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Post by Kyubey on Aug 11, 2013 19:34:03 GMT -5
Ohyeah peered at the makeup kit presented, paying special attention to the way the newspaper was written. Even Ohyeah recognized how insultingly simple the instructions were, and the whole thing was obviously manufactured with Hilda in mind. At first glace, it seemed ingenious, the way the plan to fool Hilda into marking herself with the Era logo was devised, but the more he thought about it, the stranger it all seemed. Everything seemed to fall into place a little too well, with the details seeming to be meticulously crafted to near insane levels. Already, Ohyeah understood that these crimes went far beyond simple tagging, but now the job was becoming too unusual for his liking. If he had doubts before about there being some deeper purpose behind the graffiti, those doubts were cast far and away now. But, the question that came foremost in his mind was, why would Era seemingly go so far out of their way just to make sure their mark was left on an innocent giant, Warlord though she was?
"Don't worry," he said, his words directed at Hilda, but at least partially meant for himself as well. "We're gonna catch whoever did this. I'll make sure he ends up where he belongs." He cast his glance to Rory, staring at the mark he drew on his own forehead. While his stare was aimed only at the symbol, Rory might have felt as though Ohyeah was glaring right at him, with a reserved, contemplative anger.
He expected Fate to be the one to ask the right question, so he found himself deeply surprised when it seemed as though the only part of Hilda's story that mattered was the part about makeup. He began the interrogation thinking they would be discussing the marks left by a possibly dangerous criminal. Instead, he found himself watching a sudden beauty lesson. Not only that, but as a man who was decidedly uninterested in such delicate, feminine matters, he began to feel most out of place. He rested his head in one of his hands, and made a low, muffled groaning sound.
"I'm sure this is all important, Fate, but try to remember, we didn't come to this island for fashion. We're here for justice. So try to stay on topic for the moment."
He cleared his throat, and spoke to Hilda in a particularly stern tone, as though trying to compensate. "Can you give a detailed description of this man you talked about, the one who gave you the newspaper? Also, on what island was the marketplace where you met him?"
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 13, 2013 2:32:07 GMT -5
"Make up should never be used make a statement. It's to extenuate your natural features. That symbol distracted from your beauty, Brynhilda Irongard. But, aside from that, you do not need make up. You're beautiful enough, understand?"
"Know that, just... thought to fit in. Stand out enough already."
Possibly the understatement of the year, Hilda appreciated Fate's advice on all manner of things as much as her compliments, but she didn't need the captain's advice to never touch makeup again after all the trouble it had already caused. Fate made it look so easy though, it seemed there were some things Hilda would never be able to do whereas humans seemingly could with proficiency. Some small solace at least, that she didn't need help to reach the high cabinets.
"I'm sure this is all important, Fate, but try to remember, we didn't come to this island for fashion. We're here for justice. So try to stay on topic for the moment."
"I think the Commander is just jealous of our good looks, Captain."
Whispering aside to Fate, Rory did a poor job of trying to go over Ohyeah's head. He never stopped for a second while taking notes though, a testament to his journalist skills and ability to multitask. All the while his face was complimented by the now correct application of makeup which he had done by following Fate's instruction.
"Can you give a detailed description of this man you talked about, the one who gave you the newspaper? Also, on what island was the marketplace where you met him?"
"Was old little man, but nice. Give papers for nothing! With beard, and round, to live on island many years, everyone who live there knows this. Island though, was..."
Hilda had no difficulty remembering the kind old fellow whom had given her the giant newspaper, for as short as their interaction was. She seemed at least, more able to remember him than the place he lived however, and scratched her head at the thought.
"Borotol, it would have been. Only place we go, that had much paper for trade... remember the very wide trees."
"Ah, yes! Live inside them, little people did!"
Elsa had a better memory for this, as she had helped scout the island out, and her limited description was enough to remind Hilda. Only, while the giant seemed happy to remember the place, Elsa seemed somewhat perturbed.
"Only, that was some long time ago... many months, at least six I would say."
"Aj! So long already?"
The giant seemed quite surprised at this, though Elsa was confident in her memory. There was no dates on the newspaper or the makeup kit themselves to attest to this, but the wear and tear of the paper itself indicated that it had seen a good amount of usage over quite some time. If nothing else though, it was certainly durable to have lasted this long at least.
"Hmmm... but if the man who gave it away had been living there for many years, and she received the paper aroundsixmonthsprior...
Rory seemed to be speaking his mind aloud, lost in thought as he was over these new details. Exactly what he was thinking though remained unclear as he scrawled in his notebook.
