Jack's thought process on their trip here had been of one depressed resolution. The captain and crew were sailing into this conclusion with death on the mind, and he understood he could not escape that. A tinge of shame bothered him on how he acted, preferring to retreat inwards than focusing on his crew and Luro. But if he didn't….would he be able to focus on what's to come?
They stepped into Gavera and he could feel at once the destruction seared into the dirt. He knew what a rebuilt town looked like; for more reasons than he cared to think on. The cook's face set into emotionless stone as they reunited with the Messengers. It was funny, really, if thought about in the right light. All the time he spent trying to decipher their motives only led him to actually liking them, and not once enlightening him to the true nature of this whole tragedy. His eyes found Ria and his face twitched. Something between a smile and grimace, as he recalled their adventure on
Lady Luck. He decided then he couldn't kill her…. but now, it appeared he had no choice--
Eyes widened and his head snapped to Luro. His lips parted, revealing the extent of his shock when Luro made his request. It was like an answer to his dilemma that came too late.
How much of this is even in your hands anymore, Luro? he thought. A sharp scoff escaped him. Raising a hand, Jack smoothed the top of his hair and contemplated the request. The darkness within him began to fade.
His lips twitched into a smile as the giant raised a hand, nodding slightly in acknowledgement, before returning his full focus onto Ria. He cocked his head. "Well? Would you like to lead the way?"
Ria remained silent when Stardusk approached, she was focused but somehow her gaze was distant, more than usual. Her hand went to rest on her sickles, her finger tracing along the top of it with a small content sigh. The kill order was still active the only difference is the owner became Lina instead of Nura. She cared little for such differences, Nikos had informed them it was still active and that was enough for her, but for some reason she still felt a strange hesitation, a desire to still kill Jack but something else was there pulling at her. Not having a word for this feeling bothered her more than anything else. Her gaze met Jack's and she offered the same blank expression she always carried, her eyes did twitch seeing the expression on his face.
She moved her attention to Luro as he spoke, her brow arching slightly at his strange request. Her eyes moved to Nikos, when he raised his hand and made the motions a strange bit of life coming back to her face, her eyes widening slightly before she offered a small nod same as the others, closing her eyes afterwards. That was a very specific order, one she expected from her leader her face returning to normal she looked back at Jack.
"…follow me…"
Ria led Jack down one of the paths, passing a few buildings in mid construction, from the looks of it one was a doctor's office and the other an old bakery. The area straight ahead of them had been cleaned up with a bit more effort than the places adjacent to them. An assortment of stands rested in a large circle around an open area, Ria walking through the gaps in the abandoned stalls continuing forward. To the east of them was another area with a large fountain in it, and to the west of them was what looked like a residential district judging by the houses. The clock tower was south west of them, only viewable due to its height since rows of building rested behind them leaving only the west and eastern paths. The buildings around them weren't completely finished, some half done with tools still left on some of the wooden platforms.
"My apologies it's not as open as the others…I drew the short straw," Ria said turning to face Jack. "…I expected you'd come…but I am curious why…you know we're going to kill you…is it confidence you'll survive…or something else…"
Ria spoke to Jack in the same tone she always did, though her hands made no real motion to her weapons, and her stance showed no real hostility, far as she was concerned they were having a light conversation. Granted she constantly looked like that even when she was fighting.
Jack followed her quietly, taking in their surroundings as they approached the open are.
"We couldn't fight outside the town?" he asked, looking around. He didn't like the idea of wrecking what these people worked so hard to rebuild. His frown deepened at the sight of the houses to the west. Reaching into his waist belt, he nonchalantly pulled out a cigarillo and lit it. He walked the edge of the clearing towards the east, where the fountain could be seen, while contemplating her question. His eyes moved up to her. She was much the same, seemingly, the latest events not bothering her.
"I don't mind if I die but I'd be lying if I said I was ready to kill you, too," he spoke evenly. "This crew is… all I have left. I can't go home; I can't go back to those I care for. I was, quite lost, until Stardusk came along. And while I can't say I'm gung-ho for every adventure we've been…. It's been a long, long time since I felt this kind of comradery. Like I belong."
He paused to draw on his smoke. "Do you feel the same? With the Messengers?"
Ria gave a small shake of her head at Jack's inquiry, she made a motion with her hand towards the broken buildings.
"…place is taken," Ria said simply. "Any mess made here will be cleaned by the Ravens…it was our place first anyway…till the incident."
Ria remained silent remaining in the same spot as Jack walked away, she made no attempt to close the distance, she was in no particular rush to start their fight. They had all the time in the world, and she knew Jack wasn't going to go anywhere. She only stared back at him when his gaze moved to her shifting her weight to her other leg as she patiently waited for him, she was curious about the answer to her question. When Jack did answer Ria straightened her body bringing a hand to her chin at his response, she gave a small nod a little surprised he was being so honest but it was rather refreshing.
