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 Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 2:34 am
Jerome seemed to be out of the woods after his surgery, and once it was clear that he was not about to die at any second, the former gangster was moved to recovery a couple of days after getting the bullets removed from his chest.
He was hating it already, third day in a bed, and barely able to move without intense pain going through his body... and thats with the drugs they were at least kind enough to give him.
and such a... stiff environment, he wouldn't have believed this was Team Rocket had they not told him.
He was left in the room, alone, with his thoughts, to make it worse he was middle in the row of hospital beds, the screen that could be pulled around his bed was open, giving him a view of the room around... but not of the window, the one he would prefer to have.
His thoughts were not pleasant, not that this mild expression would show, to anyone else, he was just kicking back quietly, some would swear he was sleeping, not remembering the shots fired and the last yells of his friends when they fell.
The few other people in the room had previously tried to talk to him, only to get no reply, the ones who actually got a look at this man, chose not to speak at all to him. This left the room in a very quiet state.
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 9:00 am
A crimson-eyed man was wheeled in by one of the Rocket medics after just having had his bandages changed and been given a check-up by one of the doctors. Though he had tried conversing with the assistant, they hadn't responded, and weary as he was, he gave up his attempt. Carting him over to the bed on the right of Jerome's, the medic helped Izaya up out of the wheelchair and onto the bed. It still hurt to lay his back down, so he opted to lie on his stomach intead.
"Arigato, medic-san," he thanked the person once more, hoping at least for some response. "I'm sure I couldn't have made it this far without your help."
The medic just nodded once before folding up the chair, turning, and leaving the room with it. With a sigh, the demoted trainee rested his head to one side on the pillow and examined his surroundings as best he could. Oh, wait. He hadn't noticed that person there before. Suddenly he felt a surge of gratitude towards the people who had moved him from his isolated bed after the surgery to this new one alongside others.
"Haha, how'd you manage to wind up in here?" he laughed, studying the man on the bed. Sure, he may have been sleeping, but Izaya seemed to just enjoy the sound of his own voice. Talking to no one was better than the pressing silence he had endured for so long alone. Celty didn't say much either, quiet in nature as she was.
"Say...haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Orihara asked slyly, grinning as he regarded Jerome more seriously. "Just a fleeting glance, maybe, but we may have passed each other on the streets of Camphoreon..." Not that he had ever met the man personally, but his face did spark a memory or two. Not all the gangs knew of the information broker Izaya or what he looked like, but he made it his business to know the gangs and their going-ons. After all, that was what he used to sell for a living; no matter if some of that information was used to hurt and sometimes kill others. Such things did not bother him or weigh on his conscience if he even had such a thing. He didn't really have much say in how his merchendise was put to use; he merely offered it when he thought it might be needed.
In that regard, the man partially responsible for the death of Jerome's friends may have been lying in bed right next to him.
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 8:32 pm
It sounded like another person was being brought into the room, Jerome didn't care.
Another talkative person, from the sounds of it, Jerome didn't care.
Clearly getting the bed that was on one of Jerome's sides, He didn't care.
And then the man started talking... probably to Jerome, since no one else was answering him. Jerome didn't care.
It was when the voice spoke again, mentioning seeing him somewhere, in Camphoreon.
This was when the tattooed man in the bed showed that he was indeed awake.
Inked black eyes cracked open, enough to allow the light brown iris to shift to the side, glancing over at the person who was talking to him.
Still Jerome didn't say anything, staring, with a slight frown over his lips.
It was odd to say that Jerome got something of a similar vibe from this guy.
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 8:46 pm
"Oi, hey, you're alive!" the man stated cheerfully. "I'm so glad to know I wasn't sharing this room with a dead person! At least you're awake now~" Awake, still silent, and very grumpy-looking, but awake nonetheless. "Hmm. I can't put my finger on it, but you really look familiar. So you've been to Camphoreon, am I right?" he asked, trying to keep his talk up-beat.
