The Storytellers: Remember Remember... Fireworks happen.

[Kami-Gaz]

The smoke cleared as the storyteller followed the rest of his gang out into the sewer tunnel that lead into the moat, the light being obscured by the visage of a group of gun toting marines who were stood watching down the tunnel. Stopping just at the smokes edge Navi would hear the marine captain come from behind again. “Shit… 30 seconds i need to get us away.” He muttered slowly walking backwards towards the Marines, nodding to Lilly to push forwards. “Less than 30 seconds!” He shouted before turning to fellow his companions. The view of marines pointing guns at them was more welcoming than the marine captain who was stood behind a buzz with energy and revving chainsaws.

Navi was not going to boast about his plan, or correct the scary captain that he should take the group in for what the HAD done. He just wanted be be away from the blast when it hit. As he caught up to Lilly he would swoop down and scoop her up, with one heave he would put her on his shoulder with her gun being pointed backwards. “Keep firing, 20 seconds!” He shouted to her before the gun roared up, hailing a never ending stream of bullets in the captains general direction.

Outside the firing squad and Captain McGuire could hear a commotion. They were shaking, sweating they knew what was about to happen, or they thought they did. They thought they were going to open fire on a bunch of filthy pirates and take the ones who survived in for questioning. They didn’t expect Captain McGuire to step in front with his own rifle, causing disarray in the line as he lined up his own shot. “After me!” He said waiting for the blonde haired pirate to get close enough for it to be an easy shot.

As the group got to the opening the entire island shook, a rumble that knocked Mcguire and his men off balance, almost making Navi stumble himself. The sound of a heavy boom was the next to fill the air, by this time the man had made his leap into the air. The sound of shattering glass, raining debris and faint screams in the distance were all muffled by the sound of the dust and smoke that immediately filled the area, obscuring all vision.

The sound of the group splashing into the water was completely drowned out, Lilly had stopped firing when she heard the explosion rock the island. Now that the group were in the water the flora shirted man let the small gun specialist go so she could get to the land on her own.

---

At the exact opposite side of the castle the scene was horrific, the north west tower had collapsed well… it had been blown away and what was left had collapsed. The debris was all over, nearby buildings had been damaged and fires were starting to spread. Those unfortunate enough to be inside the castle or around the blast area were not lucky enough to have survived, those just outside of the blast area were injured and would need major medical attention. The dust was thick in the air and the rubble was filled with broken items and the occasional body of some unfortunate soul. Parts of the walls that connected to the towers had crumbled as well, though luckily the damage to the main castle beyond that was minimal, besides all of the windows being shattered with the shock-wave.

---

Navi through the haze of heavy smoke and dust poked Adrian and Leona in the water as if beckoning them to follow him, this mess was not entirely their fault but he was going to get them out of it and away from the Faraday cage that was hunting them down through the caves. Hopefully with this thick dust cloud as cover and the situation at the other side of the castle they could slip away. Timmy however was not close enough to the group to be pulled along, that was probably for the best though.

“Toctic! Leave them, we gotta help the victims!” The captain barked through the dust cloud, he was unable to see what was in the sewer tunnel and had no idea where the pirates were of if they were even involved in this bombing, “Everyone, your orders are to rescue to injured, Go!” He barked, trying to regain composure after such a huge blast.

[Vio]

15

---

Everything moved so quickly. From the moment the dusty light entered her eyes and onward, Leona Ward’s mind was pushed to its absolute limits in a frenzy of action that so far trounced all that had come before it. The crackling, coruscating vision of a many–armed monstrosity was brief but crisp, as too were the stern words that escaped Captain Toctic’s lips as – with unparalleled speed – he blockaded the tunnel with his own form. Closer now to the man than she had ever been prior, there was no doubt in the Gyojin’s mind that facing such a foe as this was a task far in excess of what she was capable of. Even amongst the non–Fishman races, terrifying beasts walked.

“Keep firing,” she heard Navi Vis say. All of a sudden, the multi–barrelled weapon of Lily Snips roared to life, spewing streams of hot lead in the general direction of the electrifying entity. Admittedly, Miss Ward silently questioned the effectiveness of such a strange configuration against a Marine who was quite literally embodying the brutish aura of a thunderstorm. Equal parts entranced by such a power and the scorching hail that pelted the passageway, her senses were all but overwhelmed.

