Baccano!: Bedlam's Sojourn

Days Pass, Restlessness Sets In, And Strangers Mingle

September 27th, 1937

Days since the start of the momentous voyage, the journey was, presently, proving to be rather uneventful. Passengers reclined in their seats, talked amongst themselves, or congregated by the bar, with Hickory taking it upon himself to regale customers with personal tales and engage in relatively idle chatter with his patrons.

And, as this was taking place, in the rearmost section of the first passenger deck, fevered whispers were being exchanged amongst a group of individuals clothed in immaculate, pristine white garments. This band of ruffians, comprised of several common and petty but experienced criminals, had recently been united under the leadership of one fiery redhead by the name of Yasha Bellini Russo, a woman of mixed Russian and Japanese descent who had previously been affiliated with the now infamous Ladd Russo, becoming a devoted follower of the man and a part of his criminal 'family'. Having heard of Ladd's incarceration after the events on board the Flying Pussyfoot, and after, appropriately, becoming vengeful, she had taken it upon herself to assemble a band of followers, in order to exact revenge through a grand act of violence- namely, what she intended to do aboard the Fair Lady. After all, knowing that the momentous maiden voyage of the vessel would be breaking news and subsequently covered worldwide, what would be better than disrupting the flight and causing chaos?

Her followers agreed to her proposal, and the aforementioned chain of events led to where they were at present, and, after the days that passed since the airship had departed from New York, the group had quickly grown restless. The group was now anxious to begin their plan, trading rapid-fire banter in hushed voices, with the exception of the leader, a stern-faced, red-headed woman, sitting cross-legged with a rectangular case propped up against her seat. She sat in silence as her companions continued their discussion, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed, her expression contemplative, until an accomplice sitting near her, a large, brutish man in a fedora who had the appearance of a typical 'tough', leaned forwards and inquired, somewhat hesitantly:

"Guys in the back are getting nervous, boss...you reckon we should start now?"

"And risk the plan falling apart because their nerves are frayed?", the redhead shot back, mildly irritated. "I've heard them. They eschewing patience because they're too eager to go off on their own accord. Have them calm down, Puce," she said, addressing her colleague, "and at least attempt to make them repress the urge to act pre-emptively." The tough nodded in response, and, after a brief flurry of further frantic whispers, the hubbub died down, with a handful of the woman's cohorts exchanging worried glances before leaning backwards into their seats, with a handful still murmuring.

Yasha herself narrowed her gaze further, as, with determination fuelling her, she vowed, as she had before, to fulfil her duty, for both her sake and that of the man she swore unflinching loyalty to.

"Soon," she thought, "after they simmer down, we'll begin...and then we'll set about freeing you...

Balling her hand into a fist, she muttered her last thought aloud, in a barely audible whisper.

"Ladd..."

Kyoko found herself at an impasse.

For quite some time, she had been in the company of the diminutive, bespectacled German, and, as a result, had been privy to several of his sordid tales, discovering, in the process, that the man was enamoured of warfare and rampant destruction, and all things related to them. Not wanting to show that she was profoundly disturbed by his ramblings, she decided to appease him by conversing with him as he attempted to entertain her with his stories.

Currently, during a period of awkward silence, that was a decision she was beginning to regret, as she took advantage of the stillness to contemplate her current position.

"What the hell have I decided to get myself into?", she thought, lamenting over the compromising position she found herself in. "I've no choice but to continue to listen to his absurd stories...I was aware that something about him was troublesome, but I didn't imagine he'd be this depraved, or this-"

Her train of thought was abruptly disrupted when she noticed Max staring at her, looking inquisitive. Kyoko responded by glaring back, and asking, stuttering, after a moment, "W-What? You have another story you want to tell me?"

The man grinned in response and raised his hands, slightly, in an apologetic gesture. "My apologies for having angered you...and, no, not yet, though I'm certain I can regale you with another tale of mine whenever the need arises." He then leaned sideways, still focusing on her intently. "That aside, you seemed deep in thought, yet again", he mused, intrigued. "Care to enlighten me as to what those thoughts were?"

The girl's reply was somewhat bitter, with the girl herself being mildly agitated by the query. "Primarily regarding how much of a war junkie you are..."

For a brief instant, the German appeared perplexed, puzzled by the girl's description of him. "Pardon?"

"Didn't you hear me? War jun-kie", she repeated, putting emphasis on what she deemed to be her nickname for the man. "You've rambled on about your love of war, and you've made it abundantly clear you adore the mere idea of it in every way imaginable...what better name is there for you?"

Max smirked. "I do admit that your moniker is remarkably accurate. But I assure you, my 'ramblings' are not devoid of purpose! With me attempting to entertain you aside- and you yourself can't deny that you were, perhaps, slightly intrigued- they are related, tangentially, to what a future job of mine entails."

