Mission #93: Viktas Revolt

[Virilitas]

Elias Watts

The island of Viktas, a little known place that is the southernmost island in the South Blue. So cold that even Elias had to wear a coat. Or well, most of a coat. Arriving in a small boat with an iron prow, reinforced to deal with the ice, he moors the boat and hops up onto the dock. Having actually put on some shoes, and also a vest and long-sleeved shirt... he certainly doesn't look comfortable. Nevertheless, he has come to investigate the Juno Penguin and their prey the Great Southern Shark. A shipbuilder always should be on the lookout to improve their designs and sea creatures were the best to take design cues from.

Paying the docking fee, he hefts that large spear of his, carrying the pole over his shoulder as he heads to one of the three inns in town. Stepping in to the much warmer interior of the hemispherical building and stripping out of his vest and long shirt. Feeling much better now as he moves to the innkeeper and order a room for the evening, "Afternoon, Sir. I'd like a room for the next three nights. Also, where is the best place to see a Juno Penguin?"

The innkeeper frowns, a gruff old man with vaguely inuit features, "This is not a place you want to stay. If you're smart you'll pick up your stuff and leave Viktas."

Confused the man would refuse business, Elias looks around to make sure this wasn't a joke before replying, "I can't believe you wouldn't want a customer, do you just hate outsiders here? What's the deal?"

"Things are about to heat up here, I just want to warn all travelers before they get hurt."

Blinking, still confused, Elias just shrugs and returns to his earlier line of questioning, "Fine... just the room and I'll find the penguins, myself."

Paying the fee the innkeeper quoted, Elias catches the waitress and orders a meal, picking himself out a table and taking a seat. Trying not to think of what might be going on here that would cause the innkeeper to act so very strangely... instead ready to get a nice big bowl of soup and some ale to wash it down.

[York]

In his room, Idol was doing one of his signature headstands, boldly staring at the WBCW Light Heavyweight Championship belt laying before him. It served to remind him why he was here, why he had left his nice, safe home to travel to these cold, foreign, dangerous lands. Taking a deep breath, Idol lifted himself into a handstand, before carefully bringing both feet down behind him and standing upright again. Once back on his feet, he grabbed his championship belt and laid it over his shoulder, flexing his arms in pride.

It had been roughly two days since Idol arrived to the island, and pretty much since the start, he's noticed something that gave him a feeling of unease. Wherever he would see a group of marines, there would be a few other people giving them dirty looks and whispering things with sour expressions on their faces. Idol merely thought of them as hoodlums. No good pirates giving the marines the business. No self respecting civilian would have ill wills towards the marines. He's seen it before. Earlier, Idol had even gone out of his way to tell the marines how much he personally appreciated them, and that successfully got the whispers and points turning his way.

"Ah, let them talk about me," Idol thought, picking out the color of tights he would be wearing today and settling on black to match his coat, "that's what I want them to do, after all."

Throwing his coat on, Idol ran his hands over his blonde hair as he stepped out of the room. Today, he wanted to get some more training done outside, build an immunity to the cold, maybe get into a few scuffles. If he were lucky, some people would be around to see it. That would turn some of these sour expressions over.

"And with their eyes on me, I'll give them the show of a lifetime." Idol chuckled to himself as he entered the dining area and taking a seat. Nothing big for now, some juice or water perhaps. Save the big meals for after training.

[Fluffy Lynx]

WORD COUNT: 731

TAGGED: @lynx

TAGGED:

It was strange finally being called out to a job, especially when one considered who had hired the Raven-haired girl. The marines had contacted her, requesting her services. Supposedly, a small island named Viktas had, politically, slowly drifted away from their jurisdiction; The civilians starting to think they'd be better off without the world government breathing down their necks, when they, allegedly, couldn't offer proper protection to the inhabitants of the island. The girl had been hired with a few very simple objectives in mind. One, figure out how and why the pirates always seemed to know the marines location and movement. Two, learn everything that she could in regards to these political changes of the island. Three, learn who stands behind this new organisation, what their motive are, and wheter they'd be a threat to the general safety of the island. The marines themselves weren't too interested in getting directly involved, as their mere pressence on the island caused an uproar of defiance. Perhaps that is why they approached a mere bounty-hunter such as Jade herself.

Crumbling the letter up into a small paper ball, Jade tossed it overboard, into the ocean, watching as it was swallowed up by the waves. There would be no evidence that she was working with the marines on this one. Granted, the girl didn't have much love for the marines herself, but when a situation developed to such an extent, that an entire island's population could be in danger, her honor wouldn't allow her to simply stand down. Casually walking off the gangway, she looked around curiously. Starting an adventure was almost the most difficult, because one could go anywhere. What she needed was a clue, a starting point. Gently poking one of the dockworkers, she asked quite calmly. "Greetings. My name is Jade. Would you happen to know where one could rest for a few days, perhaps get some work?" The man stared at her, as if she was an ornamental chinese vase in the children's sandbox. "Uhm, sure. My brother, Jared, owns a local inn. Merryweather Inn. You could always start there." Scratching his head, Jade merely bowed before him as a thanks, Jade quickly headed off towards the designated inn.

Arriving on the scene, the tiny girl must've been the smallest figure in the entire inn. Yet, undeterred, she hopped onto a barstool, before addressing the innkeepeer. "Jared, was it?" The innkeeper narrowed his eyes, looking at the tiny girl that for whatever reason knew his name. "Your brother said this was the finest inn on the island. I'd like to rent a room. Additionally, I was told I might be able to find work here. Temporarily, of course!" Smiling warmly, she was so direct and honest that it was baffling. Merely nodding and placing a key to a room on the desk in front of himself, he soon recieved payment. "Great, show me what I can do to help."...

