A Legend, A Scarf and A Yo-yo.

[Kami-Gaz]

Riches, wealth, nobility, all of these things and more… did not describe the young bounty hunter that had recently arrived on the island of Toroa. An island known for elite citizens and swordsmen, its cultural concerts, operas and balls. An island in the west blue that is a small safe haven from the marines… but not from plucky young bounty hunters like Kaito Penn. Kai had arrived with one goal, to hunt down a man who caused a fair few problems in the south blue before moving to the north blue. His scruffy free nature was completely out of match with most of the tall buildings grand structures and wealthy people; he was more accustomed to the slums, the same slums that the fish man mafia protected. These slums were not very big but they were noticeable from the main tourist port that Kai had used to arrive.

The slums were the young man’s first port of call, when it came to hunting bounties he had enough experience to know that lowlifes tend to run into those sorts of places to try and hide from marines and potential bounty hunters. It always the goateed bounty hunter laugh a bit when they saw him coming, even when they thought they were perfectly hidden. The thought of that surprised look made kai grin as he slipped two large heavy iron yo-yos out of the pockets on his blue jean trousers and let them fall down. They stopped an inch from the floor and with a small twitch for them young bounty hunters fingers they rose back up, only to fall again.

Who was Kai here to hunt? A monster of a man called Ikito Toten, a man worthy of his 20 million bounty. How did he acquire something so high and why was Kai aiming for something so big? It was more of a personal reason really. This man caused quite a large ruckus on his home island in the south blue, on Karate Island. It was something that genuinely got to Kai deep down, but he buried that pain away behind his smile… for now.

As Kai kept yo-yoing and walking down the road towards the slums, with the sunlight on his back and sea air filling his nose, everything seemed like a good day on the island of Toroa. Though it seemed like this area, the slums were livelier than usual, and full of sights the young bounty hunter has never seen before. sights like fish men all over the place, with brooms and building supplies. It was like they were rebuilding something that had been destroyed in some sort of disaster recently, this made Kai do a few retakes as from his past experiences fish men weren’t really the kind to help humans rebuild. It got to the point where Kai stopped in his tracks and caught his yo-yos, this was something he had to record in his memory.

“Excuse me sir? Would you care for an interview?” A man asked, snapping Kai out of his daze and making his shift his eyes along to the side to see a reporter, standing there with a transponder snail in hand and a camera in the other. “I just want to know your opinion on what happened here…” He carried on after he got the young bounty hunters attention, his smile just as wide as Kai’s.

“I would love to… but I don’t know what happened here I just arrived like twenty minutes ago myself…” He replied as his eyes shifted to the closest fish man. “Care to fill me in and I will certainly give you my opinion.” The yo-yoing bounty hunter said as he gave the reporter his full attention. “Oh… by the way I am Kaito Penn a bounty hunter from the South Blue… just in case you needed that.”

Jumping the reporter clicked a button on his snail and took the information in. “Okay, Well… about 2 days ago there was a fight between two people. One like you some one that had only just arrived and the other was a well-known man around here, he sort of protects this place and has done a lot to keep make it better for everyone. He is called Don Finn Bubbles, the human leader of the fish man mafia.” The reporter started, but immediately paused to see Kai’s reaction to what the mafia leader’s identity, which as he expected was one of surprise. In Kai’s head that man had to be very powerful to command that amount of respect among another species that is known for being stronger than humans. “The unnamed newcomer to the island started a fight with a fish man, beat him and went into the building that is being rebuilt over there… after a small while he blew it up and waited for Don Finn to come running, After a while he did and they thought… I don’t think many people know the outcome of the fight, seeing as everyone is spouting whatever rumour they come up with makes my job to find the truth hard.” The reporter shifted his gaze to the construction work that was underway, as did Kai.

“This Bubbles must be strong, to make Fish men and humans coexist like this… By the sounds of it this Bubbles is a good man, though if he was ever to do anything wrong I am sure all of his good deeds would be forgotten in a heartbeat. He may have turned the worst part of this island into something good, but how long will this last?” Kai responded to the story so far, and he did not think any further comment was needed as the Reporter quickly ran off down the street waving to the young man, his shouts of thanks being cut off by the construction that was only a few metres away.

This explained the strange sight he was seeing and why the slums of Toroa were not as slums like as other places, then again Toroa is known for being classy so even the low wealth area has more class than most places. This entire human lead Fishman mafia situation was just more beneficial to the people. Kai would pull the Yo-yos out of his pocket again but this time the wanted poster that was being stored would fly out too. On it was the mug of a heavily bearded ginger man with long hair and red eyes. “Wanted: Ikito Toten $20,000,000” It blew down the street and out of Kai’s eye sight fairly fast, making the young man a bit confused as to how it happened

[Blushing z0ro]

What a beautiful sight, Colt was sitting on a throne in the middle of a golden circular room overflowing with treasures. Golden chalices, more coins than there are stars in the night skies, precious stones that shone every color of the rainbow. On the walls, clear golden liquid poured down into carved waterways on the floor from small openings in the shape of parrot beaks. This golden nectar was the greatest booze on all the seas of the world and it flowed endlessly in this place. Colt Jagger was the lord and master in this place, many beautiful and scantly clad ladies brought him the finest meals along with cups of the delicious drinks to his heart content. Truly life was good.

However things suddenly took an odd turn. The whole room began to shake, cracks golden on the floor and walls began to crack, pain began to sear in the middle of the Legendary Bounty Hunter's forehead. Everything fell in the dark abyss of that the cracks had grown into, treasures, women, food, booze, even Colt himself. As he fell a dark voice called out to him, as if punishing him for his sins as it dragged it down to hell. Perhaps this was the demon from which the legendary fruits came from? Who knew? The Gunslinger simply closed his eyes waiting for the end, hearing only the long low pitche sound calling out to him. "Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolt."

"COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLT!" Pain now really seared from the middle of the middle aged man's forehead as he woke up from his slumber and waved his arms about frenetically, trying to shake away his avian companion and his insistent pecking of the man's cranium. After some more shaking and waving from withing the poorly made and maintained bed, Colt had rented for the night, James the parrot finally stopped and flew off to the nearby window sill. "Itatatatatata! What the hell James!?" Clamored Mr.Jagger as he sat up on the straw mattress he had just spent the night in. "I was having a good dream damn it..." The man added almost dejected before rummaging through his coat's pockets, which was resting on a chair next to the bed, for his pack of smokes. "Shut it! It's noon already and we're almost out cash! There are dozens of wanted to criminals here! Pick one and let's go to work!" Angrily replied the odd looking parrot. James the Parrot had green feathers with a few blue and yellow ones at the end and front of his wings respectively, which so far doesn't sound too odd for a parrot but what made him stand apart from other was that he always wore a strange leather helmet, a red scarf and had to very small looking gun barrels tied to his legs. A gun-slinging parrot if anyone ever so one.

In contrast the birds partner was a much more normal looking man. Colt was a tall handsome man with mid length brown hair and brown eyes. The Gun Dancer always sported a short trimmed goatee and a constant smile, which James always made wondered how he would look with facial hair; alas birds were unable to do such a thing. The talking parrot just sat there quietly as his oldest friend got up and dressed himself in his usual fashion while nonchalantly smoking. Always wearing the long red coat and glasses, Colt was a creature of habit, not wanting to change his get-up too much as it facilitated the keeping his guns Mary&Lyn inside the coat when they were not needed, yet always close enough to reach them in a split second when the time comes. The Gun Dancer finished getting dressed by putting on his boots and gloves, finally ready to go out in search for a new mark.

