Hootenanny at High Command (Bon Voyage Festival)

[EriChar]

What the hell am I doing here? This is what commodore Smoker thought as he lit a new set of cigars, his old ones placed in a crystal ash tray in front of him, next to a glass of brown alcohol with slowly melting ice. Behind him was something that he was actively attempting to ignore; the sight of Marine recruits and junior officers throwing themselves around a dance floor, laughing and sipping at their own inebriating intakes.

So, why had the commodore come here? It wasn’t particularly like him to attend a gathering like this; Smoker was the kind of person who would ordinarily project his ignorance about the whole event, rather than just the immature attendees. Commodore Smoker had broken his habit for a specific purpose, to gather information on a certain somebody he would always seek material on; Monkey D. Luffy. Hina might have gotten to know something he could use, or maybe one of the other high ranking officers could have had the right man in the right place to pick something up. One would ordinarily expect this sort of intelligence to be reported, but it was emerging that characters like Straw Hat were having their sightings kept as closely guarded secrets. With Luffy becoming something of a celebrity in the world, it had become a high priority task to apprehend him, so it was highly likely that your less scrupulous officer would report any large amount of information on him, since it would scupper their chance of currying favour by apprehending him. Hence the requirement for Smoker to attend a measly meeting like this; people were more likely the spill their plans if they had been encouraged by a few drinks beforehand.

The commodore sucked in his cigar smoke, locked in thought and he uncharacteristically seemed oblivious to the appearance of someone next to him. Having sunk into the seat next to his was a beautiful belle with her silky amaranth locks elegantly tied up and a dress wrapped around her that comprised the same amount of material as one would expect of a handkerchief. The stunning senorita slipped into the seat at the side of Smoker, waving to the barkeep before dusting away a stray pink strand of hair from her face and regarding the commodore with a slight contempt.
“Nice to see you’ve made the effort…” The woman said, removing a long, thin cigarette from a tiny hand bag and lighting it.

Smoker, leaving his current chain of thought, gave a slight dental click and lifted up his drink, not really looking at his new accompaniment before he spoke.
“You’d have preferred to see me in a black tie, Hina?” He asked, scoffing slightly before finally casting a glance in the woman’s direction. It was true, Smoker had made absolutely no effort to dress up for this occasion, he wore the same white jacket with the fur collar and combat pants he did for almost everything, appearing truly out of place next to the provocatively dressed Hina next to him. But for all the effort and exposure that had come with Hina’s choice of clothing, it appeared to have no impact on the commodore. Hina was a truly beautiful woman, but the short snap of sight that Smoker cast her way showed no sort of sign of appreciation of that. It was like he had just glanced at a stone on a road; instantly disregarded.

“Sure, could be worth a laugh to see you in a monkey suit…” Hina told Smoker, an air of amusement and possibly even playfulness in her comment, as she scooped up her own drink which the bartender had now provided, clashing it against the commodores for a moment before knocking the whole thing back.
“So, are you man enough now to somehow manage to outdrink me?” Hina asked, Smoker observing as she motioning again to the bartman, telling him to keep the drinks coming.
“Or are you gonna fall under the table again like you used to at the academy?”

The woman toyed with him, bringing up ancient history to try and bait him into a competition. Smoker wasn’t ordinarily the type of person to rise to this kind of provocation, but as he necked his own drink and gave the barkeep a similar suggestion, the commodore realised just how bored he was…

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

Dante loved to party. Some would say he was born to party. Others would disagree because they thought he went over-board and ruined it for others. Dante didn't really care. He was the son of a noble. Normally, when Dante arrived at a party, he would get himself piss-drunk and do whatever the hell he pleased. Most of this involved flirting with any girl he could find and getting into the face of any guy who would give him shit over it. He had the speed to avoid getting hurt, despite being intoxicated. Dodging and countering were his forte.

Today, the occasion would require a little more decency for all around him were high ranked marines. A mere Ensign wasn't regarded highly. If he were to step out of line in front such strong personalities and high ranked officials, he was bound to get himself into a lot of trouble. However, that didn't mean who would lay completely low. He wanted to get noticed but for the good reasons. After all, the best way to get promoted was the to get in the promoters good books.

Dante grabbed himself a drink, something to keep him going for now as he looked for a potential target to chat up. He looked around and all he could see was wave after wave of marine's who looked almost exactly the same. For a moment Dante thought the marine's had a cloning program going. Then he realised, they were in fact of different build and height. Regardless, he wasn't interested in the low ranks, he was looking for a higher ranked marine and a female one at that as well. After all, his charms and good looks were his biggest asset.

His eyes fell upon the beautiful silky tresses of the one called Hina. Dante had heard a lot about her and how other marine's would drool over her. She was indeed very attractive but Dante was only interested in wrapping her around his finger. Walking casually across, the young marine put a hand through his hair and walked up behind Hina, giving her a tap on the shoulder before moving across to the other side to confuse her. He then spoke in a soft tone, "Somebody is looking exceedingly beautiful today. Makes the rest of this party look dull in comparison." It was at that moment, he realised who she was in conversation with and his flirtatious action no longer seemed to have been a good idea. The "White-Hunter" himself was the one she had been talking to and it wasn't very wise to interrupt Commodore Smoker.

