An Offer A-Peeling! Meifeng’s Bounty Hunting Debut!

[Vio]

^{Meifeng #1}

---

Micqueot, itself a relatively peaceful place, had seen nothing out of the ordinary as of recent. A sunny afternoon blessed the vineyards for which the land was known, grapes gleaming in the solar rays cast down from a mostly clear sky. Amidst the streets themselves, people went about their daily lives without worry, without care. Why fret over what could happen when you could enjoy the now? If only Bai Meifeng could abide by such a mentality, then she would not have been in the situation she was in now.

You’ve made it this far, Mei, but now what do you do…? You’re almost out of money and finding suitable marks within your skill level has been near impossible, the young woman with snowy hair berated in silence as she sat at a table outside of a rather luxurious café, most visibly contradicting her own qualms about dwindling allowance. Matters of money had never been a bother of previous, such was the life of the nobility, and so it had not once crossed her mind that her standards of quality were perhaps far above that of the common masses who knew a thing or two about budgeting.

Of course, that wasn’t her only issue; being stressed for cash was less a matter of expensive taste and more of her being apparently incapable of bringing in a bounty, whether local or World Governmental. Names were plenty, surely, yet she simply hadn’t fancied her chances against those of truly ill repute. Confidence in her swordplay was not yet firmly established, so the huntress with hair fashioned like the arms of a windmill had limited her own options to those of lower values. And those of lower values often failed to last very long, preyed upon by others in the hunting business whose skills in the field were readily an order of magnitude higher than her own.

^{“Haah…,” she exhaled:
“How frustrating…”}

^{—— ON ANOTHER STREET ——}

Crash…! Wood and glass splintered as a figure jumped from a window; tall — perhaps a comfortable eight or nine feet — with a portly physique emphasized by a lime green shirt with loosened collar, brown slacks suspended by bracers, and black boots upon rather stubby and thin legs. A thick mass of yellow facial hair hung from his jaw and neck, with an equally defined yellow moustache. Short and thinning brown hair was mostly covered by a black tricorn hat, capped with a single yellow feather of green and yellow blend. After him, out from the doorway, stepped a well-dressed yet aging clerk who was quick to raise the hue and cry.

^{“S– Stop! Thief!”}

“Yiihihihihi~! Catch me if you can, you pompous old fart,” laughed the culprit, jogging down the street at speed with broad and bouncy steps. Passers-by stopped and stared at the sight, none too willing to intercept a man of such stature and aesthetic, even as his massive hands cradled a Methuselah of burgundy wine…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
As Meifeng ponders her misfortune, a strange thief makes his noisy getaway!

---

Note: Jade! I’m using Imperial Red instead of Ivory for Meifeng in any threads where direct interactions with Bianca would happen, to help avoid confusion!

---

Bai Meifeng | #ed2939
Bizarre Thief | #eeea62
Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555

[Jade]

"Oh yeah, you totally came here to track that bounty, and not so you could sit around and 'enjoy the atmosphere' or whatever," Thomas complained, gesturing at the table of tea and goodies laid out between himself and the white-haired woman sitting at one of the café's outdoor tables.

"One does not travel to Micqueot without stopping to enjoy what the island has to offer, Thomas." Bianca responded flatly, and then took a sip of her tea. Wearing her white sundress and wide-brimmed hat, the bounty huntress certainly didn't look very imposing - more like a lady about town on a pleasant day. The man across from her was dressed in his usual Tea Company attire, a black unbuttoned vest worn over a white dress shirt, only partially tucked into black slacks. "Regardless, if the reports are to be believed, our target will make himself obvious sometime before he leaves the island. I see no reason to rush around searching for someone who is willing to do that part of the job for us."

"Uh huh." He brought his lit cigarette back to his face and took a long, defeated drag from it, and then tilted his head back and blew out a stream of smoke with a sigh. "Whatever you say."

[Vio]

^{Meifeng #2}

---

As she sat there, sapphire eyes cast towards the clear blue sky above, Bai Meifeng wallowed in her shortcomings for a moment or two. To think that she had put so much effort into becoming a huntress, only for ineptitude to drag her back to the life she had so restlessly tried to leave behind. She could almost see the look on her father’s face the moment she shuffled back in through those doors — a combination of stern disappointment and overbearing paternal presence. That alone was a thought almost as daunting as the thought of taking on somebody far above her perceived skill level.

