Nop-eun Wiheom, Nop-eun Ideug~

[Wonsanji]

High Risk, High Gain

There were many things Yong Soo loved about being a pirate captain. The pride of steering his own course, the thrill of capturing rogue vessels, the simple joy of the ocean breeze. There were many things to love about being a pirate captain.

Balancing a checkbook was not one of them.

“Aiiiiyaaaa, da ze;;” The Korean scratched his head, the base of his palm tilting the glasses on his face. His mouth gave the figures before him a strained grin, as though trying to charm them into order, but no matter how cheerfully he smiled the numbers failed to swim into less worrying arrangements. There was no getting around it. The Lucky Dragon was well under-budget.

“I knew we should’ve taken that job in Vietnam, da ze;;” Yong Soo sighed, and marked up the paper, trying to figure out what supplies the crew could afford to go without and what was absolutely necessary. Even after this, there was more that they needed than the Korean could currently afford. Not without selling…

Yong Soo palmed the upper left side of his collar, feeling through the lining a small, carefully concealed pocket, where something small, hard, and precious hid its glimmer. The Korean’s eyes lowered, before they hardened. Aniyo. There had to be another way, da ze.

“Maybe if we take on some local jobs,” the Korean mused aloud, nibbling on the end of his pen, “or form some alliances…” But who would want to ally with a couple of Asian nobodies who were low on money? Sure, the crew of the Lucky Dragon had marketable skills, but…

Yong Soo paused, the pen popping out of his mouth. Marketable skills… A rare, conniving grin marked its way across the Asian man’s face, his warm brown eyes glinting with sudden determination.

Setting his pen aside, he took off his glasses, folding them carefully into his sleeve, and stood up from his chair. Sleeves fluttering before him as he stepped into the hall, the young pirate captain purposefully strode towards the mess hall in search of one particular person. He came up to Cái’s side, resting one sleeve on the table, and tilted his head.

“Annyeoung, jae-gun noleumkuun~” he began suddenly, smirking more than smiling, “It’s rather boring here, da ze. How would you feel about a night on the town?”

Aniyo = No
Annyeoung = Hello (informal)
Jae-gun noleumkuun = Little Gambler (Korea's nickname for Macau)

[England]

(hahaha... can anyone say I'm a forgetful idiot. I'D BELIEVE YOU ;



Cai was bored. Well, not just bored - he was bored, kinda hungry and just not in the mood to get a lecture on meal-times from Yao just to try and have a snack. He'd plunked himself down in the mess hall with a lack of anywhere else to be while the ship was in port. In fact, he was almost dozing off while sitting up when a long arm appeared in front of him, connected to Yong Soo. Snapping out of his daze, he was actually really surprised to hear the taller asian ask him that question without Yao being there and having been asked first. It was kinda suspicious, but holy Gods above did he not care. It was something to do. Something interesting. Something different. "Sounds amazing Xiāngjiāo niúnǎi!" he grinned widely.

Yong Soo gave a quiet chuckle, mouth quirking up as he tilted his head. "Then we better get moving, da ze. Before all the excitement starts." The Korean stood, glancing around as though to make sure no one was watching--'Yao-Hyungnim would never approve, da ze, no matter how I tried to explain it.'--and gestured the other to follow. "We'll need to stop by your room, first, da ze, and make sure we have the right things." Readily assuming the other would follow him, the tall Asian silently strode down the hall, sliding open the door and peering inside, though being respectful enough not to actually step in. He glanced at the young boy, tilting his head in, "Grab your cards, da ze. Dice too."

Eagerly hopping out of his seat, Cai was quick to follow. Down into the depths of the ship to his room they went, only stopping once when Cai froze momentarily at the mention of his things. How... how in the world did the korean know about his scam stuff? Hadn't he kept them well hidden? Quick to keep pace though, he let that thought slip for later, after he was off this ship and there was no real chance of the perky man telling him he had to go back. "Right..." he mumbled, darting through the door. Moving to the wall behind his hammock, he counted wall panels until he found the one he wanted. He'd discovered the little hidey-hole back when he'd first gotten the room for himself - a little cupboard that was completely hidden from sight unless you pressed on it at just the right angle to unlock a mechanism inside. Palming his cards and dice before clicking the compartment shut again he stepped back out into the hall, an eager grin on his lips. "Where to, captain?"

Yong Soo grinned again, glad the other was being so eager and cooperative, and gently closed the door again, folding his hands in his sleeves. "Now we go and take in some of the local color, da ze~" He deliberately turned, instinctively angling himself along the shadier side of the hall, and moved, the sound of his steps abnormally quiet against the hard-wood floor. If the Korean had any idea that he was being unusually quiet, he gave no indication, except for the speculative glance he gave Yao's room as he paced, looking back to Cai with a stern caution. Eventually, the two Asians made their way to the doors located on the middle deck, where Yong Soo gave the watchman on duty a small, curt nod, not bothering to answer his unspoken question with more than a wink. Once the duo's feet had touched off the short gangplank connecting the ship to the dock, the Korean let out a heady sigh, smile curling as he looked into the town nearby. The very first night-lamps were glimmering, and the air was filled with ribald activity and promise. 'And, hopefully,' Yong Soo thought, smirking, 'more than a few drunken saps.' The Korean glanced down at Cai, sure that the boy had questions, and nodded him forward, "Lead the way, da ze. I'll trust your instincts on this," he smiled, a bit darkly, and laughed, "Let's see if we can earn our crew name, da ze."

