Pacifista

Kurai Majoko: Dark Magical Girls

Yes, yes I am. (4 years holy shit)

Kurai Majoko: Dark Magical Girls

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One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Boots tramping through the battleground, Balder silver rebuking Azure masses, a hulking figure passed through the battlefield undettered. His gait and confidence gave the impression that he was on a midday stroll, even through swords a guns clattered and fired around him.

Boss Cerulean was only impeded just as he reached the gate, one of the knights driving a sword into his face, which glanced aside, repelled. Cerulean raised a hand, palm pressing into his armor, which scraped as it was torn asunder, blood spilling from the flesh that had come with it as Cerulean had scooped into his body as if it were sand. As the solider fell, those around him stopped, morale faltering.

"Let him by!" roared a pompadour sporting knight, gold cape signifying his position as second in command. As Cerulean shot him an eye, he elaborated, "Johannes will handle him!"

Moving past the fighting and tearing through the gate, he scoffed, "He'll try." The line broken, the Azure Company tried to press on, but were held at bay, though they were being pressed more and more...

---

Saffron, clearly exhaused from his speed technique, made no move against Lina, who'd held her sword, but clearly favored one side, blood running down her other, the royalty looking on, locked in silence.

"I'll recover before you, you know," Saff muttered, still catching his breath. Lina's eyes narrowed, before her feet shuffled after him, sword flashing. Saffron kept it at bay handily, shifting his feet only slightly. Growing frustrated, Lina's attacks increased in intensity, making Saffron smirk slightly.

One strong blow later, Lina's arms were deflected, Saff shifting his feet, eyes darting to the king or queen. Unable to get herself in his way, Lina shouted, "Duck!" Saffron darted off just as the king and queen fell away, Bucky grabbing Sika and dropping them to the ground. Saffron's sword slashed into his arm, spraying the floor in blood as the boy sailed past, shoulder slamming into the opposite wall.

Saffron clicked his tongue, "Shouldn't have gone for both." As Lina readied herself to go after him, Saffron shifted to a sitting position, scoffing, "Why help them?"

Lina charged, "You went after us!" Rage bubbling, her blade clashed with his, Saffron being pressed against the wall, his legs still wobbly. "You Companies attacked my Captain and held my home under your thumbs!"

"That's the way of the world!" Saffron argued, pushing away from the wall, angling his blade in a way that cut Lina's face.

"That's your world!" Lina said, conceding ground, forced back. "You brought us into it."

"And what matters most in this world? Azure says power, Verdan luck, Crimson majority, and Quartz influence. If you lack in those, then you're not going to last!" Lina was pushed back, heels bumping against some of the stacked bills, making her fall. Shifting her body, she rolled across it, landing on the other side as several stacks of bills plopped down next to her. Sensing that they were in danger, the royal pair moved away, but the two fighters had stopped, exhausted from the fighting.

Raising her sword again, after a few moments Lina swung it across the bills, but Saff stepped back out of range. Lina said, "If you brought us in to your world, then we'll just have to beat you at your own game."

Saffron scoffed. "With what power? With what influence?" Raising a hand, he said, "Why not just join me instead? Give up on your friends and I'll show you what it takes to run our world."

"My father is too old for his duty, and the other Heads...Cerulean thinks in terms of power, Vermilion in majority, but that's just a means to an end. Power enforces influence. Majority is the result of influence. Quartz is poised to dominate in ideals alone!" Lina was quiet, head slightly lowered. "Thinking about it? You can't beat me."

Stepping around the pile of bills, Lina said, "Maybe we can work something out..."

Saffron shrugged, "The king and queen don't have to die: they'd potentially be of use alive."

Still on guard, Lina cautiously approached, but Saffron made no move, sword lowered. As she got closer, he raised his hand, reaching to hers. Lina's eyes lingered on it, before she raised her own, coming closer to his.

Saffron's sword founder her chest, the stab making her gasp out.

"Pity, the girl I came to fancy wouldn't have taken my hand so easily."

Lina's eyes were wide as she glanced down as the sword in her chest, before looking back up at Saffron. They narrowed, "You sure didn't stab that hard."

Saffron gasped as Lina slipped half a step back, sword coming out without a drop of blood, before she streaked forward, cutting by Saffron with a spurt of blood. Clutching his torn front, Saffron sputtered, already wobbly legs finally collapsing in full.