No, you need to focus up! Yanmei wouldn’t let you live it down if you gave up so easily, Mei chided herself, reminiscing of that overly energised smile that often brightened her days. With a deep intake of air to help calm her worries, she looked down again at the table at which she was seated, eyeing the papers she had gathered and bound together with a bit of string punched through each leaf’s corner. Posters. Each depicted a face, a name, and a number; a criminal wanted by the World Navy for crimes against the people. Some were simple pirates who’d plundered the wrong coast. Others were far more frightening foes.

“You’ll never take me alive! Karararararara…!!” A crackly laugh filled the air as the utterings of panic started to emerge. Drawn by typical human instinct to observe that which was making a commotion, Lady Bai straightened her back and turned to gaze down the street. From around a corner barreled a large man, face adorned with a wild cascade of yellow hair. In one hand he held the neck of a large canvas sack, itself slung over his shoulder and clearly full of commodities of some kind; in the other, he brandished a cutlass of much more average size — one that his hand concealed almost the entire hilt of.

A robbery…? Come on, Mei, now’s your chance to at least do something good… Abandoning her cup of fine tea, the swordswoman in the red cheongsam grabbed the simple red scabbard of a backsword that had rested against another chair and stood herself up with haste. As it was, she had time enough to intercept and intervene, so long as nobody else interfered. And so she bolted, dashing as quickly as she could to place herself in the perceived felon’s path, turning to face him despite him dwarfing her own stature — vertically and horizontally.

^{“Please… Halt!” she announced:
“Whatever your reasons, I’m sure–!”}

^{“Outta my way, woman!”}

“Ah…!” With the strange man showing no signs of slowing, yet also none of attacking, Bai Meifeng had to make a choice: Draw her blade and threaten the man with some semblance of violence in order to make him stop, or politely throw herself out of his way. Dignity and honour drove her to the latter, the woman leaping aside to make room for the rampaging goliath as he rushed past her. All she could really do was raise a loose hand in a rather weak showing of further attempt to stop him, yet it amounted to nothing.

^{“Please, wait…?”}

“After him! Don’t let him escape!” Mei simply watched in disappointment — mostly with herself — as a small handful of town guardsmen raced along in heated pursuit. Where she had failed, surely Micqueot’s own law enforcement would succeed. Seconds later, she sighed a deep sigh.

^{“Mmm,” she groaned:
“Why are you so bad at this…?”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
As a strange fellow sprints down the street, Meifeng attempts to intervene, but fails to do much due to her own code.

---

Note: ——

---

Bai Meifeng | #ed2939
Bizarre Thief | #eeea62
Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555

[Jade]

"You'll never take me alive! Karararararara...!"

While Bianca ignored the sudden shift in atmosphere, Thomas sat upright and leaned over to look down the road - and caught sight of some huge, blond man racing down the street, carrying a sack slung over his shoulder in one hand and a blade in the other. He narrowed his eyes at the sight, and then shifted to sit more comfortably. "I think... He's coming this way. Should we do something about that...?"

"Not yet," came the simple, flat response, and then Bianca took another sip of her tea.

"Please... Halt!"

"There we are." Bianca smiled over her cup of tea, and then gently sat it down on the table in order to give the scene her full attention. The woman with the windmill-like hair who had been sitting not so far away had stood, putting herself between the thief and a clean getaway. Thomas raised a brow, but sat in silence with her.

And yet, the stranger's courage seemed to fail her at the last moment; rather than drawing her blade, she stepped aside to avoid being trampled, and called after him one last time. Bianca's smile faded in that instant, and she reached once more for her cup. "A shame. He would have had little option other than to impale himself on the blade," she mused aloud, and then took a sip.

[Vio]

^{Meifeng #3}

---

Somewhat dejected, Mei’s eyes simply followed the man’s form as he vanished through the streets, guards in pursuit until they were completely out of sight. Those around simply murmured amongst themselves and resumed their daily lives, entrusting the lawmen to their duty as any rightful mind should. With slow and disheartened steps, she walked back across the street to the café, perhaps overly aware of the eyes of other folks upon her as they discussed the incident. Her own gaze briefly met that of a man, while her ears picked up the words of the woman sitting with him.