Jack had a place where he belonged, they were there to take that place away, it made sense that he would come to protect it. She was a tad surprised to hear he didn't want to kill her however, that was a strange thing to announce to an opponent that was after your life. Ria wasn't entirely sure where this strange trust was coming from, but she didn't know how to respond to it.
The question he posed on her however she easily had an answer for.
"Almost exactly…" Ria said with a small nod of her head. "My home…the one I went home too…it's all gone. If not for Nikos…I more than likely would have ended my own life…I found purpose…a home…people who care for me…a place where I can be…"
Ria stared at her right hand, her eyes twitching slightly as she brought a hand to her head.
"Two birds in the sky, four clouds red everywhere, seven bodies, three in pieces, a desk slightly askew to the left with four papers, a lamp and a picture of a blonde woman on it. A brown stain on the carpet five feet from the grandfather clock."
Ria's eyes twitched and she slowly lowered her hand from her head, a small sigh escaping from her.
"…I'm happy to hear that Jack…I don't want to kill you for a silly reason…that's something good to fight for…"
Ria said this glancing over at Jack before she held up three fingers.
"…do you not worry you'll hurt them though…there are three people you would prefer not to meet again due to your old sins."
Ria lowered one of her fingers giving a small shake of her head.
"…my apologies. One of them is supposedly dead so two…do you not worry you will do the same to Stardusk…you must have a lot of faith in your friends."
Inhaling his smoke, he closed his eyes and listened. The soft auburn hair was something he thought of on occasion- who's hair was it? What was she to Ria? Wasn't even hair, maybe fur?- because it clearly meant something to Ria, and no matter their circumstances, Jack's desire to understand this woman never wavered. He stood constructing the scene she laid out in clear fragmented detail until he felt the stickiness of drying blood on his cheek, the wretched smell of copper and piss assaulting his nose, the ground so soaked with violence it could've been an animal attack but really, it was--
He opened his eyes, watching her with empathetic curiosity. He started to smile with faint twisted amusement that she wouldn't kill him over some silly reason.
Then she held up three fingers.
Jack's teeth clenched into his cigarillo. Rancid, half-burnt grounded tobacco leaves seared his tongue with heat and revolting mushed concoction. Jack gagged. He immediately doubled over and spat it out, shoving fingers into his mouth to dig out the remaining black grinds threatening to dissolve on his tongue and plague him with the most wretched taste he ever knew. He held up a hand to Ria to stop her from approaching- whether she'd made a move or not- and rubbed his eyes as they stung at the bitterness in his mouth. He looked up at her. Eyes tinted red, inflaming pale gold irises, he scowled at her with constrained emotions he barely attempted to disguise. A writhing roil behind a mask of thin porcelain.
"Which one?" he coughed. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and tried again. "Which one is supposedly dead? Do you know?" His voice rose. "Ria, do you know?"
Ria remained still only lowering her hand at Jack's response. It was a natural one, one to be expected. There was a trace of darkness in each person's past, a darkness best forgotten by time or force, staring at Jack now she wondered how he had managed to forget. Pulling at the hidden depth, reaching into the depths of a person with words and ripping out the very thing they choose not to speak themselves was her job, it was what the Ravens did.
She offered only a nod seeing Jack's hand, she wouldn't attack him while he was like this, she would fight him on fair ground, she would kill him when he stood on his own two feet and ready, there was no point otherwise. That look on his face, the one he tried to conceal…it was honesty in its purest form and she found great pleasure in watching his expression.
Ria closed her eyes at his question, reaching behind her she took out a small notebook flipping it open. Her eyes moving to the pages, she glanced at Jack for a moment and put the book away.
"…there's no point telling you..."
Ria said this turning fully to face Jack, her eyelids lowered slightly, a strange gleam forming in her eyes as her arms dangled at her side. Her hands tracing over the sickles at her waist causing the chains to respond to the slight brush, a warning to all close enough to hear.
"…I'm going to take everything away…so those feelings won't matter anymore…"
Ria's generally monotone voice seemed to shift slightly, there was a strange edge to her voice.
Her tone was resolute and firm, she spoke honeyed words with a viper's stare and she raised her hand holding it out to Jack.
"…there's no answers anymore Jack…no questions…just you…me…and a memory best forgotten…one I'll help you forget…"
Ria's eyes widened slightly and a small smile formed on her face.
"…I'm going to help you…Jack."
Jack pressed his fingers to his eyes. Of course… of course that was her answer. Teasing him like that was a cruel joke. A single, off-handed mention of his past and worry threatened to engulf at the simple
what-if notion she'd planted. Was that her plan? No. She made no move to attack. She was waiting for him to collect himself. He released a haggard breath. Remember… remember that those you love, can take care of themselves.
Jack straightened. Reaching to his back, he unsheathed a single butterfly knife. A hand rested on the bandolier across his chest. "No," he said softly, "No, Ria, you can't help me. My past- those memories- I will carry them to hell with me."