Biting back the urge to point out that of the two, he was the underage one with no experience in such matters (which would, quite honestly, be a lie), he scanned the still bustling docks and tried to get a feel for where the best place to go would be. The foreign town was just that - foreign to him. So, in the end, he straightened and took on the airs of someone much older than he was. Someone who would be looking for a good place to drink away their night. Stepping forward and asking the nearest dock worker where their favorite pub was, he was quickly given directions to a moderately busy pub just a ways down the docks. It smelled of fish and sweat, not his favorite combination in the world, but since he didn't plan on staying long, cai peered through the smoky depths and found a group of men gambling with cards in one of the corners. "Over there." he pointed out quietly to Yong Soo, an uncertain look coming over his face as he stood in the doorway. Sneaking a guilty look up at his tall companion, he reminded himself that Yao wouldn't be able to find out he went behind his back by entering such a seedy establishment.

Yong Soo looked down at the other, tilting his head slightly once he saw the other’s self-conscious shifting. Uncertainty. He hadn’t expected that, but then, it was hard for the Korean to remember sometimes that for all his bravado and skill, the other was only a young boy, as he had been. Prone to doubt. He set a hand on the other boy’s shoulder, patting through the sleeve, and decided to offer the other at least some form of reassurance. “Thank you, jae-gun noleummkuun,” he said, grinning the shared smile of a conspirator, “I’ll be your front. That means, I’ll do all the flash and talk, while you be my eyes. We won’t stay long enough for the money to run thin, da ze.” Giving the other another pat, the Korean moved forward, beckoning the other to follow along behind him, and sauntered up to the gambling table. With a self-confidence that could only belong to a pirate, the Korean smoothly settled himself in, giving his new tablemates a predatory smile, “Annyeoung, da ze. Room for one more?” Yong Soo drew a few coins from his sleeve, valuable enough to be tempting and cheap enough to lose. The other gamblers gave him a vaguely interested glance, and grunted, shifting to a more inclusive position. Yong Soo glanced at Cai, grinning, and gestured the other to stand at his shoulder, grinning to the other men, "You don't mind if I have a luck charm, right da ze?" The other's snorted, not even giving the smaller Asian a second glance. Yong Soo smirked.

Taking that reassurance at face value, Cai stepped inside right behind Yong Soo, keeping quiet like a shadow. The less obtrusive he was, the more likely no one would notice once he started cheating. Watching carefully as the cards were being dealt - for who knew that while they were trying to scam these men, they might be trying to scam them - he leant against the back of Yong Soo's chair, both arms obviously not touching the seated man, crossed to lean casually along the top of the high-backed chair. Now, hopefully, the korean and he were on the same page for code-gestures or they would be royally screwed.

Reading the group around him carefully, Yong Soo automatically decided that this was not a particularly chat-oriented group, and set aside the small bits of small talk he had put aside, at least until there was an opening. He kept an inscrutable grin on his face, purely neutral, while vaguely noting that he had a favorable hand as he placed his part into the center. He glanced about, opening his eyes and ears, and settled back to watch the stakes rise. The other men drank about him, some more heavily than others, prompting an approving tilt from the Korean. Drunk men made more mistakes. He hummed lightly, well-below the level of noise in the bar, and waited for his cues.

His eyes roved over every face around the table as each man reacted to their cards in their own way. The drunk ones were obvious to him, faint grimaces for bad cards, a twitch of the lips for a good hand. The mostly sober ones were a bit harder, but - unexpectedly, for he couldn't remember the last time he'd been involved in a card game where there were odds against him - he found himself reading them like books. Two to the right of them had a good hand, beside them on both sides (one drunk, one not) had bad hands even though he couldn't see their faces, he knew. He could tell. Taking in a slow breath and standing straighter his right thumb hidden by the rest of his hand traced along the korean's sleeve, going upwards. Raise the stakes, their chances were very good.

Yong Soo took a moment to register the gesture, deliberately keeping his face stable, and nonchalantly raised his stakes, making sure to make a gesture as he did. A simple tug of the ear. It was a line—once he managed to reassure the more observant pirates that they could read him, they would be more willing to act predictably based on his actions. Sang Ki appeared to give Cai a subtle wink, as though to tell the other of the ploy. “So, where are you from, stranger?” One of the pirates asked, prompting Yong Soo to look up, tilting his head and smiling. “I originated in Korea, da ze. Can’t you tell?” One of the other gamblers coughed quietly into his mug, shrugging, “Quite a ways.” Yong Soo tilted his head back and forth, rolling his shoulders lightly in a shrug. “My captain insisted.” Better to let them think that he was just a common sailor.

The chatting didn't distract him at all - in fact, it seemed to fade into the background as he stared rather blankly down at the table. Or rather, it appeared that he was staring down at the table - minute eye movements caught every gesture that would give the game away. Across from them, a line in the form of rubbing a hand through receding hair. To the left, one he couldn't see the face of, he could tell suddenly that that man had a winning hand. Without even changing his expression, Cai poked Yong Soo in the arm with his left thumb. Throw the round - lose. Let them think they were unlucky.

Yong Soo didn’t jolt at the poke, though it took him a moment to interpret. A throw? Alright, he could do that. He looked up at the others, smiling pleasantly, and proceeded to make more small talk. “I haven’t been to Libertalia before, da ze,” he began, “but it appears to be lively location.” The pirate with the receding hairline scoffed, mouth quirking in a smile as he raised his stakes, “Knew you were a fresh one the moment I saw ya.” Yong Soo tilted his head, maintaining his smile in spite of his slightly suspicious curiosity, “Ah? Why is that, da ze?” The one with the receding hairline glanced up, mouth twitching, before returning to his cards, “You don’t recognize the feel of it yet. A storm is brewing.” The Korean’s mouth lined, interest piqued, before he intentionally lost his game. Putting on an air of slight disappointment, he rubbed his left elbow, dropping a loss line.

