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Post by Kyubey on Mar 9, 2013 2:59:32 GMT -5
Lynwood had been asleep on the yardarm of the ship when Wolf made his landing. During the time spent away from Breakwater, she had spent a great majority of her time on the deck of the ship, usually in the highest place she could be. After the time spent in Breakwater, the fresh sea winds she loved seemed suddenly new to her all over again. The normally unused yardarm of the boat became her most common place of rest, having been adapted into a roost of sorts for the Urdian. The climate in this patch of sea was cold, and the breeze carried a deep chill with it, that went along perfectly with the snow, but Lynwood didn't seem to care about any of it, never even changing her clothes to match the changing weather, though that was less due to her not noticing the cold and more with the lack of anything else on the ship that she liked. Over time, she had become used to the metal structure of the boat, though she had still placed a blanket over the yardarm, to remove some of her discomfort. Some of her shipmates might have only guessed how she managed to sleep up there, limbs dangling loosely over the deck below, without falling off, but so far she never did, even when winds were high.
The commotion below woke her up, and she nearly broke her perfect record of no falls from her perch, catching herself only barely. She brushed some snowflakes from her face, and looked down below. She never knew Wolf or Dunkan, and therefore didn't know how to react. The others seemed to know them, however, that much she was able to tell from the way they reacted, even if she couldn't hear them too well up from where she was. They both looked untrustworthy, to say the least, but Lynwood was the last person to make judgments based on appearance. She knew she would have to decide what kind of people they were for herself, having learned on Breakwater to not be so trusting of others, but for now she found no harm in assuming they were mostly good. She nimbly slid down the mast, and quietly walked towards them, to get a closer impression. She wanted to greet the newcomers, but ultimately didn't, finding herself, for some reason, too nervous to do so. Not even she could explain it, as on most days she was far from shy, but yet she still could not bring herself to speak to them.
---
Later...
Lynwood followed Kusu closely through the shopping district, looking notably uneasy. Danger of most kinds, she could deal with well enough. Being lost in the wilderness was second nature. Enclosed, tightly populated areas, she did not like as much. As such, she kept her head down, not alert to very much at all, and mostly just relied on her Captain for guidance. As far as clothing went, Lynwood saw no reason to buy anything different than what she was already wearing. In fact, when Kusu had insulted her manner of dress earlier, Lynwood had barely restrained herself from snapping at the girl for her disrespectful comments towards the Urdian garments. As far as she was concerned, she already had the perfect wardrobe, and another one was the last thing she needed.
When Kusu stopped at the eyeshadow, Lynwood did the same, and looked with curiosity at the makeup, not really sure about what it meant. She had seen similar colors applied to others, but had never thought about it hard, or ever considered putting it on herself.
"Interesting... are these meant for camouflage? For hunting, perhaps? I do not see how coloring just the area around one's eyes would fool a wild animal. Oh! Is it like war paint? Or do the people of the island use this for ceremonies? How fascinating! I would love to learn more."
She gripped the money she had been given, wondering if purchasing these war paints would be a worthy way of spending her meager funds. If money did become an issue, she could always try bartering again, but she still wanted to hear more before she decided for good.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Mar 9, 2013 23:01:32 GMT -5
Wolf was surprised once they reached Arkady. The gray towers looked amazing, and everything about the city seemed daunting to even him. There was so much going on, and for such a long time, he had been a loner. Still, he felt this place might hold answers for him, and if he could, he would find them, no matter what.
Kusu volunteered him to join his team, and Wolf gave a small nod in agreement. Before he left to join Kusu in finding new attire, which Wolf doubted they had for him, he gave a quick question to Mr. Dark.
"Excuse me," said Wolf, approaching the man. "This is Arkady? Does this nation have a leader, and if so, what would one have to do to meet him?"
