Uninhibited [Angelica, Natalie]

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 6.5 // UNINHIBITED

"I'm sorry. They brought reinforcements."

The voice of the beast echoed in the room. On the other side, on the comfortable chair that overlooked the conveyor belts of the production line, stood Garter Mite. He mumbled something, and the expression on the beast's face softened up. He expected disappointment, but he was glad at Garter's clemency.

"No, I won't fail next time they are here... You understand. Thank you."

He took his exit, and descended onto the semi-open space below. That very morning, the Supervisors told him, a few workers caused a big fuss. One of them collapsed during their shift, and as a result, another one couldn't properly screw all the bolts the metal boxes. They couldn't fix the issue until they noticed, of course, and the entire production line stopped for almost an hour. Another group of workers tried to escape the factory during that time.
It was his job to remind the workers that they weren't allowed outside. He took another flight of stairs, those that would lead him to the "dormitories"; cages, effectively. They lacked nothing, he said to himself, strolling across the long corridor joining the dorms: they had food, shelter, and a bed. All things he himself didn't have, all things they should thank Garter for.
Some of the workers were still awake, or perhaps they woke up upon hearing the beast's steps. Out of fear, none of them dared to get even close to the bars that kept them apart from the corridor; the bars would protect them, some of them thought, unless they were the few unlucky ones the beast decided to pay a visit to.
The door of one such unfortunate soul creaked open, after the electrical lock was released.
What followed was a scene that repeated itself the same, every night of every day. They were darn stubborn, all of them; it was in their blood to try and defy authority. A few would try to escape, and nighttime would the beast come and pay them a visit.
Many workers only returned to their shifts after weeks in the infirmary. Some didn't return.

"You wanted a taste of fresh air?"

"Please..."

"I'll make an example of you, dirty Revolutionary."

"Please... It won't happen again!"

"... I know, it won't."

And then, a bone-chilling shriek of pain.

Angelica stepped on the boat with the intention of finding, first and foremost, a place where to take off her Difae. She wasn't one to complain about the weight of the armor, nor was she really uncomfortable in it - after all that time spent making sure every little piece was bent just in the right way, how could it be even possible - but sleeping while wearing it meant absolute hell to her.
The armor wasn't exactly what one would call a nice, soft mattress; on top of that, being leather, it would typically rub against her skin so much that it would start to burn; if that wasn't all, no matter the temperature, and despite all her expertise in air flow and ventilation, she would end up in a pool of sweat as soon as she walked in it. Overall, not a pleasant experience: it was mostly her passion that propelled her forward, literally and figuratively.

It took a little bit to find a corner sheltered from the eyes of possible peepers. Angelica put her hoodie down, swearing to herself that one day she'd turn it into a fully fledged helmet; dark locks descended on her forehead and cheeks, locks speaking of her Alabastan heritage. The girl unbuclked the belts that held together the two halves of the armor, finally letting free her body from the near-sauna temperatures of the inside. She sighed, following the path of a drop of sweat running across her midriff.
If only she had more of that Seastone, she thought, she would definitely make a much better, much cooler Difae. Perhaps one that wouldn't look so oddly rustic, perhaps one that would complement her dark skin better than the colour of hardened leather.
Only one of the arm protections had come off, the right one, when her gaze was captured by a sparkle that didn't come from herself. It was a pair of chains - no, not just chains, for they ended in a different shape - hung right a few steps away from her. It looked like fine craftsmanship for a peculiar weapon - and her curiousity awakened.
She looked both ways, and took a few strides towards the chains. With her free hand she gently grabbed a link, inspecting it under the light of the moon; what was the quality? Was it good? She couldn't tell. Her hand went to touch the dangerous end of the chains, and in much the same way she tried to investigate for kinks in the metal against the light as much as she could.

