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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 20, 2013 23:51:33 GMT -5
"Oh! Uh, hiya guys! Silver these are... my friends, the ones I was telling you about. Or well, it's some of them..."
Being ushered into the new room, Kalen looked around before noticing some of the crew already there. Struggling to hold onto everything he had gotten from the market, he waved at them. He was pretty happy, considering not so very long ago he had been pushed into a trash chute and expected to never see them before nearly burning to death. Where the person who pushed him was though, was what he was really looking for.
And then, like magic, there was Mr. Dark.
"You prick! There wasn't any treasure down there, just fire! I nearly died!"
It was probably for the best that Silver was still holding onto him, otherwise the shepherd would probably have tried to not only decapi Mr. Dark, but also tate him. The boogeyman offered some sideways reasoning as to why he did what he had done, but it would have been hard for Kalen to care less about what Mr. Dark had to say. More than anything he just wanted to return the favor and push him down a trash chute.
"Whatever, I got all the supplies on your stupid list anyway, so at least that got taken care of."
He decided to let it go for now, after all what was he going to do? Just up and attack Mr. Dark in front of everyone else? If he knew the boogeyman nearly half as well as he thought he did, then chances were Mr. Dark had not even told the others about what had really happened, and Kalen wasn't about to make himself look like the bad guy by starting a fight.
---
The transition between the building and the airship left Kalen quite taken aback. Like Silver, he had never seen anything like this, so the shepherd was left rather speechless. Not just the kinds of technology which they were witness to and which he couldn't hope to understand, but just the opulence of it all. Having come from meager conditions, nothing more than a simple peasant lifestyle himself, Kalen was a bit unsettled by it all. Despite whatever their host may have told them, he was unsure and bit fearful of it all. Almost as if he didn't want to act improperly or rather, that he didn't want to dirty the place or mess anything up in case he had to make up, to pay for it. He wasn't an appraisal expert, but he could guess that even the paint used in this place was worth more than he was.
When they reached the room and Silver let him down though, the drop to the floor caused him to drop all the supplies he had been carrying. He of course busied himself with collecting them all again and properly putting them in a bag this time, but afterwards he took a chance to marvel at the room, leaning back with his hands behind his head and whistling at the majesty of it all.
"Kalen...Kalen...Thank you. The adventure is...not as bad I had thought it would be. It is scary, but...I am glad that you are here."
"Don't mention it! I told you it would be great, and I'm glad you're here as well! We're just getting started I bet though, once we help these Arcandy people, we'll be able to continue on our journey."
There were probably a hundred and one things to occupy himself with at the moment, but there was really only one thing the shepherd was interested in. The bed. Silver had taken the one, and looked to be enjoying it, so he wouldn't bother her. But there were two beds in this room, and the other had his name on it. Taking off in a dash, he made a running dive for the unoccupied bed.
"I will be with you shortly, Kalen. Some minutes is all I require, and then we will go where you wish. It seems as if there is much to do in this place; I would not hold you back from it...my sweet."
"What? Oh yeah, sure, take your time."
Silver had said something else, but Kalen was really too busy jumping up and down on his bed to notice or pay much attention. That was the thing about these other people in the rest of the world, who had figured out science and technology; if there was one thing they did better than anything else, it was make life more comfortable. He had come across mattresses once or twice before in his few travels, and this one like those others completely baffled him. Having slept on straw bedding most of his life, and unable to actually see inside them, Kalen just wrote mattresses off as magic. Much like what he did with most things he didn't understand, miracles of science or no. They were beyond his understanding, but not beyond his capacity to enjoy them. He knew they were supposed to be for sleeping, but they were far too bouncy for just that.
As such, he happily occupied himself with jumping up and down on his bed for who knows how long. Silver might have been in a world of comfort, but Kalen was in a world of fun. It was the simple things in life, that they cherished.
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Post by Kyubey on May 21, 2013 3:24:43 GMT -5
Confused, Lynwood raised an eyebrow, continuing to be more lost with every word Jackal spoke. How could anyone sail through the skies? She had seen many things before, but she didn't think that any human could fly without the aid of some form of magic. It was all so strange to her, and it made her feel much more out of place than she was most of the time already. At least there was the promise of food to comfort her, however. It was only when Jackal began describing the fantastic food that would be available to them did she realize it had been quite a while since she last ate anything.
