Road to Shivre Mountain! Bianca & Charley vs The Rock Bandit

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER II // Road to Shivre Mountain! Bianca & Charley vs The Rock Dragon Bandits!

Shivre Mountain! The land of hot springs and steel! This was the location of Charley's newest venture, he was after a specific gang of goons known as the 'Rock Dragon Bandits' who often terrorized the islanders. Charley had scouted out the island a bit alongside Sonja and Jack (his entourage). Trying to find more and more clues about this group.

But truthfully very little came to the table... there were just a few small bounties for different goons and then a relatively sizable one for the bandit leader. Now, he sat in a cafe looking through his evidence. The former actor picked up the newspaper which carried the bounty poster nestled in it.

"'Rock Dragon' Beowulf Ivan, 14,500,000 beri... wanted for murder, raiding, and attacks on marine vessels."

Charley let out a sigh as he looked at the image of the man on it. He seemed very large and rugged just like every other burly criminal that lugged themself around the North Blue. Nothing special despite the decent bounty, but in all honesty, Charley wasn't here for the bounty... he was already rich so the money was just a bonus. In all honesty, he hoped this Ivan fellow could put up a decent show. Taking a sip from his tea he flipped calmly through the newspaper trying to squeeze every ounce of information on its inked pages.

"Hmhm, nothing... how boring."

The man said to himself exhaling a long sigh of boredom. These guys were not the average band of bandits... they were smarter and cleaner. Or a least it seemed, perhaps Charley could be giving them more credit than they honestly deserved. Charley lifted his head to look around the cafe looking at the other customers who enjoyed their warm drinks to stave off the normally cold weather of the island produced by its rather high altitude.

Looking over the other customer's none seemed interesting to speak to at a glance... it was probably for the better too. Even Charley who was a social butterfly had to admit that talking to people openly wasn't too optimal for his stay in Shivre Mountain. How long before people noticed who he 'really' was. Word spread quickly and likely would reach the bandits who would cover their tracks even more.

A former actor and now bounty hunter hunting them down didn't exactly sound like a whole lot of fun for such a secretive group of bandits. Or did it? Letting out another side Charley slouched on the seat reaching out for his baby Den Den Mushi ready to call Sonja and see how she was doing. Perhaps the woman had found something, his secretary always proved rather competent after all.

"Purupuru."

The snail phone began to ring as Charley waited for the other side to answer. Until, eventually Sonja answered... her executive voice coming through the snail's mouth now. The creature even took on some of her facial features... that bit always made the actor chuckle like a ten-year-old and prompted people around him to look at him weirdly. Not that Charley rared what people thought of him. No, it was never about him... it was about his acts.

"Hello Mr. Hatter, need anything?" 

Charley pursed his lips as he twirled his mustache a bit. How dare she assume he only called her because he needed something! Why couldn't he call her like one would a friend? Oh... who was he kidding... he was totally calling her because he needed something. Perhaps he should spend more time with his workers and be a better boss. Sonja and Jack were people too after all! People with interest... well Sonja was at least, she was a headstrong woman. Jack... well Charley wasn't sure much happened in that little head of his. The red-headed man was always an enigma to the actor... but he *was* a good cameraman.

"Well... umm has anything interesting popped out?"

The actor inquired his secretary, the brunette woman on the other side smiled. Of course, Charley only called her for something... she knew him all too well. Lucky for her boss she did have something of interest although it wasn't in regards to the bandits.

"I do have something although it's not about the bandits. Not long after you left to get tea a mysterious woman with a rather improper man came asking about you. She should be headed your way soon."

Charley raised a brow, who could be looking for him? Woman with an improper man? Had Ashelynn gotten a new servant? If it was Ashelynn though how hadn't Sonja recognized her and another thing. Why would the Baroness even come after him? It was just all too odd for the actor. But he would take his secretary's words on it. Biting his lip the actor decided to ask the next appropriate question.

"So... do you know what she looks like? What should I expect?"

-- NAME // Charlemagne Q. Hatter

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Jade]

"Can't be bothered to come herself, noooooooo, that'd be too easy... Just send me halfway across the island, sure..."