It did not last long.

What was that–? Oh, s#!+… Fin ray’s quavered – the whole place was starting to quake. Choices had to be made, as soon as possible, and Miss Ward wasted none of those precious seconds in the scant period between realisation and reckoning. The whole world seemed to bellow in protest as debris of all shapes as sizes, plumes of thickened smoke and what had to be the most terrifying thunder crack filled the skies surrounding Silver Castle. The surface of the moat’s sparkling water seemed to come to a boil instantly as the shock waves of the explosion resonated through them, but it was better to dive than to die.

Splash! She could barely hear the sound of her body hitting the water, let alone the subsequent impacts of Navi and company. Alas, delving into the blue was a lot more comforting in this situation than she would have considered – neither hail of bullet nor lightning flash could reach her in the heavenly transcendence of an aquatic world. Even something as simple as a moat offered sanctum where there had previous been none, and being suited to such a realm of three dimensions only made it better as she curled and flipped into an adequate orientation. Navi tapped her.

^{“What’s up? Oh, yeah,” Lee did note:
“You guys can’t talk down under!”}

I’m not actually sure where this moat leads to. That explosion’s totally thrown me – I feel about as useful as t!+s on a Sea King, the Lionfish woman stressed further. Still shaken by the events that had transpired, for all of her biological advantages, her ability to navigate the waters churned was little more than a fancy ribbon at this point. With brick dust and debris working its way into the blue, her already scattered abilities were being further hindered. Any water currents had been replaced with a tumult of weak and wobbly eddies, baffling her mind as she tried to pinpoint a general focus. Mister Vis himself seemed far more adept, though maybe that was more or less because he knew where they were going? She could not tell, but trusting him was about all she was capable of…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

[/sub]

Starring…

_{Leona Ward (e61919)
Royce (eeeeee)
Tash (00aaff)
Barry McGuire (c43e79)
Navi Vis (ff5c00)
Adrian Idol (ffff55)
Lily Snips (818181)
Unfinishista (41a329)}

[/ul][/spoiler][/font][/sup][/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[York]

As much as Idol would've enjoyed watching the imaginary facsimile of Johnny Mars crumble under his kick, the wrestler understood that there was an appropriate time and place for things like this. Here was neither the time nor place. Quickly hoisting the bags of silver over his shoulders, uttering a roar to get across just how much weight being lifted, Idol stumbled through the cloud of dust, eager to feel the sunlight and fresh air again.

From behind the group, Idol heard a voice that made his heart sink into his stomach, and from ahead, he saw something that almost made it jump out of his throat. He helplessly looked back and forth between the two marine forces looking to get them, unsure on just what to do. To try to fight back would be suicide.

When Navi suddenly picked up the shorter gunner, and assisted in the firing bullets down the tunnel, Idol furrowed his brows in frustration. He wanted to do something to help in the escape too, but like a human swimmer in a boat race, everyone was just out of his league. He helplessly stood in place, raising his arms to try to cover his face from any stray bullets.

“Keep firing, 20 seconds!”

And now Idol was going to die. If not by the marines getting a bead on him, if not by whatever the Captain Flynn Toctic was going to do, then most definitely by the impending explosion. There was nothing for him to do now. “Leaving home was a mistake” he thought, gritting his teeth and waiting for the moment of truth.

And the sound of the explosion filled the air with a debilitating bang.

The ground beneath them rattled, the frightened Idol stumbling to keep on his feet, looked around feverishly for a way out. Something. Anything. For a moment, the idea of handing the silver to the marines and saying nuts to all of this crossed his mind. But doing that to Navi, Lily, and Leona rubbed him the wrong way. None of them were abandoning him, no matter how easy it would’ve been. To turn his back on them now would’ve been the work of an unreliable coward, something that Idol wanted to prove was the polar opposite of himself. Down into the water was the only other option, while the marines were distracted. And without a second’s hesitation to mull over just what the water would be filled with, or just how much the silver would weigh him down, he dived into it.

