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Marine Choreboy
41 posts
125,000 Beli
Choreboy
Rookie Rank
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Post by Vaetric Meri on Jun 24, 2018 17:58:26 GMT -5
Vaetric nodded as Erik mentioned devil fruits, but sighed. " They're probably just a myth, really. I can't really imagine anyone being able to like.. Breathe fire, which'd hurt, or.. I don't know, turn into a wolf? It just seems.. Strange." He'd say, shaking his head. " It only belongs in one of those, I guess." He shrugged, gesturing back to his bunk where all of the books laid. " Uff.. My knees hurt, they should give us some more versatile mops." He mumbled more to himself. He listened to Erik. " Oh, I'm not sure if it's all that popular, I don't think it's even been printed in the east Blue." He replied, before shrugging again. Well, who knew? Maybe its popularity would increase with time. But for now, it was just idly fantasies that helped him go to bed at night. Erik seemed to have some trouble speaking at some point. He wasn't quite sure why, maybe it was osmething to do with the beds he was cleaning, he did smell one that was particularly gross on his floor cleaning patrol, after all. Mybe he finally got to that one. Vaetric had returned the little smile that Erik had given him when he moved to help him. He blinked, then snickered a little, shaking his head. " The North isn't the sunniest of places, it's usual grey and snowy, so I've always wondered what's beyond the clouds, if you understand. It can't be grey forever, the sun is always above everything as far as I'm aware, so.." He shrugged once again, glancing to Erik. " I just wanna see what's on the other side, is it more grey, or is it even sunnier? Who knows, and I don't think the clouds can support a city, though I could be wrong." He said. He looked down to the hamper, which looked to be getting a little bit full. " There's a lot to clean, I guess." He said, now becoming a bit more accustomed to speaking with Erik. " Uhm.. Where do you clean these here? Just.. Upstairs, or is there a cleaning cupboard?" He asked, placing a small bundle of clothing onto the hamper, though being sure to make it heavier on the bottom, into a pyramid shape so it wouldn't immediately fall over. " I think that as the last of it." He huffed, wiping his forehead a bit. It was a relief to be out of the sun, at the very least, but it still felt a bit hot to him. " Other than reading, what do you like to do in your spare time?" He asks. Wordcount: 431 Total Wordcount: 5128
Vaetric's health: 35/36
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 11:18:09 GMT -5
Vaetric was correct, or at least to Erik he was. Devil fruits seemed to just be the work of fantasies, and fairy tales. It still was a pretty neat idea however. If they really did exist, Erik wondered what sort of powers he could get from them. The power to fly seemed really cool, or maybe the power to turn into some super cool crime fighting robot! Or maybe just the power to swim really fast, but then again, people always said that devil fruits come at the price of losing your ability to swim, or something like that, so maybe the third option was completely out of the window. In the end this was all just random thoughts coursing through the green eyed chore boy's head to help him pass the time while working. The moment Meri started to complain about his knees broke Erik out of his childish thoughts, causing him to look back at the poor blond. "Well, you can always think of it as...intense knee training." Erik joked as he held a finger up. "But you do have a point. Doubt the captain will listen to us about it though. He'll probably just make one of those faces again like this..." Erik closed his eyes, placing both hands on his face before quickly lowering them, making one of the most grumpiest, and scrunched up facial expressions he could ever make. "Grrr, get back to work you slackers." Erik mocked before laughing. This is the first time Erik has actually done something like this. He's witnessed some of the others mock the cap behind his back, but never engaged in any of it due to his rank, and fear of being booted from the Marines when he still has so much to do! Guess he was just getting pretty comfortable around Meri.
Erik raised his eyebrows a bit as soon as the other chore boy started to talk about the North Blue, the very blue that he was born, and raised on. Perhaps that was where Meri was previously positioned, or maybe he was born there as well. That would've been pretty cool, but right now, Erik was focused on the man's talk about the clouds, and what could be beyond them. "Yeah...that was pretty...poetic, I think." Erik claimed as he looked up at the ceiling, imagining the sky, and clouds. "But clouds are pretty much just water, so I doubt anything could be up there." he said, putting on his nerd pants.
With the beds done, Erik helped Vaetric with the remaining clothes, enduring the questionable smells that came along with them. "Oh it's the room all the way at the end of the hall with cleaning cup boards." Dubois said as he pointed out of the door. "Yup, that's all of i-oh wait!" There was one more thing missing from this pile. Erik climbed back up to his bed, and retrieved his dirty cap which amazingly was missed during all the cleaning. He then threw it down into the hamper, and jumped back down going over to it. "Now we're finished." He claimed. As Erik got ready to pick up the hamper, he began to ponder about Meri's question. "Hmm, I like to train. I've been training ever since I was a child with my...father, and then grandfather." Erik claimed, drifting a bit as he mentioned his dad. He wasn't kidding about the training though, seeing as how picking up the hamper on his own wasn't really much of a problem. He then proceeded out of the room, heading down the hall, and would continue if Vaetric chooses to tag along. "Oh, but you know what I really like to do?" he asked, looking at Meri with a bit of enthusiasm in his tone. "I kind of have a thing for drawing. Unfortunately, it seems I may have misplaced my sketchbook, and pencil, but believe me when I say I know a thing, or two about it....not to...toot my own horn..." Erik said, finishing off with a sheepish chuckle. "What about you, Vaetric? I also remember you saying something about the North Blue. I was actually born there...on Outset Island. A lot of amazing, and powerful Marines came from there, ya know?"
