Artist Comment:
May 26, 2022
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A very old character I decided to dust off and finally post. This character was created nearly at the beginning of the creation of GW- when I decided to make Gordon and Bate army buddies. He was a faceless character until now, but I knew from the beginning he was going to be a bird like character. The few drabbles I wrote of him were described as a bird...that's all. XDDD So I had a lot of fun designing him~! ^o^ All of the stuff I wrote about him were just filler drabbles. It never made the cut and thus never posted. I never forgot about him, though, and after a decade of sitting on it, I finally worked up the effort to draw out some of my favorite scenes~!! ^o^ So lets take a look~!
This is VERY minor info about them. I tried to put everything in a nutshell so some of the stuff may be a bit vague or rushed. The story originally had Mara helping as well, but I removed it cause Mara’s fate is technically unknown at this time. If I post another pic, I'll provide more details about them. But for now, I hope you enjoy what's written below:
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Kaaba is from Bate and Gordon's past. (Kaba meaning "Fame and Glory" and adding an extra "A" because of a bird "Caaawing." XDDD ) He's an army buddy and supposed friend (not really) of Gordon. But not for the reasons one would think. He and Gordon were bullies of Bate. This is before Gordon and Bate became friends/ brothers, and made their promise back in this flashback. If you don't remember, Bate accidentally insulted Gordon once they first met. He assumed Gordon was cargo, which greatly offended him. Gordon was already in a bad place due to the death of Bullet, so what Bate said struck a huge nerve with him.
Kaaba considers himself a big-shot during his GSA days. Huge ego, big mouth, prefers actions instead of words. He doesn't like Bate. Never did, probably never will. (I'll be honest, I don't think I ever had a real reason in the beginning. It was never mentioned, so I'm winging it below. XDD )
He sees Bate as a loser, outcast- you name it. His reasons were never given, though it could be because of petty rivalry. Bate is a better flyer than him, he scores higher in all of the navigation tests than him, AND their captain picked Bate instead of him to oversee their squad. Bate and Kaaba are both navigators, so being overshadowed by someone Kabba saw as a loser may be the reason why he irks him so much. Buuuut Kaaba never openly says why he doesn't like Bate, so it's all speculation. So when he sees Gordon beating on Bate- of course Kaaba joins in on all the fun too! *It's also later revealed towards the end that Kaaba lost his position because of Bate.
Kaaba's fighting styles relies on speed and stealth. He's super fast and relies on smoke bombs as a cover to hide himself. Kaaba would use his speed to steal Bate's belongings. His favorite thing is stealing Bate's mask and throwing it like a frisbee; down the hall, down the battlefield, in North Nova's vast desert. Other things would be throwing smoke bombs at him, tripping him, stealing his paperwork, and vandalizing his living quarters.
Gordon doesn't go out of his way like Kaaba. Since Bate and Gordon are teamed together, Gordon takes out his frustration on Bate during spars. A simple spar would escalate to very violent fights. He can easily overpower Bate, and would beat the small puff until the captain or other comrades would stop the match. It obviously caused Bate to end up at the injury ward with multiple wounds at a time.
Gordon does not consider Kaaba as a friend. But since Gordon would turn a blind eye when Kaaba would bully Bate (His teammate, mind you), Kaaba took that as a sign of friendship. The bullying went on for months until a particularly bad incident that landed Bate in the hospital for several days finally caused Gordon to rethink his actions. This particular incident has haunted Gordon for years- decades. Even as time went on and they're both living together in Kalmari Town raising Meta, Arthur and Nonsurat, Gordon has never forgot about the terrible things he did to him. Bate always reassures Gordon when those memories resurface. He tells Gordon they're relationship is beyond their GSA days. Gordon is more than just a friend in his eyes. He's his brother, part of his family. A loyal comrade he can always trust, and will not hesitate to risk his life for. Gordon finding forgiveness in himself proves to be quite difficult. He knows Bate has long forgiven him, but he can't seem to forgive himself for what he's done. He’s still ashamed of himself, and is too embarrassed to let anyone know about his past. And unfortunately, those feelings are about to resurface once more once Kaaba arrives in Kalmari.