He landed in the water with a thud, having fallen at an improper angle and accidentally landed belly first. He tried sucking air through his teeth but wound up with a mouthful of awful moat water. As Idol blew the water out of his mouth, he could feel the vibration of the explosion rocking the castle, he could almost hear the numerous splashes made by the debris. Idol’s heart rate increased greatly when he felt something touch him. Immediately he pictured a snake trying to bite him, or a sea monster trying to drag him under, exactly the kind of thing he assumed castles would have in moats to stave off intruders. The wrestler tried to smack it away, but his arms were weighed down by the silver, and Idol wound up kicking and shimmying his shoulders around to try and defend himself. As he carefully opened an eye, he saw that it was Navi’s form who was poking him. Idol felt his heart rate drop and his shoulders lighten when he saw the others with him, and away from the marines. If he had a breath, he would’ve breathed a sigh of relief. Proudly, he raised the bags of silver in his hands to show that he had done his part. Small as it was, he was far too pleased to show that he wasn’t completely useless.

[Kami-Gaz]

Seconds passed, those seconds turned into a dangerous time, the Storyteller was leading his motley crew through the moat, only popping his head out of the water to get a breath of the dusty air as they swam. Above them he could hear the movement of the marines that moments ago were trying to kill them, but now they were more preoccupied with saving the people caught in the explosion. Each time his head broke the water to breath the low rumble of the explosion hung in the air, the sound of people screaming for help and crying in pain sent a shiver down his spine. It was something that was going to happen, it’s best that he takes the strain on his own conscience than Timmy does, he is only a kid after all.

After a short while Navi noticed something, the water was getting lower, the explosion must have eave exposed the caves below to the moat. The dust cloud in the air made seeing the edge of the moat hard and the murkiness of the water didn’t help either. It was only a few more seconds before Navi managed to feel it. “Shhh, let's get up and find our bearings, me and lilly have a ship we can get out on.” He whispered as he hoisted the large metal gun out of the water with relative ease and set it down, quickly helping Lilly up next as she frowned at him, sending a glare that would make weaker men shiver.

“Do not drag Veera through the mud!” She whisper shouted, the sternness in her voice easily apparent, yet it was still masked by the ongoing rumble in the air. The young woman would quickly Wring her hair and then offer a hand to Leona as Navi climbed out and did the same for Adrian, taking the bags of silver from him to make his climb easier. “I think we are at the southeast side.” She added to help the blondes planning easier.

“She got paid, and i think Fred put the final touches on while we were down the caves.” He replied to Lilly, hoping that for once he did the work. As the group were all up and the point of the island they were on determined the Storyteller gestured for everyone to follow him, they were still too close to government officials for his liking and the prospect of that monster of a marine coming to hunt them still made him shiver. Regardless of that, the soggy and dust covered man got into the streets and started to look for things he recognised. ‘I could really got for a strong drink right about now.’ He thought before stopping to look around properly. “I can’t recognise a thing...” He muttered, the stores and houses that lined the street each different and unrecognisable.

“Of Course you won’t recognise a thing! You’re drunk most of the time, the most you could recognise is a damned pub!” Lilly snapped at him, the nerve racking events of the finally boiling over in her. She had been locked up, chased, watched a murder, saw dead men and women and was now an accessory to terrorism and mass murder. The list only grows longer when she remembers the last few days she spent with this man roaming the island looking for a good place for the pair to get a drink… all so she could listen to his stories.

“A BAR!” He shouted as his eyes locked onto something in the clearing dust cloud. It was a bar that he had been to before, the night before in fact. Without hesitation he would pick Lilly up in a hug and swing her around as a sort of thanks for giving him a clue on what to look for. As he dropped her the goateed man looked back at the pair “Adrian, we are close to where this started. If you want to grab a few things as we head to the ship you can, make it quick!”

As he ran forwards he would look over his other shoulder to Leona. “How good are you on ships? The last Gyojin i sailed with got sea sick very easy.” He said, a joyful grin on his face as he kept running, Lilly Snips trailing behind him as he ran past the bar they were in last night and through the dockyard to the wharf. Veera Falcone’s shipyard was not far away now, even from here the group could see the dry dock was open as if a ship was ready to be launched. He could smell it, freedom on the open ocean as he told stories and drunk all the booze in the world, that and the smokey breeze that would carry them out into the open blue.

