"Indeed! The older the better," Memora nodded along with MachMan crossing her hands upon the table in business-like fashion, while still flashing a playful smile. "Indeed. Quite interested."
"That's some hobbyist stuff next to what I'm offering," ArmoryMan scoffed, edging his shoulder past his date's, as though he'd smelled blood in the water and decided that only the first shark in was going to get a meal. "Trinkets compared to arsenals and a one-time pawn compared to long-term contracts. No comparison."
Memora flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned her smile momentarily towards her friend. "So charming," she commented, before leaning in harder to muscle him back out, not to mention to utilize other unique assets that were best utilized when leaning across a table. "See, you said it yourself! It's the difference between selling me your time-tested gear, which you know best the strength and limitations of, to an interested and grateful buyer, and buying palettes of weapons for war-like purposes on some impersonal contract," she reminded MachMan, punctuating her offer with a wink.
"Ha! Listen: here's her trick... Memora here knows that as soon as you arm your whole army with my weapons, you cease to be a curiosity, a unique entity, and become a well-armed, serious militant faction. You'll be like the NetPolice or the NetMafia, but in a good way... equal ground, my friend. She fears that, because then the value of Neo-Shogun merchandise lowers. That's what's going on here. Let's just say our deals are more or less mutually exclusive," the dark-skinned man explained, smiling as he revealed the nature of the game they were playing. The smile hadn't left Memora's face, but she eyed him coldly; it was becoming apparent they weren't such great friends after all. "Now, take a look at my deal..."
Without leaning past Memora, he instead reached out a long arm and pressed a semi-transparent, near perfectly flat screen down in front of MachMan. The offer seemed rather generous, if he was one with an eye for quality weapons and the prices they ought to sell for, but there was clearly a large section of fine print below the number. "Let me save you the reading: it says that the offer's only good if you instigate an attack on target using these weapons. I'd recommend you find a 'cold war' adversary, with whom you have differences but not open hostility, and use a preemptive strike with your new arsenal to win a decisive victory. Of course, if you still want to deal but plan to stay the course... you accept the contract with the understanding that what you're getting is a lot better than pointy sticks, it's just maybe not as good as the weaponry that I sold to the Right of Operation Templar a few weeks back." The last statement hung in the air for a moment like a threat.
"You are not going to intimidate MachMan, you silly man... If you were, we wouldn't be here fighting over his patronage to begin with. I can sweeten the pot too... In the interest of showing you that my business is not so cold and impersonal, but rather, a cozy relationship between seller, recipient, and giddy intermediary, I might be willing to let you know who your fine collectibles are going to... It's something you really ought to know, although, you understand... Business is business," Memora added at length.
At the other table, Yasu was watching Aera's face curiously, almost as though she was aware of the fact that she was being involved in a dirty stray thought. That glare was broken when Rodeo inserted herself between the two. The cowgirl turned her head suddenly, nearly slapping Yasu in the face with her pigtails. "Darn tootin! I've been tryin' to get my mitts on one'a yew Nee-yo Shogun types for ages'n ages! Ya'll're always paradin' around in yer cute yoo-nee-forms, with yer fancy fightin', and yer what-not, and golly, if it don't just set my heart to patterin'!" she explained, clasping her hands together and looking star-struck.
"Hmph. Thank you for your kind words, but we're not interested in your company," Yasu barked, sounding only slightly less stern than she might with a man.
"Wait, you got it-"
"Yes, I get it. And you're not going to lay a finger... another finger, that is... on my subordinate."
"No, I-"
"Correct, the answer is no."
Sensing she'd hit a brick wall, Rodeo turned her freckled face to Aera and put on puppy-dog eyes as hard as she could, trembling her lower lip in an exaggerated expression. Escort and Coral watched curiously from nearby, whispering something that might have been a bet on whether Aera would challenge Yasu's authority on the matter. Tango continued dancing with Seer... although it was a bit hard to see what they were doing. On closer inspection, the fog from outside had very suddenly begun to leak into the party room. "Wait, a vision! I've got- waaah!" Seer announced loudly, but there was no time to elaborate while she was busy jitter-bugging for her life. "That giiiirl!" she cried out noisily, but it wasn't immediately apparent who she was talking about.
Wanderlust Cruise Ship
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Vector and Mach listened quietly as the pair continued to lobby for the Navi's patronage. While Vector was unsurprisingly without expression and focused more on understanding the situation, Mach got some entertainment from the power-struggle between Memora and ArmoryMan. She kept going for the "personal touch" style of business, while ArmoryMan stuck to the cold (but indisputable) arithmetic of firepower. It even felt frosty at some points; Mach wondered if it was simply competitiveness, or if they're not really as strong of "partners" as he previously assumed.
He took a look at the repertoire of weaponry on the screen passed to him. "Hm..." he hummed thoughtfully as he perused the list, noting some rather high-caliber equipment, even some he hadn't seen before, and what he might've thought to be crew-served heavy weapons, requiring multiple programs to effectively direct such destructive power. He only made it a few sentences into the fine-print before ArmoryMan paraphrased the "catch:" use them in an act of aggression, or stay reactionary and get a much less impressive supply of weaponry. It also sounded like other groups have taken the previous deal, in an apparent attempt to coax Mach into an arms race with this "Templar" faction. This started to spin Mach's mental wheels; other factions are vying for slices of the proverbial pie, and someone is already supplying the knives. It wouldn't be surprising if FORFEIT was a client, but it also begged the question if the Terror Girls were buyers as well.
"Quite an impressive array of arms, sir. But from what I hear, unprovoked aggression has fallen out of favor in some of the Shogunate leadership," Mach confessed, but not to the point of saying the entire strategy has changed; the pair could be brokering more than just physical weaponry, and information can be just as damaging. "I don't wish to sour relations by agreeing to something my compatriots won't act upon. However..." Mach paused to take a swig of his drink, then leaned in, supported by his forearm on the table and looking ArmoryMan straight in the eye (showing good restraint in not looking in Memora's direction and slightly downwards, I might add). "Some "feelance work," outside of the NeoShogunate doctrine, and "brand"..." he briefly shot a glance to Memora, then back to ArmoryMan. "Could fit the terms of your contract, if that can suffice."
Vector's eye panned to Mach, interested in this proposal. Mach felt this contract could outfit himself with some impressive weaponry, which would benefit the NS along with himself. He could also utilize said weaponry for his own needs, with less risk of being tied to the NeoShogunate, or maybe convince the NS leadership to allow him to use ArmoryMan's arsenal to arm his NetSquadron to the teeth. The hard part would be to sell a preemptive strike on another faction to the generals and the Shogun him(?)self. The Terror Girls were essentially pacified, and FORFEIT is too much of an unknown, so a ripe target wasn't readily available.
While he let ArmoryMan mull on the proposal, he shifted his attention to Memora. "And I might be willing to "thank you" for said information," he said in response to the Navi's proposal to "sweeten the deal" by revealing the identity of her client. "A peek at some original vernier and armor designs, some unconventional graphic models, or something else." he continued with a wink. He noted the atmosphere becoming much mistier, but didn't pay it much mind, as it likely preempted the *official* introduction of the woman from the clipper. His uninformed fractal comrade, however, showed some indications of alarm; his eye panned cautiously around, expecting something to emerge from the entrances to the room.
Back at the all-ladies table, Rodeo's request was met with the unyielding wall that is Yasu. It was actually quite impressive to see the general quickly and skillfully dismantle the girl's attempts. She also showed an oddly cute protectiveness of Aera, as "her subordinate." Rodeo laid on the cute heavily on Aera, like a puppy peering up from a cardboard box. She did her best to not gush over the girl's display, and shrugged. "I don't even know who your partner is, it is a "swap" game isn't it? That also begs the question, who's my "official" partner on this cruise? And who's yours, miss Yasu?" She asked, smartly refraining from pulling a 'Sideburns' and referring to the general as "Yasu-sama." She seemed to be going along, but she couldn't help but stir the pot a bit as she continued. "Is it Mach? Vector? ... or me?" she pondered aloud, shooting Yasu an innocent, but subtly flirtatious look. This was proving to be an interesting little game, so much so she didn't initially realize the mist steadily permeating the room.
He took a look at the repertoire of weaponry on the screen passed to him. "Hm..." he hummed thoughtfully as he perused the list, noting some rather high-caliber equipment, even some he hadn't seen before, and what he might've thought to be crew-served heavy weapons, requiring multiple programs to effectively direct such destructive power. He only made it a few sentences into the fine-print before ArmoryMan paraphrased the "catch:" use them in an act of aggression, or stay reactionary and get a much less impressive supply of weaponry. It also sounded like other groups have taken the previous deal, in an apparent attempt to coax Mach into an arms race with this "Templar" faction. This started to spin Mach's mental wheels; other factions are vying for slices of the proverbial pie, and someone is already supplying the knives. It wouldn't be surprising if FORFEIT was a client, but it also begged the question if the Terror Girls were buyers as well.
"Quite an impressive array of arms, sir. But from what I hear, unprovoked aggression has fallen out of favor in some of the Shogunate leadership," Mach confessed, but not to the point of saying the entire strategy has changed; the pair could be brokering more than just physical weaponry, and information can be just as damaging. "I don't wish to sour relations by agreeing to something my compatriots won't act upon. However..." Mach paused to take a swig of his drink, then leaned in, supported by his forearm on the table and looking ArmoryMan straight in the eye (showing good restraint in not looking in Memora's direction and slightly downwards, I might add). "Some "feelance work," outside of the NeoShogunate doctrine, and "brand"..." he briefly shot a glance to Memora, then back to ArmoryMan. "Could fit the terms of your contract, if that can suffice."
Vector's eye panned to Mach, interested in this proposal. Mach felt this contract could outfit himself with some impressive weaponry, which would benefit the NS along with himself. He could also utilize said weaponry for his own needs, with less risk of being tied to the NeoShogunate, or maybe convince the NS leadership to allow him to use ArmoryMan's arsenal to arm his NetSquadron to the teeth. The hard part would be to sell a preemptive strike on another faction to the generals and the Shogun him(?)self. The Terror Girls were essentially pacified, and FORFEIT is too much of an unknown, so a ripe target wasn't readily available.
While he let ArmoryMan mull on the proposal, he shifted his attention to Memora. "And I might be willing to "thank you" for said information," he said in response to the Navi's proposal to "sweeten the deal" by revealing the identity of her client. "A peek at some original vernier and armor designs, some unconventional graphic models, or something else." he continued with a wink. He noted the atmosphere becoming much mistier, but didn't pay it much mind, as it likely preempted the *official* introduction of the woman from the clipper. His uninformed fractal comrade, however, showed some indications of alarm; his eye panned cautiously around, expecting something to emerge from the entrances to the room.
Back at the all-ladies table, Rodeo's request was met with the unyielding wall that is Yasu. It was actually quite impressive to see the general quickly and skillfully dismantle the girl's attempts. She also showed an oddly cute protectiveness of Aera, as "her subordinate." Rodeo laid on the cute heavily on Aera, like a puppy peering up from a cardboard box. She did her best to not gush over the girl's display, and shrugged. "I don't even know who your partner is, it is a "swap" game isn't it? That also begs the question, who's my "official" partner on this cruise? And who's yours, miss Yasu?" She asked, smartly refraining from pulling a 'Sideburns' and referring to the general as "Yasu-sama." She seemed to be going along, but she couldn't help but stir the pot a bit as she continued. "Is it Mach? Vector? ... or me?" she pondered aloud, shooting Yasu an innocent, but subtly flirtatious look. This was proving to be an interesting little game, so much so she didn't initially realize the mist steadily permeating the room.
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"Ha!" ArmoryMan snirked, as if an insulting joke had just popped into his mind as MachMan described the army's recent preference towards peaceful resolution. "Who cares what your 'compatriots' do or don't agree with? Trust me, when it's those guns saving their asses, they'll thank you plenty," he shrugged. "Besides, this is just me looking in from the outside, but I'd say you're in a pretty good position to talk them into whatever you damn well please... And if I were you, I could think of a lot of arrangements that'd please me. No offense to your 'compatriots,'" he joked. "Hey, if you want to do the work all on your own, that's fine by me, pal. Can't exactly offer you a big contract for that, but maybe I can still offer you weaponry that would befit your solo cooperation... How about this: let's call it a starter pack. A bunch of pirates have shown up to the party today. They're all armed and they are, you know, card carrying pirates... rob people for a living, that kind of thing. Not a militant faction that will threaten you Shoguns in any way, but still, bad guys with weapons. You instigate some hostilities with them, threaten or attack them, and I'll award you an Arsenal3 chip, just for taking the leap. No problems there, right? I'll even point them out to you when they walk in."
"What a ludicrous proposition. If you instigate war with party-goers over a little trinket like that, you'll have definitely betrayed my expectations," Memora chuckled, though not mirthfully. "Let me propose you a more attractive offer," she cooed, happy to return MachMan's playful flirts. "Unconventional graphic models? Why, to my client, that would be like a collector's edition comic or a limited print trading card. "However, I feel more comfortable when I set the terms... That's just my personality. Consider this my own starter's offer: if you'll give me the outfit you're wearing on the cruise right now... in private, if you prefer, and you can certainly change afterward... I'll happily offer you a BubbleCross battle chip, as befits our ocean cruise. Just know that, as I mentioned earlier... the offer I've made and the one my friend here has suggested are mutually exclusive. If you accept his offer, you deteriorate your 'market value' as a gallant Robin Hood and your gear becomes exponentially less valuable to me."
"Me, I'd be happy to let you take her offer and then take mine, only she'd withdraw her offer once you picked up my business. You get it?" ArmoryMan reiterated, looking irritable again as Memora ruined what was a perfectly good arms deal, in his opinion.
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Rodeo gasped at the realization that she had yet to unveil her partner for the day. "Well, shucks! My pardner's back in the ol' lean-to... She's not one much fer chattin' or hoe-downs, but she's the purdiest, trustiest pardner yew'll ever have out on the else-wise lonesome trail," Rodeo giggled, doing her best to assure Aera her partner was just dandy.
Yasu didn't look keen to play along, frowning and crossing her arms. "My official partner? Aera, nothing about this ridiculous voyage is 'official,'" she scoffed, turning her head aside. With her eyepatch still facing the others, she sighed deeply, then mumbled in a quick, quiet voice. "But I guess it's MachMan..."
"So... uh..." Rodeo gawked for a moment, as if she'd just hit a snag in her logic train. She looked between Yasu's imposing (if currently amusingly protective of her pride) figure and MachMan's dealings with obvious arms dealers. "Y-You! Yeah, it's you I want, Ay-ruh!" she laughed, dreadfully butchering the SP's name with her pronunciation or lack thereof. "So, er... we'd chat, and um... I dunno... the armor guy over there, I guess, would go meet Genevieve! Yup, that rings just right, don't it?!" she asked again, grinning ear to ear with a hopeful, somewhat desperate look in her eyes. She seemed to think she was going to get something from Aera that she wouldn't be able to from any of the other girls (even if it just turned out to be a petite, conventionally pretty girl she was looking for). "Yeah, yew and I are gunna stir up some good times! Might even win that 'pashin' award' if we play our hands just right, hyuk hyuk!" she guffawed, in a way that would either be infectious or agitating depending on one's outlook. At least, despite her chumminess, she wasn't really being grabby with Aera or anything. She was acting kind of drunk, but didn't appear to actually have had anything to drink; Aera didn't smell any liquor.
Tango chuckled from the dance-floor, projecting his voice so that everyone could hear. "At this rate, I will win my own contest without any other entrants! Come now, certainly someone out there has a little pasión, eh?" he asked, his voice then changing over to the woman's. "And I am still waiting for my partner to show up- whoop!" It was hard to tell what exactly had happened in the mist, but somehow, amazingly, Tango had stopped talking. The mist slowly started to disperse from the room, seeming to go back through the kitchen, and as it cleared, it seemed only the dummy Tango was left. Oddly, after a short time, it stopped dancing entirely, leaving Seer embarrassingly attempting to match feet with the hunk of wood for a while before realizing she was doing all the work, at which point, she dropped it unceremoniously onto the floor.
The change made less of an impact on the party than one might think; despite Tango's best efforts, the attention of most partygoers was on their tables, not on their host. Seer started to move towards Aera, noticed Rodeo chumming around there, and instead went over to sit with MachMan. She gave a timid smile to the two arms dealers, who returned wolfish smiles of their own, causing her to retreat further into her hood and slouch in her seat without introducing herself.
"What a ludicrous proposition. If you instigate war with party-goers over a little trinket like that, you'll have definitely betrayed my expectations," Memora chuckled, though not mirthfully. "Let me propose you a more attractive offer," she cooed, happy to return MachMan's playful flirts. "Unconventional graphic models? Why, to my client, that would be like a collector's edition comic or a limited print trading card. "However, I feel more comfortable when I set the terms... That's just my personality. Consider this my own starter's offer: if you'll give me the outfit you're wearing on the cruise right now... in private, if you prefer, and you can certainly change afterward... I'll happily offer you a BubbleCross battle chip, as befits our ocean cruise. Just know that, as I mentioned earlier... the offer I've made and the one my friend here has suggested are mutually exclusive. If you accept his offer, you deteriorate your 'market value' as a gallant Robin Hood and your gear becomes exponentially less valuable to me."
"Me, I'd be happy to let you take her offer and then take mine, only she'd withdraw her offer once you picked up my business. You get it?" ArmoryMan reiterated, looking irritable again as Memora ruined what was a perfectly good arms deal, in his opinion.
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Rodeo gasped at the realization that she had yet to unveil her partner for the day. "Well, shucks! My pardner's back in the ol' lean-to... She's not one much fer chattin' or hoe-downs, but she's the purdiest, trustiest pardner yew'll ever have out on the else-wise lonesome trail," Rodeo giggled, doing her best to assure Aera her partner was just dandy.
Yasu didn't look keen to play along, frowning and crossing her arms. "My official partner? Aera, nothing about this ridiculous voyage is 'official,'" she scoffed, turning her head aside. With her eyepatch still facing the others, she sighed deeply, then mumbled in a quick, quiet voice. "But I guess it's MachMan..."
"So... uh..." Rodeo gawked for a moment, as if she'd just hit a snag in her logic train. She looked between Yasu's imposing (if currently amusingly protective of her pride) figure and MachMan's dealings with obvious arms dealers. "Y-You! Yeah, it's you I want, Ay-ruh!" she laughed, dreadfully butchering the SP's name with her pronunciation or lack thereof. "So, er... we'd chat, and um... I dunno... the armor guy over there, I guess, would go meet Genevieve! Yup, that rings just right, don't it?!" she asked again, grinning ear to ear with a hopeful, somewhat desperate look in her eyes. She seemed to think she was going to get something from Aera that she wouldn't be able to from any of the other girls (even if it just turned out to be a petite, conventionally pretty girl she was looking for). "Yeah, yew and I are gunna stir up some good times! Might even win that 'pashin' award' if we play our hands just right, hyuk hyuk!" she guffawed, in a way that would either be infectious or agitating depending on one's outlook. At least, despite her chumminess, she wasn't really being grabby with Aera or anything. She was acting kind of drunk, but didn't appear to actually have had anything to drink; Aera didn't smell any liquor.
Tango chuckled from the dance-floor, projecting his voice so that everyone could hear. "At this rate, I will win my own contest without any other entrants! Come now, certainly someone out there has a little pasión, eh?" he asked, his voice then changing over to the woman's. "And I am still waiting for my partner to show up- whoop!" It was hard to tell what exactly had happened in the mist, but somehow, amazingly, Tango had stopped talking. The mist slowly started to disperse from the room, seeming to go back through the kitchen, and as it cleared, it seemed only the dummy Tango was left. Oddly, after a short time, it stopped dancing entirely, leaving Seer embarrassingly attempting to match feet with the hunk of wood for a while before realizing she was doing all the work, at which point, she dropped it unceremoniously onto the floor.
The change made less of an impact on the party than one might think; despite Tango's best efforts, the attention of most partygoers was on their tables, not on their host. Seer started to move towards Aera, noticed Rodeo chumming around there, and instead went over to sit with MachMan. She gave a timid smile to the two arms dealers, who returned wolfish smiles of their own, causing her to retreat further into her hood and slouch in her seat without introducing herself.
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"I'll keep that in mind," Mach replied simply to ArmoryMan's assumption the NS will appreciate the ballistic upgrade, regardless of their doctrine. He continued to listen to the Navi, who offered a more personalized deal, with the "fine print" involving picking a fight with some 'pirates' on board. Mach assumed he meant those on the clipper. Vector remained quiet and continued to pan his vision amongst the mist filling the room, but anyone who knew him would correctly assume he was against the idea of unprovoked hostility. "Pirates you say? They look more interested in swimsuits than plunder; I'm more concerned with pissing off Jack and getting kicked overboard, already racked up a few infractions it seems..." He shrugged with a sigh, then rolled his shoulders before his casual expression and posture became more rigid and focused. His tone chilled a noticeable degree as well as he continued, "but they won't shoot first." The chip being offered wasn't something to scoff at, but he didn't yet believe it worth bullying a trio of programs that have been nothing but peaceful thus far. Soon after making that indirect threat, his intense posture relaxed.
Memora parried ArmoryMan's attempt to steal her business with a derisive remark, and riposted with her own offer: A powerful chip for Mach's clothes. Vector was torn between an almost instinctual, affinity-based affection towards the BubbleCross chip, and confusion over the seemingly lopsided trade. He'd seen them shop for those clothes, and they weren't all that expensive nor high quality... Mach was surprised the garb he'd just started wearing not an hour ago was valuable in Memora's eyes, but also sounded suspiciously like an odd pickup line. That thought was pushed from the forefront of his mind as Memora reiterated the mutual exclusivity of the offers on the table. He had to choose, but ArmoryMan did Mach a favor by giving him a strategy to get both chips, but it would ultimately cut short any future deals with the memorabilia dealer. Mach chuckled with amusement, the alcohol was loosening him up a bit as well. "Pressure's on huh? Now things are getting interesting. I'd say this is the first time anyone's offered a chip to get me out of my clothes," he grinned. "Odd development from bargaining for the identity of your client; speaking of which, I never got her name. "Playing hard to get," or is it perhaps because she's on her way as we speak?" He asked, throwing up "finger quotes."
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Aera listened to Rodeo's explanation/excuse for her partner's absence, lagging a quarter-second or so behind to translate her odd vernacular. However, Yasu's response got more of Aera's attention, as she finally answered the lingering question in her mind. "Oh?" she replied with a mischievous tone, a grin appeared on her face as the previous scenario in her head fell perfectly in to place. But there was still an imposing wild-card: Rodeo. Said wild-card declared a focused interest in Aera specifically, but her somewhat desperate look suggested she may have had an eye for Yasu as well, before she was verbally dismantled by said Navi. In Aera's eyes, the girl was outlandish and even a bit brash, but well-meaning to the point of not deserving another hostile shoot-down. However, the mixture of mood and alcohol inspired Aera to continue to stir the pot.
"Well dear, you now have yourself some competition. I can't help but have an eye on Miss Yasu's partner, him." She shifted in her seat, crossing her legs and putting an arm on the back of her chair to point her upper torso towards Mach's table. She'd lean her head if need be to get a clear line of sight with Mach, and tilted her head upwards slightly if Rodeo looked to her and/or asked who she was referring to. She'd also clarify by saying "The man next to Vector, err... "armor guy." Care to change my mind?" along with a challenge.
Tango, the apparent forerunner of the game, declared as such before the the female counterpart was cut off, sounding like she tripped or something. The mist was too thick to clearly see, but it very quickly retreated into the kitchen, leaving behind Seer and Tango's male dummy counterpart. Tango's sudden disappearance attracted both Mach and Vector's attention, but Mach started to theorize Seer's partner finally made his appearance, in the form of the mist. Seer soon abandoned her non-functional partner and retreated to Mach's table, looking embarrassed. Mach put a hand on her shoulder and attempted to rock her upper torso reassuringly as he spoke up "Impressive, I didn't know you could dance too! I assume it was IllusionMan who cut the dance short?"
Memora parried ArmoryMan's attempt to steal her business with a derisive remark, and riposted with her own offer: A powerful chip for Mach's clothes. Vector was torn between an almost instinctual, affinity-based affection towards the BubbleCross chip, and confusion over the seemingly lopsided trade. He'd seen them shop for those clothes, and they weren't all that expensive nor high quality... Mach was surprised the garb he'd just started wearing not an hour ago was valuable in Memora's eyes, but also sounded suspiciously like an odd pickup line. That thought was pushed from the forefront of his mind as Memora reiterated the mutual exclusivity of the offers on the table. He had to choose, but ArmoryMan did Mach a favor by giving him a strategy to get both chips, but it would ultimately cut short any future deals with the memorabilia dealer. Mach chuckled with amusement, the alcohol was loosening him up a bit as well. "Pressure's on huh? Now things are getting interesting. I'd say this is the first time anyone's offered a chip to get me out of my clothes," he grinned. "Odd development from bargaining for the identity of your client; speaking of which, I never got her name. "Playing hard to get," or is it perhaps because she's on her way as we speak?" He asked, throwing up "finger quotes."
