Mission #15 - Guns and Diamonds

[Farris (Kuro)]

Iria smiled as Nine ball seemed to understand what was going on. She knew he had likely over heard everything, it wasn't like it was hard for Nine-ball. Then she smiled at Ray as he gazed at Nine-ball. Were robots really so uncommon in this time period? Then Ray moved to tap his knuckles against Nine-ball and the mech moved into a defensive, revealing briefly the weapons it had. Iria shook her head and placed a hand on it'd leg. It was a gusture to try and calm Nine-ball. "Ray Ojii San, Nine-Ball gets really defensive very easily. Actions like that making him get defensive. I know a lot about Machines like Nine-ball, my family used to make them. See, It'sallpartofhisprograming. Ifheseessomethingasthreateningheattacksittodefendhimself." She shot off the explanation like a Ciper pol agent using Soru.

After the explanation that very few could probably keep up with, Nine-ball seemed to relax and put it's weapons away. Iria sighed in relief and smiled proudly at Nine-ball as he seemed to have made friends with Ray. Something that Iria was glad about as she like this old man. He was really nice and friendly too. That's when Jean took the limelight and started to explain the plan. Iria gave a nod as she listened. She could do that... but she really didn't like to be so dishonest. She knew she had to to survive though. "Alright then so just distract the Lottery people after Ray's on board right?" She confirmed, thinking she could do that without a problem.

[Tsin]

Nineball's defensive manuvers didn't so much as draw a flinch out of the old man they were aimed at, even before Iria's completely incomprehensible explanation. Perhaps the threat of death had long grown tiresome to somebody of Rayleigh's age and pedigree, or maybe he just somehow knew that knocking on the robot's leg, an action he likened to a pat on the head to a being so huge and imposing, would just end peacefully. Either or, the Dark King just met those gun barrels with his cheerful grin and shook Nineball's enormous digit with great amiability.

"Alright guys I've worked up the details. Here's what we're going to do."

With everybody at peace with each other's presence then, Rayleigh turned his attention over to Jean as unfolding of the plan began. It'd been a while since the old ship-coater had to take orders from anybody else, not since his the old crew had disbanded. Following orders really suited the relic better than taking charge though, even now. He didn't want the responsibility of forethought and considering 'just-in-case' scenarios... Although he usually got stuck with it anyways as Roger ran off, sword flailing around in one hand and a jug of spirits in the other. This time however, this Jean character, he seemed to have it all together. And what a relief that was...

This time, Silvers Rayleigh could just sit back and everything would go according to plan.

"Alright then so just distract the Lottery people after Ray's on board right?"

... Even if Roger's way was a bit more exciting.

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

Jean was pleased with the plan and pleased with the fact Iria and Ray were both happy to go along with it. The thief made sure the other two understood the details of the plan before they were to execute it.

"Ray-San, you'll need to get a raft or something and set out to sea as a drifter. The ship carrying the lottery prize money should be here soon which is why you need to get out there as soon as possible. They will take you abroad where you can find the location of the money as well as analyse any potential threats." Jean informed Ray-San.

He then turned to Iria. "Your job is quite simple and won't even involve you having to lie. All you have to do is be present when the ship docks at the island. You need to approach the men on the ship and tell them how hungry you are and the fact that your lost. I'm sure they'll be captivated by your words and stories."

"Meanwhile, I'll slip into the ship and meet up with Ray-San. The two of us will then take the prize money and put it in a safe location. We will come back for you later. Nine-Ball will make sure you remain safe and that everything goes according to plan." Jean looked over at the mecha and gave him a nod, as if to ask if it was alright with him.

"However, the guys from the bar who plan to steal from the lady who was meant to receive the money aren't aware of this fact." Jean continued, "Which is why they're still going to heading over to steal from the old lady. We will set up an ambush and beat them silly to make sure they don't even think about stealing from that old lady again. That way our conscious will be clean as well. We can split the money between us in a three-way split and be on our way to whatever we were doing, 'a whole lot richer'."

So Ray-San, you ready to set off?" Jean said, turning to the old-man.

