Chapter 6 – Searching
1 "Pickles…? What kinda dumbass you think I am?" Elroy
Zidane sat out on the balcony of his room, staring into the beautiful newly renovated city that was Alexandria. He looked up to see a flock of seagulls flying in V form.
Flying…in a pact…as a team, together…we're losing it, birds are dropping off one by one. We are slowly breaking what used to be the strong links in the chain of hope.
Zidane wondered about Steiner, and what Steiner had said to him.
"Ok…yes I plan on leaving, but I have no reason to be here, my job is done!"
No reason to be here…? What?! God I'm confused…
***
"Noble Quincy…that sounds a bit extreme, it could certainly cause a stir to the public."
"Yes of course…but maybe the public needs a new thought in their stupid little minds."
Noble Calloway had worked with his good friend and colleague Quincy for more than 20 years, going through the best and worst of times. But never in his years with Quincy had he heard him even utter the word "Stupid." Quincy was a classy articulate fellow who always treated others with respect and always considered others around him before himself.
Quincy was a tall man, 55 years old, he represented authority wherever he walked, he had a dark goatee, blue eyes…a lazy eye in his left. Dark brown cloak everywhere he went, you don't know if he washed it or he had an entire wardrobe. Always wore slippers, and had the driest sense of humor you could imagine. His mind was full of wisdom and knowledge, probably read every book ever made…it was incredible. He was highly respected throughout the world.
But something didn't seem right, Quincy's eyes had a cloudy tone to them as if not his own. His voice was the same but radiated more of a harsh and evil vibe.
Noble Calloway decided to put his thoughts on hold and give Quincy another day to cool down, just in case he was having a bad day…but up to this point Quincy had never lost control like this.
***
Zidane needed some time to calm down and think. His favorite "chill" spot was of course the bar down into town.
"The usual?" the bartender asked nonchalantly.
"You got it"
"So what seems to be keepin' you down man?" the bartender asked.
The bartender…for some reason you could always tell him everything and know that it won't leave the bar
"Nothin really, just a little confused, kinda frustrated…that sorta thing." Zidane mumbled staring down at his glass.
"So you gave Captain Steiner the old boot huh?"
What the hell is he talking about?
"What the hell are you talking about?" Zidane said looking surprised.
"Heard you kicked the tin man out." The bartender replied.
"And where did you hear this?" Zidane asked squinting at the bartender.
Zidane was quite good at getting information out of people…that was basically his job before king, his mental and verbal abuse was no match for bullshit.
"I have my sources." Replied the bartender scrubbing at his table slightly faster than before.
"No shit you have sources…you don't just tell me some crap that isn't true, and not tell me who spread it."
Zidane wasn't yelling, he was in raging control of himself. The bartender knew if he pulled another comment out of his ass like the one before, he wouldn't serve another drink in this city.
Zidane was swearing more than usual today, he was grumpier than usual too.
"I don't remem—"
"Mick…" Zidane was looking him straight in the eye.
Whenever Zidane called him by his first name, he knew Zidane was being sincere and whatever he needed to know was of utmost importance.
"Quincy…it was Quincy" Mick stated, looking at his feet.
Zidane had a look of confusion on his face, he squinted his eyes and bit his lip, wondering to himself why such a high class Noble would do such a thing.
"…Quincy?" Zidane said in a tone close to a whisper.
"Actually Quincy's name has come up in many rumors around here…if in fact they ARE rumors…ok so Queen Garnett gets called down to the Round Table…"
***
The landscape was beautiful. The boat ride to Esto Gaza was long, but it sure did have its positives. Beatrix looked from the ledge of the ship and watched the sunset. The sun glistened the ice water below her, the small glaciers in the distance rippled as the boat slowly moved between what was ice around them. The waters of the north were very complicated. Maneuvering a boat through this area was incredibly hard to master, only ones with years and years of experience and practice could navigate through an area where there is no such margin for error.
The captain's name was Elroy Sanks. Kind of ironic to have such a name but he has navigated this area for more than 4 decades. He was a short and stalky black man, but was very built and chiseled. He turned the wheel with grace and confidence as every turn was millimeters away from the jagged ice that would pierce the boat, putting it off course or submerging it all together. He always wore a plaid button down shirt with a baggy pair of cargo pants. His hat was both circular and triangular at the same time, almost looked like that of a rice farmer. Elroy loved to talk, his mouth was always moving and cussing and making smartass comments. His 47 near death experiences are the most of any human being…taking count. He has a ticker next to his beloved wheel and ever so often he would nearly be killed, but survived…he just pressed ticker once more and moved on. Elroy is definitely somebody you wanted on your side.