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Post by CJ on Aug 13, 2013 22:23:41 GMT -5
"I... yes, sir."
Fate pulled her coat further over her face. Of course Ohyeah and the others would misunderstand her intentions. She was becoming more and more aware that people didn't understand falsehood and trickery to be as devastating a sin as she did. It was never about the makeup. It was about trying to correct the damage that had been done to Brynhilda by the criminal. Although it was clear she really was going about it the wrong way.
Awkwardly placing her helmet back onto her head from under her coat, Fate could feel the eyeshadow and blush smear down her face. She wanted to punch Rory but held back her anger. To her, he was only making the situation more unbearable, even if he was asking more important questions than she. She only shook her head at him, trying to get him to stop talking to her.
Listening quietly at the new development and despite her disdain for him, Rory helped Fate put two and two together.
"Then the new suspect is likely still at Borotol now. You all aren't lying, right? We can trust this information? We'll, of course, be taking the makeup kit and paper as evidence."
Seeing as the other Shichibukai on their crew was an unlikely suspect, Fate had something to say to Elsa. She kept it to herself for the time being, trying not to cause any more embarrassment in front of the Vice Admiral.
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 14, 2013 3:53:06 GMT -5
Fate's reaction to Ohyeah's remarks were noticed by the Vice-Admiral, though he did not say anything. During the time they spent working together, he had taken note of her intense dislike of deceit in all its forms. He never questioned why she felt so strongly about it, everyone had something that triggered such powerful emotions, after all, but he still tried to keep it in mind. He cast his eye downward for a single moment, feeling a little bad for speaking without thinking. In the future, he would try to be more considerate.
As a description of the suspect was given, and an island was named, Ohyeah looked up again, trying to burn Hilda's rough recollection of the old man's appearance into his memory. Surely, there were plenty of short, round, bearded men native to Borotol, though he had never been there himself to verify this, but if he was well-known on the island, it would help narrow the search, and if there were witnesses to him giving the paper to Hilda (the appearance of a giant warrior pirate in town would have been seen by a lot of people and would not be easily forgotten), that would narrow it down even further. He had a new place to set a course, and that by itself was good enough.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Irongard," he said to Hilda with a warm grin. "You've been a good help to us. When I find the rotten coward who got his symbol on you, I'll be sure to give him a good clean punch for ya."
He turned back to Fate and Rory, glad that both of them seemed to mostly be focused on the job at hand. At the moment, the simple act of getting new information to capture the criminal was the only thing he cared to concern himself with. "I had planned on questioning Uzo after this, but at this point, it might not be necessary. What do you two think? Should we talk to him while we're still here, or...?"
While the evidence given by Hilda seemed to point away from Uzo, it was only slightly. Her story did not explain at all how the criminal was able to perform seemingly impossible feats in many of the other instances of the graffiti showing up, and though Uzo was obviously not a little old man like Hilda described, it still did not rule the Warlord out completely. But still, with this new evidence brought to light, even if Ohyeah did speak to Uzo, he wasn't quite sure what he would say. So, he decided to leave it up to his comrades.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 15, 2013 22:39:11 GMT -5
"Take... if you can carry. Has only to bring trouble."
Hilda was almost glad to see the object of her torment go, and why she hadn't thrown it away earlier, remained a mystery. Perhaps waiting for this opportunity to gain closure on the matter, and hopefully now the others on the crew would understand. Or rather, the captain at least... she wasn't sure she wanted everyone else on the crew to know.
Some small question remained however, as to how they would get it out of here.
"I had planned on questioning Uzo after this, but at this point, it might not be necessary. What do you two think? Should we talk to him while we're still here, or...?"
"Question everything. That's what I say. Thenagainthatmightbewhy, I ended up in prison in the first place."
Rory had torn off some of the newspaper, and was currently using it to wipe his face clean of the makeup. He chuckled to himself a little over the matter of curiosity.
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Post by CJ on Aug 17, 2013 16:08:47 GMT -5
"I might be able to carry it," Fate said with a tinge of pride. She stomped over to the kit and, with a surprising feat of strength, actually managed to hoist part of it onto her shoulders. She dragged the kit forward as Ohyeah discussed possibly interviewing Uzo.
Her face became stern. This was exactly what she wanted. Her want to speak to him was of another matter than the symbols entirely so she was grateful Ohyeah was the one to suggest it. She was just about to voice her opinion after Rory when another spoke.
"Yeah, I agree. Caw."
The man appeared next to Ohyeah in an instant. There was no indication of his existence beforehand. It was as though he had suddenly emerged in that frame of existence.
