Hijinks in Caeserio! A Puzzling Situation Begins!

[Jade]

The town of Caeserio, the seat of the Marines in the Holy Remunun Empire. The Marine base was partially merged with the town itself, set off to the side near the water, with its own special docks specifically for Marine vessels. The relationship between the Marines located here and those who called the town home was surprisingly good, despite the Empire not being a member of the World Government - the Empire had allied itself with the World Government instead, and the Marine base located here was a symbol of that alliance.

The bitter cold of the overcast day was certainly not appreciated, that much was for certain. Bianca was dressed warmly today, wearing a black winter jacket, the hood lined with some sort of fur, over her suit for the day - another simple black outfit, though only her black dress pants and shoes were visible under her zipped up jacket. Pants, after all, were more suitable for the weather than a dress. Her wounds from capturing the "Rampant Ronin", Moto Chitsu, on Sedna Island has mostly healed over, and the time it had taken to travel to the Holy Remunun Empire had seen her broken ribs healed up quite nicely.

Thomas was running around the deck, swearing just loud enough for Bianca to hear, performing the tasks to dock the Porcelain Lady in the public harbor. The white-haired bounty huntress herself ignored the man's complaints, sitting at the small table in the ship's garden, sipping at a pleasantly warm cup of tea while she waited to disembark.

Moto Chitsu was still being held in his cell on the lower deck. Bianca had made some attempts to extract information from the pirate, such as why his subordinate had referred to him as "Mochi", or who the man she had talked to after their duel ended was. Mochi never gave her any answers, preferring to sit in sullen silence. In truth, the man had said less and less the closer they got to Caeserio, as if he was slowly coming to terms that he would truly be turned in to the Marines. It is a shame that we'll be turning him in without learning more about him, but it's for the best to turn him in as quickly as possible.

Bianca sipped at her cup of green tea, watching as Thomas finished the docking process. The ship's gangplank was lowered down to the pier below with a final expletive from the tired and angry young man, and then he slid down the side of the ship's railing, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. "There! We're here! Woo-hoo! I'm taking a f***ing break!"

She finished her cup of tea quickly, standing up from her seat. "Excellent. I will go get the pirate; we will be disembarking soon, I should imagine. Make sure that Yan knows, if he doesn't already."

[Flame]

Beneath the deck of the Porcelain Lady the lanky figure that had been spoken of lay within a hammock. "Hrmph, if only I was a little shorter" he grumbled to himself as both his legs were bent up in the hammock so they didn't try to flow over the edge. Yan's everything still ached and pained him, it'd been at least a week since he had met Bianca and Thomas in Sedna probably more. He wasn't completely sure, he'd spent most of the time asleep and recovering from the massive wounds that he had received on the island.

The ruckus above which woke him from his nap set his eyes blinking open slightly. Quietly he slid his hand to the thin tank top on his upper half. He lifted it upwards slightly peering down through it at the mass of bandages still tightly woven across his chest and abdomen. Wasn't a dream Yan reminded himself for the umpteenth time running a hand through his hair. Letting the shirt back down he threw his legs over the side of the hammock. The pair hit the ground gently and he maneuvered himself around till he stood leaning against the hammock as it was held in upward swing by the force of Yan's body upon it. Throwing his hands above him he stretched his long arms up and away from his head with fingers entwined.

Carefully he twisted his body as well, a little early stretching to help with his 'rusty joints' as he would put it. Being in the company of such youth had made him taken on a bit of an older persona than would normally befit a thirty-two year old like himself. Still he was careful, too much and he might reopen some old wounds, leaning forward he balanced his body forward and moved away from the aid of the hammock. Standing up straight he rose to his full height of 6'9" standing tall like a beansprout.

With a casual glance he looked about the general quarters. Thomas' bed was a mess in the other corner of the room. They had split the room half-wise for the sake of both of them having the maximal personal space. Cracking his knuckles a little he reached over a long arm and grabbed his spear which leaned against one of the poles of his hammock. "Guess we'll go see what all the fuss is about." Yan said to no one in particular. Scratching the back of his head he made for the stairwell.

Stepping up the stairwell he looked up as the sound of feet on the stairs told him he was not the only one on them. "Yo! We've arrived, land-ho and all that stuff." Thomas said through the cigarette already planted in his mouth. Yan shrugged his shoulders, so that was it. Guess I'll have to make a decision he said mind suddenly full of thoughts. Thomas watched the spearman carefully before turning about and heading back above board probably to smoke his blunt in relative peace.

Following after a moment Yan stepped upon the deck and immediately began to shiver. It was moments like this that made him rue what happened to his jacket back on Sedna. Torn to shreds it was no more use in the against the wind, not that his current thin piece of cloth was any good anyways either. I'll need to get a new jacket ... he thought to himself as he grasped his chest with a free arm. Looking up and around it seemed the bad weather had followed him from Sedna all the way here. The dull gray sky of clouds blotting out the sun, was no better here than it was there.