---

In the search for survivors Captain Barry McGuire was doing all he can, ordering his men to search house after house and the out skirts of the tower rubble pile. “Take the injured to the hospital down the road, the castle isn’t safe! Take the dead to the warehouse across the road from the hospital, cover them up… identifying can be done after we save who we can!” He ordered, moving himself into the remnants of the tower to get his hands dirty.

“Captain! We need a hand over here! It’s too heavy to lift.” One of his soldiers shouted, with a nod he stood straight and shifted his weight on his back foot, knocking a piece of wood that shifted, which bumped into a rock… this started a domino effect of knocked and bumps that made the wall behind him collapse and the roof above him fall directly on his head. “Shit! Captain McGuire is down!” The same Marine said as he looked for some way to help “Captain Toctic! Captain Toctic! Captain McGuire is pinned!”

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}
One more round, now this post may feel a little rushed but i wanted to try and get the sense of urgency across.

[York]

“Adrian, we are close to where this started. If you want to grab a few things as we head to the ship you can, make it quick!”

“Ah! Right” Idol said, realizing that the group had ended up at the bar that Idol had first encountered Navi and Lilly. No way would he forget this place anytime soon. Having regularly crossed in front of this bar on his daily commute to his job, Idol had created a mental map of the way to his boat, doubling as a shelter for the time being. “My boat, I left it around here somewhere. All my stuff is under it, and it should only take me a moment to get it all.”

As they ran through the cobbled streets, Idol made sure to run a bit slower, and keep his eyes peeled for the alley he had been making use of these past few weeks. With the chaos and dust surrounding him, it wasn’t an easy feat discerning one alley from another. But luck would shine down on Idol for a change, as the wrestler recognized the alley he had marked, with use of a broken fishing pole and an old t-shirt working as a cheap flag substitute.

Splitting from the group and bolting down the alley, Idol kicked the trash bags aside, clearing a path to the dilapidated boat. With a mighty groan, he turned the boat over, revealing a pair of dirty traveling cases, one of them filled with clothes and such, the other filled with the toiletries needed to keep him properly groomed and looking nice. All untouched from when he had left for work the other day. Had he a moment, the wrestler would’ve liked to sit down, reminisced about the time he had spent on this boat, and give the old girl a proper sendoff as thanks for keeping him safe, on and off the sea. But now was not the time. There would be time for reminiscing later.

With a final salute to the hitherto acting vessel and shelter, Idol lifted the traveling cases by their handles and ran off to catch up with the others. “I’ll share the story of the boat with them” he thought, huffing and puffing down the streets and coughing at the dust tickling his throat, “that’s as good a sendoff as I can do for now.”

[Tokoz]

 As the pirates scattered among the crowd of Marines, Flynn's eyes narrowed. A second later, he was stunned by the sudden explosion. That had been their plan. No wonder they had been fleeing. Cursing silently, he spun, eyes searching for the culprits. Those bastards.... Their faces flashed through his mind. 

 McGuire barked to him, and the Long-Arm turned to look. He could barely see the other Captain through the dust cloud, but it was apparent there was quite a bit of chaos going on. He half-turned. Those pirates needed to pay... surely others could get the victims? It was a mostly empty area, after all... No. No, he couldn't do that. Turning, the Captain sped into the rubble, chainsaws whirring and cutting through rubble as his tuned senses searched out the injured.

 As he dashed from rubble to broken glass, snatching up those who were still breathing, he delivered them to the hospital one by one. His movement was not quite to his usual pace, needing to be careful in order to avoid hurting them, but it was as rapid as he could make it. Suddenly, from the fallen tower, he heard a yell. Turning, he was just in time to see rubble fall on the good captain. His eyes widened, and he poured on the effort, leaving the injured man he was carrying in the surprised arms of a pair of Marines. 

 As he arrived, his chainsaws sped up, and within a second, he was cutting pieces away from the rock piece, shearing it away from the man beneath. It was messy, but he was being as surgically precise as ever. Finally, it was small enough to lift. It had felt like hours, but in reality, it was less than a handful of seconds. Prying the ruined rooftop away, he examined the man. Multiple lacerations, broken bones... Based on the way his back was, it didn't seem like the vertebrae had been damaged, but there was blood leaking out in ways that signified internal damage. Slowly lifting him up, Flynn seemed to vanish to all assembled. By the time anyone could process it, he was already in the hospital, demanding an operating room. 