^{“A shame,” she’d said:
“He would have had little option…”}

…? Meifeng stopped, halfway between tables, and gave the woman a rather neutral and perhaps mournful look. It was quickly broken, however, when the swordswoman’s own upbringing demanded she be respectful in her approach. Back straightened, once again demonstrating the grace and elegance she so seemed to hold, she presented a soft, conservative smile — manners ingrained into her psyche from a young age. It was a complete contrast to her inner feelings, yet one she upheld with certainty.

“I do beg your pardon, miss,” she began, even going so far as to offer a polite curtsy — a bend of the knee and bow of the head — to the sun hat-wearing stranger. “I do appreciate that drawing my blade could have ended the chase swiftly, but then what else would have been gained save for perhaps unnecessary bloodshed? As impractical as it might seem from an entirely legal standpoint, it is in my own personal code of conduct to first appeal to the reasoning of an individual before turning to violence,” the lady explained kindly, all the while trying to read the woman’s emotional disposition… and failing.

^{She’s very distant, Mei noted:
Her expression barely changes…}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
Meifeng shares her opinions on violence as a first resort with the distant woman.

---

Note: ——

---

Bai Meifeng | #ed2939
Hatted Woman | #ffffff
Bizarre Thief | #eeea62
Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555

[Jade]

Thomas glared at Bianca, who was still simply drinking her tea, giving her his best "why would you say that?" look as the woman she'd so openly criticized noticed and turned in their direction - a look that she completely and utterly ignored.

The other white-haired woman gave them a curtsy before launching into a defense of her actions. Bianca watched the woman with her cold eyes and a faint smile on her face, letting the woman gave her explanation, while Thomas continued to look utterly bewildered by the entire situation. And when the woman was done, Bianca let the moment of silence persist for a few seconds more before she gently set her cup of tea down on the table and folded her hands on the table.

"A very noble outlook. Tell me, how has it worked out for you so far?" Her smile grew, matching her polite tone but standing in stark contrast to the words themselves. "I certainly respect holding oneself to a code of conduct, of course - but to try to reason with an unreasonable world is a fool's errand. Has your devotion to reason aided anyone today, other than the wounding of your own pride?"

She waited half a second before continuing to speak, launching into an introduction. "Bianca Stark. This man beside me is Thomas. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss...?"

[Vio]

^{Meifeng #4}

---

^{“Tell me,” the woman replied:
“How has it worked out for you so far?”}

“Well… It hasn’t,” Mei answered rather meekly, knowing full well that her constant endeavours to remain negotiable had been one of the causes of her failures thus far. That, and no bounty hunter seemed to ever want to share in the glory of bringing in a head with anyone who didn’t take a more active role in the capture. The woman’s speech continued unabated, calling out the world at fault for being an unreasonable one only to return to slightly more scathing words — intentional or otherwise — that seemed to mock the noble girl’s code. Indeed, Mei was about to answer when introductions came in swiftly.

“Oh! Yes, likewise,” she responded. “Meifeng, of the Bai Family of Windia, West Blue,” said the woman with windmill-fashioned hair, properly and formally introducing herself as she always felt the need to do. If such a thing didn’t tip them off to her noble background, then there was no certainty anything would in her current state of being. “Please, excuse me for my earlier reaction — I felt a need to explain myself after such a display,” Lady Bai continued, bowing her head in an apology.

^{—— ELSEWHERE ——}

“He went this way! Follow me,” beckoned one of the guardsmen, racing down the street at pace with his company behind. Yet they were unaware of being watched cautiously from the shadows of a narrow alley, where a thin man lingered and caught his breath. Behind him, concealed from the view of the populace, were a large sack of stolen goods and a rather deflated shell of a large and bearded man.

