Downtime [Open]

[Mortimer Graves]

Stepping onto the stone docks, the tip of a man's cane clacked against the ground as he walked slowly, leisurely from where his ship had just been docked. Marines gathered to salute the man as he walked, whilst the others on the ship slowly followed after they finished grabbing whatever they needed from the ship or finished their work on it. The skies above Marineford were clear this day - good weather for their return trip. A sign of a job well done, in the man's opinion. There were a few pirates locked up in the brig from a skirmish on the open seas (It was hardly threatening enough to be considered a battle). Some men had been injured, but there were no casualties on their side. It had gone quite smoothly. Now that they had finished their patrol, it was time for the man to enjoy a short break before he returned to his duty.

Since he felt in the mood for it, his spare hand reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. His aged, bony hand did not seem to be frail in the slightest despite his age as he pushed a cigarette into his mouth and put away the packet, only to then retrieve a small, silver lighter. He snapped it twice before it ignited, the flame lighting the end of his cigarette. Closing the cap on the lighter, he put it away as he inhaled. Grasping the cigarette, he pulled it out of his mouth before exhaling fumes of smoke, sighing as he did so. A well-earned smoke for a well-done job. Of course, his mission was far from done, but he wasn't going to rush things. His men needed rest, and he could hardly deny them that. So he decided to instead simply head back to HQ.

"Admiral Blue Hawk, sir! How did the Patrol go?" a Marine Captain asked, walking with the aged man. Admiral Blue Hawk, as he was known, was an aged man, now at the late age of 72 yet undeniably strong. He hadn't gotten his position through sitting by a fireplace and telling tales to grandchildren, after all. He commanded respect and it was well-earned.

"We've captured several pirates on the open seas. Request a ship for their transfer to Impel Down" he stated and at once the Marine Captain saluted him before immediately setting out to do his task. Now free of trouble, the Admiral took a turn and headed back down another street through Marineford. He didn't have any duties right now, so his afternoon was free. With that in mind, he set his eyes on a tea and coffee shop down the street that he often visited in his spare time. It took less than a minute for him to reach the shop, though by the time he had arrived they had already heard the clacking of his cane against stone and a waitress wandered up to him.

"Mister Graves, nice to see you again! We have a seat right here for you" she told him, leading him to a empty table where he proceeded to pull out a chair and sit down comfortably on his own. Thankfully, years of service and familiarity with the tea coffee shop in question had made him a distinguished guest of the owner. He was always treated with respect. "Just a simple Earl Grey, correct? I'll have it for you in a moment, sir". Content, Graves relaxed himself, sitting out in the fresh air with a cigarette between his lips. Resting his cane against his leg, he used his hand to take the justice coat draped over his shoulders and let it fall over the back of the seat he sat in. Well, it was time to take things easy, and take things easy he would.