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Post by newb23 on Mar 10, 2013 3:50:59 GMT -5
Dunkan had left the ship soon after Mr. Dark’s explanation. He left on his own and while he wasn’t sure how happy Mr. Dark was gonna be he wasn’t all that worried. In fact he felt it was better to be on his own as he had no interest in what Takai wanted to buy and as such would have left that group fairly quickly if he has asked to tag along. Shopping with Mr. Dark also seemed like a bad idea as no one could deny the fact that the two of them together would have been a bit more frightful than he thought the residents would be comfortable with.
Sky-Crumbler then Ultra Slicer V. 10.5 didn't seem to agree with him. “'Ou always do somethin foolish don’ ‘ou? I mean he said not to go off on yer own and yet ‘ou did.” “Oh quiet ‘ou. I mean I know w’ere the ship is. Not like I’m gonna lose it. I've also got a trace on Wolf , after everythin’ tha’ happened, and Mr. Dark jus' in case I need to find 'im. We s’ould be good. Now let’s go browse.”
Dunkan didn't even realize the amount of stares he had just gotten as he hurried over to one of the various stores and peered through the window at the various things inside.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 12, 2013 12:25:38 GMT -5
"Kalen, you are to go down this chute and explore the depths of this building. There, you will find what you know you need. If you ever find yourself lost, ask one of the employees. There is bound to be one nearby whenever you need it."
"Can do! I'll be sure to- wait, why does it say danger there? What is this?"
When Mr. Dark actually responded, and in a seemingly positive manner, Kalen was ecstatic. He would be able to help the crew out and he would have things to busy himself with so he wouldn't have to just wait around on the ship, bored to death. When getting led around the docks, it was somewhat of a daze for the naive young shepherd, especially when going through the crowd. He'd never seen so many people in one place before, and tried to apologize and excuse himself to every one as Mr. Dark dragged him. Even so, he almost missed the big warning posted by the incinerator. Almost.
And then Mr. Dark picked him up. At that point Kalen didn't feel in control anymore, after which point Mr. Dark threw him in the trash.
"But I've got the list you-"
The door to the disposal clanged shut.
---
"OWOWOWOWOWOW!"
Right away Kalen tried to stop himself by pressing against the walls of the trash chute with his hands and feet. Unfortunately the walls were hot and he only burned himself in the process. Letting go he went into free fall until he hit the chute when it began to slope with a thud.
"OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!"
Sliding down the chute, all he had on was his typical attire, which was pretty light and not at all protective. Sliding down the hot surface was even worse than trying to grab onto it. Finally when it felt like he was going to burst into flames, he fell out of the chute into the whirlpool of trash. Specifically, onto a pile of rusty used needles.
"Ow."
Now things were fine. Except for the part where Kalen was about to be incinerated, but that wasn't important. Struggling to his feet, he attempted to make his way through the garbage mounds, but had to try his hardest for sure. Eventually after tripping a few times and falling further back, he managed to lunge forward and grab onto a ladder with a hand. Hanging on for dear life, he strained to hang on, while slowly pulling himself closer so that he could hold on with both hands and not have to worry about being burned to a crisp. Eventually he did manage to grab hold with his other hand, but he was far to burned up, cut up, bruised up, and tired up to have the strength to get out of there just yet.
A short rest, then maybe he'd be able to get out of this infernal pit and figure out what to do next and where to go.
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Post by Kuro on Mar 12, 2013 15:54:56 GMT -5
"I only know of this place because I have been here once before. There should be pamphlets available near the gateway to the buildings. On those you will find a guide and map." Herbs and ingredients. Takai's choice of things to buy was not surprising, but he wondered if the boy knew just how extensive the Arkadian's list of products was. Perhaps they were simply not very interested in material possessions. Either way, it did not matter much what they ended up buying, as long as everyone felt content and he bought the necessary supplies. He turned to Wolf next.