As Colt left the run down establishment he had spent the night and morning in. He found himself in the less savory parts of Toroa where the lower class citizen could only look at the nobility's part of the city in envy. Even though these slums were better looking that some "rich cities" the bounty hunter had encountered before. As he began to flick through his bounty posters Colt consulted is partner on who to go after. "What do you think partner? How about this guy? Leonard LeClerc, 35 Millions. It says here he is from Toroa." James, who had been perched on the gunslinger's right shoulder once again angrily pecked at the man's forehead. "Pay attention damn it! Yes is from Toroa but it also says he is active in the North Blue! So if you want to hunt him down go for it, but at least try and be in the right ocean first!" The Gun Dancer just sighed pitifully, smoke blowing out of his mouth and nose as his body kinda slumped in an almost desperate manner. "Huuuuuuuh... It's starting to feel like there are no good marks left in the West... maybe it's time for a change of venue?" The avian partner pondered the human's question for a couple seconds. "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Maybe. But before we can consider moving on we need to replenish our pockets! So go for this guy and let's get to it!" Said the parrot as he pointed at a certain poster with his beak, “Wanted: Ikito Toten $20,000,000”. Colt Jagger then straightened himself and began to walk towards the center of town quietly telling himself. "Time to go to work."

[Vio]

Toroa was hardly the island one would have expected a bounty head to be located at, its reputation for glamour and elite culture quite well known among the people of the West Blue, but that was exactly the reason for Malcolm Stark's arrival upon this island. Standing a little over six feet in height, his hair short and dark and a tad scruffy at this moment in time, he was a worthy display of strength and athleticism. Built with strong muscles, but maintaining a sleek physique, there was no denying that this golden-bronzed man was a handsome figure. He would have been more attractive had he actually cared much about his appearance, running the fingers of his left hand across his lower jaw and neck to feel the dark stuble that grew there before patting down some of his hair. Dark eyes of teal scanned the area before him, the wide docks of the island thriving with vessels of all shapes and sizes. Luxurious cruise ships, mercantile galleons, storm-battered fishing trawlers, private boats. You name it, and it was probably there, hiding somewhere within the forest of towering masts and rippling sails.

Hm? Glad I jumped ship before we made it to port... Giving himself a quick once over, the bounty hunter brushed off some of the salty waters that clung to his clothing. White three-quarter lengths and a brown canvas belt refused to hold water, but his light blue jacket was another story, the denim weave still weighted by the waters through which he had recently swam. The ruff of off-white fur upon the back of the jacket's collar was still sodden, looking a lot darker than it actually was, and the same could be said for his hair. The fact of the matter was that he had been unsuccessful in tracking down a bounty of decent worth in recent months, forced to rely upon his fishing skills to survive while money was short. But in the West Blue, the greatest fishing seasons were over. Rare fish that he would otherwise have no trouble tracking down were migrating to deeper waters, or headed to the waters of the Red Line to spawn, thus making it a lot harder for him.

Money was tight and, wherever he could, Mister Stark was trying to save beri. His journey to Toroa was one such example, the man quite literally jumping from the passenger ship he had boarded before it made port just so that he could avoid paying the second half of his fare. Not the most characteristic thing of him, to be sure, but times were tough. And, if he didn't find himself a good source of income soon, it would only get tougher. The last thing he wanted to do was return to the street life, least of all since he had sworn an oath to find and kill what may have been one of the most ferocious Sea Kings to ever exist, but he knew he needed to start small. And then there was his conscience, and altogether different beast that governed his decisions. One head, Shiroyama Yoko, had already eluded capture. Firstly, because she was far more skilled than he was, but also because he believed her to be innocent of the crimes she was blamed for. Still, they had now gone their separate ways, and Malcolm was starting his search elsewhere.

Shame I don't know what kinda crooks are about... But, they can't be that tough, anyway... Securing his belongings - spear and fishing rod - to his back in their white cloth wrap, the watery wanderer proceeded to venture into town. Of course, instinct told him that the better place to find pirates and other wanted men were in the less reputable areas of the island, and even Toroa had slums where the poor sought shelter and the piratical plotted. Every town had its bad side, but the divide between rich and poor only served to make the slums stand out more. Despite their size, it was likely that more people lived in this district than did the main city, crammed together in a hell hole. However, as he slipped on his straw sandals once more, Malcolm was surprised to see something entirely out of the ordinary. Well. Maybe not entirely unusual, but certainly something he did not expect to see in his life.

"Fishmen?" His most recent encounter with pure-blooded Fishmen had not been a fun one, his body having been battered and bruised by the superhuman strength and combat prowess of a red-skinned Fighting Fish Fishman. A pirate who had shown his distaste for the peaceful coexistence of Fishmankind and humanity, which the fisherman himself was testament toward. A hybrid between the people of the land and the people of the sea, Malcolm inherited some aquatic ancestry from his mother's side, his grandfather having been an Angel Shark Fishman. Though he looked entirely human, his hidden heritage was belied by his ability in the water, a natural swimmer far superior to any human of his strength and skill. That was not to say he could match the marine movements of his kinfolk, but he sat comfortably between the two levels of skill. What intrigued him most was the fact that two of such people were currently headed deeper into the slums, one carrying some hefty timbers upon his shoulders and the other couple of barrels full of an unknown substance.

Here's hoping I don't have to deal with them any time soon... Advancing with a little more caution, sticking to the shadows and the crowds to try and blend in to his surroundings (not unlike an Angel Shark), Stark followed the winding streets of the poor district of Toroa in search of a sign. The problem with bounty hunting was that, unless you were an extremely lucky individual, you were extremely dependent on reputations. You needed to know your limits and, while the larger threats were often well known across the world, information on the small fry was often confined to where they had been last sighted. Unfortunately, that meant only bounty hunters in the area would have much information, and few were willing to share the catch with strangers...

SPOILER: Click to show

I was invited in to join the party, and it's good to get Malcolm back up and running!

Malcolm (009999)

[Mizuzuzu]

Vivienne Desjardins

The slums of Toroa were very much a belligerent place, with all of the criminal activity that somehow added a perfect balance to the fronting nobility and wealth of the island. The afternoon sun gave off a warm feeling to exposed skin, a soft breeze drifted throughout the airway and the sounds of fading snobby voices only to be replaced by a tense atmosphere. Most certainly, Toroa was a place associated with prosperity, that was easy to see. However, while the upper class flaunted their jewels and captivated others by their loftiness, most seemed to forget about the back parts. The blighted area of the backstreets were quite a place of criminal activity. It wasn't unusual for someone on the run to possibly come here to hide, it wouldn't be too hard blending in anyhow.

Normally, a tourist would not dare to enter the slums, the stories were enough to scare off the curiosity, and the riches of the island would call them back instead. However, it seems this did not seem bother nor apply to a certain one-eyed woman. She walked with a gutsy stride, legs stretching to meet the ground, heels clanking with a stomp on the ground with every step. Pale, alabaster skin almost seemed ghostly in the lazing sun. The woman's face was set in a poker face, but it was quite obvious it was cracking, her aura generated a feeling of anger helped with that. She bumped into a few Fishmen in her wake, but barely registered the feeling. Vivienne Desjardins hated getting upset, but when she did, a trail of anger was sure to follow. The swordwoman grumbled under her breath, muttering curses here and there. Of course, only few things could get the lady so upset, and of course it involved someone of the male gender. The raven haired woman had just arrived on Toroa from Jreum Island to finally start and establish herself as a 'Bounty Hunter'. The trip was rather expensive, she had to save up a lot of money from a side job as an accountant to afford the luxurious cruise ship. The reason why she picked Toroa of all the other islands to start on? To be quite frank, despite Vivienne's many years on Jreum Island, she could not refuse the familiarity of luxury that she spent with Papillion. But, now the tall woman was beginning to regret the decision.