Despite - or perhaps in spite of - his brand new style, Thomas still managed to look at least a little disheveled. His hair never stayed in place even after the recent trim he'd gotten, his suit jacket was worn completely unbuttoned to reveal the fact that the dress shirt below was only half-tucked in, his black tie was ever so slightly askew, his dress shoes were scuffed - he knew Yvonne would probably chew him out in Bianca's stead, but neither of them were around, so...

The lanky man had stopped in front of one of the stores to look over his reflection in the window, and now he just stood there, scowling and grumbling complaints toward someone who couldn't hear him. He ran one hand through his hair, pushing it backward, and then pulled his pack of cigarettes and a lighter out from the inside of his suit jacket - with practiced ease, he had it lit and held up to his mouth, shoving the pack and lighter back in with unpracticed clumsiness, and looked back up to his reflection. "Alright," he mumbled, pulled the cigarette from his lips to blow out the smoke, and then resumed, "let's get this over with."

The café was pretty close, and within the minute Thomas had looked over his own reflection, he found himself standing in front of the arranged meeting point. That was how Bianca had described it, at least - it certainly had the air of a place she would pick. He groaned at the "no smoking" sign hanging on the door and ground his cigarette out in the provided ash tray, and then pulled the door open and went inside... Or attempted to, at least, as the blade sheathed at his hip smacked into the doorframe and tripped him up. "Sh*t!" After a few seconds of fumbling, Thomas finally got himself through the door, only to promptly freeze as he realized that the vast majority of the café's patrons were giving him dirty looks. "Haha... Ha... Swords, am I right? Damn things just... Flopping all over the place, you know how it is..."

While that certainly didn't dispel any of the animosity directed at him, it at least got most people to stop glaring at him. Thomas brought a hand up and coughed into it, and then looked over the room for the man he was supposed to meet... Only to realize that his boss had failed to give him any sort of physical description. "Uh... Is there a Mister... Hatter here?

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER II // Road to Shivre Mountain! Bianca & Charley vs The Rock Dragon Bandits!

After the short discussion with Sonja, the intrepid actor got enough of a description to know what he should be looking for. Funny enough just as he put away the Den Den Mushi, Charley spotted a figure outside the store. A man who just about fit the bill of what Sonja had thoroughly described had his face pressed onto the window outside. Charley narrowed his eyes as he raised his newspaper pretending he hadn't seen him... even so with the corner of his eye he took a good look at the man.

"Just like you said... a walking mess. Head hardly affixed on the shoulders, hair like an overused toothbrush, clothing on like a misbehaved child. Hmhm."

Charley whispered to himself feeling rather contrasted against this man. Who had hired this guy and why was he looking for him? More importantly, where was his boss? The woman? As Charley watched the man slowly he took notice of the man was suddenly moving, taking a recently lit cigarette out of his mouth with an annoyed groan. The sight made Charley grin, the man's relatable suffering was rather amusing to the actor.

What followed was an awkward fumble as the man's sword got stuck on the door slightly and caused him to in essence almost trip into the store. Most people around him simply gave him glares... but not Charley. The actor was red, but not in secondhand embarrassment. Rather he was red holding back laughter, one hand put over his mouth with inflated cheeks holding back a stream of laughter.

Taking in a deep breath his face cleared, just in time too! As the walking mess of a man called out for his name. How quaint, guess he didn't get the memo from his boss or something. Letting out a slightly annoyed sigh the actor put down the newspaper and stood up proudly.

"I'm here, in the flesh. How may I assist you, good sir?"

-- NAME // Charlemagne Q. Hatter

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Jade]

"I'm here, in the flesh. How may I assist you, good sir?"

Thomas wheeled about toward the sound of the voice, giving the man it belonged to a quick once-over. Any doubt over whether or not this was the man Bianca had sent him to meet was quickly dispelled - this "Mr. Hatter" may not have been the strangest individual he'd bumped into, but there was a definite air of weirdness about him that certainly fit what he'd come to expect of the people Bianca sought out.

Calling up some of the old swaggering false confidence he'd practiced ages ago, he made his way over to Hatter's table and pulled a seat out for himself - only to swing it around in order to sit in it backwards. Years of habit-building had him reaching for his pack of cigarettes, but Thomas paused, sighed, and simply put his arms to rest crossed over the back of the chair. "So! Mr. Hatter." He gestured for the man to take his seat again. "The name's Thoma- Er, I mean..."

