Round 2 - Searching for Answers

[windgod]

Who: Ippo and anyone who might happen upon him
When: Day 80
Where: The Bastion
What: After a full days rest, Ippo's finally gotten around to exploring this new place. Time for him to meet the residents!
Style: Action
Warnings: None as of yet
Status: Open

[It had been a day since Ippo had been tossed face first, literally in the case of his arrival in the Bastion, into this strange new world. With the weight of everything on his shoulders, all he could manage to do was find his way to his new apartment thanks to some particularly helpful individuals and sleep the next day away. He still looked like a disheveled mess; his hair was messy, his bandages unremoved from his face, and his clothing still very much the same as when he first arrived; championship belt around his waist and all. Physically though he felt less achey and had his appetite back, and so he found himself out and about the Bastion itself as he tried to get a feel for what he assumed was going to be his new home.

It was tough to think about...that this was his home now; but if Coach Kamogawa had taught him anything, it was that he needed to keep looking forward instead of dwelling on the past. He had to keep himself strong, to honor the memory of his world if nothing else; so that was what he was doing...he had spent most of his waking hours yesterday crying himself right back to sleep anyways, so he had given himself plenty of grief time at the very least.

Right now, he found himself walking along the edge of the river he could see out of his apartment window; his mind wandering as he idly thought about where all the water came from and where it flowed to in such a small place; thoughts that were constantly interrupted. Regardless of how much he had come to terms with his situation, he still had many a lingering worry that plagued his mind as he stared down at his reflection in the water]

Coach...where do I go from here? What should I do...what can I do?

Comments

[hellpyre]

[There was something to be said for the fact that he really wasn't alone in that feeling. They all had experienced some sense of breakdowns, heart ache and a feeling of being utterly, completely lost. And he wasn't the only one who looked a mess right now, either. A certain resident half-demon had to be recently coaxed out of her room by her friends, only after finally getting some sleep for the first time in two days, and while she had cleaned up a little, dark circles still remained under her eyes.

But she was out at least, and in time to see an unfamiliar face wandering near the river.

She didn't stop to talk to him right away, instead venturing to the kitchen in the Distillery first. She was finally hungry for the first time in two days and figured the best way to get to know some one new was over a meal.

There wasn't much to be had, though, but she was able to produce two bowls of rice and a couple thin slices of meat before returning to the river just in time to hear the new arrival mutter to himself.]

I think we're all askin' ourselves that.

[windgod]

[Well, Ippo certainly hadn't been expecting an actual answer to his question; let alone one so profound or in a female tone. He didn't have much left in him to be overly surprised at the moment, so he was able to turn around with little shock to see who exactly had spoken. It was a good thing he was so emotionally exhausted or the tail might have sent him over the edge; instead, he simply fell into his automatic reflexes and gave the girl as good a smile as he could manage before bowing politely in greeting]

Oh, hello...I'm not in your way, am I?

[He had been standing here for quite some time; and whoever this was seemed like she was having just as rough a day as he had been...not that he could blame anyone here for that; maybe she just wanted to have this space for herself while she ate. Still...comparing her to Alucard...she seemed a little worse for the wear]

I can go if you'd like to eat alone...I'm still trying to map this place out since...well, this is my new home and all...

[hellpyre]

No, you're not.

[The girl smiled at him, not an overly bright expression, but sympathetic at the very least. Her tail waved lazily behind her back, a mess of black bangs pinned back showing slightly pointed ears beneath.

She held up one of the bowls, obviously offering it to him.]

Might wanna eat somethin' before you do that. I know how it is when you first get here. Gotta take care of yourself an' all that.

[windgod]

[Food? Oh man...now that she mentioned it, he hadn't eaten in a while; at least not since he had landed here, and that rice and meat looked really good right now. He almost snatched the bowl, but stopped his hand and bowed again in thanks before slowly taking the bowl and chopsticks he was being handed. He was hungry, but that didn't mean he had to skip on the manners]

Ah, thank you very much...uh...pardon me but what is your name? My name is Ippo, Ippo Makunouchi; its very nice to meet you.

[It usually helped to know who exactly it was you were thanking before you thanked them, otherwise who would he be directing his thanks towards?]

[hellpyre]

Oh, right. Rin Okumura. Nice to meetcha, even if it's... well... here.