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Aera listened to Rodeo's explanation/excuse for her partner's absence, lagging a quarter-second or so behind to translate her odd vernacular. However, Yasu's response got more of Aera's attention, as she finally answered the lingering question in her mind. "Oh?" she replied with a mischievous tone, a grin appeared on her face as the previous scenario in her head fell perfectly in to place. But there was still an imposing wild-card: Rodeo. Said wild-card declared a focused interest in Aera specifically, but her somewhat desperate look suggested she may have had an eye for Yasu as well, before she was verbally dismantled by said Navi. In Aera's eyes, the girl was outlandish and even a bit brash, but well-meaning to the point of not deserving another hostile shoot-down. However, the mixture of mood and alcohol inspired Aera to continue to stir the pot.
"Well dear, you now have yourself some competition. I can't help but have an eye on Miss Yasu's partner, him." She shifted in her seat, crossing her legs and putting an arm on the back of her chair to point her upper torso towards Mach's table. She'd lean her head if need be to get a clear line of sight with Mach, and tilted her head upwards slightly if Rodeo looked to her and/or asked who she was referring to. She'd also clarify by saying "The man next to Vector, err... "armor guy." Care to change my mind?" along with a challenge.
Tango, the apparent forerunner of the game, declared as such before the the female counterpart was cut off, sounding like she tripped or something. The mist was too thick to clearly see, but it very quickly retreated into the kitchen, leaving behind Seer and Tango's male dummy counterpart. Tango's sudden disappearance attracted both Mach and Vector's attention, but Mach started to theorize Seer's partner finally made his appearance, in the form of the mist. Seer soon abandoned her non-functional partner and retreated to Mach's table, looking embarrassed. Mach put a hand on her shoulder and attempted to rock her upper torso reassuringly as he spoke up "Impressive, I didn't know you could dance too! I assume it was IllusionMan who cut the dance short?"
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ArmoryMan's face went to one on its short list of possible expressions: a vaguely disapproving, stern frown. "What, you already buddies with the pirates or something? And here I thought Memora and I were the ones coming in with all of the intel," he murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with one large, dark hand. "I can't say whether they'll shoot first or not. If they do, then what-do-you-know, I was right and you ought to have bought my weapons. If you shoot first, you just get a great chip for nothing more than exercising your right to arms. Seems like an easy decision to me..."
"Except there's also an option three: nobody shoots anybody... here, at least... and you take your boring, joyless weapons dealing somewhere its appreciated. That's your problem, ArmoryMan: you're artless. War is a study for me, a passion!" Memora chuckled, feeling that she was coming out on top.
"Artless? Listen at you! A hobbyist telling a trader of my means that he's the one not taking his business seriously enough. You're a trip," he murmured, adopting expression number two, bemused smirk. "Matter of fact, you're worse than me, when you get down to it. At least I just perpetuate war for the money! For you, it's all a game, isn't it?"
"Yes, but the nature of my business today can hardly be correlated to that passion of mine. In this little instance, well... it really is more about the money," she admitted with a small shrug. She turned her smile back to MachMan, raised both eyebrows, then shook her finger slowly. "Well, well, I see how you got your name, MachMan! Have I not made this deal sweat enough for you? You want me to play my only card before I even get my merchandise? All things in due time... Trust me, as soon as you've handed over what I've asked, you'll find me to be a very charitable woman."
"Puh-huh-huh," ArmoryMan coughed into his fist, making a sound sort of like a laugh, before cupping his lips back over his drink.
Seer took another sip of her lemonade, two of her eyes watching the cup thoughtfully while the third one stole glances at MachMan and Memora. MachMan had an observation, rolling in both a compliment of Seer's makeshift dance routine and IllusionMan's possible role in Tango's disappearance, which caused Seer to jump a little. "No, don't tease me... I'm no dancer. I'm just lucky that Tango is, er... made to dance... probably literally," she blushed. "As for IllusionMan... he may have? The fog everywhere definitely reminded me of him, but on the other hand, I didn't actually know he was capable of whisking anybody out of a room. I thought he was just a face made out of clouds..."
She knit her eyebrows and the one semi-brow above her third eye that didn't actually have an eyebrow. "I think I'm getting another vision... It's Tango, the female one. It looks like she's... laughing about something," she commented, squinting harder. "I can't hear anything, so it's hard to make any sense of it. I wonder if it indicates more danger?"
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Yasu glared back over at Aera but said nothing, instead opening her mouth wide to bite into one of the fajitas she'd rolled for herself. She'd already made it through two and was going through a third now, all of them significantly corpulent with meat. Rodeo kept grinning, but pressed her fingers together nervously, stepping from one foot to the other nervously over and over again. "Well, I just reckon it oughta be just the two of us! I feel like we got, uh, a real connek-shen goin'! We don't need anybody else involved or anythin' like that! Sorta seems like, er... I mean, I don't know if I'd get along with... I mean, y'know, yew just seem less... threatenin' than them others ya mentioned," she laughed awkwardly.
When the first general put down her meal and glared again, Rodeo waved her hands apologetically. "I-I meant uh... guys! Right, that's what I meant. Guys just make me nervous 'n give me the jitters, y'know? Like a buncha jumpin' ja-lo-peen-yo beans bouncin' around in my belly!" she announced, almost sounding proud, as she pronounced the "j" in jalapeno. "I mean, I'd have no problem fightin' or workin' with em or anything, just, y'know... specifically... negotiatin' with em," she continued in an increasingly quiet voice. It wasn't really apparent what she meant by that. "But if yew reeeeally wanna, shucks, I guess he could tag along too... B-But maybe first, yew could like, I dunno... soften him up for me! Like, tell him how great I am! Let me know if you want a list'a my talents! Yew oughta see what I can do with a rope!" she encouraged Aera, now wiggling her bottom back and forth and putting on her best puppy dog eyes again.
Yasu frowned blankly and said nothing, moving on to her fourth fajita as she watched the others silently. She almost seemed to be brooding. Escort smiled, placing one hand onto her ally's shoulder. Her smile seemed to say, "Don't worry, there's someone out there for you too," which agitated Yasu more than anything else so far, causing her to squeeze her wrap so hard that half of the meat shot out of the other side, splattering over her breasts and the plate in front of her. Her anger was getting even worse now; it might be best for Aera to relocate in some fashion.
"Except there's also an option three: nobody shoots anybody... here, at least... and you take your boring, joyless weapons dealing somewhere its appreciated. That's your problem, ArmoryMan: you're artless. War is a study for me, a passion!" Memora chuckled, feeling that she was coming out on top.
"Artless? Listen at you! A hobbyist telling a trader of my means that he's the one not taking his business seriously enough. You're a trip," he murmured, adopting expression number two, bemused smirk. "Matter of fact, you're worse than me, when you get down to it. At least I just perpetuate war for the money! For you, it's all a game, isn't it?"
"Yes, but the nature of my business today can hardly be correlated to that passion of mine. In this little instance, well... it really is more about the money," she admitted with a small shrug. She turned her smile back to MachMan, raised both eyebrows, then shook her finger slowly. "Well, well, I see how you got your name, MachMan! Have I not made this deal sweat enough for you? You want me to play my only card before I even get my merchandise? All things in due time... Trust me, as soon as you've handed over what I've asked, you'll find me to be a very charitable woman."
"Puh-huh-huh," ArmoryMan coughed into his fist, making a sound sort of like a laugh, before cupping his lips back over his drink.
Seer took another sip of her lemonade, two of her eyes watching the cup thoughtfully while the third one stole glances at MachMan and Memora. MachMan had an observation, rolling in both a compliment of Seer's makeshift dance routine and IllusionMan's possible role in Tango's disappearance, which caused Seer to jump a little. "No, don't tease me... I'm no dancer. I'm just lucky that Tango is, er... made to dance... probably literally," she blushed. "As for IllusionMan... he may have? The fog everywhere definitely reminded me of him, but on the other hand, I didn't actually know he was capable of whisking anybody out of a room. I thought he was just a face made out of clouds..."
She knit her eyebrows and the one semi-brow above her third eye that didn't actually have an eyebrow. "I think I'm getting another vision... It's Tango, the female one. It looks like she's... laughing about something," she commented, squinting harder. "I can't hear anything, so it's hard to make any sense of it. I wonder if it indicates more danger?"
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Yasu glared back over at Aera but said nothing, instead opening her mouth wide to bite into one of the fajitas she'd rolled for herself. She'd already made it through two and was going through a third now, all of them significantly corpulent with meat. Rodeo kept grinning, but pressed her fingers together nervously, stepping from one foot to the other nervously over and over again. "Well, I just reckon it oughta be just the two of us! I feel like we got, uh, a real connek-shen goin'! We don't need anybody else involved or anythin' like that! Sorta seems like, er... I mean, I don't know if I'd get along with... I mean, y'know, yew just seem less... threatenin' than them others ya mentioned," she laughed awkwardly.
When the first general put down her meal and glared again, Rodeo waved her hands apologetically. "I-I meant uh... guys! Right, that's what I meant. Guys just make me nervous 'n give me the jitters, y'know? Like a buncha jumpin' ja-lo-peen-yo beans bouncin' around in my belly!" she announced, almost sounding proud, as she pronounced the "j" in jalapeno. "I mean, I'd have no problem fightin' or workin' with em or anything, just, y'know... specifically... negotiatin' with em," she continued in an increasingly quiet voice. It wasn't really apparent what she meant by that. "But if yew reeeeally wanna, shucks, I guess he could tag along too... B-But maybe first, yew could like, I dunno... soften him up for me! Like, tell him how great I am! Let me know if you want a list'a my talents! Yew oughta see what I can do with a rope!" she encouraged Aera, now wiggling her bottom back and forth and putting on her best puppy dog eyes again.
Yasu frowned blankly and said nothing, moving on to her fourth fajita as she watched the others silently. She almost seemed to be brooding. Escort smiled, placing one hand onto her ally's shoulder. Her smile seemed to say, "Don't worry, there's someone out there for you too," which agitated Yasu more than anything else so far, causing her to squeeze her wrap so hard that half of the meat shot out of the other side, splattering over her breasts and the plate in front of her. Her anger was getting even worse now; it might be best for Aera to relocate in some fashion.
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Mach responded to ArmoryMan's question regarding his knowledge of the pirates simply with a shrug. Mach finally had a tidbit of info they didn't have, he didn't want to cheapen it by gloating. He was also content with letting the two continue to duel it out over the Navi's patronage. Their conversation teetered on the edge of philosophical, but in the end they made it clear they were both in it for Mach's wallet. One for its contents, one for the wallet itself, as it were.
Memora wouldn't budge with the info, reiterating the deal requiring Mach's clothes first. "Can't just pull a fast one on ya... alright." He resigned as he placed his glass back down on the table. He looked over towards the crumpled mannequin near the center of the room, then back to Memora. "I'll refrain from uh, stripping out here; with our host MIA, it wouldn't even count towards that game of his... or hers." Vector remained quiet, feeling like a pointy fly on the wall. Though he was keen on listening to this unconventional conversation, he could sense he was a bit of a "third wheel."
His focus then shifted to Seer as she only partially supported Mach's theory IllusionMan was one who whisked Tango away. This drew a bit of concern, but he didn't know how well Seer knew her partner or his abilities. It could also be the work of the pirates, since the mist seemed to accompany them. The Navi also experienced another vision, with Tango being the subject of her clairvoyant episode. "Doesn't sound too bad, see anything else?" he inquired. In the albeit short time he knew her, there was a trend of her misinterpreting the visions. Depending on what she said to elaborate, Mach may utilize his previously idle SP. If said info added more suspicion on top of the still unconfirmed identity of Tango's possible kidnapper, it would warrant investigating.
"Hey Vector, could you do me a favor?" he asked as he tilted his head to the SP, as if he was going to whisper something. Vector's posture stiffened in attention, and his glowing cycloptic eye panned to the Navi. "Sir?" he replied dutifully. Mach pointed his thumb over towards the doors leading to the kitchen, where the mist had retreated as detailed his favor. "Mind checking out the kitchen? Curious if Tango is hanging out there, or if they have anything other than fajitas and ice cream. Up to you." Though he left the door open for Vector to refuse, he was almost entirely sure the SP would comply. He assumed correctly as the SP placed his lemonade down and calmly pushed away from the table. "Gladly." Mach nodded in approval, and glanced to Seer. "You can go with him if you want," he offered. The fractal SP showed no sign of protest to the arrangement, though it may slow his progress of combing the area.
Regardless, Vector would calmly make his way to the kitchen, and made his way past the doors to start his investigation. He kept his weapons "sheathed," but he was a mere moment from bristling with sharp implements when needed, like a switchblade on steroids. His eye panned back and forth across the room, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary; but since this was the first time he'd been in a kitchen, everything would be somewhat new to him.
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Aera was disappointed Rodeo didn't attempt to meet her challenge, but Rodeo's flustered nervousness was still relatively entertaining. She was still persistent in her pursuit, even declaring they had a "real connek-shen." This confidence was oddly coupled with the suggestion Aera was in her sights because she appeared less threatening than the others. Aera wondered if she was looking for someone with a similarly bubbly temperaments, which wouldn't really fit with intense-looking types.
Unsurprisingly, Yasu looked to take that remark personally, and gave the girl another withering glare. Rodeo backpedaled and explained it was the guys she was referring to, and her unease with "negotiating" with them. [[i]...Negotiating? Is that a euphemism?[/i]] Aera thought to herself. However, Rodeo gave the option of putting in a good word first before including the guys in the situation. "Haha, I guess I could put in a good word for you." she giggled before taking another sip of her nearly empty drink.
A thoroughly crushed fajita and a freshly made mess painted the picture of a very ornery Yasu, one that looked to be a few seconds from going off on the girl, and possibly Aera as well. Aera took this rather obvious cue to make herself scarce, and decided to take Rodeo along... for her safety, of course. "Alright, want to walk and talk? I feel like I need to work of the ice cream, gotta keep the figure, you know?" She stood up, and gestured towards one of the hallways leading back to the sunbathing area.
If she convinced the girl to move along, she'd make a quick glance back to the table, to see how the others reacted. She hoped they'd realize she was doing this to "keep the peace." She gave a slight wave in apology for departing, and left her drink behind before she followed/was led by Rodeo.
Memora wouldn't budge with the info, reiterating the deal requiring Mach's clothes first. "Can't just pull a fast one on ya... alright." He resigned as he placed his glass back down on the table. He looked over towards the crumpled mannequin near the center of the room, then back to Memora. "I'll refrain from uh, stripping out here; with our host MIA, it wouldn't even count towards that game of his... or hers." Vector remained quiet, feeling like a pointy fly on the wall. Though he was keen on listening to this unconventional conversation, he could sense he was a bit of a "third wheel."
His focus then shifted to Seer as she only partially supported Mach's theory IllusionMan was one who whisked Tango away. This drew a bit of concern, but he didn't know how well Seer knew her partner or his abilities. It could also be the work of the pirates, since the mist seemed to accompany them. The Navi also experienced another vision, with Tango being the subject of her clairvoyant episode. "Doesn't sound too bad, see anything else?" he inquired. In the albeit short time he knew her, there was a trend of her misinterpreting the visions. Depending on what she said to elaborate, Mach may utilize his previously idle SP. If said info added more suspicion on top of the still unconfirmed identity of Tango's possible kidnapper, it would warrant investigating.
"Hey Vector, could you do me a favor?" he asked as he tilted his head to the SP, as if he was going to whisper something. Vector's posture stiffened in attention, and his glowing cycloptic eye panned to the Navi. "Sir?" he replied dutifully. Mach pointed his thumb over towards the doors leading to the kitchen, where the mist had retreated as detailed his favor. "Mind checking out the kitchen? Curious if Tango is hanging out there, or if they have anything other than fajitas and ice cream. Up to you." Though he left the door open for Vector to refuse, he was almost entirely sure the SP would comply. He assumed correctly as the SP placed his lemonade down and calmly pushed away from the table. "Gladly." Mach nodded in approval, and glanced to Seer. "You can go with him if you want," he offered. The fractal SP showed no sign of protest to the arrangement, though it may slow his progress of combing the area.
Regardless, Vector would calmly make his way to the kitchen, and made his way past the doors to start his investigation. He kept his weapons "sheathed," but he was a mere moment from bristling with sharp implements when needed, like a switchblade on steroids. His eye panned back and forth across the room, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary; but since this was the first time he'd been in a kitchen, everything would be somewhat new to him.
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Aera was disappointed Rodeo didn't attempt to meet her challenge, but Rodeo's flustered nervousness was still relatively entertaining. She was still persistent in her pursuit, even declaring they had a "real connek-shen." This confidence was oddly coupled with the suggestion Aera was in her sights because she appeared less threatening than the others. Aera wondered if she was looking for someone with a similarly bubbly temperaments, which wouldn't really fit with intense-looking types.
Unsurprisingly, Yasu looked to take that remark personally, and gave the girl another withering glare. Rodeo backpedaled and explained it was the guys she was referring to, and her unease with "negotiating" with them. [[i]...Negotiating? Is that a euphemism?[/i]] Aera thought to herself. However, Rodeo gave the option of putting in a good word first before including the guys in the situation. "Haha, I guess I could put in a good word for you." she giggled before taking another sip of her nearly empty drink.
A thoroughly crushed fajita and a freshly made mess painted the picture of a very ornery Yasu, one that looked to be a few seconds from going off on the girl, and possibly Aera as well. Aera took this rather obvious cue to make herself scarce, and decided to take Rodeo along... for her safety, of course. "Alright, want to walk and talk? I feel like I need to work of the ice cream, gotta keep the figure, you know?" She stood up, and gestured towards one of the hallways leading back to the sunbathing area.
If she convinced the girl to move along, she'd make a quick glance back to the table, to see how the others reacted. She hoped they'd realize she was doing this to "keep the peace." She gave a slight wave in apology for departing, and left her drink behind before she followed/was led by Rodeo.
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"Oh, that's too bad... If the garments were involved in a public spectacle, I'm sure that would only increase the noteworthiness of this trade," Memora joked, agreeing with her smile that it was probably for the best he not set off the various ladies around the room who might have something to think about his stripping naked here.
"Hmmmm... I see... Well, the setting is hard to make out due to the mist. The walls are metal and it looks like there are shelves. They might be in the kitchen somewhere, since I saw them vanish back there," Seer offered; apparently, the situation itself was not developing in much of a noteworthy way, but she was offering details all the same. "The vision is panning around a bit... I can see the items on the shelves, they look like various cans and sealed packages. There are words printed on them, but the vision isn't, er, stopping to let me peruse."
"Fascinating. However, I must concur with MachMan; you have your business and MachMan and I, gainfully, have settled upon ours. Let's find somewhere appropriate to complete our deal," she dismissed Vector, before rising to leave with MachMan.
For her part, Seer wasn't about to be left alone at the table with ArmoryMan; they'd be strange bedfellows with very few common interests, no matter how you looked at it. "I'll go with Vector," she agreed, tagging along. "Maybe something in my visions will give us an idea of how to home in on Tango's location." With that, the two disappeared into the kitchen area together.
ArmoryMan stayed quiet, eyeing MachMan and Memora with a sharp frown, as the lady proceeded to get her way. Memora stood up from the table slowly, which would give MachMan ample time to see the prophesized holstered gun attached by a belt around one thigh. "Where shall we go? We can head to my room, if you like... ArmoryMan knows better than to walk in on us. Your room's out of the question, so long as the First General I've heard so much about has an all access pass to interrupt us," she smirked.
As if sensing she was being talked about, Yasu began watching the two warily.
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The kitchen was everything a normal person might expect it to be, though perhaps Vector might lack the proper framing to imagine what was "normal" for a kitchen. The décor was the same pastel pink and white that adorned much of the ship, with "N T" branding here and there. A wide variety of unused cooking tools lined the walls and cupboards; it was clear that the only parts that had been touched recently were those necessary to prepare fajita ingredients, which mostly meant knives, chopping boards, pans for simmering, and etc.
Perhaps more notably, a trail of low lying fog across the floor seemed like a good way to track the way where Tango had been taken to. "Vector, there's more to the vision... it looks like it's getting closer to Tango's face... it's dimming out and becoming hard to see," she admitted, squinting her third eyeball. "She's got her eyes closed and- oh my stars," she commented, clutching both of the side tails from her hair that protruded from her hood. "Oh... the vision is strange and... hard to interpret," she continued, going rapidly from pink to red. "It seems like it's a vision of her... well... she's making out with someone, but from the viewpoint, it feels disturbingly like it's me myself.... I must find a way to rid myself of these visions," she shuddered, switching the position of her hands to each shoulder. "Hurry, Vector! Maybe if we find Tango we'll learn something about the strange things I'm seeing!"
The trail of fog ended at a large, metallic door near the end of the long kitchen hall. Vector could see that, besides the door, there was also an elevator to one side and a pantry on another. The pantry was dark, but did have shelves; it could potentially be the area Seer was seeing. The trail certainly pointed at the metal door, however. The coolness of the metal would reinforce what the average person likely would suspect: the door was hiding a large freezer behind it.
Seer didn't have to say "you first," because it was clearly implied by how she huddled behind Vector and peeked over his shoulder, as if afraid of what might be awaiting inside the freezer.
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"Really? Shucks, that'd mean the world to me! I've been tryin' to put a bug in one of the Shogun-girls' ears for lordie knows how long!" Rodeo responded, her enthusiasm only serving to further frustrate Yasu. The western girl's nervous, grinning face went into a full-throttle nod of agreement as Aera proposed they head elsewhere. "Let's ramble on!" she cheered, before skittering out of the hall with her lanky legs bounding in ungraceful steps.
Once outside, the two would head back over to the sunbathing area. It seemed that the pirates hadn't gotten the memo about the snacks or game in the party hall; they'd instead taken up around the pool. The two ladies who'd earlier been packing swords, one with bright blond hair in a short bob and the other with black hair in a wide fan, were lounging in the pool. They seemed to be discussing the cruise, though neither of them had anything especially insightful to say. Both were wearing matching, sea-green swimsuits that were fairly flattering, though a bit uniform.
The third pirate who'd been sketching at the ship's bow earlier had taken up a tanning seat near the pool. Her body seemed plenty tan already; her complexion was a bit dark, as was her hair: rich, brown, and waving glamorously in the light breeze. She wore a much more eye-catching swimsuit than the others, partially because of her bust, which, while as voluptuous as Yasu or Memora's, was paired with neither the former's uncanny muscles nor the latter's slight hint of age. Also, the eye-catching quality could further be attributed to the fashionable design: green with a white, silky pareo and a similar material at the left breast, decorated with copper buckles on the hips, the back of the top, and studs on the leather belt circling the pareo, it looked like she'd spent a good deal of time designing it, if that was indeed what MachMan had seen her doing earlier. Her parasol was folded up and placed onto the deck beside her.
As distracting as those things might be to most navis, Rodeo seemed singularly focused on Aera, holding her hand and leading her. "Let's just stake our territory where'er you like, pardner! Then I wanna tell you everything that's on my mind and why we oughta be together from this day onward, y'hear? And if you gotta put me through some paces or the wringer or whatever else, then golly, you just go ahead and do it, cause I'm set'n dee-term-inned to steal yer heart!" she further encouraged Aera, grinning huge and doing her best to hold Aera's attention, despite the other more glamorous, model-like ladies that Aera might be looking at.
"Hmmmm... I see... Well, the setting is hard to make out due to the mist. The walls are metal and it looks like there are shelves. They might be in the kitchen somewhere, since I saw them vanish back there," Seer offered; apparently, the situation itself was not developing in much of a noteworthy way, but she was offering details all the same. "The vision is panning around a bit... I can see the items on the shelves, they look like various cans and sealed packages. There are words printed on them, but the vision isn't, er, stopping to let me peruse."
"Fascinating. However, I must concur with MachMan; you have your business and MachMan and I, gainfully, have settled upon ours. Let's find somewhere appropriate to complete our deal," she dismissed Vector, before rising to leave with MachMan.
For her part, Seer wasn't about to be left alone at the table with ArmoryMan; they'd be strange bedfellows with very few common interests, no matter how you looked at it. "I'll go with Vector," she agreed, tagging along. "Maybe something in my visions will give us an idea of how to home in on Tango's location." With that, the two disappeared into the kitchen area together.
ArmoryMan stayed quiet, eyeing MachMan and Memora with a sharp frown, as the lady proceeded to get her way. Memora stood up from the table slowly, which would give MachMan ample time to see the prophesized holstered gun attached by a belt around one thigh. "Where shall we go? We can head to my room, if you like... ArmoryMan knows better than to walk in on us. Your room's out of the question, so long as the First General I've heard so much about has an all access pass to interrupt us," she smirked.
As if sensing she was being talked about, Yasu began watching the two warily.