Edit: So after some digging, I actually found the fanfic of said incident. The story is similar to the first time Bate and Ramset met (Comic- Through Sickness and Health) . I think that's why I never posted this story. It was way too similar to the comic, so it was scrapped. But apparently the incident was Kaaba throwing a smokebomb at him during training. Bate had an asthma attack and asked Gordon for help. Instead of helping him, he threw his inhaler somewhere in the desert and left soon after. Kaaba and Gordon did this to Bate quite often, but this was the first time he almost died from it. A random solider who was training in the area found Bate nearly passed out in the sand, and took him to the medical ward. (So let's all thank that unknown solider for saving him because GW wouldn't exist without him.) Could've been Shieff who saved him, but who knows.
-Intro sketch:
After a hard morning of training, all four teachers take their students to the plaza for lunch. That's when Bate and Gordon hear their names being called. Everyone sees a rather old bird waving and calling out to them. The pair instantly recognizes Kaaba and show hesitation once he makes his way to the group. Ramset, Gravel and their students ask who he is, and Kaaba introduces himself. An old GSA comrade and friend of the pair. Bate, being much older and blunter than his younger years, clearly states they aren't friends. Kaaba just laughs it off and invites himself to lunch while they all catch up.
Bate bites his tongue during most of the interaction. He keeps quiet while Kaaba talks to Ramset and his students. Gordon does the same, but his silence is due to guilt, and not anger like Bate. Gravel keeps silent as well, only due to the fact he's easily able to read lies. He knows everything Kaaba is saying is a lie, but doesn't interrupt since it's not his place to intervene. Kaaba tells the group of students he and Gordon were best friends- always 'playfully' picking on Bate, and how much fun they all had during the GSA. Meta could clearly see his teacher upset as Kaaba went on, and that caused him and Arthur to become weary of the mysterious bird.
Once lunch ends, Kaaba informs the group he's staying for a few days and would love to hang out later on. He suggests tagging along during class hours to lend a wing and help train their students too. Bate says he'll think about it and leaves without another word. Gordon, Gravel and Ramset eventually do the same and catch up to Bate with their students following behind. Ramset asks why he's was so upset during lunch- Kaaba seems like a great friend. Bate says he'll tell him later tonight when they're alone- referring to the group of students wanting to know more about him. Nonsurat, who hasn't said much since the meeting, took notice how hurt Gordon's become. He sees his mentor constantly looking over at Bate with a worried expression when Ramset or the others talk about Kaaba. This causes him to wonder why Kaaba's arrival is causing his teachers to act so strange.
During late in the evening, Bate Gordon and Ramset are outside overseeing the ocean near Bate's home. Gravel does not join since he knows Bate and Gordon will inform Ramset all about it. (And as mentioned earlier, it's not his place to intervene) All five students are fast asleep in Bate's living room, so Ramset finally asks why they're acting so weird around Kaaba. None speak at first. Gordon shyly looks at Bate, and Bate does the same. Bate eventually lets out a sigh and says Kaaba isn't their friend. They were in the same squad, but other than that, they were far from good pals. When Ramset asks why, Gordon speaks in place of Bate and says Kaaba bullied and terrorized Bate during their entire stay at the GSA. He tells Ramset all the things Kaaba used to do, and before Gordon has the chance to tell Ramset he fueled the problem as well, Bate cuts him off.
Bate tells Ramset Kaaba hasn't changed. The way he acts, the fact he doesn't acknowledge what he's done. Not even an apology- it's disgusting. Bate doesn't want his students around Kaaba unless one of them is around to supervise them. The last thing he wants is one of their students getting hurt, so he tells Ramset to be weary of him while he's around. Falspar and Dragato are everything to Ramset, so he trusts Bate and promises to keep an eye out. He heads off to the canyons to relay everything to Gravel and leaves Falspar and Dragato with Bate for the rest of the night.
While walking back to the house, Gordon thanks Bate for protecting him during the conversation with Ramset. After meeting Kaaba again, and hearing his lies how they were all good friends, it brought up many bad memories associated with him. He's reminded of the day he and Kaaba almost killed Bate, and how terrible he feels about it still. He has a deep fear of anyone knowing, especially his students. Bate does his best to calm his comrade down. As they enter the house, he tells Gordon there's no reason to bring up what he's done. Kaaba hasn't changed, but he has. He doesn't trust Kaaba, but he trusts Gordon with his life. There's a clear difference between them, and Bate tells him not to worry. No one will ever know. Reassuring Gordon one last time, the pair head off to bed- unaware Nonsurat was up and listening to their conversation.
