NOVEL WEB Chapter 12: Before
He crossed his arms at that moment "Then yeah! It was pretty. Mount Colubo...Had such a wonderous view."
He sighed. "I only ever went into the kingdom proper a few times heheheh...Me and my Siblings would run into town and snag this bread...that was just...so fluffy and rich."
"Is that…. Really how it is there? All I've heard about it is that it's fancy and lavish.. I didn't know it was so bad there." His eyebrows creased up in worry, feeling a bit of guilt. Did this guy have some sort of twisted past with the place? Is that why he cut himself off before? Ugh, now he just felt like a douchebag.
Kirk got a little frustrated as Leroy perked up again happily and spoke like he didn't just drop that bomb on him. "That sounds nice… if my mother wouldn't have beat me over the head for snagging candy back home, I absolutely would've done it a lot more."
He cleared his ear with a quick finger to his ear as he looked at Kirk and asked. "Why'd you choose to be...What you are?"
He soon blinked a few times at Leroy in confusion and tilted his head to the side a bit. "What… I am? What do you mean?"
He then got a confused look on his face. "Huh? What? I know you're a Fishmen. I meant what you do." Well. That was Blunt.
Kirk twitched in surprise, jerking his head back. Did he… actually know he was a Fishman? Quick, just play it off. His hands felt into his lap casually and intertwined his fingers together, hiding away the scars all along the sides of each of his fingers, the only evidence currently visible that he had been a Fishman. He would always cringe every time he remembered the pain of cutting off the webbing.
"Hah! A Fishman? You're definitely crazy if you think I was ever a Fishman! I'm just a regular guy with some odd genetics, that's all."
He tried to wave off that quickly. "I'm still not sure what you're talking about 'what I do', heh." Kirk tried to desperately remember whether or not he tried to steal anything in front of Leroy… no no… he didn't think so. Maybe the keys, but that was about it.
"Yeah. And a Normal Human with Gills right?" He smiled teasingly wagging his finger at kirk
Clearly, Leroy lacked a prejudiced bone in his body. Hell, he didn't give a shit in the slightest about him being a fishmen. All he cared about was him being apart of the crew. Thats not to say he didn't know about the racism faced by those considered non human. Hell...He knew it too well. He himself was viewed as a freak by many of the kids that weren't in House Aerie like he was...
Then again. There were no other kids their besides the others.
But leroy Understood that Fishmen and Minks, and anyone that didn't fit the norm of Humans were subjected to heinous things.
It made him sick, and made him furious. It made him so mad that once he beat a man with in an Inch for the words he used against an elderly Angel fish fishmen...
But that was a long long time ago. And that day had 'he' taught Leroy and important lesson he holds even now
So yeah. He didn't care about what someone was. Rather who they were.
Kirk stared at him, nearly staring right through him. Eh, he guessed he knew it would come out eventually. He had wished it came out way later though, knowing he could just run off if he needed to.
Though it kinda shocked him… that Leroy was just smiling it all off. Kirk wasn't always shown hatred for his species, of course. There were always at least a few here and there who did care, but he couldn't help but be cautious with every person he's ever met. It was a bad habit.
Damn it… that smile.
Kirk looked away, trying to further hide his hands in his lap. Did Leroy still want him on his silly one-man crew? Even if he was a Fishman? He started to get a little hopeful for a moment… though it was short-lived. His cautiousness shut down his slight excitement.
Leroy just needed a navigator. That's all he wanted. Kirk sighed and looked out to the sea.
"Yeah yeah, whatever, I'm a Fishman. Sure is a great image for me, fitting that stereotype of stealing shit, huh? Ha."
He rolled his eyes. "Ugh. To answer your question… I guess you could say I'm in a bit of debt. I'm almost finished though." Kirk let out a more genuine chuckle at the end.
"Alright, my turn. What's all that junk you've been hauling around? I didn't think pirates would pull stuff along like they moved out."
Leroy ignored the Second question. Only for a moment as he spoke his mind
"Ain't that pirates though?" He said with a smile leaning back even more, Now resting only one arm behind him. Letting it hang off of the back of the chair Sure, was it a pun? Yes. But also because He knew not of such a stereotype. He always heard it was Pirates that did that.
"So you're a thief? Sweet!. Alright. Well, while you're on the crew, what ever we plunder, part of it will go to you and you can pay back what ever this Debt is!" He stretched a bit and adjusted himself. It seemed like he could never sit still. Unless he was either dead or unconscious. He began mindlessly bouncing his leg rather vigorously
He then heard the question and looked down at the chest, bent over, unlocked it by pressing the small release mechanisms, and sat back up and lifted the lid open with his foot Inside was the sight of the treasure He'd Stolen from Steady Bonney. Now with a few alcohol bottles on the inside. Which he'd kept in there ever since he saw the storm approaching on his way to shells town.
"As for the bag, some supplies for the journey, clothes, a cooking kit, I think a few toiletries and few other basic journey things like a compass. Theres also food I also stole from this pirate ship I burnt Down." He spoke nonchalantly. That small grin on his face as he spoke. The implications that he Single handedly took down a crew was something that would certainly be astounding to the koi fishman