Old Home New Strays!

[Kami-Gaz]

How long had it been? Too long… It had been so long in fact that everything was different. Well Veera was different at least. So much had happened since the mermaid’s last visit to the Silvers Island. She had adventured with pirates, found the love of her life had a child and lost it all in just a few short years. That was before her recent adventures in trying to get her little girl back! Lots had changed for her… and yet this island stayed somewhat the same. The castle that dominated the skyline seemed to be nearly fully repaired though, after a big chunk of it was blown up by a reckless pirate. Well, that was one change at least!

The silver haired mermaid leaned against the railing of the ferry as she stared at the skyline that was approaching them and sighed softly as her memories of living here flooded back. “Damn, I didn’t think it would hurt coming back here.” She muttered before moving to stand up and adjust her new eyepatch that covered a missing eye and scarred socket. Despite that her natural looks as a mermaid were still amazing! That fact was evident when a couple of passing guys stopped to stare at the woman.

A few sparks danced over her skin and the rifle that was in a holster on her back whirred in response to her natural energy flaring. The joys of being a mermaid with Electric Eel physiology, it gave her a boundless amount of power. “Hey Newt! We should be making port soon! We can hit my old workshop and get everything we need.” She called to her companion for this little side trip, it was only going to take a day. The tools and old half-finished inventions that she had lying around could come in really handy for the upcoming raid on the Obsidian Fortress.

Veera tugged on her white button up shirt to straighten it and made sure she was presentable for her homecoming. The ripped sleeves were good, showing the new tattoos she sported, and the black shorts blended perfectly with her split tail that acted like legs. The thigh high combat boots were perfect t finish the look. Not one would be able to tell she was a mermaid, especially now she didn’t have that cumbersome iron walker. “Oh, if we miss the ferry back, I know a good pub we can get some food in! The workshop has a bedroom if you don’t mind it being a bit dusty.”

[Bobbie]

A year had gone by since Shinsei was brought back filled with a burning rage. The kind of rage that caused blind tantrums in children and full blown meltdowns in teenagers. In this adult cyborg, it unleashed a violent aggression that he never knew he had in him.

The underground establishment at whatever location that was, a place even he didn’t recognise and couldn’t name till this day, was completely trashed and reduced to dust and rubble exactly one year ago. Upon his miraculous return, he picked up on some hushed gossip about the incident, but perhaps due to the nature of the secret place, nobody dared talk in public about it and it all seemed to die down for the most part. His temper, however, was a bit more stubborn and lingered for longer than he’d have liked and this resulted in a couple of conflicts with people who just couldn’t keep their impulse to control the world with their snide comments in check. It was a deadly combination – his anger and frustration that reigned over him in the first few months, with the obnoxious wise-cracks that roamed the streets. It was enough to get him dubbed The Red Devil by a few.

The year that followed was one heck of a year for Shinsei, spent discovering his body’s new limits and what made him tick. So much made him tick. Desperate for relief from his own temper, he turned to cigarettes, which proved to be the most effective way to keep his temper at bay. It wasn’t until after he discovered their effect on calming him that remembered spotting some schematics and blueprints at the underground about his new and improved vessel but by the time he got over his rage and managed to grab them, much of the invaluable information on the documents was charred and only a few points could be made out. The nicotine in his system was clear and the connection to smoking couldn’t be missed.

It wasn’t what he initially wanted, and that resentment still existed inside him, but he was starting to appreciate the change and grew eager to explore what was next for him.

Living as a drifter was not such an unbearable outcome for him, he came from a humble family and was able to get by rotating from one living arrangement to another. He was currently fortunate enough to have stumbled upon a workshop that looked like it hadn’t been used in a very long time. He had no interest in causing unnecessary conflict with an innocent individual just trying to make ends meet, so it seemed perfect and things just fell into place.

Having no idea who it belonged to, the red-haired cyborg sought refuge inside the workshop at the drydock and boy was it perfect! A workshop with a bedroom and functional amenities?! It was too perfect to miss out on!

He had only been there for a few days, and he swore he wouldn’t snoop, but on his third day he just couldn’t resist the urge to rummage through all the thingamajigs that were left lying around. He soon questioned his decision. So many tools and mechanical items that it brought back mixed feelings as he was reminded of his current situation – how could he forget?

Shinsei’s nerves anxiously itching at him, he lit up a cigarette and proceeded to walk along the benches, pausing as he picked up a dusty mechanism that looked unfinished.

