Exiles discussion

One of the many oases on Anterrum.

The sun was on its way to setting, the heat of the day still radiating off the ground, but a cool breeze managed to brush past. It was rather quiet, at least in the sense that the location was far from the main cities. There actually was quite a racket going down as people were gathered around an oasis pond, fires already being made for roasting and drinks were already passed around.

Zhuo MingShuo was there standing off with a group, his friends he supposed, though mostly he just saw them as fellow engineers. Their group was a little ways off from another one, a rivalry group that wanted to test out their vehicles against theirs for a change.

Ming didn't really say anything as the others chatted around him, giving their own guesses of who made which bike (they decided for this race they were going to test out some dirt bikes) and whether that girl engineer was single or not. Ming tended to tune this out. All he really wanted to do was race. His body was thrumming and if he was a more outgoing, energetic person, he probably would be bouncing with all the hype. But Ming just simply stood still, his tattooed arms crossed over his chest.

For a few more minutes, he stood there, then with a small mutter of excuse, he left to go check on his bike one last time. They had a few more minutes before the race, so Ming thought he might as well use that time to keep himself occupied with something more useful than chatting. Kneeling down, Ming looked it over, his hand running over the handlebars with some pride and a small smile made its way to his face. He's pretty sure he'd win this time.

The Oasis was alive and buzzing with excitement over the next race to start and Zhou Junjie was enjoying the views as well. Jun hadn't come for the race, rather he'd come on account of a girl-a very pretty girl- that had been around the marketplace for a few days looking for some parts and necessities for her bike. A flirtations and cheeky smiles later, he got an invitation to the next big race.

He may have exaggerated his interest in mechanics, though he did actually have a little experience from when he was younger. His older brother, Ming, had always liked to tinker with such things. Jun preferred running around the town or go exploring that getting stuck in some garage. To the pretty girl with the bike, though, he would happily say it was is favorite place in the world so long as she was there.

He wore a hat she'd complimented him on earlier so she'd recognize him as he looked around for her. He found her tinkering, though by the looks of the other men and women watching, he definitely had some competition, not that he minded in the least.
"Hey there, Thea, your bikes looking ready for action. You think you're going to win tonight?" He smiled wide, moving past her admirers.
"Hey there, Mr. Persistent. Glad to see you could make it. The competition should be tough tonight, but I think I definitely stand a good shot. I'm watching out for Mr. Serious over there. He's one of the best, though doesn't talk much. Not even to me, which, honestly, hurts my ego a bit." She responded with a smile.

"I know you think of me as a lost puppy, but you just got to let me have one date to prove you wrong." He chuckled, "And who is this guy not talking to you? He's crazy but at least there's less competition for me." He looked over in the general direction she pointed to, though only caught a glimpse of a guy with tattooed arms working on his bike. There was something annoyingly familiar about his back that really bugged the merchant, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Maybe he's more competition for me if you're going to keep staring like that." Thea retorted with a chuckle and Jun turned back with a slight blush.

"It's not like that, he just seems really familiar, but I can't recognize him." He pouted before his face lit up. "Wait, are you in competition for me? If that's the case, here's no competition at all." He winked easily. Thea rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder.

"Nice try, kid, but you're still a lost puppy to me. Now let me work. The race is going to start soon."

"Alright, but listen for me cheering on the sidelines. I will be the loudest and the handsomest." He smiled before heading out to find a good place to stand.

Ming kept on tinkering until he heard the called for racers to line up. Rising to his feet, brushing off the sand and dust from his pants, he searched the crowd with mild curiosity, taking in the number of people watching this time. There was a car rigged with cameras and lights that would follow the racers to give people live footage while they can party here at the finish line.

Pulling on a jacket and a helmet, Ming rolled his bike to join the others at the finish line, silently imagining the race course in his mind. They picked the location based off of some dunes grouped together that was fun to use and ramps and provided a little more extra challenge. Ming swung his leg over the side as their designated announcer walked out in front of the racers.

"Start your engines!" the young man called out, and answering roar came from the bikes.

Ming had to bite back a laugh as the young man gave a little start. He obviously was one of the newest members, from the other team it seems because Ming hadn't seen him before back at the garage. There was a brief outline of the rules given, ones that Ming tuned out until he saw the flags. The young man gave his countdown. 3...2...1... The "go" flag was waved and Ming pulled the throttle and was off.

There was an initial cloud of sand from those that started a little earlier than himself that made Ming squint, but soon his bike came closer to those near the front.

