03x06 - Chapter XXII: Black Wind Howls

[bunniefuu]

Here we go.

Ooh, yeah. Go on. I like that one.

Oh, lovely.

I've missed this. Mmm.

Hey. Jellied eel.

It's a local delicacy. Delicious. You want some?

No. I'll pass.

Where's this smuggler friend of yours?

Relax. We're close.

It goes to say, I hope you don't mind but you have a real knack of sucking the joy out of international travel.

Should have one of those.

Mmm. Now listen, my friend doesn't like outsiders, so when we get in there let me do all the talking.

Hey! Stop! Okay? Oh.

Get back here!

I've missed this place.

Okay, one sh*t per turn.

And the first one to get a spike or to pass out gives up the gold!

Yeah!

Oh! Missed by an inch.

Take a sh*t and go again.

Hey, get off me!

Looking for a... No, I'm all right. Cheers.

Come on.

Ooh. Painful, yeah?

Just look on the bright side, your favorite hobby only requires one hand.

Not so fast, you cheating bitch.

Now piss off, Gage, we had a deal.

Hold that for me a sec. Excuse me.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Hey.

Surely, we can, uh, settle this friendly wager without the need for further bloodshed?

What do you have in mind?

Well, I think we should probably...

Hi, Lily. Long time no see.

Not long enough.

Get him!

Uh? Oh, yes, cheers to you too.

I was gonna give it to you.

Yeah, right. Excuse me.

Really? Nothing?

Why are you not helping me?

Not so fast.

Give me that money, bitch.

Hold on, Henry.

What the hell are you doing here?

Well it's actually an interesting story about that.

Watch out.

Tell me later! Come on.

We should go.

Grab this third line.

You think they'll come after us?

Probably.

And I won't be welcome in Black Wind anytime soon, thanks to you.

You assh*le!

Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's me. And this's my friend, Sunny.

How do you two know each other?

Isn't it obvious? Lily is my ex-wife.

You look good. Put... Put a bit of weight on.

Or off. I don't know. I didn't mean...

No... Just stop.

Why is Chau taking refugees?

She's getting desperate.

You know, you shouldn't have abandoned the camp.

Those refugees needed you.

I took The Widow's deal so I could build a future for survivors.

What? As Cogs in your poppy field? How generous.

When the w*r is over, these fields will grow food.

And the farmers who tend them will own the fruits of their labor.

That is how we change the Badlands.

Not by playing outlaw in a w*r we can't possibly win.

We work together, or we die.

It's time to make a choice.

I know you don't trust her, but Lydia is not the enemy.

No.

I'm done fighting.

I want out.

I...

I can't turn my back on the refugees. I won't.

What, even if that means turning your back on me?

Wait, Odessa...

You should rest.

Hello, Lily.

This is very nice. Who'd you steal it from?

I ask the questions, smart ass.

Beginning with, what the hell are you doing here?

Any way to talk to a hero?

I saved your arse back there.

Oh, please. You didn't save crap!

Gage is a p*ssy. You cost me a fortune.

Please.

We need your help.

We're trying to find this place.

It's some kind of temple where two rivers meet. Do you know it?

No. I could probably find it though.

Question is, why the hell should I help you?

My son is sick.

There's a man there that can heal him.

Well, that sucks for your son.

If you're looking for a guide, you're gonna have to do better than a sick baby.

I hate babies. Whiny little sh*t machines.

Lily, this is serious. What's it gonna take?

Cash would be nice.

This heap doesn't run on smiles and rainbows.

And I owe a sizable amount to a very uncompromising lender.

Until I pay up, I shouldn't even be out on open water.

You wanna pay me back with money I won?

Well...

You unbelievable piece of...

Hero. That's the word you're looking for. Hero.

If it wasn't for me and Sunny, you would still be broke, and you would probably be dead as well.

Have we got a deal?

She's in, I think.

Some of you did not journey here today of your own free will.

You were taken by force from the refugee camp.

But you are not my prisoners.

For the man who would enslave others is himself enchained, bound everlasting to ignorance and suffering.

My Acolytes and I have chosen another way.

Azra.

A force with the power to transform us, so we may transcend our failing flesh and become immortal.

Free from the tyranny.

A world full of bounty and salvation for all!

Azra! Azra! Azra!

Will you join me, brother?

Can I tell the Baron her debt is paid?

Chau kept her promise. I shall keep mine.

Please accept my condolences.

I fought with Castor.

He k*lled a dozen men before he fell and was captured.

Cressida.

You sent Castor to fight and I forbade it.

I didn't send him. He chose to go.

The boy is sick.

It was our duty to protect him.

Our duty is to Azra.

Castor understood this, even though you seem to have forgotten it.

How dare you question my belief!