More than anything else, though, there was one other thing that worried her greatly, that she did not have a chance to speak. Even if she did, she wouldn't have known how best to put her concerns to words. Much was said about Slythe Arkady, and how best to get rid of them, but as everything began to form together, more and more she got the feeling like she was now part of an assassination. Is this what our crew has become? she asked herself, and wavered when no favorable answers came to her. At least Kalen was near them as well. Perhaps once they reached Victoria, he could help her come to the right solution. It was a good thing that Lynwood never specifically agreed to follow Jackal's plan exactly. Now she was unsure about if it was anything she wanted to do. These questions stayed with her, right up until they reached the airship.
She smiled warmly at Silver, finding her appearance a little unusual, but also recognizing her as a friend of Kalen's. If her shipmate trusted this newcomer, then Lynwood saw no reason not too as well. Simply being a friend of a friend was enough for the Urdian to think of Silver as one of her own.
---
As soon as the airship took off, all of Lynwood's doubts were put on hold. The interior, with all its luxuries, did not interest her in the slightest. The Arkadian definition of fine living being nearly an opposite of the Urdian definition. She walked by the rooms, library, and observation deck without a second thought. Any place where she was indoors felt uncomfortable to her, no matter what the view was. She wanted to see the deck itself, she had to feel the winds against her own skin.
Once up there, she smiled vividly at the sight, looking with wonder at the sea of clouds below her. It was her first time among the clouds, up in a world that she only thought she could dream about before. And what she found when she was up there was every bit as magical to her as she imagined it would be. The sight of the clouds below, the smell of the open air, the sounds, all was taken in and it felt breathtaking. The sky wind was unlike any wind she had felt in her life, so strong, yet carrying with it such an amazing feeling. She spent several moments simply enraptured by the new sensation, before she noticed Jackal was up there, too. She nodded to him politely, said a quick "Greetings, my friend," and then faced away from him. There was part of her that wished he wasn't there, so she could be alone on the deck, but she wasn't about to do anything like ask him to leave, or let him get in the way of her experience. Not paying another thought to the Victorian, she turned away from him, kicked off those awful high heels, and spread her arms out wide, eyes closed, hair being whipped about in every direction by the winds, focused on nothing but the feeling of all that was around her. Slowly, she began turning in small circles, which gradually turned to an improvised dance, and started softly singing an Urdian folksong to herself. For that moment, Lynwood was completely lost in the sky.
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Post by Mise™ on May 22, 2013 12:37:06 GMT -5
The three robotic guards escorted His Highness and other two to a fancy room. Prince Karalisk was a lot of things, but lucky wasn't one of them, the room was filled with all the people the prince hated, the people he seemed to always run in to for some reason. The main antagonist of this story arc was there as well; he was the one who had invited them all here. "Not these fucking assholes again..." The obvious villain referred to Karalisk as 'the Coryphaean', instead of 'the prince', 'the genius' or something along those lines. The prince didn't really care that this man was obviously evil and was going to betray everyone here once an opportunity arises, but the lack of manners really annoyed His Highness; he didn't like the main antagonist at all. "Blaa... Blaa... Fucking... Blaa..." Karalisk was tired of the antagonist's unnecessarily long speech, which the prince for the most part ignored. He didn't care what lies the villain was trying to feed them, it really made no difference for him. The prince just trusted his intuition to follow the antagonist for now instead of just punching his gut and calling him bad names, even though that plan did sound very appealing. As soon as he saw the airship the prince realized that it was indeed a good idea to go along with this for now. "Fuck yeah." Karalisk's eyes were basically glittering as he saw the airship. The stores here had been a quite underwhelming, sure the prince did acquire some goods from them, but they didn't have anything that quite lit the fire in His Highness' heart, but now he finally had found a product worthy of him. It would seem like hijacking airships ran in the family. Once he had gotten abroad the flying ship Karalisk started to right away look for a way to take control of this ship. He didn't care about the fancy beds, saunas or any other luxuries the ship had to offer, all he wanted to do is fly it.
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Post by CJ on May 22, 2013 17:57:59 GMT -5
An even grander smile came over Kusu's face when Jackal announced that Kalen and Kara (though she was not as much as happy about him as Kalen) had arrived. She had been extremely excited for the promise of food but her crew's safety came first.
But when Silver came into the room, Shitty Sword immediately pointed its blade at her, though did not move otherwise. Kusu's eyes grew as her feathers rose and her wings stuck out from her back.
She licked her lips.
Shaking her head, Kusu smiled sheepishly at Mr. Dark, who commented on her decision. She wondered what he was talking about when he mentioned Kalen had been sent somewhere. She waved at Takai and Kizuna, who she hoped had found super cool clothing like her, Wolf and Lynwood.