"Hey, Ming! Thought we lost you back there!" The voice came from his left.

Turning his head to glance to the side quickly, Ming noticed it was one of the newer ones in his group. It was hard to see his sarcastic stare behind his helmet mask, then Ming just shook his head. "Rookies," he muttered under his breath and he switched gears to pull forward.

It looked like there were at least four racers ahead of him as he left the rookie behind, he could see their more distant figures. The track set out was going into a sharp curve. Ming rode it somewhat cautiously, not wanting to wipe out so early in the race, the sand and dirt kicking up behind him. Ming followed through the turn and then he was off again.

Jun fit himself in among the other onlookers on the lookout point, smiling and being friendly as was his nature. He watched the racers line up at the start and the cloud of dirt that arose upon the start. It was all very exciting when the rest of the observers were enthusiastic.
"Who do you think is going to win?"
"My money's on the newbie. Did you see his ride?"
"What a waste of money! Everybody knows that you never bet on a rookie."
"Well what about that pretty chick? She seems confident."
"You're all wrong. It's got to be that Zhou guy."

Jun's head practically spun upon hearing that comment.
"Zhou? What Zhou?" Could it be? There had to be a mistake, right?

"Yeah, Zhou Mineshoe or something like that. It's hard to pronounce, but you get the idea. This guy doesn't talk much, but he's one of the best racers out there and an even better mechanic. My uncle got his car fixed by him last year and he said he wouldn't want anyone else working on his hardware. He's like a dark horse of sorts."

"Is it... I mean... Zhou Mingshuo. Is that his name? Goes by Ming?" Jun swallowed, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous.

"Could be. Like I said, his name is tricky. Why? You know him?"

"Something like that. I used to..." He waved it off, returning his attention to the race. The farther away they got, the more difficult it was for Jun to differentiate the riders. He thought Ming(?) was pulling up closer to the front, but it was difficult to tell.

Jun's thoughts were swimming, what if it was his brother? Should he leave? If they saw each other, Ming was bound to attempt murder. But if it wasn't his brother, then he would be missing a perfectly good race if he left. Besides, it wasn't as though the riders got an especially good look of the viewers. And there were a lot of people, so the odds of actually running into Ming were very slim.

The merchant's lips twitched into a small smile. What if Ming was here? Would he get to at least look at him after all those years? Was he doing well? How were their parents? And their sister? Was he staying healthy?
He watched the racers with a new fondness, wishing for his brother's victory if it really was him out there.

((Haha, "Mineshoe". :P ))

By now, the track was becoming a little more rocky, the soil more packed down instead of the sandy beginnings. The dunes were supposed to be right after this and it was only a matter of dodging the larger rocks on the track. It looked the others ahead of him were still doing all right, though Ming could tell they slowed down a bit to navigate the rocky land more carefully. He smiled as he switched gears and closed the distance more.

Before this track, Ming had already tested this bike on a rocky land, so he knew it was only a matter of skill and seeing obstacles in the growing darkness in order to gain a lead. What he hasn't really tested his skills at were the dunes, so he thought this was his chances to close the gap between him and the other racers.

He was coming up behind the closest one, the female engineer from earlier, he thought, based off of the bike he saw her stand next to. Glancing to the side, he raised one hand in a salute of greeting. Briefly he debated on whether he should tease her or not, but instead he shouted a simple "Good luck" before he veered off to the side and went up a trail that sloped up. From what he could remember, the slope lead to a jump that could help him get ahead. It was a narrow trail, though, and if one was stupid enough, they could easily swerve off the side and drop several feet.

But Ming kept on pushing forward, concentrating on looking ahead. Flicking on the bike's headlight after it came to a point that he couldn't see with what natural light was left.

As night fell, it become more and more difficult to distinguish between the riders. When he could no longer tell where Thea or his potential brother were, he headed back to the finish line. He reasoned that if he found a decent spot, he could stay out of sight and also confirm his suspicion.

He wondered about his morality in this situation. What would the eldest brother think if he tried to catch a glimpse of Ming? Would that be dangerous for Ming and him? Surely it would just be harmless... but he thought about his family and how divided it had become with two sons lost to the Overlooked. Sometimes, when he got so busy with work, he could forget about his worry.

