[Libertalia]We all fall down... (Korea and Macau)

[Arthur Kirkland]

For the moment, there was nothing but the sound of his own labored breathing. No sounds of people yelling or crashing about, no whistles from people who had caught his trace. Cai briefly considered bursting into tears mixed with joy and pain, but instead wiped the first trickles slid down his cheeks... which admittedly, was not the best idea as the blood that caked his sleeve burned his eyes and made his face itch.

He certainly hadn't planned his escape to be so bloody - not only for the guards who tried to stop him, but for himself. It had started with a chance. The first moment in years when She wasn't watching and He was away and only a few soldiers and pirates blocked him from making it out the front door. And though he came away with a long slice along his side, one on his cheek and a stab wound in his shoulder, he was out in the streets of Libertalia and freedom was within his reach.

Losing his glasses in an ambush was the beginning of his bad luck. Somehow the many guards had heard of his escape - and not only that, but he was seeing other pirates around hunting for him. There weren't many back allies to duck down, few places to hide that the people who were native to the underground city didn't know about before him and he was tiring fast from the constant running. It had all come to a head when he'd climbed a wall that was much much steeper on the far side and fell down to the next tier, breaking his arm and rattling his brain.

The only good part about the fall was that he had lost his pursuers. But it wouldn't be for long - Libertalia was not the largest city out there and he was amazingly lost. It would only take a moment to catch his breath, but he'd have to move along.

Only a moment.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Libertalia never really slept. It was hardly surprising, populated as she was by natural night-owls and those accustomed to travelling in the dark. Given the general consensus that drink was best had by night over a table of cards with one arm around a pretty piece of flesh, it was even less surprising that the bars within the pirate isle were almost always open well past the witching hour, the time when drink loosened lips were at their most informative.

Sadly, it was with frustratingly little useful knowledge that Tae Hyun departed from his last bar hop of the night, stone-cold sober with eyes sharp as knives. ‘These westerners are worse than useless,’ he thought not for the first time this evening, adjusting his coal-dark red-trimmed sleeves until they hung loosely over his palms, ‘can’t even tell the difference between Chinese and Korean.’

The Korean snorted into the dark, as much to express his irritation as it was to clear his nose of stench. The downside of having a port town inside a cave was that it took forever to air out, and there were more than enough pirates with smoking habits, poor hygiene, or low tolerance of ale to make the fact evident. Dealing with it all within the contained space of a tavern was just shy of nauseating, but if determination didn’t originate in Korea Tae Hyun gave no sign of it. It just made the dearth of results even more aggravating.

Tae Hyun turned his back on the establishment, on towards the harbor, and began the return walk to his home and ship. He paced well outside the haloes of scattered streetlights, wanting to avoid the temptation a visible target offered to thieves, his well-worn black rubber shoes picking carefully across the accumulated grime of the day and occasionally sticking to the stone. On the levels above and behind the Korean could hear the distant sounds of continued revelry, a cacophony of drowned out music and obnoxiously loud singing, punctuated by the high-pitched tittering of falsely fawning wenches and the retching of drunks at their limit.

Perhaps it was a touch sad that such exasperated wandering was as familiar to Tae Hyun as breathing. There was rarely a difference in the pattern—another night of hopeless hunting, another bar full of gamblers, pimps, and bums with no awareness outside their own cups, another long and disappointing walk to his place of rest filled with contempt for the world around him. The only thing that changed was the setting, the destination, the identity, and even then one could argue the alterations were largely superficial.

Honestly, it felt like the Korean had been taking the same walk for seven years. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d still be taking it for seven more. Tae Hyun sighed, brushing his hand over the pinned curl behind his right ear, fingers tracing the unseen fringes of where his false plait melded with real hair. The Asian Captain refused to give into melancholy, not believing he could afford it, but it was with a definitely muted quality in his tiger eyes that he reflected on the possibility of more years than seven between him and the hazily remembered faces.

