Chapter 11 - Wolf in the Lion's den part 3
Jiro is in his bedroom, sitting up in his bed shirtless and covered in bandages around his arms and torso. He clutches a bag of ice to his crotch while staring into the abyss in front of him. Ama sits beside him with a towel on her lap underneath a bowl of water. She holds another, smaller rag in her hand which she debs gently in the bowl. With the damp bit of cloth, she leans forward and gently presses it against Jiro's forehead. On the instant of it pressing against bruised skin, he twitches and lets out a sharp grunt from the pain. Ama looks at him unimpressed, "Oh, stop being such a baby," she remarks, "I'm pretty sure a damp rag on the head doesn't hurt as much as the same head being put through a wall." Ama continues to gently dab against her son's head, each time Jiro twitches less. "Upside...," Jiro begins to speak, "You were thinking of remodeling the dining room." He turns to his mother with a cheeky grin, she returns it with the same unimpressed stare, "Yeah. I could have a painting commissioned of a lion getting beaten by a wolf, and hang it in the spot you went through." Jiro turns away, still smiling, "Harsh."
While looking away, Jiro takes in the situation, "Y'know, you're taking this better than expected." Ama dabs the rag on other bruised areas of Jiro's arm, "Don't think I'm going to enjoy healing my son's boo-boos. That's the sort of thing we stop doing when they stop getting involved in playground fights," she cleans the rag in the bowl, before putting the bowl and towel on the floor, "But, I am happy you didn't break a bone or worse."
At that moment, there was a knock at the door. "Yes?" Ama answered. Haru steps into the room briefly. "Ma'am, the walls in the dining room have been fixed as per instructed, and the painter has been arranged for tomorrow morning." Jiro looks impressed, while Ama is unphased, "Thank you, Haru. That will be all." He leaves the room, passing Akemi as she enters. "How's our patient?" She asks in her deadpan tone, "Will he make it?" Ama shakes her head, "I think we'll have to pull the plug." Jiro just throws his arms up, "Okay I get iiiit", he puts them back down as the pain in his arm returns. "Oh stop being a baby. At least you didn't walk away limping," Akemi remarks.
She walks over to the bed, "I put the canon under a retuning program. I think that should solve the kickback issue you were facing in your fight." She sits down delicately on the edge of the bed, "I also have another pick of equipment in the works to help you against stronger Fallen like the bear, or maybe against James's Kamen Rider Fang." Jiro sits up a little more, pressing his back against the headboard, "I'll need it." Ama just looks at her son in disbelief, "You just got out of one fight, and now you want to get ready for another?" Jiro smiles, not needing to face her, "Of course. It's who I am now, as a Kamen Rider."
Before the silence could fill the air, Jiro speaks up, "So," with the eagerness of a child he asks, "What's the equipment? Another sword, an axe? A gun? All three in one?" Akemi shakes her head, "No, boy. At the moment I have begun the restoration for a new idol." Jiro nods his head, "Ah right." The sudden realization dawned on him, "Wait, what? You have more idols?" Akemi nods, "Yes. While I was going through storage, I found a couple gathering in dust. Three of them in total, but one was empty, so I believe it was unfinished." Jiro's excitement raises, "So, what are the other two?" Akemi shrugs as she stands up, "I don't know. They were blacked out and dusty, so I couldn't tell. Although, the one being restored at the moment started to glow green." She dusts her skirt, "I should get back to check on it. I want it to be calibrated with the driver before I begin to restore the other." Ama stands up, grabbing the bowl, "I should go too. Give you time to rest." The two women leave Jiro to his thoughts. He lays down on top of his bed, "Two new idols. This is going to be awesome."
[Ring Out Bar]
James sits on his stool at the end of the counter in Lee's bar. His dead arm hangs in a sling around his neck, while in his other hand he nurses a glass of water with ice. Lee stands behind the bar drying a glass of his own, "Boy, you sure are lucky I know basic first aid." James's face is battered, with plasters and bruising around his cheeks and lip. "I was overconfident. That's all. I expected him to be as weak as he was when fighting that bear. But no," James looks at his reflection in his glass, "As much as I hate to say it, we are too close in strength. I need to get stronger to show my worth." Lee shakes his head, putting down the glass he was wiping to grab another, "I'd say they already know your worth, givin' you that and all." Lee gestures to the pager resting beside James on the counter. "It was my aunt. She thinks I can help him grow, and that would benefit me."
"Based on what you told me happened, I'd say you might have won if not for him getting that canon mid-fight. Real fights don't allow help from the audience." Lee puts down the last glass and reaches into his apron. "If I had more power, it wouldn't have mattered if he got help or not." James takes a sip from his water. He twitches from the cold sensation on his cut lip. He puts the glass down as he watches Lee pull something from his apron. "Maybe you could have done with this." Lee brandishes a light grey idol in front of James. He reaches into his pocket to check if he still had his. He pulls out his wolf idol. "Where did you get that?" Lee flashes it briefly at James, he was unable to notice the motif of the idol, "It arrived in the post this morning after you left. I think it was sent by our mutual friend." James tries to reach for it, almost climbing over the counter, but Lee pulls it out of reach. "Uh uh uh, as your coach, I get final say over any power-ups and weapons you can use." He puts the idol back into his apron, "Once you're healed, and you've shown me some restraint and progress, then we'll see."
"Come on. I need it to claim my birthrig.." James tries to protest but is shot down, "Any more lip like that, and you won't be getting any of my curry tonight." James sits back down, "Low blow, you know I love your curry." Lee gives a hearty laugh, "Be patient, boy. Wait until your arm is good enough again, you might have to take the rider thing slowly for a while." James leans against the counter, "...yeah." He takes an ice cube out of the glass with his tongue and starts chewing on it. Lee shakes his head, watching his bouncer act like a dog, "You need help." The two give a small laugh before James lays his head down on the counter to relax. Lee passes him by the counter and pats his head before closing up the bar.
End of episode 4
