She looked at him when he said he couldn't die and she raised an eyebrow. She could only make the the assumption that he was a zombie. As he elaborated on his condition, she was only assured that her thought was correct as she shook her head at him. "You have two very exploitable weaknesses regardless. You ate a cursed fruit and are rendered permanently immobile underwater without rescue. Second, your head can be destroyed. Being reckless will easily result in one or both of those being taken advantage of." She scolded him softly as he then accepted her offer. She smiled slightly with a nod at that and only then did she salute him properly. A remnant of old habits. "Very well then. I hereby welcome you aboard my vessel Vot'Gul." She would relax again, realizing she was still doing that as she avoided eye contact slightly before turning towards the window. "Er...anyways! Was there any sort of business you needed to take care of by chance? We won't be setting sail again until tomorrow at the earliest, possibly later as needed."
Chaos Reclaimer
Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 4:29 pm
"I will heed your advice ma'am." Was the last thing he added to the discussion involving his seeming immortality, save for his head being crushed. At her salute, the man would immediately be at attention and a crisp salute would be at the corner of his brow. He didn't relax until she ended her own salute and even then only going at an at ease position. Hands were clasped behind his back, with feet shoulder-width apart. "Pleasure to be aboard ma'am." Again, his response was brisk and to the point. Maybe Luka had finally met her match when it came to having a stick up their butt. 'No business. I have already made my report. Awaiting further orders."
She nodded, satisfied that he at least understood that even his condition had its limits. That was all she wanted for now. Though as he denied having any business, and reaffirming a proper at ease stance and everything, it made her feel odd. It was almost like she was looking into a mirror from the past. It was a picture perfect reaction that she herself would have made once before, down to the response and stance. She blinked a few times, not really sure how this really made her feel. She shook her head briefly, having gotten lost in that thought for a moment. "I see. That's good then. My own reports have also already been turned in. Other than that I think...We should use this day to rest a bit. We'll set sail tomorrow so you are free to act as you please until then. Dismissed." She said, sounding a lot less official than she used to with it and even that felt weird to her. She turned on her heel, thinking that maybe some food would make her feel better. She paused before then and glanced back. "I'm...heading to the mess hall for some food. You're welcome to join me if you like."
"OH YEAH" An energetic boom would echo through the building. The very earth shook under Max's might, as all things did. But why did the earth deserve such a beating. Ego. The half-giant was in a hurry to not only gloat but get to the crew he had been assigned to. A pleasant surprise considering marines would often arrive alone to stop the underground matches. Blazing red and glistening grey. It most be them. Screeching to a halt the 14 foot tall wrestler grabbed both of them gave them the biggest bear hug they would receive. Unless they had met bigger half-giants or regular giants who gave them hugs. "HOWS IT GOING! I HEARD YOU GUYS GOT THE BEATDOWN OF THE CENTURY GABABABA" Letting them go and drop to the ground Max put his hands on his waist. "I've been assigned to a person named..." Rummaging through his pocket and pulling out a paper that looked like flake in his hand. "Laka Scumlet...no wait Luka Scarlet. Name is MAX ACTION nice to meet you" A hand extending towards the both of them.
"I would be glad to join you ma'am but I do not e-" Vot'gul began to say, his boot steps in line with her's as he followed her to the galley. His words, and march, were stopped by a sudden boisterous buffoon's booming bellow. With a quick heel-turn, the newly promoted lieutenant preformed a protocol standard about-face. And what did Vot see as he spun around? A fourteen-foot tall half-giant chore-boy running down the hall towards them. Screeching to a halt, those big burly arms would attempt to seize both of them up into a hug. Now restrained, Vot's temper would quickly flare. That one glowing eye would become a beacon of pure fury as he was pressed against a plump peck. In retaliation, the armored man would offer a rebuttal. A swift kick to the insubordinate marine. Straight to the gut. "YOU! You WILL address superior officers with proper respect!" His voice, resounding and fiery, would echo off the walls as he exploded slapping the offered hand away.
