Empty Pockets, Fun Times (Shisha, Romo)

[shisha]

She took a deep breath, inhaling the new scent of a brand new location for the first time. It was different to the Highly cleaned, polished surfaces she was used to back at the Barracks, with a somehow sweeter smell lingering in the air. A form of Natural Air Freshener. Her nostrils moving in response made her mouth move up, from a casual expression to a full on grin. Plastering her face with a smile that could only be described as "Over the top". As she walked off the standard Marine Ship seen all over the sea's her arms raised up high above her head, clasping her hands together by the fingers, along with the classic noises of a person stretching after a long voyage. Clad in the usual attire for a Marine of her level, a lonely grunt, a foot soilder or Cannon Fodder as she preffered it, she took the time to stretch after such a long and uncomfortable trip onboard the vessel docked behind her. Although in truth it hadn't been a bad voyage at all. Quite the opposite, she and some of the other grunts in the bowls of said ship had been having fun throughout the entire trip. Fond memories of jokeing around tables, causing other soliders to collapse from blood loss through the nose and making badly done impressions of their commanding officers with objects found on the floor filled her head.

Her eyes opened slowly to take in the sights of the island, expecting to see the fabulous stone structures, the lush tropical funa and fanstastic local wildlife. Alas the first sight her beatiful eyes witnssed, was the large almost overpowering veiw of the dock woker standing infront of her. Facing away, with the rim of his pants down enough to make the crack between both buttoks incredibly visible for all to see. The darker shaded skin that upon closer inspection looked wet, with the pursperation of a hard days work and most likely the heat of it as well. Somehow she couldn't seem to look away. Like a horrible accident she couldn't tear herself away from watching. It was only when the faint sound of air escaping that dreaded place hitting her ears that she finally managed to look away. And wave her hand across her face Mockingly behind his back. With that little disturbing distraction done away with, she could Finnaly, at last, set eyes upon the island. It was everything she had thought of back on the ship. Minus the muscular vine swinging, loin cloth wearing men she invisioned swinging around the trees left, right and center.

Swooning at the sight of it all, hands clutched together in front of her chest, swaying her hips absent mindedly from side to side slowly, she didn't notice the other Marines departing the vessel behind her. Most of which had been to the island before, simply carrying on with their assined duties. Some, like her were green. New to the place. Some had to adjust their caps in response to the new temperatures, or to distract themselves from the sight of Sukkari herself. Her style of clothing, despite being standard issue, always seemed somewhat revealing on her frame. Mostly in part to her, "customization" of it. Her shirt, the top every Marine seemed to wear had lost most of its length, managing only to cover the bare essentials, stopping just short of the skin above her belly button. With her jacket worn over it, not fastened, it was not as bad. Still the way her figure accented her attire didn't help. A hand patted her on the shoulder, waking her up from her swooning trance. She nodded looking back at the no name grunt, following the group towards the local, if not pitiful Outfit of a Marine base located there.

As they trugged along the paths leading through the island, Sukkari was Deaf to the noises of birds, insects, tourists and the talking of her fellow soilders. Humming away in her own little world, listening to the music being played into her beloved headphones. A Cheerful song, with a very catching if somewhat simple beat to it. Again a Tap on the shoulder forced her to glance behind her quizzically. "Hey Sukkari, you have any idea what were doing here?. I mean i overheard them talking and all, but it seems a little. You know?, weird". The soilder in question was a new recruit, the greenest of the green, what some game lovers would call "Noob". About her age, seemingly, a fairly attractive male from that perspective, she had sadly forgotten his name. She only referred to him as "Twitch", on account of his sea Sickness, making him twitch about uncomfortably while at sea. Placing her finger on the end of her chin, she pondered breifly. "I think were getting orders from the guy here. De’Avris or something like that. Sounds Posh. I bet he has a funny mustache. Maybe a monacle". She giggled happily, mentally glueing a picture of him together from the fabrications of her mind. "I don't think he's posh enough for a cane, a top hat would be fun though. I want a Top Hat. You could hide Pies in them". The Marine simply shook his head and laughed as Sukkari started walking in an overly posh manner, pretending to have a cane whilst she walked, one eye closed to fake a monacle.

[mambo]

In the kitchen in the back of an unassuming restaurant there is a gangly man in an apron shouting at a stout man in a hairnet. The hairnet is almost entirely superfluous because the stout man has exactly three strands of hair on his head. In fact, it would probably do him more good to wear his hairnet over his enormous, curly beard. The stout man is about three quarters of the height of the gangly man and twice as wide. The stout man’s beard reaches down to his navel. The gangly man waves his arms over the stout man’s head in wild gestures as he shouts.

“I’m done! I’m leaving! You’re going to look upon your dirty dishes and cry ‘Why Merchant? Why? Why did you leave me? Why did you forsake my disgusting kitchen?’ and I will say NOTHING because I will be worlds away! You will fall into despair and I will never have to gaze upon your grotesque beard and your vile customers again!”

