Description: In the humble home of Kim Kaphwan and his family (and unwilling captives), Howard Rust takes a little time to recover - but he doesn't have much time. Kim knows this. The war has an almost uncountable number of victims on either side, but few as heartrending as that of Chun-Li, the warrior who dedicated much of her time as a fighter to resisting Shadaloo. Kim calls the American man to his backyard so that the two may work out an understanding that Rust is not going to be heading out to Myanmar alone.
A few days rest. That is all someone could ask for in such trying times. Since the last victory in South Korea things have started to slowly return to normal. There is much rebuilding to be done, but with a ceasefire being declared with their neighbors to the north and the fact Shadaloo seems to be reeling badly the country of South Kore has been in a relatively calm state aside from the borders. Thankfully the Kaphwan household is deep within the country itself. That is where one Howard Rust is managing to have some time to recover and perhaps realize there is no such thing as normal these days.
The past few days have had all members of the clan in and out of the household checking in to let everyone know they are okay. Chang and Choi have been out being somewhat behaved while both of Kim's sons have managed to catch a break and stay at home a few days. Chae Lim and Jhun even stopped by briefly to let everyone know they survived the many battles that had happened across the land. Kim himself has been an excellent host and his wife kind even if everyone has sort of looked wary around Rust and his ahh....interesting choice of hairpiece.
After some time to let himself and Rust both recover the TKD master has requested the American to meet him outside in the back yard. No one is out there other than Kim himself. He looks serene and well......calm. It isn't a usual state for the Kaphwan head, yet here he is looking to the sky and enjoying the peace for the the first time in quite awhile.
As far as Rust can tell, his hair is youthful and vibrant to the point even the younger and the equall-- er, less fortunate in regards to their hair have taken note. So far as he'll ever keep telling himself, anyway.
For being blown up, shot, bludgeoned, and stabbed so many times throughout the war, the American man is in... uh, remarkably good shape after some time to rest, he makes good on the request to come out the back yard and visit that man with the teeth that almost took his eyesight when they first met in one of those tense border areas - really, his personal announcement of arrival comes more from a pop in one of his shoulders as he opens the door, more than anything he has to say when he opens his mouth.
"You wanted to... to see me, right?" Says Howard, as he walks at his usual sluggish pace over to where Kim's looking up to the sky.
Kim at first doesn't really look back towards Rust. He is still caught up in staring at the sky. A sky clear of planes and smoke for the first time in weeks. That is when he sits up in his seat and he looks over his shoulder towards Rust and flashing a rather large grin. "Ahh! You are here. Come have a seat." he says while motioning to one of the chairs that have been set out around him. From the looks of it this might just be a gathering spot for the various members of the clan when they are just looking for some time to sit back and enjoy the simple things in life. It also means such a spot hasn't been used alot as of late.
He waits until Rust settles down before speaking again. He would like the other elder fighter to get comfy himself. "So are you really going to go and try to help Chun-Li?" he finally asks as he looks over Rust with a bit of a critical eye. While some masters such as Takuma or even Todoh might have a bit of a crazed glint in their gaze Kim actually seems almost more concerned than anything. Rust didn't exactly look to be in the greatest health when he was happened upon and he is still unsure if the man has the energy to do too much. "She....is not herself. I am not sure if May Lee ever fully told you her problem at the moment." Speaking of May Lee. Where the heck has that girl been? She had been around for a day and there was some raised voices between her and Kim that could be heard. She hasn't been around for quite a few days now.
The smile doesn't blind him quite as badly as it did when they first met, but the man barely resists flinching at just... how good Kim's teeth are. What /do/ you do in order to get them so... bright? So straight, so perfect, so... ugh, there's spots in his vision again. He blinks a couple times rapidly, squinting a bit as he goes to have himself a seat.
This resulting look on his face probably does not reflect all too well on the evaluation of looking for the proper crazy glint in one's eye.
"I, uh, I... got bits 'n pieces 'bout it," he says - he's spent most of his time in the safety of Kim's home recovering and occasionally giving nasty glances to Chang and Choi over transgressions from years ago - the former leaving nasty messages on his answering machine, the other for invading the girls' changing room while he was still employed at Pacific. It was mostly a time to simply rest, reflect... and be tense over knowing what Quon, Sagat, and others were likely up to.
"One of you said that... she... killed people here," he says, as if still trying to really grasp what exactly happened even with May Lee having spilled it out right when they first reunited.