That was when the sky started raining people.

Tae Hyun didn’t cry out as he leapt back from the body, his gaze darting upward briefly for an explanation before returning to the form on the ground. After a tense moment the Korean registered that the person was still breathing, albeit painfully, and the Asian Captain began his cautious advance, staying out of the range of the other’s arms as he crouched down.

“There are much easier ways to kill yourself, da ze,” he commented dryly, hoping to determine the other’s state of consciousness before proceeding. He couldn't help but notice that the body was rather small and thin.

[Arthur Kirkland]

There was a person right beside him. How that person got there without him noticing - albeit the pain he was in and the fact that all he could hear was the ringing in his ears, the painful pulse of his heart and the stilted hitch of his breathing. That didn't stop his mind from going ohshitohshit as his mind shut down in sheer panic.

He stared wide eyed at the pirate in front of him and although he couldn't see the man - woman? He really wished he hadn't lost his spectacles, even more now than before. It didn't matter either way, vision or no vision, man or woman, whoever this was had caught up with him at the moment when he'd thought he'd be at least momentarily safe.

Pressing his back against the grime covered wall behind him, Cai's mind snapped back to life and thinking. This might not be one of His men or one of the many people out hunting him down. In fact, the chances this was just one of the many bodies that wandered the underground. And perhaps he might be able to get by said person and far away and hidden long before any of the pirates and guards of the higher levels caught on that he'd made his way down and down further.

"I... I'll keep that in mind for next time." he coughed, letting his injured arm hang limp against his side while his other hand came to press against the gash on his side. The pain was intense, screaming at him that pressing his admittedly filthy hand against an open wound was a bad idea. The pain also brought a bit more clarity to his mind, which promptly told his wounds that if he didn't press on them he would probably bleed to death long before any infection set in.

Up above on the wall to the next level, voices yelled back and forth not in revelry but in increasing desperation and anger. Even from far below the sound came, muffled and unintelligible but still there, making the injured boy flinch. He had to get out of here fast. "Sorry if I bothered... whatever it was you were doing over here. I'll just be going." He tried to rise, but all the excitement had finally gotten to his legs, which wobbled before quickly saying 'fuck you' and collapsing again.

Crap.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Once the startled boy raised his gaze to Tae Hyun the Captain experienced an unexpected shift in reality. It was like a passing whorl of water through the Korean’s mind, leaving him disoriented and blinking, a momentary sense of double-vision. Just for an instant, he saw the boy’s face through an amber-tinted filter, uninjured and unwary: a serene, bespectacled face with clever eyes and a knowing smile.

‘I know him. He’s Family.’

The sentiment made no sense—Tae Hyun knew for a fact that he had never seen the younger Asian in his life, he couldn’t begin to place a name, no one in the village even resembled him—but it was there, strong even as the reverie faded, the Korean resurfacing. Tae Hyun frowned to himself, perplexed and deeply troubled as he returned to the present. Tae Hyun watched as the boy scrabbled against the dingy stone wall, expression drawn tight in pain and dread, a vivid contrast to the Korean’s short-lived vision.

"I... I'll keep that in mind for next time," the boy coughed, unable to conceal a wince as he pressed a hand to his side. Tae Hyun was about to give a sarcastic rebuttal, but once again gave pause once he was able to notice more about the other's state. The shift in position revealed to the Asian Captain the true extent of the boy’s injuries, his dirtied clothing soaked in blood. The surprise of the sight put the Korean on alert, while the remnants of inexplicable intimacy gave rise to concern.

Tae Hyun snorted, trying to conceal this sudden softness. “You don’t look like you can afford a next time,” he stated bluntly, standing up. A raised voice from up above suddenly caught the Korean’s attention, his head tilting upward at the indistinct call. Noticing that much brought to Tae Hyun’s attention a series of incoherent cries throughout the city, angry voices mixed with the festivity. He looked down at the boy again, frowning further as he caught the boy’s cringe.

