Graveyard of a Madman

The Other Side Story V
Previous: Black Bone Tower Part 37

The sun was just peeking over the horizon as it began to ascend into the morning sky. On that side of the Red Line, there seemed to be much more than just a sky, it seemed closer to a painting. Purple clouds with red linings that glazed their edges, and rays of light that beamed every which way, and a wind that welcomed the subtle change of a new day. It was so tranquil there, at least for that moment. The seagulls squawked as they perched on the Seaking's skull, that gigantic seaking skeleton that they mistook for an entire island. The hollow eye-socket still gazed up toward the sky, not seeing anything, but nor did it have to.

It all looked green to him as he pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and flapped one of Rinji's button-up shirts out so that it would sit straight as he hung it up on the mast rope that he was using as a laundry cord. He licked the pad of his paw and and straightened his whiskers as he grabbed up another pair of blue pants and glanced them over, looking for stains. Though he knew that they were Chio's, and he was normally good about keeping his clothes rather neat. He clipped them up onto the line and straightened them as they needed.

Dala: Jiro! I got another. [The Nekojin lady walked out of the main hall with a large basket of wet laundry.] Do you need some help? This is the last of the load.

Jiro: If you wouldn't mind, I will not turn you down. [Not taking his sights off of a pair of black jeans that were obviously Nikk's.] How is your throat?

Dala: [Cleared her throat, only feeling a vague reminder of what happened.] It's fine. I'm barely taking any of the throat medicine anymore. Not that I had much of a singing voice to begin with.

Jiro: [Smiled at this.] Well, I'm glad to see you're in good spirits. [He scratched his chin, the fur on it that had been burned off was almost completely back to normal, you could barely tell that it had ever happened.] And how is he?

Dala: [Glanced over at Jiro, then looked down a little.] Oh, he's doing much better now. Ellis changed his bandages yesterday, and he only needs a few on his head, and some on his chest now. He's still not showing any signs that he will be waking up soon. [She started pinning up a very elegant, blue dress, smiling a little when she remembered meeting Alice for the first time on that awful island, or whatever it was.]

They continued in silence, almost every single rope on the deck of that ship had rows of clothes all over it. They were working on the very last of the socks when Dala looked back over toward Jiro. By that time the sun was almost up over the horizon.

Dala: Can I ask you a personal question?

Jiro: Suppose so. [Said through three laundry pins in his teeth as he hung up two socks per pin.]

Dala: Where did you get those sunglasses?

Jiro: [Burst out laughing a bit, almost scaring Dala, as she had never seen him do so.] My glasses. Well, a very long time ago, my father got them for me when he saw that I was eyeing them through the glass of a counter top. We were very poor back in those days, and these glasses were not cheap at all. I promised him that I would wear them to their fullest, and make them worth the money.

By the time he finished talking Dala had stopped hanging the socks, she had not expected such a sentimental, personal anecdote. After a moment, she kept hanging socks until she ran out.

Dala: Well, how long do they usually take to dry? I know Kimi's outfits normally take around an hour or so, depending on the wind.

Jiro: I don't normally worry about it. From what I gather, they normally come and get their own clothes. I just need to watch them to make sure they don't fall overboard. Clothes are precious when you're so far out at sea.

Dala: Alright, well I'll see you later, I need to clean our room. [Took the basket away and walked toward the main hall.]

Jiro: See you then. [Opened his book "Heights Yet Unreached," and put the bookmark between his middle and forefinger.]

---

Lee sat, shirtless in his chair, with it turned around so he was sitting in it backward with his legs sticking out on either side of the back. He held his pistol, his arms crossed on top of the chairback, and the gun dangling in his fingers. His eyebrows narrowed in that weapons chamber underneath the deck. The gigantic machine that worked as the ship's main gatling gun, 30 millimeter bullet shredder that the crew dubbed "The Storm"; Gonzo Lee maintained it and kept it clean. However, he wasn't worried about that now, he gazed at the two prisoners they had captured from the Bulldog pirates, and he chewed on a toothpick, making sure that his very toned body was flexed to its utmost, and his glare was cold in nature.

His body was starting to become a map of scars. His newest scar on his shoulder was healed, but just so, and was still very visible. The one on his chest was also quite prominent, and he readily displayed it as a mark of pride. It was a badge of honor for him defending his crew in their time of need.

Lee: I don't think you get what's going on here, you poor, helpless fedal pigs! I'm going to find out what I want to know, or I'm going to make the two of you figure out who is going to be my special guest of the evening. If neither of you can decide, I will close my eyes, and point my gun, shifting between the two of you. Whoever I shoot in the kneecap is my special guest of the evening. [He sneered at them.] You pathetic weasels sicken me so much, I've decided to make the special guest eat the other's ear. Since he is indeed my special guest, he should be accomodated as such. Then I'll make you eat his intestines like spaget--

Bruto: Whoa whoa whoa.

Kin: Yeah, I'm going with whoa on that one.

Lee: Oh, come on! That was a good one!

Kin: Intestines like spagetti? Are you even trying to be scary? That's comical.

Bruto: Yes, but the shirtlessness, the gun, and the toothpick were good touches.

Kin: Yes, the toothpick works. And the ear... I can kinda buy that. But instestines just doesn't stick at all.

Lee: So you liked the toothpick? What about the kneecap?

Kin: Kneecap shot was probably the best part.

Lee: Really?

Bruto: Yes, indeed, I have never been shot in the kneecap, but I certainly wouldn't want to.

Kin: But then you said you would close your eyes and shoot it, I mean, really?

Lee: Oh you don't think I can aim for your kneecaps with my eyes closed? You want me to try? [Held his gun up.]

Both: NO! No no no no.

Bruto: That's fine, I believe you.

---

Dala walked into Rinji's room. Usagi had been moved to her room with Nikk and Alice, and her fever had dropped a great deal, but Ellis still wanted her to stay off of her feet for the most part. Though it was very dark, Dala could see well enough to navigate over to his bed without knocking into any furniture like Jiro's bed, or their two chairs that stood by a window. She sat in the chair that they scooted beside the bed, and she inched closer toward him so she could hear him breathing a bit clearer. Then she put her paw on his and leaned her head onto his stomach very softly.

Over the past few days, Rinji's recovery was questionable. While the other crewmates were healing in leaps and bounds, Rinji crawled his way to stability. His wounds finally stopped bleeding, and the breaks in his ribs felt as if they could restructure themselves in due time, with a little help from Ellis's talented bone-breaking/connecting talents.

His bandage covered his eye, and the top of his head, which would be scarred for the rest of his life. They could only hope that his fur would grow over it. The bandage on his chest was put there to keep his ribcage tight and make sure that his deep breaths didn't move it too much. The others were large bandaids to cover up scabs from bigger and smaller cuts, and his gigantic bruises were starting to disappear completely. Dala finally found a spot on his stomach that didn't cause his body to react in furious pain, so she laid her head there from time to time.

She looked up at him, and saw how peaceful he looked, his eyes closed and his mouth hanging open a little bit. Once in a while, he would spasm a little bit, so she hummed a little bit, and rubbed his furry belly to sooth him. She didn't know if it helped, but he stopped moving so she must have been doing something right.

Soon, though, as always, she found tears trickling onto his stomach. What he gave to her on that island could never be repaid as she saw it. Now she was forced to sit and wait for him to wake up, which, if he did, could take months, considering his massive head trauma and countless other injuries.

Dala: Rinji... [She whispered as her hand reached the back of his head.]

She could have sworn she saw a smile grow across his face as she did this.

Dala: Please, stay with me. [She soon fell asleep with her head on the bed close beside him.]

She waited.