Still not very goo at the whole 'making friends' thing and Vot essentially being nothing more than Luka herself 1-2 years ago wan't going to make this very easy. She would have to at least try if she was to get anywhere with this though as she had started to lead the way before the ground started to shake and they were soon greeted rather suddenly by a very large man. They were both yanked into a combined hug by the much taller man as she sighed a bit, not all that sure who he even was before they were let go just after Vot had kicked the man in his very targetable stomach.
Once on the ground, she held up her hands, trying to diffuse the situation. "Now, now Vot please calm down it's not that big of a deal." She said, speaking softly as she looked between the two of them. "He's just trying to be friendly is all." She said, excluding the urge to correct this man on who had been beaten exactly since she was more or less fine save for a slight bruising, but Vot had been slammed into the dirty several times before he was tossed to the sea. She did look at Max and sighed slightly, disliking the way people above her kept randomly assigning her subordinates. Seemed to contradict the whole 'letting them decide' thing she was trying to go for lately. "Regardless, it's nice to meet you as well Max. We were heading towards the Mess Hall if you'd care to join us."
Max certainly didn't expect such a violent reaction for something that was rather friendly in nature. Receiving a rather painful kick to the gut from some iron leggings didn't really do anything but cause him pain. Stumbling a few feet back after being kneed he heard the man's anger. "Superior officer? You get...ranks here?" You learn something new everyday. Hand placed on the area that was kicked, deep breaths were taken before looking over at Luka. Hearing the woman talk like he wasn't here did make his eyebrows furrow. "Yeah calm down Tincan maybe a swim in the ocean will cool you off." The man who jumped in the middle of a group of pirates only to be thrown in the ocean shortly after. The story had become a bit widespread that even a newby like Max had heard it. Shaking his hand in the air when it was slapped away. For someone who asked for respect he wasn't the type to show it. "Oooh the mess hall. Yeah lunch sounds good about now. So tell me how much action do we see out there? And who's this Merlin guy I keep hearing about" First day on the job meant he had to keep his ears open for any opportunities. That's how you make as a wrestler taking any chance you got to rise to fame.
Ryunosuke Ryusei
Chaos Reclaimer
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:11 pm
Ho- How did he not know about rank and recognition?! Luka ordered Vot to calm himself. Or perhaps it was a sincere request. Either way, Vot noticeably relaxed. That is until the word TIN-CAN LEFT MAX'S MOUTH!! Vot could feel himself about ready to explode. This sort of insubordination was intolerable! But again, he remembered what Luka said and calmed himself. The man had no way settling himself other than reiterating a mantra over and over in his head. Dhuzud zrii. Dhuzud zrii. Dhuzud zrii. "Look. Just. I apologize for the kick. But." He held up a finger as he spoke. "I do not like people touching me and you did not ask permission. And.." The man's hands would go to his hip as he looked down and shook his head. "..I am respectfully requesting you treat, at the very least, Luka Scarlett the respect she deserves." He would make eye contact with Max, his neck having to stretch to even reach that high. Both of his hands would be open and to his sides at this point. Clearly he was putting a lot of effort into not being a complete a**.
Even Luka was a bit...confused, as to how this man wasn't aware of how things worked in the least. He was clearly not a Marine since day 1 and this couldn't be anything more than his first day. That might explain why he had been so suddenly assigned to her ship though at least. Likely inn the hopes that Ms. Uptight could ring him in. Or something to that extent. More importantly, he had just insulted Vot'Gul and the man's seething rage was very quickly building up. Before she could try saying anything, he seemed to handle himself well enough and even apologized for kicking the man before requesting respect on her behalf. It felt weird being in this situation as she looked between them. "Ok Max, no insults. And yes, ranks exist. It's a military so there are going to be people above you. I can give you the full rundown on it later."
