Serious: The Fair Pirates, chapter 1: A new Beginning?

(Okay, compared to the novels that you two are writing for your posts, this one is probably going to seem really pathetic. *Begins grumbling under breath* )

“You know what?” said Avery to Narissa. “I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

Then, without warning, he felt an intense sorrow and his heart ached. Tears sprang to his eyes unbidden before he wiped them away angrily. Beside him, Lawrence’s head lowered and he let out the most pitiful whine that Avery had ever heard from him. It wasn’t the kind of whine that Lawrence used to get his attention. It was sound of the deepest kind of pain.

“What’s going on?” Avery hissed.

He looked around, trying to find a source for this…this…madness, whatever it was. For the briefest of moments he completely forgot about the woman in front of him and he caught sight of Seppy holding Miyu and Uni standing beside Duo. Obviously, he didn’t have a clue as to what just happened, but he did hear the final words that Uni spoke, saying how she could not do as Miyu asked. This brought him back to reality and he quickly snapped back around to face his opponent, crouching lower in preparation for the attack he was sure was coming.

The world was blurry, colours were running into one another, and something seemed to be happening far away.
Miyu thought she could hear someone. Someone was calling to her.
It took her a moment to realise it was Seppy een when the sound of his voice became clear, and she felt the inexplicable desire to embrace him and cry on his shoulder. It was replaced by a deep disappontment with a bit of disgust and maybe a little anger, but mostly more sadness when she realised, turly realised, what she had just seen, no, experienced. And now she also knew why her field of vision was so unusually blurry. Because she was crying. Really crying, even after whatever spell Uni had cast on her had been broken.
And she didn't want Seppy near her anymore, not now, she didn't know if ever. She freed herself from his arms, pushed him away and stumbled backwards, away from him. Looked at him with her dark eyes, tears running from them still, and said nothing. Maybe it was actually worse this way. Maybe it would have been better of she had shouted at him, hit him, shown him how many pieces he had shattered her view of him and yes, her heart as well, into. God knows she wanted to. But the words didn't come. Instead, after what felt like eternity, she wiped the tears from her cheecks, to no avail as she couldn't stop them from coming, and turned to Uni and Duo. It was weird, she had wanted so badly to be strong before, to act strong and determined, but now, that she felt more broken and down than ever, now her words came out clearly. Softly, and very slowly, but clearly.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you."
Her hands balled into fists without her even noticing, she was standing straight and through her tears, there was the determination she had missed before. where it came from, she didn't know. She didn't know if what she was about to do was right or wrong by any standards, including her own, but she knew it was the only way she could do this.
"I will not let you harm Seppy. You will leave him alone or you will face me.... But you've already chosen, haven't you?"
She wouldn't attack just now. Not while they were like... this. It wasn't the fight with them she feared, it was what would come afterwards. But her mind had been made up, and her choices ahd been made already. What would happen had to happen.

Theo was kneeling on the ground, facing away from his enemies. For anyone, that would have been foolish and deadly. For him, it was.... well, they wouldn't kill him. That'd be absolutely foolish. It was such a ridiculous thought, it didn't even come to his mind.
Crying was not honourable, brave or cool. It didn't fit him. That's why he would not let anyone see. This woman..... What spell had she on him, that she could affect him so heavily? The others had been affected, and he didn't see them breaking down over it. What was he, her favourite victim? Why was he like this? Feelings had never bothered him. Never. Not the ones of others, sometimes not even his own. Still, now, the smirk normally on his face was gone. There wasn't even a frown there. And his icy grey eyes were full of tears. And he didn't know what was happening to him.

Nerissa knew he was crying. She knew him better than anyone. All his life, she had been at Theos side. Not once had he cried. Sure, sometimes out of rage, but never had she seen him like this. And while it scared her a bit, it also occured to her that this was what she had wished for most. For him to be able to feel this. Her own heart was feeling heavy, so unaggressive, so sad and sweet. But then again, no matter how she acted, wasn't this always true to her heart to a point?
More importantly, her opponent was facing away. Just as he was turning back to her, her fist was already on its way to his stomach. Think quick, dog boy!

((As is hardly surprising, I'm planning for something to happen, and I won't be spoilery here. Just play along and have fun, guys!))

When his only mistake had been letting his instincts get the better of him, Seppy had been shaken. When Miyu had fallen, everything became clear again. She was his partner, his friend, and somebody whom he had promised to protect. There was only one thing to do, one simple and easy choice, and that was to help her. A smile almost made it to his lips when she came to, but it never had a chance to form. The tears in her eyes, the look she gave her. The way she pushed him, refused his help. The reprobate freak knew that look, knew what it meant. It was disgust, it was contempt and hatred. Miyu was seeing him the way that everyone else did, once they knew what he was.

Seppy fell back like a wounded animal. Sitting on his haunches and looking down, like a brooding cat, he dug his clawed fingers into the ground. Tears came to eyes that hadn't remembered how to cry since the days of his childhood, back in the compound. The face of The Boss, Rackhir von Richtofen, came back to him.

"You're still young, Septera. Remember that I gave you this body, but you still have to earn it. You're still only a child."

"'M really strong tho, Boss."

Childlike, Seppy had smiled at the man who'd kept him in stasis while his body grew into that of an adult...an adult monster. He was thankful for it, and why shouldn't he have been? Like Boss said, it was a gift. He'd been a weak little child of seven when Boss put him to sleep, blood fresh on his hands. When he'd woken up he was a strong adult, a grown man of his twenties. Boss had done that for him.

"Remember who gave that to you, number seven. And remember for what purpose."