"At least it's no storm." He said to himself, chuckling slightly as he did.

[Jade]

Thomas came back up the stairs as Bianca was exiting the kitchens, where she had placed the teapot and teacup she had been using up until a minute ago. "Yes, I let him know. Now I'm going to take a damn break!" He walked off into the garden, mumbling another string of expletives and insults.

Bianca watched him walk for a moment and then shook her head. Before she could head down to the lower deck herself, Yan had appeared in the garden, looking quite chilly in his thin clothes. "Good morning, Yan. Do you not have anything warmer that you can put on over your shirt?" She walked past him, not actually waiting for his answer as she made her way towards the stairs. "We'll be departing for the Marine base shortly to turn in Moto Chitsu. Hopefully they'll be able to award us his full bounty there. Thomas and I will be resupplying in town before we go."

At the top of the stairs, she stopped and looked back at the much taller man. "You're free to continue travelling with us until you have your answer to my question, by the way. I won't turn you out while you're still recovering." And with that, she descended.

In the first cell on the left was the form of Moto Chitsu, looking blankly up at the ceiling, holding his hands behind his head in an attempt to give himself some sort of barrier between the back of his head and the floor. The pirate lifted his head slightly as he realized someone was walking toward his cell, turning his head toward the bars to see who it was. "So, it is time? So~tim?" He sighed, sitting up as Bianca brought the ring of keys out, working on unlocking the door into the cell.

The bounty huntress nodded as she turned the key, producing a satisfyingly heavy chunk as the mechanisms slid around, and she swung the door open. "Yes. We have arrived at Caeserio in the Holy Remunun Empire. We'll be turning you in to the Marine base here. Your manacles." She spoke flatly, as if she were doing nothing more than commenting on the weather.

Moto Chitsu made no moves to walk forward and comply with chains he was being presented. "You will not let me walk as a free man one last time, then? Yo~the?"

"Of course not. Give me your hands."

The pirate gave a short, hollow laugh, putting his hands in front of him and staring down at the floor as Bianca shackled his wrists together. "We'll lead you through the town, directly to the Marine base. Any attempts to break free will be met with extreme, but ultimately non-lethal, force. Is your situation clear?" Bianca produced another, longer chain, hooking it into the middle of the chains between Mochi's wrists, and then tugged on them, pulling the man forward.

He seemed shocked by this, only barely managing to keep himself from being pulled forward onto his face with his hands. "... Yes."

[Flame]

"Not really, it's hard to find clothes for someone like myself anyways." Yan responded to Bianca's question as she walked past him. She was well coated in clothing, he was if a little jealous of her in that regard. As another breeze blew past him Yan shivered once more, the thin clothes upon his back were of little help against this weather. And they used to call me Storm Blessed huh ... I wish

He rolled his eyes to himself as Bianca continued to head toward the stairs herself. Turning Moto Chitsu in huh, he breathed moist air into his reddening hands. Rubbing them together quickly for a little more warmth. Pausing he took another breath almost convinced he'd see it as well like a fine white mist rising into the air. It wasn't so, it was not that cold, Yan was just severely under-dressed. Patting his cheeks uncomfortably he turned to watch the white haired huntress walk down the stairs.

She had absolved him of his need to answer the question, as of yet at the least he didn't have to respond. Hmm was I so obvious? Was it that written on my face? Yan fidgeted in the cold as Bianca disappeared beneath the deck. Biting his lip he began to walk over to the ship's gangplank. He patted his cheeks once more, and then finished one off with a loud slap. His cheek reddened immediately bruising as it did. Yan shook his head, his hair floating forward and a few strands catching annoyingly in his mouth. With his free hand he swiped it away and looked off the side of the ship towards the town.

An impressive looking town, it bustled with activity. The port was alight with movement, ships and goods constantly on the move. It spread from a well maintained wharf into the city. Colorfully painted buildings of what must've been stone grew away from the port naturally. Long and wide streets painted pictures with stalls and storefronts of people. Yan's glance spread across the wharf before he noticed a pair of men coming the way of the Porcelain Lady. Heading them off he started down the plank twirling his spear casually in hand. Even he could be of use sometimes he figured.

"'Lo can I ask you two some questions, we just docked here." The pair stopped, they were big burly men, probably off on some sort of fishing trip based on the gear on their back. They glanced between each other shrugging, so the first spoke up. "If it's quick." The pair were large, so Yan actually had two questions for them, one of more importance to him and the second to his mission so to speak. "Two questions then, could you point me in the direction of a clothes shop or maybe a fripperer? And likewise where the Marine base here would be?" Yan shivered once more the chill riding up his spine and causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end.

