Business and Pleasure! A Mock Town Mystery!

[Jade]

Lilin Post #16 / Tally Post #16

Tally's frown grew more severe at the devil's grating laugh, but there was no arguing with the tiny woman - especially not when she was almost literally untouchable. "Lilin..."

"Octopus Lady, let our doctor see to your injuries, non?"

Said 'octopus lady' looked over her shoulder toward the woman, and ignored the suggestion to see her crew's doctor to instead take in every inch of her scarred form, with special attention given to the blade in the shape of scythe in her hand... And that hand as well, actually. "... 'Half as crazy' might be underselling it, Lilin," Tally finally said, and then fully turned about and took a step toward Scarlette before stopping once again, staring down at the much smaller woman and wiping away the trickle of blood with the back of one of her hands. "It's Tally, not 'Octopus Lady'. I'll be fine until you two resolve this." As her newly-bloodied hand dropped, it was followed by the hand holding her opaque blue tea shades replacing the eyewear on her nose, and she stepped aside so that Scarlette could continue past her.

"Always so melodramatic." The long pipe hanging out of Lilin's mouth swung about to the side, allowing a strangely sharp tongue to flick out in the fishman's direction while her eyes shut tight. "Lighten up, sourpuss, no one's asked tha to play the martyr."

"Hmph." Tally's six arms folded in front of her, in lieu of some ruder actions she could have taken in response to the imp's provocations. "And no one said I was. My injuries aren't that serious - they can wait until you've finished your game."

Lilin lifted off of Ophelia's shoulder, drifting lazily through the air around the thief toward Scarlette with her hands behind her neck and a wicked grin on her face. "Bah, never mind her, li'l Red. She gets ornery whenever tha try to have fun without including her, it seems~" The devil's strange diamond-shaped eyes slid over toward the six-armed martial artist, who was now outright ignoring her, and then those same eyes rolled. _"Spoilsport. So, 'Terror', are tha finally finished preening thaself ahead of round deux?"

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #16}

---

^{“Can you help?” Gobbie asked:
“He worries too much…”}

^{“I worry the correct amount, thank you…”}

“Well, we should have enough supplies to make it to the next island — it might be a little bit of a stretch, but manageable,” Lecter stated, doing a quick bit of mental arithmetic as he spoke to the Merman. “The restaurant situation, however, may have to wait until then, too,” he added, sighing through a partial smile as he shook his head. “Scarlette’s moods are more unpredictable than the waters of the Grand Line. Suffice to say, Quinn, I think she’s just passed the point of reasoning — she doesn’t use that weapon without, uh, good reason — and the smile on her face says it all,” the quartermaster finalised, pointing to Miss Grimm-Rosa as she walked towards the Smoking Devil.

^{“It’s Tally,” the Octopus Lady answered:
“I’ll be fine until you two resolve this.”}

“Lighten up, sourpuss,” Lilin critiqued, mocking her companion almost to the same level by which she mocked others. Certainly, this was a chaotic character in comparison to the rather straight-faced Gyojin, but at least Scarlette now had their names: Lilin and Tally. Still, it was the latter who stepped aside after shrugging off the apparent severity of her own injuries, as the former removed herself from her perch and hovered towards the Red Terror. “Are tha finally finished preening thaself ahead of round deux?”

“Hm! How about we try this again,” Scarlette said, having walked maybe a half circle at most around the Zoan user’s location until she stood between them and a nearby building — a purposeful positioning that put the newly named Mercy Bouquet and its denizens completely out of harm’s way. As for the natives of Mock Town? Well, they weren’t about to receive the same liberties, such was the fickle whimsy of the scarred woman as she allowed L’Hydre Vorace to slip from her shoulder in a testing motion. A slightly adhesive hand now gripped the weapon short of the head, putting an uncanny end to the weapon’s intermittent hissing. “After all. This time, I have no reason to dodge it…”

Arms akimbo, she smiled freely.

^{“Hit me… Lilin!” Scarlette announced:
“With something worthwhile…!!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
<sub>With Tally and the rest out of the way, Scarlette once again challenges Lilin to strike her with a powerful hit, stating she has no reason to avoid it!

Notes:
• Chevalier Blanc (3)
• Gigasculus, Souffler (1)

Crew Page: Big Sis Pirates</sub>

---

Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018
Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4
Lilith Lilin | #f0b333
Tally | #3656b0
Ophelia [NPC] | #ff72d7
Gobbie Bathory [NPC] | #afeeee
Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b
John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b
Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8
Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db
Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c
Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b
Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb
Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969
Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b
Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae
Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c
Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd
Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e

[Jade]

Lilin Post #17 / Tally Post #17

Lilin's eyes tracked Scarlette as the scarred woman circled around her, smoky body twisting so that she never had to move a muscle to keep her opponent in sight. When the blade in the shape of a scythe was raised from her shoulder, the Smoking Devil's features shifted and elongated as the smoke dissipated, dropping her down onto the street on longer and shapelier legs and holding her titanic blade in one hand. Odaki was lifted upward and then dropped onto her shoulder, in an inverse of Scarlette's own actions with her weapon - and Lilin gave her opponent a grin that showed off her too-sharp teeth while she took a long drag from her pipe.

