[color=black][b][h2]Well, That Just Happened[/h2][/b][/color]
It had been an extraordinarily long time since Crue had felt anything resembling real pain. He found he greatly detested it now, not least for what it represented, and after the fact, as his face steadily healed over, he found himself simply floating for a time, torn on how to act next.

One side of him, the vampiric beast that he had become for a week before he'd been retempered with somewhat human morals, raged and screamed at the impossibility and injustice of this indignant and inconceivable end to his desires, how dare this [i]old bastard[/i] manage to defeat him, but worse yet, what sort of [i]fool[/i] allowed such a thing to happen in the first place, and after setting up for such a frenzied assault at that, he ought to have shredded the imbecile to pieces the moment he'd laid eyes on him above ground, drained him dry of every last drop-

Another side, what remained of his humanity- more accurately, that which his Ripple power had revived- was oddly grateful. Perhaps he'd needed some humility to be re-taught to him after all. And the old man wasn't so bad, certainly not deserving of death the way many in New York had been - it was certainly an upset that his dream of endless power was seemingly unattainable for now, but would he not get a renewed chance to achieve this in the future?

As his emotional state rebalanced, Motley further began to consider the implications of what was surely his loss at this stage. There was something new in him... no, something [i]missing from[/i] him, something that had been torn out of him and placed into the pirate's phylactery. His soul, or so the folks running this little tournament had suggested, was now in Runch's possession, and what that meant for his Stand, he had no idea. What it meant for him, as well... so many things, not least of which was the prospect of oblivion at the end of it all, since he couldn't help but imagine that Runch's wish might consume the souls that had been bargained to try and attain it.

Erina, by contrast, was not exactly perturbed. She'd already lost to Motley, and it wasn't like the new bearer of her soul was particularly worse than the previous one. Perhaps he was even better, if his innate good temperament was anything to go by. With the light of Runch's equipment restored, she padded over to him lightly, her body still sore from that explosion, and held her hand out, uttering [color=bc8dbf]'Great battle. You actually fight pretty well!'[/color]

[color=turquoise]'Omnomnom! Likewise to the both of you,'[/color] Runch uttered, holding out his usable arm to both shake her hand and let her pull him up on to his good leg, albeit with a wince as the knife still lodged in his shoulder shifted. Immediately afterwards, he took hold of the hilt, and perhaps unwisely yanked the weapon out, a spray of blood shooting from the wound as a strangled yell escaped him. After that, he simply said [color=turquoise]'I think Motley offered to heal my injuries after our fight was done. My mate, if you're-'[/color]

The pirate was interrupted as, all of a sudden, the vampire kicked his legs up, pushed off of his hands, and forward-rolled in the air a dozen or so times as he flew toward Runch, landing neatly and with barely a ripple atop the fluid surrounding him right in front of the Kaptain and the Exorcist, both shocked by his sudden movement. For a moment, he merely stood there menacingly, before pressing a hand to Runch's shoulder and...

The Cereal Killer wasn't exactly sure what happened next, only that it was painful enough to get him yelling all over again, and that for some reason his loss of balance wasn't allowing him to fall away from the effects of Motley's... merging? Absorption? What in blueberry blazes was the vampire doing to him?!

[color=black]'Relax, pirate,'[/color] Motley murmured dispassionately, taking hold of Runch's other shoulder to steady him. [color=black]'This isn't going to be fun for you, but it's certainly not lethal.'[/color] In fairness, Motley's ability to mould flesh to his liking was probably quite painful for a living being, since it was rather more effective when one could, say, fuse some snakes into a zombie's flesh. Hypothetically speaking, of course. He didn't usually zombify anybody, as the only ones who'd appreciate it were the ones who wouldn't deserve it.

Nonetheless, it would suffice. Over the next few minutes, Motley would perform the same procedure upon Runch's broken bones, cutting open precise holes in his flesh and setting the bones in place before rapidly re-merging the mineral structures together as they had previously been, then healing the fresh wounds and other injuries inflicted earlier in their battle, until eventually, the man was healed to the best of Motley's ability. Which, he had to say, was reasonably good. Not perfect, but that weird blood-smelling cereal the man could create was more than capable of handling anything else that needed dealing with - indeed, he was already scarfing them down, tiny beads of the stuff welling from his hands and falling right into his mouth before seemingly swallowing without chewing.