Beatrix spotted the beach where they were going to land and started gathering all of her belongings.
"All on board listen up! Don't leave any of yo shit on my lady…unless its good shit…nah I'm just kiddin yall, but remember ta always pick Elroy's Trippins for your vacation needs." Elroy shouted.
Elroy spoke with lots of passion and heart, he didn't care what he says or how he says it, as long as he gets his point across. He spoke incredibly fast and you couldn't understand what he was saying unless you saw him daily. It needs time to get used to.
"Okay everybody we've arrived at Port Gaza, when you stop by my pappy's restaurant remember ta try da fried garuda, its killa."
Beatrix walked down the aisle and saw Elroy smiling big and wide with his golden teeth. She was quite disgusted and brushed past him almost giving him an elbow to the face.
The walk to Esto Gaza used to be long and treacherous, fights occurring everywhere you walked. But now they have a massive walkway so that people who can't defend themselves could get to Esto Gaza without a scratch. Every 100 feet there was a vendor selling something for very cheap, so you couldn't get hungry or thirsty without buying something along the way. Beatrix walked at a swift pace, knowing that the faster she went, the faster she would reach her goal.
***
"Pickles…? What kinda dumbass you think I am?" Elroy was getting a bit agitated.
"Yes they are very nutritious and provide much energy to complete your day." Steiner said in almost a pathetic sounding vendors voice.
"Well is it gonna provide me with the stamina in bed? Will it maximize my performance in da sack?"
Elroy obviously wasn't married.
"I…guess it will sir, your stamina and awareness will also be boosted." Steiner was B.S.ing between his teeth.
"Well in dat case…I'll take 2 of em, but if they don't work like I hope they will, you gonna hear 2 sounds, me hittin you and…ok maybe only one sound, but the second will be me diggin through yo pockets and takin back ma dough."
Steiner was relieved and put 2 in a bag handing it to Elroy.
"Good lord, this smells like shit!" Elroy covered his nose and mouth with his hand and spoke with a muffled voice.
"Yes the smell you are experiencing is the nutritious vitamins and minerals interacting to form the energy and stamina catalyst that is."
Steiner could not believe Elroy was buying his trick.
"right…I don't know what the hell that just meant, but I'm tryin it lata before I puke on myself."
Steiner had just earned himself a ride to Esto Gaza.
1 "Pickles…? What kinda dumbass you think I am?" Elroy
Zidane sat out on the balcony of his room, staring into the beautiful newly renovated city that was Alexandria. He looked up to see a flock of seagulls flying in V form.
Flying…in a pact…as a team, together…we're losing it, birds are dropping off one by one. We are slowly breaking what used to be the strong links in the chain of hope.
Zidane wondered about Steiner, and what Steiner had said to him.
"Ok…yes I plan on leaving, but I have no reason to be here, my job is done!"
No reason to be here…? What?! God I'm confused…
***
"Noble Quincy…that sounds a bit extreme, it could certainly cause a stir to the public."
"Yes of course…but maybe the public needs a new thought in their stupid little minds."
Noble Calloway had worked with his good friend and colleague Quincy for more than 20 years, going through the best and worst of times. But never in his years with Quincy had he heard him even utter the word "Stupid." Quincy was a classy articulate fellow who always treated others with respect and always considered others around him before himself.
Quincy was a tall man, 55 years old, he represented authority wherever he walked, he had a dark goatee, blue eyes…a lazy eye in his left. Dark brown cloak everywhere he went, you don't know if he washed it or he had an entire wardrobe. Always wore slippers, and had the driest sense of humor you could imagine. His mind was full of wisdom and knowledge, probably read every book ever made…it was incredible. He was highly respected throughout the world.
But something didn't seem right, Quincy's eyes had a cloudy tone to them as if not his own. His voice was the same but radiated more of a harsh and evil vibe.
Noble Calloway decided to put his thoughts on hold and give Quincy another day to cool down, just in case he was having a bad day…but up to this point Quincy had never lost control like this.
***
Zidane needed some time to calm down and think. His favorite "chill" spot was of course the bar down into town.
"The usual?" the bartender asked nonchalantly.
"You got it"
"So what seems to be keepin' you down man?" the bartender asked.
The bartender…for some reason you could always tell him everything and know that it won't leave the bar
"Nothin really, just a little confused, kinda frustrated…that sorta thing." Zidane mumbled staring down at his glass.
"So you gave Captain Steiner the old boot huh?"
What the hell is he talking about?
"What the hell are you talking about?" Zidane said looking surprised.
"Heard you kicked the tin man out." The bartender replied.