“What the f!@$ kind of place did I walk into?”

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER 4 // Old Home New Strays!

Jade irises contrast against black sclera looked around the stone worked island. It was, interesting to see such a bright place, to say the least. In the few travels that Newton had been on throughout the South Blue, he hadn't seen a place so grand and prestigious as this island. What connection did Veera have to this island? He walked across the deck of the ship, hand on the pommel of his cutlass. A blade he'd picked up back in Zarzara... after the events on Burning Caldera, he'd taken a liking to swordsmanship. Perhaps he should dabble a bit more in it. Maybe he'd even surpass Turk... not that there was much to surpass. The man was dead.

"You sure have been around, Ms. Falcone."

Newt joked, look up at the castle close to shore. His blonde curls ruffling in the sea breeze... he loved it. Loved the ocean with all his heart. Ever since that day he left Zarzara he'd found a love for adventure. A love for the sea, even with his curse. Looking down over the rails he watched the dark blue waves as they were parted by the ship. Sometimes he wondered though, how things would have gone if he'd never bitten into that fruit. Perhaps different. Perhaps he'd be dead. He couldn't know for sure. But whatever happened, he knew that he wouldn't trade anything for how it all panned out. There was still some unfinished business. His father, he wanted... no... he needed answers.

"A workshop? Oh, that's right, you're an inventor."

He remarked, scratching the scruff under his chin. A workshop in such a high-class environment? Intriguing. Oh, she knew a pub too? Newton didn't mind trying out some local food. That seemed pleasant. Even if this was a business trip. But who cared? It's not like they were Marines. No, they were bounty hunters. They could do what they wanted. Then again, maybe Tia wouldn't approve of such a long stay. They did have that revenge to plot.

"Alright, I do hope we get to return quickly. Tia isn't exactly the most patient woman you know that right?"

-- NAME // Newton M. Icarus

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

The ferry was on its final approach to the docking point now and had all of the deckhands moving around to get it in as smoothly as possible. This caused a chaos around the mermaid and her horned companion. She stood back from the railing and let her eye wander down the water front to a section of dry docks and workshops. One of those was hers. Her mind was pulled back into the moment when Newt made a comment on Tia not being a woman that likes to wait. “I know Newtie, You shoulda seen her outside of the doctors house that patched my eye up.”

Her hand raised up to gently brush the eye patch that she was wearing, a warm smile on her face as she remembered the giants concern when she finally came out. There was a short and sharp intake of breath as she spun on the spot and pointed down the waterfront. “There it is! The place where I spent eight years of my life!” She announced to her partner. “If I can spend eight years playing about on an island like this, then Tia can wait two days for us to pick up what we need from here.” The mad mermaid noted as she headed for the gangplank that had been slipped into place as they spoke.

Veera expected Newt to follow her, he was there to help her after all. She weaved through the hustle and bustle of a busy port like a fish in water. This was her natural element and coming back to it gave her a pang of nostalgia. So much had changed for her in the years she had been gone… “This way Newtie!” She called, heading out of the crowd, through the checkpoint as if she owned the place and towards a rundown looking building that was boarded up.

The smell of street foods in the air, the sounds of people living their lives and the hammering of nails into wood on the many shipyards. This feeling was something she had absolutely missed. As the woman arrived at the sealed doors to her own workshop she smiled. Pulling out the rifle from her back and holding it up. As she slowly moved the length of the barrel around the edge of the boards she powered it, causing a whirring noise that was unearthly and cut through the day to day white noise that everyone relied on. As she did the magnets in the rifles barrel pulled each and every nail out perfectly.

A moment passed and a set of board fell to the floor and he booted her own door open. “Honey! I’m home~!” She sang at the top of her lungs, giggling at her own joke as she walked into the dust coated reception.

[Bobbie]

The monstrous noise that disrupted the usual hustle and bustle outside startled Shinsei as it seemed to echo throughout the entire workshop, causing him to drop the mechanical item that he was inspecting with a loud clang. The entire workshop felt like it could come down with the vibrations of the wooden boards that rattled in resistance to cling onto the nails that were being yanked out by the magnetic pull from the rifle.

Shinsei cussed beneath his breath as he held his lit cigarette in his lips and he picked the mechanism back up and placed it on the bench. So this workshop actually did belong to someone?

