tushanshu_logs | Event | Landfall | Bresilyk

Event | Landfall | Bresilyk | Aihsohlow

Characters: Any and all!
Date: December 3 - 11, 2013
Location: Aihsohlow, Bresilyk (landfall)
Situation: Tu Vishan makes landfall at the winterbound republic of Bresilyk!
Warnings/Rating: Please include warnings in comment subject lines

OOC Post | Approved Items | Special Gifts
Aihsohlow | Phorezton | Markutte | Countryside

The starting point of landfall and the smallest port of importance in all the republic. All visitors will have a fish mark stamped on their tin visa if they are granted access here. The homes here are sturdy and built to withstand the harsh sea winds, though the dome has rendered their sturdiness largely irrelevant as the years pass. Fish represent the primary theme of food, with preserved and smoked renditions a commodity often sent for trade to others towns. Local authorities will ask for the tin card visa of each visitor upon first sight, verifying the information with some scrutiny before handing it back and allowing them to continue onwards. There are some auctions held here, with the items obtained often showing signs of recovery from the ocean floor by diving parties in search of fish to net.

Customs | Settlement | Auctions | Harvest Haul | Other

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It was so hard, trying to remember the past as it truly happened and not colored by his own insanity. He could see Ben in his Scarlet Spider costume, yelling at him to stop in any one of their encounters. But when he tries to focus on them, all he can feel is the rage at Ben for his existence and the source of his rage, the pain of his clone degeneration. His eyes screwed shut as he imagined his every nerve ending on fire once more, the only thing in life he believed would be a constant.

Kaine forced himself to think of something, anything else. He thought of Aracely, of Annabelle, of Donald and Wally. The memories and the phantom pain subsided. His thoughts drifted to Peter, and then to May. And then he had an epiphany.] May might know.

Her costume is based off of Ben's... His other costume. When he took over for Peter.

I wouldn't be surprised if she's used his shooters.

[The expression that passes over Kaine's face doesn't go unnoticed. Peter can tell there's something bad going on beneath those shut eyes, made clear by how closely knit his eyebrows get and the tension in every other muscle on his face. He has to assume it's mostly bad memories - they're hard to avoid in this business - and so decides against saying anything. Kaine has his demons, and Peter's come to realize that he chooses to fight them in his own, silent way.

His attention has fallen back on the webshooters by the time Kaine speaks up, which makes him blink in surprise.] May... I guess it's definitely worth asking her. Not like we have anything to lose, right?

[Kaine focuses on Ben's web shooter, forcing himself to stay in the present.] And if she doesn't know, we'll try it the old fashioned way. [Kaine has no doubt Peter could figure it out. He and Ben were the smart ones, after all.]

You mean good ol' trial and error? [Since dissecting the web shooter was bound to be out of the question, considering the fact that a) this particular set had sentimental value for Kaine, and b) he didn't quite have the right tools for it.]

Well, first things first. We still need a bag to hold this stuff in safely until we get back to the turtle.

[Kaine nods at both the question and the request for the bag, hearing Peter say something, but not exactly what. His eyes never leave the shooter. He had been in such a rush to buy it, to make sure that no one else had something so personal to one of the few people who gave a damn about him (even if Kaine could never understand why), that he hadn't thought about what to do with it after he bought it. He doen't deserve this; this belonged to a far greater man than he ever could be. But what could he do with it? He couldn't--he wouldn't--throw it out. He could burn it, but he that would be doing Ben a huge disservice.

The priest. The priest would know what to do. Why couldn't there have been a church on this goddamn turtle?

Kaine hands the bundle to Peter. Peter deserves it far more than he does, and this Parker never even met him.]

[That reaction surprises him to say the least, and though his hands automatically come up to take it from him, Peter's giving Kaine a curious look.]

What... are you doing? I don't have a backpack on me, so unless you don't mind me stuffing this under my shirt, then...

[In Peter's mind, this should stay with Kaine. It means something to him, something so much more than Peter could probably even begin to fathom. He's okay with studying Ben's tools of the trade, but that was about the extent of it.]

[Turns his back on Peter and the costume.]

Ben wouldn't want me... I shouldn't have it. Take it, it's yours.

Edited 2014-01-01 18:01 (UTC)

[He freezes, just staring at Kaine with wide eyes.]

... What?

No, this is- You should take it.

[Shakes his head, taking a step away.]

He was much closer to you. Other you. He'd want you to have it.

I'm the last person to take it.

[He opens his mouth to protest, then shuts it again. He wants to argue that he doesn't know Ben, that Ben doesn't know him, that somehow this just doesn't seem to feel right. But at the same time, Peter's pretty sure that Kaine's not going to change his mind.]

... I could- I dunno, frame it for you.

[Spins on his heel so he can glare at Peter.] Why, so I can be constantly reminded of how I ruined his life?!

[Kaine immediately regrets saying that. He had been doing so well, too...]

[His eyes widen at the outburst, his gaze trained on Kaine even under the pressure of that glare. 'Ruined his life.' One clone ruining the life of another. Why? His own clones had fought among themselves, but that was because one of them was going to do something stupid. One came face to face with Peter and flipped out, got pitched over the deep end. Because they'd freaked out. Because they realized--

And suddenly, Peter understands. All those questions Kaine had asked about his own clones, about Gwen, if they were leading happy, healthy, normal lives. It might've been something that Ben managed to have, as he'd taken on a whole new name and life. Kaine didn't go that route. At some point he must've lashed out, did something he now regrets. He feels guilty. It's an emotion that Peter is actually extremely familiar with, and the probable, unfortunate truth is that Kaine inherited those guilt issues from the Parker blood. But Peter understands.