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The kitchen was everything a normal person might expect it to be, though perhaps Vector might lack the proper framing to imagine what was "normal" for a kitchen. The décor was the same pastel pink and white that adorned much of the ship, with "N T" branding here and there. A wide variety of unused cooking tools lined the walls and cupboards; it was clear that the only parts that had been touched recently were those necessary to prepare fajita ingredients, which mostly meant knives, chopping boards, pans for simmering, and etc.
Perhaps more notably, a trail of low lying fog across the floor seemed like a good way to track the way where Tango had been taken to. "Vector, there's more to the vision... it looks like it's getting closer to Tango's face... it's dimming out and becoming hard to see," she admitted, squinting her third eyeball. "She's got her eyes closed and- oh my stars," she commented, clutching both of the side tails from her hair that protruded from her hood. "Oh... the vision is strange and... hard to interpret," she continued, going rapidly from pink to red. "It seems like it's a vision of her... well... she's making out with someone, but from the viewpoint, it feels disturbingly like it's me myself.... I must find a way to rid myself of these visions," she shuddered, switching the position of her hands to each shoulder. "Hurry, Vector! Maybe if we find Tango we'll learn something about the strange things I'm seeing!"
The trail of fog ended at a large, metallic door near the end of the long kitchen hall. Vector could see that, besides the door, there was also an elevator to one side and a pantry on another. The pantry was dark, but did have shelves; it could potentially be the area Seer was seeing. The trail certainly pointed at the metal door, however. The coolness of the metal would reinforce what the average person likely would suspect: the door was hiding a large freezer behind it.
Seer didn't have to say "you first," because it was clearly implied by how she huddled behind Vector and peeked over his shoulder, as if afraid of what might be awaiting inside the freezer.
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"Really? Shucks, that'd mean the world to me! I've been tryin' to put a bug in one of the Shogun-girls' ears for lordie knows how long!" Rodeo responded, her enthusiasm only serving to further frustrate Yasu. The western girl's nervous, grinning face went into a full-throttle nod of agreement as Aera proposed they head elsewhere. "Let's ramble on!" she cheered, before skittering out of the hall with her lanky legs bounding in ungraceful steps.
Once outside, the two would head back over to the sunbathing area. It seemed that the pirates hadn't gotten the memo about the snacks or game in the party hall; they'd instead taken up around the pool. The two ladies who'd earlier been packing swords, one with bright blond hair in a short bob and the other with black hair in a wide fan, were lounging in the pool. They seemed to be discussing the cruise, though neither of them had anything especially insightful to say. Both were wearing matching, sea-green swimsuits that were fairly flattering, though a bit uniform.
The third pirate who'd been sketching at the ship's bow earlier had taken up a tanning seat near the pool. Her body seemed plenty tan already; her complexion was a bit dark, as was her hair: rich, brown, and waving glamorously in the light breeze. She wore a much more eye-catching swimsuit than the others, partially because of her bust, which, while as voluptuous as Yasu or Memora's, was paired with neither the former's uncanny muscles nor the latter's slight hint of age. Also, the eye-catching quality could further be attributed to the fashionable design: green with a white, silky pareo and a similar material at the left breast, decorated with copper buckles on the hips, the back of the top, and studs on the leather belt circling the pareo, it looked like she'd spent a good deal of time designing it, if that was indeed what MachMan had seen her doing earlier. Her parasol was folded up and placed onto the deck beside her.
As distracting as those things might be to most navis, Rodeo seemed singularly focused on Aera, holding her hand and leading her. "Let's just stake our territory where'er you like, pardner! Then I wanna tell you everything that's on my mind and why we oughta be together from this day onward, y'hear? And if you gotta put me through some paces or the wringer or whatever else, then golly, you just go ahead and do it, cause I'm set'n dee-term-inned to steal yer heart!" she further encouraged Aera, grinning huge and doing her best to hold Aera's attention, despite the other more glamorous, model-like ladies that Aera might be looking at.
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Mach chuckled at Memora's joke regarding the possible "worth" of his disrobing in public, half-listening to Seer describe her vision. Seemed... detailed, but ultimately benign. Interesting to note was it seemed she was seeing the situation through someone else's "eyes," noting her lack of control of her viewpoint. Maybe some sort of sensory tapping?
Memora obviously didn't find it as interesting, and pushed the deal forward. Seer agreed to tag along with Vector, to which the SP responded with an accepting nod. He made his way towards the kitchen, keeping a slow enough pace to ensure his charge didn't fall behind, but he didn't branch out from his professionally cold demeanor and hold her hand, or something of that nature. Mach himself didn't protest, and saw them off in silence.
Memora stood, giving Mach ample time to examine the previously obscured weapon on her hip. He noted the weapon with a very brief glance, but from what he now knew of the Navi, it wasn't as much of a potential threat as before. He stood up as well, leaving his drink behind, and brushed off his shirt with one hand. "Your place sounds good to me. Those "Pirates" might be crawling around everywhere else," he responded to her suggestion to the location of their business deal. He didn't add anything to Memora's comment about Yasu, but she wasn't wrong... After pushing his chair back to the table, he slid his hand down the middle of his chest, quickly unbuttoning his shirt. He deftly pulled it off, and held the collar in one hand as he slung it over one shoulder. This revealed his very slightly tanned upper torso. Being a speed-based Navi, his physique was light on bulk but heavy on tone. [[i]Maybe this will bump up the value a bit...[/i]] he thought, throwing some caution and dignity to the wind. It's a vacation, no?
He looked over to Memora with a slight grin, "Lead the way." He looked back at ArmoryMan and shrugged, muttering "Work, work, work." under his breath sarcastically before moving to follow Memora. As he moved along, he saw Aera and some younger-looking girl departing as well. Aera didn't seem to be under duress, and looked to be heading up to the deck, so he only made a brief mental note and moved on. If his departure attracted the attention of the others at the all-female table, he'd give them a nonchalant glance showing his lack of duress, and not much else.
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Vector's vision panned over the kitchen, soaking in the details. Nothing was immediately alarming; though there were the occasional sharp implements around, the appeared to be associated with food preparation and nothing else. However, the trail of mist along the floor was certainly out of place, and seemed to serve an oddly convenient way of tracing the path of whatever moved through the area. He continued to comb through the area slowly, keeping his metallic footfalls light without significantly adjusting his gait.
He paused as Seer began to describe more of her vision. His eye focused on the Navi, noting the focused look on her face, which oddly and rapidly changed to that of embarrassment and discomfort. Vector didn't entirely understand, she was distressed by what she was seeing, which was apparently Tango "making out" with someone, but Vector was unfamiliar with the term. "Making out? Please explain, is she in danger?" he asked quietly, his tone noting a seriousness and lack of sarcasm.
Regardless, the Navi showed an eagerness to find Tango and explain her strange visions. The misty trail led to what looked like the entrance to a walk-in freezer, but there was also a pantry to one side, and an elevator to the other. Vector paused, and brought one finger up to where his mouth would be, requesting silence from his companion. Though the mist gave a rather clear clue as to where they could be, he wanted to give a brief listen to the surroundings. A rustling from the pantry, the hum of the elevator being in use, or something else warranting further investigation of those two areas.
If nothing obviously presented itself, he'd cage his focus on the freezer door. If Seer didn't explain what "making out" was, a dagger would sprout from the SP's palm. He would've gone with a broad sword, but the freezer looked to be fairly compact, such a weapon would be an encumbrance in close-quarters. He felt the surface of the door with one hand, noting the chill and confirming the cold environment inside. He looked for a handle or other apparatus to open the door. If he found it, he'd gesture for Seer to step back a pace or two, and attempt to slowly open the door and peek inside. If it was pressurized or had any clunky mechanisms, any attempt to be stealthy would be moot, but he still hoped for the opportunity to peer inside without detection.
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Aera followed the even more excited Rodeo down the hall and up to the deck, keeping a calm stride like a mother tailing a hyperactive child. They made their way to the deck, and were greeted to the sight of 3 new faces aboard. The three were all wearing green swimsuits, but while two sat together in mostly uniform attire, the third was separate and stood out from the others. She looked like a model, partly due to her eye-catching proportions and also for her equally eye-catching swimsuit design. It looked somewhat complicated, but still elegant and would probably look graceful as she walked. Aera felt a slight pang of admiration, if only she knew the wearer was also very likely the suit's designer.
She also was blissfully unaware the trio were "pirates," but the appearance of green clipper masts off to one side of the cruise ship would probably clue her in, if the clipper was still running along side the ship. That said, she was distracted by Rodeo taking her hand and leading her along the deck. The girl started off with an innocent offer to find a spot on the deck, but quickly led into a rather heavy proposition; it sounded like Rodeo wanted to establish a permanent relationship. Aera did her best not to falter or change her step after that bomb being dropped, and quickly picked out two appropriate places to sit on the deck, somewhat distanced from the trio to avoid prying ears.
She gestured to one of the available lounge chairs, or a free spot pool-side if necessary, encouraging Rodeo to sit. She sat down in the adjacent chair or next to her, trying to gather her thoughts mid-movement. Though she was interested in how everything would play out, it seemed cruel to string the girl along with false hopes. She sat down, and took a breath before looking to Rodeo. "You should know, I'm an SP; tied to my Navi. A Navi I'm... very attached to. You're a nice girl, so I think you deserve to know," she confessed with a calm smile. She paused a moment, then added "I can't help but be curious; we only just met, and now you want to 'steal my heart'?" She canted her head slightly to the side, still showing a calm, non-interrogative demeanor. However, her mind was forming questions on rapid-fire mode. "Was this "puppy love" like the search engines suggested?" "Is she being so forward because she's under orders to do so?" "Is she under duress?" "Is she just naive?" "Am I completely misinterpreting this?" "What do?"
Memora obviously didn't find it as interesting, and pushed the deal forward. Seer agreed to tag along with Vector, to which the SP responded with an accepting nod. He made his way towards the kitchen, keeping a slow enough pace to ensure his charge didn't fall behind, but he didn't branch out from his professionally cold demeanor and hold her hand, or something of that nature. Mach himself didn't protest, and saw them off in silence.
Memora stood, giving Mach ample time to examine the previously obscured weapon on her hip. He noted the weapon with a very brief glance, but from what he now knew of the Navi, it wasn't as much of a potential threat as before. He stood up as well, leaving his drink behind, and brushed off his shirt with one hand. "Your place sounds good to me. Those "Pirates" might be crawling around everywhere else," he responded to her suggestion to the location of their business deal. He didn't add anything to Memora's comment about Yasu, but she wasn't wrong... After pushing his chair back to the table, he slid his hand down the middle of his chest, quickly unbuttoning his shirt. He deftly pulled it off, and held the collar in one hand as he slung it over one shoulder. This revealed his very slightly tanned upper torso. Being a speed-based Navi, his physique was light on bulk but heavy on tone. [[i]Maybe this will bump up the value a bit...[/i]] he thought, throwing some caution and dignity to the wind. It's a vacation, no?
He looked over to Memora with a slight grin, "Lead the way." He looked back at ArmoryMan and shrugged, muttering "Work, work, work." under his breath sarcastically before moving to follow Memora. As he moved along, he saw Aera and some younger-looking girl departing as well. Aera didn't seem to be under duress, and looked to be heading up to the deck, so he only made a brief mental note and moved on. If his departure attracted the attention of the others at the all-female table, he'd give them a nonchalant glance showing his lack of duress, and not much else.
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Vector's vision panned over the kitchen, soaking in the details. Nothing was immediately alarming; though there were the occasional sharp implements around, the appeared to be associated with food preparation and nothing else. However, the trail of mist along the floor was certainly out of place, and seemed to serve an oddly convenient way of tracing the path of whatever moved through the area. He continued to comb through the area slowly, keeping his metallic footfalls light without significantly adjusting his gait.
He paused as Seer began to describe more of her vision. His eye focused on the Navi, noting the focused look on her face, which oddly and rapidly changed to that of embarrassment and discomfort. Vector didn't entirely understand, she was distressed by what she was seeing, which was apparently Tango "making out" with someone, but Vector was unfamiliar with the term. "Making out? Please explain, is she in danger?" he asked quietly, his tone noting a seriousness and lack of sarcasm.
Regardless, the Navi showed an eagerness to find Tango and explain her strange visions. The misty trail led to what looked like the entrance to a walk-in freezer, but there was also a pantry to one side, and an elevator to the other. Vector paused, and brought one finger up to where his mouth would be, requesting silence from his companion. Though the mist gave a rather clear clue as to where they could be, he wanted to give a brief listen to the surroundings. A rustling from the pantry, the hum of the elevator being in use, or something else warranting further investigation of those two areas.
If nothing obviously presented itself, he'd cage his focus on the freezer door. If Seer didn't explain what "making out" was, a dagger would sprout from the SP's palm. He would've gone with a broad sword, but the freezer looked to be fairly compact, such a weapon would be an encumbrance in close-quarters. He felt the surface of the door with one hand, noting the chill and confirming the cold environment inside. He looked for a handle or other apparatus to open the door. If he found it, he'd gesture for Seer to step back a pace or two, and attempt to slowly open the door and peek inside. If it was pressurized or had any clunky mechanisms, any attempt to be stealthy would be moot, but he still hoped for the opportunity to peer inside without detection.
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Aera followed the even more excited Rodeo down the hall and up to the deck, keeping a calm stride like a mother tailing a hyperactive child. They made their way to the deck, and were greeted to the sight of 3 new faces aboard. The three were all wearing green swimsuits, but while two sat together in mostly uniform attire, the third was separate and stood out from the others. She looked like a model, partly due to her eye-catching proportions and also for her equally eye-catching swimsuit design. It looked somewhat complicated, but still elegant and would probably look graceful as she walked. Aera felt a slight pang of admiration, if only she knew the wearer was also very likely the suit's designer.
She also was blissfully unaware the trio were "pirates," but the appearance of green clipper masts off to one side of the cruise ship would probably clue her in, if the clipper was still running along side the ship. That said, she was distracted by Rodeo taking her hand and leading her along the deck. The girl started off with an innocent offer to find a spot on the deck, but quickly led into a rather heavy proposition; it sounded like Rodeo wanted to establish a permanent relationship. Aera did her best not to falter or change her step after that bomb being dropped, and quickly picked out two appropriate places to sit on the deck, somewhat distanced from the trio to avoid prying ears.
She gestured to one of the available lounge chairs, or a free spot pool-side if necessary, encouraging Rodeo to sit. She sat down in the adjacent chair or next to her, trying to gather her thoughts mid-movement. Though she was interested in how everything would play out, it seemed cruel to string the girl along with false hopes. She sat down, and took a breath before looking to Rodeo. "You should know, I'm an SP; tied to my Navi. A Navi I'm... very attached to. You're a nice girl, so I think you deserve to know," she confessed with a calm smile. She paused a moment, then added "I can't help but be curious; we only just met, and now you want to 'steal my heart'?" She canted her head slightly to the side, still showing a calm, non-interrogative demeanor. However, her mind was forming questions on rapid-fire mode. "Was this "puppy love" like the search engines suggested?" "Is she being so forward because she's under orders to do so?" "Is she under duress?" "Is she just naive?" "Am I completely misinterpreting this?" "What do?"
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There was probably an amusing comment to be made about the gun show as MachMan took off his shirt for an arms trader, but no one was willing to risk their status as a cool person to make it. Memora smiled just a bit more than she always did. "Thank goodness. I'd been feeling overdressed," she joked, motioning with one hand for MachMan to follow her.
ArmoryMan, for his part, had the disgruntled frown of someone who'd just realized they paid a lot of money for a cruise ticket and endured the company of an irritating rival character for little or no gain... and presumably had to spend the night in the room with that same companion. "Yeah, you remember that: when you deal with her, you're the one getting worked," he reminded MachMan, taking the moment now that the table was empty (apparently not caring about the rest of the room) to pull an oversized cigar from thin air, its wrapping colored like a long, gold bullet shell, and light it with a quick "shot" from one finger-gun. He bit it casually, then stretched back as the table emptied out.
Eyes were certainly on MachMan as he exited: Escort watched him curiously, feigning nonchalance, Yasu watched him with a twitching eyebrow and deep frown, and Coral... well, she at least was more focused on her cruise-mate than she was MachMan. "Let's head below deck," Memora instructed, using the handrail as she moved downstairs, immediately after exiting the large room. MachMan would notice that the fog had all vanished from the outer area; none seemed to be present as he descended the stairs either. Without rounding the party room's wall and reaching the sun area, he wouldn't get a look at the pirates who'd inhabited the front of the ship, nor Aera and her new pal.
"You're in luck: my room is right here on the first floor below. Now where did I put my key card?" she laughed, before simply opening the handle; each door, as MachMan had been told earlier, would only respond to one of its two assigned entrants. The inside of the room sort of defied the mood up to this point: one side of the room was littered with emptied data packets and viewscreens containing various half-finished notes and calculations, in equal number to the number of guns, sticking from briefcases, bags, and other carrying methods. The other half was much more neatly organized, but just as threatening: a variety of small firearms and utilitarian, concealable weapons like knives and knuckles, lay upon a desk on that side of the room, with a stark, gray uniform featuring parachute pants and an unfortunately evocative billed, three peaked policeman's cap draped over the armchair. The most titillating thing in Memora's room was a dark gray undershirt and military undershorts lying on the bed, and even those were a bit sterile compared to her saucy attitude.
Perhaps most importantly, there was a bathroom with a door; that was all MachMan would need to get undressed. Well, if he wanted to use it. "You know, I feel like if we're really going to give the buyer all of their money's worth... I ought to confirm that you've really given me the whole outfit," she threatened mischievously, resting her chin upon her fist as she backed up towards the bed and sat down. This put a fair distance between her and MachMan; it was a room that was luxuriously sized, despite only having one bed when it ought to have two. As she went silent, MachMan would hear only two noises: the waves outside and a mysterious ticking coming from somewhere. If he looked for the source, he'd probably realize something eerie: the latter noise was coming from a collection of small form-factor bombs, sitting next to the pistols. His fear might be somewhat alleviated when he realized a clock was also on that same desk in roughly the same place as the bombs.
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Seer sucked up her embarrassment and prepared to explain, realizing that, despite her nature as a relatively sheltered navi, she was the more knowledgeable on such behaviors between herself and Vector. "Making out... is when two navis kiss... using their lips and tongues... y-you angle your chin and nose slightly so as not to beat up the other person when you move in... then you start with the lips and m-m-move them like you're eating..." she attempted to explain, closing her two standard eyes, roughly squinting her third and pursing her lips slightly, as if moving in for a kiss. Perhaps she was getting a little to into the explanation due to her third eye, which was apparently seeing the same thing in action right now. "Yah! Nevermind, it doesn't matter! All I know is, we need to go in and find out why I'm seeing a vision!" she resolved, before pushing ahead of Vector and opening the heavy door herself, releasing a burst of cold air that ruffled her cloak up around her. A thick cloud of fog also began to roll out from the crack.
Inside, looking past the shroud of mist, was what anyone could picture at this point: cold foodstuffs on shelves with dim lighting surrounded the figure of Tango (the girl), standing with her back turned. She was probably in the middle of making out, except there weren't ostensibly any feet or body to whoever was on the other side of her. It would, perhaps, be fitting if the mystery make-out person who fog seemed to follow everywhere he went was, himself, invisible. He might even be a cloudy face, like Seer had been suggesting earlier.
Only, as a purple, wooden-textured hand moved behind Tango's head to tilt it back slightly, and the dome of a bald, puppet-like head nestled up to her shoulder to bite gently at her neck, it became clear that the figure was neither invisible nor made of clouds. The motion gave the navi just enough time to look at the two intruders with eyes like diamonds set into his doll face, before the clouds around the area, suddenly converged, pushing Tango back in a sudden blast of wind. The clouds quickly arranged themselves into a giant face. "You two! Don't you know that this area is off limits to visitors?! If Jack catches you back here, you'll receive a large penalty!" a voice boomed, seeming to come from all around them.
Tango laughed at the ridiculousness of the statement. "You silly fellow! You're free to do whatever you like on this cruise, but you really ought to make up your mind! You can't exactly whisk away the party hostess and then expect no one to follow you," she chortled, but the nonchalant wave and cold exit made it seem like the moment had been spoiled. "Excuse me, honored guests," she addressed Vector and Seer briefly, before exiting.
"IllusionMan?" Seer asked, screwing up her eyes. "Were you also here investigating the source of my visions? I'm starting to wonder if they're related to Tango, since I started experiencing them right around the time Clarence said we were going to go on the cruise together. I was feeling dejected because I felt like, since I didn't really have any magical powers or clairvoyance, I wasn't much good as a seer, so I didn't deserve a fancy cruise..."
"That's probably it," IllusionMan agreed with surprising brevity. "We should head back to the party." It felt a little ridiculous, listening to the voice ring off the walls giving what seemed like a lame dismissal of his playboy behavior.
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Still all grins and smiles, Rodeo seemed primed and anticipatory, even as Aera began with a tone of bad news. "Huh? Oh! But an SP can still do it, right?" Rodeo asked, looking unshaken. "Oh, I'm all about togetherness and lovin' and all that stuff! Bein' with me don't mean givin' up any body else! Think've that person as, uh, the barbeque platter and I'm just the coleslaw! Yew just order me up and then forget about me if y'want, I won't be offended none!" Aera further expressed her incredulity about the freckled girl's out-of-nowhere affection. "Oh, don'tchew worry about that neither! Anybody'd wanna do the same, you gals are all so purty'n awesome," she chuckled, still grinning wide.
"Okay, now that we got all the cerr-ree-mo-nee outta the way, let's get down to business!" That probably sounded pretty ominous, but rather than trying to give Aera the same business IllusionMan had been giving TangoMan, Rodeo just pressed her hands together with big, starry eyes. "Will you make me the happiest gal on the big green earth'a the net, and give me a pass into the Nee-yo Shogun Army?! I'll start wherever, if it's See-bord-ee-nate or soldier, though the bath-towels they wear look a lil' embarrassin', if we're bein' honest. Or I could clean the Shogun's helmet or whatever he needs! Or is cleanin' his helmet a big honor or somethin'? Forget I said that! I'll study shogun ettiquite and all'a that! Why, before you know it, I'll be day-mee-yo or whatever the rank just un'ner Shogun is!" she rambled, gesturing wildly with her hands. "You can vouch for me, can'tcha?! That's all ya need to get into the Shogun's army, right? And you think I'm a nice girl, don'tcha? So you'll tell 'em they oughtta let me in?!"
In the distance, two more attractive clipper ship cruise ladies came up from below deck, these still in uniform. They appeared to be carrying a long, black steamer truck between the two of them. Something relatively heavy have been inside, as they had to stand on either side to lug it back towards their ship.
ArmoryMan, for his part, had the disgruntled frown of someone who'd just realized they paid a lot of money for a cruise ticket and endured the company of an irritating rival character for little or no gain... and presumably had to spend the night in the room with that same companion. "Yeah, you remember that: when you deal with her, you're the one getting worked," he reminded MachMan, taking the moment now that the table was empty (apparently not caring about the rest of the room) to pull an oversized cigar from thin air, its wrapping colored like a long, gold bullet shell, and light it with a quick "shot" from one finger-gun. He bit it casually, then stretched back as the table emptied out.
Eyes were certainly on MachMan as he exited: Escort watched him curiously, feigning nonchalance, Yasu watched him with a twitching eyebrow and deep frown, and Coral... well, she at least was more focused on her cruise-mate than she was MachMan. "Let's head below deck," Memora instructed, using the handrail as she moved downstairs, immediately after exiting the large room. MachMan would notice that the fog had all vanished from the outer area; none seemed to be present as he descended the stairs either. Without rounding the party room's wall and reaching the sun area, he wouldn't get a look at the pirates who'd inhabited the front of the ship, nor Aera and her new pal.
"You're in luck: my room is right here on the first floor below. Now where did I put my key card?" she laughed, before simply opening the handle; each door, as MachMan had been told earlier, would only respond to one of its two assigned entrants. The inside of the room sort of defied the mood up to this point: one side of the room was littered with emptied data packets and viewscreens containing various half-finished notes and calculations, in equal number to the number of guns, sticking from briefcases, bags, and other carrying methods. The other half was much more neatly organized, but just as threatening: a variety of small firearms and utilitarian, concealable weapons like knives and knuckles, lay upon a desk on that side of the room, with a stark, gray uniform featuring parachute pants and an unfortunately evocative billed, three peaked policeman's cap draped over the armchair. The most titillating thing in Memora's room was a dark gray undershirt and military undershorts lying on the bed, and even those were a bit sterile compared to her saucy attitude.
Perhaps most importantly, there was a bathroom with a door; that was all MachMan would need to get undressed. Well, if he wanted to use it. "You know, I feel like if we're really going to give the buyer all of their money's worth... I ought to confirm that you've really given me the whole outfit," she threatened mischievously, resting her chin upon her fist as she backed up towards the bed and sat down. This put a fair distance between her and MachMan; it was a room that was luxuriously sized, despite only having one bed when it ought to have two. As she went silent, MachMan would hear only two noises: the waves outside and a mysterious ticking coming from somewhere. If he looked for the source, he'd probably realize something eerie: the latter noise was coming from a collection of small form-factor bombs, sitting next to the pistols. His fear might be somewhat alleviated when he realized a clock was also on that same desk in roughly the same place as the bombs.
