The Investigation Part 1 [Pluto/Tsubaki]

[BlacKitten]

The seas of Grand Line, Paradise:

A seagull soared across the cerulean sky, wearing a white hat and a brown bag that hangs off of its neck. The yellow-beaked, white-feathered bird dropped a roll of paper from the air as the newspaper thumped onto the deck of a ship. To the bird, it didn’t matter who the ship belonged to; the News Coo brought news to all factions across the world. They were the source of information to the world, bringing about global news.

A young woman with long silky black hair and golden-colored eyes strode by before bending down to pick up the roll of inked pages. On the second to last page, a handwritten message had been inked in small-fonts onto the bottom margin –read as ‘diadgrnprdji qsuuoqq’.

It was an encryption.

She knew exactly who this cryptic message was meant for, and she knew exactly who wrote this message.

Communicating through a Den Den Mushi risked the possibility of being intercepted or eavesdropped on. Deceptively using these common messenger birds by tinkering with one of the newspapers that they carry made it a secure means for a one-way communication. This method required knowledge of an agreed location for the receiver and pattern recognition of how the birds travel across the worlds. Pick the wrong bird, and the gibberish message may fall under someone else’s hand. However, the inventor of this method happened to be a zoan-user, one who would fly across the same sky as these birds, and as such, only someone like him could pull this off.

She could only imagine that he tampered with the newspaper while the seagull was still in midflight. He may have swapped the newspaper somehow; he may have hitched a ride inside the bird’s bag. The exact details were still unknown to her.

Grand Line, Athens Island:

North of the Chryse City was where one would find a standard marine base. Along the shores, the First Class Seaman Recruit stood in the crow’s nest with his arms crossed while glaring out into the horizons in the beyond. He had been a member of this military force for about a week now, and during all that time, he had been through an unexpectedly tedious learning process. Against all odds, he was randomly selected against his will to partake in a promotion exam that was meant to test another officer; he ended up being a guinea pig as a result. If nothing else, it led to his quick yet unspectacular promotion to this current rank. According to PO Taighana – his private tutor, all this meant was less gruesome chores. For the next several days, he had been properly taught about operating a marine ship from handling the sails, loading and firing cannons, being on lookout duty on the crow’s nest, learning where supplies and ammunitions are typically located, and his least favorite: how to salute to a superior.

Any offering of undeserving respect from him would be sardonically executed, yet despite his reluctance to conform to the social norms, he excelled in almost every area. Soldiers around his rank would usually resent him. He didn’t appear as someone who worked hard, rather someone who was just talented. Every task he did was done so casually, almost as if to mock those around him who spent months of learning the same things. To make it all worse, he was seen as lazy and someone who rarely puts in his best effort. Yet, just a small portion of his effort was enough to surpass the other recruits.

Some were jealous of him. Some simply felt insecure around him. Some looked down on him. He was a loner who didn’t belong to any established social group since his time here. Despite that, he would appear rather content with being independent.

The name of this rookie recruit was Pluto.

[odango]

A deep breath was drawn from someone a lot closer to sea-level but almost directly below the raven haired recruit.

”Here, Pluto, Pluto, Pluto!!! Come down, boy! Guess who’s your Training Officer?!” The call came from a young woman of nineteen years old. Her hazel eyes were locked on the crow’s nest in anticipation. It was not too comfortable to look up while just throwing her head back, so the busty woman leaned her upper body back as well and placed both of her hands on her hips to acquire a more balanced position. That way she could straighten her neck more and still keep her eyes on the target.

The woman standing at almost five feet and eight inches had waist long brown hair and a fair complexion. Her hourglass figure was mostly hidden underneath an oversized marine uniform shirt and a coat draped over her shoulders with the word ‘justice’ on its back. Ever since she had got the cloak – right after the test where Pluto did most of the work and Tsubaki just saved his life at the end – she had mixed feelings about it. The Jr. Grade Lieutenant felt that the cloak was a bit too pompous. Was she to be the embodiment of justice? That was a lot of pressure all at once. While without a history of capturing seasoned criminals, she figured that the word not always meant the same thing. The marines often made tough calls and there was no way that all those decisions were the most just… did they dictate what was justice? Could a group of people actually have enough power to monopolize justice? Maybe the word was meant as a sick joke by someone who knew what awaited them in higher ranks? Then again… perhaps it was the result of a utopic ideology.