His feet shifted and he stared at her. The rear of pain that retreated from his features; a look of old fear dissolved into cold anger, before giving way to a pinched and tired expression. Only his eyes, the most honest part of him, showed a grim resolution. "I'm not going to kill you. I never wanted to, and now that Luro's asked, I refuse to." Jack stated firmly as he settled into a readied stance. "But I know your kill order prevents you from giving me the same luxury. So you're welcome to try and prove me wrong, Ria."
Ria stared silent at Jack slowly lowering her hand at his words, though the small smile didn't leave her face. She expected a response similar to this, the pain Jack endured, the memories that plagued him, she refused to allow such things to torment a good person. Ria's eyes moved to the palm of her hand as Jack drew his knives, her eyes narrowing slightly as the smile slowly left her face.
"…I never wanted to kill you either," Ria said sighing. "…it's the only way to help you…so this is no longer because of the kill order…I
will help you Jack."
Ria's eyes glanced up at him as the air seemed to shift around the woman, traces of white mist started to circle the woman's body, tracing along her form, a small glow emanated from her body slowly running down her arm until it circled around her hand. Her gaze fixated on Jack as the mist quickly dispersed from her body, exploding outwards filling the area around them in a light fog, a white mask formed in her hands and her gaze moved to the formed object in her hand.
"I don't mind if you resist…that's what we all should do…but I'm going to take your burdens…and if you will not give them to me…"
Ria's eyes moved back to Jack.
"I'll take them from you."
Ria brought the mask to her face, the white glow flowing out of her body glowing brighter as the mask attached to her face the mist around them suddenly pulling back towards the woman flowing back into her body as she took in a deep breath, gripping the mask with her hand.
"Mask Mask no Mi…"
Dreadlocks burst out of the top of the mask falling over Ria's back, she slowly straightened her form, hollow eyes and a sadistic grin staring back at Jack, the expression of the woman underneath hidden but from the faint glowing gloves poking out of the holes, there was clear joy coming from her, wide glowing eyes peering at Jack.
"Reflection,"
The voice that came from Ria wasn't her own…but Jack's.
Flexing her hands two butterfly knives fell into her grip and she shifted her position taking Jacks' exact stance down to the smallest detail, faint droplets tapped the earth as rain started falling from the sky, Ria spinning the knives in her hands as she turned fully to Jack.
"Your burdens…are already mine Jack."
The Engimatic Maiden VS. The Tenebrous Bodhisattva
Twin liars and one truth! Who will find it?
Ria walked towards Jack bringing a hand to her mask before the water shifted in front of Jack, Ria appearing in front of him, her gaze moving to his eyes as her foot slid back, her knife slashing in a wide arc at his neck, she shifted her stance to follow him with a kick to his stomach, expecting a response from him. Jack flinched away from the arching knife, bending backwards, their eyes meeting in that brief second. His own widened as he beheld a mirror. It wasn't perfect but hearing his own voice talk back to him sent unnerving shivers down his spine. He gritted his teeth… and the corners of his mouth turned up.
Her foot connected with haki. Snaking an arm around her leg, Jack pulled her forward, throwing off her balance. He used that momentum to toss her over his hip, aiming a swipe of his butterfly knife in the opposite hand down her back as she fell.
Ria felt her body pulled forward and braced herself tossing the dagger in her hand up in the air, she quickly placed her hands down, pushing off the moment she touched the ground forcing distance between the two of them and narrowly dodging the slash at her back. She flipped through the air, hurling multiple armament coated knives at Jack as she slowly descended towards the earth away from him. She hit the ground moving and sprinted back at him without hesitation catching the falling knife in her hand as she passed it, spinning the knife she stabbed at his shoulder, her feet touching one of the knives she had hurled into the ground.
Knives met knives midair as Jack danced away and blocked her throws with his own. They clashed and fell, embedding hilt-deep into stone before the Armament faded. He backflipped then reversed his motion, meeting her head on as she returned. Teeth bared as her knife aimed for the same shoulder she'd injured during their first fight, only this time Jack's armament haki remained intact. Her weapon grated with an ear-racking shriek that vibrated in his muscles. Shifting his power to his forearms, Jack dropped into a crouch and flung out his arm to her stomach in an attempt to push her away.
Ria's body moved with Jack in perfect tandem, her form spinning, feet moving as her knives sliced through the air with his own. The two engaged in a mirrored dance before moving away, Ria hurled her knife watching as Jack stopped it with his own, she rushed forward catching one of the fallen knives and continued her attacks with little hesitation, stepping over their embedded knives as went after him once more. Her eyes narrowed slightly seeing Jack's Armament hold up against her, her eyes lowering seeing him drop. Raising her leg she let armament flow into her knee blocking Jack's attack before she raised her foot forcing his arm down. She turned her body and bringing her other leg forward she slammed it into him forcing him away.