“Kararara! Fools… Easiest getaway of my life,” the man muttered, a toothy grin upon his face as he retreated deeper into the passageway, observing the hollow suit. “Captain B’s plan really is something else! Kararararara!” His laugh subdued, he raised the oddly realistic suit and rolled it up into a tight bundle, shoving it into the sack with the rest of the acquisitions — various art pieces of lesser but still decent worth, jewellery, and taxidermied badger — before he was joined by another.

“Yiihihihi~! Looks like you got quite a haul,” giggled a man of lithe build as he dragged another hollowed out suit through a passage into the alley. As carefully as he could, he raised a heavy bottle and set it down upon the ground before rolling the suit around it to cover it. “I couldn’t get the Ithürzburger Stein, but this was the next best thing,” the second man commented, securing the bundle with a harness of rope which the other man helped secure to his back.

^{“Best part is,” the first said:
“Nobody’s any the wiser!”}

^{“I can’t wait to see what the others nabbed…!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
Meifeng returns an introduction to Bianca, while mysterious characters revel in their work.

---

Note: ——

---

Bai Meifeng | #ed2939
Bianca Stark | #ffffff
Bizarre Thief | #eeea62
Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555

[Jade]

Moments after Meifeng introduced herself, Thomas scoffed and raised his cigarette to his mouth. "Ha, rich girls," he muttered, just loud enough to make himself heard by both, and then took a drag.

Bianca paid him no mind. "A pleasure, Ms. Bai - though no apology is needed, I assure you." She once again opted to ignore the lanky man sitting at the table with her as he shot her an exasperated look, oblivious to the fact that she probably owed Meifeng an apology of her own. "Well, I suppose we had better finish up here and track that man down. He did match the picture on the bounty poster, after all."

"Uh." Thomas sat back up in his chair and glanced down the street in the direction the large thief had gone. "Well, I guess it shouldn't be too hard to track down someone like that. We can probably follow that weird laugh of his from a mile away, at any rate." He pushed his chair back and got to his feet, picking up his sheathed blade from the ground as he stepped away from the table. "Well, it was just great meeting you, Mei, but you know how it is - gotta go do some work. Ciao."

While the wannabe bounty hunter walked off down the street, Bianca remained behind, watching the woman with the windmill hair for another moment. "... Hm. Well, your attempts at negotiation fell through. So," she stood up from her seat and gave Meifeng another half-smile, "what will you do now?"

[Vio]

^{Meifeng #5}

---

If there was one thing that Mei had very much noticed about this strange couple, it was the vicious contrast in their states of being. Even as Thomas’ utterance caught their ears, neither woman responded to it, both calm — whether by stoicism and habit or by upbringing and tranquility — and happy to continue the formalities. But even as Bianca made mention of haste, Meifeng’s mind honed in on choice words. That said, Thomas ensured that she was not immediately able to respond.

^{“It was just great meeting you,” he said:
“Gotta go do some work. Ciao…”}

“Your attempts at negotiation fell through,” Miss Stark continued, having apparently not been so eager as Thomas to get to work. The young Lady Bai’s sapphire eyes followed the swordsman as he sauntered away, but soon diverted to those of the hatted woman. Thomas certainly fit the bill of a bounty hunter as far as she was concerned, both in his general attitude — something a lot of hunters seemed to have — and the presence of a weapon upon his person.

Bianca, however, did not.

She commands such respect and authority, yet appears completely harmless in comparison — better you not judge this book by its cover, Mei, the noble noted. Such thoughts were instigated well and truly by the mere mention of the term ‘bounty poster’, prompting an analysis of skill. And yet, the fellow female with lucid locks seldom gave the impression of being a hunter. Still, Meifeng had to place any further consideration of character on hold when a rather simple question was passed her way.

“I… Well,” Mei answered, clearing her throat softly. “I was originally going to let local law enforcement do their duty and continue about my day,” she said with an honest tone. “However, the circumstances appear to have shifted pending new information about the individual; that is to say, you mentioned that there is an issued bounty depicting his likeness? Hypothetically,” she suggested with a smile, “if I were to propose an alliance between ourselves — the end goal being the detainment of said criminal likeness — under the condition that I be allowed to at least reattempt an appeal before resorting to steel, then, Miss Stark, what would your own terms entail in order for you to favour the offer…?”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
Meifeng fails to analyse Bianca, before posing an interesting scenario.

