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Post by Lockdown on Feb 23, 2017 13:07:29 GMT
Drifting clouds, ever-changing seas... and the person you're stuck with trying to stay awake for the next several hours...
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Dec 12, 2017 10:45:02 GMT
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Post by HeadPikachu on Feb 24, 2017 15:24:49 GMT
Gina sat at the base of the mast, looking up into the sky, absently wondering what Mom was up to and remaining rather quiet. Cleaning up messes? Throwing out drunks? Going all-out since her daughter wasn't around now? She hoped she was all right...Gina wasn't much better off, though, stuck on watch with a guy she just met a few hours ago, with the other two of their mismatched pirate crew catching some shut-eye below.
Dolly perched herself near the helm of the ship, sleeping peacefully and occasionally making a low whistle; her own form of birdie snoring. She deserved the rest after today, and certainly needed to heal up her wing, even after treatment from Erza and Gina.
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Post by JPThunda on Feb 24, 2017 18:09:28 GMT
Up at the helm, Gladius yawned loudly from the darkness. Up above, nestled in the crow's nest, Aquila was keeping watch...on the back of his eyelids. He always did like to perch in high places.
After his loud yawn, there was a pause for a while...only the sound of waves lapping against the hull, and the wind in the sails. Eventually Gladius broke the silence.
"It sure is quiet out here," he said, breaking the silence. "I guess that's a good and bad thing...gives you plenty of time to think...," he said, trailing off.
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Dec 12, 2017 10:45:02 GMT
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Post by HeadPikachu on Feb 25, 2017 7:31:29 GMT
Gina nodded absently, sighing and looking towards Gladius at the helm. "Yeah. Lot quieter than the tavern, for sure." She said, shifting a bit to stay awake. "...You'd had more time around Marines and pirates, right? How bad can they get?" There was trepidation in her voice, and given her exceedingly boring life so far and lack of experience with real Marines and pirates, it was pretty normal to be nervous.
Especially since one, the other, or both were apparently searching for her...
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Post by JPThunda on Feb 25, 2017 14:48:44 GMT
"Hmm...well, I guess I've spent more time around them...," Gladius said thoughtfully. "Just like anywhere else, there's good ones and bad ones in both groups. There are some bad Pirates who would kill people for money, or no reason at all, and there are Marines who will try and use their authority to make people do what they want," he said, adjusting the ship's wheel slightly to correct their course.
"I've...heard stories...about Pirates attacking trade ships and remote islands, and taking people as slaves...," Gladius said, a little hesitation when he mentioned that he'd 'heard stories'. "...and I've heard that the Marines let them do it...and even stop slaves that try and get away...or send them back...," Gladius added. "I've heard stories about Marines who will blow up whole towns and islands to try and catch a criminal, and I've heard stories about Pirates who will pillage and raid a place to try and steal their money and stuff," Gladius went on.
"So...I guess there are bad guys on both sides," Gladius said. "Big difference is...Marines got people they have to take 'Orders' from, so if a bad guy tells a good one to do some bad stuff, he's supposed to listen...but Pirates...," he said, trailing off for a minute, "...we're free, nobody tells us what to do. You might find a bad Captain every once in a while, but that's just one ship, not a whole fleet, and even then, if a Pirate doesn't want to do something, he's liable to just not do it," Gladius said.
"We're really selfish like that," he said with a little laugh. "But you don't have to worry about me-I'm one of the good Pirates! I just want to be free...more free than anyone else, hehe! Stick with me, and you can be free, too!," he said with a big grin, the moonlight catching his teeth, making them stand out against the dark curtain of night.
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Dec 12, 2017 10:45:02 GMT
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Post by HeadPikachu on Feb 25, 2017 16:38:52 GMT
Gina listened quietly, trying to focus on the positives of her new life. Like Gladius said, he was one of the 'good' pirates, as was Victor, and apparently she and Erza, too. Really didn't seem like much of a crew, to be honest, but it was better than waiting for whatever back home. Especially if half the things Mom said about him were true...And hopefully HE was The Gentleman, because at least then she'd probably be relatively safe in case worst came to worst and she was captured again.
Hopefully.
Shaking that from her mind, she returned Gladius's wide grin with a smile of her own, which wasn't nearly as visible. "Yeah...Guess the others are good pirates, too. And me, now." She sighed. "This is going to take a bit of getting used to." Gina stood up to stretch, her lower back a bit sore already. Darn. "So, how long have you been a pirate, anyway?"
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Post by JPThunda on Mar 1, 2017 15:56:07 GMT
"Well, you seem like good people. You'll be fine," he said reassuringly as Gina stretched.
"Me? How long? Hmm...I hadn't really thought about that...how long has it been...?," Gladius said thoughtfully, looking up at the stars above. "Hmm...I guess it's been about three years...though I didn't exactly do much pirating...," he said, tapping his chin. "Didn't exactly have a ship or a crew, but did have some adventures, and get into a bunch of fights, and with some Marines...does that count? I think it counts...," he said.