That was not a good sign at all. A runaway slave, then, or a hostage? A fugitive among pirates?

"Sorry if I bothered... whatever it was you were doing over here. I'll just be going."

Tae Hyun watched as the boy attempted a hasty departure, bringing his battered legs beneath him. The Korean was not surprised when the effort failed, and he barely managed to catch the boy before he broke himself further. “Going where, da ze?” Tae Hyun admonished, his cadence shifting from impartial observant to stern older brother as he supported the boy with his own strength, “Straight to your grave at this rate.”

Tae Hyun paused, considering the tone of his own voice, wondering what it meant. What made this boy worthy of his concern?

The boy was being pursued, there was no question of that, and Tae Hyun didn’t know why. In the still-logical back of his mind the Korean was questioning the wisdom of getting involved without knowing the situation. That was the sort of silly impulse more native to Yong Soo than he, and the potential consequences could be dire. He may make an unaffordable enemy within Libertalia by stealing away its apparent prisoner.

Tae Hyun looked at the boy again, trying to tease out more recognition, but it remained a mystery. A mystery that the Captain feared would remain unsolved if he allowed the boy’s capture. That bone-deep sense of familiarity demanded clarification. After all, it had been almost seven years since Tae Hyun had run into someone who felt like Family.

The Korean frowned, an almost unnoticeable hesitation, before he spoke again.

“Keep your head down and pretend to be drunk; we’re heading to my ship,” he decided, brooking no argument as he took on more of the boy’s light weight, keeping firm pressure on the other Asian’s side with a sleeve over his hand. “It’s not far, and you need a doctor,” was the only explanation he offered before attempting to briskly walk the other down the street, still avoiding the lamplight.

Tae Hyun hoped for the boy's sake that the Korean's suddeness of action would preempt any attempts at resistance.

[Arthur Kirkland]

The moment the strange person came into contact with him, Cai couldn't help the flinch. What felt like forever ago, he'd liked being held by his parents, his friends and the rest of his family. It was like a long faded memory, or more like a dream that vanished whenever he woke to reality. Now, being touched was warped. He knew every touch would lead to some form of pain whether physical, mental or both. It was expected. It was entirely unwanted but he couldn't get away.

"Going where, da ze? Straight to your grave at this rate." The Macanese youth couldn't help the pained whimper that crawled up his throat. Standing hurt so much, he could feel it burning in his side more so than when he was down on the ground, every heartbeat demanding that he curl up and die already. But the strange man - he was pretty sure it was a guy now, even as his vision was wavering and tear filled, the pirate was strong and solid enough to support Cai's weight with very little problem. “Keep your head down and pretend to be drunk; we’re heading to my ship. It’s not far, and you need a doctor.”

His weight was shifted and a foreign hand was placed firmly over his wounded side. Cai tried to dig his heels in and not be forced along - he had such shit luck, this man was probably lying to get him to follow him willingly all the way back to Him and he refused. Absolutely refused to be taken back. In all honesty, "looking drunk" was probably the easiest thing he'd ever been forced to do in his life as he couldn't manage to keep his head up and he stumbled unwillingly along beside the other man. All he could hear in his mind was 'This is a trap. He's lying. Get away from him.'

Too bad for him his one remaining knife was stuck in the sleeve that was slung over the other man's neck. And that his other arm was broken and screaming at him every time he twitched it in any direction other than hanging down beside him. This was awful. He was defenseless and in the hands of a pirate.

.... wait. Were they going further down to the docks?

[Im Yong Soo~!]