[color=turquoise]'...oh, pardon me!'[/color] Bartholomew exclaimed as he remembered his company. [color=turquoise]'I must seem so rude; do have a bowl of Bloodberry each for yourselves! Erina, you especially must still be exhausted!'[/color] Now he produced from one hand a spoon and bowl of white cereal, letting the same red beads fill it before he handed it off to her, the bowl gratefully accepted, then repeating the process for Motley too. The vampire accepted it with a bit more caution, though from the smell, and shortly after the taste, it seemed to be clear of contaminants.

[color=turquoise]'A shame I can’t create milk out of these hands, too, I suppose,'[/color] the pirate mused with mild regret, [color=turquoise]'but I’m a Cereal Man, after all, not a Milk Man! If it helps, Motley, I’ve given you a version of the Bloodberry cereal with real blood in it - mine! Omnomnomnom!'[/color]

[color=black]'I can tell,'[/color] the vampire murmured, still a bit distracted by what fate now held in store for him, yet admittedly enjoying the stuff more than he thought he should. It had been a while since he’d just straight-up drunk somebody else’s vital fluids, he supposed; was eating them that much different? 

As they finished eating, Runch drew Motley and Erina’s attentions by clearing his throat slightly, suddenly seeming a bit more serious than before even as they ate. [color=turquoise]’Listen, Motley… if it’s any consolation, I do apologise for having to end your run in this tournament so early. If it were anyone else, I dare wonder if they could have stood up to you. I barely managed as-is!'[/color] He chuckled slightly at that, rolling the shoulder that had previously been knifed.

[color=turquoise]'That in mind,'[/color] he continued when neither of his former foes said anything, [color=turquoise]'I really do think you’re both quite outstanding folks. And… well...'[/color]

[color=black]'...well?'[/color] Motley prompted as Runch paused, the mustachioed pirate scratching the back of his head and pulling off his hat before he continued to speak. [color=turquoise]'You see, I’m a bit more used to having a number of people around me. A crew, as it were, like seeds in an apple. And whilst I’m perfectly willing to allow you two to do your own thing if you’d rather… I was quite hoping that perhaps you could both accompany me the rest of the way?'[/color]

Silence stretched out for a brief while within the dimly-lit cave, Runch’s bright smile beginning to falter as seconds passed. Erina furrowed her brow in thought, on whether or not to accept the offer, and then again whether to lie or tell the truth about her opinion, whilst Motley’s hand came to rest on his chin as he considered the benefits and downsides of allying with his… he would rather not claim Runch was his “superior”, but he had bested the vampire in a manner that really should have been spotted from a mile away.

[color=black]'I suppose I ought to congratulate your ingenuity, first and foremost,'[/color] Motley admitted, [color=black]'alongside your inexplicable humility in victory. I imagine a fight to the death between us might have ended very differently, but that is neither here nor there. That said, I am not quite used to working or fighting alongside others, and my intentions in keeping you both alive were largely based in… pragmatism. Now that my pragmatism is rendered irrelevant…-'[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]'So does the cereal actually have nutritional value?'[/color] Erina interrupted, unwilling to apparently let Motley sign himself away so bluntly. [color=bc8dbf]'Or is it just, you know, sugar and stuff?'[/color]

[color=turquoise]'Omnomnom! I’m glad you asked, Erina!'[/color] He promptly refilled her bowl, this time with a bizarre tutti-frutti assortment of grains. [color=turquoise]'Why don’t you have a taste of my Rainbow Sor-Berry mix? Incredibly nutritious, [i]and[/i] packed with twelve different berry flavours!'[/color]

Her first mouthful was a tad inquisitive. The next dozen were rapid and noisy as she ate the entire bowlful in less than a minute. And were those tears in her eyes?

[color=bc8dbf]'Alright, that settles it. I’m sticking with Runch,'[/color] Erina decided, smiling as if she’d never tasted ice cream before. Or sorbet, if the name- hang on, had she really never tasted that before? Not that he knew what she had available in her world…

[color=black]'Which just leaves me,'[/color] Motley uttered, deadpan in his delivery. As the others polished off what remained of their respective meals, Motley remained practically immobile, giving away no hints as to his thought process until he came to his decision, pacing as he talked.