-- NAME // Angelica

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Vio]

^{Natalie #1}

---

Those last hours had been interesting, to say the least. Encountering Phoebe — a curious Wobbegong Gyojin to whom they had taken a shine — whose riddling words had presented Kōketsu Ayano with as many questions as they did answers, was just one of these strange circumstances. What had followed had been far from a smooth ride. Their approach of the factory under the moonlight, the encounter with a mysterious swordsman upon the rooftop and the assault from a bestial warrior, and their retreat.

L’Estrange Natalie had very much gone with the flow, despite Ayano’s disagreements. But now the air was mixed with the scents of seasalt and burnt powder, a mix of nightly coolness and festive heat turned the air prickly. Or, perhaps, that was just the excitement running through her body as she took a moment to cool off. A splash of the face from cool water in a wash basin helped, as did a wipe down of her body with a wet towel. Cloak lost, sweater pegged up to air, she let the fires dim down to crackling embers once more before stepping out of the sailboat’s little washroom, eyes settling upon a sight that might have just reignited those flames.

“I didn’t expect to get a visit from an angel so soon,” she teased, brushing a few fiery curls of hair from her eyes as she intruded upon the other woman’s curiosity. The latter’s focus was upon the weapons hung from their hooks — Natalie’s signature tools that more than a few had claimed as unorthodox and impossible to wield in tandem. More fool them, she had often thought. “Let alone one with an interest in exotic weapons,” Miss L’Estrange added, stepping a little closer and observing what she could see of the woman’s body before offering the damp towel.

^{“Those blades aren’t anything special,” she elaborated:
“Forged to suit the style of L’Estrange Natalie! C’est moi~!”}

Jokingly, she flipped her hair and winked.

“So, what’s a girl from somewhere like… Hm… Alabasta…? Doing in the middle of the East Blue? Yotsuba Islands seem a bit far from home, ay, hun?” Nat quizzed, intrigued by the aesthetic of somebody who was definitely not an East Blue native — a far cry from the more moderate skin tones of the people of this sea. Not that the fire dancer herself blended in at all, with her glistening copper skin, curious curls, and sparkling eyes of flame that each spoke of an equally distant origin.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
_{Natalie cools off before speaking to the Angel.}

---

L’Estrange Natalie | #806548
Angel | #b5826a

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 6.5 // UNINHIBITED

Angelica's back became straight as a plank when she heard the girl's voice. She wasn't expecting to be found out touching around so quickly. She retracted both arms behind her back - as much as the left side of her protection, which she didn't have the time to remove, allowed her. It was mostly out of habit, as she routinely mimicked the military salute when respectfully - but most importantly, impersonally - greeting another person.
Her expression gradually turned from surprised to neutral while the fiery woman introduced herself as Natalie. Unwilling to look completely uninterested in a conversation, the Alabastan replied: "Angelica."
Her ways were pretty much as rough as Natalie's were smooth; it can happen fairly easily, if your experience is forged by military training. She had taken an interest already in those weapons, that much was clear, and hiding her curiousity was no longer an option. "I doubt they aren't special," she said, glancing back at the chained blades, "I was only wondering how does one use them."
She picked the towel, lightly nodding as to thank Natalie. She started to rub the sweat off her skin, making sure she wouldn't go at it too hard: her skin could get irritated very easily in those conditions.

When she heard Natalie correctly guess her origin, Angelica raised a brow. Only one other person had managed the feat, and that person was currently on the other side of the boat doing nobody-knows-what; perhaps nobody else was really that invested in knowing where she came from, she thought. Before that night on Goa Island, Angelica dealt almost exclusively with clients that didn't care one bit about who she was as long as she could get the job done.
She had to be honest with herself: it was a refreshing change of pace.

"I followed the call of duty" she said, relaxing her expression a tiny bit, "and after that, the need for money. And after that..." She stopped for a moment. She could have gone over how she and the one called White Tiger bonded, but she quickly dismissed the story in her head. After all, could Natalie really be interested in that?
"You don't look like you come from around these parts either," she opted to say instead, addressing the girl directly.