Her arms twitched and knives fell in between her fingers, coating each one with armament she immediately flung them at Jack as he flew backwards, repeating the process a few times until a barrage of knives flew at the man. She sprinted forward at her last barrage grabbing one of her fallen knives from the ground, her fingers running over the blade as she ran in between her thrown knives eyes focused on Jack, her grip tightening on the dagger as she ran to meet him head on once more.
Jack threw up his arms to block her attacks, but one cut his cheek, and, two others sliced his pant legs.
This isn't working. The thought flashed through just as Ria launched her last knives before charging. They'd been evenly matched before. Now she used his own fighting style against him. Jack judged he wasn't losing yet, but battles can change at any moment, and he didn't wish to stake his life on luck of the throw. How does one fight against one's self?
Easy. Stop being yourself.
Jack reacted on instinct. Throwing his last knives, he forced the smallest misdirection from Ria. Then he turned on his heel and bolted between the stalls. He disappeared into the back alleys behind the old bakery, sheathing his knives and reaching for the small of his back.
Ria brought her hand back as she got closer only to flinch when Jack hurled his knives at her leg, she jumped slowing her approach only to see her knives miss their marks and Jack no longer in sight. Ria was silent taking a quick look around before she knelt down and started picking a few of the fallen knives up, a small sigh escaping from her as she turned and made her way into the alley. She wasn't expecting him to up and run from their fight…that was cowardly.
She supposed it was an option, and one she had considered but she figured fighting for his friends he'd at least face her head on until the end, she was almost a little disappointed.
"Jack!" Ria called out as she walked through the alley. "Why are you running…Jack!"
Ria ran her knives along the wall, scraping the metal against the building as she walked with a slow careful steps her gaze moving from shadow to shadow as she searched for Jack with a meticulous gaze. Her fingers traced along the other side of the wall, the noise from her weapon announcing her presence as her steps remained light and silent.
"Jack! Why do you keep fighting? I'll take your burdens, I'll bear your suffering, stop prolonging your pain Jack…just let me help you."
Ria slammed her fist into the building breaking the wall in the process, she stared into the darkness her eyes glowing through the mask as her she twirled the knife in her hand.
"…not here…Jack come out! The pain will only last for a moment!"
Click.
The sound of a pistol's hammer locking into place came directly behind Ria. Jack stood in the rain, pointing a pistol painted with haki in one hand towards her center mass. Between the alleyways, the rain was louder, masking his heavy breathing only visible by the lift of his shoulders. A trace of blood leaked down his cheek. His eyes glinted in the darkness. "You don't get to be the one to decide if my sins are washed away!" he gasped. "They're mine alone to bear, and those who were there with me. I...I made a mistake Ria."
He didn't lower the weapon, but obvious pain flashed across his face. The pistol trembled in his hand. He placed his free palm on it to keep it steady. The way he gripped it spoke experience of handling the weapon, but his very body tilted away like he was repulsed. "Killing me won't stop what I've done, Ria. It only passes it to someone else. Others I care for...killing me, it's pointless. It won't solve anything. So please," he begged, "can't this end now? With both of us walking away?"
Ria came to a stop as the sound reached her ears, she kept her attention forward her body straight and relaxed. She didn't need to turn to know who was behind her, though she was a little surprised to see him with a gun. She remained silent at his words, raising her hand to eye the dagger in her hand. She slowly turned to face him her eyes moving to the trembling gun in his hand, but he wasted little time steadying it. Ria stared at him through the mask but as he spoke of the meaninglessness of his death, Ria tilted her head at him.
A request to walk away, a chance to bring an end to this without any further bloodshed. Ria reached up and gripped the mask around her face, the dreads quickly sunk back into the mask as she pulled it off her face. A sigh escaped from her as her eyes moved to the still glowing mask in her hand, she eyed it with a distant gaze, it was subtle in her blank expression but there was a tinge of sadness in her look before the mask vanished from her hand.
"…I understand…more than I care to say…" Ria said looking back at Jack. "I have no right to judge your sins, no right to carry your burdens...I know that…"
Ria stared at her now empty hand slowly closing it into a fist as her brows narrowed slightly.
"I'm not sure how to explain it...I care very much about your future, even though I'm here to end it. It's not love, nor is it hate…. I want your happiness yet I'm here to bring you despair. It's a strange feeling... one that is almost foreign to me. I am aware of one thing however, your pained face and your face when you're serious…I seek that more than anything else. Resist my actions... to the best of your ability…because it makes me care about you even more."
Ria's gaze moved over to Jack her hand gripping the knife in her hand tighter.
"…that's exactly why I can't stop. Your struggle...shows me just how sincere you truly are Jack…"
Armament covered the knife and Ria stepped forward stabbing the knife towards Jack's chest.
She was haphazard, rushing straight at him with little regard for the pistol pointed directly at her, it was almost desperate what lay behind her eyes.