He leaned back in his seat and raised his hands, putting up his first two fingers on each hand and curling them down to make air quotes. "'Mr. Hot Chocolate.'" The ill-dressed young man frowned, and then leaned forward against the back of the seat again. "But she's not here, so really, you can just call me Thomas. Anyway, my boss sent me to pick you up, so better finish up your drink. Or... Don't? She might get mad if she found out I hurried you."

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER II // Road to Shivre Mountain! Bianca & Charley vs The Rock Dragon Bandits!

Charley sat back down after announcing himself allowing himself a few grunts as he settled down on his chair. He then turned his head up and locked his golden eyes on the odd figure approaching him now. Charley afforded himself a good glance at Thomas as the man sat on the seat in a fashion that suited his overall demeanor.

The illustrious actor would afford himself more scrutiny in analyzing the man before him but something else distracted him. At the back of his head he sensed something off, like a sixth sense... he was being watched. Taking his eyes off of Thomas for a second the actor looked around the Café only to see everyone was staring at him quitely. Slowly and carefully Charley turned his eyes back to Thomas.

"No worries, I actually believe the faster we leave this location the better. Besides your boss doesn't need to know."

Charley whispers motioning to the people tuned into their conversation. He finishes off his statement with a wink before taking the final sips from his tea. The actor then stood up once more, this time reaching into his pocket to pull out some Beri and leave them on the table. Once he was done he took a hold of his cane and motioned toward the door.

"Walk and talk! Tell me, who are you?"

-- NAME // Charlemagne Q. Hatter

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Jade]

Thomas raised a brow at the man's insistence that they leave - the subtle motion to the area around them got him to glance around at the other customers of the café staring at them. He glanced back over at this "Mr. Hatter" and sighed loudly. "Alright, if you say so..." he replied, and then his voice dropped to an almost-inaudible level. "Dammit, I just wanted a break, man..."

He stood from his seat and spun it back around to its proper position while Hatter left payment for his bill, and followed him to the door. Out of habit, Thomas stepped forward and held the door open for him with one hand and set to pulling out his pack of cigarettes with the other and fumbled it up to his mouth, drawing one out with his teeth. Once they were both out on the street, he pocketed the pack and withdrew his lighter, bringing both hands up to light the cigarette. With that whole ritual done, Thomas sighed again and started leading Hatter back the way he'd come.

"Who am I? Well," the mop-headed young man laughed, and then shook his head. "I'm a bounty hunter, I guess? But really, I'm just the boss's... 'Assistant'." Thomas grimaced a little, and then gave Mr. Hatter an emphatic shrug. "Trust me, it'll be easier if I just let her tell you herself."

puru~puru~puru

Without missing a beat, Thomas reached into his jacket once more, pulling out a baby Den Den Mushi with a merged "TC" logo painted on its shell. "Yo."

"I would ask once again, Mr. Hot Chocolate, that you do not answer these calls with such an informal phrase." The baby Den Den Mushi leveled a cold gaze on the man as it spoke in the cold monotone of the woman on the other end. "Have you retrieved our guest?"

Thomas finished rolling his eyes just in time to tilt his head back, looking over his shoulder for the man from the café. "Yeah, I've got him. Bringing him back with me now."

"Splendid. I would encourage the two of you to make haste, as I have located the bandits Mr. Hatter was looking for." The expression on the tiny snail suddenly went haywire as a resounding crack came through, like breaking wood. An instant later, the cold expression returned. "Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they have located me. I will see you shortly, Mr. Hot Chocolate."

The snail fell back to sleep as the call abruptly ended. Thomas stared at it for another moment before pocketing it, sighing, and then took a long drag on his cigarette. "Well," he sighed the cloud of smoke out. "That's the boss for ya. C'mon, best not to keep her waiting... Wherever she is..."

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER II // Road to Shivre Mountain! Bianca & Charley vs The Rock Dragon Bandits!

The actor remained silent, but with a smile upon his face as he saw the other man also stand up. But boy, he complained more than a cranky mule... what a character. Charley thought to himself, what an interesting character. Quickly both men got up and made their way out of the small cafè. As Charley exhaled a cone of mist exited his mouth, at the height they were in the world was rather cold despite being early summer. Such was the way of altitude, perusing with his golden eyes he admired the brown mountains with white powdery snow covering them. The scene reminded the man of the pastries that were served in his Father's bakery back at home.