The boy’s reluctance worried Tae Hyun at first. Every time the boy tried to twist away or dig his feet in the Asian Captain first winced in sympathy then scowled in annoyance, his jaw set stubbornly as he resisted the urge to apply pressure to the boy’s wound and force compliance. Instead, Tae Hyun kept walking promptly on, and between the Korean’s strength and the other’s growing weariness bearing the Macanese youth along was not a difficult task. Honestly, given how serious the boy’s injuries appeared, the pain he had to be in, and the unknown but probably large quantity of blood he lost, the Asian Captain was quietly surprised that the boy hadn’t just passed out by now.

It must have been panic keeping him conscious, dread for his uncertain fate. That would’ve done it for Tae Hyun were he in the boy’s position. The Korean sighed inwardly, partially wishing he could offer the boy reassurance, but he wasn’t about to waste his breath on doubted words. ‘Especially if it ultimately turns out to be more profitable to give the boy back to Libertalia and negotiate collateral.’

The thought barely managed to complete itself before the Korean’s gut twisted in white-hot revulsion, the impossible sentiment claiming the boy as Family crying out in violent protest. It was as if he had just entertained the notion of selling his Hyungnim for profit. Tae Hyun paled, his expression becoming a grimace, and he quickly shook his head to further banish the notion.

‘Alright, so much for that idea, da ze.’ His conscience settled down once more, a tiger grumbling in warning, and Tae Hyun had to consciously ease his physical tension. Mildly shaken by the strength of his thankfully internal reaction, the Korean glanced at the boy’s low-slung head out of the corner of his eye. He carefully shifted his grip to better bear the other’s weight, and wondered again what he wouldn’t speak out loud just yet: ‘Who are you, and why do I care?’

Even of the boy could actually answer, it was better to wait for now and ask those questions within his own territory. The street gradually wound downward, the stink of the tide rising up to assault them. Here the lamps guttered between brightness and shade, the dull flames spitting and smoking like spiteful old men. The skeleton masts of great ships creaked overhead, sails furled to their heads against the cavern breeze.

They passed other pirates by, Tae Hyun unconsciously holding the boy protectively closer every time, but as the Korean had hoped the ruse of two drunken sailors didn’t catch many inquiring eyes. Apparently the people looking for the boy did not expect him to find aid. As for those who almost looked askance, Tae Hyun simply bore on without hesitation, and they passed the pair by.

Tae Hyun listened for the boy’s breathing, and, not liking the sound of it, gave him another proper look. What he saw wasn’t exactly encouraging, and the Korean felt another twinge of empathy for the boy. His face didn’t show it.

“It’s not much further, da ze,” he stated flatly, breaking the silence for the first time since he had accosted the other. With that pale attempt at comfort, Tae Hyun turned to face out again, keeping an eye out for his vessel. Thankfully, it was not too much longer before Tae Hyun recognized his assigned dock, and it was with a glad sort of relief that he turned down to pace it, the stone beneath his feet giving way to thick and heavy wood. Once they were where they needed to be, the Asian Captain lifted his head and gave two sharp whistles.

Soon and yet not soon enough the guard within the ship spotted them, and an instant later the door opened, allowing the warm light within the belly of the Lucky Dragon spill out as the gangplank touched the dock. Tae Hyun felt a fierce triumph, bearing the boy along those last few meters, and as soon as the door closed behind him again the Korean looked the surprised sailor in the eye and took command.

“Fetch the surgeon.”

((Sorry if I made too much happen! -too eager to get him treated and them talking- Feel free to make up the personality of the Lucky Dragon's current doctor. ))

[Arthur Kirkland]

Cai had no idea how long they walked – minutes or hours, his mind began to fade in and out, only catching brief vignettes of sound and, surprisingly, stench as he was dragged onwards. Every step was a stab, throbbing through him from head to toe and it made his head swim and his stomache heave – if he'd managed to eat anything recently, it would have furthered his inebriated position, but as it happened, there was nothing aside from pain and the smell in the air. It was as if he were caught under some unknown drunkards arm and it was either breathe in his foul odours or suffocate. Mixed in with that was the smell of decaying plant matter and... ocean?