Rage builds in the stout man. His eyes water from the sheer intensity of his anger. The veins in his neck bulge. His tiny hands clench into tight fists. He breathes heavily and sharply. His entire form begins to vibrate on a frequency of pure distilled hate.
“And you’re food sucks!” As that last insult escapes his lips Merchant uses one fluid motion to remove his apron and fling it into the face of the stout man.

A second later Merchant is flying through the air and out the back door of the restaurant. He lands face first on the floor of the alley. He gets up and brushes himself off. He shakes his fist at the restaurant door as he yells into it

“Give me backpack back you bearded cretin!” He is answered by a canvas backpack that comes soaring out of the door and then proceeds to collide with his face.

Merchant walks out of the alley grumbling to himself and fishing through his bag. He knows there are no cigarettes in it but is still angry and disappointed when finds none. He knows that he absolutely no money working in that kitchen and he knows that he’s not any closer to getting off this island but he tries his best not to think about it. He swings the bag on to his back and steps into the street.

“This island is full of goddamn phonies!” He roars as he throws his head skyward and raises both of his fists into the air.

[Lord Bromosalino]

“Whoa.

For a sixteen year old kid who had hardly been to more than three or four islands, the awed expression seemed quite… well, dull. The strange red eyes came alive at the site of the numerous trees, in all their variances, taking in the shimmering lights of the marble and granite buildings that stood tall and proud, each trying to outdo the other, bringing flocks of people to see what they had in store for each other. And yet, the lanky boy seemed so calm on the outside, as if it was just another island. However, in all reality, this was by far the most pleasant, cheerful island he had been to thus far. For a kid who had been stuck in the same slums for the past sixteen years, these last three months have been pure ecstasy to him. Sure, he had no money (he had used the last of it to buy a ticket to make it to Aityaia Island), had no idea where Hideki (his ‘older brother’) was, though he was sure that Hideki had joined the Revolutionaries by now. But none of that could have possibly dampened Orochi Tatsuo’s moment of joy. The world was so much more exciting than he had ever thought or hoped it could have been. It was vibrant, dynamic, almost as if the very soil of the islands were living and breathing! Oh what joy. Each island was so new, so different. How could he have been kept away from this world there in the stink, poverty, and destruction of The Holy Remunun Empire when this jewel was awaiting Orochi? How? Yes, this was truly exciting for the boy, regardless of what facial expressions he choose, or in this case choose not, to show. There was absolutely nothing that could possibly be horrible about this day.

Grrr![/I]

Well, except for that of course, though this was something Orochi was quite accustomed to: hunger. It wasn’t much of a surprise really. He was an orphan and a wandering orphan at that. He had left The Holy Remunun Empire during the darkest hours of the revolution (which had failed), fleeing to the seas as so many had, though many had not made it past the treacherous waters. It was then that Orochi had lost sight of Hideki, though he never doubted for one minute that his brother was still alive and doing well. Orochi had always meant to go look for him, but for the first time, he had experienced the richness and wealth that the world had to offer him. Besides, since when couldn’t Hideki look out for himself?

Speaking of looking out for oneself, there was the question of food. Actually, it wasn’t so much about food, there was plenty to be found on this island. Casino’s, hotels, and restaurants littered the streets, each had a pleasant smell flowing into the open streets, which was acting as a sort of pot for the different smells. Yells of orders could be heard from every open door and window. No, finding food wasn’t the problem. The real problem was obtaining the necessary funds to obtain and purchase food. Of course, this would have been a problem for any other sixteen year old, luckily Orochi Tatsuo wasn’t just any ordinary bright eyed kid. The short, skinny, straight blade that hung horizontally across his lower back could attest to this claim. Orochi grew on the streets, fought in the revolution (out of a necessity to survive rather than for cause), and had already sailed four different islands. Naturally, Orochi had to keep himself fed. And when you possessed a certain skill, there would always be a need for that service. In this young wanderer’s case, bounty hunting had provided the boy a trade in which he was able to keep his pockets fairly full, and more importantly, his stomach satisfied.

Of course, that meant that Orochi’s first priorities, after taking in the splendor of the new island, was to head off to the local Marine base and check the bounty board. Though the lanky bounty hunter wasn’t a large fan of the Marines (the memories of the attack were a sore spot deep inside his mind), they did pay what they promised, though it was a wonder they paid at all. After all, weren’t the Marines supposed to be catching the bad guys themselves? Oh well, probably not a good idea to bite the hand that feeds you. The board was filled with dozens of bounties, each for minor infractions; stealing some food, cheating at a casino, defying Marines, and the like. Yet one was an instant winner, a choice that simply popped out to Orochi: a revolutionary! If Hideki really was with them, this man, Gary Black could just know where to find him. Besides, he was also worth quite the prize. This was turning out to be a good trip, and all that the boy could say was “Whoa.”