---

Note: ——

---

Bai Meifeng | #ed2939
Bianca Stark | #ffffff
Thomas [NPC] | #f7ff47
Bizarre Thief | #eeea62
Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555

[Jade]

"If I were to propose an alliance between ourselves..."

Bianca sat still in her seat, calmly listening to Meifeng without a hint of hurry in her bearing. When the other woman's end of the deal was laid out, she turned it around, asking the seated woman what her terms would be. At that, Bianca allowed a small smile to play on her face, though it didn't come anywhere close to meeting her eyes. "My terms? Well, if you are offering..."

She stood up from her seat and stepped around the table in order to stand just in front of the other woman, as close as her wide-brimmed sun hat would allow - and locked her own cold, pale blue eyes with Meifeng's sapphire eyes. "Allow me to give you the chance to show me what you are capable of, in an arena where this man will not be able to flee. In return, if you are capable of proving yourself, I would ask only that you hear me out on something." That small smile appeared again as she took a half-step past Meifeng, in the same direction as Thomas. "Though I am afraid that is all I can say on that subject for now. If you wish to know more, I suppose you will simply have to do your best to impress me."

And with that final quip, she began walking down the street.

[Vio]

^{Meifeng #6}

---

“My terms?” Bianca replied. “Allow me to give you the chance to show me what you are capable of,” she had continued, now eye to eye with the noblewoman. The smile had vanished, her certain tones coming across a lot more serious as she spoke those words. Even with her upbringing, Mei could not help but feel the authority emanating from this woman as she spoke — a far more intense energy than had been present while she had been sitting there talking.

The final words were uttered.

What have you gotten yourself into, Mei? No, you shouldn’t think like that — this is an opportunity you should be seizing, Lady Bai thought, focusing upon the positives over the negatives. Pessimism was unbecoming, yet it held onto a fine line beside being realistic. O, it was far too easy to cross that line at times when one thought to be toeing it. Regardless, the offer was upon the table, though she remained strangely silent as Miss Stark walked on to follow her companion, Thomas.

“Very well,” Meifeng uttered, though to nobody in particular at this point. Bianca was now well out of earshot, nor had she spoken loudly enough for anyone near to catch the confirmation. With a deep breath to calm her nerves, once again restoring that inner tranquility, Mei’s grip upon her blade tightened as she stepped towards her own table. Eyes gazed into the tea that remained, itself cooled substantially, before looking at the papers she had set upon the table for her perusal.

Swiftly, she flipped through them, ignoring words and names and focusing instead upon the faces printed upon them until she found it. The one. A squared face with a wide and toothy grin, cast in shadow from the angle that the picture had been taken from — certainly not the cleanest photography work of the World Navy. A golden beard cascaded from his jaw, hat sat upon his head. She pulled it from the pile, clutching it tightly in one hand, not even once letting her gaze fall upon the number printed below the name before rushing off down the street. And that name was…

^{—— SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF TOWN ——}

^{“Captain,” said a man:
“Captain Bananabeard…!”}

^{“Zzz–! What is it? Can’t you see I’m busy!”}

“My apologies, Captain, but it appears the local town guards have been tipped off as to our– Well, your presence,” the other man said, himself a lanky man with a pronounced lower half to his face, rounded and protruding ears, and rather wild mutton chops of copper-brown hair that gave him a rather chimp-like visage. Held to his head via a rope chinstrap was a flat wooden kasa, while similar bracers over his shoulders supported a wide barrel that concealed his midriff down to just above his knees. Lanky legs of a hairier than average nature protruded from below, wearing yellow, slipper-like shoes that resembled banana skins.

^{“Bah– Nananana!”}

^{“If I may, Captain,” the man said:
“What’re your orders…?”}

“There are none, Simeon,” Bananabeard chuckled, leaning forward from his chair and revealing a toothy smile. “Those fools won’t know until it’s too late — if they even figure it out in the first place! Nananana! As long as the boys keep on using the disguises and drop ‘em when necessary, nobody will be any the wiser, and all the valuables of Micqueot are ripe for the picking~! Bah– Nananananana!”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
Meifeng listens to Bianca’s return offer, but doesn’t immediately respond as the two part ways, instead opting to find the poster relating to the crime from her own batch before giving pursuit. Meanwhile, Bananabeard and his First Mate, Simeon, discuss their plans.

