voice: un; CAPTAIN

[nishishi]

[The feed is going to start up easier than it did last time. Looks like someone's actually learning how to use his communicator--how about that.

Either way, the face that Luffy's making this time around is a little bit unreadable. A smile is on his face, but somehow, if you're someone used to the sort of expression this man usually makes--it's clear that there's something not quite right with it.

Even if the tone that lights up the speakers is a bright one.]

Everyone been having fun yet? It's been messy, right? I hope no-one got too hurt when it came to the big ugly swamp monster. [After all, he'd gotten quite beaten up by it. Look at the bandages and scrapes on his hands and face.]

Even if you did, there's lots'a people here to fix you up, Like Torao. But anyway.

Have any of you seen Ace? My brother. He's always flying ahead of me when we go on adventures together, and he did it again this time around. So I think he got lost.

I'm sure we'll find him when the mission's over, but you know!!
It's not fair, I wanted to be the one who got ahead this time.

[He's so steeped in denial, it might hurt to hear. Sorry.]

Comments

audio; UN: marine01

[soru]

Not since we hit the forest.

[ this... doesn't really bode well. hell, ace's existence in oska didn't bode well. if the previously-dead were to up and disappear, what did that mean? was it expected?

was he really gone, or just on the lam? ]

Have you tried contacting him directly? If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure you can do that with these things. Like baby den-den mushi.

audio; un: okami

[whatshimadayou]

...Captain.

[He immediately knows that it's very possible that Ace is gone. For good. It seems that these people are cruel about reuniting family before ripping them apart, thus far.]

If I see him, I will let you know.

voice;

[historiology]

I haven't seen him probably since you last did. But if I do, I'll let you know.

[It's...too soon to just assume he went home like Edna and Dezel, right? Sorey still wants to try and help if he can.]

TEXT. UN: LOKI

[selfimage]

Got pix??

[ he just wants pics. ]

1/2

[nishishi]

[??????]

[nishishi]

[?????]

[Enjoy getting THIS over text, Loki.]

[selfimage]

[ oh, good. it's his favorite. ]

Huh.
Your brother's a hottie.

[nishishi]

yea hes made out of fire

[selfimage]

Ah-
Sounds like he'd be great at a BBQ.
Did you check any of those?

text | un: Sasaki

[ex_adept136]

I'll let you know if I spot anyone matching your picture.

How long has it been since you last saw him?

text | un: drdeath

[kikoku]

[This text comes a while later, after all the arguments and repeated denials that "Ace can't be gone!" Law isn't about to help with that. Arguing with Luffy isn't fun, stubborn as he is, and he can only think about the broken man he rescued in Marineford when he considers it.]

Are you by yourself right now?

[nishishi]

[Not since we hit the forest. Yeah, that seemed about right, even with Ace dancing ahead.

He pulls in his bottom lip a little, but keeps his expression cheerful.]

Directly?

No, Iunno how to do that. [Honestly, he doesn't.]

[nishishi]

Ace can get pretty competitive, so I think he just wants to get there to prove he's still better than me.

['We're two years older than you, we'll always win!', the echoed words of his brothers Ace and Sabo ring in his ears. Ha...]

Thanks, Hanzo.

[soru]

I can show you how, if you'd like. [ though tbh he only has a vaguely inkling as to how.

it's experiment time. ]

[nishishi]

[Way too early. As in, even if you tried to tell him, he'd heap on denial until he hangs up on you, probably.]

Thanks, Sorey!

He's a pretty hard guy to miss. You've got a good set of eyes!

[nishishi]

Yeah, alright! Show me! [He needs to contact Ace.
He needs to know he's okay.

He promised.]

[nishishi]

iunno probably not
Ace got a bad habit of falling asleep in his food
so bbq is a bad idea
even if its delicious

[nishishi]

hes got freckles an a tattoo on his back 2

so hes hard 2 miss

and i last saw him running across the chasm with his squidge

[nishishi]

[Probably the shortest text Law will ever receive from the rubbery-bodied captain here, honestly. And while there's still no punctuation or proper capitalization, it's still a pretty clear tell.]

yeah

text --> action

[kikoku]

[YEAH that's honestly about what he expected. Which is entirely why he's now doing what he'd already resolved to do.]
Okay.
Stay put for a bit.

[Now, Law is an introvert. When he's in A Mood, generally he wants to be left alone with his thoughts. But he knows Luffy is not. Luffy thrives off of people. He's sure Luffy needs some time to himself in the situation too. But he won't be able to recover without someone to talk to. It'll take Law a while to find him, anyway. He knows using Room and Scan to try and find the pirate probably isn't the best choice he could make, but he has something to pay Luffy back for.

So maybe he's a little winded when he finally shambles himself to where Luffy is. But he'd probably still be a little winded anyway from the lingering effects of the neurotoxin. The more obvious evidence though is the pale splotches discoloring Law's skin. They've begun to fade, but they're still pretty obvious and also the reason Law contacted Luffy via text.]

Straw Hat.
[Hopefully Luffy isn't too startled by his friend suddenly appearing in front of him.]

action

[nishishi]

[He's sitting, off to the side where his fellow Straw Hats may have been with him earlier. The light was getting low, and it was possible the other two had long gone to sleep, leaving the Captain to stare off into the alien sky, a sleeping Shanks settled in his lap.

He definitely DOES jump a bit when Law comes out of basically no-where--that's pretty new. Though the reaction doesn't last long, and he's going to give his friend a long look up at him.]

Torao. You-- [You're all splotchy, he'll address that later.] Hey, Torao.

[kikoku]

[Wow it wasn't out of nowhere, he took the place of a rotted log. But he appreciates saving that for later, really. But for now he'll just sit down next to Luffy. It's kinda familiar, isn't it. Except this time he isn't drunk, which is a nice improvement.]
Hey.

[He realizes too late that he actually has no idea how to approach this situation. But outwardly he keeps his cool, which is the most important thing. The cough he lets out is entirely because of the lingering neurotoxin.]
... How are you holding up?

[nishishi]

[Exhausted would be a good word. He'd probably spent the better half of the day on the network, claiming to anyone who may have said Ace wasn't around anymore that they were stupid.

Someway, somehow, he's finally been pushed to accept that Ace was gone again, and it's taken everything in him not to cry.

Even if his bottom lip is quivering even as Law talks to him.]

He's really gone.

[kikoku]

[Ah, there it is. Law gave ample time before he responded, to ensure that this conclusion would have already been reached. But still, it's so weird to see Luffy like this when he's usually so indomitable in his moods.

He honestly hasn't seen him this down since Luffy lost Ace the first time. Law doesn't offer any hazy assurances that he "might come back" or that he's still here in one way or another. He's not the type to think in terms like that. Instead, he just does what helped him a week ago. He slings an arm around Luffy's shoulders.]

Aah. [That's all.]

[nishishi]

[There's a small part of him still holding onto the hope that Ace will come back, but at current, it's hard to keep the hope up--especially when Ace had promised not to leave in the first place.

He's holding it pretty damn well, too. Feeling himself shaking, but he's not letting a single tear pass his eyelids. A man can't cry every time something bad happens.

Sure they can't.

Even if the addition of Law's arm around his shoulders suddenly is an unexpected--welcome--and sudden, it doesn't break down that dam of tears that are being held back.

Aah. He agrees, just like that--Torao always understood things in the subtlest ways, didn't he. Luffy's head turns to look up at the surgeon's splotchy face... and that's when tears start to pool in the corners of his eyes, running rivers down his cheeks.]

It's not fair. I finally had him back. I finally... Ace...