WC - 707
Total WC - 6,722
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Marine Choreboy
41 posts
125,000 Beli
Choreboy
Rookie Rank
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Post by Vaetric Meri on Jun 25, 2018 14:04:29 GMT -5
Vaetric looked to Erik as he was lost in though, blinking as he spoke, before huffing. " I'd rather my knees got trained passively, so they didn't ache each time." He said, looking back down at the clothes as he added them to one of the hampers, wrinkling his nose at some of them. He even used less smelly clothes to pick up some of the dirtier ones. " Eeew.." He muttered, wincing a little. How could people make such dirty smells? Well, he didn't really want to know, but he guessed they just spent a while training in them. A couple of days at least. ..Or a week. He shook his head, shuddering at the abhorrence below him, at times like these he wished he wasn't a choreboy. Or at least didn't have to do this. But unfortunately, it was his job. He gave a bright giggle at Erik's impression of the Captain, blushing a little as he did so. He didn't really like his laugh, it was a bit.. Well, high. He lifted the hamper, some clothes spilling onto his shirt as he wrinkled his nose again. " Ufffgh." He grumbled. He looked toward the cleaning cupboard on the other side of the ship, nodding to Erik as he began to move over there, only to stop. " Huh?" He asked, glancing toward Erik, who had been helping him with getting the remaining clothes into the hamper. Vaetric looked around, then picked up the soapy water bucket. He climbed up the bunk, retrieving his dirty hat, then placing it onto the hamper. He then nodded, beginning to move in the direction of the cupboard again. " Oh, you want to be a proper marine?" He asked, before pausing. " Oh, uh.. As in, I meant, a Seaman Recruit.. Or an ensign? Though you have to be pretty strong to get up there- not that I'm doubting you, or anything." He added hastily at the end. He listened as Erik shared his enthusiasm for drawing, giving a small smile. " I'd liek to see one of your drawings some time, I do it from time to time, but I'm not really any good at it." He said, arriving at the cupboard. " Eeeh. it's a little small.." He muttered to himself, before glancing at Erik. " Oh, I was born in just a small island, there weren't many people on it, and barely a marine presence, it had a fair bit of snow.[/font]" He said, walking into the cupboard as he bent down to lower the water bucket. " Egh.. I haven't really done much clothes cleaning before, the marine crew I was in mostly did it themselves." He admitted. He'd move a little to the right, making room for Erik to stand next to him. " Should we use the soapy water? Or... Is there something else?" He asked, looking around the cupboard, pressing a bit against the wall to make further room for his fellow Chore Boy. After a few moments, he'd seek to open a cupboard door for some cleaning utilities, forcing him to move back a few steps, possibly bumping into Erik if he's not careful. Wordcount: 520 Total Wordcount: 5648
Vaetric's health: 35/36
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 17:42:36 GMT -5
Erik had never heard any man laugh...or rather giggle in that way before. It was usually more fitting for women, but Dubois wasn't one to judge. He even found it sort of cute, but it was probably for the best not to comment on it since Erik is a bit paranoid on making things awkward between the two, especially since it seems that he managed to get on the blond's good side. Hopefully it'll stay that way.
The two chore boys continued down the hall with hamper in hand, continuing on with their conversation. Erik looked over to Vaetric as he talked, quietly pondering the things he said about being a proper marine. "Well...yeah! I want to be out there helping those in need. My father did it, and so did his father." He gave Vaetric a determined grin before nodding. "I don't want the cycle to end, ya know? I know there is a lot you have to go through to climb the ranks, but I am prepared for it....I feel like I've been prepared for a while." he claimed with a chuckle. Erik's love for the marines was genuine. He sees them as true heroes who put others over their own safety, who will lay their lives on the line to ensure that the future is kept safe. Erik wants to be just like that, and believes that he can make it. Of course growing up on a Marine island will do that to most. The two then moved on to the topic of drawing, causing Erik to give a cheeky grin that he wasn't aware of thankfully. "Maybe I can try drawing you as well one day...if you don't mind of course." he claimed as they made it to the door. Erik is no stranger to drawing people, but he mainly focuses on drawing things like nature, animals, or even just plain old absentminded doodling. It'd be pretty neat to make a little drawing for the new guy as a sort of welcoming present.
"Oh, and don't worry. I can probably teach you a thing, or two about drawing." he said with some enthusiasm. The door than opened to the cupboard, and Erik waited for Meri to go in first before going in. "Huh, I guess it is a bit cramped." Erik commented as he squeezed in. This was something he never really noticed before since it was always just him that went in here prior to this. Perhaps he should've waited out in the hall, but he couldn't just leave Vaetric to do all the work! What kind of Marine leaves their comrade behind to endure all their suffering alone!? Certainly not Erik. Dubois listened as he slid inside of the cramped space, finding it hard to move to much. The uncomfortable look on his face was enough to tell anyone that he wasn't having the best of times, but Dubois didn't want to worry the new guy too much. "A...small...island....huh?" Erik said as he continued to inch his way through. He tried his best to recollect any little islands in the North that had snow, but couldn't think of any. Then again he's only been on one island in that blue, and after that sent right to the east. "Oh, yes we can just use the wat-" Erik was in the middle of scooting past Vaetric just when he opened the little cupboard door. "E-ehh..." Erik found himself stuck as something...soft rested against the lower part of his body, pushing him back against a wall.