Sighing, trying to look aggravated for the people around the table as if losing the round bothered him, Cai spent a few moments looking quickly around the table again as the cards were dealt. "You're lucky charm ain't so lucky, pup." snickered the man sitting to the right of Receding Hairline, earing himself a disapproving stare from the older man. Cai wasn't listening to their banter - unfavorable cards all around meant that those words were meant to try and call them out, to make too big a gamble. Tapping Yong Soo three times lightly on the arm to indicate getting more cards to supplement their... not pathetic cards because there was a faint chance of winning, but unimpressive hand.

Yong Soo allowed the small flare of irritation arrive and pass, his smile getting a bit braver and colder as he retrieved more cards. “If I judged my games on the first hand, I would be a poorly made man, da ze.” Let them mock him now, and think it was bravado that kept him going. He tilted his head, expression neutral, figuring that no line was a better bet than tiring out an old one. He looked up around the table, and allowed his vague curiosity to show. “A storm, da ze?” He grinned slightly, chuckling, “Should I have brought an umbrella?”

The cards were better for sure, if they bided their time they could win this round. Except... perhaps it was too early for a win? Letting his attention wander for a moment, he noticed that Hairline had as decent a chance of winning. And the conversation - storm? An actual storm or... something else. Once again, he poked the Korean with his left thumb. Maybe losing would keep the man talking. If it was nothing... well, he was bored of this place already. A good win and they could leave.

Hairline chuckled wryly, glancing up at the Korean again over his drink, “I would pay a pretty penny for an umbrella that could divert this. Things always pick up when captains are meeting, but there’s something special on this one, mark my words.” Ah, that’s right, the captain’s meeting—the Eastern Asian had already marked it in his head as a debut, but, if a seasoned pirate felt something was up... Yong Soo felt the poke to throw, and mentally sighed. But, he would trust the other’s instincts. “Special how, da ze?” he asked, setting himself up for a loss and opening the lines of conversation.

Cai watched as everyone at the table became confident, as they all seemed to be in on some grand secret as the cards were dealt once more. Even from those reactions he could tell that their hand was the best - and with how the men were acting they could get their money, their information and get out of here without none being the wiser. "Special in a way that if you weren't heading that way, do so. Something is going to happen." Hairline stayed vague, annoying Cai a fair bit. "And it's going to change everything in Libertalia." A right-thumb stroke to raise. If that was all they were going to get out of it - well, they were going that way anyways.

Yong Soo raised again, trying to seem caught up in the dialogue instead of paying attention. Let them think he was a bright-eyed fool—it would make his victory all the better. He grinned a bit, humming, “I’ll be trying to keep a weather eye out, then, da ze~” There. He had them. The hands were shown, and Yong Soo allowed a small smile at the pleasant sound of grumbling all around. “Ah, looks like change is coming already,” he commented wryly. He collected his winnings into his sleeves, and nodded towards Hairline with a grin, “Good game, da ze.” The other pirate took another drink, apparently losing interest as the cards dealt again. Yong Soo stood up, glancing to Cai, and made his way out of the bar. He opened the door for the other, humming. “We did well, da ze. Told you luck originated in Korea~” He chuckled, stepping out, sleeves to his head, “Now, where to next? We can either try our luck at another place, or…ah,” the Asian captain looked down, grinning, “Are you hungry, da ze?”

Looking around the level they were on quickly, he spotted, of all things, a cart selling meat buns. "Over there - can we grab something while we walk?" Being back outside gave him a quick thrill as they were back on the hunt for a new target. They'd done one on this level - the lowest level, to be honest. Heading upwards would mean bigger stakes... and bigger chances of getting caught.

Yong Soo chuckled at the brightness of the other’s eyes, hearing that casino jingle once again. He nodded, approaching the vendor and paying him the sum of two buns. He handed one over to the other, and waited for the other to lead, this time, not needing to prompt him. He watched the other speculatively, tilting his head and wondering once again at how easily and seamlessly they worked together. “You’re a very good asset, jae-gun noleumkuun,” he hummed, biting into his bun, “I’ll try to remember that when we get back on board.”

Accepting the bun, he took a small bite out of the steaming hot bread. Darting a quick glance at his captain, Cai, still in his odd noticing-mode caught what was being said. Try to remember? Peering closer at the man... he remembered the first time he met the korean when he'd felt something... off about him. Off in a similar way to Cai himself. Swallowing what was in his mouth, he decided to risk it. "...who are you?" he stayed on the balls of his feet in case the question wasn't appreciated.

Yong Soo paused, looking down at the other. His eyes darkened for a moment, features blank and suddenly both younger and older. “…” he snorted, softly, and looked down, “I thought Yao-Hyungnim would figure it out first, da ze.” He nodded Cai onward, indicating that he’d like to keep walking. “Has Hyungnim ever told you about the day we lost our family, da ze?” The Korean’s voice was soft, distant, and very quiet, “Bandits came, and razed our village. Broke us. Stole us. Killed. I saw it all happen, from somewhere they couldn’t see me. I was torn between wanting to kill, and wanting to die.” Yong Soo’s mouth snarled suddenly, and he glared at the walk, voice bitter and acidic. “I did nothing.” He suddenly looked over, coming back a bit, and frowned lightly, correcting, “We did nothing. Ever since, I’ve been split.” He smiled, sadly, “I’m still Yong Soo, da ze.”

