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| Business and Stalking. |
| (2014-02-11 - Now) |
| No description. |
| Warden Thache | Avira has been on the prowl for a specific lead lately. The rumors of a rather unique bunch of sea rats. Ones that are defintally /not/ from around here. She's followed her nose and her contacts fairly well and has manged to TOTALLY STALK the CHARMING and ROGUISH CAPTAIN of said sea rats to his current hiding place on the World of Ruin. Totally Stalking. The place of intrest is not quite Luca itself, but a cove miles from the main docks. Its not a very well used cove. The reefs and sholes make it difficult to land in for a traditional seagoing vessel. Thankfully? Warden doesn't use traditional seagoing vessels. The ever gold-and-booze hungry pair of Aeschere and Akari have a slightly different method of finding the place. They were at least invited. It seems the Captain has a job offer, and extended the invitation to discuss it. He warned that he might be setting something up when they arrived, but should be there shortly. Spooks and Mister Shale both knew of the offer, and he said that they could talk to them about it. So whichever method of tracking down the wary captain, they find their way to the cove to find a very strange sight. Sitting at anchor are not one, but /three/ airships. Warden's own Bloody Pearl is easily reconised bobbing in the water, but two sleek looking sloops hover at anchor in the air over it. Both have smiliar lines to Warden's ship, possibily from the same world. Between them on the shore is an even more unusual sight. A truly massive gummiship. One large enough that two ships the size of the Bloody Pearl could easily rest in its hold with their masts stowed. ...apparently /that/ is how Warden gets his airship around different worlds. On the decks of all three ships men in the red outfits of what looks like British Marines march, and the English flag flies from all three airships. ...this might not bode well. |
| Aeschere Childs | The gil-starved little mercenary in question is running a little late herself, and in a toweringly foul mood besides. None of the presents were there for Murasame's stunt on the Thunder Plains, but from the look of her, it must really have been something. Cash is a fine motivator, though, and particularly cash that doesn't immediately involve sticking her neck out; it's a little sore right now. Sore or not, she has to admit that Warden's fleet does look the business. No sign of the Captain or his mates, though; whole lot of uniforms around, too. |
| Aeschere Childs | Understandably, she hesitates, hopefully far enough up the pier to avoid notice. "This... probably isn't right. I think." |
| Avira | It was actually the engineers working at the Golmore Gummi Research Site "Pair Dadeni" that brought this mysterious gummi ship to her attention. Taken by its construction, they requested that she take pictures, inside and out, of this mysterious craft. Even better they would love to have some blueprints. A little detective work about this vessel revealed some pretty distressing details. It was WARDEN's ship. Thus she had to surveil and watch his departure. For a while she had to wonder how Warden's ship seemed to get just about anywhere-her own previous research having told her that normal airships could not cross into other worlds. Her future prized airship would have been locked to the World of Ruin unless it became a gummi airship. Which Warden seems to HAVE. When Avira first laid eyes on this ship after tracking down the Bloody Pearl again, her face burned hot with jealousy. This was the ship of her dreams. This was what she wanted the culmination of her and Arthur's research to be! No wonder her people wanted pictures. She doesn't approach it right away, spending some time observing the vessels. One of the first things she's noticed was that the ships have had their flags replaced. Watching the ships through binocculars reveals strange people in uniforms patrolling. More research on her own time matched the uniforms to a certain Space Navy that could very well be from the world Warden was originally from. Very interesting-his vessels had been captured! Was Warden captured too? This situation actually works in her favor, Avira realized. She wouldn't have to sneak around pirates to take pictures (though part of her wonders if Warden wouldn't freely give her a tour in exchange for more dinner). She could come openly. Well, semi-openly. Avira no longer wears the practical adventuring outfit she's adopted since arriving in Ivalice. She's back to slacks, flat-footed shoes, and a modest long-sleeved blouse. Her hair has been done up in a tight bun and a pair of tinted glasses rest on her nose. Slung over a shoulder is a bag with a vaguely cylindrical shape that unzips along the diameter of one end. Around her neck is a camera. Even the scars have been masked as best as possible with makeup. At first glance, Avira's not exactly recognizable. She just seems like a transplant from Manhattan Earth. With little hesitation, she strolls up to the gangplank of the largest ship, but does not board. "Helloooo~!" she calls out, waving to get the attention of the uniformed officers patrolling the bridge of the airship. "I would like to speak with someone in charge, please!" |
| Warden Thache | He totally would. Tour for dinner is a fire trade. |