"We are in the territory of Arkady Industries, yes. However, this is no nation. This place, Sector 11, is a smaller part of a large global power. Arkady Industries is an empire, and this is not the capital but a Sector, an island that was annexed into and is now part of Arkady Industries, which most people refer to as A.I for convenience. What you may or may not find intriguing is that the empire is not run as a government, but as a business. Their leader is their C.E.O, Slythe Arkady, and it is most likely that you will not see him. He resides in the Arkadian capital, Victoria." He looked at the gateway, full of people of all races and sizes eagerly moving forwards and shoving against each other. There were even a few customers who were near Wolf's size, and they were going through the large gateway without any trouble. "Do not expect to find audience with Slythe, Wolf. It does not say this in the pamphlet, since that focuses on this Sector, but the innermost parts of the empire, basically the capital and the islands immediately surrounding it, are in the Calm Belt. There are no winds or currents there, making conventional sea travel into there impossible. One could only get to Victoria by Arkadian technology that allows them to somehow traverse through the Calm Belt, and such technology is not available to the average consumer. As fascinating as you are, you are nothing to the Arkadians but a large customer...unless you could prove otherwise." He hoped that Wolf would succeed in such an effort if he made it. There was no doubt that Wolf could cause quite the tremor if he revealed any of his secrets. It would be best if he revealed such secrets in front of Mr. Dark himself.
It was then, though, that Kusu revealed her desire to take Wolf, Lynwood and Hil with her. He was not about to protest; given Kusu's affiliation with chaos, intentional or not, perhaps it was best that the weapon stay with her. It would most likely not take long for a new trial and journey to be created. Planning to bring Dunkan with him to form a group of three, he was not pleased to see that the smiling man was not present. It was already too late to look for him in the massive crowd. There was nothing to do now but wait for him to show up later, assuming that he could remember how to come back to the ship.
With the rest of the crew having decided their groups, Mr. Dark turned to the last people he had expected to shop with. Reaching into his pocket for something, he spoke. "Takai and Kizuna, I will be with you for the duration of our trip. Come along with us if you like, Z. As I said before, I will spend most of my time buying food and supplies, as detailed on this -" He stopped rummaging through his pocket. "..." He started patting himself, checking through several of the many pockets on and underneath his coat. "..." No. The boy? Kalen had it? What would he do with it? Was he actually going to search for the supplies in whatever abyss he had fallen into? Hm. No matter. He did not need the list for memory, but had hoped to give it to whoever he would go with for a bit so that he could go and buy less...appreciated goods. He supposed that he would think of a way to buy his desires later.
"...Never mind. If you are ready, then let us depart."
Near the gateway were not "pamphlets' as Mr. Dark described, but white books with the black Arkady logo taking up as much of the front cover as possible, a stark contrast between the two. That symbol was all that was needed apparently, because there were no words anywhere on the cover; no title and no author. Thankfully, the inside was much more telling. There were around thirty pages or so, the first ten pages consisting of information about the history of Sector 11 and how to know which products and prices were good. The rest of the book was made up of maps and guides for each floor of the gigantic structure they were in, clearly showing where one could get whatever they wanted, whether that be clothes, music, foods, information, or weapons.
In fact, the map legend's symbol for weapons, two guns clashing against each other in an X, was by far the most seen in all of the floors. On almost each floor, there were more weapon stores than any other kind. The X's were scattered across all of the floors of the shopping facility, many of them put against seemingly unrelated stores such as bookstores and clothing outfits. Their presence was obvious and not unexpected, though. If one read the pamphlet, he or she would read that Arkady Industries is, first and foremost, a war company. Guns, swords, and explosives, almost every killing tool imaginable, was available to the average consumer, usually with some armor added in at a discount. Anything the stores didn't include was saved for the top floor, where deals involving artillery cannons, custom-built fortresses, and outfitted armies were made. This floor was, of course, called the Killing Floor.
When the crew went through the gateway and actually crossed into the buildings, the first thing that they might have noticed was just how...shiny, it was.
The majority of the mall was a gleaming, spotless white and the rest of it was made up of the colorful signs and advertisements posted everywhere. The ceiling to the first "floor" could only be seen if one looked all the way up, and even then it was so just so small in the distance. Since the stores were not all on the ground floor, the stairs were many and the labyrinth of merchandise just seemed to go on forever, lights and color and sound in what was quite possibly the liveliest place on the planet at that moment.