It was... perturbing to hear. "No... Yao told me that you were seperated, but he didn't go into detail." kicking a loose rock ahead of him with more vigor than necessary, he looked back up at Yong Soo, bitterness hiding in his eyes. "You know how he is with me. If... if he could wrap me up and hide me away from the world... he would do it, without hesitation." He stuffed his mouth full of meat bun to take away the sour taste in the back of his throat. He didnt' want to think about it anymore. He was... so tired of being angry at Yao, at others. This was supposed to be a fun night out so - he swallowed down the bite, choking a little as he'd hardly even chewed it before swallowing. "C'mon. We're not making anything by just bitching here. Let's go find some fun."

Yong Soo blinked, slowly. He could understand why Yao-Hyungnim would want to shut Cai away. Not agree with it, no, but understand…The Korean sloughing it off for now, allowed himself a wicked grin, and nodded. “Ye. Hopefully at other’s expense, da ze.” He stuffed his mouth full of meat bun, swallowing easily, and nodded Cai ahead. He felt better, now that someone knew he existed. He had a comrade. Yong Soo blinked, resisting the urge to shiver. ‘Comrade?’

(AND ILL POST MY PART SOON WHEN I HAS BRAINS)

[England]

Cai grinned, even if it was a little forced, he was having fun. And this 'other Yong Soo'... well, Cai couldn't say anything about having 'another him' inside. More often than not, the anger that built up in him until he snapped almost felt like another Cai - one that killed to make himself feel better. "Any idea where to go?" he asked as he scanned the crowds. "I haven't been around this place yet." It went unspoken that Yao hadn't let him off the ship, deeming a nest of pirates, thieves and whores to be unsuitable for him to wander around in.

Yong Soo tilted his head, angling it about as he thought. "I've heard that the city gets richer the higher up we go, so, if it's quick profits we're going for..." The Korean grinned sharply, swinging up his arms to brace his neck as he hummed, "More likely to find people willing to throw their money away, da ze~"

Following the Korean's gaze, he looked up and up - wondering how a cavern could be so big, even if it was a hollowed out island - seeing level after level of buildings. "... wow." he mumbled, rather stunned as he took it in. "I didn't think pirates could be... organized like that." But Yong Soo was right - the higher the level, the better the money. A grin grew on his face. "I guess that means we're on our way to the top?"

Yong Soo smirked, nodding, "As far up as we can go~" He glanced down at the other, sniffing lightly in sudden amusement, "After all, if we're going to get in trouble by Yao-Hyungnim for being out, we might as well be out doing something big enough to be worth the trouble, right, da ze?" Chuckling freely, the Korean tapped his way up the first few steps, fingers brushing along the insides of his sleeves as he looked about the next level. Emerging from the second level and bypassing the third entirely, the two Asians had found their meandering way from the tableau of foods across the globe up to the level built entirely on entertainment. Music filled the air, everything from raucous drunken ramblers to jaunty two-steps, laughter playing counterpart to the loud clink of frothy mugs. Yong Soo tilted his head to Cai, giving a smile that was all teeth, before hiding his mouth and making a sound not entirely like a pigeon.

Cai, easily distracted by the flashing lights and noises, craned his head around as they walked on - nearly stopping a time or two as he gaped. This was different from any city he'd been in before! There was so much to see, so much going on that he wanted to just wander the streets for hours. "I can't see why Yao wouldn't want me to come here!" he spoke with increasing amazement, wide-eyed.

Yong Soo laughed brightly, tilting his head as he let the other wander just a few feet ahead of him, trusting again the boy's instincts. "That was pretty much my reaction the first time I turned up in a major city too, da ze. You've not seen dazzle until you've been to Seoul." The Korean paused then, eyeing a person that was straying too close, and offered a sharp grin. The person paused, and then scuttled off, hiding their pick-pocket's knife as they went on in search of an easier target. Yong Soo hummed, stepping closer to Cai, and continued, "All the same, make sure to keep your wits about you, da ze. We're the scheming, not the schemed, ye?"

"Hmm?" Cai looked back at the other and suddenly remembered exactly what they were doing. "Right..." he flushed faintly, turning back forward and dashed up the last few steps up to the top level. Letting off a low whistle at the extravagance of the place, he let his eyes wander towards a guard looking their way. "I think we're a little... underdressed for the area."

Yong Soo followed after, pausing on the stairs to look about. He grimaced slightly, rolling his shoulders a bit. "So it would seem." The Korean took particular pride in his appearance, so the concession was a bit painful to admit. He glanced to Cai, and conjured up a small grin, "Still, tigers don't get strong by being meek. I am an official captain of Libertalia, da ze, and have every right to be here." He looked around, humming lightly, and pulled one fan out from the sash at his waist, fanning himself lightly as he smiled at Cai, back to the guard, "Now, do you want to head down the street, da ze, or should we try to make the one giving us the eye a friend of ours?"

Cai eyed the guard who was making his way towards them slowly but surely as if to scare them off without a confrontation. "Pff - we can take him." The excitement of the evening had not worn off - nor had the urge to have fun. And if there was going to be fun and profit on the top level of Libertalia, then damn it all a guard wasn't going to get in his way. Flicking his sleeves down over his hands, he snapped one of his knives down - just in case things got messy.