-Bar sketch:
The next few days are stressful ones. Kaaba makes his presence known as he's seen talking to Gordon or Bate alone at times. One instance is during a late night out with just Gordon. Kaaba asks if he and Bate are really friends. He laughs at the idea when he's told it's true, and insults Bate during the exchange. Gordon is angered by it, even going as far as *having his mouth visible while he's speaking to Kaaba. He tells him NEVER to insult Bate while he's around, and warns him not to push his boundaries while he's visiting Kalmari. Bate is his brother, his family- and he will not let anyone harm him while he's around. Kaaba has a hard time believing Gordon. He used to bully Bate for months on end, and now he's his good friend? Gordon informs him things change over time. He's a different person than he was back then. Kaaba may have stayed the same, but he's long moved on.
(* Gordon never shows his mouth unless he's under great stress. It's usually fueled by high emotion, and anyone who sees it should be weary.)
-Nonsurat / Alba Sketch:
Later in the week, Gordon’s worse nightmare becomes a reality when Nonsurat ends up finding out about his GSA days. Because his mentor was still acting strange, Nonsurat gets up a bit earlier than the rest of his comrades one morning and heads out to find Kaaba. He wants to know whats troubling his mentor, and if it’s something Kaaba may know, maybe he could help fix it! Finding him wasn’t difficult, the old bird was resting under the large plum blossom tree next to Bate’s house. He’s woken up by little Nonsurat, and Kaaba realizes he's one of Gordon and Bate’s kids. Nonsurat asks if he and his teachers are really friends. His mentor didn’t seem as enthusiastic like he was during dinner. In fact, he seemed a bit uneasy around him. With only two days left in his trip before leaving Kalmari, Kaaba gives a smirk at the little puff and tells him Gordon has every right to be weary- for he knows his ‘secret’. Nonsurat practically begs Kaaba to tell him, but once he does, the small warrior is left in disbelief. He doesn’t believe what he’s told, his mentor would NEVER do such a thing...but the fact Gordon’s been acting off this entire time certainly doesn’t help.
During class, Gordon asks Nonsurat if he’s okay when he notices him not acting like his usual self. With much hesitation, Nonsurat tells him he talked to Kaaba earlier in the morning, and he knows all the stuff he used to do to Teacher Bate when they were younger. He knows that’s the reason why he was acting nervous when they met. He hurt Teacher Bate, he was a bully to him, he nearly killed him, and he tried to hide it from everyone. Nonsurat then asks Gordon if everything Kaaba said is true. With fear and panic in Gordon’s eyes, he tries to explain himself, but Nonsurat speeds off in distraught when he realizes Kaaba was right. Gordon runs off to find Nonsurat, but when he can’t spot him anywhere, he heads to Alba’s home to inform her everything that’s happened. She tells the heartbroken Gordo they’ll figure something out, and joins Gordon to help find him.
-Kaaba challenging Bate sketch:
With Gordon having his hands full with Nonsurat, Kaaba joins Bate class in the late afternoon, much to the elder's dismay. The interactions between the two is quite awkward. Instead of training his students, Kaaba would badger Bate to spar with him. Kaaba tells the small group of warriors he used to always win against Bate during sparring sessions. Bate mumbles to himself it had something to do with him always throwing smoke bombs at him. Arthur and Meta eagerly tell Bate to accept, they want to see who's strongest. Finally after much badgering from both parties, Bate accepts. Kaaba is still fast on his feet, so he quickly darts to Bate and lands several kicks to his side. Unlike their GSA days, however, Bate has grown exponentially. He's much stronger than before, and Kaaba's kick does nothing but budge him slightly to the left. Bate uses his talons to capture him in a powerful grip. Bate can easily snap him like a toothpick, and Kaaba knows. He cries and calls out for Bate to let him go, which he does. Meta and Arthur run to Bate soon after to celebrate his victory, while Kaaba is slightly agitated he lost to Bate. He didn't think he would be THAT strong. He calls out to Bate to give him a small congrats before taking his leave for the rest of the training session. Bate thinks nothing of it and continue to train the pair.
Once lessons end and Bate is alone, Kaaba appears before he has the chance to head back home and demands a rematch. His demeanor has changed- he sounds angrier, hostile. He's now equipped himself with a set of metal claw attachments to his feet as well as sharp wing blades on his arms to take him on. Bate clearly senses the deadly aurora around him, and tells him he’s not going to fight. He tells Kaaba he has no idea why he dislikes him so much, but it’s been decades since their army days and he needs to move on and leave them alone.