"Sqwee," Kusu squeaked upon entering the airship. "I hope we can afford an airship one day! Or steal one! E-hahaha!"
---
The library would have been a quiet and peaceful refuge free of distraction for Mr. Dark, if it wasn't for Kusu's sudden entrance.
"Mr. Scary Man," she said hesitantly as she entered the library. "Shitty Sword said you had something I could eat. Could you give it to me? Pleeeeeease?"
She seemed to be referring to the lunch box Hil had given Mr. Dark back on the ship. But it was to be seen if the boogeyman had even kept onto it.
Kusu could not wait for the feast. Her childish nature seemed to be pushing her to beg for food. Her talon-like hands clicked against each other as her fingers wouldn't stop twitching.
"Do you think what this Jackal guy is saying is true? Does he really have broccoli?"
Floating nearby Shitty Sword shook in what appeared to be annoyance over Kusu's priorities and actually flew up to inspect several of the books on the shelves.
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Post by Kuro on May 22, 2013 20:38:00 GMT -5
Jackal was leaning on one of the railings when he saw Lynwood come up onto deck. "Miss Lynwood.", he said with a curt nod and smile in his words. He wasn't surprised that one of the pirates had come up to appreciate the skies, but he hoped that the madam would keep quiet during her time there. He wasn't standing in the dazzling, white heights of the world to talk to someone.
He had not expected Lynwood to do anything besides stand there and perhaps pester him with questions of the technological marvels in his possession, so when she kicked off the high heels and started moving, he cocked his head to one side. Jackal watched in curiousity as she continued moving and when she started dancing, his thoughts were focused solely on her. He stood quiet as a silent spectator, his eyes following every movement of the figure before him. The song was just as enrapturing and he didn't notice as he started leaning forwards, staring at Lynwood. He could do naught but simply watch and listen to the wonder before him.
He could have spent the rest of the day standing there, too enticed to think of anything but what was happening before him at that very moment, like a snake mesmerized by a charmer's song. And then, as he continued to watch, a tiny thought appeared in his head.
"Is that dance for two?", he blurted out. He resisted the urge to send his hands to his mouth, surprised he said that. Unlike his smooth talking from earlier, this question sounded sudden and without the usual grace he thought he had. What if she stops for the rest of the day? What if she says no? What if she says yes? No, that was what he wanted. He wanted to be a part of it...he thought. He felt a tinge of uncertainty take hold of him, something he hadn't felt in years, and assured himself that it was nothing, he hadn't felt anything.
He stood awkwardly with a little reluctance showing through his body language, the twisted grin on his mask not an accurate depiction of his thoughts for once.
Surprisingly, Silver had not fallen into a deep sleep. She felt tired, but after spending quite a while under her blanket, she found that while comfortable and nice, the bed had little to offer her at the moment. She had to find something else to do.
"..."
She got up out of her bed and stood on the ground once more with her six legs. They made a titter-tatter on the floor as she turned to Kalen and raised an eyebrow at the sight of him jumping on the bed. She thought that make break such a lovely piece of plush and comfort, but she supposed that Kalen had a different view on such things. She shyly smiled.
"I am ready to go if you are, Kalen. I do not know what I would wish to do in this place, so perhaps we may just walk around, or visit any place that you would like...?"
In truth, her thoughts were gravitating towards the observation deck, but she had no idea how to reasonably ask; what if just watching the clouds sounded boring to Kalen? Besides, it was entirely possible that he wanted to go somewhere else; she didn't want to be a burden on his fun, she told herself. Too afraid to ask and seem like a fool, she kept those thoughts to herself.
As Kara would soon find, the ship was big. Very big. And yet, in the entire expanse of the vessel, there was not one sign or hint to lead the price towards the piloting chamber. While the other rooms were easy to find because of the labels on the hallways and doors, there was not a single mention of any pilots or cockpits. There were several doors on the luxury floor that were unmarked, but they only opened up to reveal pipes coming through the ceiling and through the floor, some thicker than others. On each pipe was a gauge and a valve and sometimes, a burst of steam would erupt from a small hole in the pipe, making the tiny rooms hotter than they already were. The hum of the engines was much louder in these maintenance rooms.