The ship was a wonderful and very comfortable place that she enjoyed very much. The food was good, the atmosphere was great and it was worth the amount of Beris wasted. But, as it was nearing the fancy docks of Toroa, it started to fall apart quickly.A man had the audacity to attempt touching Vivienne's behind. A hater of all men, Miss Desjardins did what she would usually do, and promptly kicked the man in the face. Heated, she didn't stop there and tried to full out attack the man. Staff was called to break it up, arguments broke out and needlessly to say, the woman in red won't be joining that cruise any time soon. In a fit of anger, she stormed off the ship the moment guest were left of and marched away, ignoring the shouts of possible warnings. Just thinking about the situation made the woman even angrier and she stopped mid walk/stomp to turn and kick a tree. "Ridiculous people, I had every right to claw his face! He's lucky I didn't use my sword, he should check his privileges - Ouch!", with every yell, she kicked harder and harder until she screeched the last part and felt a pain in her ankle. Quickly, the ravenette dropped to the ground and clutched her left foot to her chest, biting her lip to prevent cries of pain from leaking out.

The woman checked the ankle to see if it was broken or in need of immediate attention. It wasn't swelling, but it still had a pained feeling that was beginning to slowly fade. It was probably fine. With a sigh, Miss Desjardins slowly stood back to her feet, careful of the pressure that she put on her left foot. That's when her mind decide to finally take notice of where she was and what was happening. Vivienne hadn't exactly known what Toroa looked like, but she heard rumors and saw some things from the ship. Where she was, was quite obviously different. This was obviously the slums, the beggars and randomly placed others made that quite obvious. In her mind, it was like this was a place for the rejects, people who weren't suited nor fit to be allowed around the nobility of Toroa and suspended to forever remain here. The one-eyed lady frowned, body going a bit tense as she glanced around. She mumbled under her breath as her hand began to rest above her sword, "I should be careful, I don't want to be rob-....." then she dropped to the ground, again, on her hands and knees with a cloud of gloom hanging above her head.

'Oh my Venus, what will they rob!? Dust bunnies!?'

Yes. The woman was quite indeed broke. All of her money was spent on the cruise, every single precious Beri. It was quite foolish really, to use the all of it on the cruise and not save any as extra. Vivienne stayed on the ground, mourning her poor wasted Beri. How was she going to become great if she was broke? Papillion would be disappointed in her choices. Those thoughts only brought her to greater gloom, that is, until the woman saw a piece of paper land in front of her on the ground. It was blown in, actually, the afternoon breeze had picked a bit while Miss Desjardins was....being her. She was sure what it was at first, as her eye began to adjust. But then she realized, it was a bounty poster. In bold, black letters, it stated a name and bounty.

Wanted: Ikito Toten
$20,000,000

One good Heliotrope colored eye bulged at the amount of Beri. This could last her for months, maybe a year if she played it right! It would be a good pickup from her downgrade and be a great start, one Papillion would be proud of. Vivienne grinned, oh this was amazing, karma finally decided to get on her side today. Slender fingers folded up the brown paper into a smaller square and stuffed it into her shirt. Those same hands dusted off the ruffled maroon asymmetrical skirt, bits of clinging dirt flew off as the woman straightened her body. She didn't know where she was or how she was going to find this 'Ikito Toten', but she remembered in the academy how criminals his deeply in places that reeked of criminal activity. Based off of the bounty alone, this man was either really smart, or incredibly stupid. He had to be on the island, the bounty poster originated from here, for what she knew. After a few moments of thinking, Miss Desjardins decided it would be better to just search around the area first and look for signs, maybe ask around.

WORDS: 1190 || TAGGED: Mizuzuzu

template by Margie @ Adoxography v2

[Kami-Gaz]

“Crap the poster!” Kai shouted as he realised that the small piece of paper flew out from his pockets just a few moments ago, that was the only poster of the target he had and it would be trouble if some other upstart got it. With a slight grunt the yo-yoer slipped his weapons back into his pockets and began to give chase to the slip of paper, which had been caught on a strong gust of wind back towards the port. “Damn it~!” He whined out as he made one stride after another, quickly putting his feet in front of each other. The wind had been strong and blew the paper over a house to another street over a house, this was not an ideal situation for the young bounty hunter, but it was one he could deal with.

In one swift movement, the young man slipped the yo-yos from out of his pockets and jumped on to a crate that was pushed up against the house. As he got to the highest point in the jump, Kai flicked his wrist and sent the yo-yo around a wooden beam that poked out of the shoddy woodwork of the slums building. The nimble young man would plant his feet onto the wall and in one large heave push himself upwards and outwards in an arc, whist using the yo-yo to keep himself close to the building and swing onto the roof from below. There was a resounding thud once Kai reached the height of the arc, he had flicked his wrist and flung the second yo-yo at the outcropping of wood and smashed it to free his first one, which retracted as the agile bounty hunter’s feet landed on the poorly slated grey roof.

A grin spread across the young man’s face as both of the yo-yos were caught in his hands with a slight slapping sound, the piece of wood that had been broken off to free one of his yo-yos fell down next to him with a satisfying lacking sound. “Well that saves me having to run into people.” Kai uttered before kicking into a full sprint across the roof, following the paper with his eyes, and occasionally jumping from one surface to the next with ease. The look of the slums defiantly gave the bounty hunter a feel that life seemed much easier here than it was in other areas like this over the world. These fish men seemed to be doing a lot of good, completely against their stereotype that Kai heard about in the south blue.

His eyes wandered to a large looking fish man kneeling down to pet a young girls puppy, a small white fluffy thing that looked more scared of the fish man than most humans were, until his webbed hand gently ruffled the fur on its head making it yip with joy… “Not good, not good, not good.” Kai had lost his footing and sight of the poster, making him miss a jump and fall face first down into a small alleyway that was filled with trash. “Nope, nope, nope!” he yelled as he pushed his hands out to the far wall and in turn pushed himself backwards so he could land on something what looked to be comfy.

Crash! The sound of a human body impacting on to bags of rotten food and useless materials rang out in the narrow alleyway followed by a long drawn out groan. “Oooowwwwwww… I need that poster…” Kai said before letting out a long drawn sigh, getting up as he did. He saw the poster going down the street still, he must be able to catch it. Without hesitation or wiping the trash off of his rear end the energetic young man charged out of the alley and sprinted to the left, down the rugged and dirty street.

Kai skidded to a half as he watched the paper get caught by this strange looking woman, she was wearing a hearth shaped eye patch and frilly red clothing, in short she looked way to posh to even be in this area of town. Was she a native? Someone who was using this area for their own benefit by undercutting this Don Bubbles? Kai did not know but he was going to get his poster back off of her. Then with horror the bounty hunter watched as she shoved the paper into her shirt pocket, what is the meaning of this, was she looking to get into the bounty hunter game on a name that big?! Or was she just plain stupid.