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Seer sucked up her embarrassment and prepared to explain, realizing that, despite her nature as a relatively sheltered navi, she was the more knowledgeable on such behaviors between herself and Vector. "Making out... is when two navis kiss... using their lips and tongues... y-you angle your chin and nose slightly so as not to beat up the other person when you move in... then you start with the lips and m-m-move them like you're eating..." she attempted to explain, closing her two standard eyes, roughly squinting her third and pursing her lips slightly, as if moving in for a kiss. Perhaps she was getting a little to into the explanation due to her third eye, which was apparently seeing the same thing in action right now. "Yah! Nevermind, it doesn't matter! All I know is, we need to go in and find out why I'm seeing a vision!" she resolved, before pushing ahead of Vector and opening the heavy door herself, releasing a burst of cold air that ruffled her cloak up around her. A thick cloud of fog also began to roll out from the crack.
Inside, looking past the shroud of mist, was what anyone could picture at this point: cold foodstuffs on shelves with dim lighting surrounded the figure of Tango (the girl), standing with her back turned. She was probably in the middle of making out, except there weren't ostensibly any feet or body to whoever was on the other side of her. It would, perhaps, be fitting if the mystery make-out person who fog seemed to follow everywhere he went was, himself, invisible. He might even be a cloudy face, like Seer had been suggesting earlier.
Only, as a purple, wooden-textured hand moved behind Tango's head to tilt it back slightly, and the dome of a bald, puppet-like head nestled up to her shoulder to bite gently at her neck, it became clear that the figure was neither invisible nor made of clouds. The motion gave the navi just enough time to look at the two intruders with eyes like diamonds set into his doll face, before the clouds around the area, suddenly converged, pushing Tango back in a sudden blast of wind. The clouds quickly arranged themselves into a giant face. "You two! Don't you know that this area is off limits to visitors?! If Jack catches you back here, you'll receive a large penalty!" a voice boomed, seeming to come from all around them.
Tango laughed at the ridiculousness of the statement. "You silly fellow! You're free to do whatever you like on this cruise, but you really ought to make up your mind! You can't exactly whisk away the party hostess and then expect no one to follow you," she chortled, but the nonchalant wave and cold exit made it seem like the moment had been spoiled. "Excuse me, honored guests," she addressed Vector and Seer briefly, before exiting.
"IllusionMan?" Seer asked, screwing up her eyes. "Were you also here investigating the source of my visions? I'm starting to wonder if they're related to Tango, since I started experiencing them right around the time Clarence said we were going to go on the cruise together. I was feeling dejected because I felt like, since I didn't really have any magical powers or clairvoyance, I wasn't much good as a seer, so I didn't deserve a fancy cruise..."
"That's probably it," IllusionMan agreed with surprising brevity. "We should head back to the party." It felt a little ridiculous, listening to the voice ring off the walls giving what seemed like a lame dismissal of his playboy behavior.
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Still all grins and smiles, Rodeo seemed primed and anticipatory, even as Aera began with a tone of bad news. "Huh? Oh! But an SP can still do it, right?" Rodeo asked, looking unshaken. "Oh, I'm all about togetherness and lovin' and all that stuff! Bein' with me don't mean givin' up any body else! Think've that person as, uh, the barbeque platter and I'm just the coleslaw! Yew just order me up and then forget about me if y'want, I won't be offended none!" Aera further expressed her incredulity about the freckled girl's out-of-nowhere affection. "Oh, don'tchew worry about that neither! Anybody'd wanna do the same, you gals are all so purty'n awesome," she chuckled, still grinning wide.
"Okay, now that we got all the cerr-ree-mo-nee outta the way, let's get down to business!" That probably sounded pretty ominous, but rather than trying to give Aera the same business IllusionMan had been giving TangoMan, Rodeo just pressed her hands together with big, starry eyes. "Will you make me the happiest gal on the big green earth'a the net, and give me a pass into the Nee-yo Shogun Army?! I'll start wherever, if it's See-bord-ee-nate or soldier, though the bath-towels they wear look a lil' embarrassin', if we're bein' honest. Or I could clean the Shogun's helmet or whatever he needs! Or is cleanin' his helmet a big honor or somethin'? Forget I said that! I'll study shogun ettiquite and all'a that! Why, before you know it, I'll be day-mee-yo or whatever the rank just un'ner Shogun is!" she rambled, gesturing wildly with her hands. "You can vouch for me, can'tcha?! That's all ya need to get into the Shogun's army, right? And you think I'm a nice girl, don'tcha? So you'll tell 'em they oughtta let me in?!"
In the distance, two more attractive clipper ship cruise ladies came up from below deck, these still in uniform. They appeared to be carrying a long, black steamer truck between the two of them. Something relatively heavy have been inside, as they had to stand on either side to lug it back towards their ship.
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Mach nodded slightly with a shrug in agreement to ArmoryMan's reminder, but he didn't show much concern. So far he'd only agreed to exchange some clothing, clothing he more or less didn't care about, for a much more appealing chip. Didn't immediately seem like he was getting "worked" so far, but he kept the Navi's warning to mind as he followed Memora out of the room. His glance to the NS table was met with mixed, but ultimately expected, reactions.
He kept pace with the Navi, still holding his shirt over his shoulder while they walked along. He noted the "lock" for the rooms; it was suggested the handle or door itself could query ID data, and unlock for "approved" programs. But Jack said it had something to do with the ticket stub, which had few places to hide in Memora's outfit. Regardless, the door opened and he followed her inside and was greeted to an interesting sight.
He initially noted the segregation of the room by organization, but both sides were sufficiently well armed. A ticking noise came from the room, and looked unnervingly close to a set of explosives laid out in a row, but a clock sat amongst them in roughly the same location. He didn't expect them to keep their merchandise on-location; all they needed were a few shelves an a counter to make it into a veritable arms shop. "Like what you've done with the place," Mach mused as he looked around, with very slight tone of sarcasm. His eyes quickly fell upon what appeared to be a police uniform in what looked to be on Memora's side of the room, which brought a new tone to the situation.
Mach had a wariness about Memora on the proverbial "back burner," but this development bumped the priority up a few tiers; he may be dealing with a NP officer, which could bring any number of outcomes even when involved in what may be a memorabilia side-job. He did his best to keep his outward focus away from the uniform and on Memora herself. He couldn't help but realize the NP Officer persona seemed to fit conveniently well with her appearance and attitude.
That said, her mischievous attitude was still prevalent, especially with her suggestion she "confirm" he give her the entire outfit. "Is that so?" he replied, then continued with "Alright then," accepting her challenge. He calmly slid the shirt from his shoulder, then flicked it towards Memora, in a way that it would unfurl outwards almost like a sheet. As the shirt was "in flight," Mach utilized his speed to undo his shorts and shoes in what seemed like a blink of an eye, then use his unseen propulsion systems to get him airborne just enough to remove the articles with ease.
He planned that by the time Memora caught/removed the shirt from her line of sight, Mach would be standing with shorts in one hand, and both shoes in the other. All he'd have left on would be his mask and a pair of navy blue swim trunks, with two vertical orange stripes running down each side, thanks to the quick activation of his Beachcomber.GMO. "As requested," he said with a grin before stepping forward to hand off the clothing in his hands to the Navi.
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Vector canted his head a few degrees to the side as Seer admirably dismissed her embarrassment and answered his question. Vector listened dutifully and formulated the level of danger in the situation; from the Navi's explanation, it seemed to be some sort of over-complicated and confusing exercise of affection, which obviously caused the "danger gauge" to drop to near zero.
The embarrassment of explaining appeared to surface, and Seer moved past and opened the door before Vector could to do it himself. He reflexively slid to Seer's side to cover the opening door as a burst of misty, cold air surged from the frigid room ahead. His body plates, though they resembled clothing, remained armor-like and didn't at all react to the gust of wind. He saw Tango standing with her back turned, and only after several moments did her "partner" reveal himself.
Said partner then seemed to materialize in an imposingly large face, complete with booming voice as it chastised the group. Vector angled his body in preparation for incoming attacks, but all that came was Tango's unconcerned laughter, which seemed to derail the seriousness of the situation. He relaxed his posture and side-stepped to allow Tango to make her exit. Seer identified the other as IllusionMan, and confessed an apparent lack of esteem in her paranormal skills. Vector listened silently, making a mental note of everything that transpired, but seemed drawn to Seer's distress.
"I'll follow wherever you see fit, Miss Seer," Mach responded to IllusionMan's suggestion, but his focus was on Seer specifically. IllusionMan's brevity seemed rude in the SP's mind, as if he was attempting to cover his shame.
--------------------------------------------
Up on the deck of the cruise ship, Rodeo's demeanor and response managed to answer many of the questions going through Aera's mind. Rodeo's affection didn't at all waiver in response to Aera's currently established relationship, and the Navi didn't seem to care if she was something "on the side." However, that only brought up more questions in Aera's mind; it seemed really bizarre to her.
That said, Rodeo finally brought up what appeared to be her true goal: admittance to the Neo-Shogunate. It became apparent she was likely trying to butter Aera up to get in, which came as a relief; she was just looking for an "in" with the organization, and her intentions sounded sincere. She may be in it for the ladies, but that motivation wasn't at all threatening nor unexpected. So far the Subordinate and General ranks were stacked with bombshell talent. This caused Aera to relax a significant degree, to the point of allowing her burgeoning mischievousness to resume.
She smiled as her focus remained on Rodeo. "Ah, so you're buttering me up to join us." she said quietly with a grin. "Alright, I'll bite. What skills do you have to contribute to the Neo-Shogunate?" She asked, with the grin still present. She caught two of the green-clad pirates lugging a large chest up from the lower decks in her sight, and quickly formed a little "test" for the NS prospect. She canted her head to the side and looked over to them, as if prompting the girl to look to them as well. "You say I 'oughta see what you can do with a rope,' well here's your chance. Think you can bring that chest here, or stop the ladies who are moving it?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.
He kept pace with the Navi, still holding his shirt over his shoulder while they walked along. He noted the "lock" for the rooms; it was suggested the handle or door itself could query ID data, and unlock for "approved" programs. But Jack said it had something to do with the ticket stub, which had few places to hide in Memora's outfit. Regardless, the door opened and he followed her inside and was greeted to an interesting sight.
He initially noted the segregation of the room by organization, but both sides were sufficiently well armed. A ticking noise came from the room, and looked unnervingly close to a set of explosives laid out in a row, but a clock sat amongst them in roughly the same location. He didn't expect them to keep their merchandise on-location; all they needed were a few shelves an a counter to make it into a veritable arms shop. "Like what you've done with the place," Mach mused as he looked around, with very slight tone of sarcasm. His eyes quickly fell upon what appeared to be a police uniform in what looked to be on Memora's side of the room, which brought a new tone to the situation.
Mach had a wariness about Memora on the proverbial "back burner," but this development bumped the priority up a few tiers; he may be dealing with a NP officer, which could bring any number of outcomes even when involved in what may be a memorabilia side-job. He did his best to keep his outward focus away from the uniform and on Memora herself. He couldn't help but realize the NP Officer persona seemed to fit conveniently well with her appearance and attitude.
That said, her mischievous attitude was still prevalent, especially with her suggestion she "confirm" he give her the entire outfit. "Is that so?" he replied, then continued with "Alright then," accepting her challenge. He calmly slid the shirt from his shoulder, then flicked it towards Memora, in a way that it would unfurl outwards almost like a sheet. As the shirt was "in flight," Mach utilized his speed to undo his shorts and shoes in what seemed like a blink of an eye, then use his unseen propulsion systems to get him airborne just enough to remove the articles with ease.
He planned that by the time Memora caught/removed the shirt from her line of sight, Mach would be standing with shorts in one hand, and both shoes in the other. All he'd have left on would be his mask and a pair of navy blue swim trunks, with two vertical orange stripes running down each side, thanks to the quick activation of his Beachcomber.GMO. "As requested," he said with a grin before stepping forward to hand off the clothing in his hands to the Navi.
--------------------------------------------
Vector canted his head a few degrees to the side as Seer admirably dismissed her embarrassment and answered his question. Vector listened dutifully and formulated the level of danger in the situation; from the Navi's explanation, it seemed to be some sort of over-complicated and confusing exercise of affection, which obviously caused the "danger gauge" to drop to near zero.
The embarrassment of explaining appeared to surface, and Seer moved past and opened the door before Vector could to do it himself. He reflexively slid to Seer's side to cover the opening door as a burst of misty, cold air surged from the frigid room ahead. His body plates, though they resembled clothing, remained armor-like and didn't at all react to the gust of wind. He saw Tango standing with her back turned, and only after several moments did her "partner" reveal himself.
Said partner then seemed to materialize in an imposingly large face, complete with booming voice as it chastised the group. Vector angled his body in preparation for incoming attacks, but all that came was Tango's unconcerned laughter, which seemed to derail the seriousness of the situation. He relaxed his posture and side-stepped to allow Tango to make her exit. Seer identified the other as IllusionMan, and confessed an apparent lack of esteem in her paranormal skills. Vector listened silently, making a mental note of everything that transpired, but seemed drawn to Seer's distress.
"I'll follow wherever you see fit, Miss Seer," Mach responded to IllusionMan's suggestion, but his focus was on Seer specifically. IllusionMan's brevity seemed rude in the SP's mind, as if he was attempting to cover his shame.
--------------------------------------------
Up on the deck of the cruise ship, Rodeo's demeanor and response managed to answer many of the questions going through Aera's mind. Rodeo's affection didn't at all waiver in response to Aera's currently established relationship, and the Navi didn't seem to care if she was something "on the side." However, that only brought up more questions in Aera's mind; it seemed really bizarre to her.
That said, Rodeo finally brought up what appeared to be her true goal: admittance to the Neo-Shogunate. It became apparent she was likely trying to butter Aera up to get in, which came as a relief; she was just looking for an "in" with the organization, and her intentions sounded sincere. She may be in it for the ladies, but that motivation wasn't at all threatening nor unexpected. So far the Subordinate and General ranks were stacked with bombshell talent. This caused Aera to relax a significant degree, to the point of allowing her burgeoning mischievousness to resume.
She smiled as her focus remained on Rodeo. "Ah, so you're buttering me up to join us." she said quietly with a grin. "Alright, I'll bite. What skills do you have to contribute to the Neo-Shogunate?" She asked, with the grin still present. She caught two of the green-clad pirates lugging a large chest up from the lower decks in her sight, and quickly formed a little "test" for the NS prospect. She canted her head to the side and looked over to them, as if prompting the girl to look to them as well. "You say I 'oughta see what you can do with a rope,' well here's your chance. Think you can bring that chest here, or stop the ladies who are moving it?" she challenged, raising an eyebrow.
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Memora seemed well amused by MachMan's antics, laughing mirthfully as he shed his shirt and threw it into her face. He quickly removed the other pieces, performing an impromptu magic trick as he appeared in his alternate swimsuit by the time the trader had managed to get her sight back. "Oh, you tricky bastard," she teased, looking him up and down again. Her flirtatiousness had only increased, if anything. "There might be a bonus in it for both of us if you want to give me your other pair too!" she added, resting her chin on her fist and leaning forward a bit. "Fine, fine, take your silly battlechip data. Another deal then: if you hand over yours, I'll hand over mine..."
*Obtained BubbleCross battlechip*
Whether MachMan was or was not interested, the room would soon become a much more inhospitable for any kind of deal, sexy or otherwise. As if in defiance of MachMan's earlier observation, a giant explosion suddenly ripped through the small room, dividing it in two; before MachMan could make a significant step across to meet Memora. The fire would obscure view for a moment, then the smoke, but if he looked or felt around at all, it would quickly become apparent that the room's owner had vanished completely, along with about half of the room and most of what was on the shelves and bed... along with the shelf and bed. MachMan would find that the door behind him and the one to the bathroom in tact and unlocked. Of course, being who he was, MachMan could also just fly out through the hole and possibly look for what had happened to his trade partner, though it didn't look promising, just checking outside.
-----------------------------
"Erm, okay..." Seer responded to both IllusionMan and Vector, looking not exactly irritated, but clearly uncomfortable with her cruise buddy's behavior. "Let's head back to the party then... We shouldn't be in back of the kitchen anyways. Or at least not in the freezer. And me especially, given that I don't wear shoes," she shivered, taking that chance to step out of the freezer. IllusionMan's cloud head nodded along quietly. "But let me ask you: what do you know about the premonitions I've been seeing? They started only just recently, after we had a conversation just recently..."
IllusionMan's head jerked up for a moment, before the more pressing matter of an explosion somewhere on the ship distracted his attention. "It warns of danger, my friend. Trouble like that which finds us now!" he warned. "We have to flee the ship immediately and find refuge, but most importantly, forget entirely about the events of today. it's the only way to protect ourselves!"
"Eeer... Are you feeling alright?" Seer asked. "I'm normally the jumpy one! But look, you need to understand something about these visions... we're going to go investigate the source of that explosion and when we get there, it will turn out someone's popped a balloon or they're setting off fireworks or something like that. Also... ALSO... I didn't actually see a vision this time. Point is that nothing dangerous is happening here!"
"... I have reason to believe it could actually be something this time, even if you didn't see a vision," IllusionMan boomed in a droning voice.
-------------------------------
"Shucks, naw! Well, maybe a little," Rodeo admitted, twiddling her thumbs nervously. "But it's true! All ya'll Nee-yo Shogun gals are so fancy... I look up to yew! B-But don't worry, I'm fit fer the saddle! Yew wanna see some rope tricks? I'll show ya stuff so great, you'll wanna make me the Shogun! The uh, co-Shogun! No offense there," she apologized, before bringing a rope out of empty net space. She put on a cartoony expression of determination, tensing her eyebrows and spinning the length of the rope above her head for a moment, before unleashing it upon one of the girls who was in the process of sneaking the trunk away. The pirate immediately dropped her cargo and cried out, struggling to get free, but failing. The distance and accuracy were certainly impressive, but a problem presented itself as the second remained unrestrained. Said second produced a flint-lock pistol and pointed it at Rodeo threateningly. "N-Now wait! I got another one!" the cowgirl shouted, making another with a lot less theatrical twirling this time, then threw it to snare the other. "Ha ha!"
Rodeo's celebration was cut short as the other two who'd been in the pool flanked her on either side. The captain had taken the time to stand up and grab her parasol; with the umbrella open over one shoulder, she approached the two with a stylish stroll. "Oh phooey... And I would have gotten away with it too," she joked, but the jest vanished with a droll smile. ""Alright, I confess; I'm not here just to further tan my dark complexion. But I will say that I am not here to steal anything, my dears. I'm an honorable pirate; ask Jolly, Bomba, Power, even the wokou or his trophy wife, any one of the motley crew who rove this sea. I'm a 'good' pirate and my purpose here is only 'good.' It is, however, also very secret. If you two have to practice your rope tying, perhaps you should head below deck?"
The explosion from below deck would rock the ship and especially the upper deck of the ship. The two who were tied up nearly slid off the deck, where the railing was eschewed to allow for the ramp onto the other ship, while the steamer trunk threatened to slide off alongside them. Clipper nearly stumbled, muttering under her breath that she was happy she wasn't in heels, and the other two faltered for a moment, which might give Aera a good chance to act if she wanted to fight back or run away. Rodeo, for her part, fell on her butt with one leg in the air.
*Obtained BubbleCross battlechip*
Whether MachMan was or was not interested, the room would soon become a much more inhospitable for any kind of deal, sexy or otherwise. As if in defiance of MachMan's earlier observation, a giant explosion suddenly ripped through the small room, dividing it in two; before MachMan could make a significant step across to meet Memora. The fire would obscure view for a moment, then the smoke, but if he looked or felt around at all, it would quickly become apparent that the room's owner had vanished completely, along with about half of the room and most of what was on the shelves and bed... along with the shelf and bed. MachMan would find that the door behind him and the one to the bathroom in tact and unlocked. Of course, being who he was, MachMan could also just fly out through the hole and possibly look for what had happened to his trade partner, though it didn't look promising, just checking outside.
-----------------------------
"Erm, okay..." Seer responded to both IllusionMan and Vector, looking not exactly irritated, but clearly uncomfortable with her cruise buddy's behavior. "Let's head back to the party then... We shouldn't be in back of the kitchen anyways. Or at least not in the freezer. And me especially, given that I don't wear shoes," she shivered, taking that chance to step out of the freezer. IllusionMan's cloud head nodded along quietly. "But let me ask you: what do you know about the premonitions I've been seeing? They started only just recently, after we had a conversation just recently..."
IllusionMan's head jerked up for a moment, before the more pressing matter of an explosion somewhere on the ship distracted his attention. "It warns of danger, my friend. Trouble like that which finds us now!" he warned. "We have to flee the ship immediately and find refuge, but most importantly, forget entirely about the events of today. it's the only way to protect ourselves!"
"Eeer... Are you feeling alright?" Seer asked. "I'm normally the jumpy one! But look, you need to understand something about these visions... we're going to go investigate the source of that explosion and when we get there, it will turn out someone's popped a balloon or they're setting off fireworks or something like that. Also... ALSO... I didn't actually see a vision this time. Point is that nothing dangerous is happening here!"
"... I have reason to believe it could actually be something this time, even if you didn't see a vision," IllusionMan boomed in a droning voice.
-------------------------------
"Shucks, naw! Well, maybe a little," Rodeo admitted, twiddling her thumbs nervously. "But it's true! All ya'll Nee-yo Shogun gals are so fancy... I look up to yew! B-But don't worry, I'm fit fer the saddle! Yew wanna see some rope tricks? I'll show ya stuff so great, you'll wanna make me the Shogun! The uh, co-Shogun! No offense there," she apologized, before bringing a rope out of empty net space. She put on a cartoony expression of determination, tensing her eyebrows and spinning the length of the rope above her head for a moment, before unleashing it upon one of the girls who was in the process of sneaking the trunk away. The pirate immediately dropped her cargo and cried out, struggling to get free, but failing. The distance and accuracy were certainly impressive, but a problem presented itself as the second remained unrestrained. Said second produced a flint-lock pistol and pointed it at Rodeo threateningly. "N-Now wait! I got another one!" the cowgirl shouted, making another with a lot less theatrical twirling this time, then threw it to snare the other. "Ha ha!"
Rodeo's celebration was cut short as the other two who'd been in the pool flanked her on either side. The captain had taken the time to stand up and grab her parasol; with the umbrella open over one shoulder, she approached the two with a stylish stroll. "Oh phooey... And I would have gotten away with it too," she joked, but the jest vanished with a droll smile. ""Alright, I confess; I'm not here just to further tan my dark complexion. But I will say that I am not here to steal anything, my dears. I'm an honorable pirate; ask Jolly, Bomba, Power, even the wokou or his trophy wife, any one of the motley crew who rove this sea. I'm a 'good' pirate and my purpose here is only 'good.' It is, however, also very secret. If you two have to practice your rope tying, perhaps you should head below deck?"
The explosion from below deck would rock the ship and especially the upper deck of the ship. The two who were tied up nearly slid off the deck, where the railing was eschewed to allow for the ramp onto the other ship, while the steamer trunk threatened to slide off alongside them. Clipper nearly stumbled, muttering under her breath that she was happy she wasn't in heels, and the other two faltered for a moment, which might give Aera a good chance to act if she wanted to fight back or run away. Rodeo, for her part, fell on her butt with one leg in the air.
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Memora's reaction to Mach's antics thankfully didn't spoil the deal, in fact it caused the dealer to become even more flirtatious. Mach chuckled to keep the mood, but notably didn't commit to her "bonus" as he received the chip data. The data packet rapidly dissolved in his hand as it was downloaded to the PET, and became a nice addition to his veritable arsenal. She included another deal, one more salacious than the last. Though ArmoryMan's warning and Memora's personality countered the thought, Mach wondered if this was really still business.
However, he didn't have much time to mull on the subject nor respond to Memora's deal, the rendezvous was very abruptly cut short. He was temporarily blinded and deafened by a close-range explosion, which packed enough punch to slam him back into the wall. Flashes of pain bolted over his front and his back, but he managed to keep his footing and reorient himself. Once he did so, he saw the other half of the room had been blown out, with the shelf, bed, and its occupant completely vanished. He half-expected to hear the footfalls of a follow-up assault from outside the room, and he wouldn't be caught unprepared.
His default armor quickly took the place of his singed board shorts and refreshed his mask, but the rest of his face still bore the scorch marks of the explosion. He also activated his heavy shielding, which caused a multi-layered nearly transparent blue energy shield to materialize in front of him, which notably pushed some of the smoke out of the way. With his defenses active, he shifted to searching out Memora. He tried to push through the flames and smoke, taking flight if needed to navigate around the dangerous areas to where the bed used to be. He also looked out through the hole in the hull, and down to the waves below to see if there was any trace of Memora.