The closest lead that Kara would be able to find was one door on the observation deck. The observation deck took up most of the floor above the luxury floor, but there was one ordinary-looking door hidden in some shadowed corner of the massive room. Once opened, it led to a pit that seemed like a significant drop, with the pipes surrounding the vertical tunnel on sides. Right when the door was opened, one could feel the sudden change in temperature. The occasional bursts of steam from the pipes were not synchronized, resulting in the drop almost constantly being assaulted by sweltering steam. If Kara so wished, he could go down the pit of terrible heat and sweat, although the pipes that practically made up the floors and walls were burning to the touch. Making it through the drop would put him in a labyrinth of such piped hallways, each one forking at the end and offering several drops that led to progress or loops.
Mr. Dark looked down at the child and said nothing at first, simply looking at her for some moments. He reached into his trenchcoat and pulled out the lunch, handing it to Kusu. "Of course, Kusu. Feel free to eat."
Still looking at her, he responded to her question. "While I have no doubt that he contains broccoli in his culinary arsenal, there is little reason to believe that his goals are as noble as he states. He has already told us that he wishes to use us to get him to the top position of power; once he has achieved such power, he will most likely not carry out the world-changing promises he had made. Instead of improving the world, he will likely be content in his own power and wish to rule it, like Arkady."
He ruffled her hair without realizing he was doing it, the gesture more similar to instinct than anything else. "But do not worry, Kusu. We shall cooperate for the moment, but once the opportunity arises - and it will - then we shall make sure that Jackal has a reason to carry out his promises."
With that, he thought of returning to his journal, but closed it instead and focused on Kusu.
"I have a question for you, Kusu. How do you view everyone else in the crew? Describe to me how you see Kalen, Takai, Kizuna, Wolf, Dunkan, Lynwood, and I. Perhaps in addition you can say which word best describes their relationship to you, such as brother, friend, guardian, mother, and so on. There is no reason to be cautious in your answers. I am simply curious as to how you see your crew."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on May 23, 2013 15:02:17 GMT -5
"What? Oh, ok then."
Kalen didn't notice Silver was up and about until she actually addressed him, so immersed was he in what he was doing. Jumping one last time, Kalen bounded off the bed and landed on the floor, sliding a little ways on his knees. Getting back up to his feet again, he opened the door to their room and stepped outside to hold it open for her.
"We could go find out where everyone else is, I could properly introduce you. I bet they're all on the looking out room... is that what it's called? The place where you go and look out? Come on!"
Of course Kalen didn't actually know where everyone else was, but he had a feeling that would at least be a good place to start to look. As well, the guy in charge of all of this might be there so they could just ask him instead.
---
"...you know, you don't have to go everywhere with me, or wait for me to take you places. If there's somewhere you want to go, you can just go there. That's the point of coming out here, we don't have to just sit cooped up in a sewer drain."
Assumedly Kalen had been talking to Silver the duration of their little trek, but walking into what he thought was the observation room, his words trailed off as he looked around at this new place. He thought at first it was just some sort of moving wall art or a viewing glass box like the kind he had seen once or twice before, but moving further into the room he realized they were in fact, windows.
"Woooooow..."
Taken aback by the miraculous nature of it all, he hesitated for a moment in trepidation, before tossing caution to the wind and running right up to the windows and pressing his hands and face against the glass. He had never flown before, and he had trouble believing it. For someone whom indoor plumbing might as well have been magic, this was a different league altogether.
"Can you believe it?! Where do you think they found a bird this big, like this?"
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Post by CJ on May 23, 2013 18:09:38 GMT -5
Kusu's eyes went comically huge when Mr. Dark presented the lunch. With a quick thanks, she gripped onto it with her talon-like hands and immediately tore into the seeds and nuts within. She bit into a chunk of broccoli as Mr. Dark raised his suspicions about Jackal. Stopping for a moment, she sat in a cushioned chair nearby and curled up her legs into her arms.
"Yeah... I fell asleep when he was talking. I'm glad I've got you around, Scary Man. You're good at figuring these things out."
Shitty Sword stopped inspecting the books when Mr. Dark asked Kusu what she thought of the crew. She blinked for a while but eventually put her lunch aside and looked up at the ceiling.
"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked. "It could take me a while. I'd hate to lecture. Sqwee. Stop me if I got on too long."
Shitty Sword flew down and hovered out of arms reach behind Mr. Dark. Kusu waved to the sword, who shook its hilt in disagreement.
"Aniki and Ms. Fox have always been there for me," she began. "They're like my Aunt and Uncle, or an adult couple who you know so much that you call them Aunt and Uncle! Either way, Aniki has always been a lot better than my real older brother ever was.
