Bogged Down in Balaggan Port

[shadowdude505]

Cait Merlin
​

After her successful clothes shopping trip, Cait stumbled upon a store decorated with a marine flag and presumably merchant flags. She only recognized a few of the merchant flags, but the ones she didn't recognize definitely didn't look like pirate flags. It didn't seem like she'd could have a pirate flag made at this store, but then again, a store wouldn't openly advertise pirate flags to stay in the World Government's good graces. She decided to take a chance and walked inside.

"Hello. Welcome to the Flag Emporium. How can I help ya?" Cait was warmly greeted by the man behind the counter. He had blond hair, a thick beard that gave him a Viking-like appearance, and spoke with what we would call a Swedish accent. "Um....," Cait started to reply. There really wasn't a good way for her to explain. Hoping for the best, she spit out her request. "I'm interested in a pirate flag. You wouldn't happen to make those would you?"

"Ya, we make 'em. Under the table of course," the shopkeeper replied, placing a hand beside his mouth like he was telling a secret. The man hoped down from the stool he was standing on and briefly disappeared from Cait's view until he came out from behind the counter. Cait was a little surprised to find out that the shopkeeper was short. The shopkeeper made his way over to stairs that lead upstairs to an apartment for the shopkeeper and his partner. "Roger! A customer needs ya!" he shouted up the stairs.

A few moments later a man closer to Cait's height walked down the stairs. He had a white and green striped fedora, short bushy hair, stubble for a beard, and looked to be half asleep. "A customer huh?" Roger asked, speaking smoothly. "I reckon you want 'Jolly' Roger to live up to his name," he added, looking at Cait. "Follow me, please."

Roger walked over to the counter and pushed a button underneath. A part of the wooden wall behind the counter slid to the side, revealing a room with flag making equipment, but nothing about it screamed pirate flags. Roger walked into the room and waited for Cait. It took the fishwoman a second to decide if she trusted Roger. Recent events seemed a little sketchy, but that could just be due to the fact that she was trying to purchase a pirate flag. After Cait walked into the room, the wall slid back into place. Luckily she spotted another button on her side of the wall.

She didn't need to use it though. This was a legitimate place of business and Roger had no ill intentions toward the fishwoman. He loaded up the flag making machine with black cotton like a professional. "Today's your lucky day. Only pirates get to see our set up. It's more private back here. Just don't get any bright ideas. I may not look like it, but I'm one hell of a fighter." Roger explained. "So, what kind of jolly roger strikes your fancy, miss?"

"I was thinking a shark skull and crossbones," she replied.

"Viewed from the front? Or were you thinking more three-quarters?"

"Front is fine."

"Alright then. Sounds like a simple job. Nothin' wrong with that," Roger said with a wide grin. "I'll have the boss man deliver it when it's done. Should only take an hour at most. Now all that's left to discuss is my fee."

Cletus T. Bass
​

Cletus made his way through Balaggan Port and ignored the merchants that tried to sell him things as he walked past stalls. Cletus had the single-minded goal to buy supplies he could use to repair the Char...their new ship. He found a shipwright supplier and negotiated prices outside their storehouse, that way he could still smoke his cigarette. Once the price was finalized, Cletus negotiated the delivery time for the supplies. He payed the merchant and went on his way. Cletus trusted the store chain enough that they'd make good on their delivery plans. Within the next couple hours, his supplies will be waiting for him on the ship.

With his business taken care of, Cletus began to look for Scarlet. His paranoid mind began to process all the varies things that could go wrong, the worse would be being chased out of the port due to being pirates. Like most worse case scenarios, it was possible that Cletus was overthinking things. Where ever she was, Scarlet wasn't alone. She had Jasper and the girls with her. Jasper could handle himself. Cletus hadn't seen a lot from the girls, but figured they could step up to the occasion; even if it was a little wishy-washy, like Scarlet's flashbang improvisation.

He took a drag on his cigarette as he glanced around for any sign of Scarlet and the others. Instead he spotted Limstella; alone. Cletus walked over to her. "It's not good to be alone when there are thieves, drunks, or con men around," he gruffly said, making his presence known. In his old fashioned mind, a lone woman was a prime target for calamity. "I thought you were shopping with Scarlet and the others? Are they inside?"

Misuteeku

​

 

[Exanis]

Syrin Insinu"Well... That just happened..." Was the first thing that came out of Syrin's mouth after that... Bizarre... Adventure of his. Glancing around while straightening out his jacket and making sure his new hat was firmly in place, Syrin wondered what other unexpected things would happen to him today, because things like this were not the beginnings of a normal day.

So as Syrin continued to look around while petting the frog, whom was peaking out of his jacket and also looking around with the occasional ribbit, Syrin heard a voice calling out his name that he didn't think he would hear again for a long while after that whole mess in Mirstone. Snapping his head in the direction of the voice, while pushing back any semblance of hope that threatened to overcome his being lest he continue to be disappointed in the world around him as a whole. Instead of the crushing disappointment, Syrin was pleasantly surprised to see the familiar figure of Stacy standing on the deck of a nearby ship while looking directly at him.

Weaving through the crowds of the dock, with the occasional glare to get the annoying pedestrian out of his way, Syrin soon found himself standing near the edge of the dock right below the deck where Stacy was standing.

"Stacy! You have no idea how relieving to have found you now of all times..." Taking a quick look around the dock, he called back up to her. "Are you doing anything? I was planning on looking around for a merchant vessel to lead around for a bit, but if you're up to it we can go and catch up. My treat."

Lady Warlock

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Nerissa Orta and Arlen Hakhassi​

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Arlen?”

“Someone has to stay and watch the ship, don’t’cha think? To prevent a repeat of last time,”

Nerissa shook her head, a slight frown marring her features at the memory of all they’d lost the day the marines came to the Hallows. Rena. Shannon. Cygnus. People she’d come to know. It saddened her to part ways with friends. And yet, the faith in the young water priestess of Mirage Island, remained strong. So long as they were connected through the sea, through Aquarius, she believed they would meet again. She had said a prayer for each and every one of them…that Aquarius would bless them on their journey. With her current powers, it was all she could do. “What will you do on the ship?”

Her protector shrugged. “Train, I guess. Keep those ugly fish in my room company.”

“They are lampreys,” Nerissa corrected. “And there is no servant of Aquarius that is ugly.”

There was a smirk from Arlen, but he seemed willing to concede. “As you say, Oh Priestess of Aquarius. Shouldn’t you get going now? Scarlet’s already running off... ” The last line was said with a bit of amusement.

“…Do you want me to keep you company?”

“Just go, Nerissa.” Arlen said exasperatedly. “You know you want to.”

She did want to go. Shopping with friends. Seeing new sights. Fitting Ed with a girly new dress. The thought sounded wonderful. Arlen knew her too well. The teenager had also changed. Before, he would be more worried about letting her go wandering—unwilling to let her out of his sight. Had he come to trust the Red Ribbons? Her? Nerissa smiled. She knew it hadn’t been a mistake to join with Scarlet and the others. There was a vibrancy in Scarlet—one she hoped would never diminish no matter how great the waves. The rest of the crew as well. If not for them, she would have not discovered the temple of Halos.

“I’ll buy you something nice,” Nerissa promised.

“I’m craving something sweet. Wasabi’s cooking is good and all, but he seems to prefer his spices.”

Nodding, Nerissa turned to catch up to Ed, a bright glimmer in her eyes that spelled mischief as she eyeballed their young navigator’s size and tucked a blue lock behind her ear. “Well then Miss Four, might I ask what your favorite color is?”

CelticHero37

In the shoe store
Nerissa was eyeing some cute slippers, that were roughly Ed’s size, when she finally noticed one member of their party was missing. Limstella. The brightly dressed girl was a curiosity to Nerissa. As the Priestess of Water, one who trained to become one with Aquarius, she had never experienced sea sickness before. She read about it of course. She knew how motion-sickness worked. It didn’t look like fun. And yet, it tickled the blue haired priestess’s natural inquisitiveness nonetheless.

“Oh dear… I think Miss Limstella has gotten lost,” Straightening, Nerissa scanned the store just to be sure. Shaking her head, Nerissa offered Scarlet a reassuring smile. It wouldn’t do for the future Queen of the Pirates to dwell on lost friends. She was worried that Limstella’s disappearance would re-trigger the events of the Hallows. After all, Scarlet was probably more attached to the Charybdis than any member of her crew. It had been her ship after all. “Don’t worry, I’ll find her. You all should continue to enjoy yourselves. It shouldn’t take long.”

It really shouldn’t. Not if Limstella was anywhere near a source of water. The eyes of Aquarius were everywhere. Yet, fate clearly had other things in store when Nerissa was stopped by a man with red hair. Well, more like ginger really. She had just left the shoe store, barely made 20 paces or so, when she encountered him.

“Your hair is like water. It’s silky...and flows…like a running stream falling from the peak of a cold mountain. Very lovely to look at.”

Nerissa wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

Lady Warlock
AllHailDago
CelticHero37
Misuteeku (mentioned)

The encounter

Tristan Roads and Nerissa Orta​

Tristan was bored. Well, not so much bored, as disenchanted. He had spent his free time away from the ship checking out the hair salons, the barber shops of Balaggan Port…and wasn’t impressed. The quality of the cuts were inferior to his own. The hair products used were…meh. All synthetic compounds that made him question whether the hairdressers of Balaggan Port knew anything at all about hair. His homemade ones were better. Healthier for hair at least. Some of the shops weren’t even worth walking into, given how dirty they were.

The few that caught his attention, Tristan had spent a good amount of time donating his talents to (showing off), but that got old eventually. Clingy girls were tiring. While he enjoyed making women beautiful and appreciated their aesthetic sense, and cleanliness, compared to their male counterparts, the overbearingly giggly ones did require a bit of energy to handle. Not that he showed it. Good looks and popularity were a chore at times. Talent as well.

The one highlight of his ventures was perhaps the plump lady who had come into the salon he’d worked for asking him to make her beautiful. For her fiancé she had said. So he wouldn’t regret marrying her. Perhaps he’d been touched by her sentiment. Perhaps he was invigorated by the large challenge she presented. Whichever the case, Tristan went all out, and was quite satisfied by the results. The woman thanked him profusely. Gave him a wonderful tip as well. It made his profession worthwhile. Offers were made for him to stay permanently. That, of course, was when Tristan took his leave. The sea still called to him.

None of them knew about his past as a pirate. How the thrill of the unknown oceans, and his best friends idealistic descriptions of the Grand Line, still affected him. Even when he danced with the elites of the Smiling Aprhodite, it had always been there. He just hadn’t known it…until the fateful day when a former crewmate revealed that the Gentlemen Pirates had gone missing in the Grand Line. And so now, he was once again a pirate. But this time, of a different crew.

Seated in the patio of a small coffee shop, stirring the beverage he’d just bought, Tristan wondered if he should return to the newly minted Tiger Shark Pirates. Their previous Captain Sora, the would be pirate king, had taken a leave of absence due to the injury of a pet mink, making Cait the Captain. Some of the pirates were probably distraught. Tristan, having barely known the guy, could care less. Cait was the one who had invited him into the crew anyway. Which reminded him…the lovely Fishman still owed him her hair. He’d have to keep her to her promise. Hopefully the Captain hadn’t been too taken in by that hat maker. Hats covering stunning hair wouldn’t do.

Bringing the coffee to his lips, Tristan’s gaze was privy to some unique looking people inhabiting, or possibly visiting Balaggan Port. Busy city indeed. It wasn’t really his business what sort of visitors the town got…human or otherwise. Stuff like that was bound to be common in the Grand Line. However, when a lovely aqua haired damsel waltz by, Tristan couldn’t refrain from making a comment.

The tilted of her head belied her confusion as she looked upon him curiously. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Do you need something from me?”

Tristan beckoned her to take the seat across from him. She did. Tristan repressed the urge to chuckle. Too innocent. “You seem to be in a hurry.”

“I’m looking for a friend.”

“My, what a coincidence~ I happen to be looking for a friend as well.”

“Really?”

“Yes, a close friend I haven’t seen in a long time.”

“That’s very sad. Close friends shouldn’t be separated.” She closed her eyes and brought her hands together. “May Aquarius help you find your friend.”

Aqua-who? Some kind of religious nut? Well, whatever. Tristan leaned closer, his fingers trailing the edges of the lovely cerulean hair that caught his interest. Just as he imagined…smooth and soft…and somewhat damp… “Would you like me to make you beautiful?”

The girl’s brows furrowed, as if trying to understand what he meant. Blue eyes met blue. “Who are you?”

“Me?” Tristan grinned devilishly, this time moving in close enough to whisper in her ear. “I’m a pirate.”