"Did you live there? I did, so I suppose if I remember your face, you must have been on the streets quite often. I like hanging around the streets and I even used to watch people pass from my apartment window." His crimson eyes narrowed as his grin broadened. He remembered more. "You wouldn't have happened to belong to any of those gangs in the city, would you have...?"
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 9:10 pm
Still Jerome just stared at him, eyebrows lowering slowly the longer the man talked to him.
this guy was something, the way he talked was easily one of those things that was starting to click.
At the mention of gangs Jerome knew, and without an expression change he opened his mouth, a deep voice grumbled a reply;
"Hear a' the Runners?" he offered, to see if that helped this guy get any hints.
"Messenger boy." He said again, though this time in a tone that was implying that he was addressing Izaya.
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 9:31 pm
"The Runners..." Izaya repeated, thinking back to about a month ago before he had joined the Rockets. He hadn't had too much of a chance to keep up with events in Camphoreon since then. However, what he had known then still stayed with him, and gang names were definitely one of those things.
It was whether or not he should let this man know that he knew them that he wasn't so sure about. After all the brunette had been though, he wasn't all that eager to make more enemies just yet. Especially with this bright ray of sunshine. "I might have heard of them," he answered off-handedly, changing his expression to make it appear he was thinking long and hard about the name. The nickname referring to him, though, caught him completely off-guard. "Wha- ?"
He blinked, then laughed. "Sorry, were you talking to me?"
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 10:46 pm
His head turned, so that he was looking at Izaya more fully, eying him quietly.
"yeah," He said pointedly.
Jerome was never good with names, or faces for that matter, but something about this guy just kinda reminded him of someone the boss used to talk to.
He wasn't surprised, him and his group were called Runners, they caused quite a bit of trouble for other gangs, but they were only a force of seven within the actual gang they were a part of - "ET-14" He said again. Knowing that if he was in Camphoreon, and he knew anything about the gangs down there, he would know this name.
The fallen gang...
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 7:17 am
Realizing he couldn't play dumb forever, Orihara gave in a little. After all, it was harder to pretend not to know ET-14 than the Runners. "Oh! Right, right, them! What about them?" He asked, still beaming innocently. "Looking to join them? Or were you a part of them already?" He paused, thinking. "Mmm, you know, with you being in here, I somehow doubt you could still be connected with that gang. Was there something I missed?"
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 11:59 am
"The gang don't exist anymore." He replied, deepening the tone i his voice, as he continued to eye the man over at the other bed. "I wouldn't be here otherwise."
He wouldn't have run into Nikki in the streets, he wouldn't have had no other choice, other than to die there on the concrete.
He couldn't say yet if this was something he preferred or not... it was still so surreal that he was part of Team Rocket now. switching Loyalties wasn't something he had ever done before.
But there was bothering to be loyal to in ET-14 anymore.
"You knew our boss, I would be on lookout when he met with you. Guy like you, ain't easy to forget"
If he was implying that Izaya was strange than he certainly didn't seem to mean it as an insult, Jerome was okay with strange, obviously..
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 12:33 pm
"My, I'm sorry to hear that," the man answered with mock sympathy, turning his head so Jerome couldn't read his expression. "Did they disperse? Or, judging by your injuries, were they attacked?"
Silence. Orihara's mouth was a firm line as he listened to his bed-ridden companion speak longer sentences. It was obvious now that he was recognized. He forced out a chuckle, still facing away from Jerome. "Ah, yes, that's where we must have seen each other then. Funny how we should both end up here. It wasn't in any gang fight I got injured, though, so it's even stranger a coincidence." He sighed. "What became of that boss of yours, then?"
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 9:35 pm
"Dead" He replied bluntly "With the others"
Jerome didn't look away when Izaya turned his head, though an eyebrow did raise.
"Sure ya knew 'bout all the gang wars goin' on down there."
Their old boss would get some pretty good information from this informant after all.
The dark man in the bed Shifted, growling slightly as she carefully pushed himself up into a sitting position, one hand moving to his chest with a frown, eyes casting around the room once before settling on the far wall.
"Doin' yer messenger boy gig for the big leagues now. huh?"
