Nerds of a Feather

[SnowDog]

Oboro didn't know what to think initially when he told that drifter a few islands over that he had plans of visiting Conomi Island. When he heard there was some sort of bias against Fishmen, the man figured that would've been enough to steer Oboro away from visiting at all. Unfortunately, such words would not steer him away! Word among the grapevine was that a few key items on the hammerhead's wishlist that he could acquire there, and he wasn't going to let such biases hold him back. He gathered a long, orange and purple squiggling lined robe that reached his knees to cover most of his upper torso. He found a green and yellow zigzagged patterned scarf that stood out as being long out of season that he wrapped around his neck to help hide his facial features. He wrapped his hands in loose bandages to hide the webbing of his hands alongside pink bunny slippers to hide the webs on his feet.

Upon arriving at the island, Oboro did what he could to not draw any unnecessary attention to himself, a herculean task given his current ensemble. He asked the citizens of the village the direction to the shop he had ventured here for and was reluctantly pointed towards the market he sought. After a couple of uncomfortable moments of haggling and trading with the suspicious vendors, he finally received the hot ticket items from his wishlist! A part of him felt like he ought to leave the island now, but the excitement of his latest purchases had him itching to find a spot to sit down and enjoy himself for a bit.


Finding a nice bench to sit upon, Oboro, still adorned in his ridiculous outfit, sat down looking out overlooking the sea. He placed his bag of assorted knick-knacks beside his slipper-covered feet as he reached into said bag and procuded a small bag of snacks and Issue #57 of the world-famous comic series, Sora, Warrior of the Sea. He gently flipped over the cover and began to get lost in the pages, his eyes darting back and forth as he scanned the pages of the legendary marine hero as he battled villainy across the sea. The art was striking, captivating even. A part of him felt closed off from the rest of the world as he read on.

"This was so worth the effort!"

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // NERDS OF A FEATHER

Ever since she approached the door and entered the shop, Terry the shopkeeper was certain, absolutely certain that he had been blessed with the presence of an angel.
Her gracious movements as she carefully picked through the newspapers, her minimal motion when she bent lightly to read the title of the books on the lowest shelf, and her wonderful voice...

"What do you MEAN you don't have issue #57?!"

Terry had to come up with his most apologetic body language. When she asked him, pure bliss, for that specific issue, he had to snap out of it immediately; he couldn't provide any more of those. "I'm... I'm sorry, miss!" He declared, heartbroken, "I just sold the last copy!"
"Gaaaaah! I get one day off and this is what happens! Just my luck" she whined, definitively breaking the angelic image she had unknowingly created for herself. It was a very important matter: none other than her favourite, absolute number one, bestest comic Sora, the Warrior of the Sea! And #57 was the one issue she absolutely needed to read that very moment. Being moved from place to place because of her work didn't allow for much personal storage other than what was necessary. Much to her sadness, she didn't have an entire ship worth of comics for herself.

The proverbial smoke coming out of her ears, she exited the shop somewhat stomping the ground to the confusion of the others present; her wings, partially hidden by the flowy white cape she was wearing and her wispy white dress, followed her body leaving a fragment of white down every once in a while.

-- NAME // Vixi Reuel II

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[SnowDog]

The Hammerhead-fishman couldn't contain himself from cracking a wide toothy smile from behind his scarf as he continued to read the latest issue. As his eyes continued to dart across the various panels, his mind began to wander aimlessly with the fantasy of possibly one day becoming a great hero like Sora was! Well, like Sora minus the whole, being a Marine angle. Last he remembered, Fishmen weren't exactly the most welcome of people to join the marines so that already put a big cut right through his dream right there...

An angry "click-clack" sound soon broke Oboro's concentration as he shifted his attention off from the pages for a moment to see a female figure storm out from the same store he had just exited from just only minutes ago, her body language looking very upset and frustrated. Oboro could only wonder what could've made a woman like her so upset to come barging from the store like that. Maybe is was something rude the shopkeeper had said to her? From what little he had experienced with the man earlier, Oboro felt he wasn't the type to be rude to his customers, despite the odd glances Oboro himself had received while looking around inside earlier.