The cerulean haired maiden wasn't as disturbed as Tristan expected her to be. In fact, she smiled, once again meeting his gaze. “We have a lot in common then. I’m a pirate as well.”

Tristan raised a disbelieving brow.

 

[Sugary_Paragraphs]

Yummy Foods
Yummy looked down at the gravel, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. He couldn't believe it! Him! A cook of high caliber! Not only running into an innocent bystander, but a woman no less! He sniffed. She'd never forgive him! Never ever! He'll forever live with the guilt of nearly ending the health of-

"Hmmph... I'm fine."

Yummy blinked and slowly looked up at the woman. Sh-She...She was fine? He slowly grew a hopeful smile and sprung back up, fist-pumping and looking into the sky. She was fine! ~Grrrahahahaha! That's a relief! He was sure he had injured her! "Phew! I'm so glad!" He chuckled, looking at her with an innocent grin. "For a moment, I thought you were gonna be ma-"

"Thanks a lot... jerk."

SHINK!

"HNNNNNG!"

Yummy threw his arms into the air and froze as he felt a sharp (metaphorical) knife pierce through the fragile flesh of his heart. Shocked at his new title, as well as the harsh insult that followed afterword. He stumbled backwards and fell onto his back, feet twitching as the words played into his head on repeat. He had been called many...many...MANY things on his journey for the Coupe de Grace. Bu-But...a jerk? Him? H-He couldn't be, right? There must be some other reason to why she-

“Sorry. I, seem to have, picked up, something of yours.”

Yummy blinked at the sound of boots before another voice of a female entered the fray. Moving his head, he looked to see a woman a few inches taller than him standing behind the woman who called him a...je-jerk. But what did she have in her hand? He squinted his eyes, raising an eyebrow at the wooden staff in her hands...staff. He sat up and looked into the eyes of Woman A. They looked...clear. He looked at the staff and then at her eyes again.

'How could I have been so BLIND?!'

'I have been so BLIND?!'

'been so BLIND?!'

'BLIND?!'

'BLIND?!'

'BLIND?!'

"~OH NOOOOOO!" Yummy wailed, springing back up and throwing his hands in the air again. She was blind! He WAS a jerk! "I-I'm so-I didn't realize-ya see what I meant was...GAH!" Yummy grabbed his hair in distress. How was he gonna fix this? ...wait....WAAAAIT! He gasped and dug into his afro before pulling out the wrapped up plate of the Omega Omelette. He touched the top and grinned. Still hot! "I know how to fix this! MISS...STAFF!" He announced, walking up to her and holding out the plate toward her, taking off the wrapping. "As an apology, take my prized possession! My Omega Omelette!" He said. "One bite, and it's sure to make up for my mistake!"

Hanarei simj26

 

[Phayne]

Jin returned a smile as Stacy accepted his hand; satisfied for now that the Dawn Chaser as well as those that sailed upon it would be in excellent care. As their hands shook, Jin's smile quickly turned into a sigh; though not of disappointment but of relief instead as the tension in his body seemingly melted away into thin air "I understand. I guess that is all I can ask for in these circumstances" he smiled once more. Still holding her hand tightly, Jin narrowed his gaze into her own; making complete eye contact with the younger girl. Jin felt it necessary to treat her honest promise with one of his own; one that he hoped would go a long way into establishing a genuine kinsmen-ship between them selves. "Stacy, should the day ever come where you do decide to part ways with the crew and the ship, rest assured that I will respect your decision to do so, though I hope that day doesn't come" he finished, lowering his hand so that it now rested by his side.

For Jin personally, it was important for him to know that the men and woman he sailed with where there on their own accord; their own free will and not victims of poor circumstances and forced to sail with him due to some unfortunate mishap. Each and every person that chose to live a life of piracy had in effect chosen a life of freedom, a life ruled by no one but themselves and one where they were ultimately in control of their faith. To even attempt to sully that freedom with his own selfishness was something Jin could not bring himself to do, thus like with anyone else on the ship; Jin would hold no malice towards those that decided to part ways.

As Stacy returned to the Dawn Chaser, Jin himself had begun to turn around and continue on his journey, his head slightly tilted towards the floor as he contemplated all the possibilities of what may or may not happen today. This had been the first island they had arrived on since Neo Genesis and he was fully aware that the chance he would be leaving Balaggan port with less crew members than he had arrived with was high. After all, they had only known each other for the short duration since Neogenesis island. To expect them to commit themselves to the crew whilst hardly knowing each other would be selfish on his part. That didn't mean he would not personally extend the invitation to each and every one of them, even if he was met with rejection. Luckily for him, that on this occasion the answer was positive; the good news lifting a heavy weight off his heart. The Dawn Chaser, whilst a sturdy vessel was still a victim to the elements and to the hazards at sea and without someone skilled to maintain her, she like any other ship would eventually succumb to the icy depths of the sea floor.

Deep in thought, Jin continued onward into Balaggan Port; both hands pocketed as he did his utmost best to ignore the various scam artists that lurked these streets. The last time he had ventured through the port, he was almost sold a 'rare' Magic Fish only to find out after that it was a scam and that the fish itself was useless and speaking of the devil; that same old salesman was there sitting at the corner of the street; a large glass aquarium situated right in front of him containing the same species of Orange Karp. Doing his best not to attract the conman's attention. It was only by pure chance that Jin had gazed skyward; the sight of Alex's Hawk Jet catching his attention.

shadowdude505 shadowdude505

 

[Hanarei]

​

Mizuki continued to sweep her foot around at the ground in front of her feeling for her staff. It was a bit of an annoyance being crashed into, although she had to admit it wasn't the worst thing that could of happened. It was something she could chunk into a pile of 'random occurrences'. She was going to keep upbeat about the day. She was confident she would find a crew. It was her best chance to come in contact with a crew. She suspected the island itself would be a lot more difficult to find those willing to give her a pity ride if her attempt failed... not that she was wanting to do such a thing anymore. It was about time she was able to stand on her own two legs. She felt as if she was proving everyone else right so far by having to rely upon pity to get anywhere.

Her head turned, directed towards the footsteps. Even with the sounds of the people around her the noise was loud enough to clearly tell whoever it might be was heading straight for her, moving against the flow of the crowd to do so. She could hear the woman clear her throat, turning her head up towards it getting a clear idea of her height despite not seeing the woman. It was incredible just how the body learned to react without the queues of one of your senses. Few people really understood the full potential of their other senses unless they learned to live without sight. She could hear her twirl the staff in her hands, getting a clear indication of what she was doing. She she went to tap her on the shoulder, her hand lifted up meeting it on the way to gently grasp it.

"Ah, thank you. I really appreciate it." She spoke with a warm smile on her lips. She wasn't really certain if her little twirling of her staff was meant as a way of showing off though it didn't matter much to her. So long as she didn't break or damage the staff in the process it wasn't something she should bother getting annoyed at. Mizuki would probably do the same thing if she had been in Trista's shoes. She had to question if her shoes were just that loud or if she was purposely attempting to make such heavy footsteps, though she decided to dismiss that thought for now.

Her head turned back towards the direction of the man who had rudely ran into her. His voice came out rather rough. He was not creating a very good first impression at all for her. His choice of words seem... unfortunate. While he seemed to assume the worst in her thought process, she understood it was all unintentional at this point. She wasn't going to act all friendly about it still given he did crash into her seemingly out of carelessness. If there was one thing she was taught along her time journeying, it was to not so easily show weakness. Always keep up a tough front to make sure someone doesn't think they can walk all over you. It was something she truthfully hadn't fully gotten into.

She turned her head, sniffing the air. She could smell the omelette as she cringed a little. She shook her head a bit lifting her hand up as she held her staff. "I'm... quite alright thanks. I don't like egg. I guess give it to this lady here if you want for finding my staff?" She spoke in an attempt to pawn it off upon the girl while giving her some sort of 'thank you reward' for helping tom get her staff. She truthfully didn't know if the omelette was any good. It didn't smell like it was bad at least with a brief whiff... as much of one as she could stand of the smell of egg.

simj26 Sugary_Paragraphs

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Arlen Hakhassi - On the new Red Ribbon Ship.

One swing for Ken Tanaka.

One swing for Lieutenant Commader Draven.

One swing for Captain Pyrrha Atlas.

One swing for Swordslady in the Hallows.

Arlen repeated that cycle over and over, dicing through his images of his imaginary opponents, until he was satisfied. Browsing through the weapons storage of the marine ship they’d commandeered, the teenager was able pick out a couple of neat looking weapons. Swords, scythes, daggers, maces. Arlen was a multipurpose fighter, with no specific inclinations, so he was fine with any weapon. However, the one weapon he’d chosen, over all the other choices, had been found in the room he’d claimed. In a locked chest. Arlen’s curiosity made him pick at the lock, and when he failed at that, he’d simply smashed the lock. Inside was a blade…that doubled as a whip. A bladed whip—a weapon he’d never wielded before.

The weapon drew him in, as if beckoning him to use it. There was no logical explanation as to where that feeling that emerged within him. However, Arlen trusted in gut above all things. The weapon was meant for his hands…and learning hadn’t been hard at all. If Arlen hadn’t known better, he would’ve thought it was alive, given how easily the weapon seemed to move along with him. Sometimes he swung it like a sword. Sometimes like a whip. A bit of a trick weapon if one didn’t know if for what it was.

While Arlen enjoyed playing with his new weapon, there was another reason he decided to remain on the ship and train. The Hallows had made him aware of how much he still needed to get stronger. He hadn’t been able to protect Nerissa on that island. Not against Ken Tanaka. Not against the marines, who were an enemy to his people. His religion. And now, that they were nearing the Grand Line, the need to grow stronger grew. Even he wasn’t immune to the stories spread by the sailors the encountered along the way. Stories of monsters. Devil Fruit users. The motions of Arlen’s wrist grew faster and faster, resulting rapid lashes that sliced through air like a blur. Nerissa wasn’t worried because she had Aquarius. Captain Scarlet wasn’t worried because she was an airhead. However, Arlen was a regular guy…

Crack!

The whip’s blade slid through a barrel, causing alcohol to gush out, creating a mess on deck. Arlen frowned. Damn. This was what happened when one was distracted while training. A flick of his wrist and the whip returned to being a sword, sheathed at Arlen’s hip. Sighing, Arlen searched for a mop. Stuff like this was normally Jasper’s job, but the Scarlet’s butler had volunteered to keep the girls company…which was probably a more difficult task, now that he thought about it. Scarlet would wander where the clothes were. Nerissa would wander where the books were. Ed would wander away for the fun of it. Limstella…he didn’t really imagine the girl wandering anywhere. She seemed to spend most of her time on the ship in solitude, being seasick. It was unfortunate that they’d lost their doctor in the Hallows.

Finding the mop, Arlen started to swab the deck as he thought back to the doctor they’d lost in the Hallows. And the storyteller. And the reporter. Though doctor was probably the most important. Nerissa knew her way around herbal remedies. Jasper…probably knew a bit of everything. However, the medical expertise provided by the mute mink would’ve been a valuable asset, especially in the Grand Line. Hopefully they found a new one soon. Scarlet distracted them from their recent losses and troubles with discussions about what they should name the new ship. Nerissa liked Scylla—something to do with the lore of the original name. Arlen didn’t care, though he volunteered a couple of suggestions as well. Charybdis 2. Stolen Fire/Pyrrha. Amaria (his mother’s name). In the end, it was probably better to wait for Cletus to finish the tuning of the ship before settling on the name.

They didn’t even know what the ship would look like until Cletus was done.

Shoving the mop into the bucket of water, Arlen finished cleaning his mess before putting away the cleaning supplies and returning to training. He envisioned Tanaka’s speed when the marine blitzed past him to Nerissa. He could see it in his mind. Now if only his body could keep up. Drawing his new weapon, which he still hadn’t named, Arlen dodged an imaginary thrust and sliced at his imaginary foe. Not fast enough. That one would’ve been blocked, or dodged, given Tanaka’s speed. He needed to be faster. Much faster.

Green eyes narrowed in determination as Arlen struck again. "Don't think you'll stay stronger than me forever."