| Akari Seran | Having reconciled the small matter of her annoyance with Aeschere's choice of employer, amazingly without tearing the Torifune apart one piece at a time, at least for the time being, Akari has taken to letting the little merc drag her around to various odd jobs once again. Not that it takes much coercion. The promise of a good fight or a hefty reward is motivation enough to drag the delinquent Academy-dropout out of her usual brooding, so long as the bodies or the gold continue to pile up fast enough to keep her from getting bored. Despite her rough exterior, Akari comes from old money which means her hobbies tend to be on the pricey end of the scale. Only the best, that's her creed. Ofcourse, in practice, she tends to take what she can get most of the time, which is usually far from the best. The lanky geomancer trails along behind her friend, seemingly paying as little attention as possible to her surroundings. A freshly lit cigarette dangles loosely from her mouth, her supply having been replenished during their trip here, and every now and then a few wisps of grey smoke drift outwards from the girl's nostrils. "What's the matter, Chere? I thought you knew this guy?" |
| Warden Thache | Avira's hail brings an immeadeate responce, that responce is not the more friendly. At her hail no less than a half-dozen energy muskets are pointed in her direction. Apparently the marines are a wary bunch. Or Warden is just that annoying with tricks. "State yer business!" Comes a harsh voice, deep and gravely. It orginates from what seems to be an eight foot or so tall figure. Who seems to be made out of stone. Avira would reconise him as a similar race as Warden's quartermaster. Before the glowering marine can say anything more, a smoother voice breaks in. Feminine and dry, with an accent that matches Warden's. "Easy Mister Arro." And a new figure looks over the rail of the ship, a woman in an officers uniform. Though her ears mark her as the same race as Warden. "Pardon my first mate. However I'm a touch busy here at the moment, pirates and all. So if you please answer quickly then be on your way." It seems lookouts have been distracted by the obvious hail of Avira. Which leaves Akari and Chere the ability to get closer should they wish. |
| Aeschere Childs | Aeschere is pretty annoyed with her chosen employer at the moment; she probably hasn't gone into much detail about this latest adventure, but the important bits probably go without saying. "This guy I know. Those guys aren't him." Who are they? It's not as though she's every seen a Royal Marine to recognize one, but Stern Guys In Uniforms are universal. /Someone/ seems to be trying to get aboard, though. They're too far off to hear the conversation, but the content can be inferred, can't it? "Won't know if we don't look, I suppose. Come on." |
| Avira | "Whoah there!" Avira quickly puts her hands up in a disarming fashion, showing that she is certainly not armed herself. There is also something odd about her accent as she speaks. Unless any of the guards are familiar with Brooklyn, New York, they're not going to be able to place it. Her eyes fall upon the stone golem-looking fellow and Avira gives him a pleasant smile. "Hello sir! I am here to-" Her greeting and no doubt very hasty explanation is prematurely curtailed by the appearance of the woman. From her spot on the docks, she can tell right away that she was the same species as Warden. How curious! Were all of Warden's crew matched by a Space Navy counterpart? Will she find a female Spooks in her own little uniform? She resumes her greeting, "I am Rosalie Levine, a freelance reporter for the Daily Bugle. I recently came into the know about a number of space pirate ships being captured by the Royal Navy and was hoping to snag an exclusive." She gives her most winning smile. "That is, of course, if you have the time to spare. If not, I would understand, though I truly believe that the scattered worlds thereabouts deserve to know more about the Royal Marines dedicated to keeping our space safe." |
| Akari Seran | Akari quirks an eyebrow under her unkempt bangs, turning her head towards the commotion at the docks as if only just now deciding it's worth her attention. Her empty white eyes narrow slightly and she pauses for a few moments, connecting her senses with the sharp sea breeze flowing through the cavern. The winds sweep through as they always do, lingering only slightly longer than usual as they engulf the figures aboard the ship, wrapping them in a perfect inverse mold that the geomancer uses to draw them in stark relief in her mind. Once she's got a good idea of what the soldiers look like, the geomancer lets out a thoughtful grunt. "Looks like soldiers, judging by their fancy uniforms and guns. This could be amusing." |
| Warden Thache | "Ah. The press." The way the lady captain says it makes one think they rank only slightly higher on the totem pole than pirates. Only slightly. Her smile is somewhere between a smile and a grimice, showing almost too many teath. Her ears go slightly back before she sighs. "Weapons down, she's not armed, and Lord knows that we need all the press we can get. These new worlds are positively infested with pirates and we arn't in any hope of getting reinforced soon." She does glance out of the side of her eyes though, a cunning and sly look as she becons Avira...sorry...Miss Levine...onto the deck. "...though I'm curious. Just how you found us. We are not exactly on the beaten track, and just ran down /this/ bunch yesterday." She does not look /happy/ about that for some reason. Again, Chere and Akari came get even closer to one of the ships. Should they wish it, right up to the hull. Close enough they can sneak abord by a bit of a quick climb. |