[Farris (Kuro)]

Iria nodded to Jean. "ok." She told him firmly. She could do that, no problem and she was sure that Nine-ball would keep hidden from view. Perhaps under water or up in the clouds would be good. The Tree hadn't been a very good hiding place unfortunately. She was sure the mech would find an even better hiding spot this time though. Her expresion turned more serious as Jean continued.

"However, the guys from the bar who plan to steal from the lady who was meant to receive the money aren't aware of this fact." Jean continued, "Which is why they're still going to heading over to steal from the old lady. He informed and Iria scowled angrily at the though of those guys going to beat up on a poor old lady. She almost wanted to ask Nine-ball if he wanted to help make something to teach those bullies a lesson. Jean seemed to be thinking the same as he said, "We will set up an ambush and beat them silly to make sure they don't even think about stealing from that old lady again." making the girl smile. She nodded in agreement with the rest of the plan, before asking one little thing more. "It sounds good, but what if something goes wrong?" She asked, "Like what is Ray Oji san gets in trouble or you get caught Jean Nii san?" She asked wanting to be sure the two adults would be ok too.

[Tsin]

Rayleigh nodded towards Jean as the plan unfolded before the ragtag group of seafaring Robin Hoods, ready to rob from the rich and... well, keep it for themselves really. But they were defending the meek at the same time so they balanced each other out. Probably.

In any event, the dinghy that the old man rode into town on would probably serve him well here. Or he could cobble together some kind of raft at Jean's suggestion; maybe even just swim out there with his own arms and legs if he wanted to although that would probably raise more questions than the party really needed. Dinghy it was then; the threat of losing it amidst the hijinx was a little bit worrying but assuming this whole thing worked out, buying another would be easy as pie.

And if it didn't, stealing another would be easy too so there was no real downside. Win-win!

"It sounds good, but what if something goes wrong? Like what if Ray Oji san gets in trouble or you get caught Jean Nii san?"

The Dark King let out another chuckle and pulled at the egg of white fur on his chin a few times, allowing it to bounce back into place as he spoke. "Don't you worry yourself over me, Sproutling-chan. A little bit of trouble might be what I need to get these stiff joints moving again."

"So Ray-san, you ready to set off?"

"Ready and willing, Jean-kun! Although you might have to point me in the right direction first."

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

Jean was pleased that everything was in place to get this show started. Obviously, being the professional thief, he would have to do most of the work but something told him, this ossan would turn out to be more helpful than the impression he gave.

"Ray-San, just head off in a straight line, the boat should be arriving soon, so they will run into you sooner or later." Jean informed the old man before continuing. "They're meant to arrive from the south of the island which isn't too far from here. We shall be awaiting your arrival upon the ship at the south harbor."

Jean turned to the young girl who seemed to be excited but he remembered his days as an orphan and the deep hunger he always had. "Hey Iria, while Ray-San sets out on his voyage, why don't the two of us go and grab a bite to eat." Jean said, smiling at the young girl. "We can't be doing such a complicated mission on an empty stomach now can we?"

Jean produced a pouch around his waist, revealing from within it a few baked goodies. There were a few biscuits, a couple of sugary cakes and packed sandwich. "That should do for now, wouldn't you say? I've got a flask of water here as well. Make sure you're hydrated or you might end up putting a real show on for our guests that will be arriving."

[Farris (Kuro)]

"Hey Iria, while Ray-San sets out on his voyage, why don't the two of us go and grab a bite to eat." Jean said, smiling at the young girl. "We can't be doing such a complicated mission on an empty stomach now can we?" The master thief suggested to the very innocent young girl. "But isn't that one of the reasons we're doing this? I mean we don't have money to buy anything to eat right?" She inquired as Jean was bringing some out of his pouch than hung at his waist. What she saw was some baked goods and she looked on in surprise. Maybe this was why Jean was broke then, he had to buy food for himself and now he was kindly sharing it with her. It made her feel a little bad for having to do so but she resolved that they would just have to make sure that their plan went through alright.