 

[Sinny The Fool]

"Sharktooth Fin & Tabemono The Beast Child"

Somewhere off in the shopping district of Balaggan port. A massive scaly figure lumbered through. Receiving some nervous stares from a few onlookers. Apparently as use to it as they might be a seven foot tall Sharkman was still a nerve-racking sight. Fin rubbed his head, still aching from crashing head first into a rock.”Er, damn rocks. Came outta nowhere. Could’a given a guy a warnin.” he grumbled as he trudged along, his eyes bloodshot from drinking. He had to sober up enough to pull the raft he, and ‘Tab’ as Fin referred him as had built properly. Otherwise they might have ended up at the bottom of a Whirlpool. Instead he had slammed head first into a rock, thanks to his terrible vision. Luckily his thick skull had prevented him from taking any real damage. But it was enough to put him in a bad mood. Especially with a hangover already making him feel like his head was going to split. His head throbbing eyes on fire, and he even broke his drinking flask when they crashed. So after agreeing to meet at the local pub-because he needed a drink - he and Tab went their separate ways. Tab went off to explore the new area, and Fin to buy some supplies. So after many awkward moments with the resident salesmen of Balaggan, Fin had finally gotten the supplies, food, drinks, a bit of medicine, even though Fin had no idea how to use most of the stuff. Now he only needed one more thing before he could go to the pub.

He marched up towards a small shack, at least it was small to him. His broad figure hunched over so he could better see the salesman. Who was a tiny little man, who smiled at Fin, clearly not bothered by his appearance any.”Aye! Lil man, how bout ya give me a nice sturdy flask er somethin. I need a lil something to carry mah booze in. My las flask broke.” He explained showing the smashed tin flask in his hand. The tiny man nodded, and smiled a timid smile, his gray whiskers spreading over his mouth like wings.”Very good sir, I have just what a big strong fishman such as yourself is looking for.” he said disappearing behind a large shelf filled with all sorts of odd objects. But Fin didn't pay much attention to them, either he had no interest in them, or his eyes were preventing him from getting a good enough look. After a loud clattering sound from behind the shelf the tiny wingstached man reappeared. This time carrying a large gilded flask, and wearing a pot on his head. He placed it down on the counter smiling as if nothing had happened. Fin stared at him rather disinterested, and pointed towards the pot.”Uhhh, yer ok dere?” He asked, now sitting on his knees tired of crouching. The man simply waved the question away, still smiling.”Oh yes, fine! Very fine! Now this flask is one of my best!” The man told Fin pushing it towards him. Fin lifted the flask, checking out the design on it. It seemed to have a ocean wave on it, and Fin could see how the tiny man found it suiting for a fishman. That plus the fact that it was pretty damn big made Fins decision for him. He was preparing to take out what money he had left, when suddenly an ugly, smelly, baboon looking man came up with several friends of his, and slammed down a sack of money.”I'll take dat flask tank ya!” He said grinning wide, showing he was missing several teeth. The tiny salesmen backed away rather nervously, his hands clapped together, and shaking.”Um, sir I'm sorry but this gentleman here was just about to buy this, and it's the only one I have. Perhaps I can find you another one?” He said receiving a fierce look of disapproval from the man. Fin grumbled, and waved a hand at the man.”It don' matter, give et to em. If the baboon wants it then it must not be worth my money.” Fin said getting ready to leave, when the man suddenly grabbed his shoulder,”aye! What did ya call me!? You fishman scum!?” He roared, and his crew snickered behind him. Now, the man was either incredibly brave, arrogant, or stupid. Because Fin was much larger than him, and his friends. Perhaps, he thought Fin wouldn't try anything due to the number disadvantage. Maybe he might have been right, Fin might have left. Not bothered to deal with the monkey faced man, and his criminal friends. But then he had to go and insult fishmen. That wouldn't fly with Fin, so he turned around, glaring daggers at the men. Then in one sudden movement he lifted his great fist, and struck the man straight in the face. Sending him stumbling back into his friends. Fin grabbed the already paid for flask, and lumbered away, leaving the man to his friends. So with everything taken care of, he headed towards the local pub.

Meanwhile on Tabemono’s end, things were quite a bit different: he had very little interaction with the merchants and in fact anyone he seemed to come across avoided him for some reason. Of course this had nothing to do with the fact alongside the scruffy yet innocent looking child draped in a exotically patterned kimono with a dirty white robe underneath and wooden sandals and a long wooden pole with a paper-lamp attached to the end was also accompanied by a fourteen foot long wolf-like beast that kept within a close proximity of the boy. A creature that either drew the attention of others or caused them to look down and quickly shuffle out of view in the bustling crowds of Balaggan Port.This creature, known by Tabemono as ‘Goncho’ was not used to areas of high human populace and to say the least his passing glares at the townspeople did little to strike any good will into the people. However as the townspeople steered clear away from the boy and his beastly companion Tabemono went unfazed by all the gossiping folk who rushed away from them, or more like he didn't even bother to notice they were gossiping about him “What kind of pet is that?”, “To think the people allow ‘things’ like this in this port is beyond me..”, “That kid is obviously looking for trouble, he will find it quickly here”...Instead Tabemono simply strolled along through the port town until finding himself within the more forested region of the island. Looking into the thick of the woods the first thing he realized was a lack of wildlife present in the woods. Looking up to Goncho, who was clearly much more settled now they were away from the large crowds of people Tabemono gestured towards the woods “Fin said he didn’t mind if we go for a little adventure while he goes boozing...Wanna go inside?” to this Goncho didn’t seem opposed, however up from under his dirty robes and popping out through his kimono was an oddly ‘round’ shaped cat creature, the only thing coming from it was a screeching “NYA!!” as if disapproving of the venture inside the wooded region of the island. Tabemono’s head limped down slightly with a sigh “Awh, but come on - it is better than swimming right Nyan-Chan?” the cat-like creature which Tabemono named Nyan, was looking even angrier before now he was standing up on both legs on the ground and pointing his left paw at Tabemono accusingly “NYAA!!”.

After a fairly lengthy debate with the stubborn & angry Nyan, Tabemono had successfully persuaded Nyan into the woods with the magic of cat treats made by Fin that mixed tuna & mince into a ball which Nyan would do almost anything to get his paws on. So now that Nyan was on-board and there was nothing holding them back, Tabemono and his animal friends ventured as deep into the woods as they could go. Strangely - there was very little sign of animal life anywhere at first and this struck Tabemono as very weird. He had never seen a place with at least some grass yet that didn’t have any animals, so why couldn't he find any here? The first thing that came to mind was maybe they lived up in the trees to avoid predators on the ground, something which Tabemono himself learned and did himself from other creatures he come across upon Kappakashi. The only issue with this was there was clearly no predatory creatures in sight. After more searching throughout the area he had finally come across something, but instead of what he expected; which was some form of native animal life he instead found two people, fully grown adults - a man and a woman. While he couldn't make out the whole conversation at first, by the tones of their voice it was clear they were having an argument over something. As Tabemono approached closer and closer to where he heard the conversation taking place, he hid behind a tree with Nyan back under his robes and Goncho standing back idle but ready to pounce; some of conversation between the two had came to light “Can’t believe you’re tellin’ ME that there are no more creatures left to be huntin’, do you know how much those pelts can go for? A LOT! To think I pay the amount of beli I do for some lousy hunter who can’t even track down a couple animals!!” Tabemono could tell this voice was coming from a woman, he peeked around the corner to get a look at them - the lady was taller than the man was with long red hair and draped in multiple pelts & skin of animals for clothes paired with a rough face and mean eyes that Tabemono wasn’t fond of. Because he had never heard of the concept or term of hunter before, he merely assumed it was the name of the man this lady was yelling at and he had almost been on his knees at this point with his hands together.

It became quickly clear to Tabemono that the reason there were no animals in these woods were because they had all been hunted to extinction. This realization dawned heavily on Tabemono and he stumbled back away from the tree and stumbled, tripping over a root sticking from the ground and alerting both the mean-looking lady as well as ‘Hunter’ who instantly took out a strange mechanism Tabemono wasn’t familiar with that was a crossbow pointed right at his direction. At first, Tabemono didn’t exactly know what to make of this obviously having no idea exactly what the man was pointing at him but from the glances the two shared and the crooked smiles they gave after he had the feeling it was probably nothing good. He unsteadily got back up to his feet and managed to get back a few feet before suddenly schhwaff! A bolt flashed by him and Goncho had also noticed the projectile but couldn’t understand what or where it was coming from but at that point, Tabemono did. Now he was on alert, after getting a small glimpse at what this mechanism was capable of Tabemono rushed to Goncho’s side, climbing up and clenching on tight to his fur he yelled “Let’s leave here now Goncho!!” which the loyal companion didn’t hesitate. It’s instincts were also telling him to run at this point of time and it seemed like the whole time maybe Nyan was right - venturing into these forests was not a good idea but far from it, instead it shed light to one of the horrors; at least in Tabemono’s opinion one of the horrors of this port island. Suddenly, he had the urge to want nothing but to leave this island and go far, far away…

It didn’t take long before they reached back to the entrance which they first entered and while Tabemono had to admit he was glad to be as far away as possible from those two people in the woods, the prospect of going back to the town left Tabemono with an unsettling feeling which he couldn't yet explain. This time, instead of walking Tabemono was mounted atop of Goncho and he merely pointed the way to go and the further they went in the more intense the unsettling feeling became. He suddenly became to notice the looks some of the people were giving him, still not paying attention to anyone that was really just avoiding him either out of fear or having better things to worry about, a few on the other hand stood out of the fold with peering dagger eyes all aimed toward him and Goncho. It was enough to take his mind off what they were actually doing and Tabemono muttered quietly under his breath “Just remember...Fin always says when we re-meet, we go to the local pub..” With this in mind, he continued guiding Goncho further down the streets were market stalls and growing crowds of people coming to take a peek. Tabemono was only for the lookout of one place however, and that wasn't as simple of a task as it first seemed. For one, Tabemono struggled with reading and with the large crowds of people his senses were kept leading him to look or think elsewhere besides the task at hand - leading him down multiple alleys and corners before he reached an opening somewhere in the town...Standing in the middle of this deserted opening between buildings Tabemono let out a heavy sigh “We’ll never find him!!!” he let out agitated that he managed to get himself completely lost, so all he could do..Was keep walking in the hopes he’d eventually run into Fin.

Fin wasn't having much luck with finding the bar himself. He usually found the bar with ease. But the busy area, plus all the different smells in the air made it impossible for him to sniff out the pub. His nose in the air, and his nostrils flaring to inhale all the scents around. He was so busy trying to find the pub that he probably would have ran down everyone who stood in his path, had they not been quick to notice, and avoid the giant fishman. Of course he got strange looks, and vaguely heard murmurs from the residents around him.”What is that beast doing? Shh! Don't want it to hear you! Yeah, it might try to take a bite out of you.” they whispered in fear of how we might react if he heard their words. Of course Fin had heard it all before, and honestly didn't care. So long as they didn't go bad mouthing specific things. Like Fishman kind, or Tab. Who Fin had recently become very protective of. So he ignored the voice still sniffing, moving through all the shopping area. He passed several stores, and took a few corners before he smacked right into a wall. Well...at least it felt like a wall at first. It was big, and sturdy. But also oddly furry, and when Fin stepped back, and looked at what he had smacked into suprised to find, after a moment of scanning over it. That it was the mongrel Goncho, and who else would be sitting upon him but Tab. Fin’s frown quickly turned into a Shark Toothed grin.”Well, ay see yer still findin’ yer way round’. Well this wurks ou’ great. Now ye can help me find tha stinkin pub!” He exclaimed, partly irritated he didn't have a drink, and partly excited he had Tab to help him find it.

‘Took us long enough’ Tabemono spoke relieved in his mind, glad that the random direction they decided to go ended up leading them right to the person they wanted to see. Goncho greeted Fin with a short grunting but Nyan remained dormant under the kimono & robes Tabemono wore, sleeping happily now that they were as far away as possible from the woods. “Uhh..But Fin, I don’t know how to get out from here, we have been wondering for so long trying to find you..” Tabemono said, also being attempted to talk about his experience and what he saw within the forest region of the island but after a second guess and figuring for himself that Fin wouldn’t be too bothered by what he saw in the forest he kept his experience to himself for the time being. Instead, he was now hoping that Fin had some idea where to go that would lead them out of this ominous open area surrounded by buildings leading to a valley of alleyways.

Fin gave a grunt back to Goncho, and a suspicious stare at Tab. He wasn't sure, but he looked somewhat spooked.”Hmm, yer look like yer sen a ghost! Oh well! Les go!” He said ignoring Tabs concern about finding a way out. He walked out of the alley, and grabbed the nearest person. Lifting them up to his face, his hot rancid booze breath blowing on them,”wer lookin fer tha pub.” This was all he had to say, and the terrified, shaking man pointed him in the right direction.”Come on Tab! I smell booze!” He said as the smell of booze finally hit his nose, and he began marching towards the source. Ready to get a big refreshing mug of beer. Tabemono gave the poor man a passing glance, not entirely sure what to make of what just occurred but with Fin rushing ahead at the promise of booze waiting with his name on it Tabemono didn’t waste any time in making sure he kept up with Fin as he went down the direction the man told him to go. Doing his best to take his mind off what happened in the woods earlier, and hoped that seeing Fin get filled up on booze would be enough to keep him preoccupied enough to not think about it..