And he's pushed Kaine just a little too far here. He ducks his head slightly, letting his eyes fall on the costume in his hands.]

...Fine. I'll take it. But only if you start talking to me about all this stuff that's bothering you under the surface. That's what friends do. They talk. Okay?

Then I guess I'll be taking that costume back. [He's not one to open up, not even to those he cares about.]

[He steps back, pulling the costume tight against his chest.]

I'm not asking you to spill your guts out. I just want you to actually say when something bothers you, instead of just telling me to shut up. I will totally take "I don't wanna talk about it" over "Shut up, Parker."

[Exactly what did he think "Shut up, Parker" meant!?]

Now I'm reminded why I left New York in the first place. To get away from you.

[It's semantics.

And that... actually hurt a little. His hold on the costume tightens a little, his gaze drops toward the ground, his frown hardens. He knows Kaine plays it rough all the time, but that right there stung. It probably shouldn't, since Peter's been quick to push people away before for their own safety. Maybe it's just weird to be on the receiving end.]

I get that you've got all this crap in your past that you're working through and you wanna do it on your own. I've got stuff, too. That's fine. But you know, I'm serious when I say I think we're friends, that I'd even like to consider you a brother. It'd just be nice to think that the feeling was mutual, that's all.

[And this is the part where Peter seriously considers running off, to climb up the side of the nearest building and go rooftop to rooftop to help clear his head.]

[God damn it all, why did this kid look so sad?]

I'm not a good person, Peter. You don't want to be my friend.

[He wanted to run away, just the way he had when they first met. He had found himself caring for this little Peter, more than he knew he should. Monsters didn't get friends, they didn't get happy endings. It was better to push him away now, so he could go back to being alone again. It was what he deserved.]

[Peter's itching to bolt, too. His eyes are already wandering, looking for an escape route, but his feet stay planted.] If that were true, I wouldn't hang around you as much as I do. And you completely wouldn't let me get close to trying.

[He pulls in a breath, forcing himself to focus on a spot on the ground. And then it happens. All the nervous energy that had been building up for him to run starts coming out the wrong way: from his mouth.]

I've met bad people before, Kaine. The things I did back home? I've met them. I've fought them. They do horrible things to people and don't give it a second's thought. And you- Maybe you've done some bad stuff in the past. I don't know, but maybe, and it's like you're- you're punishing yourself or something. I can tell. I.. I do it all the time. And that's-- I think the fact that you're doing that, that you feel like you have to, I think that means you're way better than you think you are.

I-- [And then Peter continues. Kaine could feel his legs tense as if he were preparing to jump. The wall was right there. It would be child's play to leap over Peter to reach it, and from there it was a few seconds between Peter and freedom. He was quicker than Peter, he knew this, and it would be child's play to just escape.

But, for reasons he couldn't understand, he remained right where he stood. He couldn't help but feel that, even if he tried to run, his body wouldn't obey him.]

So if Norman Osborn--[Kaine spat out the words with venom. After all, the man had killed both (this) Peter and Ben and was ultimately responsible for his miserable life.]--showed up tomorrow, acting like he was feeling bad for all he's done, you'd think he's changed? That he's a good person now? Don't kid yourself Peter. People don't change.

[As much as he hated Norman Osborn, Kaine knew in the end he was no better than him.]

[That catches Peter slightly off guard. Osborn?? How could Kaine want to compare himself to Norman Osborn of all people? Peter's grip on Ben's costume tightens just slightly.]

Kaine, you're not Norman Osborn. You're totally not even in the realm of evil and crazy that he's in.

[That said, Peter had thought he'd seen some flash of a good man in him when he realized what he'd done to his own son. But whatever that had been, it was gone the next time their paths crossed.]

I think-- that people can. They just don't always really want to. Osborn- He basically blamed me for everything. He wasn't going to change himself, and he didn't-- [ Up to his last breath.] But you're different. You can, and I think you want to.

I'm no better than Norman Osborn! I am a monster, Peter! I've turned on Aracely and Ben and the other Peter... I turned on Louise... [his fist clenches] and I don't doubt for a second there will come a day when I'll turn on you too. So stop telling me I'm a good person, because you're only fooling yourself.

[Peter's eyes widen slightly in shock and he quickly searches Kaine's face for any sign that he could be lying or exaggerating or anything. Not that he could really tell even if there were any. Still, he's having a hard time believing that Kaine could be as bad as Norman Osborn.

But it's clear that Kaine really believes he's a monster. He really seems to want Peter to stop, for his own good. And Peter knows that argument too well.]

You're not a monster, Kaine. And even if you do "turn" on me one day, how about you let me deal with that if it happens??

[Why does no one believe him when he says that? When did he become so unimposing? Kaine has no doubt that one day the Other will regain control (after all, a deal was a deal, and it was Kaine who reneged...), and when that day came it would go for Peter first. It didn't matter it wasn't the same Peter. He could feel the Other when he had seen Peter that time. It was beyond angry at him for rejecting it. So in the end Peter would be dead and it would be all his fault. All because Peter didn't believe him.]

You're so naive. In all my years against Parker, Reilly, and all the others... [read: clones] they never once beat me in combat. What makes you think you're any different?

Edited (...I can english language) 2014-01-19 00:42 (UTC)

[His frown tightens slightly. Peter's often been told that he's naive. That he doesn't think things through and he doesn't tread carefully enough. Cap had been particularly adamant about making Peter know that. That naivete probably ultimately saved Cap. And it also probably ultimately got himself killed.

But hadn't it been worth it to protect Aunt May and the others? ]

For one thing, have any of them lived with you for as long as I have here?

What does that have to do with anything?

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