OOC: There we go fella, all the tweaks have been done, all bugs ironed out. I changed a few words around, added a bit of new stuff into it and even put in more of an effort this time round. I have to say, it has really made for a much better read than it was before.
Don't apologise Jimmy, you made a bloody valied point. I trust I can count on that sharp critic side of you when it comes to my other projects.
IC: “I. . .I trust you.”
Carmen dropped her shoulders down and hung her head low, she didn’t want to face the others, didn’t want to face Kaige. She was deeply scared of what her words would mean in the eyes of her friends. Or though her heart was telling her she was making the right decision, she still felt like she was betraying their trust.
“You trust him?” Wildfire started, his voice menacing, “YOU, trust HIM?! Are you that naive? Are you that BLIND? You would side yourself with this. . .a bounty hunter, turning your back on all that you hold dear to you just because you think he SAVED your life?”
Carmen remained still. She didn’t want to see their accusing eyes glaring at her. Even with Ed’s hand holding onto hers, she still felt that she was all alone.
“Carmen, he did not save your life. He endangered it. Just like he has endangered all of our lives. This is nothing but a game to him. He cares nothing of the trouble of others or of the future of this planet. Profit, Carmen, profit is all that this mulct cares for. And profit is what he’ll continue to concern himself with if giving the choice between our lives. . .” Wildfire growled with disgust, he lingered his sentence purposely to look directly into Nack’s eyes before finishing, “. . .and his pockets.”
She finally looked up from the ground and her gaze saw Wildfire standing before Nack. His Hands were clenched into tight fists as he just stood there, sizing the bounty hunter up. Nack himself seemed unfazed by his stance, almost seemed bored about it. Carmen noticed too that Nack had his hand closely dangling over his holster that held his fire arm. Wildfire seemed to of notice it as well when eventually backed down from his threatening posture and once again turned his attention back to Carmen. It was then that she noticed Wildfire’s eyes. There was a rage within them eyes that she had never realised before, a suppressed anger boiling up inside of him. She felt apprehensive at his intimidating presence as he moved closer to her.
“You. . .you’re wrong,” Carmen stammered. She released her hold on Ed’s hand and made a step of her own towards Wildfire. She stood up straight, refusing to let herself seem frightened . “We all knew the risks of coming into this city, we all recognized the danger we would be putting ourselves into. None of that was Nack’s doing. He put his life on the line just as much as we did. Sure, I was a little sceptical about him at first, but not now, not after what we have all been through.”
“What we have been through?” Wildfire queried. He slowly looked Carmen up and down noticing the dried blood mixed up in her fur along her waist. The bandage that covered her wound showed signs of fresh blood seeping through. The left side of her face was swollen, her lip looked like it had split slightly. Scratches and small cuts covered both of her legs. Her overall appearance seemed totally rundown..
“If anyone has been through anything, it would be you.” Wildfire said, his voice much lower and full of concern, though, his tempestuous eyes told Carmen a different story. “Look at yourself, Carmen, you’re a mess. All bloodied and bruised, you seem almost unable to stand. I would’ve thought that you of all of us would understand the unnecessary risks we put ourselves into at the weasel’s leadership.”
“There is much truth in his words, Carmen,” Kaige’s gruff voice piped up, “there has been too much disaster that has occurred tonight. Much of it could’ve of been avoided if Nack had not disappeared at a time when we would’ve needed him. He turned his back on us when the going goes too tough, and now all of a sudden he wants our help because it suits him? I don’t like it! Maybe what he says is true, and maybe the Lieutenant is what he says it to be. But I am sorry, Carmen, I just do not trust him. This new evil, we will defeat, but I think it is better to continue on without the bounty hunter’s help.”
Kaige’s words caught Carmen by surprise, she was expecting him to go with what she believed was true, not against it. She could care less if Wildfire was against her, but her friends, she thought she could always count on her friends to back her up. She sadly wondered if Eddie thought the same way as Kaige.