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[shisha]

It seemed somewhat odd to ever her, that such a large place filled with so many people, was policed by such a small amount of Marine forces. She had heard previously of the islands lacking force, but had considered such talk as gossip. As she walked towards the front gate of said Marine complex, she found herself quickly believing those rumours and gossip. It looked so out of place in a location like Aityaia, with its stone structures and tropical Fauna. A polished, new looking stucture sat in the center of a clearing, surrounded by such lush tree's on all sides. Like a bright shiny stone placed in the middle of Gravel, it didn't match, it stuck out like a big Political thumb. Swollen. The group of young Marines approached the front gate, towering above them quite impressivly, but again it all seemed lacking. Even the men on Duty at the time, seemed to be elsewhere mentally. Sukkari could tell that from their faces, the way they stood and their body language, that these soldiers were bored out of the Marine Mandated Minds. The large white gates opened slowly, the other Marines stood still and watched, along with Sakkari herself, despite not hearing a sound over her headphones. Gates now open to them the marines marched inside, quickly standing at Attention in rows, awaiting the inspection or at least greeting of the base's commander and cheif.

For a good long while they stood waiting, in the new found tropical weather, daring not to move for fear of unforseen consequences by the higher ranks standing in front of them too. Sukkari was, luckily or unluckily, depending on the point of veiw, at the head. Front row, middle seat as it were. All eyes were upon not just her but the other front rankers like her, her nose itched. The kind of feeling that slowly eats away at ones sense of will. Knowing that moving to scratch would be costly, the tempation itself making the sensation a hundred times worse than normal. She twitched her nose to try and shake it off, but it persisted. A higher ranking soldier looked her way with leering eyes, she froze on the spot. He walked up to her, standing right before her looking right into her eyes. That itch was like hell to her, her hands were trembling. The man leaned towards her a little and looked right at her, so close to her face, then moved back, turning around to summon a second Marine. In that split second she frantically scratched her nose with both hands as fast as her hands could possibly go. When the Marine turned back, she was still standing like the others, but her hair was all out of place. With a puzzled look he picked up a pad of paper, double checking.

"Sukkari Miyako...right?. I've heard a lot about you, mainly from you're parents. It seems you're "Alterations" to your uniform are to be ignored". Without moving she looked down with her eyes to make sure she understood the situation. The two of them looked at eachother intensly for a moment, one with destain, the other with worry and fear to some degree. Until of course the Marine officer burst out laughing, loudly at that. His long flowing beard Swaying with his laughing chin. For a moment the other Marines looked confused, and then more so as Sukkari joined in, reaching out hugging the man happily. Confused expressions all around them, they eventually calmed down, with Sukkari letting him go quickly, still giggling. "I never thought You'd end up in this hole. Are you here for the arrest too?".

"Arrest?, who's getting arrested?". It was her turn to look confused, scratching the side of her head with a puzzled look. Instantly the other Marine shared her expression, more shocked than anything. "You don't know?... Solider!!". Another marine came running in a hurry, clutching more paper. "Did these new soilders get their orders yet?!". A shaking somewhat terrified head made him slap his own face, what was known as a face palm in some circles. Turning back he looked at the group and sighed. "Right then, since the commander is not with us at this present moment in time, i guess its my job to explain why you lot are here. Sukkari fall in line already". She scooted back and smiled boradly, nudging the arm of twitch, standing next to her, with her elbow. "We are after a Bounty here on Aityaia, a pirate known in these parts. He is a Dangerous opponent and as such you will all be required to show no mercy or weakness in battle. You will all be split into different groups, each led by an officer or myself if you get lucky". Again she nudged her Friend. "He sucks at giving Speeches, horrible dialog.."

[Lord Bromosalino]

Gary Black, Revolutionary, real name unknown, 10,000,000 Beri. This guy really was no joke. The flier continued to drive this point home. He had stolen multiple Marine documents, all of great importance, and continued to feed the Revolutionary Army with details and information that the Marines would rather they not have at their finger tips. The ‘misplacement’ of such information could be a devastating blow to any Marine Officer of any island, regardless of who that Marine Officer was. Information was truly a powerful weapon, perhaps even more so than the firearm or the sword. And yet, despite all of this, the Marines hadn’t even been able to peg this guy, or even figure out his real name for that matter. And yet, staring into his face, the young bounty hunter couldn’t help that his face was quite different to that of those that participated in the Revolution back home. His seemed lax, calm, almost…nice. Everyone else had such a stern, violent, fierce face. Could it be that the Revolution of The Holy Remunun Empire was misplaced, that maybe that’s why the real Revolutionary Army never appeared? It was certainly a thought that Orochi mulled over in that moment. Eventually, the young teenager decided that this guy was probably just a nut, one of those types always grinning at nothing at all.