“What kind of loony boards up their own workshop?” he spoke to himself in a frustrated whisper as his perfect hideout was being stripped from him, before the thought occurred to him that this could be somebody else who might also be breaking in, having had the same thought that he did three days ago. Making sure everything on the bench was in as perfect order that he could return it to, minus the dust that he had unsettled, he quickly made his way to the bedroom toward that was located toward the right flank of the workshop to try and hide any trace of his presence over the recent days.

He barely got through making the bed to seem like it hadn’t been touched, but who was he kidding? There was no way he could bring the room, or anything that he touched for that matter, back to its abandoned state as he found it.

The loud booming voice of the woman interrupted him and confirmed his original assumption – this must be the owner. With everywhere boarded up apart from the opening that he had found at the back, and now the front door of the workshop as well, there was really no way he could make it out of the bedroom and to said window without having to pass from right in front of the woman, so his only alternative was to hide.

He remained silent as he peered out of the bedroom to get a glance at where the ‘intruders’ were, precisely, but he couldn’t get a good look without exposing himself and simply had to judge based on the sound of the woman’s voice, who he hoped was alone. A wisp of his cigarette smoke floated upward to blur his vision and he quickly swatted at it, dispersing the smoke.

“Sh*$! Sh*$, Sh*$, Sh*$.” He hissed to himself in a hushed volume and tried to dispel any other traces of the substance, hoping that its scent wouldn’t be picked up, and then he took the active source of the smoke out of his mouth. This was something he did with a very heavy heart – he'd be lucky if he had even made it to half of the stick and he appreciated the relief it offered. What a waste. Taking a deep breath and inhaling the fumes that his body craved so badly one last time, he dropped the poisonous roll to the ground before he stomped it out and kicked the abused cigarette butt aside to let it slide under the nearest piece of furniture.

Then he was back in the bedroom, hiding beside the door to ensure he’d be hidden behind it if it were swung open. He pressed himself against the wall so that his body did not pass the door stopper on the floor to ensure that the door wouldn’t strike him before it would hit the stopper, even if it were opened with force, or at least he thought.

He was ready to fight to make his escape if necessary, but despite his situation, his main concern at this point was that cigarette. Damn, he really wanted that cigarette…

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER 4 // Old Home New Strays!

To say Veera was a weirdo was an understatement. By comparison, Tia was the normal one, being full of yourself was in no way a giant only trait. Newton was sure of that, plenty of humans especially those in higher positions were prideful with egos larger than even Tia. But this woman? Veera? No, she was indeed strange. At least by Newt's standards. Perhaps making the redheaded giant upset was the least of her worries and rightfully so. They did seem to have something special, they worked as equals and there was something to be said about that at least.

"I guess I'm not used to her being patient with me."

He let out a sigh and turned back to the docks ahead. Ropes were being thrown overboard to the bronze-skinned men tending the docks.

"Well let's get going I guess."

Newton held on tightly to the sword's hilt like a good old swashbuckler. Nimbly he made his way off the ship and onto the old wooden docks covered in barnacles. The classic screech of gulls and the smell of seawater filled his senses. Looking ahead Silver Island truly was unique. It was nothing like Zarzara at least, being more subtropical than desert-like in nature. Not just that but the homes made of white brick stone were nothing like the tan mud-brick buildings of Zarzara, decorated with the occasional roman dome here and there.

His keen eyes sized up the foreign architecture, sights, and smells. Had Veera called this place home for that long? He couldn't imagine what it would be like to leave his home island for such a long extended amount of time only to return from his leave. Things change. Rapidly even. Even while living there you can see the steady pace of change. But being gone for that long? Then seeing it all just be completely altered must hit you in some shape or fashion.

"This it?"

Newt asked as the woman opened up the door to her personal shop. Speaking to no one in particular as she yelled that she was home. The thief rolled his eyes in annoyance, who was she even saying hi to? The machines she'd left. Speaking of, the place was covered in a thick layer of dust... cobwebs decorated the lonesome shop. Grey rats scuttled across the tiled floorboards. Pests thrived amongst humans, Newton knew that much. But they did so even more in our absence. Or so, that's how it seemed. Even so, there was something in the air...

"Veera? Do you smell that?"

He sniffed the air, it smelt of tobacco smoke... like a recently ignited cigarette. Veera didn't seem like the smoking type and he knew for a fact he didn't smoke. Maybe the person she once shared the place with? Sure. But this smelled fresh. It wasn't like the scent of tobacco in the walls. You know, the one that would accrued in the house of a smoker after years of feeding the habit. No, it was the scent of a recently ignited one. This was an important distinction. Newt's eyes shifted looking across the darkness. He was holding on to his sword even tighter now and moving across the boards carefully. His steps, imperceptible to any normal human. Silent, like a snake.