"That should do for now, wouldn't you say? I've got a flask of water here as well. Make sure you're hydrated or you might end up putting a real show on for our guests that will be arriving." He added and showed her the flask. She nodded and happily took the sandwich."Thank you very much, Jean Nii-san. Itadakimasu!" Iria said politely before starting to eat. Most children would have gone for the most surgery of the goods provided but as the little girl ate with the etiquette of a well educated child, one could tell she wasn't quite normal.

[Tsin]

While the young girl and the master thief hunkered down for a bit of a midday snack, their old man ally stepped into the boat he had come into the town with, throwing the rope tying him to the docks casually over one shoulder and kicking off. It was a beaten looking thing, probably quite advanced in terms of age as well, but Rayleigh didn't seem too taken up with that as he sat down and rowed southwards away from land.

Not like he had paid for it afterall.

Well, to be honest, he had won it in a gamble on a previous island, although the ship coater even admitted to himself that identifying this particular prize as a 'win' would be stretching the meaning of the word just a little. In the end though, he would have the last laugh. It's poor condition would be the nail in the coffin for the upcoming 'helpless old man' act and, in the end, the means to another nice handful of beri. 'Should probably hold onto some of it this time however,' the Dark King considered to himself. 'Might need another boat in the aftermath of what's to come.'

Of course, the last time he had thought of this, he ended up swimming to the next island so...

Thud.

Being caught up in his own thoughts out on the high seas, Rayleigh was completely oblivious to the presence of another boat right up until his own had traded blows with it. And from his vantage point underneath its hull, the gambler pretty much had to assume he was on track. Which, of course, would logically lead to:

"Excuse me, up there! A frail old man like me has no duty being alone at sea! Do you think you could grant me passage to the next island?"

Even as the self described 'frail old man' said all of this though, the cheerful smile he displayed while calling up to the crew of the larger vessel, water pouring into his dinghy from a crack caused by the recent impact... It was probably sending mixed signals.

[Die]

While its little human companion wandered off to get something to eat and drink with one of its new friends, the other had gone off to enact his part of the plan to raid a ship carrying lottery winnings for an old woman. It was time for the robot too to head out and prepare in case things went wrong. Its boosters fired, causing it to hover slightly over the ground. Nine-Ball turned in the direction of the nearest shoreline and tilted forward, propelling itself towards the water at great speeds. Once it reached the waters in the short amount of time it took, it began to submerge below the surface. Its boosters powered down considerably, allowing the mech to maintain a certain depth without giving away its presence. It then moved around to the harbor on the island, where the target ship was approaching.

Through its optics, it could see the bottom of the target ship. A small window opened up, zooming in on the hull, with a smaller one right next to it. That was supposed to be the beat up dinghy Silvers Rayleigh was taking to reach the ship. While the others did what they were supposed to, Nine-Ball continued to keep its depth, ready to strike if the need to do so came.

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

"Excuse me, up there! A frail old man like me has no duty being alone at sea! Do you think you could grant me passage to the next island?"

The captain of the ship was a young man, although a little stocky, he looked out of his depth and a little naive. He looked around to his fellow crew mates, unable to come up with a decision before someone gave him a nod.

"Erm, yeah sure. Climb up." The blond-haired captain said before throwing down a rope for Ray-San to climb. "We will be willing to to give you a ride. We're just heading for Pecos Island, its just straight ahead. We got a special pr-" Before the young captain could reveal the important information, the same man who had advised him earlier suddenly interrupted him.

"I don't think you should be revealing the nature of our visit captain." The man was older and far wiser than the young captain. He carried a heavy stubble across his face and although his body looked frail due to his age, he seemed far more intimidating than the stocky captain.

------------

Jean and Iria sat by the docks, snacking on the little food they had. Waiting for the ship carrying to goods to come into view.

"So you were born like a really, really long time ago and-" Jean stopped talking a bit as he tried to understand the miracle that sat before him. "Wow, that is just amazing. I bet everything in this new world is ... well, new you to you. Its not easy being an orphan but with the money we'll get, life should be more simple. At least you won't have to steal on a regular basis to eat. Besides, you got a huge friend on your side. Nobody's going to mess with that." Jean said, chuckling as he pointed to the large Mecha.