Regardless of what he saw, a theory started to form in his mind. The uniform hinted either Memora or ArmoryMan were NP, possibly both, and they both knew of him and his NS membership. Memora also showed no suspicion regarding the explosives nor the ticking, which may have been the very device that destroyed half the room. Said device could only have been placed by ArmoryMan, Wanderlust Staff, or Memora herself if the room locks worked as advertised. Could this have been an attempted assassination of Memora and/or himself? Or maybe an attempt to frame him (and more importantly the Neo-Shogunate) for attacking/deleting a NP officer? Either way, he could feel the proverbial cross-hairs locking on his forehead; nothing better to sober him up and put his mind on high alert.
If he saw any trace of Memora outside (data, fragments of her swimsuit, etc), he'd move to investigate, with the hope of locating/rescuing the Navi. If there was, he'd be forced to use what was left of the room to find the answers he needed. He assumed an explosion on board would no-doubt attract the attention of the guests and crew. With the latter in mind, namely Jack, he knew he didn't have much time to gather evidence.
However, he did have a backup plan. If he ran out of time, he'd retreat to the still-intact bathroom and close the door behind him. If anything, he could eavesdrop on the first responder(s) while he sent out a quick status to his SPs, who would've no-doubt heard/saw/felt the explosion. Their reactions might give him clues to the true nature of the event, and he could quickly teleport away as soon as they attempted to enter the bathroom.
-------------------------------
Vector held the door open for Seer to step out of the cold, continuing to listen to Seer and IllusionMan's conversation. However, it was punctuated by the distant boom of an explosion, accompanied by a slight shudder of the hull. Vector instinctively turned towards the direction of the explosion, then pulled up location/status data of both MachMan and Aera. Both were online with open comm channels, which brought a level of relief to the SP. No sooner did he think about querying the pair did he receive a brief message from Mach, saying he was near the explosion but uninjured.
Vector's eye quickly panned back to IllusionMan, who proposed he and Seer flee the ship. He agreed with the Navi's level of caution, but he knew Mach and Aera wouldn't immediately flee, as they have the ability to retreat faster than most programs; he'll stay with them.
Seer questioned IllusionMan's behavior, and showed a self-awareness for the accuracy issues regarding her vision by proposing they investigate. She also noted her lack of premonition regarding the explosion. However, IllusionMan was convinced. This roused some suspicion in the fractal SP, that Navi seemed to know something. "Sir, pardon my brevity, but how are you so sure?" he asked in a calmly conversational tone, trying to appear more curious than accusatory.
-------------------------------
Aera couldn't help but keep a slight smile as Rodeo lauded the NS "gals," and said smile grew once the girl boasted her rope skills to the point of being worthy of being on par with the Shogun him(?)self. "Oh ho, now I'm even more interested. Show me what you got!" she replied, spurring the girl on. She wasn't entirely sure if she was biting off more than she could chew, but the resulting show would be entertaining regardless.
With an admirable amount of skill, Rodeo snared one of the trunk-carriers with her rope, and soon after disabled the other as well. Needless to say the roped girls weren't happy with the arrangement, and their compatriots appeared to feel the same way. Rodeo was quickly flanked, which indirectly brought Aera into the proverbial crossfire. They didn't immediately attack or appear outwardly threatening other than making their presence known, so Aera's reaction was muted to the point of casually acknowledging the pair with a glance.
This also drew the attention of the girls' glamorous, parasol-wielding captain, who addressed the pair and oddly "let the cat out of the bag" without much provocation. Aera found this confession from the "honorable pirate" an added bonus to the show, and didn't find any reason to not let it play out. All the woman advised was for the pair to simply relocate, to keep out of their 'good,' yet 'very secret' affairs. Aera looked to the captain with a polite smile. "All in good fun miss.." her voice trailed a bit in an attempt to learn the woman's name, then continued.
"But I can't help but feel even more interested in your activities, confessing you're doing something 'good' but also 'very secret.' A girl can't help but feel teased by something like this, don't you think?" She calmly slid from her chair and stood up to stand eye-to-eye with the woman, but to not alarm her comrades. "Have anything to sate our curiosity, or convince us to head our separate ways with sealed lips?" she asked, putting a hand on her angled hip as she put more weight on one foot than the other.
It wasn't likely she had time to respond, as an explosion rocked the ship, causing Aera to nearly topple over. Her EM drives kicked in and slowed her fall enough to adjust her stance and catch herself from falling. The woman kept her balance, but Rodeo was now on her butt, and a rough scraping sound prompted Aera to look to the heavy trunk sliding across the deck towards the edge. Thankfully Mazer hadn't changed Aera's chip presets in a while, so a MagBolt1 chip data was still loaded to her program.
She widened her stance a bit as she extended her right arm and hand towards the trunk, which projected an invisible "beam" of magnetic energy, which she intended to use to "catch" the trunk and hold it steady for at least long enough for the deck to stabilize. She was prepared to dig in with her heels and use her EM drives to keep from being pulled off the deck with it the magnetic beam took hold, but realized the trunk's carriers were also at risk of falling off the deck.
She had a free hand, but there were two ropes, and presumably Rodeo was closer to them. "Rodeo, grab the ropes, don't let them fall off!" she ordered, shortly before receiving a status update from Mach. She was only momentarily distracted by the message, but with Mach still okay, she rapidly got back to the matter at hand.
However, he didn't have much time to mull on the subject nor respond to Memora's deal, the rendezvous was very abruptly cut short. He was temporarily blinded and deafened by a close-range explosion, which packed enough punch to slam him back into the wall. Flashes of pain bolted over his front and his back, but he managed to keep his footing and reorient himself. Once he did so, he saw the other half of the room had been blown out, with the shelf, bed, and its occupant completely vanished. He half-expected to hear the footfalls of a follow-up assault from outside the room, and he wouldn't be caught unprepared.
His default armor quickly took the place of his singed board shorts and refreshed his mask, but the rest of his face still bore the scorch marks of the explosion. He also activated his heavy shielding, which caused a multi-layered nearly transparent blue energy shield to materialize in front of him, which notably pushed some of the smoke out of the way. With his defenses active, he shifted to searching out Memora. He tried to push through the flames and smoke, taking flight if needed to navigate around the dangerous areas to where the bed used to be. He also looked out through the hole in the hull, and down to the waves below to see if there was any trace of Memora.
Regardless of what he saw, a theory started to form in his mind. The uniform hinted either Memora or ArmoryMan were NP, possibly both, and they both knew of him and his NS membership. Memora also showed no suspicion regarding the explosives nor the ticking, which may have been the very device that destroyed half the room. Said device could only have been placed by ArmoryMan, Wanderlust Staff, or Memora herself if the room locks worked as advertised. Could this have been an attempted assassination of Memora and/or himself? Or maybe an attempt to frame him (and more importantly the Neo-Shogunate) for attacking/deleting a NP officer? Either way, he could feel the proverbial cross-hairs locking on his forehead; nothing better to sober him up and put his mind on high alert.
If he saw any trace of Memora outside (data, fragments of her swimsuit, etc), he'd move to investigate, with the hope of locating/rescuing the Navi. If there was, he'd be forced to use what was left of the room to find the answers he needed. He assumed an explosion on board would no-doubt attract the attention of the guests and crew. With the latter in mind, namely Jack, he knew he didn't have much time to gather evidence.
However, he did have a backup plan. If he ran out of time, he'd retreat to the still-intact bathroom and close the door behind him. If anything, he could eavesdrop on the first responder(s) while he sent out a quick status to his SPs, who would've no-doubt heard/saw/felt the explosion. Their reactions might give him clues to the true nature of the event, and he could quickly teleport away as soon as they attempted to enter the bathroom.
-------------------------------
Vector held the door open for Seer to step out of the cold, continuing to listen to Seer and IllusionMan's conversation. However, it was punctuated by the distant boom of an explosion, accompanied by a slight shudder of the hull. Vector instinctively turned towards the direction of the explosion, then pulled up location/status data of both MachMan and Aera. Both were online with open comm channels, which brought a level of relief to the SP. No sooner did he think about querying the pair did he receive a brief message from Mach, saying he was near the explosion but uninjured.
Vector's eye quickly panned back to IllusionMan, who proposed he and Seer flee the ship. He agreed with the Navi's level of caution, but he knew Mach and Aera wouldn't immediately flee, as they have the ability to retreat faster than most programs; he'll stay with them.
Seer questioned IllusionMan's behavior, and showed a self-awareness for the accuracy issues regarding her vision by proposing they investigate. She also noted her lack of premonition regarding the explosion. However, IllusionMan was convinced. This roused some suspicion in the fractal SP, that Navi seemed to know something. "Sir, pardon my brevity, but how are you so sure?" he asked in a calmly conversational tone, trying to appear more curious than accusatory.
-------------------------------
Aera couldn't help but keep a slight smile as Rodeo lauded the NS "gals," and said smile grew once the girl boasted her rope skills to the point of being worthy of being on par with the Shogun him(?)self. "Oh ho, now I'm even more interested. Show me what you got!" she replied, spurring the girl on. She wasn't entirely sure if she was biting off more than she could chew, but the resulting show would be entertaining regardless.
With an admirable amount of skill, Rodeo snared one of the trunk-carriers with her rope, and soon after disabled the other as well. Needless to say the roped girls weren't happy with the arrangement, and their compatriots appeared to feel the same way. Rodeo was quickly flanked, which indirectly brought Aera into the proverbial crossfire. They didn't immediately attack or appear outwardly threatening other than making their presence known, so Aera's reaction was muted to the point of casually acknowledging the pair with a glance.
This also drew the attention of the girls' glamorous, parasol-wielding captain, who addressed the pair and oddly "let the cat out of the bag" without much provocation. Aera found this confession from the "honorable pirate" an added bonus to the show, and didn't find any reason to not let it play out. All the woman advised was for the pair to simply relocate, to keep out of their 'good,' yet 'very secret' affairs. Aera looked to the captain with a polite smile. "All in good fun miss.." her voice trailed a bit in an attempt to learn the woman's name, then continued.
"But I can't help but feel even more interested in your activities, confessing you're doing something 'good' but also 'very secret.' A girl can't help but feel teased by something like this, don't you think?" She calmly slid from her chair and stood up to stand eye-to-eye with the woman, but to not alarm her comrades. "Have anything to sate our curiosity, or convince us to head our separate ways with sealed lips?" she asked, putting a hand on her angled hip as she put more weight on one foot than the other.
It wasn't likely she had time to respond, as an explosion rocked the ship, causing Aera to nearly topple over. Her EM drives kicked in and slowed her fall enough to adjust her stance and catch herself from falling. The woman kept her balance, but Rodeo was now on her butt, and a rough scraping sound prompted Aera to look to the heavy trunk sliding across the deck towards the edge. Thankfully Mazer hadn't changed Aera's chip presets in a while, so a MagBolt1 chip data was still loaded to her program.
She widened her stance a bit as she extended her right arm and hand towards the trunk, which projected an invisible "beam" of magnetic energy, which she intended to use to "catch" the trunk and hold it steady for at least long enough for the deck to stabilize. She was prepared to dig in with her heels and use her EM drives to keep from being pulled off the deck with it the magnetic beam took hold, but realized the trunk's carriers were also at risk of falling off the deck.
She had a free hand, but there were two ropes, and presumably Rodeo was closer to them. "Rodeo, grab the ropes, don't let them fall off!" she ordered, shortly before receiving a status update from Mach. She was only momentarily distracted by the message, but with Mach still okay, she rapidly got back to the matter at hand.
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If MachMan was looking to play the hero, he'd find that there was no opportunity to do so: Memora had vanished completely along with the explosion, leaving no trace of data, or flesh, or even fabric. A cursory glance outside wouldn't reveal much either, be it in the standard-design, single-bed room below, beneath the waves, or anywhere he could see. MachMan had already begun to come up with a theory as to the why, but he would realize that physical evidence was scarce... although, perhaps damning, perhaps not, he may notice that ArmoryMan's stock was significantly less affected by the explosion than Memora's was. Only a few guns had been displaced so far as to fall off the deck, while Memora's uniform, bed, desk, and the collection of bombs and small firearms she'd built had all been swept away.
Soon enough, MachMan would indeed hear heavy footsteps approaching and would have to adopt his backup plan, that being the room's sole hiding spot in the bathroom. There was hardly time to be impressed, but the bathroom was clearly designed for more than just bathing, with a tub just large enough for two in a heart shape, with the signature "N T" letters in attached cushions at the back of the tub for lounging. It appeared to power into a hot tub as well. Unfortunately, due to the design of the room, he wouldn't have any good space to hide in, further than just the bathroom itself. The tub also took up most of the room, apart from a bit of standing space in front of the sink and the toilet, so he'd really be limited to staying on his feet.
MachMan might be encouraged (and surprised) to find that the first responder was clearly Yasu, given the sound of the breathing as the First General nearly barreled into the door running down the hallway. MachMan would likely remember that she wasn't actually hitting on the bathroom door, but rather the one outside the main room, as she'd be unable to open it without assistance from staff or the room's owners. "Subordinate MachMan!" she barked out, beginning to beat on the door loudly with one fist. Soon, they'd both probably be privy to just how well the ship's doors really barred intruders.
Before anyone had a chance to learn that, ArmoryMan showed up nearby Yasu, or so it sounded, given his deep voice. "Damn, she went and did it," he cursed, sounding convinced it must be a scheme rather than an attack. "I told your boy that he was being played. I should have warned him he might be getting blown the hell up too, apparently," he clicked his teeth, possibly around one of his thick cigars, though it would be surprising if he'd run here with it. "I'm opening up, brace yourself for smoke."
"Just open it," Yasu commanded, having little patience for men in any case and even less for those who might be conspiring to injure one of her allies. It opened quickly. MachMan would have a minute to decide whether it would be wiser to reveal himself to the others and clue them in, or get out of dodge. He might also spare a thought for how strange it was that, until a moment ago, Jack had occupied basically the entire ship, and not a single one of her had responded to the explosion yet.
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"Look, I'm not on trial here! I'm IllusionMan, not ExplosionMan," IllusionMan responded defensively. "Is it so strange that if I see the ship shake and hear an explosion, I believe it might be something we need to know about?"
"No, Vector's right! You said that like you knew more about my visions so far than you've been letting on! What are you hiding?" she asked, putting as stern a look as her cute face would allow. "I've had it about up to here with your being so shady!"
"Again, I'm an IllusionMan, I can't help but be shady," IllusionMan protested, seeming somehow like he was sweating now despite being a giant face made of clouds... perhaps it would be more appropriate to say he was raining. "Alright, I don't have time for this, because we could be in real danger... I wanted you to think you had real powers so you'd be happy while you were on your cruise, feel useful, you know? So I've been looking at dangerous looking things all day and transmitting them to you as personal illusions. That way, you'd think you were having premonitions that would warn of danger... But seeing as this is an explosion I know anything about, I think it's pretty safe to say we ought to get out of here, or at least rejoin the others."
Seer was momentarily dumbfounded, opening all three eyes wide in shock. "So... I'm not really clairvoyant after all," she sighed, rubbing her third eyelid wearily. "Well, I guess that's not such a bad thing, after all the strange things my 'visions' were showing me. That would probably be pretty hard to manage on a day to day basis," she admitted, looking at the situation glass-half-full. "But the bad news is, that means there really might be some actual danger this time!" Her skittish nature had quickly returned.
The big head nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, I've been occupied here and not drifting from room to room as I sometimes do-"
"'Occupied,'' Seer added, using finger quotes and looking bemused.
IllusionMan glared sideways. "... As I sometimes do, so I don't have a clue what the source of that noise was. I've seen you communicate with your master without the use of words, Vector. Has he explained to you the cause of the disturbance?"
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"Clipper, my dear," the pirate lady offered, twirling her parasol idly. "Charmed to meet you, although I haven't had the pleasure of learning your names yet. I'm sure you'll offer them soon enough and I will be happy to explain both my quarry and my motivations to you. For now, however, you must release my-" Clipper began to parley, before everyone was shaken up due to the explosion.
Thankfully, after the initial rocking, the ship had remained surprisingly calm upon the sea. The bomb had definitely been what one might call a precise weapon, seeming to take out just Memora and half the room while leaving everything else in tact, include the balance of the cruise-liner. Aera and Rodeo would see Yasu dart from the party room, looking at nothing else around her, before any of the other party guests or crew appeared. ArmoryMan was right behind her, seeming as if he had some stake in the explosion as well judging by how he was moving in spite of his tailored suit. Tango's voice was coming from inside, but it was hard to tell what she was saying... whatever it was, it seemed to have convinced everyone else not to leave, which ordinarily would be a foolish course of action in an emergency situation. In this case, however, there was no real reason to panic, unless one was worried about further bombings.
That said, the two pirates were already almost over the side of the ship, being tugged up by Rodeo. With the ship rapidly stabilizing, one might think it looked a lot more like Aera was attempting to swipe Clipper's cargo, rather than stopping it from falling off the deck. Rodeo continued sliding, yelling out "TARNATIONS," "DAGNABBIT," and other such phrases, before the remaining two pirate crew flanking Rodeo and Aera left their positions to help secure her. Seeing the situation in hand, Clipper composed herself easily and smiled, an unfittingly pleasant expression given the situation. "You don't think the trunk contains some harmless ornaments and Tango family heirlooms I have in there, I take it? Seeing as you went out of your way to bring it here, when allowing it to fall would have proven quite an ample distraction," she surmised, pressing one dark hand to her cheek. Her cheeks were high-boned and slender, making her look pretty graceful and out of place for a pirate, but no more than her parasol did.
Aera would realize that the trunky was weighty in and of itself, but whatever it held inside was at least as heavy as she herself was. "I've given you freedom to do what you like, but don't think that it continues unmitigated. This plan is a long time in the making. That trunk is closed and locked and I mean for it to remain that way... I thought that explosion might ruin our plan, but I think our silly host is going to keep things hush hush in spite of herself," Clipper chuckled, seeming to have no great love for Tango. "Well, I love narrating almost as much as I do being the smartest lady in the room... not difficult among the type of rabble who make up most of the pirates in this sea... so I will pose you a few questions. See if you can put together the contents of the trunk using these clues. Firstly, how is it that Tango operates her cruise line here in pirate infested waters without fear of being plundered? Secondly, how does she keep her business afloat despite her poor planning skills, lack of any mechanical knowledge regarding cruise liners, inability to plan a basic party or desirable menu, penchant for canoodling with strangers under the gaudy guise of passion, etcetera, etcetera? Thirdly and finally, what is there of any interest to a pirate anywhere on this ship?" she questioned, speaking at a leisurely pace and twirling her umbrella at each punctuation. "And given that you've answered these very, very simple questions, I'll pose you a more difficult one: why am I, a 'good pirate', here stealing the subject that answers all three of those questions? If you can answer that one, well, then I really might be in some trouble."
If Aera cared to watch, Rodeo was chummily thanking two of the pirates from rescuing their allies, before all four turned their guns back on her, forcing her to raise her hands. "Aw, shoot," she sighed. "Hey, can I trade places with ya, Aera? I'll talk to the cap'n and yew can distract her crew!" Rodeo joked, though none of the pirates seemed to find it very funny. With the exception of the captain, or when they were playing games in the pool, they all seemed very cold and stone-faced.
"Oh, dear me... You're welcome to try the riddles too, if you like?" Clipper consoled her. "Pardon my teasing, but I believe you might have a better chance of fighting off my lovely crewmates than you would of unraveling this mystery."
"See there? She knows how tough I am!" Rodeo beamed, though she made no attempt to overpower the ones guarding her. It was hard to tell if she was making a joke or if she'd really misinterpreted.
Soon enough, MachMan would indeed hear heavy footsteps approaching and would have to adopt his backup plan, that being the room's sole hiding spot in the bathroom. There was hardly time to be impressed, but the bathroom was clearly designed for more than just bathing, with a tub just large enough for two in a heart shape, with the signature "N T" letters in attached cushions at the back of the tub for lounging. It appeared to power into a hot tub as well. Unfortunately, due to the design of the room, he wouldn't have any good space to hide in, further than just the bathroom itself. The tub also took up most of the room, apart from a bit of standing space in front of the sink and the toilet, so he'd really be limited to staying on his feet.
MachMan might be encouraged (and surprised) to find that the first responder was clearly Yasu, given the sound of the breathing as the First General nearly barreled into the door running down the hallway. MachMan would likely remember that she wasn't actually hitting on the bathroom door, but rather the one outside the main room, as she'd be unable to open it without assistance from staff or the room's owners. "Subordinate MachMan!" she barked out, beginning to beat on the door loudly with one fist. Soon, they'd both probably be privy to just how well the ship's doors really barred intruders.
Before anyone had a chance to learn that, ArmoryMan showed up nearby Yasu, or so it sounded, given his deep voice. "Damn, she went and did it," he cursed, sounding convinced it must be a scheme rather than an attack. "I told your boy that he was being played. I should have warned him he might be getting blown the hell up too, apparently," he clicked his teeth, possibly around one of his thick cigars, though it would be surprising if he'd run here with it. "I'm opening up, brace yourself for smoke."
"Just open it," Yasu commanded, having little patience for men in any case and even less for those who might be conspiring to injure one of her allies. It opened quickly. MachMan would have a minute to decide whether it would be wiser to reveal himself to the others and clue them in, or get out of dodge. He might also spare a thought for how strange it was that, until a moment ago, Jack had occupied basically the entire ship, and not a single one of her had responded to the explosion yet.
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"Look, I'm not on trial here! I'm IllusionMan, not ExplosionMan," IllusionMan responded defensively. "Is it so strange that if I see the ship shake and hear an explosion, I believe it might be something we need to know about?"
"No, Vector's right! You said that like you knew more about my visions so far than you've been letting on! What are you hiding?" she asked, putting as stern a look as her cute face would allow. "I've had it about up to here with your being so shady!"
"Again, I'm an IllusionMan, I can't help but be shady," IllusionMan protested, seeming somehow like he was sweating now despite being a giant face made of clouds... perhaps it would be more appropriate to say he was raining. "Alright, I don't have time for this, because we could be in real danger... I wanted you to think you had real powers so you'd be happy while you were on your cruise, feel useful, you know? So I've been looking at dangerous looking things all day and transmitting them to you as personal illusions. That way, you'd think you were having premonitions that would warn of danger... But seeing as this is an explosion I know anything about, I think it's pretty safe to say we ought to get out of here, or at least rejoin the others."
Seer was momentarily dumbfounded, opening all three eyes wide in shock. "So... I'm not really clairvoyant after all," she sighed, rubbing her third eyelid wearily. "Well, I guess that's not such a bad thing, after all the strange things my 'visions' were showing me. That would probably be pretty hard to manage on a day to day basis," she admitted, looking at the situation glass-half-full. "But the bad news is, that means there really might be some actual danger this time!" Her skittish nature had quickly returned.
The big head nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, I've been occupied here and not drifting from room to room as I sometimes do-"
"'Occupied,'' Seer added, using finger quotes and looking bemused.
IllusionMan glared sideways. "... As I sometimes do, so I don't have a clue what the source of that noise was. I've seen you communicate with your master without the use of words, Vector. Has he explained to you the cause of the disturbance?"
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"Clipper, my dear," the pirate lady offered, twirling her parasol idly. "Charmed to meet you, although I haven't had the pleasure of learning your names yet. I'm sure you'll offer them soon enough and I will be happy to explain both my quarry and my motivations to you. For now, however, you must release my-" Clipper began to parley, before everyone was shaken up due to the explosion.
Thankfully, after the initial rocking, the ship had remained surprisingly calm upon the sea. The bomb had definitely been what one might call a precise weapon, seeming to take out just Memora and half the room while leaving everything else in tact, include the balance of the cruise-liner. Aera and Rodeo would see Yasu dart from the party room, looking at nothing else around her, before any of the other party guests or crew appeared. ArmoryMan was right behind her, seeming as if he had some stake in the explosion as well judging by how he was moving in spite of his tailored suit. Tango's voice was coming from inside, but it was hard to tell what she was saying... whatever it was, it seemed to have convinced everyone else not to leave, which ordinarily would be a foolish course of action in an emergency situation. In this case, however, there was no real reason to panic, unless one was worried about further bombings.
That said, the two pirates were already almost over the side of the ship, being tugged up by Rodeo. With the ship rapidly stabilizing, one might think it looked a lot more like Aera was attempting to swipe Clipper's cargo, rather than stopping it from falling off the deck. Rodeo continued sliding, yelling out "TARNATIONS," "DAGNABBIT," and other such phrases, before the remaining two pirate crew flanking Rodeo and Aera left their positions to help secure her. Seeing the situation in hand, Clipper composed herself easily and smiled, an unfittingly pleasant expression given the situation. "You don't think the trunk contains some harmless ornaments and Tango family heirlooms I have in there, I take it? Seeing as you went out of your way to bring it here, when allowing it to fall would have proven quite an ample distraction," she surmised, pressing one dark hand to her cheek. Her cheeks were high-boned and slender, making her look pretty graceful and out of place for a pirate, but no more than her parasol did.