| Avira | The lady up there isn't the only one with press experience-admittedly, Avira has not run a military operation so her experiences have been a lot more positive. Still, the lure of /good/ press would be a temptation to anyone. Once they've called off their weapons, Avira lets her hands drop, instead going to her camera where she takes the liberty of taking a few pictures of the outside of the ships. It's not just the gummi ship she photographs but the other two as well. That could come in handy later, after all. "Well miss." she says smoothly, "It is my job as a reporter to go off the beaten path to find the real story. Thorough investigative work and a bit of luck on my side all contribute to this." She already knew that they recently showed up too. All reports she heard beforehand were that Warden's crew was still in control of these ships. What a sudden turnaround! She strolls up the gangplank onto the deck. "I am eager to hear all about how you apprehended these scoundrels. If you would enlighten me miss...um...I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name?" Sure, she knows it's because she hasn't said it but she's not going to point that out rudely. |
| Aeschere Childs | That's a terrible idea, knowing already that the ships are full of Someone Else's Soldiers and with at least a vague notion that her employer might be a criminal of some sort. I mean, pirate, and all. Skulking around on a seized vessel is bound to result in capture and detention, and she doesn't look like anything other than what she is; Akari /certainly/ doesn't. "We won't get in the front. Come on," Aeschere repeats. There's a mooring line to hand, and the topside watch appears to be busy negotiating Rosalie's entry. There's a cargo hoist and jacob's ladder here, and she can probably find somewhere to hide among the stores once she's topside. This is, of course, a terrible idea. |
| Akari Seran | Akari frowns slightly when her companion suggests are more subtle approach, but she's used to that by now. Might as well play it her way until things go wrong. They /always/ do. Then it'll her turn to play. The pair slink alongside the massive ship, pausing a moment to take a quick look around for sentries. What with everything being hoisted up in the air around here, Akari mostly has to rely on Chera's eyes for that particular task. She can see where people are, in a sense, but not where they're looking. Once they're sure the coast is clear, the brawler tosses herself at the side of the ship and casually hoists herself up one of the dangling spiderwebs of rope without much trouble, and perhaps surprisingly, without much noise either. Her bare feet hit the deck without a sound as the girl slides over the railing, slipping behind the nearest tall obstruction she comes to which turns out to be a pile of crates. It takes her a moment to get her bearings without solid earth below her and she mutters a string of curses that would make her fit right in among the sailors. "I hate boats." |
| Warden Thache | "Captain." The words are clipped and propper as the cat-lady turns to stroll towards the deck, obviously expecting Avira to follow. "Captain Amelia. Of the Royal Navy. These are my scout ships...and to speak plainly...well. We got lucky." She looks around at the cove and the ships there, hands behind her back and at attention. "Thache's ship was damaged heavily in some kind of combat. No doubt some plunder that got him in over his head." ...actually it was fighting a dragon and towing Avira's ship away from a BLOODY VORTEX OF DARKNESS. "They couldn't put up a proper defense when my scouts came upon him, and we were lucky enough to catch them by suprise." The woman is plain-spoken, very military. However she has a flair that is very much like a specific pirate captain. Perhaps its a racial thing. Luckily for Akari and Chere, the ships deck is littered with crates and cargo. It seems either Warden was in the process of moving things, or the Marines moved things out of the hold. There are places to hide alright, but there are two guards at the entrence to the below decks. There is /also/ a very familiar racoon tied to the mast. Poor Spooks. The little critter has the only eyes swift enough to spot the brawler and the littlest dark knight. Instead of entirely blowing their cover he actually does something slightly more intelligent. "I bet it makes you feel big and strong! Tying up a little critter like me! Bullies! Mariens are just bullies!" The fuzzy felon pipes up aiming the sharp tounge of his at the guards on the stairs down. It seems to be working, from the glowing at least. |
| Avira | "A pleasure to meet you, Captain." Avira remains polite, like any reporter who is being given the time of day usually should. She follows along, taking further pictures of the deck from various angles. It wasn't specified how many photographs were needed but Avira wanted to be thorough. "In this condition...how did the actual seizing of the ship go?" Oh Avira knows exactly why this ship is so damaged. She actually feels a /little/ bad for Warden since he really wasn't off plundering something. He was helping and towing the airship she was on. Only a little though. Her question is shortly answered. "I see, I see, a seizing with not a brave soul lost." Avira's only paying partial attention to her host though she does notice that Amelia is quite graceful, not unlike that certain pirate scoundrel she's traded blows with. "Goodness, I wonder how those pirates got ahold of such a ship. Of this size, I suspect she can hold the other two below deck easily." She hears Spooks shouting from afar and flinches a little. "May we go down to take a look?" she's quick to request. |