*Is he offended that I just called out to him as if he were a pet?* Her brows knotted and thoughtfully the young noble pursed her lips. Was it impossible to mess with Pluto? She did want to do it more often. The guy was like this little box of secrets. Most of the times he looked like some creepy porcelain doll that just walked around in brooding silence and often complained about everything. He was the opposite of an ambitious go-getter that was Tsubaki. The girl had never had anything come easy, even if she was considered quite talented. The young woman did not wish to leave preparation up to talent. Of course, there was no such thing as ‘being ready for everything’ but she’d much rather speculate and play through most of the possible scenarios when encountering a problem. A strong drive, a goal and a very active imagination helped her do just that.

”Plutooooo, get down here! I know you can hear meee! I’ll give you a treat later! Heeeere, Pluto, Pluto, Plutoo~!” The young brunette knew very well that she was being annoying. That was the best part. If she would manage to annoy him a little, it would amuse her greatly. Thus far it seemed that the only emotion Pluto had been capable of showing was being annoyed. If that was what it took to get him out of the monotone resting poker face, she would work towards it.

Jr. Grade Lieutenant Taighana couldn’’t help but giggle at her own words. It was just funny. No other reason behind it. Then again, she did imagine a dog with the same characteristics as Pluto. A pup with a resting unimpressed expression and almost zero drive. It was adorable and kind of amusing.

*We should get going soon, thou. A lot to do today.*

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}Tsubaki Taighana - 3a2cdb

[BlacKitten]

Appearing immovable and motionless as a heavy statue, he watched the flow of ocean water flowing. What he saw was a giant field of cerulean danger to someone like him, yet he could conquered over it by taking reign in the skies above and fly right past it all. Ships and wooden vessels in the seas were nothing more than stepping stones. The freedom to take flight in an infinite amount of space meant untethering himself from the world below. But now, he was like a bird trapped in a cage that’s known as authority, duty, and conforming. Just as his beloved one was now trapped someone out there in this world, he, too, had taken away his own freedom out of his own free will. Maybe it was self-punishment for his failure to protect the one and only person who loved him.

He lacked strong opinions on the notion of justice, tending to stray away from extreme beliefs after encountering several warped minded individuals during his travels. There were only two ways to survive in a harsh world like this one as far as he could tell: you either are the strong, or you are the parasite that lives off of the strong. If you’re neither the strong nor the parasite, a bigger fish would come along one day to consume you.

His focused glare into the world soon melted away upon hearing his name being called out like a puppy. The voice that dared speak his name happened to be one he was familiar with. It was that same cheery yet bossy tone. His crossed arms uncoiled and hung by his side. The longer he hears this woman speak, he more his face and body drooped like a wilting plant.

She sure knows how to undermine my worth as a human being.

Leering over the edge, he casted a sharp, scrutinizing glare down below, calmly scanning the appearance of the recently promoted officer known as Tsubaki Taighana - a young brunette who’s about the same age and height as himself.

“Training officer?” He muttered out loud. It seemed the same person who was his so-called ‘private tutor’ had now been assigned to train him.

Grabbing onto the edge of the wooden bowl, the recruit threw himself over as he descended a few meters before pressing his feet on top of the yard of the ship. Tilting his weight back, he purposely tipped over and fell several meters before landing onto the Jacob’s ladder -crisscrossing ropes ladder that slanted along the mast. From there, he jumped down the remaining five meters of distance, landing firmly on the soles of his brown boots against the firm wooden planks that made up the floor. He had clearly shown how much he has adapted to the environment of a marine ship.

From a half-squatting posture to an upright standing posture, he found himself at a reasonable talking distance from the higher-ranked soldier. “I hope it isn’t more obstacle courses,” he said scornfully.