From behind him, Lina loosened her dress a bit, letting a few stacks of bills fall out. Picking up one that had a hole pierced into it from Saffron's sword, she mused, "Guess money isn't as unhelpful as I thought~"

---

Just outside the cell door, a dark clad ninja waited, hands going over the mechanisms keeping the door locked tight. He chortled, "My plan was a success. Now that they're trapped like rats, once the run out of air they'll have to come out!" Marv would never acknowledge that his detour had made him fall behind and now he was out of options.

Ninja skills detecting a presence, the hairs on the back of his neck perked up just as a metal clad hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "Aha! I have you now!" Marv cried before his head was smashed relentlessly against the safe door.

"N-ninja Hart – A-anti Feshbash no Jutshu," he sputtered through gurgles of blood and missing teeth, before passing out.

Standing over his fallen body, armor scraped, blood coming from a few spots, Johannes still had the strength to stand resolute, and it refused to waver, even some minutes later when the unscathed Boss Cerulean came down, all by his lonesome.

"You have a lot of strength for someone fighting in a country that's not yours."

Grabbing his halberd in both hands, Johannes offered, "Then perhaps I can show you what it means to have honor."

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"When our allies swarm in..." Saffron said, but his words died as the King and Queen were rushed away, flanked by a pair of guards, whistles blowing. Not just from the throne room, but beyond as the palace went up in arms at the incursion.

Lina charged at Saff while Marv met blades with the guards. Blades sparking, moving down, hilts bumping each other, Lina moved in, grunting, "Yeah, you'll need them."

Saff shot a foot out behind Lina's, one arm looping between their swords and Lina's body. Shifting his stance, he gave her a shove, Lina's foot backing up into Saff's as she tried to counterbalance, failing and dropping onto the ground, sun dress fluttering as she tumbled. Lina braced herself, lying on her back and holding her sword at the ready, prepared for an onslaught, but rather than press the advantage, Saff's expression was flustered, face flushed as he turned away.

Returning to her feet, Lina said, "I'm not going to go easy on you because you're a gentleman."

Eye twitching, Saff leaned into his blow, stabbing his sword at her, but Lina was already on the move, following after the King and Queen while his blade poked only dead air. The first after her was not Saff, however, but Marv, who'd slipped past the guards, several of which he'd down, sprinting towards Lina with his unreal speed.

"You'll pay for embarssing me, you little pest! I'll end you in an instant!" Tanto brandished he moved in as Lina turned to face him, kicking out and smashing him right in the face, before continuing her run as he fell back.

"H-how did you keep up with my speed!?"

Lina grunted, exasperated, "You don't move faster than sound, so learn to shut the hell up!" Saffron snorted, before the two pursued. She'd had the upper hand thus far, but having crossed blades with both of them, she could tell that if they got serious, she'd be in a pickle...

---

"Sir! The King and Queen are under attack!"

Pulled back from the battle, the trained Balder Knights meeting the Azure Company evenly, despite being outnumbered, Johannes clenched his fist, before turning back to the palace. "They cannot die, not on my watch! I'll handle it personally."

Ceding command to his next in line, Johannes slipped through the gates, streaking across the empty courtyard, only such because of Macario, still hard at work fending off the Crimson Company. He also noted the shelling had stopped, mentally thanking Kuhn. He might have considered Chester, but he wandered off when he realized that Johannes hadn't literally meant that his men were at Chester's disposal. Some sort of unfortunate wording, or bizarre interpretation had left Chester moping off somewhere. His comrades insisted he would be fine, yet Johannes hasn't seen hide or hair of him since. At least his comrades were reliable.

---

Like a bullet, Saffron flew again, Lina jumping to the side as he tore into the wall. The halls had become tighter, and now Saffron seemed to be using that to his advantage, hopping off the walls and jumping right at her, blade poised like an arrow. The first time she'd found out the hard way, shoulder torn and blood pumping out of it as she ran. Marv was gone for some reason, but she wasn't about to complain.

Panting, she called ahead to the King and Queen, now only protected by a lone guard, "Are we close!?"

"One more tur-ghrk!" The guard tried to explain, before Saffron darted out again, running him through.

"I missed," Saffron muttered, clicking his tongue as he drew his blade out. Bearing in on him, Lina eyes flashed red as she struck out with a flurry of strikes. Saffron was gashed twice on the chest before he tried to back off, eyes widening with surprise at Lina's ferocity. Despite her anger though, the openings in her stance shrunk rather than grew. Saffron was put on guard, being pushed back as she hemmed him in. Eyes darting towards the fleeing royalty, he hopped back, crouching against the wall before shooting off after them, once again missing, shattering the stone and pelting the two with debris.