| Aeschere Childs | Marines /are/ just bullies. That's as certain as Akari hating boats. "Blood and ash. That's our contact up there." And Aeschere is close enough to hear the Royal explaining the situation. "That's our job down the drain, then." She counts four men on deck, and the captain, from her vantage point under a cargo tarp, and who knows how many belowdecks; two corvettes with a full complement each, besides. An assault, then, is too foolish even for her; maybe she can get herself positioned for when Warden returns, though. Assuming he's not returning in irons. Her current hiding spot isn't awful, actually, but getting to the hold would be ideal. She inspects the reporter, since there's nothing else for her to do; news must've traveled fast for her to beat Thache to his own ships. The seizure can't have been a day ago, even. Suspicious. |
| Akari Seran | "What, the furrball? You pick the strangest people to take jobs from, Chera." Akari leans against the crates and takes a time-out to reorient herself. Once she's got her bearings, which doesn't take too long, she has another 'look' around. Wood and metal isn't nearly as good of a conductor as stone for her unique form of vision but it does the job. After a moment, she turns to the dark knight and gives her a frown. "Are you kidding? There's only a few dozen of them. Did working for a fat cat make you soft in the middle?" |
| Warden Thache | "They were drunk and distracted, usual for pirates. Nothing that the Royal Navy couldn't handle." Amelia replies with just a touch of pride in her voice, pride that is washed away when Spooks starts taunting the group at large. Her ears go back and she stalks towards the mast where Spooks is wrapped up. A dirk is slid out of a sheath on her belt and she embeds it in the wood an inch from the racoon's head. A Racoon that was /trying/ to get the pair of Akari and Chere to get below decks while he has people distracted. That distraction stops with a ERK as the danger thunks into the wood near his head. "/Quiet/ you flea-bitten warf rat." Amelia growls as she leans in close to the poor racoon. "I don't want to hear /anything/ out of your mouth unless its the location of that damn /Thache/." "Whats wrong Captain?" Spooks pipes up. "You missing him?" "Yes," Ameila drawls back. "Thats the problem. He never stands still long enough for me to put a bullet into his smarmy little face." A pause again. "And any more questions like that and I'm making you into a hat." The Captain turns back towards Avira, yanking the weapon out of the wood. "Below decks?" There is a slight frown. "Mmm. Wouldn't you rather interview the heroic marines here first?" She drawls, a slight smile on her face. "And...just how did you say you found out about this so quickly again?" Thankfully for Avira? Spooks isn't getting a good look at her right now. However there is a curious look on the racoons face as he snifs the air. Something is...familiar around here... As for the two hiding figures. Well between Akari's senses and Chere's eyes they might find that retaking the ship? It might be less difficult than it first looked. There are /perhaps/ twenty marines. Tops. They are spred over three ships. If the pirates hadn't been taken by suprise and with a damanged ship the Marines would never have been able to take them. If the pirates can be freed...well that would even the odds up quite a bit. |
| Aeschere Childs | "We still don't collect if our bankroll is in the brig," Aeschere reminds her companion. She's not going to indulge Akari in another argument over the virtues of taking Murasame's money; not while she's trying to hide, anyways. "Which speaking of, what do you see down th" One of the things you learn in the bounty hunting business is how to spot your marks; Chera isn't a very good bounty hunter, really, but something's been nagging at her about that reporter, and the sound of her voice finally drops it into place. A-/ha/. "See who's below," she repeats to Akari. "We've got a new job." |
| Avira | Her insides tighten when she sees Captain Amelia stalking over to harass Spooks. She has to give it to her...she's pretty great at intimidation. It's enough to make Avira jealous. How come SHE'S never intimidating?! Nobody ever takes her seriously like that! More importantly, she wants to get away from Spooks before she's recognized through her disguise. Though what she does find interesting is that Spooks reveals that Warden isn't here. Not only that, Amelia seems to be some kind of rival of his. "By all means, bring them along for the interviews! I prefer doing so while walking around. Saves more time, gets me out of your hair even faster." Avira smiles innocently. Amelia is clearly suspicious about her, though, she can see it on her face and hear it in her voice. It makes her nervous but she doesn't let it show. "Oh, well, I didn't say." Avira reiterates. "A good reporter protects their sources, after all." After a pause, though, "Hmm, Thache, though, that name sounds familiar." |
| Akari Seran | Akari frowns again, this time baring her teeth a little in annoyance. "I can't /see/ anything, Chera. This damned wood is barely giving me any resonance. All I've got is rough numbers and locations. Just tell me which ones it's okay to break and which ones to be delicate with." |
