Charm and Chivalry; A Purr-fect Appointment

[EriChar]

Ah, land on the horizon; finally some respite… His hand on the tiller of the Full House, a blonde young man by the name of Charlemagne Strangeways looked past the front of his ship, and instead to the small blob of greyish-black that sat on the bed of blue in the distance. Worn from his journey, while the clothes that he wore had been replaced with something a little more decent than a loose shirt and pants, the body that was beneath them clearly showed signs of deterioration, his glowing blue eyes now being supported by a pair of dark pillows that threatened to swallow them at any moment. His hair now drooping along with the general posture of the man, it was by no means a surprise that this seasoned sailor was in a state of relief at the sight of his journey’s end, the briefness of which having been it’s only saving grace.

Taking on a pair of passengers had originally been intended to make his journey easier, but now, after several days of a pair of giggling schoolgirls ignoring any sort of chance to assist him, and interrupting any time he got for rest, the young son of Strangeways knew now that such a chance had been something of impossibility. Where Charlie had expected hands to keep the tiller straight, or adjust the craft’s rather simple rigging, what he had received was apathy in stereo; two people aboard his ship, who seemed more interested in chatting and stuffing their face than actually ensuring the boat ran to any sort of acceptable standard.
I’m no Marine, but discipline is definitely lacking on this craft… It couldn’t be said that Charlie had particularly enjoyed the journey, where he had largely been forced to run his ship single handed for the sake of two selfish guests; perhaps this short journey to the Queendom of Ciudadela would be well remembered the next time that he was feeling lonely, or an especially great need to transport the first pair people that he found; it might help him to make a more informed choice.

Ciudadela, huh…? In truth, the arrival at their destination was met with mixed feelings from the blonde; on the one hand, it was indeed to be considered a good thing for ‘Strangeways Ferries’ to drop off their passengers, but while he had never had the chance to visit their journey’s end personally, he had indeed heard about the rumours and stories that were whispered in regards to the land.
People kept in cages to dance and die for their diva queen… What Charlemagne had heard about the land ruled by a queen that lay beyond his ship hadn’t been particularly good; the word was that despite even the World Government’s long overdue attempts to abolish slavery in all the lands that sat on the seas, the nation of Ciudadela was not only refusing these demands, but quite adamantly firm in maintaining their ways. This wasn’t some simple case of second class citizens being given the jobs that nobody else wanted, rather, a good proportion of the island’s slaves were kept for only one reason; entertainment. Allegedly, this land which boasted it’s fantastic gardens, also offered another display, but rather of human and animal life rather than plants; a coliseum where gladiators were forced to fight animals and even one another, often to the death, in order to amuse the masses that were poured into their stone stadium. As the son of Strangeways understood it, the principle cause of this travesty was the country’s queen; a vain and self-obsessed leader, who had surrounded herself with equally self-interested sycophants, and ran her country more like it was her own, private toy box than nation to be ruled.

A country on the road to ruin, ruled over by a dictator more interested in her own narcissism than the concerns of her people… Was this really the place for the Penguin Princess to begin her intended journey? As the owner of the Full House contemplated the future of his friend, regardless of her less than ideal travelling habits, the small, indistinctly coloured blob on the horizon steadily grew larger. Almost as if he was watching a slideshow, every time that Charlemagne cast his eyes on the meeting point between sky and sea in the distance ahead, the small feature for which he aimed gained more and more prominence; what started out as a mixed colour of grey and brown slowly, steadily began to fracture apart into a broader spectrum of colours. Buildings and boats in harbours, and the greenery of the gardens gradually took shape around the dividing colour, the details of the island and it’s port being drawn by an unseen hand as Mr Strangeways ship drew closer and closer to its still tiny mooring.

I expect that the little miss would appreciate being able to see us as we approach the island; if I’m reading her right, she seems the type to get excited over each and every new landfall… Thinking of the excited cheers and grin of a certain other fool whom which he had previously been acquainted, Charlemagne stood up from the small seat he had been perched on to steer his tiller, where he pulled together the two loose sides of the navy coloured vest and fastened a stacked trio of buttons to bind the sleeveless coat over the white shirt he wore underneath. Bowing at his waist, Charlie leaned himself forward and dusted off the small pieces of lint and salt that had gathered on his grey trousers as he had sat in the spray of the sea, returning his clothing to an acceptable state of presentation. Hanging a thick looking, tan coloured coat over the tiller in an attempt to do what he could to keep it weighted in position while he was away, the son of the Strangeways family stretched his arms outward with a yawn, before wiping away the small beads of tears that his action had provoked.
With any luck, they’re up by now… Plodding forward and flattening his hair out a little as he moved, Charlie moved towards the door with his trademark soft smile returned to his face, now once again assuming the mask that hid his current true feeling; exhaustion. Twisting it’s handle and prodding the door open just enough to squeeze his head into the cabin, Charlemagne chirped a message into the cabin, for anyone attentive enough to hear.
“This is your captain speaking, our craft is currently approaching the Queendom of Ciudadela, and passengers are invited to move to the front of the ship to catch a sight of our destination on the horizon, and prepare to disembark…”

[Tori Tori Chopper]

'Queeeendooom~'

Thump

Bonk

'Nnngaaar~'