He shouldn't have, but he made a choice. Jack wouldn't kill her. That decision fueled a moment's hesitation as she closed the gap between. Damn it! He stepped back and fired the gun. A clash like two boulders hitting each other resounded through the alleyway. Ria felt something hard nick her shoulder, misdirecting her attack as she fell into Jack. He twisted, grabbing her wrist, and used her momentum to drag them both down. Sharp agony jabbed through his side as they hit the ground. He threw an arm over them and gritted his teeth as the bakery collapsed in on itself, showering the combatants with debris and dust.
This is why I hate guns, Jack thought.
The moment he pulled the trigger, the armament-coated mechanisms clashed together with a force of equally matched haki users, pushing an armament-bullet through its barrel at twice the speed than normal. That speed, for brief seconds, carried the bullet coated by hardening, even though it was no longer in direct contact with Jack. It ripped through everything in its path with a far greater, dramatic effect, than a sword that cuts stone like butter, or a staff that creates craters in the ground with just a tap. When the horrible cacophony finally settled, Jack looked up ever so slightly to see how much damage was wrought. The bakery was all rubble, a large hole splintering its two floors. He saw wall hangings shredded, a mattress piece that slowly teetered on the edge of splintered floorboards before giving into gravity. It crashed into the kitchen's oven, a small poof of ash shooting up. He looked up, past the bakery, to the building directly behind it...and the building behind that...four total ruined, the last gouged by fist-sized splinters peppering its outer wall and interior. All of this, Jack observed in a blink. He couldn't help a sense of nausea clenching his throat even though he expected this kind of damage; anticipated it. He wanted the distraction to get close to Ria. Her wrist remained in an iron, haki-laced grip of Jack's, still connected to her knife. Her blade disappeared through his waistcoat and into his abdomen, their fall redirecting her strike from his chest to his gut.
Rolling onto his knees, Jack aimed a punch at her face to stun her. Then he pulled out something from his sleeve and stabbed her in the side. The piece was a branch. A long, devilish splinter he'd stolen from the forest floor in a moment of fear and worry, hidden up his sleeve this entire time.
The explosion that followed didn't stop Ria, her eyes focused fully on Jack but the aftereffects were hard to ignore, especially after her attack was stopped. It was faint but for a moment something flashed in her mind at the destruction, her eyes twitching as she was brought to the ground. She gripped her skull with one hand realizing quickly that she couldn't move her wrist. Her eyes moved to the hold on her and before she had time to pull herself back to reality she felt a blow strike her, the world spinning for a moment before she tried to move away from Jack. It wasn't fast enough however as she felt something sharp hit her side, gritting her teeth she slammed her foot into Jack forcing him away before climbing back to her feet, she put her hand against the not destroyed building next to her, her eyes moving to the sharpened stick.
For a moment she stared at it surprised to see something sticking out of her, with a small sigh she reached down and gripping the stick ripped it out of her, without nary an eye twitch. She spun the stick and peered at the red now coating the sharpened side.
"…I see," Ria said dropping the stick. "Until the very end…you're going to show me something beautiful."
Ria eyes went to her hand as a familiar glow surrounded it, but she didn't look at Jack this time as the energy swirled around her, something started to push away the surroundings as her energy started flowing out of her body, a bright white glow surrounding her form and repeatedly pulsating with each passing moment. This force pushed against Jack and pushed the nearby rubble away each time it flared. The glow slowly started to darken until it turned black, the energy forming around her hand flared before her hand gripped the mask that formed. The mask itself was different from the others, it seemed made of bone, contorted like the skull of a fallen unknown creature. Ria raised the mask to her face, the pressure increasing to a point it was starting to damage her surroundings, cracks forming in the streets and the building next to her.
"…Mask Mask no Mi…"
Ria muttered the words before placing the mask on her face
"…Gravekeeper."
Her darkened Haki exploded outwards, the buildings close to her breaking into pieces, as Ria's whole body was consumed by the growing shadows. Her mouth hung agape black saliva pouring down the side of her mouth before she her hands moved to her head, a bloodcurdling scream escaping from her before she was completely consumed by the swirling torrent of Haki. The energy lashed out at everything, the buildings around her crumbling into the dust, the street under her breaking apart cobblestone succumbing to the energy as if it was paper to flame.
It pushed away everything around it as if it was trying to cleanse anything in its path and Ria's screaming didn't cease as the energy grew higher and higher. The rain itself seemed to avoid the woman as her painful cries filled the area.
"JaCk."
A voice came from the swirling energy, distorted echoing and low. Six people seemed to address Jack at once, venom and something desperate in the voice that seemed to reach out towards him with clawed fingers.
The torrent flared once more before quickly dissipating, little black spheres filling the air, blinking in and out of existence like black fireflies. The alley and most of the surrounding area was stained with black scorch marks, nothing left of the building or alley the two had been in moments before.