-- NAME // Angelica

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Vio]

^{Natalie #2}

---

“I followed the call of duty,” Angelica spoke, answering Miss L’Estrange’s curiosities with yet more of their kind, to which she raised an eyebrow at the last one. Duty was one thing, money another, but the woman’s hesitation on the last point suggested more than might have been intended. No sense in prying, though. Rather, the fiery femme found the question turned back upon herself.

“Hm~! I’m from the Grand Line, too,” Nat replied, not having moved much from her current position and simply observing Angelica’s movements — her shifting focus and her mannerisms. It all painted a very interesting picture in her mind. Eventually, she moved of her own accord, fetching a small case from a storage compartment that second-functioned as a bench. “As for the blades, well, if I’ve piqued your interest,” she mocked, popping open the case to reveal its contents. Within sat a couple of small bottles of viscous black liquid, one half-empty, a few sets of roped poi, and a small bag of thick but short-cut lengths of string.

“Ever seen a fire dance, Angelica~?” the burning brunette asked, taking one of the poi and holding it at a quarter’s length, weighted end dangling about a foot from her fingers. A guided rotation of the wrist put the performing tool in motion, drawing small but steady circles in the air as a very mundane demonstration of what she was so used to doing. No flames, no steel, just a very basic example. Truth be told, it had taken Natalie a lot longer to master this basic feat than she would have admitted, but now the command of the slowest possible orbit was hers.

Really, that still wasn’t enough.

^{“The premise is exactly the same,” she confirmed:
“Well, almost… It’s a little trickier~!”}

Almost toyingly, Miss L’Estrange’s fingers flicked at the cord as it whirred, shortening and lengthening the orbit on the fly without ever truly disturbing the weight’s speed. Once or twice, she even let it loose entirely, bouncing it off her thigh into an entirely new set of circles. A proper demonstration could wait. Thus, she returned the item to its case.

“But… You’re saying you went from duty, to money, and then…?” Her next words lingered upon the tip of her tongue, perhaps purposefully inducing a sense of anticipation. With a click of her tongue and a smile, Nat’s ember eyes locked onto those of Angelica. “I reckon something got your heart going — something turned duty and money to passion and desire~! Not a need. A want. After all,” she mused, “that’s what turned me on to their side~!”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
_{Natalie continues to converse with Angelica, explaining her weapons before targeting their purpose.}

---

L’Estrange Natalie | #806548
Angel | #b5826a

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 6.5 // UNINHIBITED

Angelica observed the other girl take out a surrogate pair of weapons from a little box; something easier, so that she could see them at work. She took a seat and crossed her legs, moving rather rigidly from the equally rigid standing position.
At the question of whether she had ever seen a fire dance, she quietly replied by shaking her head. Alabasta was known for other kinds of dances, but fire? She wasn't sure she had ever seen any; especially back when she was in the Alabastan military.

She didn't think much of Natalie's technique at the beginning. The rotating motions, and the spinning weights; they reminded her of her own constructions with axels, gears, and other spinning parts. They felt familiar, but almost mundane. Fire would have added a new dimension of danger for sure, she thought.
Then, the motions started to mix together with Natalie's body; the strings would create steady circles, then describe larger spirals, shortening back towards her in a continuous fashion. Angelica understood that what made it special was not just the object itself, but the way she could coordinate her body with it - the movement didn't stop at her wrists, but extended through her arms, her shoulders, hips.

Angelica was brought back to reality by Natalie's voice, and again she straightened up. She hadn't realised how much time she stared at her; her skin fired up, painting her face in red. It was rather uncharacteristic of her, to doze off into a gawk.
She cleared her throat to shake off the embarrassment, averting her eyes; "Yes," she confirmed, "it was passion." But given Natalie's behaviour, she was probably not going to expect the rest of the story. With the straightest face she could make, Angelica continued: "Commander and I... we share this passion. You see..."

"We're both into engineering a lot."

