Goldenrod's foot tapped furiously on the carpeted floor. Looking down, he brushed aside a splinter on the fancy couch: a remnant of the door that one of the intruders had blown through. Occasionally a shake or rumble would tremor through the old mansion, and Goldenrod would look between the door and his conscious grunts (a steadily decreasing resource).

As footsteps approached, Goldenrod look up on the upper part of the entry hall to see Lina stepping out, sword in one hand and briefcase in the other. Heart leaping, Goldenrod jumped from his chair, pointing, "Hey! You give me that!"

Lina scowled, holding it up, taunting, "Take it from me."

Goldenrod snapped his fingers, and each of the two men drew cutlasses, heading up.

"Could you two take that creepy doctor guy? Because I could."

There was a pause in their step. Lina began to move down, going past the hesitant man. Once she was through, they glanced at each other, before turning their blades on her.

One slash curled through the air, and they pulled back, their wrists bloodied, cutlasses clattering to the ground.

Stride not stopping, Lina reached the ground level, Goldenrod clearly sweating a bit. Looking around, she said, "I don't really have a reason to stab you so don't give me one.

As Lina headed for the door out, Goldenrod said, "Hold on one moment..."

Lina stopped, brow furrowed as she looked over at Goldenrod.

"Beat Jeko you say? In that case...what's your current job paying you?"

Lina blinked. "Er...nothing?"

Goldenrod chortled, "Well, that won't do." Leaning back in his seat, relaxed, he noted, "I can't triple 'nothing'."

Lina hissed, "I'm not working for you."

Goldenrod frowned, "Fine. How much for the briefcase?"

"...It's not mine."

"But you have it. What do you say to...not 200,000 beli but 20,000,000?"

Lina froze, her grip on the briefcase loosening a bit.

"How about all your money" The voice rang out, and soon after, a gunshot was heard, and Goldenrod slumped forwards in his spot, hand over his freshly bleeding right shoulder.

On top of the same stairs Lina had been on, his barrel was smoking as he pulled the hammer back. 
 
"Hi there. Goldenrod." Kuhn said, as he walked down the stairs - the two thugs whom Lina had handled attacked him, He put his barrel in one of their mouths, and smacked them together, knocking them both out again.

"Ten months. Ten fucking months." Kuhn said, as he walked past Lina, taking note of her wounds and he had overheard her talking about Jeko earlier [i] did she fight that psychopath?[/i], putting his revolver in Goldenrod's face, further fueled by imagining Jeko's sadism taking it's course on the young lady.  

Cursing a spitting, Goldenrod hissed, "[i]Everything[/i]? You'd get a pittance. My fortune comes from business, not a pile of money sitting somewhere and getting [i]stale[/i]."

"What you pay me doesn't matter. What matters is that [i]you[/i] don't have it." Kuhn retorted, coldly. Aiming at the businessman, his finger began putting pressure on the trigger. 

Goldenrod narrowed his eyes as Lina stepped aside. "NO!" Came a cry. Slamming into the back of the couch, Whitney threw her arms around Goldenrod's body. Throwing her hand up to shield his head, she demanded, "Don't!"

Goldenrod winced, "Sw-sweetie, watch the wound..."

Whitney loosened her grip, standing straight, her arms on Goldenrod's shoulders. Looking up at Kuhn, he grinned. "I have more than money..."

Kuhn was surprised as Whitney emerged. "W-Whitney?!" He questioned, before he looked down at Goldenrod, whom was smirking.. He lowered his gun. "...Speak, old man."

"Well, quite simply, I could reconsider my stance on any relationship between the two of you."

Kuhn gulped again, looking down at Whitney, whom was holding her father tightly around the neck, trying to tend to his wound. He lowered his gun. 

Goldenrod's smirk seemed to deepen. "I won't even require your employ. We can't have the father of my future grandchildren getting hurt now, can we?"

Whitney stepped back, hands clasping her cheeks as she blushed a deep red. "Poppa!"

Goldenrod then noted, "Or maybe not, considering your...condition. We'll work something out."

Behind them, Lina merely watched with a continued minimal interest.

Kuhn gulped, as he lowered his weapon back into it's holster "... G-Grandchildren" the man asked, as he felt Whitney hugging him tightly, she smelled of strawberries. She always did. He reeked of gunpowder, but she never seemed to mind. 

Turning his head over his shoulder carefully, Goldenrod said, "Well? What about you? My offer still stands." Lina didn't answer. She didn't say yes, but she wasn't saying no either...

Steps were heard as the leather boots tapped on the ground, quick steps as the blonde pirate emerged from the side. The two henchmen whom had been decked by Kuhn had picked up their swords again, and attacked the third foe. Effortlessly, the two were piled on top of each other with a simple punch from the pirate. 

Blood still running down his face, he made his way over to the others, his shoulder and chest also still bleeding. "What's up, guys?" He asked, looking at Lina and Kuhn. He peered at Kuhn. "Wait a minute, aren't you the one who..."