"I still remember what made me choose to become a Pirate, too. My dream...," he said, a reminiscent look on his face. "I decided that I wanted to be the free-est person in the world. Nobody to tell me what to do, no rules to follow but my own, nothing...and there's only one person who ever had that kind of freedom--the King of the Pirates," he said with a smile. "So I'm gonna be the next King of the Pirates, to be free," he said with a smirk.
"How about you? You figure out what your dream is yet?," he asked eagerly. "Every pirate has a dream. Is there something you've always wanted to do, but never had the chance? Huh?," he asked.
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6,666 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Mar 28, 2024 21:17:21 GMT
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Post by Robot on May 9, 2017 19:06:50 GMT
The following night with their course locked, Victor sat against the wheelhouse. The evening being a dark one, his white eyes blazed against the backdrop as two indistinguishable pinpoints, and he sighed to himself yet again. It had been gruff apologies for not being of more help to the others in their battle, and then a whole mess of silence for the remainder of the evening. The Inkay he'd caught, which he named Kraken, had settled against his hip. It smelled of fish, and was cold and a bit wet against his side. It wasn't like Precious at all, mostly clueless to him and his disposition, and certainly a bit less pleasant to keep company with.
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Post by Vazad on May 10, 2017 3:45:32 GMT
It was a quiet night, the waves lapped lazily against the sides of the boat. This was one of the first times he'd had to do watch on a ship, but it was a good idea to keep an eye out for trouble even if he felt sleep beckoning him from the back of his skull. He sat looking out over the dark waves, the sleeping Skrelp and Ann curled up against his legs snoring quietly. He had a lantern sitting off to the side, lit but closed so only thin slivers of light escaped around the edges. Ann cast a pale blue light as she sat there giving everything a thin hue. Ezra stared at one of the fake potion bottles, there had been a few left in his case when he escaped. It seemed like that part of his life might be over. This bottle had represented his life for a while now and it kind of felt both liberating and sad to see it go. Like he was leaving a part of himself behind. Standing up he gently repositioned the sleepers so they were leaning against one another. Looking around he saw the twin beams of Stone's headlight eyes cutting through the dark. If he was here now he might as well make the best of it. He walked over to the railing a short way away from the man. Pulling out the rest of his "wares" he began to empty them over the edge of the boat.
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6,666 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Mar 28, 2024 21:17:21 GMT
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Post by Robot on May 10, 2017 14:24:14 GMT
"Seems like a bit of a waste, don't it?" Victor commented without shifting his posture. Broad hands folded across his lap, he took a moment to draw his coat tighter around himself. "Yeh could just peddle or use the stuff wherever we make port, why dump it?" He had no way of knowing the stuff was just snake oil, but they were an unscrupulous bunch. Gladius in particular would never cast off the chance to make a few coin from what the cyborg could tell.
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Post by Vazad on May 10, 2017 21:25:20 GMT
Listening to the soft glugging as the bottles emptied he replied after a short while. "They're mainly water anyway, I put a few herbs in that make them smell like the real deal. Then you use the real one you've picked out special and they tend to bite." After a moment of thinking about the statement he continued. "I guess this is just me saying goodbye, if we need some cash I'll whip up some more." Finally emptying the last bottle he finished. "I just feel like nothing's going to be quite the same now, do you ever get those moments?"
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6,666 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Mar 28, 2024 21:17:21 GMT
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Post by Robot on May 13, 2017 22:21:56 GMT
"My life's been those moments, Ezra." Victor rumbled softly, eyes panning the deck between him and the smaller man. "Goodbyes can be hard. You should make sure you're ready for them when the time comes." His voice came distracted, and was followed by the soft sound of Kraken being put away in his ball. Rising heavily to his feet, he paced to the port side of the prow. "I pity Gina more then the rest of us. She wasn't meant for this."
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Post by Vazad on May 14, 2017 4:44:32 GMT
Putting the empty containers back in his bag Ezra leaned against the railing. "Well, hopefully, they weren't all bitter." He stared out over the dark water. After Victor finished Ezra continued. "Yeah, so was what, a barmaid? That's a pretty big change." Standing up he turned away from the waves and leaned back. "There's a good number of towns out there that wouldn't be too happy to see me but I'm not some huge criminal either." After thinking for a moment. "I guess I finally pissed enough people off to get the Marines after me though. You seem like you know what you're doing though."
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6,666 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Mar 28, 2024 21:17:21 GMT
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Post by Robot on May 14, 2017 17:13:25 GMT
"They weren't all bitter." His teeth flashed in the moonlight as he smiled. "The bad moments were actually few and far between, but they were the most impactful." Victor reminisced to the soft creak of the boat and slosh of the waves, listening to Ezra speak of his exploits. "I've been on the water most of me life under a pirate flag, and never wanted to be a pirate. S'alot like Gladius' circumstance really, eerily so. Owned by someone else, forced to fight for a cause you didn't believe in." He shook his head slowly.