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With a roll and a stretch, she found herself on the other side of the room where she had previously placed her belongings, sitting up with her arms still completely in the air, her hair falling across the ground like a stream from her scalp.. And a very lanky older man grumbling in the corner from the sudden ruckus. 'Why's'i'so ho'arou'ere..?' The words came out in a strange slur while she moved, grabbing her jacket and hat, plucking the multiple hair pins from the rim of it before next attempting to stand. 'I don't remember the Queendom being a hot place. Its probably just you.' The man also rose, apparently much more ready for the day and lacking a bed, dusting himself off and lighting a cigar for himself while he collected the many thoughts that followed a morning rise. The words which Charlie had muttered through the door slowly began to come to light for the little penguin girl, her ears perking and eyes widening from the thought before attempting to clothe herself and do her hair while flailing through a door.. Immediately breaking into a roll and appearing outside with an o shaped mouth and arms up like she'd just finished a roller-coaster ride. 'Phew, we haven't arrived yet.' She wanted to look, to glance in wonder at the bigger picture before jumping onto this island Hardy had made so alluring to her.

'Lets see..'
It was too hot for her jacket, wrapping it around her waist and adjusting her otherwise jumbled shirt to that it covered all the right places, her lower parts next, checking her shoes all the way up to dusting off her skirt. The next part required more than a moment, taking a seat at the front while she threw her river of hair off to one side in order to start taming it in a method that wouldn't have her lose pace. Over the past couple of days she had been given this odd spark, the light aura about her that was all too obvious, almost as obvious as to why she has it in the first place. The influence their third wheel had put upon the rising pirate was without measure, the stories she had been told giving her a much more determined perspective on a profession which was otherwise the most loose fitting role you'll have on the seas. None the less this was much more to heart than before, with tales told she realised why her parents were pirates after all.. It was not surprising that a few adventures explained in an action-like-perspective would get her all spurred up.

'This place has a lot going on with it, so its best to keep your heads on a swivel.' As the third and final occupant of the boat rose from the door he could barely fit through, Tetra's eyes shone with a quick wave before getting back to making her hair look more like a style and less like a cheerleaders pom-pom, some real admiration had risen from those stories, those little things that had turned Hardy into who he was today, arguably he wasn't as perfect as he would believe.. But influential none the less. 'You may want to dock around the side, theres an old pier which isn't used by the city anymore, it would save us getting checked once we land.' With a chirp of victory and a hop to her feet, she gave herself a spin as if trying to see what her hair looked like by attempting to catch up with it before sitting back down with content written all over her face. 'Eeh.. I'm hungry..' It took all of five minutes for her stomach to grumble once she woke up, she has been eating her usual mountains worth, but a little less considering their time at sea. Apparently not enough. She chose to blanket it, instead using her arms like a Bi-pod for her head, her feet dancing behind her as the island came closer and closer.

'I'm sure you've heard to rumours Charles, but if we settle on the west side of the kingdom we should avoid the majority of foul-play. My old friend lives on that side, we'll get the boat from her and be out of there before anything goes sour.' The idea of something even having a chance of going sour wouldn't be what someone should look forward too.. Though funnily enough. 'Can we fight people? Maybe do some fighting in that arena you told me about..' She had already gone off in her own world, clapping quickly and close to her chest while looking off at the slowly approaching scenery of grandeur. 'Oh! and we could eat some royal food, and when we get the boat? We can give her a name and make a flag... Eeehehehehee~' Her intangible giddy spree slowly died down with a drawn out sigh, spinning around on her seat to lie flat on her back, hands to the back of her head while she continued. 'What are you gunna go when you get there, Char?' No doubt his activities were equally important considering how he came along, oblivious to the fact that he had no choice as their only option but still.. She cared at least.

'It was a pleasure sailing with you two, but I'll find my own way out once my end of the deal is solidified.' To define sailing would be to ask who was doing all the sailing, that being the half-dead gambler holding the wheel, who had been at work alone since they had departed.. Tetra not so much doing it on purpose as much as she was ignorant to the duties of a boatman, despite Charlie giving her a few tips and tricks of how to handle a vessel on their way here. 'I could do so much stuff here before we go, it must all be really fancy! And then I'll eat really nice food, and meet the queen..'

'We're here for the boat remember, might be an idea to get that first.'
'.. Oh yea..'
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[EriChar]

W-What is this…? Peering into the confines of his craft’s cabin, Charlemagne Strangeways set eyes upon the two individuals who had been ‘passengers’ on this little journey, one of whom now caused Charlie no small degree of bemusement as he noticed the shape in which she had woken. While the large and still no less eerily intimidating man had remained in his state of refined vagrancy, the same could not be said for the penguin princess, who had undergone a metamorphosis from somewhat charming teen, to electrocuted pom-pom riding a messy heap of limbs and clothing. The blonde, despite his state of exhaustion and irritation, couldn’t help but release a small chuckle at the sight of his female guest. Like her naivety and to a certain extent her below the development curve body, Charlie couldn’t help but think she was more like a little boy than a teenage girl; full of that spring-like youthfulness, one might say. In all honesty, it was somewhat impressive for the gambling man to see how quickly and efficiently that the girl managed to deal with her improper state of condition; like a seasoned master reassembling a freshly conditioned weapon, in seconds the girl seemed to take fractured pieces of her usual being and cobble them together into a recognisable form, and in only a meagre handful of minutes, the transformation that had produced the jumble of hair and clothing was undone, and the chestnut tailed, petit young woman, had returned to Mr Strangeways company.