"Bounty Hunter eh? I'm into that line of work myself."

Charley looked over to Thomas next to him. He did look the part of a bounty hunter... rugged look, cigarette in his mouth, with a sword sheathed at his side. But that wasn't the curious bit, Thomas being a bounty hunter was likely something even a young child could guess. Especially since they were so common these days. In any case, the more curious bit was that he considered himself an assistant and not a true professional. Speaking of a 'boss', although judging by his tone he seemed a bit annoyed with the arrangement. Then again, this fellow seemed to be in a perpetual state of discomfort and annoyance.

"Right... I'm curious as to why your boss is interested in meeting me of all people. But I deduce you have no idea yourself. Am I correct in such an assessment?"

He remarked, but just as those words escaped his lips, Thomas's den den mushi began to ring. The distinct noise of the snail now filling both their ears. Without hesitation, the other bounty hunter answered the phone with a simple "Yo." Only to be reprimanded by the voice of a suave woman. This in turn caused Charley to put one hand over his mouth and chuckle at the other man's mishap. Well, that was quite the comical exchange. Not only that but Charley had found out the other man's apparent name 'Mr. Hot Chocolate' what an odd name that was... but then again he had met a guy called Mr. Cilantro not too long ago.

In any case, it didn't take long for the conversation to turn around to the situation at hand... the woman, who Charley could only assume was Thomas' boss was speaking about him. This became more apparent once his name was quite literally dropped. Despite having the ability to do so Charley didn't vocalize himself. Rather he waited patiently, there was absolutely no rush. Well, their sort of was now that Thomas' boss had called for haste... not to mention she seemed to have found the very bandits Charley had been looking for. How astounding! This would make for a glorious show! Soon, the formalities ended and the den den mushi was hung up.

"Ohoho! So your boss has met the bandits already! Well, Mr. Hot Chocolate I hope you're good with a camera!"

-- NAME // Charlemagne Q. Hatter

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Jade]

"Ohoho! So your boss has met the bandits already! Well, Mr. Hot Chocolate I hope you're good with a camera!"

Thomas looked back at the man he was now escorting with one brow raised. "Uh. No, I'm... Not particularly? Why would I..." He turned back and shook his head vigorously. "Nope. Never mind, forget I started to ask. C'mon, if you'll follow me..."

Even with the lack of directions, it wasn't too difficult to find where the boss had gotten off to - ten minutes out of town, some 150 yards or so from where Thomas had split off to go to find Charlemagne, was a massive tree standing where there had previously been none. It was extremely noticeable against the otherwise cold, barren landscape; what appeared to be a decades-old tree had been suddenly plopped down and promptly forgotten here on the side of the mountain.

The other strange thing about it was the group of men standing at its base, attempting to hack away at the trunk with axes, saws, and anything else that had a blade. From the distance they had stopped away from it, it was difficult to tell how much progress they were really making at chopping the tree down, but there was certainly no large gash visible yet - so they had either just started, or were having one hell of a time making progress.

Thomas stood there for a couple seconds, mouth opening but no sound coming forth, before he found his words. "Is this her idea of a hideout...?" He asked to the open air, and then stood up straight. "Well, we found her. Dunno why she isn't doing anything, though. Maybe she's waiting for you?"

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER II // Road to Shivre Mountain! Bianca & Charley vs The Rock Dragon Bandits!

Being a polite individual Charley obliged, if the man didn't want him elaborating then he wouldn't. The actor simply chuckled to himself as he followed behind the comical swordsman. It took only a few minutes but they finally arrived and wow what a surprise! There was a massive tree growing out of a crack in the ground. Anyone who didn't know better would think this tree was here for ages... except this island was very rocky and barren. So something was up.

"Hm, that's peculiar."

Charley tipped his head back to look up at the tree. He was unable to see anything up on the treetops from this angle. Looking back down, he was however able to see the band of bandits trying to cut down the massive tree to no avail. Rubbing his chin Charley turned to Mr. Hot Chocolate as he'd known him.