Your love for the boy has clouded your perception.

You knew his time had come, but you refused to do what needed to be done.

I allowed Castor to fight with dignity, like the warrior he was.

I chose the righteous path.

A path that led him straight to the arms of our enemy.

Death is not to be feared.

When death comes, I will welcome it as a brother.

But I will not allow disloyalty into my house.

Deceive me again, and you will suffer.

Vitania.

I... I wasn't sure if you were still alive.

You here to hurt me or help me?

It's hard to tell who my enemies are anymore.

I came to see what you need.

Take your pick.

As long as this w*r continues, refugees will keep showing up.

Lydia assured me that food and supplies are on the way.

Lucky us.

Hey, she's still on our side.

What good is a Viceroy's charity if Chau's Clippers decide to come back?

We need protection, not empty promises.

I never really saw you as the marrying type.

Yeah.

That was a lifetime ago.

I'm shocked it didn't last.

Cynicism.

I like it.

Look, in our defense, we were both young, I was drunk and she was horny.

Relationships have lasted much longer, built on a lot less.

Bajie, can we really trust her?

Yeah. Look, I mean despite her obvious and rather colorful rancor, she's a good soul. Always has been.

If anything, it's me she shouldn't be trusting.

Hey. You're gonna drink that or write it a poem?

Hey. You're all right?

You look like you've seen a pirate's helmet.

I've been on this boat before. When I was a boy.

How could you possibly know that?

Ever since Ankara's, I've been remembering things I didn't even know I'd forgotten.

That mad witch must have knocked something loose, mate.

I'm losing my mind.

We've got a long ride ahead of us.

Why don't you go get some sleep?

Let me do the heavy lifting.

Don't fall overboard.

Come on!

Oh, come on!

Stupid.

Everything okay?

Just trying to get this nav system working.

What about the River King?

We're on his trade routes.

We don't wanna get caught at one of his checkpoints.

The River King and I have an arrangement.

As long as he gets a taste, he's happy to leave smugglers like me alone.

Hell, who do you think sold me this boat?

Anything else you want to know?

Life story? Hopes and dreams?

The color of my last bowel movement?

You been to all these places?

Don't blame you.

If I was married to Bajie, I'd sail as far away as I could.

We met when I was second mate on a pirate barge.

Doing fuel raids.

Bajie was a pirate?

Damn good one, too.

He knew jack about boats, but within a week, he'd convinced the entire crew that the Captain had dementia, and staged a coup.

He was brilliant, and devious, and I wanted to jump him immediately.

We started running scams up and down the river, saving our spoils to buy a real boat.

We were gonna get out of the Badlands.

Sail the world together.

What happened? What do you think?

Bajie happened.

He got a lead on Azra from some drunk in a dive bar, and poof!

He took all our money, left me a note.

A g*dd*mn note.

And I've been living hand-to-mouth ever since.

I'm sorry.

Save your pity.

You're going to need it.

Running with that sh*t bird?

You're bound for ruin.

I wasn't sure I'd see you again.

Yes, you were. You knew I'd come.

Are you okay? Stop.

You don't get to be nice.

You saved my life, and I appreciate it, but it doesn't change anything.

So, then what are we doing out here, Tilda? We measuring swords?

I came to offer a truce.

Chau's Clippers took a bunch of refugees.

I'm not sitting on the sidelines anymore.

I want to help you take her down.

You always were a bleeding heart.

Unfortunately, during times of w*r...

I'm not here for a lecture.

Do you want my help or not?

Of course, I do.

Just so we're clear, I'll fight by your side.

But I'm not your Regent, and I am not your daughter.

We fight as allies, or as enemies. Your choice.

Allies it is.

Where am I?

What are you doing to me?

The needles are a necessary precaution, I'm afraid.

Your Gift makes you dangerous.

I can help ease your suffering, if you cooperate.

Tell me. How does Pilgrim control your Gift?

I saw him turn it off.

You think you know about the Gift?

About us?

You know nothing.

Pilgrim was chosen.

Really? By whom?

By Azra.

I've seen him level cities with his gaze.

Decimate armies with only his words for weapons.

Words, yes, and two Dark Ones.

I wonder what will happen when you're gone.

What will he do without his precious att*ck dogs?

He has already found another.

It's a boy, isn't it?

His name is M.K.

He will betray Pilgrim.

Even k*ll him, if he gets the chance.

The boy's loyalty is impressive.

But he's getting worse.

And we're getting nowhere.

I take it my Regent has a suggestion.

Cut off his head and send it to Pilgrim.

Punishment for raiding the camp.

Or we could use the boy's devotion as a w*apon, to weaken Pilgrim.

The man's a zealot.

We need to send a clear message.