And then there were the 100 other "floors"...
According to the guide, the herbs and such that Takai was looking for were located on the second floor. While products such as clothes, food, and weapons were available on every floor, some wares were not as commonly sought and had few stores to their name. And for that reason, Mr. Dark had suggested taking the elevator. It wasn't very far from the entrance, although there was quite the crowd surrounding it. Even with five elevators side-by-side, it was a rather busy day. As Mr. Dark and the rest of his group waited for their turn, the boogeyman turned to the couple.
"What do you think of the war, Takai and Kizuna? The World War that has recently occurred. So many familiar countries are now fighting against each other. Regala, for instance, along with this Arkady Industries and Coryphaeus, Kara's nation. All of them are, along with others, are now spilling blood on a global scale. Fortunately, Arkady's enemies have not yet reached this Sector. And to think that even, or perhaps especially, in this time of warfare, the company is selling weapons by the thousands, perhaps millions, now making more profit than ever. I am interested in what the two of you have to say about the decrepit state of this rotten world."
"How fascinating! I would love to learn more."
"Weeeeeelllllllllllllll, look no further, beautiful ma-dam! This is the place for all knowledge of anything fashion and grace~"
A white, yellow, and black blur suddenly spun between Lynwood and the eyeshadow, cutting the Urdian off from any further observation. It looked like a spinning top, a large, yellow and white top and a thin, black bottom, all spinning in place fast enough that its features were indiscernible until it started to slow down. Her long hair, whipping around wildly as she spun, was such a bright yellow that it was almost blinding, as disorienting as the ridiculously bright shades of pink that Kusu was known for. Her white blouse had huge ruffles of shoulders and lots and lots and lots of lace and ribbons. In the center of the piece was a bright-red bow and in contrast to the upper half were the featureless, black pants that made up her lower half, slim to fit to her slender body. She stared at Lynwood's face with a wide, white smile and ice-blue eyes as sharp as daggers and just as piercing, eagerly analyzing the woman before her. She was rather young, either 19 or 20 at most. Her high-pitched voice then, was no surprise.
"Hmmm...Do not worry, miss! You are not yet lost to the world of beauty. With just a teensy bit of work and a little bit of gold, you'll end up making all of the men swoon~" She dramatically pretended to faint, catching herself before she hit the floor. She darted to Kusu's side, holding her face in her hands. "Why, I bet this little cutie already looks up to you! I mean, who wouldn't? Not many of us can naturally look beautiful like you do, miss." She jumped back and looked at the odd little group. "Hm...Why, I bet I can find all of you the best outfits possible! Even you, you giant hulking mass of muscle! Why, I dare say, we can find you guy and gals...THE PERFECT WARDROBE!"
Customers walked past the odd sight without a word, the loud lady standing with her arms wide open and smiling from ear-to-ear.
"...Eh? Eh?"
In big black letters above the windows Dunkan was looking at were the words, "ARKADIAN WEAPONRY AND MISC." In the window itself was a long, white rifle covered in an intricate golden design, twin black pistols in a 2 for price of 1 deal, and a silver greatsword. Those were only the products in the window however, and the walls of the inside of the store were outfitted with almost every kind of weapon imaginable, each one with a price tag hanging from it. Just a few people were inside this particular store, looking at the weapons, inspecting them, talking about them.
The man at the cashier was old and hunched over with a large white beard that spread out onto the desk as he sat with his chin in his hands, a bored look in the eyes behind his glasses. He lazily looked at the customer coming in, his eyebrow raised as he saw all of the stiches. He blinked and scoffed, muttering to himself about crazy kids these days.