"Took my first ship from it's tyrant of a captain by getting through to her crew, cause a full on mutiny. 'Lot of 'em were with me fer years after that, even when I got really ill and wasn't rightly myself anymore. Precious belonged to the Bowsain under the old cap'n, then under me. We've got history. Ain't never crossed the marines myself, but I turned myself in as a 'notorious pirate', got slapped with inciting civil unrest."
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Post by Vazad on May 15, 2017 0:34:12 GMT
Hearing Stone's tale made Ezra think of old Horace, the fire glinting off the old man's angry eyes as he pulled him toward the burning house. "I haven't really had a cause beyond keeping Ann and me alive, but it sounds like you managed to make something good out of it." Ezra tapped on the railing quietly, drumming out a staccato beat. "The only person who took me in tried to kill me, so I guess I've been running from it ever since." Ezra wondered a bit of why he was sharing this, but he assured himself that Stone had shown his vulnerable side first. "You seem better now, other than the strange modifications I haven't seen you acting ill. Although it would explain a man throwing his life by turning himself in, the Marines don't tend to take well to people who call themselves Pirates."
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6,666 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Mar 28, 2024 21:17:21 GMT
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Post by Robot on May 15, 2017 0:42:50 GMT
"Went around as merchants under a pirate flag for a solid half dozen years, just ferrying goods from port to port, changing colors as we needed. Made and lost many, many friends. Sounds like you had it harder though." The broad man turned towards Ezra and leaned against the railing, broad fingers laced in front of his abs. "The marines don't take well to thieves either, and the 'strange modifications' are of their issue. It was an old base nobody paid no mind anymore, so nothing should come of it."
"The only person? Really? No girl in your life, no business partners, or friendly rivals?" There was the slightest twinge of pity in Victor's voice.
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Post by Vazad on May 15, 2017 1:04:15 GMT
Ezra raised his eyebrow at Stone's comments. "They did... This?" Ezra said as he waved a hand in the dark toward Stone's glowing eyes. "I haven't seen anything like it before, all of you seem to have something new. I feel kind of adrift when I think about it." When Stone's last comment came he became thoughtful. "I'd meet people but usually for the amount of time I was in town, I was never really part of things. Sometimes I'd travel with a caravan or on a ship, but most of the time we were alone. Partners could blow my cover and I tried not to hit a town if someone else was working on it already." Ezra looked up at the stars overhead, half covered by dark unseen clouds. "In the beginning, I was scared all the time I guess. But you adapt quickly." Thinking for a moment he continued. "What happened to your crew? You talk about them like they mean a lot but you turned yourself in any way."
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6,666 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Mar 28, 2024 21:17:21 GMT
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Post by Robot on May 15, 2017 1:13:06 GMT
"Fishbacks." Victor spat the word over the railing, and the sudden sharpness to the angle of his brow made his anger visible even as a cloud passed across the moon and cast the ship in darkness. "When I came around, weren't not a corpse of my crew anywhere, just Precious and a bunch of dead Gillies. Couldn't handle it. She couldn't either. We was all the other had. I took a rowboat and set myself adrift till I ended up where we met, s'about all I know."
"Ain't no way to live, being a stranger, or an outsider all the time. Sake of a long con or not. Can't imagine being that alone, not having a place to weigh anchor and call home. No port to shelter in for the storms. Planning on moving on to the next big thing when we make port again? New town, new hoax?"
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Post by JPThunda on May 15, 2017 1:30:43 GMT
At this point there was a rummaging in the deck house. The door cluttered open and Gladius stumbled sleepily out onto the deck in his skivvies and a loose fitting canvas shirt.
"Mmm...evenin'," he said, stretching briefly and plodding his way across the deck to the bow of the ship. "'Scuse me...gotta take a leak." Standing at the bow, and swaying slightly, he stuck his finger in his mouth and held it up above his head. Wind direction determined, Gladius turned to face out of the wind and began to relieve himself, the trickle of water resounding in the still night.
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Post by Vazad on May 15, 2017 1:43:39 GMT
Ezra shivered as the moon was covered up, Stone's statement was rather ominous. He let the man finish his train of thought before replying though. "When the long con's all you've got you learn to deal or you die. I had Ann and we did our best to make wherever we were home." Stone's last words made Ezra think long and hard he sat there in the slightly awkward silence and really chewed on the question before finally finishing. "I don't know, I'm obviously well known enough for the marines to pick me up without actually hitting the town. I think that means I need to adapt or die again. I..." Ezra jumped as the door opened and Gladius emerged. He stared through the gloom as the man relieved himself. Ezra's chain of thought dashed upon the rocks he tried to right himself. "I guess I..." But he couldn't do it he'd lost the thread, he halted to an awkward silence as he stared off into the distance.
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