Aera would realize that the trunky was weighty in and of itself, but whatever it held inside was at least as heavy as she herself was. "I've given you freedom to do what you like, but don't think that it continues unmitigated. This plan is a long time in the making. That trunk is closed and locked and I mean for it to remain that way... I thought that explosion might ruin our plan, but I think our silly host is going to keep things hush hush in spite of herself," Clipper chuckled, seeming to have no great love for Tango. "Well, I love narrating almost as much as I do being the smartest lady in the room... not difficult among the type of rabble who make up most of the pirates in this sea... so I will pose you a few questions. See if you can put together the contents of the trunk using these clues. Firstly, how is it that Tango operates her cruise line here in pirate infested waters without fear of being plundered? Secondly, how does she keep her business afloat despite her poor planning skills, lack of any mechanical knowledge regarding cruise liners, inability to plan a basic party or desirable menu, penchant for canoodling with strangers under the gaudy guise of passion, etcetera, etcetera? Thirdly and finally, what is there of any interest to a pirate anywhere on this ship?" she questioned, speaking at a leisurely pace and twirling her umbrella at each punctuation. "And given that you've answered these very, very simple questions, I'll pose you a more difficult one: why am I, a 'good pirate', here stealing the subject that answers all three of those questions? If you can answer that one, well, then I really might be in some trouble."
If Aera cared to watch, Rodeo was chummily thanking two of the pirates from rescuing their allies, before all four turned their guns back on her, forcing her to raise her hands. "Aw, shoot," she sighed. "Hey, can I trade places with ya, Aera? I'll talk to the cap'n and yew can distract her crew!" Rodeo joked, though none of the pirates seemed to find it very funny. With the exception of the captain, or when they were playing games in the pool, they all seemed very cold and stone-faced.
"Oh, dear me... You're welcome to try the riddles too, if you like?" Clipper consoled her. "Pardon my teasing, but I believe you might have a better chance of fighting off my lovely crewmates than you would of unraveling this mystery."
"See there? She knows how tough I am!" Rodeo beamed, though she made no attempt to overpower the ones guarding her. It was hard to tell if she was making a joke or if she'd really misinterpreted.
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Mach was met with a surprisingly scant evidence, so much so he wondered if Memora logged out at the last minute. In addition, the explosion's very small area of effect was noteworthy; it only dealt minor damage to what he assumed was ArmoryMan's side of the room, but everything caught in the compact blast seemed to have been thoroughly vaporized. This level of precision was out of the ordinary, therefore highly suspect.
Though he had retreated to the bathroom, he heard Yasu calling out, shortly followed by ArmoryMan's voice. The former was a welcome voice, the latter was... more suspicious. Regardless, he didn't feel the need to keep himself hidden; it could reassure the concerned-sounding general, and allow Mach the chance to witness ArmoryMan's reaction to the scene. He primarily wanted to see how the Navi reacted to Memora's absence, paired with Mach's lack of non-superficial damage. With Memora "unavailable," ArmoryMan is now the prime suspect.
Mach wasted no time to teleport through the wall to the other side, and reverted back to his partially damaged swimwear model override. He hoped to be established against he wall before ArmoryMan unlocked and opened the room door. He waited until they opened the door before he responded, "I'm alright, ma'am." ArmoryMan already knew of Mach's affiliation, so there was no need to ignore the relationship between him and Yasu. He brushed some dust and ash from his trunks, and turned to face the door.
He waited for the smoke to clear and got a good look at the reactions of both Navis, then spoke up. "Is blowing up clients part of her business strategy, ArmoryMan?" He wanted to throw in an "or yours?" at the end of his statement, but he lacked the damning evidence to put the blame on the arms dealer. He looked over the room as the two newcomers undoubtedly did the same. "No trace of Memora; whatever that was, it did a thorough job," he concluded bluntly, faking a belief Memora was in fact claimed by the blast. He expected Jack to promptly show up; her tardiness added another level of strangeness to the event.
"That said, the explosion seems to have been very localized. Did anything else blow up in other areas of the ship?" he asked, his question mostly directed to Yasu. He assumed it was a single event, but additional blasts could've been obscured by the sensory overload from the first explosion, and Jack's absence could be indicative of other detonations.
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Vector continued to listen silently to the tame argument between the Navis, and closed the freezer door once they've both moved clear. His interest was piqued as IllusionMan let the proverbial cat out of the bag, having deceived Seer into thinking she was seeing visions. Vector noted the dishonorably under-handed deception, but it sounded like the Navi's intentions weren't malicious. He also noted that meant IllusionMan was present and witnessed every event in Seer's "visions," including the supposedly embarrassing encounter with Escort and her roommate Coral.
Vector didn't move to chastise the Navi, especially after Seer's admission of relief. Vector couldn't truly relate to Seer's situation, but he imagined having sudden, invasive visions would be mentally taxing after just a short time. More of a curse than a blessing, really. With that mystery solved, the group shifted their focus back to the explosion, which thus far remained the only significant event to happen; no follow up explosions or resulting gunfire.
Vector's cycloptic eye looked to IllusionMan as he addressed the fractal SP. "No significant details other than an 'explosion'," he responded to the Navi's query. It seems IllusionMan's perceptiveness was even more significant than previously thought, as he was able to detect Vector utilizing program-to-program direct communication, or made a rather good guess. Regardless, Vector became even more wary of Seer's partner. "I'm moving to investigate, if you wish to accompany me."
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Aera and Rodeo managed to keep the cargo and crewmembers from falling overboard, the latter requiring some help reeling them back in, but everything remained high and dry. The trunk felt quite heavy, so much so she was thankful it didn't tip overboard and require her to "shoulder" the entirety of its weight. The parasol-wielding woman, who introduced herself as "Clipper," wasn't impressed with the display, and seemed to mistake the act as an attempt to steal the trunk as opposed to keep it from falling overboard.
Unamused, Aera released her hold on the trunk by closing her hand, effectively stopping the chip's effect. As her hand formed a loose fist, small arcs of electricity popped and crackled around her fingers for a brief moment, then went silent prior to her hand relaxing to a normal position. "No good deed goes unpunished, hm? she mused, not expecting an answer as Clipper resumed her monologue and offered Aera clues as to the trunk's contents, in the form of a riddle/logic puzzle. Aera had already formed some potential answers, but she wasn't exactly alone. She'd noticed Mach had dipped out and spent a brief time overboard; though he didn't specify, it seemed logical he was investigating the ship that was now moored alongside the cruise-liner. She sent a quick text-only message to her Navi, requesting info. [[i]What do you know of the 'pirates,' now onboard? Their leader is giving me a game of "20 Questions" regarding their intended loot.[/i]]
Mach received the message nearly instantly, and shot back a brief rundown: [[i]Moderately armed, low aggression. Helmswoman/possible leader skilled at sailing; probable interest in fashion/clothing design, specifically women's swimwear. Possible business partner with Wanderlust crew.[/i]] Aera, happy with the new info nuggets, continued to smile before shooting back a quick thanks. [[i]Perfect, thanks~♥[/i]] In the meantime, Rodeo suggested she tackle the riddle while Aera dealt with Clipper's crew, who were currently holding the girl at gunpoint. She looked back at Rodeo, and the girls surrounding her. "Let me take a crack at this riddle first, then I can tag you in, okay?" she said with a wink and a smile, imitating her comrade's light attitude.
She turned back to Clipper, and rocked her head a bit as she made a mental run-through of her answers. She then took a page out of Clipper's playbook and began a monologue of her own. "If these are indeed 'pirate-infested waters,' Tango is either buying them all off, or more likely paying the strongest group for protection," she started off by looking out to the ocean stretching out to the horizon, then shot Clipper a glance at the end of her sentence, suggesting she hypothesizes Clipper and her crew to be said "strongest group." She continued, walking slowly and thoughtfully as if pacing about a room. "But I doubt that's a cheap agreement, and unless Tango is sitting on a sizeable fortune, I doubt she'd be able to support that and the cruise for long. As you said, she doesn't appear to be very competent."
She continued to walk slowly, but started to wander towards the trunk itself as she continued. "So I wonder if she's not actually 'paying' for any of this, instead working some angle; stealing from guests, blackmail, other unsavory activities..." her voice trailed off as she paused and looked back to Clipper to see her reaction. Regardless, she'd continue to her conclusion, while approaching the trunk. "There's likely plenty of loot pirates may want; zenny, clothing and other belongings, information, hostages... but it's really about what you want, specifically." She paused in front of the trunk, then spun around and ran her hands down the back of her legs, keeping her sun dress from riding up as she tried to take a seat on the trunk. If she was successful, she'd lean slightly to one side with her legs crossed, and held upright with one arm. "So I think a 'good pirate' like yourself may be simply trying to steal back what's "rightfully yours." I'm thinking... clothing or information."
She smiled, then seemed to mentally question her answer and looked down at the trunk. "Unless I'm sitting on top of a Navi..." she revised her answer as she tapped her fingers along the top of the trunk. "I have an idea who the 'T' in "N T" is. Is this 'N'?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't at all certain, and wouldn't be surprised if she missed it by a mile, but the theory was interesting regardless. In all honesty, the only thing driving her motivation to know the contents of the trunk was simple curiosity. If there was a pertinent need, she'd force it open herself, or enlist the assistance of her more than capable allies (especially one that could be on-scene in a*literal* blink of an eye).
Though he had retreated to the bathroom, he heard Yasu calling out, shortly followed by ArmoryMan's voice. The former was a welcome voice, the latter was... more suspicious. Regardless, he didn't feel the need to keep himself hidden; it could reassure the concerned-sounding general, and allow Mach the chance to witness ArmoryMan's reaction to the scene. He primarily wanted to see how the Navi reacted to Memora's absence, paired with Mach's lack of non-superficial damage. With Memora "unavailable," ArmoryMan is now the prime suspect.
Mach wasted no time to teleport through the wall to the other side, and reverted back to his partially damaged swimwear model override. He hoped to be established against he wall before ArmoryMan unlocked and opened the room door. He waited until they opened the door before he responded, "I'm alright, ma'am." ArmoryMan already knew of Mach's affiliation, so there was no need to ignore the relationship between him and Yasu. He brushed some dust and ash from his trunks, and turned to face the door.
He waited for the smoke to clear and got a good look at the reactions of both Navis, then spoke up. "Is blowing up clients part of her business strategy, ArmoryMan?" He wanted to throw in an "or yours?" at the end of his statement, but he lacked the damning evidence to put the blame on the arms dealer. He looked over the room as the two newcomers undoubtedly did the same. "No trace of Memora; whatever that was, it did a thorough job," he concluded bluntly, faking a belief Memora was in fact claimed by the blast. He expected Jack to promptly show up; her tardiness added another level of strangeness to the event.
"That said, the explosion seems to have been very localized. Did anything else blow up in other areas of the ship?" he asked, his question mostly directed to Yasu. He assumed it was a single event, but additional blasts could've been obscured by the sensory overload from the first explosion, and Jack's absence could be indicative of other detonations.
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Vector continued to listen silently to the tame argument between the Navis, and closed the freezer door once they've both moved clear. His interest was piqued as IllusionMan let the proverbial cat out of the bag, having deceived Seer into thinking she was seeing visions. Vector noted the dishonorably under-handed deception, but it sounded like the Navi's intentions weren't malicious. He also noted that meant IllusionMan was present and witnessed every event in Seer's "visions," including the supposedly embarrassing encounter with Escort and her roommate Coral.
Vector didn't move to chastise the Navi, especially after Seer's admission of relief. Vector couldn't truly relate to Seer's situation, but he imagined having sudden, invasive visions would be mentally taxing after just a short time. More of a curse than a blessing, really. With that mystery solved, the group shifted their focus back to the explosion, which thus far remained the only significant event to happen; no follow up explosions or resulting gunfire.
Vector's cycloptic eye looked to IllusionMan as he addressed the fractal SP. "No significant details other than an 'explosion'," he responded to the Navi's query. It seems IllusionMan's perceptiveness was even more significant than previously thought, as he was able to detect Vector utilizing program-to-program direct communication, or made a rather good guess. Regardless, Vector became even more wary of Seer's partner. "I'm moving to investigate, if you wish to accompany me."
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Aera and Rodeo managed to keep the cargo and crewmembers from falling overboard, the latter requiring some help reeling them back in, but everything remained high and dry. The trunk felt quite heavy, so much so she was thankful it didn't tip overboard and require her to "shoulder" the entirety of its weight. The parasol-wielding woman, who introduced herself as "Clipper," wasn't impressed with the display, and seemed to mistake the act as an attempt to steal the trunk as opposed to keep it from falling overboard.
Unamused, Aera released her hold on the trunk by closing her hand, effectively stopping the chip's effect. As her hand formed a loose fist, small arcs of electricity popped and crackled around her fingers for a brief moment, then went silent prior to her hand relaxing to a normal position. "No good deed goes unpunished, hm? she mused, not expecting an answer as Clipper resumed her monologue and offered Aera clues as to the trunk's contents, in the form of a riddle/logic puzzle. Aera had already formed some potential answers, but she wasn't exactly alone. She'd noticed Mach had dipped out and spent a brief time overboard; though he didn't specify, it seemed logical he was investigating the ship that was now moored alongside the cruise-liner. She sent a quick text-only message to her Navi, requesting info. [[i]What do you know of the 'pirates,' now onboard? Their leader is giving me a game of "20 Questions" regarding their intended loot.[/i]]
Mach received the message nearly instantly, and shot back a brief rundown: [[i]Moderately armed, low aggression. Helmswoman/possible leader skilled at sailing; probable interest in fashion/clothing design, specifically women's swimwear. Possible business partner with Wanderlust crew.[/i]] Aera, happy with the new info nuggets, continued to smile before shooting back a quick thanks. [[i]Perfect, thanks~♥[/i]] In the meantime, Rodeo suggested she tackle the riddle while Aera dealt with Clipper's crew, who were currently holding the girl at gunpoint. She looked back at Rodeo, and the girls surrounding her. "Let me take a crack at this riddle first, then I can tag you in, okay?" she said with a wink and a smile, imitating her comrade's light attitude.
She turned back to Clipper, and rocked her head a bit as she made a mental run-through of her answers. She then took a page out of Clipper's playbook and began a monologue of her own. "If these are indeed 'pirate-infested waters,' Tango is either buying them all off, or more likely paying the strongest group for protection," she started off by looking out to the ocean stretching out to the horizon, then shot Clipper a glance at the end of her sentence, suggesting she hypothesizes Clipper and her crew to be said "strongest group." She continued, walking slowly and thoughtfully as if pacing about a room. "But I doubt that's a cheap agreement, and unless Tango is sitting on a sizeable fortune, I doubt she'd be able to support that and the cruise for long. As you said, she doesn't appear to be very competent."
She continued to walk slowly, but started to wander towards the trunk itself as she continued. "So I wonder if she's not actually 'paying' for any of this, instead working some angle; stealing from guests, blackmail, other unsavory activities..." her voice trailed off as she paused and looked back to Clipper to see her reaction. Regardless, she'd continue to her conclusion, while approaching the trunk. "There's likely plenty of loot pirates may want; zenny, clothing and other belongings, information, hostages... but it's really about what you want, specifically." She paused in front of the trunk, then spun around and ran her hands down the back of her legs, keeping her sun dress from riding up as she tried to take a seat on the trunk. If she was successful, she'd lean slightly to one side with her legs crossed, and held upright with one arm. "So I think a 'good pirate' like yourself may be simply trying to steal back what's "rightfully yours." I'm thinking... clothing or information."
She smiled, then seemed to mentally question her answer and looked down at the trunk. "Unless I'm sitting on top of a Navi..." she revised her answer as she tapped her fingers along the top of the trunk. "I have an idea who the 'T' in "N T" is. Is this 'N'?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't at all certain, and wouldn't be surprised if she missed it by a mile, but the theory was interesting regardless. In all honesty, the only thing driving her motivation to know the contents of the trunk was simple curiosity. If there was a pertinent need, she'd force it open herself, or enlist the assistance of her more than capable allies (especially one that could be on-scene in a*literal* blink of an eye).
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Yasu was visibly relieved when MachMan was waiting in the room... well, as much as her stress level ever eased up, anyways. That only lasted a moment before she remembered the tension of the situation (and the fact that MachMan was shirtless in a lady's room), regaining her stern expression. "Good... very good," she responded, locking e yes for a moment before crossing her arms and inspecting the area. "This smells of treachery. Is it your doing, arms trader?" she asked, looking ready to tack the blame onto him. At least this time, he was the logical one to accuse, so her attitude couldn't be blamed on her almost universal hatred of men.
"What if I said yes? Would you believe me?" ArmoryMan shrugged; if he was frightened being flanked by the two of them, he didn't show it. "It's ridiculous to think I had anything to do with it. If Memora was that easy to kill, she wouldn't survive in her business very long," he retorted, his eyes drifting over what remained of his stock while a twitch played at his upper lip, making it look like he was holding back a snarl. "This was a set up... By her, obviously. No idea what she was planning though. She's crafty, maybe... or maybe she was collecting insurance on all that crap she blew up. I've got no idea."
"I'm sure whatever maneuvering is going on is still in progress,' Yasu murmured, shaking her head. "But for now, there's only been one explosion. The impact rocked the boat for a moment, but that stopped quickly. Worth noting: the ship is at a stand still now, both this and the other vessel next to ours," she explained, watching the floor contemplatively. "Not that we were going much of anywhere to begin with."
"If you think Memora's not behind everything going on here now, you 're delusional. It's convoluted and difficult to unravel, just the way she likes it. Somebody's getting fleeced, you just got to hope it's not you, buddy," he added, smirking at the two again. "See? Should have just taken my deal. Buying and selling me is so much easier, comparatively."
Seer nodded along and smiled at Vector's offer. "We may as well, right? We can treat it like a mystery game," she giggled pleasantly. IllusionMan nodded, although not nearly so enthusiastically. Seer seemed like she was eager to experience something out of the ordinary on the trip, so it was no surprise that the explosion had piqued her interest, even if she was a bit skittish most of the time.
"I'll lead the way. I have already explored the entire ship, so I can easily lead us to the source," IllusionMan asserted, although Vector could probably do it as well. The mist began to trail in front of them, leading their way back out the way they'd came. Seer followed alongside Vector, seeming to be in a decent enough mood.
Before they could reach the site of the explosion, they'd most likely stop to inspect the bizarre scene in the dinner room. The crowd was clearly getting restless, each of them just waiting for one of the others to defy the hostess' repeated instructions not to leave the room so that they could follow suite. Tango was busily dancing with her faceless dummy, while monotonously advising everyone to stay in their seats in her sing-song voice. "Oh, wait just a little longer! Passion blooms right in this room! In just a moment, Jack will bring me a status report to explain that strange noise we heard. At the same time, she will refresh your refreshments! You've waited all your life for long, surely you can wait a little longer?" she teased the handcuffed NetMafia/NetPolice pair, who looked like they were remiss that the room had no windows to jump from, judging by their stiff posture and silence.
If Vector looked around, he'd realize that indeed, everyone's drinks were empty and most plates of food were empty. It was clear from this and their trip through the kitchen that Jack hadn't made the rounds in a while. Escort and Coral noticed Vector's return; the former waved him over to the table. "That gas cloud wasn't with you when you went in there," she noted.
"I'm IllusionMan. This is our first time meeting, I believe," IllusionMan responded, nodding his oversized head.
"Right, I think I'd recognize your face," she added.
"And I in turn have never seen your face or any other part of you for an extended period, that I can recall."
Escort smiled vacantly for a moment, only vaguely picking up on the fact that he was acting suspiciously, before continuing. "Vector, you may as well have a seat. Tango's telling us that Jack will administer big privilege reductions if anyone leaves before Tango instructs them to," she sighed.
"I'll say it: who cares? I'd say the party's over. I haven't seen the waitress in what feels like an hour and the besides that, the ship's stopped- I can tell. AND there was an explosion. What are we all waiting for? I say we take this party back to my place-" Coral offered, clearly looking at Escort to indicate that she meant for that to be a suggestion just for the two of them.
"Or we could go back to your dance club!" Escort pitched in helpfully.
"No. No we won't," her girlfriend responded, glowering. "I'd go hang out at your workplace to have fun before I'd go to mine." Vector would have to decide if he felt like joining the damned, listening to Tango, possibly rescue them, or maybe just slip out himself.
Clipper smiled along as Aera reasoned out her answers. "Paying people off is one of the few things she's qualified to do," she agreed. "However, you're right that she'd run out of money easily if it was only her own funding keeping her going. It's a bit like a triangle of payments... it's a bit complicated. I'll explain it later, if there's time. But please, continue," she teased, twirling her parasol behind her shoulder.
"And you're right again. Her form of payment is supported by an unsavory activity... I won't say what that is, but let's just say it's not 'passionate' but more 'convenient.' You're half-right about the loot pirates might want... The truth is, everything here is just as cheap and artificial as it looks. There is very little of real value to steal... Although, there is a thing or two, I'll grant you," she laughed, casting her eyes back to the trunk. "Now, I won't say it's rightfully mine... But it's rightfully somebody's," she replied quietly. "I do like information, but it's not that... And I do like clothing, but certainly none of Tango's."
Her smile widened as Aera implied she might be sitting on treasure in navi form. "The 'N T' branding only refers to 'Network Together' or 'Navi Tango.' It began as Network Together and is now Navi Tango, I should say. It's a brand that is as meaningless as Tango's little soirees themselves," she chuckled, although it was a very dry laugh. Her sense of taste clearly wouldn't tolerate the silly cruise host. "However, the treasure inside that trunk is so valuable to this whole operation that it might as well be considered half of the substance of this 'N T' brand. "So, you're close! I applaud your effort. However, I have no consolation prizes... So, if you will allow me to exit with my treasure, then I'll have nothing but good things to think about you as I sail away," she finished, crossing her parasol over to the other shoulder.
"We gotta know what the treasure is if we're gonna know whether ya'll oughtta get away with it! Big diff-ee-rence between dirty outlaws and noble thieves, like Zoro, or somethin' like that," she proposed, looking between the two girls on her sides, who were staying quiet and betraying few thoughts.
"Fine, that's a fair point. It's a fugitive," she finished, narrowing her eyes and smiling towards Aera again to see how she'd react. "A fugitive from the law. Think of it as me collecting a bounty," she offered. Her jovial grin, now parting her lips ever so slightly, seemed to dare Aera to ask why a pirate would be assisting the law in capturing a criminal, or how, even. "But we're almost out of time. The party is wrapping up, I can tell. And that will be my cue to leave. I trust we'll have no resistance from you? I can offer you a little hush money if you like... Noble thief hush money, the purest there is," she smirked. "Two-thousand zenny for your word that we won't be pursued. Sounds like a deal, doesn't it?"
"What if I said yes? Would you believe me?" ArmoryMan shrugged; if he was frightened being flanked by the two of them, he didn't show it. "It's ridiculous to think I had anything to do with it. If Memora was that easy to kill, she wouldn't survive in her business very long," he retorted, his eyes drifting over what remained of his stock while a twitch played at his upper lip, making it look like he was holding back a snarl. "This was a set up... By her, obviously. No idea what she was planning though. She's crafty, maybe... or maybe she was collecting insurance on all that crap she blew up. I've got no idea."
"I'm sure whatever maneuvering is going on is still in progress,' Yasu murmured, shaking her head. "But for now, there's only been one explosion. The impact rocked the boat for a moment, but that stopped quickly. Worth noting: the ship is at a stand still now, both this and the other vessel next to ours," she explained, watching the floor contemplatively. "Not that we were going much of anywhere to begin with."
"If you think Memora's not behind everything going on here now, you 're delusional. It's convoluted and difficult to unravel, just the way she likes it. Somebody's getting fleeced, you just got to hope it's not you, buddy," he added, smirking at the two again. "See? Should have just taken my deal. Buying and selling me is so much easier, comparatively."
Seer nodded along and smiled at Vector's offer. "We may as well, right? We can treat it like a mystery game," she giggled pleasantly. IllusionMan nodded, although not nearly so enthusiastically. Seer seemed like she was eager to experience something out of the ordinary on the trip, so it was no surprise that the explosion had piqued her interest, even if she was a bit skittish most of the time.
"I'll lead the way. I have already explored the entire ship, so I can easily lead us to the source," IllusionMan asserted, although Vector could probably do it as well. The mist began to trail in front of them, leading their way back out the way they'd came. Seer followed alongside Vector, seeming to be in a decent enough mood.
Before they could reach the site of the explosion, they'd most likely stop to inspect the bizarre scene in the dinner room. The crowd was clearly getting restless, each of them just waiting for one of the others to defy the hostess' repeated instructions not to leave the room so that they could follow suite. Tango was busily dancing with her faceless dummy, while monotonously advising everyone to stay in their seats in her sing-song voice. "Oh, wait just a little longer! Passion blooms right in this room! In just a moment, Jack will bring me a status report to explain that strange noise we heard. At the same time, she will refresh your refreshments! You've waited all your life for long, surely you can wait a little longer?" she teased the handcuffed NetMafia/NetPolice pair, who looked like they were remiss that the room had no windows to jump from, judging by their stiff posture and silence.
