Post by PlatonSkull on May 26, 2014 14:23:43 GMT -5
Having seen enough of the giant wall, Odin looked to his surroundings; he was riding through a small forest, but forest would actually be a charitable word. Wanted posters stuck shoddily to every thin, malnourished, sad tree, puddles of drying alcohol and piss were all over the dimly green grass, and the ground was strewn with broken bottles, glass shards from those bottles, cigarette buds, and small forgotten pieces of paper and scrap. People would come to this part of the island to escape the noise of the city, to throw parties and start riots. No one ever came here to clean the place up.
Now he understood why the hay had to be transported from East - the place was so polluted that the cattle would be poisoned if it had to go through the city first. The impressively-still-alive forest died out as the noise of the city grew louder. The cart took a turn, and he decided to jump off it before the chauffeur saw him. He brushed off most of the hay he had on him, straightened up and started strolling.
The buildings were an absolute mess, it was a miracle they even held together. All one or two stories, made from old, rotten wooden planks, shoddy architecture and lousy upkeep. The streets clearly weren't meant for wheeled transportation, cracks and bumps everywhere, and the occasional watery pit though it hadn't rained for days.
But what struck Odin more immediately was the people living in those houses and running on those streets. There was noise from every corner, from every bar and store. He jumped at the sound of a gunshot a block or two away, but the people walking by barely even registered it. He had arrived in a pirate town, and not in a good way. Still, he wasn't entirely out of place here, and it would be easier to get what he needed without Marines on his trail.
"Hey you with the cape," Odin turned to his left, where a guy around his age stood leaned against a wooden wall with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, "where the hell'd you come from?"
"I hitched a ride," Odin jokingly pointed towards the wall with his thumb.
"Well if that ain't something", the young man laughed and lit a match on the bottom of his boots, "I've seen more people smuggle themselves from West to East than I can count, but this must be the first time anyone's done the opposite,"
"Well, this town seems more welcoming I'd say..."
"Don't be so sure," he pointed down the street, "a few blocks down and you'll reach the biggest bar in town, 'The Bottle o' Rum'. Good luck making friends there."
"Thank you,"
Odin identified the bar as soon as he saw it. 'The Bottle o' Rum' was, as the only noteworthy architecture he'd seen in West Winchester, shaped like a gigantic bottle of rum. It only took a small walk to get used to the rowdiness of the place, and it reminded him of the festivals of his home town. Endearing, if not for the violence and hatred flowing it.
He coughed a bit entering the giant bottle, as his nose was greeted by the mixture of cigarette smoke and sweaty pirates and thieves. He sat down and ordered a big beer and a ham sandwich. He was starving and thirsty after that chase.
Some people huddled together talking in the corner of the bar suddenly fell silent. He looked to them, then to the door, where a man had just walked in. His arms were huge and muscled, sticking out from a torn black suit, a red mohawk stuck out from his otherwise nearly bald head, and spoke with a grizzled voice, "It wasn't ours"
The people in the corner, most of them also in a worn suit or tuxedo, let out sighs of relief.
"Some stranger's ship blew up right when he docked," the man continued as he walked towards his crew, "Big ship was it. Probably the Arabian Night Pirates did it. Those bastards wouldn't want competition in second place," a lot of people laughed at this remark, "TO THE POKER PIRATES! May lady luck always be on our side!" after the crew had cheered, people who had been silent during the exchange started chatting, fighting and shouting normally.
He took out the beer in one big gulp and was almost finished with the sandwich when he overheard a conversation a few chairs from him:
"Weird stuff going on, huh? Do you think the Arabians blew it up?"
"Nah, that's not like them at all. Besides, odd stuff happens all the time around here."
"Yeah. I heard people talking about a panda showing up after the explosion."
"You're messing with me!"
"No man, it walked right into the Hoggin' Hotel and got a burger"
Odin didn't catch the rest of the conversation. He threw the money on the table, asked for directions to the hotel, took his sandwich and ran. It wasn't everyday you heard about a walking, talking panda, but as it happened, this was the second time he would run into one.