“Oh, insider info, eh?” On the advice of ‘Hardy’, who had still yet to use any sort of moniker aside from the one that Miss Penguin had given to him on the spur of the moment, Charlemagne returned to the control of his craft; the tiller which he had hung his coat over, and after retrieving the garment and hanging it from his elbow, Charlie gave the bottom of his navigational tool a glance before tipping the craft in the direction he needed.
A ‘friend’ eh? Might be useful in discovering just who this person actually is… Still sceptical about the intentions of the old man, the son of Strangeways trusting the impressively statured male as far roughly as far the geezer could be flung by a dormouse, the helmsmen never the less acquiesced to the advice he gave on the direction change; he could get little to no beat off this ‘Hardy’, despite spending several days with him, so it seemed that the best way to discover the man’s true agenda was to witness it. That was why the cane weapon utilized in combat by Charlemagne had been kept close at hand, and also why he had somewhat subtly been doing so much hard work on their journey; at the beginning of their voyage, with his body still feeling the stinging and lingering after effects of his exertion at Pirate’s Market, Master Strangeways could have adamantly demanded that his companions do more on the craft, but he didn’t. With ideas to restore at least some of his former ‘glory’, at least some of his irritation over the output that Charlie had had to give wasn’t wasted, as his body now felt a little lighter, a little more like it had done in the past.

“Hmmmm… I haven’t really given it much thought, to be honest.” For the most part, Mr Strangeways aim in sailing to the Ciudadela Queendom had been one of guardianship; the read he had gotten on the child’s storybook that was the twin-tailed young lady was not simple naivety, but rather ignorance. She wasn’t an idiot, but what Charlie had read about this Tetra was that her life so far had been very sheltered, and honestly, he didn’t particularly have the confidence in her yet to leave her in the hands of someone so lacking in obvious intent as ‘Hardy’ was without a sense of regret. If he was tired now, after all his work running the ship, it was probably nothing compared to the exhaustion that Charlemagne would have felt after spending the past few days worrying about her. While he might have carried himself in a way that seemed like he was quite carefree, Mr Strangeways had never lost that anxious nature he exhibited even as a young child, he had simply becoming more accustomed to concealing and coping with it.

“Maybe some sight-seeing?” Given the rumours that ‘Charles’ had heard, he didn’t particularly want to see much of the island in truth; while the gardens that the kingdom boasted might have been the most beautiful in the world, the blonde young man feared he couldn’t fully appreciate the image of these idyllic gardens since he knew the truth behind them. Hidden away, behind the façade of gardens, the island had an ugly face which once one was aware of, couldn’t be ignored.

“If I can stomach it, maybe a few bets on their ‘local sport’?” Charlie doubted that he would do this, of course; again whipping up a few more words that were not particularly well flavoured with the truth. Even for a man who enjoyed a ‘little flutter’ as much as the only son of the Strangeways house, wagering on conflicts that might claim the lives of the competitors was a little bit too much; enough was already at stake, without money.

Meet the queen…? Whilst Charlie found the notion of the little miss just marching up to the palace and asking their monarch if she wanted to come out and play to be rather amusing, he couldn’t deny that there was perhaps something useful behind such a ridiculous statement. From the rumours he’d heard, the Queen did seem to have some warped fondness for certain of the brigands that stopped off in her little ‘Queendom’, and for some the nation of Ciudedela was something of a safe haven for those who followed an ethical code outside that of the global ruling party; it made for a tidy little arrangement in South Blue, what with both this land and the island of the Pirates Market contributing to the overall criminal element of the ocean. Mr Strangeways would likely enjoy having the chance to confront the queen of this contradictory land himself; the opportunity to figure out the truths of the facts and fictions that he had learned, and hear the reasoning behind the horrors permitted in the queen’s name straight from the horse’s mouth. There was a reason behind everything; a reason behind Charlie’s almost dishonest countenance in regards to his true feeling, and a reason behind the penguin princesses overwhelming naivety. As a dedicated ‘people watcher’, the blonde was definitely curious about the motivations for a ruler, and especially so for one as controversial as this one.

“Oh, yes… This should let us slip in and out if we need rather discreetly…” His speculations and musings having occupied the mind of Charlemagne Strangeways as he had skirted his small ship around to the western side of the island upon which they expected to embark, the blonde pilot now came up upon a sign of what he assumed was the quiet quay toward which ‘Hardy’ had directed them.
No obvious signs of an ambush, at least… Narrowing his eyes, Charlie could see no sign of waiting individuals of ill reputation, but none the less; the concealed cane sword of the platinum haired man found its way into his hand…

[Tori Tori Chopper]

'Ooooo~'
'Uhm..'
'Ooooo!~'
'Little Miss..?'

'Ooooo!~'
'What are you 'Ooo-ing' at?!'

'This place is huge..' Even her raspy response while she fell back from dangling at the front of the ship seemed to contain some tone of being content in curiosity. She'd been living on and island with her parents for years now, the locations they had visited being small and desolate for the safety of their girl and their own name-sakes. This kind of grandeur was not only new to Tetra, is was something of dreams until she had set her eyes upon it in reality. Maybe it wasn't as astounding as she was selling it to be, the aura of upper class which poured from its decal was to most a common sight, to the degree of obnoxious to those less preferable to the obvious gesture that this entire island carried a pig-headed nature like a warning sign on approach. But to the small penguin-hatted girl had stepped into make-believe as far as she was concerned, and the concept of subtle disguise didn't help but reinforce the sparkles in her eyes. 'We 'gotta be sneaky, huh? Don't want the guards catching us off.. Eeeh..' She didn't even want to finish the sentence, it didn't sound cool enough.. Instead she lowered her hat into a sort of espionage mode, as if her overall appearance wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb, preparing herself for the landing in a shuffle about the deck to gather up assorted Tetra-items.