She didn’t want to lose friends because of this, but she felt strongly that with Nack’s help was the only way to go. The future of Mobius could very well be hanging in the balance here, and siding with someone that will help bring victory over the enemy seemed much more important to Carmen than the risk of losing friendships. There was no way she would change her mind now, regardless of any personal feelings.
“Y’know what?” Ryan spoke up, almost angry like, “Fuck this shit. I’ve had it up to here listening to you fucking idiots. I’m gonna go look for my stuff and when I get back, me and Nack will do this on our own. I couldn’t give rat’s arse what the rest of you arseholes have in mind.”
Ryan stormed off down the long corridor, grumbling more curses under his breath.
“Don’t you see, Carmen,” Wildfire spoke again completely ignoring anything that was said by Ryan. Wildfire’s voice was still calm, “we are all better off without the weasel near us? He may seem now like he does want what is right, but believe me, he will sell us out at the first chance he will get. If you think how injured your feeling now is bad, what does you think would be becoming of you. . .becoming of US if we blindly follow his treachery. Dead. We would all be dead. You can’t depend on him, but you can depend on us. . .your friends. We are there for you when he definitely would not be.”
“My friends? Where were my friends when I needed them?” Carmen snapped. She took a step back so to see all of her comrades at once. “Where were ANY of you when I was bleeding to death in that alley? I was alone. None of you were THERE for me.”
Her glare stopped os Eddis’s face. He seemed hurt by what she had just said. Realising what she had done, Carmen bowed her head. “Sorry, I-I’m sorry. I don’’t mean to yell, and I’m not trying to say that any of you abandoned me,” she turned her back to Eddie and once again faced Wildfire, “but-but, Wildfire, you talk as if Nack is some kind of traitor who would hand us over to Robotnik himself. Well I don’t believe that. If what you are trying to convince me of is true, than would you care to explain to me why he helped me when he could’ve just as easily deserted me? You speak of me being dead if it was left up to Nack, well I would’ve BEEN dead if it wasn’t FOR him. How much further do you really think you would’ve gotten in this city if it wasn’t for Nack’s assistance. Look at us now. We were all captured and locked away here. How much longer do you think it would’ve been until we were all standing inside a Roboticizer? We owe him. . .no. . .YOU owe him more than you’re willing to admit. And if you can’’t trust him after all of this, if none of you are inclined enough to trust him now, and you all still hate him, then. . .then you all might as well share that same hatred and mistrust towards me.”
“YOU ARE BLIND, WOMEN!” Wildfire erupted, the rage that Carmen sensed earlier finally escaping. “You would have me believing that I owe him ANYTHING? HIM?!””
Wildfire’s quick anger scared Carmen, it scared her enough that when he stepped closer towards her, she cowered back.
Wildfire looked at her strangely, his demeanor changed again to something of a much more composed state “Why do you recoil away from me?” he softly asked, “I am not some lonesome low life that would harm you. I am Sir Maximilian Starlit, Knight Regent to the house of Acorn. My father was the most influential Knight to the King’s Royal court. I am no bounty hunter, I am no scum. You are so quick to trust the weasel, do I too not deserve that same token? The Princess herself has confidence in me, do you not share that reliance?”
He seemed sincere enough. His voice calm and his appearance seemed true. But the wild look in his eyes once again told Carmen something else.
“The Princess had enough confidence in Nack to send him on this mission, why is that YOU refuse to share THAT same reliance?” Carmen gently replied. She wanted to fall back and stand with Eddie, she didn’t feel comfortable with the way this situation was heading. Carmen knew that the way she was right now she would easily crumble under Wildfire’s strength if he did indeed want to inflict it onto her. But she dismissed her fears and stood tall before him, standing her ground. “As for trusting you, no I don’t think I do. Not now.”
“You’re a fool! So you willingly align your self with this bounty hunter, this traitor?! Then you are no better than he.” Wildfire flared, taking a more aggressive step towards Carmen. Carmen again didn’t flinch.
“You hear me woman? YOU ARE BOTH TRAITORS. AND I WILL DEAL WITH YOU THE SAME WAY I WILL DEAL WITH HIM!” He screamed as he suddenly lashed at her. His menacing hands aimed quickly for her slender neck.