That purpose had been lost to the sands of time. When a child in the body of an adult who'd never been taught any better had made a mistake acting on instincts he'd never grown into, those of both animal and man. When he'd almost commit a crime that he didn't understand was a crime, and been sentenced to death for the attempt. At the time it was confusing, impossibly confusing, trying to know what he'd done wrong. Life in the real world had taught the ex-hunter the truth of his crime, turned it into something that even he could not forgive himself for. Seppy let out a feral sounding sob, sounding as much the wounded animal as he looked.

Somehow...somehow, Miyu knew. She knew now what he'd been, what he was. Nowhere in any of his journeys since the escape had he prepared himself to face that shame, that pain, that scorn, all over again. He wanted to shout out to her, make her understand. It wasn't him, not any more. It was a child, an animal, uneducated and untamed. That wasn't Seppy, it was Septera, it was Number Seven. It was...

"So you get it now, right?" Duo asked Miyu, seeming surprisingly sympathetic. "And still, you tell us..."

"Miyu Delaney..." Uni whispered, her eyes falling. "You truly are...pure..."

The canine mercenary ignored his partner's sorrowful words, holding her up even as she slunk in his embrace. His gaze fixed intently on Miyu, his words came out harsh.

"You know what he did," Duo stated, no tone of question in his voice. "Uni...she went through that again herself, just to show you. How can you...how can you still want to-"

"Don' do it." Duo stopped, looking at his hated enemy, who was talking to him. He carefully set Uni to her feet, making sure she could stand, so that he'd be prepared to fight. Seppy was standing infront of Avery, his hand cupped over Nerrisa's fist, having stopped it from reaching it's mark.

Oddly, Seppy didn't even look at Duo, or more to turn his chain against his old rival. He wraped it's barbed links around the base of the tentacle coming from his right shoulder. Closing his eyes and clenching his teeth, he gave a sudden tug. A sharp yell escaped his throat, in spite of his mental preparation. There was a spray of blood, and a writhing length of purple, sinuous flesh hit the ground. The remaining left tentacle flailed around wildly for a moment before going completely limp.

The pair watched in confusion, a look of horror on Uni's face, as Seppy, face contorted with pain, pushed Nerrisa back and fixed Avery with his stare. His pupils, normally completely round, were beginning to form feline slits.

"Take that t'doc," Seppy instructed. "If y'don' pay 'm, he'll put the fever back in...in 'er. Bring 'm Fleshton, too. An' thanks," he said, turning away from the man he'd only known half a day, left hand clutching his right shoulder. "Thanks fer helpin'."

"Y'win, Duo. 'll go nice 'n' quiet like. But, after yer done, y'can't let 'm...y'gotta help..."

The name wouldn't come out of his mouth. He didn't want to say it again, because he knew it would hurt. It would hurt him, for certain, and it would hurt her. She'd hear her own innocent name coming from his rotten mouth and be reminded of the time she spent with him, not knowing the abomination she was calling a friend. Seppy was ashamed that he'd forgotten, too. He hadn't made a single lasting friend besides The Four in all the time since then; he knew, all along, that nobody friendly enough to like him deserved the fate of being called friend by his likes. When had he forgotten...? When had he become so carefree, let himself think that he deserved a friend?

He'd always known it was his fault, hadn't he? It was so clear now, hindsight made it impossible to imagine a time when he hadn't known. Seppy had seen his entire life in that loathing stare from Miyu; he should have known. Everything that had gone wrong since they met, it could only be his fault. Instinct told him it was wrong, but something stronger told him it was right. He owed this to her.

"Le's jus' go."

Duo gave a grim smile and nodded, though Uni didn't look nearly as satisfied.

"It's too late to act noble."

"Don' give a shit."

"Still..." Duo admitted, turning to look at Theo, "you've at least earned the right to go with some dignity." Duo turned back to Seppy. Though he still clearly hated the man, there was a sort of peace in his eyes. It didn't look like he doubted the feline mutant's word in the slightest.

Duo extended his hand. Uni shook her head and mouthed something, but couldn't lift her eyes from the ground. Seppy took his nemesis' hand, tentatively, and turned his head to look over his shoulder.

Before his eyes could meet Miyu's, the three of them were gone.

“No…” the word was out of Avery’s mouth just a second too late. Then Seppy was gone. Avery had been frozen in place by what Seppy had done. How could he…his own…well, it was just a tentacle, and the fact that it was part of Seppy’s body was weird, but even Avery could see that removing it could be like cutting off one’s own arm. And so, in his shocked state, he hadn’t even tried to stop Seppy from leaving. Then, all at once, it was like a veil had been removed. He could see everything clearly once more. Seppy and the two freaks were gone. Only the idiot and the strong lady remained, but they could be problematic. He had to move. Now.

In one smooth motion Avery snapped his nunchucks back into a staff and then he kicked off, using his mechanical leg first to get an extra half-second speed boost. He dashed over to Miyu, sweeping up Fleshton and Seppy’s tentacle under his free arm as he went. Lawrence let out a yelp of shock, not having expected his master to start moving so quickly, but then he was at Avery’s side, his much shorter legs pounding on the street.

The run ended for a brief moment as Avery slipped his staff onto his back and then, taking liberties he would have otherwise never even considered, he seized Miyu’s hand with his empty one and started to pull her after him.

“Let’s go!” he told her.

"But...."
Miyu looked at the spot where Seppy had been just a moment ago. She wasn't sure how to feel about this. She knew this would have ended with them going their seperate ways this or that way, but she... she really would have wanted it with him being alive. He had been a friend to her, after all. A good friend. The best friend she had in a long time.
Still, she didn't try to stay behind when Avery took her hand and dragged her away. She knew staying would make no sense right now, or maybe she didn't really want to stay anymore. Maybe she didn't really want to fight for information about Seppys whereabouts, or really anything concerning him anymore. Her head told her that it was cruel, but she failed to feel guilty for it.
She looked over her shoulder to Nerissa for a moment, since Theo didn't really seem in the mood for a staring contest, and the tall woman looked back at her. She didn't move, but Miyu knew what she meant to say. She would never leave Theos side if he was like this. But the moment her brother said a word, she would be on their tails.
Miyu nodded slightly and let Avery lead her away, his dog follwing them.