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}
Pluto- 4d0077

[odango]

The way he looked down at her made the young noble feel pressure building up in her gut. She had tried to hold a straight face but it was to no use. The corners of her lips began shaking and her cheeks puffed with air. For a few seconds she tried to hold the laughter inside of her mouth but finally succumbed to it and let out a hearty laugh. She kept laughing for a bit and felt her abdominal muscles contract enough to make her hunch over a little bit.

She looked up again when Pluto was mid-fall and it took her by surprise. Suddenly her look changed to a neutral one and she carefully followed his descent. When he landed, her lips had drawn into a comical ‘o’ shape and she lifted her hands to tap them together three times in a light manner. *That was kind of cool…* Tsubaki felt that her applause was not wasted this time and just gave a warm smile as he straightened himself.

At first, the girl didn’t answer his question but thoughtfully tilted her head and just took a moment to look Pluto straight in the eye. After a moment more she pursed her lips and later proceeded with a nod.

After a moment of just studying the lad, she spoke: ”You know, I think you’d be a great person to spend time with if you weren’t creepy at times. At other moments you are truly amazing…” The way she said it held no ill meaning behind it. Sometimes, the girl had a way of speaking out loud when she probably should have kept it to herself. When it happened, it just meant that she was feeling comfortable with the people around her.

”Of course, I mean it as a compliment.” she added, getting a bit flustered and suddenly feeling like she needed to explain herself. What if Pluto was actually a sensitive soul? There was a chance he would take it too hard.

”Anyway,” she spoke up in a more stern tone, indicating that she’d move on from the previous, ”today we will go investigate a minor robbery here on the island. At the farm district, someone has been stealing small amounts from their storage facilities and we are assigned to go investigate. It should be nothing major. I will just be guiding you along and showing you what it is you should do as a marine. There are a few obligatory formalities.” Tsubaki explained all of this calmly before pushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear. A breeze was nothing uncommon and so her hair had started to slip in front of her face.

”Then again, we never know, right? It might turn into something truly mysterious. Oh, it could make for an epic story later!” the hazel eyed brunette chimed and took her hands into each other in excitement and pushed them close to her chest. A childish smile played across her features and she spun on her heels.

”Ok, let’s go.” And with that – she started pacing away, assuming that Pluto would follow along.

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}Tsubaki Taighana - 3a2cdb

[BlacKitten]

His hands slipped into his side pockets, gazing with a vibe of calm seriousness. He was quick to ignore his superior’s compliment, caring solely on the matter at hand which she soon explained afterwards. Before Tsubaki’s words could be registered and comprehended, he was already relieved by lack of mentioning of the term ‘obstacle course’. No matter how mundane or trivial this investigation may be, this more ‘real work’ experience would definitely be more meaningful than racing down a silly playground.

“Very well,” the raven-haired recruit closed his eyes shut, obliging to the plan. A minor robbery at the farm district truly sounded insignificant, a crime so petty that likely wasn’t even worth a bounty. Surely, there ought to be more notorious criminals out there for the military force to worry about, but perhaps there were no urgent matters to concern these representatives of justice.

He tilted his head in slight discomfort by Tsubaki’s imagination of the possibility for this assignment to turn into anything spectacular. “Unlikely, but that would make it less boring,” he commented. The tasks that low level grunt had to deal with were terribly draining on his mind. There was a lack of stimuli around the marine base; every step of the way was robotic and repetitive. He had no interest in interacting with other soldiers; this brunette was merely someone he could tolerate. Despite her wild imaginations that form tangents from reality, she was honest and expressive of her intentions.

After waiting for her to take the lead, he followed along beside her, descending from the ship before striding along the port. They next destination was the farm district.

Having arrived to Athens Island a week ago, he was unfamiliar with the land beyond the territory of the marine base –at least on ground level. From the mouths of others, he knew that the main city here was referred to as Chryse, a place rich with the aroma of spices and agricultural crops. The market district was located on the east side of the city. A plaza was situated at the north side of the city. Ordinary-looking civilians dwelled in those areas towards the west side. Finally, there was enough land space here to have their own farms located mainly outside the town walls which was where he presumed they would be heading towards.

