latino_menace | (no subject)

It's been a miserable few days and that's an understatement. Worse than that, it's been boring. He doesn't know whether they've lost the Americans or if they've just missed them by chance but there hasn't been a single attack since that first night. The jungle is disgustingly hot and just when it almost becomes unbearable, it starts to rain and keeps going for hours - which makes the place hot and wet. The heat never eases; it's exactly like walking through a sauna set to maximum heat. And the terrain makes things worse, if that's possible. It's slow going while half of them hack the foliage away and the rest of them struggle over rocks and crevices and through mud and scrub and tree stumps. The insects are constantly attacking them and there are any number of deadly species around here - he's also noticed jaguar tracks in places (the only tracks he can identify, for obvious reasons) and the mosquitos are starting to drive him insane.

Ramon is sick to fucking death of military rations, being sticky and filthy and bored. But these aren't the only problems he's noticing. Every night when they make camp, the men in his crew are quite obviously becoming more relaxed with the situation - the less danger the Americans seem to pose, the more they start not being afraid and their thoughts are turning to matters closer to home. Namely, the foreigners in their midst.

He's caught all of them, save Esteban, staring at Mary Anne in ways he imagines she probably doesn't like - the expressions range from lustful to mutinous depending on whether she's telling them what to do or doing something less intrusive, like coming back from changing clothes or cleaning up or anything similar. He's sure she's noticed herself so hasn't said anything since his original warning but it seems clear that things are going to come to a head at some point.

With Roxas, it's more like hate. He's not around so often and they don't know where he goes or what he's doing there. The kid is so impervious to anything around him and can't really be passed off as human by any stretch of anyone's imagination. The heat doesn't affect him, he doesn't sleep or eat or get uncomfortable in the conditions. He's also dressed differently and is impossible to insult. Ramon can virtually see their fists itching whenever the guy comes into camp but he doesn't know if it's registered with Roxas at all.

He doesn't do anything. He brought those two because they know how to handle themselves, not because he wanted to babysit. And because he's tired and in a bad mood, he doesn't think anything of leaving camp at night when he wants to think things over without being surrounded by people. Tonight, he takes Esteban with him because they have things to talk about.

Perhaps, in hindsight, this isn't a good idea. After all, they need some people left to carry the stuff.

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He's confused but it just makes his expression look belliegerent.

'What's a Somebody?'

It sounds like an insult and he's damned if he's going to take that off this piece of shit. Plus, the fading is creeping him out and he hopes the others won't be long.

"Anyone who isn't Nobody. Real people." his voice is flat and empty and so are his eyes. "You. You are real. Somebody. A person. I am not."

'You got that right,' he mutters under his breath, glad to hear the sound of a stone rolling down the slope behind Roxas. They're close.

'How the fuck'd you get here, man? You're not real.'

He's really curious.

"I'm very stubborn." Roxas says while calling his Keyblades into his hands and starting to lay into the people coming after him.

He's fast. He's really fast. He also has no mercy. He doesn't understand what that means.

Carlos...stands and stares, with his mouth literally hanging open. He wasn't prepared for that and...fuck, how can anything move that fast?

'...shit.'

He does the sensible thing after the first unmistakable noise of someone dying...he turns and runs, back towards the camp where it should be safe.

Roxas doesn't make any more noise than an asp. He herds the remaining Somebodies back towards Ramon with the same single-minded annoyance.

"Here. Deal with them."

Ramon had returned to the camp a few minutes before to find it deserted. He and Esteban were just in a heated discussion about what the fuck was going on, when Roxas shows up with two of them, both of whom look terrified.

'...what happened?'

Though, y'know. He can guess.

"They tried to jump me. I only killed one."

This could change at any second. For all that they are giant fuckin keys the Keyblades are very sharp and very dangerous.

'Then where are the others? And where's Mary Anne?'

He isn't at all concerned about who's dead, he'll get to that in a minute. Carlos attempts to say something but Ramon silences him with a look.

"I don't know." Roxas says "These came after me."

Ramon looks at him and sighs internally.

'...go back and keep watch, Roxas.'

He'll take care of these two after he finds the others. It's obvious Roxas isn't going to be much more help.

'I'll make sure they don't do it again.'

"All right."

"Do you want me to keep anyone else who tries to jump me alive, too?"

He waves a hand, irritated now. Not with Roxas but with everything.

'I don't care.'

This is partly true, partly for the benefit of Carlos. Though by the look of the man, it doesn't seem like he's going to be makng any more attempts any time soon.

'Do as you see fit.'

"Alright."

He flips his hood up and disappears back into the night.

Ramon watches him go and then turns back to Carlos, who's first words are;

'Ben is still out there.'

'Ben can find his own way back,' he replies, casually, before clubbing the man across the face with the butt of his pistol.

When he wakes up, he'll have a serious talk to him about fucking with people that could destroy him in a heartbeat. And more pertinently, mess up this trip. For now, he needs to make sure Mary Anne's still in one piece and then find out how many men they have left.