Post by Jade on Oct 11, 2014 23:07:45 GMT -5
CCCCCCRRRUUUUUUNNNNCH
Anyone who was anywhere near the docks in Millton turned their heads at the awful sound of wood crashing through wood, wondering what could possibly have caused such a horrible sound in this late in the afternoon. Those who were closest to the docks could see the cause, for sure, but those who were further away were greeted only with the form of young woman, a sword held loosely at her side, pushing through the relatively small crowd, running toward the line of storefronts facing the docks.
The wind blowing through her sable hair, Eris spun on her heel upon reaching the stores, most of which seemed to be closing up for the evening. "Ooooooi! Augustus!" The swordswoman bellowed, causing those who were still watching the disaster at the dock to turn their gaze instead to the shouting woman. "I'm gonna head into town and get some supplies! You just... Uh... Hold down the fort while I'm gone!" And, with that, the woman turned around once more and began to walk - yes, actually walk - calmly into Millton proper, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. The people around the docks, who had stood stock-still and silent for the whole sixty-second fiasco, slowly returned to their tasks, some talking in hushed tones, other loudly, but all about what had just occurred.
Just... Just gotta pretend like nothing happened. Yeah. That's it. It'll all be fine..., Eris thought to herself, scratching the back of her neck with the hilt of her sword as she walked into the town. She certainly attracted plenty of stares from the inhabitants of the island - after all, it wasn't every day that a scarred, six foot woman carrying around a sword came to visit their relatively calm farming community. And, of course, there was the fact that this stranger acted so strangely, stopping to stare at things like the multitude of windmills, spinning seemingly endlessly in the strong breeze that the island was so famous for, springing up from every building, in wonder.
The sable-haired swordswoman continued her stroll, looking half-heartedly for someone to ask about her situation - where she was, where she could look into "picking up" some supplies; things like that - when she found herself literally walking face-first into the shin of some massive man. "Oi oi oi... What the heck is y-your... Oh." Eris gulped, picking herself up from the cobblestone street, gazing straight up into the air at the titanic man.
"Ah, my apologies, young miss," the absolutely giant man rumbled, slowly tilting his head to observe the swordswoman as she readjusted herself. "I am sorry that I didn't see you down there - being as large as I am makes me a tad clumsier than the average human, I suppose. Is there anything I could do to, ahem... Make up for my inexcusable behavior?" The self-proclaimed half-giant surely couldn't have been anything else - he was easily three times her size, maybe a bit more. His face was a great big, sleepy-looking slab with a flat nose and thick eyebrows the same color as short, chocolate-colored hair growing upon his head, all held up by a neck like a bull's. His shoulders sloped down to thick, powerful arms and hands that looked like they could snap Eris in half in a heartbeat, if he was so inclined; however, the right arm and hand were predisposed, holding to his chest a thick steel chain, which slithered up and over his right shoulder. Even from this side of his massive form, Eris could see the edges of the huge safe resting against the half-giant's back. He was plainly clothed, with a simple, faded blue shirt that looked more like a tent that had been converted into a garment for the oversized man than an actual article of clothing, and a pair of plain grey pants made from a similar material. "My name is Omoi, young miss. A good evening to you."
"I... I... Uh..." Eris stammered, having difficulty processing everything her eyes had just taken in. She then shook her head wildly, throwing her hair around against the breeze, although when she stopped, said wind blew it right back into place once more. "Actually, yeah. Would ya mind telling me what island this is, and where I could go to pick up some supplies? I've got a boat to get back to... And a pissed off cyborg."
The half-giant didn't seem to be fazed by any of what Eris said, instead just nodding sagely for a minute after Eris asked her questions. For a second, Eris debated just moving on from the weirdo titan, and then his loud, rumbling voice issues forth once again. "This is Flat Farm Island, or Windia, if you know it by that name. An island famous for its agriculture and never-ending winds... This city we are in is named Millton, the City of Windmills. As for supplies, your best would be a marketplace. The nearest one will be closing in an hour or so, and is actually just up this street..." Omoi smiled at the end of his little speech, and bowed his head lower to get a better look at Eris. "I hope that was a sufficient amount of information for you, young miss. I do hate to cut this conversation short, but my... Employer is awaiting my return, and he would not be happy if I left him waiting much longer. I hope the rest of your evening proceeds... Smoothly." The half-giant smiled, giving his face the appearance of having just fallen asleep, as it forced his eyes shut, and then began a ponderous forward movement once more, the massive safe slowly swinging back and forth as he moved. Eris hadn't noticed them before, but the titanic man was followed by 15 men of average height, all carrying some form of weaponry, most smoking cigarettes.