"Ahh..."
The first thing Erik saw was Meri's back, but then his eyes slowly lowered to below, seeing what was responsible for his...questionable situation. There was no sugarcoating it, Vaetric's bum had pinned poor Dubois against a wall...the green haired chore boy at a complete lost for words as his face started to light up.
WC - 645
Total WC - 7,367
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Marine Choreboy
41 posts
125,000 Beli
Choreboy
Rookie Rank
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Post by Vaetric Meri on Jun 25, 2018 18:15:07 GMT -5
Vaetric slowly nodded at Erik's words as they made their way to the cupboard. He did seem rather earnest, wanting to help those in need and follow in his father's footsteps. Or rather, his family footsteps. He spoke about a cycle, and Vaetric hoped that didn't end in blood. Though, it'd probably be rude to ask, so he simply nodded to him. " Uh.. Huh.. I guess you gotta be all kinds of strong to get to.. Admiral or something." He replied, before shrugging. " I don't see myself going far." He mumbled. Even if he did, his father would probably try to pluck him out the moment he was strong enough. Which he didn't really want, it left him in an awkward position, he could say a chore boy forever, or risk extraction if he ever trained or went up the ranks. He really didn't have much of a career for the Marines. He let out another sigh. He perked up a little as Erik told him he'd show him how to draw. " That'd.. Be neat, thank you." he said, smiling a little at him before they made their way into the cupboard, nodding a bit gingerly. " Yeah.. I guess they need as much room as they can get." He huffed, hugging the wall. Eventually, he tried to open a cupboard door while vastly underestimating Erik's positioning next to him. He simply and accidently pressed his lower body against him. He blinked for a moment, simply not understanding what he was pressing against, before jerkily turning around with a scarlet complexion crawling up his face. He bounced forward with a yelp, most likely accidently jabbing at Erik with an elbow. " S-Sorry!" He said, turning toward him as he rested his back against the wall. " Uhm.. I was just.. Just.. Just trying.. To uhm.. Get the.. the.. Uhm.." He mumbled, his face flaring and almost glowing with discomfort, pointing deperately toward the cupboard which he was sure held the washing liquid for the clothes. He looked around for anything that could salvage the situation, back to cleaning? This was just too awkward. He began to edge out of the cupboard, clenching his eyes shut as he left it and took a right, staying against the wall as he tried to regain his senses. He just bumped into Erik, he was as embarrassed as he was probably. he rubbed his face with his hands. " Uuughhgh." He groaned in annoyance. He'd almost forgotten about his.. Lower body's circumstance, he shook his head a few times. " U-Uhm.. Y.. Yeah.. I.. It was N-Nightsigh I-Island.. B-Because the s-snow always.. Uhm.. Was in such.. Uh.. The snow always made it whistle at night.." He forced out his words, moving back into the cupboard and avoiding Erik's gaze. Maybe they could just forget it happened? " U-Uh.. What about.. The clothes. The clothes?" He asked, pointing toward the hamper. " How.. How do we clean them?" he asked, his voice growing a bit higher than he'd like near the end, averting his eyes to the side, shrinking a little. Wordcount: 509 Total Wordcount: 5637
Vaetric's health: 35/36
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 20:17:10 GMT -5
No words could describe how Erik was feeling right now. He stood there, frozen like a statue, and not able to avert his eyes which were now stuck on the rear keeping him trapped. He didn't even notice that Vaetric had turned around, and was met with a painful jab to the stomach from the blond's elbow. Although it wasn't intentional, Erik still might have deserved that. "Uff..!" Erik groaned, and winced, holding his stomach as he hunched over a bit with his eyes shut. At least his face wasn't glowing anymore. "I-it...It's alright." Erik groaned, managing to stand back up straight, but now he couldn't make eye contact with Meri...again! Things were going by smoothly too, but yet again the green haired chore boy managed to screw things up. "U-uh..." Unlike Vaetric who managed to at least stumble some words, Dubois was more on the speechless side. He started to rub the side of his arm as he slowly moved to his left just as Meri went to his right. Once again, Erik found himself blushing in embarrassment while he thought about what happened seconds ago.
Erik leaned up against the wall, continuing to rub his arm. He wanted to say something, to look over at Vaetric to reassure him that everything was alright, but he just couldn't will himself to do either. Was it really alright? It...it didn't really seem like a bad thing, did it? these questioning thoughts caused Erik to lightly tap the back of his head against the wall as he closed his eyes. This isn't what he should be thinking about. He should be worried about how Meri was handling this. His first day on the job, and Erik has already made things uncomfortable for him. He wanted to bash his own head in against the wall right now if it weren't for the fact that doing something so reckless could land him in the infirmary. An awkward silence flowed through the air with only the sound of the ocean underneath, and the marines above being heard. If Erik had the ability to be anywhere else at this moment, he would've been far away from here.
