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Charisma
Pg 87
Canal Street.
*fuaaan* *hooonk*
Pg 88
*uon uon* *vroom vroom*
*pa-paa* *beep*
*garara* *rattle*
Delivery man: Good morning, Mrs. Brown.
Mrs. Brown: Hello.
Morning. Kouki opens his eyes and takes in the strange room.
Kouki: H.....uh?
: Uhhhhhm..........?
Pg 89
Remembered-Archer: I won't fire more than once.
: I'll kill him with one shot.
*gari gari* *scratch scratch*
He sits up and absent-mindedly scratches his head.
Kouki: Oh ....that's right...
Shock.
Kouki: Gah!
: My wig's gone!
Pg 90
: ........ *Um*
: I can't remember...
Voices come from the other room.
Archer: If you move I'm gonna cut you.
: Hold still, Murphy.
Pg 91
: I said 'hold still'!
Murphy: Noo!
Murphy is perched on the counter by the kitchen sink, and Archer is attempting to give him a shave. Murphy is wiggling and resisting. Both are shirtless and from the doorway Kouki sees old scars lacing Archer's back.
Archer: Murphy, come on!
Pg 92
Murphy catches sight of Kouki and slips down off the counter and out of the room.
Archer: Ah! Hey, Murphy!
As he shoves by, Murphy's eyes coldly meet Kouki's.
Kouki: He... seems to hate me.
Archer pulls on a T-shirt.
Archer: He just hates having his beard touched.
Pg 93
Kouki: Beard!?
Archer: He's got one. He's 17.
Kouki: !!
: Then he's your older brother!?
Archer: What.
Kouki: I was thinking you're a sweet little brother.
: You do that every morning?
Archer: Yeah.
Kouki: That's tough.
Archer: Don't say it like that.
Pg 94
: If he wasn't here I wouldn't be living a decent life.
Remembered-Archer: A person's teeth are surprisingly tough.
Pg 95
: I'll teach you about pain.
: That was fun.
Archer: ....What?
Kouki: Who knows? I feel like I've been watching you for 10 years.
*pii pii* *ring ring*
The pager in Kouki's pocket starts ringing.
Remembered-Quincy: Make sure you don't forget to report in on time.
Kouki: Aaaaaahhhhh!
Pg 96
Kouki: This is bad. I forgot!
Archer: What's wrong?
Kouki: My job... I mean, a d-date I promised.....
Archer: Oh, that's right. Last night you kept making noise over "Quincy, Quincy". Your lover?
Kouki: Th-that's right! My lover!! My lover!
Archer: But, "Quincy"
: isn't that a guy?
Kouki: Yeah.............
Kouki's color isn't looking so good. Later, at the office:
Quincy: And then?
Pg 97
: You were on assignment and didn't think you could report in on time, so you made me your lover?
Kouki: Reluctantly.
Quincy: I don't know where you were
: but you're not still our best and only chance. We can now find someone to replace you.
Kouki: I admit it was a mistake.
: But it still yielded something. *Really*
Pg 98
Quincy: Then why don't you report?
: We'll discuss your punishment after that.
Murphy is sitting on the front steps of his apartment building. A very creepy, shadowy guy appears.
Man: What's wrong, kiddo? You lost?
Pg 99
: Are you waiting for someone?
: Why don't you come and play with me? Huh?
He extends a hand to Murphy.
: Huh?
Murphy remembers Kouki and Archer together and reaches out to take the man's hand.
Pg 100
Archer: Hey.
: Leave him alone.
*sa* *soft movement*
Murphy moves around behind the stranger's back and Archer is shocked by the betrayal.
Pg 101
Back at the office.
Quincy: I see. In other words...
: The store is a front where all the coffee beans are gathered, and then they prepare the coffee with the drugs included inside. Is that what it is?
Kouki: My informant's thought on how the coffee beans might be smuggled out is that there are dummy bags being circulated as well.
: From the beginning I've been working through the management, but the ones with information about the route seem to be the workers.
*kotsu kotsu* *tap tap*
Quincy: Of course there must be evidence of the drugs they put in, but
Pg 102
: it's strange that we didn't get any with the blockade. There must be someone holding onto the money.....
*kotsu kotsu* *tap tap*
*kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu kotsu*
Quincy thinks very hard.
Quincy: .....What?
Kouki: My punishment?
Quincy: What are you talking about?
: I'll take care of the blockade from this end. Do you think you can break into the inner corporation?
Kouki: Of course.
Pg 103
: I'll settle the matter right away. Before the FBI snatches it up.
Pg 104
Archer: Murphy.
Man: Sorry, bro.
: I found this chicken first.
Archer steps forward.
Archer: He's no chicken, he's my older brother.
The man pulls a gun.
*gachi* *click*
Man: Same thing.
Pg 105
Murphy's eyes grow wide. Archer forces the gun down just as the man fires.
*don* *bang*
Pg 106
They wrestle for the smoking gun. Archer's expression is bloodthirsty.
Murphy: Ahhh!
Pg 107
*gashi* *smash*
Archer knocks the gun to the ground, where it spins for a moment before he picks it up.
*kara kara kara* *clatter clatter clatter*
*gachi* *click*
Archer: I'm only gonna count to ten.
: Run.
: Pimp.
Pg 108
: 1
: 2
The man stumbles to his feet.
: 3
He flees.
: 4...
: .....
Archer inspects his shin; the jean leg is torn and bloody-- from the bullet? He shoves the gun into the band of his jeans.
*gyu* *tug*
Archer: It grazed me.
