[center][h2][color=salmon]Ace Cadet[/color] & Ms. Fortune[/h2][color=lightgray]Word Count: 2811 (+3 exp)
Level 9 Ace Cadet [@Yankee]: 146/90 -> 149/90
Level 9 Nadia Fortune [@Lugubrious]: 107/90 -> 110/90
Location: Sea of Serendipity[/color][/center]
A few minutes after the living ship got underway, bound due south on its journey to Twilight Town, Nadia Fortune could be found at the very end of its stern. happy to be about as far away as she could get from the gigantic mollusk's snaggle-toothed maw without taking to the ocean waves below, she sat on the railing with her arms propped up to either side of her, staring back at Port O' Panic and the seaside mountains as they gradually receded into the distance. Though the rain had subsided to a drizzle by the time of the pirates' ambush, the sky remained dismally overcast, and it didn't look like things would clear up anytime soon. She took long, slow breaths of the cool, salty sea air, a million miles away from this rueful sea as she sought to clear her head.

Her apology to Peach did not achieve what she hoped. It wasn't that the princess hadn't accepted it--she had, and quickly, too. Too quickly. Almost out of politeness, just as a matter of course, rather than a heartfelt admission that all was well. Such superficial forgiveness did not exonerate Nadia from her feelings of guilt. Could she have taken more time to find better words? Maybe, but she wanted to smooth things over quickly to try and stop any ill will before it could fester, and besides, overthinking things would mean it didn't come from the heart, wouldn't it? In the end, however, nobody felt any better, so Nadia drifted off to think. Physical pain didn't trouble her a whole lot; years of literally pulling herself apart in order to fight, maneuver, and infiltrate left her nerves deadened and resistant to hurt. But the same couldn't be said for everyone. What Peach went through was, from the average person's perspective, horrific and appalling. Of course the blame belonged to that fishman, Rip Ass or whatever his name was, but it was Nadia -and by extension Blazermate- who left Peach alone to go off and do their own thing. Did she really think that Peach would be fine all on her own, or did she just want to go after a spirit that suited her? 

Maybe it was both. Or maybe one made her believe the other. Nadia knew that in reality, she hadn't been thinking about anyone but herself, same as ever. Ever since the fateful night that she came to know both pain and loss, leaving her numb and alone. The clever, fun-loving Ms Fortune was a friend to all, but a confidante to none. Did she really have what it takes to be a teammate, or a friend, or a partner? Maybe, maybe not. She was probably just getting worked up over nothing, and uncharacteristically so, at that. Self-pity wasn't a word in the feral's repertoire, and she knew that everyone was just trying their best, in the end. The real question was, did she really care to try? Maybe just being an ally, an acquaintance, and a flirt was enough.

[color=salmon]"There you are."[/color]

It was a familiar voice, one that the Ace Cadet hoped Nadia would find welcome at the moment. After everything had settled down for the most part and people had split up for the remainder of the trek, the Cadet had looked for her. He managed to miss her on the small deck until now.

He trusted Blazermate to heal everyone up to their top shape, but after seeing the condition that Peach was in, and her seemingly still damaged eye, the Cadet wanted to make sure that Nadia was okay. Things had escalated quickly once the other Seekers boarded the Tinkerslug, so he hadn't been able to get a good look at her before. She was alive, which was the most important thing, but was she alright? That wasn't the only reason he wanted sought her out. Checking in on her health included both the physical and mental. Sure he wasn't the most perceptive guy at times, but the bodily changes due to a spirit fusion were obvious - and the argument surrounding killing their enemies had effected her, that much he could tell. And, maybe, there was yet another reason tucked into the back of his mind. Once it was clear that the other groups of Seekers had a much rougher go of things than he and the street fighters had, he'd been kicking himself for ditching the Adrian. He probably could have been of much more help back there than where he'd ended up. If he was looking for some justification for his decision, well, he probably didn't even know it himself.

But of Ms. Fortune's well-being he was genuinely concerned, so once he'd found her he joined the Feral at the railing, leaning his elbows onto it only about a foot away from where she sat.

[color=salmon]"Fin-ally found you,"[/color] he started with, looking her way. [color=salmon]"Are you alright?"[/color]

"Hm? Oh!"

At the familiar, most welcome voice, Nadia turned to treat Ace to a friendly smile. She maneuvered around so that her body was facing toward the Tinkerslug's prow rather than the see. "Yeah, I'm just a-boat good. How 'bout you? It's good to see you in one piece! As for me, it looks like I ended up with a two piece." Leaning sideways on the railing with one shoulder up, she posed in a way that showed off the outfit she'd gained from her fusion with Massachusetts. The swimsuit beneath the hoodie and spats her jumpsuit turned into would serve her a lot better than what she had before if she got soaked again, but that wasn't all it was good for. "Whatcha think? 'Knot' too shabby, eh?" With the feral's attitude so lighthearted, it'd be down to Ace's own powers of observation to determine if anything was amiss with the Miss.