Hoping to avoid eye-contact with the angry angel of a woman strutting out, Oboro lifted his comic closer up to his face to "hide" himself within the pages before turning his attention back to his reading. The disguised fishman reached into the bag of snacks beside him and pulled a small handful of salty chips out before gently feeding himself daintily through his scraf.

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // NERDS OF A FEATHER

The angered strutting continued for a while, her heels producing a vivacious rhythm as she distanced from the store. Incredible, she thought; how could an entire store not take particular care about the only thing that was worth selling? They should've had stacks and stacks of comics, Vixi voiced in her mind.

As luck would have it, she decided to find some respite on a bench and - hopefully - blow off some of that steam. She plopped down, her dress twisting and wrapping around her body as she turned around to sit, and crossed her legs and arms.
It didn't take long for her pout to relax into a much more manageable state; after all, she could only stay butthurt for so long. She sighed, and out of pure curiosity, she turned around; that was when he saw another person on her bench - she was so out of it, she didn't even notice. She could have sat on him for all she knew.

Vixi saw the person, and then... then she saw the booklet. She didn't recognise it right away, but she'd be damned if she didn't ask what exactly the man was reading: from that far, she could only make out that at least the cover was illustrated.
Joined hands, smile on her face, she seemed to glide closer to the reader along the axis of the bench, pushed by an invisible force. "Hello," she said, "whatcha reading? Never seen this cover before."

-- NAME // Vixi Reuel II

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[SnowDog]

There was a brief moment of panic Oboro felt wash over him when the angry lady he had witnessed struggling out of the shop began to inquire with him what he was reading. A part of him immediately assumed she was on to his act while another part of him feared that anger she had upon leaving the store was about to be flung his way. He nervously swallowed the mouthful of chips he was snacking on seconds ago in order to clear his throat, buying himself a quick second to composure himself and come up with a response.

"Oh-oh this? This is nothing just a- just a short little comic- er, picture book I picked up.." He felt flustered behind the scarf, unsure why he was feeling embarrassed trying to explain to this stranger about the comic series he loved so much. He was able to inquire with the shopkeeper with no hesitation or fear of embarrassment about the book, why now all of a sudden. Catching himself getting flustered didn't help matters as it only began to drive his anxiety further in this moment. "It's uh- It's quite the pageturner let me tell ya! Ha ha ha...ha..."

"What the hell is wrong with you Oboro?! What has gotten into you?!"

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // NERDS OF A FEATHER

Vixi nodded vigorously at Oboro's opening statement. She had developed a sixth sense, or maybe just an extra-sensorial affinity - yes! Like the Evil Mastermind, issue 17, a classic! - for comics and fantasy of any kind.
There were two things she could sniff from a mile away: unlawful activities, and comics. Or so she thought, anyways; if there were a thousand and one criminals all around her, she would have been none the wiser.
"A page-turner, you say? Tell me more, tell me more." A fellow comic enthusiast, during her day off? She couldn't have asked for better. But... Was he really? "Is it as good as Sora, Warrior of the Sea, issue thirty-four? Oh, oh! Can you compare it to the famous spin-off, Germa-66: Origins? I really enjoyed that one."
She wasn't one to hide her burning passion for fantasy. Her white light dress, her hair gathered in a smooth ponytail and her gracious attitude couldn't give it away, but her personality really drove the point across.

-- NAME // Vixi Reuel II

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[SnowDog]

Oboro stared as the blond woman beside him began to rattle on about the series he himself coveted so much. Great waves of blue, she’s a bigger fan of this than I am! He thought internally.