 It wouldn't be until hours later, when Barry McGuire was stable, that he spared a thought to the pirates who had caused this. Opening up a notebook, he sat, staring at a wall. His hand began to move, sketching out the faces he had seen. He continued to sit, sketching, the jet black cover of the notebook bearing only two words, in white font. "Elimination Targets." 

[Vio]

16

---

Out of the water she popped, webbed fingers finding solid ground to be strangely comforting amidst the chaos. Leona Ward moved swiftly, pulling herself from the moat with certain ease and, for some reason, thanking the air that entered her lungs. The murky moat water was not exactly as oxygen rich as she had thought, instead forming a slightly suffocating soup that was about as good to have on your gills as the brines of the deep ocean. Not a pleasant sensation – akin to the thin mountain air of the tallest peaks, but altogether clingier.

The first out of the moat she might have been, but the colourful ‘conspirator’ was actually the last to follow Navi Vis from the scene of the crime. The castle’s flank was barely visible, smoke and dust still swirling about in the air and creating smog of gunpowder stench and bitter black. Essentially, night had been cast on the Silver Islands, but it was anything but silent. How many had lost their lives, Lee wondered, blue eyes widened in recognition. She mouthed a curse to herself, flicking back the pages of her memories and feeling an all too familiar sensation. Regret, perhaps, was one of the heaviest of burdens to carry.

This isn’t right at all… I’m such a hypocrite, but… Conflicted, the Lionfish Gyojin hopped, turned and ran after her human ensemble. All the while, she reminisced about the past. An innocent shopkeeper had been killed because of her actions – at the very least her participation in what she had thought to be a harmless little act of rebellion. The guilt she had felt was ridiculous at the time and, though it was far less a burden now, she had a horrid feeling that what she had just participated in was of far greater scale. How many lives had the explosion taken? How many innocent souls had the blast buried beneath smoke and rubble? The number in her mind’s eye kept climbing, bound not by fact or understanding. She had refused to aid a Marine, again due to personal belief that they were the bad guys, but was that right?

She shook her head viciously.

“How good are you on ships?” Mister Vis asked. Miss Ward, broken from her inner conflicts, looked at him as he led the ragtag runaways past a local establishment of some recognition. The streets themselves seemed almost desolate now that she actually paid attention to her surroundings. Had the area been evacuated, or was it just by chance that the island’s populace were safely out of harm’s way at the time? Regardless, that helped to salve her worries, even if only a little.

^{“No drama,” she replied, somewhat breathlessly:
“Us Lionfish types have great balance, in or outta the under!”}

Fin rays stood on end, just as the hairs on the back of her neck, telling tales of her mix of concerns and the adrenaline that still pumped through her veins. Ship or no, the flamboyant female fully intended to leave this land far in her wake as soon as was feasibly possible, regardless of whether or not she would be joining Navi and his company. That was a decision she just could not seem to make, however. On one hand, the fiery-fisted fighter had tried to do the right thing. On the other, the man had also made her an accomplice in an act of aggression of what must have been a ridiculously threatening scale. She felt guilt, but also did not, like being trapped in the violent and temperamental waters between two opposing currents. She had two choices, neither of which seemed all that appealing; to confront, or to run…?

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

[/sub]

Starring…

_{Leona Ward (e61919)
Royce (eeeeee)
Tash (00aaff)
Barry McGuire (c43e79)
Navi Vis (ff5c00)
Adrian Idol (ffff55)
Lily Snips (818181)
Unfinishista (41a329)}

[/ul][/spoiler][/font][/sup][/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[Kami-Gaz]

The streets and docks were surprisingly quiet for this time of day, then again the island being rocked by explosions big enough to shake the very bedrock it was sat on would do that to any town. The hawaiian clad man at the lead of a small group of people who were running across the wharf kept looking back as he ran towards their escape. He was now only just letting the gravity of what had happened hit him and with a frown he would lead the pack. Following him was a shorter woman with her behemoth of a gun that was as tall as she was. Her face was a picture, tears streaming down her face, she was silently crying as she followed the man who caused all of this pain. The man who was feeling it too, just not showing it. It would only be a minute before the group reached the shipyard they needed to be at, one that had something very familiar Navi and Lilly, if Adrian had the time to look back as he was being arrested he would know what this sight was.