[End of the world and all that nonsense. Not exactly an ideal meeting place, but at least the Bastion was a safe haven for everyone.]

I've been here almost two months now, so I know the ins and outs of this all pretty well, if you got any questions.

[And with the second bowl gone from her hands, Rin is going to plop herself down next to the river bank, hoping he'll join her rather than try to stand and eat.]

[windgod]

[And sit he did, taking little time in digging in to his food. He had already been hungry enough after taking that beating from Sendou; and all this end of the world stuff had just served to compound his hunger. Either way, for a bowl of rice and some meat, it all tasted so much more delicious than any he'd had before; and it wasn't long before it was well and gone as he set the bowl at his side with a satisfied sigh]

Ahhhh...thanks again Okumura-san, that was really tasty! I'll have to thank whoever made it as well.

[Questions though...well, he certainly had a few...but he figured he might start with the obvious at the very least]

Well...how exactly are we going to keep surviving here? Is there something special we have to do? Is there...some purpose or task we have around here besides chores?

[hellpyre]

[Rin was always happy to have some one enjoy her cooking, and even if part of it was due to being just that hungry, seeing him devour it and obviously like it a lot made her smile just a little more.]

Well there's only two cooks here right now, and you're sittin' with one of 'em.

[She ate a little slower, her own appetite still not quite recovered from something a few days ago, but she wasn't against answering questions at the same time.]

There is, yeah. There's these things called Cores. D'ya see that big monument in the center of everything? If we bring Cores to it, we can get things added on to the Bastion - like electricity, or a farm, or anythin' else that we might need to survive. And there are other things, shards, that we can find on the Skyway or get from some of the monsters that hang around out there. Shards let us sort of... trade in for other stuff. Something as small as maybe a bowl up to something as large as a buildin', if we need it.

Shards are easy to get. Cores, though... that takes some work.

[windgod]

Oh, well your food is delicious Okumura-san; I'll be looking forward to more!

[He turned his head to gaze over at the monument in the center of the Bastion, regarding it carefully. He had seen it...but he never would have guessed its importance off the bat...it just looked like some sort of town centerpiece.]

And getting these...Shards and Cores will help everyone?

[Again, an obvious question...but one he felt the need to have answered. He couldn't put his finger on why, but it was just something he needed to do]

[hellpyre]

Heh. Thanks. And you can call me Rin. Everyone else does.

[Everyone else not being Kaoru and Seimei.]

Mhm. The more we can build, the better we can take care of anyone here already, or anyone we find out there.

1/2

[windgod]

[Was this it? Was this his new reason to keep moving forward? He turned his gaze back to the water pensively and held up his still well bandaged from a few nights before. Coach...he had put these bandages on his hands...had laced up his gloves...had given him the slap on the back that had given him the strength to push through that bout. He could hear Coach Kamogawa's words ringing in his ears as if he were just getting up for his first round with Sendou all over again.

"Kid! No matter what happens...I'm proud that you've made it this far. You're our pride now, just like Takamura. Show him just how far our pride can take you!"]

2/2

[windgod]

[He felt his tears welling up once more as he clenched his fist tightly, but quickly wiped them away as he stood up to face the sun in front of him. He knew what it is he had to do...and he'd always be indebted to Coach Kamogawa and the rest of his gym for instilling in him the resolve he needed to face this new challenge]

Then I'll do it...Rin. I'll help no matter what, until we build this place into somewhere everyone can be safe. I...I owe my friends that much; and to you all for taking me in.

[hellpyre]

[Rin had seen a lot of different reactions - from grief to acceptance - of being in a place like this. She had more or less accepted it, outwardly at least, but it was only recently that she truly lost all control and utterly broke down.

Seeing her sister the way she was, though... it wasn't as if anyone could blame her for such a reaction. And she was still reeling from it even now.

Still... determination on that level wasn't something she had seen yet, and watching him where she sat, she felt her own emotions start to well up on her again.

She didn't shed tears, but as much as she wanted to she felt something else - a strangely calm feeling of admiration. If he could be strong, why couldn't she find her own strength again?]

I'm sure they'd be proud of you for that...

[windgod]

I hope so Rin..wherever they are now, I hope I can carry on their hopes and dreams.