| Warden Thache | Well Avira can't order a frigate to bombard your house, Amelia can. She's also been at this for a very long time. ...if it makes Avira feel any better, Warden doesn't take either of them seriously. "Thache is a blight on my patience," The lady captain growls as she frowns, her ears snapping backwards. "He's a son of a pirate, and one of the thorns in the side of the Royal Navy. I'm /not/ letting him get away from me again. He's /entirely/ insufferable. Every time I think I have him he just..." Her claws come out as she growls. Only then does she realise that she's making a fool of herself she recovers quickly, flattening her coat back down studiously. "I'll catch him this time however. He can't run forever." She turns away, starting for the forward entrence to the hold. Though the rear one is still open to use should any interlopers want to try. In fact the guards there seem more lax. Belowdecks on the massive gummiship isn't quite as cramped as one would think. Warden spared no expense on the machine it seems, and the corridors are more spacious than those usual in a ship. The main cargo hold is easily accessed, and there seems to be a makeshift jail built into one corner, filled with very annoyed looking pirates. The captain is going to kill them. And the Marines /confiscated the rum/. Bastards. "Mmmm. Yes. However your sources got you to my position less than twenty four hours after my men took their ship. Which means you either were following me, or following Thache, or meeting Thache here." The cat rounds on Avira then. "So which is it?" She demands an answer. Most of the marines in sight are watching their Captain and the reporter, so at least their distracted. ...and just after they slip below decks Spook's eyes widen. HE KNOWS THAT SCENT. It just hit him. Now...he...just has to get out... |
| Aeschere Childs | Interlopers, yes. Interlopers with a target, now. Aeschere hastily re-evaluates the options; bluff the captain, apprehend Rosalie as a 'criminal'? She's not very convincing, and she's already snuck onto their ship in any case. Probably too risky. It's plan A all the way, then. "All those guys on deck. |
| Avira | Belowdecks, Avira is taking pictures like /crazy/. She is, perhaps, a little too enthusiastic about it because she frankly cannot help herself. Big ships like this one were just so awesome and seeing it here reminded her just how much she wanted one of her own. "Is he now? Well it's a damn shame he isn't here." Avira means it. It's a damn shame Warden isn't being arrested! She tries to not acknowledge Amelia's sudden lack of control and passion when talking about this pirate, out of politeness. "Though if you don't mind me saying, I suspect he'd come back for his ship eventually." She peers beyond Amelia to see the brig filled with pirates. She purses her lips but doesn't make eye contact for very long. Especially when Amelia interrupts her thoughts by accusing her of following or meeting Thache. She jolts a little as she stares up at the Captain. "Oh, you want the truth? I /was/ tracking Thache. More specifically this ship." Avira stands her ground with a steely gaze, letting the camera that was in her hands fall back to dangle around her chest. "I am CERTAINLY not here to meet the captain!" Her mind races, thinking just what /else/ could she say to get out of this. |
| Aeschere Childs | Interlopers, yes. Interlopers with a target, now. Aeschere hastily re-evaluates the options; bluff the captain, apprehend Rosalie as a 'criminal'? She's not very convincing, and she's already snuck onto their ship in any case. Probably too risky. It's plan A all the way, then. "All those guys on deck. Do what you want." Leaving the berserker to do her thing, she makes for the unwatched loading hatch. Should be a lot easier to sneak once Akari gets going. Sneak she will, down into the hold to see about springing the crew. |
| Akari Seran | The grin that spreads across Akari's battle-scarred face marks the end of the pair's short-lived attempt at subterfuge. She knew it would come to this. Now it's time to have some real fun. She tosses a wink at her partner in crime. "Try to keep your head down. It'd be a shame if I had to nurse you back to health again." Without waiting for the inevitable comeback, the berserker gets to her feet and does what she does best. A gutteral warcry bellows outwards, magnified to a bone-shuddering level by a swift manipulation of the wind. Leaping upwards, the girl easily clears the piles of scattered cargo on the deck, slamming heavily into the towering mast up in the air. She lingers there, hanging from one arm like a monkey long enough to grin down at the marines, who are most likley quite understandably alarmed. Then, she uses the thick wooden shaft like a fireman's pole, sliding down its lacquered surface. She stops mere inches above the bound raccoon, her foot slamming sideways with enough force to jar the entire ship. As if a bomb had been set off under her heel, a section of the mast explodes into splinters and it immediately begins to shift sideways like a felled tree. Rather than simply let it crash to the deck, however, Akari wraps her arms about the wooden beam and swings its momentum sideways, using the mast to cleave the entire upper deck in one fell swoop. After a great deal of shattering, crashing, and crunching, the surface of the ship is a lot less cluttered and a lot flatter. With a heave, the scrawny teen tosses the remains of the mast overboard and takes a quick glance around. "Did I miss anyone?" |
| Warden Thache | Well. There went the subtly. As Amelia narrows her eyes at Avira's words, trying to gague the truth of them, all hell breaks loose topdeck. Akari's roar draws a shocked look from the alarmed marines as they try to raise the rifles in their hands towards the monkey in the rigging. Amelia frowns. "What in blazes is going on up the--" Then explosion. The mast shatters, wood flying everywhere as Akari flings the mast like a massive broom. Cargo and the handfull of marines scatter as sails, rigging, boxes, and bodies are tossed about with abandon. Somehow. In all of this mess. The ropes securing Spooks to the mast snap and the furball is thrown right down stars to thump against the wall near Amelia and Avira. He lies there stunned for a moment before his eyes focus on the pair of women. He tries to think, though its hard after being flung like that. Think Spooks! Think! WWWD. What Would Warden Do?! Oh yeah. "Avira! I'm glad your here! Now that we have reinforcements we can take the Marines!" Warden would /totally/ do that. Amelia's eyes narrow and her ears pin back as she rounds on Avira. "You! You're one of his...his...DOXIES arn't you?! Come here and lie to me...I'll show you pirates! All alike you are! YOU MARINES! Get up stairs and fix whats wrong topside!" Amelia is drawing a very sharp looking saber at this point. The guards on the jailcell peel off to charge up top. Meanwhile...uptop... As Akari glances around and asks her question. Well. One shaky armed marine raises a hand from behind the stump of what /used/ to be a barrel of some sort. "...m-me..." A pause. "...I'd rather jump now if its all the same to you..." |