The chocolate Valentine, a boat so well designed it could only be named after one of Navi’s recent companions. One that kicked his recent need for action into somewhat of an overdrive. “He finished it! Damn, if i ever see that kid again i could hug him! Everyone, get on my boat!” He yelled out, looking back as he reached the gangplank. The varnished wood finish on the hull gave the boat a professional sheen even in this low hanging mist of dust and grime, what sunlight was peeking through was red, it was sunset.

The goateed man would wave everyone up the gangplank and then follow behind, pulling the wood up and setting it down before heading to the helm. “Right, uhh… Hoist the sails! Take her starboard! We gotta go go go!” He shouted out, keen to leave and excited to have his own ship. ‘I hope he stocked it too, we’re all going to need a drink later.’ the storyteller thought to himself as he picked up a note that was pinned to the wheel. “To engage the paddles pull the handle in the middle of the wheel, to disengage pull it again. Remember Navi, charge the battery after every use. Veera.” He looked at it with a raised brow and put it back where he found it after a second so whoever was in control would know what to do when there was no wind.

“Shit! I forgot raise the anchor!” The manic of a man shouted before running to the bow of the ship, there he grabbed the chain and with all of his might he started to heave, it wasn't much but he got it loose from the rocks below, then with his foot he kicked the winch which started to reel the chain in. A second later then he moved to do it by hand. After that the Chocolate Valentine started to drift with the gust of the dust filled wind.

After a short while the man would be sat in the bar, drink in hand and a solemn look on his face. “You killed dozens of people!” Lilly shouted, making the man flinch as he picked up his glass a little more. “Yes, blowing up a castle is coo, but killing people isn't!” She carried on, the short ashen haired woman was on a rampage, pacing around the table that her current leader was sat at. “And the worst part is you dragged Adrian and Leo into this! This is not cool!” She shouted on before swiping the glass out of his hand and downing it. “What’s worse? You got all of our names and faces known to the marines, TO THE CAPTAIN OF CHIMERA! They are the scary story that they tell base brats to keep them in line.”

Looking like he had just lost his candy the goateed man looked down and let the shouting continue. “So what if you had a hand in the current ceasefire on Silvers, so what the rebuilding effort brought some money to help the economy… you made a lot of people hate us, and we barely got out of there with our heads!” Slamming the glass onto the table Lilly would walk to the bar and sit down., muttering something about how she just wanted to go to bed.

Navi took a while, he grabbed his bottle and took a long and hearty swig from it, letting some of the contents spill out of his mouth and down his cheeks. When he was finished he let out a long sigh and gently placed the bottle of liquor on the table. And then he looked around to everyone in the room, and then the bags of Silver that were sat by the door. “And? People will hate us for a lot of things, but they won’t see the big picture… In the long term I helped, we caused some pain and suffering to do it, but eventually what I did will turn the island around. I pressed the button, I made the call to do it… if I didn’t that kid would have… and do you think a kid like that could bare that on his conscience? No, i don’t think he could… So I took that burden off of him, none of you killed anyone, none of you are to blame, sure you are an accomplice, but you can sleep relatively guilt free.” Standing up at his chair the man smiled and tried to look everyone who was facing him in the eye.

“Eventually this will be just another story told, the day a group of misfits shook silvers to the core.” He started looking at Adrian, knowing that a wrestler was all about a message, one from the heart. “The Group who escaped the CHIMERA nightmare.” He said looking at Lilly who drank a shot as she looked at the man. It was then that he turned Leo “The group who met in unusual circumstances but worked together no matter their differences…” Grabbing his bottle he raised it up and raised it forwards. “Sure people got hurt, but in some of the best stories people get hurt, and that is something i am going to live with, not you guys.”

With a quick swig from the bottle he let out a smile. “I’m sorry if i have caused you any great inconveniences, if any of you want to leave you can when we make port. But i will ask, can you guys keep going and help me bare this? I heard coping is better with friends.”

SPOILER: Click to show

{The End ((OOC))}
So yeah, that's it, last round people. shout at Navi all you want. Sorry this entire thing went a bit haywire in the middle and took longer than expected. At least we are finished now and can submit soon.