"Fripperer? Lord, I've not heard that word in ages. How old are you?" The man exclaimed with a laugh. Seeing Yan's suddenly unhappy face he calmed quickly though. "For the clothes, you're best bet is down that road," he pointed in a vague direction, it was harder to figure out given he was now at ground level. But he vaguely pictured its position in his head. "As for the Marine Base, it's adjacent to their harbor, down the shore-line boardwalk. It curves about, so if you aim it right you can probably hit a shop on the way there or back by going through the middle of town." He said, Yan smiled and thanked the pair as they walked off. There was a laugh between them, as they glanced back.

Must've been his sorry clothing state that caused them to laugh. Yan could understand, if he weren't so cold he might be laughing as well.

[Jade]

Bianca returned to the upper deck, leading Moto Chitsu with the chain in her one hand. "Thomas, you'll be the one leading Mr. Chitsu to the Marine base."

The look of fear on Thomas's face was apparent, but Bianca paid it no mind. "Hang on, you can't be serious. The dude's dangerous, Bi! You said so yourself!" He took a few steps toward the huntress and the chained pirate, only to take a step back as Moto Chitsu fixed his gaze on the wannabe bounty hunter. "There's no way-"

Bianca cut him off, pulling the chain she was holding forward with her and placing it into the young man's hands. "It will be fine. Moto Chitsu is like a declawed cat without his swords, and he knows what will happen if he causes any trouble. You are in no danger, Thomas." She gave him a smile, and then walked back towards the enclosed space. "I am going to go get his poster. I'll be right back; don't leave the ship without me."

That task took only a moment, and with that, Bianca led the two men - the terrified Thomas and the dejected Moto Chitsu - down the gangplank, catching up with Yan. "Ah, there you are. I believe everything is in order, so if you are ready, we'll be off." She took another look at the beanpole of a man's reddening cheeks, frowning. "Don't you worry about paying for new clothes. I'll handle that, as payment for your services on Sedna."

A few of the folks on the piers gave the quartet odd looks and began whispering, pointing at the chained man being led behind the group. Bianca seemed completely oblivious to those people, rubbing her hands together, kicking herself for not wearing even a light pair of gloves. "No sense in dilly-dallying. Let's make this quick so we can get you that coat as soon as possible, Yan."

[Flame]

Yan was quickly joined by Thomas as he led the pirate Moto Chitsu in chains down the gangplank. The spearman glanced at his once foe, he was little more downtrodden, but seemed to have mostly accepted his fate at this point. Yan gripped his knuckles looking at the Rampant Ronin as he walked by. He didn't sneer however, just watched. "Well I've got directions to the Marine Base." He informed the quivering bounty hunter before him. Resting the spear on his shoulder Yan laughed, "He's in chains you know, he's not gonna bite." Yan laughed picturing the Ronin suddenly trying to bite their head offs while manacled.

Thomas didn't respond, instead glared at Yan as he laughed it up. "Ah, there you are. I believe everything is in order, so if you are ready, we'll be off" Bianca's voice cut off the spearman's amused laughter. He nodded in her direction to convey his understanding. As she continued stating she'd pay for his clothing he paused. Turning back he responded "No need really, you've already provided me with supplies and the like. I'll be taking some of the earnings from Moto anyways so." He glanced at his ill-begotten clothing. "I'll pay for it on my own." There was an odd sense of deja vu, like he'd had this conversation with her before. But in the moment he really couldn't pinpoint where the feeling was coming from.

Whether his response was ignored or not, the quartet headed out. Yan thinking the information would be useful was quick to find out it was not half as needed as he'd thought. In this town bustling with folk and full of marine pride, there were multiple signs pointing the way along the boardwalk to the Marine Base. Though the route they subscribed to was not one that headed into the shopping sector of town Yan didn't bother much with complaining. That in itself used up energy he preferred to keep for trying to staying warm.

The spearman wearily walked along with the other two, his long legs helping him keep pace with the other two who had more energy than himself. The lanky man yawned away more energy reminding himself he'd been asleep only moments ago. He wasn't quite awake yet, not for lack of trying by the wind and elements. The eyes of others upon them was slightly troubling but then Yan always seemed to attract some of that through his height alone. "A marine base huh, I was never stationed out here. Wonder if I'll know anybody." He spoke out loud though not to anyone in particular. "They'd probably like it here, seems a nice place." Yan continued to talk to himself. His eyes wandering about the boardwalk on the lookout for any of the white caps that signified marines.

He'd left on bad terms with certain marines, but for all his troubling over them he had a generally positive thinking of the organization. It'd be interesting to be on a base again, even if it was for just a short while.

[Jade]

The group walked mostly in silence through Caeserio, attracting odd looks from Marines and civilians alike as they made their way toward the Marine base. Yan spoke up, wondering aloud about the base, prompting a response from Bianca. "Oh, you had briefly mentioned that you were a Marine for a time when we first met on Sedna."