"Hit me... Lilin! With something worthwhile...!!"

"Oh my..." One eyebrow shot upward, and the long drag on her pipe came to an end to give way to smoke pouring out from the sides of Lilin's dangerous grin. "Tha know how to court a lady, don't tha? Careful tha don't go breaking my heart now, kashashasha!"

The hand on Odaki's hilt was joined by the other as Lilin swung it off her shoulder and around, holding the immense black blade more like a baseball bat, and then one foot moved forward. The toe of the boot pressed against the stone of the street, and - the devil stopped, watching Scarlette through her peculiar, bug eye-like orange glasses and that other, less easily explained sense for a second. And then that instant was over; the street under her boot cracked as Lilin launched herself forward, bringing Odaki around in a high-speed arc that could have sliced through a building like a hot knife through cold butter.

SPOILER: Click to show

{"YOMIJI!}
_{Taking her blade in a two-handed grip, Lilin delivers a powerful slash that boasts the ability to slice cleanly through stone and sunder steel.}

---

"Really, I'll be fine," Tally said, even as she allowed the dog-tor to look her over. "I took water into my lungs and then expelled it to forcibly clear the fungi, that's all."

"That's what you did?"

Tally looked over her shoulder at the unexpected concern in the thief's voice, even though she couldn't see it on the woman's masked face, framed by both those brown curls and the black smoke pouring from the ruined town behind her. "... Yes. I couldn't leave them there, not when there was a chance that you and Lilin were..." The thought trailed off, allowing those listening to complete it for themselves. "Definitely a brutal way of taking care of someone who doesn't have two ways of breathing, though. How's Lilin?"

"She's still out," Ophelia responded, and then reached into the large tote bag hanging in the crook of her arm. "Options were kind of limited, at least in the immediate vicinity, but I did find an abandoned delicatessen, so! Who wants sandwiches?"

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #17}

---

Miss Grimm-Rosa’s smile did not fade in the least bit when Lilin mused about heartbreak. At this point, the deal had been signed. Nothing was going to stand in the way of these two women and what both perceived to be a good time — a perspective obviously not shared by the masses. Even as the Smoking Devil stepped forwards, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of evasive manoeuvres coming from the Red Terror, and that stirred something else. Still lingering after their previous summoning, the gooey ivory triplets that were the Chevalier Blanc realised just a little too late that their progenitor was throwing herself into danger.

…!! But Scarlette was blind to their attempt at intervention, instead focused entirely upon what was coming at her — the cleaving steel of an immense blade. That sixth sense warned her of what was to come, a mere glimpse of a warning, but she did not move. Indeed, she did not even brace herself for impact, but simply accepted the blow with open arms and a small exertion of a will stronger than any old iron…

^CRAAA–

^{—— LATER ——}

^{“Clever. But,” Cujo responded:
“Risky… Should be. Fine.”}

The canine doctor’s assessment of the Gyojin had finally come to pass, though really there was little more that he could do other than offer some kind of analgesic and antibiotic prescription. Of course, any concerns over the Fishwoman’s allegiances had been discarded the moment she had allowed the group’s ‘Big Sis’ to engage in a truly chaotic demonstration of combat. That, and Cujo had made it very clear that his duties as a doctor were prioritised above any prior contention between affected parties. Indeed, the atmosphere was a lot less tense than one might have anticipated, given the circumstances.

^{“How’s Lilin…?”}

^{“She’s still out,” said the other:
“Who wants sandwiches?”}

“That does sound nice, Miss– Um…? Though,” Lecter mused, “it’s not a perfect solution to the restaurant issue, is it, Quinn?” The quartermaster’s own disappointment was measurable, especially as he allowed his eyes to sweep across the landscape beyond the ship’s boundaries. Buildings had been battered and broken, bloodied and smoking, leaving Mock Town as little more than a wreck. Those with their wits about them had fled deeper into the city — perhaps taking refuge in the jungle that bordered it — and for good reason. Scarlette wasn’t one for collateral, lest she got carried away; and carried away she had been, by Myers when she’d collapsed in front of the ship with an unconscious Lilin.