If Vector looked around, he'd realize that indeed, everyone's drinks were empty and most plates of food were empty. It was clear from this and their trip through the kitchen that Jack hadn't made the rounds in a while. Escort and Coral noticed Vector's return; the former waved him over to the table. "That gas cloud wasn't with you when you went in there," she noted.
"I'm IllusionMan. This is our first time meeting, I believe," IllusionMan responded, nodding his oversized head.
"Right, I think I'd recognize your face," she added.
"And I in turn have never seen your face or any other part of you for an extended period, that I can recall."
Escort smiled vacantly for a moment, only vaguely picking up on the fact that he was acting suspiciously, before continuing. "Vector, you may as well have a seat. Tango's telling us that Jack will administer big privilege reductions if anyone leaves before Tango instructs them to," she sighed.
"I'll say it: who cares? I'd say the party's over. I haven't seen the waitress in what feels like an hour and the besides that, the ship's stopped- I can tell. AND there was an explosion. What are we all waiting for? I say we take this party back to my place-" Coral offered, clearly looking at Escort to indicate that she meant for that to be a suggestion just for the two of them.
"Or we could go back to your dance club!" Escort pitched in helpfully.
"No. No we won't," her girlfriend responded, glowering. "I'd go hang out at your workplace to have fun before I'd go to mine." Vector would have to decide if he felt like joining the damned, listening to Tango, possibly rescue them, or maybe just slip out himself.
Clipper smiled along as Aera reasoned out her answers. "Paying people off is one of the few things she's qualified to do," she agreed. "However, you're right that she'd run out of money easily if it was only her own funding keeping her going. It's a bit like a triangle of payments... it's a bit complicated. I'll explain it later, if there's time. But please, continue," she teased, twirling her parasol behind her shoulder.
"And you're right again. Her form of payment is supported by an unsavory activity... I won't say what that is, but let's just say it's not 'passionate' but more 'convenient.' You're half-right about the loot pirates might want... The truth is, everything here is just as cheap and artificial as it looks. There is very little of real value to steal... Although, there is a thing or two, I'll grant you," she laughed, casting her eyes back to the trunk. "Now, I won't say it's rightfully mine... But it's rightfully somebody's," she replied quietly. "I do like information, but it's not that... And I do like clothing, but certainly none of Tango's."
Her smile widened as Aera implied she might be sitting on treasure in navi form. "The 'N T' branding only refers to 'Network Together' or 'Navi Tango.' It began as Network Together and is now Navi Tango, I should say. It's a brand that is as meaningless as Tango's little soirees themselves," she chuckled, although it was a very dry laugh. Her sense of taste clearly wouldn't tolerate the silly cruise host. "However, the treasure inside that trunk is so valuable to this whole operation that it might as well be considered half of the substance of this 'N T' brand. "So, you're close! I applaud your effort. However, I have no consolation prizes... So, if you will allow me to exit with my treasure, then I'll have nothing but good things to think about you as I sail away," she finished, crossing her parasol over to the other shoulder.
"We gotta know what the treasure is if we're gonna know whether ya'll oughtta get away with it! Big diff-ee-rence between dirty outlaws and noble thieves, like Zoro, or somethin' like that," she proposed, looking between the two girls on her sides, who were staying quiet and betraying few thoughts.
"Fine, that's a fair point. It's a fugitive," she finished, narrowing her eyes and smiling towards Aera again to see how she'd react. "A fugitive from the law. Think of it as me collecting a bounty," she offered. Her jovial grin, now parting her lips ever so slightly, seemed to dare Aera to ask why a pirate would be assisting the law in capturing a criminal, or how, even. "But we're almost out of time. The party is wrapping up, I can tell. And that will be my cue to leave. I trust we'll have no resistance from you? I can offer you a little hush money if you like... Noble thief hush money, the purest there is," she smirked. "Two-thousand zenny for your word that we won't be pursued. Sounds like a deal, doesn't it?"
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Mach appreciated the general's relief when it was revealed he was mostly unscathed, and even more so when her suspicions were immediately directed towards ArmoryMan. He half expected the accusations to be directed his way... Back to the issue at hand, Mach listened to ArmoryMan's response to Yasu's accusations. [[i]"No idea"? He knew about me, the NS, even who we've fought. Seems odd that he'd not know at least that much about his roommate.[/i]] Mach thought to himself; he agreed with his assertion that it was a setup, but didn't quite believe he didn't have an idea of her plans. Regardless, he didn't look pleased with the situation, probably due to some missing/torched merchandise.
"Just one explosion? I hate to admit it, but ArmoryMan's theory seems to make the most sense," he commented at the conclusion of Yasu's explanation, giving a slight shrug. He then tilted his head slightly towards the room's entrance and out into the hallway. "Jack's still a no-show? I expected her to beat you two here; did you see her at all on your way over?" he asked before making his way out of the room. He faced out towards the hallway, but his eyes angled to ArmoryMan as he added additional comments. "You're not the grudge-holding type, are ya?" Mach inquired in response to the Navi's declaration regarding his business compared to Memora's, pausing for a moment before passing him and walked into the hallway.
"I can use a dust-off, and a drink... but I'm quite curious about Jack's tardiness." Mach seemed to change the subject, but there was no trace of Memora, nor anyone else coming in with violent intentions, and everyone else seemed to be fine, so he started to look for connections. Speaking of which... Mach stopped and turned to ArmoryMan, and nodded his head in the direction of the room. "Memora. Is she NP, or private security?"
Vector noted a continued change in Seer's demeanor, it's almost as she was relieved to have the burden of her "visions" lifted. That said, he didn't protest her more chipper attitude. He also didn't protest at IllusionMan's offer to lead the search; Vector already indirectly knew the source, since he knew where Mach was located, but he didn't feel a need to state that fact. "Very well, lead on," he replied, before following the trail of mist with Seer at his side.
They quickly made it to the dining hall, and saw the guests looking restless and not very interested in Tango and her dummy dancing in the room. Apparently Tango had put the room in an improvised "lock down" due to the explosion, which made sense to Vector; but apparently word had yet to reach them, and Jack was nowhere to be found. He could pick up on the unease in the room, but the guests seemed more annoyed than fearful.
Thankfully the group was saved from awkwardly standing around when Escort waved them over to her and Coral's table. IllusionMan made his introduction, a clumsily suspicious one at that, one that only confirmed Vector's theory of the Navi's voyeuristic nature. Vector made his introduction as well, as he hadn't formally met the woman who he assumed was Coral. "And I'm Vector.SP, Miss Coral; I presume," he said with a polite nod, before he panned his head to Escort and gave her a similar nod. "Nice to see you again, Miss Escort."
He instinctively reached for a chair to pull out for Seer, in response to Escort's suggestion the group take a seat due to the lockdown. He continued to leave the option open for Seer as Coral made her own suggestions, and looked to Seer before gesturing to the chair. If she chose to sit, he'd slide the chair in a bit after she sat, still listening to Coral. If she declined, he'd leave the chair as is. He added his own two cents to the conversation, though the contribution was likely minimal, "Agreed, but since neither Mach nor Aera requested backup, I don't believe we're in danger. I still plan to investigate, but feel free to do as you all please."
He looked to one of the exits through which he could access the deck, then turned to IllusionMan and Seer. "I'll head to the deck, to evaluate possible damage to the ship." He didn't explicitly invite Seer and IllusionMan, neither did he explicitly bar their company. In fact, he'd prefer Seer, and Seer alone, accompanied them. However, that would leave the possibly lecherous IllusionMan alone with Escort and Coral. Though he felt confident they could take him on a level fight, but he may continue to spy on them. He utilized the previously established comm lines to Escort, and sent her a private message. IllusionMan's previous statements alluded he knew he could communicate program-to-program, but even if the message was intercepted, he deemed it important. [[b]Miss Escort, I'd be wary of IllusionMan; he's not hostile, but I don't trust him.[/b]]
With that, he gave a polite bow to the group as he excused himself and headed to the door. He fully expected Tango to catch sight of his departure, to which he'd respond only by fluidly changing his left forearm into a sharply angled chevron-shaped shield, while his right forearm stretched into a blade-like edge and point.
Aera felt pleased with herself as she made solid hits on each of the questions, and noted Clipper's own enjoyment in the progress she made in the Navi's impromptu logic puzzle. She also added more amplifying info, somewhat vague, but more than enough to show this cruise organization was anything but "straight and narrow." However, she seemed to strike out at her assumption she was sitting on 'N' from NT. However, she did say the program in the trunk was "half the substance of the NT brand," which included a rather small list of potentials: Jack, and... really no one else came to mind. Though she offered no consolation prize, she made a comment of having the meeting end with only good memories to think about later. Not letting that ball go un-played, Aera responded "So you want good memories of me? Then why leave so soon?" with no lack of teasing.
Rodeo, who remained under multiple-gunpoints, more or less saved Aera's theory and coaxed more answers from Clipper. Aera remained in her relaxed, semi-reclined state atop the trunk, which was revealed to contain a "fugitive from the law." Aera took her dare, but by simply asking "Ah, but by what law? So many call themselves that nowadays." She raised an eyebrow, changing the cross of her legs and showing an overall comfortableness on the trunk.
She listened to Clipper's offer of "noble thief hush-money," but managed to maintain a lack of reaction to the near insult of the paltry amount. She grinned and named her own price. "Six thousand, lid closed. At least three thousand with a peek, discounted if the 'fugitive' gets me another drink." She smoothed out the fabric of her sundress over her leg, and added "While your little riddle was fun, I have more fun busting, and get paid significantly more in less time."
"Just one explosion? I hate to admit it, but ArmoryMan's theory seems to make the most sense," he commented at the conclusion of Yasu's explanation, giving a slight shrug. He then tilted his head slightly towards the room's entrance and out into the hallway. "Jack's still a no-show? I expected her to beat you two here; did you see her at all on your way over?" he asked before making his way out of the room. He faced out towards the hallway, but his eyes angled to ArmoryMan as he added additional comments. "You're not the grudge-holding type, are ya?" Mach inquired in response to the Navi's declaration regarding his business compared to Memora's, pausing for a moment before passing him and walked into the hallway.
"I can use a dust-off, and a drink... but I'm quite curious about Jack's tardiness." Mach seemed to change the subject, but there was no trace of Memora, nor anyone else coming in with violent intentions, and everyone else seemed to be fine, so he started to look for connections. Speaking of which... Mach stopped and turned to ArmoryMan, and nodded his head in the direction of the room. "Memora. Is she NP, or private security?"
Vector noted a continued change in Seer's demeanor, it's almost as she was relieved to have the burden of her "visions" lifted. That said, he didn't protest her more chipper attitude. He also didn't protest at IllusionMan's offer to lead the search; Vector already indirectly knew the source, since he knew where Mach was located, but he didn't feel a need to state that fact. "Very well, lead on," he replied, before following the trail of mist with Seer at his side.
They quickly made it to the dining hall, and saw the guests looking restless and not very interested in Tango and her dummy dancing in the room. Apparently Tango had put the room in an improvised "lock down" due to the explosion, which made sense to Vector; but apparently word had yet to reach them, and Jack was nowhere to be found. He could pick up on the unease in the room, but the guests seemed more annoyed than fearful.
Thankfully the group was saved from awkwardly standing around when Escort waved them over to her and Coral's table. IllusionMan made his introduction, a clumsily suspicious one at that, one that only confirmed Vector's theory of the Navi's voyeuristic nature. Vector made his introduction as well, as he hadn't formally met the woman who he assumed was Coral. "And I'm Vector.SP, Miss Coral; I presume," he said with a polite nod, before he panned his head to Escort and gave her a similar nod. "Nice to see you again, Miss Escort."
He instinctively reached for a chair to pull out for Seer, in response to Escort's suggestion the group take a seat due to the lockdown. He continued to leave the option open for Seer as Coral made her own suggestions, and looked to Seer before gesturing to the chair. If she chose to sit, he'd slide the chair in a bit after she sat, still listening to Coral. If she declined, he'd leave the chair as is. He added his own two cents to the conversation, though the contribution was likely minimal, "Agreed, but since neither Mach nor Aera requested backup, I don't believe we're in danger. I still plan to investigate, but feel free to do as you all please."
He looked to one of the exits through which he could access the deck, then turned to IllusionMan and Seer. "I'll head to the deck, to evaluate possible damage to the ship." He didn't explicitly invite Seer and IllusionMan, neither did he explicitly bar their company. In fact, he'd prefer Seer, and Seer alone, accompanied them. However, that would leave the possibly lecherous IllusionMan alone with Escort and Coral. Though he felt confident they could take him on a level fight, but he may continue to spy on them. He utilized the previously established comm lines to Escort, and sent her a private message. IllusionMan's previous statements alluded he knew he could communicate program-to-program, but even if the message was intercepted, he deemed it important. [[b]Miss Escort, I'd be wary of IllusionMan; he's not hostile, but I don't trust him.[/b]]
With that, he gave a polite bow to the group as he excused himself and headed to the door. He fully expected Tango to catch sight of his departure, to which he'd respond only by fluidly changing his left forearm into a sharply angled chevron-shaped shield, while his right forearm stretched into a blade-like edge and point.
Aera felt pleased with herself as she made solid hits on each of the questions, and noted Clipper's own enjoyment in the progress she made in the Navi's impromptu logic puzzle. She also added more amplifying info, somewhat vague, but more than enough to show this cruise organization was anything but "straight and narrow." However, she seemed to strike out at her assumption she was sitting on 'N' from NT. However, she did say the program in the trunk was "half the substance of the NT brand," which included a rather small list of potentials: Jack, and... really no one else came to mind. Though she offered no consolation prize, she made a comment of having the meeting end with only good memories to think about later. Not letting that ball go un-played, Aera responded "So you want good memories of me? Then why leave so soon?" with no lack of teasing.
Rodeo, who remained under multiple-gunpoints, more or less saved Aera's theory and coaxed more answers from Clipper. Aera remained in her relaxed, semi-reclined state atop the trunk, which was revealed to contain a "fugitive from the law." Aera took her dare, but by simply asking "Ah, but by what law? So many call themselves that nowadays." She raised an eyebrow, changing the cross of her legs and showing an overall comfortableness on the trunk.
She listened to Clipper's offer of "noble thief hush-money," but managed to maintain a lack of reaction to the near insult of the paltry amount. She grinned and named her own price. "Six thousand, lid closed. At least three thousand with a peek, discounted if the 'fugitive' gets me another drink." She smoothed out the fabric of her sundress over her leg, and added "While your little riddle was fun, I have more fun busting, and get paid significantly more in less time."
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Yasu raised one eyebrow; she wasn't the type to puzzle over little details (or give the benefit of the doubt to a strange man she'd just met), so she seemed to have some difficulty understanding MachMan's reservation in calling out ArmoryMan for setting up the explosion. "Jack, the maid, has not shown her face in quite some time. It's certainly suspicious, but whether she was a conspirator or otherwise targeted somehow, I do not know," the First General responded, peeking her head down the hall again to see if the maid was coming to give them all penalties right now. The hall was as empty as it had been when MachMan had started down it, however.
At MachMan's inquiry, ArmoryMan curled his lip, but his expression was still partially hidden behind his shades... his brow was as tense as ever, though. "I wouldn't call it a grudge. I'd call it an exclusive member base. Memora and I don't play nice together, maybe you've noticed. When you spend as much time at somebody's throat as I do hers, you tend to alienate the buyer base of that throat's owner. Just the way it works," he shrugged. "Though I admit she pisses me off. Once you figure out how you've been played, you'll be pissed off too, I bet."
That wasn't the last of MachMan's questions; the final one drew a blank stare for a moment, before ArmoryMan seemed to understand what he was being asked. "No, you got it wrong. That cap you saw, assuming that's what you saw, and those big-ass pants, the button up coat, all that crap, is part of her uniform. It's like military police. She's violent and war-mongering, maybe more than me, and normally, she dresses to intimidate. You just happened to run into her on a day where she looks a little nicer than she normally does. Might not be so bad dealing with her all the time if she'd meet all of her clients looking like that," he joked, crossing his arms with a slowness that indicated a lack of perceived urgency.
"Hmph... None of this is our business, but it would be dishonorable to leave without at least ascertaining the safety of those we can first," Yasu admitted, eager to turn the conversation away from Memora's mature-but-sexy bikini bod. "Memora may be lost, but there is nothing to account for Jack's disappearance. We must know what happened to her."
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Seer began to take the seat Vector was offering, but stood back to her feet when Vector announced his intention to head out to the deck. "I'll come with you!" she affirmed, though her intention in doing so was unclear. It might be that she intended to ditch IllusionMan, or it might be that she was trying to give Escort and Coral their space. It could also be that she just desired the pleasure of Vector's company. Either way, she would continue tagging along.
Unfortunately, so would IllusionMan. "Inspecting the ship is a small matter for me. I will come as well," he suggested, floating out the door to lead the way.
"Tsk tsk, party poopers! The fun and games are in here, not outside! At least wait until we've concluded this part of the party before heading back outside to swim!" Tango encouraged them from far off, seeing that they were heading out.
Seer quickened her pace and clutched her hood around her face, perhaps not wanting to have to face the awkwardness of responding to Tango's aggressive attempts to keep them inside, or thinking that remaining anonymous would make it less grievous a slight. On the other hand, she was the only pink, three-eyed person here, so she stood out a bit regardless of her efforts.
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"Dear, as much as I love frivolity, especially when it comes to the companionship of pretty girls such as yourself, the truth of the matter is that I am here on business. I've had a bit of pleasure as well, but business comes first, as it must for all driven individuals," Clipper retorted, closing her eyes as she smiled and gracefully twirled her parasol. She opened her eyes quickly, keeping her eyebrows low. "Why, the only law that can truly be called a law. What authority on the net is there besides the NetPolice? Even a pirate recognizes that," she chuckled, although that seemed like strange logic for a pirate. "I will hand the fugitive over to them and collect my bounty. This is not a riddle, it's a simple matter of course."
She smirked at Aera's counter-offer. "Listen to this one, so feisty... The point of hush-money is not for you to get everything you want from it, it's a consolation prize that allows me to maintain a empathetic face by rewarding you for your loyalty, not shooting your little friend, and assisting the law. What could be more noble?" she offered, although her laughing smile continued to suggest there were layers of deception that did not lend themselves to nobility. "As much as you might prefer violence to my game, and as much as you may prefer the prize-fighter's pot to my paltry parting gift, I owe you neither. However, I did say I am noble... and therefore, I must be generous." She motioned one of the girls over.
As the girl approached Aera, IllusionMan's head floated out through the partially opened doorframe of the main party room. The girls did not seem to notice it, though, and IllusionMan shrunk his cloud and stayed close to the door. He held up a large palm inside the door, indicating the others should stop and listen.
*Aera received 5,000 zenny*
"We will give her five-thousand," Clipper said, with a simple smile. "And since I'm in the mood, another parting gift." Without dropping her parasol, rather using it to shade the two of them from the eyes of others, Clipper drew her curves atop of Aera's and moved into close enough proximity that their faces nearly touched. She held the two of them together with the light embrace of one arm; the gentleness of it reaffirmed the idea that she was the type of pirate who preferred to use her brain more than her brawn. Her smile widened and her eyelids lowered, as she parted her lips slightly for a kiss, offering just enough time for Aera to resist or politely inform Clipper that she wasn't interested in kissing right now. Anyone else watching would probably think they'd sealed the deal, though.
Both of the pirates continued watching, though one of them gulped audibly. Rodeo, for her part, babbled something about jackrabbits. IllusionMan, now more forcibly, insisted that the others stay where they were and let the events play out as they would. The mist began to spread across the deck of the ship as the small navi, under the cover of his clouds, attempted to sneak closer and get a better look around the umbrella.
Meanwhile, the two girls with the guns, seeming suddenly, politely interested in the trunk again, began shuffling it off onto their ship, each using one hand while the other pointed a gun at Rodeo, despite the fact that she wasn't likely to do anything while thus distracted.
At MachMan's inquiry, ArmoryMan curled his lip, but his expression was still partially hidden behind his shades... his brow was as tense as ever, though. "I wouldn't call it a grudge. I'd call it an exclusive member base. Memora and I don't play nice together, maybe you've noticed. When you spend as much time at somebody's throat as I do hers, you tend to alienate the buyer base of that throat's owner. Just the way it works," he shrugged. "Though I admit she pisses me off. Once you figure out how you've been played, you'll be pissed off too, I bet."
That wasn't the last of MachMan's questions; the final one drew a blank stare for a moment, before ArmoryMan seemed to understand what he was being asked. "No, you got it wrong. That cap you saw, assuming that's what you saw, and those big-ass pants, the button up coat, all that crap, is part of her uniform. It's like military police. She's violent and war-mongering, maybe more than me, and normally, she dresses to intimidate. You just happened to run into her on a day where she looks a little nicer than she normally does. Might not be so bad dealing with her all the time if she'd meet all of her clients looking like that," he joked, crossing his arms with a slowness that indicated a lack of perceived urgency.
"Hmph... None of this is our business, but it would be dishonorable to leave without at least ascertaining the safety of those we can first," Yasu admitted, eager to turn the conversation away from Memora's mature-but-sexy bikini bod. "Memora may be lost, but there is nothing to account for Jack's disappearance. We must know what happened to her."
-----------------
Seer began to take the seat Vector was offering, but stood back to her feet when Vector announced his intention to head out to the deck. "I'll come with you!" she affirmed, though her intention in doing so was unclear. It might be that she intended to ditch IllusionMan, or it might be that she was trying to give Escort and Coral their space. It could also be that she just desired the pleasure of Vector's company. Either way, she would continue tagging along.
Unfortunately, so would IllusionMan. "Inspecting the ship is a small matter for me. I will come as well," he suggested, floating out the door to lead the way.
"Tsk tsk, party poopers! The fun and games are in here, not outside! At least wait until we've concluded this part of the party before heading back outside to swim!" Tango encouraged them from far off, seeing that they were heading out.
Seer quickened her pace and clutched her hood around her face, perhaps not wanting to have to face the awkwardness of responding to Tango's aggressive attempts to keep them inside, or thinking that remaining anonymous would make it less grievous a slight. On the other hand, she was the only pink, three-eyed person here, so she stood out a bit regardless of her efforts.
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"Dear, as much as I love frivolity, especially when it comes to the companionship of pretty girls such as yourself, the truth of the matter is that I am here on business. I've had a bit of pleasure as well, but business comes first, as it must for all driven individuals," Clipper retorted, closing her eyes as she smiled and gracefully twirled her parasol. She opened her eyes quickly, keeping her eyebrows low. "Why, the only law that can truly be called a law. What authority on the net is there besides the NetPolice? Even a pirate recognizes that," she chuckled, although that seemed like strange logic for a pirate. "I will hand the fugitive over to them and collect my bounty. This is not a riddle, it's a simple matter of course."
She smirked at Aera's counter-offer. "Listen to this one, so feisty... The point of hush-money is not for you to get everything you want from it, it's a consolation prize that allows me to maintain a empathetic face by rewarding you for your loyalty, not shooting your little friend, and assisting the law. What could be more noble?" she offered, although her laughing smile continued to suggest there were layers of deception that did not lend themselves to nobility. "As much as you might prefer violence to my game, and as much as you may prefer the prize-fighter's pot to my paltry parting gift, I owe you neither. However, I did say I am noble... and therefore, I must be generous." She motioned one of the girls over.
As the girl approached Aera, IllusionMan's head floated out through the partially opened doorframe of the main party room. The girls did not seem to notice it, though, and IllusionMan shrunk his cloud and stayed close to the door. He held up a large palm inside the door, indicating the others should stop and listen.
*Aera received 5,000 zenny*
"We will give her five-thousand," Clipper said, with a simple smile. "And since I'm in the mood, another parting gift." Without dropping her parasol, rather using it to shade the two of them from the eyes of others, Clipper drew her curves atop of Aera's and moved into close enough proximity that their faces nearly touched. She held the two of them together with the light embrace of one arm; the gentleness of it reaffirmed the idea that she was the type of pirate who preferred to use her brain more than her brawn. Her smile widened and her eyelids lowered, as she parted her lips slightly for a kiss, offering just enough time for Aera to resist or politely inform Clipper that she wasn't interested in kissing right now. Anyone else watching would probably think they'd sealed the deal, though.
Both of the pirates continued watching, though one of them gulped audibly. Rodeo, for her part, babbled something about jackrabbits. IllusionMan, now more forcibly, insisted that the others stay where they were and let the events play out as they would. The mist began to spread across the deck of the ship as the small navi, under the cover of his clouds, attempted to sneak closer and get a better look around the umbrella.
Meanwhile, the two girls with the guns, seeming suddenly, politely interested in the trunk again, began shuffling it off onto their ship, each using one hand while the other pointed a gun at Rodeo, despite the fact that she wasn't likely to do anything while thus distracted.