A hood over his head concealed his face. He was dressed in winter gear with gloves, thick boots and a large coat. He held his right arm up in a greeting.
The metal wings on his back glimmered in the sun.
"Shichibukai Uzo!" Fate exclaimed, hoisting the kit even higher. "There you are!"
"CAW-ACK! HOW DID YOU FIND ME?!"
The other voice came from the crow's nest. Uzo leaned out of the crow's nest, broken arm and all. In that instant, the other man vanished from their presence, leaving only one in their presence.
"What is going on!" Fate voiced in frustration. "Get back down here immediately!"
"I.. I'd need Hilda's help if I'm to do that," Uzo responded, his one eyelid twitching in obvious fear.
The Captain shook under the weight of the kit. Despite her face being cover, her body language was enough to give away her fury.
"What are you talking about? Do it yourself! You were right here, you liar!"
"What? No I wasn't!"
"Liar! AUGH!"
Fate collapsed under the kit, leaving her arms flailing as she tried to wiggle out of it. She let out a shriek in anger, clearly infuriated by the Shichibukai's apparent lie. But was he really lying?
Meanwhile, Uzo waved to the other Shichibukai.
"Um, could you get me down there, Hilda? I don't really have much to say but I suppose I should clear myself."
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 18, 2013 1:06:00 GMT -5
Ohyeah nodded as Rory gave his opinion. Regardless of their own speculation, it would be wise of them to leave no stone unturned in the investigation. Until they could rule Uzo out entirely, it would be an oversight to not talk to him while they had the chance. And if Uzo turned out to be as helpful as his giant friend, that would be far better.
However, his hopes for another peaceful meeting were ended once it seemed as though the Warlord had successfully sneaked up on him. Instinctively, right as the hooded bird man appeared next to him, Ohyeah turned and raised a fist, as though to strike, before his senses got the better of him and he stopped himself. And before he could piece together what might have happened, all of a sudden the Warlord seemed to be in another place entirely.
"Okay, now I've got some questions."
He stared up at Uzo, still a little perplexed at what he had just seen. Did he just see Uzo's power in action, or was it just a particularly complicated parlor trick? He wasn't ready to decide whether Uzo was telling the truth or not, and either way he didn't have time to think about it anyway. While he was paying attention to the Warlord, Fate had been nearly crushed by a giant-sized makeup kit. Ohyeah felt a twinge of guilt, for not being more attentive of his shipmate sooner.
"Oh. Here, lemme get that for ya."
Ohyeah helpfully lifted the kit off of Fate, raising it up to his own shoulder. Unlike Fate, who seemed to struggle under the kit's weight, in Ohyeah's hands it seemed to weigh little to nothing at all. Despite how heavy it was, the Vice Admiral did not act burdened in the slightest as he held onto it. As soon as the kit was off his fellow Marine, Ohyeah turned back to Uzo. There were many uncertainties running amok in his head, but, at the current moment, there was one that was gnawing at him most incessantly: Now just what in the world is with the cawing?
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 20, 2013 23:15:36 GMT -5
"Oh, sorry! I should probably get down off of this."
Seeing the trouble Fate and Ohyeah had with their jockeying of the makeup kit, Rory opted to get down off of it, as he had been standing atop the whole time. Clamoring down, he merely watched with some degree of amazement at Uzo's impressive display of what seemed to be teleporting.
"Um, could you get me down there, Hilda? I don't really have much to say but I suppose I should clear myself."
"Ah? Oh ja, that I can."
Hilda had been easily fooled by the appearance down on the docks, such that it took her a moment to realize that Uzo was still up in the crows nest. When she did though, she carefully clamored to her feet so that she could reach him with her hands (there was a need to stand, in order for her to reach the crows nest). Uzo had been with them enough time now, that he had effected the manner in which Hilda acted in this regard, and at least in the capacity of helping him down she was extremely careful with her hands. Almost like handling a delicate glass sculpture, she waited till Uzo was ready to move of his own accord, rather than just grabbing him.
"There to go. Not to worry, if to be in trouble, I will protect."
"Aj, so there you are Uso! Had thought for you to go into town or something similar, hadn't seen you all the day."
Returning to her seated position, Hilda set down Uzo as carefully as ever with one hand, lightly pushing his back with the other for encouragement. Elsa meanwhile, approached a ways (though not enough to block out the marines) to greet him. She had been wondering for awhile where he had wandered off to, after all.
"Hey hey! Whatwasthedealwithallthat?! How did you get from up there to down here, and back again so quickly?"