Finding him would be no small task, in fact it would probably be a Herculean task, quite the opposite of what Orochi Tatsuo needed at this moment. Yet, if this went as it was ‘supposed’ to, then he would be able to potentially knock two birds out of the sky with one stone. But that was just the point, Orochi’s planned and hopeful method rarely went according to plan, as it was ‘supposed’ to. After all, Orochi had been out on his own for three months, just how many bounties had he really hunted? The number was somewhere in the dozens, though over eighty percent of those guys were either drunk or hardly a challenge. In fact, the bounty hunting teenager had probably only had one real challenge, and that certain bounty had taken him nearly two weeks. And this Gary Black guy would be in a whole new ball game. Hell, even the Marines couldn’t catch him. So where did that put Orochi’s chances? Optimistically, less than five percent chance of even seeing him, even if he was supposedly on this island. Still, the 10,000,000 Beri purse and possibility of finding some sort of information about Hideki were too much of a temptation to pass up. Now then, where to begin?

Even for a newcomer to this business, or trade if you will, knew that bars, pubs, and things of that sort were the best place to pick up information. There was the risk, on the flip side, that the more he talked, the more likely Mr. Black would catch wind that someone was targeting him. Luckily, this particular bounty hunting teenager was a tight lipped one, if for no other reason than the fact that at the tender age of sixteen, being quite was cool and mysterious in his own eyes, regardless of how childish that attitude was. So, the bars it was. But, erm…just where were the bars? Everywhere Orochi looked, buildings of the finest construct and quality could be seen. Was there even a low key, run down bar notorious for attracting the wrong crowd on this island? Grr. Damn stomach, he’d have to hurry before he fainted in public because that would not be… cool.

[shisha]

After more of his long, boring and really needless speeches and Lectures, Sukkari was finnaly able to move. The moment her friend and apparent officer in charge when the Commander of Aityaia Island was elsewhere, she raised both arms up above her head and stretched, lazily, much like a cat would. A human sized cat, bipedal with no fur or claws, or even a tail for that matter. While everyone else around her remained motionless, static and stock still, she did not. Yes she had respect for the traditions of the Marine forces, like chain of command, but she had an advantage over the others. She knew the guy giving them the run down on the job at hand. When he turned and spotted her "Stretching", it was her turn to freeze, smile weakily and lower her arms to her side, turning into another Frozen Marine body. The man who's name had still not been mentioned by either himself or the lovely Sukkari, simply shook his head a little, giving her a stern look. As though to remind her of her place and rank without saying a word. He continued to give then the run down, a step by step explenation of exactly who the target was and what he'd done to warrent such Govermental interest in the first place. The ample breasted Sukkari of course was listening to every word and sentance with baited breath.

Sadly with her lack of attention span, a great deal flew in one ear, got stuck in her head, asked directions and then flew out the other ear without so much as a sound. However her eyes began to sparkle at the mention of the targets Bounty. 10,000,000. It was a lot. Not as much as some of the pirates she'd heard of back at barracks, but enough to gain her some status if she succeded in capturing this "Gary Black" character. Just the idea of quick promotion and the rising through ranks, enough to give her command over her own little collection of able Bodied Marine soliders made her day dream. She could picture herself wearing a large hat, one that a short french general would have worn in a battle who's name involved water and bathroom facilites. Standing on the deck with a proud and commanding stance, eating a large chunk of meat right off the bone.

A suddenly applied amount of pressure on her nose brought her out of her dream, as she looked around seeing that the other marines had left formation and were on the move. Her day dream had left her alone in the middle of the compund, having being awoken by her current commander, looking quite annoyed yet still with a hint of a smile. Panicing she hurried off after the others leaving a trail of dirt in her wake. But again she found herself stopped by the same hand that had flicked her in the nose. Turning she looked confused as he walked her back towards the other end of the facility. "Sukkari, look i know you're a little upset due to being such a low rank. You're folks should have said something about that to you though. Anyway i know your alot stronger than the others, by a country mile, so i'll pair you up with a few stronger officers. Should help the chances of finding this guy".

As he walked away leaving her head tilted in confusion, the other officers he'd mentioned appeared. A large man, in Size and muscle mass, loomed over her standing behind her figure. He Was totally bald, devoid of hair on his head. The only other feature would have been the chin that looked chizzled with a rock hammer and some explosives. Next to him were two other marines, both looking weirdly like the other. Almost like twins. She smiled and waved, only to be crushed in what one could call a "Death Hug", by the larger man. "Nice to meetcha Lass, we don't get many strong ones around here ya know. A nice ray of sunshine ya be". With a worried smile she patted his arms as best she could, at last being let go. Looking at the two silent twins of sorts, she again looked worried before poiting back behind her with her thumb. "Alright then, i guess.... Lets go find him!"

[Lord Bromosalino]

Damn, there really isn’t any bars here? Like, seriously? What kinda island is this anyway? Didn’t anyone here drink, unwind, anything of the sort? Well now, this was just great. How the heck was Orochi supposed to find this guy now, sheer luck? Sure, he could just run into the guy on the street, but what were the chances of that? Marine activity here, while not particularly special, was evident. In fact, as the young bounty hunter meandered through the hustle and bustle of the street, the boy had come to a fairly large building, a glimmering hope to the island and a terror to those like Gary Black. Draped against the clear sky, the white seagull fluttering back and forth, the ever vigilant eye cast over the island and its inhabitants. Outside, a group of Marines of sorts and sizes seemed to be receiving order. Yet unlike the Marines that Orochi was used to on The Holy Remumun Empire, these seemed far to relaxed, evident by the sight of a giant Marine hugging a shorter female Marine near to death. Maybe this island was relatively safe and it’s people happy? Such an idea was completely foreign and alien to the teen.