Perhaps aware that such a dry subject being treated as a passion could sound rather weird, the girl tried to clarify. "The duty and the money could not help me cultivate my interest. The Commander saw this potential in me, and I'm thankful to him."
"But you," Angelica asked, uncrossing and crossing her legs, "you're talking about the Revolutionary Army, right?"

-- NAME // Angelica

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Vio]

^{Natalie #3}

---

“Yes, it was passion,” Angelica replied, nervously snapping out of whatever trance she had been placed into. Natalie simply smiled. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen somebody be absolutely mesmerised by the basics of the dance — she had been in those same boots before, albeit when her eyes first laid upon the dancing flame. The beauty of it was a result of its intricacies, yet she hardly considered herself a true master of the style. Had it not been for that hypnotic effect, she would not have been here today.

“We share this passion,” the incandescent Angel continued, elaborating upon that which drove her forward — an arrangement with their Commander. Much to the woman’s own bemusement, it wasn’t too out of the blue, again reminding her of a similar situation in her life. “You’re talking about the Revolutionary Army, right?” came the query, prompting a wink from the burning brunette as she heard those words.

“Sure am,” Nat replied, the subdued sound of Ayano’s boots upon the deck suggesting movement. It seemed the swordswoman was engaging in conversation as well, though the innards of their little boat and the tones that were likely being used served to keep those talks out of earshot. “Before I joined up with them, I was just a dancer. I owed somebody a great debt, so I danced with ‘Chinjoka Mpweya’ on every island — in every town I visited — and I still try to do that now…,” she trailed off a little, reminiscing with a small, happy smile in her ember eyes.

“But, I got caught up in the crossfire between the World Navy and the Revolutionary Army one time,” Miss L’Estrange continued, unabated by memories or fears of overstaying her personal story’s welcome. “A Revolutionary unit was launching an offensive to liberate some of their own — the Marines were responding to try and stop them. You’d think for somebody who never crossed the law in their life, the choice would’ve been an easy one. And it was! Seeing and hearing the passion in the words of those Revolutionaries, I just couldn’t sit on the sidelines, and so I became one of them,” she explained, the movements of her body clearly expressing the enthusiasm she possessed.

^{“Now I’m here,” she gestured:
“Trying to repay that kindness~!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
_{Natalie explains her story to Angelica.}

---

L’Estrange Natalie | #806548
Angel | #b5826a

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 6.5 // UNINHIBITED

While the girl recounted her story, Angelica couldn't help but purse her lips in an attempted smile. It was just a coincidence, most likely, but it did seem that both of them were swayed by strong-willed and passionate people to their side. And given how correlated those sides were, it was only a matter of deduction to imagine that the passion came precisely from what those people believed in.
Angelica nodded intently, and replied: "You lived your life doing what you like most, it seems. Not everyone gets to do that. I enlisted in Alabasta's army, and that was my call of duty. It wasn't the greatest of places, but it helped me realise what I liked most."

Her gaze curved downwards. "I have to say, I'm sorry. I should apologise to you and your friend." She had a proper idea of what she was talking about, but it wasn't always easy to convey it immediately with a simple sentence. "I've seen her attacked by that... thing, whatever it was. But my orders were to stand back unless there was an emergency. If I knew your intentions were the same as ours', I wouldn't just stand there."
Still sitting, her legs uncrossed and crossed again as she took a deep breath. "Oh, and... about her," she continued, "are you long-time friends, or have you just been sent to this island together?"
She repressed the curiosity to know if the two were more than that, for she deemed it rather inappropriate. But maybe, Natalie would've told her while replying to the milder question.

-- NAME // Angelica

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Vio]

^{Natalie #4}

---

“You lived your life doing what you like most, it seems,” Angelica commented, praising L’Estrange Natalie’s fortune a little. If only it were down to luck. Hard work — sweat, blood, and tears had all been paid in kind — for the life that the fire dancer now lived and loved. Still, the angel’s story was short and sweet, yet somehow informative in a way that didn’t require words. Natalie didn’t dwell upon it at all. She wasn’t allowed the chance to when Angelica instead expressed remorse.