The swordswoman stared after them, watching as the huge figure continued down the road she had just walked up until he turned off onto a side street, scraping the buildings pressing close on either side with his wide shoulders. "... Huh," Eris said after a minute, scratching the back of her neck once more with the hilt of her blade. "What a weird guy." And then she was off, taking the half-giant's directions to check out that marketplace herself.
The fat man was digging into the veritable feast laid out in front of him when the well-dressed gunslinger entered the Simmering Stew, Millton's most famous pub. Some weird fluid from the breaded chicken leg the man was currently tearing into was dribbling down his chin, and, not for the first time, the self-proclaimed gentleman debated just shooting the stuck-up assrag and taking his pay by force. But, by pure willpower, Arlind kept his itchy trigger finger in check, although he was half tempted to pick up one of his gold-accented pistols and shoot himself when his employer opened his mouth to let words flow forth.
"Ah, Arlind! How did the search go today?," Alfred G. Koynsnjools inquired shrilly, accidentally allowing a good deal of slobber fly forth, which the blond gunslinger watched sail through the air, landing not three inches in front of his dress shoes, "I trust that you wouldn't dream of disappointing me for a fifth night in a row, would you?"
Arlind sighed, grabbing his black bowler hat by the top, letting it rest in the palm of his hand, top-down. "I keep fuckin' tellin' you, boss, it ain't like I'm tryin' to disappoint ya. It just happens naturally. But it ain't like this whole deal is entirely natural anyway - it's all kinds of goddamn unnatural, if I'm gonna be perfectly honest." The gunslinger snickered a little to himself as Koyn winced at the uncouth manner in which his premiere gun-toting mercenary spoke; having something that could irritate his annoying employer but not risk his job definitely made Arlind's job a little more tolerable. "S'far as I'm concerned, those damn Devil Fruit are all kinds of freaky..."
As he finished his sentence, Arlind turned his head to the side to see who was entering through the front door of the establishment - 15 of the lesser mercenaries, which meant that his titanic partner was back from his search of Millton. Of course, the half-giant wasn't exactly able to fit through the door, so the entrance was left open, allowing the surprisingly chilly wind to blow into the previously toasty, if empty aside from Koynsnjools and the mercenaries that had been following Arlind around, interior. "Ah, and here comes the man of the hour!, Koyn shouted, piercing the evening air, "surely the massive Omoi has proven himself to be less of a failure, eh?"
"Hm... Perhaps, if I may be so bold..." Omoi had laid down upon his side in the street, positioning himself so that he could look into the pub, with his head resting upon the cobblestone. "It may be time to consider that... Someone else has already found the Kinkai Kinkai no Mi...? The Fruit you seek may no longer even be on Flat Farm Island, Master Koynsnjools. Perhaps we should consider that our search may need to be taken to the sea...?" The titanic man's voice rumbled, prompting Koynsnjools' massive quadruple chin to wobble - or perhaps that was just the fury which shook the wealthy man and turned his cheeks face red.
"The two of you...! Oh, you'll see! That Fruit hasn't left this island yet - I can feel it in my-"
"In your arm fat?"
Arlind smiled as he heard a chuckle escape from his much larger acquaintance, but the obese man certainly didn't find the same humor in what the gunslinger had said. "I've had enough of your foul mouth for the night, Arlind! And you, Omoi, don't think I didn't hear that!" Koyn shrieked, throwing an easily-dodged, perfectly clean chicken bone at the blond man. "I don't care if you don't get a wink of sleep the rest of the time we're here - from here on out, you two are ordered to tear this island apart until you find my Fruit!"