Yong Soo grinned at Cai, dark eyes glinting, before he turned back to face the guard, smiling broadly and lightly fanning himself. "Annyeonghaseyo, da ze." He eyed the guard, carefully assessing him as a potential opponent, 'go for the eyes with fan--broadly muscled if a bit top heavy--slight limp on the left knee--knock out his weight from under him--' while tilting his head, a picture of wide-eyed innocence, "Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there is." the guard, blunt and frowning down, focusing first on Yong Soo. "This area is for the top captains - for example, Vargas, Bey and Kirkland have places up here. You don't have the criteria to be here, so I must ask you to leave."

Yong Soo's fan abruptly froze, his grin locking into place as his eyes almost seemed to sear out of his skull. After a tense moment, though, the Korean laughed lightly, continuing to fan himself as one hand moved up to his collar. "And, if I may, what is this criteria I am so obviously lacking, da ze? It's dangerous to judge on appearances, y'know."

The man scoffed, with a look of 'new person' on his face. "Well, it's pretty obvious. For one thing - everyone on this level is a famous pirate captain. Everyone who's anyone knows who they are - and whenever someone new is invited to live on this level, there's big celebrations all over the city." he shifted, crossing his arms across his chest. "And you need a piece of the famous Ernst map. If you don't meet all them criteria, you don't belong." While the man spoke, Cai casually shifted himself from behind Yong Soo, standing a couple steps behind and to the left, having yet not spoken.

Yong Soo hummed lightly, managing a small smirk, "Obviously, I must be a legend in the making, da ze, for I was invited here for the sole purpose of attending the captain's meeting. Which, if I recall, is supposed to be held up here." Yong Soo folded his fan, crossing one arm beneath the other and lightly tapping his mouth, "Hm~ I guess that means I'm invited, huh? But, don't just take my word for it, da ze," He held up his free hand, letting the sleeve fall down to reveal the jewel resting in his fingers. Yong Soo smirked, letting the jewel catch the light, "In Korea, we have a phrase for this, da ze: Ineun gildo muleogara. Even if you know the way, ask one more time."

The guard stuttered to a stop, eyes riveted on the shining green gem. "Oh... well..." he cleared his throat nervously, eyes suddenly darting between the two of them. Oddly enough, his eyes came to rest on Cai and after a moment of confusion, the guards face went from pale to pasty white. The younger asian boy stared back blankly, something about this man feeling oddly familiar. And the whole 'feeling familiar' thing was so rare, and something that he'd been looking for for so long, he wanted to know. Who was this man?

Yong Soo was about to continue gloating, but the unexpected reaction to Cai gave him pause. Quirking his eyebrow, the Korean quickly swept his sleeve up, replacing the gem, and half-way opened his fan again, gesturing towards the guard, "You look as though you've seen a ghost, da ze. Why is that?"

The man was startled out of his stare when the Korean spoke, jerking his head back and forth in a definite 'no'. "Nothing... no reason at all." And he turned, hustling himself away down the street, turning into an alleyway. For a long moment, Cai stood, staring after him before shaking his head. "... Yong Soo, sorry to ruin the night, but I want to follow him."

Yong Soo watched the man go, one eyebrow still raised in confusion. Then he tilted his head to Cai, dark eyes thoughtful, before he nodded, closing the fan and placing it in his sash, "It's no problem, da ze, I was about to suggest it myself." He swept a hand over his hair, making Sang Ki bounce a bit, before grinning sharply. "Curiosity originated in Korea, y'know, and I've never been that good at letting things lie." He paced forward, loosening his hands in his sleeves, and began making his way towards the alley.

Cai crouched low, each quick step making no noise as his other blade snapped down into his other hand. Darting down into the alley, he closed his eyes for a moment to let them adjust to the darkness of the space before stepping forward. In the distance, the guard was unlocking the gate to a large house built into the rock behind it.

Yong Soo slunk parallel to Cai, the tall and usually boisterous Asian surprisingly quiet as he picked his way through the shadows. He braced his back up against the wall, eyeing the house before him, and quietly began casing the joint. "Along with our friend, there seem to be a few more people around. Possibly--nah, definitely armed. Mostly inside, so that's good. However, that probably means there's something else protecting the courtyard--most likely an alarm." He glanced towards the house proper, blinking, "Only a few windows on the side facing us, and, call me a cynic, but I highly doubt there's a back-door to a house built into a cave wall. There does appear to be some sort of ventilation, but it's too high up and too small to be helpful as a secondary entrance. So," he looked to Cai, grinning slightly, "Fun enough, da ze?"

Frowning up at the building, Cai only nodded to answer Yong Soo. There were only a few options for getting in - and there certainly wasn't a name on the front door to let them know who owned this house. A brief glance around the street gave him an idea, as there was a blond man who, inan impeccable black suit looked entirely out of place was walking by. "Hey!" he called out, getting the man's attention. "Whose house is this?" The man furrowed overlarge eyebrows and glanced at the building. "That would be Bey's house." the faintly accented words came out as the man rested casually on his cane.

Yong Soo's head tilted abruptly, eyebrows raising high at Cai's directness. Then, propping himself up a bit, the Korean man brushed down his clothes, and looked at the other man to thank him. He paused, then, a momentary confusion passing over him,as a sudden feeling of familiarity passed over him...as well as a sudden paranoia that he was about to shrink. Shaking his head, Yong Soo grinned at the Englishman, playing up as a curious tourist, "The same Bey that is the current head of the council, da ze?" He looked to Cai, smiling and hoping he'd play along, "Wow, isn't that interesting? I told you visiting a pirate town would be fun, didn't I? I would know, fun originated in Korea." He raised his head to the gentleman, waving his sleeve in a happy, carefree manner, "Thank you, da ze~"

The man looked at the both of them oddly for a moment, gaze switching between them and the house for a brief moment, before a fierce grin grew briefly on his face. "The rock on the face of the house is rather soft." He tipped his hat as he stepped away. "Have a pleasant evening." The step, step, thunk of him and his cane went just a short ways down the street before he opened the gate to a nearby house and entered. Cai shared a glance with Yong Soo about the odd Britishman before pushing back his sleeves, revealing gleaming blades in each hand. "I can climb the wall, if what he said is true."