He missed his family. His mother, who always knew how to solve his problems, his father, who never lacked in affection, his sister who was one of the smartest people he knew, but most of all he'd missed Ming. The second eldest brother was the one he had always been closest with when he was growing up. He'd always come to get Jun out of trouble because Jun always found a way to get into trouble. Jun would drag Ming out for adventures and fun because Ming needed to get out more and it would save him the trouble of looking later when some kind of shenanigan or other ensued.

It had been a hard decision when Jun, the youngest of the family, decided to join the Overlooked. On one hand, their family needed money and the organization could help him, but on the other, he'd have to stay away from them for their safety. Heavens knew the government wasn't known to be lenient with family members of Overlooked.

The merchant watched anxiously at the finish line as headlights rounded the last dune and raced for first.

The jump came into view and Ming pulled the throttle to give him an extra boost of speed. He took to the air and perhaps if it wasn't a race, Ming might have tried to do a bike trick, but instead he positioned his front wheel so that the landing would go smoothly. He came down, gravity tugging at his gut, the sensation making him give a small whoop of triumph. And then the bike met ground, his arms and body feeling a jarred but he ignored it as the bike wavered underneath him. His fingers tightened. He could feel the bike shudder, the wheels wanting to move in a different direction.

His mouth pressed into a line in concentration as he moved his body to counterbalance the g-force the bike was drawn in. The bike shuddered a little bit longer and then things smoothed out. But in Ming's struggle, the lead he had gained had lessened and when he came to the dunes, he was in third place.

Navigating up and down the dunes, Ming pressed on, speeding up slowly. He came shoulder to shoulder to the one in second place. A quick glance to the side revealed to him it was another female engineer he saw, she was vaguely familiar in that she might have approached him once. He gave a short nod and he pushed on past her, ignoring the shout of indignation behind him.

The track was back to more solid ground, not the sifting sand from earlier. Ming could see the finish line ahead, the other racer not too far away either. He tried to switch into a different gear, one he tried to calibrate specifically for this race. The bike gave a roar beneath him, and he felt some heat radiating off of it. It leaped forward, narrowing the gap even more. Hopefully, with this extra push, he could make it.

The headlights drew closer... closer... until there were two pairs close to one another. When the figures of the bikes formed, he recognized Thea's bike and the other was him, they claimed, the Zhou man. The bikes were neck and neck as they sped towards the finish line, pushing the limits of their bikes as best they could.

Jun placed himself strategically behind someone slightly taller than him so he could get a view of the riders without too much risk of being noticed. Closer... closer... the cameras were poised and ready and it would only be seconds before ZOOM! The riders passed the finish line and screeched to a stop, kicking up dust as they did. Jun strained his eyes to get a better view. As the cloud cleared, he could see the silhouettes of the riders come into view as they removed their helmets and shook the other's hand.

"Tie!" The official called, which received a mix of cheers, mumbling, and groans. Apparently some people preferred having a definitive winner- or at least those betting money on either of them.

He was tall to be sure. Had Ming always been that tall? His arms were muscular and he thought he could make out some tattoos, but around such events, tattoos were common. Even Thea had a few. When he finally got a good look at his face, there was no doubt about it.

"Ming..." The youngest brother exhaled barely above a whisper. The recognition made his heart ache painfully. He wanted to run up to him and congratulate him and give him a hug worthy of all the time he's been away. Other observers rushed past him to congratulate and admire the victors, hollering about a rematch or tiebreaker or something or other. He closed his eyes, calming himself. You got to see your brother. He is well. Hold onto this. You should leave. He chanted to himself, before taking a breath and turning away, pulling his hat down further to hide his face.

"Jun!" Called the reason for his being here, much to his surprise and dismay. Jun flinched and felt Thea's arm hook around his shoulder. "You better not be thinking of leaving without congratulating me, puppy."
"Ah, um-" The merchant glanced hesitantly behind them to see the gazes that had been turning their way, including... Hide your face!
The worst idea that could have occurred to him did, in fact, cross his mind too fast for his own safety. Quickly, he moved to block his face with Thea's and as their proximity was rather close, misunderstanding was bound to occur.
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU MUTT!" The relatively slim boy was thrown to the ground before he could remember how he got there. He lay still, having the wind knocked out of him for a moment. When he could finally focus again, Thea must have stormed off somewhere because now there were only disappointed looking men with muscles that didn't appear to think of Jun fondly. Perhaps friends or admirers.

"I-it was a misunderstanding! Those things happen, right?" He chuckled weakly. "I didn't actually kiss-hurgh!" He was given a swift punch to the gut and left to huddle to himself on the ground.