Managing to get his head up enough to look ahead, Cai was honestly surprised to see a ship in front of him instead of his prison. This man... was actually trying to help him? Completely bewildered, he stumbled – not backwards as he'd been trying feebly to resist the whole journey, but into the side of the unknown Asian, who merely shifted his arm and took on more of his weight. The jostling did nothing for his already pained body; the world whited out for long moments as his feet automatically staggered forward (and in retrospect, his body would probably continue to shamble onwards even if he did die at this point).

When Cai could next focus, there was a cool cloth pressed against his forehead and a faintly smiling bespectacled man knelt in front of him. At some point in time, he'd ended up not only inside the ship but sitting on a chair in what at a glance was an infirmary. ”There we are. Welcome back, young man. My name is Patrick Coyne and I am the medic on board the Lucky Dragon – which you are currently on .” The man spoke slowly and soothingly, or at least that was what Cai guessed his tone was for. It took all of Cai's admittedly shredded self-control to not flick his one working wrist and knifing the stranger. The only thing that kept him from committing the act was at that moment he spotted the man who had – he guessed – rescued him. The taller Asian stood in the doorway to the infirmary watching him intently and with an internal shudder, Cai resisted his urges. The man may have rescued him, but that probably wouldn't stop him from throwing him back to the wolves if he harmed the man tending to him.”It appears you've gotten yourself into a bit of a scrape. Let me just get that shirt off and I'll see what I can do to patch you up.”

Cai froze, a flash of terror washing over him and he tensed. There were more bad memories there, ones that his mind skittered away from just to save him from reliving the pain and humiliation he'd gone through. Cringing back wasn't much of an option as the chair he was sitting in was right back against the wall and there was nowhere to go to keep the strange doctors hands away from the buttons hiding him from sight. The Macanese teen didn't have to look down to understand the surprised look on the doctors face quickly followed by a frown. He'd seen the scars spattered across his skin and refused to look at the reminders of everything he'd gone through over however many years. The ones he'd added today would just add to the count and if he was successful in his escape attempts... perhaps they would be the last ones.

”Alright. This will hurt, but it's infinitely better than an infection.” Coyne spoke honestly as he reached for a bowl of warm water and the clean rag that sat in it, dabbing at the stab to his side - which was, he would admit if he wasn't hissing in pain as the doctor dabbed away the blood, the worse of the two stabs.

(Just an fyi Korea, Dr. Patrick J Coyne is the name facebook gave my blackberry on some quiz I took months ago XD the name was so piratey I knew I'd have to use it in this AU eventually. He's fairly laid back and competent at his job – though he will go all mama bear if someone threatens his patients. He's yours to play with for the next post!)

[Im Yong Soo~!]

From his position against the door Tae Hyun watched as the Macanese boy started coming to, keeping his expression carefully impassive. The brief relief that the boy was conscious passed when the Asians caught eyes. The boy looked away first, shuddering, a quiet reminder that no matter how familiar the Korean thought him the feeling wasn’t mutual.

Tae Hyun’s jaw set, his stance shifting slightly as Dr. Coyne continued to give his soothing instruction. As a close friend of one of the Lucky Dragon’s more recent crew members, Patrick was a relatively lucky find, even if the Korean was initially wary of employing someone of non-Asian descent. His medical skills were solid, however, and he proved himself very trustworthy and obedient. In the end, that was all that really mattered.

Coyne carefully peeled off the recoiling boy’s stained shirt, revealing vivid swathes of scars, a macabre spiderweb of damaged flesh. It was to the good doctor’s credit that he didn’t show too much of an outward reaction, an effort that Tae Hyun quietly struggled to imitate. While the Korean managed to keep his face blank, his narrowed eyes couldn’t help scrutinizing every stark mark, trying to identify each type of injury, categorize which weapon inflicted what damage.