"H-huh...wha-" The silence between the two ended when Meri brought up something about an island, or what he could get from his stammering. He didn't understand at first, but it finally clicked that he was talking about that small island from before. "O-oh! Right..." Erik managed to say, continuing to avoid eye contact. Although he could here Meri's footsteps, making his way back to the cupboards, Erik just stood there in that area in fear of a repeat. "That's uh...pretty....T-the island I mean..." Erik managed as he rubbed the back of his head. Dubois sighed after hearing the blond's question not that because he was annoyed, or anything, but that he had to endure this, and get back over to him. He couldn't just let him do all the work. "Right...you can just...dip the clothes into the water..." he slowly made his way over, trying not to look over at Meri as he retrieved two brushes used for cleaning clothes from the cupboard, hesitantly handing one to Meri. "...a-and you know, use this..." He crouched down, dipping one of the clothes into the water with the brush, and started to clean it, trying his best to keep his eyes on the clothing. With that, he started to clean some of the clothes quietly, trying to imagine that he is the only one here like before, but he couldn't do it. He then thought of something Vaetric said earlier, but didn't comment on.
"A-a-anybody could make it far..."
Erik closed his eyes, and turned his head towards Vaertic, and opened them back up. His face still showed hints of concern, but seriousness as well. "You just...have to put your mind to it. It's cheesy...but true." he said, making a weak smile. "I think you can make it far...Vaetric." he then extended a hand out to him, not breaking his gaze on him. "How about we get there together....We can both become great Marines."
WC - 684
Total WC - 8,051
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Marine Choreboy
41 posts
125,000 Beli
Choreboy
Rookie Rank
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Post by Vaetric Meri on Jun 26, 2018 4:24:06 GMT -5
It would have been a few moments before Vaetric realised he had punched or elbowed him, seeing him rub his arm. “O-Oh.. Uhm.. I’m sorry for, uh.. Hitting you.” Vaetric winced, though since it came from him, it probably didn’t hurt that much. His lip curled downward as he realised he’d just pretty much assaulted Erik twice today. How many times was he going to accidence hurt Erik? It was embarrassing, and he didn’t deserve it. He let out a little miserable sigh. “That’s the second time I’ve hurt you by accident.” He voiced, aiming to hide his nervousness with a snicker, trying to pass it off as a joke, he then let out a deflated breath. How was he supposed to fit in if he kept causing harm? Was he even able to fit in, was it possible with his kind of personality and body? Maybe he should have just joined a bunch of weavers. Or had learnt a trade, but he didn’t know how to do either, and the former may as well have been the latter. Not that he’d be able to do it for long, his father would’ve had something to do about that. He could still remember the disappointed expression on his face, he shook it out of his memory.
He glanced to Erik again as he started to show him how to do the cleaning. He watched as Erik took out some cleaning gels with much more success than he, which was winced at. He blinked as he explained that he meant the Island was pretty, what else could he mean? Oh. Did he slip out that he was pretty? No, it was just in his brain. He shook his head again to get the annoying thought out. When the water was all cealn.. Ish, Erik placed the clothes into the water as Vaetric watched over from behind him. He accepted the brush given to him delicately. “Uhm.. ‘Scuse me..” He muttered as he knelt down next to Erik. He began to dip the clothes in the water, then scrubbed it. He hoped the clothes weren’t dirty enough to.. Contaminate the water, he felt like it’d be better to have them under running water, but that’d be a waste. They could only really do that if there was a flowing river, and even then who knew what laid within it? He worked in silence with Erik, brushing clothes that he wasn’t sure even belonged to a human, given how they smelt. He made a mental note to clean his clothes before they got tot that point. It was probably due to the East Blue sun, people have more reason to sweat.
Vaetric’s eyes widened a little as he felt his heart pump, his gaze matching Erik’s. He was offering to.. Help him grow stronger? But then, if his family found out, they’d just pick him up, it didn’t matter either way. Unless.. He didn’t want to go back, so why should he? Not to mention, word takes some time to spread, and he doubted his father would keep a spy on an exile, the only way he’d know would be via word of mouth, so all he had to do was make sure he wasn’t too well known. He bit his lower lip a little, but it didn’t’ come without its risks, being a marine was a dangerous business. A meritocracy of power, might makes right. Really, he doubted he could even make it very far, he was far too soft, as Erik had found out. His face lit up a bit again, before dying down. What should he say? What ccould he say? Erik seemed so determined now. He put down his brush and the article of clothing he’d been cleaning, lost in thought.
“I..” He mumbled, moving his gaze away again as he thought. He could die. Everyone dies, yes, but it could be painful, not just of old age. The world is a cruel place, who knows what could happen? But.. He guessed it was better to go out in a blaze of glory than one of mediocrity. But how could he know he wouldn’t just die tomorrow due to a sunk ship? Who can really know anything? For some reason, despite what happened earlier- which was his fault, really- he felt safer with Erik and his earnest smile. He realised he was staring again, he scrunched up his mouth before extending a hand, his heart still beating like crazy, as he took Erik’s. “Y.. Yeah..” He said, swallowing a bit. “T.. Together.” He said, meeting Erik’s gaze, before blushing again. “.. As in! Training together!” He added, bringing up his hands, then realising he should probably get back to work. He’d be silent for a few more moments, before speaking again, maybe they could ignore the business that happened before. “S.. So you want to become.. A Captain? Or..?” He asked. It was probably a little personal to delve into someone’s ambitions, though. “U-Uh! You don’t have to tell me, though! If you don’t want to.. Uhm.. But I’d prefer somewhere where I don’t have to do as much uhm.. Fighting, maybe Commodore?” He asked, trying to give Erik a little playful brush with his elbow. It would have been a jab, but he felt like he’d done enough of that as of late.