Nat blinked, then chuckled.

“No need to apologise~! It would be different if you knew, but you didn’t have any way of doing so. Can’t blame a girl for sticking to her guns,” Miss L’Estrange replied, easing the solemn tension with a forgiving grin and a welcoming warmth. “Besides, now that you’ve seen it at least a little, Ayano’s a capable fighter, even if she doesn’t actually cut with that sword of hers. She probably wouldn’t have been too happy about interference, either,” the burning brunette stated, pondering the last fact a little of her own accord.

^{“About her,” Angelica continued:
“Are you long-time friends…?”}

“Her name’s Kōketsu Ayano,” the Revolutionary began. “She’s a bit more of a recent addition to the Army than I am, serving for about a year now, but she was put under my command when she first enlisted. Girl’s got a bit of a stick up her ass, but she’s a valuable operative,” Natalie continued, withholding little information in regards to the swordswoman with whom she travelled. “Friends? I’m not sure if she’d agree on that one. Confidants? Yes,” and with those words she raised a curious eyebrow in Angelica’s direction. Sometimes, she was cursed with her ability to read between the lines, but did not pry any further than a musing gaze and a comment.

^{“So, what did you think,” she paused playfully:
“Of how Ayano defends herself…?”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
_{Natalie waves off Angelica’s apology before explaining her connections.}

---

L’Estrange Natalie | #806548
Angelica | #b5826a

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 6.5 // UNINHIBITED

It wasn't really usual of Angelica to show remorse so openly. However, perhaps because she knew how valuable the help of the Revolutionaries would be, perhaps because she was still thinking about that dance from earlier, she felt like it was the right thing to just apologise.
And her apology was met with the playful chuckle of Natalie, as one would expect. Angelica found herself nodding at the words of the burning brunette, a faint smile to lighten up her expression.

The girl from Alabasta listened attentively to what Natalie had to say about her partner Ayano, or as she reported it, a "confidant" more so than a friend. She chuckled lightly at the heated comment over her supposed rigid behaviour before going back to listening. Natalie had a way of making one feel warm, and that was a breath of fresh air compared to the typically sterile atmosphere that was her military upbringing - and even her current position within Shijin, to an extent.

When she was asked about her own idea of Ayano, Angelica pondered for a few seconds, trying to gather the best set of words she could to correctly convey her thoughts. "I've seen..." she started, "... a lot of restraint."
Thinking back, she could still visualise how the girl's offensive only really chipped away at the enemy's most superficial defenses if not just at their patience.
"I'm not sure. I don't use a sword, so this might be just a guess on my part. But so many times she could've striked and... she didn't." A genuine look of concern on her face conveyed all of her confusion on the matter. "I don't think she was afraid, or that she underestimated her enemy. She simply didn't take as many chances as she could. Why the question?"

Angelica pushed on her knees to lift herself up. She was just about to start saying good nights, when a little something fell from her under-armor's pockets.

"Sorry," she said, picking the metallic coin up from the wooden floor. Thinking she was perhaps due some explanation, she recited: "This is just our tag, as soldiers under Deman's command. I don't know if there's an equivalent for you, as Revolutionaries."

-- NAME // Angelica

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Vio]

^{Natalie #5}

---

“Just curiosity,” L’Estrange Natalie replied as Angelica revealed her analysis. The woman had a good eye, that much the smoldering siren was certain of as she processed the words. Restraint. Fearlessness. These were most definitely words that could well have been used to describe Kōketsu Ayano. “You’re mostly on point,” she continued, “but I think it’s better if you watch what she does, or ask her yourself, rather than me trying to explain it to you…?”

Eyes of ember were pulled to the floor, spying the object that had so readily jumped free of confinement. A coin of somewhat elaborate yet equally archaic design, reminiscent of a bird with billowing tail feathers — a pheasant or a peafowl, perhaps.