^{“Bread… Bread…”}

^{“Wh– Wait! No,” Bateman snapped:
“You should be resting…!”}

“Well… That’s disturbing,” Kramer commented, tinkering with something as he sat on the deck and watched the heavily bandaged and cast-bound form of one Miss Grimm-Rosa shuffling from the cabin and towards the masked lady with an empty expression and a little bit of drool. Along she wobbled, prompting Cujo to put a paw to his face and shake his head as he watched his patient amble her way along in search of food. To say she was badly injured was an understatement — deep cuts, broken bones, internal bleeding — and it was only through her own inability to feel how much pain she was in that she could have even been managing such motions…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
<sub>As Tally allows Cujo to give her a quick check-up, the Phantom Thief returns with sandwiches, prompting a bandaged up and very low brain activity Scarlette to shamble after her in search of sustenance.

Notes:
• None

Crew Page: Big Sis Pirates</sub>

---

Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018
Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4
Lilith Lilin | #f0b333
Tally | #3656b0
Ophelia [NPC] | #ff72d7
Gobbie Bathory [NPC] | #afeeee
Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b
John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b
Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8
Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db
Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c
Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b
Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb
Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969
Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b
Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae
Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c
Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd
Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e

[Fox]

“Yes, well… In my defense, I was pretty sure you were trying to kill us,” Quinn grumbled at Tally’s comment. Much to his immeasurable disappointment, both Scarlette and Lilin had ruined any chance of a proper meal at a restaurant or finding any leads on removing the curse of the Devil Fruit. He was sulking good and proper, but at least sulking meant that he wasn’t writhing about with anxiety. The atmosphere was rather relaxed, if gloomy on Quinn’s part. He raised his hand when Ophelia offered sandwiches.

“No, it’s not, Lecter,” Quinn grumbled back to his similarly disappointed crewmate, feeling at least a kindred spirit in him. “My day is ruined.”

“Aniki…”

Quinn glanced up at Gobbie who hadn’t left his side the entire time. She had gigantic tears of worry in her eyes. Oh, Neptune preserve him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and waved off Gobbie’s hands as she tried to… do something. Probably hug him or ask what she could do. His head snapped up as Scarlette reappeared, a veritable mummy. He gave her a withering glare, but in her current zombified state, there was no way she noticed it. Bateman was quick to try and police her, but that was a useless endeavor. Scarlette did what she wanted.

“Just toss it at her, Miss Phantom Thief,” Quinn grumbled, sighing and leaning back, “Lest she drool on you.”

A tap on his shoulder drew his attention back to Gobbie who had procured a blanket from… somewhere and wrapped him up in it. His irritated expression softened a bit into a more contemplative, morose one. He turned away, pulling the blanket a little tighter around himself.

“...Thanks, Gobbie.”

---

Quinn | #7fffd4 | Post Count: 16
Gobbie | #afeeee

[Jade]

Lilin Post #18 / Tally Post #18

"In my defense, I was pretty sure you were trying to kill us," the merman grumbled.

From behind her shades, Tally's eyes locked onto the master of fungi. "I would have let you drop into the water to incapacitate you." She spoke flatly, content to simply state the facts. "Though if it comes to blows again, I can assure you I won't be pulling my punches anymore."

"Oi, oi, cool tha jets."

A wisp of smoke rose from the bag Ophelia was carrying with one of the sandwiches in tow, to a small sound of surprise from the Phantom Thief - and then the wisp took on more substance, growing darker and darker until Lilin's bloodied face and one bandaged arm appeared from within. "That goes for the lot of tha. Honest, tha would think the least tha could do is try to get along with tha's new mates..."

The octopod woman closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh, even as the the bloodied devil happily munched on her sandwich, wrapper and all. The only saving grace about Lilin's actions and words were that they came at a slower pace than normal - otherwise, they were just as irritating as ever. "... Is that so?"

"E'yup," came the too-simple response, as if that was the end of it. Lilin's smoky body shifted and a curling tendril shot out, reaching for the bag of hoagies Ophelia was carrying around. When the thief pulled it away, the coiling smoke momentarily slowed down, like some sort of disappointed snake, and then split into two - one shot forward again, while the other moved around the Phantom Thief. Before long, another sandwich had been stolen away, although this one was dangled in front of the zombie-like Scarlette instead. "Breaking bread is a tradition, aye? Show a little trust, share a meal. After all, we'll be sailing from here together~"

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #18}

---

“Oi, oi, cool tha jets,” Lilin chided in her own unusual way, dissolving any ounce of tension that might have been forming between the two sides, and soon after procuring a sandwich from the thief’s pockets. An offering of sorts, perhaps, as serpentine darkness dangled the morsel before the Red Terror. Slowly and stiffly, Scarlette accepted it, though the manner in which she did so was far from conventional — a forward fall with one arm outreaching that she somehow halted shy of losing her balance entirely. Almost simultaneously, an open mouth snapped shut around the article, with the scarred siren standing herself back up with just a little more energy as she merrily chewed.