She sighed softly, looking at Max before he brought up a name that made her grimace immediately. "Merlin would be a former Marine from a little over a year ago..." She said, starting to walk towards the Mess Hall, leading the way. "He quickly rose through the ranks and was close to becoming an Admiral even after capturing multiple dangerous pirates in quick succession. However...He randomly snapped one day. He destroyed the Head Building, caused dozens of casualties and openly Declared War upon us all over the Den Den Network. All active duty Marines had to arrive and were easily bested in combat as he beat them down or back..." She spoke softly, recalling that stressful situation. The people she watched fall. Her own arm being impaled by her own sword when she had tried to feint against him. She still had a line on her left forearm from that. "Thankfully Fleet Admiral Chikami made it in time to deal with the issue. I helped those remaining get out of the area and he dueled Riven personally. He was sent to Impel Down for a year before he got out. As for recent events...he seems to have battled one of the standing Admirals and escaped but his status as a threat has been displayed with his new bounty...He's only wanted Dead...with a bounty of 500,000,000 Beli..."
Seeing the girl switch to being more agreeable was a good thing as seemed to be a lot more calm at this point and willing to be reasonable. She smiled a bit at the joke about Max breathing dirt as the two seemed to be getting along well enough on their own. That was a good start. And having Tent admit to considering the offer more seriously was a about as much as Luka could ask for as she nodded. "Yes, we will be heading off now since we've already done what we can for the people here." She replied, turning as Max would likely follow after her with Tene atop his shoulders.
After they had left the island and East Blue entirely, Luka would have the ship take them back to Headquarters. Her general plan was to show Tene around the base itself, showcase the facilities and possibly instill a little faith in the ability of the Navy itself. It would take them an extra day to get there which was plenty of time to file her report on the mission performed at Cocoyashi as well as get in contact with the information department about a few things as she gave them the information she had about the incident as well as get a few updates on other recent pirate activity and the like. It was tiring work but once they had arrived, Luka would be the first to disembark as she would lead Tene (and Max) around the base, keeping an eye on the two with minor Kenbunshoku so neither ran off without warning as they both seemed likely to do.
"This is the main lobby building where you can find most other Marines relaxing between missions. There are plenty of side rooms for things like pool, darts, or other general forms of entertainment as well when you have nothing else to do." She said, explaining things as she begins the little tour of the base itself. "There's a mess hall down the hall that has chefs working in shifts at all times of the day and night to help feed everyone as needed and you can order from a fairly large menu as well." They'd continue on about the base, as Luka explained the buildings in turns. "That over there is the Head Building which is where all of the offices are for higher ranking Marines are located. Over there is the outside garden, just besides the Infirmary where the medical teams are staffed to help injured personnel. Over there is the training grounds for sparing and practicing one's skill with blade, gun, or the like."
Only two more locations remained as she keeps walking with the duo in tow. "The Grand Library and Information department are together for somewhat obvious reasons. The former you can use to read up on just about anything you'd want to learn " They came upon the last building finally after the tour as Luka turned to face them both. "Finally...this is the Onsite Confinement building. It's the place where we lock up criminals to serve their punishments upon arrest. Generally they are considered normal law abiding citizens officially should they serve their time peacefully and are given a clean slate from that point forwards unless they choose to break the law again. There are even cases where some have joined the Marines after learning their lessons even." She sighed, face looking slightly somber as she didn't really want to do this. "I'd like to think you'll take the latter choice Tene. I'd rather not, but I'm going to have to ask you to take a short punishment before you can consider joining the Marines and I'd rather you not take this personally in regards to that consideration." She spoke calmly, though with a hint of regret in her voice. Seems her conversation with the Information Department regarding her reports had managed to get Tene's poster faxed over during the trip to base.
PonderingPenguin
Cor Contritum
Ryunosuke Ryusei Crew
Offline
Cor Contritum
Raider
Offline
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2018 7:20 pm
Tene argues and eventually someone convinces her this is best, w/e bla bla bla. She's in confinement for whatever amount of time.
After an extensive run of dutiful services for the varying Blues and even the Grand Line, the older marine found himself back at base filling out a rather intricate mission statement detailing his ventures out at sea.
Outside Garden
A brisk pace was set towards the garden as Azusa rubbed the soreness from her wrist. No matter how many thousands of arrows he'd shot in his days it was always the pen and paper that his joints disagreed with. Perhaps due to boredom. Perhaps the traumatic disciplining he received as a kid from getting whacked across the wrist whenever he made a calligraphy mistake.
Still, it was nice to be able to shower and change and relax without worry. However, when he headed for his favored location to do the last one, he stopped when he heard a particular name being spoken from within the garden.