Kaaba doesn’t listen and charges at Bate. Before Kaaba has the chance to strike, Bate quickly pins him to the floor. He tells him to leave Kalmari and NEVER return. If not, he will not hold back like before. Kaaba gives a smirk and uses his metal feet to claw into Bate's wings. Bate yells out in severe pain and lets go of the figure. Kaaba uses this chance to attack Bate's weak points- his feet and wings. He tries to go for his legs, but Bate takes to the sky to escape his attack. Normally, Kaaba would be no match for Bate in the air, but since Bate's wings are injured from Kaaba's attack, he's not able to dodge fast enough. Kaaba delivers a powerful kick to Bate's back, and the elder hits the ground. Kaaba places one of his clawed feet on his arms and mocks how weak and pathetic he is.
Bate fights back by quickly grabbing his ankle before using all his energy to deliver a powerful electric shock to him. The shock is so powerful, it sends a large bolt of lightning to the sky- alerting Gordon, Alba, and their respective students to the scene moments later. Surprisingly, Kaaba is still able to stand and starts using his armor wings to try to hit Bate. Bate does his best to dodge, but his movements are way too slow compared to Kaabas'. Bate takes a few slashes to his body before he's forced to used the Guardian Wing on him. One of his strongest attacks that can easily kill in one blow, Bate doesn't hit Kaaba, but instead barely misses him. The powerful beam of light leaves a massive indent on the earth below that startles Kaaba for a few moments before he laughs at the elder for showing mercy. Too weak to continue, Bate is unable to battle any longer and hits the ground in fatigue. As Kaaba makes his way towards the elder, Gordon summons several specter like spears and strikes the ground before he can take another step.
Kaaba chuckles at the scene before him and tells Gordon he's delusional if he thinks protecting him will really make him feel like a better person after all he’s done. Finally fed up, Gordon tells him he will never use a moment like this as an excuse to justify what he’s done to Bate. Protecting Bate doesn’t make him feel good. He hates it. He never feels good when he has to protect Bate. Because in order for him to feel good about it, that means Bate has to be put in danger in the first place. Bate has forgiven him, and although he won’t forget the things he’s done to Bate in the past, moving forward and being a better Gordo than before is all he can do at this point.
With one last warning, he tells Kaaba to leave. Unlike Bate he will NOT show mercy if he gets any closer. Kaaba eventually agrees since he's far too exhausted from the fight. He takes a moment to watch Gordon tend to Bate and leaves the battlefield without a word. Everyone comes rushing towards Bate, and Nonsurat quietly observes them from behind. He watches as Bate thanks Gordon for protecting him, but Gordon is waaay too worried about his injuries to say anything back and charges to the hospital with Bate firmly in his grasp. While in the waiting room, Nonsurat finally confronts Gordon about the incident between them earlier. He tells Gordon he heard what he told Kabba while protecting Bate, and asks if he really means it.
Gordon nods and tells him he never wants to be the Gordo he was back in his GSA days. When Nonsurat asks why he hurt Bate in the first place, Gordon says he was a very different Gordo when he was younger. Angry, bitter, alone after the death of his mentor, he had a terribly short temper towards anyone who crossed him. He's ashamed of it, and doesn't like to think about those days. But Bate..
Bate is the only one who truly cared for him back then. Even after all the things he put Bate through, he offered his friendship to him when no one else would. He admits to Nonsurat he would most likely be filled with hated if Bate never entered his life. He gave him a new reason to live after Bullet's death, and Gordon cherishes the friendship he's gotten to experience with him over the years. He'll continue being by Bate's side, and he knows Bate will always be there for him as well. They're family, after all.
After hearing his reasons, Nonsurat says they're both quite lucky to have each other. If not, he and his friends wouldn't be training and living with them. Gordon wholeheartedly agrees. Mends and Alba step out of Bate's room not a moment later and Gordon practically jumps out of his chair to see him. Gordon cries tears of joy once he sees Bate awake and gives his comrade a hug despite Bate telling him he's too sore. Meta joins soon after followed by Arthur and finally Nonsurat.
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Okay so I think I'm done drabbling for now. XD So Kaaba DOES come back one more time, but that's another story for next time. It'll end on a much better note, however. He finally humbles up, but it won't be towards the end of the story He's a jerk most of the time, but it finally resolves. XP
Anyways, thanks to anyone who read about him~! ^o^ It was fun talking about Bate and Gordy's past.
