Rebellious Duo (#Wattys2016)

8: Stumped

Nori had woken up at precisely the wrong time. When she loped out of her chamber, pulling her coat on sleepily, the sounds of war could be heard in the distance. She looked around. The Oxblood was docked in Colla Voce's eastern port, but Akira and Kaine were nowhere to be seen. Nori thought for a second that they had been taken, but no. Peering closer into town, she spied Kaine and Akira running full pelt down the hill, guns drawn. "Hey! I told you to wake me up when we reached Colla Voce!" She shouted at them angrily.

"No time! We-- found them! They-- aren't too happy!" Kaine said in between gasps of air, beating Akira to the base of the ship. "We need-- your help!"

"Them? You mean the Blackhearts?"

"No, captain. What other crew would have matching tattoos with black hearts on their arms, huh?" Akira panted. Kaine and Nori were impressed that he managed to be sarcastic through his heavy breathing.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get 'em!" Nori grabbed the hilt of her katana.

But Kaine held her back. "Captain! They are all drugged! I managed to get a blood sample from one of them," she said, pulling a tiny flask from her pocket to display, "but we can't win against all of them together, we just can't. Please believe me!" She shuddered, remembering the hunchbacked muscular monsters tearing apart everything in sight.

Nori nodded. "Understood. Get on board. We'll dock in the north bay once the marines have been called. Maybe if we wait it out, the drug will wear off and the Blackhearts will be arrested." When Kaine looked hesitant, Nori continued, "unless you want a death wish, that is! I can fight, but I can't fight a hundred Bos all over again!"

Finally, Kaine conceded. She climbed onto the Oxblood while Akira cast off. "It makes no sense!" She murmured, leaning against the railing. "Perhaps the drug does wear off, but every single one of them was drugged! Then-- did they drug themselves, to make themselves near invincible? What about the dart gun? Who shot it? Why wouldn't Bo have injected the drug himself if he wanted to? He used to be part of the Anacrusis. He should have access to whatever he wanted. And besides, this drug must have such a complex compound, it would require the absolute ideal conditions. Eiji and Bo lived in such small houses, those would never have worked... This doesn't add up... "

Akira and Nori watched her muttering to herself for a while. "Entertaining," Nori said.

"Enchanting," Akira said.

Nori glanced at him. "You told her about Ryota, didn't you? Sly fox. I didn't suspect it until I woke up."

"Heh. Well, she was going to find out eventually, since I assume you want to see him."

She concentrated on her fingernails, a dull blush creeping into her cheeks. "I thought... he might have information... "

"I'll distract Kaine for you. She'll never know you were gone." Akira smirked at her. Nori gave him a feeble smile back.

"Nori?" Kaine suddenly said loudly.

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

"I'm... I'm stumped."

Nori blinked. "Stumped?"

"Stumped!" Kaine blurted out. "Confused, puzzled, stuck, perplexed, baffled, stumped! None of it adds up! I- I'm sorry, I've never given up on a case before, but--"

"No." Nori's heart beat faster with rage. "No, now you listen to me. I'm paying you to solve this. My friend's lives are in danger here. You can't just give up. The newspaper said that you were the best, so why don't you prove it?"

"I'm sorry, Nori, I really am! But there isn't anything I can do! There isn't any more evidence, no more clues, and nothing fits together!"

Nori turned the steering wheel with such ferocity that Akira and Kaine fell over. The Oxblood took a sharp turn into the Colla Voce marina. "You want to give up? Fine. Give up. Leave. See if I care. I'm going to the tavern for a drink." She jumped into the air and conjured white-hot fire that helped her soar over the entirety of the bay and land smoothly on the docks. Nori stomped off, wiping back hot tears. If Kaine couldn't do it, nobody could. But her crew would not be lost forever. She had to use her last resort. Nori avoided the eastern part of Colla Voce and walked to Fujimoto Boatmasters. The sun had started to go down when she arrived at the large white building. She threw the door open without hesitation. "Miss? You need an appointment!" The woman at the desk said, but with one look at Nori's murderous face, she shrank back.

"That's more like it," Nori growled. She went up a flight of stairs, to where she knew Ryota must be working. Without knocking, she threw the doors open.

Ryota stood up in alarm, dark eyes flashing. He looked startled to have a visitor, and even more so that it was Nori again. "Why are you here?" He asked her quickly. His hands flew up and purple flames rolled across his palms.

She put her hand over her mouth. A hard lump was forming in the back of her throat and her eyes burned. Nori wished that all these memories of her crew would go away, wished she didn't have feelings at all. Now she remembered why she didn't want to see Ryota in the first place. "Y-you," she stuttered, voice cracking. She took one step into the office and her knees buckled. "Shit. It's just-- the Motley, and--"

Ryota ran to her side and held her up by the waist. "Quiet. Are you hurt?"

Nori put her arms around his neck. She shook her head, though a silent tear slipped down her cheek. "Kaine said she can't do it," Nori choked out. "And if Kaine can't do it, who can? She was my last hope. Everyone else is gone. Everyone. Even Masa. I mean, who in their right mind would kidnap Masa?"

"The Motley was kidnapped?" Ryota dragged her over to his desk, pushing the papers off clumsily, and set her down. "When did this happen?"

"Just a few days ago. I don't know how, my memory is all fuzzy. It's hard to think." Nori wiped her tear away furiously. "I'm not crying."

"No, you aren't. Go on."

"Well, now I'm babbling."

"You aren't babbling either. Maybe I can help if you tell me what happened."

Nori took a deep rattling breath. She told Ryota everything that happened, from her short adventure in London to her meeting Kaine, to finding Akira, and Bo, and the mysterious Blackhearts. All the while, Ryota maintained a serious yet calm expression. Nori's breathing slowed down. "So? What do you think?"

"That's a lot to take in," Ryota said, slumping back into his chair. "So let me get this straight-- you're here because the Blackhearts are here. The marines should have arrested them by now if their drug wore off."

"That's right."

He narrowed his eyes. "So why are you here, specifically? In my office."

"I got into a fight with Kaine and Akira." Nori looked down ashamedly. "And, I kind of thought you might help. It's okay if you don't, I just needed somebody to vent to. Sorry I cried."

Ryota raised his eyebrows. "I don't know what you're talking about. You didn't cry."

She chuckled. "Well? What do you know?"

"This is a hard one. I can't understand why you wouldn't be taken as well." Ryota leaned back and thought hard. "And there isn't any reason for the Blackhearts to spread their drug to any place besides Anima either. They would have enough control that they wouldn't randomly give it to someone who lived so far away from their homeland. Unless they weren't the distributors, of course. Did Kaine say that they were the ones who made the drug?"

Nori shook her head. "She said didn't know."

"Then maybe they aren't involved after all. Bo might have been driven insane by PTSD, or his captain could have been too confused by his overdose. Yes, I know that they attacked Colla Voce with the drug," he added hastily, "but maybe they just bought it, like the captain of the Anacrusis did." Ryota reached under Nori's leg and pulled out an official-looking paper. "I just got a form in. One of my trade ships requested permission to stop at Jete."

"No kidding?" Nori exclaimed.

"I know it's strange. I'll look into it. Maybe it'll help with finding the rest of the Motley." Ryota paused. "I hope you find them."

"Yeah." Nori and Ryota sat in awkward silence for at least fifteen seconds. Her eyes darted around the room so she didn't have to look at him. "Do you mind if I stay here for a little bit?"

"Nah. Make yourself at home." Ryota slid his hand under her foot to grab a pen and fill out a piece of paper.