[EriChar]

“Hoo?” Hina made a quizzical cooing sound after seeing Smoker knock back his third shot.
“It looks like you’ve improved , a whole three shots?” She grinned at him before effortlessly taking the lead again with her own fourth drink. “Nice work, Junshō…”
Had it not been him that she was talking to, Smoker wondered if the comment would have had that level of sarcasm to it. Being old friends, the commodore would never give her issue with her behaviour towards him, even if he now had gained an advantage in rank. To Smoker, Hina was one of the few Marines in the force that was even worth his acknowledgement; she’d already proven herself to him, and damn was it bothersome that she now tended to use those skills more to upstage him than work by his side. There weren’t many people around whom Smoker would relax and share a drink, but Hina certainly was someone he’d call a friend.

Suddenly, as the pair of them were necking another round of drinks, a new face burst in between them; a fresh faced officer. Smoker observed placidly as this pretty looking man poured his companion a glass full of flattery. It was only at the observation by Dante of Hina’s outfit that Smoker paid any attention to how she was dressed.
A little over the top… Smoker thought to himself, reflecting on the degree of skin that Hina was showing as he lit a new pair of cigars, slowly sucking in their smoke before noticing the stunned look of the interrupter as the man caught sight of him.
The commodore pondered whether the reputation of his that seemed to have reached this fellow before he did was a good thing or a bad thing, but for a moment said nothing to him, Smoker simply sighed out the first drag of his new smokes.

“Another one of your fan boys?” Commodore Smoker finally uttered, shifting the cigars within his mouth so that they sat in the opposite corners, poking out and slightly upwards like a set of tusks.
The commodore was keenly aware that several of Hina’s crew had joined simply because they had fallen for her looks, and the familiarity with which this officer seemed to address her implied that he was acquainted with her.

Hina had said nothing in the time Smoker regarded him, and almost in synch they had both started a new tobacco source, with the commodore nothing that Hina had lit a new cigarette to match his own smoke intake.
“Hina doesn’t know this one…” Hina said, pursing her lips around her cigarette and sucking in another fresh batch of nicotine. As was her habit, Hina had referred to herself again in that childlike way, and Smoker thought she was emphasizing it slightly since she knew he was irritated by it.
“Besides, Hina hasn’t figured out what she does to encourage the idiots to pursue her.” She told Smoker, flicking her hair back again before tapping her ash into the nearby tray.
“You and that pair seem to just follow Hina around.” As Smoker would expect from her, Hina wasn’t about to let an opportunity to assert her feeling of dominance over him.

Smoker ignored the attempted dig, instead feeling a pang of curiosity as to why the man had decided to impose himself on them. Lifting his glass of drink to his mouth and knocking back number six, the commodore eyed him intently.
“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself, marine?” Smoker asked, humouring Dante with a small sense of hospitality, something that the apparent object of his affections lacked interest in.
Despite his reputation, Commodore Smoker tended to be one of the more accommodating high ranked Marines. As long as you didn’t grate on his patience.

[oblivion]

After sailing for eight days Harley finally arrived at Marineford where he will enjoy the festivities provided for him.

Marine officials dressed in suits stood left and right from the walkway as they watched the different performances by the entertainers. Music is being played by bands, cooking contests are held for the best cooks in the marines, acrobats are performed on a stage with bouncing bags, and a comedian uses a mike stand to let the whole island hear his jokes. Entertainment isn’t limited to those performances, there are a bunch of other things, but this are just a few things that caught Harley’s attention. None of these things are worth stopping for because the real reason as to why Harley came to Marineford lies ahead.

The double white wooden glass doors are opened by two men wearing a tuxedo. Astonishment strikes Harley’s body as he views the different decorations and foods in the ballroom. Round tables covered with white cloth hold ten chairs and have a candle on the center of the table that releases a refreshing aroma. Bronze chandlers with six candles in them hung from the celling as they lit up the shiny room. The food varied in all sorts of ways such as different forms of pastas, salads, chicken, rice, fruits, and much more. What truly interests him is the dance floor as he could let loose his skills

Before he dances Harley decides to get a partner. A woman with blonde curls and light green eyes stood out from the rest as she pours a cup of sake. With a cup in his hand Harley approaches the woman.

“Mine if I have some too?” Questioned Harley as he extended his arm out with the empty cup. “Sure,” said the blonde girl as she poured the red wine in the cup. “Thank you…” paused Harley since he realized that he did not know her name. “Marilyn Johnson. And your name is?” Asked Marilyn after she took a sip of the wine. “Nice to meet you Marilyn, I am Harley Race.” Harley extends his right arm as he introduces himself to Marilyn. She shakes his hand as the music stopped playing. “Marilyn you mind if I have this dance?” She paused for a moment and then accepts his offer. Harley takes Marilyn by her hand as they both put their drink down and takes her to the dance floor.

“Un, dos, tres, un pasito pa’delante Maria.” This cued the start of the music. The rhythm of the music flows through Harley’s body as he leads Marilyn in the dance. “One, two, three,” counts Harley in his head as he performs salsa moves with Marilyn following his lead. Spins, steps back and forth, and steps to the sides with a one two three movement followed by a paused is what salsa’s about. Sweat appeared on his forehead due to his hard dancing. Once the song ended Harley said goodbye to Marilyn who needed to go somewhere else.

After dancing one song Harley heads toward the food table where he serves himself a dish. A mountain of food lay upon his plate. Harley starts to walk away from the food table and is flagged by a marine officer at one of the tables nearby. As he approaches the table he notices that it is his old friend and mentor Lucifer Raider.

Laughs could be heard coming from the table as tales between the marines dining on it are exchange. Lucifer and Harley are able to catch up with each other’s life even if it hasn’t really been that long. Once the food is done the marines rise from their chair head out of the ballroom to watch the entertainment on the island as they let their food digest.