Walking arm in arm with the Lanun, Max was relieved to finally be in the ship. After the bulk of the group had made it on the [i]Gladius[/i], congregating in groups or rooms, Max was finally able to make his silent escape away from the group. Once he was clear from sight, far down a hallway, he slipped his mask off, relishing the feeling of fresh air, how ever fresh it could be on a spacecraft, anyways. With mask stuck under arm, Max's hands began wiping dried blood and sweat from his face, rubbing the sore spots on his face, beginning to bruise. Max's gaze fell to the tear in his jacket, a jagged rip where the shiv had stabbed into his bionic arm. [color=silver][i]Gonna have to replace that skin when I get the chance. Maybe that one girl knows something about it?[/i][/color] He never did catch the name of just about anyone that he was now bunking with. It hadn't really hit him yet, being free from prison. Stuck in a cell for 4 years, Max has become used to being a caged animal of sorts, always gathering sideways glances and curious stares from prisoners and guards alike. [color=fff79a][i]"...You all have personalized weapons, apparel and equipment stored on the vessel..."[/i][/color] Max gave the empty space in front of him an intruiged look, thinking back to what Mr. White had told them before he made his own great escape. He wondered if they had brought Vagabond. As long as he got Vagabond back, he didn't care. He stopped. Turning his head to the right, he noticed he had been walking past bunk rooms for the last few minutes. They weren't labeled, and as far as Max knew, they were all the same room, so he walked in the nearest one, and made himself at home, as much as he could at least. He set his mask, clad in a few fresh scratches he'd have to buff out, on his desk, and shut the door behind him. There was a small door to the left, which Max found out led to a small closet. No skeletons, though. [color=silver][i]Guess the bathrooms are communal. Great.[/i][/color] Max peered into the mirror that hung on the door, seeing the cuts on his face, hard to see against his black skin. His hair was a slight lavender fuzz, having grown back a bit since his last mandated haircut. No more of those, Max thought. Heaving a sigh, Max sat on his bed, beginning to wonder what the future on a convict ship held for him. [center][u][b]- - - - - - - - -[/b][/u][/center] Taka was still staring at the airlock when she felt the floor beneath her give a lurch and throw her off balance. She caught herself on a smooth metal wall, looking around with excitement in her eyes. [color=seagreen]"That was awesome! Can we do it again?!"[/color] She asked, brushing a stray strand of crimson stained hair from her face. A pout formed on her face for a moment, hearing a lack of agreement, before she remembered the words of White. He had said her stuff would be here, but where? She watched the rest of the group wander off and decided there was no use hanging around by herself. She delved further into the first level, skipping through the halls as she stared at literally everything with child-like wonderment -even the lights. It was a pretty drastic change compared to the cell she'd been living in, for however long that was, probably about an eternity. The poked her head into a door and saw a familiar sight, rows of nearly empty weapon racks, prep tables, and so forth. She skipped her way into the armory, lifting and examining the few objects and personal items there in ernest. Some of them were pretty cool, the others had some pretty neat weapons, and she was pretty sure that flat, roundish thing exploded. She resisted the urge to take it and rather meandered through the space, looking for her things. In the corner of a room, just barely poking out of a large metal crate of assaorted junk was the barrel of 'Honey Badger'. Taka let out a happy squeal, looking over the junk carefully. A lot of it seemed like some confiscated scrap and half finished projects from her old workshop. The assortment of metal bits, wiring, and various other components looked to be in relatively good shape too, aside from a thick lather of dust. Nobody said anything about Taka getting a shop here on the ship, so she figured the next best thing was to push the crate to her room- [color=seagreen]"Oh gosh, I have to claim a room!"[/color] She excalimed, frantic worry building up inside her. She didn't want to get the worst room. She put her hands on the edge of the box and pushed with everything she had- moving it about an inch. Her face furrowed as she mustered her strength and slammed her shoulder into it- [color=seagreen]"Ow-ow-ow!"