[color=black]'As I was saying, my former reasons for keeping my foes alive are somewhat irrelevant. If anything, [i]you[/i] would currently stand to gain from [i]my[/i] presence, Runch.'[/color] In Motley’s mind, this was not arrogance, merely a statement of fact. [color=black]'I cannot imagine all foes will be as unwilling to kill for their end goals as I was.[/color]

[color=black]'That said,'[/color] he continued, coming to an abrupt halt, [color=black]'there are other threats in this city that perhaps you’d be unable to survive alone, something Erina can likely testify to.'[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]'You mean the tentacle mouths?'[/color] she asked after a moment. [color=bc8dbf]'Naaah, I could have taken them all on, easy!'[/color] Another brief pause.

[color=bc8dbf]'...wait, you don’t mean-'[/color]

[color=black]'You’ll probably die if I leave, the both of you. That’d technically make me liable for your deaths, which I try to avoid inflicting upon those who don’t deserve it as standard. So for now,’[/color] he concluded with a slight roll of his eyes, [color=black]‘I’ll do what I can to assist.'[/color]

[color=turquoise]'Omnomnomnom! That’s the spirit, matey!'[/color] Runch crowed, smiling practically from ear to ear. [color=turquoise]'In that case, I pronounce both of you the newest honorary members of the Crunch Pirates! First order of business: I need my spoonsaber back, so we’re going cave scrumping for it.'[/color]

Oh, for pity’s sake. Forced to point out the obvious, Motley muttered with ignominity [color=black]'These catacombs are massive, Runch. The weapon is as good as gone.’[/color]

'Then what’s that over there?’ Bend asked, cutting Motley’s rant short, and prompting both he and Erina to stare at what seemed to be a pole lodged in the ground, much to the pirate captain’s befuddlement. For a moment, he seemed hopeful, but that faded as he approached with the makeshift spoon-lantern, revealing the pole to be no more than a lever lodged in the ground.

[color=turquoise]'...well, I guess we’ll never find out what this does if we don’t give it a try,'[/color] Runch shrugged, pulling it over before anyone else could object. This, rather unexpectedly, triggered the opening of a doorway next to them, flooding the local caves with natural light that they likely hadn’t seen for centuries, if ever. The sudden burst of light reminded Motley to continue breathing in rhythms that he only now realised had been disrupted ever since the fight, and tournament, were lost to him. Apparently, the drone-bound announcer was already outside, a figure unfamiliar to the vampire standing and sneering beside him. Motley decided he disliked this man immediately. His attitude was… insulting.

At first, the drone spoke, merely expressing surprise at Runch’s victory. Then it was the Bashibozuk’s turn, revealing what Motley had only learned moments before his ill-fated fight with Runch had started… but which it seemed Erina had yet to figure out, judging by her somewhat shocked expression.

[color=bc8dbf]'Uh… haha, yeah, OBVIOUSLY! Didn’t you figure that out yet? It was so-'[/color]

[color=black]'I didn’t know either until my fight with Runch began, Erina.'[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]'Oh. Never mind. I thought… nah, never mind,'[/color] she muttered, shaking her head. As they spoke, Serhan continued his speech, explaining that naturally, he wouldn’t be joining Runch in his battles again.

[color=turquoise]'Well, Serhan, I’m as crestfallen to hear that as a fruit abandoned by its tree to rot on the ground,'[/color] Runch said to him, quite genuinely saddened by this turn of events. [color=turquoise]'However, I promised I’d respect Motley and Erina’s choice if they chose not to ally with me, and I shall do the same with you. My best wishes and good fruit baskets to you in the future, my friend!'[/color] Putting on his best grin, he raised a hand in farewell, to which Serhan responded with a somewhat respectful nod before turning to walk away. After that, it was just Oren, the new Crunch Pirates, and their captain.

[color=black]'So, apparently Runch won,'[/color] Motley said to the drone, only a little bitterly. [color=black]'Do I get to keep those questions I never used, or do those come as part and parcel of still having a soul?'[/color]

[color=turquoise]'Motley, I’m sure the folks running the tournament know what they’re doing either way,'[/color] Runch assured him jovially. [color=turquoise]'And if it’s bothering you that much-’[/color] 

[color=black]'Not really.'[/color]

[color=turquoise]’-then I’m [i]certain[/i] we can make clear whether or not your soul will be returned to you in mint-leaf condition when all’s said and done! If I’m allowed to ask you that without expending any additional questions, that is, Oren.'[/color] The sentence was punctuated with a great, friendly smile, admittedly somewhat of an effort to charm the man behind the machine into giving up an answer as a freebie. They were talking as personally as they were likely to get to one another, after all.

[@ProPro][@Lugubrious]