...A few moments later...

Dressed in a kneelong black skirt with a white top, Jade had somehow convinced the innkeeper that she'd be a perfect fit for the role of waitress. Armed with a pencil, a block of paper and dexterity, she was now darting around the dining room, serving guests and getting a few pieces of information here and there. 
Arriving at the table of Elias Watts, she placed his dish in front of him. The dish was essentially sushi-like dumplings and grilled vegetables in a fishbroth. On the side, a loaf of garlic bread and a pint of the finest ale the island had to offer. "Here you are. Enjoy your meal, sir.. Oh and excuse me for prying, if I may, what brings you to Viktas? - You don't seem like someone who'd belong here." 

[Virilitas]

Elias Watts

Quickly moving past the strange conversation with the innkeeper, Elias found himself a seat at a table and started to think up ways he could observe the penguins without disturbing them too much. Maybe something to watch them beneath the water... so many problems.

It was then the waitress arrived, causing a blink from Elias, such eyes! Watching her a moment, something seemed off... would such a pretty girl really work and live in such a frozen nowhere like Viktas? Well, she must, right? Handing the girl a larger than normal tip, he answered her question, "Oh yes, I just arrived. I'm a shipwright by trade, I'm here to study the Juno Penguins. I've heard they hunt sharks and the sharks are pretty impressive too, so I want to see how they do it."

He leans down to take a sniff of the meal in front of him and is not unimpressed, nodding his head, "Not what I'm used to, but it smells great. Thank you, Miss... what's your name?"

Lifting his spoon and taking a first bite, he smiles up at the waitress and reaches for the ale to wash it down. Finding it quite satisfactory, "Wonderful, tastes as good as it smells. Thank the chef for me."

As much as he'd like to keep chatting up the waitress, he makes sure to stuff his mouth full of bread to let her move on to the next table if she likes. He glanced over to it, where a similarly strange fellow had sat. Sticking out just as much as Elias did, the man seemed to be wearing black tights and a coat seeming layered in shiny bits. Certainly both of them were strangers, neither of them seeming at all prepared for the cold weather.

It had been a bit chilly outside, in the arctic conditions, perhaps he'd pick up a sweater before heading out to find the penguins.

[York]

"Oh yes, I just arrived. I'm a shipwright by trade, I'm here to study the Juno Penguins. I've heard they hunt sharks and the sharks are pretty impressive too, so I want to see how they do it."

Idol almost fell out of his chair when he overheard this. This guy was here to fight shark fighting penguins? Well, he said study, but why else would someone want to study something? Idol recalled all the days where he was told to study his opponents in preparation for a match, and how that involved watching how they moved and how they attacked so you would learn the best way to counterattack and defeat them. Was this guy already so far out of his league that he was fighting monsters like this? Idol was glad that he left his belt in his room, otherwise that man might’ve challenged him.

“Maybe I should avoid fighting guys like him,” Idol thought, bringing his posture to a slouch and fiddling with a napkin, “a fight between the two of us would be one-sided and boring. Nobody wants to see that. I’ll just do some training today.”

Idol scrunched up the napkin and stared at it. Something about the way he phrased the words in his head reminded him of something someone else had said. He furrowed his brows, remembering the days following his loss to Johnny Mars. Rumors of him being no good and not worth seeing were ringing in his head. Bother to those thoughts. He was on this journey to prove them all wrong. He was there to find people out of his league and then get in their league. And then surpass that league and make his own league. The juice could wait, he had to get started on his training as soon as possible if he wanted to become stronger, and show the world what he was made of. Standing up, Idol tramped back to his room and threw the door open, seeing the championship belt laying on the bed.

“If that guy’s going to study these things, then I’m going to study them too,” he said, wrapping the belt around his waist and locking the buttons together behind his back, “and when I do, I’ll show him that am I stronger than him and the penguins, and that I’m the one worth studying here on this island.”

Leaving his room again, Idol chose to add a bit of a swing to his hips to accentuate his belt. He entered the dining area and stopped, standing right by his seat and crumpled napkin. Staring directly at Elias with an intense glare, he opened up his coat and flashing his bare chest and championship belt at him, simultaneously showing off his intestinal fortitude and his championship belt.

"That'll show him" he thought, smiling and throwing a quick wink in the waitress's direction. He turned to the exit and gracefully threw the door open, before recoiling as soon the cold air hit his skin. He sure hoped that guy didn't see him.

“I just have to keep moving,” Idol said, loosening his muscles and stepping outside, “keep moving and stay hydrated. My body will warm itself up in no time.” Idol shut the door behind him and grabbed a handful of seemingly untouched snow. Jamming it in his mouth, he wasted no time chewing it down and swallowing it. “There, now I’m hydrated,” he thought, not bothering to mention how it didn’t help warm him up at all.

Running his hands over his hair to dry his hands, Idol took a step away from the warm inn and started to jog, then breaking out into a run. He had no real plan. Just run until he got tired, and then run some more, and that would conclude his warmup. If he found one of those penguins, he’d fight it, learn something.

Nothing Idol was wearing really helped to fend off the cold, especially the belt around his waist, that he could feel stinging his abdomen. “It’ll make my abs look great” Idol told himself, gritting his teeth and running through the frigid landscape, and trying to get the cold off his mind. “Cold weather makes tough people. And I’m the toughest people there is.”