[/color] She whined, rubbing her shoulder with a frown. She crouched down, digging her heels in and pushed. Slowly, and steadily, making her way out of the armory. Once she got a good slide going the box was only half a million tons, which was somewhat manageable. After what was probably a full human lifespan, she found herself able to work the box into the elevator, though the rude thing barely left her space to stand. She punched level 'two', and hummed to the tune of the motor as the elevator moved down. [center][u][b]- - - - - - - - -[/b][/u][/center] Blood. Blood and gore. Faces getting punch, slapped, beat in by lead pipes. Fangs digging into nacks, drinking blood. Screeching. Really loud screeching. Max shot up in bed, his eyes resisting being opened, and burned because the lights in the room. How long had he been asleep? The images of the battle beforehand had disappered for the most part from his mind, but one thing remained. That horrid screeching. The sound was muffled, seeming to come from outside his room. He shook his head, wondering what horror awaited him on the other side. Standing from bed, he walked to the door, grabbing his mask from the desk and putting it on, before finally sticking his head out of the door. A heavy metal box was being ever so slowly shoved and pushed across the floor, and behind it, giving the weak pushes was the pink skinned Nohvan that had captured his attention before. Max's throat tightened as she looked up at him, and they locked eyes. Well, eyes and mask. [color=seagreen]"Beautiful, isn't it?"[/color] Taka chimed, looking up at him, [color=seagreen]Well, beauty is heavy."[/color] She gave a soft grunt as she dug in again, using her might to slide the box a solid couple of inches more down the hall. A bit of air shot of out Max's nose in a slight laugh, as he shook his head , walking completely out of the room. Planting his feet near the edges of the box, Max reached down and took the crate by it's handles, and lifted upwards, being stopped dead in his tracks as the box remained planted. With a shake of the head, Max squatted down, taking a tighter grip of the box, and heaving upwards, legs and back bearing the weight of the box. Taka blinked, watching him lift the burden. Unsteadily at first, the box rose, and Max huffed as he put it up on his shoulder, holding each end to keep it balanced. He glanced down at the Pink Nohvan, and give a single inquisitive nod. [color=seagreen]"Right, onwards noble Nohvan! To the last room on.. ah.. uuuhh.. The left!"[/color] She shouted valintly, pointing towards their destination as if signalling a charge. Taken aback, Max's gaze lingered for a bit longer than it should've, before his feet finally left their spot and he moved forward, with the pink one in tow. [color=silver][i]How does she already know I'm a Nohvan? Is it really who I think it is?[/i][/color] Thoughts began to race in Max's head, but came to sudden screeching halt when he glanced at his hands, which were uncovered. Who else would have mottled black and grey skin but a Nohvan? He shook his excitement off, feeling stupid, and kept his pace up as his opposite skipped in front of him. The pair arrived at the door, and the pink one jauntily pushed the door button on the wall, [color=seagreen]"Boop!"[/color]. This room was just about as mundane and cramped as his, but there were a few minor differences. No mirror on the closet, a different generic photo in the desk holograph display. Max slid the box off his shoulder, setting it down with a solid thump on the floor. He stood back up straight and stretched out his left arm, not really anything but the joint smoothly rotating in place. [color=seagreen]"Boy that metal arm sure does come in handy, doesn't it?"[/color] Taka asked, poking a finger at the exposed section of his arm. Max sat confused for a second, before he noticed the tear on his jacket was sitting open, the metal of his arm slightly shining in the bright lights of the room. His hand found the tear, and formed a fist, which clenched the fabric together, only for it to reopen when his grip realeased. [color=silver]"Yeah, bionic arms tend to help when it comes to certain things. Lifitng boxes, smashing faces, what have you. While we're on the topic, how about we keep the whole bionic arm business between the two of us, huh?"[/color] Taka began rummaging through the box, tilting her head slightly up at Max at his request, [color=seagreen]"Why would you want to keep something so cool so secret?"[/color] Max looked away, genuinely thinking for a moment why he felt so intent on keeping so many things secret from this new pirate crew he had been thrust in. After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice softer than before. [color=silver]"Well, for a lot of reasons, honestly. But... the first that comes to mind is something I learned when I was a lot younger: the more someone knows about you, the more they can exploit your weaknesses. The less they know, the stronger you are. Just how I think, at least.