Cyrus had been drinking. There was no beating around the bush for that. You could smell it on his breath, on his clothes, hell you could smell it on his sweat. He wandered the streets of Mock Town lit by the moon and torches that lined them. In one hand he carried a bottle of rum and in the other was his trusty cane which was doing more than its usual amount to support him. As Cyrus walked he heard a familiar sound, an all too familiar sound. A sound he hated more than any other sound.

"Meow." Cyrus pivoted quickly in the direction of the cat, which nearly toppled him over in his drunken state. Sum bish, where are you? Cyrus asked to the night sky, shaking his bottle of rum at nothing before taking a long swig and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. His vision slanted, but he wasn't color blind. The orange and white stripes stood out against the dirty back drops of Mock Town like a sore thumb. A cat. His dreaded enemy. The cat perched itself on a barrel, licking its front paw nonchalantly like it owned the entire town. You bastar, think own the place. Own the whole warld. Bah. Cyrus said, shaking his cane at the feline. I should just...just skin you right her. Curt off all your perty skin and fur. Cyrus said, chuckling to himself. He never realized just how hilarious he truly was. He looked down at the bottle in his hand and frowned, that was odd, he remembered it being fuller.

Asher was home where he should be. His recovery was coming along great and Mercy could tell Asher was returning to his former self. He was brooding again and wearing his infamous trench coat and the way he spoke and thought out his plans just signified the return of Asher Kringle in purest form. However Mercy understood that he needed his alone time. Not because he was healing and she could tell but because she knew him better than he knew himself and that was simply because she is an extension of Asher's mind. He knew that the day he created her. Mercy wanted to do something to lift Asher's spirits and the only thing she could think of was bringing him a new toy.


Out on one of her excursions, the Rear Admiral cyborg would wonder around the island of Jaya where she would see a man getting himself into a spat with a feline. If Mercy could laugh she would laugh but she didn't feel it. She would wonder what brought this drunk man to end up chasing this creature. As the man contemplated his life decisions with the bottle of sake in his hand a cat would be thrown to the ground directly in front of him. It was the same cat that he had been chasing before. Mercy smirked as she stepped forward, roughly 4 meters from the man and she would speak "You come to the badlands of Jaya to chase a feline around?"

Without warning the cat took off and Cyrus couldn't have any of that. Before a single coherent thought could be thunked, Cyrus was off, chasing the cat and waving his cane in the air like a club ready to bash the cat's skull in. Come bac you mangy furline. Cyrus yelled as he ran after the creature only to stop suddenly at the appearance of a, might his drunken mind say, rather fetching female specimen. The woman had the cat in her hands, it struggled to be free and thrashed at her wrists ferociously but she didn't seem to mind. Dropping the cat in front of Cyrus he looked down at the thing. For a moment the cat just stood there, looking back and forth between Cyrus and this new woman, the cat seemed a bit perplexed on how to proceed. Finally it looked up at Cyrus, locking eyes with the disheveled man. There was a long silence between the two of them until finally the cat darted off, disappearing into the night. If the cat had a middle finger, it would be riding solo up in the air towards Cyrus's direction.

Cyrus sighed, watching the cat runaway before turning back to the woman. He looked her up and down before looking down at the bottle in his hand, of which there was maybe a shot or two left. Raising it towards her he asked, Want sme? I think I'm done fur the night. That was it. No introduction, no exchange of names, just an offer of booze. Fur the record, I didn't mean to chasssse the cat. It just...happened. He said, speaking more with his hand than his actual mouth. He waved the hand with each word as if that would clarify the situation to the woman better than he had already tried to.

This man was definitely a character. Mercy would watch him run around flailing his cane and chasing after the cat who was now in her vice grip. The mans reaction to the cat falling in front of him was almost enough to make the cyborg burst out in laughter. She had never seen anyone so drunk that they chased a cat around the badlands of Jaya in an attempt to catch it. The disgust in her face was something to notice as she began to recognize the man. His incoherent drunken face was almost familiar to her and she just couldn't pinpoint from where. She would watch the man offer her some of his sake to which she'd shake her head no "I'd rather be coherent for this little encounter" said Mercy as she looked at the drunken man admit that he had too much to drink. His reaction time to the world was hilarious in the fact humans actually took pleasure in being this out of the world mentally. She wondered if Asher had ever been this incoherent due to sake consumption.