[odango]

She lightly puffed her cheeks at how easily Pluto dismissed her idea. Of course, he was right. The chance of this day turning out to be a truly amazing adventure was small. However, it didn’t hurt to dream a little – did it? The young woman definitely thought that it wasn’t.

Quickly, a new and slightly devious thought came to her mind. A mischievous smirk grew upon her face right before the hazel eyed navy officer spoke: ”Well, if you’re really bored, I can add some more training to the trip. How about…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced up to decide between some of the ideas. ”How about you carry me there? I don’t really feel like walking all the way and I could catch up on some reading on the way.” Tsubaki nodded to herself and lightly tapped one of the breast pockets of her coat which held a bruised book in the genre of heart-breaking romance novel.

Curiously, the girl glanced back at Pluto. ”Still bored?” she asked innocently. The young woman had no actual intention to go through with what she had just said. There was just a need to see if it was possible to get a response from Pluto that was not a blank expression or a snide comment.

- - -

Further away, at the farm district, the property in question was not the biggest of them. It was spacious and humble. They had but a couple of storage facilities. The building they lived in was on the North side of the fields of crops they owned. A couple of warehouses were located to the east and one could easily spot a row of greenhouses right behind them. The farms next to this one were all a lot bigger in territory and their facilities looked to be more grandiose. It was exactly that fact why the wooden house, which was the destination of Tsubaki and Pluto, appeared more charming. They’d first have to walk up a couple steps to a porch which was lined with pots of small plants of spices. The main objects on the porch, however, were a couple of rocking chairs.

There was not much commotion at the front of the house. If anything, there was movement from only one or two beings – a quite chubby cat was currently enjoying the shade of the porch and lazily swatting at a fly which was circling in the air just a few inches above him. The animal was laid out on one of the chairs and kept his eyes on the black bug above. Each of his swipes were slow - there was no real will of succeeding. Each movement resulted in the chair rocking a little and one would begin to suspect that this feline was using the fly as an excuse to lull himself to sleep in the chair…

The farm was owned by an older couple with no children – Mortimer and Dorothy Spades. They were both in their late sixties and were working hard on the farm daily. These two were also the ones who reported the robberies. The man was of a height of little below six feet, a long face and very kind eyes. His hair was turning grey but still held streaks of a previous ashy colour. The owner of the farm was quite tan, having worked on the fields for most of the time. His wife was a foot shorter than him and with short, curly hair. She was a bit less tan and had round glasses propped onto her button of a nose. The woman was round and her cheeks wore a pink shade all the time. At the first sight of the couple, everyone saw people who looked happy – just that, generally happy and aging beautifully.

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}I switched colors...
Tsubaki - 141075

Also, you can have them arrive at the farm. Have fun with going through the city or just start by them arriving. Well, you know what to do XD

[BlacKitten]

Throughout the entire walk, the raven-haired soldier offered little to none of his attention towards Officer Taighana. His hands were sheltered within his side pockets, and his eyes were closed shut for the most part. The sound of footsteps and vague presences of lifeforms in the vicinity were more than enough for him to map out an mental representation of his surroundings. Having spent three months of living and training without eyesight, this had become a habit. Afraid to lose this newfound skill from the dull marine lifestyle, he consistently honed his awareness at all times regardless of what he was doing. He knew that this sixth sense can be heightened even further; his mentor had a far higher level of mastery. The best part about this meditative training was that it didn’t rely on any physical exertion.

The higher ranked soldier at his flank had been tasked to train him for the past week – leading to very little growth on his part. That was the consequence of holding back; blending in with the environment meant stooping himself down to their level. However, he still had faith in uniqueness and personal styles among others; he still carried some curiosity of what Tsubaki Taighana was like as a fighter in actual combat. He wasn’t interest in sparing or mock battles; he wanted to witness the real thing. Without ever seeing her being pushed towards her limit, he technically couldn’t say for certain as to how strong she is. He could infer that her style likely revolved around the katana that she wields by her side and that she held a great amount of confidence and pride in her swordsmanship. Her body frame and exterior appearance didn’t appear like someone who was strong, but then again, he fell under the same category as well.