A long figured stood where the torrent had been, a woman gripping two sickles tightly as her body leaned to and fro. The person adorned with the stone mask wore a long black outfit that stopped just short of the ankles, bits of it dragging along the ground. The clothing seemed alive flickering like a flame even in the rain, bits of it breaking off only to repair itself moments later. The sleeves on the outfit was torn slightly, revealing a bit of the persons arm, but as with the rest of it, the sleeves would always repair itself even though it remained in tatters.
Long black hair fell down the person's back, fluttering similar to the clothes.
The owner of the mask was clearly Ria but there was little trace of the woman, her skin had grown paler, the upper part of her face completely covered, her mouth opened slightly as her gaze slowly moved over to Jack.
With bare feet she took a single step forward and the building behind Jack broke into pieces, shattered by some invisible force. With each step she made more of the environment around them break apart, craters formed in the earth around her as she slowly walked towards Jack, her sickles dragging along the ground. The rain refused to touch her, breaking apart the moment it neared her and a strange intense heat filled the air even though the chill of the rain should be present. Ria however paid little mind to this and kept moving slowly inching closer and closer to Jack, a distorted giggle escaping from her.
"JAaCCkKK…JaAAcCKk! i'Ll tAke yOUr PAiN ToO!"
Ria's sickles immediately lashed out at Jack snaking through the air towards him as if they were alive, and trying to bite into his torso.
Gasping, the cook fell backwards from Ria's kick, clutching the knife in his stomach as pain shot through. He gritted his teeth and yanked out the knife. His haki covered the wound, acting as a temporary seal, though it wouldn't last long. Jack rolled onto his side with a groan, faintly aware of Ria standing several feet away, speaking, but as he concentrated getting on his knees what she said hit unconcerned ears until he felt an energy pushing against him. His head snapped up when she uttered her mask's incantation.
The blast of energy knocked him off his knees. He yelled and tumbled until his back slammed against the remnants of the building, knocking the wind out of him. Jack slapped a hand to the ground to keep himself from falling over. Sitting, unable to move, he watched with mounting horror as Ria's transformation took place. It rendering him immobile. The last time he experienced this level of fear, he'd stared down the eye of a monster, consumed in the infesting darkness of the Undersea. Her screams peeled the air and he gripped his ears to shut them out, but he couldn't look away. He watched shadows and darkness consume her, enveloping her like a loving embrace, a mask of bone and death covering her face in place of his own that was once there. A reaper was born, crying his name. In that moment, Ria became everything Jack dreaded.
Welcome...to your final grave…
He didn't move until the Gravekeeper took her first step towards him and the building at his back splintered. He yelled a wordless cry, not even aware it was his own voice as he instinctively rolled away. His primal instincts kicked in, washing every coherent thought from his mind. He staggered to his feet.
The sickles sang towards him. Jack skipped back, butterfly swords released from their sheath, as he dashed the metal snakes aside. He began a defensive dance, dodging and deflecting, his movements reminiscent of the Stardusk captain as he escaped Ria's attacks. He lacked Runali's grace, however, and before long nicks and cuts started appearing as the sickles grazed their mark. Blood from under his waistcoat started seeping through as his concentration fractured. He would have to change his tactics, and quick, before Ria landed a deathly blow.
Ria's sickles slithered through the air, tearing apart anything they touched as they danced widely in the air around them. The earth shattering at their touch, buildings torn asunder as they past, the rain parting at their approach. Each movement Ria made the sicles twisted towards Jack trying to tear him apart, scraping against the earth scarring it as the Haki continued to rip through anything it touched.
Ria's body flickered in and out of existence, her laughter filling the air as her weapons continued to lash out, distorted laughter escaping from her as she continued destroying everything around them. Lashing out at the very world to kill the man in front of her, her hands extending towards him causing the sickles to rush straight towards him, sliding along the ground cobblestone disintegrating at their touch.
"jAcK."
The voice came in a whisper Ria appearing directly in front of her Jack, her hands gripped his face, her faces inches from his own. Her whole body felt as if it was aflame, heat coming from her touch alone, akin to the muzzle of a recently fired gun. She peered at him through the darkness of her mask as if peering into his very being.
"JuST a TAstE."
Ria faded away from him as the sickles reached their destination slashing upwards at his body, Ria rested on her knees a few feet in front of him gripping her skull as she muttered his name watching her weapons lash out at him once more.
Jack saw her approach a half second before she was there, in front of him, small yet searing hands grabbing his face. It was like she wanted to pull him into her mask's soulless eyes, into their gaping depths and be lost. Jack flinched. His blades moved into a crisscross cut aimed for her chest but Ria already retreated. They instead met her sickle once more, luck deterring its course to cleave him in two. His feet shifted as he let the chain pass him by. Without thinking, Jack lashed out and grabbed the chain of the sickle before it could retreat again. A fire burned into his palm, through the hardening haki, and Jack bit back a yell of pain. Yanking the chain to the ground, he embedded his sword between the links, trapping it. He let go-- then reached forward again and gave it a powerful tug to yank Ria off her knees. Another distraction, another moment gained.