Countless turns and backtracking, and the site of a bar of any kind continued to elude the bounty hunter, quickly flustering him. People on the streets gave him quizzical looks, very much considering if he was lost as he backtracked the same street three or four times. It was sooo embarrassing. He looked foolish, so not cool, and to a sixteen year old kid (especially one new on an island) being cool was everything. Damn this job, why couldn’t he just find a freaking bar!? It was only then that Orochi Tatsuo really felt stupid. He had come face to face with a casino. How had he not thought of this? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course, if there was anything a pirate or outlaw liked to do more than drinking, it was gambling and drinking at the same time. Seriously, how had he not thought of that? Oh, how uncool he must of looked.

Pushing open heavy glass doors, the boy couldn’t help but admire the vast wealth that was present just on the door. Designs inlaid in gold and silver outlined the framing, the handle was engraved with small diamond studs, and the entirety of the door was well over fifteen feet high. And this was just the door! Imagine the inside. For an orphan and bounty hunter who had to hunt down bounties for a living, this was almost a blow into his heart and past. It was no wonder then, that he felt drawn to the inside, as if in there he could find some thing to change his current status, and nothing would keep him from find that thing.

Thud

“And what do you think you’re doing, eh?

No sooner than he had stepped through the doors did Orochi find himself being held back and pushed by two rather burly and large men, each dressed in black suits, obviously bouncers of some kind.

“I’m just…um, ya know…just”

“Yea, yea, yea. We know your kind. Can’t you read the sign you stupid kid?

Holding up the hand, the equally colossal man pointed at a sign with his head, a sign that brought despair to the bounty hunter: 21 and over only.

“Hey, I ain’t no kid, got that? Besides, I’m a bounty hun…”

Before he could even complete his sentence, both men were bent over, and even then they were much taller than the boy before them, holding their signs and wiping their eyes at what they had just heard. Indignation and rage rose steadily in the bounty hunter’s face at the sight of those two men.

“Hahahaha, did you hear that? Him!? Hahaha.”
“Hohoho, bounty hunter! Oh, it’s too much, it’s too much.

“And just what’s so damn funny!? Hey, are you listening to me, dammit. I’mma bounty hunter, and I’m following a lead! Hey blockheads, shut up and listen to me!”

Orochi Tatsuo was clearly upset, no seething with anger. Try as he might, he could not shut up the two men who stood in his bath long enough for them to listen, and so he was left stamping his foot and yelling his anger. Yet, despite all of this, neither would listen, and soon enough, he was forced out of the door. Today was turning into quite a delightful day.

[shisha]

Walking through the Islands streets, surrounded by luch tropics and seemingly polished structures on all sides, Sukkari was happily marching ahead of her new found Team. Quite Litteraly, Marching like a regemantal solider of a nations armed forces. Still her large, almost painted on grin still plastered on her face kept it a jokingly amusing sight. To her this place, all very new, was a barrel of fun waiting to be tipped over. Or filled with fish to shoot later. Behind her the two almost twin like Marines walked side by side together, like mirror images of each other. They really were strange to say the least. Their hair was the same, black, short and spikey. Spiked in exactly the same directions as the others, even the spikes of said hair were in the same exact spots, the same size and length. Both had a pair of Dark stylish sun glasses worn across the eyes, obviously. It really was like watching someone walk beside a full sized mirror, it was rather disturbing too, their lack of comunication. With anyone at all. They never seemed to say anything, yet somehow convyed emotions with the lack of body language.

Sukkari simply saw them as the Queit or shy type. Something she didn't mind at all, although it would be a one in a million chance of actually rubbing her the wrong way. As quite evident by her current smile and joking way of moving. After marching a little she turned on the spot and walked backwards of all things, giggling happily over the Booming laughter from the tank of a man bringing up the rear. Sexual Puns aside, the Large marine who sounded partly scotish was laughing heavily over her anticts. Towering over both Sukkari and the "Twins" he was totally bald on his head, not a hair on his chiny chin chin either. Although it did look like it had been sculpted out of granite with the bluntest of tools. His attire had no sleeves, apparently torn off probably by himself. On his back was a great axe, one that was easily the size of Sukkari herself, no doubt much heavier though. His booming laughter attracted attention of passers by, they really didn't act like a marine Squad of sorts, if anything their attitude towards the job was, well, pirate like.

"Hey Lass, tell me how ya know the guy in charge will ya?. Never seen that guy laugh like that so far"

Silence from the twins, other than a slight head elevation of the smallest degree, from both.