All Ming could hear was the uproar as people cheered and others shouted angrily about their bets on the race. There were still racers coming in, so as soon as Ming crossed the finished line he moved off to the side where he was swarmed by a crowd, the other racer he tied with surrounded by a cluster of her own.Inwardly huffing to himself with exasperation, Ming tried to move forward in any direction, but he was met with more eager faces. Most of what he heard were praises and questions to egg him on.

"Hey, Zhou guy, you disappointed you didn't get first?"

"You were so far back, but you managed to catch up!"

"Can I borrow your bike? It's so cool!"

"What were the jumps like?"

"You should've gone faster. I was betting on you!"

"That first turn was so fast! You were awesome!"

Ming wanted to ignore all of them and just ride home after he got information about the tie breaker race that'll probably come up. But as he listened to them, he stopped in his attempts and held up his hand to gain some semblance of silence. "Thanks for coming to the race," he said shortly, and then he tried moving again.

Over the many voices around him, though, one voice caught his attention. "Jun!"

Craning his neck to look around, Ming rose on his feet slightly, not really sure he if he heard it right. His normal plain expression turning into a frown. Jun? It can't be him. Perhaps it was the name of someone else. Maybe it just sounds like his name. Why would he be here? Those thoughts rattled through him and Ming had to resist the urge to just shove his way out and instead, clasping the handlebars of his bike, he began to roll it forward, forcing those in front to move out of the way. He was probably listening for things that weren't there.

Jun grunted, catching his breath. Was one almost kiss with Thea really worth all this trouble. Sure, she was one smoking engineer, but violence?
"Hey, look, I'm sorry. It wasn't what it looked like. I promise. We're just friends. I sold her some things at the market. Honest." He held up his hands in surrender as he scrambled to a stand.
"Merchant? What do you sell?" One of them asked curiously and Jun began to smile at the hope that they would let him go.
"Lots of things, actually. Depends on my supplier for the week. Last week I got some nice silverware, this week I got a great deal on these old car parts. This man had been diving through the scrap heaps and found some amazing parts, but had no idea about their value. I payed him, but it was practically a steal. I could get you guys some good prices if you're interested?"
"You're not that Jun kid are you?"
"That's me! Junjie. One of the best merchants at the market." He beamed proudly.
"I don't think we'll be giving you business any time soon."
Jun's face fell, confused, "Heh-wh-why not?" Suddenly their friendly faces didn't seem so friendly.
"Because that man you 'practically stole' those parts from is my old man."

Ah.
.
.
.

Jun made a mad dash to escape the scary looking men, though they were hot on his heels. He probably would have made it back to his car if someone's dog didn't suddenly bark at him out of nowhere. Startled, Jun tripped, losing enough of his momentum to be tackled by one of his pursuers. He did his best to at least protect his head against the blows, though they seemed intent on punching or kicking just about everywhere else. He tried to let his mind go elsewhere to take his focus off the pain.

The commotion seemed to have escalated and Ming swore he heard the name of his younger brother. Ming stopped and looked around, trying to find the source of the noise and shouts when his eyes landed on a group of men circling some guy on the ground.

Ming shook his head with a frown of disapproval on his face. Whatever he thought he heard or not would have to wait. Kicking the stand for his bike and letting it stand on its own, Ming shoved the people out of his way. Luckily they were gawking too much to care about the rough treatment as Ming pressed closer to the group of guys.

"What's going on here?" He let his voice rise enough so that he could be heard. Despite the added volume, his tone was still calm.

One of the men at the outer edge of the ring turned to him, a dirty look on his face before he recognized Ming as one of the racers. He seemed to relax a bit, but only slightly. "None of your business, Zhou. Just go home. Nothin' but settin' 'im in his place."

His face looked doubtful and he stepped forward.

The man held out a hand to stop his progress. "Seriously. Don't wanna put you outta commission before your next race."

"What's going on here?" Mings voice rang clear like a siren of nostalgia and safety. For a moment, he felt like he was seven and his brother had come to rescue him from the bullies that wanted to steal his prized marbles.

Let it go, Jun hoped internally. Heaven forbid the first thing his brother sees him doing after all these years is getting into it with mobsters. He could only imagine how furious his brother would be. Shouldn't Jun have learned by now how to stay out of trouble? He tried to hide his face from Ming's line of sight.