Jack's last attack was swift. Taking the knives left on his bandolier, he throw them in the air- mimicking Ria- and ran at her. As the the knives fell, he caught them, jabbing them into the sickle's chain to keep it immobile. The other butterfly sword retained, blocked the one remaining sickle, before he managed to grab its chain too and repeated the process. He jabbed in his last butterfly sword, pinning both her weapons, and leaving himself with a single throwing knife. He didn't pause, knowing his trap wouldn't hold, and launched himself at Ria. He closed the distance and threw his knife at her. Then he threw himself at her. He tackled her to the ground, fingers desperately grasping at the mask on her face, trying to yank it off.
Ria eyes raised as she felt a tug on her chains, she started to climb back to her feet her gaze moving to the smoke coming off Jack's hand as she gripped her sickles. Feeling the tug on her body Ria stumbled forward, placing her feet down to try and steady herself as she noticed her chains weren't responding to her movements anymore. Her eyes moved to the pinned chains as the knife flew at her, Ria raised her hand up catching the knife by its handle, as she freed her chain with one quick flick. What she didn't expect was for Jack to run straight at her however, the tackle knocking a bit of wind out of her as the two hit the ground.
A wide smile came onto Ria's face as she reached up wrapping her finger around Jack's neck as his hands reached towards her, the sickles flew up into the air behind them turning towards the two of them before quickly descending. She finally had him, her grip tightened around his throat, the world for a moment slowing as her sickle descended upon Jack's exposed back, black tears running down the side of her face as her nails started digging into his flesh.
All her joy faded however when she touched his mask and she realized what he wanted. By then it was too late to do anything.
The moment the mask was ripped off the black Haki exploded outwards throwing Jack and everything around her away as Ria screamed, the torrent consuming her once more. The mask in Jack's grip crumbled to nothing, little more than dust without its owner. The Haki flared bright once more and faded in one final burst.
Ria in her normal garb, save for a few extra tears laid motionless on the ground. The Armament slowly faded off her sickles until it was completely gone. She remained dead still until one of her hands twitched, her body eventually starting to move. With a groan she placed her hand down trying to lift herself up only to fall back down on the ground once more. She coughed a few times, something black coming out of her body and splattering on the ground. With gritted teeth she tried to climb to her feet again, coughing up what looked like black ink as she slowly and painfully got back to her feet.
She grabbed her chains slowly pulling them back towards her. A twitch came from her on occasion, her body trembling, legs shaking but she pulled the sickles back to her person eventually returning them to her hands. She raised her gaze to Jack, dark bags resting under her eyes, dried black saliva resting on her face, and the edges of her eyes darkened, her gaze bloodshot and barely focused.
"…why."
Her face showed the pain she was in, no longer a plain expression her eyes were narrowed twitching as she struggled to stay awake. She slowly started to move forward, one foot in front of the other making her way towards Jack.
"…why…do you…resist."
She stumbled a bit, catching herself on a nearly destroyed wall. She coughed again pushing herself off and continuing her slow trek but eventually she came to a stop a few feet in front of Jack.
"…I'm not allowed to continue…" Ria fell to her knees the sickles falling against the ground. "It's not fair…"
Ria raised her arms hugging herself, she leaned forward gritting her teeth, sniffling and trying to hold back what was trying to come out of her.
"…kill me…it's over…nothing will remain after this…."
The burst power from the mask's removal caused Jack to fall hard, and he momentarily blacked out. When he came to, he nearly shook as his eyes rested upon Ria's lifeless body. All this fighting and promises, did he really…. A wave of relief met the twitch of her fingers. He could have collapsed then but Ria forced herself up. He watched warily, unmoving, as she made her approach. Jack didn't respond, at first. He picked himself up gingerly and watched her with a blank face as she shuffled closer, blackness spilling out, fighting for a battle that already ended. He closed his eyes at her request.
It was slow, but he got himself to his feet. The Stardusk cook limped those last remaining feet and dropped next to the girl who wanted to kill him so badly. As he did, he started unbuttoning his waistcoat. He shrugged it off with a painful grimace, revealing beneath the blood-stained linen shirt. He carefully removed the golden elephant pin and pocketed it, then proceeded to rip up his waistcoat into two long strips. He folded one carefully and pressed it against Ria's bleeding side.
"You don't want to bleed out," he rasped. He winced, a hand fluttering up to his bruised throat. He held the cloth to her side until she replaced his hands with her own then released a soft sigh. "Why, Ria?" he asked in a tired voice. "Why me? Why is it my burdens you wish to have so badly?"
Ria waited for the end to come, eyes shut trying to push away the faces of the Messengers as she prepared herself to join the few that had come before her. Hearing the ripping noise, she opened her eyes and looked at Jack seeing him rip his waistcoat; she flinched a bit at the sudden touch, and watched Jack for a moment before reaching over and holding it in place herself.