"Oh him?, he knows my parents. No idea how he got here though. Doesn't matter much... he's still a lightweight". She made a drinking gesture with her hand before walking a little ahead, thinking about such a situation. Soon she stopped dead in her tracks, turning around and walking besides the two silent Twins, poking her head up peering over their heads to try and figure them out. "Umm do they ever speak?... Hello?...guys?". She walked backwards with her face inches from their respective heads, pouting a little at the lack of any reaction. Eventually she moved her hand up and attempted to poke the nose of one twin, getting close to it before missing entirly as the other twin batted her hand aside, still saying nothing. In response she frowned and made silly faces behind their backs, before marching on ahead regardless.

Soon enough the group reached an area, stopping together looking around. The large hulking man suggested the concept of splitting up, which suited Sukkari just fine. As they moved away from each other, her stomach started making noise. Hand on it she looked around for somewhere to eat, forgetting the mission at hand. After a few moments she stopped dead, taking a few steps back peering her head around the corner of an alley. Hands creeping around its edge she almost looked like a cat as she listened into the conversation. The word Bounty hunter had caught her attention. A possible lead. So she waited and watched, despite being horribly obvious, Stealth was NOT her strong suit.

[Lord Bromosalino]

What a fruitless attempt. Not only had he not gained access into the casino, but Orochi had been completely humiliated, even if only by those two men. Man, it sucked. That was it, this island officially sucked, horrible, ridiculous, lame, yadayadayada. Point was, Orochi was tired and hungry. The jabs aimed at the boy's ego had left him seething in his own rage, reducing the boy's facade and front into nothing more than a crumbling pile of false 'coolness', exposing the sixteen year old child that lay suppressed. Now, standing in the heat and sun on a side street, the energy sapped bounty hunter was aware of two things. One, two Marines, both very strange in their own ways and stranger still when placed side by side, had apparently stopped to look at him. And secondly, they were, at least the female, horrible at keeping themselves concealed. Though, the boy wondered with a scrunched face, why were they even sneaking about. I mean, they were Marines, right? And Marines... well, they just went wherever they wanted... unrestricted? So what was up with these two Marines?

Grr!

"Ah, screw it all, screw them, screw this island," came the muffled voice of a clearly upset boy, almost pushing past the Marines as if their presence and suddenly disappeared and had become all but irrelevant. Food and a place where he could be alone and let the tantrum that was swelling inside him die were all that mattered to the boy... damn it, he was no boy! "I'm a man, and a bounty hunter. A person to be respected! Damn it all."

Today was just one sucky day. It was a suckish and stupid day, full of sucky people and sucky, stupid hunger pains. His sucky pockets had no beri in them. He would never find this sucky Gary Black to satisfy his sucky stomach.

Why'd he even come to this island, huh? To see the world and all it's mysterious, glories, or whatever other corny thing people like him went looking for? "Stupid," came the response to his own question, and quite loudly at that, causing heads to turn in his general direction. But of course, he was just a kid...random stranger to the island, so of course he was immediately left to his own thoughts once more. However, even then, Orochi Tatsuo could have no peace, his stomach growling in anger as it demanded to be fed. Shut up, damn it. Don't ya know that I know you wanna be fed? Huh? What about me? So shut up, stupid thing.[/i] If only the outside world could have had an inside view to the conversation that he was having with himself. What a sight, maybe even a shock, that would have been. But did Orochi care? Nope, not a bit. He was hungry, tired, and heck, his thoughts were his own. He didn't have to be a calm, cool, collected person in his own mind. Besides, wasn't the point of a front so that others could see him the way that he envisioned himself? Yup, it was. There, in the inner workings of the pretensions boy's (yes, boy) mind, he really was no different than any immature, sixteen year old teen out there.

That's when the thought hit him! He was a teenage boy! As such, he was invincible, master of his own world, a god! Hunger? That did not exist, food was simply a luxury he enjoyed. Beri? That was something of the grown up, adult, boring world. What need of Beri did he really have? Besides, he could always come up with creative ways to obtain it. He would simply will it and BAM!, it would materialize itself at his command. As a god, people would flock around him, gathering to witness what he and only he could do. He would entertain them! And in return, they would willingly through money at him like a mindless machine. Oh why hadn't he thought of this earlier? Now then, he would just need a sizable area, clear with decent traffic. Now then, maybe there? Yes, that plaza was just right.



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[shisha]

Seemingly unaware that the bounty hunter in question had spotted and already made a first impression on her so called "Surveillance skills", Sukkari frowned as the youngster moved out of her sight. At least for a moment anyway as he reappeared a second later, rather dramatically. She watched as the young boy pushed past the Marines all by his lonesome. Now usually she wouldnt of minded, or cared for lack of a better term, but this time was different. Not only had the kid pushed past marines like a pair of Screen doors you'd expect to see in the doorway to an old style Saloon, but the marines he had pushed asunder, were the ones Sukkari herself had been paired up with. The two twin like creatures but for some reason not her Hulking Marine friend. No doubt off somewhere stuffing his face from how he made himself out to look. The Twins didn't even flinch as Tatsuo who's name was yet to be known by Sukkari barged past them, instead simply continuing their partol of sorts around the Area. From the shadows of a well lit and horribly exposed alleyway Sukkari emerged, finger on her lower lip pondering what to do. The kid who'd acted so rashly towards marines of all people had nothing to do with her current mission, but then again who ever accused her of being focused. At anything innocent that is.