After about twenty minutes of walking, they stood in front of the open gates to the base. 5 Marines with rifles on their backs were standing guard by the entrance, and one of them - a rather rotund man with a small mustache - came up to them as they approached. "Hold up there! You lot aren't Marines. What's your business with, and why are you dragging that man around in chains?"

Bianca produced the neatly folded bounty poster from her pocket, smoothing it out as best as she could without a flat surface handy. "Good morning. I am Bianca Stark, and these two men are Yan and Thomas. The man in the chains is the pirate, 'Rampant Ronin' Moto Chitsu, whose bounty is 14,500,000 beri. We have come to turn him in for the bounty." She handed the bounty poster over to the Marine, who took it, glancing from the picture to the life-size version.

He gave a low whistle. "Pretty impressive, you three. The base is pretty busy at the moment, but I'll see who is available to take him off your hands. Wait right here, I'll be back in a jiffy!" The four other Marines who were standing guard seemed equally impressed, while the chubbier man with the mustache went inside the gate. As he promised, he was only gone for a minute or two, readjusting his cap as he came back into view. "Yeah, Lieutenant Jigsaw's free at the moment. He's on his way out here to meet with you."

"Thank you very much, sir." Bianca gave the man a smile. He handed the poster back over to her, and the bounty huntress neatly folded it back up and returned it to the large pocket on the inside of her jacket.

It was only about thirty seconds more before the Lieutenant arrived. He was a tall, lanky man, standing just under Yan's height at 6'7". He wore the attire of a Seaman Recruit, albeit with a peculiar pattern - every article of clothing he wore had a puzzle pattern over it, with a few of the "pieces" filled in black to give the feeling of a missing puzzle piece. Jigsaw greeted the group with a friendly smile and a wave as he approached. "Greetings and salutations! I am Lieutenant Jigsaw. I have been informed of the situation, and I would like to thank you, on behalf of the Marines and the World Government, for your contribution toward making the North Blue a safer place!" He placed his hands behind his back, making eye contact with Bianca, Yan, and Thomas in turn, and then gave them a short bow. A handful of other, lower-ranking Marines appeared from behind him, walking around the group to take Moto Chitsu from Thomas - who was more than happy to part with the pirate.

"We'll take him into our custody from here. Now, fortunately, this base is well enough off to pay you here and now, so if you will follow me, we can get the matter of payment taken care of right away."

[Flame]

The marine base was of no particularly interesting design. Walled off from the rest of the town it was as all marine bases he had seen were. This bustled with the usual enthusiasm and activity that many of the marines he had worked with often showed off. Well save for ... he glanced at the quintet of marines with the tedious job of keeping an eye on the gate. They reminded him so much of himself it was funny, it was as if he was staring into a mirror.

Yan laughed as a rather portly one finally noticed the strange group and bounced his way over to them. Yawning Yan watched as Bianca and the marine began to talk, his interest quickly disappearing as the hustle and bustle of life continued to surround them. With spear in hand he stepped into the marine base. Twisting it in his hand he could still imagine how he looked back when he wore the same colors as these men. They really have a template for these sort of bases huh, Yan thought to himself as he glanced about attracting weary eyes from nearby marines. The spearman waved his weapon in the air with a friendly smile and they watched him for a moment before waving bout and going about their own business.

As the portly man came back, someone else followed. A recruit? Yan's head tilted sideways as he watched the second one come up wearing what was the usual uniform for the normal soldiery of the marines. It wasn't until the man got closer and his insignia was noticable that Yan's eyes widened slightly. It was strange to see an officer in such gear, especially one as high ranking as a Lieutenant. On instinct he started to stand up straighter but caught himself before he took his hand to his forehead in salute. Not a marine anymore ... He amusingly reminded himself as he dropped back into a semi-slouch.

It was only on second glance that he noticed the man was quite tall, not quite as tall as Yan but at a close enough level. It was quite surprising, it was rare for him to find someone as large as himself. The lieutenant came to a stop glancing at Yan for a moment curiously, for Yan's part he didn't know the man so it was unlikely the man knew him.

As the Lieutenant began to talk Yan once again dazed off. He wasn't particularly interested in what the man was saying, he already had a feeling of what was going to be going on. Ahh he's the talkative kind, never did get along so well with those. To be fair, I didn't get along with any of my officers ... The tall former-marine scratched his head as the officer continued to talk his mouth off. After a few more moments of talking the officer finally signaled that he was going to lead them to an office to deliver their payment.

As he set off Yan decided he might as well ask him, he had the chance and it was rare for him to find someone in his size range. "Excuse me ..." he tapped the Lieutenant on the shoulder. He turned halfway into his step looking back at Yan. "Hmm? What do you want soldier?" Jigsaw asked with a gleam in his eye. "Well sir-" Yan paused, the words coming out of his mouth gave it away. "I was wondering if there were any shops that were aimed specifically to people of our height." The words came bitterly out of Yan's mouth, he'd been seen through in an instant it seemed.

