Shot Through The Heart

[Im Yong Soo~!]

((Australia))

Alright, everything would be alright. That’s what James kept telling himself as he stumbled along a side street, gripping his bleeding side. He and the Captain had split up a few minutes ago, both deciding that it would be easier to make it back to the ship alone. He just hoped Arthur would be able to get there in one piece. He hadn’t looked that good upon parting. And knowing his captain, there was a good chance he was doing something reckless.

Then again, the Australian thought with a laugh, coming to a halt, leaning against the wall. He probably looked pretty bad too. Slowly he slid down to sit on the ground, pulling his blood coated hand away from his side shakily. The hand was trembling. He’d gotten shot early on, but thankfully the bullet seemed to miss anything vital. It just hurt like hell, and was bleeding a lot.

In all actuality, he thought grimly, his vision spotting, he was in a pretty bad pickle. But he tried to shake it off. Taking a deep breath he tried to force himself back to his feet. He couldn't loiter here. He needed to get back to the ship.

He had to make sure the others were safe.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

((Ukraine))

Yekaterina groaned lightly, fanning herself with one hand as she readjusted her grip on the bag of groceries. "Tse teplo oburlivim," she murmured softly, wiping the back of her arm over her slightly slick forehead. The Eastern European, not at all used to the warm South American climate, had had to make several adjustments to her customary outfit in reflection of the heat. Instead of her normal heavy denim overalls and stark cloth shirts, Katushya instead wore a light summery dress-vest made of a sheer white material, a plain yellow tank-top, blue-jean shorts, and simple leather sandals.

Cute yet womanly, the only thing keeping potential flirts a safe distance away was the omnipresent guncase, loosely strapped about Yekaterina's shoulders and throwing off the look completely. The blonde looked over her shoulder, sighing lightly. Perhaps it was overkill, but the timid she-pirate just didn't feel safe leaving the large weapon behind on the ship. Not that she didn't trust the crew, but she wasn't sure if she would have been able to take care of herself without something large and heavy to swing.

"Perhaps I worry over much," she murmured aloud, turning back to the street, "After all, is not seeming to be very likely place for trouble."

No sooner had she said that, of course, that she rounded the corner into an alleyway shortcut, and almost stumbled over an injured man. "Bozhe miy!" she squeaked, almost dropping her groceries. She brought a hand to her mouth, looking the other over with worried eyes. The man was a brunet, but looked young enough to be her brother, and that thought made her frown in sudden concern.

Tse teplo oburvilim = This outrageous heat
Bozhe miy = Oh my

[Im Yong Soo~!]

James had only just barely managed to get back up when someone came into the alleyway, nearly barreling into him. The Australian stumbled back a step, nearly falling over again. He blinked instead, staring at the woman, not being able to stare for a moment at her well-endowed chest. But then his eyes also landed on the gun case, and James was quick to take a unsteady step back, his hand moving to the gun on his belt.

"Don't come any closer!" He snapped, feeling like a cornered animal. He knew there was no way he could put up much of a fight now. The Australian swayed slightly, his right eye already forced shut from the blood running down his head from a cut on his forehead. James took a shaky breath, black spots dancing in front of his vision. His knees feeling week. "St-Stay away!"

He felt like a rattle snake right now, poised and ready to strike.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

"A-Ah, meni shko-" Yekaterina tried to apologize for her clumsiness, but paused, swallowing slightly as it caught her attention that the man was looking at her chest. She flushed, but, used to it, continued, "I-I mean, I am so-"

The blonde visibly winced as she saw the other man's hand suddenly go for his gun, a small squeak escaping her as her grip tightened on the bag, but as the gesture drew her eye to the blood soaking through the other's side, a more powerful instinct than self-preservation kicked in.

"Y..You are hurt," she said quietly, her eyes glancing up to meet his. When she looked into the other's eyes, the shaking stopped for a moment, a brief feeling of awareness suddenly dragging over her mind. It left just as suddenly as it came, but in the brief instant that it was, Yekaterina was somehow able to make some sort of mental connection with the stranger. For one thing, she could tell that, right now, he was about as afraid of her as she was of him. For another, she very much did not want for him not to be.

It was confusing, but, there it was. Katushya wanted to help him.

Careful not to make any sudden gestures, the Eastern European woman slowly crouched down, setting her bag on the alley way floor, and then slowly came up again, holding her hands out level and in a placating gesture.