^{“That’s right,” she said:
“Ah, yeah… Welcome aboard~!”}

^{“Wait… Excuse me?!”}

“A– A– A– Are you sure that’s a good idea, Big Sis?” Sawyer quizzed, his signature stammering start serving to stymie what was likely to have been an absolutely incandescent tirade from Bateman. Indeed, the financier took a moment of wild yet voiceless gesticulating to emphasize an unspoken point, finally deciding to give up when he noticed just how curiously calm and friendly Miss Grimm-Rosa was being. But the chubby chef’s query continued: “I– I– I don’t know if we’ve got enough food to last us a whole journey!”

^{“Eh…? I think,” Krueger said sleepily:
“That won’t be a problem, Sawyer…”}

^{“This is a disaster waiting to happen…”}

“Hahaha! Cheer up, guys! You heard her,” laughed Torrance, a wide smile upon his face as always as he waltzed with a typical energy towards the Red Terror and Smoking Devil, stopping at a respectable distance. “At the very least we’re sharing our newly named ‘Mercy Bouquet’, right? No use holding onto anxieties or grudges — they’ll just make this wonderful ship a whole lot less cosy!” There it was. Torrance’s inability to be downtrodden by the mood, no matter how depressing it might have been. Through another mouthful of food, Scarlette’s lips curled into a warm smile.

^{“Uh-huh!”
“Mm…”
“Tch! Alright…”}

^{“Uhh… Guys?” Loomis beckoned from on high:
“We’ve got a big problem…!”}

^{“Ooh! Is it a Sea King…?”
“Probably not, Scarlette…”}

“Worse! It’s an angry mob! Pitchforks and all!” Any excitement in the woman’s voice was quashed as she let out a sigh at the lookout’s words, but all it took was a turn of the head to assess the situation — never had truer words been spoken. Across the bloodied and smoking wreckage of Mock Town came the sounds of thundering footfalls, dozens upon dozens of them, with glinting steel brandished in the sun. At least half the town’s populace, if not more, were on the march to the shore, and it didn’t take a sixth sense to detect the wrathful anger boiling within their veins. The piratical paradise had suffered much in the span of just a few short hours — a falling galleon, extensive property damage, and panic — and now did not seem too welcoming.

^{“They’re not worth the time,” Miss Grimm-Rosa shrugged:
“C’est la vie… Then…! Let’s set sail…!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis:—}
<sub>Lilin’s gesture is accepted by Scarlette as the others debate the issue of having them aboard, but when Loomis spots the angered populace of Mock Town approaching, Big Sis decides it’s better to just set sail!

Notes:
• None

Crew Page: Big Sis Pirates</sub>

---

Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018
Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4
Lilith Lilin | #f0b333
Tally | #3656b0
Ophelia [NPC] | #ff72d7
Gobbie Bathory [NPC] | #afeeee
Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b
John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b
Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8
Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db
Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c
Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b
Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb
Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969
Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b
Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae
Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c
Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd
Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e

[Fox]

“Well, how could I have known that? For all I knew, you were some band of… crazy… criminal fiends!” Quinn gestured at the Phantom Thief. He would have gone for that weird smoking devil but- wait, no. There she was. Quinn stared with more than a little incredulity at the wispy smoke woman gently wafting out of the Phantom Thief’s bag. Was that comfortable? Wasn’t she injured? A look at her face said yes, but Quinn chose not to question it any further. After all, they’d soon be rid of…

“...New mates?”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed, shifting from Tally to the devil. Tally seemed annoyed but took it in stride for the most part. Was… no one going to elaborate? The she-devil continued, but the more she spoke, the more Quinn had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Crewmates? Scarlette didn’t even deny it. With wide eyes, Quinn ran a hand through his hair as confused exclamations came from the others. They had a variety of reactions, but in the end, Quinn knew they’d go along with Scarlette. They were her siblings after all.

He put his hand to his mouth, his brow furrowing. Quinn didn’t like it. But, as a temporary passenger, he didn’t have much say in the matter. Surely, to go toe to toe with Scarlette like that, the she-devil was some kind of monster. And Tally was frighteningly strong. Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to have them along as some kind of extra protection? Yet, Quinn couldn’t help but think that the time was nearing that they needed to think about leaving the crew. Him and Gobbie. If it got too much more dangerous, they were going to be guilty for even associating with these people. He didn’t want to get on the bad side of the World Government more than Merfolk already were. Hm.

As he mulled things over, he heard Loomis shout something about another problem. An angry mob with torches and pitchforks. Quinn hid his face behind his blanket, sweating nervously. Yeah, he had a sinking feeling that travelling much more with this motley crew was going to be more dangerous than just going it alone with him and Gobbie. He’d have to broach the topic with her in private later. For now, they were setting sail away from an angry mob and the smoldering ruins of any chance for a nice meal at a restaurant.

Quinn shed a single tear of remorse as the crew sprang into action, and they all set sail once again.

---

Quinn | #7fffd4 | Post Count: 17