A rueful smile spread across ArmoryMan's face as MachMan joked regarding his trunks. "If you can talk like that, at least I know you don't believe she was really blown up. That's good... Shows you're using your brain," he commended his new acquaintance, tapping two ringed fingers to his head a few times, before turning his back to work on organizing his wares.
Yasu's eyebrows tensed when MachMan said what they were both thinking: that between the ill-conceived party that their hostess had thrown and the mysterious bomb, there hadn't been much relaxation on this cruise. "MachMan, you must believe that it was not my intention to drag you into another mission here," she said seriously, turning her head at a hard angle to watch the face of her ally. MachMan continued, however, and revealed that he hadn't abandoned the plan for relaxation. That seemed to take the First General by surprise. "Oh... Cocktails. Hm," Yasu murmured, staring forward vacantly as though she'd completely lost her train of thought. "Perhaps, Subordinate MachMan," she conceded. Despite her words earlier, it sure seemed like she was more comfortable treating things as an assignment than she was taking leisure time. "I'd offer to prepare you a drink, since it's supposed to be your time to relax... but I don't exactly know my vintages," she admitted, crossing her arms and frowning. Getting the first general to take it easy seemed as difficult as one might imagine.
No sound could be heard from behind the room of the two unknown cruise-goers. It seemed reasonable to imagine they were upstairs in the party room or had already flown the coop, because there was no way they'd slept through the explosion... it was also possible they'd been harmed in the explosion, but that didn't seem likely either, given the amazing accuracy of the bomb.
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Rodeo seemed to have slipped to the back of Clipper's priority list when Vector appeared, so it didn't appear that it would be difficult for Aera to free Rodeo, as those who'd been menacing her turned their attention to the blue interloper. "Sheee-yoosh... I thought the sun was settin' fer me," she shivered, grabbing her lasso again. It might have been more comforting to see her produce a different tool of the trade, like, for instance, some pistols, but the rope seemed to be her equipment of choice.
The smile rarely fell from Clipper's face; it still hadn't, but something seemed to be smoldering in her eyes. "Do you really want to do this? This isn't about pirates and heroes, nor is it about some ruffian's little scheme to perform a kidnapping. This is about the NetPolice and the Empire, and you standing in the way of a plan several months in the making. I'm better informed than you might think... I know who you are and who you work for. And most importantly, I know you only have a few bridges left with the NetPolice right now... and you're about to burn the last of them," she threatened, speaking through clenched teeth. "If you still think that you're doing the right thing... then, by all means, take the case. I'm not going to be the one that turned this into a fire-fight," she finished, signaling to the two girls to drop the trunk. Wordlessly, they did so.
Presumably, the group would take this opportunity to retrieve the case. If they didn't, perhaps out of hesitation due to a rational fear of becoming slower targets while carrying the trunk, the crew would begrudgingly assist by moving the case off of the deck of their ship back to the cruise-liner. "If I might make a recommendation, perhaps you should take that trunk and its contents back to your camp? Anywhere is safer than leaving her here. Some very frustrating scavengers will be all over this ship momentarily, with neither Tango's safety-net in place nor my continued interest in protecting it, and if by some chance this ship makes it through that trial, another even worse threat awaits beyond that. I'd strongly suggest that you advise everyone to evacuate and you take that trunk with you... and if you can get Tango to leave too, all the better, though I suspect she would rather go down with her ship. When next we meet... why, who knows what company I shall be working for? Just know that continuing to make enemies of all of the factions insists that sooner or later, you will have to face even noble, gentle ladies such as myself," she finished, tipping her hat again and flashing Aera another smile, before making a quick hop onto her ship, circumventing the bridge entirely. "AND, I'd recommend you do not open that trunk, at least not until you get it back to your base. Ciao!"
Aera and Vector were free to do what they liked, but it sure sounded like something pretty ominous was about to happen to the cruise-liner. They probably owed it to the rest of the cruise-goers to let them know something about the whole situation.
Wanderlust Cruise Ship
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"No worries, General. I doubt we would've predicted this if we tried," Mach replied with a calm expression, attempting to reassure his superior. He was briefly delighted in Yasu's surprisingly non-dismissive reaction to Mach's offer, and added "Alright, let's make a deal: I'll pour your drinks, and you can pour mine. How's that sound? I think we both equally deserve a break."
The previously mentioned room was as silent as he suspected, giving no clues or anything of interest. "Nothing, let's move on," Mach exclaimed with a sigh, the conversation with Yasu could prove to be enlightening, but this door-to-door search was boringly fruitless so far.
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Thankfully Rodeo's captors were more-or-less distracted by Vector's blockade, and Rodeo was freed without issue. She gave an apologetic smile as she tried to help gather up her things. "Sorry for leaving you in a bind back there, but thanks for being a trooper about it," she apologized with a complement, she'd have protested quite a bit if she was in Rodeo's shoes. She had a moment to get a reaction and response from the girl, but the now agitated voice of Clipper drew her attention.
Vector of course listened to the pirate captain's eye-opening threat. Vector wasn't one to panic, and wasn't physically set up to easily show it, but the fractal SP started to doubt his decision to stop them. It could just be a bluff, but the woman claimed to know they were from the NS, and declared this to be the proverbial burning of the last bridge between the NS and the NP. He immediately opened a channel with Mach, and streamed his audio input to the Navi.
She continued with saying the ship was now going to be under threat of invasion by scavengers, and worse if they managed to survive the assault. To that point, she said the trunk was safest back at their camp, and shouldn't be opened until then. Aera kept a straight face as Clipper shot her another smile, but wasn't overly enthusiastic to return the same gesture before the pirate jumped to her ship. After she did so, Vector turned to IllusionMan, and looked to utilize his talents. He heeded Clipper's warning to not open the trunk, but he still wished to know the identity of the woman inside. Sir IllusionMan, can you access this trunk, and tell me who's inside? Without knowing who's contained within, it's not advised to open this trunk."
In the mean time, Vector crouched near the trunk, and tapped on its lid before putting his head close to the seam between the lid and the body of the trunk, in an attempt to listen to a response. "If you can hear me, please respond and tell me who you are," he ordered, hoping for a response. He feared the prisoner was either unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, but a response could quickly solve the mystery of her identity.
Back below deck, Mach's expression soured after hearing Clipper's multi-pronged threat; breaking ties to the NP, putting the ship and occupants in potentially critical danger, and making enemies of Clipper and her gang. "If you'll excuse me," Mach said while turned to Yasu. "we have a possible situation on deck needing my attention. I'll meet you top side," he continued before disappearing in a flash of cyan light as he teleported out of the hallway.
MachMan re-appeared above and behind clipper in a cyan flash, and he spoke up before she had the time to react. "Explain yourself," he demanded coldly. "Even if you did take the prisoner, looks like you were going to depart, leaving the ship to deal with the "frustrating scavengers" and "even worse threats beyond that" regardless. Or did you plan to fend them off with her aboard?" After giving the pirate a brief moment to react, he broke back in to the conversation. "Look, this whole trip was just for some rest and relaxation, but now I'm dealing with what, for all intents and purposes, looks like a kidnapping, an imminent threat to the ship, and had a room on said ship literally blow up in my face. I'd love to not make more enemies, but so far everyone else is throwing the first punch; I'm just here to relax," Mach admitted as he slowly touched down on the deck of Clipper's vessel, then continued.
"So, I humbly request you cut us a break, and cut the cryptic vagueness. Who's in the trunk, and who else wants her (other than the NP) and/or this ship? I know you like sophisticated mysteriousness, and I like not having to sink every vessel in a 10mile radius, but we both need to make sacrifices sometimes." Mach crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow to accompany his unwavering gaze focused on Clipper's face. "We can try to salvage this somewhat lackluster party, or turn this place into a battlefield. Your choice, miss."