May 26, 2022
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A very old character I decided to dust off and finally post. This character was created nearly at the beginning of the creation of GW- when I decided to make Gordon and Bate army buddies. He was a faceless character until now, but I knew from the beginning he was going to be a bird like character. The few drabbles I wrote of him were described as a bird...that's all. XDDD So I had a lot of fun designing him~! ^o^ All of the stuff I wrote about him were just filler drabbles. It never made the cut and thus never posted. I never forgot about him, though, and after a decade of sitting on it, I finally worked up the effort to draw out some of my favorite scenes~!! ^o^ So lets take a look~!
This is VERY minor info about them. I tried to put everything in a nutshell so some of the stuff may be a bit vague or rushed. The story originally had Mara helping as well, but I removed it cause Mara’s fate is technically unknown at this time. If I post another pic, I'll provide more details about them. But for now, I hope you enjoy what's written below:
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Kaaba is from Bate and Gordon's past. (Kaba meaning "Fame and Glory" and adding an extra "A" because of a bird "Caaawing." XDDD ) He's an army buddy and supposed friend (not really) of Gordon. But not for the reasons one would think. He and Gordon were bullies of Bate. This is before Gordon and Bate became friends/ brothers, and made their promise back in this flashback. If you don't remember, Bate accidentally insulted Gordon once they first met. He assumed Gordon was cargo, which greatly offended him. Gordon was already in a bad place due to the death of Bullet, so what Bate said struck a huge nerve with him.
Kaaba considers himself a big-shot during his GSA days. Huge ego, big mouth, prefers actions instead of words. He doesn't like Bate. Never did, probably never will. (I'll be honest, I don't think I ever had a real reason in the beginning. It was never mentioned, so I'm winging it below. XDD )
He sees Bate as a loser, outcast- you name it. His reasons were never given, though it could be because of petty rivalry. Bate is a better flyer than him, he scores higher in all of the navigation tests than him, AND their captain picked Bate instead of him to oversee their squad. Bate and Kaaba are both navigators, so being overshadowed by someone Kabba saw as a loser may be the reason why he irks him so much. Buuuut Kaaba never openly says why he doesn't like Bate, so it's all speculation. So when he sees Gordon beating on Bate- of course Kaaba joins in on all the fun too! *It's also later revealed towards the end that Kaaba lost his position because of Bate.
Kaaba's fighting styles relies on speed and stealth. He's super fast and relies on smoke bombs as a cover to hide himself. Kaaba would use his speed to steal Bate's belongings. His favorite thing is stealing Bate's mask and throwing it like a frisbee; down the hall, down the battlefield, in North Nova's vast desert. Other things would be throwing smoke bombs at him, tripping him, stealing his paperwork, and vandalizing his living quarters.
Gordon doesn't go out of his way like Kaaba. Since Bate and Gordon are teamed together, Gordon takes out his frustration on Bate during spars. A simple spar would escalate to very violent fights. He can easily overpower Bate, and would beat the small puff until the captain or other comrades would stop the match. It obviously caused Bate to end up at the injury ward with multiple wounds at a time.
Gordon does not consider Kaaba as a friend. But since Gordon would turn a blind eye when Kaaba would bully Bate (His teammate, mind you), Kaaba took that as a sign of friendship. The bullying went on for months until a particularly bad incident that landed Bate in the hospital for several days finally caused Gordon to rethink his actions. This particular incident has haunted Gordon for years- decades. Even as time went on and they're both living together in Kalmari Town raising Meta, Arthur and Nonsurat, Gordon has never forgot about the terrible things he did to him. Bate always reassures Gordon when those memories resurface. He tells Gordon they're relationship is beyond their GSA days. Gordon is more than just a friend in his eyes. He's his brother, part of his family. A loyal comrade he can always trust, and will not hesitate to risk his life for. Gordon finding forgiveness in himself proves to be quite difficult. He knows Bate has long forgiven him, but he can't seem to forgive himself for what he's done. He’s still ashamed of himself, and is too embarrassed to let anyone know about his past. And unfortunately, those feelings are about to resurface once more once Kaaba arrives in Kalmari.
Edit: So after some digging, I actually found the fanfic of said incident. The story is similar to the first time Bate and Ramset met (Comic- Through Sickness and Health) . I think that's why I never posted this story. It was way too similar to the comic, so it was scrapped. But apparently the incident was Kaaba throwing a smokebomb at him during training. Bate had an asthma attack and asked Gordon for help. Instead of helping him, he threw his inhaler somewhere in the desert and left soon after. Kaaba and Gordon did this to Bate quite often, but this was the first time he almost died from it. A random solider who was training in the area found Bate nearly passed out in the sand, and took him to the medical ward. (So let's all thank that unknown solider for saving him because GW wouldn't exist without him.) Could've been Shieff who saved him, but who knows.