Rory on the other hand, practically glomped the warlord, approaching him as closely as he did and asking him questions. None of it was mean-spirited, simply sheer amazement and curiosity, like a fanboy being starstruck. It might have come off though, that he was practically smelling him, as close as he was.
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Post by CJ on Aug 22, 2013 9:53:53 GMT -5
"Thanks Hilda," Uzo said feebly with a wave. He looked extremely nervous. Even though Hilda had handled him quite carefully, having to trust a giant to get him to a high point to a low one was frightening. At any moment, she could have crushed him or throwed him if she wanted. Fortunately, the Shichibukai didn't have to worry about that too much these days.
Shaking his head at Elsa, Uzo scratched his lazy eyelid.
"I guess I didn't tell you guys. I'm not going to be able to go into towns until I leave your crew."
Rory seemed to creep Uzo out. He shuffled away from him, seeking to stand closer to his fur wearing comrades.
"What are you talking about?" he cringed. "I was up there the whole time. There's no way I was down here unless..."
He blinked.
"Oh."
In that moment, his whole demeanor changed in apparent realization. He seemed much more confident, placing his working hand on his hip in a triumphant post.
"Yeah, I was down here before! I was showing you how AMAZING I am! You better fear me! I'm super powerful. Even time and space bow before me."
"Liar," Fate quipped, clenching her fists in fury. She seemed like she was going to explode at any moment. Despite his good gesture, Ohyeah's assistance only made her angrier. She didn't want to have to rely on anyone, especially for her own mistakes. In a fit of desperation, she breathed heavily to try and calm herself so she wouldn't attack the Shichibukai and possibly destroy their mission.
Uzo shivered in Fate's overwhelming rage. He glanced around and spoke again.
"Ummm... enough about me! Let's ignore me! You guys think that symbol Hilda put on her face was dangerous or something?"
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 24, 2013 3:00:52 GMT -5
Ohyeah was skeptical of Uzo, not overly willing to trust a pirate like him, Warlord of the Sea or not. Uzo's hasty explanation of how he appeared to be in two places at once seemed way too fishy to just be accepted so soon. They were fortune Hilda and Elsa wound up being so cooperative, but they might not have the same luck with this suspect. Judging from Fate's anger, he figured he should be the one to do most of the questioning.
"It's not the symbol that we find dangerous," he replied to the Warlord. "What we're worried about here is who's going around leaving it everywhere. As you may be aware, Hilda's face isn't the only place that logo's been seen." He wasn't sure how much of this was new to Uzo, but he wasn't too worried about potentially giving new information away. After all, what could only one pirate do with that knowledge? "Your friend was able to help us figure out how the symbol got on her, but I doubt those same methods would work for everyone. I mean, it's been on castles... bathroom mirrors... some pretty threatening locations. You wouldn't happen to know who or what might be able to do this, would you?"
His tone was casual, neither friendly nor accusatory, instead simply testing for a reaction. All the while, he kept glancing to Rory, to check if the prisoner was writing everything down.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Aug 26, 2013 4:00:05 GMT -5
"Very well, to each his own."
Elsa didn't pry further as to why Uzo chose not to leave the ship, though Hilda had overheard and she couldn't help but feel curious about the matter. She wasn't about to just ask and try to figure it out then and there, but she could come up with all sorts of ways in her mind as to the truth behind Uzo's self-imposed confinement. It confused her so, as he could travel everywhere and anywhere whenever he wanted, while she could only wish to be that free.
"Maybe not the symbol itself, but the person responsible, whoever is doing this seems to be able to put it wherever they feel like. There'ssomethingtobesaidabouta person who can go anywhere they want, and leave a mark to show it."
Noticing Ohyeah's frequent glances, Rory returned with a nice, optimistic smile and shook the pen and notebook in his hands about to show that he was getting it all down.
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Post by CJ on Aug 30, 2013 11:23:45 GMT -5
"Well, obviously I can do something like that," Uzo answered Ohyeah with a smirk. "I could stop time and move a ladder or something, slow down time just enough so that people can't see my actions when I paint the wall. I can't apply paint when time's stopped. It doesn't come off the brush. But there's a lot of people out there that can do stuff like that, not just me.
"Like, there's that Martin guy. He can warp space, so imagine what he'd be able to do with something like that."
Uzo, for a brief moment, seemed rather nervous when he spoke about Martin. It was no secret that the man had killed Shichibukai, so it only made sense that Uzo would be intimidated, especially given his abilities.
"So what do you suggest, liar? That Martin did it? Trying to put the blame on him? Spit it out!"
Ohyeah was right to be the one asking the questions. Having calmed down rather significantly, Fate was only slightly steaming with rage.
