The Rogues: Grand World Express [PG13, NDE]

[Kento Waffles]

The small Hollow sat next to Garret patiently, obediently. And now a new voice spoke in his head. Why do you even wear that stupid man suit? You're not a man. You're a hunter. And your journey is forever. It was different from the one that had spoken before. It was somehow softer... colder. But it was less threatening, too. In its own way, it might even be soothing. In its own way, it sounded just like how Garret himself felt. All alone. The Hollow next to Garret started to whine. Why was it attracted to him? Then again, why had the other Hollows earlier stopped attacking him and surrounded him too? What had happened? This might just be the same phenomenon.

Why do you just lay there, Garret...? the voice asked. And he might notice that there was some sort of haze on his vision. Only, it wasn't a haze. It was... some superior clarity. As if there was only one pathway in the whole world and he was on it. And he knew the entire thing and how it ended too. As if he was the center of nature itself. The Hollow next to him perked its head up, curious, as if it sensed something legitimate. Was it possible that Garret wasn't going crazy, but that there actually was something happening to him inside? And yet the voice carried on, beseeching him. Garret... stand. Drag your sword if you must... But complete your mission. It's all that's left for you now...

And it was something he would begin to intuitively know. That voice of loneliness was more than a voice of loneliness. It was loneliness. And the voice before it had been rage. Yet these were emotions, so how could they have voices? And there was still the matter of these peculiar Hollows showing up around him. Because maybe... just maybe... His curse could evolve even further? Or it was something else entirely. Whatever happened, whether Garret stood or not, eventually the same cars that had driven up to Kimiko would drive past him. Unlike with Kimiko, however, they didn't stop for him except for one, which opened its door. "Need a ride?" someone asked him.

And meanwhile, Kimiko would arrive at docks that were full of life. People arriving and leaving this small town were quite large in number. It appeared many people came here to meet with loved ones or as just the first destination on a trip to elsewhere. Every single person in the town, and at the docks, Kimiko would find, was spiritually aware. So then how might she find the man that would offer her the passage she needed? To whatever that place was that she needed to get to. As she walked around, somewhere on the dock was a burglar harassing an old man for money. She could stop it or keep walking. She had to eventually find her way onto a boat, though.

[Garret]

He couldn't help but wonder if just maybe he was going insane. Yet another voice echoing within his head. Unlike the last one, Garret did not feel direct malice behind the speaking voice. Though it was softer, Garret felt a chill behind it. His one eye rested on the Hollow that simply sat there like an obedient dog, waiting for some kind of stimuli from its master. The Rogue remained quiet, the voice the only thing in his head. He felt the corners of his lips tugging downwards into a frown. The hell was he doing? He thought back to what both the entity had told him, and what Kimiko hinted at, and realized just how stupid he was being. Perhaps just this once, death was not a certainty. Garret still had a task to do.

And instead of doing it, he was here grieving. He was an idiot. Clicking his tongue in annoyance he found himself on his feet. Garret knew he had to keep going. He had no choice but to keep going. This one goal was what he had to hold onto. But he knew he couldn't do it alone. He knew he couldn't do any of this alone anymore. He needed to find Kimiko. He needed to make things right with her. The sword in his hand was lifted easily, like the weight he felt before was gone.

But before he could get going, the sudden approach of a land vehicle caught his attention. Multiple land vehicles in fact. Despite him being in the woods they were able to navigate through the trees rather easily, and one came to stop right before him. Its door opened and the individual inside asked Garret if he would like a ride. The swordsman frowned, shaking his head in response and beginning to walk, strapping the sword to his back. He needed to find Kimiko, and finish this task.

[Kento Waffles]

As Garret walked, a storm was brewing once more. Of course the weather wasn't going to be consistent. They weren't in California, after all. As he walked and as Kimiko too traveled, the clouds were gray and furious, thunder booming as a heavy rain began to fall, soaking them to the bone and yet also washing away a great deal of the grime and the blood. Soon Garret would be the cleanest he had been in years, and Kimiko's clothing, though soaked, would begin to steam and dry due to the natural energy levels of her own body. Though her power might be ice, the fact that her reiatsu was so potent did not change. And, soon, within hours, both would arrive at the same town through different entrances.