^{“Sorry,” the Angel apologised:
“This is just our tag…”}

“Eh? Not really,” the fire dancer answered, even if it wasn’t exactly a question. Truth be told, the Revolution’s structure was rather basic as far as militaries were concerned, divided into a variety of officers, troops, and special operatives outside the usual rank and file. In the grand scheme of things, she simply reported to a higher ranking officer, who further passed the information to a regional Commander. Beyond that, the Revolutionary Army seemed to like its ambiguity. Either that, or she just wasn’t good at understanding the system.

“Aside from the red flags, we don’t tend to make ourselves known,” Natalie confirmed, curiosity getting the better of her as she considered the meaning behind the coin’s imagery. “Hey, what’s it supposed to be? Looks a bit like a peacock, which doesn’t strike me as something he’d use…” Wheels turning, she tapped a finger against her cheek as she tried to make sense of previous exchanges. “Huh… Come to think of it, he did respond weirdly when I called him ‘Tiger’…”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
_{Natalie sees Angelica’s coin and wonders what it means.}

---

L’Estrange Natalie | #806548
Angelica | #b5826a

[pepsi]

-- CHAPTER 6.5 // UNINHIBITED

Contrary to what Angelica had anticipated, Natalie showed her that even the Revolutionary Army seemed to lack some kind of visual unity. On the other hand, Shijin seemed pretty strong on that front - something which, in her mind, really cemented the group as one solid group. In a sense, she was especially fond of the role she was assigned to, and explaining it to the fiery femme wasn't a burden.
"Oh, no, no..." Angelica said, shaking her head. "Each of us has a slightly different one. His Symbol is indeed the White Tiger. Phoebe has the Black Tortoise." The Alabastan fiddled with the coin in her hand; by the way the light reflected off the moon's rays, it seemed to be made of metal - perhaps copper, or brass. "Mine is not really a peacock. This is the Vermilion Bird, or, to make it fancier, the Red Phoenix."
The girl continued: "It represents grace and freedom, a being reborn by the flames of its very passion. It's a deity in our Commander's homeland." Angelica pointed away, in the approximate direction of where Deman was supposed to be as far as she could tell. "He definitely knows more about it if you want to know more. And it's about fire, a lot of fire. In fact..."
"You know more about grace and fire than me, for example. I was given this Symbol here by the Commander himself, and I'm not sure why he has chosen this one specifically. I guess there's more to the myth, and I fit in somehow." Angelica shrugged. "I don't know. I know that it's more personal than a tag or a title. The Commander makes sure to give to each their relevance."
The first chills finally began to run down her spine. Her skin had been exposed to the air of the night for enough time to cool her sweat off and then some, and it was about to call it a night - as much as she didn't want to, deep down. She began by buttoning up her under-armor again, and stated: "May I ask for a corner of the ship that's covered against a cold breeze? I'm used to warmer temperatures..."

-- NAME // Angelica

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Vio]

^{Natalie #6}

---

“Phoebe’s is a tortoise? I guess that does fit,” Nat grinned almost ironically, recalling the Wobbegong woman’s persona — an oddball whose whimsy and forgetfulness were quite charming aspects of her character. Hardly any discernible trait of the girl could be pinned to a tortoise, yet somehow, Miss L’Estrange could see it without truly comprehending it. At least this confirmed one suspicion, and likely proved that the girl was more than fine.

“Red Phoenix…? As opposed to, what, a Blue Phoenix?” the fire dancer jested, observing the symbol. Flamboyant, fiery, graceful — certainly a better fit for herself than for Angelica, she surmised. But, much like the Alabastan, she knew not the deeper philosophies and beliefs of Deman, the White Tiger. Symbology wasn’t exactly her strong suit, though she at least felt a need to confirm something: “I think Vermilion Bird sounds fancier.”

^{“May I ask,” Angelica spoke:
“For a corner of the ship that’s covered…?”}

^{“Sure! Take your pick, hun! Mi casa es su casa~!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
_{Natalie processes Angelica’s information.}

---

L’Estrange Natalie | #806548
Angelica | #b5826a