The previously mentioned room was as silent as he suspected, giving no clues or anything of interest. "Nothing, let's move on," Mach exclaimed with a sigh, the conversation with Yasu could prove to be enlightening, but this door-to-door search was boringly fruitless so far.
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Thankfully Rodeo's captors were more-or-less distracted by Vector's blockade, and Rodeo was freed without issue. She gave an apologetic smile as she tried to help gather up her things. "Sorry for leaving you in a bind back there, but thanks for being a trooper about it," she apologized with a complement, she'd have protested quite a bit if she was in Rodeo's shoes. She had a moment to get a reaction and response from the girl, but the now agitated voice of Clipper drew her attention.
Vector of course listened to the pirate captain's eye-opening threat. Vector wasn't one to panic, and wasn't physically set up to easily show it, but the fractal SP started to doubt his decision to stop them. It could just be a bluff, but the woman claimed to know they were from the NS, and declared this to be the proverbial burning of the last bridge between the NS and the NP. He immediately opened a channel with Mach, and streamed his audio input to the Navi.
She continued with saying the ship was now going to be under threat of invasion by scavengers, and worse if they managed to survive the assault. To that point, she said the trunk was safest back at their camp, and shouldn't be opened until then. Aera kept a straight face as Clipper shot her another smile, but wasn't overly enthusiastic to return the same gesture before the pirate jumped to her ship. After she did so, Vector turned to IllusionMan, and looked to utilize his talents. He heeded Clipper's warning to not open the trunk, but he still wished to know the identity of the woman inside. Sir IllusionMan, can you access this trunk, and tell me who's inside? Without knowing who's contained within, it's not advised to open this trunk."
In the mean time, Vector crouched near the trunk, and tapped on its lid before putting his head close to the seam between the lid and the body of the trunk, in an attempt to listen to a response. "If you can hear me, please respond and tell me who you are," he ordered, hoping for a response. He feared the prisoner was either unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, but a response could quickly solve the mystery of her identity.
Back below deck, Mach's expression soured after hearing Clipper's multi-pronged threat; breaking ties to the NP, putting the ship and occupants in potentially critical danger, and making enemies of Clipper and her gang. "If you'll excuse me," Mach said while turned to Yasu. "we have a possible situation on deck needing my attention. I'll meet you top side," he continued before disappearing in a flash of cyan light as he teleported out of the hallway.
MachMan re-appeared above and behind clipper in a cyan flash, and he spoke up before she had the time to react. "Explain yourself," he demanded coldly. "Even if you did take the prisoner, looks like you were going to depart, leaving the ship to deal with the "frustrating scavengers" and "even worse threats beyond that" regardless. Or did you plan to fend them off with her aboard?" After giving the pirate a brief moment to react, he broke back in to the conversation. "Look, this whole trip was just for some rest and relaxation, but now I'm dealing with what, for all intents and purposes, looks like a kidnapping, an imminent threat to the ship, and had a room on said ship literally blow up in my face. I'd love to not make more enemies, but so far everyone else is throwing the first punch; I'm just here to relax," Mach admitted as he slowly touched down on the deck of Clipper's vessel, then continued.
"So, I humbly request you cut us a break, and cut the cryptic vagueness. Who's in the trunk, and who else wants her (other than the NP) and/or this ship? I know you like sophisticated mysteriousness, and I like not having to sink every vessel in a 10mile radius, but we both need to make sacrifices sometimes." Mach crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow to accompany his unwavering gaze focused on Clipper's face. "We can try to salvage this somewhat lackluster party, or turn this place into a battlefield. Your choice, miss."
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"Heh... It's funny how often we end up saying that," Yasu smirked, rolling her head to one side as she flexed one arm in a circular motion, as though she was waking herself back up. "Perhaps at some point we should just accept that everyone has some bizarre, half-hidden motivation when they choose to deal with us." Her words trailed off and she eyed MachMan suspiciously. Judging by her sudden iciness, Machman might figure his friendliness was being interpreted as a half-hidden motivation of another kind. "Pouring drinks is easy enough, so long as I don't have to mix one. I hope your tastes are simple," she agreed begrudgingly, crossing her arms beneath her chest.
Her one exposed eye shined with recognition as MachMan informed her there was trouble on the upper deck. "Perfect. It's always easier when they show themselves," she remarked, though the way she was cradling one fist in the other made it look like whatever perpetrators she was expecting wouldn't be getting any thanks for that. "You're going to race me? Ha! You may pride yourself on your speed, but I'm not so easily-!" she chortled, before MachMan simply teleported away. She shook her head slowly and cupped one large hand over her face to hide it, as she hoped MachMan hadn't heard that.
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"Darn tootin', that's me! A trooper!" Rodeo responded with a big grin, taking a moment to flip her hair so that her pigtails fell back behind her head. "That's just the kinda gal ya'll want in the Empire, right? I'm a team player!" It would be hard to pay much mind to Rodeo's bid to enter the Shogunate while there was an important standoff to focus on, though. Rodeo wasn't making it easy to ignore her, though. "I can stare down the barrel of a loaded six-shooter and not even blink!" she boasted, half sounding like she was hoping the pirates would come after her again so she'd have another chance to prove her bravado. Again, one might think it would be nicer to have someone who could actually do something about the guns, rather than just tolerating their presence.
IllusionMan's big, cloudy face settled into a grumpy frown. "I actually tried already... I was curious when I saw a ship full of pirate ladies in bi- er, of pirates trying to make off with hidden treasure just now. But no... the design of the trunk is a facade. It's actually advanced tech... something of a jackout barrier that prevents the one inside from leaving. However, it also makes it impossible to enter unless you physically lift the lock from the outside." Thankfully, the lock didn't seem to need a key; it was more of a latch. Tapping the box produced no voice from the inside... Hopefully, there was breathable air inside the trunk, or else one might surmise the prisoner would soon suffocate. On the other hand, it wasn't but a handful of navis who would be capable of dying from lack of net oxygen.
Unwilling to be further help to Vector in that venture, Clipper was already commanding her girls with various orders involving the sails. A pair of them lifted the bridge between the boats as well, not that Vector needed it. For that matter, neither did MachMan, who showed up above deck soon enough and listed his own grievances with Clipper's actions, questioning her need for secrecy. The pirate captain had gone from jovial earlier to mildy irritated to now dismissive and haughty, her impatient frown making it very clear she'd rather be doing something else. "I protected this ship for a good, long time at an extraordinarily reasonable, my, even generous rate. Which is to say I let Tango throw me the lowest of low-balls and accepted the offer. It was a charity," she scoffed; at some point she'd gotten a pen in hand and now used it to point at MachMan. "All of that was for the purpose of my plan, which you've now set to ruin. You ought to be pleased I'm not the type to hold a grudge."
MachMan made a pretty good point that he hadn't come to ruin her plans at all; rather, he and the rest of the NS were just here to enjoy their day. That train of intent had been thoroughly uprooted from the tracks by this point. "I do apologize that you didn't get to enjoy your fun in the sun. Perhaps your friend would help you with that? She might be more willing with someone she knows a little better," Clipper suggested with an aloof smile, giving the joking equivalent of a "sorry-not-sorry." "My dear, I cannot 'cut the cryptic vagueness' any more than you lot can divulge the identity of your shogun. I have loyalty! Even as a pirate," she chuckled, her attitude being perhaps eerily reminiscent of Memora's, like MachMan was conversing with her younger, darker ghost. She lowered her eyebrows and smiled, though it was a pitying expression. "Oh, don't tell me you haven't figured that out... It's Jack. The bartender. She's inside the trunk," the captain remarked dryly, rolling her pencil between her fingers disinterestedly. "The NetPolice want her and I want her for them. Beyond that, the other pirates don't know they want her, but will gladly take her if she's still here when they raid the ship shortly."