"And where did you hear this?" Zidane asked squinting at the bartender.
Zidane was quite good at getting information out of people…that was basically his job before king, his mental and verbal abuse was no match for bullshit.
"I have my sources." Replied the bartender scrubbing at his table slightly faster than before.
"No shit you have sources…you don't just tell me some crap that isn't true, and not tell me who spread it."
Zidane wasn't yelling, he was in raging control of himself. The bartender knew if he pulled another comment out of his ass like the one before, he wouldn't serve another drink in this city.
Zidane was swearing more than usual today, he was grumpier than usual too.
"I don't remem—"
"Mick…" Zidane was looking him straight in the eye.
Whenever Zidane called him by his first name, he knew Zidane was being sincere and whatever he needed to know was of utmost importance.
"Quincy…it was Quincy" Mick stated, looking at his feet.
Zidane had a look of confusion on his face, he squinted his eyes and bit his lip, wondering to himself why such a high class Noble would do such a thing.
"…Quincy?" Zidane said in a tone close to a whisper.
"Actually Quincy's name has come up in many rumors around here…if in fact they ARE rumors…ok so Queen Garnett gets called down to the Round Table…"
***
The landscape was beautiful. The boat ride to Esto Gaza was long, but it sure did have its positives. Beatrix looked from the ledge of the ship and watched the sunset. The sun glistened the ice water below her, the small glaciers in the distance rippled as the boat slowly moved between what was ice around them. The waters of the north were very complicated. Maneuvering a boat through this area was incredibly hard to master, only ones with years and years of experience and practice could navigate through an area where there is no such margin for error.
The captain's name was Elroy Sanks. Kind of ironic to have such a name but he has navigated this area for more than 4 decades. He was a short and stalky black man, but was very built and chiseled. He turned the wheel with grace and confidence as every turn was millimeters away from the jagged ice that would pierce the boat, putting it off course or submerging it all together. He always wore a plaid button down shirt with a baggy pair of cargo pants. His hat was both circular and triangular at the same time, almost looked like that of a rice farmer. Elroy loved to talk, his mouth was always moving and cussing and making smartass comments. His 47 near death experiences are the most of any human being…taking count. He has a ticker next to his beloved wheel and ever so often he would nearly be killed, but survived…he just pressed ticker once more and moved on. Elroy is definitely somebody you wanted on your side.
Beatrix spotted the beach where they were going to land and started gathering all of her belongings.
"All on board listen up! Don't leave any of yo shit on my lady…unless its good shit…nah I'm just kiddin yall, but remember ta always pick Elroy's Trippins for your vacation needs." Elroy shouted.
Elroy spoke with lots of passion and heart, he didn't care what he says or how he says it, as long as he gets his point across. He spoke incredibly fast and you couldn't understand what he was saying unless you saw him daily. It needs time to get used to.
"Okay everybody we've arrived at Port Gaza, when you stop by my pappy's restaurant remember ta try da fried garuda, its killa."
Beatrix walked down the aisle and saw Elroy smiling big and wide with his golden teeth. She was quite disgusted and brushed past him almost giving him an elbow to the face.
The walk to Esto Gaza used to be long and treacherous, fights occurring everywhere you walked. But now they have a massive walkway so that people who can't defend themselves could get to Esto Gaza without a scratch. Every 100 feet there was a vendor selling something for very cheap, so you couldn't get hungry or thirsty without buying something along the way. Beatrix walked at a swift pace, knowing that the faster she went, the faster she would reach her goal.
***
"Pickles…? What kinda dumbass you think I am?" Elroy was getting a bit agitated.
"Yes they are very nutritious and provide much energy to complete your day." Steiner said in almost a pathetic sounding vendors voice.
"Well is it gonna provide me with the stamina in bed? Will it maximize my performance in da sack?"
Elroy obviously wasn't married.
"I…guess it will sir, your stamina and awareness will also be boosted." Steiner was B.S.ing between his teeth.
"Well in dat case…I'll take 2 of em, but if they don't work like I hope they will, you gonna hear 2 sounds, me hittin you and…ok maybe only one sound, but the second will be me diggin through yo pockets and takin back ma dough."
Steiner was relieved and put 2 in a bag handing it to Elroy.
"Good lord, this smells like shit!" Elroy covered his nose and mouth with his hand and spoke with a muffled voice.
"Yes the smell you are experiencing is the nutritious vitamins and minerals interacting to form the energy and stamina catalyst that is."
Steiner could not believe Elroy was buying his trick.
"right…I don't know what the hell that just meant, but I'm tryin it lata before I puke on myself."
Steiner had just earned himself a ride to Esto Gaza.