“You-You read Sora?” He asked her in disbelief, despite the knowledge barrage he had just received from her, “Why, yes! Issue 34 was a fantastic read! I especially loved the moment where Electric Blue returned from his secret mission and-Wait there’s a spin-off series now?...” The poor fishman was stunned. He had never met another fan of his side hobbies out in the wild before and now this complete stranger arrives right at the release of the latest issue and was already beginning to expand the horizons of his knowledge. This was amazing!

“I didn’t realize there were other fans of the series outside of the North Blue! I’ve been reading these ever since I was little!” He began to hand the tiny book over to his guest, gently holding it out with his bandaged wrapped hands, “Go ahead, give it a read yourself! It’s the latest issue and I’ve already gotten a good ways through it!”

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Once the fishman recognized her indisputable superior knowledge on the matter, Vixi became all smiles. "Yes, I read a lot of Sora. Like, a lot a lot."
It wasn't probably healthy to read so much that one's perception of reality could shift, but she didn't care. She liked her comics, and that was it.
"The spin-off was great. I don't want to spoil anything, but some pages seem to imply that there's a secret villain bound to appear in the next few chapters! They might finally pay tribute to the late son of the Germa kingdom, who died so young..."
As luck would have it, she had almost forgotten how angry she was just mere seconds prior. However, the words "latest issue" reignited that in her mind. "This is... the latest?..."
Her head naturally tilted to one side as her smiling expression froze. "Isn't it... issue #57?..."

"It was YOU!"

In an infinitesimal fraction of a second, Vixi went from sitting on the bench to standing; from having her arms by her side to pointing at him; most disturbingly though, a feathered metal helmet had appeared on her head covering most of her face and eyes. Where did she even keep that thing on her?!
"You bought it so that I couldn't enjoy it today! You wanted to rob me of my privilege to read Sora!" The poor fella really wanted the exact opposite, but she couldn't realize. "I'm going to battle for it! For what is rightfully mine, a true Sora fan!"

-- NAME // Vixi Reuel II

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[SnowDog]

Oboro was frozen in disbelief, shock, and all around confusion. One second, he was learning much more about his favorite comic serial, the next he was being accused of having stolen the woman's opportunity to buy it. He didn't know what to say! What could he even say?! Before he could react the blonde woman had summoned a set of armor seemingly out of thin air and was ready to throw down. It would've blown Oboro's mind seeing such a Germa-like transformation were it not for the fear of getting pummeled currently occupying his mind. That drifter was right, the people here were crazy!

The disguised fishman fell back off the bench, knocking over his bag of snacks across the ground beside himself. He began to scuttle a few steps back to buy himself more distance between him and the now crazed woman in pink. He struggled at managing to keep his disguise up but managed to fix his hat and scarf in time to prevent his identity from getting out.

"No! No no, I think you got the wrong idea! I didn't know you were- that you were looking for it too!" He managed to spit out in defense, holding out his bandaged wrapped hand to try and hold her back should she come at him. "Here! You can read it! There's no need to fight for it!"

With his back to the ground, Oboro's eyes began to scan around the area for a possible outlet he could run to should he need to make a last-ditch effort. He slowly reached for his trusty wrench on his back. The hammerhead had no idea what this woman was capable of, but he wasn't gonna be the poor fool to find out if it was good or not!

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // NERDS OF A FEATHER

The man's reaction was to immediately retreat, scuttle back, and yield. Even a little too easy, Vixi thought: could he really just give up the latest issue of Sora, undoubtedly his most prized possession (until the next issue), without even trying to put up a fight? His behaviour could only seem strange in her eyes.

And in her eyes, fighting for a simple book was all that made sense. She was only a little girl, but the few times the spoils of passing ships contained copies of fantasy books and illustrated books, she really had to fight over every single one of them against the other kids her age. She wasn't the only one to crave the toys, the comic books, and the entertainment - and she could only associate having them with taking them by force.
Her tribe wasn't a civilization, after all.

That was when a faint thought passed through her mind: perhaps there are places where one doesn't have to fight to take what they love.