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"Definitely suspicious," Mach agreed regarding Jack's absence, before turning his attention to ArmoryMan's responses. "So it's just a costume in her free-lance operation, or is she part of some organization? And if I did ultimately get fleeced, would that deal still work if I attacked her instead of those pirates?" he asked, partially humoring ArmoryMan's admitted dislike for the also absent Memora.
Both ArmoryMan and Yasu showed an eagerness to get on the hunt for an explanation, or to just generally change the conversation, Mach also recognized they weren't doing much with their time. However, ArmoryMan's claim she wasn't NP was somewhat reassuring, at least he may not have to worry about being framed for the "assassination" of an officer. Time for a game plan. "Haven't heard much chaos nor traffic from the SPs, so not much to go off of there, but we'll see if Jack's disappearance or the pirates are somehow linked. I doubt it, but better than standing around," Mach proposed, gesturing down the hallway.
He still didn't entirely trust ArmoryMan, and saw Yasu didn't react all that well to him agreeing with the arms dealer, so he shot her a message to explain. [[i]I don't trust him either, but I don't think explosive assassinations are his M.O. That said, if he tries to duck away, I'll tail him.[/i] If his superior and supposed ally were in agreement, he'd move towards the dining hall.
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His movement was picked up by his ever-loyal SP, his fractal knight. "Very well," Vector responded to his allies' allegiance in his investigation, then turned to informing his master of the situation at hand. [[b]Sir, the dining hall is under "lock down" by... Miss Tango, with Miss Jack nowhere to be found. We are enroute to the deck to search for clues regarding the explosion, Lady Aera is topside as well.[/b]] Vector regretted the last portion of the message, as he incorrectly assumed his Navi didn't have the same (and actually more accurate) position information of Aera and Vector himself.
[[i]Got it, thanks for the heads-up. Let me know what you find,[/i]] was the response he received. Vector shot back a quick affirmative response to his Navi and pressed ahead, all but ignoring Tango's passive attempt to keep them confined to the dining hall. His cycloptic eye panned back to confirm his allies were still accompanying him, and saw Seer raising her hood and quickening her pace. He drew his arm back, ushering her in to his side before pressing forward.
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After receiving Vector's message, Mach relayed the info to Yasu and ArmoryMan. "Change of plans, the dining hall is a bust. I have eyes heading top-side. Any other suggestions other than combing the rooms on this deck and below?" he asked, offering suggestions from the group.
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Aera kept a neutral response; as Clipper's could easily be flattery or a backhanded complement, so she kept a polite smile but stayed put on the trunk. Clipper further explained her motivation, regarding the "law" she was following, which prompted a response. "Ah, the always truthful and virtuous NetPolice," she replied, recalling Roc's sister's torture being at the hands of one in the NP upper-echelon. She didn't elaborate, but her partially sarcastic tone alluded to a non-committal faith in the only "authority on the net." For a pirate, Clipper's alliance seemed to stray from the historical precedents Aera hastily researched mid-conversation.
She continued to sit contently atop the trunk as the pirate captain continued, then brought one of her crew forward. Aera sized up the girl with a glance, not exactly expecting a fight, but she didn't plan to get caught unaware. Thankfully it wasn't the case as a monetary payment was being presented. She raised an eyebrow when she detailed the total, which was less than Aera's counter offer. However, she apparently had "extra" and drew Aera up to stand in very, very close proximity to herself.
Aera couldn't help but have a look of innocent curiosity on her face, as it wasn't exactly expected. She caught on quickly enough, and did little to resist Clipper's very close, but gentle embrace. With her face nearly touching Clipper's, Aera's expression started to match Clipper's own as she exhaled in a barely audible whisper, her slightly open lips positioned precariously close to the pirate's own.
A slight distance away, Vector, IllusionMan, and Seer were nearly on the deck. IllusionMan had struck out ahead then urged the pair to stand fast to remain hidden and listen in. At this point, Vector heard Aera's voice, along with two other non-familiar female voices: one smoothly confident, and the other with an odd twang and sounding flustered. Something was happening, and IllusionMan further pressed the importance of staying back, but IllusionMan himself appeared to start sneaking in. If he'd trusted the Navi he might have heeded his direction, but it certainly wasn't the case, and used his fractal body to very quietly and subtly peek out of the still open door frame.
The SP would've likely seen what was clearly Aera and some unknown woman embracing, but most of their upper torsos were obscured by a parasol. Behind said parasol, Aera's impassioned expression quickly turned to a sly grin, and she slowly brought her hand up between the two of them (which may or may not have had a bit of resistance due to the two program's close proximity). She gently placed her index finger vertically against Clipper's lips, trying to get her attention. She smiled politely, hoping that Clipper would interpret the action as respectfully declining her "parting gift." However, she didn't feel the necessity to shut the woman down in front of her crew, possibly antagonizing her, so she played it off like they did indeed "seal the deal." "Mm, alright, you have a deal," she said in a slightly hushed tone.
If she managed to see the girls' movement from beneath the parasol, or after said parasol eventually lifted, she'd be alerted to them trying to sneak the trunk away. She agreed to keep the trunk and her mouth closed, but said deal didn't involve any of the myriad of comrades nearby, save for the likely flabbergasted Rodeo of course. A quick reference of Vector's and Mach's position data showed Vector was close by, and Mach could easily be at her side in a heartbeat. She sent a quick message to Vector, briefly detailing her orders. [[i]Vector, there's a trunk carried by two pirates heading to their vessel. Cut them off; I think Jack's in the trunk. Btw, you don't know me.[/i]]
If Clipper was still honoring the deal, Aera would retrieve her reward from the pirate that was previously motioned over. As she obtained the data, she'd run the thumb of her free hand near her lip, as if adjusting a potential smear in her lip stick, subtly playing up the kiss charade .
Vector quickly knew what to do, but it took him a moment to understand what the last part of Aera's message meant. He realized soon enough, as half of his body had already streamed out of the doorway, hugging the deck like a rapidly streaming trail of angular insects. They arced towards the gangplank, hoping to reach it before the trunk carriers arrived. If he made it in time, the pair would at first be greeted by a few angular pieces hovering around eye-level, which would then rapidly build into an angular figure, fed by a dark stream of metal shards. Once said stream was finally absorbed into the dark blue and silver-trimmed figure, his single crimson eye would begin to glow like a freshly stoked ember.
"Halt," he stated abruptly, his voice was firm, but emotionally neutral... kind of like Jack's. "One of the crew has gone missing. All outbound cargo is hereby subject to inspection," he continued. He acted as if he were part of the cruise ship's crew/security, and adopted a similar tone and demeanor to the aforementioned missing crewmember. He wielded no weapons, but showed no signs of yielding.
Both ArmoryMan and Yasu showed an eagerness to get on the hunt for an explanation, or to just generally change the conversation, Mach also recognized they weren't doing much with their time. However, ArmoryMan's claim she wasn't NP was somewhat reassuring, at least he may not have to worry about being framed for the "assassination" of an officer. Time for a game plan. "Haven't heard much chaos nor traffic from the SPs, so not much to go off of there, but we'll see if Jack's disappearance or the pirates are somehow linked. I doubt it, but better than standing around," Mach proposed, gesturing down the hallway.
He still didn't entirely trust ArmoryMan, and saw Yasu didn't react all that well to him agreeing with the arms dealer, so he shot her a message to explain. [[i]I don't trust him either, but I don't think explosive assassinations are his M.O. That said, if he tries to duck away, I'll tail him.[/i] If his superior and supposed ally were in agreement, he'd move towards the dining hall.
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His movement was picked up by his ever-loyal SP, his fractal knight. "Very well," Vector responded to his allies' allegiance in his investigation, then turned to informing his master of the situation at hand. [[b]Sir, the dining hall is under "lock down" by... Miss Tango, with Miss Jack nowhere to be found. We are enroute to the deck to search for clues regarding the explosion, Lady Aera is topside as well.[/b]] Vector regretted the last portion of the message, as he incorrectly assumed his Navi didn't have the same (and actually more accurate) position information of Aera and Vector himself.
[[i]Got it, thanks for the heads-up. Let me know what you find,[/i]] was the response he received. Vector shot back a quick affirmative response to his Navi and pressed ahead, all but ignoring Tango's passive attempt to keep them confined to the dining hall. His cycloptic eye panned back to confirm his allies were still accompanying him, and saw Seer raising her hood and quickening her pace. He drew his arm back, ushering her in to his side before pressing forward.
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After receiving Vector's message, Mach relayed the info to Yasu and ArmoryMan. "Change of plans, the dining hall is a bust. I have eyes heading top-side. Any other suggestions other than combing the rooms on this deck and below?" he asked, offering suggestions from the group.
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Aera kept a neutral response; as Clipper's could easily be flattery or a backhanded complement, so she kept a polite smile but stayed put on the trunk. Clipper further explained her motivation, regarding the "law" she was following, which prompted a response. "Ah, the always truthful and virtuous NetPolice," she replied, recalling Roc's sister's torture being at the hands of one in the NP upper-echelon. She didn't elaborate, but her partially sarcastic tone alluded to a non-committal faith in the only "authority on the net." For a pirate, Clipper's alliance seemed to stray from the historical precedents Aera hastily researched mid-conversation.
She continued to sit contently atop the trunk as the pirate captain continued, then brought one of her crew forward. Aera sized up the girl with a glance, not exactly expecting a fight, but she didn't plan to get caught unaware. Thankfully it wasn't the case as a monetary payment was being presented. She raised an eyebrow when she detailed the total, which was less than Aera's counter offer. However, she apparently had "extra" and drew Aera up to stand in very, very close proximity to herself.
Aera couldn't help but have a look of innocent curiosity on her face, as it wasn't exactly expected. She caught on quickly enough, and did little to resist Clipper's very close, but gentle embrace. With her face nearly touching Clipper's, Aera's expression started to match Clipper's own as she exhaled in a barely audible whisper, her slightly open lips positioned precariously close to the pirate's own.
A slight distance away, Vector, IllusionMan, and Seer were nearly on the deck. IllusionMan had struck out ahead then urged the pair to stand fast to remain hidden and listen in. At this point, Vector heard Aera's voice, along with two other non-familiar female voices: one smoothly confident, and the other with an odd twang and sounding flustered. Something was happening, and IllusionMan further pressed the importance of staying back, but IllusionMan himself appeared to start sneaking in. If he'd trusted the Navi he might have heeded his direction, but it certainly wasn't the case, and used his fractal body to very quietly and subtly peek out of the still open door frame.
The SP would've likely seen what was clearly Aera and some unknown woman embracing, but most of their upper torsos were obscured by a parasol. Behind said parasol, Aera's impassioned expression quickly turned to a sly grin, and she slowly brought her hand up between the two of them (which may or may not have had a bit of resistance due to the two program's close proximity). She gently placed her index finger vertically against Clipper's lips, trying to get her attention. She smiled politely, hoping that Clipper would interpret the action as respectfully declining her "parting gift." However, she didn't feel the necessity to shut the woman down in front of her crew, possibly antagonizing her, so she played it off like they did indeed "seal the deal." "Mm, alright, you have a deal," she said in a slightly hushed tone.
If she managed to see the girls' movement from beneath the parasol, or after said parasol eventually lifted, she'd be alerted to them trying to sneak the trunk away. She agreed to keep the trunk and her mouth closed, but said deal didn't involve any of the myriad of comrades nearby, save for the likely flabbergasted Rodeo of course. A quick reference of Vector's and Mach's position data showed Vector was close by, and Mach could easily be at her side in a heartbeat. She sent a quick message to Vector, briefly detailing her orders. [[i]Vector, there's a trunk carried by two pirates heading to their vessel. Cut them off; I think Jack's in the trunk. Btw, you don't know me.[/i]]
If Clipper was still honoring the deal, Aera would retrieve her reward from the pirate that was previously motioned over. As she obtained the data, she'd run the thumb of her free hand near her lip, as if adjusting a potential smear in her lip stick, subtly playing up the kiss charade .
Vector quickly knew what to do, but it took him a moment to understand what the last part of Aera's message meant. He realized soon enough, as half of his body had already streamed out of the doorway, hugging the deck like a rapidly streaming trail of angular insects. They arced towards the gangplank, hoping to reach it before the trunk carriers arrived. If he made it in time, the pair would at first be greeted by a few angular pieces hovering around eye-level, which would then rapidly build into an angular figure, fed by a dark stream of metal shards. Once said stream was finally absorbed into the dark blue and silver-trimmed figure, his single crimson eye would begin to glow like a freshly stoked ember.
"Halt," he stated abruptly, his voice was firm, but emotionally neutral... kind of like Jack's. "One of the crew has gone missing. All outbound cargo is hereby subject to inspection," he continued. He acted as if he were part of the cruise ship's crew/security, and adopted a similar tone and demeanor to the aforementioned missing crewmember. He wielded no weapons, but showed no signs of yielding.
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"Just a costume. She doesn't have any special authority, but she's like a... what do you call it... war reenacter. As long as there's a battle, she wants to be involved in it, one way or the other. Or at least to own the scraps once it all settles," ArmoryMan speculated, looking at the gaping hole in the ship with apparent disinterest. "And ha, if you attacked her, you'd be doing me a favor for sure; I'd probably up your commission. I'd say she's flown the coop, though, or else is watching somewhere you won't find her. She may come up with risky schemes, but she likes the odds to be in her favor..."
Yasu watched MachMan silently, keeping her usual frown as he explained himself via private message. She nodded along, agreeing that it was best for them to make themselves busy.
ArmoryMan had stooped to collect a few things that were in danger of sliding off the boat and replace them. He looked over his shoulder, keeping a stern face. "I'm busy here. You two take care of your own business," he encouraged Yasu and MachMan, waving them off with a few shakes of his bullet-ringed fingers.
Although she was frustrated he was blowing them off, Yasu didn't seem to hold any actual objections; if anything, she was probably pleased to be rid of his company. "We should find your SPs. I would say their silence at a time like this is more indicative of something to look into than it is an 'all-clear' message. I'm sure Aera is looking into the problem as we speak, if not Vector as well," she theorized. The two would head above deck together at the speedy pace that only a former ninja and a man-jet could maintain with ease.
Before they could reach it, however, MachMan halted their advance. He relayed Vector's message, which caused Yasu to stop her dash on a dime and cross her arms. "Well, I'm fine leaving the upper deck to your SPs. Besides, I doubt Memora could fly... if she was connected to the explosion, she'd have gone below rather than above," she reasoned. "Unless she exited the ship entirely or jacked out. We may as well start at the bottom." The First General head below again, this time with a more leisurely walk, perhaps not so concerned now that MachMan's SPs had reported in.
Below deck had, fortunately, not taken on any water. The halls were still empty and the doors locked; it didn't look like they'd have much luck investigating here, unless they wanted to try their own room or enlist someone else's help getting in to a different one. It would seem the room beneath Memora's belonged to navis named Ruda and BodyMan, but those weren't names MachMan would likely recognize. Whoever they were, though, they might be upstairs, being held hostage by Tango's endless dance.
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Clipper's smile betrayed little as Aera poked fun at her potential buyers. "None of the major factions... yours included, I would venture a guess... operate with wholly clean hands. It's not so bad to have dirty hands, though... It's all about what you choose to dirty them for," she explained, although she inspected her nails as she did so. She seemed like the type of person to value personal cleanliness, at least, despite her words.
While Clipper drew Aera in for some personal-space-invading-fun-time, IllusionMan crept in for a better look, confident that he would be unseen. Ironically, he himself was being trailed by Vector, whose presence he was not aware of.
Being denied didn't seem to have depreciated Clipper's mood; if anything, she looked further amused. "That's quite alright, my dear. Perhaps the time at sea has made me a looser woman than I ought to be," she whispered in self-depreciation. "Or perhaps a pirate simply feels a right to everything at sea." As much as she tended towards easy-going behavior and basic amusement, Vector's intrusion into the scene didn't seem to bring her much joy. "I thought for certain Tango would have boarded you all up inside," she murmured, furrowing her brow a bit. "No matter. Please recognize my noble cause here, in claiming a bounty for the NetPolice, and let me pass."
Presumably, Vector had no intention of doing so; she motioned to one of the nearby pirate ladies, who presented Vector with a data packet as well. "Five-thousand, to let us board with our cargo," Clipper instructed the SP. "I've really spent enough time here as is and must be on my way. I have an appointment with an officer, you see, and it's against my sense of civic responsibility to betray that promise," she explained.
*Vector obtained 5,000 zenny*
Perhaps because they were called, or perhaps because their boss was late, several more pirates had begun to emerge from beneath the deck of the other ship. These were dressed in their proper uniforms, rather than swimwear, and each carried either a sword or a pistol, similar to those of the others. Unlike the two silent attendants Clipper had brought with her, some of these were chatting.
Yasu watched MachMan silently, keeping her usual frown as he explained himself via private message. She nodded along, agreeing that it was best for them to make themselves busy.
ArmoryMan had stooped to collect a few things that were in danger of sliding off the boat and replace them. He looked over his shoulder, keeping a stern face. "I'm busy here. You two take care of your own business," he encouraged Yasu and MachMan, waving them off with a few shakes of his bullet-ringed fingers.
Although she was frustrated he was blowing them off, Yasu didn't seem to hold any actual objections; if anything, she was probably pleased to be rid of his company. "We should find your SPs. I would say their silence at a time like this is more indicative of something to look into than it is an 'all-clear' message. I'm sure Aera is looking into the problem as we speak, if not Vector as well," she theorized. The two would head above deck together at the speedy pace that only a former ninja and a man-jet could maintain with ease.
Before they could reach it, however, MachMan halted their advance. He relayed Vector's message, which caused Yasu to stop her dash on a dime and cross her arms. "Well, I'm fine leaving the upper deck to your SPs. Besides, I doubt Memora could fly... if she was connected to the explosion, she'd have gone below rather than above," she reasoned. "Unless she exited the ship entirely or jacked out. We may as well start at the bottom." The First General head below again, this time with a more leisurely walk, perhaps not so concerned now that MachMan's SPs had reported in.
Below deck had, fortunately, not taken on any water. The halls were still empty and the doors locked; it didn't look like they'd have much luck investigating here, unless they wanted to try their own room or enlist someone else's help getting in to a different one. It would seem the room beneath Memora's belonged to navis named Ruda and BodyMan, but those weren't names MachMan would likely recognize. Whoever they were, though, they might be upstairs, being held hostage by Tango's endless dance.
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Clipper's smile betrayed little as Aera poked fun at her potential buyers. "None of the major factions... yours included, I would venture a guess... operate with wholly clean hands. It's not so bad to have dirty hands, though... It's all about what you choose to dirty them for," she explained, although she inspected her nails as she did so. She seemed like the type of person to value personal cleanliness, at least, despite her words.
While Clipper drew Aera in for some personal-space-invading-fun-time, IllusionMan crept in for a better look, confident that he would be unseen. Ironically, he himself was being trailed by Vector, whose presence he was not aware of.
Being denied didn't seem to have depreciated Clipper's mood; if anything, she looked further amused. "That's quite alright, my dear. Perhaps the time at sea has made me a looser woman than I ought to be," she whispered in self-depreciation. "Or perhaps a pirate simply feels a right to everything at sea." As much as she tended towards easy-going behavior and basic amusement, Vector's intrusion into the scene didn't seem to bring her much joy. "I thought for certain Tango would have boarded you all up inside," she murmured, furrowing her brow a bit. "No matter. Please recognize my noble cause here, in claiming a bounty for the NetPolice, and let me pass."
Presumably, Vector had no intention of doing so; she motioned to one of the nearby pirate ladies, who presented Vector with a data packet as well. "Five-thousand, to let us board with our cargo," Clipper instructed the SP. "I've really spent enough time here as is and must be on my way. I have an appointment with an officer, you see, and it's against my sense of civic responsibility to betray that promise," she explained.
*Vector obtained 5,000 zenny*
Perhaps because they were called, or perhaps because their boss was late, several more pirates had begun to emerge from beneath the deck of the other ship. These were dressed in their proper uniforms, rather than swimwear, and each carried either a sword or a pistol, similar to those of the others. Unlike the two silent attendants Clipper had brought with her, some of these were chatting.
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ArmoryMan went to reorganizing his supplies, and suggested the pair go about their business while he tends to his own. There wasn't anything that made him any more suspicious nor clues that put the proverbial blood on his hands, so Mach didn't protest the idea. "Fine with me. If you run into Memora again, tell her she owes me a new pair of swim trunks," he added, his nearly dead-pan tone seemed to contrast with the almost sarcastic request, so one couldn't easily tell if Mach was being serious.
After moving out to the hallway and receiving the communique from Vector, they decided to take their search below. Yasu slowed her pace and seemed to calm down, though at best she returned to a default mood of only moderate abrasiveness. Since Vector and Aera were more or less taking care of things, and the search was so far proving to be fruitless, Mach decided to try and break the ice a bit. "So much for taking a break," he said with a slight sigh as he glanced over the nameplates mounted on the doors they gradually passed.
"That said, the day is still young. After we find Jack, how about some poolside cocktails? Might be a nice time to get to know each other outside of "work" and/or while explosions are going off." He didn't expect her to accept his invitation, but it beats just looking around in silence. "Or if Jack is still AWOL, I can try my hand at mixing a drink or two if I can get behind the bar, haha," he said with a chuckle, mostly to gauge Yasu's reaction. As they passed by the room belonging to Ruda and BodyMan, he paused to take a moment and listen for activity inside. If they were in there during the explosion, it wouldn't be surprising if they were agitated.
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Aera was pleased to hear the pirate take the rejection in stride and remained in high spirits, so she felt no remorse in taking her reward nor enlisting Vector to stop the girls attempting to abscond with the trunk. She looked over to Vector with feigned surprise, which transitioned to a lack of interest when the fractal SP's attention was directed towards the trunk-carriers. She then utilized the opportunity to try to free Rodeo from her predicament, presumably she was still being held at gunpoint. "Now that our business is finished here, mind releasing my friend here?" she asked while looking down on the pirates, a hand on her hip.
Vector held his ground, so much so he didn't appear to move at all, remaining perfectly stationary as he verbally rejected the bribe sent his way. "No exceptions, I'm afraid. Please open the trunk, or I will open it myself." His stern voice matched his stalwart position, and his eye started to pan between the two women carrying the trunk, looking for reactions. If they reached for weapons, he'd prepare weapons of his own, namely small knife-like projectiles from his arms.
If the need arose, he'd use those knives to strike down any weapons being drawn against him, by targeting the weapons themselves (if they were small enough to be knocked out of their hands) or the wielders' hands in an attempt to disarm. He heard voices behind him, and for a brief moment his eye seemed to disappear from the slot on his "face." A similar slot split open on his back, and the eye re-appeared, allowing him to glance at the commotion coming from the ship behind and below. Regardless, he maintained his position, but would quickly call for backup, namely Mach, if it appeared his position would be overrun.
After moving out to the hallway and receiving the communique from Vector, they decided to take their search below. Yasu slowed her pace and seemed to calm down, though at best she returned to a default mood of only moderate abrasiveness. Since Vector and Aera were more or less taking care of things, and the search was so far proving to be fruitless, Mach decided to try and break the ice a bit. "So much for taking a break," he said with a slight sigh as he glanced over the nameplates mounted on the doors they gradually passed.
"That said, the day is still young. After we find Jack, how about some poolside cocktails? Might be a nice time to get to know each other outside of "work" and/or while explosions are going off." He didn't expect her to accept his invitation, but it beats just looking around in silence. "Or if Jack is still AWOL, I can try my hand at mixing a drink or two if I can get behind the bar, haha," he said with a chuckle, mostly to gauge Yasu's reaction. As they passed by the room belonging to Ruda and BodyMan, he paused to take a moment and listen for activity inside. If they were in there during the explosion, it wouldn't be surprising if they were agitated.
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Aera was pleased to hear the pirate take the rejection in stride and remained in high spirits, so she felt no remorse in taking her reward nor enlisting Vector to stop the girls attempting to abscond with the trunk. She looked over to Vector with feigned surprise, which transitioned to a lack of interest when the fractal SP's attention was directed towards the trunk-carriers. She then utilized the opportunity to try to free Rodeo from her predicament, presumably she was still being held at gunpoint. "Now that our business is finished here, mind releasing my friend here?" she asked while looking down on the pirates, a hand on her hip.
Vector held his ground, so much so he didn't appear to move at all, remaining perfectly stationary as he verbally rejected the bribe sent his way. "No exceptions, I'm afraid. Please open the trunk, or I will open it myself." His stern voice matched his stalwart position, and his eye started to pan between the two women carrying the trunk, looking for reactions. If they reached for weapons, he'd prepare weapons of his own, namely small knife-like projectiles from his arms.
If the need arose, he'd use those knives to strike down any weapons being drawn against him, by targeting the weapons themselves (if they were small enough to be knocked out of their hands) or the wielders' hands in an attempt to disarm. He heard voices behind him, and for a brief moment his eye seemed to disappear from the slot on his "face." A similar slot split open on his back, and the eye re-appeared, allowing him to glance at the commotion coming from the ship behind and below. Regardless, he maintained his position, but would quickly call for backup, namely Mach, if it appeared his position would be overrun.