Wordcount: 987
Total Wordcount: 6624
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2018 11:41:19 GMT -5
"I-it's no big deal, really." Erik answered, making a light chuckle as well. He didn't really blame Meri for this, or for the time they bumped heads. In the end it was more his fault, or at least he thought it was. But there was no point in going back and forth with these apologies as it would lead no where, so Dubois decided to say nothing more about it.
Erik continued to look at the pondering Vaetric with his hand out, still holding that welcoming smile of his with a determined expression on his face. Though behind that look of positivity was some worry, and doubt. Did Erik push a little to far by suggesting that? He didn't know much about the blond, or how he really felt about any of this. Instead like a fool, Erik went with his gut instinct about this, his habit of not wanting to see others beat themselves up, or quit so easily. Hopefully he didn't strike a nerve with Meri since all he wanted to do was help him. Maybe he should've went at this more gently. He was not really great at this sort of stuff anyway. Still, Dubois held his hand out, and continued to smile, not finding the will to just back down until an answer has been made. He was tasked to look after Vaetric, just like he is with Lily, and it is something he plans to do right. After some time, their hands finally connected with Erik gripping Meri's as he gave him his answer. Erik's smile widened a little from this, not able to take his eyes off of his new training partner's. "Yeah....training!" Erik repeated as he started to blush as well, pulling his hand back down once Vaetric let go. This time however, the smile still remained despite him being...embarrassed. His joy although not really that expressive was currently outweighing anything else.
The captain was on his way down the hall to scold the two chore boys about something. "Damn guppies, think they could just skip off, and avoid their duties." he grumbled to himself. He looked from room to room on the lower deck, not finding either of them. Last to check was the cupboard area. He slowly approached, trying to make as little sound as possible, and was on the verge of telling them off despite them obviously doing some work when he overheard the little talk about the two trying to become strong together. The captain had his brows lowered curiously as he quietly leaned against the entrance with a small smirk developing on his face. He then shook his head, and started to walk on back down the hall towards the upper deck while the two worked quietly back to back. Erik turned his head to see the captain walking off, but it was sort of hard to see it was him due to how far he got, and the lighting. Dubois simply blinked a few times, and went back to clothes cleaning.
Continuing to clean, Erik listened to Meri quietly with a tiny playful smile forming on his face after feeling that light brush against his back. "Yeah, I can see you being a great Commodore." Erik snickered a bit as he lightly bumped his elbow back. "But me...." Erik stopped scrubbing, and looked up at the ceiling, sitting back a little. He opened his mouth a bit, about to say something before closing it, and after a few seconds, his lips parted again, saying....
"I want to be an Admiral."
He said those words with confidence, and a hint of gusto. It may be a little to early to start thinking about such thoughts, but this is something Dubois was determined to do. "A hand of justice..." he said as he held his hand out over his face before clenching it. "...or fist...to be more accurate." He glanced back at Meri with another smile. "There always there...to catch the bad guys, and save those in need. I wanna be like that, ya know?" he claimed with a grin, and eyes closed. "A hero."
WC - 687
Total WC - 8,738
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Marine Choreboy
41 posts
125,000 Beli
Choreboy
Rookie Rank
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Post by Vaetric Meri on Jun 26, 2018 14:46:37 GMT -5
He let out a small breath as Erik said that the whole.. Hurting him thing was no big deal. he guessed he should drop and forget about it. Maybe one day they could even laugh about it somewhere. He twitched a little as his hand gripped Erik's, watching as Erik noticeably brightened from his answer. Which was good, though Vaetric couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension. How badly could this go? What does he have to put in? Will Erik want to spar him? For how long would he keep it up? The questions swam around his head, as he wondered just how good or bad of an idea this may have been. Erik blushed a little too as he said it was for training, which.. it should be, right? They wouldn't become stronger if they did otherwise, and they could get themselves killed if they just... Went into battle. Vaetric realised he was holding onto Erik's hand for just a little bit too long, before he finally relinquished it, looking at it for a moment, before getting back to work, blushing. It looked like Erik was having second thoughts as well, maybe he didn't think he'd actually go with it?
"R..Really?" He asked, blinking as he said he'd make a good Commodore, though not in those exact words. He winced a little as he was bumped by an elbow, though it was playful, so he didn't complain. Erik stopped scrubbing, presumably in thought, as he wondered what rank he wanted to become. Vaetric felt that Commodore-ship was probably out of his reach, he was most likely, at the most, going to get a life of being an ensign. Or a lieutenant, if he was lucky. He didn't notice the Captain leaving, though he did hear a creak, to which he glanced over, though the sneaky Captain had already left. He then blinked as Erik finally gave his answer. "A-Admiral?!" he gasped, jumping up a bit in surprise, most likely brushing against Erik, but he didn't notice this time before he settled back down.