-- NAME // Newton M. Icarus

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

A dark and dusty room is what greeted Veera first, a small receptionist’s desk and a few chairs to the side. It was entirely coated in a layer of dust, something she had expected to see… what she hadn’t expected to see was the tell-tale signs of mice having moved in! There was the markings and leavings of their movements all over the dusty floor. That and something else… prints that did not belong in the dust. Boot Prints.

“Do you smell that?” Newt had asked, giving indications of himself sniffing the air to get a whiff of something. Veera hadn’t paid attention to the Olfactory sense, thinking that stale air wouldn’t be a nice scent. With a quick shake of her head she took a deep inhalation through the nose and instantly got stung by a strong scent of recently smoked tobacco… Oh there were more than just mice infesting her old home, there was at least good for nothing rat!

“Keep your eyes open. Close the door behind you, we’ll catch this rat.” She noted, in a more quiet and serious tone before walking forward with the rifle still in hand. This was her workshop in the past, so she knew all of the best hiding spots… she did build them. The smile that was on her face shifted from a jovial tricksters to a hunters taunt, her footsteps being precise and placed to give her the best position to dart for cover or jump in close.

“Hey Newt, you never did mention. How did you hunt rats on Zarzara? Traps or did you keep cats?” She asked, wanting to keep the illusion that she had not noticed the presence of anyone else in the old building she once called home. Now she had peered through the door that led to the large workshop proper, revealing a massive space littered with workbenches to the side that were littered with unused tools, some with finished and half worked on inventions. In the centre near the large sliding door was the half covered skeleton of a ship, being built around a powered movement system. To the left a small building with in this massive building… what she had called home.

The mad mermaid moved closer, flexing her free hand before balling it into a fist. Her eye noticed the boot prints coming and going from this room a lot… it was a good place to check, especially considering the fact that it was where the smoke smell was strongest. “I’m just going to pick up some things I left under the bed Newt!” She called, throwing out a mixed signal to confuse any potential assailants, giving off the impression that she knew that they didn’t know that she knew that they were there. A stroke of tactical brilliance picked up during her many years of bounty hunting and adventuring.

The room she entered was dark with a few streams of light coming in through the boarded windows over the bed, which looked far fresher than the dust covered floor outside. Next to it stood a large empty glass walled water tank that had wires running out of it to a room to the side that was locked up tight. All around were wardrobes and chest of draws. The one peculiar thing that stood to against the wall was a metal walker contraction designed to fit a mermaid.

Veera took the first step in, ready to swing at the first thing that she saw, juicing it with as much electricity as her body could muster…

[Bobbie]

From his hiding spot, Shinsei could hear the brief conversation that went on between the two people – that’s right, two, and not just one like he had initially hoped. Breaking into somebody else’s property wouldn’t have been his first choice if he knew that the owners would be returning, but with everywhere boarded up, he had no way of knowing that this would be the case.

He frowned and raised an eyebrow, his head resting against the wall, tilted in the direction the voices were coming from. Rats? They better not be referring to him, he was no filthy rat! He then looked down at his feet. Maybe it would be better if they were talking about him – he had slept in a place that had rats? Twice!? Taking a deep breath, his eye twitching unnervingly, he tried his best to recompose himself, collect his thoughts and remain calm. If he were lucky, they wouldn’t even need to come into this room, neither of them, and they’d be out of his hair before he knew it.

That was when the woman announced that she’d be coming in to fetch something from under the bed. Of course.

His initial intention was to do as least damage to the place as possible, but he now regretted that decision entirely and wished he had removed the boards from the windows, at least the ones that covered the bedroom window.

The way he saw it, there were two alternatives. On the one hand, the opportunity to slip out unnoticed might present itself as the woman entered the room and while her back was turned to his hiding spot – but then there was the other guy that he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of and had no idea what the man was like. Was he scrawny or a juggernaut? It was a risk, and either way, he’d probably have to go out fighting. Alternatively, he could face the woman alone in a more balanced one-on-one situation – but, again, there was the other guy lingering about, and how long would it take him to reach the very same room and shift any favour in a battle that might ensue to be in their favour, even if for no other reason than numbers? Once again, he’d have to go out fighting.