---

Note: ——

---

Bai Meifeng | #ed2939
Bianca Stark | #ffffff
Thomas [NPC] | #f7ff47
Bizarre Thief | #eeea62
Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555

[Jade]

"And here I thought you were going to be running off ahead to take care of all of this yourself," Bianca said in a completely flat tone as she walked past an alley between two of the buildings on the street.

"Ha ha, very funny." Thomas stepped out of the alley to walk behind his employer, freshly lit cigarette in hand. "What was the hold up? Just leaving me out to dry?"

"I would call that a perk." The woman in white didn't have to look over her shoulder to know Thomas rolled his eyes at that - at least in part thanks to his melodramatic sigh. "No, there was some business to attend to with Ms. Bai; she should be joining us shortly. I am sure you are quite pleased to have an opportunity to... What was it you said? 'Do some work'?"

"Ugh, okay, that's less funny. Was that an attempt at a joke?"

"An attempt? No, Mr. Hot Chocolate, I assure you that it was quite amusing, at least from where I am standing - but I suppose it is a matter of perspective."

[Vio]

^{Meifeng #7}

---

Paper in hand, sword in the other, Bai Meifeng hurried after Miss Stark and her associate, eventually catching up to them just in time to see a couple of Micqueot’s guardsman walking briskly back down the street. The looks on their faces were ones of annoyance, even as they tried their best to hide such a thing, but even briefest recognition was enough for the swordswoman to see that these were amongst the ranks of the group that had pursued the criminal through the streets.

^{“How’d a guy like that vanish…?”}

^{“He can’t have gone far,” the other said:
“Just keep your eyes peeled…”}

It seems as if they lost their target, which is quite the accomplishment given the man’s stature and appearance, Miss Bai assessed as she steadied her pace and passed them by. Catching up to Bianca had not been at all a difficult task, such was the steady rhythm with which the woman walked despite the apparent urgency of the matter, and thus she positioned herself into a vague formation beside Thomas.

“It appears that the town’s guardsmen have lost him — perhaps they’ve split into teams to cover more ground?” the woman with windmill hair suggested, keeping an eye more upon her surroundings than she had done before. The town as a whole was full of paths and passages, many very narrow between larger buildings, so it seemed increasingly more unusual to her that such a broad fellow as her quarry would have been able to get away so readily. Some alleys were so tight as to barely have room for a full grown man, leading into small courtyards between buildings into which store stocks were probably delivered.

“Miss Stark, if I may, you suggested prior knowledge of this individual’s identity,” Mei began, stepping forwards at least a little to position herself within the lady in white’s periphery. If their prior talk had established anything, however, it was that such a gesture meant absolutely nothing to Bianca. “One ‘Bananabeard’, a wanted pirate charged with crimes against the World Government — theft, damages, and grievous bodily harm of a Marine officer amongst them,” she listed, more to find confirmation of threat than to seek the woman’s approval or concern. Hesitations were present within Mei’s heart, most certainly, but now was perhaps the greatest chance she had to prove herself: Yanmei would never let her live it down if she failed here…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
Meifeng catches up to Bianca and Thomas, posing a suggestion based on the guardsmen and confirming the identity of the threat.

---

Note: ——

---

Bai Meifeng | #ed2939
Bianca Stark | #ffffff
Thomas [NPC] | #f7ff47
Bananabeard [NPC] | #eeea62
Simeon [NPC] | #b15d0f
Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555

[Jade]

When Meifeng caught up with the pair, Thomas tilted his head up at her in a strange half-nod of acknowledgement, while Bianca continued to walk forward without looking back. No words were exchanged as the group continued down the street in the direction the criminal had traveled, at least until they passed by some of the island's law enforcement.

Thomas brought his lit cigarette back up to his face as he repeated the half-nod he'd previously directed at Meifeng toward the guards - an action which was utterly ignored by the other party as they grumbled amongst themselves. The lanky bounty hunter-wannabe tracked them with his whole head until he couldn't twist his neck any further, and then brought his attention back around to the front. "Sounds like-"

"It appears that the town's guardsmen have lost him..."