Fin barged into the pub, his arms spread wide in greeting.”AYE! GIMEE TEN TANKARDS O' ALE TER START OFF WIT! IM PARCHED!” He exclaimed cheerfully walking through the pub, and nodding his head towards the residents of the pub as he approached the bartender. He placed down a sack of beli, and took a stool. Receiving a greedy smile from the bartender, who happily took the money, and began to get his booze. Once he had his drinks he wasted no time in pounding them down. Receiving a few nudges, and pats on the backs from others.”Slow down there fishman, don't want to end up passed out in a garbage can or worse.” One of the residents of the pub said in a amused tone, as Fin drank on tankard after another with ease. Of course Fin paid him no attention, and continued his long awaited reunion with the bitter sweet ale. Tabemono followed along not far behind Fin the whole time, once approaching the pub/bar of Balaggan Port, Tabemono was also forced to go in without Goncho. Since animals generally were never allowed in these kinds of places it was also an issue that he couldn't even fit through the pub door to get inside in the first place, instead going around the corner and attempt having what rest he can get alongside making sure none of the town citizens got closer than he genuinely liked. Of course, Nyan stayed under the kimono coat & robes of Tabemono silent and presumably sleeping for the time being. The first thing Tabemono took note of was the interesting ‘decor’, being made up of mostly smashed picture-frames along with makeshift tables and chairs that also appeared worse for wear and mostly patched up with duct-tape.

Like usual, Fin was quite happy that he found the pub and rushed to the counter to order himself drinks. Of course Tabemono wasn't allowed to try the stuff for himself yet, although he couldn't help but find himself interested about what made ‘booze’ so great that Fin would love it so much. Instead of paying attention to Fin’s antics, considering they were nothing new for Fin he looked across the bar and at all the different kinds of people who were stationed. One thing he pointed out almost instantly was from what he could see, there were no people like Fin about. Everyone seemed to belong to their own groups, this much even Tabemono noticed among the few tables occupied by individuals with matching outfits or some logo to represent their affiliations. Fin had starting telling Tabemono a lot more about ‘pirates’, although he still wasn't really sure what it meant or why these ‘marines’; another thing Tabemono knew very little about even hated them in the first place. All he did know, is that both types of people had the potential to be scary powerful beyond his current comprehension. Of course a lot of this was still confusing to Tabemono but the very least he knew was each of these types of people they often shared a similar goal or purpose and were most often represented by a logo known as a ‘Jolly Roger’. Which if Tabemono was right and these different signs he saw were ‘Jolly Rogers’, this pub must have been filled with all types of fascinating and perhaps even powerful pirates across the blues..So, he decided that he would take a wander around the pub, walking carefree amongst the many tables occupied by pirates and the like, taking a gander at all the ornaments & fragmented or broken pictures on display.
​

(This was a collaboration post done by Solemn Jester & Sinny The Fool )
(Up for interaction for anyone who wants to, or is already at the bar/pub)
(Color Code - Sharktooth Fin, Tabemono, Nyan & Nameless NPC's)

 

[Mitchs98]

Keya Fenris: Running around the Marketplace

Keya was actually pretty excited to finally be at the port. Lots of new places to see, things to buy and/or steal, and in general people to meet. Of course in turn this meant lots of people that could potentially trick or trap the poor girl...but she'd deal with that when it came to it. Besides! She was doing her best to learn not to fall for such simple tricks....such as a piece of cheese in a steel cage. Okay she was hungry, who could blame her? Sure she could of used her speed to steal from anything she wanted to and probably of gotten away. But the cheese was RIGHT THERE. Shaking her head the young dwarf girl stared out over the sea from her perch on the railing, eyes wide as the port eased ever closer to them. She would miss her new friends from the island though she was more than happy that they had gotten the animals back where they belonged for them. The small celebration afterwards was lots of fun to, and well, Keya would be sure to go back and visit them sometime whenever she got the chance to.

As they finally docked at the port the dwarf girl cheered and jumped a good foot off of the railing in excitement, stumbling and nearly falling into the ocean. Luckily she managed to catch herself as she scrambled up. She watched and listened to everyone making their plans on where to go and who with. She felt a little left out if she were being honest...though the idea of a tiny hat of her own did sound nice! After all, not many places sold dwarven sized clothing and it was hard to come by to find something she even liked. "I'd like a hat!" She called out, though a bit to late as the tailor was already gone. She frowned a bit...though quickly got over it. She would just find her and tell her later, surely she wouldn't be forgotten entirely right? Right.

Looking around at everyone remaining she simply shrugged, "'Kay bye then!" She shouted before zipping off the ship and out of sight. Her first destination would be the pub where there was a lot of shouting going on, of course she just had to get in on it even though she had no business to be nor any idea what it was even about. She arrived just in time to see a man getting the bums' rush out of the door, and coincidentally nearly landing on her. She pouted then punched him square in the nose, likely breaking it if the cracking sound was any indication...that and well the man cursing and howling in pain, "Watch where you're falling jerk." She stated with an indignant 'hmph' before making her way into the building.

For the most part it seemed she had missed the excitement, the girl groaning. "Of course.." She muttered. She didn't let that get her down though, no not at all. She was sure she would find something interesting to do or see or participate in eventually. Hopping onto a table she nicked a grape from someone who had ordered a plate of fruit and ran off out of the door, happily eating it as she made her way towards the market. She looked around the various stands, of course most items being much to big for the girl to properly use. Though, she would definitely try to. There was one sword in particular, a curved falchion blade that would make a fine pirate sword, that she liked. But of course while she could actually hold it the thing was much to big for her to properly use or actually look competent to use.

With a small sigh she looked around to try and find a stall or two that sold Dwarven goods, though that was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. During her little adventure she came across a group of people, the odd man with the afro standing out the most. She would hop onto a nearby barrel to watch, intrigued if only by the crazy hairstyle...which did look quite cozy. Sort of like panda man, but not. She resisted the urge to dive in, much more focused on the discussion at hand and what exactly was going on.
Sugary_Paragraphs Hanarei simj26
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[simj26]

Trista FebruaryShe seemed comfortable with her blindness. Trista was impressed with the lass. A life of experience taught people many things, and apparently to live in a world of darkness is one of those many things. She let the two talk, though ‘two’ was an inaccurate statement. The man with the rather insane hairstyle was more shouting than doing any actual talking, and it irked her. The only indication that she was any bit annoyed with him, however, was a simple twitch at the corner of her smile. Her eyes maintained a neutral gaze throughout. Her left hand touched the hilt of her sword testily, and tapped a slow rhythm to it, before falling to her side when she had subsequently ridden herself of any murderous thoughts. She wasn’t rarely annoyed, but this man was seriously riding on her nerves. He played the fool, and she had known men who played fools, but were sharp-witted gentlemen underneath, with sharper knives in their sleeves. This one, however, seemed to be a genuine fool.


She kept silent, and pretended to be interested in the conversation, only staying now because of a burdening sense of duty to do so. It would be rude, after all, to just stalk away. Besides, she was interested in what business a blind lady would have in such a place such as this port. She did not look to be a local, for one. Trista let her dead mind process her predicament. Perhaps she had a ship. Perhaps she, too, was looking for one. She wondered if this said ship was headed…well, anywhere, for one. The conversation was suddenly thrust upon her, and she blinked slowly in surprise, her eyebrows rising slightly before they sank back to her neutral expression. Her smile did not move.


“No thank, you. Not very hun, gry at this point, of, time.” She spoke haltingly as always. She took her time with her words, hoping this exuberant man would lose interest in her and just leave, with his egg or not. Fortune would be kind to smile on her, but she doubted, with her current state of affairs, that Fortune would be in a good mood with anything in regards to her. “I’d like it if, you kept your, food, to your, self. You never know, when, you might need, it.” She tapped the hilt of her sword again, this time in a more urgent sense of annoyance, almost as if trying to convey to the blind lass her indignance that such a paltry gift was being pawned off to her.

Hanarei
Sugary_Paragraphs

 

[Refaulted]

Marcus Gaverenton
​

Marcus was astonished as Norman seemed to literally disappear from in front of him, and turned to look up at the crow's nest, where he heard Norman's voice coming from. His eyes raised in astonishment, simply becoming more and more amazed by the kid. Not only was he seemingly resistant to his most lethal poisons, but he was also had incredible speed. Despite his age, he was sure he would prove a terrifying force in a fight. He had almost inhuman levels of speed.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked up thoughtfully to the crow's nest. 'The kind's of people you see out here are amazing. Norman is, well, a crazy fast ninja. And I haven't even seen what else he can do. Maybe I should try examining him while he sleeps...if he doesn't slip out of my hands during my attempt.' Looking out towards the town, he thought about their new captian as well. While he hadn't seen the extent of her fighting experience and abilities, he was sure that Sora had seen it, making a conscious decision to choose her as their new captain, along with her leadership skills. Of course, there was also Elijah, whose physical strength didn't see any bounds yet, though Marcus usually only saw him drinking around the crew if he wasn't below deck working on who knows what. Frankly, their crew seemed to be full of powerhouses, except for Marcus himself. He hadn't fought since his time at Corpius Rise, except for his little incident back in Mirstone.

Turning back to his problem at hand, he waved a hand dismissively as he gazed up at Norman and his pet hawk. "Don't worry about paying me back. Frankly, with those poisons gone, there's less of a chance of someone getting hurt within the grew from being careless. Those were the three I didn't really know how to treat, so you saved me supplies in the end. However, this also raises another question: are you able to tell the potency of a poison? If you can, it can prove a higher level of accuracy for my research."

AllHailDago

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Tristan Roads and Nerissa Orta
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“You’ll have to forgive my bluntness, Lovely Miss, but I find it surprising that someone with your appearance is a criminal.”

“Why?” The question seemed more curious than offended. “Is there proper a way a criminal should look?”

“Well…,” Tristan gave the blue haired girl a once over, from her rose-colored tunic to her black skirt. To the way she sat, legs together and straight, in a manner that was both delicate and proper. Finally to the small red jewel dangling from her forehead, Tristan let his gaze roam until he was satisfied. “I suppose not… Pirates do come in all shapes and sizes…” His own crew was proof of that. And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t spotted quite a few pirate ships docked in Balaggan Port. One could only hope she weren’t part of the leather wearing group of wierdos that were running around like headless chickens adding to their even wierder ship. What did they call themselves again? The Cool Guys Pirates? Tristan had only noticed them because of their fashion sense. And even then, it was only with a passing disdain. “I think it’s more your demeanor. I wouldn’t have guessed you as the type to take up piracy as a profession.”

“I don’t think I would’ve guessed you were a pirate either.”

Tristan smirked. Swiftly taking the blue haired girl’s hand, Tristan brought her knuckles to his lips before she could protest. “Tristan Roads, Barber of the Tiger Shark Pirates.”

There was a tint of pink on her cheeks, but she didn’t pull away and her voice remained relatively calm. “Nerissa Orta, Pri—Chronicler of the Red Ribbon Pirates.”

“Good,” He released her hand. “Now that we’ve settled we’re both pirates, let’s get to more important matters…would you like me to make you beautiful, Chronicler Nerissa? My skills with a scissor are one of a kind.” Tactfully avoiding the ‘Pri’ seemed to be the wise thing to do. Prying really wasn’t Tristan’s thing and every pirate probably had one or two secrets up their sleeves. Better not to dig where one wasn’t wanted.

Much to Tristan’s disappointment, Nerissa shook her head and moved to stand. “I don’t have the time. As I told you, I’m looking for a friend.”

“A crewmate?”

“Yes. She's our lookout.”

“Then please allow me to assist you. A roguish town full of thieves and swindlers is no place for a lovely water sprite to be wandering around on her own.”

For a second, it looked like she would turn down his offer. However, for whatever reason—undoubtedly his charms—, Nerissa nodded her head instead. “Aquarius looks graciously upon your good intentions.”

“Who's Aquarius?” Tristan questioned as he walked beside Nerissa, matching the blue haired maiden’s pace. The bright gleam of excitement in her aqua eyes upon hearing his question made Tristan instantly regret his curiosity.

 

[Phayne]

.

The sensation of eyes bearing down upon you from every direction was a feeling that Kane had thought he had gotten used to during his previous life; the center of attention in a Colosseum of thousands. However today was one of the first moments in his recent experiences where the feeling of dozens upon dozens of glares made him feel uneasy. It was readily apparent that his present attire would force him to stick out like a sore thumb.. after all he was still clad in most of his gladiatorial regalia. The weird choice for clothing coupled with his freakish height was already an effective combination for drawing attention to himself... the horns he had adorned on his head was just the cherry on the cake that made his size all the more intimidating and his attire all the more eccentric.