Shinsei could hear her careful footsteps as they gently approached and just like that he was out of time. He braced himself for the encounter as the door that had been left ajar was pushed open for the woman to enter, making her first step inside the room. Holding his breath, he let the door swing open to conceal his body and render his hiding spot as perfect as he planned for it to be. That is, until she’d reach the bed, which would supposedly be where she was heading if she spoke the truth.

First, he gently held the doorknob as it got close enough, being gentle with it so as not to cause any sudden and suspicious jolts in the door. Using his Devil’s Wedding Band, he heated it up to tremendous temperatures, bringing it up to scorching red-hot levels in an instant. Next, in a quick sudden movement, coordinated by a mixture of panic, frustration at how sour everything had gone, and angst due to an unsatisfied nicotine craving, he pushed the door back in its closing direction to strike at the woman who stepped into the room as she lined up perfectly in the door’s path. To lend his assault both force and speed, he threw all his weight into it, one hand securely around the rounded handle and the other forearm flat against the wooden board that formed the door. This, he hoped, would be enough to at least knock her off her feet and provide an opening for him to make his way out, on top of causing a nasty burn wherever the heated knob would land.

What he wasn’t expecting, however, was the electrical charge that surged through the lady’s arm.

Upon any form of contact, the doorknob would immediately create a channel to pass a sharp, crackling shock from her, through the metal, and into Shinsei’s hand to spread through his entire arm. An involuntary raspy yelp escaped his throat as his muscles tensed, partly out of surprise and partly due to the pain as his whole arm seized and his body was violently thrown back. Luckily, the hard wall was a good enough net to catch him and provide him with enough support to continue his assault by kicking at the door to ram it at the woman instead, steering his booted foot away from the doorknob this time, just in case the rubber soles were not enough to protect him.

He waited for a hard collision before slipping out of his hiding spot and swiftly wriggling past her to make his way out of the death-trap he’d accidentally locked himself in. He was careful not to touch any part of her in fear of another hugely unpleasant zap, his mechanical insides not taking very kindly to the overcharge.

Somewhere outside the bedroom, there must be the other one - ‘Newt’ or something…

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER 4 // Old Home New Strays!

They didn't have to tell him twice, that was the clear choice to make in this scenario. With his palm outstretched, Newton gently closed the metal door which served as an entrance to the mermaid's workshop. Its old smell intensified some now that the only source of fresh air was locked outside. Newt scrunched up his nose slightly.

"Oh, I didn't have a cat, no..."

Newton replied, he looked around the premise going to the opposite end from Veera. He opened a few cupboards here and there to look into them. Not to look for someone but rather to look for signs of life. If someone was staying here surely they'd leave some stuff laying around. Sadly he didn't have much luck.

"Remember the black hound? The one you met when you picked me up on Zazara? That's what we use, the rats in Zarzara are... bigger than normal. Let's just say that."

He said forcing a fake chuckle, his nimble figure perusing any potential area where someone could be hiding. That's when... the perpetrator revealed himself. All Newton heard was a slam from the door thunking on Veera's body. Which did prompt a thought from Newton (Would she be okay? Where mermaids softer than the landfolk? Soft enough to be shock absorbent?)

Unlikely... and this string of thought was making him uncomfortable. Newt swung his head around, which at this point was a light shade of strawberry having made himself flustered. But soon that was all flushed away, he saw the red hot bulb that was now the door handle.

"Veera!"

He exclaimed a part of him wanted to go to her aid. It was in his nature, but his mind worked faster than his body. He locked himself in place blocking his natural instincts. This wasn't the time... the perpetrator was on the loose and Veera would appreciate his capture more. Biting his lips in hesitation, Newton instead unsheathed his sword and dashed toward the entrance. Blocking it from the red menace that had invaded his friend's former home. His sword gave off a sheen as it picked up on stray rays of sunlight that entered from boarded-up windows. Its glint making Newton seem like a warrior of flame... all settled by a thin veil of dust bunnies which acted like his smoke.

-- NAME // Newton M. Icarus

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

The first thing to hit Veera was the burning hot doorknob that sizzled against her forearm, causing a yelp of pain as the rest of the wooden door impacted against her body. With the force that the invader had used It launched her across the room to land against the dusty floor with a crash. “Oomph.” That really hurt! She was going to have a nasty burn on her arm, a burn that was going to leave a scar…

By the time she sat up the red-haired intruder had vanished through the door, her zap had slowed him down… now he was in for it. Newt would hold him still and she could come up from behind and shock him so hard he’d be feeling heart palpitations for days. A grimace washed over her face as she shifted to stand up and bring her rifle up. “Arsehole is asking for a hole in his head.” She growled, taking the steps needed for her only eye to sight the back of the man.