| Avira | So much for her disguise too. No big loss, Avira wasn't much of a reporter and very few people are going to recognize that she actually used her real name. For now, she stares down Amelia until she hears a massive crashing noise up above. If anything, she seems just as surprised as Amelia is by the noise. "What the heck..?" Spooks comes tumbling down the stairs before him and Avira makes a face. Whatever happened up there, it freed Spooks. Maybe Warden had come back for his crew? "Wait, what? HEY! I'm not-" Ameilia suddenly rounds on her and accuses her of being his, "-a /what/? What the hell is a doxy?!" Yeah, she's lived in New York City and has NEVER heard that term. "I'm not with Warden!" she says defensively, shooting a nasty glare at Spooks. The sword comes out and Avira's quick to rip the zipper open on the strange cylindrical bag she was carrying. It's actually a bag meant to carry tripods. What it is actually carrying is her weapon because she wouldn't be caught dead on a pirate ship without hers. "Listen, Captain, to me and not the raccoon!" she brandishes the Spine defensively with one hand, shoving the now-empty case out of the way. "I am NOT a pirate!" |
| Avira | "My friend just told me what a doxy was!" Avira adds after a moment, "And it's completely untrue! I am /so/ offended by this!!" |
| Aeschere Childs | All Aeschere has is a very sharp knife-- spears are indiscreet, you know-- but, luckily, all the action is topside now that the Akari bomb has dropped. As the guards are redeployed, she drops to the deck, and gives the captive crew a nod. At least a few of them should recognise her. The cargo deck is where all the work gets done, besides just holding crates and barrels; somewhere among the mess there should be a mallet, and maybe a few wedges for setting hull patches... Aha! There we are. Thus equipped, she heads back to the makeshift cell, sets her wedge at the hinge, and pounds it home. A few good whacks (she's stronger than she looks) and the hinge-plate parts, leaving the door flapping by a corner, secured by one hinge and the lock hasp. The crew should have it at this point; she gestures for quiet through the crack in the door, and then creeps off after the marines, hammer in hand. |
| Akari Seran | Not actually expecting an answer, Akari slowly turns her head to regard the lone marine with a 'seriously?' look. After a moment, she just stomps on the deck, ejecting the marine into the sea as the plank he's standing on shoots upwards like a catapult. With the first batch taken care off, the berserker gives a smug smile and leans back against the remaining stump of what used to be the mast, digging another cigarette out of her pockets and lighting it up with a flame that jumps to life at the end of her thumb. That should earn Chera enough time to do whatever it is she thinks will end this day in a paycheck. In the mean time, she gets to rough up some marines. Works out nicely for both of them. Once the replacements start to file topside, her fighting spirit starts to flare up again, though these goons hardly seem to be much of a challenge, so she doesn't get too pumped. "Sup. Hope you guys know how to swim." |
| Warden Thache | "Well you are not a reporter either," Amelia counters as she manuvers her saber into position towards the now armed woman. The Captain eyes that odd weapon of hers. "What do you expect me to think!" She snaps, testing Avira's defences with a slash as Spooks scampers out of the way of the two women. "You've come on my prize under false pretences, and now there is an attack and a jail brea-dammitall! Another one of your confederates?!" One hand gestures towards Aeschere leading the now freed pirates out. Amelia's blade however flickers back up again, trying to force Avira up and back topside. She's the Captain. She needs to see whats happening with her ship. Speaking of the escaping Pirates, at least one or two of them /do/ reconise Chere and there are grins all around as they rush out to claim their freedom. They move suprisingly quietly for a bunch of cutthroats as they follow the silent Dark Knight back towards the carnage on the main deck. The first few marines on the deck stare in shock at the carnage. Shouts from the other ships and a smattering of rifle fire comes winging in towards Akari. The first two marines though the door? Well they really don't look like much. The second two? Not much either. The third? The third is Mister Arro. The eight foot tall rock-golem. Who glowers at the lounging Akari before hefting the remains of a crate and heaving it at her in one smooth sidearm. He doesn't even bother with a gun. Other marines crowd behind the massive First Officer however they don't know the danger coming at them from behind. |