"Lina!" Queen Sika cried out in horror.

Saffron hit the ground, legs shaky from the rapid uses of his speed, just as Lina's eyes returned to their natural deep green. Catching her breath, Lina shut her eyes tightly, shuddering for a moment, before she picked up her pace, skipping past Saffron as she rejoined the royal pair, taking the final turn, down the last stretch to the safe area.

Saffron caught his breath, starting to fear that woman. That anger was so unlike anything Saffron had felt, yet is was such a bright flame. Wishing things had been different, he returned to his feet, giving chase.

As he made the turn, he saw that two guards from the end had passed the two royals and Lina, blocking him. Pumping his pained legs, he met the guards, cutting one down instantly, before ducking down on his knee, dodging the incoming axe head before returning the favor. Clear of interruptions, he grunted as he stood back up, hobbling after them as he started to recover his breath, before buckling his legs for another jump, just as the bunker door was opening. Once it was at its peak, the king and queen entering, Saffron jumped, launching forward and speeding down the hall. Lina tried to close the door behind her, but he launched past her, slipping through just as it closed. Slamming into a pile of beri bills, scattering them about as he slid out of sight, Saffron took a breath, muttering, "The vault, huh? Of course..."

"Y-you can take as much as you can carry!" the king pleaded desperately, Lina scowling at the proposition.

Saffron chortled, "You speak the Quartz Company's language." Standing up, he took a series of breaths, before throwing off the remainder of his guard disguise, revealing a yellow vest and white dress shirt. "Shame I'm more literate than you: you couldn't afford to sway me." Glancing around the vault, the only other wealth inside besides the cube of bills he'd smashed into being a few dozen of gold bullion and bags of coins.

Back leaning against the vault door, blood still running from her shoulder, legs shaking, Lina sputtered, "You guys learned the hard way that money doesn't solve all problems last time."

Recovering from his fatigue faster than Lina, Saffron scoffed, "If I was there it'd have been different."

"Yeah, I'd have pushed two of you through a window~" Lina jeered, sticking out her tongue.

Saffron's nostrils flared as he grasped his hand over his heart. "Dammit, why'd she have to be so cute?"

A dead silence crossed the vault, Saffron raising an eyebrow, before his mind finally recognized the echoing of his own words on the walls. If it were possible, he'd have liked to find a hole to crawl into so he could die.

"I'm not going to go easier on you."

"Sh-shut up!"

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

A ways away from the palace, a number of colorful cannons were wheeled into a small park, a road away from a view of the palace. There were a few about, some watching in avid interest, curious about the fireworks display, some inwardly questioning whether or not the fireworks would be visible in the daytime...

---

Saffron's nostrils flared as he took Marv's backhanded compliment on the chin, not exactly in the position to argue it. Ignoring his words, he simply joined Marv in the throne room, mulling about patiently as they waited for the two fold arrival with all the children about.

It was some time, when a smattering of applause was heard from within a nearby hall. Attention was shift, and without doubt, the King and Queen, both fairly young and spritely themselves, entered the throne room. Saffron's eyes widened, however, as he saw another with them among the bodyguards: a familiar girl with red hair and dark skin, exchanging words with the queen, the two of them smiling. The girl had been around right before he aimed to steal the Four Color Wine...and now she was in consort with the Queen? This threw a wrench in things: if she were to recognize him...

Unable to get a signal to Marv, he took his position, walking around, eyes peeled as if he were pretending to scout out the crowd while he positioned himself a bit closer to the thrones.

---

As the riots continued to break out, word moved to towards the palace, but never quite reached it, flashes of red stopping them in their tracks. As the ruckus was ongoing, few noticed a sea of red building, some with their weapons less concealed than others. And overlooking it all, managing those intending to take word back to the palace, Leader Vermillion stood atop a clock tower embedded into a plaza a good 20 meters off the ground. Every so often, his hand seemed to glow as he talked into his hand, the solider he designated quickly being taken out. As the riots began to get louder, he turned back to the palace, watching and waiting.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

In the late dusk of the Great Horn Archipelago, the bridges between the four islands were abuzz with those taking to the other islands for more festivities. On the largest of the bridges (or underneath it, rather), an out of the way tavern and restaurant attracted only the locals, or those well in the now, the darker area past the staircase at the side of the bridge feeling foreboding to the unfamiliar. An orange haired lad with a yellow vest casually strolled inside, a nod from the tavern keeper directing him to his desired room. Opening the door without as much as a knock, Saffron stepped inside, seeing his peers sitting at a table laden with various meats, breads, and cards.