"I don't think anyone means to chase a cat. It isn't something that happens everyday here in Jaya." Spoke Mercy as she would began to move 2 feet left of her current location. She was honestly bothered that she couldn't pinpoint where she knew this man from even though she had known the face. "I'm Mercy Kringle. Who are you?" asked the cyborg to the drunken man

Cyrus shrugged as the woman declined his offer. He contemplated finishing the bottle but ultimately decided that two minutes ago Cyrus had been right, he didn't need any more tonight. With a sigh he placed the bottle on the ground, careful not to tip it over, Suit yourself. He said nonchalantly before knocking over the bottle. He swore under his breath, righting the bottle once more before knocking it over again. Bah! He said with a huff, shaking his hands of the whole ordeal and simply leaving the bottle on its side. I sense a tone of judgement m'dear. Cyrus said with a playful smile. They say...they say people drink to forget. To numb themselves of whateverer nightmares that pla- that pl- that bother them. Cyrus said, his mind giving up on the more difficult word. Well I disagree. I think people drink to feel. To feel anything else other than whatever they are running from. As if to finish his point, like the conclusion paragraph of an essay, Cyrus simply shrugged.

The bastards should be chased if you asked me. Cyrus said, referring to the cat, Chase them straight into the sea, let em drown. Not good for anything anyhow. He continued, frowning as he spoke. Even as he said the words, the hate for the felines manifesting so clearly in him, he knew deep down he didn't mean it. Drowning was a right terrible way to go, no creature deserved that. Extending his hand to the woman he said simply, Cyrus. and then stared out to the sea in silence.

Mercy had hoped that one bottle of sake wasn't the only that the man had tonight. If so he was extremely light on his tolerance level and that wouldn't get him far with anything in life. Real men have high tolerance levels and a will to be great, this man didn't seem to have any of that well that was for right now at least. "It's definitely judgement you're sensing" said Mercy with a smirk on her face. She was having fun watching this man make a fool of himself. Even watching him drop the bottle on the ground. With a clap of the hands Mercy had officially witnessed a drunk man nearly die of alcohol because of a cat.

He would continue his tired rhetoric about how the cat should have been chased down and hunted to which she would raise an eyebrow. She was an advanced mental being yes but she had never seen someone so perplexed over a cat a day in her short time on this planet. She would hear the man eventually say his name and once she heard it she instantly remembered where she knew the man from. He had killed one of her comrades at the battle of Reverse Mountain. Quickly gripping his firearm from her left hip and aiming it at the drunk who stared at the sea. "I know who you are Cyrus Kincaid of the Revolutionary army, or do you prefer the title Marine Killer" said Mercy as she held a pistol to the mans back.

Cyrus stared out at the sea, from here he could just make out the faint crash of waves as they collided with the sandy shore. It was eerily pleasant out here, mostly alone. The salt breeze against his face perked him up and took a bit of the edge off the alcohol. The light from the moon cast an interesting glow upon the sea. Funny, He thought to himself, how the sun casts shadows but in the darkness the moon casts glows...is that even a thing? Glows? He didn't have time to work out his own thoughts as the business end of a gun was pressed against his back. Marine Killer? Ha, not hardly. He said with a mischievous smile, I mean sure maybe the nameless Marine here and there. Certainly at the Battle of the Redline a few months ago I aided some cannonteers...cannon users...the guys firing the cannons, I handed them their balls. The cannonballs that is. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

I didn't kill anyone personally though. There was that scuffle with the one woman...a Rear Admiral. Lilly? Lilica perhaps. That sounds right. I cut her a bit, but when she left me she was doing just fine. Bloody, but very much alive. Cyrus frowned, recalling the events of the battle. He began rolling up his left sleeve and then held his arm up for Mercy to see the bullet hole scar Lilica had given him, Besides, she got me back so I'd say we're even. Anyway, if you're a Marine it makes you wonder what in the world you're doing on Jaya. Not exactly a Marine friendly place. Cyrus shrugged, acting as if the gun to his back wasn't even an issue at the moment. As if it didn't exist at all.

