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See You Space Cowboy
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- Seen Feb 7, 2022
Kuzo and Bass - Open Sea
As before, Kuzo didn't do much talking as the scene unfolded between Vance and Leon. However, to say he was doing nothing would have been incorrect. There was a difference between doing nothing and not talking. While his eyes remained mostly glued to the impermanent waves of the sea through the small window in the galley, his mind was occupied with the actions of Vance and Leon, particularly in what they did and what they said. If he felt that his interference would have helped the situation at all, he would have jumped in, but he didn't feel this was the case now. Instead, he wanted to observe their true natures. He had always felt that when people were most free, when the least amount of clogging and restriction were around them, their true personnas would feel the need to rise to the surface. By stepping in, his actions might have dampened that, and he wanted to learn as much as he could about his new crewmates.
But the tension between the two was soon ruptured, which left Vance heading for the deck and the others cooling off as well. After, Bass decided to approach Kuzo. He smiled warmly at the bat-man, still impressed by his rather unique features. "Sir? You don't have to call me sir. Just Kuzo," He replied, but also nodded. "What's on your mind?"
Bass sighed and looked down, "Uh... it's something that... uh, it's private is all, sir-Kuzo." He quickly blurted out at the end. "Do you have a room we can talk in? It's just... it's something that I want to discuss with you, if that's alright of course. I mean I don't want to interrupt anything." He could feel some sweat on his forehead, thankfully hidden by his fur but for the moment he nervously rubbed his two thumb hooks together. Would Kuzo throw him off? Would he try to kill him? Kuzo hadn't been told what kind of bat he was... for all Bass knew, Kuzo could very well think he only ate insects. This was not going to end well... but he had to judge the environment. If they could kill him, at least the island was close by enough so that he could make it back with a single flight and try getting on another ship.
Kuzo chuckled, then turned around on his barstool toward the counter. He picked up his mug and downed all of the alcohol in one go, before stamping it on the counter and picking himself up off the seat. "Sure," He replied simply, beginning to head for the upper deck. "Hope you don't mind if we talk outside. I want to smell the sea. We'll stand away from everyone else." He said as he headed for the upper deck, past Vance next to the wheel and the others still lingering around the mid-section of the deck. Together with Bass, he made his way to the front of the ship, right to the edge, where no one else was currently present. He took in the path of the waves in front of him, the open sea around him. He then turned around and faced Bass, and gave him another smile. "When you're ready," He said simply, crossing his arms and awaiting him to speak.
Bass sighed and wrapped his wings around him to warm himself up a bit, "Uh... d-do.... uh..." Bass hung his head, "I'm not really sure where to begin... well, do you know what foods bats usually eat? I guess that's as great a place to start."
Kuzo looked up at the sky to think about it, before turning his head back to look at Bass again, then shrugged lightly. "Not exactly sure, to be honest."
Bass sighed and his ears drooped as well. "Well... it's... there are different... families you can say. Some families eat fruit... others eat insects... I... I really don't eat any of those things. I really don't eat human foods, it's why I'm not eating with the others now, I simply can't eat that stuff... if I do I tend to throw it up because... well, my body just doesn't like it."
Kuzo examined the bat as he spoke, but didn't offer much in the way of speaking back. For now, he had simply stuck to listening, examining and nodding. He seemed nervous, as if he had something important to say, so the man figured it was best to let it come out more naturally then forcing it out at faster pace. "Go on," Was all he said to encourage the bat-man on.
Bass sighed and let out a shaky breath. "Well.... uh... the thing I drink... it also acts as food for me. Quenches my thirst and also fills me up. If... If I go about two days without it... it's strange. LIke before when I was a dumb bat flying around in the forest I never felt it. I would feel hunger pains sure, but I wouldn't be put into this... I guess you can call it a trance. Before it would be where if I was hungry I would just still be myself. Now, it's different. Like, if I don't get the food then... then I can't stop till I get it." He closed his eyes tightly and let out deep breath, "I.... I drink blood Kuzo." He whispered softly. "Always have, since birth... now it's some sort of curse... it's like if I don't have blood in a certain time limit then I go crazy." He quickly turned to the captain and grabbed hold of him with the edge of his wings.
"You can't tell any of the others! Please!" He begged, "I mean... look at that guy!" He hissed as he gestured a wing tip over to he white haired demon. "You just saw how he went beserk! I... I'm not a monster..." He shook his head, "I can't be a monster... I mean I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask to have it where if I didn't get blood I would go crazy and go on killing sprees!" He whimpered a bit, "It's like someone up there just laughed at me and cursed me with this... curse." He sighed, "When you were talking about it taking days to reach our destination... I panicked. Inside I panicked. I thought... but then Morgan said it wouldn't take days to get there. I... I don't want to be a monster."
Bass looked back out to the ocean and released Kuzo. He crouched a bit so as to let his head and his wing edges lay on the railing. "I always wanted to leave... so that I could find something more. I always believed in hope... out there I know there is a way to take this... blood lust away from me. Make me normal... and I don't want to hurt anyone anymore... I can't..." He fell silent after that and just stared at the sea.
It was quite a shocking surprise for Kuzo, but he did his best to not let it appear that way, maintaining the calm demeanor usually seen from him. Once again he did little more than listen to Bass lay it all out there. When he was finished, Kuzo asked the bat a simply question. "Is it only human blood you can drink?"
He shook his head, "No... I... try my best to not do it from humans. Back at the forest there were plenty of animals around. I didn't kill them though!" He quickly empahsized as he got off of the railing. "When I'm like... eh, this. When I'm calm, I know how much to drink... I know what can kill someone or something and I avoid drinking that much. When... when I'm in a blood lust... it's like somthing else takes over. The first victim I find... I drain dry... and if I'm still hungry after that I keep on killing." He hung his head in shame, "I-I didn't realize the first time it happened what exactly DID happen, it was all a blure... and anytime after a blood lust it still is a blur. Sometimes I find myself half way across the continent, other times I wake up over some corpses. I... I don't want that to happen here."
As soon as Bass had finished talking for a second time, Kuzo nodded in response, then place an arm on the bat creature's shoulder, and smiled warmly to him. "Thanks for letting me know. We'll keep this between us," He walked passed him, and looking above at the crow's nest and the absence of a flag which flew above it, which reminded him of something else.
"More urgently, if you say Morgan says it won't take days to reach Reverse Mountain, then we need to figure out a name for this ship, before we get there!" He smiled, and turned to Bass. "We'd best called everyone together." He declared.
And just like that, it was as if the entire conversation about Bass had never happened. Kuzo seemed to drop the topic entirely, as if he had forgotten about it. But the reality was the Kuzo would always remember, but he would never let that be the detail that would define his interpretation on the kind of person Bass was. Instead, he focused on the lengths Bass would go to control this curse, which spoke volumes more to Kuzo than the actions himself. One thing was certain though: He had made a promise, one which he intended to keep. For as long as he would know Bass, and for as long as he would live, it would never be Kuzo who tells others about Bass's secret. A promise never to be broken, the forming of the first of many bonds between crewmates.