[voice]

[fierybluebird]

[Marco's voice starts off cheerfully enough.]

Hey everyone, I think I found the place where the cave-in for the train-thing is. The currents here are pretty weird so if we can get ... some ... strong swimmers then...

[He starts trailing off, obviously seeing something.] Pops...? [His voice is quiet, barely audible. It's not possible, he knows it's not, he watched the man die. So it's just like Luffy's food and an illusion. Has to be. But then it gets stronger.] POPS!! [He starts running, sandals hitting the wood of the deck.] Pops... [This time he just sounds anguished. And then suddenly there's a splash. Uh where did Marco go?]

Comments

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

[Grell pauses in her actions and looks to him with a raised eyebrow.]

It would be remiss of me to ask if you're certain. [She continues to dry her hair.] If he was there, then he is now lost at sea. Unless he can breathe underwater.

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

[Balls up a fist and goes to punch her in the jaw.]

Don't act like that doesn't matter!

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

[Blinks at the fist. She sighs softly, dodging it easily.]

I'm desensitized to such circumstances, however I was not suggesting such. [ADJUSTS GLASSES] Do you believe your father is down there, still?

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

[Grits his teeth and goes to kick something turning away from her.]

He died. If that was still him I wouldn't be up here no matter what anyone did.

[He'll thank her later when he doesn't want to kill everyone and everything.]

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

Then it's best to stay on board. You can't save him if you drown.

[She wraps her hair in the towel and goes to retrieve her coat.] But that is simply my opinion, which you will more than likely ignore.

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

I can't save him anyway. Dead is dead. Isn't that the lesson you tried to impress on me? [Glares over his shoulder.]

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

At least you learn. A lot of others do not.

[Such a cold glare. How she loves it.]

Memories are precious. Try to savour them, rather than go overboard with attempting to recapture them.

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

Thanks for saving me, but don't ever tell me what to do regarding my family. It's my job, my everything to protect them. Dead or not.

This place... is horrible. But people don't show up dead here. They don't even stay dead. So all this? [Shakes his head jerkily.] It's an anomaly. More than the dead being alive.

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

Protecting the dead? I guess I'm not needed.

[She sighs softly, weary. The talk of the living dead is always being brought up, and it rubs her the wrong way.]

A horrid way to desecrate the DEAD. There really is no shame, here.

You're welcome~. [And you owe her. A silent addition to the statement.]

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

[Just stares at. And finally...]

Why did you save me anyway? I didn't take you for a Hero.

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

Would you like the truth, or a lie?

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

[Deadpan forever.] Which is more entertaining?

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

Good question. [She's actually thinking about this.] Entertaining for whom?

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

[Sticks his tongue out.] Let's make a game of it. You can tell me both and it'll be up to me to discern.

[ACTION] 1/2

[redcinemareel]

[GRINS]

Excellent! Okay, the lie: I would miss you.

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

The truth: it would be a good way for you to owe me~.

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

[Facepalms.] You really are winding up my kismesis.

Very well. I was going to dye your hair black in exchange for that lovely post of yours, but I won't now. [He WILL save it however, for the future. And look now she has warning. How sportsmanlike.] You're welcome.

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

[Giggles softly.] You asked~. It's good to know my efforts have worked out for the best. My best.

[So sportsmanlike, indeed. He'll kick himself later.]

And weren't you just saying that not everyone is out to get me, and here you are, plotting something terrible. [Tsk-ing at him. TSK TSK.] Maybe you were wrong?

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

Now now Crimson Death, I never said I wouldn't be your enemy. Although I did promise Tavros to play nice and not kill you.

But I'm not everyone. You've threatened my family, whether by accident or incidental, but as I said before; they're my everything. I'll kill anyone who hurts them, no matter what. So far you just do a good job of pissing us off.

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

Tavros is really precious, isn't he? I promised to bring him something, but I haven't the slightest clue!

Except Ace. He's quite toned~. [SMIRKS]

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

He likes flying and animals. Maybe something do with those.

[Eyes narrow and then goes to perch on a railing patting a spot next to it for her to join him.] All right Red, we need to have a talk or I'm going to have a much harder time keeping my promise. You said if someone was dead, you'd do whatever it took to make that stick. Think you could clarify that?

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

Ah~... [That narrowed things down a bit.

She looks to the spot he patted and takes it. Worse comes to worse, he would push her off after stabbing her. So there she goes, sitting next to him. Odd.]

How can I clarify further?

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

[Tries to figure out how to say "Well you haven't tried to kill Ace again so clearly you've got fault radar but I want to make sure you don't randomly find out and decide to try to kill him again out of some convoluted principle. Not that I'll ever accept you hitting on him." Gosh... that's just a mouthful.]

As I said before... the dead don't stay here. Due to the time flux of this place, people can be dead in their worlds and yet live on here. Almost a paradox, but not quite.

[Tries to figure out how to do this some more but uses himself for an example since it's safer.] After all, as a phoenix it could be argued I've died several times, but just rebirth, eh. If you're going to be around my nakama; Ace, Luffy, Japan, Cube, Tavros... then if you're a threat I'll find a way to eliminate you. So far you haven't killed certain people though and I'm not sure if that's just because you're rusty or all talk.

[ACTION]

[redcinemareel]

[Grell swings her legs a bit in thought. So he wants to know how she operates.]

The body is only a vessel, which can be replaced, if necessary. At worst times, recycled. Now, can you tell me what is at the very center of a body?

As for not killing anyone, I simply have not found the proper setting. [Green eyes look around at the vast sea.] Everything has a time and place, and at the moment, I have not found the proper time, nor place. [Looks over to him] There is an art in what I do. Artists create when inspiration strikes, not on a whim.

[ACTION]

[fierybluebird]

[Debates kicking out the section of railing she's on, but it's Luffy's ship and he knows better.]

It's not as simple as that here. It's not like they're zombies, just corpses with shadows stuck inside so as to be animated and used as weapons. They're really... alive. It's like bubbles. To go from home worlds to this one, they get taken out of their timeline and put here, but some of them can't go back to their own timeline in the world; but what makes that any different than the others here?

So are you like Tatsumi, and just planning to kill whenever it's convenient for you? [Watches with wary, cold, blue eyes, assessing her threat level and danger. The smell of it.]