[Thread] Aftermath

[the_one_samurai]

Who: Samurai Jack, Charlie
What: Charlie takes refuge in Jack's room.
Where: Section 1, Room 8
When: March 22ish
Warnings: Shouldn't be any, really.

Comments

[bellatrixshadow]

Charlie made her way to Section 1.

She had gone through and tried to evacuate everyone she thought should get out. She had spent quite some time coordinating, making sure everyone got where they needed to go, salvaging supplies from the gardens of the bottom five or so levels. And just when she had hoped it might all have been for naught, just when she hoped she could return to that little bed that, at least for now was her own, she ran into fast moving water in the stairwell.

So she was definitely staying in Jack's room, if he still wanted her to.

The slightly damp Charlie--whether from sweat or spray from the flood, she was too angry to know or care--emerged onto the housing level on Section one. She made her way over to room 8--it was 8, wasn't it?--and knocked.

And she stood there, waiting, her long hair tied back and weighted down with perspiration, her face wilted, makeup running slightly.

She did everything she was supposed to do. She'd evacuated more people than this before. So why did she feel so tired?

[the_one_samurai]

Jack answered the door immediately. The girl looked worn out, but it was the kind of wear he had seen before: it was purposeful, needed. In a way, Jack honestly respected the girl a lot more for doing this. He had done this himself many times, and that there was somebody else doing it made him feel a bit better about the people here.

"Come in please. You look quite tired. I will give you a towel, and I have tea cooking now. This may sound...displeasing to you, but where I am from it is quite unhappy to have a woman so worn out in these circumstances. You must have the heart of a true warrior in you."

[bellatrixshadow]

"Thanks," Charlie answered, making a little face. "I was in too much of a hurry to see how bad the flood was and I almost got swept away," she noted.

But then she made a face at his comment, unsure of how to respond. Address why it's so bad for a woman, or thank him for the warrior comment? she just gave a nasal "hrmph," somewhere between gratitude and indignation.

[the_one_samurai]

"It could happen to anyone," Jack replied. "I could see how it might make you flustered."

At the look on her face, Jack stopped, and bowed low. "I apologize. I did not mean to say something to show you disrespect. In my world it was not often that women were warriors, but that did not mean they were weak. It was...my mother that led me out to our kingdom the day the demon took my father, and also presented me with the sword. I cannot imagine what went through her mind, when she gave up her son to be raised by strangers who would train him and push him to his limits every day. In the future I met many strong women warriors as well. In truth, it is not the gender of the warrior that matters, but their strength and sense of righteousness."

[bellatrixshadow]

Charlie smiled at that. "Sorry. I'm just used to it like always being about gender. Even the people who said they were behind me never believed in me, because I was a woman." Charlie sighs, looking down. "So every time it even comes up, I aways just think..." She frowned. "I always just think it's that."

But then she paused for a moment, looking away, thinking. After a moment, she looked at Jack with sad eyes, feeling bad now for her senstiivity. "I wish I had a mother like yours." Charlie scoffed. "My mother wanted me to be an accountant or something. A perfect little doll. Or like one of those robot toys that follows your commands and looks cute."

[the_one_samurai]

"I see. In that case, I should be more careful before I speak. You must forgive me. While I have traveled around the world, I never stayed in one place very long. At times I do lack certain social manners many other people know by now. In truth, until arriving here, I was also not known to talk very much."

Jack looked down. "She loved me. My father did as well. Unfortunately, I have not seen either of them in a very long time. The last time I saw my mother she presented me with the instrument to slay the oppressor of my lands. The last time I saw my father...well...he was in chains. That was a very long time ago, and I never saw them afterward again. The demon cast me into the far future."

[bellatrixshadow]

Charlie frowned. "I'm... sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to bring up anything like that." She sighed. "At least you saw your father. Mine ran off." She walked over to him... and attempted to gently lay a hand on his shoulder.

[the_one_samurai]

Jack looked over at the older woman. "It was a long time ago. When I was thrust into the future, my new goal was to help others escape the tyranny of that wretched demon. In order to be a good Samurai, one cannot wallow in the affairs that cannot be changed. And in truth, I saw them one last time, at a time where I was at my weakest. They gave me great inner strength, and I was able to overcome that which plagued me."