Fury simmered quietly in the Korean’s veins, heating and cooling with every pass. Once he became aware of himself the Captain returned his gaze to the boy’s upturned face, his vigilance softened only slightly by curiosity. Not that it mattered—the boy still seemed reluctant to look him head on.

He chose not to speak quite yet, intuiting that trying to start an interrogation at this point would only earn the antagonism of the medic. He observed in silence as the boy was washed and bandaged, Patrick speaking in a gentle undertone just to fill in the quiet:

“Lift your arms a bit—careful now, not too high. No need to hurt yourself more. That’s it. Now, just a bit forward, I need to reach around. There you go. Very good. Hard part’s almost over. Promise.”

Tae Hyun took notice of how often the boy unconsciously flinched from the contact, how much the other had to steel himself to bear even a healing touch. The uncertainty and shame on the Macanese boy’s face read plain as day, evoking a mysterious desire to reach out and give comfort. The Korean didn’t, knowing it wouldn’t be received well, and waited until Coyne was about finished administering pain medication. As the doctor offered the boy a small cup of faintly herbal scented water, Tae Hyun spoke up.

“How soon will it be before he’s fit to question, Coyne-seonsaeng?” the Captain inquired, making an effort to be respectful. It wasn’t wholly successful, as the doctor’s expression still took on a tone of protective reprimand while he answered.

“I would suggest allowing him to lie on a bed first, Captain. It would also pay to keep in mind that the medication will induce drowsiness.”

Tae Hyun nodded in understanding. The affected awareness could actually factor in the Korean’s favor—anything that stood a chance of lowering the wary youth’s guard improved Tae Hyun’s chances of earning an honest answer. Patrick returned his attention to his patient, guiding him carefully to a place he may lie down while minimizing physical contact for the boy’s personal comfort. Once the boy was situated, Patrick offered another quiet reassurance.

“You’re over the worst of it now, lad. It’s just a matter of letting you heal up, and you’ll have plenty of time to do it.”

Tae Hyun refrained from commenting, though he thought Coyne’s assurances just barely on the permissible side of impudent, even if he was most likely right. Ah well, Westerners. The Korean waited for the good doctor to depart, sliding close the doors behind Coyne before making his way further into the room.

With deliberately casual movement the Asian captain grabbed the now vacated chair, shifting it just a hair closer to the youth’s bed. Sitting down, he affected impersonal focus on adjusting his sleeves, mulling over his questions. There was perhaps a beat of voiceless preparation before the Korean leant forward, pressing his hands flat against his knees and breaking the silence with a blunt question.

“How do you plan to convince me?” Once he was sure he managed to confuse the boy, he went on, canting his head but keeping his tiger gaze steady, “You know what you’re avoiding, you know who, and you know why. You also know I can help you. How do you plan to convince me?”

Seonsaeng—honorific offered to doctors and teachers

[Arthur Kirkland]

Settling against the bed with a wince, Cai was incredibly thankful for whatever it was the doctor had made him drink. It dulled the constant throbbing pain to something that didn't make him think he was going to die at any moment and the drowsiness he suddenly felt he wasn't sure if it came from the drink, or the fact that he had no more adrenaline to lean on and was crashing into an absolute exhaustion.

Letting his head sink into the pillow behind him, he couldn't help but question this as a fever dream; something that couldn't actually be real, a product of him being beaten unconscious back in those dark alley's. He'd been trapped for so long that even the potential of freedom had been something he'd dreamed about and wished but known he would never achieve. This dulled pain, this freedom, had to be an illusion thrown together by his mind.

"How do you plan to convince me?" The Asian man - Captain? Cai thought he remembered that title being used towards the man - was suddenly beside him, giving him a fierce look. Cai shrank back, confused and muddled and suddenly remembering a time or three when he'd been asked the same question but by a different face - and he also remembered that no matter how he answered the question How do you plan to convince me not to- he always ended up punished.