Caught in the middle of a large crowd of people trudging along this narrow road, Kane could only observe the sights before him; his height advantage over everyone else granting him as much. Beyond him in the road ahead, Kane could just make the appearance of three figures in the distance running down another street adjacent to the one he was presently trapped on. Whilst the distance separating them from him was too far to make out any real details, Kane was pretty sure that they were not 'human' given the weird outlines of their bodies.. though given the short duration of him noticing them before they disappeared further down their road, he could have just been imagining things. "Christ sake, ya big oaf... Move out the way if y'er ganna stop and gawk" grumbled a rather obtuse man stuck behind him. The momentary distraction had drawn Kane away just long enough for the group in front of him to disperse into the various shops and stalls that littered this particular area. It was now Kane's turn to be the obstruction that halted everyone else's progress into the Market Bazaar. Turning his head to one side to get a quick glance behind him, Kane saw the line of people that were presently behind held up by him.

"Didn't ya hear me Ya over sized Buffoon! Git yer'self outta the road! before I knock the snot outta ya!" growled the same man, now growing even more irritated. It wasn't as simple as just walking around Kane and moving on with his own business. The man was presently hoisted to a Cart and pulling it along; several wooden kegs of what Kane could only assume to be of the alcoholic nature presently. The man catching Kane's trail of vision got even more irritated by the lack of action. "MOVE IT!" his voice rising once more.


Now getting slightly annoyed himself, Kane turned around fully to address the man, tired off the constant nagging he was receiving. The potential options for how he could handle the situation played through his head as he slowly changed his position, all the while wary of the various other people and objects near him. A man of his size was not designed for such cramped and bustling area's. Opting for the path of lease problems, Kane raised his left behind his head and put his right hand forward; each fingers splayed out as he tried to gesture for the man to calm down. "Sorry Sorry, Just a bit.." Kane began, though his attempts to apologize were cut off by a squeal followed by several gasp's from the onlookers nearby. The man who had only a few moments ago been threatening to knock the snot out of Kane was now on the floor quivering ever so slightly. From the man's perspective, the hand Kane had outstretched towards him was almost as big as his head, the girth of his fingers coupled with the muscle outline of his forearms seemingly implying that Kane if he wanted to could squish his head like a grape. Though Kane himself had no intention of doing so, the way he presently looked and the image of him standing over a fallen man said otherwise.

'Crap' thought Kane, as his eyes scanned the crowd of people and the man quivering in front of him. Taken out of context, he really did look like the aggressor of this whole incident and in reaction to this realization, the left hand he had clasped to the back of his head had snaked its way to the front of his face as he 'facepalmed' his present predicament. A sigh escaped his mouth as he did so, silently cursing whichever deity had decided to ruin the good life he had on Crixia.

"Look old man... I don't mean to cause you trouble.. you hear me" muttered Kane, his voice distorted slightly by the hand still held over his face. "I'm just a bit lost... first time here in Balaggan port... " he tried to reason, lowering the hand from his face and beginning to kneel down slightly; flipping his outstretched right hand ever so slightly as he gestured once more to the man, this time a hand held out to help him back onto his feet. Hesitating at first the man simply stared at the hand in front of him, unsure if whether or not it was safe to trust and it was his dilly dallying now that was beginning to get Kane impatient. "I'm not gonna hurt you... it was my fault for standing in the way in the first place.. just grab my hand and i'll help you get back to your feet... " he offered, trying to reassure him. Though evidently his words fell upon deaf ears as the fallen man began to help himself up; thus causing Kane to sigh once more as he returned his hand back to his side. Clearly a prideful man, Kane no longer wanted to deal with him and simply turned around again to walk off. No one could fault him for trying...

Determined to find his way to a pub, Kane eventually made his way out of the opposite end of Balaggan's market Bazaar, reaching a rustic old Tavern by the name of 'The Minced Crow'. A rather odd and off putting name to say the least, but as long as the ale was good and the food edible, who was he to complain. Without wasting another moment, Kane pushed the doors open and entered the glum looking room, his head only a few inches from the roof. Immediately eyes were drawn towards the goliath size man, few words muttered among the men and woman dotted around the room.

"House special and Rum..." he muttered, showing little care towards everyone else in the room.
​

 

[Lady Warlock]

Scarlet Johanna Indigrid

While Scarlet’s eyes were completely focused on shoes in front of her, she still managed to keep some part of her mind aware of the crew members who had come with her, but she was in no capacity to actually keep track of them at all. She’d hardly realized that Limstella seemed to have been lost in the chaos and she likely wouldn’t have realized it for quite a while if Nerissa hadn’t pointed it out. “We’ll be here, Nerissa,” Scarlet called back to her crewmate without truly looking to who she spoke with.

Somewhere along the way, a shop worker managed to catch on to the look in the captain’s eyes and the way she simply craved something new to bring home with her. “Hey there, Miss! Can I help you find something specific today?” There was a friendly look in her eyes, but it was the same friendly look you could find in anyone’s eyes when they were trying to sell something.

It wasn’t a look that could fool Scarlet. She worked with shopkeepers enough to know how they worked. She knew those parts.

“Yes, I am looking for something,” she proclaimed with a jubilant amount of energy. “I’m looking to recreate my whole wardrobe, actually! And the shoes in here… well, they’ve really got my attention.” The particular pair that Scarlet had her eyes on was a pair of caramel brown boots that would probably go great with almost anything and she was actually reaching for them as she spoke.

“Hold on a second, Miss,” the shop worker interrupted, almost literally swatting Scarlet’s hand away from the boots. “If you’re interested in those, then I have a pair that will make that smile even brighter!” The lady flashed Scarlet a semi-genuine smile and then turned and headed deeper into the shop which didn’t seem like it could go any deeper which left Scarlet just waiting for her to return. The brunette captain was, of course, ecstatic about the prospect of buying new shoes. Her excitement was what allowed her to stand and wait as well, her heels tapping together with what initially seemed to be impatience but later became apparent as happiness. And the shop worker returned as well, carrying a pair of caramel boots much like the ones that had caught her eyes earlier; these ones, though, actually looked like they could be real leather.

“Oooh!” Scarlet reached out in childlike joy to take what was offered.

However, the minute her hands touched the boots, everything about her disposition changed. She dropped them. Scarlet flat out - intentionally dropped them. “Do you take me for a fool? How could you expect me to not know what real leather feels like?!” Her tone was deliberately accusatory and her anger was loud. The shop worker looked astonished. Then Scarlet continued, “I bet everything in here is fake. I will be taking my business somewhere else. Thank you very much.”

Without so much as another word, Scarlet gave any of her remaining crew members a look that said they were leaving and then she stormed out of the shop.

QuirkyAngel CelticHero37 AllHailDago

 

[Azure Sky]

Xiao Bamboo
​

Xiao was fine with Cait being the new captain. He deeply respected her, and she was a great friend, but he still felt sorry for Sora. A man that was destined for great things, the pandaman belived. What happened to Alibi was really unfortunate. What Sora would do from that point would decide either his ascension, or his downfall.

At this point in time Xiao was simply...sleeping on the upper deck. That was what he did mostly. Apart from his few hours of training, meditating, eating, and eventually fighting, Xiao mostly slept. He had this dream about a young girl he met some years back, to whom he lost a battle. He occasionally dreamt that scene. The young woman, despite her size and body frame, had an unnaturally high level of physical strength. But her fighting skills where even more impressive. Hectic and all over the place, yet Xiao couldn't land a single good hit.

"Nyarara? Sorry panda, but it seems you need more training," she laughed, "And...since I won, I deserve a prize!" and with that said she placed her head on his fluffy belly and slept. Wierd woman, Xiao thought. Nonetheless, he would have liked to meet her again sometime...Sayuri.

Yukihime "Azalea" White
​

Yukihime was happy to have gotten off the Neogenesis island. She didn't dislike the people there, but she hated the idea of being a bird locked in a cage. Balaggan Island seemed like a nice place. If it turned out to be another dangerous place, the young woman believed that she and the people she came with could handle it. A few poison vials here and there, some physical intervention, and possibly a small number of dead bodies should do the trick.

She was somewhat disappointed that she had to part ways with Garret, as he was a quite interesting individual, or should she say...peculiar? Nonetheless, the new captain seemed like a complex individual. And Yukihime liked keeping company to such individuals. "Pirate life...huh? I am wanted by the World Government anyway, so why not?" she thought.

She wandered alone through the market, searching for ingredients that could be used to make poison, or cures to it, or both. She obviously attracted alot of attention. She could literally feel the gazes of men checking her out, but she was used to it. She was also used to men hitting on her...even multiple, but...she really disliked the type that appeared before her. Six tattoed, dirty, uncultured thugs.



"Hey cutie, wouldn't you like to have some fun with us? We'll pay you well" the smaller guy said. All of them smirked, and the taller bald one licked his lips.
"Oroboros..."
"What?"

The men where caught off guard. Yukihime smiled dazzingly, masmerizing them in the process. They didn't even realise she broke a vial of poison in front of them. The thugs suddenly feelt dizzy. Yukihime took the opportunity to strike their pressure points, one by one, temporarily numbing their arms and legs. Afterwards she threw them on the ground, one at a time, and twisted their legs and arms together until she formed a circle using their bodies. Because of the way the technique was performed, their body weight was used to seal their joints and prevented them from freeing themselves. She called this technique Oroboros.

"You're better off touching yourselves...for eternity." she said, on a calm yet cold tone, as she smiled cruely. Suddenly, many men strarted sweating and had second thoughts of approaching her.

Sayuri "Sakemono" Jigokumeguri
​

In a tavern somewhere...

About 30 bodies where on the floor. Where they dead, or beaten to a pulp? No. They drank too much and fainted. The same could not be said about a certain young woman who defeated all those men in a drinking contest, and could still go on. "Nyarara? Is that the best you could do? I'm still warming up!" she said cheerfully, as she chugged down another bottle of sake.

"Seeing that I won the contest, you can put all the booze that I drank on their tab," she said to the barman. "Haha, sure thing miss!" said the man, energetically. "Please come again some time. Beautiful ladies that can hold their alcohol are good for business." he added. "Heh, you flatter me. I'll think about it." Sayuri winked as she replied.

She walked outside of the tavern and started humming. It was a beautiful day outside, and it seemed like something interesting would happen. After all, there where many pirate crews gathered on the island, so something was bound to happen, from her point of view. She was waiting for what seemed like the inevitable.



AllHailDago Phayne shadowdude505 Lady Warlock

 

[Misuteeku]

Limstella​

Limstella tried to eye where Scarlet and Nerissa could of been. No such luck as all she saw where stores, people, or something else that she didn't want to mention. Now wasn't the time to be alone at this time. Last time when she separated from the group she had at least Cygnus, which probably wasn't the most reassuring person to go with. She just kicked a poor pebble that just so happened to be there.

All was good when Cletus came out of no where to converse on how obviously defenseless she was in the middle of the town. "I lost them somewhere when I was looking at the stores," Limstella simply said as she looked away unintentionally from Cletus. At least the events of the Hollows weren't going to happen again, since Cletus seemed to stay out of trouble. "So why are you here? Shouldn't you be somewhere el-" Then there was Scarlet storming out of a store.

She didn't seem to happy with her face, and she probably was concerned with the weak link as she didn't seem to look around widely to find her. "Well Scarlet's here do you want to follow her," Limstella asked Cletus. As much as staying Scarlet was safer, she didn't want to stay with a hyper active captain.

shadowdude505
Lady Warlock

 

[AllHailDago]

Darius Fletcher and Andre Stoll​

Spoiler: Darius

Spoiler: Andre

Darius had only wandered for a short few minutes after leaving Alex before another member of his crew found him. "Ey, Captain! Over here!," yelled a familiar voice in a relaxed cadence. Darius looked back over a shoulder to find Andre casually strolling towards him. Ever the lax individual Andre was, at least normally. As he walked up alongside Darius he tossed an arm over his shoulders, having to lean upwards a little bit due to their height differences. "So Captain, shall we find a bar for you to "flirt" with the female patrons? Unless you already found one and that's why you're out here?" Andre quirked an eyebrow, smirking sideways at Darius.

Darius sighed and chuckled softly. "Well, even though I did find one already no reason to not find another bar, right?" He lightly punched Darius in the ribs under his outraised arm.

Andre took a step away, feigning as if injured. "So cruel, Captain! Such brutish action will never score you points with the ladies." He snickered for a moment before looking back at Darius. "Another eh?" He scanned Darius' face for a second before groaning. "You didn't give another one of your personal den den mushi out did you? We can't keep purchasing a new dozen or more at every port Captain, you have to be more selective!" He had the look of a man who felt he was in the right, but had gotten used to having this conversation again and again.