He looks coldly at Murphy, who startles in fright.
*biku* *startle*
Pg 109
: Come here!
Murphy: Nooo!
Archer roughly grabs Murphy's wrist.
Archer: Murphy!
Murphy: Noo!
: Noo!
*pan* *slap*
Pg 110
Archer has slapped Murphy to stop his hysterics. A lone tear trickles out of Murphy's eye. Archer's expression is still cold. He hauls the other boy up and over his shoulder.
Murphy: Aachii!
: Soorriii, Aachii!
: Soorriii!
Pg 111
: Nooo!
: Aachii!
He grabs onto the doorframe, but Archer pulls him away and through. His fingers bleed. Archer drops him on the bed.
*dosa* *plop*
: Aachii.
Pg 112
Murphy curls into a ball, sobbing.
: Sooriii, Aachii.
: Sooriii...
: Sooriii...
Archer flashes back on his younger self, perhaps eight years old or so. He is sitting on the bed in only shorts, and his back is a mass of lash-marks.
Archer: Where is mommy?
: Why doesn't she HELP me?
Pg 113
: Where is mommy?
Pg 114
Archer reaches down and gently pulls Murphy's arms away from his face.
Archer: Murphy.
Murphy looks up and sees Archer smiling down at him softly.
Murphy: Aachii.
: AHHH!
Pg 115
Archer uses a safety pin to pierce Murphy's ear.
: *Hiccup*
: *sob*
: *sob*
: *sob*
: Ahh--
: --rii...
: Soo...
Pg 116
Archer: Murphy.
He licks the blood away.
Murphy: *sob*
: *sob*
Archer: Don't disobey me.
: Murphy.
Murphy: *hiccup*
Archer: Don't leave me.
Pg 117
Murphy stops crying and looks up. Archer pulls out his own earring and puts it on Murphy.
Archer: Una marca*.
[* the (my) mark]
: Murphy,
: Don't...
: .....
Pg 118
: throw me away.
He wipes away his brother's tears. Early the next morning, at the coffee market:
*gaun gaun* *vroom vroom*
*vooo* *vooom*
Pg 119
Man: Hey you!! Be careful!!
*vooo* *vooom*
Man #2: Whimp.
The place is a hive of activity, with men and forklifts driving back and forth. Archer has a large bag of beans balanced on each shoulder.
Man: Hey, Archer!
: Those bags don't go there! Here, put them here!
*don* *wham*
Archer: Doesn't matter, does it? They're all the same.
Man: What you say?
Archer: Or
: are these a special blend?
He smiles darkly, and then walks away.
Pg 120
Man: Sh...it. That brat.
Sign: Office
*gacha* *click*
A sheepish Kouki (minus wig) makes an appearance.
Kouki: Excuuuuse me! Anyone here?
: I'm checking the shipment list~~~ I want to compare it with the original~~~
An older woman turns to look at him. She's the grandmotherly type, except for her sternness, and she has a cigarette in one hand.
Secretary: You again, Ken? Leave it be, don't you remember your job yet?
The other office ladies are giggling over him. They're all middle-aged.
Sec: You come so often~~ Got your eye on someone in here, do you~~~?
: That Japanese accent he hasn't lost is so cute~~
: He's much more handsome with his hair cut.
: Kyahahahaha
Kouki: [Old ladies are the same, no matter what country you're in.]
Pg 121
*ton ton ton* *tap tap tap*
: [Roughly 8000 shops in Manhattan alone.]
: [If you include the other side of the river, you get over 20,000 destinations.]
: [I don't have time to investigate them all.]
He adopts a stunned, country-bumpkin look and waves at the stacks of ledgers.
: You all are amazing! Checking all of these by hand!
Sec: This boy's an idiot. We have a computer now.
: But no one except us and other chosen people can use it. The tax accountant is always nattering on about it.
Pg 122
: Well, we're all going out for lunch. Lock up when you leave~~
Kouki: *Yes, ma'am!*
He promptly hunches down in front of the computer.
: [A password that a bunch of old ladies would think of....]
: ["Love." "Kiss." "Sex."]
*pii* *beep*
*kachi kachi* *click clack*
: [Grandchildren's names. Pet's name. "Secret"...]
*pii pii* *beep beep*
: [I think her husband's name is Daniel---]
: ["Daniel."]
*pii* *beep*
: [*No good, huh.*]
: [*How about* "Daniel Love"]
*pipo* *da-dum*
: [I did it!! Good guess. *Simple*]
Suddenly the door opens and Dagwood, the overseer, comes in, talking to someone behind him.
Dagwood: That's why I said not to let that kid touch those bags!
Pg 123
The man with him is the same one who was yelling at Archer earlier that morning.
Man: Huuh?
: ...What are you......
: Doing over there........?
Kouki: Oh, me?
*kachi* *click*
He discretely hits the power button.
: Checking the shipment lists.
Dagwood: ...... Oh, wait. Wait, wait.
: You've become friends with that kid, haven't you?
Kouki: Who do you mean, "that kid"?
Dagwood: Archer Rogue!
Pg 124
Dagwood throws his arm around Kouki's shoulders. Kouki smiles beautifically.
Dagwood: Heeey, Ken. You're working your way through college, right? You must want money.
Kouki: Well, if you're offering...
Dagwood: How about earning a little spending money?
Kouki: [Lucky! They're asking me!]
Dagwood: If you're interested I'll pass a juicy job your way.
: On one condition.
: Lure in
: Archer Rogue.
Next: Volume 2, Part 4
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