Galand.
For a moment his eyes widened and his steps instinctively muted themselves. His body faded into nothingness, for all intents and purposes becoming invisible to the naked eye. Calmly stepping through the entrance of the Garden he further masked his presence by remaining at a distance, close enough to hear them speak but far enough to make a hasty exit through the entrance should need be. His eyes narrowed to the Admiral and the blonde who'd been drenched in water for an obvious reason.
Eavesdropping on their conversation for his own selfish reasons, the bearded man tried to piece together what relationship she had with the man they spoke of. Friend? Foe? He presumed the latter given the man's infamous reputation and rise to piracy of all things. He rubbed his chin hairs deep in thought and as their conversation ended with hints of flirtation and sarcasm Azusa also silently took his leave. For while he wanted to stay and ask them questions, he knew that picking one of them was best for the occasion. And seeing as how the higher ranks had a way of keeping information away from the ear of the public, Azusa figured that the woman was his safest bet.
Main Lobby
For a moment he tailed her. He desired to get information from her without the need of espionage given they were supposed allies in arms, however, the moment wasn't right.
And by that he meant that he was standing in front of the entrance to the women's locker room.
So, instead of seeming suspicious he made his way towards the main lobby, becoming visible to the world once more between the empty corridor he'd came from to here. Clad in his standard work attire, Azusa waited patiently nearby like a parent waiting at the front porch for their child to return home for supper after playing all day. He sipped the hidden nectar from the gourd in his hand, his cobalt hues scanning the half-empty lobby for the familiar face.
What he did see was an oddly dressed figure that was lazily cuffed and being lead out towards the docks. What caught his attention hadn't been their height, but the garbs they wore; they were noticeably of Wanosian culture, the ones that certain assassins wore. The man squinted his eyes, following the figure as their head seemed to crane his direction in response. Sharp eyes tried to peer under the veil and what seemed like a fraction of a second he felt as if he'd recognized them. They'd flick him a crooked wave in greeting before being led off but in the process a spark of blue misted from the mysterious figure's fingertips into that of a firefly that swished and fluttered its way over to him; perching onto his nose. Crossed eyes stared at it, wide in confusion and realization before the firefly dispersed into a chill that felt like a sudden punch to the face; forcing him to throw his head back.
However, when he looked back the figure was gone.
He batted his eyes several times, unable to make heads or tails of the situation. Was he finally starting to lose himself after all of these stressful years? The man sighed, leaning back against the wall as he looked down to the gourd in his grasp and corked it.
"I...suppose I have had enough alcohol for one sitting..."
Clearly this occurrence was from the buzz of the alcohol, dismissing what just happened as nothing more than that.
Finally, out stepped the blonde woman, clad in a different but similar attire than before. Placing the gourd in a pouch at his waist Azusa pushed his back from the wall and strode forward,"Ah! Excuse me!"He called out to her as he approached. A waved of the hand and a friendly smile accompanied his greeting."Miss. May I have a moment of your time? I would like to speak with you in private, if you do not mind."He inquired somewhat more discreetly as he got closer. His voice rugged and raspy, his textbook proper speech and his accent was clearly that of a foreigner.
WORDS
Words: 840 Cash Flow: 8,400 Total Bank: 61,460 Posting History: [ x ]
Ah, well. Maybe they were both doomed when it came to love then. As the topic switched over to the duties of the Admiral and how busy and stressful it could be, Astraea offered a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure. It's a lot of responsibility to shoulder." Ayon had been one of the Admirals for basically as long as she'd been a Marine, so she could understand him feeling a little burnt out. "It sounds like you're considering retirement. Not going to vie for the Fleet Admiral position?" The man had always been ambitious, so she was sure what he was saying with simply venting to her. As to whether she could fill an Admiral position.. Well.. "Pfft. I don't think someone who is as bad at judging character as I am is fit to be an Admiral. I suppose we'll see." As they exchanged lines, Astraea thanked the man, giving him a pat on the shoulder as they went their separate ways.