Out of an incredibly misguided reflex, he bit down on his cigarette, and then spat it out onto the stone street. "Yeah, what she said," he grumbled, even as he jammed his hand into the pocket inside his vest to pull the pack of cigarettes back out to replace the one he'd unfortunately wasted.

Bianca continued to walk while she listened to Mei rattle off what the other white-haired woman knew about the target. "That is what we know, yes. Though one must wonder how such a... Large and bombastic man can evade the law in this manner. By all accounts, it should be easy to keep track of him. So, the question becomes - how is this possible? Is it mere incompetence on the part of the local law enforcement?" She smiled wryly, entirely to herself but without a care for who saw it. "That is always a possibility, but we will write it off for now. The next guess would be that there is some sort of trick to it - perhaps involving his crew, which we have precious little information on, other than that there are those who have chosen to follow the man."

"Is there a point to all this, Bi?"

"Not particularly," she responded, dry and humorless. "Mere idle conversation as we continue on our way."

[Vio]

^{Meifeng #8}

---

“So, the question becomes,” Miss Stark posed, “how is this possible? Is it mere incompetence…?” The suggestion was a logical one, of course, but Bai Meifeng had mixed thoughts upon it. By all accounts, yes, this ‘Bananabeard’ should have been an obvious target; by all others, he’d continuously eluded capture. But when the hatted woman pushed forth the possibility of trickery, it got the aspiring huntress’ mind whirring, which was apparently a lot more than could be said for Thomas.

Is she suggesting that duplicity is at play? It would make sense, though, would it not? Mei’s thoughts milled through ideas, none of which seemed feasible. Could it be that other members of the pirate’s crew simply had similar aesthetics — familial ties, perhaps? Disguises crossed her mind, but that would have still required the crew to be of similar build which, in the grand scheme of things, was an equally unlikely prospect. For some reason, she thought to entertain the idea of mechanical dolls, but that was even more far-fetched. But not as far-fetched as what happened next.

Crash…! The sound of something breaking and the panicked screams of people were soon accompanied the scent of freshly baked bread as movement caught the eyes of Lady Bai. From around the corner came barreling an all too familiar figure, matching in every regard the image that the bounty poster had displayed. In the flesh, Bananabeard came sprinting with surprisingly broad strides, a sack of bread over one shoulder and a comparatively small cutlass in the other hand.

“Kokokokoko~! This is too easy,” he laughed wildly, apparently not even paying much mind to where he was running. Without a second thought and little more than a glance at Bianca to assert their agreement, Meifeng stepped forwards to intercept the approaching crook. Every bone in her body suggested the better course of action was to stay to the side, but steeled will and a need to prove herself came first; a drive and determination kindled from little more than disappointment in her own past failures. Sometimes the greatest challenge was overcoming oneself.

^{“Please… Halt!”}

^{“Koko– Eh…? Outta my way,” he exclaimed:
“Woman! Do you even know who I am…?!”}

He isn’t stopping, but the way he’s running… I can stop him without drawing my sword, the woman with windmill-styled hair assessed, paying particularly close attention to the behemoth’s stride as he continued along. He wasn’t going to stop, that much had been made obvious, but seldom did she want a repeat performance. Even as he approached, blade raised in an at least partially threatening warning, Meifeng’s movements could easily be read as repetitive. With fluid grace she shifted to step aside, just as before, but the motion was a lot less panicked. Indeed, she allowed herself to almost fall, one knee bending to lower her stance as the other leg extended, catching the momentum of the pirate’s leg mid stride and sweeping his foot right from under him.

^{“Waaah…?!”
Slam…!}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
Meifeng mulls over possibilities based on Bianca’s musings, but steps up to the plate when Bananabeard appears on scene, resulting in an altogether different display that stops the pirate in his tracks!

---

Note: ——

---

Bai Meifeng | #ed2939
Bianca Stark | #ffffff
Thomas [NPC] | #f7ff47
Bananabeard [NPC] | #eeea62
Simeon [NPC] | #b15d0f
Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555