One downside with working under her was the attention. Females were uncommon in the military force, so the brunette would stick out like a sore thumb among the crowd of generic-looking, uniformed men. There was no denying that he already left an impression of several semi-prominent individuals, so keeping a low profile wasn’t going as well as he had hoped. In fact, he might have given up on that plan long ago without realizing it. He hypothesized that being himself could sometimes be the best way to go about it. Of course, he added in a few adjustments to his persona such as his portrayal of laziness and unwillingness to put in his best effort. Such traits can then later become the scapegoat to him suppressing his strength.

A natural scent in the air indicated a more concentrated population of plants. The smell of earthy soil intertwined in the atmosphere.

The pair of marines arrived at their destination in front of a wooden house. With a momentary open of his eyes, his pupils of violet shade took several mental snapshots as they swept across the scope of his vision. The small house seemed to have sheltered at most a few number of people. It had a prominent triangular roof with edges extruding outwards. The walls were lined with series of horizontal boards with an alternating pattern of light and dark shade. The boards were lined vertically along the triangular space beneath the roof. All of the windows were identical in design – square framed and duel hinged with no source of artificial lighting inside due to it being daytime. In the grassy area of the yard, greyish white picket fences bordered around the crops. There was a heap of wood, pots of plants against the wall, a rocking chair, and a chubby orange-furred cat.

He closed his eyes, concluding that there was nothing spectacular around the setting. The report that a robbery took place here brought very little stimulus to him, a puzzle that was barely worth solving. He intended to remain silent, expecting Tsubaki to engage with the socializing aspect of their task.

[odango]

Two fluffy ears perked up and the previously relaxed feline lifted its head. Tension could be seen in the ginger cat as its wide eyes stared straight at Tsubaki, who had just climbed the two steps of the porch. While still lying on the chair and swaying lightly, the feline remained stiff and appeared to be vetting the two newcomers. In a few moments, the chubby kitten relaxed his eyes, dropped his head back and continued to lift a paw to swat at a fly which was not even close enough. These new people didn’t interest it in the slightest…

”Well, this is the place. No matter what the circumstances might be, it is the best to firstly establish contact with the owners. At times it could be simpler to just take a look around first but almost no one sees lurking around as a good thing.” The words she said were just for Pluto. It was nothing more than basic information. The brunette’s reasons for speaking up were nothing more than obligation – however, she did want to point out that being social came first.

”That means – you have to talk to people first when you investigate such cases.” Tsubaki would cast her gaze back at Pluto right as she got to the front door of the house. The young man had not proven to be the most social of beings before. In all aspects, he was perfectly fine but not once had she witnessed him initiate a friendly conversation. Then again, maybe she just had not been present. Suddenly, the young woman felt guilty about assuming that Pluto couldn’t be friendly and social. A part of her felt like she had let everyone down with her thoughts.

After a brief moment of self-shaming, the officer cleared her throat, straightened her posture and knocked on the door in front of her with the back of her hand. A couple seconds of silence followed and one would once again sink into the surrounding sounds of wind rustling through crops and chirps of birds. There was a warm scent of spices in the air which surely came from the small plants potted next to the two marines.

”Coming! I’m coming already! Come on, knee, don’t fail me now!”

The voice came from the other side of the door and some commotion could be heard. It sounded like someone was shuffling something heavy and soon the door opened. Behind it was a mountain of boxes over which a person had climbed – not just any person, it was an older woman. More precisely, it was the madam of the house – Dorothy Spades. The agile old woman hopped down from the remaining story of smaller crates and now stood in front of Tsubaki and Pluto. The plump lady was dressed in a lilac shirt dress with an eggshell apron over it and a pair of sandals on her feet. Her eyes lighted up with joy upon seeing the young people. ”Oh my, what a delightful pair of kids! They sure make them young these days. Aren’t you just the cutest things?” the shorter woman gave a jolly laugh at her words. Her tone was warm. While a little embarrassed, Tsubaki couldn’t help but start to like the lady.

A fair-skinned hand rose to her forehead and the Jr. Grade Lieutenant gave a light salute with just a couple of fingers – purely a gesture. ”Good day, ma’am. I am Junior Grade Lieutenant Tsubaki Taighana” the hazel eyed officer started before gesturing politely to her partner, ”and this is my associate – First Class Recruit Pluto.” She once again turned straight to Mrs. Spades. ”We are here to investigate the robbery claim.” Tsubaki explained calmly before offering a smile in return.