Casually she walked up to the twins and waved them over. Almost on que the giant Hulk of a Marine appeared from the depths of a crowd nearby, wandering over with his hands full of food. Just as she'd expected. Although having a mouth covered with the drippings and run off's of said food, as well as all over his chin and part of his upper face, was not so expected. As he arrived she simply looked at him blankly, pointing at the mess around his mouth with a tiny, very tiny smirk on her attractive face. In a hurry he wiped it clean with the uncovered part of his arm, grinning stupidly afterwards. "Alrighty guys, Since we have no leads or clues at all i'm going to go and mingle". They all looked at eachother, knowing exactly what that word meant when Sukkari said it. Her reputation was known even to them, even warrenting a raised eyebrow from both of the twins upon saying that. Spotting the reaction she smiled and made a duel thumbs up expression, grinning stupidly. "Don't worry, i'll be descreet, scouts Hounor!".

A few moments later Sukkari walked out of a building, with a large bag over her shoulder, containing her Military attire inside. Any other Marine would be strung up by their tonsils for such a bold action, but Sukkari had special people looking out for her, that and she really didn't care either way. Clad in her "Street clothes", consisting of the following items. A White sleeveless top over her torso, cut enough to show off her midsection nicely, a pair of Denim shorts and a simple pair of Casual shoes. Although nothing too impressive it still caused the same reaction in the public. Almost instantly after walking out the doors, she found herself before a crowd of "Admiring" fans, all of whom were male, all with the same thoughts in their minds. Several Awkward moments later she continued walking onwards, still collecting more "Fans" as she went, until she bolted around a corner, hiding like a Famous person as the crowd ran by, panting heavily. When clear of danger she sighed and turned around, only to bump into someone.

Of all people that someone was the kid from before, who's head was well buried in her chest as she stood there motionless. Mostly out of shock and the confusion of what to do next. But soon enough she stood back and placed a hand behind her head smling weakly, attempting to divert the situation from its most likely outcome. So without bringing attention to it, she simply smiled and extended her hand out before her. "Ooop Sorry, Sukkari. It's my name. You know you should watch where you're going... if you can that is". She giggled and Patted his head like a dog. "After all your so tiny, its Adorable!"

[Lord Bromosalino]

Bam!

"W...wh...what....WHAT THE HECK!?"

A mixture of indignant rage and embarrassment rose from Orochi's depths to his face. Wat...watch were he was going!? Where he was going!?

...

...

...

...did she just call him tiny? Adorable? Who the hell did she think she was? In an almost visible and over-exaggerated manner, a facial tick swelled over his right eye, squinting the other in as he tried to grab hold of what ridiculous thing she had just said to him. She ran into him, damn it! And then she did that. Who the heck was she!?

Oh yea, her name was...Sakkari was it? Sukkariki? Eh, Sukkariki was close enough. Orochi really didn't care what her name was. Orochi wasn't interested in girls no matter how...well, how big-breasted they were. And now even more so; after all, what she did was totally not cool. Luckily no one, or not many at least, saw what had just happened. Damn it, making me look like a pervert or something.

"Yea, yea, same goes for you. Excuse me."

Gently shouldering his way past her, though in reality it was more like squeezing along the alleyway wall to avoid touching her again and seem even more like a pervert, Orochi tried to get back into the crowd. He wasn't even concerned about the job any more, he was too embarrassed about what had happened. For Orochi, despite whatever front he may have, or continues to, put up, is still a child who is very concerned with how 'cool' he looks. Very childish, indeed.

Damn, there were so many more people now. Standing at the entrance of the alleyway, Orochi could sense that this Sukkariki chick was still behind him and possibly watching him. Orochi had been hoping for a bit of discretion with his plan, and now that plan was shattered, especially with the presence of those three Marine's that he had brushed by before. ...three? Weren't there four? Scratching his head in obvious confusion, Orochi did the sensible thing and simply forgot about it and put the worry aside.

Grrrr!

...

...

...

Really!? Right now!? UGH! While he did not explicitly care for the opposite gender as far as dating, wooing, or seeking a mate in anyway, Orochi was still Orochi. This, then, meant that he was adamant about making sure that his 'coolness' was preserved, and this was in no way cool. Seriously, who's stomach just growls and grumbles like a hungry bear in front of a chick? Ugh, forget it, he'd have to continue his little man-hunt.