Nerissa stayed behind with her brother and a lot of ... bodies. The lucky ones were dead by now, but the ones who were alive....
"I'm sorry, people..."
She whispered. from beside her, she could hear Theo sob quietly. She knew his pride was hurt, and woud be shattered instantly if she ever tried to comfort him. Theo despised weakness in him and others. It was what his uncle had taught him to do.
So instead of facing him, she waited quietly by his side, looking after the two fleeing criminals. After all the violence she had seen today already, she was honestly happy to not have to fight.
"It's not over yet..."
A soft, but somewhat cold voice said. She turned around, but didn't see anyone.
"Down here."
It didn't sound offended, angry or anything like that. The voice of someone who was used to being looked down on, and who didn't really get the point of being offended anyway.
Nerissa looked down, and saw...
"Hello, Ebony."
The cat cleaned its paw, then let its yellow eyes wander the battlefield. Oh, if she had been born human, what a tactician would she have made! What intrigues and schemes to get to power! She knew how to make the right moves, what would get her exactly what she wanted, and she wasn't above lying.
She could still smell the catman, the smokegirl and the dog... or rather, dogs. The concentration of dogs in this area was... disgusting...
"Well, it isn't over for them. For you.... I am afraid it is..."
Nerissa stared at the pet sitting in front of her, purring slghtly and stretching its legs. Once Ebony was done with that, she rubbed her black fur on Nerissas legs.
"what do you mean?"
The cat ignored the question for a while. For too long, for Nerissas taste.
"What do you mean?"
She repeated it, her voice going louder, not only to make it clear, but also because there was a sudden ringing in her ears, and Theos sobbing suddenly seemed to be so much louder... and louder.... was he even... sobbing? It didn't sound like sobbing anymore, more like.... no. She turned her eyes to him, saw him looking somewhere else, somewhere in the distance, laughing and crying at the same time. It was an absolutely desperate laugh, like the laugh of a man who was beyond the point of screaming, who saw something much worse, and he crawled back from whatever it was, a healfhearted attempt to flee it, not minding the dirt and blood he smeared all over himself while trying to do so.
The ringing became louder and louder in her ears, and Ebony slowly moved away from her, in the way cats do when they have been satisfied.
Nerissa pressed her hands on her ears, but the ringing didn't go any quieter.
She followed Theos eyes, to see what he saw. When she did, there was an unimaginable surprise on her face.
"You?"

(I'm not sure if I should post next or not. Since Newspeak is no longer with the main group it doesn't feel as necessary to wait for him, but I would like to know whether or not I need to take my time.)

Since Miyu was following him, Avery released her hand, already feeling awkward from having grabbed it in the first place. He didn’t look back to see if they were being followed. Not at first anyway. He didn’t want to slow himself down, but the lack of sound of falling footsteps following them made him take that chance barely a minute after they had started running. Seeing no one, he slowed slightly, dropping back to run next to Miyu. He didn’t really understand what was going on, but still felt that he had to say something.

“I’m going back to the doctor’s house to drop off some stuff,” he said. “You should probably go there as well…decide what you’re going to do next and all of that.” He didn’t want to be so blunt, but it would be foolish not to just put it out there.

((I guess we'll go on without him for now, since if anything he's part of a parallel storyline connected to this))

Miyu didn't know how she knew, but somehow she had the feeling no one would be following them. Maybe it was just intuition, and it worried her a bit. But above all, she was just tired, more tired than she had ever been. Every time her feet touched the ground, it rang in her ears, and she thought that the next step would have to be her last.
There was no plan in her head, no idea of where she could go or what to do. It felt a bit like when she first started fleeing, only that back then, it had been the thought of how to flee correctly that had kept her up for so long. Right now, it was.... nothing. She wanted to rest, and then she wanted to leave this behind her. But for now, Avery was right.
"Yes, I... think I'll do that."
She needed to get her thoughts sorted out. There was a lot she had to think about, a lot she would have to make plans for, and while she doubted she could do it all on one day, it was a start.
Then, something else came to her mind. She looked at Avery, who had been dragged into this somehow and still didn't complain.
"Sorry about this. I didn't want you to...."
To be any part of this. To get involved with those two, since even she had realised by now that Theo tended to have a kind of fixation on things he couldn't have, things that managed to get away from him. Like her.... or Avery.

“Don’t worry about it,” Avery replied, waving her concerns aside. “I’m fine with it. So I got some more idiots on my trail. Big deal. They seem kind of tame if you compare them to the fact that I’ve already got the entirety of the Marines coming for my head.” With that statement, he turned to Lawrence. “Okay boy. Time for you to earn your keep. Take us back to the doctor’s place, will ya?” Lawrence barked an affirmative and he took the lead. Avery nodded, satisfied and then grinned back at Miyu. “He’ll be looking for shortcuts. We’ll be back in no time!” Then he frowned, realizing for the first time that Miyu looked out of breath. “Are you okay?” Avery winced. Some people said there was no such thing as a stupid question. They had no idea what they were talking about. “I mean, if you’re feeling tired we can slow down.”

((I'm still reading, and I'll still be posting. I've got NPCs to run and stuff to do; so don't think I ducked on you.))

"So yaw tellin' me I missed 'im again?"

"I can't speak to how many times you've missed him before," the old man said, "but you have missed him this time. If I'm not mistaken, he had some sort of score to settle. Him and that doe-eyed girl."