Kim had been made away of the problems in the past Rust had with Choi and Chang. That is probably why both have been kept so busy they have only been seen in passing by the guest. Surprisingly for how insane the Kaphwan household might seem it has been a pretty quiet place. Both sons have not been seen since they have been out helping in various cities that had been hit by the war. Jhun has been keeping Chang and Choi in line and May Lee seems to have run off soon after they all returned home. This has left Rust pretty much with Kim and his wife. It is a bit of relaxation the poor man has needed.
The smile becomes a more serious expression and on the plus side it also means the glint of those teeth aren't blinding at all. "She killed. She could have very well maybe even killed me and May Lee if I were not lucky." Kim was on his last legs and he knows it. If his kick didn't land perfectly he would possibly not even be here today. "I am positive it was Vega who did it. His grip on her is strong as well. She was not the Chun-Li I know." It hurts to think about it really. Even more so it pains him if the real Chun-Li is in the back of the mind witnessing the destruction she is causing now. "Do you really plan to save her on your own?"
Howard sinks in his seat a little at the repeated confirmation that, yes, Chun-Li - the one both he and Munin fought alongside in India, most likely saved because of her personal sacrifice - has gone and done so much harm here in South Korea. He's certainly seen some of the damage in being brought to this household - but it is hard to stomach that Chun-Li, the one who has been so stalwart against Vega, could have had a strong hand in causing so much suffering.
Then again, to be fair, he also knew her for all of, what, ten hours? It's a very frightening thing to have sink in, as the man sinks a bit further in his chair - even with the explanation that it was almost certainly Vega's doing all-in-all.
"Uh... truthfully," the man clears his throat, "'scuse me. Truthfully, ah," maybe he should've had another cup of tea or something before heading out here - this whole month has been exhausting. The older man (by a mere year) sits up a bit, "I... I don't know what they're... they're capable of, those... people on TV I saw," he explains, "but... it's, it's not a matter of... goin' there, alone, or, or with an entire freakin' military."
He throws a hand up with the shake of his head. "Point is... she's, she's there. Whatever... put her to this point. If it weren't for her, we'd... by, ah, I mean someone else that was with me, we... wouldn't still be 'round."
Or they might have ended up the exact same as Chun-Li - considering what he did to the military invaders at Nepal, at Thailand, at Iran, and North Korea, a part of him is really frightened to think what /he/ can do now. The frightening realizations of one's own strength against those who aren't fighters is really enough to make him want to just go take a nap on a couch or something.
"Wh-what I'm saying," Rust speaks up, "it doesn't matter if, if... if it's me alone, with a... a group, or, if I'm not there, but... /someone/ has to." He shakes his head. "We... well, I... I already left her behind once."
IT doesn't matter that the circumstance was beyond her control - on some level, he feels he allowed this whole thing to happen.
Kim listens intently and he does his best to fight back a smile. Kim himself isn't exactly someone who knows Chun-Li as a good friend, but he has always respected her for being someone that appreciated the pursuit of Justice as much as Kim and his clan do......well most of his clan. She has the sort of personality where it is hard to hate her and when you only know her for a few hours it is almost like you have known her a much longer time. She is just so easy to get along with and befriend. That is why it makes things all that more harder to see her in her current state. Even worse to see the video of her that was released by R as they gloated about taking Myanmar for themselves and renaming it.
In the end in a twisted way it might be a gift. Tracking her down and trying to save Chun-Li while she was able to run free would have been very tough. Where she is now in one place he at least knows where to go to get her. Getting through to her and finding her alive now are the main things to worry about. "You won't go alone." he tells the other fighter as he gets up out of his chair.
He slaps a fist into his open palm and that smile shows once more. Hey, at least he is mostly looking away at the moment. "I made a promise to May Lee that I would save her. I cannot let my student or Chun-Li down at all. If you are going then I am going with you." It seems like he is more just telling Rust he is tagging along. There is no offering or questioning. "We will save her!"
That she can be confirmed to be in one place alone may be the only real blessing in this great big scheme of things - the journey itself may prove perilous yet getting there. Who knows, maybe Shadaloo will go back to pick her up. Maybe other shadowy parties will look to retrieve her - either way, time is running out in more ways than one, even as news of falling occupation and invasion forces seem to be flying about left and right.
Rust turns his head to Kim as he makes his solemn declaration about the size of the rescue party - he's not going alone, and the American man is truly thankful for that. He idly massages his stomach in one hand as he pulls himself up off the chair with much less energy than Kim himself shows, one of his elbows creaking as he pushes up off the chair.