"Well, there are a few, I'll point them out on a map while we're getting you guys the money. Sound good marine?" Jigsaw said peppily with a laugh and a smile. Yan nodded though slightly annoyed, "Former marine." The spearman corrected the officer through grinding teeth.

[Jade]

Bianca took note of the way Yan responded to these words - "soldier" and "Marine" set him on edge, and she wondered for a moment about what sort of situation had left to his leaving. She wouldn't pry unless he brought it up, and she somehow doubted he would.

Jigsaw, for his part, merely gave Yan a reassuring smile. "Ah, of course. My apologies; I have a knack for piecing together information, which has led to a few bad assumptions on my part." He turned himself back around and continued leading the trio towards the office.

The bounty huntress took the time to observe the Marine base, reflecting on the choices she had made. True, she could've made an attempt at joining this organization, but there were some things here and there that she would have had trouble with. She wasn't well-suited for menial tasks, for one thing, and she couldn't have applied to simply join on as an officer right away or anything like that... No, Bianca was happy enough with her current trajectory. This was the only path toward her goal.

She moved her head slightly to observe Thomas, who had stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked positively miserable - but at least he wasn't shaking in fear anymore. He was slightly bent over, glancing left and right at the Marines moving around the base around them. Bianca half-raised a brow at his behavior but said nothing, turning her attention back to Jigsaw.

It wasn't a particularly long walk to get to where they were going. Jigsaw held open the door into a cluttered and fairly claustrophobic, yet devoid of any other Marines, office space, connected to one of the larger buildings in the base. Once everyone was inside, the Lieutenant stepped behind the counter to the back area and walked over to behind one of the desks, picking up a baby Den Den Mushi. "Lieutenant Jigsaw. I'm down in the bounty office with the... Yes, that's right, these... Yes. Mmhmm. The ones who brought in Moto Chitsu. Yes. Ah, wonderful news. I'll let them know." With that short conversation over with, the lanky officer put the tiny snail down and began rummaging through one of the drawers of that same desk. Producing a folded-up brochure, he returned to the counter, folding it out to reveal a map of Caeserio. "Someone will be down shortly with your payment. In the meantime, allow me to go over a few locations for you-" he pointed at Yan with a pen, "just as I said." He gave Yan another big smile.

Bianca was more than content to simply sit back in a chair set in the corner of the room, closing her eyes as she awaited the pay for the bounty they had just brought in. Thomas stood near her, leaning against the wall, scanning the stacks of papers that cluttered the office as if Moto Chitsu would spring out from behind one of them and attack him.

[Flame]

Jigsaw's apology took Yan off guard, he looked away and scratched his head trying to ignore what had just happened. He couldn't, now he was the one who was starting to feel bad. "Ah ... no. It's okay. It's not a big deal at all." The former marine hurriedly stated, stumbling over words in response to the suddenly regretful officer before him. As they continued to walk he put in a few more words. "I was a marine in the end, so you weren't wrong per se."

Yan did his best to absolve the marine of his 'bad' assumption. It had been quite a good assumption in the end, he just wasn't a marine anymore. As Jigsaw let them into his office Yan looked about with a little interest. Maybe it was because it was Jigsaw's office but for once he didn't have to bend to go under the doorway and for that Yan was grateful, on the otherhand once he was inside Yan was itching. The mess of papers on the desk was bad enough, but books and the like piled about the room causing it to be easily the most claustrophobic room he'd ever been in.

What a mess ... I guess at least Captain Yuudai kept a clean office ... The lanky man thought with rueful trouble on his mind. Biting back the urge to just start cleaning up the space Yan planted himself in the corner of the room as far away from the Den Den Mushi's he had noted while walking in as possible. As a marine he'd dealt with this before, grasping the arm rests with a vice. His eyes with a vengeance averted themselves from looking forward instead glancing over a map of the North Blue filled with little marking and pins.

Yan studied it with a desperate expectation of being able to find something to keep his mind off of the talking snail being used not only a few feet from him. His eyes twisted about the map reading through the pins. There were a few stuck in the Pikt Archipelago, another one on Ice Nine, a few others seemed to be about on other lesser isles. Yan himself only knew the large islands with marine bases. I wonder what this is for ...

Chancing a glance over he noted that the lieutenant was no longer talking into that abomination of a monster. Instead he was shuffling about his desk pulling out a parchment. This was Yan's request the map with the positions of stores he might be able to find clothes closer to his own size. Releasing his grip on the arm rests on the chair the spearman slowly stood up. Leaving his spear as it leaned against the wall he stooped over the marine's desk glancing down at the brochure. Right so,
I usually shop here. He circled a shop not too far from the base itself. "They have a really unique selection of clothing. Fit's my tastes quite well." The lieutenant commented.