"Fuck, maaaaaaan! Yaw gotta be kiddin' me! Every time I chase that damn cat down he up an' vanishes on me!"

The man standing in the dark room, voicing his complaints to the aged doctor, was a spectacle to behold. He was tall, his head nearly brushing the ceiling at just over seven feet, broad of shoulder and chest. Over his torso he wore nothing but a knee-length brown leather coat, lovingly oiled and mended from many apparent tears. His chest was bare beneath, as the coat was open at all times, revealing an extremely well defined physique. His pants were a darker brown, made of a sturdy cuorderoy,
ending at his knees where they were tucked into laced leather boots of matching colour.

His face was drawn, with a sharp chin and nose, deep-set eyes that glinted pale yellow, seeming to catch every last detail. Mid-length brown hair was pulled back from a high forehead with a distinct widow's peak, ending in individual spiked locks that were all tipped with a crest of white. At the back of his head the spikes formed a bit of a crest, the rest of the locks slicked down the back of his head and ending around his shoulders. His hair ran down his face on either side, forming a beard along his jaw that was shaved directly over his chin, but ran up to it on either side. This, like the rest of his hair, was spiked with white tips.

His hands had fingertips that ended in hooked, black talons. Along the back of each finger were yellow scales, each joint unusually long, giving his hands an overall avian look. A down of tiny brown feathers, tipped in white, extended along the back of each forearm, ending at his elbow. His boots, polished brown leather things running up to his knees, had no covering for his toes, which were less like those of a human and more like the paws of a lion, covered in tawny fur and ending in claws. From the heel of each boot, which was lifted off the ground, protruded a yellow-scaled digit with a black talon on it.

Most noteworthy of all, though, were the man's wings. On his back, folded up but still of impressive size, were a pair of eagle wings. Their feathers were stiff, glossy brown, looking hard as glass and sharp as it too. A short ways beneath it, from right above his belt, swished a feline tail, tan and tipped with a tuft of darker brown fur.

"Fuck it AAAAAAWWWWL," the man screamed, tilting his head back and letting out a cry of annoyance. His voice was deep and harsh, rumbling as he spoke, but took on a sudden and impossible high pitch, sounding like the shrill cry of an eagle more than a man's voice. Turning away from the old man, for the second time that very day, an odd man/beast hybrid left that decaying old building.

"What an unusual day this has been," Doc mused as his guest departed.

----------------------------------

The hulking eagle/lion/man/thing stormed out of the old shack, slamming the door behind him. He immediately turned down the alley that lead away from it, arms crossed and mouth in a scowl. Almost as soon as he'd begun walking away, pissed at missing the mark once again, the bizarre griffon-man nearly rounded a corner directly into Avery and Miyu.

"Ey, watch were yawr goin'," he spat in his baritone, casting a baleful, pale, eagle-like eye at the duo. His accent was vaguely familar, different and with an odd high-pitched stretch on the "aw" sound, but somehow like to one the two of them had been hearing a lot lately.

After a moment, one of those two pale yellow eyes honed with uncanny precision onto the limp stretch of rubbery purple flesh in Avery's hand. Both of the griffon-man's eyes shot to meet the pirate's, and he stood directly in his path.

"Yaw gotta 'bout three seconds ta tell me why yawr carryin' one a Seppy's arms aroun'," he stated, voice deathly low and threatening (except for his still-screeched "aw" sounds), "before I rip yawr face open an' ask yawr brain directly."

Oh no! Oh no no no... Not this time!
Normally, Miyu would have tried to make peace, not war and all that, but not today! She had tried to please everyone all day long, and all she had gotten in the end was a broken heart, a bloody dress and a body that was aching all over. Enough was just enough.
A determined look on her face, her dark eyes glaring at the stranger, she stepped in front of Avery and pointed at the animal man hybrid as if he wanted to stab him with her finger.
"You! You just come out of nowhere and talk about ripping peoples brains out! For the record: Seppy gave this thing to us, we never even asked for it! And really, I am not goin to tell the whole story all detailed, but just this: I am sick and tired of people like you suddenly attacking me for no reason!"
She had seen more freakshows today than most people got to see for their whole lifes! And none of them, none of them had exactly been good for her or Avery! So yes, she just about had enough of them, sudenly popping up and making everything worse.
"You're too late, okay!? Your friends already took him! So why don't you just leave us alone, we're kind of dealing with a crisis here! And it's bad enough without one of you suddenly jumping us and making everything more complicated! Again!"
She didn't even care anymore. She was exhausted, she had blood all over her, she just wanted this to end.

The hard-faced birdcatman stood in place, staring with his sunken, attentive eyes as she jabbed her finger towards him. He seemed to forget all about Avery and his friend's tentacle. However, the one thing that he didn't seem to do was pay attention to her demands. Leaning forward, he turned a pale eye towards the exhausted pirate girl.

"He gave it to yaw? Why th'fuck'd he just give yaw his arm?" His head cocked to the side with a jerking motion, not unlike a bird of prey. "An' what's with this attitude? Who do'yaw think yawr tawkin' to!?" As he spoke, the freakish stranger leaned further forward, his wings slowly spreading to increase his relative size.

"My friends already took 'im?" the bird asked incredulously, ignoring everything else he'd said to that point. He took a step back, his wings folding in, his face changing from a scowl of scornful anger to a look of disapproval.

"'My friends' wouldn' happen t'be a deranged pretty-girl with a stick pokin' outta her head and a dumb mutt-face who blindly follows 'er around, would they?" The imposing man's shoulders slumped, a look of exhaustion taking his own face as he gaged the pair's reaction. "Well, fuck."