“Hey hey! That’s my poster!” He shouted over as he restarted his run. “Can I get that back, I have been hunting that guy since the south blue!” The younger man skidded to a halt, spraying some of the muddy floor in the woman’s direction. Without asking and quickly Kai put his hand out and grabbed out at s part of the poster that was still sticking out of her pocket, the yo-yo still in hand just in case she had a bad reaction Kai would pluck it. However, to others this may look like a completely different situation all together. “This guy caused a lot of trouble back on Karate Island; I kinda owe it to them to take this guy down for them.” He stated with a proud grin on his face.

Before Kai pulled the poster free from its trappings a woman that was a few feet to their right and inside a building screamed out “PERVERT! THAT MAN IS ASSAULTING THAT LADY!” Kai instantly jumped and pulled the poster free, flashing the bearded ginger assailant to the world. Though the world did not notice that all they saw was a young man attempting to fondle a good lady in public. All Kai saw was a sharp nailed hand coming towards his face before a red-hot rush of pain enveloped his cheek.

SPOILER: Click to show

I got permission before hand for Vivi to slap Kai

[Roin]

SPOILER: Click to show

Begin music!

"Stop, vile villain! You shall not lay a hand upon any innocent's face!"

The cry was loud, filling the area around the misunderstood scene unfolding. But no one came from the streets running to meet them. Instead, a rather strangely shaped figure came bursting through the window of a nearby inn. The scattering glass and splintered frame only added to the mysteriousness of the man, as if he were some sort of fairy tale's hero. Despite the second-floor jump, the man landed with relatively no difficulty, his lanky and strangely shaped arms still protecting his face and upper body. With a full-blown costume, the man was no doubt turning into a living enigma. Lowering his arms from their crossed position to his sides, their structure seeming to shift slightly in the movement, it revealed his features far more.

The masculine curves of his face were visible from nearly a mile away, large red locks falling out from a head-guard. The lack of a mask made it easy to spot the piercing blue eyes of the caper, accented further with a clash of the large scarf wrapped around his neck. The scarf trailed down his back even as the fighter slid one foot back and took up a martial artist's basic stance.

"I will stop you... with my fists of justice!"

---

Just moments before, Jaeger had arrived in the inn with a poster in hand. Much like various other hunters that had wandered into town, the man from Karate Island had come in search of a proper bounty, the lanky arms bending their joints to help Ritz better view the poster. An Ikito Toten, someone supposedly worth twenty million, would be a valuable way to test his family's martial arts. Not to mention it'd help him better train his abilities using the scarf in combat. Despite all the time on his home island, after all, the martial artist lacked proper training in the field.

Grandfather... I promise I won't let you down... I'll get a lot stronger and learn to fight without my uniform!

The thought was interrupted, the bare-chested and scarred young man looking over to a group of women near a window. They were watching some people outside, all of them focused on the sight of a man and woman. Jaeger could only make a note of it before looking back to the poster and starting up the stairs. His strange appearance was one thing, but the strange shape of his arms could only carry so much shock. The truth was that the Bounty Hunting Hero had come here to rest, after all.

Upstairs, the room was nice and comfy. A bed, nice and thick walls to keep sound in and out, and even a bathroom. The bag with his uniform had been placed on the bed, Jaeger letting out a relaxed sigh.

"This must be what it's like to relax... that's just-"

Before he could finish, the air was filled with a yell of pervert... which immediately made Ritz freeze. It had been from downstairs, the women from before having yelled it no doubt, which meant it was right outside. Cursing under his breath, the Long-Arm looked to the bag with a small sigh.

"No rest for a proper hero... time to get going."

---

In the here and now, Jaeger had begun squeezing his fists together, keeping his posture ready and eyes on Kai. There was no awareness of who this man was, only that the citizens of this town had called him a pervert. As a noble martial artist, it was up to Jaeger to defend the defenseless... so he immediately made the slightest movement of his neck. The result, of course, was the scarf wrapped nice and tight around his uniform to sail upward and over his shoulder. As it did, he let out a "Yewa," stepping forward and extending his right arm. The scarf's weighted end seemed to shift with the motion, flying forward and toward the no-doubt unprepared reporter, unfurling around the "Human Fighter"'s neck. In this battered area, it seemed there would already be another fight!

[Vio]

Maybe I should scratch bounty hunting for now? Try and earn myself a normal living, like most decent folk… Advancing further and further through the streets of Toroa, feet guiding him towards the less favourable districts of the island’s inhabited zone, Malcolm Stark considered the possibilities of forgoing his endless search for wanted men. To settle down for a while and rake in a living, saving up to buy himself his own little ship to venture across the four Blues, the idea of doing such a thing seemed utterly alien to his mind. Since his inevitable departure from home, he had grown into quite the man, but even the most comfortable of people could not always settle as long as the need for revenge plagued their thoughts. Revenge upon that Sea King, the ‘Gran Devorador’, was a must. Not avenging his own father’s spirit by slaying that beast would be an affront to everything he ever stood for as a fisherman; to be beaten by a so-called ‘bigger fish’ was proof enough that mankind was more or less like a school of sardines in an ocean full of sharks, but what honour could be found in not challenging said creatures? Evolution – they said – was a process that took countless centuries, but there was definitely more than one way to evolve in this world.

“Jaja…” A light chuckle escaped from between his lips as he imagined himself running some sort of public house on the open seas, a place where fishermen out on the long trawl could call for rest and refuge in order to break up their weeks-long journeys. It was an interesting idea, borne from happier memories of Malcolm, his father, and the crew of the Red Herring coming home after time sailing the harsh seas of the North. After selling their catches – all manner of commercial seafood – to the highest bidders, the exhausted men would often enjoy a month’s long break from the waves and wash away the stresses of such a tough job with more peaceful methods. Regular visits to the local taverns of Jreum, downing ales and singing songs, or setting off to secluded shores in order to cast the lines of their fishing rods and enjoy the tranquil wait and slow competition; these were the peaceful times.

Unfortunately, such peace was not to be found so easily here on Toroa, the yells of a woman catching the ears of the milling masses with Mister Stark amongst them. The word ‘pervert’ was one heard far too many times in his presence, albeit he was never the cause of said cries and often intended to help right and wrongs and put the offender in their place. His father, William, had taught him well of women and how to treat them. As too had his own mother, whom the youngster had spent much of his earlier years under the guidance and supervision of while his old man was out on the waves. And so, letting off a soft exhalation, he adjusted his body and sharpened his gaze in search of the incident at hand. Such events often included excessive yelling, countless stares and the unmistakeable sound of a hand or accessory striking against the skin of somebody’s face – alternatively, the sharp swing of a leg and the sounds of a man singing sopranos and sobbing grossly. These were the norm.

But what he expected to happen, and what actually transpired, were two completely different things.

“What the hell…?” the fisherman uttered, deep teal eyes joining the dozens of others that had been drawn to the scene of the crime. Now he had definitely seen many a strange thing in his life, that much was to be expected when you were of Fishman descent, but the drama developing about a dozen or so yards from where he now stood was quickly taking the proverbial biscuit… and the rest of the packet, apparently.