[/color] [color=seagreen]"But if nobody ever knows you, won't you be lonely?"[/color] Taka asked, wrestling Honey Badger from it's pointy metal prison. The gun had a few dings and dents that would have to be buffed out, but was completely intact for the most part. Honey's acessories could be worried about later. Max's eyes widened a bit as the women yanked a large weapon out of her crate, but shook the surprise off to answer her question. [color=silver]"Well, criminals like me aren't really meant to have many friends anyway. Loneliness is part of the job. Speaking of which, what did a girl like you do to end up on this ship?"[/color] Taka paused for a moment, stuck between staring at the Nohvan and setting Honey Badger on her narrow bed, [color=seagreen]"What? Same as you, silly, did you forget about all the fun we had getting here? Man, that [i]was[/i] fun,"[/color] she said, letting out a regretful sigh. Honey found its place on her bed and she stuck her arms back into the box, tossing out random bits and pieces. With a slight chuckle, Max shook his head, leaning against the wall near the door. [color=silver]"No, kid, I mean, why were you in jail with people like me and Pirate King? You don't exactly look like a vicious killer, or a thief, or any sort of criminal for that matter. What the hell did [i]you[/i] do?"[/color] [color=seagreen]"Ya' know,"[/color] Taka started, sitting back and tapping a finger against her lip in rememberance, [color=seagreen]"I asked them them the same thing. They had a long list, like, super long, but the judge seemed to get really angry at the part where I blew up a space station. Thought I was doing the universe a favor, sheesh,"[/color] Taka shrugged, spotting the strap to her backpack. She dug back into the box, attempting to just yank it out. Stunned, Max was stricken silent for a moment. [color=silver][i]Space station? Is she saying she's the one that blew up Sigma Station?[/i][/color] Max swallowed his shock, trying his best not to sound surprised. [color=silver]"You? You blew up Sigma Station? Big ass, huge fucking explosion? You?"[/color] Taka glanced back at him, eyes wide and shimmering as she remembered the explosion, [color=seagreen]"Beautiful wasn't it?"[/color] [color=silver]"What's that one Nohvan expression? Saumnmasos oa fao ra'auc oaiyllhomo?"[/color] Max sputtered out, stiffly trying to speak in his native tongue, which obviously wasn't very native to him. [color=seagreen]"Surprises can be found anywhere?"[/color] Taka translated, finally ripping her pack free of the junk. Her hand immediately disappeared into its depths as she replied, [color=seagreen]"So what's the surprise then?"[/color] [color=silver]"Well, let's just find out how many surprises can be found here.[/color] Max left the wall he was leaning on, and took a few steps closer to the Nohvan in front of him, and sat down on the floor near her, crossing his legs while she dug through her bag. [color=silver]"Listen. About a whole 34 years ago, I was kidnapped right? Right off the homeworld, right out of the sea. I spent a few years on a slaver ship, got beat like fuck, the usual. Well, old Maxy didn't have a name, or any friends. That is, until, I met these two little Nohvan girls, not too much younger than me, but they looked a lot like you do. Nice pink skin, the greenish, turquoise hair, even the same color eyes as you. They were my first friends, and they gave me my first name: Polka Dots. And their names? Onimani and Takakiko. They were my friends for a while, but then I got sold away and I never got to see them again. Sad, right? My question to you is: Are you one of these girls?"[/color] Max took a breath once he was finished talking. These last few hours had some of the most talking he'd done in years. Taka stopped rummaging in her bag and cast her gaze to the floor. Something deep within welled up inside of her during his exposition, a hurt she couldn't place. The kind of hurt that made your stomach lurch and your heart constrict. Some dark memory fluttered at the back of her consciousness, but she fought against it. It wasn't something she wanted remember. The bodies... the ship.. the stars out the windows obscurred by swathes of blood and gore. She shook herself slightly, forcing a smile. [color=seagreen]"I don't know a Maxy, but I know a Polka Dots, he has skin like you I think, but that was a long time ago and he got sold to some rich.. family.. oh man, are you Polka Dots?"