Sensing that might be a point of curiosity, she paused for a moment, then continued. "The first assault I mentioned a moment ago is a deluge of pirates, the other three big powers of this sea, who will soon fall upon this ship, realizing that I am heading in the opposite direction after a few months of jealously guarding the vessel. Those pirates are Power, Bomba, and Jolly, none of the three as well meaning as I am... Well, possibly Jolly, but the real captain on that ship will see the value of the plunder. The ship will be thoroughly ravished, what little of value will be taken... Oh, it would actually be fun to see their faces when they realized the cheap design and worthlessness of the trinkets they were stealing. But I shall not wait around for that," Clipper added with a light giggle. "This party will not be salvaged, I assure you. Not only because, well, you can't 'salvage' a soiree as ludicrous as this one, but also, because of the next wave to follow."
She'd set down her parasol earlier and now jabbed the air with her pen. "Blessers. That's what else is coming. Outsmarting pirates is easy enough, but a much worse threat has been watching this ship for some time... Part of the original agreement. She was in hiding here as a criminal on the run... I pretended to sell my protection to her, when in reality, I was watching her for the NP until it was the proper moment to snatch her up. That moment was today... Or so I thought. At any rate, once they realize she's no longer safe, they're going to come after the ones who put her in jeopardy. The other pirates, of course. I'm the victim here," she sighed, shrugging in mock helplessness. "Blessers have a harmful 'illness' of some kind; they are so named for the tremendous power they are granted from their leader, BlessMan. However, their minds become more and more unstable over time as a side effect of that gift, not unlike the curse of senility in our operators, until they ultimately dissolve into full madness. This is why I highly recommend... For all of our sakes... That you either turn that box over to the NP, who are equipped to contain the threat, or you destroy that box and the one inside it. Did it not strike you as a little odd that a woman with powers such as hers was playing hand-maid here on Tango's ship? One must be a little mad, to choose to spend time here with that woman."
Yasu had arrived up to the top deck by this point and promptly leaped the distance between ships to stand by MachMan. "Ah ha, pirates!" she scowled, her eye looking from enemy to enemy. "You've picked the wrong vessel to raid!"
Clipper exhaled and rolled her eyes in an exaggerated expression of contempt. "Clearly I've left the cargo in the hands of worthy thinkers. Please, explain it all again to your First General and save me the trouble. Now, may I leave?" she asked, fanning herself with one hand. She didn't seem to handle the sun all that well without the umbrella.
Her one exposed eye shined with recognition as MachMan informed her there was trouble on the upper deck. "Perfect. It's always easier when they show themselves," she remarked, though the way she was cradling one fist in the other made it look like whatever perpetrators she was expecting wouldn't be getting any thanks for that. "You're going to race me? Ha! You may pride yourself on your speed, but I'm not so easily-!" she chortled, before MachMan simply teleported away. She shook her head slowly and cupped one large hand over her face to hide it, as she hoped MachMan hadn't heard that.
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"Darn tootin', that's me! A trooper!" Rodeo responded with a big grin, taking a moment to flip her hair so that her pigtails fell back behind her head. "That's just the kinda gal ya'll want in the Empire, right? I'm a team player!" It would be hard to pay much mind to Rodeo's bid to enter the Shogunate while there was an important standoff to focus on, though. Rodeo wasn't making it easy to ignore her, though. "I can stare down the barrel of a loaded six-shooter and not even blink!" she boasted, half sounding like she was hoping the pirates would come after her again so she'd have another chance to prove her bravado. Again, one might think it would be nicer to have someone who could actually do something about the guns, rather than just tolerating their presence.
IllusionMan's big, cloudy face settled into a grumpy frown. "I actually tried already... I was curious when I saw a ship full of pirate ladies in bi- er, of pirates trying to make off with hidden treasure just now. But no... the design of the trunk is a facade. It's actually advanced tech... something of a jackout barrier that prevents the one inside from leaving. However, it also makes it impossible to enter unless you physically lift the lock from the outside." Thankfully, the lock didn't seem to need a key; it was more of a latch. Tapping the box produced no voice from the inside... Hopefully, there was breathable air inside the trunk, or else one might surmise the prisoner would soon suffocate. On the other hand, it wasn't but a handful of navis who would be capable of dying from lack of net oxygen.
Unwilling to be further help to Vector in that venture, Clipper was already commanding her girls with various orders involving the sails. A pair of them lifted the bridge between the boats as well, not that Vector needed it. For that matter, neither did MachMan, who showed up above deck soon enough and listed his own grievances with Clipper's actions, questioning her need for secrecy. The pirate captain had gone from jovial earlier to mildy irritated to now dismissive and haughty, her impatient frown making it very clear she'd rather be doing something else. "I protected this ship for a good, long time at an extraordinarily reasonable, my, even generous rate. Which is to say I let Tango throw me the lowest of low-balls and accepted the offer. It was a charity," she scoffed; at some point she'd gotten a pen in hand and now used it to point at MachMan. "All of that was for the purpose of my plan, which you've now set to ruin. You ought to be pleased I'm not the type to hold a grudge."
MachMan made a pretty good point that he hadn't come to ruin her plans at all; rather, he and the rest of the NS were just here to enjoy their day. That train of intent had been thoroughly uprooted from the tracks by this point. "I do apologize that you didn't get to enjoy your fun in the sun. Perhaps your friend would help you with that? She might be more willing with someone she knows a little better," Clipper suggested with an aloof smile, giving the joking equivalent of a "sorry-not-sorry." "My dear, I cannot 'cut the cryptic vagueness' any more than you lot can divulge the identity of your shogun. I have loyalty! Even as a pirate," she chuckled, her attitude being perhaps eerily reminiscent of Memora's, like MachMan was conversing with her younger, darker ghost. She lowered her eyebrows and smiled, though it was a pitying expression. "Oh, don't tell me you haven't figured that out... It's Jack. The bartender. She's inside the trunk," the captain remarked dryly, rolling her pencil between her fingers disinterestedly. "The NetPolice want her and I want her for them. Beyond that, the other pirates don't know they want her, but will gladly take her if she's still here when they raid the ship shortly."
Sensing that might be a point of curiosity, she paused for a moment, then continued. "The first assault I mentioned a moment ago is a deluge of pirates, the other three big powers of this sea, who will soon fall upon this ship, realizing that I am heading in the opposite direction after a few months of jealously guarding the vessel. Those pirates are Power, Bomba, and Jolly, none of the three as well meaning as I am... Well, possibly Jolly, but the real captain on that ship will see the value of the plunder. The ship will be thoroughly ravished, what little of value will be taken... Oh, it would actually be fun to see their faces when they realized the cheap design and worthlessness of the trinkets they were stealing. But I shall not wait around for that," Clipper added with a light giggle. "This party will not be salvaged, I assure you. Not only because, well, you can't 'salvage' a soiree as ludicrous as this one, but also, because of the next wave to follow."