The rifle was raised and she started to push some of her electricity into it, not enough to make it fire but enough to start the whirring of the magnets. Creating that unearthly hum that filled the entire workshop like a war horn blowing over a large plain. She shifted her aim and let out a long hiss of breath to steady herself, the pain in her burned arm was throwing her off as much as the missing eye… if she shot now, she was as likely to hit newt. That was no good.

“Oi! Ginger Ninja! Stop right there and hold your hands up!” She barked, the pain in her arm fuelling an annoyance she had not felt in quite a while. “This thing can blow holes in steel; do you want to take a chance?” Veera shouted.

She then shifted to the side and gave the last bit of juice needed to fire a shot. The high explosive shell zipped right beside both The red and Newt, boring a hole through the wall that was beside them and flying out into the sea where it exploded with a loud boom and a flash that shone through the cracks of the boards in the windows… There was a tell-tale click clack of her pulling on the lever to load a new shell. “Oops, didn’t realise I left the high explosive shells loaded…”

Veera was a level of insane most people ran away from.

[Bobbie]

Shinsei didn’t have to look around for very long to spot Newt standing in the doorway. For one thing, the doorway was something he wanted to get to, and he had a decent recollection of where it was. Secondly, Newt stood out … just a bit.

Despite the imminent threat of a sword between the two men, Shinsei’s attention first went to Newt’s horns, and he had to consciously draw his attention away from them and brace himself for an attack. This wasn’t going to end well. “Get out of my way, I want to be out of your hair as much as you do.” he said with an irritated frown as the situation was becoming more and more complicated by the second. All he wanted was a roof over his head and a quiet place to enjoy a cigarette, undisturbed. Clearly, he was asking for too much.

His gaze went back to the young man’s horns and Shinsei clenched his jaw to prevent it from dropping. Was this man from Hell..? Those horns, his eyes... the sombre air that surrounded him. Did he … did he also see the horrors of the pits below their earthly realm? This was very interesting.

He eased up in his stance in a show of friendly gesture, perhaps if he did so first, the demon before him would also lower his blade. “Look, I’m not here to-“

Freezing mid-sentence, Shinsei’s skin crawled as he heard the whirring sounds again, recognising them from the tremendous rumbling all across the warehouse that they caused earlier. In a matter of less than a second, Shinsei was entirely on his guard again and ready for a fight. If that was his only way out, then so be it. Remaining rooted to the spot, his body not shifting a centimetre, he only turned his head to let his red eyes fall on the woman who dared call him a filthy Ninja. The ‘ginger’ part, though he wasn’t fond of it, he could let slide. He stared at the woman, considering his options.

He could rush her… charge at her and throw her off balance to get that nasty device out of her grasp, then make a run for it, but that plan neglected the fact that there was a sword-wielding fiend standing in the doorway, and though he had no idea what kind of fighter the devil was, he certainly moved fast. Having seen the demonic horrors down below during his own dreadful visit, he could only imagine what kind of torturous methods would ensue in battle against this lad.

Perhaps rushing the horned spawn from Hell, and disarming him would be a better option. Maybe even use him as a meat shield if necessary, and then bolt. Again, that was risky and left a lot of things open to chance – this woman looked like she wasn’t a force to be reckoned with, she had a crazy look in her eye and he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t actually shoot through her partner to get to him.

Befriending them was certainly not an option, the burn on her arm was very evident. It made him chuckle, but he doubted she found it as amusing as he did. In fact, she looked just a tad annoyed.

With the sudden shot, however, his course of action was instantly decided for him. He flinched as his shoulders tensed, and his hands were raised, shifted palm outward, instinctively. Now was time to turn and face the woman head on, but preferably not for battle - she clearly had plenty more bullets to burn through and he did not fancy testing out her their strength against steel. He stared at her, then glanced at the hole in the wall, which, sadly, did not offer much of an escape due to the water that surrounded that side of the workshop, and then finally turned back at her.

The Red Devil raised both his eyebrows in response to her comment, but maintained his position to make himself as least threatening as possible. He glanced at Newt, then at Veera again. Well he was definitely right about one thing - this woman was insane, especially so if she consorted with demons.