Darius slumped for a second before standing tall once more. "Non-sense Andre, every one I give away is another possibility, both for me and the crew. May I remind you that we've been hired for three separate, well paid events due to my giving those out!" He grinned wolfishly at Andre. "I know you're just worried about your "too trusting Captain" Andre, and I appreciate that. It's one of the reasons why you're my first mate. However, this just isn't gonna change any time soon."

Andre sighed, accepting the same result as always with a shrug. "If you say so, Darius." Andre stopped outside a lively looking pub. A man walked out, swaying as he went past, mumbling about some giant fishman. This peaked both men's interest as they hadn't yet encountered a fishman. Looking at each other with a giant smirk, they rushed inside. They found the fishman at the bar, and he was definitely huge. He was at least a foot taller than Darius! He seemed like he was happy downing drink after drink.

Darius eyed him and the seemingly young companion near him who was looking around curiously. Poor lad probably couldn't drink yet. Darius pulled yet another pouch of coins from his jacket, making one wonder exactly how loaded this guy was, and tossed it on the bar. "Keep this man's drink coming as long as he wants, my friend and I will have what he's having, and something for the kid, eh?" The bartender positively foamed at the mouth at the money. What a great night this was turning out to be for him!

Darius turned and presented a hand to the fishman. "Darius Fletcher, Captain of the Wolfwind Pirates. This is my first mate Andre Stoll." Andre waved from slightly down the bar, clearly waiting for his drink, and perhaps his Captain to get into trouble per usual.

Sinny The Fool Solemn Jester

 

[Phayne]

Located in the Eastern outskirts of Balaggan Port was an abandoned park; an area forever scarred by the after effects of battle. Two powerful pirates, both cursed with the inhuman power of the devil fruits fought in fierce battle many long years ago; their feud lasting several weeks as they relentlessly attempted to overpower the other. Balaggan Port was on the precipice of extinction; its inhabitants forced to huddle among each other as the two demons performed their destructive dance.

Centuries passed and over time the locals of Balaggan had managed to heal and repair the damage caused, save for this one area of the island. Rumors float among the locals that reside nearby, tales of shadow men frequenting the abandoned park were rife, as were the stories of ghostly voices carried along the wind, despite no evidence of anything living being present at the park. On the days when the storms were at its worst, people often claim to see two giant silhouettes dancing in the clouds above the park; reliving the infamous battle of ages long since passed. A thick ashen colored fog appears during the night, enveloping the park within its grasp and it is through this cloud of smoke that the shadow figures are often seen wandering.

Now on this fateful day, a single Caravan has appeared near the entrance to the abandoned Park, the burgundy painted caravan rooted to the grown; the faint aroma of cedar vaguely present in the air surrounding it. Adorned above its single entrance, was a lavender sign. bordered with fairy lights that seemingly flashed at random intervals. "The Mistress of Fortune" it read; the epithet of the Fortune teller residing inside the small caravan. The locals nearby had never seen such a sight before, nor could they fathom how a caravan as such could have been parked here without a single person noticing. For years they had done there best to avoid this 'cursed' area, the superstitious rumors associated with it doing enough to scare the locals from venturing deeper save for a few delinquents who often return with no recollection of the day before.

A group of people had now gathered several feet from the mysterious wagon; chatting among themselves as they awaited the return of one of their own. A man elected by the people and a man foolish enough to enter the Fortune Tellers domain.



A sudden burst of cold icy wind ran through the park as the faint cackle of laughter could be heard.
​

 

[shadowdude505]

Alex Q. Draw and Jin H. Flyheart
Collab: Phayne
​

Jet let out a screech when he noticed Jin, getting Alex's attention before he began to glide down onto Jin's shoulder. Alex watched her hawk as he descended and made her way over to where he landed. When she arrived at where Jet and her captain were, Jet leapt from Jin's shoulder and landed on Alex's.

"Good work, Jet," she praised her pet, giving him a piece of chicken.

She walked closer to Jin and stopped once they were shoulder to shoulder. "I have something I need to discuss with you, captain. Pirate business," she said softly. She glanced around at all of the people walking in the market place. "Can we talk someplace more private?"


Stopping for a few moments to observe the Hawk, Jin remained motionless and unfazed as Jet descended towards him, eventually latching onto his shoulder. Raising his right hand upwards, he gently stroked Jet's right side, turning around in the process as he scanned the faces in the crowd. Given Jet's arrival, he was pretty certain that Alex would be close by; after all everything that he seen between the pair during their journey made it hard to imagine them being separate from one another without reason.

The sudden lack of any weight on his shoulder signalled the arrival of Alex, Jet easily detecting his partner among the dozens upon dozens of faces that presently occupied this area. Using his still raised hand to wave, he was prevented from voicing his greeting as Alex got straight to the point, Jin's brows narrowing as he took in her words. Something was up.

"There's a secluded area a few buildings down from here... a storage area of sorts... given the time of day, I doubt there will be many people there at this moment."

There was slight concern within Jin, the fact that it was 'pirate' business always seemed to suggest that things were about to take a turn for the worse. If at all possible, Jin wanted to avoid any potential issues on Balaggan.. . their last stop before venturing into the Grand Line.

Alex nodded before walking with Jin to the storage area of Balaggan Port. Once there, she leaned agianst a wall belonging to one of the buildings. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her jacket pocket and placed one of the cigs in her mouth.

"Don't worry, captain. I don't have any bad news report," she said as she casually pulled out her lighter with her other hand. "Want one?" she asked, offering a cig to Jin. She wasn't sure if he was the smoking type, but it wouldn't offend her if he refused.

Jin headed towards the storage area, his eyes scanning the area for signs of any dock workers being in the vicinity. For the most part, the area was pretty deserted aside from a few men further down the docks who seemed to be having a bit of difficulty unloading the fishing nets from their small vessel's, the seagulls that kept an opportunistic eye on the fishermans boat were the only other signs of life. Still, it was always better to be extra cautious than to regret it later.

Looking around, Jin found a corner seemingly separated from everything else, the dozens of boxes stacked atop one another creating an enclosed area a little more private. Once inside, Jin turned to address Alex once more.

"I appreciate the offer, but I must refuse.. My body just doesn't seem to agree with smoking.." he replied, glancing down towards the pack in her hands. "I'll cough for weeks after just a few puffs, not something I'd wanna go through again," chuckled Jin, raising his hand up and gesturing his declination towards her offer. By now Jin had relaxed quite a bit as he leaned himself against one of the crates opposite of where Alex stood.

"So.. whats the news?" inquired Jin, his gazed fixed upon Alex intently as she smoked. Whilst he was pleased that the news was nothing 'bad', he was still rather curious as to why it needed to be said in privacy.

Alex placed her cigarettes pack back into her pocket. She put her lighter away after using it to light the cigarette in her mouth. She took a quick drag before she began to speak.

"I made a 'friend' earlier today," she began to explain. "A man by the name of Darius Fletcher, Captain of the Wolfwind Pirates. He gave me this." Alex pulled out the transponder snail that Darius had given her and showed it to Jin. "I don't know what the pirate group is about, but they seem to enjoy what they do. In the end it's your call, captain, but I don't think a possible friendship with another pirate group is something we should ignore."

"'Hmm.." replied Jin, his eyes momentarily fixed at the transponder snail before naturally lowering his head and folding his arms. Jin remained quiet for several minutes, his expression suggesting that he was deep in thought. He couldn't deny that there were benefits in having friends and allies, yet any benefit that he expected to have would also in turn be expected from him via the other party; a give and take relationship. Naturally any of their issues would therefore have its own repercussions for his crew. Simply it boiled down to whether or not the positives outweighed the negatives.

Slowly raising his head once more, Jin stared at Alex. His eyes glued onto hers as he waved away the smoke from her cigarrette.

"There are merits and demerits to forming an alliance with any pirate crew," he replied, his voice orotound. "Darius Fletcher of the Wolfwind Pirates you say?.. If I remember correctly he has a bounty of 28million Beli.. quite an amount this side of the Grand Line."

Jin paused again, this time raising his right hand to his chin. It was simply not an easy decision to make, especially without hearing the opinions of his fellow crew mates. Their decision to remain on his ship ultimately came with the price of greater responsibility, each and every choice he would make would thus affect them as well. Releasing a sigh, his hand dropped back to his side and his head tilted skyward.

"You've met their Captain haven't you. What is your opinion about him? How did you to even meet? Do you trust him?" he queried, trying to garner as much information as he could. "I agree that ruling out any and all friendships and allegiances to other crews would be foolish, but I also think that accepting any and everyone we meet is foolish as well," he paused, as a pair of seagulls flew into his line of sight; his hand reaching out towards them with each finger spread apart. "We are at the precipice of our big adventure into the Grand Line, a world of adventure is within our grasp," his eyes now looked between the gaps of his outstretched hands, the birds no longer in view. "Your life aswell as those foolish enough to venture with me are my priority. As Captain of the Horizon Strides, I endeavor to protect each and every one of you from harm." By now his hand had clenched into a fist, as if it were grasping an object. "Simply, forging a 'friendship' with a crew we know little about is something I will not do... That being said..." he tore his gaze away from the sky and stared at Alex, the irises in his eyes taking on an almost slit like appearance.

"Alex, I would very much like to meet this Darius Fletcher."

"I trust that he knows his way around a fight," Alex began to reply. "I met Darius in a bar after I chased away the drunk guys hanging around. I ordered a hangover remedy and he ended up paying for my drink. He was impressed with how I handled the drunks and tried to recruit me. I told him I was already spoken for. We had a small exchange and he gave me the snail."

Alex took a drag on her cigarette.

"I think he's the kind of guy that likes to have fun. Pubs, girls, piracy, he enjoys it all. Though while he is a bit of a womanizer, he respects their wishes and their skills," she reported.

"Darius is probably in another pub by now, but I could call him and arrange a meeting if you'd like."

"If you would. Rather then outright dismiss this opportunity I would very much like to see him for myself" replied Jin, again waving away the cloud of smoke that had once again entered their space. With that said, Jin returned his gaze skyward loosing himself to his thoughts once more, 'The Lion and the Wolves... the idea floated in his thoughts, the idea of two fearsome apex predators roaming the sea's did ignite a tingle of excitement within him.

Alex nodded. She woke up the transponder snail and it started to patch a call through to Darius.

AllHailDago

Cait Merlin
​

After completing her business with "Jolly" Roger at the Flag Emporium, Cait went back to roaming the market streets. She pulled out the piece of paper she had he shopping list and crossed out the word flag.Two items down, one item left. A Log Pose, presumably it would be the hardest thing to find. She wasn't sure where to begin her search. She might have to ask around to see if anyone could point her in the right direction.

As she looked around for someone who looked knowledgeable about Log Poses and where to buy them, she released she had forgotten to write down an important thing on her list. She needed a navigator to round out the crew once Syrin left. She wrote 'navigator' at the bottom of her list and decided to focus on finding one. She'd be jumping the gun a little if she found a Log Pose but didn't have anyone who already knew how to use it. It was still early in the day, Cait had plenty of time to track down a Log Pose.

She spotted an odd group of people nearby. One had a big yellow afro, another was a pale girl that looked like a knight, and the last was a girl with a staff. "Uh...excuse me," Cait said, walking up to them. "Do either of you know of a good spot around here for recruiting navigators?"

simj26 Sugary_Paragraphs Hanarei

Cletus T. Bass
​

"Well they couldn't have gotten to far," Cletus said as he glanced at the shops. "I could help ya look for 'em. I took care of my shipwright stuff. I thought I'd hang out and keep an eye on things before they go south again." He doubted things would be as bad as The Hollows, but there was bound to be some sort of obstacle that would pop up sooner or later; that's what his paranoid mind thought anyway.

Cletus smoked his cigarette as he waited for Limstella's response. Coincidentally Scarlet exited one of the shops and was pointed out by Limstella. "That's the plan," he gruffly replied. "You comin'?" he asked as he started to walk toward Scarlet. He didn't wait for a verbal response and wasn't forcing her to tag along, but if most of the crew was in one place it would mean less things to worry about, or would that make it more possible for things to go wrong?

Not really sure if things would start looking up or down, Cletus let out a low grow from his throat as he took a drag on his cigarette. "Mind if I tag along, Captain?" he asked Scarlet. "My business has been taken care of."

Misuteeku Lady Warlock

 

[Misuteeku]

Limstella was just sighed at Cletus's response. "Yea, yea I'm coming." She mumbled to herself, since Cletus already left. She obviously didn't want to be captured for a second time in this journey, so might as well leave it as one time captured. Taking slow foot steps towards the group, and trained her eyes at her captain especially, she walked over to them. Given that Scarlet nor the had any bags Limstella guessed that shop was a failure.