Main Lobby
From there, she made her way to the lockers so she could shower and change into clothes that weren't damp. Opening her locker, Raea hopped back in surprise as something fell out, a familiar sound and scene playing as she knelt down to watch.
"Come on, then! Show me what you've learned!"
Picking up the Dial in a daze, Astraea sat on the bench with tears gathering in her eyes. Across from Galand stood Evelyn, a grin on her face to match that of the man before her, their stances mirrors to each other. A faint smile tugged at the woman's lips as she recalled exactly what happened next. Eve went up in flames.
"H-Hey, now! W-"
"IS THAT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN?!"
"Huh.. It's okay! It doesn't hurt!"
"WHY IS SHE ON FIRE?!"
"W-Well maybe s-"
"Really! I'm fine!"
"I'M PUTTING HER OUT!"
Promptly the girl had a torrent of water crash down upon her, and the scene ended. Hitting the button on the Dial, Astraea laughed lightly, brushing the tears from her face. They'd all certainly come a long way from then, though she felt she was no better at taking care of Evelyn than she had been in the past. Closing her eyes she sighed, holding the Dial against her chest, recalling the memories of Evelyn as she grew up, she and Galand doing their best to ensure she was taught well and given the love she deserved. They were certainly strange and unorthodox, their little family, but the time they'd spent together made her feel more whole and fulfilled than anything else did. Teaching Evelyn how to cook. Watching Galand show her Rokushiki. Helping her to brush out her hair or comforting her when she'd had nightmares. And through it all.. "You seemed so happy, Galand... Why did you leave us..?"
After a few minutes she finally stood and opened her eyes, wiping her tears away and changing quickly into a clean outfit. Just like she had felt so many times, more than ever she couldn't escape the nagging sensation that something important was missing. A puzzle piece that would finally reveal the full picture to her. She just had to find it. Exiting the locker room, she walked absentmindedly away with no clear direction, pondering just where to go next, even more curious as to how somebody had given her this memory and who was behind it. Before she could get much further though, someone calling out made her stop and turn around. As another Marine approached her, Astraea smiled to them, offering a quick salute as a greeting. Tilting her head slightly, the woman looked mildly surprised that he wanted to talk in private, but nodded nonetheless. "Oh, um, of course! I'd be happy to help you however I can."
Max was certainly not flabbergasted by Tene's response. With a scoff and a light blush on his cheeks the giant would blurter, "N-NO!...That's that's not what I meant." Now what did he mean by it? That's right! "I meant that such feats are as easy as breathing for me" Ha, Tene wouldn't be able to pull a quick one on Max. Feeling rather confident as they boarded Luka's ship and sailed back to base.
Strolling around base while Luka gave them a tour, admittedly a useful tour as upon arrival Max and crew had set off towards his first mission. Tapping against his stomach while they walked and whistling a tune, letting Luka's explanation of every location be background noise. That was until they arrived at the Onsite Confinement building, what a needlessly large title for what is basically a jail cell. The title wasn't important what was important was that Luka planned on putting Tene inside one of the cells! Opening his mouth to protest but quickly shutting it when the other defended herself. However it was very telling when she accepted her fate and went inside the cell. Tene had lied to him. Looking at Luka then back at the girl giving a hearty smile. "Tene see this as a temporary setback. You'll find yourself out in no time doing whatever you want. Being a marine or not" Raising him thumb up before turning around and gritting his teeth. "So Luka where we going next?" This time he was ready to knock some heads together.
Why did her job always have to be so stressful and tiring? And why did it always seem that Luka got the short end of the stick for any sort of work she performed while others were lucking out and securing multi-captures and doing their jobs efficiently? She couldn't really understand it sometimes as she watch Tene reluctantly head into the building to serve her time in holding without too much of a fuss. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she turned away towards Max who asked her were they would be heading next. "We have the current day off to restock the ship after the last stop, but tomorrow we will be heading out to Loguetown. It's a popular location for pirates to stop for supplies before entering the Grand Line and I'd like to possibly find and arrest as many as possible while possibly setting up an official post there to keep an eye on any further activity as well. For now though feel free to take the rest of the day to rest. Eat, get to know the staff, whatever you like. We will set sail at dawn."