[York]

Clutching his belongings like his life depended on it, Idol ran alongside his companions with his eyes focused on the area directly in front of him. He refused to look back, to the side, or anywhere that may have shown signs of any chaos. Escape was so close that he could taste it, and the last thing he wanted was the image of an island in disarray burning into back of his mind. Sure, his stay was less than pleasant, but he felt that it didn't deserve any of this.

He paused for a moment when Navi ran up the gangplank to an ornate, gorgeous looking ship. When he had mentioned a ship, the wrestler was expecting more of a run down, liquor stained dinghy, not this beauty. Befuddled, Idol ran up the gangplank and practically dived into the first door he saw. Down he threw his things as he laid prone on the floor, kissing it like it had a personal hand in saving his life. Shoot, with the previous mouthful of moat water and sewer gas, the floor tasted pretty good in comparison. He was finally out of the tunnels and this lovely vessel would take him far, far away from this place, and all the memories attached to it.

Idol gathered that Navi needed to get this ship going before he should start celebrating his freedom. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of glancing out the door, and despite the limited view, he couldn’t help but start thinking of the islands state again. Not only that, but at the forefront of his mind was worry about what would happen to him as soon as they would arrive at the next port. A cocktail of worry and fear swirled around in his stomach. The words ‘If I were stronger’ echoing in his head were doing him no favors. Idol got to his knees and felt like he would throw up again.

Crawling over to his bags, Idol rummaged through them, a concerned expression on his face. Through the numerous multicolored tights, he quickly dug out a small framed photo. The photo was of a burly, blonde old man flexing his impressive biceps in a pair of tight jeans. In one hand was a round, ornate looking championship belt, the other supporting a beaming child around four or five years old. He shut his eyes and brought the photo close to his chest as he sat against the wall. It helped soothe him and take him out of the moment. It filled his mind, not with images of rubble crashing and people crying, but of days where he and his father, Richard Idol, would spend going over the fundamentals of wrestling and manhood. Before he knew of any tribulation, before he knew what the world was like. Back when he was happy.

By the time Navi had entered and taken a seat at the bar, Idol had gathered his thoughts, and merely sat back, uncharacteristically silent and still, as a discourse raged on mere feet before him between Lilly and Navi. He clutched he photo closer to his chest when he heard mention of the CHIMERA captain. The whirring sound of his weapons made Idol shudder. Idol nodded in agreement with Navi’s rebuttal though. While the group had been strangers, this adventure had brought them closer together. Had it not been for Navi, Idol may still be blindly travelling the world, blissfully unaware of the kind of beasts these seas bred. Had he encountered one on his own, his journey would’ve come to a quick, unfortunate end.

“I’m sorry if i have caused you any great inconveniences, if any of you want to leave you can when we make port. But i will ask, can you guys keep going and help me bare this? I heard coping is better with friends.”

Idol stood up, and made himself as tall as he could without resorting to standing on his toes. Gently placing the photo back into his clothes bag, he cleared his throat to gather everyone’s attention.

“You know, before I start,” he said, speaking in a more modest tone then usual “I want to thank you for giving me a lift off of this island. I’ve been meaning to get out of here for a while, and I think that getting around is gonna be a bit harder for me now that I marines are involved. Also, I’d like to thank all of you for your help in keeping me alive and safe during our little adventure. I owe all of you one.”

He turned and faced Navi. “As for what you had to say, as much as I’d like to think that I’m gonna sleep soundly after this day, I know that it’s just not gonna happen.” He paused. “May sound a bit harsh here, but I honestly don’t feel any guilt for what happened to the people who live here.” Idol raised his arms high to emulate a tall being to help with his description, “A monster of a marine, the CHIMERA guy Lilly mentioned, try to stop you, and he failed. If he couldn’t then what hope do I, a guy you already beat with no issue, possibly have had? It would be like feeling guilty for a sand castle being washed away despite trying to block the waves from hitting it.

“Speaking of, I actually do want to go with you” Idol quickly added, stepping towards Navi and extending one of his hands for a shake. “Today, I've learned that I’m not ready to achieve any of my goals just yet. While that is a bit infuriating, I am willing to put the work in to get to the level I need to be. I promise that if you take me with you, and help me get to that level” he paused to point his striking green eyes into Navi's yellow ones, “then you’ll get to watch me blossom into a worthy challenger for that sweet championship belt of yours.” He shot Navi a smirk and a wink. “Besides, I’ve got plenty of stories that I’m sure a storyteller like yourself would just love to hear~.”

