Filthy Casual for Life

Episode 4 Recap: Alma and Noel go on their first job together to save a town from a group of bandits. However, things aren’t what they seem. The mayor of the town tries to kill Alma and Noel.

Episode 5: The Swordsman from the Far East

We meet famed criminal Hugo Coppelia the Puppeteer as he sits in prison. We don’t know his purpose as of yet.

As Noel does his morning training, Noel reflects on his training with his grandfather. Since Talkers have no way to buff themselves, his grandfather put him through hellish training. While in the shower, he thinks about Alma and her words that stung. Despite his training, he will never be as strong as a frontline fighter with talent. After his shower, Alma shows up early with other things in mind.

As they are walking in town, Alma sees a couple and decides to grab Noel’s arm and declare that they are on a date. He takes her to the Appraisal Guild where they discuss Alma’s next steps. Noel tells her that he hopes she will hold off ranking up until they find a third member. They go to the guild just to see her options. The next stop is the dwarf-run smithy. Upon greeting Noel and Alma, the dwarf admires Alma’s assets. Following that, they go to the bookstore to get Alma some books. Noel’s books are in a different store, so he gives Alma a budget and tells her not to waste money. However, upon meeting back up, Alma has a new friend.

Noel immediately reprimands her, but she quickly explains she bought an armor piercing book and the bear at the exact budget. She asks Noel if he bought a book but the Exorcism book he wanted was way out of his price range. Just then, a person walks by. Noel quickly gets up and tells Alma that he has something important to do. The person leads him into the slums. We learn the person’s name is Loki. Loki hands Noel information he gathered on Hugo Coppelia the Puppeteer. Noel thinks he was framed and wants Hugo as part of Blue Beyond. We learn that Loki is an Imitator that can imitate the bodies of anyone making him the perfect person to gather intel. As a bonus, Loki tells Noel a new drug is circulating. Noel states the Luciano family will have their heads, but Loki tells Noel the Gambino family, a subfamily of the Luciano family, is selling it.

Meanwhile, Alma is upset that Noel has her waiting for so long.

As Noel makes his way out of the slums, he notices a bum that looks a far ways from home. He “drops” a coin in front of the man. However, the man calls out to Noel to tell him he dropped his money. He calls Noel a girl and Noel quickly clears up the misunderstanding. Noel refuses to take the money back and walks off. However, the bum tries to grab him and receives a swift kick to the chest. The bum fights back. Noel quickly shows the bum that he can fight as well. The bum asks Noel if he’s a ninja. Noel deduces that he is from an island in the far east. The bum fires up his skill and Noel feel like he has hit the jackpot.

Just as they’re about to get serious and fight, a man appears yelling the bum’s name of Koga. He admonishes Koga for not listening and keeping out of trouble. Noel learns that the man’s name is Miguel and that he owns Koga as a slave. Miguel punishes Koga for not listening. Miguel immediately starts to hit on Noel thinking Noel is a woman. Noel kicks Miguel to the wall. Noel pulls his gun and starts asking Miguel questions. He learns the Miguel was running an underground fighting ring and got caught skimming money. Noel could kill Miguel and the crime family he is running from wouldn’t care. Then, he could keep Koga to himself.

THOUGHTS

Okay. I am beginning to really think Alma is adorable! She’s the perfect blend of psycho and cute. Being with Noel seems to be bringing out the best in Alma.

Noel still captivates me with his determination. He sees something he wants and he works hard to get it. His work ethic is amazing.

I am looking forward to the Puppeteer story. Will Noel reach his goal of acquiring him for Blue Beyond? Will he be able to clear his name?

What about Koga? He would be a good asset to Blue Beyond. Did Noel really murder Miguel to get him? Something tells me no because that would be too easy and from what I gather of Noel, it would be against his “moral” code. While Noel is terrifying, he doesn’t seem to do anything uncalled for or unearned. Miguel hasn’t crossed Noel…yet.

I’m looking forward to what will unfold with these two new characters. Will continue to monitor.