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 10:52 pm
"What a shame," he sighed. "A good client of mine, too. But I suppose you gangsters don't usually intend to live long lives unless you're cowards, do you?" He clicked his tongue in regret. "Tsk, tsk...such a waste..." It was as if he were speaking of ruined clothes rather than destroyed lives.
As he heard the other man attempt to sit up, Izaya stiffened. He turned back to see what the former gang member was up to...just in case it proved to be hazardous to his own health. But no, he was still content to just sit and talk, albeit in a more upright position. Orihara had a better view of his chest now, which was clearly where he had been injured. Not shot in the back like an idiot or a coward. Not like him.
"You could say that," he murmured, wondering for the hundredth time what he had given up his old job for. That was right. He was laying low. Laying low and seeing what Team Rocket had to offer at the same time. So far, he'd only received a bullet in the back, a n** from a pokemon, a slap in the face, numerous insults among other verbal abuse, and a good, exciting excursion to the outpost just as it had been broken into. Oh, and he'd forgotten about that Arcanine falling on him. Humiliation to add to the list. Things were not looking up. Not yet, at least. He was determined to make it pay off.
"I'm still getting the hang of things...as you might have been able to tell by now." With some difficulty and wincing, he propped his shirtless torso up on his elbow to get a better view of his fellow conversationalist. "And you?" he inquired, his lips tightening into a sneer. "From a trivial, trouble-making gang to a genuine, criminal organization?" Bringing up his other hand from under the sheets, he clapped slowly. "Bravo! I'm impressed. After all...you've got to do what you need to survive, neh?"
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 12:02 am
Jerome's contrasting eyes shifted over to look at the man again, not looking particularly amused with the man's way of speaking.
"Hn."
A couple of matted locks of his dreads fell forward into his face, now that he was sitting up. Not bothering to push them away, Jerome leveled his gaze, staring directly into Izaya's eyes as the grunt turned to look at him again.
"Trivial" He grunted again, repeating the word that Izaya had chose to use. "I ain't got a clue what Team Rocket's all about, I'll probably be doin' much the same that I was doin' on the streets anyway."
He lifted a brow up slightly before relaxing it again, as an alternative shrug. "If ya don't even try to survive than whats the point? You here for survival to? What kinda s**t you finally get yerself in?"
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 10:15 am
"May I ask you a question?" Izaya continued without waiting for an answer. "Why is it you tattooed your scleras? Were you hoping to appear as some sort of pokemon?" He sneered. "It must be unnerving for an every-day person to catch a glimpse of you. Is that why you did it?"
"...And what was that you were doing on the streets, pray tell?" he giggled. "Beating up civilians and taking their money? Attacking rival gangs? Oh, I'm certain you'll be a valuable asset to this team."
Orihara nodded, smiling at Jerome's questions. "I agree. Better to live to fight another day than to die meaninglessly on the battlefield. By the way, if you're going to refer to me, Izaya Orihara works better than 'Messenger boy'. Or, if you prefer, Trainee Nakura." He sighed musingly. "Yes, I'm here to survive. I have to keep away from the police for now, and this is the best way to go about doing it. Plus, I'm learning so much about so many interesting individuals, like you!" he added gleefully. "So, then, did we both get shot...? You in the chest, and me in the back? Didn't puncture your lung?
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 3:20 pm
"Casue I liked the way it looked." He answered rather obviously, this time chancing a shrug with his shoulder. "Sure I guess it helped with the way people treat me, don't really give a s**t what they think though."
It did make things difficult with getting a girl, Jerome was a bit younger when he got his eyes done, not that he regrets it.
"Odd jobs, anythin' the boss needed." he replied "Watch the turf, take care of people who were tryin' to start somethin', usual kinda stuff."
His group of Runners were great for ET-14. they earned a lot of respect from other gang members, and the leader for the things they did.
His eyes narrowed slightly, inquisitively almost, not sure if this guys was being serious or not, or just trying to mock Jerome.
At the question about where he was shot. Jerome shrugged. "No idea," he answered honestly "Wasn't paying attention when they were telling me what the bullets got."
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