Yan blanched, the strangely puzzled clothing the man wore didn't seem quite so appealing to him. "Anywhere more ... anywhere else?" He asked correcting himself in an effort to be somewhat polite to the man. "Ahh hmm, well there's also, these two places. They cater to folks on the larger side of thing. They may have something for you, I'd guess anythings better than what you're currently wearing." Jigsaw said this with a smile. Yan laughed, he was definitely right, especially here in the North Blue being so poorly fitted in terms of clothes was working out to be a terrible burden upon the spearman.

At that point a pair of knocks rang against the door to the office. "You can enter." Jigsaw said in a simple but loud voice.

[Jade]

The man who entered was a stout, bearded fellow, wearing pair of sunglasses that seemed to not quite his own larger face. Notably, he lacked the traditional Marine attire, wearing a casual business suit and black leather gloves instead. He bumped into one of the desks behind the counter on his way over to Jigsaw, nearly knocking over an already precarious stack of folders; after that, he pushed his sunglasses up, revealing a pair of similarly small eyes, which darted over to the trio. "Ye're the lot who brought in that pirate?" He chuckled, and then hefted up a compact steel brief case, placing it on the counter. "Good on ye. Here's yer payment. I'm sure Jigsaw's got paperwork fer ye to sign before yer out - good luck with bureaucratic nonsense!" He turned back the way he had come, waving a hand at Jigsaw who had opened his mouth to voice a complaint.

"Well! Hm. He isn't wrong, I suppose. It won't take that long at all, of course; there's actually only one paper to sign." The Lieutenant flipped through another of the stacks of paper until he came across the right one, which he brought over to the counter as Bianca walked to the counter herself, preparing to sign it. "Yes, if you three could just sign on the dotted line - this is mostly for us, to record who brought Moto Chitsu in, and to confirm that you were all present for this and whatnot." He offered a pen to Bianca, who quite happily took it and put her signature on the page - compact and formal cursive, meant to be easily read without taking up too much space on the page.

Thomas was the next to sign, scratching in his own name in plain, perhaps too large letters, striking his "T" with a line that went to the end of his name. The wannabe bounty hunter passed the pen to Yan next - and once Yan had finished, Jigsaw took the piece of paper back, turning his back to place the paper on the top of another, different stack.

"Is there anything else we need to do?" Bianca had placed her hand on the steel case, tapping her fingers on the cool surface.

"Hm? Ah, yes, of course. I'm afraid that I have some duties to return to, otherwise I would be more than happy to escort you back to the entrance. I hope that you can forgive me for not doing so." Jigsaw looked up from his papers, shooting a sheepish smile at Bianca. "Once again, allow me to thank you on behalf of the Marines. I hope the three of you have an excellent and safe day!"

Bianca nodded in response, picking the steel briefcase up in her left hand. "I hope you day goes well too, Lieutenant. Thank you for your time." With that, Bianca made her way to the door - which she stopped at, staring at Thomas, who glared daggers at the smaller woman... But he moved to open the door anyway, and then Bianca led the way outside.

"He seemed nice," she remarked. "A bit messy, but nice enough. Now then, we have some funds again, so we'll need to stock up on supplies. I figure we can take a few days to rest and pick up supplies before we leave... Yan, shall we go get you those new clothes first?"

[Flame]

Picking up the brochure with the markings that Jigsaw had made Yan nodded to the lieutenant. Lazily he stepped away from the desk parchment gripped in hand. As Bianca headed forward to complete some last bits of paperwork to get everything in order Yan retrieved his spear as it lay resting upon the wall. Picking it up he strode past Thomas, sliding his way through the door to stand outside of the office itself.

With a quick flick of the paper he held it taut in front of him. Pulling it up to his face he reminded himself where the shops the man had pointed out were. Mapping them into his mind he furrowed his brows burying himself in momentary thought. Right then, where were the shops he had pointed out before ... no not that one, ahh these two. They seemed a little out of the way, but then Yan was used to such troubles. Getting clothes had always been a pain for him, it was terrible to have to have lost a set that he liked so much. Glancing up at the sound of the door creaking open he watched as Bianca stepped out of the room with Thomas walking behind with a particularly annoyed look on his face.

Bianca's view of him as nice was something Yan couldn't particularly disagree with. He was definitely a messy one as well. The spearman nodded in agreement with her assessments of the marine officer. As she continued to talk he listened with vague interest in what was going on. Ending on a question for him Yan responded in kind. "Sure, I've got the map so I'll lead the way." He said taking charge of the expedition. Yan stepped forth heading down the corridor they'd taken to get to the office. Though he'd paid little attention on the walk to the office, the layout was similar to other bases he'd been on so he found his way to the gate fairly easily with the other pair in tow. Waving a spear at the group of foolish marines standing about the gate once again he led the trio out of it.