The older woman leaned forward a bit to take a better look at the officer in front of her and then lowered her thick glasses to look both of them over. It appeared that this soul was a curious one. The lady retreated and spoke up again. ”Thank you for coming so quickly, kids! We wouldn’t have reported it but it just kept happening, you see. Now we keep the technical supplies in the house so they’d be safe. Forgive the barricade.” Dorothy chuckled and gestured over her shoulder with her extended thumb to point at the mountain of boxes.

”Oh, my, where are my manners?! This is no place to chat. Do forgive me. Come in, come in!” Without a second thought the older woman spun around and began climbing over the three and a half feet high pile of small crates. There was no doubt that the two navy soldiers were supposed to follow. ”Come on, come on, kids! I just baked some cookies. Would you like a cup of tea?”

While a bit hesitant, the young officer nodded to herself and followed the older woman over the crates. Tsubaki would not pass up a cup of tea. After all, maybe this lady had tea that the hazel eyed brunette had not tried. Such a possibility was enough to get her in the building, besides the fact they were on the clock. ”Oh, yes, please!” Tsubaki chimed in before waving to Pluto to follow her.

[BlacKitten]

Once again, the First Class Recruit Pluto gave no response to his ‘training officer’ or any hints at all that he was even listening to her. The brunette’s words were spoken out of a sense of duty which blurs the source of her intent. He also did not appreciate someone stating the obvious to him as if he was a naive child.

As the higher ranking officer stepped up towards the front door, she paused to gaze in his direction as if a thought paralyzed her for a moment before snapping out of it to knocking on the door. Her accomplice remained standing further back without having budge an inch from his previous spot, a gesture that’s appropriate to their befitting ranks; it seemed customary for the highest ranking officer to do the leader-like act of initiating to the other party as the subordinates would stand silently behind them as obedient pawns. By this logic, Tsubaki’s earlier comment wouldn’t seem to ever apply to him. Someone of his lowly rank would unlikely be allowed to operate on his own, and if he always had a superior watching over every task he does, then any leader-like tasks would always be left to that person.

Without opening his eyes, he could sense the presence of a slow, crippled-like figure approaching behind the front door followed by an elderly female vocal response. There was a distinct sound of shuffling of cumbersome objects which stalled the arrival of the old woman who soon confronted the two marines face to face. The lady of this house was the first to speak, and her joyous tone of voice in regards to their youths and cuteness had made the raven-haired soldier glad to have kept his eyes closed. Most people tended to be an eyesore to him. He never once encountered any grandmotherly figure in his life, but the way this old lady spoke fit the stereotypes well.

The female marine responded with a normal, polite greeting before moving on the introduction phase that human interactions seem to lead towards.

From what he gathered from Dorothy Spades’ response, these robberies had been a reoccurring issue for them, becoming enough of a problem for her to inform the marines. The mountain of boxes barricading the entrance wasn’t meant to hinder an intruder’s movements but to keep the important supplies safe. In which case, that would suggest these robberies have been happening outside of this house. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have thought that moving things inside would make them safer. Stealing from these folks also seemed like an easy task for anyone to do. A mischievous child could likely steal right under their noses.

Even so, what were they meant to do here? They can investigate all they want, but that wouldn’t solve anything unless the culprit is apprehended. Were they supposed to do a stakeout and wait for the next time the thief decides to show up? None of this sounded like the duties of military soldiers but rather duties of detectives.

The moment their host invited them into the house and offered tea, he knew fora fact that Officer Taighana would be enticed. At this point, he could already think of a few things that worked well to bait her, and tea would be one of those things. As the two ladies scaled over the boxes, the rookie recruit had no choice but to follow along. With a strong leap and a soft landing, he made quick work over this obstacle.

“Just to speeds things along...,” he slowly opened his eyes, directing his words to the elderly one. “Could you start telling us the specifics of when these robberies took place and what has been stolen so far?”