“You’re a hazard to your own allies, do you realise this?” he shook his head and let out a defeated sigh. “Now what?” he asked, impatiently.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER 4 // Old Home! New Strays!

The thief stood at the door, cutlass in one hand and a dagger in the other as a main gauche. He shifted his leg in such a fashion that his footwork would ensure he stayed grounded. Locking eyes with the red haired ninja he could see the fiery intent in the other man's eyes and yet. There was hesitation... there wasn't any reason he should be blamed. After all, Veera was right behind him. Any hasty action would bring him much trouble.

"Lets not get hasty..."

Almost as if on queue, Veera bursted out with her threats and let out a shot from her rifle that broke through the metal wall. It was all so fast, but the whole ordeal made Newt freeze in place. His dark eyes with green pupils widened in fear, there was even a ringing sound on his right hear from the crack that the gunshot left. His brows furrowed in anger as he glared at the mermaid's reckless behavior. Sure Tia was a prude, but at least she didn't get him killed.

"VEERA!!!!"

Newt screamed in shock, he was not happy about this at all. Hell, even the perpetrator agreed with him. She was indeed being hazardous.

"I am an ally and I don't appreciate getting my head almost blown off."

He growled, turning around to look at the red ninja he let out a sigh. A frown now present on his face. Maybe it was best if he forgot the whole ordeal, it's not like Tia would even care if he explained or complained about this. Ugh, these women were going to be the death of him.

"So... what now? Are you going to spill the beans and tell us what up?"

-- NAME // Newton M. Icarus

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.

[Kami-Gaz]

The railgun was calmly pointed to the intruder with the magnets slowly spinning around the main rail with a soft hum. The mermaid had a bead of sweat on her forehead from the sudden exertion of firing the weapon without her proper warm ups to get her electrical juice flowing but she was fine otherwise. What she did not expect was for both the intruder and Newt to explode on her purposefully aimed warning shot. She’d never accidently shoot anyone! That was way too messy. “NEEEEWWWTON!!!” She shouted back over the minor ringing that was in her ears before giggling away at the situation.

She then looked to the ginger and frowned. “Am not Gingee, I missed you on purpose.” She spoke as Newt shouted about not appreciating his head being nearly blown to bits. Typical it was hard to please everyone these days, ‘Veera don’t shock me’ a distant voice replayed in her head. ‘Veera can you not shoot the targets with that big gun?’ another played. ‘Veebee! Stop shocking me when I’m cuffing bounties!’ a final voice replayed in her head. People were so hard to please.

She sighed as the men asked what was going to happen now, Newt went out of his way to ask the man his identity. That was a good start, she herself lowered the rifle and sighed. “Yeah! Who are you!? Why are you slumming in my old work shop? And why did you hit me?! Ehh?” She said, rattling questions off, with one hand being very exaggerated… that was a quirk she picked up when all her words came out of a box strapped to her neck. It helped to give those lifeless words emotion.

[Bobbie]

As Newton also called her out on that reckless shot, the man in red suppressed a little chuckle, though the smirk on his face, as subtle as it may have been, could not be hidden entirely. It was amusing to say the least, watching how with a single comment – which was absolutely fair and honest – her own ally turned a verbal assault on this woman. For that to happen, then this must have been a recurring situation. This loose cannon of a woman really must be insane…

Shinsei stared at her for a few seconds and he planned to let her rattle her tongue away. She seemed to be on a roll and he didn’t want to interrupt her – who knew what might happen if he did? Then she called him ‘Gingee’ and an uncontrollable twitch happened in his right eye.

“Gingee, my *ss! Flashy thingamajig or not, you can’t possibly expect me to take kindly to that.” He snapped at the woman, narrowing his eyes. “I rock this red better than the finest mistress from Vee’s parlour, anything close to a ginger has a lot to learn from me.” He replied, his light-hearted humour making an appearance despite the severity of the scene and the annoyance behind it. This was a tricky situation. It was difficult to take them both seriously when the horned demon on the one hand was as quick to spit criticism at her as he was, and the woman was quick to (mistakenly) blow a hole in the wall of an establishment that she acts so protective of. If this wasn’t ironic, it would be tough to say what was.

The man glanced at Newt as he asked his questions, then at Veera as she mimicked them and added her own with her own little twist of exaggeration.

He let out a sigh – he had no real reason to lie about this. Worst case scenario, he takes a quick beating and then goes on his way to find a new roof for shelter.