Yan took another glance at the map, orienting himself once again. Turning down the lane he started walking. "Should be this way." He shivered, the momentary time inside the marine office had spoiled the lanky fellow. Back out in the cold he was reminded how little he was wearing. "It's really nice that they have shops here. It's really a pain to get clothes for myself sometimes. A lot of it tends to be tailor made." Yan sighed as he lamented his troubles in finding usable clothing for himself.

Leading them over two blocks he finally turned them down a street and into the heart of town. It was a fairly popular street it seemed, the streets were lined with shops and the like. Everywhere civilians could be see walking about doing their daily chores and shopping probably. Even without the man in chains the trio did seem to command some sort of attention. Yan was vaguely aware of eyes glancing towards them. Attributing it to his under-dressed look and his tall figure he let the thought go. "Looks to be a few blocks down this way, if there are any shops you want to stop at on the way that's fine with me. I can stand the cold for a bit longer. Builds character!" He said pumping a fist in the air. Yan laughed, it was an annoying saying that he'd heard somewhere though he didn't remember where.

Whatever it was that was slightly annoying built character. It was really against his policy, in that case to 'build character' so to speak.

[Jade]

As Yan led them through the town, following the map that Jigsaw had given him, Bianca glanced around. It seemed like they were in some sort of shopping district, and even for a town with such a focus on its military, there seemed to be plenty of places to go. Knick-knack stores, clothing stores, even a few cafes here and there... And with the people out and about, Caeserio was quite a change of pace from Sedna Town. The odd looks the trio got from the people once again didn't seem to get through to Bianca, of course.

Thomas, on the other hand, felt the weight of those looks, keeping his eyes on his feet and his hands in his coat pockets as he smoked. He kept his mouth shut, however, other than when he blew out smoke. Bianca was similarly oblivious to his reaction to the stares they got.

Yan's sudden declaration about 'building character' was both strange and quite unlike the Yan she had known up until now, so Bianca was quite surprised when it happened. "Oh, yes. I suppose. But no, that's quite alright. We don't have anything so pressing that we can't prioritize getting you a jacket, at the very least." She gave the beanpole of a man a smile and gestured for him to continue leading the way.

The clothing store they stopped at was located in a surprisingly small building nestled between two much larger shops, with a hanging sign over the door that read "TALSON & SONS TAILORING" in big, black block letters. "This is the place?" The question was rather redundant, all things considered, since this was the spot circled on the map and there wasn't another clothing shop anywhere nearby. "Well, if you'd like us to stay outside while you handle your clothing situation, Thomas and I can talk about the sorts of supplies we'll need to pick up while we're in town."

Bianca turned her head, ignoring the drawn out groan emanating from Thomas's general direction - ah, perfect! There was a little corner cafe across the street. "Yes, we'll be sitting over there, if you need us. Thomas, you have that little notebook, right? We can make a shopping list." With that, the two bounty hunters took their leave, giving Yan space to do his clothes shopping.

[Flame]

"Ahh yeah, this looks to be one of the places." The lanky man murmured out as he stared into the map. His eyes were particularly on a circled building that was in the approximate position that they were in now. It seemed the likely option, Yan frowned slightly glancing at the small shop. A tailor shop huh? They were unlikely to have his preferred style of clothing. Tailors tended to make more formalish wear than Yan wanted, he was more one for the casual clothing that he could get dirty in his work.

As he glanced back he noted that Bianca and Thomas were already walking away towards a bench or something. The spearman sighed, stepping towards the tailor's shop he pushed open the door, sending a small bell ringing away. A youthful man at the desk at the opposite side of the shop looked up. "Ah sir, welcome to Talson and Son Tailorin', I'm the son, you can call me Bob. Full name's Bobber-" His voice was suddenly stopped as a hand cracked down on his head. "Welcome customer, if there's anything you need feel free to ask." A more proper looking elder man stepped out form behind the door at the back of the shop having withdrawn his chopping hand.

The son being formally chastised by the hand hung his head sheepishly. Yan left his spear in what was probably an umbrella rack or the like and briefly looked about the shop. One wall was covered in fabrics of many colors, most of them of the darker tone, which was favorable to Yan. The other seemed mostly full of what looked to be formal-ish wear. He stepped closer, seeing that it was mostly true he asked curiously, "Do you have anything more ... casual? I'm a shipwright, this sorta clothing will just get dirtied." The old man walked over, his hand drifting through the clothing.

"Worker's clothes huh, well maybe, this ... or this. Oh son, would you grab some of the old stuff from the back. The larger ones ..." The old man pulled out a pair of regular shirts of a dark blue hue that sort of matched his pants. The son scrambled through the back door and the rustling of boxes and the like in the back of the shop could be heard. "Why don't you try these on ..." Yan glanced at the pair of button up shirts with dubious eyes. "Sure ..." he responded, grasping one of the shirts in hand.