"Say, Mr. Hot Chocolate, you think your boss was waiting for me to maybe beat up these bandits? In that case, you know what to do!"

The actor lifted a brow as a cheeky smile, his lips curling up just perfectly. Reaching into his coat he tossed an odd variant of transponder snail over to Thomas, it was a visual Den Den Mushi capable of recording scenes. It was top-of-the-line stuff that Charley had purchased straight of the Grand Line. With that, he did a fancy walk toward the rather undistinguished gentlemen who were attempting to decapitate a tree.

"Mmmhmm! Top o' the morning gentlemen!"

Charley cleared his throat and said standing over a large rock shining under the angled morning sun. Although his voice didn't sound like his own... at least not quite. It was distorted as if he'd announced that through a radio. Whatever it was it said the mood as his coat fluttered in the air! The guy looked like a supervillain about to ruin this group of rowdy men's day. Somehow in the trajectory up to the large rock he had pulled out a teacup and a kettle. The man poured tea into the cup staring directly at the honey-colored liquid as it landed within his cup.

"May I interest you bunch in a spot of tea or... is a pint more up your alley?"

At this point, the bandits started to make their way toward Charley slowly lifting their weapons angrily. Charley raised a brow as he looked down at the men rather unamused by their presence. He took a sip from his teacup rather nonchalantly.

"Oi! What gives!? Spot of tea? What do ye take us for? Nine-year-old little ladies? Of course, we wants a pint! Wes getting it after wes steals some coin from ye of course hehehe! Let's get 'em, boys!"

Charley frowned, well he got his answer. Lifting the kettle he had in his hand, he threw it full force toward the man who spoke up with such speed and pinpoint precision that the tea kettle almost resembled a meteor. It hit the man who spoke upright in the forehead and was enough to knock him out stone cold on the ground.

*CRASH*

"That kettle had an entire pint of tea in it. You got what you asked for, now if you excuse me... I'm the one who'll being cashing in after I'm done with you."

The actor announced unsheathing his sword from the cane, the sun's rays catching the glint of the metal blade. It was rather cinematic Charley hoped that Thomas was catching all of this on camera.

"Oi! He shot down old Willy! Aim and shoot 'em guys!"

Came out a shrill yell from the crowd! That's when the bandits got ready and took aim at Charley who simply chuckled ready to pounce on his prey.

-- NAME // Charlemagne Q. Hatter

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Jade]

Thomas raised his hand to argue against the insinuation that he "knew what to do", but before he could even get a sound out, some sort of Den Den Mushi was tossed at him - and rather than catch the unexpected creature, it hit him straight in the face and knocked him flat on his back. He laid there, sprawled out on the ground, while the equally-startled snail slowly moved down his face and onto his chest. As the sky above became visible again, the newly slimy-faced young man sighed and silently contemplated the series of decisions that had led him to this point.

---

Standing precariously on one of the tree's higher limbs, the white-haired woman watched the bandits hacking ineffectually at the base of the tree below her. Occasionally, one would get frustrated when the axe or saw they were trying to use went blunt or outright broke and would just hurl it up at her, but the tools weren't meant for throwing and she saw them coming a mile away - most of them simply fell short or went wide, and those that came too close were easy enough for her to avoid by simply shifting the branch she was standing on.

Just when it was starting to get tiring, something changed. The men turned from their pointless work to look at some new thing that had grabbed their attention - Bianca followed them with her eyes to the sight of a well-dressed man pouring himself a cup of tea. Thomas was nowhere to be seen, but that was of no consequence; Mr. Hatter was more than recognizable on his own, even from her vantage point.

"Aim and shoot 'em, guys!"

As the bandits behind their leader pulled out their guns, the canopy of the massive tree behind them rustled - and a moment later, a series of snake-like vines lashed out, wrapping around the barrels of the guns, and then retracted as soon as they'd come, pulling the ranged weapons back with them.

"Tut-tut, gentlemen." The canopy parted, revealing Bianca in her relatively plain white sundress and matching sun hat with the harshly contrasting black band separating the top from the brim, smiling coldly down at the gathered crowd. "There will be nothing so crass as gunfire in this fight, unless Mr. Hatter here wishes for me to restore your weapons to you. And speaking of which, a good morning to you, sir." She tilted her head upward in a nod, staring down at him, and then pulled her arms out from behind her back - thick vines had grown from her elbows down, like living gauntlets, and the stolen firearms were clearly visible wrapped up in their mass.