She'd set down her parasol earlier and now jabbed the air with her pen. "Blessers. That's what else is coming. Outsmarting pirates is easy enough, but a much worse threat has been watching this ship for some time... Part of the original agreement. She was in hiding here as a criminal on the run... I pretended to sell my protection to her, when in reality, I was watching her for the NP until it was the proper moment to snatch her up. That moment was today... Or so I thought. At any rate, once they realize she's no longer safe, they're going to come after the ones who put her in jeopardy. The other pirates, of course. I'm the victim here," she sighed, shrugging in mock helplessness. "Blessers have a harmful 'illness' of some kind; they are so named for the tremendous power they are granted from their leader, BlessMan. However, their minds become more and more unstable over time as a side effect of that gift, not unlike the curse of senility in our operators, until they ultimately dissolve into full madness. This is why I highly recommend... For all of our sakes... That you either turn that box over to the NP, who are equipped to contain the threat, or you destroy that box and the one inside it. Did it not strike you as a little odd that a woman with powers such as hers was playing hand-maid here on Tango's ship? One must be a little mad, to choose to spend time here with that woman."
Yasu had arrived up to the top deck by this point and promptly leaped the distance between ships to stand by MachMan. "Ah ha, pirates!" she scowled, her eye looking from enemy to enemy. "You've picked the wrong vessel to raid!"
Clipper exhaled and rolled her eyes in an exaggerated expression of contempt. "Clearly I've left the cargo in the hands of worthy thinkers. Please, explain it all again to your First General and save me the trouble. Now, may I leave?" she asked, fanning herself with one hand. She didn't seem to handle the sun all that well without the umbrella.
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Mach half-shrugged and nodded along to Yasu's comments regarding others' dealings with the group, and their hidden motivations. "True for some, for others we may be overthinking their actions," he indirectly countered, having sensed the suspicion in Yasu's behavior, from what he assumed was in response to his attempt to get to know the NS general in a more casual sense.
The pair thankfully didn't dwell on the subject for too long, as the conversation turned back to drinks and Yasu's alleged lack of skill in mixing them. "I'm not very experienced and certainly no snob, so you won't get any complaints from me," Mach replied with an obscured grin.
After stating the need for him to go top-side, Yasu misinterpreted the statement as a declaration of a race. However, Mach couldn't pass up the opportunity to quickly crouch into a position reminiscent of a sprinter on the starting block, then shot a quick wink to the general and teleported away.
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"We'll see," Aera said to Rodeo with a smile, staying appropriately non-committal for someone who isn't a NS recruiter by any official capacity. However, she didn't suspect the NS would reject her if she applied, unless it was discovered she had some nefarious affiliations or motivations to join the NS beyond being surrounded by "purty gals." She'd give the girl more attention, but she couldn't help but be distracted by clipper's declaration and the fairly ominous situation she was leaving to the group. Her eyes glanced to Vector and the cloudy IllusionMan, and suspected Seer was still hiding but still close behind; Seer didn't seem to be the independent type.
Vector was disappointed IllusionMan couldn't breach the trunk to get a look inside, but unlike said Navi, he himself was more-or-less incapable of physically showing his soured mood. Though the contents remained unknown, IllusionMan revealed some interesting details about the container itself. He either had an astute eye on tech, or experience with programs designed to keep entities in or out (which wouldn't be surprising, considering his apparent voyeuristic tendencies). Vector's cycloptic eye glanced to the trunk then back to IllusionMan, and he replied with a simple "I see"; he didn't have much to add, and defaulted to Mach as the Navi questioned Clipper.
Mach listened quietly to Clipper's responses, noting her arrogantly dismissive tone. Said tone was only partially tempered when Mach revealed his true intentions of using the trip for R&R, and he was thrust into this situation without much choice. The emerald pirate continued, and finally spilled the beans that Jack was captive, confirming the group's suspicions. If Aera was able to overhear the conversation, she'd grin at her ultimately correct guess. Her train of thought quickly shifted to the drink comment she made when referring to the then unidentified captive in the trunk; did Clipper not pick up on that none-too-subtle hint, or was she more keen on continuing to toying with Aera as part of her haughty persona? Back on Clipper's ship, Mach responded with a slight sigh. "Thought so, otherwise I'd have racked up at least 2 or 3 more "infractions" by now," he said sarcastically, truthfully showing a lack of surprise.
He kept his arms crossed as Clipper described the threats that would soon bear down on the ship. The pirates seemed fairly standard, but the "Blessers" seemed to be a half-hit squad, half-cult of a group. "These 'Blessers' and "BlessMan," are they part of a third party, or are they affiliated with the Mafia or NP? This is the first I've heard of them," Mach asked, confessing his ignorance of the group's existence. He imagined the high-and-mighty Clipper may fill him in to show well-connected and smarter she is compared to him, or may just dangle that information in front of his face tauntingly, but he felt it was better to ask now than wonder later.
After Yasu made her entrance, and was clearly in need of being brought back up to speed, Mach took the more efficient route and filled the info gap with a direct text-only message. [[i]General, Jack is in the trunk, and allegedly wanted by the NP. Clipper, the pirate with the parasol, claims to have been tasked to bring her in. Her plan's gone belly-up, and she's about to leave us with the trunk containing Jack. She was also providing protection to the cruise ship, so now it's at risk of pirate and "Blesser" attack, which will likely commence once they realize Clipper's crew is leaving. She won't stop us from taking the trunk. Warning: If we release Jack and she tries to escape, even I may have trouble containing her. We can take the trunk with us, or save us all the trouble and give it back to Clipper. I think Clipper is telling the truth, and I have no previous connections with either Clipper or Jack. Awaiting orders.[/i]]
If Yasu elected to keep the trunk in their care, Mach would direct Vector and Aera to secure the trunk via direct comms, and they would promptly comply. If Yasu decided it was best to let Clipper abscond with Jack, Mach himself would assist Vector in moving the trunk to Clipper's vessel, and deposit the trunk carefully to the deck. Regardless of the NS General's decision, the ship was soon going to be under threat. "I recommend the ship steam to 'friendly' waters, and all guests evacuate. If the ship is able to get to a protected area quickly I can stay behind to temporarily fend off the pirates, but it's not my plan ...nor my job... to defend this vessel," Mach declared, his intended audience namely being Yasu.
The pair thankfully didn't dwell on the subject for too long, as the conversation turned back to drinks and Yasu's alleged lack of skill in mixing them. "I'm not very experienced and certainly no snob, so you won't get any complaints from me," Mach replied with an obscured grin.
After stating the need for him to go top-side, Yasu misinterpreted the statement as a declaration of a race. However, Mach couldn't pass up the opportunity to quickly crouch into a position reminiscent of a sprinter on the starting block, then shot a quick wink to the general and teleported away.
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"We'll see," Aera said to Rodeo with a smile, staying appropriately non-committal for someone who isn't a NS recruiter by any official capacity. However, she didn't suspect the NS would reject her if she applied, unless it was discovered she had some nefarious affiliations or motivations to join the NS beyond being surrounded by "purty gals." She'd give the girl more attention, but she couldn't help but be distracted by clipper's declaration and the fairly ominous situation she was leaving to the group. Her eyes glanced to Vector and the cloudy IllusionMan, and suspected Seer was still hiding but still close behind; Seer didn't seem to be the independent type.
Vector was disappointed IllusionMan couldn't breach the trunk to get a look inside, but unlike said Navi, he himself was more-or-less incapable of physically showing his soured mood. Though the contents remained unknown, IllusionMan revealed some interesting details about the container itself. He either had an astute eye on tech, or experience with programs designed to keep entities in or out (which wouldn't be surprising, considering his apparent voyeuristic tendencies). Vector's cycloptic eye glanced to the trunk then back to IllusionMan, and he replied with a simple "I see"; he didn't have much to add, and defaulted to Mach as the Navi questioned Clipper.