There stood a woman, somewhere towards the upper reaches of five feet, with hair black and glossy as polished jet and outfitted in shades of deep red and paler pink. Directly opposing her, and likely trying to stifle an agonised scream judging by the redness of his cheek and the position of the lady’s one hand, was a man. No doubts in the mind of the spear-user, he was most definitely the branded one, though not just branded by word anymore. A skinny fellow of near-equal height to his ‘prey’, with eyes of rich mahogany and hair of similar shade broken by a stream of silver-white, his own style of dress was quite bright but simplistic. Elegant versus casual, the two seemed worlds apart in terms of appearance alone, and while that fact in itself did not at all seem strange…

“Vile villain! I will stop you… with my fists of justice!” were not the words that Malcolm had expected to hear. Actually, had anyone in the immediate vicinity expected any of this to happen? It seemed like the simple act of a young delinquent copping a feel had blown so drastically out of proportion that every weirdo and his aunt had decided to come out to play, but the comedic chase scene between another young man and his exceptionally fleet-footed and angry elderly aunt going on further down the street was completely irrelevant – but downright hilarious for those actually paying it any mind. Regardless of such bizarre events going on elsewhere in Toroa, the fact of the matter was that almost every set of eyes within a thirty yard radius of the perverted paper thief were now trained upon one of the most peculiar persons that the bronzed bounty hunter had ever laid eyes upon.

… Maybe I should have stayed on the boat and paid the rest of my fare by washing down the decks… Seriously rethinking the numerous predicaments he had been netted into on this day, Stark analysed this newcomer to the passing party quite carefully. It was not because he was cautious of this man with unusually long upper arms, however, but because it was rather hard to focus on anything else after a man dressed up as some sort of comic book super hero had smashed his way through the window of an upper floor (which he was likely going to have to cough up for at some point) and yelled about ‘justice’ at the top of his voice. Clad in a suit of blue and red, and donning a scarlet scarf of inexcusably ridiculous length, this unusual character’s actions alone had topped the charts on the world’s weirdest stage entrances list. Speaking of stages, Malcolm was now considering exiting on the left, but instead opted to hang back and watch the situation play out. His reasoning was simple enough, the piece of light brown parchment held in the hand of the most normal looking member of those who had drawn in his attentions…

SPOILER: Click to show

So I'm having Malcolm hang back and stay out of the way for now, simply observing what goes on. He'll step in when he needs to, but it does seem out of character to have him intervene in any way, shape of form right now.

[Mizuzuzu]

Vivienne Desjardins

It took her a moment to realize it, but then she noticed that she didn't know what to look for. So caught up in her fantasies, Vivienne unintentionally forgot about reality. She knew almost nothing about this man, so how would she possibly know what to search for when dealing with a criminal, let alone her first hunt. Sure, Kanatoko taught her some things, but she was too stubborn to actually take note of what they teachers reviewed. The woman slowly began to feel squeamish about her decision. It was a bit foolish and unpractical to think she could start so large on her first attempt. It wasn't like her honestly, but she was a bit desperate, so could you blame her? Probably not, depending on how you look at it. But she wanted to do this, Miss Desjardins felt she had to start this way, just to get that strong nip towards SWORD Command.

The raven haired woman frowned and let out a soft sigh, reaching out a manicured finger to pat upon the heart shaped eye patch, the eternal reminder of her failure. A small flash of something akin to shame and pain went through her eye, only to disappear literal in the blink of an eye. This was no time for remising, there was a criminal to catch, obstacles to overcome. That same manicured finger moved away from the woman's eye, only to tap her chin. Vivienne let out a soft hum, indicating she was thinking. "Hmm...How should I go about this. I don't have the best tracking skills, my eye blurs out from time to time, and I don't trust these people to ask around.", she thought aloud, one good Heliotrope eye narrowing, with fleeting glances around to some of the surrounding people and Fishmen. Sucking her teeth, the red and pink painted women brought her left arm up to her pale face to softly grip her chin and close her eye, head slightly tilted downwards in a form of deep thought.

'I could give the alleyways a good checking, maybe some Inns and-' Miss Desjardins had attempted to het a thought process flowing to decide her next move, but unfortunately a fairly loud shout coming towards her startled the slender woman. Her body gave a slight jump and her one good eye snapped open. It took the eye a moment to adjust but when it did, confusion came to the swordswoman. She stared curiously at the young brown haired man coming towards her. His poster? What was he going on about? One black eyebrow narrowed.

“Can I get that back, I have been hunting that guy since the south blue!”

Vivienne was going to open her mouth and sass him about how the poster now belonged to her and how he should've had a tighter grip. Instead, just as she open her mouth the tiniest bit, the younger man skidded and sprayed mud onto her body. It hit her heels, exposed legs, skirt...Oh she could feel the rage bubbling already. Was he some kind of idiot?. She could care less about this poster rubbish now. How dare he spray his trash on her – and was that garbage she smelled? Disgust filled the bounty hunter, nose scrunched up in absolute distaste. She stared at him, just a bit shorter than she, and barely heard him speak, just seeing his lips move. She thought she'd heard him mention something about karate island and saw his hand move towards – WHERE WAS HIS HAND GOING?!

Just as Vivienne released a small enraged screech, an older woman in a building yelled something that caused the woman to become mortified.

“PERVERT! THAT MAN IS ASSAULTING THAT LADY!”
It all happened so fast. Firstly the bounty hunter could see the shock in the young man's eyes and before she knew it, her body was moving on its own accord. Then-

SLAP

Silence. A thin manicured hand had slapped the honey eyed man's face, the skin quickly reddening while the red scratch lines from her nails looked as though they were going to bleed, just barely. Finally being able to speak, Vivienne breathed heavily in puffs of rage, eye wide and wild looking. Her mask was broken. In the back of her mind she had to admire how this stranger had made her lose her composed state enough to strike him publicly, but then she remembered the man from earlier and pushed it off that he wasn't that special. "You....what DO you think you are DOING? Dear Athena, Do you have no shame!?" her words were loud, pulling more of a crowd in. The Heliotrope eyed woman grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to face her, and gave his body a slight shake. She would have screamed more words and possible profanities to him, the sound of shattering glass distracted the lady from finishing the deed.

"Stop, vile villain! You shall not lay a hand upon any innocent's face!"

Another strange man appeared, with an even stranger outfit. A large sweatdrop appeared behind her head and many others of the crowd. Did he jump through that window? What the Hell was with his arms? This was too much. A strong feeling of frustration arose heavily within her so strongly, that when he spoke, the woman simply couldn't stop herself.

"I will stop you... with my fists of justice!"

"WHO IN THE FREEZING SPECKS OF HEL'S UNDERWORLD ARE YOU?!"

WORDS: 909 || TAGGED: Mizuzuzu

My deepest apologies for lateness!

template by Margie @ Adoxography v2

[Kami-Gaz]

Poor Kaito Penn, the young man was having a bad bad day. First he was mistaken for a pervert by some random passer-by, then the woman who had stolen his bounty poster slapped him as hard as a gorilla’s punch, or at least as hard as she could. Now there was some long armed scarf-wearing freak in some weird costume shouting about justice, though it looked like he wanted a fight. A fight Kai wanted but not now, not until he had gotten the bounty that he had come here to claim. Dead or alive. This might be the best time to settle any confusion that the people around had, settle that Kai was not a pervert, and tell the woman that slapped him that she has one mean slap. A slap like that may prove useful in future encounters.

“Hey hey hey calm down…. I’m not a pervert, random old lady who decided to cause this…” Kai announced as he looked towards where the first scream come from before spinning around to look too the costumed hero who had so heroically jumped through a window and caused criminal damages to respond to the older woman’s shouts. “And I hope you’ll pay for that window weird scarf man, I hear glass is cheap nowadays.” Kai followed up with, wanting to get all of these things out of the way and quick, being stood here causing a ruckus was only going to get him in trouble with the local fish men.