"Wolf! He's a robot! He's soooooooo cool! If I had a grandfather, I'd would like it to be him! He's got so many stories to tell and he's so mysterious.
"Dunkan has a great smile.
"I like to think of Lynwood as my older sister. I don't know how it feels to have one though. She's very kind but sometimes I think she's hiding something. I wish I could help her out but I don't know how to connect to her. She's a real maiden; I'm only pretending.
"Kalen," she paused. "I feel really sorry for what I said to him back on that island. Hil told me he saved my life when I fell in the volcano and all I did for him is tell him to shut up. I wish he knew how sorry I was but I'm too embarrassed to say anything. I hope he's doing OK.
"Well, Scary Man," she ended with snicker, "you lead us around and tell us what to do which is really helpful. We'd be so lost with you! I know I would be. I wouldn't have found Hil and the others if not for you. You're like the Father on the crew! Except you're not an Okama like my fathers. You don't want to be a maiden; you like them! Like that Marine lady back on that island!"
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Post by Kyubey on May 23, 2013 19:34:43 GMT -5
Lynwood didn't even notice Jackal staring at her while she danced at first, for she was far too enveloped in her own world. The foreign words of her song rose and waned melodically, her voice lilting soothingly at every note. As she sung, her body swayed and moved to the rhythm of her music, her feet stepping and twirling with a fragile agility, her arms creating fluid shapes as she moved them about, her head rocking gently back and forth along with the words that flowed from her lips. She moved with the wind, feeling as though she was a part of it, and...
"Is that dance for two?"
Lynwood stopped, completely taken by surprise at Jackal's acknowledgement. She knew he was present when she started, but still she didn't think he would be an active audience for her. She didn't know what to think at first, especially at his question. From the few interactions they shared before, she never would have expected him to show such an interest. She smiled, however, for the surprise was not a bad one at all. It was not unusual for him to react, but for him to be enthralled in such a way, finally let her see a little of who he was.
It told her that there really was a human behind that mask.
"It could be," she replied, holding out her hand invitingly. Could it be that this man, this self-proclaimed genius, this person who spent his life behind a chair with numbers as friends, really wanted to join her? It had been so long, many years, in fact, since anyone offered to dance with her. And it was sad to her, that something that, in her homeland, was a fundamental and uniting facet of the culture, couldn't often be shared. So when Jackal offered to join her, even if he was the last man she would have expected to do so, she would gladly accept.
"So tell me, friend, do they dance in Victoria as well?"
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Post by Kuro on May 24, 2013 11:26:28 GMT -5
With a grin behind the mask, Jackal gently took Lynwood's hand and stepped forward to be closer and ready to move. "Why yes, there is dancing in Victoria. A waltz is what they call it, but its not as flowing and natural-seeming as you, as yours. While I could definitely be the most impressive dancer in all of Victoria if I wanted to, I have very limited knowledge in that regard. I haven't seen a single other Victorian in a very long time. While I deal with them through papers and reports on the matters of business, I haven't actually been to my homeland in years and years. Of course, that's the way they, I mean, I want it. After all, why would I ever want to see them again, the wretched little -"
He noticed that his grip had tightened, so he loosened it. "My apologies, Ms. Lynwood. Now, although I did pay the utmost attention to your lovely movements, there is the slightest possibility that I may not fully comprehend the procedure of your work. Added to my little skill in this field, I think it may be best for you to...lead on." He was ready to begin then, but had another little thought. "Oh, and as for the singing, well, while my voice is rather good for the ears, I admit that I have no idea as to how it sounds when put to a melodious test. Your voice though...It's more than beautiful enough to be on its own. So, it's most likely that unless you want me to, I will not sing and ruin any harmony. So, let us begin." Since he wasn't sure if trying to combine Lynwood's marvelous footwork with his limited knowledge of the Victorian waltz was a good idea, he had the full intent of letting her decide their movements. Perhaps there was a step-by-step procedure? A memorization of steps that he was to remember? Some sort of little secret to the dance?
Silver had been about to respond to Kalen's comment on the point of leaving the sewer, but stopped when Kalen trailed off. She looked at what he was looking at and was, likewise, stunned. Instead of running to the sight though, she walked over there at a normal pace, maybe even a little slower, as she appreciated the scale of it all. When she actually reached the windows, her eyes were sucking it all in. She saw the clouds pass by around them and over them and under them as they sailed through the sky. She saw every detail in what was happening, every aspect of this miracle. In contrast to Kalen's excitement, Silver was quiet in her enjoyment. She put a hand up to the window and made a small gasp out of wonder.