Katushya's mouth trembled slightly, and she could feel her eyes beginning to burn, but she forced her voice to come out calmly, "Please, I am not wanting to hurt you--" she paused to swallow, hoping her accent wasn't too thick, "You...You need help, tak?"

She suddenly hoped that she was as good at reading people as her batko said she was, and that the other man was at least as good as that--she did not relish the idea of being shot;;

[Im Yong Soo~!]

His eyes met hers, and James could not help a sudden calmness wash over him. And for a brief instant, there was an odd sense of clarity in his mind. Any nagging questions were suddenly gone. It hit him hard. The Australian's knees buckling. But as quickly as that clarity hit him, it was gone. Leaving him dizzy, though James assumed the loss of blood was to blame for that...

The woman was speaking. Holding her hands up in a manner that he couldn't help but snort at. He'd done the gesture enough trying to calm down spooked animals. The black dots were dancing again, James blinking rapidly to try and clear them. To focus on the oddly accented voice of the woman (and he couldn't help but note how cute the accent was).

Slowly his hand left his pistol. If she had wanted to hurt him, she probably would've already he figured. The wounded teenager leaned against the wall. Breathing coming quick again as he moved his hand to hold his side again. "Ta-Tak? What the Hell does that mean?"

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Yekaterina sighed in quiet relief as the other's hand moved from the gun. That was one thing, at least. She looked up as he talked again.

Katyusha smiled slightly, resisting the urge to giggle. "Is how people of my country say 'yes'." Normally, that sort of question would have flustered her, but the other's accent somehow made her feel that her own linguistic quirks were a bit less weird. The smile faded slightly, as she saw the young man grip at his side, "But, I am not being helpful by just talking."

The Ukrainian almost made to step forward, but, feeling the other would better appreciate it if she approached unarmed (and therefore be less likely to shoot her), instead brought her hands up and carefully slipped the strap of the guncase from her shoulders. She set the gun against the alley wall, momentarily hoping that she wouldn't need it in case the man had been followed--'Chances are, though, he wouldn't have stopped running until he dropped if that was the case.'--before she turned and browsed through her nearby grocery bag. "Tse povynno buty...ah."

As soon as she found the small first-aid kit the Eastern European straightened up, walking towards the young man. Yekaterina paused a few feet away, glancing around, before pointing at a nearby stoop, "Sit over here, and I'll help you with your wounds." She almost reached out to take his elbow, but, looking up at him, reconsidered at the last moment and went towards the stoop herself, sitting down and opening the kit on her lap, and sorting through, "Make sure to keep pressure on your side."

Tse povynno buty = It should be...

[Im Yong Soo~!]

He nodded a bit at her explanation. Watching her, still a bit cautiously, as she set the gun case down. And a nagging voice couldn't help but pray that he really had lost the men following him. But he had lost them, he was pretty confident about that...

The woman said something in another language, and he felt his lips quirk upwards. It was really cute, he had to wonder what language she was speaking. But then a sharp pain emitted from the side and he nearly fell over. But he managed, just barely, to stay standing.

Following her directions he stumbled towards the stoop, keeping his hand pressed firmly against his side. James all but fell over, onto the stoop. Taking a ragged breath he squeezed his eyes shut, before opening them again. "Wh-What language was that?"

Talking would distract him from the pain. Or at least in theory it would.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Yekaterina winced slightly at how easily the other practically fell down against the wall, hoping that the action didn't aggravate the wound. As soon as she found the cold-compress she was looking for, she looked over, about to give further instruction, when the young man asked her a question. She blinked for a moment, but then, thinking that talking was both a good distraction and a way to keep the young man calm, smiled slightly, "Is Ukrainian. My batko--ah, father--was from Kiev."

Katyusha looked at the wound, biting her lip a bit. "You will have to remove shirt, so I can apply this," she finally said, gently lifting the cold compress, "Will help slow the bleeding, and then we can clean the wound and dress it." The Eastern European woman didn't think that she was babbling, but then, the idea of asking a stranger to undress...well, it was best to explain the reasons why.

She fluttered her hand a bit, trying to clear her mind of any embarassing thoughts, and looked up at the other. Right, talking. Talking was good. "I have not told you my name," she mentioned, smiling, "Is Yekaterina. Katya is also good. Yourself?"

[Im Yong Soo~!]

"Kiev? Where the heck is that?" He glanced at her, nodding in response to her instructions. Gingerly he grabbed the bottom of his shirt, sucking in a sharp breath when he jarred the wound. His eyes squeezed shut, James letting the sharp intake out shakily. He managed to get the shirt off, glancing down at the wound. And the Australian couldn't help but release a low whistle.