'Before we land, allow me to set some ground rules.'
She flinched, frozen in a pose that looked rather uncomfortable.

'Its not like you're wanted, but around here and kind o- Hey!'
She was slowly shimmying to the edge of the boat, ready to leap.

'I see what you're doing Little Miss, stop.'
With a spin of her heel she revealed the obviously childish face.

'I was just getting ready, its going to be a thing..' the tall and lanky man rose as they approached the sides, still maintaining a curious raised brow and folded arms, waiting for the glorious reason as to why she delicately balanced at the tip of the ship. 'I jumped onto the last island we were at, see.. So I'm gonna do it with all the islands.' His head tilted from one side to the other, she flat out told him on the way here that she was on the island by normal means before dramatically connecting her wooden stick of choice to the oppositions face, if this was any sort of tradition it had been constructed on false tallies. 'R-Right.. But you have to listen to what I'm about to say, its vital that w-'

'Aaaalley-Oop!~'
She had once again jumped an unreasonable gap
'Tadaaa!~'
Though landed quite nicely.'

'.. Has she been like this since you met her? Or is this just a show?' Hardy seemed to look for assurance in the tired boat-owners eyes, bringing himself closer to the edge before using his long legs to simply step over the remaining gap, giving Tetra a stern pat on the head which had her flailing above her in defence. 'Be more careful.' She simply mumbled all sorts of intangible curses in response, giving a family passing by a cheerful glance and face before being smacked on the head again. 'I can't even say hello to people?!' the lingering shadow sighed behind her, beginning to walk out from the small cover of overhanging buildings, arcs and bridges to get a view of the large cobble-layed square which opened up before them. 'The guards are everywhere and don't take kindly to people who openly avoid registering their presence here, especially when they port at secret areas of the island that shouldn't be made obvious.' He turned to the slowly following girl as she adjusted her abused hat, looking down at her waving hand as if it was some revelation and bowing lightly sooner after. 'I'm sorry for being horribly obvious.' it spouted a chuckle from the towering Gent, before gesturing her, them even to follow him into the crowd.. Only to have to stop moments later and turn back to the girl who was also turning back.

'What are you waiting for?'

'For Char.'

'He's a grown man Little Miss.'

'Eeeh..'

He was right in a sense, if he wanted to tag along he would do just that, he had an eye for keeping up with her activities regardless of where she was.. Plus those murmurings of his own intent on this island seemed to skim through her thought process while she looked off, eyes all glazed to the small ship bobbing in the small slot Hardy called a secret dock. '... I guess.' She began to walk forward, her head eventually turning with the rest of her body, and back into the small scattered crowds ahead of them. 'So who is this lady with the ship?' Hardy seemed surprised, so much that he nearly ran into an individual in the crowd to look back at Tetra. 'This is the first time you've asked that since the proposition days ago, I thought you weren't interested.' She shrugged, to be honest she had only just remembered the plan of action, despite being reminded minutes ago.. And in realisation of said plan became curious about those involved. 'She's an old friend, known her for a long time, but not as long as she's known her way around a vessel.'

'Is she old like you?'
'Haha, I'm hardly old looking.'
'You look really old, that means all your friends are really old.'
'Thats a horribly inaccurate theory.'

[EriChar]

“Ah ha ha… From what I’ve seen, she seems to be in a permanent state of exuberance.” Extending the index finger of his left hand to press against his temple, Charlemagne Strangeways gave the spot that was washed over with golden hair a small rub, as he watched the small girl once again hop from the boat and onto land in a single, several dozen feet leap.
It seems to be becoming a habit… Charlie couldn’t help but observe that, in the majority of the small number of times that he had witnessed her opting to disembark her choice of craft, it was done in this manner. There was, of course, the possibility that the young lady was not actually aware that these sea faring craft could be debarked in a manner of less vigour and zeal, as because of this she chose such haphazard tactics in order to alight, but Mr Strangeways doubted it; from the displays that the young lady had given during the few days he had now been in her company, he could anticipate that if there was an easy or lethargic way of doing something, it would be the last thing that the penguin princess would do. Like a hyperactive child, she seemed to spend the whole day, from waking to falling, bouncing around the place like an overstimulated puppy, with the occasional need to peel her down from a wall or two.

Leaving the other two the dally around on the dock as he tied up, Charlemagne took a quick chance to survey his surroundings before stooping down and twisting a sturdy length of rope around a ‘T’ shaped piece of metal on the dock, lashing his vessel in place for the duration of his stay in the ‘Queendom’.
With them off the boat, I could probably get some rest at last… The world swaying a little as he straightened up, Mr Strangeways found it to be a very tempting prospect to return to the hammock he had hung across the cabin of the ship he had just departed; the hammock that was strung across his ship’s cabin now calling to him like a sweetly seductive siren, wanting him to crash and collapse on the rocks of exhaustion. It was certainly a great lure for the blonde to go to sleep, but as he shook his head around to force some alertness back into his brain, the man knew he couldn’t surrender to such an impulse; not yet at least.
It’d be nice, but I can’t let her wander off to strange places with stranger men. Casting his eye toward the young lady, and her much senior companion, there was perhaps a sense of irony in the fact that the source of Mr Strangeways sleepiness was also the reason he could not now enjoy his rest. Charlie had travelled with this pair so far because of that lingering lack of transparency that this ‘Hardy’ presented, and the concerns for the safety of the girl that this murky nature aroused within the usually solitary sailor, and it would have very much have been a waste of time and effort to simply allow them to abscond from him now, not to mention a burden on his mind and ability to rest. For the sake of the young woman, even if he was feeling like he might collapse at any moment, Mr Strangeways had to ensure that she was seen to a safe resolution.