In that large empty room, a boy and a girl stood side by side in a world full of wonders.
"...A bird...? I think this is something more...much more..."
She thought of turning her head to the shepherd but she couldn't look away from what was happening in front of her. She even sounded distracted as she talked.
"...The reason I wait for you, Kalen...the reason I go with you...is because you are the only guarantee of safety I know. If you were to not be with me...how could I know what would happen? How could I know that..."
A flash of thought, of insight.
"...Hm." She smiles. "...I suppose I worry too much. Perhaps you are right in what you say. Even by myself, I could feel safe...with the knowledge that you would always protect me."
Now she had the strength to look on him; at his face that was as wonderful as the clouds. "...I will stay in this room for now. You may do as you please...whether or not that be with me", said Silver, a soft smile on her lips.
Mr. Dark listened quietly as Kusu listed her depictions of the crewmembers. He was surprised that she saw Lynwood as only a sister and not a mother, but it was a benefit to him. He had worried that she had seen her as a motherly figure to follow, which would have amplified the danger of her poisonous words. While an older sister was still something that Kusu would look up to, the effect was in Mr. Dark's favor for it was not the same.
When she called him "father"...or rather, "the father"...He didn't know what he had expected. He knew that she saw him as such, a father of the crew, but was there something that he had wanted from hearing her say it? To hear her say the word, even if she was not referring to him as directly hers? Had he thought that he would feel something from just hearing that word refer to him?
Did he...?
"You're like a father to them, Da -"
His head jerked forward, his body suddenly tense. His head spun from side to side, looking around the room for...something.
For her.
After a moment or two of such wariness, he sat back into his chair and looked at Kusu again. It wasn't until then that he realized what Kusu had also said about him.
"Whether or not I have romantic relations with Fate is none of your concern, Kusu. While she could be useful to us as an ally, for her to become such a thing through a relationship would be..." Would it be a lie to say "bad"? For it would not be a lie to say "good". "...interesting. As I said, Kusu: It is none of your concern."
He said nothing for a bit before talking again.
"What did you think of her, Kusu? Of Fate? While she did assist us in the race, she also tried to kill or restrain us the first time we met. Does her act of helping us let you think of her as a friend so quickly?"
As he listened to her response, his thoughts began to go back to the last interaction between he and Fate. It was after the events of Breakwater, when everyone was safe and the two groups were to split up. However, he had wanted a few last words...
Mr. Dark stood in the hallway, Gracie between him and the door to Kusu's room, where Fate and March resided.
While March and Gracie had become friendly with the pirates, Mr. Dark and Fate had both kept to themselves. While Fate had stayed in her room, Mr. Dark had no reason to interact with her companions. Once again, he and her were similar. The only time they had interacted with each other was on one instance in which she needed medical attention, and that had been immediately after the events of Breakwater. Even then, the two of them had said nothing but what was necessary. And since then, they had never spoken again.
But now was the last day. An civilized island was known to be near their location on the map, and that was where the marines were to be dropped off. It would take several hours until they reached those shores and Mr. Dark had no intent of wasting them. The other pirates did not know of what he was doing at the moment, having learned to not inquire into his activities. And so, he and Gracie stood alone in the hallway, one towering over the other. But he doubted that his physical appearance alone would grant him passage through the obstacle in front of him.
"This is the last day that you and your friends will be on this ship. I require some final words with Fate. While I acknowledge her desire to be alone, as I have respected for the duration of her stay, I insist that I speak to her before she leaves. There would be no reason for me to harm her, so there is no need to worry about that. The conversation also requires the utmost privacy, so I would require for you and March to be outside of the room once it commences. As I said, there is no reason for me to harm her. You may relay this to Fate if you wish, but I intend to speak with her regardless of any reluctance from either party. With that said, please step aside."
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Post by Mise™ on May 25, 2013 8:28:23 GMT -5
"What kind of fucking asshole designed this shit?" This airship had clearly been built with a big budget and included all sort of luxury features, but one thing the designers didn't pay much attention to was user friendliness; prince Karalisk was really struggling on his quest for finding the controls for the ship. After a while His Highness found himself in a maze like room, filled with hot pipes shooting steam all around. It was like a poor man's sauna, but the prince wasn't here to have a bath, but to find a find to the control room. "Maybe I shouldn't fucking smash my way through these fucking pipes." Karalisk spoke to himself. The pipes may or may not have echoed his speech to somewhere else in the ship. Usually the way His Highness dealt with obstacles was to simply brute force his way through, but if he were to do that here and break these pipes the ship probably wouldn't fly very well anymore, so that was out of the question. Instead the prince decided to dodge the pipes, with his amazing acrobatic skills, sliding under and jumping over the pipes as he ran in to them. Slight burns from the hot steam in the room were nothing for prince Karalisk and weren't going to stop him.