| Avira | "A reliable source has told me that I /could/ be!" Avira shoots back while also taking a step back, the Spine lifted to parry the sharp-looking saber. Her focus narrows because she knows if Warden is any indication, Amelia will also have some amazing speed and reflexes. As if to test this, Avira jabs back at Amelia with the hope of keeping her at a distance. She looks over her shoulder and sees Aeschere. "Ugh! No way, that is a bounty hunter that is after-" she stops talking at that point. No need to implicate herself further as a criminal. At least Aeschere seemed to be distracted. Though it's clear that she's being corraled back up the stairs by Amelia, she'll gladly let that happen. She ought to have some more escape options up top. Once up top... ...she sees the absolute chaos around her. She's actually kind of relieved. Look at all these distractions. "I think it's a good time for me to get out of your hair, Captain Amelia!" Avira declares, turning and running now. She keeps her weapon at the ready, expecting the feline woman to engage her again. |
| Aeschere Childs | Okay, /now/ the subtlety's over. Looking hilarious as the leader of a charge, Chera raises her knife, and gives the crew the go-ahead. The deck is bedlam, now. The freed crew surge past her to evict their captors from the ship, and she just manages to catch a glimpse of Avira through the chaos. Springing to the top of the rail, and thus /just/ visible over the brawl, she issues a new order: "Catch her!" Hell, though, they were probably planning on that themselves. Her perch is overrun by a Marine flanking action, and she dances away to the margins of the melee, uninterested in trading blows with a soldier. |
| Akari Seran | The rifle fire spangs off the deck all over the place, basic goons suffering from their usual accuracy issues. The girl hardly seems phased by the bullets whizzing all around her, not even bothering to flinch when the odd lucky shot does connect with her skinny body and simply bounces off, leaving little more than a small dent in her skin. Akari grasps the cigarette in her mouth between two fingers in the classic smoker's hold, idly puffing a thick stream of minty tobacco smoke towards the marines. It isn't until the lumbering Mister Arro draws himself through the comparitively small portway that she quirks an eyebrow. "Well, well. Looks like one of you might actually be fun. How about we--" The crate smashes square into Akari's face, blasting her backwards on her makeshift chair and knocking her straight down through a loading hatch into the lower deck. There are a few moments of stunned silence before the sounds of shifting debris accompanied by muffled curses echoes up through the hole, followed shortly thereafter by the berserker's dust-covered stone arm hauling her back up. "Hnrgh... not a bad shot. Now it's my turn." Bursting into a run much faster than anyone should be capable of, Akari throws herself bodily at the massive golem officer like a red-headed torpedo, intent on tackling him and taking the rest of the marines with them. Aeschere's on her own for the bounty now. Akari's got someone to play with. |
| Warden Thache | Many things happen all at once. Avira and Amelia's duel takes them to the topdeck, and there is a moment of shock at the carnage there from the captain. The deck in shambles, her marines bobbing in the brine. Her reinforcements being menaced by some red head. Some girl yelling about capturing someone. "Well this day can't get any worse can it?" She asks herself retorhicaly before parrying that stab from Avira. "At least I can console myself with taking you with--" And then Avira is running. "...bloody get back here so I can take you prisoner!" The lady Captain yells after Avira only to stop in mild suprise as half a dozen /pirates/ go chasing off after her as well. ...well this is confusing. "Ruddy /pirates/..." She finally grumbles as she starts to step forwards only to have a flying Akari cross before her. Then drag herself back out of the hold and go flying right for Arro. The tackle scatters the smaller Marines like nine-pins. Arro is actually knocked off his feet, and even gives a bit of a grunt. "Not bad yourself." He rumbles before attempting to grab Akari by her arm(the stone one) and simply hurl her out into the bay. This might or might not work. He's not /that/ fast. Chere gets that half-dozen pirates that tear off after Avira, but most seem to be intrested in one of two things. Hurling the Marines into the bay, or pulling up one of the smaller deck guns and mounting it to fire on the Royal Navy ships. "This is all Thache's fault." Amelia seethes as she glances at the mess thats been made of the ship, before she waves for a ladder to be dropped from one of the corvettes for her. |
| Aeschere Childs | If there were time to reflect, Chera would probably not fault the pirates for seeing to their ship first. There's not, so she doesn't have time to fault them for anything; she's got Avira to catch. It'll be a nice trick if she does, though; the entire battle separates her from her quarry, who already has a running start. Maybe the pirates will slow her down. She, meanwhile, wades into the carnage, in pursuit. She doesn't make it far before some redcoat trips her up, though. Even against the squirreliest of marines, she can't put up a real fight in these quarters. Luckily, she's a small target, and hard to pin down. The scuffle stops her progress, and she's left pressed to a bulkhead, beating the pommel of her knife on her attacker's helmet. "Ashes! Get off of me!" |