“He’s right you know; are all your friends the same age as yourself, Penguin Princess?” Trotting over to the side of the small woman and jumping back into their group, Charlie subtly probed at the girls apparent theory; his own presence in her circle of friends somewhat disproving it.
“So, you decided to dash off without me, huh?” Noting that the Little Miss and Old Man had made for a getaway while he had been tying the Full House back up, the blonde played off any sorts of suspicions raised or assessments made on the characters involved, by turning the whole thing into a bit of a joke; having been so thoroughly worn out by his journey that perhaps to a slight degree his mask of cheer had slipped away a little, the refreshment that Charlemagne felt when confronted with a new environment had also seemed to refresh his abilities, making him more able to resume his usual cheer of deception.
“That seems a little lacking in grace, after I went to all the trouble to bring you here…” Chuckling softly, to imply his sense of playfulness in his commentary, the result of his less stressful position as the ‘hanger on’ as well as the change of scenery made it easier for the blonde to relax into his assumed role, and in the short steps in which he covered the distance from the secluded docking point, the merry jester managed a return.

“Ah well, I suppose I can forgive you this once; it’s hard to resist the urge to explore a new land, isn’t it?” There had been ideas that said the human body was a machine which wound its own spring, and in Charlie’s current case, this definitely seemed to be true.
“So, where are you hiding this grand craft away, Mr Hardy?” Chattering away to his companions, though largely serving to energise himself, Mr Strangeways could feel some element of his vigour returning, perhaps because of the comments he was making. Charlemagne had many questions he would have liked to ask of this mysterious old man, and perhaps spurred by the vigour of near-exhaustion, the young man realized that this seemed like one of the last chances he would get to ask them.

“I’m rather curious about it myself, given the hype…” Of course, he didn’t expect to get a whole lot of truth from the points that he probed, but that didn’t really matter; he was a gambler after all, and sometimes you just had to take the chance.
“Hopefully it’s a bit more sea worthy than the last offering?” At the very least, Charlemagne might have been able to glean a little something from the responses that their guide may give, and that could be something he could use.

“Though it does make me wonder if you just happen to have a ship sitting in every dock, for convenience…” In all honesty, while he said this as a joke, Charlemagne Strangeways could certainly expect this to be the case; for all he knew, this ‘Hardy’ character could have been some legendary seafarer, who has seen everything that the world had to offer. It was unlikely, though; why would a person of such stature now be showing a little girl around a port in the middle of nowhere?

[Tori Tori Chopper]

'E-Eeeeh?!'
'He's got you there, Little miss.'
'Old people are different.. They get special rules.'

'Besides, I've never had any friends.' Much to her oddity exceeding even more bounds than the norm, where one usually expects a hint of sadness to come with such an announcement, she was quite content. The expression of social connection's being zilch had her giggling immediately afterwards, as if the quite unsound knowledge gave her a one up in the current theory she spun to her accomplices. 'I'm sure they'd be my age though, I mean everyone my age is like me.. right?' Her innocence in this department was rather obvious to the degree of obnoxious, seemingly accepting of her own truths however, her tone drifting into a mumble as if it wasn't really a concern of hers to get an answer. The boy in blue was quick to comment on their haste, in that time the proclaimed penguin princess childishly growled at the lanky guide, he in turn scratching the back of his head with a nervous laugh to conceal his actions dictating the problem. Tetra wasn't really good at defending herself, it didn't help that the reasoning behind their quick departure wasn't her plan either.. Even those being hard to translate into reasoning over frantic half-words and distressed noises.

'W-We should have waited for him after all?!'
'You're not very in tune with cues, are you?'
'I don't even know what you're saying..'

'See, he wasn't serious about it.' After Charlie had expressed his understanding, Tetra's shoulders went from her ears back to their original position, adjusting her hat after it rolling around in quite an unorthodox matter from the constant turning from one gentleman to another. 'Mee, Me Mee-ee-me-meh-meeh~' She tightly folded her arms, pushing out and up her lips before throwing most of her body slightly along with a displeased hurumph to top off her little display. Hardy contained his laughter, he knew first hand that finding anything of a females actions humorous when not intended only threw logs to the fire.. Instead making use of Charlie's curiosities about the next destination as another conversation starter. 'Not so much hiding, I left in the possession of an old friend a long time ago. With the company I was keeping? Its overall quality was marred by its effectiveness in certain criteria's..' He looked down to Tetra, the talk of the ship had changed her attitude towards him around in a split second, her face almost like it had enlarged and more so the eyes with sparkles shaking about inside them.

