by CJ on May 27, 2014 0:44:58 GMT -5
Connor sighed in relief when the crowd backed off to give them some space.
"It's not a stage, but it's good enough," he muttered nervously.
"For what?" Beth asked.
"For this."
The chef swooped Beth up in his arms and clicked his heels together. Flames streamed from the bottom of his feet, sending him and Beth skyward. If the crowd stayed where they were, they would be safe from the flames. He didn't have his gloves, so he only had his boots to support them. He grimaced and roughly landed on a hard topped roof, covering a more ritzy stand. From here, they'd likely be able to see a good portion of the people.
"Sorry about that," he said as quiet as he could to Beth as he helped her up from their landing. "Please, look for someone in or near the crowd that doesn't fit while I distract these guys. If you can sense anyone different, they could be Devastis. This crowd could be an illusion, but I don't want to risk hurting them if they're real."
Beth could hardly believe Connor was thinking so clearly. She had never seen any of his fights in the Grand Path, but she knew what they did to his psyche. Maybe his work ethic translated well in combat. But what of Hikaru's and Kaede's claims that he had violently taken out Achtung Baby just a short time ago? She was starting to think more and more that some of what she was hearing about the Grand Path fights were based solely on misinformation.
"Since you're all so interested in us, you should know that we have plans to expand our family!" Connor addressed the crowd in an attempt at distraction. "One son is great and all, but we think he'd be lonely on his own! We think he'd make a great big brother to a little brother or sister!"
It was a lie. Meek's arrival was initially welcomed, but around that time, Connor befriended a Warlord who would change the course of his life forever. That was bad enough, but with Meek's unfortunate connection to another Warlord, having another child was out of the question. Beth could see what he was doing though. Making that sort of announcement would hopefully win the crowd over and guarantee their safety.
She could only hope that everything Connor said was a lie. Whether or not they were having more children wasn't an issue in his cyborg body, but now things were different. Despite the possibility, it was agreed they wouldn't pursue it, having to worry enough about Meek's safety as it was. Connor never voiced any want or wish of his own when the topic came up. He merely went along with what Beth suggested, understanding it was for the best.
She looked up for a moment, taking in her husband's face. Connor was smiling, but she knew he wasn't happy.
Wincing, she tried to focus back on the situation. She looked down at the crowd as best as she could, scanning them for any person that stood out. She could sense if they were inhuman or had a strong connection to Haki, but if this power was the product of a Devil Fruit, she'd be out of luck. With a crowd that size and her current stress level, even if they were someone she could sense, she might not ever find them.
"What do you think?" Connor asked the crowd, grinning painfully.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 28, 2014 2:38:08 GMT -5
There was much shouting and noise making when the couple rocketed into the air, and only when Connor spoke up did the quieten down. There was a short pause after he asked them all, before one by one they started to speak up.
"That's nice, but... why should we care?"
"Boring! Get on with it!"
"Are you going to sign these or not?!"
The crowd started well, crowding around the roofed stand, at first cheering but now shouting as a current of annoyance began to pervade the mass of people. The shook their cards and envelopes in the air expecting gratification, and that probably made them easier to read. Perhaps to someone's worry however, there would be no trouble at all reading any of them and they were all just normal people with normal energies. Certainly they seemed a bit more like-minded and obsessed than your common person, but were they really so much different from your typical crowd mentality? Either way, there didn't seem to be anything untoward about them, other than that more kept gathering by the moment.
All the while, the owner of the stand noticed all the crowding and had been delighted, but when he saw the cause, he attempted to clamor up and throw a ladle at the couple.
"Hey! Get off my roof!"
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Post by CJ on May 28, 2014 23:34:47 GMT -5
Connor face-faulted when his plan failed. He bit his lip in embarrassment and looked nervously toward Beth.
"Aren't people supposed to go crazy for babies?" he asked, waving his hands about. "Every magazine I saw back at Water 7 was going crazy for Royal and Celebrity babies! They're not acting like celebrity crazed fans at all!"
"I don't know what to tell you, Connor!" Beth shouted back in frustration. "Maybe these people aren't fans at all! I can't figure it out either! Their energies seem normal! I can't pick up any odd source!"
Helping Beth up from her kneeling position, the chef grimaced and pointed to the crowd.
"Then what are we supposed to do? Fight them? Are they all Devastis?"
"There are children in there," Beth warned and shook her head. "If we do anything to that crowd, they could be hurt."
Connor's face fell again and looked to the crowd in despair. In that moment, Beth remembered that he had fought a child before in the games. It was in that fight that he lost himself. She promised she wouldn't let it happen again.
The chef turned to hear the merchant snap at them. He actually caught the ladle and took a second to admire it. It was the first thing shown to them in the fight that hadn't been a letter. He had an idea.
"You!" he said, pointing the ladle directly at the merchant. "Are you looking for our autographs? Answer! Quickly!"
Meanwhile, Beth wanted to suck the energy clean out of some of the crowd, but she knew she could only take on so much of their power. She couldn't put them all to sleep and the ones that she did could be crushed in a frenzy. The whole situation was frustrating. She wished she could just punch someone.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 29, 2014 11:10:48 GMT -5
"No! Get off my roof first!"
The vendor clamored back down for a minute, then reemerged with more than just a ladle. To start with he hurled a cheese grater at the couple, assumedly in preparation for the steaming hot pot of contents unknown.
All the while, the continued inactivity of the couple seemed to be trying the patience of the crowd more and more. After the cheese grater had been thrown, people amidst the mass of supposed fans started to chuck litter. Only a few at first, but more than one, and slowly increasing. Someone like Beth would probably be able to see the collection of energy, and the angry vibe that was beginning to well up.
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Post by CJ on Jun 1, 2014 3:12:40 GMT -5
"Then you're not one of them? Wait, what!"
Connor barely dodged the cheese grater and his face fell, seeing the perfectly good tool go to waste. The two watched as the people began to gather litter and throw it. It was incredibly confusing. Why was the crowd suddenly shifting gears from adoring fan base to angry mob?
The chef barely caught a can of soda hit Beth's face in his peripheral vision. His hands suddenly went alight. Flames danced up his arms, drenching the sleeves of his dress shirt in fire.
"Next person who throws trash at my wife gets it!" he shouted as flames leaked from the sides of his mouth. It was a Connor who hadn't been seen much in the Grand Path fights before. His blind dedication to Beth was never an issue before. Now with the two of them together, this flaw was starting to reveal itself.
"Connor, wait!" Beth warned, stepping forward, but not getting too close to him. "I'm OK! It's not that big of a deal."
"They can't do this!" he nearly growled back. "I won't let them!"
"Do what? Connor, I'm starting to sense something. It's like the crowd's synchronized. Their energy is swelling together!"
"Stop using these people as bait and show yourself, Devastis!" the chef turned and continued shouting in his rage. "Or are you too scared to show yourself?"
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jun 1, 2014 22:12:01 GMT -5
"Go on then, give it to us!" came a random shout from the crowd when Connor sounded angry. All the while they continued to throw more and more litter, increasingly displeased and perhaps even angry that the couple just seemed to be stalling now and wasting everyone's time.
"Bait? Show myself? But I'm right here."
The speaker was a one in the crowd, which quieted down just a little and gave him some room. An average looking young man in work clothes and an easy smile.
At about that time the booth owner was fed up more than anyone, and actually climbed up onto the roof and straight-up went to stab either Beth or Connor with a kitchen knife, whichever of the pair was closer. He didn't announce himself or say anything about it though, and intended just to act.
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