Upon nearing by the group she stopped to look around the shops one last time before focused on keeping up with the group. Whatever happened in the Hallows better not happen in this Port. Especially that yellow haired chicken, screw that guy. She just stood right behind Cletus, since she obviously didn't want Scarlet talk to her in her energetic voice that seems to never run out.

 

[Phayne]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What is a fishman?" came the rather modulated voice of a man who had been watching the hilarious scene ensue. The short 5ft 2 and rotund man stepped out of the shadows of a nearby building, his plump legs squishing past one another as he waddled his way over to the trio of 'comedians'. He was drawn away from his previous 'commitment' by the shouting and screaming of various bystanders who had witnessed the horrific scene of sentient legs running throughout the streets. Approaching silently like an owl locked on to its prey, the buxom man made himself known.

"Why my dear, you yourself are a fishman - er - lady and so is your friend" he gestured towards Anjellyka. ".. and may I add.. both such beautiful specimens of your species.." his words seemingly floating along his silvery tongue. His leering gaze darted between the two women, marveling at the unique features that each of them possessed and it was only due to the lingering scent of acrid decay that his attention was drawn away, first looking towards JayJay in disgust before being hit head on by the realization of what exactly was standing before him; his eyes widening in shock before phantasmal beli signs appeared in the depths of his iris's. "...ooo, ooo, oooooooohhhh.. and what do we have here... ?" he asked rhetorically as he pirouetted around to face JayJay. "... the undead... how marvelous.. truly M-A-R-V-E-LOUUS!!! what fine Exotic specimens the three of you are" his angelic voice reverberating against the walls of the nearby structures.

Reaching into his right pocket, the man pulled out a white handkerchief embroided with mint coloured stitching, his right hand now hidden beneath the silken fabric as he reached out to forcefully shake Jayjay's hand, the fabric acting as a barrier between their skins. Without giving JayJay much of an option, the man shook his hand; proceeding to replicate the gesture with kate and Anjellyka, being careful not to have his skin come into contact with theirs.

"How Exciting.. How very very E-X-C-I-T-I-N-GEEEEEEEEEEE~!" his body convulsed in joyous spasm as once again his voice reverberated against the walls. "I've got a lovely idea my trio of friends.." his right hand now gesturing with his finger pointing skyward to exaggerate the fact that he had an idea. "why don't the three of you come join my in my establishment? eh?.. Food, Drinks, Entertainment and the like~!, All on the house of course for my newest acquaintances?"

A seemingly harmless smile spread across his face as he awaited their answer.
​

Felix DonquixoteDoflamingo thatonespacytallgirl

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Tristan, Nerissa, and Orange Karp Seller ​

“Oh? You poor thing. And how long have you been trapped here, Mr. Fish?”

Tristan resisted the urge to sigh as the he watched Nerissa “converse” with the “magic” fish floating within a glass aquarium. After getting an unnecessarily long explanation about the deity that is Aquarius, and everything she stood for, they’d been stopped by an old con artist trying to sell them some sort of Orange Karp at the corner of the street. While Tristan was annoyed by the old man trying to trick them into buying an obvious scam, he was even more irritated by the fact that he was being ignored by the blue-haired priestess. Over a fish. Surely some marine life form couldn’t be a better conversationalist than he?

Checking his reflection in a nearby window, Tristan shifted a couple strands of red hair before Nerissa—as well as the obviously enthused salesman. He cleared his throat to get their attention. “Do we really have the time to be hanging around here like this?" The con man looked ready to protest, so Tristan cut him off before he could continue with his trickery. "Aren’t we looking for your friend?”

“We are,” Nerissa answered, not sounding too worried. Straightening to face him, Nerissa’s eyes were bright as she pressed a palm against the glass surface of the aquarium. “This is what we need to find her.”

“…a magic fish?” Tristan inquired doubtfully. A smug took from the con man was sent in his direction

Nerissa shook her head. “No, just the tank of water. I will show you want Aquarius is capable of.”

The Chronicler of the red ribbon closed her eyes, a short prayer muttered from her lips. Tristan didn’t catch the words uttered, but it was impossible not to catch the glowing of the tiny rock dangling on her forehead. Nor the radiance as the aquarium lit up, a transient flash of luminescence, before the water’s reflections seemingly morphed—the aquarium becoming a screen that projected the image of a silver haired girl.

Tristan’s eyes widened slightly, not quite expecting that sudden display of powers. Though, the red haired barber was quick to fix his unseemly expression. Such abilities were to be expected as they neared the Grand Line. At least it made sense now why such a fragile looking woman was part of a pirate crew. Talking to fish? Devil fruit powers? He’d heard that people who ate the mystic fruit gained mysterious abilities, even bore witness to some unique manifestations himself, so it shouldn’t overly surprise him that he might encounter one. Instead he focused his attention on the task at hand. “She the one we’re looking for?”


“Yes,” Nerissa answered, peering into the aquarium curiously. “That’s Limstella. Oh! It appears that she’s already found Captain Scarlet—as expected of our lookout. And Cletus is with her as well.” With a pleased expression on her face, Nerissa lifted her hand from the glass, causing the aquarium to return to normal. “I was worried for nothing.”

Tristan frowned. “That’s it?”

Nerissa blinked at him. “Should there be more?”

If the girl always had the ability to find her friend, using the powers she had, then his ‘helping her look’ had been unnecessary from the start…unless she actually wanted his company. Confidence in his female attracting natural talents regained, not that he lost much to start with, Tristan grinned. “Only if you want it to be.” While the girl pondered over his response, Tristan took the time to observe the lovely-haired damsel from a beautician’s pespective. Her bangs didn’t really suit her face. If she intended to wear glowing accessories, they should be showcased, not hidden away behind them. A bit more volume would look nice on her as well. Nodding to himself, Tristan spoke again. “What devil fruit did you eat, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The expression on Nerissa’s face made it clear that she minded his question. A lot. “I’ve not eaten any devil fruit. Devouring such a thing she herself cursed would certainly displease Aquarius, and, as her priestess, I cannot think of a worse way to break my vows—to be rejected by the sea. ”

The last part was said with such sadness that if there was any doubt at all within Tristan that Nerissa was a religious nut it was erased. A religion that worshiped the sea. One that looked down on devil fruits. Strange that Tristan had never heard of such a religion before. Not even in passing. Then again, there were as many different religions and cultures out there as there were stars in the sky. Many islands he’d never visited. Many things left to be discovered. Still…


“Your powers…,”


“It’s not my power,” Nerissa corrected. “It belongs to Aquarius. I am only a medium of her greatness.”


“Talking to fish—”

“A blessing from Aquarius.”

Tristan chuckled. It seemed everything was Aquarius with this girl. “I only meant to say that my Captain might be able to do the same, given that she’s a Fishman...” Tristan ran his fingers through his locks thoughtfully. “Or maybe not. Fishman come in many shapes and sizes after all… and I’ve never actually seen her actually speaking to a fish…”


“Fishman?”

“Oh, you don’t know? There are some visiting this town right now if you’re curious. A part human, part fish race that—for the most part—inhabit the seas. Classified as type C creatures by the government, they have been discriminated against by some of the more backwards part of the human populace despite being better clients than certain humans I’ve come across. Their hair tends to be more resilient than a human’s.”

“I see… so a Servant of Aquarius then?”

Tristan’s tone was amused. “I don’t think my Captain would appreciate being called a servant of anyone.”

“Why not? It’s an honorable title…one who is born in her domain and serves the great body herself. A status deserving of reverence.”


“Because she doesn’t share your beliefs, Miss Chronicler.”


Nerissa sighed sadly, but didn’t refute Tristan’s statement either. It was a mournful truth she’d learned since leaving Mirage Island…that no one beyond her homeland shared her faith, or even knew about Aquarius for that matter. Part of the reason was the World Government’s censorship of her people's religion...and everything related to the Poneglyphs. However, the deeper reason lay within the humans themselves. Faith wasn’t equal in everyone, not even on Mirage Island. She knew there were some people she could never change. But… to think that, beyond the borders of Mirage Island, even the Servants of Aquarius would be discriminated against…Nerissa couldn’t understand it.

“Many do not share my beliefs.” She had a feeling Tristan didn’t either, though he’d been polite enough not to say anything offensive. “Yet that does not change Aquarius’s existence. She watches over all of us and bestows her grace on those who serve her. Should either you or your Captain decide to accept Aquarius into your lives, there shall be no storm that can overturn your ship. ”


“Hmmmm, is that so? I’ll be sure to let the Captain know,” Tristan replied in an off-handed manner. He changed the the topic. “Now that you’ve found the location of your friend what do you intend to do? Join up with them?”


“I think I would like to continue shopping. Arlen wants something sweet, Ed needs dress, Mr. Jasper would probably like new teapot…” Trying to find the perfect present for each crewmember seemed to Nerissa like an excellent way to spend the day in a new town. Scarlet was easy to buy for. Accessories, clothes, anything of that sort. The more closed off and newer members of the crew weren’t as easy. “I can meet up with the rest of the crew later. It's more fun to surprise each of them with a gift anyway. What do you suppose a large, muscled fighter would want?”


“Something frightening, I’d imagine.”

“Boys do like scary stuff…,”

Tristan opened his mouth, as if to respond, but the irritated huff of the old fish seller interrupted their conversation. “Sooooo, are any of you buying the Orange Karp or not?”


“I will,” Nerissa answered. Magical karp or not, she had enjoyed the company of her new friend and wanted to talk with it more. Besides, it could keep the lampreys in Arlen’s room company.

"Good. 'Cause, you know, using the tank means buying the tank.."

Tristan scowled while Nerissa negotiated prices with the con man.

( Phayne If you had plans for the seller of the Orange Karp, let me know and I'll change my post. Otherwise, I like the idea of Nerissa buying it^^)

 

[Exanis]

Stacy Beauregard and Syrin Insinu
When Syrin called back to her - and when she confirmed that it truly was Syrin of all people - Stacy couldn't contain some of her excitement. In this whole situation, he was one of the only true friends she could honestly say she’d made. Sure, a few other people had come close, but not quite gotten there. However, she’d fully accepted that he’d probably been blown up in Mirstone when that bomb went off, if he wasn’t blown up sooner by the crazy guy who they’d both encountered. However, apparently that wasn’t the case because there he was, standing almost right in front of her.

His question, though, managed to bring a small sigh to her eyes. She was doing something. She was going to inspect the ship and fix the wheel for Captain Jin. Stacy really didn’t want her first job as official shipwright to be totally half-assed, either. She treasured her work.

It took her a moment to figure out what she could possibly say back that didn’t undervalue how truly happy she was to see Syrin alive because it wasn’t an easy thing to think through. In the end, she wound up calling back, “I’ve actually taken a job on this ship and I need to learn my way around before we take off again. It’s entirely new to me. I’m sure you could follow me around and we could talk while I work, though. The gangplank is down.” Stacy gestured towards where Syrin would have to go to come aboard if he wanted to. She certainly wouldn’t force him, though.

Taking a moment to properly look at the ship Stacy was on, he couldn’t help but give a little laugh and nod back at her. Truly, even with all the shenanigans he’d been put through the past few days, the worst of it all being Sora disappearing after poor little Albi got hurt, seeing Stacy alive and well did remove such a weight off his chest. And it really wasn’t like he was doing anything important anytime soon, he could get on any ship that just needed someone who actually knew how to work the sea, and he was… Maybe trustable? Yeah, maybe trustable. ”As long as me steppin’ on the ship doesn’t get ya in trouble with your Cap’n, I’d be more than happy to talk with ya. After everythin’ is all said an’ done we can grab somethin’ to eat and drink if you’re still up to it, my treat.”

“Oh, it won’t get me in trouble. Jin’s not like that. At least, I don’t think he is. And anyway, if he does get upset, I can just say I didn’t know and then he loses a shipwright.” Stacy shrugged, clearly willing to give up a job for a friend. In a place like this, she could always find another if she needed to; again, though, she really didn’t think it would come to that. “And that sounds like a wonderful plan. You can tell me what you’ve been up to since the crazy bomb man decided to split our paths and then I can tell you where I’ve been. Stories seemed like a good place to start last time, right?”

Taking the time to quickly make his way up the gangplank and over to Stacy’s side, Syrin adjusted his new (and extremely amazing) hat to provide some shade for his eyes. ”Glad to see you’re as strong willed as ever. Stories though…” Tapping his chin, Syrin grimaced and then sighed. ”Well, I guess I can start from when I stayed behind to deal with Sparky Sparky Boom Man. Don’t right remember what rank Sparky was, but dealin’ with him wasn’t too bad. ‘Pparently, he knew he was on a suicide mission, considerin’ he practically admitted to riggin’ the whole island with explosives. Never got the chance to kill ‘em myself though, some weird smoke grabbed him and dragged him out. Dunno if he made it, but either way I’m still out for blood. Anyway, after dealin’ with him I managed to get to the ship of that guy, Sora, that came to the bar, and from there it’s just a whole ‘nother round of shenanigans. How’d you get off that deathtrap?”