Jack looked stern at the mention of what her father had done. "I cannot understand why a father would leave his children. He is denying a part of himself, and is unable to see what a fine, strong woman you have become."

[bellatrixshadow]

Charlie smiles, sadly. "I wish I could be that strong. I still don't know how to feel about losing my C.O." She shook her head. "He was a jerk, but like..." Charlie looked down. "He was the closest thing to a father I ever had."

But then she smiles wider. "I know he'd be proud of me. So it doesn't matter what my real father would think."

[the_one_samurai]

"I see," Jack said. He didn't know what a C.O. was, but he had the feeling that it was someone who helped Charlie become stronger as a warrior. Someone like that would certainly be a great loss to her. Certainly a father should be one to instruct their child in combat, but if that were not possible, Jack could understand that it would be taught by someone else.

"In my world, we have great respect for our parents and they us. But I have seen families such as yours where that kind of devotion to each other is no longer practiced. It is a very sad thing to see."

Jack got up, hearing the kettle perking. He stopped, turned, and handed Charlie a towel. "I come you were not met with difficulties coming here."

[bellatrixshadow]

"My parents just wanted me to get a nice cushy job, send all the money I made to them so they could buy stupid things, and have kids," Charlie snarled, fidgeting. "They didn't care what I wanted to do.

But then she took the towel. "Thanks," she grunted, starting to dry herself off. "No problems I didn't get myself into. It all went pretty smoothly, considering."

[the_one_samurai]

Samurai Jack sighed. "No one is perfect, but I do not understand why people need to only be motivated by actions of greed and material things. I may not be the best person to balk at such things as I was the Emperor's son, but even still, I have gone throughout many of my travels motivated only by the defeat of evil. In those kinds of situations, such luxuries are of little importance."

"I am glad to hear that. I am not very prone to leaving this section much. I only learned about the flooding when you mentioned it. Normally I would have felt something wrong immediately. I must not be lazy in my senses again."

[bellatrixshadow]

Charlie toweled herself off, thinking about Jack's words. She couldn't help but be surprised that at least two of the people who'd expressed interest in her here were royalty--An Emperor, and apparently a Prince. Had they noticed her military prowess, and taken interest out of commonality?

"They're unambitious," she concluded. "People like my family don't have any dreams or goals of their own, they just want the pleasure of owning things, and the status of having expensive things over their neighbors."

She started to wipe her makeup off with the towel. It was running now, and Jack had already seen her without it, after all. "As for the flood, Cobweb said the flood wouldn't come up this high, and I managed to warn everyone downstairs, I think." Except Balbero, but she hadn't wanted to.

[the_one_samurai]

Jack looked thoughtful. "If they intend to take from what you collect for yourself, it isn't that they are unambitious, they have simply decided that you will fulfill their wants. A person who is truly unambitious will not live very long: they will waste away out of their own boredom, or likely be destroyed by another. I do not mean to paste judgment, but where I am from, a child honors his mother and father. There is nothing so disgraceful as when that honor is broken: either because of the child, or because of the parents. There is much they can teach each other."

Jack looked at her curiously. There seemed to be substance coming from her face...face paint perhaps? Strange, she did not seem to be in a battle of any sort. "Cobweb. I believe I talked to this person once. I hope he...er, she? is OK."

[bellatrixshadow]

Charlie frowned. "That's not how it works in my culture. The parents take care of the kids when they're young, but then the kids take care of the parents when they're old. But my father ran off when I was a baby, and my mother was more interested in having nice useless things for herself than paying attention to my feelings." She scoffed, turning her nose up. "If I ever had kids--which I won't--I won't be like that."

Then she wiped the last of the makeup away. Her eyes looked a little smaller without the black drawn around them, but not much. "Cobweb.. is not okay, but he'll be okay with time and a lot of patience, I think." Charlie snarled. "I can't believe the way people treated him! It's outrageous. God, I hate people."

[the_one_samurai]

Jack nodded. "We do something similar in my country. Old people are quite revered for their wisdom, and their children care for them in their difficult age. However, as in your culture, there will always be those that deviate from such a structure, from one reason or another. If you do not want to have children, I do not think anyone would blame you. To be honest...I have never thought I would ever be with anyone long enough for such a thing. My life has been devoted to one purpose alone, to be a protector of justice."

Jack look quizzical. "He is not well? How do these people you speak of treat him? Have they treated him discourteously?"