"I..." he croaked, voice hoarse and dried up, palms sweating and hands shaking. No matter how he answered, he knew what the answer would be. It was odd that the face of the man asking the question wasn't the pale haired, brown eyed usual, but it would explain why the face still felt familiar to him even though he could not ever meeting the Asian before - his mind was making stuff up. "I... all I have is me and..." he swallowed, saying the words he wanted to say instead of the pleading words he could attempt to say to lessen the pain - personal injury would happen no matter what, so really, it didn't matter what he said now. "I know its not much now... but whatever you want from me, I'll do - just... please don't take me back there." he trailed off into a whisper. He knew he'd kill himself first before returning to that place but he couldn't be too sure he wasn't already there.

And... if this was real, he could learn anything, do anything the man needed, so long as the stitches he had help together. And if the Captain found him a waste of time and resources, he'd beg to be left in a port or tossed in the ocean. Anything but going back.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

While usually Tae Hyun was quite good at divorcing his emotions from an interrogation, the Korean couldn’t deny the sudden surge of remorse that rose in his gullet after he asked the question. Reviving the terror and dread that had never really left the Macanese boy’s face had not been his purpose, and the note of panic that the boy was desperately trying to keep from overflowing into his words struck a dark chord in Tae Hyun’s conscience.

The Korean’s face did not show this, though the intensity abated somewhat as he leant back, physically giving the boy the space he needed. “I wouldn’t know where to take you,” he commented truthfully, “you literally dropped out of nowhere, remember?”

Tae Hyun looked down to adjust his sleeves again, taking the time to choose his words carefully. He wanted to reassure the boy that he was safe, remind and convince him that Tae Hyun had been offering help, but at the same time the Korean didn’t want to give too much away. Inexplicable sentiment and sympathy aside, he didn’t know enough about the boy to trust him, even in his weakness. Who’s to say that when the boy recovered he couldn’t use the Korean’s mercy against him?

The Captain glanced up again, looking at the boy’s strangely familiar face. He wanted to know why it was so familiar, why he cared anywhere near as much as he did, but didn’t know how or even if he wanted to ask. Or if he would get a straight answer. So instead, he decided to ask for something more tangible.

“As for what I want from you, da ze, I’ll start with a name.”

[Arthur Kirkland]

It took several minutes of uncontrolled shaking and deep choking breaths before Cai was even the slightest bit capable of replying. The image in his head screamed that he was going to be punished at any moment. The face and voice slowly shifted from someone with a European accent to an Asian one as the brief, fevered hallucination stepped back briefly. Long enough for him to catch his breath and realize just how ill he was. Miserably he noted that barring a miracle, he wasn't going to be capable of leaving the bed he was in for a long time, let alone do anything to convince the man sitting before him he had any real value worth keeping.

"I...", he hesitated, choking on his own air as his mind sped feverishly away trying to think of even one way to argue in his favor. "Cai. My name is Cai... Chaves." It sadly took him a moment to remember his own last name, foreign sounding though it was. He'd had no need for it, it had almost slipped away like the faces of his parents and most of his childhood memories.

For a brief moment his mind switched from thoughts of how to save himself to wondering what had happened to his parents. They'd been there when the masked men had dragged him away - were they still alive? Were they looking for him? Had they given up hope - maybe adopted another child? Moved back to their home country of Portugal to live with his grandparents like they'd always talked about doing 'when he was older'? It ate at him, giving him something to worry about aside from his own situation and he clung to it with all the desperation of someone who needed to stop thinking about their present pain and focus on any goal to stay sane. If he survived - if this Captain didn't take him back (claimed that he couldn't bring him back either way? Did he have enough luck that that was even possible?) he would find out what happened to his parents.

[Im Yong Soo~!]

Tae Hyun frowned slightly, turning the name over and over in his mind, like a coin of indeterminate worth.

Cai Chaves, Cai Chaves…

No use, it was completely unfamiliar. He’d never heard the name before in his life, and something about it just…didn’t fit. Like it was too small for who this person was supposed to be.