He couldn't tell how bad it was from all the blood, but it looked rather nasty. Then again, it was a gunshot wound, he really shouldn't be surprised of how bad it looked.

Blinking, almost dazedly, he turned his attention back to the woman, Yekaterina... Or was in Katyusha..? "You have two?"

Or maybe one was her last name. He blinked again, fighting the black spots again. "Names James."

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Yekaterina bit her lip when she saw the other's wound, but saw that while it bled profusely, the majority of the bullet appeared to have grazed the side, and was not actually embedded into the flesh. Knowing that it was impossible to determine if all the pieces were out until the other man had seen a doctor, the Eastern European woman didn't comment, instead gently pressing the compress to the Australian's side, holding his arm close before he could flinch away. "Meni shkoda, it will be a bit cold," she murmured, applying firm pressure to the wound, "But in ten minutes, bleeding will stop."

She looked up, blinking slightly at the other's question, "Ah, Kiev is capitol of Ukraine. A bit north of the center." For some reason, in spite of only having visited as a small child, Katyusha never had trouble remembering the way her batko's home country looked on a map.

She smiled, remembering, "Batko used to have brother, who worked in small shop making trinkets. He would always have treats for me and sestrychka..." Yekaterina paused, surprised by a sudden, fragile pain in her chest, and hastily averted her eyes for a moment. She had not spoken of her little sister in so long. True, thoughts for the girl were always in the back of her mind, whirling with worry, but to actually speak aloud, and to a stranger...Yekaterina had to blink back some tears, and swallow a small hiccup, before she could look up again.

Katyusha blinked, before giggling, "Ah, ni--Yekaterina is my name. Katya is, how you say, ah, diminutive? Yekaterina 'Katya' Braginskya."

She frowned a bit, seeing the other man's eyes flutter, and looked to her grocery bag. Dragging it closer with her foot, the blonde shuffled through it, still keeping one hand on the compress, and pulled out a bottle of water. She looked back at the brunet, and held it up, smiling faintly, "Here. Not sure if water will help, but, is worth a try, tak?"

She tilted her head then, and reviewed what the young man just said. She smiled a bit more, and nodded, "Is good name, James. I wish I had met you in better circumstances." She blinked then, and thought about asking how exactly such a nice young man ended up getting shot, but, instead, asked something that would hopefully not make him more uncomfortable, "Ah, if I may, I have not heard before someone speak as you do. Where are you from?"

Oh dear, she hoped that wasn't too blunt;;

[Im Yong Soo~!]

"Co-Cold!" He choked out, jumping when the compress was pressed against his side. And it was lucky she did hold onto his arm, otherwise he would've flinched away. Though more from surprise then the cold. He recovered though, listening to her speak to distract himself from the shoot pain. Ten minutes? Damn he was going to have to tell Lily about these.

He listened to her after that speak about her uncle, tilting his head at the foreign word. What did sestrychka mean? He was about to ask her, but he caught the tears beginning to form, along with the hiccup, and thought better of it. He wasn't going to pry. Instead he continued to listen, watching her sort through the bag and then stared at the offered water. James looked from it, to her, not exactly making a connection at first. But then slowly took it, smiling sheepishly. "Ah... Maybe. Thanks."

He sipped the water, frowning a little bit on how his hand shook slightly. That was probably really not good, but he tried to shrug off the nervous worry piling up in in gut, focusing on Katyusha's voice again. "So... Yekaterina's like a nickname? Or somethin' like that?"

At least that's what it sounded like. He looked at her, smiling sheepishly. "Wish we met on better circumstances too..."

And he could see her question in her eyes. James knew very well she was holding back on asking how he was shot. And he debated just telling her. Instead though, he opted to answer her question. "From Australia. Can't exactly tell you where though. Kinda don't remember."

The sheepish smile turned into a sheepish grin. "Kinda just woke up one day in some town in Australia. Been travelin' around every since."

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Yekaterina kept a loose hold on the other’s arm even after she was fairly certain James wasn’t going to pull away, keeping a steady pressure on the compress. She smiled, nodding her head slightly in return for his thanks, watching his hand as it shook slightly.

‘It is no surprise, given his condition. It will pass once he has had time to be properly treated, fed, and can rest.’ She was about to confide as much, when he asked about her name. She smiled, shaking her head slightly, “Is other way, Katya is nickname. But either one is fine with me.”