At first the Cadet took her at face value. She was a pretty good actor, and he wanted to believe that she was completely okay anyway. Emboldened by her playfulness the Cadet grinned at her, and unabashedly he took in her latest look. He noted all of the changes; the giant ponytail (which funnily enough reminded him of another Nadia he knew),  her eyes, the new tattoo-like markings that crossed through the faded swirl patterns, and if he wasn't mistaken a more shapely figure. Overall, pretty sexy. 

[color=salmon]"Ms. Fortune, you look pawsitively clawdacious,"[/color] he said warmly.

His eyes roamed from the bikini top, tracing the new geometric lines on her skin down to the scar that ran across her stomach. They lingered on there, and his brows gradually furrowed while his smile dimmed. That hadn't always been there, had it? He thought back to all the times he'd seen her bare abdomen over the last couple of days, which had been plenty of times. He didn't remember there being a scar there, nor did he remember her ever splitting herself up in the midsection. 

He reached out and brushed his hand over the new scar, his expression growing more serious.

[color=salmon]"What happened?"[/color] he asked, looking back up at Nadia's face.

"Aww, you're too kind~" For a few moments Nadia felt very pleased with all the attention, and validated to boot. But like all good things, her moment of admiration in the spotlight came to an end. [i]Ah.[/i] Nadia realized she'd kind of walked into that one. [i]Well, no beating around the bush, I guess.[/i] With a sigh she stopped posing, and slouched down, a confident grin turned into a thin, resigned smile. "We were up against a couple of super tough customers. One shipgirl in particular. Parrot said her name was Massachusetts, but I swear I heard someone call her Mamie? Either way, she was...one hull of a fighter, puttin' it lightly. When she wasn't poundin' away with her cannons, she was swingin' around her anchors like chain axes." 

She pulled out one of the anchors she inherited from the drum on the back of her waist to show Ace. "Bigger than these, though. After fightin' a while, I was gettin' tired, so I tried to...well, 'assassinate' sounds bad, but I can't really think of anythin' else. Just end it fast, I guess. The other shipgirl saved her from death's door, but Blazermate wasted her, I think. All that made Big Mamie got purr-etty damn mad. I'd say she wanted a piece of me, but it looks like she wanted two."

The feral ran her fingers along the giant new scar on her belly. It tickled, but it twinged a little, too. She gave a laugh that was more breath than humor. "Hurt like hell, of course, but I'm fine. Can't die, remember? Goin' to pieces is literally what I do. At this point, I don't feel stuff as bad as anyone else. Blazermate patched me up, so in the end, it's just another scar. Better me than anyone else, right?" Shrugging, Nadia leaned back again.

Technically her logic was sound. An injury like that would be lethal to anyone else. It didn't sit right with him regardless. Throughout her story the Cadet's expression tightened. Imagining her being forcibly torn apart, in contrast to how she usually separated herself, was not a pleasant picture.

[color=salmon]"Nadia..."[/color]

Ace Cadet ran a hand over his face, buying time for himself as he thought about what he wanted to say. The first words that came to mind almost sounded like an admonishment, which was not what anyone wanted to hear after something like that. An apology seemed wrong too, even though a loud part of his brain was thinking [i]I should have been there.[/i] He decided to just go with his gut.

[color=salmon]"Still... I mean, you shouldn't have to go through that even if you are kinda immortal. Just 'cause you won't die from it doesn't make it more okay, y'know?"[/color]

He wrapped his hands around the ship's railing, clenching and unclenching his fingers as he tried to get his feelings across.

[color=salmon]"Earlier, when that argument was going on, you looked upset. Was it about this? 'Cause it really didn't seem like you had a choice."[/color]

Nadia half-expected Ace to launch into a lecture about how she should be more careful, but when it came his response was a lot more composed. She appreciated him taking the time to try to look at things from her perspective. Amongst other things, it meant that when he did say something it wasn't something she could refute. "Yeah, I get it," she sighed, her tone making it clear that she wasn't just blowing off his concern. "It's not like I want to or anythin'. Guess I'm just a li'l desensitized."