-Intro sketch:
After a hard morning of training, all four teachers take their students to the plaza for lunch. That's when Bate and Gordon hear their names being called. Everyone sees a rather old bird waving and calling out to them. The pair instantly recognizes Kaaba and show hesitation once he makes his way to the group. Ramset, Gravel and their students ask who he is, and Kaaba introduces himself. An old GSA comrade and friend of the pair. Bate, being much older and blunter than his younger years, clearly states they aren't friends. Kaaba just laughs it off and invites himself to lunch while they all catch up.
Bate bites his tongue during most of the interaction. He keeps quiet while Kaaba talks to Ramset and his students. Gordon does the same, but his silence is due to guilt, and not anger like Bate. Gravel keeps silent as well, only due to the fact he's easily able to read lies. He knows everything Kaaba is saying is a lie, but doesn't interrupt since it's not his place to intervene. Kaaba tells the group of students he and Gordon were best friends- always 'playfully' picking on Bate, and how much fun they all had during the GSA. Meta could clearly see his teacher upset as Kaaba went on, and that caused him and Arthur to become weary of the mysterious bird.
Once lunch ends, Kaaba informs the group he's staying for a few days and would love to hang out later on. He suggests tagging along during class hours to lend a wing and help train their students too. Bate says he'll think about it and leaves without another word. Gordon, Gravel and Ramset eventually do the same and catch up to Bate with their students following behind. Ramset asks why he's was so upset during lunch- Kaaba seems like a great friend. Bate says he'll tell him later tonight when they're alone- referring to the group of students wanting to know more about him. Nonsurat, who hasn't said much since the meeting, took notice how hurt Gordon's become. He sees his mentor constantly looking over at Bate with a worried expression when Ramset or the others talk about Kaaba. This causes him to wonder why Kaaba's arrival is causing his teachers to act so strange.
During late in the evening, Bate Gordon and Ramset are outside overseeing the ocean near Bate's home. Gravel does not join since he knows Bate and Gordon will inform Ramset all about it. (And as mentioned earlier, it's not his place to intervene) All five students are fast asleep in Bate's living room, so Ramset finally asks why they're acting so weird around Kaaba. None speak at first. Gordon shyly looks at Bate, and Bate does the same. Bate eventually lets out a sigh and says Kaaba isn't their friend. They were in the same squad, but other than that, they were far from good pals. When Ramset asks why, Gordon speaks in place of Bate and says Kaaba bullied and terrorized Bate during their entire stay at the GSA. He tells Ramset all the things Kaaba used to do, and before Gordon has the chance to tell Ramset he fueled the problem as well, Bate cuts him off.
Bate tells Ramset Kaaba hasn't changed. The way he acts, the fact he doesn't acknowledge what he's done. Not even an apology- it's disgusting. Bate doesn't want his students around Kaaba unless one of them is around to supervise them. The last thing he wants is one of their students getting hurt, so he tells Ramset to be weary of him while he's around. Falspar and Dragato are everything to Ramset, so he trusts Bate and promises to keep an eye out. He heads off to the canyons to relay everything to Gravel and leaves Falspar and Dragato with Bate for the rest of the night.
While walking back to the house, Gordon thanks Bate for protecting him during the conversation with Ramset. After meeting Kaaba again, and hearing his lies how they were all good friends, it brought up many bad memories associated with him. He's reminded of the day he and Kaaba almost killed Bate, and how terrible he feels about it still. He has a deep fear of anyone knowing, especially his students. Bate does his best to calm his comrade down. As they enter the house, he tells Gordon there's no reason to bring up what he's done. Kaaba hasn't changed, but he has. He doesn't trust Kaaba, but he trusts Gordon with his life. There's a clear difference between them, and Bate tells him not to worry. No one will ever know. Reassuring Gordon one last time, the pair head off to bed- unaware Nonsurat was up and listening to their conversation.