"Maru!" sure enough, the Panda he had met on Amino Island weeks ago was sitting in the lobby of the hotel, resting its legs, "What in the world are you doing here?"
Now he understood why the hay had to be transported from East - the place was so polluted that the cattle would be poisoned if it had to go through the city first. The impressively-still-alive forest died out as the noise of the city grew louder. The cart took a turn, and he decided to jump off it before the chauffeur saw him. He brushed off most of the hay he had on him, straightened up and started strolling.
The buildings were an absolute mess, it was a miracle they even held together. All one or two stories, made from old, rotten wooden planks, shoddy architecture and lousy upkeep. The streets clearly weren't meant for wheeled transportation, cracks and bumps everywhere, and the occasional watery pit though it hadn't rained for days.
But what struck Odin more immediately was the people living in those houses and running on those streets. There was noise from every corner, from every bar and store. He jumped at the sound of a gunshot a block or two away, but the people walking by barely even registered it. He had arrived in a pirate town, and not in a good way. Still, he wasn't entirely out of place here, and it would be easier to get what he needed without Marines on his trail.
"Hey you with the cape," Odin turned to his left, where a guy around his age stood leaned against a wooden wall with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, "where the hell'd you come from?"
"I hitched a ride," Odin jokingly pointed towards the wall with his thumb.
"Well if that ain't something", the young man laughed and lit a match on the bottom of his boots, "I've seen more people smuggle themselves from West to East than I can count, but this must be the first time anyone's done the opposite,"
"Well, this town seems more welcoming I'd say..."
"Don't be so sure," he pointed down the street, "a few blocks down and you'll reach the biggest bar in town, 'The Bottle o' Rum'. Good luck making friends there."
"Thank you,"
Odin identified the bar as soon as he saw it. 'The Bottle o' Rum' was, as the only noteworthy architecture he'd seen in West Winchester, shaped like a gigantic bottle of rum. It only took a small walk to get used to the rowdiness of the place, and it reminded him of the festivals of his home town. Endearing, if not for the violence and hatred flowing it.
He coughed a bit entering the giant bottle, as his nose was greeted by the mixture of cigarette smoke and sweaty pirates and thieves. He sat down and ordered a big beer and a ham sandwich. He was starving and thirsty after that chase.
Some people huddled together talking in the corner of the bar suddenly fell silent. He looked to them, then to the door, where a man had just walked in. His arms were huge and muscled, sticking out from a torn black suit, a red mohawk stuck out from his otherwise nearly bald head, and spoke with a grizzled voice, "It wasn't ours"
The people in the corner, most of them also in a worn suit or tuxedo, let out sighs of relief.
"Some stranger's ship blew up right when he docked," the man continued as he walked towards his crew, "Big ship was it. Probably the Arabian Night Pirates did it. Those bastards wouldn't want competition in second place," a lot of people laughed at this remark, "TO THE POKER PIRATES! May lady luck always be on our side!" after the crew had cheered, people who had been silent during the exchange started chatting, fighting and shouting normally.
He took out the beer in one big gulp and was almost finished with the sandwich when he overheard a conversation a few chairs from him:
"Weird stuff going on, huh? Do you think the Arabians blew it up?"
"Nah, that's not like them at all. Besides, odd stuff happens all the time around here."
"Yeah. I heard people talking about a panda showing up after the explosion."
"You're messing with me!"
"No man, it walked right into the Hoggin' Hotel and got a burger"
Odin didn't catch the rest of the conversation. He threw the money on the table, asked for directions to the hotel, took his sandwich and ran. It wasn't everyday you heard about a walking, talking panda, but as it happened, this was the second time he would run into one.
"Maru!" sure enough, the Panda he had met on Amino Island weeks ago was sitting in the lobby of the hotel, resting its legs, "What in the world are you doing here?"