"Welcome to Arkadian Weaponry and Miscellaneous, store number 000022. Feel free to browse and come to me if you have any questions, any desire to test the weapons will require me to escort you to the testing rooms right behind that door." He pointed at the door and sighed. "In advance, thank you for coming and have a nice day."
click
The door that Kalen almost reached made a little sound and slowly opened inwards. Someone wearing a gas mask popped his covered head out, looking from left to right. He looked at the fire and then the ceiling and then the trash. He scratched his head with a finger and stepped out onto the platform, hands on hips. He looked left and right again, back at the ceiling again, back at the trash aga -
Without a sound, the man jumped up in the air while flailing his hands around. He barely managed to land back on the platform without falling off, and even then he fell on his bottom. He looked at the impossibility before him with the blank, glass circles of his gas mask's eyes. After a moment of bewilderment, he grabbed the boy's arms and tried to pull him up onto the platform, where the boy might see how he looked. His shiny, greasy black outfit was strapped to his body by several belts and buckles all wrapped around his body as if buttons would never be enough. His gloves were, likewise, strapped to his body by belts and his boots were covered in them. He was lanky and the tightness of his clothes emphasized it. He was like a black bag of bones jingling about, with his gas mask like a bobblehead to finish the odd piece.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 15, 2013 22:44:14 GMT -5
Having been pulled up onto the platform, it took Kalen a minute to adjust to his new surroundings. He was not being scorched by an incinerator and he was not struggling to maintain his hold of safety amidst a whirlpool of trash. What he saw though, his savior, made him think some of the burning fumes might have gone to his head. It was all rather confusing, the person themselves most of all.
"I uh... thank you? I appreciate the help, but I have to be going now. Was never supposed to be down here in the first place..."
Grabbing onto the railing Kalen struggled to pull himself to his feet, looking back down at the incinerator in action once more, holding his arm up to block out some of the heat and the light. With that, he looked to where he suspected the stranger had come from, and tried to open the small door so that he would be able to enter and try to make his way back to the main area. He could only assume it was far above and would take a long time though, as he had fallen for a long way.
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Post by CJ on Mar 16, 2013 22:02:04 GMT -5
"Oh, they're for camouflage alright," Kusu answered Lynwood with perking eyebrows, "but for other people, like Wolf, not you. Cause' you're pretty."
The mystery woman appeared, presenting herself as one of the only people capable of beating Kusu out in tackiness.
The captain's eyes were sparkling. Never had she met a being with as much desire to become a young maiden. She touched her face where the woman touched hers with a gracious sigh.
"P-P-P-P-PERFECT WARDROBE?!" Kusu gasped. "I WILL GIVE YOU ALL OF MY MONEY TO GIVE US THE BEST CLOTHES EVER. SQWEE."
She could have had a seizure at this point she was so excited. She danced and kicked her legs about.
At "wardrobe," the sword at Kusu's side shook violently, but it was unlikely anyone noticed.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Mar 16, 2013 22:39:49 GMT -5
Wolf nodded at Mr. Dark, glad to have learned the information. Arkady sounded like a powerful man in the world, and that is exactly who Wolf wanted to find. He needed more information on his origins. He had learned in his last adventure that he could not even trust his own memories. He had learned he was never a marine, never part of CP9, never lived on Shoemaker island. It was all lies implanted in his head. Who he really was, that is what he had to find out, no matter what. Without that knowledge, he felt incomplete.
He was snapped back into reality as he realized he had been walking with Kusu and Lynwood, and they were approached by a rather dazzling lady who said she could create them perfect attires. Wolf looked down at his clothing. It was tattered and torn from his last few battles. He was truly in the need of some new clothing.
"But I doubt you have anything to fit my size," said Wolf, opening his palms. He was, after all, twenty feet tall and over a ton. "But if you did have something..."
Maybe he would forget about Arkady for now. Perhaps he should just enjoy himself. He was back with his crew, and he was content with that.
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Post by Kyubey on Mar 17, 2013 0:08:20 GMT -5
"but for other people, like Wolf, not you. Cause' you're pretty."
"Really?"