"Goddamn mawrons," the big creature muttered, stalking past the two. "Can't give the kid a break for somethin' he did when he was jus' six years old...gonna have t'kill 'em fawr real this time, haw?"

"Yaw better not be dead, goddamn cat," the man groused as he lumbered down the alleyway, between the pair, as if he'd forgotten they exist. "I promised yaw I'd take yaw out on yawr tenth birthday..."

Avery was impressed by Miyu’s sudden burst of courage. She was the kind of girl he might have fallen for if he didn’t think that Seppy would gut him alive. Besides, he kind of liked the big guy, even if he was a cat, and didn’t want to make him mad regardless of the reason. But when the new guy spoke, talking to himself more than anyone, Avery was even more confused then ever. It sounded like this guy was a friend of Seppy’s, and not his kidnappers. That changed everything.

So, not really thinking about the consequences, Avery shoved Seppy’s tentacle and Fleshton into Miyu’s arms. Then he marched after the new guy, drew his bo staff, and rapped the end of it sharply on the ground to get his attention.

“Hey, don’t turn your back on us,” Avery said in the most authoritative voice he could muster. “You’re a friend of Seppy’s, aren’t you? And I mean a real friend, not like those idiots that came after him.” Without waiting for a reply, Avery plowed on. “Truth is, I hardly know Seppy at all, but he seemed like a decent guy and there are too few of those in this world. I want to find him and help him. So if you have any idea where he is, tell me now, or I’m going to beat the truth out of you, no matter what it takes.”

Lawrence automatically took his position at Avery’s side when he heard the determination in his master’s voice. That was always a good indicator that Avery was going to do something stupid again.

"Eurgh..."
Miyu hadn't expected to be the new carrier of Seppys.... arm... tentacle..., and she wasn't too happy about it either. For a moment there, she had the urge to drop it and Fleshton, but she resisted it and instead held it as far away from her body as possible. Severed body parts and human eating or skinning whips weren't exactly her favourite thing in the world, but she figured she owed at least Avery that much.
She was also less than happy to hear Avery seemingly wanted to keep this whole thing going. Hadn#t it gone on for long enough already?
She wanted to tell them she would just be going to the doctors and wait there, but something Avery said stopped her.
Seppy? A decent guy? Of course, she was still the only one who knew what he had done.... Had she thought of him that way before? Suppose she had... But not anymore!
Still. what had she actually done for Avery? Not much more than get him into trouble he most likely wouldn't get out of anymore. She might not owe Seppy, but she owed him.
"I.... I'll come too... You shouldn't go alone.
She looked at Avery. she was tired, yes. And they needed to get this stuff to the doctor before they left. But she wouldn't let an innocent man die for her mistakes!

"Wha...woah, woah, hold yawr ass up, kid," the big man said, turning around. He seemed more concerned with the speed at which Avery was addressing him than he was with the actual threat of physical reprisal. "I awlready told yaw, he's my friend!" After hearing out the rest of the pirate's words though, the interloper smiled wryly and lowered his hands.

"HAAAWWW!" His shriek cut through the alley, way too loud for something so high pitched, a mix between a human laugh and an eagle's cry as it dives for prey. "Like I'd know! Didn' I jus' finish tellin' yaw I'm lookin' fawr 'm myself?"

The stranger's good humour only lasted a moment, though. His eyes darted over to Miyu as she stepped forward, then to the tentacle she'd just been handed. He snatched it out of her hands, a scowl coming to his face. Careful to avoid damaging it with his claws, he held it with a surprising gentleness in the palm of his hand. His eyes caught Miyu's, and his voice turned venomous.

"Don' treat it like it's some kinda snake'r somethin'!" he hissed, his voice lacking it's normal avian notes. "Fuckin' losers like yaw...bet yaw think he's a freak, haw? Jus' another scary, ugly beasty like me."

The winged stranger made a show of turning his head sharply away from Miyu, smiling when he was facing Avery again. He extended his empty hand, giving a nod.

"Name's Shin, but if yawr Seppy's friend, y'd prob'ly know me better as Quatera. I'm 'bout that guy's best friend in th'whole world. Awlways nice t'meet somebody else who gets that he's not awll that bad," Shin stated. "Seppy's probably th'nicest damn kid that ever craaaawwwwled outta one a Ol' Rackhir's lab-tubes."

Avery took his hand and grinned back. "Nice to meet ya Shin."

Avery then turned his head and frowned at Miyu. He felt strange, like he was caught in the middle of something he didn’t understand and he did not like it one bit. On one hand, Miyu seemed reluctant to help Seppy when earlier Avery would have thought that she would have given her life to protect the big guy. And this new freaky-mutant-thingy, Shin, had said something about the two idiots wanting to kill Seppy for something he had done when he was six years old. (The age thing was another, less important issue. From what he had gathered from the conversation, Seppy was still less then ten. Avery decided to ask about that bizarre fact later.)

"I dunno what's going on," Avery said slowly, glancing back at Shin. "She didn't treat Seppy like a freak earlier. From what I saw then, I thought the two of them were halfway in love or something. Why are all of these people after Seppy anyway?"

Shin was a bit confused when the man he'd just greeted didn't introduce himself in return; the notion that somebody wouldn't want everyone they ever met to know their name was foreign to him. He dismissed the oddity when Avery continued on with his observation. His thin lips curled into a grin, his sharp eyes looking at Miyu in a new light.

"Ahh...th' tsun-tsun type, eh? I bet yaw really wanted t'keep it, but you were jus'..."

Freezing mid-sentence, Shin slowly lost his smirk. He pointed the talon of his index finger at her, a concerned look taking the corners of his brow.

"Wait, wait..." he said, taking a step forward and looking down at her. "Yaw met that crazy blonde, didn' yaw? Did she do that stupid tears thing t'yaw?" Shin's voice took on a serious note once more.