Chadwick’s face shone bright as we swept hair out of his face as Saffron arrived. “Saf, brah! You made it bro! Ready to go do some biss’?” Marv was rubbing his eyes, a headache coming on as his dark eyes saw out through his fringes. “Hi.” He let out, focusing back on the cards. Chadwick was holding his cards nonchalantly, Marv could peer and see he had a pair of kings. “I fold.” He said as Chad looked over at him “Aw, what’s the matter Marvey? Not really up to play against the Chadmeister?!” His tanktop draped over his torso as tight as it could be, the “Reddical Dreadical” font going from one side of his chest to the other. He grabbed another bite of his sandwich. “Saff, sit down bro, you wanna join next game? Ya’ boy’s on quite a streak!”

A frown of irritation forming on his face, Saffron took his seat, stating, “I was hoping we could focus on the ‘biss’.”

Placing her cards down for a moment and scooping up another bite of food, Kobicha said, “Well, it was supposed to just be a time killer, but some of us don’t like to lose.”

“You mean you don’t like to lose,” Saffron noted. Kobicha didn’t deny it, as she refused to fold. ”All right, Chadman’s going all in. What’cha got Kobi?” Chadwick said with his trademarked grin on his face. River was flipped, the Two of clubs and four of hearts was added by a three of hearts.

Marv groaned. “He’s gonna win again, isn’t he?” He asked groaning as Chad’s face was as if stuck in a smile.

“Just a two pair, looks like,” Kobicha said, showing her two of hearts and three of spades. Growing even more disinterested, Saffron plated up a bit of food, eating politely. Chad’s smile faded for a second. “... That’s not very Redical of you.” He said, showing his one pair of kings and Marv let out a one syllable laugh. “HA!” The blue clad ninja laughed, leaning back in his chair. Chad looked at Marv and gave him his worst stare. “Fine, you win Kobibabe.” Chad told her with a less genuine smile this time.

Giving a brief, coy smile, Kobicha put her cards down before taking another bite of food, before Saffron swallowed, asking, “Are we ready to get to real matters now?”

Kobicha started, “Chad can play some solitaire while we get things done. Now, some of my men have been watching the troop movements of the Antler Kingdom, but they haven’t been very effective. They’re just patrolling sites with other valuables: banks, nobleman estates, etcetra.”

“So useless, then. My scouts are keeping watch on the Antler Nobles. The King and Queen are safe within the palace for now, but in case of an attack, they have an escape plan - where their bodyguards will leave them to a tunnel, which leads to a nigh impenetrable bunker. “ Marv mentioned.

“My guys have been brewing ruckus down at the docks, harbor and marketplace. The people are just raring to get down with the reddical way.” Chad added, while he was shuffling the deck and went to play a round of solitaire.

“And the Quartz Company is get arms into the hands of our collected forces. There has been a brief wrench in our plans with that man, Chester, still being alive, but he hasn’t been deemed as a major threat. Goldenrod is handling him. That leaves our matters on dealing with Johannes and coming up with a way to capture the King and Queen before they get to their bunker so that we can demand surrender. Otherwise it all hinges on Cerulean to break it open, and his power is much better suited elsewhere.”

“Like breaking necks.” Chadwick said with a chuckle, piling the cards on top of each other. Marv smirked. “So, what are your individual assignments during all of this?” He asked, knowing full well that while the heads of the companies might be working together on this, their tasks would be in the nature of turning the situation to the advantage of their own company.

Kobicha began, “I”m not too suited for combat, so I’ll be manning mortars and the like supplied by the Quartz Company, keeping the enemy disoriented and scattering, along with sending out some general information. I could use an extra squad of information runners though: we don’t have enough crows to go around, and they’re too smart to like fighting anyway.” Looking over to Chad, she asked, “The Crimson Company has got more men than they can handle, right? Send some fast ones over my way.”

Chad smiled “Oh men? That’s no problem. We got fresh pledges by spades. Most of them are fast, bloodthirsty lil buggers, too! This here Antler kingdom’s got plenty of people who’s ready for a nice little barfight.”