Lynwood felt a sense of comfort from Kusu calling her pretty. The little captain had called the Urdian pretty before, but here especially, it took on a meaning that it hadn't earlier. Now, it seemed that prettiness was something to be held in high esteem. Lynwood did not pride herself on physical beauty, nor was it anything she cared for to begin with, but it seemed to mean something to Kusu, and that she saw it in Lynwood gave the tribeswoman a feeling of satisfaction. She smiled warmly down at the girl, having momentarily forgotten how uneasy she was in the crowded area.
"Thank you."
Now she was beginning to understand what sort of camouflage the eyeshadow was. It wasn't the kind that helped people hide. It was more a cultural thing, sort of like the many tattoos that covered her arms and legs. The people of this island, maybe other islands, wore of not to disguise themselves, but to show who they were as a people. And, like the Urdians, it was something they also seemed to show through clothing. If only Lynwood knew more!
And suddenly, as if summoned by her thoughts, the mystery woman appeared to help! Lynwood, by all definitions an outsider, knew nothing about clothing, or what those beyond her home island considered beautiful, but, thank the Gods, there was someone to show her! A world opened up before Lynwood, a wonderful chance to discover more about the ways and cultures of the world! "The place for all knowledge of anything fashion and grace..." The winds had guided her well. The idea of learning about this, about anything really, piqued her curiosity to the extent where she could never refuse.
"T-take my money as well!" she blurted out. "Show me all that you know, please!"
Perhaps, if she knew more about this, she would feel less disconnected from the strange Outside World. That in itself was not a large priority for her, but if it meant feeling that much closer to her new group, a group that came from that world, she would feel tremendous happiness. Already she was just about ready to start dancing and kicking along with her captain.
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Post by Kuro on Mar 17, 2013 22:26:41 GMT -5
The woman's eyes turned into beli symbols as a huge smile grew on her face. She jumped up into the air, just as ecstatic as Kusu and Lynwood as she squealed out of joy. "Ooh, perfect, perfect, PERFECT! Eeeeeeeeeeee! You're making me so happy! Come on, get inside, get inside!" She hurriedly shooed the three customers into the store, which was actually large enough for Wolf to walk into without hunching over. Indeed, each and every store on the floor was large enough for him and any other massive persons. The stores wouldn't want to be accused of discrimination against giants and giantism, after all.
"Welcome, welcome to my store, Fashionista Galore, store number 000085! I, Ashleigh de Pon, am the one who is to make you three look better than you ever have in your entire lives!"
It was what one might have expected from a clothing store; racks and racks of clothes and clothes, on the circular clothing racks, on the shelves, on the walls, ranging from small dresses to absolutely massive jackets that were almost as tall as the wall they were hung on. Ashleigh skipped around, humming to herself as she inspected and picked up a few of her wares, looking back and forth between those and her customers.
"Hmmm, too plain for her, looks too small, too bright, not bright enough, too sexy, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too sexy, oh naughty me why do I even have this in stock, okay, okay, let's see here...Ah-hah!"
She turned to her customers, a giant mound of clothes on her shoulders.
"Now, let's get started."
The three had been sent into the changing stalls, each with the clothing that Ashleigh had given him or her. She had explained that it wasn't definitely what they were going to buy, but just a possible outfit. In case any of the three needed help putting their clothes or accessories on, she was more than happy to help.
Wolf came out first in clothes that fit him easily. He had on an brown, open coat that reached to his ankles. The straps of the coat that would usually keep it closed were flowing freely in the wind, or at least it would whenever there was one, and the coat's collar was raised. Beneath the open coat for all to see was a black shirt with a big white plus on it, and for his legs he wore slim white pants and black shoes.
Kusu came out next, her hair still its usual style with goggles on it. She wore a large, crimson scarf on a deep-blue jacket that was closed. The ends of her sleeves were very large so that when they were tucked up, they seemed like large golden collars to her sleeves. All in all, the jacket was reminiscent of a pirate's. She wore slim black pants with her usual shoes.
Lynwood came out last, but not least. She wore a cropped denim jacket with a white shirt underneath with slim, fitting black pants and black high heels, along with a rather nice purse slung over her shoulder. Sensing that perhaps Lynwood wasn't very familiar with the fashion world at all, Ashleigh also had regular shoes for her if she wanted them.