But, they would both see similar things. Buildings that were short, merely local businesses. Poorly kept roads. A great deal of people moving about, interacting. There were a lot of poor here, and a lot of little marketplaces. It was the typical low income bracket type of place, except dominated, apparently, by spirituals. There had to be dozens, even close to a hundred spirituals in this small town with a population of six thousand. Where everyone knew one another. Where everyone went to the same school, ate at the same places, and mostly everyone stayed after graduating. It was here, in this town which was so closed off yet had a dock for ships to elsewhere, that Garret and Kimiko would find each other again.

Eventually, they would be within visual range of one another in the middle of the town, amid fish markets and convenience stores. The people walking in this area were all very grisly looking, typically seeming to be quite uncaring of most of their physical appearance, with the exception of course of young adults, who were always trying to look hip. It was a stark contrast to the men from earlier that had been wearing suits and driving around the forest. But, those men couldn't have come from anywhere except this town. Soon, Garret and Kimiko, once within range of one another, would also be near a bar, just in the event one wanted a drink.

But what was more important than any of that? The other spirituals seemed to notice them too. Of course, newcomers weren't uncommon here, nor were spiritual newcomers, so Garret and Kimiko didn't receive too much attention. In spite of that, they were clearly noticed. People took note of them, but then kept going on their way. Would two socially isolated pariahs be able to manage anything here in this town? That remained to be seen. For now, the voices in Garret's head had stopped too, but their presence seemed to still exist, to linger. Perhaps he really was going insane. Or perhaps there had never been a thing called sanity to begin with in this life of endless nightly slaughter.

[Kimiko Aimi]

The utter silence of the world, the silence she knew quite well in fact. Garret's words rung clearly in her ears. The anger and despair behind it. The face of the little girl that she killed. Despite the rain, despite her Flood's ability over the cold, Kimiko never felt more cold in her life. How long had it been since she took the life of an innocent? When was the last time that someone was caught in the midst of her power? She couldn't recall it. The city that fell months ago by that dreadful aura, Kashmir, there was nothing she could have done to stop it. The faces of so many people that died that day, and the truth of the man who was Head of the Kuichiki Family, Sozen Kuichiki. That darkness that he harbors inside him, a danger to all he associated with. In some ways, she was the same.

Her existence itself posed a danger to the people she got close to. Never could she hold someone. Never could she feel the warmth that they do. Never will she be able to remain in one place without turning it into a frozen graveyard. Even without the possession of an Osen she remained isolated from the world. And should her guard be lowered for the slightest moment, everything around her will cease to exist. Just as her strength grows, so does the likelyhood that people will die. This was her curse, something that she couldn't even fight. The previous night brought those thoughts back to the surface. And despite her best efforts she couldn't hold back the tears. The child was very much like the boy under her care. That realization made the girl's death all the more harder.

For the thousand years that she has wandered she has only known the silence and the hope that she could do good for the world. To help people, to save them. That was what she attempted during her time wandering. But, the more she intervened the more worse she made of the situation. That was what she thought of when looking up at the clouded skies over her. Perhaps, it was time. Her time to go to sleep, and dream the endless dream. She endured enough, didn't she? It was just as she felt, the heavy mist moving about closer to the town. She made it, just as the group of men said where it would be. A course for the Failure to take to lead her to the goal.

Among the people the Failure came into, but, what was she found surprising was the lack of attention that the town had for her. It didn't take long to add what the man said to her and to the environment itself to see the reason. The town itself was a habitat for spiritual beings like herself. But, unlike the cit of Failures the town was what could be described as miserable. Old and fuzzy, the people of the town could be described the same. All of them were as if....... Her gleaming eyes saw him. The battered man whose scars were unmistakably mirrors of this world's past conflicts. A man who was similar to her. All she could was smile. Smile at the fact that he didn't let his darkness end him that time. For him to be able to push forward with some glimmer of hope. Regardless of his presence, it didn't change what happened. She had to push the pain below. The Failure had to force the crimes she has committed as far as humanly possible.