"A-Admiral?!" He gasped, turning to look at Erik's determined smile, he wasn't joking. And he thought HE was ambitious, but Erik took the cake. Though.. Someone always started from somewhere. Even the current admirals had to have started at the bottom. He shifted himself back into place, he couldn't help but mirror Erik's smile. "It's.. It's a good goal. I.. I bet you can do it." He said, nodding his head reassuringly. "I hope you can do it." He added, then going back to washing the clothes. "A hero.." He mumbled to himself, he couldn't really imagine himself becoming one. But who knows? He reached for another piece of clothing, only to find his hamper empty, having idly finished it without him noticing. "Uh.. I'm finished, here. Do you have any left?" He asked, preparing to help Erik if he needed it.
Wordcount: 495
Total Wordcount: 7179
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2018 19:16:33 GMT -5
"Well, of course!" Erik replied. Again, he had just met Vaetric today, but still believed in him, and what he could possibly accomplish. Maybe he just thought that way about everyone. In the end of the day, Dubois was still confident about Meri being able to make it far just like he's trying to do, and will make sure to help him through it all the way. Through good, and through bad. Chore boys had to stick together of course!
Erik simply nodded as he continued to grin at the blond's first reaction of the green haired man's bizarre dream. He'd open his eyes after feeling Vaetric brush against him, but his smile didn't disappear. He wasn't a stranger to people acting this way whenever he told them this. Even his mother freaked out over this, but then again, she was sort of against Erik becoming a Marine altogether since she didn't want to lose him like she lost his father. Usually it was followed b mocking laughter shortly after whenever Erik told others. It was kind of discouraging, but to be expected since he doesn't look like he'll ever amount to much. Hell even most of the marines aboard this ship believe Dubois will stay a Chore Boy for the rest of his life. Even though he wasn't doing this to prove anyone wrong, it'll still feel good doing so if he ever does make it to Admiral.
As Meri smiled back at Dubois, the green chore boy's grin turned into a regular smile. "H-hm?" He was honestly caught off guard by the encouragement given to him by the blond. He was honestly expecting some form of chuckle, or light snicker, but to actually have someone who wasn't his father, or grandfather believe in him was another thing entirely. "Wow...th-thanks." he said, turning back around to face the clothes as he played with his fingers. "Guess I'm no longer only doing this for myself, and my family, huh." he said with a light chuckle, meaning it to be a small joke. "But really...thanks." he said once more before going back to cleaning the clothes. Dubois was really beginning to enjoy Vaetric's company, and believed that they would make it far together.
After some time, the two seemed to have finished with the clothes, those awful smells being nothing but an afterthought. "All done her-oh wait!" Erik peeked down the hamper, and lowered his arm down until he grabbed something. "Ah ha!" pulling his arm back out, he was now holding a cap, but not just any cap. It was his dirt Marine cap. "Almost forgot about this." he snickered, and when he was just about to start cleaning it, a little rectangular object fell from within it. Erik blinked, and picked it up. As he inspected it, he shook his head with a weak smile. "Welp, guess I found my book marker." he said, showing it to Meri which was nothing special before going back to cleaning his hat which went by pretty quickly. Now, everything was done! Erik sighed in relief as he placed his now clean, but still wet cap on his head, starting to stretch a bit. "Well, that's that." Erik looked over to Meri with a nod. He then started to scratch the back of his head, looking away all of a sudden.
"I guess we're...friends now...huh?"
WC - 562
Total WC - 9,300
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Marine Choreboy
41 posts
125,000 Beli
Choreboy
Rookie Rank
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Post by Vaetric Meri on Jun 27, 2018 5:40:57 GMT -5
Vaetric watched as Erik seemed to be shocked by his faith in him. Was it faith? Well, he hoped Erik would become an admiral, it'd be nice for someone like him to go into a position of power, rather than the marines who used to make fun of him, for example. He guessed it was kind of like a state of mind to grow stronger, then again he'd seen lazy people go high up too, though he didn't really seem more than people inthe Captain rank, though he was just a choreboy. He blinked as Erik mentioned he wasn't just doign it for his family. He wodnered what rank his father was at, probably not enough for him to skip the chore boy rank. "R.. Right.. I really hope you make it." He says earnestly, looking down at the water bucket he'd been cleanign from, before pouring his one down the drain.
Erik mentioned he was done, though took a moment to realise his hat was still dirty. Vaetric glanced over him as he cleaned it. How did it even get dirty again? He saw him cleaning over it with a mop, but it wouldn't make it so dusty. Had he accidently stepped on it or something? He looked up at his own cap, which sat snugly on the top of his head, before shrugging to himself. He sat quietly as he waited for Erik to finish cleaning, blinking as he had ofund his book marker. It was just a regular, standard edition one, though really, Vaetric wasn't surprised at its lack of an interesting design, they could get surprisingly expensive, and being a chore boy wasn't exactly the world's best paying job. He wondered what kind of houses the Admirals lived in, or did they live in Marine quarters? Did they even need to get paid? They were supposed to be the strongest of the strong, he wodnered how many actually made it through with tactical prowess, rather than brute force. Erik then placed his hat onto his head, albeit still wet, causing Vaetric to elect a snicker. He blinked as Erik scratched the back of his head, looking away, then blinked again as he said that they were friends.
"Uhm.. Y.. Yeah." Vaetric nodded, blinking as he felt a surge of warmth in his chest, he'd never actually had a proper, actual friend since he got plucekd from his home island. He averted his gaze as he felt a well of tears surge up unwanted. As a master of getting embarassed, he had a way of dealing with that. He brought his hand up to his nose, rubbing it as he wiped away the liquid trying to embarass him with his index, rubbing his nose again he dealt with the other eye. "Do.." He said, gaining a lump in his throat as he swallowed it away. "Do you.. Want to get lunch? Or.. Train, or something? I think we're finished, aren't we?" he ask, glancing to the empty cleaning bucket. "Just.. Need to let them dry."