Upon learning from where the other hailed, the blonde couldn’t help her eyes widening slightly, “Australia? That is so far!” Katyusha winced slightly at the spike of surprise in her voice, and hastily tried to amend it, offering a slightly flushed smile, “Well, as far as Ukraine must seem to you, I suppose.”

She tilted her head as the other spoke of traveling, a thoughtful expression that almost resembled a frown. Until her trip to Berlin, Yekaterina had never thought of leaving her home country—the young woman had fully expected that necessary journey from her batko’s farm to the manor of her estranged relatives to be the longest trip of her life. The following circumstances of being kept to the area only cemented the impression, for all of her younger sister’s dreams of wide open skies and far off destinations.

Katya wondered for a moment what it would have been like to have known nothing but travel in your life—no house, no family, no obligations save the ones you made yourself—just the road beneath your feet. “It sounds lonely,” she admitted aloud, her eyes soft with what prideful men may consider pity, but what Katyusha only meant as compassion, “And you’ve done so since you were young?”

[Im Yong Soo~!]

"Mind if I call you Katya then?" He grinned, taking another sip of the water. Though it was difficult with shaking hands. He watched her for a moment, then shrugged at her comments. He had never really considered how far Australia was from where he was. Though, now that he thought about it... A bit of homesickness started to crawl its way through him. Sure, he didn't have a real home to return too but... But his country had always been a home for him.

Shaking his head he shrugged in response to her question. "I've never been to Ukraine, so can't really say it's far, can I?"

He watched her again, grinning a little bit at her comment. "Lonely? No way!"

The grin spread as he looked away, looking up at the sky. "Sure, there were times when I was a kid and it was lonely but not now! I've got my crew now, my family."

He just hoped they were all okay. "What about you? What brings a pretty sheila like you to South America?"

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Yekaterina was momentarily caught off guard by the other’s exuberance, the empathic look fading with surprise. A moment later, she smiled, trying to hide a small giggle as she nodded, “Tak, of course, as I call you James. And, suppose you have point.” She shrugged, before shifting closer, repositioning her arm around his and getting comfortable while still keeping a firm pressure on the compress. In a few more moments, the bleeding (ideally) will have slowed enough to allow her to clean and bandage the wound, and then properly help this man on his way.

Katya looked up at the Australian, tilting her head slightly as she listened.

She was not used to being around many people with such a sunny but realistic outlook—the people she encountered were often veering towards one end of the spectrum or the other, either embracing the harsh facts of life or blithely letting things pass as if they didn’t matter. James’ carefree ability to brush off of his past, while still respecting it enough to appreciate what he had now, reflected a maturity that belied the brunet’s youthful appearance, and it was, frankly, heart-warming. ‘If only sestrychka was able to let go as easily,’ Yekaterina couldn’t help but think, her throat reflexively closing and loosening before she brought herself back to the conversation.

The blonde blinked, flushing lightly at being called ‘pretty’ and wondering what a ‘sheila’ was. She hoped it was a good thing, and then smiled sheepishly at herself for wanting a younger man’s approval. “Oh, I am not staying. Am part of ship crew, tak? We are here because Kapitan is meeting with new friend. I am head cook, so, I wanted to take opportunity to restock and supply.” She glanced the other over, trying to not give too pointed a look at his wound before looking up again, her smile now a bit sheepish for James’ sake instead of her own, “Yourself?”

[Im Yong Soo~!]

He nodded a bit, glancing at her. And momentarily he felt his cheeks heat up at how close the two were. Kayta was beautiful. That was the first observation he made. And incredibly familiar. He had to wonder if they had met before, but that would be an odd question to ask. Especially after they had introduced themselves. Maybe later he could though?

James had to wondered though what she was thinking about. Watching her expression even while he spoke. And he had to resist the urge to reach out when a sad look crossed her face. Had he said something wrong?

But then the look was gone, and she was blushing. And he couldn't help but grin again, mentally commenting on how cute that was. However her next words caught his attention. A crew? So she was a part of a ship? He had to wonder if it was a sky pirate ship, or another sea ship. Or even the military. Then again, it could be a merchant ship. But with that gun she had been carrying...

It was a shame, why would such a pretty girl join up with pirates, or the military?

"Ah..." And finally he was forced to reflect on what had just happened. Shifting uneasily he looked down, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck. "I... I was being stupid, to put it simple."