‘Who exactly that is, I can’t even guess,’ he thought irritably. The strong sense of familial affection still had not faded, making Tae Hyun more than a little uneasy, especially since it was still clearly one-sided. The Korean forcibly filed his discomfort for later prying as he turned to regard the maddeningly familiar face. Speculation could wait—right now, there were rules to be laid in place.

“In Libertalia, I am Captain Im Tae Hyun,” he started briskly, “Captain will suffice while you are onboard my vessel. Once you recover, you will be put to work based on what you can handle and what skills you acquire.

“While you’re aboard the Lucky Dragon, you are a member of her crew, and I will treat you as such until you give me reason not to.” Tae Hyun gave the Macanese boy the full weight of his gaze, firm and unyielding. “I have no use for insubordination. Become a problem and you will be dealt with.”

Once he was certain Cai appreciated the warning, Tae Hyun’s expression shifted, more solemn than striking. He spoke again, almost without meaning to: “But if you have a problem, know that I’ll protect you.”

There was that nagging sympathy again, twisting his words. And for what? Cai wouldn’t believe him yet. He had been broken too badly. The Korean’s eyes became inscrutable as he drove the momentary softness away. “When we next make port, you are free to go. If you work hard enough, you will receive pay to keep.”

This was a generous offer, considering the circumstances, and Tae Hyun knew it. He also knew what it was like to be young, alone, and hungry, and if Cai was willing to help himself Tae Hyun would help him.

Tae Hyun stood, tucking his curl back behind his ear. “I’ll go over this again when you recover. For now, focus on that.”

There were still so many questions, so little answers, but the Korean knew he needed to round up his recruitment speech. As it stood, he was lucky if the Macanese youth hadn’t passed out yet. The Captain made to leave, but spared one last glance at the boy’s injuries, catching gazes again.

“Whatever you’re leaving behind, Cai-gun, leave it,” he advised. “Only carry what you need to keep going. That’s something I had to learn when I was your age.”

Before he could implicate himself further, Tae Hyun turned for the door.

Gun: Honorific for young men

[Arthur Kirkland]

Cai remained silent for all of the Koreans speech, puzzled at first as to what the man was talking about and more than a little afraid of the threats. But as the Captain's face shifted subtly with his words and the threat changed to 'stay and work and I'll help you', the Macanese teen couldn't help but stare. Even after the man beat a retreat, for a long while all Cai did was stare at the door in bewilderment. After all the years he'd spent on Libertalia and all the ways he'd suffered, he'd learned to never trust anyone. It was safer and hurt less when they betrayed you - well... hurt less emotionally. Physically was another matter entirely.

Having someone come out of nowhere and not only save him but offer him medical attention and a place to stay while he recovered. Potentially some money when he was finally able to leave. It had to be too good to be true. There had to be something that the Captain was planning. Some betrayal... he could turn the ship around and take him back and Cai wouldn't even know it, would be laying there, sleeping away completely unprepared. If he'd had the energy, he'd have tensed or tried to find a port hole to spy out of. Except the last dregs of his energy had vanished and the physical exhaustion started to make itself well known that it was time for him to shut down.

He tried to stay awake, to stay on the defensive and be prepared for the Korean to reappear and take away whatever safety he'd originally offered. Cai tried to imagine what that would look like so he could prepare himself even more. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't imagine the Look - his Ma- former master had had a particular look of glee on his face every time he'd managed to find a new way to hurt him - on the Asian mans face. Instead, all he could visualize was the solemn, sympathetic look, or the dry amused look. And the more he saw those expressions, the more an oddly warm feeling grew in his chest. It felt... almost familiar, like he'd felt this way before but couldn't remember when or where or who with. It lulled him, and no matter how he tried not to, he drifted off to sleep, feeling more secure and free than he'd felt in what had to have been forever.