The young man had finally spun around the full three hundred and sixty degrees needed to make a full rotation. “And you, yes I am sorry for taking this poster, that was originally mine, away at such a short notice and being a rude person… But damn I have to commend you for that slap, pro tip though, don’t go asking people if they have no shame though, thaaat might rile some baddies up and get you in some hot water.” The young yo-yoer said with a cheeky smile. The young man quickly side stepped to get some distance between him, the fancy dressed cyclops slapper, and the costumed super vandal. He slowly took another step, trying to get as much distance between himself and the others as he could. “Also I am no vile villain. I am a bounty hunter, and at the moment I am on the hunt!”

Spinning on his heel as he burst into a full sprint Kai dived down an alleyway towards the centre of town, away from all fish men, super heroes and fancy dressed Cyclops. As he did he burst into a fit of laughter, “He-yoyoyoyoyoyoyo~. Too slow!” He shouted behind him before leaping over a knocked over trash bin on to a box, which he then used as a spring board to kick himself up the wall to his right. Once at the height of the jump he kicked off the wall to his left and flew backwards to land on a roof and now be in the open air. He was still with in seeing distance and if he shouted loud enough earshot of the weirdos that were gathered in the street. “Oh also! The Fancy dress show is in the town centre!” Kai shouted, almost trying to goad them both, to see if they had the guts to follow him.

After the shout the yo-yoer ran forwards with his yo-yos out, leaping off the roof he was on down into another crowded street, as he fell he flicked his right wrist and wrapped the yo-yo and it’s metal wire around an out cropping of wood, keeping his momentum the young man swung down. As kai was at ground level he landed and kept his stride, quickly tugging the yo-yo to release it. As he slowed down his pace and re ravelled his yo-yo the young man was confident that the pair had either followed him to join his hunt or were far too impressed with his escape strategy to even attempt a chase. “Now then, time to hunt my red headed friend here.” He said to himself whilst placing the yo-yos into his pockets and removing the poster to get a good look at it.

[Roin]

The thrill of getting to test his skills against someone had Jaeger thriving in the moment of his heroic declaration. None knew why he wore the costume, the necessity of wearing it if he hoped to urge his body to fight, but the Long-Arm's multi joint arms extending and shifted in mimicry of most kung-fu styles. Around, out, up, and back his limbs moved in the range of motions... and at last he dragged his foot back to finish the battle preparation.

"WHO IN THE FREEZING SPECKS OF HEL'S UNDERWORLD ARE YOU?!"

"He-yoyoyoyoyoyoyo~. Too slow!"

Those two statements rung out, Jaeger's focus on preparing for battle having dulled out everything else. Tons of eyes were on him even as the one figure made his "escape" and the eyes of the angered woman only added further to the discomfort building in the martial artist. With scarf dangling and swaying lightly as he looked around, the Bounty Hunter was at an utter loss for action for quite some time. While the costumed caper had spoke of justice, the truth was that he had been hoping to break up the situation and get someone to test his martial arts against. Not a single soul had faced Jaeger in battle since leaving Karate Island and his grandfather's dojo, after all.

At last, however, Jaeger's mind clicked that he had to keep up the persona. Confidence in his abilities would ensure that the embarrassment of having so many eyes on him forgotten, more than likely. So, with a mustering of his courage, the man looked toward the woman who had so boldly asked who he was. The reference to the underworld escaped him, of course, but the question's effort and declaration was enough to get across how necessary it was to answer. It took only a moment to contemplate his costumed name, the persona that would hide his secret use of a costume to slowly learn his way in battle. Bringing one of his arms out of the pose, uppermost joint angling upward and hooking the middle joint across, the scarf-wearing youth brought the final joint and hand downward and slightly to the side of his head and flashing a peace sign.

"Y-you all can call me Scarf-Man!"

The smile of confidence on his face returned at the iconic greeting and declaration. Jaeger wasn't one for heroic flare, but the costume gave him plenty of chance to disguise himself as one of the loony heroes from kids tales. However, the response from Jaeger had pretty obvious responses as people face-palmed and sighed, chuckled and began to point, and some just outright stared. But there was no time for the man to dwell on that, bringing both arms out and back to a more normal positioning as the one individual ran off. With the escape of the villain, there wasn't much hope to get a fight... so he defaulted to the next best thing as he made a thumbs-up in the direction of the woman and even the part of the crowd behind her where one man stood watching.

"Don't you worry, madame, I'll take care of that hooligan and bring him back to you after a sound and proper beating!"

Turning and looking toward the alley and buildings just in time to get a glimpse of the fleeing man. While chasing down the bounty was a guaranteed way to get a proper bout, the strange man had moved with such agility that it was clear there were plenty of other worthy fish in the sea. Ikito Toten could wait, the lack of any sort of trail making him more or less a distant figure to Jaeger's eyes. With a quick start, Jaeger ran toward the same building that Kai had scaled. Unlike the other man, however, "Scarf-Man" did the unexpected and simply leaped toward the building's roof. Eyes fell on him with disbelief from most of the crowd as his arms shot forward to fully extend, clutching the edge of the building with ease. Quickly hauling himself and scrunching his arms, he seemed to slingshot upward and into the air thanks to the powerful limbs. And as he righted about ten feet in the air over the roof, Jaeger looked outward and spotted the fleeing target with a smirk before calling out as loud as he could.

"Do not think you can escape justice, pervert! The long reach of my arms will catch you and allow me to pummel the criminal nature from you with my scarf!"

Extending one arm down and into the roof with some force, Jaeger caught himself mid-air, his right arm curling the hand into a fist as he seemed ready to launch himself at the individual. Jaeger lacked the physical power to throw himself the distance between the two, of course, but the very gesture and display (combined with the previous one!) was making it painfully clear this wasn't some average human like this Blue was used to seeing.

[Vio]

Fighting against a group of Fishman pirates, hunting for a Sea King; such acts seemed horrifically normal compared to the scene that was unfolding before the very eyes of Malcolm Stark. Between the three who shared the limelight, he was not quite sure who he would rather have taken his chances with, but it was one thing they all seemed to share in common that drove him to observe. The rather casual looking pervert was after a bounty, that much was obvious, and money was something that the spearman was in need of. Catching a glimpse of the face portrayed upon the poster would have been undeniably helpful to his cause, better still if he could obtain a copy of the pamphlet, but it had quickly been made clear to him that he would not be alone in this endeavour. Bounty hunting was no easy task, for sure, but the increasing numbers of pirates and Revolutionaries meant that the World Government’s law enforcers – the Navy themselves – needed all the help they could get. Some of his profession had likely answered the world draft, whereas others much preferred to go along without rules.

“I am a bounty hunter, and at the moment I am on the hunt!” announced the mysterious young man before bolting down an alleyway, laughing a strange laugh as he did so. The angle of the street meant that he had completely vanished from Malcolm’s own line of sight within a matter of seconds, though the chances were that the other two individuals – the lady in red and the aptly named ‘Scarf-man’ – could still see him. Now, it was certainly not uncommon for bounty hunters to clash from time to time when chasing down a target, but when they did clash it could quickly get vicious. Struggles for ‘territory’ and ‘prey’ were consistent things in the natural world, and the human (or better, sapient) world was not exempt from those facts. Admittedly, he’d never run into a rival bounty hunter when he was on the hunt before, but already he was considering how best to go about it. He was a lone wolf, but he could not deny the benefits of working in a group.