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Post by CJ on May 26, 2013 0:38:06 GMT -5
When Mr. Dark snapped out of his daydream, he was met with Kusu and Shitty Sword staring at him in confusion. The sword, at least, seemed to make a mental note of the occurance.
"But it is my concern!" Kusu squeaked. "Shipping is of the highest priority! Sqwee. For your sake, I'll try to stop asking I suppose..."
Her wings stretched out in confusion when Mr. Dark asked about Fate.
"That Marine Captain was strange. I tried to get close to her but she wouldn't say anything. Her friends were really nice! The blind guy was kind but he was terrible at drawing! And the silly lady with the high heels, you know, the one who was really shy and didn't have a lot of confidence, she reminded me of... someone..."
As Mr. Dark thought back, Kusu started to get fidgety again. She pressed one of her talon-like hands to her face. She looked to Shitty Sword.
"I'm still hungry."
---
After some distress on Gracie's part, March finally convinced the secretary to let Mr. Dark talk to Fate privately. The two positioned themselves outside the bedroom door and March briefly reminded Mr. Dark of his Observation Haki. While he wouldn't be aware of the conversation, he could still tell if Mr. Dark was harming Fate in any way. He did so with a bright smile, making it seem like he really meant no ill intent.
Inside Kusu's sanctuary of girly wonder, Fate was completely vulnerable, sitting alone on a bright pink bed. Several near burned out candles illuminated her pale face. The window nearby had been permanently stapled over with a thick blanket since her incident earlier when she pulled it down in shock. She herself was covered in a blanket and dressed in what appeared to be pajamas.
There was no trace of her Commander's Haki since she had left Breakwater. Even the meek Gracie had a more demanding presence.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly, looking toward the window. A solitary rocking chair was empty before her.
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Post by Kuro on May 27, 2013 11:04:23 GMT -5
The steamy labyrinth was possibly larger than Kara had expected; since the ship was absolutely gigantic, it came to reason that the inner workings of it would be just as extensive. There were never any dead ends, only loops that led back to places Kara would have already been, unless Kara happened to choose the correct path every time. This may or may not have been beyond his capability, but either way it would take quite a while to get anywhere. And for the whole time, the scalding steam still shot out, threatening to burn anything it touched. It might have felt as everything in the tunnels was melting; it was no place for a human.
Eventually though, unless the prince got stuck in the winding tunnels of the ship, Kara would have found an open space that was the average size of a small room. Still, it was bigger than the narrow tunnels he had just went through. The walls still consisted of the pipes running from one end to the other, but throughout the room were pipes that ran vertically from the ceiling to the floor, like pillars with red valves on them. There was no indication of what the valves did and there was nothing that would signify the place to be a control room. There were exits in the room that led to more and more tunnels, so at best this could be considered a pit stop, regardless of the fact that it was not any less hot.
clickclickclickclick
A sound echoed from one of the tunnels. The sound, a click, never stopped, continuing to click click click for every second. After a moments, the perpetrator slunk out of the tunnel to reveal itself: A long, white, mechanical creature that looked like a giant snake. Its body was made of many segmented parts of armor, making it less of a smooth rope-thing and more mechanical-like. On top of the head was the Arkady logo and on the sides of it were two curved blades that served as sideways fangs. On the top of each segment of its body was a curved blade that was as long as an arm. When it fully came into view, it rose up like a snake and looked down at the creature in front of it. With the same amiable voice as the robots at the mall, it spoke.
"Vermin detected. Extermination commencing. Spectators are advised to step back at this time; Arkady Industries is not held responsible for damage done by its property."
With all of the vertical pipes standing between it and Kara, it zig-zagged through them, the blades on its back dancing around and taking up space, and lunged at the foe with its head blades in an attempt to stab it, its own blades making no damage to the pipes whatsoever.
Mr. Dark stood in silence for a few moments, simply looking at the woman before him. What was it he wanted? Why did he go into the room? Why did he wish to speak to her?
He looked at Fate a bit longer and then moved the chair aside, preferring to crouch or get down on one knee to speak to her. At first he said nothing. His eye lingered on the window before looking back to Fate.