"Did yaw see somethin' when she took Seppy?" There was an urgency to his question that echoed itself in his body language. Shin seemed to have forgotten Avery, focused entirely on the young, peace-loving girl. "Gaaaaaawd damn!"

Miyu turned her head when Avery started talking about her and Seppy like that. She didn't want to hear anything like that anymore, the thought that they were or seemed to be taht close, ever, was.... unsettling now.
Then the hawk man, Shin seemed to take a sudden interest in her. She looked back to him, a defiant look in her eyes. It took her a moment when she realised who he was talking about. Right, the woman had... cried... Well, she had every right to!
"As a matter of fact, she did! And if you ask me, she has every right to!"
This man wasn't like Seppy at all! It could be just her current exhaustion that made her so irritated, it did make every time he began bird talking a very unwanted and sour experience, but she really didn't like him. At the other hand, looking at what Seppy turned out to be, maybe this guy was actually the better one at heart. It didn't matter, since he obviously didn't like her either. Treated her like it was her who had made a mistake.
With courage she normally wouldn't have had, she stepped forward and grabbed the tentacle. She would have snatched it back, but she simply wasn't strong enough to do that.
"I will be taking that back, thank you. Seppy gave it to us, and we need to give it to someone else, who is not you, just to make this clear..... And just because I don't like carrying severed body parts doesn't mean I'm a monster."
Really, that had been so uncalled for. Sure, she wasn't leaving the best impression on this guy right now, but she didn't really care. It was one of those rare moments that Miyu Delaney, normally close to a saint, really didn't care about what others thought or wanted, especially not this man.

When Miyu reached forward to grab the tentacle, Shin thought about withdrawing his hand for a moment. For whatever reason, he didn't. Rather, he pulled his hand out from under it, leaving it inside of her palm. Tilting his head back, the gryphon-man looked down at Miyu past his sharp, pointed nose, the pale yellow eyes and their tiny pupils seeming to see more than anyone should see.

"So yaw...were his friend, righ'? Maybe yawr even good enough t'see past what he's got on the outside, even, an' care fawr 'm." Shin tilted his head back forward, now leaning over her.

"An jus' like that, yaw go an' decide he's this filthy beast. Jus' like that." Shin stood back straight up, an unreadable look on his face. He might have been angry or amused, determined or lost. Taking a step back, he looked left and then right, laughed once and then frowned, ran his hand down over his face as if trying to wipe the whole thing off. After a moment, he turned his back to Miyu, revealing his great wings and wildly swishing lion's tail.

"Are yaw that damn stupid!?" Shin shouted all at once, way too loudly, spinning around to face Miyu as he did so. He pointed at her, leaning forward and taking a small step towards her with each word.

"The kid was six! Goddamn blawndie didn' show yaw th'whole thing!" The look on Shin's face as he shouted was a mixture of incredulous disbelief and unrestrained rage. He jabbed his finger at Miyu as he spoke, standing nearly on top of her.

"What th'hell do yaw think is gonna happen when yaw take a little kid - nawt jus' any kid, but an emotionally-stunted awrphan brainwawshed t'be an assassin, fer fawk's sake - an stick 'm in some crazy mawnster-juiced adult bawdy?" As Shin spoke, his pupils narrowed to the faintest, tiniest black dots. Somehow, though, as they grew smaller, his eyes seemed to be seeing more.

"Yaw jus' believe 'er, like she knows awwwwll!" Finally, the raging freak let up, standing straight and taking a step back. He slapped his forehead with both hands and pulled them back over his head, his claws tracing through his spiked hair.

"Yaw know," Shin stated much more quietly, seeming to have calmed down a bit, "she shown a lotta people that little flick. But there somethin' she ain't showin' yaw." Taking a breath, Shin turned to pace. His wings flapped nervously in tiny, little flaps.

"Gawldielawks lead that boy awn," he continued ranting, raising a finger again. "I saaaaawww it! Day after fawkin' day, treatin' him so special an' all. I don' give a flyin' fawk if she was jus' bein' nice. Yaw wanna taaaawk stupid!?" Shin crossed his arms, a grin finally crossing his face.

"Stupid is dressin' like a skank an' flirtin' up a man's bawdy in his prime...with th'matin' instincts of a wild cat an' th'mind of a six-year-old profeshawnal killer." Shin visibly calmed down getting those last words out, his teeth clenching for a moment. When he finally smiled at Miyu again, it was a sneer.

"Don' follow alawng. Seppy's too good fawr you." Turning away from Miyu one final time, Shin began walking away from the pair. As he stalked away, his gait a lion-like swagger, he punched the alley wall (leaving a hole as casually as if it were made of paper and not brick) and let out a single, long, shrill curse.

"Faaaaaaaawk!"

Avery watched this all dispassionately, even when it looked to him like Shin was going to hit Miyu. When Shin finally did turn away, Avery glanced up at Miyu.

“Whatever it was that you saw, did you even take the time to ask Seppy about it?” Avery asked, putting together the few pieces of the puzzle that he had. Perhaps it was something Avery saw in Miyu’s eyes or maybe he already knew the answer to his own question, but either way, disappointment crossed Avery’s features briefly before vanishing again. “He’s right,” Avery said. “You should go. Take that tentacle and Fleshton back to the doctor. We’re going after Seppy. It’s been fun, Miyu.” Avery smiled then, but it was an expression that spoke of the deepest levels of sadness. Then, both he and Lawrence turned their backs on the girl and followed after Shin.