[/color] She asked, her bewilderment felt slightly feinged. She'd guessed his identity back in the conference room, but even now that she was sure it only felt like reaffirming what she already knew. Polka Dots remained silent, and reached up to his neck, finding the release to his mask. He flipped them, and the grip on his neck and chin relaxed. He slid the mask off, and placed it beside himself, facing the girl. [color=silver]"I mean, I'm a little cut up from the fun we had earlier, but, I still kinda look the same, don't I? Same color hair, same kinda skin, same stupid antenna on my head. I'm still Polka Dots, in someway or another at least. Except I actually have a name now. Maxamillian."[/color] Taka let out a happy little gasp, bounding to her feet. [color=seagreen]"Polka Dots!"[/color] she exclaimed, reaching up and gently wiggling his atennae. Her emotions washed away, crushed beneath actual excitement, had she been doubting herself? She had been so sure, but, that didn't explain the joy she felt now. [color=seagreen]"Oh man what did [i]you[/i] do exactly?"[/color] She asked, letting go and transitioning into a brief hug. [color=seagreen]"I totally thought it was you, but, I mean, this is great! Now we can explode stuff together!"[/color] Squeezing the pink Nohvan tightly, Max gave the most audible and happy chuckles he had given in a long time. The embrace was immensely comforting for him, nearly cathardic. [color=silver]"Oh man, what didn't I do at this point. I mean, I certainly didn't blow up a whole damned station, but, I've done my fair share. Smuggling mostly, a few murders here and there..."[/color] Max's voice fell silent, and his gaze fell away from Taka as he began to reflect on his long list of criminal offenses, before snapping out of his trance and looking back up at his friend. [color=silver]"Exploding stuff, together with Onimani, huh? I'm sure we'll get plenty of opprotunities to do that with the kind of work we're doing."[/color] Taka blinked, stunned by the name. How long had it been since she was?-...A long time. [color=seagreen]"Actually.. uh.."[/color] She stammered, fighting the rift forming in her reality. The last thing she ever expected was for somebody that had been close to her in the past to walk back into her life. [color=seagreen]"It's Taka, I uhm.. changed my name.. Taka.. er.. my.."[/color] Taka bit her knuckle, casting her eyes down towards the floor as the pain that wasn't really pain bubbled up inside of her. Her hand shook softly as she tried desperately not to remember. [i]Red.. stained on the glass.. on the seats.. on her hands..[/i] She wiped at the water welling in her eyes before beaming a smile at Max [color=seagreen]"But everybody just calls me Princess, okay?[/color] She said, the same ebullient tone thick in her voice. A look of confused concern painted Max's face. At the mention of her name, Princess had been seemingly stunned. He could see her eyes begin to water, her hand starting to quiver, before all of sudden breaking from her trance and smiling him. What had he said? [color=silver][i]She changed her name to Taka...Wha-[/i][/color] As a realization hit Max, his look of concern turned to one saddened understanding. He cracked a weary smile, only a fraction of what Taka was beaming, and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. [color=Silver]"Princess. And a very pretty princess at that."[/color]He smiled. After sitting for a moment mulling over the reaction he had just gotten out of princess, he gave her a loving rustle of her hair as he stood from the floor next to her. [color=silver]"Hey, there's a crate with my name on it in the armory, and I have a weapon in it calling my name. If you want to tag along, that's you, but if you'd rather stay in your room, I don't mind. I'll call you when they start serving mess if you want."[/color] He said softly. [color=seagreen]"Exploring the ship with Dots? Pfffh-"[/color] She said, jumping to her feet and blowing out a puff of air, [color=seagreen]"That sounds like a fine time."[/color] Suddenly it just dawned on her, she was still wearing a blood stained jumpsuit and she could feel the blood crusting on her face. [color=seagreen]"Just let me change okay?"[/color] She asked, her face pinching in mirth, [color=seagreen]"A princess should always look... well.. not like this,"[/color] She explained with a quiet chuckle. Smirking, Max kneeled over and picked his mask up, putting it back on, securing the release, with the lights of the HUD glowing to life. [color=silver]"I'll be outside when you're done."[/color] Max said, turning around and heading out the door. [color=silver]"Don't keep me waiting another 16 years."[/color]