"Seriously? Trying to protect your image now? What happened to Mr. Best Merchant at the Market Place, Junj-"
"Shut up!" Jun couldn't let his brother find out. If they called him by his name like that this close in proximity, there was no way Ming wouldn't recognize him. So, continuing in his streak of brilliant decisions, he threw dirt at the man's face.
"Do-do you want to die?!" He screamed before giving a swift kick to the Merchant's head. Jun howled in pain, holding his ringing head tight as he fell back down into the dirt.

Ming was focused on the man in front of him, so he again didn't catch what the others were saying. All he knew was that he heard a cry in pain and suddenly he moved into action. Grabbing the forearm of the man stalling him, Ming stepped forward, twisting the man's arm towards his back backwards. He put some pressure on his hold, which made the man cry out in pain. If he wanted to he could try to dislocate it, but he figured it would be better not to piss off the man more. Instead, he shoved the man, hard enough to make him stumble.

Making his way closer to the circle of monsters, Ming placed a hand on the shoulder of the man closest to him and forced him to face him. A rather cold and bored smile crossed Ming's face as irritation was bubbling underneath the surface. "Lay off him and you won't be banned from the next races."

Jun could do nothing but hold his head and pray for the men to go away. He felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to barf. He did barf. Twice. He was dizzy and his mouth tasted bad.

The man Ming addressed was by no means small. He matched the mechanic's height easily and had a build that was heavy with muscles, not ideal for racing, but worked just fine for winning fights. He eyed Ming evenly before glancing down at the mess of a man they had worked on.
"You and I both know these races are too informal for you to ban us." He smirked, crossing his arms.

Damn, was all Ming thought because he was rather hoping his bluff would have worked. Giving a shrug, Ming looked the man in the eyes, copying his movements. Well, he thought he'd been nice to just warn them and give them a chance. It's been a while since he got into any fights, probably the last time was when Jun was still around, so he wasn't sure how he'd fare against all these guys gathered together.

But he supposed there was only one way to find out.

He let out a small sigh, and gave a small nod. "Yeah, you're right. Guess I'll have to ban you myself." And without any further warning, Ming leaped into action. He punched the one he spoke to squarely in the jaw and while he was reeling from the shock, he shoved him hard to the side as he tried to break up the circle around the man on the ground.

It seemed the others were a little stunned to see the usually distant and stoic racer actually attack, so there was a slight pause before a couple guys approached Ming. Raising his arms up in readiness, Ming let out a small laugh. Who knew how much he'd miss this kind of action? The two leaped forward at him simultaneously, making it difficult to dodge both of them. Ming ducked his head down to avoid one, but one landed a punch into his gut that practically winded him.

In retaliation, Ming swung a quick jab in return for the one in his gut and using his already twisting motion, he moved his body fluidly to kick his other attacker, aiming for the back of the knee.

The noises around Jun heightened as the fight broke out. His body tensed, expecting to start feeling the pain again. Actually, he didn't feel anything. His first thought was that he'd somehow gotten nerve damage. Except he could feel his clothes, the ground, and everything just fine. So the fight was with Ming.

Jun knew his brother was a good fighter as he'd watched Ming defend him for years. Still. He was facing five guys. At least two of them seemed strong enough to at least make the mechanic work. When would the merchant stop needing his brother to save him? He wobbled to a stand and dared glance at the chaos around him. He had to act. He wouldn't let Ming face five on his own. He secured his hat and dove into the fray, knocking at least one good sized guy on his ass and diverting the attention of two of them. Jun wasn't muscular, but he was lithe and quick. If he focused, he could dodge most of the attacks, though the ones that landed had him sucking in sharp breaths.

The one Ming kicked collapsed to his knees, his leg crumpling underneath him. Using the man's imbalance, Ming held his head between his hands and in a brutal and swift motion, he jerked his knee up into the man's jaw. He felt a little bit of pain as his knee met skull, but he still felt some satisfaction at letting the move connect. Ming could tell as he looked into the man's eyes the moment when he lost consciousness, his eyes rolling back. Ming let him go and watched him fall.

Suddenly he was seized from behind, his arms being pulled back in a lock. He let out a grunt in surprise as the man behind him lifted him off the ground slightly. Jerking around, Ming saw the man on the ground get up and start retaliating, throwing in attacks of his own. Ming jerked again, slamming his head back and felt his skull meet the nose of his captor, a string of curses following afterwards as he was suddenly released. As soon as his feet met ground, Ming ran towards the guy he was helping. "Hey, let's scram. Get to my bike," he yelled.