After that, Miyu stayed behind in the alleyway. She wasn't quite sure what to feel. She felt that maybe, somehow, the two of them were right. maybe she was acting like this because she had been so shocked. she had never thought.... Seppy.... She looked at the tentacle in her hand.
The worst thing had been Averys look before he had left. So disappointed. So sad... he had only met them today.
She remembered Seppys howl shortly before he had left. This was what happened when she started being unforgiving. People got hurt. People left. And for the first time, standing there in the alleyway, clenching the tentacle that had once been Seppys "arm", for the first time since she had met Seppy, she felt truly alone.
She remembered, this had been what it was like before. She had often felt like this, this had been her life. She should be used to it, so why... did she feel so... so sad...
She looked back up. The alley was empty, no sound to be heard, now that the town had eaten and drunken all the life out of the festival, and the last few merchants had left. Normally, she would have gone with one of those merchants, safe passage against protection, maybe, or just as a sweet young girl who needed some help getting out of town.
That had been before she had a ship. Before she had bought a ship with Seppy, to travel as friends, wherever they wanted. After Seppy had saved her, even though she had betrayed him so. He had just forgiven her.... So why... why couldn't she?
Her eyes were burning, and her head ached. She had cried so much during those past few days, but she had laughed a lot more. Both of those she hadn't done before. Before, there had only been surviving, running through life, the only thing she could do to feel less alone was to help others, at least a bit, see a smile, a surprised face, maybe even a thank you or just being told off.
A cold wind blew through the alley, it stung on her cheecks and made them realise they were wet.
She hadn't noticed she had been crying. She wiped them dry, as dry as she could, then turned around and headed for the doctors house. She still recognised it, luckily she wasn't that far away from it. For a few moments, she waited, then she carefully knocked.

There was a short pause after she knocked before Miyu heard anything. A short while later, the door creaked open, revealing a room which, while almost pitch black, seemed disturbingly familiar. The odour, the depth and shape of the shadows, everything about the room; somehow, the girl couldn't shake the feeling that it was a place she would never forget.

"How are you feeling?" Doc asked, his face looking almost paper white in the thin ray of light that broke in through the crack he'd opened in the door. A moment later, he stepped back into the room and let Miyu in, doing his best to avoid standing in the light that spilled out into his "office" while doing so.

"I see you've brought my payment," the doctor mused once the pirate woman had stepped inside, her eyes slowly adjusting to the almost non-existent light. Soon the familiar room with it's one bench for patients, it's assorted and mismatched chairs, it's single desk with every manner of medical equipment strewn across it. Doc grabbed the tentacle from Miyu, departing for the back room for a moment.

"I was worried that your friend might back out of paying," Doc groused, his face grey and unreadable in the darkness. "The truth is, that was a rather common malady you had...it's known locally as 'Tourist Fever.'"

The old man hitched himself up onto a tall stool by bed's side. Only when his entire body was lifted from the ground was it truly clear what a tiny, withered old man he really was. In the few lines of light that fell on him through the blinds in his west wall, Miyu could see what a desicated, dusty old figure he was.

"It's a very common fever on this island, so everybody who lives here is immune to it," Doc explained. "Most young and healthy travelers come down with it and get over it just as quickly. However," Doc paused, his voice taking on a serious note.

"If someone were...for example, in a weakened state, and their immune system was not strong enough, even such a simple, common illness could prove deadly. You're very lucky, miss Delaney." Doc let out an ancient, dry laugh.

"If that beast hadn't given up that little purple 'paw' of his, your last few days wouldn't have been so pleasant."

There was a tiny glint of light off of his face, from the old yellowed whites of his eyes hidden behind the spectacles on his nose. The endless wrinkles of his face were drawn into a dark smile, something grim and foreboding and knowing about his look. Still, there was something that reassured Miyu that he was there for her, something that made even the day's grim tidings seem as if they were held back at the door, that she was safe in that dark, dingy office.

"Not that you're enjoying them much more now, it would seem," Doc said at last, sighing as he spoke. "I suppose you've gotten yourself bit, haven't you girl?"

"I warn them," he huffed, throwing his hands in the air. "I warn them, but children never listen to their elders..."

----------

"Just wait here," Duo stated, the irony of his words lost on his charge. Seppy couldn't do anything else; there were enough iron chains wrapped around him to keep a marine battleship moored. Thin rays of red evening sunlight spilled in here and there from the many holes in the old warehouse's rotting walls, but none landed on the ex-hunter.

"We'll keep our end of the bargain," Duo explained, turning to the door. Uni walked with him, both of her arms wrapped around his right. She seemed to have trouble standing on her own. "Your friend will not be caught."

Seppy remained silent, staring at the concrete block to which he was chained. His remaining tentacle was utterly motionless, not even attempting to test the locks with which it was bound.

"You know," Duo stated, his hand on the doorknob, "I was really hoping you'd fight to the end." There was another pause. "It's not nearly as satisfying killing you like this."

"Fuck you," Seppy responded half-heartedly. Duo smiled.

"Thanks," Duo spat wryly, slamming the door behind him.

In the darkness of his improvised prison, Seppy wondered about the afterlife. His thoughts were entirely turned to the world that existed beyond his demise, the place that would become of things when he was no more. Tears found their way into eyes that could barely even remember what they felt like...hadn't even known what they were for most of his life.

Not once, in all his reflecting, did the mutant pirate ever wonder about what would become of himself after he had passed. In his minds eye, there was one girl with white hair, brown eyes and a smiling, round face. She was dancing barefoot through a meadow of flowers in a white dress that would never have a speck of red on it ever again. Free from a world where he existed, she laughed and made friends and never had to run or fight again.

Seppy smiled down at the coarse slab of concrete that would be his only tombstone, tears of relief running down his nose, dripping off one by one. For the first time in his life, he was sure he'd done something completely, absolutely, and undeniably good.