[He turned his head slightly to smile down at Rin...a genuine smile, one full of renewed purpose and hope. He still had things left he needed to fight for; and so long as he could keep those things at the ends of his fists, he would keep defend them to his dying breath]

I might only be one person...but I'll do my best; not just for them, but for everyone here as well. My friend...Takamura-san...he helped me when I was at my lowest...he took down to the Kamogawa Gym and everyone there taught me what it means to be truly strong. Now its my duty to take those lessons and use them to help the people I can; otherwise...what was the point of everything I went through, right?

[Seeing Rin was done with her food, Ippo held out his hand to her to help her up. It wouldn't do to leave a friend sitting on the ground like that, now would it?]

[hellpyre]

Yeah. You're right.

[Rin was convinced Yuki was gone - what Bon had said about different versions didn't really apply in this because even if the other Okumura from his his life arrived, she wouldn't really know that person, would she? And that much couldn't be helped, but until she saw the statues of the rest of her classmates she was willing to assume that maybe they were still out there, too, hanging on to survival until they, too, could be found.

She had been cling to the barest thread of hope lately, while the rest of her drowned in internal sorrow that she hid with a smile and surprising work ethic. It was easy to hide how you were truly feeling when you had things to keep busy with, after all. But this new comer had so much optimism, it was practically contagious.

She would miss her sister something awful, and nothing would take away the hole in her heart from that, but she felt a renewed sense of worth and strength from Ippo. Smiling back, she took his hand and stood, dusting off her skirt with a free hand.]

Well I guess you should probably get the grand tour then, yeah?

[windgod]

Yeah...I didn't have much time to really get used to this place when I got here.

[A bit of an understatement...he had pretty much been lead to his apartment room before he collapsed from exhaustion. To say he knew nothing about the Bastion other than where he lived would be far more accurate]

Where would the best place to start be?

[hellpyre]

Well I can show you the kitchen and the distillery first, since we should take these dishes back anyway.

[It was the place she knew best, after all.]

[windgod]

Well, that sounds fine to me. Lead the way!

[Ippo bent down to retrieve his bowl and turned to follow Rin. This wasn't the best of situations...it wasn't even moderately decent. But he was smiling again and if he could manage to smile, then he knew that he'd be able to make it through whatever hardships awaited him in the future]

[hellpyre]

Alright! This way!

[Rin leads the way, her tail swaying low to the ground with her movements beneath her skirt.

It's a short walk to the Distillery from the river, and she pokes her head in to the connected kitchen before entering and motioning for him to follow.]

Mireille is the other chef, but she's pregnant so she can't work as much. I tend to take on most of the duties in here, but if you're ever hungry you're more than welcome to come in and get somethin' for yourself.

[windgod]

[Ippo stepped into the kitchen area and did a slow turn, taking everything in]

Wow...everything is really organized in here. You and Mireille-san must take really good care of it.

[It was good to know, he'd be a little worried if the kitchen was in massive disarray; especially since this is where he'd be getting his food from now on]

Thank you for the offer Rin...but where do all the ingredients come from? I haven't really seen any stores or anything around here...

[hellpyre]

Mhm! I just got some new stuff in here just yesterday. Ah!

[Rin turned and pointed out the small window above the large sink.]

See out there? We just got a garden and a farm in recently. Before that we were kinda scroungin' for whatever we could find out on the Skyway, before it started goin' bad, but we're way better off now.

[windgod]

Oh? Well...that's really useful! Though...will people still be venturing out on the...Skyway you called it? Just what exactly is out there?

[He had no idea other than hooded monsters and floating platforms...It was a strange place indeed]

[hellpyre]

Yeah, of course. That's where the Cores are.

[Rin shrugged, taking the bowl from him to put it in the sink.]

There's a lotta things out there... mostly left over stuff from the people that were here before us.

[windgod]

I see...well then I'll have to go back out there eventually if we're going to start getting this place into better shape.

[He was scared to think about heading back out there...even now his hands were shaking at the thought; but it was something that needed to be done, and if it meant making life easier for everyone here, then it was worth doing]

So how exactly do you find cores? Do you just run across them while you're out exploring?

[hellpyre]

Nathaniel will let us know when there's another Core. But we're allowed to go out on our own, find supplies, get shards, that kinda stuff.

[windgod]

Well, as soon as my ribs heal up, I might head out there to see what I can find. Anything that helps us is worth putting time into, right?

[And boy were his ribs still sore...Sendou really knew how to put the pain behind his punches]