After watching the unexpectedly vague Englishman wander off, wondering what soft rock was supposed to mean, Yong Soo glanced down at the boys hands, eyebrows raising as Sang Ki gave a silent whistle. He paused, and then grinned a bit, tilting his head and placing one sleeve on Cai's shoulder, "Definitely a good asset, jae-gun noleumkuun. I hope you'll keep surprising me, da ze." He lifted his sleeve, and glanced to the house, the familiar predatory gleam in his eyes, "So, you climb the wall, scout it out, and open the gate?"

With a quick, silent nod and a small leap, both blades were sunk almost to the hilt in the wall. LIfting one out and moving it higher, he slowly climbed the wall until he reached the second floor window. Checking it, it was locked and he moved on, up another floor. The one on the third floor was unlocked and with a pull, there was enough room for his small frame to scuttle through and inside.

Yong Soo watched the boy go for a moment, making sure that he was safely in, before sliding up across and over to another hiding spot closer to the gate, where he'd be able to slip in quickly once Cai had reached the other side. He glanced about himself in case there were any others that happened to be passing through on a late-night stroll, and, finding none, eased his two weighted fans out from the sash, gently opening them and readying for any unexpected attacks. "If only my other half believed in guns," he muttered quietly, sighing.

[England]

The hallway was dark - there was only a lantern halfway down outside of a large set of closed doors. Blades held forward as he stepped slowly, softly in case the soft carpeting squeaked. Everything was silent - all the people they had seen the shadows of were down on the second and first floors. Getting closer to the closed doors, he spied a stairway heading downwards just past it on the other side of the hall. Yong Soo had asked for him to let him in and... there was... he thought it was a growing sense of dread that was growing in his stomach that made him decide that it would be best to get the older asian before tackling whatever mystery this house held.

"YOU SAW WHAT!?!"

A voice yelled from inside the closed room, making Cái jump, heart pounding as - familiar, familiar - he knew that voice... but where?- something behind the door slammed down, something crashed.



"I-I apologize sir. I thought he was gone for certain - I was there when Yoo disp-"

"No! I do not care for your excuses." The voice was thickly accented - definitely European of some sort (not Portuguese like Afonso, he could tell that much...) and Cái found his hand on the doorknob before his brain could catch up with his body. He needed to know - needed to know why he was so terrified.

Click. Door open. Meet startled brown eyes, calm blue eyes.

Couldn't breathe. He knew. He knew.

"Welcome back, child. This is quite fortuitous that you returned. And... just in time for the festivities."

His world shattered and he screamed.

[England]

(*cough* posting korea's post because I lost it before like a super derp because I'm awesome like that. :'D)

Yong Soo would never admit how high he jumped once he heard the scream, his brown eyes widening and teeth clamping down tight on his mouth to prevent the irrational impulse to shout back.

The Korean's body immediately went into action, snapping one of his fans shut and jamming it into one of the many hollows Cai made, pulling himself up and stabbing the other fan into another crevice high above it. The rubber soles of his shoes provided Yong Soo enough purchase against the rough surface to allow him to scramble up the wall, and it wasn't long before he had made his way level to the second floor window.

Panting lightly but still running on adrenaline, the Korean pierced through a glass pane with the butt of his fan. Not even taking the time to clear the glass, Yong Soo's sleeved fingers scrabbled for a lock, placing shallow cuts along the sleeve.

As soon as he was able to push the windows open, the Korean halfway-crawled and halfway-rolled into the room, surprising the hallway guard that hadn't gone up to investigate the scream. Standing up and breathing harshly, Yong Soo only spared an instant to grin murder at the other guard, before rushing him.

[England]

Cái remembered.

Happy night - mother and father laughing, hugging. Warm and there.

Portugal picking him up, whispering to him soothingly in a language he didn't understand.

Blood. Blood all over mother and father and whywhywhyweretheynotbreathing? Blank stares, the click of a gun.

He loved his new mother and brothers and sisters. They were close and warm and kind - unlike China, who was scared of him. New clothes, held close, stories of adventure - he didn't ever want it to end.

Standing over a dead man he didn't know - but heshotthemheshotmamaandpapasoDIE - gun in hand. Applause behind him. Whip around - going to kill everyone! - meet curious blue eyes. "I have a use for you." Pain and darkness.

Everyone was sick. He wasn't allowed near his siblings or his mama and he was lonely. He even wished he could see China again, but even he was sick. Wiping the tears from his face, he - Macau, not Cái, Macau - promised himself that when everyone got better he'd never leave them alone again.

It hurt - every time he fought back, it hurt. Or it was cold and dark and small and he couldn't breathe but They told him if he behaved he wouldn't hurt or be afraid but the lied. Always lied. Swords and guns and pain for all who faced him. "You're doing well, my little assassin."