"No, no," Uzo nearly squeaked in defense. "I'm not. Actually, when you think about it, why would Martin or I ever want to do something like this? I can't travel far enough in time to reach past an era so it doesn't make sense why I would put something like that on Hilda's head. And I have no idea why Martin would ever do anything like that.
"My guess is that this person is average or has some kind of ability that wouldn't matter in a situation like this. I think this person wants you to think he's powerful, but he's actually convincing people to paint these symbols, as he convinced Hilda. I mean, do you have photos of the previous symbols? Does it look like it was drawn by the same person?"
It was impossible to see what Fate was feeling past her helmet, but it was obvious she was dumbfounded or at least respected the Shichibukai's opinion. Turning her to head to Ohyeah and Rory, she let her arms down at her side.
"Well? What do you guys think?"
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 31, 2013 0:18:17 GMT -5
Ohyeah felt impressed and disappointed all at once. If Uzo had shown any signs that he knew more than he was letting on, the Vice Admiral failed to catch it. That was not to say, however, that he was about to forget the possibility altogether.
"I don't have the faintest clue why you might want to do a thing like that," he said. "But I gave up on trying to understand the motives of you pirates a long time ago."
He thought for a while about the Warlord's input, considering all possible angles. If Uzo was the culprit, then everything he said would make a very predictable lie, but at the same time, he did also have a point. Given his powers, the Warlord could have possibly done damage on a far greater scale than what could be shown through simple graffiti, if he wanted. Martin seemed to be even less likely to have done it, or to have reason to do such a thing. But what seemed far more impossible to him was that there was somebody out there who could convince several powerful and influential world figures to paint the symbol themselves, especially seeing as previously, the government had no clue about how the graffiti had appeared. Just this one conversation was already the best lead the Marines had since possibly the matter first came to light.
"Well, I see no reason to question you further. All in all, there's no way you could possibly be the man Ms. Irongard described anyways. I'd say that until we head to Borotol and check things out there for ourselves, we're done here."
Even if there was further reason for him to continue pressing Uzo, there's no way he could interrogate one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea any more than he already had, at least without proper justification he could give to the World Government. Without any cause to stay, Ohyeah was now itching to move on. He had a good feeling that they were getting closer.
"That is, unless one of you has something else to ask."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Sept 5, 2013 3:52:28 GMT -5
"That is, unless one of you has something else to ask."
"No, not me. I can't think of anything else we need here."
Despite that it seemed negotiations were wrapping up, Rory continued to fill pages of his notebook with scrawled observations and details. A desperate hand and a more desperate mind attempting to capture with words, everything there was to know about not just the story they had been told but the situation itself. Each of the persons locations, what they were wearing, and a hundred other details; ever the reporter, Rory was a journalist at heart or so it seemed.
"To leave now? Good then. For this help, if toy soldiers to need help later, only to ask."
Striking the ground (a safe distance away from those below her) with her fist and a determined look, Hilda was glad this whole mess had been sorted out and she could bury this bothersome detail of her past. As well, she was seemingly offering a favor to the marines at some later date, though Elsa stepped in before any further detail on the matter could be given.
"Only happy to help, though... this is not a matter for which to be letting widely known, yes? Already it brings us much trouble, and only just are we starting to move past it. It is our hope that the full details towards this matter are to be staying within that book as writing. We are not wanting to come to regret this meeting, yes?"
Obviously more careful and thoughtful than Hilda, Elsa questioned worriedly after the matter on what the marines would do with this information they had gained today. She was not about to stop them from leaving or take it from them, but she hoped this wouldn't end up going poorly and coming back to bite her and Hilda.
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Post by CJ on Sept 7, 2013 21:57:25 GMT -5
"Thanks Hilda," Uzo said, smiling at the giant. If it wasn't for her testimony, he was sure the Ohyeah and the Marines would have had him captured. No amount of debate could save him from a seastone cell, where he was sure he would rot.
The Shichibukai jumped when Hilda struck the ground in joy. Fate herself took a defensive stance but calmed down. When Elsa addressed her concerns, the Captain was there to answer them.
"If there's one thing you can count on me for," she said, pointing to herself, "it's that lying is the last thing I'd ever do."
Not too long ago, befriending pirates was the last thing she thought she'd ever do.
"The information you shared with us will only be used to pursue and capture this criminal. There are people like you who might be suffering even now because of this person. By helping us, you will help them."
Walking away from them, she crossed her arms and mumbled to herself.
"To think this person is a deceiver," she said, "it makes my blood boil. I'm all the more excited to see this demon behind bars."
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