Word Count: 513
Total Wordcount: 7692
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2018 11:32:10 GMT -5
There was this odd, tingling feeling within Erik's chest upon hearing Vaetric repeat those encouraging words of him. His heart raced a bit, getting filled with a new sense of determination. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but instead decided not to, and gave the blond a nod. He'll make it up there...or at least try his damn best to! Although he didn't say it, Erik was going to make sure to help his fellow Chore Boy climb the ranks as well. He might even get to become an Admiral as well! It would certainly be nice if that were the case. The two of them standing side by side as heroes of justice. He would not have wanted it any other way.
Erik noticed Meri's hesitant behavior rising up once more after the green marine's declaration of friendship. Dubois was a little concern that he did something wrong, even though Vaetric agreed with him. He walked up a bit towards him quietly as the blond turned around, and was just about to put an arm on his shoulder, but stopped, getting a bit hesitant himself for what reason, he isn't exactly sure. He slowly pulled his hand back, and glanced away, rubbing the side of his cheek embarrassingly again. Maybe Vaetric didn't see him as a friend yet, but just wanted to be nice? Jumping to conclusions was a thing Erik did at times, so he mainly blamed himself for believing they could be friends this fast, but to him it really did feel this way. He'd quickly look back up at Meri as soon as he started talking, a little startled by his fellow chore boy since he was deep in thought. "Uhh..." Wow, they really were done. It felt like time went by quick this time around, maybe because Erik wasn't alone this time around in doing the work. He couldn't help but make a small smile as he looked at the clean clothes, crouching down to poor his bucket of dirty water into the drain.
"Normally, I train...but I could really go for something to eat." he chuckled as he stood right back up, facing the blond. There was some truth to this, but Erik mainly wanted to take Meri out since they had just got finished doing a whole lot of work. Dubois never really minded training right after doing his chores even if he were a little tired, but he wasn't sure about Vaetric. It would've been unfair to make the new guy go right back to work wouldn't it? "I actually know this little food place out on the island that mainly specializes in meat." Erik claimed as he gestured his head towards the door. "It's pretty good." The chore boy started to make his way back out into the hall, heading towards the upper deck, the sun beaming down towards the entrance.
WC - 482
Total WC - 9,782
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Marine Choreboy
41 posts
125,000 Beli
Choreboy
Rookie Rank
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Post by Vaetric Meri on Jun 27, 2018 15:09:11 GMT -5
Erik nodded back to him, Vaetric released a small breath. He looked like he was about to say something, but seemed to decide against it. He seemed to be in thought, and so was Vaetric, when he was paying less attention to Erik, his mind was filled with thoughts for the future. If he DID become strong.. What would he use? He didn't really like guns, useful though they were. When he was a kid, his foster family let him use one to shoot an empty bottle, as he had been showing an interest. They didn't adjust his grip, they simply let him fire as he held it. The moment he heard the loud BANG, and the recoil that caused it to slip out of his fingers, he knew he'd messed up in even thinking about using one. It smacked right into his cheek, and he'd fallen onto his rump. Thus his childish wonder of firearms came to a close. Swords? He didn't really want to slice someone up. A hammer? Too.. Crunchy. Axe? Worse than the other two, since it combined them. He guessed he could use his fists, though he'd be at a severe disadvantage to people who actually used weapons. He let out a frustrated little grunt at his indecisiveness. He'll have to figure it out if it happened.
He glanced to Erik, and noticed he seemed a little concerned, or had a hesitant expression. He wondered if he had done somethign wrong, he didn't quite know what he had said wrong. But maybe he should make up for it some how, or at least figure out what he did wrong. "Uhm.. Something wr.. Wrong?" He asked, before looking down at the pile of clean clothes as Erik noticed that they were finished. He took his bucket and walked out of the room, allowing Erik to pour his bucket into the drain in peace. Erik mentioned that normally he'd train, though Vaetric did feel a little bit tired due to his journey to the Islands, he didn't quite feel like working out today, though that was probably just due to his overweight stature, which he'd never lose if he kept that attitude up. Maybe he could rub off a little energy from Erik?
"I like meat." Vaetric said as Erik spoke about a food place. "Uhm.. I meant as in, I like eating meat. No- As in.. Cooking. I uhm.. Forgot to mention, I like to cook sometimes." He shrugged. "Uh.. Mostly pasta, since I can usually tell when they're al dente." He huffed. He walked fully out of the door, and moved with Erik toward the upper deck, wincing a little as the sun reached his skin, it was still hot, hotter than he was used to, anyway. "So where's.. The food place?" He asked, placing the bucket down in its area before moving back to Erik, placing his hands awkwardly to his lower stomach in a semi crossed state.