“I haven’t got any beans in this week's ration, but-“ he started with another silly comment to play on Newton’s words, but before he could finish his sentence, he seemed frozen on the spot.

What did he call her?

“Did you say Veera?” he looked at Newton, then at Veera herself. “Veera? Veera Falcone!?” his hands slowly floated downward from their defensive position absent-mindedly as he stared at her. His expression changed multiple times over the next couple of seconds as his mind and heart went through a rollercoaster of emotions. No longer grinning through his jokes, he looked shocked to stumble upon this woman again, then confused, and then displayed the face of a shattered man who had just been reminded of everything that he'd once loved and lost.

“Veera Falcone…” he repeated in a quieter voice, dumbstruck by how utterly ridiculous it was that they’d be crossing paths again. Veera Falcone, the woman he had spent many hours slaving away for to clean the deck, carry boxes, and do all sorts of easy grunt work on the shipwright’s magnificent vessel back when he was still an ordinary family man. The woman who had always been kind to him and paid him well. The woman who had kept him and his family fed for months. His wife… his son…

Also the woman who had no voice, had two fully functional eyes and relied on a large mechanical walker just to stand, let alone walk. His features shifted once more as he frowned and his gaze dropped to her legs, then up to her face and her hair.

“Okay… this is a joke, right?” he laughed, having forced himself to quickly recover from his little trip down memory lane. “It’s Shinsei… Shinsei Zen Shisui? I worked for you a while ago.” He glanced at Newton – was he buying this?

“Okay, okay, I have exactly three questions before I can answer any of yours.” He presumed proving who he was should be the number one priority right now.

“Firstly, what the flipping heck happened to you? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice new look, with the eye and the hair, it’s kind of…” he paused to wriggle his shoulders in a provocative way, “you know… nice." he raised his eyebrows with a soft smile. "Secondly. What, in the name of all creatures in all of existence in all the lands and seas, and everywhere in between, possessed you to consort with a demon!?” he blurted out, pointing at Newt as one arm was now stretched out and he leaned forward to emphasize his shock. “And thirdly, mind not blasting my head off if I reach into my pocket? I really need a smoke right now and I lost my last one when you both came storming in, so … I mean, this?” he waved a hand in a circular motion to include all three of them. “You and me? And your buddy, Lucifer’s sidekick, there, with the horns and the freaky eyes? Yeah, this is crazy. So if you wouldn't mind...” shaking his head, he began to reach into the pocket of his waistcoat to get out what he was badly craving.

As he did so, his attention shifted onto Newt. It was quite disconcerting to see such a beast from the hellish pits standing there before him. Shinsei genuinely believed that he had been to some sort of hell and a demon returned to this world with him when he was brought back to life - and nothing seemed to convince him otherwise - so he was very well acquainted with what these abominations posed themselves as, and some apparitions were more flattering than others.

Lighting up, his tone shifted to one of absolute seriousness. "Before you ask me what my deal is, maybe I should be asking you, demon... what business do you have here?"

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

[Fennec]

-- CHAPTER 4 // Old Home! New Strays!

Newton put on a face that simply screamed 'seriously?' sure. The one-eyed mermaid with a gun had everything under control when it came to aiming. He let out a sigh.

"Fine..."

Turning back to the red-headed man he held his sword closer. An attempt of an explanation was about to be given as the man mentioned something about beans in a ration. Did he not understand the figure of speech or was he just being a snarky old bastard? That's when he inquired about Veera's name. Newton raised a brow and shook his head.... did this guy know her too? That wouldn't be surprising. Veera seemed to know literally everyone in the South Blue it seemed.

"Uh... yes... that's her name. Ring a bell?"

The man seemed deep in thought almost in disbelief giving Newton the social cue that he was being honest. Newt's eyes darted to look over at Veera wanting to see her reaction to all of this as the man in red introduced himself. Shinsei Zen Shisui was a funny name, to say the least. Then he went on asking questions to Veera, to which Newt let out a sigh.

"Didn't I ask you to-"

It came short as the man went on this time going as far as to call Newton a demon. What? Because of the horns? No, he was getting antagonistic asking Newt his question. What was he doing here? Helping Veera recover her things what else. The boy's patience was running a bit thin... perhaps spending too much time with Tia had rubbed off on him some. He took a deep breath and gave his answer.

"I'm just assisting Veera and stop calling me demon I am not a demon. Now answer the damn question or I'll lop your arm off."

-- NAME // Newton M. Icarus

-- CLASS // E

-- TECHS USED // None.