"Thanks," he says almost in mumble - although based on the level of enthusiasm between them, it may be more that it is /Rust/ tagging along with Kim instead. The resolve is still there, even if understated. He jumped the border when he was already seriously injured - he might not be jumping around proclaiming the tenets of righteousness loudly, but something's keeping him going.
"I, I know I might not, uh, look it," granted, he certainly looks the part of some sort of brute, "but I'm a student of Kyokugen, got... got a green belt." He takes a few steps forward so that he can face Kim directly, which ends up being entirely to his risk because that means contact with that bright smile again.
Does Kim just have like a flashlight in his throat or something? Some people are just kind of strange, Rust muses as he brings the hand from his stomach to scratch the tips of a dark purple mass of... something that he continues to be convinced is hair, strikingly unaware of the hypocrisy of such internal thoughts.
"I know, I'm... not really, uh, the quickest of the bunch," in more ways than one, "but... I, I promise you, I won't hold you back."
Maybe they are a special sort of teeth or the like he put into his mouth? It is probably best not to think of just how he gets to seem to make them shine so brightly when he smiles. "A student of Takuma? Well then I know I can rely on you!" Maybe there is just something about slightly touched in the head sensei's usually feeling they can easily rely on students of the other ones.....well maybe other than Todoh. In that case it is probably more relying on the student if they were trained by his daughter than Todoh himself.
He reaches out to let a hand come to rest on the shoulder of Rust as he turns towards him fully. "And don't count yourself short. You have survived some tough battles from the sound of things. We have justice on our side too which means we can't lose!" The man seems so obsessed by such a thing, but it really does seem to keep him going. Would he have been able to take down Chun-Li if he didn't believe so much in Justice? Was it more just luck? Perhaps a combination of both.
"I will get my dear wife to make us some meals to take with us! We will set out early in the morning. I am sure I can check with some friends about getting a nice and fast vehicle that may have survived all the fighting!" He seems to be getting rather excited about this whole rescue thing. Maybe because he knows that somehow they will get Chun-Li back. Somehow they will get her back to her old self. He will just have to play it all by ear and hopes whatever he does works!
It's great to know /he's/ considered reliable, at least - a relief, even. Though, in a brief bit of bitterness, Howard is really hoping he can somehow convince Takuma to stop goofing around in Costco and help renew his work permit in Japan once he gets back... if they get back.
...Granted, 'if' seems less and less accurate a word as time goes on - it does seem more, legitimately, to be 'when.' (There's still that passport matter...)
Where Kim's excitement builds and builds over what good tidings there is to come, Howard has a decidedly much more cautious approach even as Kim puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder (the same shoulder Sinclair got a really good rifle butt smash on). Even as capable as both men are, Chun-Li went crazy here in South Korea... to say nothing of whatever may await them within Myanmar proper.
"Yeah, I got... shot, beaten... ah... stabbed... blown up," he runs down the laundry list of general injuries from the various military units he's run into. His mind suddenly feels incredibly sore when he tries to recall Vega's will given shape, the way it... dominated him. There's no other way to really describe it, other than just saying the name. "'n... Vega'd."
He visibly shudders, something Kim might feel in his grasp. Howard will never forget what that was like - he can't imagine what it must be like for Chun-Li even now, or how she was able to fight against him directly so many times even knowing of that... power.
"Say, uh, actually, while we're, uh... here," Howard says, his mind shifting gears inexplicably, "is it, uh, is it... Kim, or, or Kaphwan, what do you go by?"
May Lee has talked about feeling the power of Vega as well. This is something Kim does not comprehend so well. He has not experienced the monster the dictator has evolved into. He was dangerous before, but the way people talk of him now it is as if he has grown even more in power. When it comes down to it Kim can only hope he can stand against Vega if their paths ever do cross. He worries that is where May Lee has gone too despite him being against it. He appreciates her desires to stop Vega, but he does not wish to see his pupil killed.
"Hmm? Oh, no need to be formal at all. I am Kim to my friends." It seems he is quite the trusting man. He hadn't even knew of Rust before meeting him on the border yet here he is treating him as a person he has known for years. It is easy to see how he can be so respected among his peers. Does the man even have a bad bone in his body? It also makes one wonder how much the war really is effecting him. The smile does well to mask any real problems that might be on the man's mind. Given the state of things there are plenty of those at the moment.
"Rest up and have some more tea. We will have dinner in a bit once Chang returns from the market." Oh this can't end well, can it? "We will rest up and then be on our way!"
Log created on 21:59:11 03/09/2012 by Rust, and last modified on 16:17:15 03/11/2012.