“.. The entire capital city being the bar in this metaphor of yours?” Marv added and Chad nodded. “You know it Bro! What about you, Marvbert?”

Marv grimaced. “I’m to plant explosives and blow the gates. Then it’s deeper behind enemy lines, wrapping the King and Queen up quite nicely for the boss.”

Kobicha looked over to Saffron, wondering, “And you?”

Saffron admitted, “With the Quartz Company’s efforts dedicated to keeping reinforcements from returning to the palace, along with scattered support, there’s no room for me to command any troops personally. Which leaves me the option of either targeting a notable wildcard such as Johannes or Chester, or aiding in the kidnapping of the King and Queen, which would hopefully end the battle as shortly as possible.”

“If you’ll avoid being in my way, you can put your sword to the King’s throat if you’d like.” Marv told Saffron.

Saffron gave a slight smile. “I’m not one to disappoint.”

---

The day after, and the festival was in full swing. It was still a day or so from completion, but the weekend was traditionally the busiest period. The castle’s grounds were clear, short of the occasional troop patrol, but the city outside was positively bustling. A parade was set to come to its end in front of the palace this evening, but those in the know knew that it was not going to come to pass. Clad in the armor of a Balder knight Saffron made his way through several palace corridors, surprised at how bustling they were with soldiers. Was their intel wrong?

Putting it aside, intending to focus on the mission, Saffron went about the throne room. The King and Queen weren’t here, but that wasn’t the first step. Trying to avoid looking suspicion, he kept his eyes peeled for his contact, but nowhere did he see that familiar face.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Letting Chester's odd use of terminology roll over him, Johannes considered his proposition aloud. "If we wait at the Palace...they'll be running amok elsewhere on the island, unchecked... But they shouldn't know that we understand their plans, so as long as we don't make it obvious we're lying in wait..."

Clenching his fist in determination, he said, "I think our path is clear. Let's make our way to the Palace!"

Finishing up his food, Macario said, "Those mooks are going to keep messing with our stuff though, since they're after something of ours."

Johannes stood, taking charge, "It shall be no serious matter. Set sail for the Palace!"

Lina frowned, wondering to herself quietly, "Who's in charge around here?"

---

Despite a bit of quarreling on the chain of command, the Breeze left the docks of Stagio, heading far out to sea before starting to curl around in the darkness, eventually coming to the royal docks on the Antler Kingdom's palace, turrets decorated with carefully grown trees, streamed with colored ribbons in celebration. As word spread to the Heads of the fled Grog Warriors, Johannes' authority allowed the 'shipping vessel' to enter without further query.

Gangplank lowered, Johannes turned to the others, beginning, "I'll send a message to my forces to have the lieutenants on the field gather here, and we'll discuss strategy with them."

Not sure who he was referring too, Lina said, "Er, I'm no good at that kinda stuff though."

As they started to move into the sheltered docks, mulling with prim looking dockworkers and guard, Johannes said, "I only need one of you to relay plans back and forth, though if you have an idea of how you can help in the meantime, I have control of my men to offer at your discretion."

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"WE were gonna steal that wine."

Lifting her wooden spoon from a pan of rice, meat, and veggies cooking together, Lina's eyes widened. Chester...Chester didn't know anything, did he? She'd keep her head down for now...

Johannes waved his hand, "You said nothing about stealing wine."

"We totally did!" Chester retorted. Macario bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"Regardless," Johannes said more forcefully, beginning, "The troop movements are ertainly strange... Extra men...there's more to it then just the Meet, that has to be certain."

"What fencing around the palace did the Reds rough up? Seems pretty out of place. Though the Crimson Company is basically a joke as far as I can tell."

Honing in on that, Johannes pondered for a moment, before noting, "If that's the one that's out of place...it may be the most important, n-" Holding his tongue, Johannes suddenly went quiet, before suggesting, "If...if they seek to regain face, then...taking over the palace, the country..."

Macario nodded along. "Yeah, the fence, building extra forces, causing the occasional chaos... Hell, the Reds were trying to force us into their group so they might be recruiting too."

"The Verdant Company!" Johannes exclaimed, suggesting, "They may be trying to make connections with the archipelago's existing criminal element." Punching his fist into his gauntlet, he said, "I think we've got it!"

As Johannes returned to his thought patterns, Lina tasted her food. Satisfied, he dished it out, finally taking a seat herself, stirring it around to cool it off while she listened in.