[Vio]

17

---

“What’ve you gotten yourself into this time, Leona? Do you not understand the consequences of these actions you’ve so naïvely taken? It may look like harmless fun, but you’ve wronged innocent people! You can’t possibly stand to gain anything if you keep this up!”

^{“But it was just a prank, dad! That’s not fair!”}

“Fair? Fairness, young lady, took a leap down the waterfall when you pulled that stunt! You enjoying yourself or slacking off to the detriment of others is not fair! You’re grounded indefinitely–”

^“What!?”

“–Until you learn some discipline and control. You’ll be training with me at the Dojo from now on, understood? I hope that teaching you techniques that require restraint, focus and diligence will help you realise the impact of your mistakes. I will not allow you, my daughter, to waste your life like this! First thing tomorrow, we begin…”

What the f*€% am I doing with my life? Leona Ward asked herself, reminiscing and leaning against the doorway of the cabin as she looked out towards the horizon. Dusk had fallen upon the ocean, waning vestiges of sunlight dying the border between sea and sky a strange shade of pink and purple. They were foreshadowing good weather to come, while a few of the night sky’s brightest stars started to reveal themselves amongst the inky patchwork quilt of cloud and galactic void. The winds were of decent pace, but not too strong, lending the vessel a tranquil rate of knots as it escaped the border waters of Silver and blowing the woman’s dark coral red hair across her face.

Still wracked by unease, she listened half-heartedly to Mister Vis’ words. Lily had torn him a new one with her words – a girl who apparently shared thoughtful similarities with the Gyojin – but alas they seemed to make little in the way of impact. The drunkard was surprisingly calm about the whole thing, though that may have been the alcohol now in his system. Regardless, Lee was not the type to shout and rant about what was bothering her, least of all to people who barely knew her. To that end, she let the others do the talking, waiting and taking the occasional swig of a bottle of beer.

“The group who worked together no matter their differences,” Navi added to his speech, addressing the Fishwoman. Miss Ward gave him a sideways glance, not quite sure of what to make of it all. Did she really have a choice in the matter right now? Sure, she could easily just turn around and jump ship – there was no chance of them catching her even if she was not too fond of swimming long distances. At the same time, the inebriated idiot was not without remorse. It was visible now, giving him a somewhat haggard look that crept beneath his handsome features. She had not seen it before, perhaps it had not sunk into him at the time, but it was a little more obvious that he had a conscience. He had done wrong, but was trying to make the best of it – the best of a bad situation. At least, as he had stated blatantly, he was willing to take the blame for it all.

^{Friends, huh…? Jumping the gun a bit, aren’t you…?
Leona thought, letting Idol speak his mind:
I hope we can steer well clear of this ‘C.H.I.M.E.R.A.’ though…}

“I am willing to put the work in to get to the level I need to be,” Adrian said certainly, sparking a bit of mischief within the aquatic angel’s thoughts. Her initial impressions of the wrestler were not very clear, truth told. Actually, she had not paid him all that much mind up until now, but it was better for her to at least understand a bit about a person with whom she would be sharing a ship. Navi and Lily was one thing, but this guy was something else entirely. If anything, she could not help but smirk slightly at the thought of Adrian being on her level, and perhaps a little on the gullible side. That must have been her inner slouch talking. She let it sit for the time being.

“Tch! I guess I don’t have much of a choice now, ay?” Lee uttered, grinning a little. Whether she was smiling honestly or out of anxiety, she could not really tell: “If we’ve got some monsters on our tailfins, then we’d be better off stickin’ together – strength in numbers ‘n’ all that stuff. Besides, swimming everywhere gets a bit stale, and seen as you seem to make a storm wherever you go, I reckon I’m headed in the right direction by tagging along!”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

[/sub]

Starring…

_{Leona Ward (e61919)
Royce (eeeeee)
Tash (00aaff)
Barry McGuire (c43e79)
Navi Vis (ff5c00)
Adrian Idol (ffff55)
Lily Snips (818181)
Unfinishista (41a329)
Leona’s Dad (e6e619)}

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