Her eyes went to his throat and she looked at her other hand opening and closing it, the heat was gone replaced by the cold once more but she could imagine how much it hurt. She wasn't entirely sure what to do right now, killing Jack was important…but Nikos face flashed in her head causing her to push that thought aside. She was too tired to hold her sickle much less swing it anyway.
At Jack's questions Ria glanced back at him, her normal expressionless face returning once more. She blinked a few times at him before turning her attention forward. A small glow formed in her hand before a masked appeared in it; unlike the rest of them she summoned it easily with minimal effort and without any real influx of energy. The mask was a little different from others, there were flowers along the side of its design and as Ria stared at the Mask her expression softened slightly.
"…only one person…used to like me…someone…very precious…" Ria said speaking softly. "I was little more than a piece of trash to all who knew me…except her…Aria."
Ria shut her eyes pushing back something before she continued speaking looking at the mask once more.
"…I gained this power…I learned to make masks…I could become someone else….mimic anyone I wanted…people liked me…they loved what I could become…but Aria…she always made me remove the mask…she always preferred the real me…the only one who did back then…"
Ria's hand gripped the mask and she bit her lip, her body shaking as the memories forced themselves back into her head, replaying as if they were happening in front of her.
"…I made a mistake….and she died…" Ria said. "…I…lost myself in despair…and anger…Nikos found me…gave me a home…people who love me…a place to belong…"
Ria looked over at Jack.
"…you know what it's like…to wear a mask…I wanted to find the real you…show you that I could accept it too…that there was no need to wear one…"
A small smile found its way onto her face, a weak almost broken smile but a genuine.
"…I was beaten to it though…you already know there's no need any more…but still…I wanted to show you…at least one more person wants to know…the real you."
He smiled back. A small one, but his eyes spoke his emotions. They filmed with watery clearness as he blinked and looked away. Finally, he understood. He pressed the other half of his waistcoat to his own wound, and it was several moments before he spoke.
"I had a mother, once, her name was Lily and- more than anything in the world, she wished for a daughter of her own. To teach how to braid her hair, paint her nails, care for flowers. But...when it finally happened...she suffered a miscarriage." Jack paused, in that way people did when talking of old and sobering memories. "I was only eight at the time, and didn't fully understand what was wrong. I only knew she was sick, and devastated, and I wanted nothing more to than to help her. One day, she asks if I could wear a red wig. Just for a bit. Just to see…" Jack chuckled. It quickly turned to a hiss of pain as his wounds made themselves known. "I can't tell you the embarrassment I felt for wearing that wig, and having painted pink nails. I got teased quite a bit. But... it made her smile again.
"It's been...many years since I thought about it. That is, until you came aboard."
Turning to Ria, he grinned at her. "I don't know if that was the real you...but I appreciate that day, more than I can say. I've had plenty of people come for my life over the the years… it's nice to know at least one person, did it because they wanted to care. Heh, even if that is odd to say aloud."
Jack gave a faint nod. A truth for a truth then. His piece, he carefully picked himself up and on his feet, moaning. The cuts and stabs were starting to burn as the adrenaline finally wore off. He worried most about the bleeding in his gut; he could feel it draining his energy as it soaked through the cloth. His eyes set on the clock tower. No matter what, he'd make it there. One painful step at a time.
He began limping away before pausing again. "Ria," he said without looking over his shoulder, "what you said...about the three people. Do you have an answer about the one?"
Ravens were generally taught how to find everything about a person, to read their movements, their little ticks the things they tried to hide and make it obvious. Staring at the mask and listening as Jack told her of his past, Ria was happy that they didn't know everything.
She dismissed the mask bringing a hand to her chest, being told something that carried such weight…she was glad she didn't dig in his past for that, she couldn't help but smile a little at the image a bit.
"…Thank you for telling me…"
Seeing Jack start to move Ria was reminded that she had to return to the others, she climbed to her feet holding in the gasp that almost escaped her as she slowly climbed to her feet. People to go back too…it was easy to take that kind of thing for granted, especially in their own line of business. A part of her hoped that the rest of Stardusk had a kind heart like Jack, shutting her eyes and taking a moment to adjust to the pain she started to walk away. Hearing Jack she stopped and turned to him at his question.
"…No…I'm sorry…the information…was given to me…I didn't find it…the source…was never revealed…I would tell you…if I knew…if I ever find out…I'll tell you…in the end…I'll continue… trying to understand you…my own way…"
With a smile Ria turned her back to Jack and started to walk away.
"…Oh…and Jack…"
Ria spoke continuing her slow pace away from him.
"There hasn't been a moment…where I haven't shown you the real me…I like you better….as a cook…than spy."
Ria chuckled only to flinch a bit and continue walking.
Jack nodded to her. He expected as much, and an odd relief settled over him. At her last comment, he smiled with agreement, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he continued and disappeared around a ruined building.
Thank you, Ria.