"Ooooooooh, you all look fabulous! Very fine work, if I do say so myself. However, I realize that sometimes people just don't see the sense in my...fashion sense, and choose to follow their erroneous heart instead. If that is the case, you do not have to wear the absolutely amazing clothes I chose for you and can choose your own. Or, I can just mend and fix up the clothes you have right now. Either way, all of your money will be good payment, like you suggested." She smiled. "Well? Opinions?"
The gas-mask person said nothing as Kalen spoke, just staring at him instead. He didn't show any sign that he understood anything Kalen had just said, and simply followed Kalen when he went through the door.
It had led to a long and narrow hallway, one that required the shepherd and the masked man to walk right behind each other, since there was absolutely no room for them to walk side-by-side. The walls were metallic and it was very hot inside the cramped tunnel, no doubt garnering much sweat from the shepherd. The masked thing slinked at a safe distance away from the young man, his long arms dragging on the floor as he walked. He was silent to anything that Kalen said and reacted in no way.
Eventually, the end of the hallway could be seen: a wall with a keyhole in the middle. It was at this point that the masked man somehow slithered beneath Kalen's legs as if he was a liquid or a snake and went from a crumpled-up bag of bones to a standing bag of bones, managing to go back into his original form in the narrow space like it was nothing. He hadn't actually turned into a liquid or any other element, but it was like there weren't any bones in his thin body. Now between Kalen and the door, he reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small key. After he turned it in the lock with a click, the same kind Kalen had heard when the masked man appeared, the wall slid upwards and into the ceiling.
Kalen and the masked man walked into a large, round, open chamber, where Kalen would instantly feel a cool breeze around his body. There were lights on the ceiling, but only some of them worked and judging from some shards on the floor, a few of them had even fallen some time ago. The whole chamber in general was filthy, with goop and trash all over the floor and strange muck all over the walls and ceiling. With every step, there was the sound of a crushed can, cracked glass, or if Kalen was rather unfortunate, a squish. The stench could easily burn anyone's nostrils and it smelled as if an entire species had died and rotted away here; it wouldn't be surprising for Kalen's eyes to water. Maybe there was a reason the man wore a gas-mask after all.
The masked man walked around in the room, apparently looking for something as he searched through some of the trash. Eventually, he found what he was looking for and pulled out an old magazine. He slunk over to Kalen with the paper in hand and held it in front of the shepherd for him to see. It was the cover of the magazine that he was held in front of Kalen's face, and in the center of it were three big white letters forming a single word: WHY? The masked man tilted his head this way and that, his whole body twitching as he waited for an answer.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Mar 19, 2013 10:24:49 GMT -5
"Why what?"
Having to navigate through the hot, narrow passageways was bad enough, but this was something else. It was times like this that Kalen cursed the fact that he was not someone like Wolf, someone made out of metal. Wearing sandals, he may as well have gone barefoot. Slogging through the refuse was probably the worst part of his day so far, about on par with being burned to death. There were few times in his life for example, when he wished he could chop off his own nose to avoid the smell, as even raising livestock for a living didn't stink like this.
"What do you want? Why are you following me?"
Not to mention this stranger he had stalking him all the way. It wasn't that he didn't like the fellow, though he was certainly creeped out by him. It was just that Kalen wasn't sure why the bag of bones chose to follow him, and if he should be worried at all by the stranger. Surely he didn't need the shepherd for anything, and he hoped the bag of bones didn't expect some sort of repayment for the help. After all, despite the dire situation he was in, Kalen had not actually needed help. At least, to avoid death that is.
"Where's the way out... maybe up here or something..?"
Trudging along through the trash, Kalen looked along the walls of the dark place, hoping to find a ladder or something with which he could use to get out of this horrible place.