And with that in mind, she sat back on the bench, her arms crossed below her chest. "I didn't think you really wouldn't fight for it..." she said, and lifted the helmet up. The thing snapped out of place with a popping sound. "It doesn't feel right to just take it with no effort. Why won't you do it?"

"Why not fight for what you're passionate about?"

-- NAME // Vixi Reuel II

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[SnowDog]

Oboro froze. He expected further retaliation, he expected her to prey upon his currently helpless and disadvantaged state, and yet... She didn't act, she just... sat back down. The hammerhead fishman took another scoot backwards wondering if this was some sort of ploy on her behalf. Was this woman really just looking for a fight? There was so many questions.

"I don't- I don't understand..." He managed to choke up, taking the opportunity to slowly rise to his feet. Behind his visage-hiding scarf, he could only look down on the blonde woman who had removed her helmet in the midst of the shared disbelief. "I mean, I like the book but it's just-" The words escaped him. What could he say? He didn't even know what to say! Vixi's words continued to ring out through him as if his body were a bell, echoing through him all while trying to the answer.

Oboro took a cautious step closer, "Why would I need to fight for it?"

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // NERDS OF A FEATHER

The man right in front of her seemed confused, and if possible even more worried than before. He babbled out his doubt and confusion, and Vixi replied by simply raising an eyebrow. "What's there to understand?" she inquired, "question's easy."
Vixi waited for him to clear up his own mind, but she quickly found it to be somewhat of a waste of time on her part. The man just wasn't going to pick up what she was putting down. Why would he need to fight? Well...

"So, you really have learned nothing from Sora."

She sighed, and crossed her arms. "Issue #43, page 30. Sora is fighting Wince Green of the Germa, who has just appeared for the first time after a subtle hint in issue #41. Sora's in a pickle: Wince is holding up a ship chock-full of pirates. He's going to bring them into the Germa Kingdom to be retrained into Germa Soldiers." Her left leg, now crossing over the right leg, started to swing back and forth as she recalled the epic exchange.
"Sora's left with a choice." Her head swung to one side."He can let go of the pirates, as they are pirates, and go home with little losses. He can always defeat the trained soldiers another time after all." Her head swung the other side. "Or, he can save all the pirates, for they don't deserve to be treated like prisoners and fodder by the Germa Kingdom, outside of the law."

"And Sora, Warrior of the Sea, he's very passionate about keeping law and order." Vixi's mouth bent into a proud, satisfied smile. "Of course, he risked it all to get the pirates under his custody. I would do the same."

"I can't believe you don't remember this" she added, shrugging away the tension of her words, "it was even in the Christmas special when the Germa family had a get-together and recalled the many ways Sora screwed them over."
"In fact," she continued, tapping on the magazine left right next to her, "I still want this comic. This is literally the last copy on this godforsaken island. And I will, mark my words, fight for it." Vixi's lips tightened, witnessing the bag of snacks on the ground.

"And I wouldn't have minded those poor goodies too..."

-- NAME // Vixi Reuel II

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[SnowDog]

To say this lady was a massive Sora: Warrior of the Sea fan would be the biggest understatement of the year. The hammerhead fishman considered himself a big fan but this lady was certainly nuts about it! His mind was being bombarded with information far faster than he was able to recall it. "Wait, there was a Christmas Special?!"

"Well, I don't mind sharing a quick read," He began, taking a couple of uneasy steps to get his footing braced for whatever was about to happen next, "but I didn't spend the last month scrounging and fighting over scrap metal just to have someone take it from me!"

"What the hell are you doing, Oboro?! What are you even saying right now?!" The fishman found himself questioning his own thoughts as he spoke back to the angelic woman. "Did her words inspire you that much?!" Whether if it was just to match Vixi's nerdish energy or just to put on a brave face behind the scarf, Oboro drew forth his massive wrench and readied it to face off against the angelic fanatic. This determination he was feeling felt like the final moments of Issue #23 coming to life before his eyes! This was probably going to be a bad idea, but if she's here to fight for this book, Oboro wasn't willing to let her take it lying down.