Avery jogged after Shin to catch up and then fell into step with him. He kept his silence at first, thinking about what he had said to Miyu. He had not liked saying it, but felt that it had been necessary. Avery still did not have a definite idea as to what Seppy had done, but he was fairly sure that he knew from what he had heard. And if he was right, he could understand why Miyu would be hurt by it. At the same time though, Avery couldn’t understand why Miyu would simply believe the words of someone she didn’t know. What if Seppy regretted his action? Had Miyu not thought to ask him that? Women, Avery decided, could be so troublesome.

Avery brushed aside his thoughts and turned to Shin at last. “My name’s Avery,” he said. “I dunno if I told you that earlier. And this bonehead-“ Avery aimed a kick at Lawrence, but purposefully missed by a significant margin. The dog growled good naturedly back at him. “-is Lawrence.” Avery then looked back around at Shin, suddenly more serious. “So how are we going to go about finding Seppy? Lawrence might be able to sniff him out, but those guys just kind of disappeared. Can’t follow a scent that is not there.”

"I know... you warned me... I'm sorry."
Miyu stood there, in the dim room, a bit like a single lighting bug in a dark night, the one speck of white, completely lost and disoriented.
Now that she wasn't holding Seppy's... his.... that anymore, she looked at Fleshton a bit helplessly. What to do with it... him... her... it?
Finally, she carefully laid it down on the bed and continued to stand there, her arm, now that it had nothing to grab onto anymore at first dangling on her side, then going through her hair, adjusting her dress, a senseless work since it was done for anyway, and finally holding onto her other arm, just to have something to hold on to. She thought she'd simply go in here, go back to the harbour, get her ship and, after successfully escaping, finally sleep and forget this ever happened. But how could she, she realised, the ship was Seppy in such large parts. She had bought it because of him, with him and had traveled on it with him. Going back to it.... she didn't have the nerve, and tomorrow, she knew, it would be too late. Theo wouldn't stay off her heels forever, and her ship was the first thing he'd confiscate, if he hadn't already.
She could ask the doctor to stay here, at least for a night, and then find some other way to get off the island. Who knew, maybe there was some lone merchant ready to take her with him. But even the thought of sleep seemed.... wrong. She was tired, all right. Her head ached. But sleep? She couldn't even think of it for some reason.
She wondered where Seppy was, and hated herself a bit for doing so. But it didn't last long. Maybe she was... too harsh in her judgement. She had only seen one thing, and that had been shown to her by her enemy, if that was what the woman in white was. But then again, what could she do? Seppy was gone. So were the only friends she thought she still had, together with anything that could lead to them. All of this.... couldn't it just... end?
She looked at her feet, insecure and cold by now. She was sure she had been standing there for at least three minutes now, but she wasn't good with time today. Normally she was. But not now.
She looked back up, searched the doctors face for anything.
"What... what am I supposed to do now?"
Why was she asking him this? She didn't know. She would have most likely asked Theo the same thing, if he had captured her back then. She didn't know, and she desperately wanted to.

Shin gave a brief cluck of his tongue. He looked back over his shoulder, a grim smile on his tight lips.

"Good ta meet yaw, Avery," he said, his tone friendly but curt. "Both'a yaw."

As they walked, Shin let his new buddy voice his questions. When he was finished, the tall hybrid gave the dog an appraising look, then flashed it a smile and a thumbs up.

"Sounds like yawr boy Lawwwwwwrence here's a natural," praised Shin. "I don' gawt any great sense a smell like him 'er Seppy. Jus' gotta use my eyes, nawrmally. Best damn eyes inna world, yaw, but still need more'n that sometimes."

"Anyhow, that disappearin' trick y'saaaaw dog-face do is no differn' from how I can fly er how Seppy bends light," Shin explained. "Ol' Rackhir mutated Dubs with some kinna blinky-doggy-thing at can make itself an' everythin' it's touchin' jus' burst through space for shawrt dissances. Pain in th'ass little pawer."

"Anyways," Shin continued, smiling once again back at Avery, "jus' let ar' buddy here poin' us alaaaaawng. When we gawt the trail, I'll do th'rest!"

-----------------------------

It was a simple question; it was the question everyone asked once they'd been backed into the corner, when they had no way out. Doc had heard it enough times in his life, but it never became any easier to answer. Each time he'd heard it, each person who'd asked it, they'd all suffered different maladies. Miyu's case was no exception.

"I did happen to hear some of the discourse that took place right outside my office," Doc disclosed, his ancient grey eyes meeting Miyu's. "If I gather correctly, you...saw something," he wagered. Taking a moment to read Miyu's face, he continued.

"When last you left this office, you'd told me you were willing to risk that bite." Doc slid off the stool and walked over to Miyu. He took her hand, looked up at her. His hands were bony, cold, dry as dust, but somehow the touch was gentle and reassuring. Sharp and knowing grey eyes looked up at her from a face that was etched with the lines of more lifetimes than Miyu could imagine facing, a tight frown on the bloodless, discoloured lips...

Yet, somehow, it felt understanding, compassionate.

"The animal bites because it does not know any other way," Doc explained. "Just as you braved that bite because you did not blame the animal for it's teeth. If it has bitten before - an animal with teeth and no mind but to use them - how do you condemn it? Because it was not you who was bitten? Would you watch, then, the stray dog put to death for biting the miller's daughter, fair and well-beloved of the town, because she held in her hand the day's bread and the dog was hungry?"

There was a pause, and once again the old man walked towards the back room of his dark, little office. He took with him the tentacle, and turned back to look over his shoulder.

"You may leave that with me," he stated, nodding towards Fleshton. "I'll see it's cared for properly." Walking through the door, he turned around to face Miyu once more.

"Stay as long as you like, but do not disturb me. I've much to do tonight..."