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Total Wordcount: 8186
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2018 17:14:45 GMT -5
"Ah...nothing at all." Erik claimed with a reassuring smile. "Sorry about that. Was just...thinking." Dubois said as he poured his bucket of water down the drain. Perhaps he was just overthinking all of this. The two of them do seem to get along well enough to at least enjoy each other's company. Dubois was never much of a social person as he usually just kept to himself, his training, and his family. Friends were something he never really had back on his island, despite most of the other kids there being friendly. He just couldn't bring himself to make any friends which his parents feared that it would cause him to grow up into some antisocial loner, who will not amount to anything. Fortunately, they were wrong though the antisocial part still has some truth to it.
Erik blinked a few times as he listened to Meri stumble over his own words about liking meat. With a puzzled look on his face, Erik wasn't exactly sure why Vaetric was so flustered about it despite the obvious...innuendos that the other marines upstairs would take advantage of the second they hear it. Erik is pretty bright, but still finds himself at a loss when it comes to certain things. The chore boy's eyes brightened some upon hearing that Vaetric had some cooking skills. This was something Erik very badly lacked. He's tried cooking in the past, even when he was still living under his parent's roof, but it would always come out burnt, or under cook which led to it having the be thrown away every time. After so much failure, Erik just decided to give up on it which was for the best. "Al...dente?" Erik repeated questionably as they walked down the hall, not having a clue what that meant. "I don't think I've ever heard of that, but you know how to cook? That's pretty cool! I haven't had pasta in a long time." Erik claimed as he placed a hand against his stomach, the thought of this making him hungrier. "I'd ask you to teach me...but I'm a bit of a lost cause when it comes to that." he claimed, rubbing the back of his head with a chuckle. "But I would love to taste some of your cooking...one day maybe." he said as they marched up the stairs to the upper deck, the sun greeting the two with its blinding rays.
"Geez...completely forgot it was still day." Erik complained as he held an arm over his head to block the sun. Once his eyes were a bit more adjusted, Dubois looked over to Vaetric with squinted eyes, blinking them some until they were back to normal. He then pointed over towards the location of the island. "It's in the town just past the docks. Follow me." Erik said with a nod before he started to make his way towards the exit. "Ohhhh, what's this?" But of course it wasn't going to go smoothly. One of the other marines grinned as he nudged another beside him. "Look at the two fresh bloods. Where are you two off to?" "Probably on a date. They'd make a veryyyy cute couple." The two of them mocked, one of them even making kissing sounds before breaking out into laughter. Erik glanced over to them, cheeks once again glowing red, but this time he didn't say anything. He didn't want to give them the time of day, and waste his time. They were always going to be like this no matter what. Erik instead started to speed walk down the steps, and off of the ship, following the path that leads to town.
"D-don't worry about those...guys. They're just...a buncha...a buncha jerks, ya know." he hesitated to say, trying his best the laugh it off.
WC - 631
Total WC - 10,413
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Marine Choreboy
41 posts
125,000 Beli
Choreboy
Rookie Rank
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Post by Vaetric Meri on Jun 28, 2018 5:26:13 GMT -5
Vaetric watched Erik drain his own bucket. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, as Vaetric was usually. He then follow him out into the hot sun, taking steps two at a time as he hurried up them. He didn’t really like going up stairs due to.. Reasons that he was usually too embarrassed to talk about, he glanced over is back for a moment. It was also why he preferred going last in a group, or go very fast when he was in front. He’d thought about it before, but the East Blue always seemed so hot and warm compared to North Blue.
Erik seemed to be pleased with his cooking.. “Prowess”, questioning what Al Dente meant. “Oh, as in when it’s not too squishy, but also cooked well, so it’s firm. Cooked right.” He mentioned, feeling a small sense of dread as Erik said he hadn’t had pasta in a long time. He wondered if the rations were as bad as they were up in the north, though they could go to a restaurant now, there wasn’t exactly going to be any ships floating around that sold food. They'd probably have to stockpile salted pork or something like that. Vaetric’s tongue burnt a little as he remembered it, he wasn’t used to eating something to salty, it made him feel ill. Only after some complaints did he realise that he was supposed to boil it first to take out the salt, but by then he’d already eaten it, much to the bemusement of the marines stationed there. He guessed it was a curse and a blessing, being able to eat things despite disliking them. “Oh, uhm.. It’s just a matter of timing.” Vaetric replied, blushing a bit as Erik said he wanted to taste some of his cooking. “It’s.. Only okay, I think. But cooking is just.. Knowing how long it takes for something to be ready, pasta and spaghetti takes around ten minutes or so, depending on how hot the water is.” He shrugged. “Meat’s the same, salad doesn’t really take as much skill, so it’s useful for uhm.. People who can’t cook.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Vaetric had adjusted his hat so the sun wasn’t blinding his eyes. Having a duck-billed marine hat was good, and what it was there for. Erik then pointed over toward an area on the island. “Right.” He nodded, walking next to Erik as they began to make their way off the ship. However, some marines began to speak. “E-Eh?” Vaetric asked, blinking rapidly, before clamping his mouth shut, electing to ignore the two. Although he considered himself rather proficient at it by now, for some reason what they had said made him flustered. He followed Erik quickly down the blank, away from their laughter and kissing sounds. He followed him onto the path that led to the town.
“Y.. Yeah.. Jerks.” Vaetric agreed with Erik, his face scrunched up a little. “W.. Why would they think that?” He complained, before shaking the thought of the encounter out of his head. “So.. U-Uhm.. Is it a barbequeue place? Or..?” He asked, referring to the restaurant, keeping an eye out for places that could look good to go to in the future.
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