It was odd how quickly he fell back into the familiar tag team. He bobbed and weaved, avoiding the hits that he could and throwing some of his own, though only a couple had been at all effective. His opponents were growing tired and so was Jun. He wasn't sure how long he could keep it up.

"Hey, let's scram. Get to my bike," Ming called, but the youngest Zhou hesitated. If he stayed, Ming might stay and get hurt, but if he left with him, then there was a big possibility that he would be recognized. What should he do? When his brother made a break for his bike, Jun started running in the opposite direction back towards the town. Don't let him see you. Just keep running. He chanted to himself, ignoring the pain and fatigue. He trudged on, focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other.

After a few more steps, Ming glanced behind him to see if the man was following him. It was to his surprise, and irritation, that the man went in the opposite direction. He let out a curse and pressed forward. Probably a little concussed, he thought as he sprinted to his bike.

Kicking the stand and hopping on, he didn't bother with a helmet as the engine roared into life. The bike fishtailed a bit as Ming swung it over in the right direction, sand underneath kicking up in a cloud. Pulling the throttle, Ming zoomed forward, the bike leaping underneath him. He kept low just in case someone got the idea of snatching him off of it and soon enough, he passed the stranger and he swerved so that he was in the man's way. Holding out his helmet, Ming looked at him with stern eyes. "Hop on," he ordered.

Just keep running... just keep running... The increasingly delirious man chanted internally. He didn't know if he'd make it back to town, let alone the inn he was staying at.

Just run. Get away. Forget the pain.

A zoom and a swish later, Jun tumbled to his knees before the biker from shock.
"Hop on," Ming commanded. The merchant knew better than to ignore this order. He was probably giving him that look too. The memory of his brother chasing after him when he was eight and threatening to run away surfaced. He'd ordered him to go home and apologize, so Jun did. There was no arguing with that technique.
Jun nodded blankly, not daring to lift his hat up high enough for his brother to see his face. He silently climbed on the back of the bike and zoomed away to safety.

As the glowing lights of the city grew closer, Ming slowed down the bike until he came to a stop, only now realizing that after they had gotten enough distance he didn't ask the stranger where he lived. He didn't even know where he was going. He didn't want to turn around awkwardly so he asked loudly over his shoulder, "Where am I taking you? Didn't really think about that, sorry."

Jun had grown complacent and comfortable watching the night's scenery of the desert fly by them in a blur. He worried about his proximity and whether he would be caught or not, whether he or Ming could get in trouble over this and those thugs would show up to the market tomorrow looking for trouble. What would he do if they went looking for Ming?

Stupid, stupid, stup-

"Where am I taking you? Didn't really think about that, sorry." The older brother apologized. Why would he do that when he had saved him in the first place. Classic, modest Ming. Oh right... where should he be dropped off?
"Ah-uh-uhm," Jun coughed, lowering his voice a bit now that he actually had to talk to his brother. He wouldn't recognize it, right? "The-uh-marketplace. I live near there." He actually lived several blocks from there, but figured it would be better if he was dishonest. He was supposed to be good at that, after all.

He nodded. "All right. Luckily, that's probably a part of town that lot doesn't wander to too often."

Ming lifted his foot off the ground from their resting position and after adjusting the direction, continued full speed ahead. He didn't say much afterwards, not really bothering to question the stranger's identity. The races he goes to have all walks of life, some even might be criminals and he wouldn't care. Though, it was still odd the man ran in the opposite direction when they managed to break free. And he never had the chance to investigate who might have said his little brother's name.

((Well, I don't really know how he'd find out. I mean, if things continue as they are, Ming doesn't seem like he'd find out. He's not a nosy type, so I couldn't think of him bugging Jun to tell him any info. Unless maybe there's a checkpoint to get back into the city and they give out their IDs or something and he finds out then. Otherwise, yeah, it's just dropping Jun off. ))

((I can see Ming trying to check back on Jun. He did think that Jun was maybe concussed for his odd behavior and he's the type to make sure someone is okay before he moves on. Perhaps when he goes to do this, he runs into the female mechanic as well? I don't know. Hmm...))

"Mhm." Jun grunted in agreement. At this point, he felt like he could actually get away with all of it. Despite the trouble he caused and the proximity, Ming might really never realize who he was.