'Or in simple terms, not enough Cannons.'
'Cannooooonns..~'

'Or space for the crew.'
'Spaaaace..~'

'Plus it's seen a fair few adventures.'
'Adventuuuuure..~'

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'U-Uuh.. It would've been a shame to send it right into the worst when it wasn't its time, that's all.' He shrugged, a little side-tracked by his own flash-backs of the vessel, at least from the look in his eyes as they glazed and drifted off to sea on their one side. 'Haha, but a ship.. Everywhere? Well.. I pride myself in my merits of travel but, I'd hardly say this whole world is up here just yet.' He tapped the top of his head, breathing out a chuckle combined with a quick exhale of air.. The walking speed of Tetra, who slowly seemed to have scrunched her face and initiated a power walk reminded him of how little energy cycled through those old bones some days. 'We 'gotta goooo!~' Her speed began to increase to a level that seemed to make Hardy uncomfortable, throwing his lanky arm forward to grab her by the shoulder, while his other gestured to the blonde man to shelter behind a nearby alley. 'Unhand me Adventurer of old!'

'Sssh..'
And with that her chirps of complaint slowly faded into a shocked face.

'Just a moment, the guards.'
He gestured around the corner to peak, should either be interested.. Tetra obviously was.

'They look so cool..
She leaned in further and further, Hardy's large hand eventually stopping her from just falling to the ground.

'They look a lot more dapper since I was last here.' The people in question were in fact questioning, asking of a small huddle of townsfolk something that could hardly be heard, but obviously progressing into something a little more stressed by their actions alone. The guards were quick to act the moment one of the gentlemen made a move, pushing the numbers aside to grab a single boy no older than Tetra, with a bit of struggle and protest, the others where herded from obstructing the course, the boy consumed by the crowd gripping his arms and legs. 'They must be looking for new candidates.' Hardy pushed Tetra back into an upright position, her quickly skipping out once the coast was clear before loudly asking something which would have been better to keep in the alley. 'So who were those guys stealing the other guy?' It turned a few heads, though their quick drawback to their duties said more than Hardy could explain. 'Rounding people up again, for whatever reason I'm unsure.. Its never the same with the Queen.' Despite this being ill news of her, the idea of the Queen still sparked a chirp of amazement from the Penguin.

'Oooh!~ The guards have cleared my vision.' The sentence hardly of any refinement, purposely said in a silly tone as if to insult anything of higher class, hardly the place to start Practicing such. 'Good eye, that's the place.' It was still a fair distance, but none the less within view, which was an all clear for the little girl in white and blue. She prepared herself like she was about to run a marathon, shouting her own noise which resembled a gunshot before bolting off through the crowds to trim the short distance of any other complications. Hardy was tall enough to watch her hat slip and slide about the crowds just by going on his toes, it didn't take her long to run face first into the wall of the small dock-yards many buildings, Tetra spinning on the spot constantly rubbing her nose. 'Well, luck seems to work in many ways, even for her in our favour..' He shrugged, proceeding to tower of the majority of the men and women attempting to get to their own locations, all the while preparing himself a smoke as he slowly made his was towards the hat, before noticing another hat right beside it just as he arrived.

'Well if it ain't the travelling sleaze.'

'Long time no see, tramp.'

'What am I!?'

'Well you are just the cutest little thing~' Her cheeks were pinched, face wobbled like she was trying to make the poor penguin dizzy before giving her a poke on the nose, all of which left Tetra in a giggling and flushed wreck while she messed around with one large lock of her hair. 'I see you've met Tetra.' The woman nodded, sliding two fingers over the tip of her dark red flat-cap, bringing her thumbs down the suspenders which help up her high cut shorts and shaking herself into the Red and yellow stripped t-shirt the suspenders pressed agaisnt, before giving Hardy a light salute. 'If you were ever curious, we dealt with those 'fellas nice 'n easy, even without you.' The greying man ran his fingers through his hair as another diversionary tactic to lock eyes, letting out a chuckle between puffs of smoke. 'You shouldn't have darted off like that Little Miss, me and Charlie might lose you.' A sound of disgust shot from the newcomers mouth, making habit of slapping the suspenders agaisnt her shoulders before retorting on the girls behalf. 'I was your age not ten or so years ago now, and he even gave me this kinda sass.. Me, of all people, can you believe?' She threw her arms into the air, mixed with a gesture to follow for all who focused on her.

'I know what you're here for, lets not dilly dally.'
'Dilly Dally shilly shally!'
'Little lady, you are just adorable.'

[/size][/blockquote]

[EriChar]

Cannons? Crew? Adventures? With the small glimpses of insight that Charlemagne Strangeways received into the history and intent of the old man, born from the ship ‘present’ he was giving them, the answers that the young blonde received only served to leave him with further questions; the biggest still being ‘Who in the world is this guy?’. From the nature of the answers that he gave, it became more and more apparent that this simple old man was no ordinary pirate; the ship he offered was perfectly adequate for the needs of a small crew, in fact, it was even a little bigger than the first one that himself and Caeser had managed to secure for their own pirate crew, over half a decade before. It was of course by no standards a galleon or warship, but the craft looked to be rather serviceable; worn from the ‘adventures’ that it’s owner had apparently taken in through, and at the same time somewhat basic in design, but there was definitely the potential there for a good little run-around for a small body of people to take even into the Grand Line. Charlie was by no means a shipwright, but he’d sailed on a fair few vessels and had enough experience of seamanship to offer a useful insight when scrutinizing the capability of a craft for further use, and the prospective capacity of this ship only made him further question the nature of this old man named ‘Hardy’; just what type of person was he if the delivery of a ship, that was far more sea worthy than Mr Strangeways own ‘Full House , could be promised so casually. As far as Charlie was aware, aside from retrieving the little miss from a sticky situation at the Pirates Market, there was no more connection between these two, and more so; the very nature of their meeting meant that the young girl should be indebted to the old man, not the opposite. The enigmatic Hardy certainly was a mass of mystery and confusion.