With her gun pressing against the back of Cyrus Mercy wasn't exactly sure what she was going to do here. She considered killing him for a moment but remembered Asher was actually with her for once. He hadn't been with her for so long she forgot that he was actually on Jaya and he could benefit greatly from seeing this man. Someone who experienced the battle with him. Albeit from different sides maybe a face that Asher recognized would have helped him in his healing efforts. Maybe this man was someone Asher would have liked to enslave for the sake of his slave endeavors. The way Cyrus spoke so casually about his personal exploits actually made Mercy smirk a bit because he sounded like someone Asher would genuinely like and that was a feet in its own.

This was the man who came to a stalemate with Lily at Reverse Mountain, besides Asher she is the only surviving general from that specific battle. The safety from the revolver would come off as Mercy ripped a piece of her shirt and placed it on the shoulder of the marine killer. Meanwhile back at base Asher was freshly dressed and prepared to get underway with Phase Two of his plan. When Mercy returned from her excursion he would inform her of the impending battles. "Place that piece of fabric over your eyes. I won't kill you I give you my word. I'm taking you to someone who may want to talk to you. Someone of importance."

There was a long pause of silence after Cyrus had finished talking, the girl was clearly deep in thought. Finally, he got bored and announced, I'm going to take a few steps forward and then turn, okay? If you were going to shoot me you would have done it by now but I don't need you freaking out when I start to move and accidentally pulling that trigger for no reason. Honestly the fact of the matter is, I just don't like talking to people behind my back. Cyrus stopped for a moment, making an odd face of thought as he reflected on his words. The alcohol was either wearing off much faster than he had expected or he had gotten a lot better at this whole, "public intoxication" thing. Regardless, Cyrus took a few steps forward and slowly turned around to face Mercy.

There, now we can continue our- He stopped, noticing the piece of fabric on his shoulder and the torn area of the girl's shirt, Jeez, are we stripping now? I'm not that drunk. Cyrus said with a playful smirk as Mercy instructed him on what to do. He looked down at the fabric in his hands, contemplating what to do next. Well my mother always told me to talk to strangers and if I did talk to them to trust them implicitly. Especially when it came to matters of life or death, then it was extra important to listen to them. Cyrus said sarcastically while tying the make-shift blindfold around his eyes. He then bowed mockingly, but even that was a bit much as he attempted to right himself and prevent himself from tumbling over. Back on his own two feet he said, Okay lady, lead me on.

Cyrus would announce his intentions to take a few step forwards and turn around suggesting that Mercy didn't plan on shooting him but in reality she did. Her basic function was to kill wanted criminals but her override to please Asher's needs came first. The man would make a comment about Mercy's clothing as he noticed the tear in hers and she didn't find anything he said to be the least bit amusing. Once he was blindfolded Mercy would stand behind him and push him to their location. Their journey had them walking nearly an hour to reach the safe house Asher had set up for Mercy years ago.

"The person you're going to meet is a nice guy... in his own way. Try not to take things he says personal. He doesn't always come off bad" said Mercy as they continued to walk. She constantly wanted better for Asher as a person but knew within his basic functions that it wasn't possible. As they reached the safe house Mercy would open a door to one to the entrances which would reveal a large industrial looking room. It was Asher's cellar where he conducted most of his business. The white haired man raised an eyebrow as he saw Mercy with the man named Cyrus. Mercy would remove the blindfold and reveal Asher 2 meters away pointing his own pistol at the man named Cyrus. "I'm pleased to meet you Mr.Kincaid, I've seen what you can do on the battlefield."

Cyrus actually liked the way Mercy described her mystery boss, it sounded like the two of them would get along. After she spoke though, there was nothing else. She simply stayed silent, directing him where to go with the muzzle of her pistol for the next hour. Over the hour long walk, Cyrus sobered up surprisingly well. The spins went away and his slurred words seemed to correct themselves. He was beginning to get his footing back and only tripped twice along the way. Considering he was blindfolded along with coming off a pretty intense binge, that's not too bad. Finally, after what seemed like far too long, Cyrus asked, Are we there yet? only for Mercy to pull back what sounded like a massive industrial, metal door. A rush of warm air came from whatever lie beyond the door, mixing with the crisper air of the night and taking Cyrus by surprise. So they were clearly going inside something, but what and where he was he had no idea.