I'm not interested in intimidation. I want answers.

Prepare the boy for travel.

Whiskey for your thoughts?

Just thinking how pleasant it was not seeing your face, and then you went and ruined it.

I missed you, Lil.

What do you want, Bajie?

Okay.

I just want to say, thank you.

For giving Sunny and the kid a chance. All right?

I know you've got a million reasons to hate me.

But that little boy deserves a sh*t.

I just wanna say, thank you for giving him one.

All right, all right. One drink, if it puts a cork in your pie hole.

Best years of our lives, eh, Lil?

Well, two years, anyway.

Shut up and give me a light. Bugger off. Get your own.

Hey!

You kept Lucky Linda?

Mmm.

Yeah, I wanted a souvenir of the man who stole my money and my heart.

I didn't steal your heart.

You've got some nerve! Ow.

What? I just thought...

You don't think, Bajie. That's your problem.

Come back into my life with your crappy bottle of hooch and your old memories, thinking we can just pick up where we left off.

Take your shitty lighter and get out.

It's just as cheap and unreliable as you are.

Remember, M.K.'s there by choice.

Don't do anything foolish.

Where is my boy?

Where are my refugees?

That's an odd way to put it.

People displaced by your w*r are now your property?

I suppose they should be yours instead.

We offer sanctuary, nothing more.

They may leave if they wish.

I thought we had an understanding.

I leave you to chase your invisible city and dig your holes in the ground, and you stay out of my w*r.

Where is Castor?

I won't ask again.

We treated him as best we could, but his condition is worsening.

And why would you do me this kindness, I wonder.

Because a father should say goodbye to his son.

And because I'm not your enemy.

You have said this once before.

Maybe this time, you'll believe me.

Anyone who would seek power for its own sake is my enemy.

Are you not such a person?

Would you humble yourself before me?

I seek peace.

An end to suffering in the Badlands. Nothing more.

As for humbling myself before you, or any man, I'll let you guess how likely that is.

Thank you for returning my son.

The Gift our children possess, you had it once too.

Who told you that?

I see it.

Tell me, do you long to have it back again?

What the hell was that?

Now, you gave up our only leverage for a handshake and a hollow promise.

No, I bought us time.

To finish Chau.

We're gonna need her army to defeat the Dark Ones.

But what if Pilgrim strikes first? Before we're ready.

They see me as a believer ready to be converted, not an enemy to be conquered.

That's a mistake they won't live to regret.

Look, whatever she's paying you, I'll double it.

Bajie!

Sunny. I see you're still trying to save people.

And you're still trying to sell them.

You cost me my family!

Why don't we all just take a deep breath? Hmm?

I don't want to spend the night mopping up blood.

Sorry, mate.

I gave her the best two years of my life and she sold us out. Oh, don't be so dramatic.

Ha.

You gave me no choice. I've got debts, and the bounty on you two is going to cover them.

It'll be more than enough to cover, my dear.

This is the second time I'll profit off of this Clipper.

Now drop that axe and come quietly.

I'd hate for the little boy to become an orphan.

It's cold out here, Sunny.

You're worth more to me alive than dead.

Come on!

Oh.

Ooh.

Hey! Lily!

Don't you walk away.

How could you do this to me? Oh, it was easy.

All I had to do was ask myself, "What would Bajie do?"

Lily, wait!

You were right about me.

Everything you said.

And I am sorry.

I'm more sorry than you'll ever know.

Aw!

Isn't that the sweetest thing?

Sunny.

I suggest you come out and start begging for your life, before I end these two.

I have a better idea.

Give me a reason not to gut you right now!

Because I know where you're going!

And if you want to get to Pilgrim alive, you're gonna need my help.

Get some rope.

He's coming with us.

Shh.

You're going to be okay.

I'm dying.

Don't say that.

Pilgrim promised we would see Azra together, and we will.

Pilgrim is wrong.

And if he's wrong about that, then maybe he's wrong about everything else.

You're sick.

You need to... We are not what he says we are.

Leave her alone!

His fever's getting worse. You need to go.

You don't belong here!

Castor. Calm down.

Ow!

Castor, stop!

He's a liar!

I know what you are!

The Widow told me. Enough.

Take M.K. and go.

Your brother needs to rest.

I'm sorry.

I don't know what came over me.

No need to apologize, dear one.

Save your strength.

The men who wore this armor were a caste of ancient warriors.

Bound to their masters for life.

They were fearless and loyal, and lived by a sacred code.

Where others embraced greed and deception, the samurai knew only honor and sacrifice.

The sharpness of their blades was matched only by the purity of their hearts.

You remind me of those proud warriors.

For you, too, are pure.

And you have served your master well.

Time to let go, my son.

We will sing your praises in the halls of Azra.