Mach listened quietly to Clipper's responses, noting her arrogantly dismissive tone. Said tone was only partially tempered when Mach revealed his true intentions of using the trip for R&R, and he was thrust into this situation without much choice. The emerald pirate continued, and finally spilled the beans that Jack was captive, confirming the group's suspicions. If Aera was able to overhear the conversation, she'd grin at her ultimately correct guess. Her train of thought quickly shifted to the drink comment she made when referring to the then unidentified captive in the trunk; did Clipper not pick up on that none-too-subtle hint, or was she more keen on continuing to toying with Aera as part of her haughty persona? Back on Clipper's ship, Mach responded with a slight sigh. "Thought so, otherwise I'd have racked up at least 2 or 3 more "infractions" by now," he said sarcastically, truthfully showing a lack of surprise.
He kept his arms crossed as Clipper described the threats that would soon bear down on the ship. The pirates seemed fairly standard, but the "Blessers" seemed to be a half-hit squad, half-cult of a group. "These 'Blessers' and "BlessMan," are they part of a third party, or are they affiliated with the Mafia or NP? This is the first I've heard of them," Mach asked, confessing his ignorance of the group's existence. He imagined the high-and-mighty Clipper may fill him in to show well-connected and smarter she is compared to him, or may just dangle that information in front of his face tauntingly, but he felt it was better to ask now than wonder later.
After Yasu made her entrance, and was clearly in need of being brought back up to speed, Mach took the more efficient route and filled the info gap with a direct text-only message. [[i]General, Jack is in the trunk, and allegedly wanted by the NP. Clipper, the pirate with the parasol, claims to have been tasked to bring her in. Her plan's gone belly-up, and she's about to leave us with the trunk containing Jack. She was also providing protection to the cruise ship, so now it's at risk of pirate and "Blesser" attack, which will likely commence once they realize Clipper's crew is leaving. She won't stop us from taking the trunk. Warning: If we release Jack and she tries to escape, even I may have trouble containing her. We can take the trunk with us, or save us all the trouble and give it back to Clipper. I think Clipper is telling the truth, and I have no previous connections with either Clipper or Jack. Awaiting orders.[/i]]
If Yasu elected to keep the trunk in their care, Mach would direct Vector and Aera to secure the trunk via direct comms, and they would promptly comply. If Yasu decided it was best to let Clipper abscond with Jack, Mach himself would assist Vector in moving the trunk to Clipper's vessel, and deposit the trunk carefully to the deck. Regardless of the NS General's decision, the ship was soon going to be under threat. "I recommend the ship steam to 'friendly' waters, and all guests evacuate. If the ship is able to get to a protected area quickly I can stay behind to temporarily fend off the pirates, but it's not my plan ...nor my job... to defend this vessel," Mach declared, his intended audience namely being Yasu.
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((Sorry for the wait, I've been sick 
))
"The NetPolice put out a bulletin for them some time ago, warning the public not to engage them, although our Jack-in-the-box was not amongst the names specified. In short, the name wasn't publicized because the NP didn't want anyone looking for her; they preferred to have free room to execute their own plan, which relied upon me. Well, that's done, but hopefully you lot know what you're doing with her," Clipper shrugged, slinging her hair away from the side of her face, perhaps because she'd begun to sweat a bit from the heat. "The Blessers are not associated with the NP... nor the Mafia, as well as anyone knows. The NetPolice, however, can be considered enemies of the Blessers, because they have active orders to apprehend any members of the Blessers, to serve the public good."
While she was busy explaining those details, MachMan communicated with the First General in private. Yasu crossed her arms and waited for the full message, then responded with a hidden message of her own.
Aera and Vector approached the ship to take hold of the trunk, which Clipper allowed, smiling again to the young lady. "Quite a lot you've taken from me, for nothing but a chance encounter... Perhaps next time, you'll pay me back," she joked, motioning at her crew to pick up their speed in vacating the area. "As for your plan, MachMan, might I remind you that it took a crew of Jacks to man the ship? It's not designed for convenience... you'll need a crew to operate it if you're going to make it move. I'd advise you and any remaining cruise-mates to simply jack out instead and leave the ship to placate those poor, plunder-starved pirates." Her smile following, including a slight upward tilt to her chin, seemed to imply that she'd considered that her rival pirates might be drawn into combat with the Blessers when those showed up, if left uninformed with loot to keep them in the area.
IllusionMan spoke up next, reminding everyone of his presence. "The only people still aboard the ship are the cowgirl... as well as Seer and Tango... they're dancing in the lounge. I'll get Seer to jack out, but you'll have to handle Tango, if you care..." he murmured, showing that he couldn't be bothered to make Tango vacate himself. On the other hand, he may have tried already and failed. It would be unsurprising if Tango stubbornly refused the orders to leave.
"Now, if you will please vacate my ship and fly back to your own," Clipper shooed her guests off. "The little cowgirl will certainly be missing you." The ship had actually gotten a pretty good distance away from the cruise liner now, although MachMan's whole group would still be able to go back if they wanted, thanks to flight.
Except Yasu, of course, but she had another idea. "If you'll hand the trunk to me, I'll take it back to the Shogun. I'll leave whatever wrap-up you want to do with the remaining two navis on board in the hands of your team," she offered. Ordinarily, it'd take two to carry the trunk... but Yasu might be able to manage by herself.
))"The NetPolice put out a bulletin for them some time ago, warning the public not to engage them, although our Jack-in-the-box was not amongst the names specified. In short, the name wasn't publicized because the NP didn't want anyone looking for her; they preferred to have free room to execute their own plan, which relied upon me. Well, that's done, but hopefully you lot know what you're doing with her," Clipper shrugged, slinging her hair away from the side of her face, perhaps because she'd begun to sweat a bit from the heat. "The Blessers are not associated with the NP... nor the Mafia, as well as anyone knows. The NetPolice, however, can be considered enemies of the Blessers, because they have active orders to apprehend any members of the Blessers, to serve the public good."
While she was busy explaining those details, MachMan communicated with the First General in private. Yasu crossed her arms and waited for the full message, then responded with a hidden message of her own.
Quote ()
"If we've got this opportunity, then let us take it. Key to our establishing an equal foothold with the Police and Mafia is acquiring resources like this Blesser... If we could figure out how to put her madness in check, she could be a powerful ally, or, provided we cannot, she could be a useful research subject for us. Either way, we would like to keep her in our hands, rather than those of our foes. You've done well in forcing Clipper's hand... she cannot oppose us without creating hostilities between the NetPolice and the Shogun's army. I'm surprised that she would truly care, if she is a mercenary they hired, but then... perhaps her reward would be at risk. Either way, we're taking the trunk."
Aera and Vector approached the ship to take hold of the trunk, which Clipper allowed, smiling again to the young lady. "Quite a lot you've taken from me, for nothing but a chance encounter... Perhaps next time, you'll pay me back," she joked, motioning at her crew to pick up their speed in vacating the area. "As for your plan, MachMan, might I remind you that it took a crew of Jacks to man the ship? It's not designed for convenience... you'll need a crew to operate it if you're going to make it move. I'd advise you and any remaining cruise-mates to simply jack out instead and leave the ship to placate those poor, plunder-starved pirates." Her smile following, including a slight upward tilt to her chin, seemed to imply that she'd considered that her rival pirates might be drawn into combat with the Blessers when those showed up, if left uninformed with loot to keep them in the area.
IllusionMan spoke up next, reminding everyone of his presence. "The only people still aboard the ship are the cowgirl... as well as Seer and Tango... they're dancing in the lounge. I'll get Seer to jack out, but you'll have to handle Tango, if you care..." he murmured, showing that he couldn't be bothered to make Tango vacate himself. On the other hand, he may have tried already and failed. It would be unsurprising if Tango stubbornly refused the orders to leave.