-Bar sketch:
The next few days are stressful ones. Kaaba makes his presence known as he's seen talking to Gordon or Bate alone at times. One instance is during a late night out with just Gordon. Kaaba asks if he and Bate are really friends. He laughs at the idea when he's told it's true, and insults Bate during the exchange. Gordon is angered by it, even going as far as *having his mouth visible while he's speaking to Kaaba. He tells him NEVER to insult Bate while he's around, and warns him not to push his boundaries while he's visiting Kalmari. Bate is his brother, his family- and he will not let anyone harm him while he's around. Kaaba has a hard time believing Gordon. He used to bully Bate for months on end, and now he's his good friend? Gordon informs him things change over time. He's a different person than he was back then. Kaaba may have stayed the same, but he's long moved on.
(* Gordon never shows his mouth unless he's under great stress. It's usually fueled by high emotion, and anyone who sees it should be weary.)
-Nonsurat / Alba Sketch:
Later in the week, Gordon’s worse nightmare becomes a reality when Nonsurat ends up finding out about his GSA days. Because his mentor was still acting strange, Nonsurat gets up a bit earlier than the rest of his comrades one morning and heads out to find Kaaba. He wants to know whats troubling his mentor, and if it’s something Kaaba may know, maybe he could help fix it! Finding him wasn’t difficult, the old bird was resting under the large plum blossom tree next to Bate’s house. He’s woken up by little Nonsurat, and Kaaba realizes he's one of Gordon and Bate’s kids. Nonsurat asks if he and his teachers are really friends. His mentor didn’t seem as enthusiastic like he was during dinner. In fact, he seemed a bit uneasy around him. With only two days left in his trip before leaving Kalmari, Kaaba gives a smirk at the little puff and tells him Gordon has every right to be weary- for he knows his ‘secret’. Nonsurat practically begs Kaaba to tell him, but once he does, the small warrior is left in disbelief. He doesn’t believe what he’s told, his mentor would NEVER do such a thing...but the fact Gordon’s been acting off this entire time certainly doesn’t help.
During class, Gordon asks Nonsurat if he’s okay when he notices him not acting like his usual self. With much hesitation, Nonsurat tells him he talked to Kaaba earlier in the morning, and he knows all the stuff he used to do to Teacher Bate when they were younger. He knows that’s the reason why he was acting nervous when they met. He hurt Teacher Bate, he was a bully to him, he nearly killed him, and he tried to hide it from everyone. Nonsurat then asks Gordon if everything Kaaba said is true. With fear and panic in Gordon’s eyes, he tries to explain himself, but Nonsurat speeds off in distraught when he realizes Kaaba was right. Gordon runs off to find Nonsurat, but when he can’t spot him anywhere, he heads to Alba’s home to inform her everything that’s happened. She tells the heartbroken Gordo they’ll figure something out, and joins Gordon to help find him.
-Kaaba challenging Bate sketch:
With Gordon having his hands full with Nonsurat, Kaaba joins Bate class in the late afternoon, much to the elder's dismay. The interactions between the two is quite awkward. Instead of training his students, Kaaba would badger Bate to spar with him. Kaaba tells the small group of warriors he used to always win against Bate during sparring sessions. Bate mumbles to himself it had something to do with him always throwing smoke bombs at him. Arthur and Meta eagerly tell Bate to accept, they want to see who's strongest. Finally after much badgering from both parties, Bate accepts. Kaaba is still fast on his feet, so he quickly darts to Bate and lands several kicks to his side. Unlike their GSA days, however, Bate has grown exponentially. He's much stronger than before, and Kaaba's kick does nothing but budge him slightly to the left. Bate uses his talons to capture him in a powerful grip. Bate can easily snap him like a toothpick, and Kaaba knows. He cries and calls out for Bate to let him go, which he does. Meta and Arthur run to Bate soon after to celebrate his victory, while Kaaba is slightly agitated he lost to Bate. He didn't think he would be THAT strong. He calls out to Bate to give him a small congrats before taking his leave for the rest of the training session. Bate thinks nothing of it and continue to train the pair.
Once lessons end and Bate is alone, Kaaba appears before he has the chance to head back home and demands a rematch. His demeanor has changed- he sounds angrier, hostile. He's now equipped himself with a set of metal claw attachments to his feet as well as sharp wing blades on his arms to take him on. Bate clearly senses the deadly aurora around him, and tells him he’s not going to fight. He tells Kaaba he has no idea why he dislikes him so much, but it’s been decades since their army days and he needs to move on and leave them alone.