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER II // Road to Shivre Mountain! Bianca & Charley vs The Rock Dragon Bandits!

Without farther or due, Charley dashed at his enemies at full speed. Slicing and dicing all the bandits in his way, they barely stood a chance seeing as Bianca had disarmed them. Speaking of... what were all those vines about.

"Huh? I didn't know we were shooting a Zartan flick."

That's when Charley noticed the woman speaking, hidden among the brambles and branches of the tree. His eyes squinted to look up at the woman above. She was speaking in a commanding voice having disarmed much of the bandits and Charley having cut down a good chunk of them.

"You b*tch! Give my men's weapons back!"

One of the bandits called out, he was the largest among the group. A man standing ten feet tall wearing furs... his skin was sickly pale. His eyes a shimmering golden color like that of a wolf... and his hair wild and black like a horse's mane gone wild. Charley looked up at the big oof and instantly recognized him as Beowulf Ivan!

"Ohhh Rock Dragon is that you? I'm a big fan!"

Charley yelled out!

"You know that's hardly a way to speak to a lady! Or anyone in general. I don't quite think people like being called b*tches."

The actor chuckled, swooning back dramatically as he did. He gave one of those 'Ohohoho!' Laughs that you usually saw rich and entitled young girls give.

"That said! How rude of me! You must be Mr. Hot Chocolate's boss! I'd recognize that voice anywhere! I'd... chat more but as you can see I've got my hands full."

Charley spun around to look at Ivan up and down, truly an imposing specimen. But there wasn't much else to him but the looks.

"Nottingham Wallop!"

He yelled out leaping straight at the man, now suddenly wearing boxing gloves. Steam began to pour from a vent behind his arm empowering his punch greatly! Charley gave a smashing display by quite literally smashing Ivan's face. The behemoth was sent walking back a few steps as he rubbed his face and the Ushanka he was wearing fell to the ground.

All the other bandits silently watched, still processing what had just transpired... their fear of their boss's potential reaction... and they had all right to be angry. Ivan's face was red now, his facial features scrunching up in pure fury... veins popped up all over his forehead. He was going to kick this man's ass. No, he was going to hit him so hard he was going to put Charley in a comatose state!

"Oh, you'll pay for that you pompous pr*ck!"

Charley bounced around like a buffoon, this was going to be exciting, wasn't it?

"Oh, my fair lady! Will you please be a dear and give back Ivan's ax. This'll hardly be fun without it."

-- NAME // Charlemagne Q. Hatter

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // "Nottingham Wallop!"

[Jade]

The vine gauntlets shifted separately from her arm movements, twisting and reaching out for the nearby branches of the large tree until they were all but fully extended. Like shedding a pair of fine gloves, Bianca removed the vines from her arms in two quick motions, simply running her palm down the opposite forearm. Without a struggle, the vines detached, hanging throughout the upper boughs of the tree with the firearms she'd removed from play still strung up among them.

Simultaneously, the fur-clad man, the one who seemed to be the leader of the group by sheer virtue of having some charisma about him, had walked up, throwing an insult and a demand at her. Bianca didn't even so much as give the man a second glance, let alone do as he demanded - she was far too busy watching the larger-than-life Charlemagne do his business. She made mental note of his theatrics, the way he attempted banter with his target, all of the truthfully very silly, exaggerated posturing...

But he did know how to throw a punch, and one backed by some sort of ability at that. She tilted her head upward a degree in acknowledgement and clasped her hands behind her back, more than content to calmly watch the fight happening below her for any other interesting developments. Until one Mr. Hatter called up to her, at least.

"I do not believe I took his axe," Bianca responded, but looked behind her through the rest of the tree's branches for any sort of weaponry. The majority of the axes that had landed this high up were blunted at best and outright broken at worst from their bearers' attempting to chop through the tree down below - none of them seemed to be the sort of axe one would use as a weapon. Bianca turned and disappeared from those below into the foliage, taking quick, steady steps through the branches as they moved in response to her ability, creating more than safe walkways.