"Now, if you will please vacate my ship and fly back to your own," Clipper shooed her guests off. "The little cowgirl will certainly be missing you." The ship had actually gotten a pretty good distance away from the cruise liner now, although MachMan's whole group would still be able to go back if they wanted, thanks to flight.
Except Yasu, of course, but she had another idea. "If you'll hand the trunk to me, I'll take it back to the Shogun. I'll leave whatever wrap-up you want to do with the remaining two navis on board in the hands of your team," she offered. Ordinarily, it'd take two to carry the trunk... but Yasu might be able to manage by herself.
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Mach tried to keep his attention on Clipper as she explained the Blessers, along with skimming the response sent by Yasu. It seemed apparent the Blessers weren't a group to be trifled with, Jack is allegedly a Blesser herself, and Yasu deemed her too valuable to remain in Clipper's hands. It could explain the Navi's impressive powers, Mach noted. After Clipper finished her explanation, Mach simply replied with "Thanks for the intel," with a tone of partially distracted politeness.
Immediately afterwards he directed Aera and Vector to secure the trunk, which they complied dutifully and without resistance from Clipper or her crew. With the situation calmed to a significant degree, Aera took her seat back on the trunk, her eyes glanced to Clipper as she addressed the group. Aera returned the smile with a slight shrug, as if saying "perhaps" to the Navi and her crew as they started to open the distance between the two vessels. That said, the distance wasn't too great to prevent the group from hearing IllusionMan's assessment of the remaining passengers aboard. Sounds like the party cleared out quickly; though it sounded even if he could enlist a large number of passengers, attempting to run the ship without Jack's help would be difficult at best.
With the majority of the situation wrapped up, and Clipper's persistence they vacate her ship, Mach was keen to get moving. He looked at the widening gap between the cruiseliner and the clipper, and wondered if Yasu would somehow be able to traverse the gap unaided. He looked to the general, and spoke up to get her attention. "General, would you like a lift, or can you manage the gap?" he asked, his eyes glancing to the cruise liner, then back to the general. If she accepted his assistance, he'd extend his right arm and hand for her to grasp. Once their grip was secure, he'd gradually and smoothly take to the air in a manner vastly different to Yasu's last aerobatic trip with Mach. If she refused, Mach didn't protest and instead took a mental step back to see what she'd do next. Considering her physical prowess and agility, he expected an impressive leap, or some ninja-esque dash over the water.
Regardless of the route/manner of travel, Mach would then move to the trunk. Aera stood and stepped away as Vector moved in to one side as Mach took the other, and lifted the trunk to Yasu. While passing the trunk off, Aera focused her attention on Rodeo, who hadn't yet evacuated with the rest. She brushed the wrinkles from her sundress and stepped to Rodeo, then put her hands on her knees as she leaned down at the waist, to get within whisper-distance of Rodeo. "Well Rodeo, looks like this party's a bust. I'll put in a good word for you with the Shogunate, and here's my email address if you have any questions or have any "demonstrations" to show me," Aera said with a kind smile and a wink, then presented a small data packet in a now upturned hand.
[Rodeo GET: email.dat <M.Patrovski@PSAOM.org>]
After passing the trunk off to Yasu, Mach glanced back to see Aera speaking with Rodeo. Thinking nothing of it, he referred back to IllusionMan's mention of Seer and Tango still dancing in the lounge. IllusionMan had elected to see to Seer's departure, but showed little interest in ensuring the host(ess) abandoned ship. "I'll give Tango the low-down, but if the "captain" wants to go down with the ship, so be it," he stated as his anti-grav drive kicked back on and allowed him to gently rise in the air. A cyan wireframe of his wings briefly flashed behind him, but with his .GMO remaining active the floating wing structures remained out of sight. Though their physical presence seemed absent, their performance was glaringly obvious as Mach rocketed over the deck to the double doors down below deck to the lounge, then he immediately switched directions to dart past the doors.
His transit to the lounge was brief to say the least, and he came to an abrupt stop a few feet from Tango (and Seer if she was still present). "The rest of the guests have left, and I'm told several pirate groups along with the Blessers are bearing down on the ship. We don't plan to stay, so I recommend you evacuate like the rest." He expected some resistance, but if Tango had the lucidity to heed his warning, Mach would reverse his course and head back to the deck to briefly get things in order before logging out.
Immediately afterwards he directed Aera and Vector to secure the trunk, which they complied dutifully and without resistance from Clipper or her crew. With the situation calmed to a significant degree, Aera took her seat back on the trunk, her eyes glanced to Clipper as she addressed the group. Aera returned the smile with a slight shrug, as if saying "perhaps" to the Navi and her crew as they started to open the distance between the two vessels. That said, the distance wasn't too great to prevent the group from hearing IllusionMan's assessment of the remaining passengers aboard. Sounds like the party cleared out quickly; though it sounded even if he could enlist a large number of passengers, attempting to run the ship without Jack's help would be difficult at best.
With the majority of the situation wrapped up, and Clipper's persistence they vacate her ship, Mach was keen to get moving. He looked at the widening gap between the cruiseliner and the clipper, and wondered if Yasu would somehow be able to traverse the gap unaided. He looked to the general, and spoke up to get her attention. "General, would you like a lift, or can you manage the gap?" he asked, his eyes glancing to the cruise liner, then back to the general. If she accepted his assistance, he'd extend his right arm and hand for her to grasp. Once their grip was secure, he'd gradually and smoothly take to the air in a manner vastly different to Yasu's last aerobatic trip with Mach. If she refused, Mach didn't protest and instead took a mental step back to see what she'd do next. Considering her physical prowess and agility, he expected an impressive leap, or some ninja-esque dash over the water.
Regardless of the route/manner of travel, Mach would then move to the trunk. Aera stood and stepped away as Vector moved in to one side as Mach took the other, and lifted the trunk to Yasu. While passing the trunk off, Aera focused her attention on Rodeo, who hadn't yet evacuated with the rest. She brushed the wrinkles from her sundress and stepped to Rodeo, then put her hands on her knees as she leaned down at the waist, to get within whisper-distance of Rodeo. "Well Rodeo, looks like this party's a bust. I'll put in a good word for you with the Shogunate, and here's my email address if you have any questions or have any "demonstrations" to show me," Aera said with a kind smile and a wink, then presented a small data packet in a now upturned hand.
[Rodeo GET: email.dat <M.Patrovski@PSAOM.org>]
After passing the trunk off to Yasu, Mach glanced back to see Aera speaking with Rodeo. Thinking nothing of it, he referred back to IllusionMan's mention of Seer and Tango still dancing in the lounge. IllusionMan had elected to see to Seer's departure, but showed little interest in ensuring the host(ess) abandoned ship. "I'll give Tango the low-down, but if the "captain" wants to go down with the ship, so be it," he stated as his anti-grav drive kicked back on and allowed him to gently rise in the air. A cyan wireframe of his wings briefly flashed behind him, but with his .GMO remaining active the floating wing structures remained out of sight. Though their physical presence seemed absent, their performance was glaringly obvious as Mach rocketed over the deck to the double doors down below deck to the lounge, then he immediately switched directions to dart past the doors.
His transit to the lounge was brief to say the least, and he came to an abrupt stop a few feet from Tango (and Seer if she was still present). "The rest of the guests have left, and I'm told several pirate groups along with the Blessers are bearing down on the ship. We don't plan to stay, so I recommend you evacuate like the rest." He expected some resistance, but if Tango had the lucidity to heed his warning, Mach would reverse his course and head back to the deck to briefly get things in order before logging out.