“Don't you worry, Madame, I'll take care of that hooligan and bring him back to you after a sound and proper beating!” The long-armed loon with the scarf at least seemed a tad more honourable, even if his mannerisms and code of dress (not to mention his arms) were far beyond the norm. Then again, who was Stark to complain? His mother was a half-mermaid – she had fins for feet! In the realms of the strange, he should have felt a lot more comfortable, but there was strange and then there was nonsensical. Still, Jaeger was not about to let the culprit escape and proceeded to race down the alleyway of his own accord in hot pursuit, leaving the actual victim of the crime at hand to her own devices. Very unbecoming behaviour of a gentleman, he believed, and thusly washed away his façade of being the cool and confused bystander to approach the matter.

I have a feeling I may end up regretting this, but it’s worth a shot… It was quite uncharacteristic of the fisherman to make such an effort at approaching someone for trivial reasons, but there were now two driving factors that had changed his mind. One was the fact that his mother’s words seemed to echo in the back of his mind, the compassion and selflessness of the hybrid lady seeming to tell him to abandon his norms and comfort zones for the sake of making sure others were alright. The second fact was that this woman – whoever she actually was – had actually gotten what he hoped was a good look at the name and face printed upon the poster that had recently been in her possession. Unlike his mother, he struggled to maintain that selfless, familial outlook on life. Without ulterior motives driving him, chances were he would have abandoned the situation entirely, but this was a chance to get a good lead on his next potential prey item.

“Excuse me, Miss,” he announced as he approached, trying to avoid walking in via a blind spot. Unfortunately, he was not all that good at making himself seem obvious, a trait which likely had something to do with his natural ancestry – his grandfather was an Angel Shark Gyojin, and Angel Sharks were ambush predators. Not being detected was a core of their biology, but little did he know that such things would have had such an influence upon someone who shared only a quarter of the finfolk bloodline. Outside of that, stealthy was just how he was, never having liked to draw attention to himself unless it was absolutely necessary. He could blend in with a crowd with ease, but to stand out was an entirely different kettle of fish.

“Hm. I saw what happened. Are you alright?” Mister Stark asked uncertainly. By now, the staring crowds were starting to disperse and return to minding their own business, meaning that his abandoning of a comfort zone was far less pressuring. The woman he had approached was quite unique, standing quite tall and proud in stature and possessed of porcelain pigmentation. A mix of rich reds and pinks adorned her outfit, complementing one another like the petals of roses, while her dark hair framed her oval face and defined the most mysterious of characteristics. She only had one eye; the other socket was covered by a heart-shaped eyepatch, likely concealing a wound or complete lack of the eye in question. How on Earth she had sustained such an injury was equal parts astounding and worrisome, but that was of little concern to him. Old wounds need not be picked at without good reason, and if anyone respected personal privacy, it was he himself…

SPOILER: Click to show

{*Spoiler*}

[/b]

[/font] (009999)
Jaeger Ritz (ffffff)
Kaito Penn (660099)[/ul][/ul][/spoiler][/div][/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Blushing z0ro]

What an odd scene, thought Colt as he puffed on his his cigarillo. The man was just lying against the wall of a street corner. Some guy "accidentally" groping a woman, another odd character acting like a super hero and finally a third man checking on the woman after the kid and the scarf ran off. Yet within all this mess the Gun Dancer couldn't help but notice that it was really all about a single sheet of paper, and not any sheet of paper, a bounty poster; and none other than the mark he had just decided on. However, that scene had just been all too hilarious to watch, so an idea formed into Jagger's mind. It wasn't a good idea by any stretch of the imagination, and James the parrot knew exactly what his buddy was thinking.

Mr.Parrot immediately began to peck at the man's head in protest. "Your thinking of just watching a bunch of baby chicks run around like headless chickens while they look for the mark!!!" Interloped James between pecking sessions of Colt's skull. "ITATATATATATA! Knock it off James!" Replied the man in the red coat as he waved his arms trying to shoo off his avian partner. "I'll stop when you drop the idea you hairless ape!!!" Shouted back the parrot as he flew around his target preparing for another peck assault. As James swooped in to go for a final peck right between the Gun Dancer's eyes, Colt immediately grabbed the parrot by the beak right before impact. "I told you knock it off! Don't jump to conclusions man." Whatever James tried to mutter it only came out as an odd jumble of muffled sounds coming out of the closed shut beak. "I'm telling you, I have a great plan." Added Jagger, a cocky smile drawing itself on the corner of his face.

Letting go of the bird Colt began, to nonchalantly walk down the street where only the porcelain doll of a woman and large tanned man were still standing, passing them by all the while taking a good look at their faces. It was always good to recall people's face, you never know when it might come in handy.

The man in red however just kept on walking, puffing on his cigarillo, his face in a perpetual smirk. The Gun Dancer navigated the streets of Toroa, expertly following the odd yo-yo swinger and scarfed-long arm, without leaving the ground. For now he would just follow and observe. After all the fun was only just beginning.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Kinda short but it's really all I got for Colt atm. Need to get back in the game.

[Mizuzuzu]

Vivienne Desjardins

Everything was just getting so confusing. Vivienne considered herself a fairly smart person but to decode this suddenness of activity would be madness. Of course she couldn't help her own reaction, it's just who she is. And it's not like these people made it any better for the unfortunate woman. If Papillion was here the old woman would have a fit at Miss Desjardins's unladylike actions. Just the thought made the lady flinch, that old lady could throw one heck of s fit. The red woman would've probably felt a little bad for her 'overreacting' if it weren't for the fact that she felt it was almost needed. Papillion always told Vivienne that she should act like a lady in public, even if someone pushed her limits. The memory of the strong Labelle telling her when she was fifteen and feistier than ever. 'You must always smile and be charming Vivi, even if the world is against you and the sky is falling.', she'd say it with such fierce eyes, old wrinkly mouth pulled up into a delightful grin. Just thinking of the memory made her body begin to unconsciously relax, loosening her grip on the young boy. The Desjardins was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she could barely register what the copper headed boy was talking about.

"Hey hey hey calm down... . I'm not a pervert random old lady who decided to cause this..." the boy announced, head turning to the obnoxiously nosy woman, who in turn blushed a pretty pink. One Heliotrope eye glanced at said lady. Briefly, Vivienne trivially wondered why her scream was so shrill for such a pretty face. However, that small thought was squashed when the young boy turned to address the weirdly dressed man. Then she remembered she was pissed at him too! A finely arched eyebrow twitched as the woman closed her eye in an attempt to control her temper, missing what the other bounty hunter said completely. It was only when she opened her eye and saw his cheeky grin did she raise her hand for another slap. However, the swordswoman was not prepared for the boy to move away suddenly and stumbled forward a bit until she regained her footing, a scowl in place on pink lips. In place of her own annoyance Vivienne ignored most of his words, trying to think of s way she could attack him again, maybe teach the boy some discipline, but his last two sayings made her blood boil.

"He-yoyoyoyoyoyoyo~. Too slow!"

"Oh also! The Fancy dress show is in the town center!"

The female bounty hunter almost burst after the boy in a sprint without another thought but stopped herself, knowing a taunt when she heard one. She ignored his compliment on her slapping skill and instead glared after him and folded her arms, but decided to not follow him. As if she would allow someone to tell her what to do, let alone an annoying copper headed brat who looked as if he were of lower status than herself. Refusing to acknowledge his being any longer, but still simmering with rage hidden behind her perfect poker face, Vivienne instead turned to the long armed man with the questionable outfit.