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Post by Hitotsumami on Mar 21, 2013 16:05:17 GMT -5
Wolf was surprised the woman's shop was large enough for him to enter. Rarely was he able to go inside human buildings, so this was a nice change. Not only that, but the clothes she had prepared for him fit perfectly. He was glad to dispose his old tattered clothes. They had gone through many battles and turmoils, from almost destroying the Hyperion and his friends, to almost destroying an entire marine base island. It was amazing that any of his clothes remained intact. But now, he could wear something new, and perhaps become someone new as well.
"It fits great!" proclaimed Wolf, stretching out his arms and legs. "I didn't think you'd have something to fit me, so I am thankful."
He watched as Kusu and Lynwood came out as well, and they looked stunning.
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Post by newb23 on Mar 21, 2013 21:03:47 GMT -5
Dunkan didn’t really seem to notice the man when he entered and let out a small squeal of fright when he spoke up. Sky-Crumbler then Ultra Slicer V. 10.5 seemed to mumble something but it was inaudible due to the many sounds streaming from other customers and Dunkan’s squeal. Glancing around to make sure that he didn’t cause anyone any panic he sighed. It seemed no one really noticed the sound. Regaining his composure Dunkan began to wonder around the shop looking at the various weapons that filled the place.
“Wha’ do ‘ou need a weapon fer? ‘Ou already got me.” “Well maybe I want somethin’ tha’ won’ yell at me…I’m just kiddin’. Just thoug’t I’d look around,” Dunkan added as the sword shook in it’s hilt.
There wasn’t much that actually interested Dunkan. With growing boredom Dunkan began to poke and prode at some of the weapons hopping that one of them would do something interesting.
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Post by KaosuKishi on Mar 23, 2013 6:21:19 GMT -5
Takai started think about Dark's question while he browsed the herbs and tools on display, but shrugged after a while.
"Honestly, I wonder how it got that bad. Humans were always greedy, but things haven't been this bad since the Great War that marked the end of the Void Century and the creation of the World Government. It also shows that the power of the higher-ups in the government isn't as absolute as everyone thinks. I doubt the five old men and Sengoku-jii would've let things go this far if they could've helped it. *sigh* I wonder how they're doing, anyway, haven't gotten a letter in over a month, and that worries me..."
Kizuna frowned. "I hate war, plain and simple, but, I also know that sometimes, there is no way to get the two or more sides to resolve things peacefully. All I can do is to pray to Inari-sama that noone we care for is going to get involved, that would be even worse..."
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Post by CJ on Mar 25, 2013 23:34:06 GMT -5
"Sqwee! I'm so cool!" Kusu exclaimed, tugging at her goggles as she posed in front of a mirror. She saw her two shipmates behind her and twirled to face them.
"Wow! Wolf, you look so handsome! You'll catch the eyes of all the young maidens now! And Lynwood... you're very beautiful."
Kusu's face turned bright red. She pressed her hands to her cheeks and turned away from her, though her embarrassment could still easily be seen in the mirror. She shook her head and grinned at Ashleigh in agreement.
"Thank you, young maiden!" she exclaimed gleefully. "If you could, I'd like this jacket and shirt with two holes cut and sewn in the back, like this shirt I brought in. Then I would also like four casual outfits and one suit in these measurements for a man, please. I'd like them to be simple with long sleeves and pants to fully cover his arms and legs."
Kusu was obviously talking about Hil. The only clothes he had on him was the motorcycle suit Captain Morgana Fate had forced him into. During their recent travels, Hil often kept to himself and spoke little. It could have been because part of his brain was missing and he couldn't form coherent thoughts but something else seemed off. He couldn't relate to any of them for some reason, only briefly smiling or saying a greeting in passing. Even now, his spirit stuck in the sword on Kusu's hip, he didn't show any signs of concern for Lynwood or Wolf.
She gave Ashleigh the measurements on a scrap of paper and an enormous sum of money, easily twice as much as the whole of the outfits were worth. It was all in bills. Kusu was a pirate only in her ambitions and rebel nature. From what Lynwood and Wolf probably knew, she wasn't a thief and didn't have the skills to amass that much money. Where exactly was she getting it from?
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