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Yasu scowled a bit, seeming like she was about to say something that would be more in line with her well-known despise for men than her recent, somewhat cooled temper. "I can swim it, MachMan, but thank you," she responded, shaking her head slowly. "Though, I may not need to go back at all. I'll take the case back with me when I leave this net," she explained, grabbing the trunk underneath with both of her forearms, wrapping hands beneath the other side opposite from her. It looked like she'd be able to carry the trunk easily enough, though it was probably a good thing she didn't have to swim with it. "You've done good work... this may not have begun as a mission, but given what we've accomplished, I'd say a reward is in order. Remember to report in at the public camp and we'll discuss it further," she nodded to him, then left in a swirl of leaves, heading back with the case containing Jack.
The pirate ship began to sail away more quickly as the others exited the ship, with Clipper providing a slow wave of her own. One had to wonder if the smile on her face was genuine or how much ill will she might be feeling, given that MachMan and crew had not only foiled her plan, but basically committed a reversal of fortunes, taking what was supposed to be NP property for the Neo-Shogun Army. One could almost wonder if there would be less bad blood had the two groups simply fought, given the stakes. Regardless, those were topics for a later date, and for now, MachMan had the remaining cruise-goers to address.
Even with IllusionMan's ability to move sneakily through the mist, MachMan beat him to the party room with time to spare. As expected, the room was a sad, desolate place, with plates of food left on tables; no one had spent time to clean up, given the evacuation order. The only two left were Tango and Seer, as the former occupied his/her male form, leading Seer in a breathless dance around the room. Tango still seemed to have plenty of endless coming from his boundless reserve, but the three-eyed lady looked like all three of her eyes were spinning, as she breathed heavily and skirted around the floor. Tango gave her another spin, sending her long skirt whirling and revealing for a moment the mystic's shapely, pink legs, which were clad only by footwraps all the way from the pads of the feet to the upper thighs, seemingly. "You dance beautifully, my sweet!" Tango applauded his partner, grabbing her hand with her own as she started to fall to the floor from dizziness. The puppet had been abandoned, perhaps because Seer made a fine dancing puppet herself.
"A-And you also dance buh... bluuuuuh-" she heaved, removing her hand and doubling over, as though she were about to vomit. Thankfully, she stopped short. "Excuse me..."
"Ha ha ha! No such thing. That is just your stomach aflutter with the romance of our tango! It craves more and more!" Tango insisted, placing a rose into his teeth again and offering out his hand again. This time, Seer didn't accept it, shaking her head slowly and covering her mouth with both hands. It seemed like she'd been trapped for a long time, too polite to refuse Tango or perhaps pitying the failure of the party, and thus unable to escape this endless, twirling dance. The refusal didn't seem to register with Tango, who continued grinning as he grabbed her arms and pulled her up anyways, pressing his chest against her back. Finally, the party host noticed MachMan, releasing Seer and spreading his arms wide. "There you are! Oh, I was so upset when you left... I could feel the electricity in the air, between you and your compatriots! I'd hoped to see how you all would dance, but..."
Machman explained not only why he'd left but also why none of them should stay in surprising brevity. The smile stayed on Tango's face the whole time, somehow, though one eyebrow arched slowly upward... before the face suddenly disappeared entirely, its owner slumping to the floor, now being a wooden doll. The former doll approached MachMan, now in female form. "How problematic! Jack was the linchpin that held this whole cruise of mine together. Without her, I won't be able to operate... Ah, the dance of romance! It's so tragic, it crosses back over the line and becomes romantic again!" she sighed, clutching her heart with dramatic gravity. "Well, with her gone, I can't very well afford to lose my investment on this cruise ship as well! I'll stay behind and explain to those nasty pirates what's happened. Don't worry; the passion of dance speaks to all, even to the humblest, artless pirates. I'm sure they'll understand my words and appreciate my dance, then will help me defend my ship as a unified front against the other group! I can see it now... my cruise liner, newly crewed by dancing pirates, entranced by my whimsy and the beauty of my cause!"
The plan sounded worse than delusional, but it didn't look like it would be easy to talk her out of it. IllusionMan had arrived to take care of Seer, which first amounted to placing too ghostly hands on her shoulders while she stumbled around aimlessly, trying to recover her senses. It sounded like he was giving her the story and they'd be on their way soon. For his part, MachMan had already made up his mind to leave Tango if she didn't cooperate, and headed back up deck.
So quick was he that he managed to make it in time to catch the back half of Rodeo's farewell to her new friend. The little cowgirl's eyes were full of stars as she jumped up and grabbed Aera's neck to hug her. "Yew'll talk to the Shogun for me?! That's all I ever wanted, pardner! If I can get a bug in's ear, specially from yew, I'm sure it's just a matter of suns'n'settin' before he brings be on board!" she celebrated. If she was one to use pistols, she'd probably be firing them off in the air like a cartoon character. "Oh, yew'll be seein' a lot more of me, much as y'want to!" she exclaimed. "Me'n my pal, Genevie... wait... Genevieve! Aw slap-my-saddle, I forgot my dang horse!" she cried, beginning to scramble below deck. Hopefully, she'd grab her trusty partner and get out with the others. MachMan and Aera had reunited, and so far, no sign of pirates.
The pirate ship began to sail away more quickly as the others exited the ship, with Clipper providing a slow wave of her own. One had to wonder if the smile on her face was genuine or how much ill will she might be feeling, given that MachMan and crew had not only foiled her plan, but basically committed a reversal of fortunes, taking what was supposed to be NP property for the Neo-Shogun Army. One could almost wonder if there would be less bad blood had the two groups simply fought, given the stakes. Regardless, those were topics for a later date, and for now, MachMan had the remaining cruise-goers to address.
Even with IllusionMan's ability to move sneakily through the mist, MachMan beat him to the party room with time to spare. As expected, the room was a sad, desolate place, with plates of food left on tables; no one had spent time to clean up, given the evacuation order. The only two left were Tango and Seer, as the former occupied his/her male form, leading Seer in a breathless dance around the room. Tango still seemed to have plenty of endless coming from his boundless reserve, but the three-eyed lady looked like all three of her eyes were spinning, as she breathed heavily and skirted around the floor. Tango gave her another spin, sending her long skirt whirling and revealing for a moment the mystic's shapely, pink legs, which were clad only by footwraps all the way from the pads of the feet to the upper thighs, seemingly. "You dance beautifully, my sweet!" Tango applauded his partner, grabbing her hand with her own as she started to fall to the floor from dizziness. The puppet had been abandoned, perhaps because Seer made a fine dancing puppet herself.
"A-And you also dance buh... bluuuuuh-" she heaved, removing her hand and doubling over, as though she were about to vomit. Thankfully, she stopped short. "Excuse me..."
"Ha ha ha! No such thing. That is just your stomach aflutter with the romance of our tango! It craves more and more!" Tango insisted, placing a rose into his teeth again and offering out his hand again. This time, Seer didn't accept it, shaking her head slowly and covering her mouth with both hands. It seemed like she'd been trapped for a long time, too polite to refuse Tango or perhaps pitying the failure of the party, and thus unable to escape this endless, twirling dance. The refusal didn't seem to register with Tango, who continued grinning as he grabbed her arms and pulled her up anyways, pressing his chest against her back. Finally, the party host noticed MachMan, releasing Seer and spreading his arms wide. "There you are! Oh, I was so upset when you left... I could feel the electricity in the air, between you and your compatriots! I'd hoped to see how you all would dance, but..."