"...I wish to speak you on matters concerning your hand and the harm you attempted on it. Was there a reason as to why you did this? Was it out of self-loathing or a desire to feel the light? I will explain why your answer is significant to me, but first I must know why you hurt yourself.
You and I both shun the light. We shun the naivety of this world. We know how evil and cruel it can be. As much as you and I may dislike it, we are similar in a vast amount of ways. We are beings of darkness. So why did you embrace the light?"
He rested his own, gloved hand on the bed as he spoke, paying little mind to how it twitched and how its fingers shook without his volition.
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Post by CJ on May 27, 2013 16:26:07 GMT -5
"Why should I answer you?" Fate asked, looking away still. "I'm not part of your crew. I'm not your patient."
Removing her hand from within the blanket, she seemed to study the blotches of red that remained since she had burned it. She held it up slightly, obscuring Mr. Dark's face from her vision.
"I have no idea why I did it. Your guess is as good as mine. Now, stop lying and acting like you care. I'm not going to be fooled. Not anymore."
There was absolutely no fear in the Marine Captain. It seemed she ultimately did not care about what happened to her. Of course, her Haki was gone so Mr. Dark could always instill fear in her. As of now, she was empty and cold.
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Post by Kuro on May 27, 2013 19:52:22 GMT -5
When Fate held up her hand, Mr. Dark took the glove off of his. As she spoke on her lack of reasoning for self-injury, he unraveled the bandages that covered his hand. By the time that Fate had finished talking, Mr. Dark had completely uncovered it.
And that was when Fate would feel something cold grip her hand. Mr. Dark had grabbed it and was now looking straight at her from behind his dark sunglasses. With the other hand, he took them off so that one bloodshot eyeball would be what she saw. He sensed the lack of fear and assumed that this wouldn't change anything. What he hoped would have some effect was what he was using to hold Fate's scalded hand.
His hand, a bit bigger than hers, did not look as if it should be functioning. Whatever flesh remained was torn and strung about the back of his hand and his fingers. It was pale in some spots, black in others, and dark-red in the rest. Much of his hand did not even have that sorry excuse of flesh to protect it, revealing raw muscle. In a few places, even the bone was visible.
With his eye locked onto Fate's, he spoke with the same monotony as ever, even as the remains of his hand clenched hers. "You are in correct in saying you are not of my crew nor of my patients. I hold no authority over you. But you are still relevant to me.
I care. I care and you know that I have greater reason to do so than any other person. I care about you because when every time I look at you or think about you, I see a variation of myself. This may seem selfish, but it is not. I do not care about you out of some vain appreciation for myself. When I look at my reflection, no respect or love is shown from either side of the mirror. No, when I look at you, I see someone that I have known for years, I see someone who I have cried with, someone who I have been hurt with, someone I have been betrayed with, someone who I feel pain with every day. I see someone that I have known better than anyone else in my life, for who can I know if not myself? I care because you are the only person I have ever empathized with in years. I care because I can, and I will.
Regardless of what you think, I care about you, Fate. That is truth. And if you deny it, then you are only fooling you. And I know that neither of us can do that. I ask for nothing in return but your understanding."
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Post by Kyubey on May 28, 2013 0:15:08 GMT -5
"I've heard of waltzes before," said Lynwood, her fingers lightly wrapped around Jackal's hand. She wasn't too fond of his aggressive and hateful comments towards his own people, and he would notice her pulling back slightly as his grip tightened. His rather negative outlook was disheartening, and she hoped he wouldn't be like this all night. She had finally found someone to dance with, after all, it would be a shame if such things were to ruin it for her. So she took it upon herself to loosen his attitude a little more, to get him to shed his uptight Victorian disposition, even if only just for the night. "This dance is, well, a little different. There aren't any steps like in a waltz. For now, just move however you wish, and follow along with me, I'll lead like you requested."
She began to move once again, still holding on to Jackal's hand, stepping at a much slower pace than she had been before, and expecting him to follow along to the best of his ability.
"You can't mean you've never sung before?" she asked, "I don't believe that! Anyone should sing, if they're happy. Or have you never been happy either? I'm flattered that you find my voice beautiful, but you shouldn't worry about such a thing, when it's only us two up here! I'm afraid you've missed far too much living behind that chair of yours. We must get you to sing sometime. Maybe not this instant, but in time." she flashed him a grin, and then began to hum another song, which, like her dance, was slower than the one before, hopefully enough for Jackal to keep up.
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