And yet, no words came to greet him. She couldn't muster the words. No, that wasn't the issue. Did she have the right to say anything at all? What could be said after what happened? Nothing. There was nothing she could say. Nothing than, "I'm glad........... I'm glad that you made it." That was all. The Failure couldn't say anything else but keep to herself. She still had things that she had to finish. A smile before departing to search for answers. Kimiko began at the docks. Her ears and senses opened to the information around her, analyzing what she could pick up mentioning her destination.

Magna'a, the mysterious place that they must find passage to. Should there be even the slightest clue from the dock patrons or its Captains, then Kimiko would investigate. With greetings, the Failure would begin to speak with them, "Greetings, if I may have a word with you. I am seeking a place referred to as Magna'a. Have you heard of such a place, or possibly anyone that may have mentioned it. A few of my companions and I are in need of some assistance if we may ask such of you?" the Failure said with a gentle tone as she spoke with the men.

[Garret]

Rain. It felt good against his skin. His progress came to a halt as he looked upwards, letting the rain fall against his face. He closed his eye, letting out a sigh as the grim and gore began to wash off of him when the heavy downpour came. He spent the next few minutes like that, letting the cool water soothe his skin and clean him off. Satisfied he pulled the hood of his cloak up to cover his head as he resumed his walking, heading in the direction of the docks. His objective was clear, but the path to it was mudded and confusing. He needed to reach the island of Magna'a. But how was he to do that? The wolf spirit that led him here informed him that this was the place he'd find that answer. But an island? An island meant a boat. He'd need to find someone who he could charter a ship from.

But Garret had a few apprehensions about that idea. A boat...me... Now wasn't the time to focus on that. Perhaps there was another way to Magna'a without use of a ship. But more importantly was finding Kimiko. He didn't know what he was going to say when, if, he found her. But he had to at least see her. If he didn't? Could he complete this quest all on his own? He didn't know. In all honesty he believed that he would fail in this if he attempted it alone. He didn't know what he would find waiting for him further down this path. It could either be more Hollows, or some new threat entirely. Garret knew he couldn't do this alone. He'd either be consumed by Hollows or by the parasite inside of him.

Walking into town, Garret was assaulted with sights he hadn't seen in some time. Houses. People. The overwhelming noise of chatter. People going about their days to days. Crowded roads. Garret recognized the deterioration in the roads, the smallness of the houses, the state of the clothes that people wore. This certainly wasn't a town where everyone had profit. It was poor. It reminded him of home. Of the Rukongai District that he lived in. Him and... He pushed the thoughts out of his head as he returned his attention to what was important. Though he couldn't get the smell of fish out of his head. Then again. Being a dock town meant that fish had to have been their main export.

The first place he was going to need to stop was the harbor. Hopefully we would be able to find a boat he could charter to his destination. He was forced to stop as a pair of kids dashed out in front of him, kicking around a white and black ball, before disappearing down another street. His gaze shifted forwards so he didn't walk into anybody and could continue his search, when he saw her. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her. A mixture of emotions welled up inside him when he saw her face. She was smiling. Despite what he said to her she was smiling to him? Garret was stunned. He didn't expect this. He expected to be scorned and pushed away. Kimikos smile stunned him. He blinked, feeling himself calming down as she approached him.

He kept his eye on him, widening it softly when she delivered those words to him. Had she felt what he had been going through? He could still feel the presence of those voices he heard earlier, though they had gone deep within him. As deep as the dark one was. He could feel its anger seeing Kimiko. His lips parted as if to speak, but it seems she wouldn't wait for his words right now. That was fine. Garret would speak with her when they had a moment of peace. She seemed to know the way to go, perhaps because of her energy sensing capabilities. It must have had more uses than he thought. Shame he was as blind as a rock when it came to that. Regardless his gaze followed her before he did, keeping himself at a moderate distance.