“The deathtrap that was “Captain”,” Stacy made quotation marks to show around her use of the term ‘Captain,’ “Kenji’s ship? Kenji never came back. Some of his crew wanted to wait for him but the marines were closing in and we had to run for it. We tried to start sailing, but the ship got demolished. Wouldn’t ‘o made it if it weren’t for Garret showing up. Then Garret… well, he left us on the last island and sent us with this new Captain… Captain Jin. He seems like a fairly good guy but I can’t get away from how impulsive everyone on this ship is! No one thinks things through and then it just creates more problems for everyone. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think some of their impulse spread to me, too.” Stacy certainly couldn’t deny that she’d made her own stupid decisions. “I’ve been sticking around for the work, though. If there’s one thing pirates seem to do a good job of, it’s destroying their own ships and needing someone to fix it. And my work keeps me busy.”

As Stacy talked, she was leading him towards the helm and she started inspecting the feel of it. She pulled out a few tools and was working as she explained, “There was a guy on this island who looked shocked to see a screwdriver! Can you believe that!?”

Before Syrin could respond with his prepared mix of resigned amusement at the existence of some people, he was interrupted by what could only be called an affronted croak from the frog still perched in his jacket. Glancing down, Syrin shook his head at the look of disbelief the frog was giving Stacy. Apparently even animals realized how silly people were. Who knew. “I agree with the frog. Some people just cannot be saved or taught. And it also seems your crew is no less… Eccentric than my previous one. A talking panda-man, a hyperactive ninja, a maid, a tiger-shark lady, and those are just the character that are out there. To be fair, some of the crew is frankly amazing, and it shows. I mean, do you see this hat!?” He motions to the amazing creation doffed upon his head.

When he asked, Stacy did quickly glance at the remarkable work upon Syrin’s head and she nodded a bit. “It looks like someone actually put effort into their work,” she remarked. It was something she could respect because Stacy put a lot of effort into her own job as well.

“To be fair, not everyone I’ve been sailing with is quite so eccentric. I mean… the doctor lady we picked up on the last island is nice enough if only I remembered how to pronounce her name. And Logan… he’s not bad, either. Captain Jin seems reasonable too. Really, though, this boat has had quite a few people coming and going. I’m not even sure who’s going to come back when it’s time to leave if I’m being honest with myself.”

Shrugging to himself, Syrin glanced up at the passing clouds for a moment before responding. ”At least it sounds like you’re getting along with the crew well enough. I’d been plannin’ on leavin’ mine since Mirstone to try an’ find ya. Might have tried convincin’ you to switch crews over if the ol’ Cap’n was still around, but he ran off when his partner in crime got hurt. He seemed like a decent guy, actually wanted me on his crew for some godforsaken reason. Shame too, I respected the guy.”

The mere mention of her switching over got the cogs in Stacy’s mind turning. She was in the process of loosening some of the hinges on the wheel when it came to her, actually. “I’m sure Captain Jin would be open to having an extra body here on his boat, if you’re interested. He seems like a good guy to me, if you trust my judgement, and I’d certainly enjoy having someone around who I can call a friend. I can’t guarantee what we’ll end up with for a crew as we leave Balaggan, but it's bound to be interesting.” As Stacy said it, she was realizing she hadn’t quite mentioned Jayjay. She bit her tongue, though, not wanting to scare her friend away.

Syrin just raised an eyebrow at her and gave a soft snort. ”It’s like ya ignored the whole part of me plannin’ on trackin’ ya down. Now that I’ve found ya, I’m here ta stay. Even if your Cap’n ain’t willin’ to let me tag along, I’ll just follow along in a merchant vessel or somethin’. I could probably steal a good enough sized ship and man it alone if push came to shove. Point is, I’ll talk to this Cap’n Jin an’ see if the fella is willin’ to put up with me. Best behavior an’ all that, though from what I’m hearin’ of yer crew, I doubt I have much to worry ‘bout beyond not enough space.”

The way he said it was enough to bring a bright smile to Stacy’s face. It had been a long time since she’d let herself get that close to another person before and it felt nice. Turning her head for a brief moment, she let her hand rest on the helm and felt the way it shifted. It was right as a whistle. “Well, then, I think my actual work here is done for now. We could go grab a bite if you’re still offering?”

”’Am I still offerin’’ she asks. Nah, I ain’t offerin’, I’m tellin’ ya that you can get whatever ya want on my behalf just this once.” As he said this, Syrin discretely took off his hat and plopped it on Stacy’s head in such a way that it would cover her eyes. Taking advantage of her brief lack of vision, he threw an arm around her shoulder and all but dragged her towards the gangplank. ”Now c’mon, daylight is burnin’ and I’m gettin’ hungry.”

 

[Lady Warlock]

Rhyse “Risa” Talone

For a moment, Risa was more than a little confused. She didn’t understand how she could’ve possibly misunderstood what Emilie had been saying. However, she listened regardless. Risa wasn’t the kind of person to deliberately cut someone off unless they were refusing to make a purchase that was in their best interest to accept. Then again, for Risa, that happened a lot.

It turns out, in this specific situation, she was right to listen and to avoid interruptions because Emilie was right; Risa had misunderstood what the maid had been saying previously.

“I must say, Miss Emilie, that I’ve never met someone with your dedication to the maintenance of a ship that runs as deep as your own. It truly is an honor you do to Captain Cait to be so dedicated to your…” Risa caught herself because she had been about to say craft, and then she realized she wasn’t quite sure if cleaning truly was a craft. Was it? With the way Emilie seemed to view it, Risa imagined it very well could be. “...craft.” In the end, she decided it applied as well as anything else.

Then she had to think more on the actual question at hand. “I must say, too, that I’ve never given specific instructions on cleaning the hats I make. That’s a better question for my brother, Reyson, although I clean my own hats with the same thing I clean clothes with. I clean each hat by hand, though, rather than with all the other laundry.” It seemed a reasonable explanation.

There were a few more details, though. “On the hats that I use special dyes, they really should be washed in just clean water the first few times otherwise the dye will fade. However, I do redye hats for my customers on occasion as well.” There wasn’t an easy way to tell which ones had been dyed and which ones hadn’t, so Risa had to pause and figure out how they could communicate that. “All of my hats have a small tag on the inside of them. I could mark the tag for the hats that have been dyed so that you know to wash them in water the first few times. Would that work?”

All this talk of dyes was making Risa hope that she could find the dyes she needed in the market. There were so many fun things she could do when she had the right colors.

AtlannianSpy

Yumi Tahiro

Even though she had vanished into a puff of smoke, the shopkeeper she’d stolen from had actually pursued her for quite some time before giving up on the chase and heading back to her “base.” Yumi was quite impressed with the effort, actually, considering the gem she’d stolen was a complete and utter phony. She had to wonder, maybe… ‘Did the poor keeper even know it was fake?’ It truly was tragic if even the salespeople in Balaggan didn’t know that this whole market was a joke.

She hadn’t taken it for its value. Actually, it was almost as worthless to Yumi as it had been to the shopkeeper. However, Yumi needed something that sparkled because she needed the attention that would come with it. She was looking for a crew, after all, and it had to be a specific kind of crew. Yumi and her blade ‘Taihami’ couldn’t go just anywhere.

However, as she was trying to decide where she might find the most capable captain, Yumi’s eyes shifted to something else, something that was potentially just as interesting if not more so. There was a fortune teller’s shop and she had no doubt in her mind that it was yet another scam. She might be able to lure people into the scam even more, though, if she helped. And Yumi needed a good laugh. With a chuckle on her lips, Yumi headed towards the little fortune teller’s cart and stepped inside.

“Excuse me!” she called out. “I think you and I might be able to work together and get a good laugh out of things! I’ve no doubt this isn’t real, but I can help you make it feel real. What do you say!?” Worst case scenario, nothing worked out and Yumi didn’t get a laugh out of it. Big deal.

Phayne

Roy Volantis and Travis Volantis

Two brothers walked through Balaggan without much trouble and without much idea of where they were going. They were brothers who didn’t get to spend too much time together even though they both spent their lives on the same ship so even walking together was a good feeling for them. Granted, their lack of time spent together was easily contributed to their age difference. Roy was an adult by anyone’s definition and he certainly put in the effort of one. Travis, on the other hand, was a mere twelve years of age and he merely wanted to see if anyone was selling new boomerangs. They were his favorite.

It wasn’t a long walk before the two of them stumbled upon a vendor who claimed to be selling toys and Travis wasn’t afraid to run right up to it. “Do you have any boomerangs here!?” he asked with some excitement. He proceeded to pull out his own, carved out of wood, to show to the keeper. “I only have this one and I have enough room for a whole collection if I can find them.”

The shopkeeper smiled at the boy and then nodded. “Lemme see if I have any on my cart today.” He turned around and his eyes perused a few of the shelves in search of what Travis would most enjoy. The man’s eyes spotted one, too, and he walked over to grab it. Bringing it back, he held it out to the boy, although high enough for Travis to be unable to reach it. “This looks to be the last one in stock,” he said, “which must mean it’s pretty popular.”

“Ooh!” Turning to his big brother, Travis asked, “Can we buy it?”

Roy only smiled, the massive hammer on his back quite contradictory to his gentle expression, and pulled out his wallet, offering his brother a few beli. “That oughta do it, I think.”

Travis took the money and walked back to the shopkeeper, offering it to him. “I’ll take it!” he proclaimed. The exchange was made and suddenly, Travis had a new boomerang.

Almost immediately, the boy went to throw it and the shopkeeper was calling out to him, “Oh no! Wait! Boy, stop!” It wasn’t enough said soon enough to stop Travis from throwing his new collectable, though. He didn’t think there was any danger himself. Why would there be when boomerangs always came back? Except… this one didn’t come back. When Travis threw it forward, it just kept going forward and right as it should’ve pulled back according to Travis’s quite experienced calculations, it instead kept going forward to clonk into the back of a very vulnerable head.

“Oops.” Looking upon the man he’d hit, Travis couldn’t tell anything about him. All he could tell was that when he turned around, his eyes would look very scary shielded by the shadow of the rice hat he wore.

While Travis panicked over the person who he had hit in the head, Roy’s eyes turned to the shopkeeper who had dared to sell his little brother a broken boomerang. It had to be broken. Roy knew that Travis knew how to throw a boomerang and his little brother wouldn’t mess something like that up. “What kind of shop are you running!? How dare you run such a scam on someone too young to realize it is one!?” Completely ignoring the fact that he was a pirate himself and did similar things, Roy demanded his money back in a low, threatening tone, hammer raised and threatening to smash the whole stand.

CelticHero37

(Basically, Wasabi got hit in the head with a toy boomerang that was broken and therefore didn’t come back when it was supposed to.)

 

[Sugary_Paragraphs]

Yummy Foods
"I'm... quite alright thanks. I don't like egg."

Yummy's hopeful smile deflated, his afro even drooping a little. Yummy didn't know what else to do. Apologies didn't work, and neither did gifts. Yummy had to cup his chin in thought, barely noticing the girl's attempt at trying to pawn it off to the taller lady. Nor did he notice the denial of said food and slight threat towards him. He was too caught up in trying to find a solution for this problem. "Ah, that's okay. Egg ain't always a popular choice. And to be honest, there's one ingredient that makes it a teeny tiny bit incomplete to give anyone now that I think about it..." He responded thoughtfully. ...D'aww! If he wasn't such a knuckle-head (five-star) chef, this wouldn't be happening! He had been in such a hurry, he had forgotten his emergency ingredients to cook her a dish she would enjoy. And he didn't have any Belli on him....which meant one more thing he could try.

"Well, again, I really am sorry." He apologized. Bowing, but not as dramatically as before. "I'm not normally so klutzy, ya see. It's just that I take my passion as a chef seriously...and when I was missing an ingredient, I kinda rushed without thinkin' and...well, ya know. And AGAIN, I'm really really really sorry, and I hope ya can forgive me." Yummy explained. He had actually practiced apologizing to people as a requirement for his training, his mentor saying something about 'Trusting him' and that 'he'll need it'. Still, it still was sincere. And he meant every word.

A few moments after his apology, another woman suddenly came over, asking a question regarding navigators and where to find them. Yummy cocked his head. Navigators? What did she need navigators for?. For the first time since he was here, Yummy stayed quiet, waiting for the two other ladies instead, keeping his thoughts (and struggling) to himself.

Hanarei simj26 shadowdude505