"Gave me booze? Thanks man."

Kuhn blinked, [i]Did he forget that I kidnapped him?[/i] he thought.

He turned to Goldenrod. "I still don't like you."

"It's mutual," Goldenrod muttered. Before he could continue, there was a stomping from beyond, Macario coming out from a lower door.

"Oh, there you are. I've got your briefcase," Lina explained, holding it up. Goldenrod clicked his tongue.

Still fairly bloodied, Macario said, "Whew, thanks." Spotting Chester, he snapped his fingers, noting, "Found your idiot."

"That was close, I almost lost him."

"Hey, Macario, was it? That's rude. Lina barely even knows this guy, and you're already calling him her idiot." Chester said, puffing his chest and smiling. Kuhn blinked in disbelief "I... I'm pretty sure she talked about you."

"Why would she ever do that?"

"...Nevermind."

Whitney hugged Kuhn's neck tighter, he hugged her back by the waist. 

Goldenrod scoffed, "I don't even know who you people [i]are[/i]."

Chester smiled. "I'm Chester. That's Lina. We are [i]traders[/i], and that's Macario, and him over there is uh, whatever. I'm sure you know him already, you seem all chummy."

"What kind of trader owns a ruddy ship like that?" Goldenrod grunted.

"The kind of traders who trade in valuables in exchange for us not beating you up." Chester retorted. 

"Sounds fair. How about a galleon?" Goldenrod offered.

"A Galleon?" Chester asked. "With a lot of guns?" 
"That's what a Galleon has, moron" Kuhn added. "HEY!" Chester chewed at him. 

"Plus a full crew to sail it. Your business will we better than...ever before!"

Lina muttered to herself, "Why did you hesitate?"

"And all you have to do is [i]get me that briefcase![/i]"

Chester glanced over at Macario, the blood on his face made his rather plain expression look sinister. He examined the man's wounds for a moment before he turned back to Goldenrod, taking a step forward. "Wanna shake on it?" Reaching out his right hand.

Lina took a step away from the couch. Goldenrod's mouth curved into a satisfied grin as his put his hand out.

As their hands touched, Chester took a quick step forward, his left hand swinging through the air, as it collided with Goldenrod's face, breaking the back of the couch as the Boss hit the ground behind him, Whitney let out a horrified gasp, Kuhn was surprised.

Chester slowly walked towards the man whom was laid out on his back. "You think I'd just sell myself out like that? Being put under the thumb of [i]scum[/i] like you. Sacrifice my freedom for a shitty boat and a crew with no spirit, with no heart? That I would let myself become as empty of a husk as that idiot swordsman?!" He said, gradually increasing the volume of his voice, till he eventually started shouting, leaning down to Goldenrod and hitting him in the face twice more, before he picked him up by the collar.

"I may not have a lot of principles. But freedom above all. And making deals with trash like you isn't what freedom is all about." Before he hurled Goldenrod against the wall. "Be glad that he over there gave me a drink, or you wouldn't see tomorrow." He spit out viciously as he walked away, heading for the exit without saying a word to any of the others.

[b]"The Grog Crusaders are not for sale."[/b] Chester's words were, before he passed the doorway, the sunlight hitting his face. 

As he left, Whitney let go of Kuhn and ran to Goldenrod. "P-Poppa!" She cried.

"Th-the 'Grog' what? Chester? [b][i]Chester[/i][/b]!" Lina called after him, following.

Shuffling in from behind, Macario asked, "Can I get my briefcase?"

Kuhn felt a hurricane of emotions. Whitney was crying, Goldenrod was seemingly dying. And he felt like he just had gotten punched in the gut. Not because of what Chester did, but because of how easily he was able to let go of his revenge just at the thought of being with Whitney. He knew that he couldn't be happy like that, not with Goldenrod always looming over them.  He knew it was no way to live. With a heavy heart, and tears welling in his eyes, he spoke softly.

"I too, will have to decline your offer." He said slowly. Whitney let out a sob "Kuhn no."

"I-I'm sorry.." He said, before he walked out of the mansion as well.

---

"Wait, what are you doing!?"

Lina planted her hands on her hips as she came across Macario. It wasn't more than a half an hour after the incident at the Quartz Headquarters, but Lina had thrown a thin black coat over her clothes to hide her wounds before letting her employers know she was done for now. She arrived at the Breeze to see Macario on board, lashing a smaller boat to the tail end of the Breeze.

Hopping down roughly, nearly stumbling on his weakened legs, he insisted, "Look: like I said, we want to leave before the Quartz Company gets a second wind, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And, well, look...I can't sail like this. Just let me hang around for a night or two and I'll sail off on my own. I don't even know where you guys are going, honestly."

"You and me both."

"...Case in point."

Heading up the gangplank, Lina finished, "It's up to Chester though."

"Yeah, I figured..."