"If you want it," Oboro spoke again, grabbing at the robe he donned and upon arriving on the island and quickly throwing it off and around his neck as if it were a mighty cape. His disguise wasn't as flashy or well made as Vixi's entire get-up, but it didn't matter now! "come on then! Try and take it from me!"

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 1 // NERDS OF A FEATHER

A grin of pure satisfaction appeared on Vixi's face when the Fishman replied. It was always a pleasure, to see the spark of inspiration ignite in someone's eyes - and even better, to spread the word of Sora. Sora, the Warrior of the Sea, was such an inspiration to her that she couldn't not love it when others were inspired through herself.
She watched with a contented smile while his soon-to-be adversary conjured a cape and a wrench, ready to fight for his comic book. She, on the other hand, firmly placed the helmet on her hand - how did she even see through that thing? - and did the same, jumping out of her seat with grace and elegance. "A wrench, hm?" she inquired, pointing at the oversized tool. "Wouldn't that make you a follower of Wince Green?" she crossed her arms, pointing with both indices towards the enemy, and struck a pose. "Your grasp may be strong, but it's nothing compared to the grasp of Justice!" The experts would be able to recognise that quote as a particular sentence Sora had used at the beginning of his first fight with, of course, Wince Green himself.
The girl spreaded her wings, and kicked the ground with both feet; the air itself below her feet seemed to rebound, shooting her upwards some three or four meters; the wings helped her stay up in the air for a few seconds. "Prepare for Justice!" she said, still firmly rooted in her impromptu roleplaying, "I am Justice Eleven!"
And as she declared her pseudonym, she fell down onto her enemy looking to hit him on the head with her left heel.

-- NAME // Vixi Reuel II

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // MERCVRIVS
This technique is known as "Geppō" and is part of the six techniques called "Rokushiki"; Vixi, however, doesn't particularly like the name and prefers to name it after one of her favourite characters of a novel.
Thanks to the superior speed at which her body can move, she is able to kick the space beneath her feet with enough speed to cause the air to rebound and push her in the other direction, typically with a velocity comparable to a dash. This allows her to effectively dash through the air as if she were jumping from a solid wall; combined with her ability to glide, it can be a good approximation to fully fledged flight.

[SnowDog]

"Well, maybe not a follower, but I take inspiration where I can, heh." Oboro responded, playing along with a twirl of his makeshift weapon in a quick and stylish flourish. "Wait a minute was that a Wince Green quote? Is she trying to school me here too?!" The sharkman thought as he brought his weapon forward, readying its slingshot form before her. "I'll be able to surprise her with a scrap shot and-"

Oboro's train of thought was immediately derailed at the sight of Vixi launching herself high into the air. Were it not for the scarf still around his neck hiding his features, the angel woman would be able to see the fishman's jaw hanging and left agape. "Oh what the hell, she can fly too?! That is so cool!"

The fishman had little time to react to what came next, Vixi was leading the war charge with a mighty kick and Oboro fanboying out was getting the better of his judgment. Connecting with the top of Oboro's head, her foot squashed down on his fluffy fish-shaped hat before a massive wave of pain shot down through Oboro's spine. This was quite the wake-up call to the fishman. Despite all the theatrics, Vixi was not messing around here... "Dammit! She's even got a cool name picked out!"

Oboro gripped his wrench tight and took a reactionary swing upwards at Vixi. If he were to let her get another free hit on him like that, he might as well just hand her the book.



____________

Techniques Used:

Name: Tune-Up Strike
Fighting Style: Sameshūtā
Rank: 1
Description: When someone gets too close, Oboro shifts his means of attack and swings at his opponent with his trusty Tide-Turner Wrench, utilizing his Fishman strength to carry immense power with his strikes.