His head slowly turned left and right as he looked at the town, feeling the pain of longing nostalgia as he looked it all over. It reminded him too much of home. Kimiko located someone, and began talking to them. Garret was listening, but he turned his attention outwards to the sea. He'd never seen the sea in life. Only in his hellish afterlife was he allowed to behold such a sight. When he was alive he'd have laughed at the idea that the world was mostly made up of water. The idea that the lands were so far apart seemed ludicrous. Or that the world was a ball and not flat. The sound of gulls rang in his ears as he watched the waves gently lap. He saw ships in the distance, going about their business. The world really did have a lot of things he'd never seen. ...I wonder if she'd ever seen the ocean this close...

[Kento Waffles]

The first man that Kimiko approached, as luck would have it, knew what she was talking about. It seemed that the island they were bound for was common knowledge here. But, this man appeared disheveled. She had happened upon him whilst he'd been sitting on the dock near a creaky, run-down, medium-sized ship, drinking something from a flask. He was aging, in his early 60s most likely, at least physically, and had a black beard that was starting to gray, as well as black curly hair with gray sideburns. He was very dark skinned, and his voice when he spoke was raspy and drunk. "Magna'a...?" His horse voice seemed to hiss out, trying to get past a damaged throat from what must have been years of abusing his body.

"Two hundred per passenger, one way..." So he did know where it was, and, better yet, was someone that could travel there. It seemed he had some sort of fee in mind, perhaps a standard fee for getting there. 200 Ryo to get them there one way. If he wanted to bring them back, it would be more expensive. But, it seemed, all was well for the two of them, then! While two hundred Ryo could be a lot in most places, when one was a mere traveler and didn't have to pay for housing or a family, and barely paid for food, a mere 200 Ryo did not ring all too expensive. This was especially true for Failures, sustained without a need to eat anymore. Or, more specifically, some of them with no ability to.

And, just as that price was listed, another stranger stepped out. He was dressed a bit better than most here, if not old fashioned. He had an expensive looking coat, a top hat, and a clearly very pricey sports coat underneath. A dress shirt, worn frilly as in older days of the human world, and leather boots, all came to complete his uniquely traditional, formal outfit. He had stubble that indicated it had been a few days since he had shaved, and was on his way to a beard. He looked tired, weary from traveling perhaps. But, his voice was very clear when he spoke, as if he was determined... no, obsessed with getting something done. "Can I buy into that for the same price...?" he asked.

The drunk ship master looked up at this newcomer, one whose manner of speaking indicated an American in his late 30s. "For you, one thousand!" The ship master barked. The American shrugged his shoulders and reached into his coat, producing a few bills that were Ryo, and some coins. He handed them to the ship master. "Two thousand for your room and complete privacy along the journey..." he said. The ship master looked incredulously at the money, and then took it and stuffed it hastily into his pocket. "We leave at sunrise, do not be late," he said, before looking back to Kimiko. More awake from money now, he appeared to actually be... checking her body out. Her. A Failure. A Liberi. He found her form attractive?

"And you?" he asked. "Will you be paying for this journey, too?"

[Kimiko Aimi]

Seems as if it was fated for them to reach the island. The grizzly man that she had approached to refer to their destination, he was able to assist. She was thankful and filled with hope that they will be able to reach their destination without much conflict. That was her hope at the very least. The price that the man wagered wasn't steep, but what she thought to be reasonable. Not to say the least for the new individual that entered into their deal, was shown the least hospitable manner that one could be shown. Though, Kimiko had to realize the difference that roamed around the town. The financial difference between those that came to visit the town, and those that lived. There was a significant difference between the two.

The other man offered a substantial amount, and their contractor easily accepted it. It did seem that the state of the town and how its citizens were reacting towards them could only mean something was looming about. She remembered the people that gave her the directions to the town. They knew about the town, and about the spiritual beings. So, there was something amiss in the town as there was in the past. "Yes, sir." the Failure answered. From beneath the surface of her top Yukata for the ryo that she kept with her. Only a thousand to her name, but enough to pay for their one way trip. In fact, who was to say that there would be a return trip for her anyway.