Machman explained not only why he'd left but also why none of them should stay in surprising brevity. The smile stayed on Tango's face the whole time, somehow, though one eyebrow arched slowly upward... before the face suddenly disappeared entirely, its owner slumping to the floor, now being a wooden doll. The former doll approached MachMan, now in female form. "How problematic! Jack was the linchpin that held this whole cruise of mine together. Without her, I won't be able to operate... Ah, the dance of romance! It's so tragic, it crosses back over the line and becomes romantic again!" she sighed, clutching her heart with dramatic gravity. "Well, with her gone, I can't very well afford to lose my investment on this cruise ship as well! I'll stay behind and explain to those nasty pirates what's happened. Don't worry; the passion of dance speaks to all, even to the humblest, artless pirates. I'm sure they'll understand my words and appreciate my dance, then will help me defend my ship as a unified front against the other group! I can see it now... my cruise liner, newly crewed by dancing pirates, entranced by my whimsy and the beauty of my cause!"
The plan sounded worse than delusional, but it didn't look like it would be easy to talk her out of it. IllusionMan had arrived to take care of Seer, which first amounted to placing too ghostly hands on her shoulders while she stumbled around aimlessly, trying to recover her senses. It sounded like he was giving her the story and they'd be on their way soon. For his part, MachMan had already made up his mind to leave Tango if she didn't cooperate, and headed back up deck.
So quick was he that he managed to make it in time to catch the back half of Rodeo's farewell to her new friend. The little cowgirl's eyes were full of stars as she jumped up and grabbed Aera's neck to hug her. "Yew'll talk to the Shogun for me?! That's all I ever wanted, pardner! If I can get a bug in's ear, specially from yew, I'm sure it's just a matter of suns'n'settin' before he brings be on board!" she celebrated. If she was one to use pistols, she'd probably be firing them off in the air like a cartoon character. "Oh, yew'll be seein' a lot more of me, much as y'want to!" she exclaimed. "Me'n my pal, Genevie... wait... Genevieve! Aw slap-my-saddle, I forgot my dang horse!" she cried, beginning to scramble below deck. Hopefully, she'd grab her trusty partner and get out with the others. MachMan and Aera had reunited, and so far, no sign of pirates.
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Mach wasn't surprised to see Tango still dancing, but he didn't expect Seer to remain stuck in the Navi's grip. Didn't take long to notice Seer was looking worse for wear, but it didn't look like Tango was tormenting the poor girl with some bizarre torture two-step. Thankfully Mach didn't "walk" in to the sight of Seer depositing her stomach contents on the party room floor, but she appeared to be teetering on the edge of nausea.
Even after Seer's refusal to keep dancing, Tango insisted and tried to pull her back to her feet. Thankfully for his sake, he released her upon noticing Mach's entrance. Mach explained the situation, after noticing Tango's likely coincidental pun when one thinks of Aera's elemental affinity, and listened to the Navi's response. Not only did she resist leaving, as expected, she cooked up a plan to recruit the pirates to keep her business afloat. He knew next to nothing about the pirates, but it still seemed like a bad idea. "I wouldn't advise that, but it's your ship, and none of my business. Good luck."
After offering some cautionary advise, he turned from Tango to Seer, now being tended to by IllusionMan. "I see you too are wrapping things up here; it was nice meeting you both, though I wish it were under more relaxed circumstances," Mach sighed before giving them a casual salute with his pointer and middle fingers. "See you around," he said with a more upbeat tone, then rocketed out of the party room and back to the deck.
Meanwhile, Aera found herself burdened with an armful of excited cowgirl. She managed to keep her footing, but the amicable gesture caught her by surprise. Vector's cycloptic eye panned to the "sisterly love" occurring nearby, prompting Aera to give Vector a slightly embarrassed smirk, which would normally be accompanied by a shrug if she weren't actively being hugged. "Haha, looking forward to it!" she replied in regards to Rodeo's declaration of increased presence, then watched as the girl realized she'd left her partner back in the room, who was... a horse? Aera was left wordless as the girl scrambled below decks, and imagined Rhea's Harley (the only horse she's encountered thus far) sitting in a room, twiddling his hooves. *snrk* Aera stifled a laugh at the amusing thought just as Mach arrived.
He rapidly decelerated with the aid of his unseen wing thrusters, causing a gust that made Aera's sundress flutter in the wind, as well as momentarily contour tightly around her well-proportioned body. Aera stood her ground, but noted the pull from her fluttering attire, something she didn't have to deal with in her normal armor; guess that was a good thing, flying with a skirt seemed like it could be a chore. Mach touched down next to her, and looked to both of the SPs. "Is everything wrapped up here?" he asked, prompting nods from both programs. "All good here, though I wish we could stay longer; we never tried to compete in Tango's game..." Aera replied, with her last comment in a noticeable joking tone. "Yeah, I totally would've won," Mach declared with a grin and an inflated amount of ego, and flicked the brim of Aera's hat.
Aera smirked and rolled her eyes sarcastically as Vector approached then stopped next to them. Mach looked to his fractal SP to see he was ready to leave, and upon seeing a confirming stare from said SP's glowing red eye, he initiated their log-out sequence. In a flash of cyan light, the trio beamed up and out of the network, back to the Neo Shogun camp. They should really just hotlink there, since they seem to be there more than their own homepage...
((To NS HQ))
Even after Seer's refusal to keep dancing, Tango insisted and tried to pull her back to her feet. Thankfully for his sake, he released her upon noticing Mach's entrance. Mach explained the situation, after noticing Tango's likely coincidental pun when one thinks of Aera's elemental affinity, and listened to the Navi's response. Not only did she resist leaving, as expected, she cooked up a plan to recruit the pirates to keep her business afloat. He knew next to nothing about the pirates, but it still seemed like a bad idea. "I wouldn't advise that, but it's your ship, and none of my business. Good luck."
After offering some cautionary advise, he turned from Tango to Seer, now being tended to by IllusionMan. "I see you too are wrapping things up here; it was nice meeting you both, though I wish it were under more relaxed circumstances," Mach sighed before giving them a casual salute with his pointer and middle fingers. "See you around," he said with a more upbeat tone, then rocketed out of the party room and back to the deck.
Meanwhile, Aera found herself burdened with an armful of excited cowgirl. She managed to keep her footing, but the amicable gesture caught her by surprise. Vector's cycloptic eye panned to the "sisterly love" occurring nearby, prompting Aera to give Vector a slightly embarrassed smirk, which would normally be accompanied by a shrug if she weren't actively being hugged. "Haha, looking forward to it!" she replied in regards to Rodeo's declaration of increased presence, then watched as the girl realized she'd left her partner back in the room, who was... a horse? Aera was left wordless as the girl scrambled below decks, and imagined Rhea's Harley (the only horse she's encountered thus far) sitting in a room, twiddling his hooves. *snrk* Aera stifled a laugh at the amusing thought just as Mach arrived.
He rapidly decelerated with the aid of his unseen wing thrusters, causing a gust that made Aera's sundress flutter in the wind, as well as momentarily contour tightly around her well-proportioned body. Aera stood her ground, but noted the pull from her fluttering attire, something she didn't have to deal with in her normal armor; guess that was a good thing, flying with a skirt seemed like it could be a chore. Mach touched down next to her, and looked to both of the SPs. "Is everything wrapped up here?" he asked, prompting nods from both programs. "All good here, though I wish we could stay longer; we never tried to compete in Tango's game..." Aera replied, with her last comment in a noticeable joking tone. "Yeah, I totally would've won," Mach declared with a grin and an inflated amount of ego, and flicked the brim of Aera's hat.
Aera smirked and rolled her eyes sarcastically as Vector approached then stopped next to them. Mach looked to his fractal SP to see he was ready to leave, and upon seeing a confirming stare from said SP's glowing red eye, he initiated their log-out sequence. In a flash of cyan light, the trio beamed up and out of the network, back to the Neo Shogun camp. They should really just hotlink there, since they seem to be there more than their own homepage...
((To NS HQ))