Finally inside, he heard someone, most likely Mercy because there was a lack of a gun in his kidneys, close the door and suddenly he could see. His vision took a moment to adjust to the harsh lighting compared to the darkness he had been in the past few hours. Cyrus raised an arm to his forehead, shielding his eyes as his vision adjusted. Looking around he found himself in a large warehouse, mostly empty from the looks of it, save for a single man standing several feet away with, you guessed it, a gun of his own pointed at Cyrus. Honestly what is it with you people? If you're going to shoot me just do it. If not, put the gun away, I'm lapsing into a massive hangover so trust me I'm no threat to you. Cyrus said, rolling his eyes. He was only half serious about this semi-death wish. The hangover he was expecting after this binge was not going to be pleasant.

Asher was quite pleased to have Mr.Kincaid here at his disposal. Asher was in no condition to fight right now and he didn't even have his swords nor did he have his... Fruit. Once the man removed his blindfold he wasn't that shocked to have a gun pointed square at him. Asher liked a man that didn't
fold in the face of a gun, it showed character and strength. His words were actually pretty surprising, something Asher would have said if the roles were reversed. A smirk to the man than to Mercy which caused her to shrug "He did the same thing to me Mr.J" Asher would chuckle just a bit before grabbing the gun by its barrel and dangling it with his right hand. One of his men would come and grab the gun from Asher and of course he had on a blue mask.

A raised eyebrow from Asher towards Kincaid "A hangover aye?" that's when Asher would look at the soldier who just took his weapon "Please, bring Mr.Kincaid a glass of water and something to eat" Asher would close the distance between him and Kincaid, if he were to attack Asher now Mercy could kill them both and claim the reward for a vegabond Asher and a marine slayer so it worked out in his favor anyway. "Mr.Kincaid, Let's go have a talk.. It's about time we get acquainted no?" if Kincaid Obliged to Asher's request he would direct him to a meeting room where both men would feel comfortable due to its dim light setting and fireplace, the comfortable seating and loads of sake made this fire room gorgeous.

Cyrus could tell Asher seemed pleased to have him here, though whether that was a good thing for Cyrus or not he was still unsure. Still, the man had a servant take his gun away and Cyrus felt Mercy's own weapon withdraw from his spinal column so for the moment he seemed safe. Much thanks for the hospitality, Cyrus said in reference to the food and drink that was to be brought to him, though it seems a bit odd that you have such an interest in me yet I don't even know your name. Truthfully though I must say you look vaguely familiar. There were a lot of people gathered at the Battle of the Red Line, even more bodies for that matter. I can't say I ever saw you there face to face, and perhaps I'm mistaken and you weren't even there at all, but something is tickling the back of my memory. Cyrus said as he followed Asher into the side room. The fire warmed the chill out of his bones as he sank into a seat across from Asher. It was warm and he was comfortable, though still very much alert.

The servant brought a glass of water and some sort of sandwich looking meal, which Cyrus took thankfully. So what's the big plan, friend? If you were at the Battle of the Red Line I'm positive you weren't on my side, which only means you're a Marine. If you're a Marine and you know of my own ties then you wanting to see me can't be good for my health, however, that being said you've been the utmost hospitable so I'm afraid I'm a bit confused as to why I'm here in this gorgeous room by this warm fire with you. Cyrus took a deep breath after his rant before falling into a silence and waiting for Asher's response.

Asher himself would get comfortable in his seat as Kincaid would do the same directly across from him. The man would begin speaking about how he vaguely recognized Asher's face to which Asher would smirk. He knew he had only been arrested for a year and been the poster boy for the kill all marines program before that but at least he should be recognized. "It's okay, recognizing me isn't a big deal. I'm known by a title almost like yours. "The Marine Slayer" is what they called me in jail" said Asher as he was served some sake when Kincaid received his sandwich. It was then Asher would take a sip of his sake before Kincaid began to wonder what it really was that Asher wanted with him. "Yes, I am a marine but I am not like most of my "comrades" I have an agenda that you should get behind. I wasn't forced to be a marine but I made that choice because it offers me the chance to navigate with less eyes on me. It's a reason you don't recognie me. Its because I made sure my bounty was erased when I went to prison. My slate is as clean as a whistle. But what I want with you is knowledge. I know about places like Vulcan, and Kurakiri among other places that the Revolutionaries hold dear but what I want is contacts. Access to their travel networks. Things of those natures" Asher knew what he was doing. His agenda was clear as day.