Bleakly he pulled it up so that it hung in front of his body. It was at the least the right size, but it looked a little confining for him. Yan wanted some range of motion with the clothing. "Do you have anything less, restrictive?" Yan glanced up as the son came out of the back with a pile of clothes in hand. Senior looked at him a little troubled, but Yan walked over and began to pass over the shirts and jackets looking for something that might be more his style. "Ooh this!" He pulled out a baggy looking jacket of a dark navy blue that he liked.

"Something like this would be good, maybe a little thinner material than this but otherwise." Yan smiled as he looked it up and down. "Ah thats ... a prototype" The son said shifting his eyes away. "That shouldn't be out here, it derides the value of this shop." The father said sternly. Yan glanced up away from the father staring daggers into the son. Got myself into something troublesome again didn't it.

"Tell you what, I'll take those two shirts, and that. For a small upmark on price and we'll just say I came in wearing that. Sound good?" Yan proposed juggling out some numbers in his head. He had plenty of beri now so getting a little overcharged didn't bother him too much. It took a few moments for them to decide but eventually it was a yes. So for what was probably way too much beri, Yan came away with three shirts. One, the jacket, was already worn upon him. It would do until he could get some clothing that properly matched his wishes.

Strolling over to Thomas and Bianca with spear in hand and a pair of shirts in a bag Yan had a somewhat happy face on. "Well I guess I got what I came for ..."

[Jade]

"- oh, and we'll need to make sure to pick up some more tea while we're here. I wonder if there are any popular local blends..." Bianca said, taking the last bite of what appeared to be a small chocolate cupcake from the cafe behind them, directing her comment at Thomas. He was jotting things down on his small notebook, mumbling some unsavory words directed at the oblivious woman sitting at the table across from him as he wrote. "I believe that's everything we need. We'll be in town for a few days anyway, so there'll be plenty of time to pick up anything we missed."

As she finished up, Yan came out from the shop across the street, wearing a new jacket. The white-haired young woman gave him a short wave as he walked over, taking note of the noticeably not full bag he was carrying. "Hm. I think I am beginning to understand why you didn't have any changes of clothes when we first met on Sedna.

Thomas shot a weird look at Bianca, raising one eyebrow and staring at her as if he couldn't believe what she had just said. "... Wait. Bianca. Did you think that he lost his clothes to the pirates?"

She answered with a shrug. "I thought it was a possibility. Ah, but Yan, that jacket looks quite nice on you. Much warmer than the rags you were wearing before, that's for sure." Bianca gave him an approving nod as she stood up from the table, pushing her chair back in as she did. "Well, let's not dilly-dally any longer. Let's go find a market and see about stocking up on meats. After all," she raised her hand, creating a small beam of green light that fired up into the heavens, "we have no need to worry about running out of fresh fruits or vegetables. Yan, may I have that map for the time being?"

The trio was on their way shortly, walking the streets - Bianca occasionally dictating more items for the shopping list, which Thomas wrote down in his pocket notebook. It was a chilly day, with their breath visible as they exhaled. People continued to give them strange looks; the dainty lady flanked by a beanpole with a spear and the young man with his sword at his hip were certainly attracting a fair amount of attention, even without dragging a prisoner behind them. The fact that they simply appeared to be window shopping didn't seem to help them blend in any better, and perhaps it even added something to the oddity of it all. But as strange as their little group was, the one approaching them was even weirder.

Neither of them paying attention enough to avoid the collision, Bianca and a girl with vibrant, multi-colored hair bumped into one another. "Oh, my apologies, excuse me," the bounty huntress said, the response almost automatic.

"Oh, no, that's my... Bad..." The girl slid backward, and Bianca noticed that her shoes, quite strangely, had wheels on the bottom. Her eyes went back up to the girl's face, where she caught the tail-end of a quite strange expression on the girl's otherwise cute face. "So sorry about that! Ahaha, yeah, it's, uh. Mm! That was totally my bad, I should've been watching where I was going."

Bianca looked beyond the woman, taking note of the group she was with. A handful of weirdos to be sure; about 7 people besides the young woman, with one standing out more than the others. And in quite a literal way, too - he stood easily over twice Yan's height and looked almost more like a living wall than a man. All but the giant of a man and the woman she had bumped into were armed, too; the other woman seemed to be completely unarmed, while the giant was holding onto a chain, holding a positively massive steel safe against his back. She returned her gaze to the young woman, raising an eyebrow. "... Have we met before? I feel like I've seen you somewhere recently."

"Ah! Haha, no, of course not! I." She stopped, coughing a little. "I mean, I get that a lot. People say I have a 'familiar face', whatever that means. Yeah, trust me, I'd totally remember if I saw any of you guys before! And I haven't! Yep. Well, uh, you aren't injured or anything, so me and my fellow... Meeeeerchants? Yeah, merchants. We'll just be off now..."