Pulling out the rather crumpled bounty paper thingy-ma-bob, the bounty hunter studied the face once more, refocusing himself to the task at hand. Gary Black. Revolutionary. Dangerous. Yes, this was his target. Scratching his head once more, though out of confusion rather than embarrassment, Orochi looked around him, and by accident, glanced at Sukkariki, annoyed by the fact that during these pass two minutes she had not left. What the hell did she want?

[shisha]

Her again confused look mixed with a little concern soon faded, replaced by a happy yet somehow mischivious grin. To her the more the kid attempted to avoid contact with her, or even communication for that matter, the cuter it all was. Watching him walk past her as he did, she smiled and observed him walk away. Although he had not gotten very far before she began following him. At a distance of course. She wasn't trying to worry him in any sense, but from what she'd overheard previously, about the kid being a Bounty Hunter, he could have information useful to the Investigation. Or at least be a fun little distraction from work. She began to ponder in her mind as to why his reaction to her was so hurried, distant. Sukkari was not used to such behaviour around her person, true she'd met snobs and unfriendly types before, but somehow his attitude towards her was, well, adorable. She could only assume that her other Marine friends were having as good a time at information gathering as she was. But sadly, that was incorrect.

The large hulking Marine was at the time almost cowering in fear, huddled up on both feet with his arms in front of his face. Standing before him was an old lady, nowhere near his size attempting to pummle him with her walking stick. And although he could have easily moved her aside and carried on, he chose to stand there and take it. Much to the wonder of the twins, standing there not saying a word, only shaking their respective heads side to side, at the same time. Nobody knew why she was assulting the marine solider and judging from the passers by, nobody wanted to get involved in the slightest, keeping distance from the public display.

Sukkari meanwhile was internally giggling, watching the kids mental struggle of sorts. Although she couldn't hear his thoughts or anything foolish as such, but his body language told her everything she needed to know. That and his glances back at her now and then. Her presence was a problem for him, so with a happy grin she decided to fix the problem so to speak. He turned to look at her one final time, accidental or otherwise and when lost focus on her for a breif moment, she vanished. Sneaking around him almost cat like she stood behind him ominously. Leaning down to his level her mouth was inches from the back of his neck before gently blowing a gust of air onto it. Smiling at his reaction she squatted down to his level hands on her knees and just plain said it.

"Sooo...you're a Bounty Hunter right?". Again she didn't stop smiling, only for a second to realise she had been grinning like a fool for a while now. "I ask because, well i may need you're help. I'm looking for someone and i can't seem to find them. You'll help me out right?". Leaning near his face as she said that, she awaited his response with baited breath. Not giving him the chance to answer, or fully answer as she once again got up and hugged his head tightly. "Aww thanks you Adorable little thing yooou~"

[Lord Bromosalino]

"Sooo...you're a Bounty Hunter right?"

What the heck? That was, to say the least, blunt. But then again, she really wasn’t the subtle type, was she? Though he was but a sixteen year old teen, Orochi was wise enough to put up a guard of sorts; who knew who this Sukkakari…kikii(?) chick was? She could be anyone, but what was even scarier than that was the fact that Orochi himself could be anyone and yet she still jumped the gun. Could she be a Marine? No, that wouldn’t make any sense, Marines were the ones that paid for these bounties. Pirate, criminal, possible revolutionary? Maybe, but even if she was absolutely sure of the fact that he was a bounty hunter, what was goal?

"I ask because, well i may need you're help. I'm looking for someone and i can't seem to find them. You'll help me out right? Aww thanks you Adorable little thing yooou~”

What the heck!? Even though this complete weirdo was the same height as Orochi, roughly five foot ten inches, she pushed his head back into her brea…erm, chest and began to squeeze his head. If only she could have seen his face at that moment. While he had initially had a face of shock and could only stand there with limp arms, it was now a face of pure annoyance. Who did this chick think she was, just barging in on his job and then this… FOR THE SECOND TIME!?

To a passerby, his face looked like it had been attacked by the case of facial ticks along with nervous embarrassment. This was, however, not the red face of someone embarrassed but of someone attempting to control his own rage. Control, control, control,[/i] came the thought over and over again. After all, it wouldn’t be especially cool to blow up on a girl in front of a crowd. Instead, Orochi used his small…body to his advantage and simply squirmed away from her grasp. “Hey! When did I say you could join…erm, I’m not a Bounty Hunter. And stop doing that you freakin sicko!” With heavy breathing and an accusing finger, the ‘not-a-bounty-hunter’ stood his ground a few feet away from Sukkarikki (?) –awe hell, forget what her name was- and glared at her in what he thought to be a menacing look, which if we’re being honest was like saying a puppy growling could look scary in any way. However, this was the ‘cool’ way to look mean, or at least that’s what Orochi saw his older brother Hideki do, and so like the typical younger sibling, Orochi Tatsuo simply emulated.

“Besides, even if I was, WHICH I’M TOTALLY NOT, I wouldn’t need any help.”

Turning deftly on a heel, Orochi attempted to simply walk away without looking back, another one of his attempts to look ‘cool’, he was such a child really, but managed to somehow stumble. Luckily, no one saw that, right?



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