"Y-you all can call me S-Scarf-Man!" The woman once again raised a fine arched eyebrow. His outfit and the way he yelled of justice alone was ridiculous, but 'Scarf-Man'? The middle class lady had to restrain herself from face-palming at the foolish name, and apparently the crowd agreed, based from their reactions. The broad smile on his face only made the situation worse, for him any way. It was a bit embarrassing, really, but to each their own she supposed. It looked like he he was contemplating something, probably taking the monkey-like boy's bait and planning to chase him down. The Desjardins woman pursed her lips at the thought, folding her arms over her chest and crossing her right foot over the left, standing in a poise position. Papillion did it a lot when she was restraining herself from doing something she'd regret later, like hitting a family member when they screwed up something. Unconsciously Vivienne had picked it up and used it when she tried to remain calm.

"Don't you worry, madame, I'll take care of that hooligan and bring him back to you after a sound and proper beating!"

One eyebrow twitch. Two eyebrow twitches. Three eyebrow twitches. Oh that's no good, three twitches were really bad when it came to the red woman. She gritted her teeth and yelled out an objection, "I don't need you to do anything for me, you long armed buffoon!" she yelled after him, pink lips set into a tight scowl. It was almost like the boy was special in the head, thinking she needed him to catch someone for her, let alone to be giving the copper head boy a beat down on her behalf. The woman moved her hands to rest upon her hips, chest heaving forward with a dramatic sigh as her head dropped to look towards the ground in thought. Vivienne had half a mind to go chasing after the duo, mostly because he humiliated her in public and the rest because she wanted that poster. But the other half, her more practical and mature sided mind, knew it wouldn't last that long. She literally just started this 'business', a true Desjardins wouldn't rush head first into the unknown. After all, one must always look before they leap in this game we call life.

Looking up, the swordswoman noticed that the crowd was rapidly dispersing. Obviously their entertainment for the day was done and over with. Shameful, instigating people. What less to expect from the slum people of Toroa. Miss Desjardins bit her lip, trying to think of what her next move could be. Eventually she'll have to corner the Disrespectful Boy Duo, for whatever reason, and she definitely needs that poster. Despite all the caution signs associated with this ginger bearded criminal, it was her best shot right now. She's gone through a lot in her life, the woman refused to be something as disgraceful a 'wannabe bounty hunter'. She had the talk, now she just had to walk the walk.

So caught up in her own internal thoughts, Vivienne did not sense or notice the man approaching her. He was almost completely in her blind spot and her own internal thoughts were too loud to hear his voice. It was until she finally glanced around at the leaving people did she notice him. The woman blinked in confusion. He was not the type of person she expected to approach her, let alone to be a HE especially after what had previously transpired. He wasn't bad looking per se, in her opinion. Appealing eyes. And what was that he said? 'Was she alright?' Oh she was fine, just confused on why this man was trying to talk to her. And he was acceptingly handsome with nice tan skin, in his own weird light. Which raised warning flags. The one good heliotrope eye narrowed in suspicion and her right pale long fingered hand unconsciously moved to rest upon Mademoiselle. For just in case. You never know with these men after all, looks are deceiving.

"Yes, I'm quite alright. What ulterior motive do you approach me with?"

Taking a slight intake of breath, Vivienne replied back to the man in a clipped and tense tone, unsure of what to make of him. Surely he'd seen her slap that boy and manhandle him in such a rough manner. And he asks her if she's alright? Of course, it's the polite thing to do and he could mean well, but with her history and added with what happened only moments ago? As stated before, always look before you leap.

WORDS: 1313 || TAGGED: Mizuzuzu

Not my best, but here ya go.

template by Margie @ Adoxography v2

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Carefully climbing to his knees and remaining kneeling, Jaeger looked down while holding his face. Blissfully unaware of where he had landed, the red-haired fighter snaked out the free arm to take hold of the poster. Bringing it back, it was immediately obvious that it was a bounty poster... but it struck a cord of familiarity. After all, the name was the same he had heard of and come here to test his abilities against... a person known as Ikito Toten worth almost twenty million. The money wasn't the important part, of course, but it could always help fund his travels and training efforts. Equipment and a personal ship to travel would allow him to work on his physicality and maybe learn his own techniques to utilize against opponents. His grandfather had told him that the Ritz family's techniques were signature and shared perhaps only in execution between them. So everything Jaeger wanted to learn aside from their fighting style was entirely up to his own ability.

I can't imagine having a beard like this person. It seems almost fake or foolish to grow something so big... it'd make wearing a scarf utterly unbearable, too...

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

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[Vio]

“What ulterior motive do you approach me with?” was not the kind of response Malcolm Stark had expected, but at least the woman had taken the liberty of answering his query in what he assumed was full honesty. When it came to people, his forte was reading their movements, not discerning their inner feelings. After all, humans were a lot less easily understood than fish. Even so, he found himself uncertain of where to go next – of how best to answer this sudden suspicious statement.

Ulterior motive…?

Unsure of whether to consider her question a form of precognitive ability, given the fact that he did possess such fleeting ideals, Mister Stark took a moment to put his words together in a way that would make sense. Typical, he thought to himself, as he stripped and rearranged his thoughts into bite sized chunks for the lady in rose red to digest. Simply put, he struggled to escape that cautious side; he always felt he needed to hold something back about himself, rather than disclose the truths that enveloped him wholeheartedly.

“Curiosity, mostly,” he admitted, lightly scratching the back of his head. He tried to be honest with his feelings, embodying the harmony of his parentage in a strangely subtle but alien way; “People should look out for each other, right…?”

Something sprung inside of him. Guilt, perhaps? It could not have been anything else, could it? How strange a feeling it was, but the fisherman could not deny it, even if it was well within the binds of his nature to try and do so. His statement and his drive clashed horribly, like thunder on the high seas. On one hand, he wanted to make sure that this lady was alright, as any gentleman should. On the other, he might not have done so if not for the fact that she had glimpsed signs of what might have been his meal ticket. The more and more he considered it, the less and less he could see the parchment as anything else. What else would have been so important to such a select few in the slums? Nothing, short of an envelope full of cash, and he was pretty certain that any decent sum of Beri would not flutter in the breeze like that page had done.

Alas, his purpose eventually prevailed.

“But… I guess I do have ‘ulterior motives’,” Malcolm continued. Against what could have been his better judgment, he just could not hide the truth. Doing so, surely, would have only made him seem yet more of a suspicious fellow. He eyed the woman’s hand warily, her fingers resting gently upon the hilt of what could only have been a sword. Fair, he considered. He did not feel at all threatened by such a display, passing it off without a second thought, though his ideology was heavily in favour of not dying. A sword was not a scary thing until the moment its steel was drawn against you, which was a lot more than could be said for the fangs of a fierce Sea King. He shifted his stance, but retained his passive calmness.

“Name’s Malcolm,” Stark chimed in, keeping introductions short but certain. “I noticed all that commotion – with ‘Scarf-Man’ and all – and saw that piece of paper. It was a wanted poster, am I right? Did you get a good look at it…?”

SPOILER: Click to show

{*OOC*}

's so sorry for the delay! Been a while since I've written Malcolm, so I feel like this was a little out of character for him, but I'm not quite sure. Regardless, it should start to get us back into the swing of things.

Starring…

Malcolm Stark (009999)
Vivienne Desjardins (df73ff)
Jaeger Ritz (ffffff)

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