"Eight hundred." One for Garret, one for herself, and another for the bewildering Adjuchas that wandered off who knows where. As for the last two hundred Ryo, well that was for the man himself. "Please keep the rest, and thank you very much for your help." Kimiko dipped her head as her usual habit demanded of her as to her culture. Although, the man's eyes caught her attention. Perhaps there was something on her that she didn't know about. But little did it matter as their course was set, and all that was needed was to wait for the dawn to arrive. She would turn to the Rogue, informing him as to what transpired, "Garret, we are set to tomorrow morning at the break of dawn. We should make the proper arrangements for the time being, and of course, for the night." she said referring to the what the dark brought about within the man.

She didn't know if he forgave her. In all honesty, she didn't know if she forgave herself yet. Or perhaps, she wouldn't find it until the end of their journey. If that was the case for her, then she would give her life to insure that the end goal was reached by the party. Or at least by Garret. In order for the wrong to be right. Her own sins continue to stack on top of the other. While she has done what she has for the sake of others, for herself to be saved was another matter. Some religions require her to forgive herself, while others state that she must put her faith into another. Effort alone will not save her from what she was feeling inside. Or perhaps that wasn't the issue. Perhaps, she was seeking the forgiveness from others. This she thought of when retreating back to the border of the town. Back to the forest she would wait the night would bring for them.

-800 Ryo

[Garret]

The Rogue set his eye on the priestess as she returned to his side. He'd been listening in on the transaction between her and, he assumed to be, the captain of the vessel. His eye, normally with a harsh and unforgiving gaze, looked on her softly. "Yes. We should." He replied with a soft voice. Kimiko had not asked the captain how long the trip would take. It could take a single day, weeks, months, or hell even a year for all Garret knew. Would the ship even last through one night with him onboard? Unless that deranged Adjucha had tracked it down, the Vasto Lorde was still out there and there were many more were it came from. Garrets thoughts were full of worry and doubt. Being trapped on a wooden barge, surrounded by water with no bottom...was he afraid? Was Garret actually afraid of stepping onto that boat?

Now that he thought about it had he ever been aboard a boat before? Throughout the Rogues entire living life he had never once been tasked to step foot on a boat. He was spirited from battlefield to battlefield, but always upon the back of a horse or by his two feet. He wasn't even sure he'd ever swam before. As Garret continued to think he became to come to the realization that it wasn't necessarily the boat he was afraid of...it was the water. Was Garret afraid of the water? He couldn't swim, after all. Garret tried to push those thoughts from his head, letting the job of creating his and Kimikos camp take over. Well by camp it was really nothing more than a fire for them to sit by, and Garret having begun cooking something for them. Just like old times.

Having caught another rabbit, skinned it, and cut the best pieces off, Garret began frying them up on his skillet. He'd been quiet towards Kimiko since the town, both in voice and actions. His mind was so full of thoughts he hadn't even realized he'd been silent like a rock. How he felt towards Kimiko, the childs death, the approaching night, the boat...all of those thoughts swirling around in his head like a storm of anxiety. The eruption of flames from the skillet after pouring what remained of his rum on what was cooking brought him back to reality. A sigh escaped his nostrils as he looked up at his priestess companion, and finally he decided to speak again.

"What I said to you was too far. Exhaustion and grief took hold of my tongue and fueled those words. Please, forgive me for that." Garret said, moving the pieces of rabbit meat around on the skillet with his knife. "But what you did... I cannot forgive. Not unless we can bring her back." There was a chink as the knife struck the skillets bottom. For a second he felt the rage. He was silent for a few moments, focusing on his cooking and letting his words sink in. He decided to speak again, to let his worries be shouldered by his companion. "I am apprehensive about what comes next. We've no idea how many days we'll have to spend aboard the boat and I am ill equipped for what should happen if it takes water." Garret explained, noticing how the meat and potatoes were getting color. "Perhaps it's best if you continue on without me."

[Johnwaluigi]

+100 TP to Kimiko and Garret for uncompleted Quest.