| Akari Seran | Now that she's into a proper battle, Akari isn't much for sharing words that aren't "Grrraaaah!". She doesn't even bother dodging the attempt to grab her, hardly even noticing his intent until she goes flying back the way she came. Fortunately, she's a lot heavier than she looks and her trip is cut short by a few meters, landing her squarely on the edge of the deck instead of in the ocean. Pushing back to her feet, the girl grunts and takes a moment to look around, still not entirely able to keep her orientation on this ship, especially with the deck now litered with debris and sailors. Chera's voice manages to cut through the chaos, however, and she snaps her head sideways to take in her friend's predicament. A low animalistic growl escapes her throat. Leaping nearly halfway across the ship's deck in a single bound, Akari comes down behind the man pinning Aeschere to the wall and flings him overboard with a rough push, very nearly leaping off after him to give a more thorough lesson before she reigns herself in. Instead, she just frowns at the dark knight, half tempted to throw her overboard as well. At least she'd be safe in the ocean. "Get it together, Chera. You're killin my fun. " |
| Avira | Forced backwards, Avira pays slight attention to the area around her, if only for the purpose of carefully navigating around the obstacles now in her way. At this point, Avira has no trouble with running. Her first action is to run for the gangplank she boarded the ship with. "Nope! Sorry! I don't have time to be anyone's prisoner! Especially for stuff I didn't do!" She hears someone else yell 'Catch her!' and after a beat realizes that it's Aeschere's doing. Great. Well, those pirates would certainly listen to her, wouldn't they- As if to prove her thoughts, Avira finds herself leaping sideways as a pirate lunges for her from her side. The heavy former tripod case is tossed at him and Avira keeps going. At this point, Avira can't help but scream in frustration. But hey, at least /she/ wasn't being blamed for it now. That good thought abruptly ends as she's tackled from behind and Avira crashes painfully onto her face, landing atop the camera she was trying to escape with. It doesn't break with this action but by gosh, it does hurt like crazy. Snarling, she kicks backwards like a mule. |
| Warden Thache | Once more, many things happen at once. Arro clambers to his feet, but one quick look at the deck reveals that this is /bad/ at this point. Some crazy red head is throwing his Marines about. The Captain is having to escape to a different thip. The pirates are loose and readying cannon to fire. The poeple are loose. His marines are flying though the air. He shakes his head and whistles. The few Marines remaining on deck form up around his hulking form and they /charge/. Though the pirates. And at the gangplank. They want off the ship. Avira's kick sends the pirate on her sprawling with a satisfying grunt of pain, not /quite/ a squeel. She should have enough time to get out from before Arro's linebacker blitz. The marine that has attracted both Akari and Chere's attention by aggroing on Chere? Well. He /does/ go flying off the ship. After being stunned by a dagger to the noggin. All round a bad day for him. Amelia just glances down from her corvette at the carnage below. "Bloody /pirates!/" She doesn't sound that happy. On the upside Warden's crew has control of whats left of the ship! ...well some people might not consider that an upside. However it /will/ mean that Akari and Chere get paid. ...and no. Avira isn't being blamed for it. Much. |
| Avira | If only there was the time to sit down and explain to the Space Navy that she wasn't one of these pirates! Hopefully Captain Amelia would notice this as she flees pirate and Marina alike in her scramble to escape. Scramble nicely describes what Avira does once she's kicked her way out from underneath the pirate. She's fortunate others don't pile on top of her! She's also fortunate she isn't Arro's target. In a flash, she's on her feet and navigating the remains of the deck, headed down the gangplank in a dead run. RSheomewhere in the city of Luca she had a rental chocobo stashed, ready to be her getaway. She at least thought ahead that much. |
| Aeschere Childs | Well, it did mean that she'll get paid. By Warden. Probably. Avira wins again, for suitable values of 'win', and Aeschere is left to deal with the mess Akari's made. Whatever. The little knight dusts herself off, and surveys the wreckage. "/Where/ is Warden?" She asks nobody in particular. "Where is Spooks?" A slightly more pertinent question. Hopefully he wasn't pitched overboard. Maybe hopefully. She actually hasn't decided what she hopes happened to him. "Whatever. I don't care. Akari!" She seats herself on an upended barrel. "We wait for the captain." Might be a while... |
| Akari Seran | And as usual, she gets ignored. Whatever. Akari glances around at the mess she's mostly responsible for, watching the marines retreat as quickly as they are able while the former captives hoot and shout and fire guns and other piratey things. With a shrug, she plops down on the deck and leans against the barrel, resting her hands behind her head. "Think they've got any rum?" |
| Warden Thache | Spooks crawls out from behind a portion of smashed crate and waves one little paw. "Here?" A pause again. "...and god. What did you do to the ship?!" The little guy is quiet for a moment before he shrugs. "Eh. We'll blame the Navy." A longer pause. "And I supose you'll be wanting money for this rescue." A pause. "Standard rates. And of /course/ we have rum! If...there...is any not smashed..." There should totally be some not smashed. Somewhere. |
| Avira | Well that could have gone a lot better. She'll have to contend with the Space Navy later but... At least Avira has her pictures. Content with that and leaving this extremly close call in the dust, she swings herself up onto her rental chocobo and takes one last look over her shoulder. |