“Hm?” Noticing that the old man now had snatched the penguin princess with one of his hand, and as he ducked into a side street, beckoned for Charlie to follow, the thought processes of the blonde were interrupted as he skirted into the alleyway after the leading pair, initially somewhat confused as to what was going on.
“Friends of yours, Mr Hardy?” Quickly locking onto the target of their group’s evasion, the town guards, Mr Strangeways couldn’t help but find himself wondering why the old man was working so hard to avoid the authorities; while he had surmised that this man was a pirate, the caution he showed here seemed a little out of place. The Ciudadela Queendom was not a member nation of the World Government, so the guards here wouldn’t have any need to act on Marine orders, and in fact Charlie had come to understand that the establishments of this land of gardens and gladiators tended to be known as one that was something of a haven for the bandits of the sea, their monarch not only tolerating but occasionally even endorsed the occasional pirate campaign, for reasons known only to the upper echelons of the island.

“Well… Looks like they’re all kinds of ‘friendly’, aren’t they?” The blonde, however, did not have a whole lot of time to dwell on the matter of the old man’s concerns about the town guard, as soon after setting his sights on the sentries, he found that his own attention was drawn to their concern; a boy in bondage being hoisted away from the public place and off to who knows where.
Another slave, I take it? With some considerable internal effort, Charlemagne Strangeways steeled himself against throwing his body against the guards in a probably vain effort to set the child free, despite the cold-heat that began to seize his blood at the sight of the young man in restraints and manacles. It was an incredibly uncomfortable sight for a person who had already seen many friends of old being bound and ready for the end of their life, and not one he could easily tolerate; had the little miss nearest him not chirped in excitement as the crowd dispersed, Charlemagne may very well have abandoned her in pursuit of the group of guards, but her high cry forced the careful young blonde to remember his priorities.
Yes, the little penguin; that’s why I’m here. Settling his eyes on the small girl he accompanied bobbing away in excitement, Mr Strangeways sensed the sting of the sighted situation sooth a little, and trotted along after the girl, attempting to force the memories that the scene had evoked back into the recesses of his mind. This was quite a trouble-causing young woman, after all, and the sting within the blonde would have been even fiercer had she come to harm while Charlemagne had been off ‘playing hero’.

“Oh, another one of your friends? Mr Hardy seems to be very popular here…” Catching up with the pair after a few dozen steps, Mr Strangeways found the object of his protection was now receiving the affection of another, and for a change it seemed to be a fellow female whose attention the penguin princess was attracting.
It seems that there’s no end to the odd ones with this man… Assessing the woman in shorts and suspenders to be quite the character, at the very least she seemed a largely open book to read, unlike the enigmatic elder, Mr Strangeways felt that she gave off an honest enough impression for him to not instantly have alarm bells ringing about her.

“Well, if you’re not going to introduce us, then I suppose I shall take the initiative… Charlie Strangeways, the pleasure I’m sure is mine~” Of course, while usually calculating and calm, the son of Strangeways was of course someone who could also be charming; never underestimate the wagers that could be won with the simple application of flattery and smiles, something that Charlie could when needed lay those out like wares on a stall.
“So, are we lucky enough to have you be the guide to the craft which we’ve heard so much about?” Offering a soft look in one eye and the delicate crease of a wink with the other, Charlemagne flashed the woman a broad and beaming white smile, as he relished the opportunity to interact with a person who wasn’t a teenage girl or old man for the first time in days, and the distraction she brought from the woes of the earlier encounter…

[Tori Tori Chopper]

'Not like you to attract the sophisticated company, Hardy.'
She spun on her heel to walk backwards, tipping her hat to the well organised greeting and charm of Strangeways.

'Charlie's with Tetra, as am I. I have a debt to pay and our ships the only one left that I own, and able to actually leave port.'
He deflected furrowed brows, grunts and huffs from the newcomer with his own glare of ignorance towards her silent or at least quiet objections.

'But to have a man for each arm at your age, very impressive Little Lady.' Tetra had hardly recovered from the last if not constant rain of praise she received from what was at this moment her spontaneous idol. The aura of this woman, grace, independent.. Figure even! Had the penguin hatted girl in question mumbling all sorts of Jibberish between chuckles and whatever her hands could fiddle with on her person. 'I'll bet you tried to give them that messed up bucket 'n sail you left on years ago, I'm surprised it even lasted a day let alone this long.' Her attitude seemed to have an effect on the majority that followed her through the small wooden hallway towards a hint of amplified sea air and directed breezes, even Hardy chuckled and scratched the back of his head towards her accurate assumptions. 'I'm glad its going to a good cause though, be left to whither if you guys didn't take it, what with us disbanded 'n all.' A word shone through the already interesting explanation and small talk the woman made, little ears perking hands clenching and feet skipping to a doubled tempo of the norm while she tired to contain this bottled excitement. 'I knew he was part of a cool crew! What did he do, was he like a super pirate?!' The rest began to form so fast and with so many arm movements, it was back to the intangible questioning that couldn't even be put into logical writing.