When the monster hunter continued, Nadia took a moment to think about his question. She couldn't say with absolute certainty what he meant by 'this'. Was he referring to her injury? Or did he mean her decision to take out Massachusetts? Probably the latter, she decided. "That's what I told myself," the feral replied, resting her chin in her palm as she slouched. "That sorta thing's easy to say. Probably 'cause it's true. But is it the whole truth?" Straightening up and leaning back, she turned her gaze to the distance. "When it comes to fightin', I've got a lot goin' for me, but there's one thing missin'. If I don't have a weak point to slice, my damage is purr-etty low. Barely scratched that stinkin' Orphan monster. So when I looked at Massachusetts, I thought...she looks strong. And pretty. And I was tired of fallin' in the water. I figured I'd found the perfect spirit. And sure enough, it fit me to a T." She glanced at Ace. "But it's wrong thinkin' of people that way. Ain't it? I mean, even if we need power to do this, and we don't wanna become freaks, they're still people. Killin' 'em for reasons like that ain't somethin' a hero should do. If I wasn't thinkin' about myself, maybe I coulda found another way."

Nadia sighed again, shrugging. "I'm tellin' ya this 'cause I wanna be honest. And 'cause I don't like keepin' stuff bottled up. But also 'cause it kinda doesn't seem like that big a deal. Like, it's somethin' I'm dumb for even worryin' about. She woulda killed me, after all. We've all been usin' stuff from enemies we took out. It's not like I'm gonna stroll through town like it's a greengrocer, lookin' through the aisles for the best people to eat. I guess...if anythin', what's eatin' me is: should I care more?"

The Cadet stayed quiet while he listened to Ms. Fortune. He could see where she was coming from. It wasn't like they were facing off against objectively, cartoonishly evil people, just people in general. But when those people were always gunning for your life whether they knew it or not, it was hard not to respond in kind - even if potential 'usefulness' wasn't in play. It was a lot to think about, and the kind of thinking that he usually never made time for. Once she was finished, she posed a question that caught the Cadet off guard.

[color=salmon]"Hm."[/color] He appeared pensive, giving it serious thought. [i]Should[/i] she care more? Should he? Should any of the Seekers? All of them? [color=salmon]"Damn, that's... a tough question."[/color] 

He wanted to give her an actual answer though, since she'd been so open with him. 

[color=salmon]"...honesty for honesty though, I never really thought about it,"[/color] he said after a while. [color=salmon]"Don't like to either. It's a lot easier that way, and since I got de-mindfunked I've been rolling with the assumption that once we save the world everything will just go back to normal. Like, normal-normal. And everyone that died here will just come back like none of it even happened.

"'Cause the whole spirit thing is weird to begin with, almost doesn't seem real, right? That doesn't happen when people usually die."[/color] He paused briefly, as if suddenly remembering the nature of the world they were actually in. [color=salmon]"Well maybe it does work like that somewhere. In any case..."[/color] 

The Cadet shifted his posture, taking a breath before turning to fully face Nadia again. [color=salmon]"Don't get 'tide' down in what other people think, even me. We're all on a mission to set things right, and we've gotta do what we gotta do. If that means taking someone out before they can take [i]us[/i] out, for [i]any[/i] reason, then... well, it's just part of that mission."[/color]

"Mhm." For a guy that admitted to not doing a whole lot of thinking, Ace offered some pretty good advice. He more or less echoed what Nadia herself thought, and this time she didn't waste any brain juice wondering about whether she thought or heard just what she wanted to.  "Golden rule it is, then," she agreed. She put on a smile as she focused on the sea in front of the Tinkerslug, rather than behind it. In the distance a sliver of land could be seen, shrouded in twilight. All this self-reflection was unusual for her, and she'd be happy to put it behind her, consigned like Port O' Panic to drift away into the reaches of her rear-view mirror. One last detail that Ace brought to mind ate at her, though. Something that felt too important to ignore. "Once we save the world..." she echoed, her voice low. "If everythin' goes back, will we even remember what happened here?" Would they all snap back to reality, as if waking up from a dream? Or would they keep in mind everything and everyone they encountered during this time, who they'd never meet again? "Then again, maybe...it'd hurt less if we didn't." 

Though he'd been the one to mention it, that too was something the hunter didn't want to think about too hard. In his mind, it was the only way that fixing things made sense; resetting everything back to the way it was before the light invaded. Otherwise how could anyone cope with what had happened? 

[color=salmon]"I dunno. We'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess. There's some things I wouldn't mind not remembering,"[/color] he told her honestly. Learned horrors, both large and small. The kind of danger he would never have been able to even dream up before. Though in between were incredible experiences, and good friends too.

[color=salmon]"Then again, there's also people I hope I never forget."[/color] He shot her a cheesy smile then, hoping to bring the mood up a least a little. His words were true though. If he were to forget any of his comrades, let alone Nadia herself, it would be way too sad. But none of them would know what would happen once they won until it happened.

Nadia smiled back. "You betcha. Guess we'll just take it one day at a time 'til then."