"What 'job' might that be?"

"I am under strict orders from a higher authority that forbid me from revealing much about it, I'm afraid," he replied, as if he intended to tease the girl with his response. "What I can reveal, however", he stated, "is that it's a position in the military."

"Naturally", Kyoko quipped, dryly, anticipating such a statement.

"Though, that does lead me to wonder...what reason do you have for being here?"

"You ask me now?"

The man's smirk simply widened in response."My apologies, again, for immersing myself in my little yarns, and for, practically, not permitting you to speak because of that, but do tell- why are you here?"

"Since you're so eager to know," she replied, folding her arms, "I was sent here by my parents, after they insisted that I travel overseas, so that I alone, at least, could live a decent life. A typical tragic story, in ways."

"I take it, then," Max chimed, "that your parents were unfortunate victims of the depression that still continues to plague the States?"

He was answered with a simple nod, which, in turn, was met with a chuckle on the German's part. Max, now amused, stated, "You appear to be awfully indifferent to the aid they've given you, don't you?"

"Chalk that up to me being a cynic. Their reasons for sending me here are clearly understandable, but I'm not of the belief that life overseas will be any better, having experienced squalor and harsh living conditions beforehand."

Max hummed, intrigued. "Your apathy has been made clear...but what do you feel towards your parents, despite that?"

The girl arched an eyebrow, and asked, somewhat irritated by the question Max posed, "Do you enjoy being nosy?"

"I am merely enthralled by your attitude towards your current situation, and towards the wishes of your parents. You seem rather dismissive of their desire for you to live free from the troubles that they are affected by. That being said, what do you think of your parents themselves?"

"...The same applies to them, as well, really", she responded, flatly. "They're also understandable, and I'm aware that they're doing what they deem to be what's 'best' for me, but I believe that they're just hurling their daughter across the globe without considering the consequences that may befall her. Europe's suffered just as much, you know?"

"I do concur," Max replied, adjusting his spectacles, "but surely, nevertheless, they acted in their best interests, yes? Even if there might have been an apparent lack of foresight...they still did it out of love for their daughter, correct?", he said, grinning, again, as he often did.

A brief, uncomfortable pause followed. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, it's natural for parents to love their children, is it not? Therefore, seeing as they acted out of love to ensure your well-being, do you not love them in return?"

"...I suppose. But I'm more surprised by you engaging in a conversation like this, considering what you are."

"I am entirely capable of talking about subjects other than war, Fraulein!", he declared, almost proudly. "Although, by my own admission, what I say might be flawed, as I've never really been saddled with the burden of parental issues..."

This elicited a snort from Kyoko, and a short, sharp bark of laughter, as she retorted, snidely, "I suppose you eventually scared them off with your habits and behaviour?"

The question was answered by a chuckle, and by Max widening his grin slightly as he spoke. "Well, my eccentricity aside, I could never really interact much with my parents, for, at a young age, I had change thrust upon me. For that, I am almost envious of you, Fraulein."

Kyoko looked momentarily confused. "Why is that?"

"Well, you're still young! You, unchanged, can still be considered 'pure', and 'normal' in many ways..."

His wide-eyed gaze then narrowed into an intense stare, his eyes boring into hers.

"But, perhaps, you, too, will be changed. As you have discerned, I am not 'normal'- but change is an inevitability."

A smirk.

"It has an effect on us all, Fraulein."

In the pilothouse of the airborne beast, manning the controls was the man who was chosen for the prestigious position of the airship's captain, a man by the name of Marcus Watt. The captain, a young yet eager individual, was all too ready to attempt to prove himself worthy of his position on this voyage, and he beamed as he gazed out of the pilothouse's windows, as the titanic airship lazily drifted through the air.

"Has our course been set, captain?"

A question from his co-pilot, a novice, with this being his first flight, caught his attention.

"Naturally. And, without any adverse weather or interruptions of any kind, we should get to France with little trouble...we can only hope for the best, can't we?"

The co-pilot nodded, before remarking, "You're quite into this, aren't you, sir?"

"Why wouldn't I be? To command this ship on its maiden voyage is an honour. Though," he continued, "as you know, we can't afford laziness here. Vigilance is key during flights like this", he stated, pointedly, turned back, once again gazing out of the windows, admiring the view.

"One must always be cautious, after all..."

Well, here it is. After another six months. I do hope at least some of you are still with me.

I will attempt, in future, to release chapters at a quicker pace...but really, I suppose you're all expecting me to be slow by this point. As for the chapter, I admit that I believe it's flawed, and maybe even somewhat awkwardly put together...but I'll leave that up to you to decide.

I'm still alive, that's what counts.