After a moment, the tree's branches violently shook, sending all of the broken tools raining down to the ground below - and then Bianca reappeared on her branch, one leg crossed over the other. "I believe one of these should suffice, however. Please, carry on."

[Fennec]

The swords, axes, guns, and other assortment of weapons fell from the tree and onto the ground collapsing on many of the present bandits. All followed by a cacophony of pained groans. Charley winced, tilting his lip to a side and squinting an eye.

"Ohh... that looks painful..."

A cruel smile curled over the actor's face, it would seem however that the special axe could not be found in the rubble before them. This of course only served to anger Ivan, the big burly bearded bandit's face turned several shades of red.

"THATS IT! SCREW THE AXE! I'LL CLOBBER YOU INSTEAD!"

He bellowed lunging at Charley with a downward strike of his arm. With ease, the hatter dodged it to a side. A disappointed look now on his face. With equal speed his sheathed his blade causing its bright sheen to be eclipsed by his sheath. He shook his head.

"I really wanted this to be one of those duelist swashbuckler flicks that the kids are real into now days. But fine, let's make it a boxing match! Hohoho!"

Charley proudly proclaimed as he grabbed onto his garb and pulled it off with a loud snap revealing a completely different outfit underneath. It was a grey hoodie with sweat pants and a pair of red boxing gloves. The typical outfit you'd expect from a boxer during their training montage.

"I hope you're ready! Dingding~"

With that the actor lunged forward with a sweeping side punch. The boxing match had begun! It was the start! The imaginary bell rung!

---

Charley | Lavender #E39FFE | (Post Count: 7)
Ivan | Bronze #BE5500

[Jade]

"Quit screwing around!"

Ivan roared at the man as he performed his "quick change" trick, swinging back around toward the actor with another heavy punch of his own to meet Charley's punch and blow the lesser man away - or, that was how it should have gone, in the bandit leader's mind. Instead, his fist connected with what felt like solid metal, even through the man's boxing glove. The unexpected pain got a yelp out of the man, who flung himself backward to shake out the pain in his knuckles and glare at the eccentric man. "The hell was that?! You hiding brass knuckles in those damn things or something?"

Meanwhile, the bandits had begun to pick up their lost weaponry, and their fellows who had been knocked to the ground when the weapons had rained down upon their unprotected noggins. Re-armed, they began to circle around the brawl, sharing looks and laughs with one another - even if the actor was a cheat, using brass knuckles under his gloves like their boss was suggesting, they still had the upper hand in numbers.

They quieted down as the ground under their feet roiled and several large roots, thicker around than even the most heavyset of the bandits, broke through the topsoil to cut them off, and creating a ring of sorts around Charlemagne and Ivan. "Now, I will profess to not being familiar with all of the rules of boxing," Bianca started, still sitting atop the high branch of her tree as she coldly watched the men laid out below her, "but I am certain that it is ordinarily frowned upon for the audience to get involved. Should any of you attempt to cross that barrier while Mr. Hatter is occupied with fighting your boss, then you shall have myself as your opponent."

[Fennec]

Unflinching Charley just stared at the roaring man blankly. In fact he went as far as to let out a boring yawn.

"Oh come on, are you don with it? Let's get-"

Impatiently the other man went for a strike, not allowing the actor to even finish his sentence.

*PANG*

The fists clashed with the sound of metal banging out like a bashed gong. Charley didn't even flinch but it seemed like the other man did, recoiling back and shaking his fist.

"Brass knuckles? Oh... no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noooooo. I am no cheat..."

Charley wagged his index finger at the man and shook his head. How dare he assume brass knuckles were being used. Charley was many things! A rouge, a weirdo, and perhaps a bit eccentric. But he was most certainly a cheat and in fact he was indignant that this barbaric bandit would assume such a thing of all people.

"...you see good sir, my entire body is as hard as metal! If you don't believe me! Give it a shot! Come on! Hit me!"

The man T-posed and smiled smugly preparing himself to get struck by the man. As this happened, the mooks were coming in close. But there not a care in the world. After all the fancy lady had claimed she would ensure he had his fight. Sure enough! She produced a fence of plant-life around them. Astounding! Charley deduced the woman must be an ability user too... a fellow paramecia.

"Thank you m'lady.~"

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Lavender #E39FFE | (Post Count: 8)