'You mean he hasn't muttered a single word of his adventures? What's happened to you these last couple of years old man, suddenly decide to stop throwing your fame around?' Fame?! Despite the cold and head shaking gray haired man of the group, even Tetra was know spun to walk backwards with eyes gleaming and visibly twice their normal size, emitting this high pitched squeal that could only faintly be heard in company. 'I've got nothing to prove anymore, you know that more than anyone.' It was as if her hair slowly deflated from this heightened anticipation, to its usual droopy self, the new woman shrugging at the knowledge and proceeding to finish her guide to the ship, and Hardy acting as if that was all to the question. She wanted to know more! But not even her puppy dog expression and half finished words to plea for information was going to stir that stone expression that flooded the veterans face. 'Well, here she is, right where you left her..' The arguably large tunnel with no turnings which they had walked down whilst conversing opened up to a gigantic factory like complex, not to much impressive in height as it was width.. Rows and rows of half-repaired, in construction or even pristine ships lined the enclosed dock that seemed to follow the shoreline in a man-made effort to make use of the shallow waters. But from the opening to this area alone showed off a single boat secluded from the rest, anchored to the extreme alongside a single walkway opposite the construction site.

'Looks better than ever.'
A dark blue finish, dim yellow trimmings and curled decal across its sides.

'Well someone had to keep the memorabilia in tip-top shape, you sure as hell didn't.'
Two sails! The main decorated in much the same fashion of gold lacing to compliment its tanned woodwork of mast and layout.

'You weren't so interested in anything, let alone our ship back then.'
And to finish off its glorious small and beautiful design, was a scarred and chipped headpiece sticking out from what looked like wings that made up the frontal structure.. Wait.

'Eeeh..?! This one's broken too?!'

She began to inhale quickly and sharply, raising her chest and broadening her arms only to be somewhat deflated and sent into a giggle fit by the two other limbs that hugged her abdomen before it ejected curses and anger towards the hands up and ready older man. 'Now-now! The fronts not exactly the bird it used to be, let alone anything at all.. But the rest of it works like a charm, you have my word!' The penguin girl seemed to be in conflict between glaring at Hardy and resisting the other females attempts to diffuse her, before finally succumbing and wobbling down to the floor in a seated position. 'T-Thanks for the ship 'n stuff..' Disarmed of her hyperactive attitude by a smooth-talking expert, or so it seemed, she stood up with the help of the same woman's hands pulling her from the ground, dusting herself off before looking back to the ship in relative amazement.. Slowly growing with the realisation that the ship was her own, as was the agreement.

'Alright, now you'll just have to clear it with her lady-ship.' Hardy froze more than Tetra did, the words seemed to send a shiver up his spine enough to jerk him on the spot, Tetra just as confused from the idea that she couldn't just point and sail off majestically into the sea-line immediately! 'I will clear it up with this lady.' She began to walk with determination about her steps back out the building, treading air as Hardy tucked his finger into the scruff of her shirt to avoid her making any progress. 'This is the queen we're talking about, a queen I was hoping to avoid..' The old man's old friend shook her head, another shrug which seemed almost signature to her came with another adjustment of her clothing, also seemingly routine. 'People can enter, but never leave without her word now, any vessel seen not authorised are cut down straight from the tower-watch.' It seemed a little intense for a city of such grace and good nature, not like Tetra was even listening, still walking on the spot with one huff after another in her step. 'And she's..'

'She, isn't.'
'She isn't what?'
'Well, she's.. Not herself..?'

The dock hands that worked around them seemed to pause at the final word, some even tilting their heads at the small group huddled beside the lone ship. 'You know the drill old man, go see her yourself, I've got a business to run.' And with that she winked with impressive haste, yet still enough to sparkle charm outwards towards those witnessing it before waltzing off down the larger walkway. Hardy released Tetra from his simple grip, motioning Charlie to follow also in their exit, quick to stop at the other end of the tunnel and stopping Tetra in her tracks once more.. This time at least getting her attention as opposed to her pretending he wasn't doing it. 'So are we going to see her or not?!' He nodded, looking to Charlie with a somewhat stern look as opposed to the norm, motioning to the guards that slowly began to approach them from far down the open port beyond them. 'Looks like something's a little off around here, more so than usual. I've not had a chance to get back here to investigate the story's in a long time.. I guess one things true though.' In which he gestured to the guards, collecting and dragging randomer's from groups though hardly shrinking in numbers while they closed the gap between them and the three outside the factory. 'Guess she's got enough of a life here to not want to leave, or else she would have much before this, but we.. You, might have to put a little more effort into our departure.'

Tetra turned to the commotion that was pointed out to her, the childish determined face that she had put on the moment she knew who to talk to and where generally to go hadn't faltered, it wasn't to much aggression as it was the desire to leave on her new boat as quickly as possible. 'Can those guys take us to the Queen? Can you?' The simple vocal noting of royalty seemed to get the surrounding citizens in the know of who exactly the guards were after, clearing away from the three like they had some sort of plague. 'They seem to be after just me from those looks, you guys are welcome to look around for a faster route out of here by yourselves.' He raised his hands, as if to submit once they drew their firearms, letting out a sigh as Tetra raised her hands to mimic him. 'What are yo-'

'They're taking you to the Queen, right? Then I'm coming too.' He shook his head with a smile, looking to Charlie for his decision on the matter with the guards moments away, it would only take a glazing glance and a quick step to un affiliate them both from him as far as the armed soldiers were concerned. 'I've seen that curiosity in your eye, if you can find out more about whats going on while we play the scapegoats..' He lowered one hand, resting it on Tetras hat with a nod of assurance. 'She'll be fine with me, don't worry.'

'And he'll be fine with me Char, I swear it!'
'Haha.. right, right..'