Macario said, "So, we know what they're going to do. I guess the question now is how we're gonna kick their asses..."

One Piece: Brave New World

Wincing as a few splinters from Axe's assault found their way onto the deck, some brushing against the Vice-Admirals face, she glanced around, muttering, "No one's gonna stop it? We only half half a dozen officers on board..." Letting out a reluctant sigh, Fryeja tapped her foot to the ground, realigning her shoes, before taking off in a blur, leaping off the deck. One arm gripping the side of the ship, fingertips weaseling their way in between a pair of boards, she found a position that she could only hold for a brief few seconds. That was all she needed. With her other arm, she drew her sword, taking a breath as the prow hurtled towards the Marine vessel.

Holding her blade horizontally, shrouding it with Haki, she braced herself as the Scrapyard vessel collided with her. Freyja's back elbow ran against the hull of the Marine ship, Haki protecting her as she took the brunt of the force, wincing as she strained herself to keep the Mirana from taking too much damage. There was a loud groan from the Scrapyard ship as it came too it's sudden halt, some unprepared underlings taking a tumble from the slightly quicker than expected stop. Their momentum was halted, for the moment, but as her body was under duress, Freyja wasn't exactly in the position to give the order for counterattack.

The first response did come quickly, however, the cannon team unleashing on the seemingly stunned Scrapyard Pirates. But as predicted, the more experienced members on board had no trouble dealing with the volley, but any advantaged they'd planned from their ramming tactic had been rendered null.

One Piece: Brave New World

Among those who taken up the task of informing the officers of the present situation, Seaman Jo Joe Josie had come from the Commander's Quarters confused and a bit lost. The recent reassignments meant that about a quarter of the 2nd Patrol's men were new and rather unfamiliar with the quirks and quandaries surrounding those at the top, and adjustment was...a work in progress.

Jo's wanderings took him down to the engine room, where a worker tending a burned face pointed him to some more experienced superiors, who sent him down to the cargo hold. Jo passed by the brig, face twisting into a grimace of confusion and disgust as he watched men with long spears, tips dull and rusted, poking and prodding as the tried impale caged pirates caught more than a week ago, laughing about how the unpolished weapons will hurt more when they go in. Keeping his head low and slipping by, he finally reached the hold, and by following grunts of anticipation and calls of low or high, he came across a group of Marines huddled around a pile of cards, bills, and coins. One Marine held a card from his hand out out, over a pile where a 6 lay, while the one sitting opposite of him pondered with a hand on her chin, before finally stating, "Low."

Her opposite dropped a Jack on the pile, leaving Vice-Admiral Freyja to let out a groan, throwing her free hand to slap her forehead as her opponent chortled, the witnesses joining in as the pot was taken back. Reaching to grab a few bills as she looked over her cards again, Freyja separated one, holding it up, before finally taking notice of Jo. "Yo."

Jo stared blankly. "Ma'am...we're under attack!"

"Don't call me ma'am. I'm not some old fart like Colt."

As if on cue, there was another quake, and the ship rocked to one side, Jo managing to brace himself up against a crate, while the sitting gamblers had no issue, instantly dropping their hands to keep the cards in place.

"It's an emergency!"

Freyja waved her hand, "Chill out, kid. It's probably just Pop Brine. Happens all the time around here."

A bit lost, Jo elaborated, "There's a ship! It could be the Scrapyard Pirates!"

Freyja clicked her tongue, muttering, "Gross..." Letting out a sigh, she threw her cards down before letting out a yawn. "Better give it a look," she stated as she stood, grabbing her coat from behind her and throwing it over her V-neck shirt and slack gray pants, blades at her hip. One thin, the tip practically touching the ground from its length, and one wide, the hilt shaped like a scaly curled tail and seeming to twitch at the movement.

---

Going from the dank and mildewy hold to the fresh salty spray of the sea air as another thunderclap rang out, sending a wave of water to the deck as the warship rocked lightly. "Evasive action? Smart. Or whoever's attacking us is shit at adjusting their aim." Seeing some men fumbling with cannons, Freyja called, "Double time on those!" without making a move herself. She spotted the Scrapyard Pirate flag: a mishappen metallic skull with sharp teeth dripping black oil into the background of the sail, dark clouds of billowing smoke trailing behind the ship, dancing in front of the sun and casting shadows on the patrol division. The cannons were just a formality: against any crew of note in the New World, they were an annoyance at best...