The thought gave him a mixture of sadness and relief. He didn't want to hurt his brother more than he already had. If he was revealed, there was no telling what Ming's reaction would be. He'd probably be mad and hurt that he kept the secret from him and also for leaving in the first place. It had almost been three years since he left, after all.

They rode in silence thanks to Ming's sense of understanding for Jun's anonymity. By the time they made it to the marketplace, Jun quickly swapped his hat for the helmet before Ming could turn around.
"Thanks. Please drive home safe." He offered a small smile, knowing this would probably be his last chance to say anything to his brother for who knew how long. When he turned his back, he started walking down the street, listening for the sound of the bike's engine to speed away. Except, he didn't hear the engine anymore. Well, he did, but it was far away, like he was underwater. He realized his legs weren't moving anymore either and that he could faintly feel the ground against his face before he completely lost consciousness.

As they arrived to the marketplace, Ming kept an eye out to see if the jerks from before might be crazy enough to stake out the stranger's place to get revenge. But their arrival was rather uneventful and with night, there weren't many people on the streets. Pointing his chin to indicate for the man to leave his bike, Ming was about to wave off the man's thanks when suddenly he collapsed to the ground.

Alarmed, Ming kicked the stand and left his bike to go the man's side. He fell on his side so he gently pushed him onto his back and then he froze.

Blink. Blink. Blink.

Jun? Ming couldn't believe it, that the stranger had his younger brother's face. The same man he helped was his little brother? But why did he--? A flash of anger blew through him and Ming had to resist to punch the already unconscious Jun. His hands balled into fists so tightly that his fingernails bit into his palms and the flash of pain was what brought his attention back to the situation at hand. Letting out a huff, Ming gently, but firmly shook the man awake. People weren't supposed to sleep if they had a concussion right? Jun was concussed from the fight, wasn't he?

"Hey, don't clock out on me now. You got some explaining to do and you can't do that when you're unconscious," Ming said gruffly, pretty sure Jun wouldn't hear him but feeling the urge to fill the silence anyways.

Jun was deep into his sleep when he felt a faraway voice calling for him. Was it his time? Was he dead? Wasn't he supposed to do more with his life? Not that he did much in the first place. Even his job wasn't so useful to the Overlooked as what his oldest brother did.

"...don....ock out..... now..." He felt like someone was calling from under water and it was hard to hear the words. He ignored them, unable to so much as move his lips to respond, let alone wake up. He was tired... he wanted to sleep.

It looked like talking was getting him nowhere. Ming glanced over to his bike, silently thinking he wouldn't be able to move Jun to a better location. And he didn't know where Jun lived around here either. His lips pressed into a line and shook Jun harder. Again, Jun didn't rouse. Come on. Ming tsked to himself in frustration. He raised his hand and slapped Jun across the face.

Pain spread like fire across his cheek and Jun slowly became more aware of his surroundings. His eyes dragged open after a moment to understand why his cheek was hurting. He felt like shit, but at least he was now a vaguely conscious piece of shit.

He saw the dusty ground, similar to the marketplace he was so familiar with. It looked inviting to his tired body, but something was catching his shirt and he couldn't reach the ground. It was a hand attached to a heavily tattooed arm, attached to a person who looked suspiciously like his brother. What had happened again? He had the odd feeling something was wrong...

Oh, right. They had been running from something... but Ming wasn't supposed to see him. "Hey, Ming." He croaked gently, still feeling confused and tired.

Ming silently watched as Jun groggily open his eyes and slowly focused on him. At his younger brother's words, Ming let out a soft huff and smiled, shaking his head. "Of course meeting you again is after you get into some kind of trouble," he said. His tone was meant to be joking, but halfway through his words, Ming's throat constricted and he had to force out the rest of his words. Behind his stoic expression and tight jaw, Ming felt a roiling of emotions that he hadn't felt in a long time.

After Jun left as well, Ming just felt waves of anger and hurt and betrayal. Those feelings boiled constantly under his skin and at times the only way he could deal with it was just run. For hours he would jog and wander the city, not paying any attention to his surroundings until that energy left him and he was a numb husk. It took him a while, but eventually he bottled those feelings and shoved them into a corner he chose to be blind to. At least until now.

Ming looked angry, though he had every right to be. "I'm sorry." He mumbled, "You weren't supposed to see me." He averted his eyes, remembering bits and pieces of what had happened earlier. Jun knew he likely owed his brother a billion other apologies, but for the life of him, he was too confused and tired to set himself straight in the moment. "I'm sorry." He repeated softly, trying to come to a stand on his own, though ultimately requiring Ming for assistance, yet again.