There was war. Wars upon wars and he couldn't stop crying as he sat at his mama's funeral. Two caskets, for mama and his lover as they died trying to save each other. No. Nonono, it shouldn't be that way - he promised they'd all be together forever! Long after everyone else left, he sat there. "I won't leave you mom. Never ever." he laughed - he felt sick to laugh but without mama he felt weak and tired and - the gun in his hand made it's way to his temple as he cried and laughed weakly and he'd find his mother in the next life, he wouldn't be alone and BANG-

He... he didn't want to remember. Days in the smallcold space and the pain being beaten... he forced those memories away. All his memories away, as he stumbled down the alley, running for freedom. He wasn't anyone. Or anything. He was sure he was supposed to be dead - why though? why was he supposed to be- water. There was a dock ahead. Just a little further and he'd be free - free from what? All he knew was that he needed to run! - he... could... make.... it... FALLING. DARKNESS.[/i]


He snapped back to reality, much more than he was before but horribly confused - what was real? It couldn't both be real itjustcouldn'thecouldn'tbeacountry - with the brown haired man standing right before him. Stumbling backwards blindly - blinded by the tears that he wished weren't there because he couldn't fight if he couldn't see - he felt hard fingers brush against his face and back, forcing him closer - notcloserdon'twanttobecloser.

[/color]"Now, now. Behave yourself. You remember what happens when you resist." the voice - oh how he hated that voice! - cooed in his ear. He sobbed helplessly, knowing the truth for what it was.

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo glowered over the body of his felled opponent, eyes narrowed and chest heaving. Sparing only another moment to crack the folded fan over the thug’s skull, confirming the other’s descent into unconsciousness, the Korean whirled down the hall, pacing fast to the door downstairs. No one was coming up to investigate the quick quiet melee, so the Asian closed the door, locked it, and set a chair under the knob to make it difficult for anyone to try. A meager defense, but it would have to do.

Yong Soo ignored the tremors in his hands, the aches and pains lacing fire up his arms, the treacherous vine of fear crawling up his spine with the intent of strangling his mind. There was no time for any of it; Cái needed him.

Yong Soo would not fail his family twice.

The Asian loped back to the fallen guard, crouching down and performing a cursory search of the other’s body. The Korean’s hands grazed cool metal, and there was no effort made towards holding back the fierce grin as he pulled the foolishly unused gun from the goon’s belt, slipping it into his own sash before drifting up the stairs. The Korean braced against the wall, forcing himself to adhere to stealth in spite of the desire to run, and peered around the corner of the stairwell.

The other guard from the second floor had just entered an open door down the hall, and Yong Soo caught the murmured discussion in what appeared to be French. Sneering at the foreign tongue, Yong Soo’s grip on the fan shifted, and he began making his way into the hall, ears and eyes open for any sign of his comrade.

'So help me, if that sobbing is him,' Yong Soo's heart gripped, and he bit the corner of his mouth till it bled.

[England]

The touches he could feel on his face made his skin crawl and he tried to back away but he hit the wall behind him and the fingers dug into his face, perfectly manicured nails feeling like they were scratching his skull as they dragged down wards. He was terrified, unable to do more than whimper as one hand took his own and delved into his sleeve to grab his own dagger.

"What a pretty little toy." Blue eyes twinkled in amusement while Cái felt sick enough to vomit - the taste of meatbuns and bile made a disgusting flavor in the back of his throat. "And it has a brother too! My, you have been busy, little Pet." he sobbed helplessly as he was divested of his second knife and his two most easily accessed weapons. The man backed up a step and the little strength in Cái's legs gave out - with a rustle of cloth, he hit the floor.

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo edged close, but at the last moment, found that it was the door down the hall that demanded his attention. Looking at the door in front of him, the Korean pulled an adhesive from his sleeve, thankful that his other half was an eternal trickster, and stealthily gummed up the door knob and the place where the door would lock. Just as quietly, the Korean shut the door, locked it, and took only a moment more to brush the fast-acting glue along the seam of the door, in the hope it would increase the delay, before stuffing it back in his sleeve and turning down the hall.

He eased up to the second entrance, peering in to see Bey’s hands skim over Cái’s face. Yong Soo glowered, teeth grit, and he set the fan down into his sash to pull out the gun. As soon as Cái hit the floor, Yong Soo stormed in, cracking his other fan across the guard’s throat to bend him forward and over his head to knock him out, at the same time drawing the gun up to the Frenchman’s temple. A second later, the guard fell to the carpeted floor with a soft thump.

Yong Soo sneered, cocking the gun with a hiss, “Drop the knives, you son of a French swine.” Not glancing away long enough for Bey to pull anything, Yong Soo’s tone softened, his dialect switching to a calming Chinese as he talked to Cái, “Ni meishi ba, da ze?”

Ni meishi ba = Are you alright?

[England]

Cái was quickly finding himself slipping into a daze - his mind couldn't keep up. What was real - which memories were real? Which was the real him? Was he a nation, or was he a teenager or was he some kind of assassin or was he not real at all? It was all so surreal - it couldn't really be happening right?

From a distance, he noticed himself having a panic attack - or at least, he could tell that he was gasping for air even though he hadn't done anything but fall down. He could feel the hot tears on his face, and, like a faint buzzing in his ears, he could hear the others speaking.

Eyes wide and panicked - and yet not him at all, because if he was Macau then none of this was real, right? - he stared at his brotherfriendcaptain which was he really? It took a long moment before the words that the other spoke caught up with that part of him that was there at that moment. But it was the part of him that was panicking that answered.

"Oh Deus, o sangue. Por que ... não, mãe! Pai - Por favor, respirar. Não me toque! Portugal - me salvar. Não deixe que eles ..." he muttered, fingers twitching in his lap as he stared forward.


