[color=ec008c]"Isn't the life of piracy amazing, Pico?"[/color] Char said while scratching that underside of Pico's neck while walking through the crowded streets of the marketplace with practiced easy. Despite her father never knowing about that, Char was used to slipping away during business trips and walking through markets, warehouses and other such places on her own. It was during these excursions that she acquired her roguish knack and a good deal of her talking skills, with thieves and merchants that she met here and there.

[color=6ecff6]"kuru!"[/color] Pico chirped pleased by his owner's petting and rubbed his face against Char's cheek, making her giggle happily in return. The  reason for Char's happy mood was easily, she managed to make that pig-like man buy her gems for fifteen hundred and forty gold, minus the transaction fee (since Char is a good girl she paid it, of course), this brought her to thirteen eighty six gold, a net of forty percent wasn't something to scoff at so easily, after all.

Anyway, Char walked down the streets until she found the places that she were looking for, first a couturier where she could get a made to order bra as well as a dress fitting a girl of about her size. When she walked into the store, Char was immediately greeted by a corset wearing, scrawny looking man of all things, [b]"Bonjour, mademoiselle! What Pierre can do for such a lovely flower, this early inn the morning?"[/b]

[color=ec008c]"Bonjour, master. I'd like to order a special dress as well as some lingerie, if it would not be a trouble."[/color]

[b]"Absolutely not, mon chéri. In fact, Pierre would be honoured to sew une robe to une jolie fille such as you."[/b] Char quickly came to notice that trying to piece this Pierre's words together was about as hard as trying to understand Waldemar's casual talk. Sure the two gentlemen would make for quite an entertainment if placed on the same table along with a bottle of wine and some other refreshments, Char thought. She made a mental note of arranging this meeting on the next available opportunity, but now she had more pressing matters at hand.

[color=ec008c]"Actually, the clothes that I want aren't for me, master. But you can still make them with my measurements, as the body type of their future owner is almost like mine... well, except for the bust..."[/color] Char them gave the queer man the needed measurements and paid half of the extra high fee, for the speedy job, before going out of the store, [color=ec008c]"I'll come back to pick the clothes in no time, master. By the way, do you know where I can find a fireworks merchant here?"[/color]

Moments later...

Char found herself in a back alley, in front of a store that reeked of gunpowder and glue, where a signboard written in characters whose Char couldn't even begin to fathom the meaning hanged precariously against the wooden eave.

[color=ec008c][i]"Yup, I bet that she would be squealing right now if she saw that place."[/i][/color] Char thought as she pushed the door open, the jiggling of the small bell attached to it denouncing her intrusion, [color=ec008c]"Hi there, is the master of this shop here?"[/color]

[b]"What's your desire, young one?"[/b] A long bearded old man wearing an eastern robe came in through the back door, to greet Char.

[color=ec008c]"I'd like some fireworks. Scratch that, I'd like lots of fireworks, in fact. And I'd like them big and pretty. Do you have any around, master?"[/color]

[b]"Ho ho ho, who do you think you're talking to, youngling?"[/b] The man asked as he motioned Char to come with him to the storage room. Inside of it there were more bombs and all manner of explosive contraptions that Char had ever seem packed in one single place, including Milly's "bedroom". In fact, Char coul bet that if someone lit a flame here, a good half of the flying city would be blown out of the skies.

[color=ec008c]"Yup, definitely her kind of place."[/color] Char said absent minded as she went about choosing some good looking fireworks.

After that, Char finished her round through the city by going to a pastry store and buying a freshly baked birthday cake, though since carrying this much stuff to the ship would prove tough to someone of her size, Char paid a few coins to dumb looking brute that was carrying heavy boxes around to carry her things for her until she got back to the Stormsong.

[color=ec008c]"Aren't you excited, Pico?"[/color] Char said as she reviewed her plan.

It all began yesterday when Char found out Milly's birthday date (which just happens to be today) while was prowling through the ship's logs and diaries trying to correct Melody's horrendous financial accounts. After the captain said that they would be stopping at Fallis Island to restock today, Char came up with a plan to surprise Milly (and everyone else, since they all forgot about it) on her own. First: she would harass Milly and cause as much trouble as possible inside the ship, so that no one had a chance to remember, second: she would bring the party supplies to the ship, third: they would rock out all night, fourth: ???, fifth: profit.

[color=ec008c]"This is going to be a blast even Milly-san won't forget, hehehe!"[/color] Char chortled deviously as she boarded the Stormsong again.

After she got back into the ship, Char looked around to see if there was anyone around, she had to wait until they had departed the port if she wanted to really surprise everyone. She had the random brute carry her box of things to the ship's treasury and hide it there, since only she and Melody had the key to the door and knew how to disarm the traps that Milly set up there.

Once Char saw the brute off the ship, she spun on her heels and went to her room to get a fresh set of clothes before going to the bathroom to wash off the sticky sensation of sweat clinging to her skin. However, just as she pushed the door of her wardrobe open...

[b]BANG![/b]

Char stood there for several moments completely disoriented, her ears ringing that it seemed like her brain out burst and her vision was nothing but a white pan. She could feel that Pico was flaying around in the floor near her too, sure the effect of whatever hit them was much greater in he than it was on her. Then she tripped over the edge of her bed and fell face-first into the floor, knocked unconscious by the force of the impact.

[color=ec008c]"Huh!? Mama? No... an angel?"[/color] Char said a little delirious as she started to regain her senses, and the blurred image of beautiful girl was in front of her eyes, when she finally could make who was it in front of her, Char said, [color=ec008c]"No... it's... Milly-san!?"[/color] Char's face was slightly flushed as she remembered the flashbang and she looked in Milly's eyes before saying, [color=ec008c]"It was you who did...that?"[/color]

As she waited for the other girl to answer her, Char stood still with slightly flushed cheeks, she may never have admitted it to anyone yet, but the truth is that Char was quite like into these kinds of things (S&M things, she meant), and to have Milly do something like this to her right before her surprise birthday party...

[color=ec008c][h3]"Ahhh~~~ Jon-sama! Where are you when I need you the most?"[/h3][/color]