((https://www.brain-injury.org.nz/html/...
I think he should be alright in a little while. He definitely should be checked out by a physician if he has access to one, but I haven't committed him to something that is definitely life threatening so I think we're good if he goes somewhere to rest for a bit))

(( i'll look forward to it :) hey i forget if I already asked you this or not, but i kind of had an idea to connect ryo, carolien, jun's and possibly more people's plot lines. So i was thinking maybe like carolien's dad's research could have had to do with potentium and possibly having to do with the effects on the human body/potentium being detected on a person. this could on one hand be construed to work for the government because if the Overlooked can smuggle potentium onto earth, then new security measures should be taken to accommodate the threat. however, it the government isn't informed, then this information can be given to the Overlooked and they can have important members return to their world. After all, being Exiled is the biggest fear for the Overlooked aside from the hardships they are already facing at the government's hand. I think that, if they want to stage a coup and overturn the government, they might be interested in getting their members back to take to the fight against the government. I kind of have this idea in my head where Ryo nudges Carolien into not only retrieving her father's research for the Overlooked (though she doesn't know that's who she is helping), but then having her continue with it and sort of use her that way and then she finds out and it's like a betrayal because she thought they were getting close, but then bam he's not everything he said he was and now their families are involved and dangit she already went through this once with her father))

((OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!! You haven't said the before, but I think that would be fantastic! In theory, even Peter's mom could be tied into this as well. I think it would be interesting (Poor Carolien), but I think it would give things more direction and purpose. I don't mind that at all. :D))

((I'm also kind of playing with the idea of having Jun volunteer to test out the theory. So like he gets caught by the government on purpose to test it out and goes to earth and meets up with Peter's mom and that could kind of cause his insecurities to resurface about his mom leaving.

Since she is from karana she may have some experience working with potentium and maybe even we could bring in carolien's dad in somewhere to help him figure out how to get back.

as for ming, i have two ideas: 1) he infiltrates the overlooked on orders from the government to observe and report back, though his goal is to protect jun. Possibly, when he figures out that Jun is planning to go to earth to test out the experiment, he goes with him on orders from the government to gain information so that they can sabotage the overlooked later or send people after the people on earth to mess up the whole process idk or 2) after jun leaves, ming has no idea if he's going to come back, but blames his older bro for getting jun involved in the first place and works with the government to systematically destroy the whole Overlooked operation))

((Also, I feel like maybe Marika (one of the characters I haven't gotten to use yet) might have some use here too. She could act as Ming's connection. Like she will discuss ideas and missions with government people and give them to him and he will relay information back to her. I imagined she is part of a very political/influential family. Her father is probably some kind of lawyer or judge or something and she fills in for him during meetings when he is too sick to attend.))

((Yeah, definitely it would be cool to bring Carolien's dad into play somehow. And I think it is very possible for Peter's mom to work with potentium so she definitely can be a candidate to leave.

As for Ming, if he ever works for the government, it would be so that he can help Jun or make sure he's safe, and I don't think he'd sabotage things too much or else they'd be stuck on Earth away from the rest of the family. At least for Ming, his priority is always to have family stick together and be safe.

And Marika, she could be a friend of Carolien's as well as maybe a gov't connection to Ming, I suppose.))

His mouth pressed into a thin line at Jun's words. A lecture probably wouldn't help him get any better and being out in the street wasn't a good idea either. They might gather attention; not just from thugs, but it would be horrible if policemen caught sight of them and recognized Jun. He breathed in and out slowly, glancing over at Jun again. He saw him waver and quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Let's just get you to somewhere else first. Then we can talk, okay? Tell me where you live."

Jun cursed to himself. Where were they again? Look for signs... signs... signs! There was a sign for carpets and one that said the shop was closed so... marketplace? He combed his hair back, trying to think clearly.
"Inn... A few streets east of the marketplace...uh..." He cursed again, his frustration growing. He was a mess. Of course he was a mess the day he's reunited with his brother after so many years. Stupid!
"Um... uh... that way I think." He pointed to the street that looked the most familiar.

They made their way through the sleeping streets and, fortunately, arrived at the humble inn. Junjie might have worried over whether or not he would need to move now that Ming knew where he was living, but that was for a time when he wasn't so scrambled and hurting.

***END OF SCENE***