(mama, tell me if this is fail!portuguese *relied on google translate* anyways, it means: Oh god, the blood. Why did... no, not mother! Father - please, breathe. Don't touch me! Portugal - save me. Don't let them... )

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo’s mouth twitched at the corners, his heart sinking heavily as he heard the frantic, hazed, foreign words. That familiar tone…He had failed—Cái was already damaged. Anger and something too much like helplessness rose in his throat, threatening to choke him. Luckily, the Korean knew who he could take it out on.

The Frenchman chuckled, tilting his head curiously as he looked towards Yong Soo, a tight sneer and the hastily dropped blades by his feet the only thing that acknowledged the Asian’s current control of the situation, “And, who may you be?” he drawled, mouth curling with a derisive sniff, “A long lost relative?”

Dark eyes got darker as the brunet grabbed Bey’s arm, dragging him closer and pressing the barrel of the gun into his skull, forcing Bey’s head to the side and producing a sharp gasp. Yong Soo loomed close, teeth bared in a snarl, staring into the Frenchman’s slightly fearful eyes. “I’m fucking Captain Im Yong Soo, da ze.” Before the other could comment, Yong Soo lifted the gun and slammed the butt of it against the back of his skull, letting him drop limply to the floor.

“And don’t you ever touch my gajog again,” he hissed, spitting on the blond. He stuffed the gun into his sash, refraining from violence only because Cái was still frantic, still unhealthily pale and trembling. Yong Soo looked at the other, arms limp at his sides, before slowly crouching down next to him, careful not to touch. “Jae-gun noleumkuun?” he called softly, frowning gently.

He rested his head on the wall above the other’s head, wanting to reach out but afraid it would make things worse. “Wo bu hui rang ta zaici yu nin lianxi, da ze,” he promised, hoping the boy would understand.

Gajog = Family
Wo bu hui rang ta zaici yu nin lianxi = I will not let him touch you again

[England]

Everything went from hazy to sharp the moment that He fell - he could feel it in his head, how there was him and the other him and the before him digging into each other and vying for dominance. He remembered, from before, when he met Afonso for the first - not the first, he knew him for centuries before that first meeting - when he met Afonso that time, he'd been thinking he was like glass. Nothing was more apt - the shards of the three different hims were tearing him to bloody strips... and he wasn't given a choice on whether he wanted to let go or not.

He couldn't look away - was He dead? Finally? - from the fallen Frenchman. Someone had the power to take him down? Shakily, he forced his eyes away from the hopefully dead man, to the one who had put him there. He was so familiar - not just Captain, not just friend, but Korea, the silly south and the quiet north all in one and it was North... North Korea who saved him - and before Cái knew it, he'd grabbed Yong Soo's vest and tugged the man down, clinging to him like a burr.

Burying his face in the soft cloth, it quickly became damp with tears as he found himself suddenly unable to stop sobbing. Everything was a mess of confusion. Maybe... maybe if North could stop Him... he could make it all go away? "... help..." he managed to croak out between his hitching gasps.

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo startled a little from the sudden embrace, one palm smacking quietly to the floor as Cái brought him close. Upon hearing the other’s single sobbed word, though, the Korean’s expression flickered from surprise to empathy, and, after a moment, he wrapped his sleeves about the young boy’s frame, holding him close and pressing his mouth to the other’s hair. “It’s going to be alright, da ze,” he murmured lowly, rubbing Cái’s back and rocking gently, trying to be soothing and finding it surprisingly easy.

Even if his words may later not turn out to be true, Yong Soo knew that’s what he had wanted to hear when the past caught up with him. When he had been weak. Yong Soo frowned, before closing his eyes.

A little later, he spoke, making his voice calm and level, “Breathe with me, Cái, or you’re going to pass out.” He took a deliberately measured breath, holding it, before slowly letting it out. He did this a few more times, waiting for the other would do the same and continuing to stroke the boy’s back. Made sure that he wouldn’t turn around and see the unconscious body that had so recently brought him grief.

At the same time, the Korean kept an ear to the hall, and tried to figure out a way to take Cái somewhere safe and leave this forsaken place behind. After looting Bey’s pockets, naturally.

[England]

He leaned in closer, closing his eyes on the tears and ignoring the salty burn in his eyes - it didn't hurt nearly as much as his mind. North helped him - Yong Soo spoke to him, gave him something to concentrate on other than those crazed memories that spun together in a broken spiderweb of thoughts. Breathe, he was told. He could do that. It took more than a few tries to get in a lungful of air without it being broken into bits by sobs, but in the end he had the tiniest bit of satisfaction at getting some minor control over himself.

"Onde está a mãe? Eu quero vê-lo." he mumbled quietly into North's vest, completely unaware that he wasn't speaking in Chinese or English.

(Where's mother? I want to see him.)

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo glanced down at Cái, frowning in mild confusion. What he had first taken to be hysteric babblings earlier the Korean now recognized as a language, albeit one he did not know. It sounded European, but where would the Asian boy have had opportunity to learn?

Yong Soo was just about to ask, when a series of loud thumps interrupted him. His head snapped up, arms instinctively tightening protectively around Cái as he listened to the growing commotion in the hall, where the people that had been glued in discovered that they had been so.

“Geseki,” he cursed, palming his gun through the sash, “We’ve got to get out of here.”

He turned to Cái, setting his jaw and giving the other a once over, considering. “Can you keep together until we get back out, da ze?” he asked, careful that his voice made the question neutral and non-accusatory. As much as he was hoping for a ‘yes’, Yong Soo braced himself for a ‘no’.

Geseki = Son of a bitch