Kaaba doesn’t listen and charges at Bate. Before Kaaba has the chance to strike, Bate quickly pins him to the floor. He tells him to leave Kalmari and NEVER return. If not, he will not hold back like before. Kaaba gives a smirk and uses his metal feet to claw into Bate's wings. Bate yells out in severe pain and lets go of the figure. Kaaba uses this chance to attack Bate's weak points- his feet and wings. He tries to go for his legs, but Bate takes to the sky to escape his attack. Normally, Kaaba would be no match for Bate in the air, but since Bate's wings are injured from Kaaba's attack, he's not able to dodge fast enough. Kaaba delivers a powerful kick to Bate's back, and the elder hits the ground. Kaaba places one of his clawed feet on his arms and mocks how weak and pathetic he is.
Bate fights back by quickly grabbing his ankle before using all his energy to deliver a powerful electric shock to him. The shock is so powerful, it sends a large bolt of lightning to the sky- alerting Gordon, Alba, and their respective students to the scene moments later. Surprisingly, Kaaba is still able to stand and starts using his armor wings to try to hit Bate. Bate does his best to dodge, but his movements are way too slow compared to Kaabas'. Bate takes a few slashes to his body before he's forced to used the Guardian Wing on him. One of his strongest attacks that can easily kill in one blow, Bate doesn't hit Kaaba, but instead barely misses him. The powerful beam of light leaves a massive indent on the earth below that startles Kaaba for a few moments before he laughs at the elder for showing mercy. Too weak to continue, Bate is unable to battle any longer and hits the ground in fatigue. As Kaaba makes his way towards the elder, Gordon summons several specter like spears and strikes the ground before he can take another step.
Kaaba chuckles at the scene before him and tells Gordon he's delusional if he thinks protecting him will really make him feel like a better person after all he’s done. Finally fed up, Gordon tells him he will never use a moment like this as an excuse to justify what he’s done to Bate. Protecting Bate doesn’t make him feel good. He hates it. He never feels good when he has to protect Bate. Because in order for him to feel good about it, that means Bate has to be put in danger in the first place. Bate has forgiven him, and although he won’t forget the things he’s done to Bate in the past, moving forward and being a better Gordo than before is all he can do at this point.
With one last warning, he tells Kaaba to leave. Unlike Bate he will NOT show mercy if he gets any closer. Kaaba eventually agrees since he's far too exhausted from the fight. He takes a moment to watch Gordon tend to Bate and leaves the battlefield without a word. Everyone comes rushing towards Bate, and Nonsurat quietly observes them from behind. He watches as Bate thanks Gordon for protecting him, but Gordon is waaay too worried about his injuries to say anything back and charges to the hospital with Bate firmly in his grasp. While in the waiting room, Nonsurat finally confronts Gordon about the incident between them earlier. He tells Gordon he heard what he told Kabba while protecting Bate, and asks if he really means it.
Gordon nods and tells him he never wants to be the Gordo he was back in his GSA days. When Nonsurat asks why he hurt Bate in the first place, Gordon says he was a very different Gordo when he was younger. Angry, bitter, alone after the death of his mentor, he had a terribly short temper towards anyone who crossed him. He's ashamed of it, and doesn't like to think about those days. But Bate..
Bate is the only one who truly cared for him back then. Even after all the things he put Bate through, he offered his friendship to him when no one else would. He admits to Nonsurat he would most likely be filled with hated if Bate never entered his life. He gave him a new reason to live after Bullet's death, and Gordon cherishes the friendship he's gotten to experience with him over the years. He'll continue being by Bate's side, and he knows Bate will always be there for him as well. They're family, after all.
After hearing his reasons, Nonsurat says they're both quite lucky to have each other. If not, he and his friends wouldn't be training and living with them. Gordon wholeheartedly agrees. Mends and Alba step out of Bate's room not a moment later and Gordon practically jumps out of his chair to see him. Gordon cries tears of joy once he sees Bate awake and gives his comrade a hug despite Bate telling him he's too sore. Meta joins soon after followed by Arthur and finally Nonsurat.
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Okay so I think I'm done drabbling for now. XD So Kaaba DOES come back one more time, but that's another story for next time. It'll end on a much better note, however. He finally humbles up, but it won't be towards the end of the story He's a jerk most of the time, but it finally resolves. XP
Anyways, thanks to anyone who read about him~! ^o^ It was fun talking about Bate and Gordy's past.
Species © Nintendo/ HAL Laboratory
Interpreted characters created from said species © Rhylem
Interpreted characters created from said species © Rhylem