Dreams Start Today! Bad Luck Brings Friendship!

[Bobbie]

Simon frowned as he noticed members of the crew approaching them and he kept his hand close to his gun, just in case he needed to use it. Realistically, however, with the way there were heavily outnumbered, he knew it would be useless. Quite glad when they seemed to change their minds and went on with their business instead, he looked at Annika once more. She was like a mosquito repellent, keeping those nasty buggers away, he could really get used to having her around.

He followed her to the hatch and stared down it once she descended, unsure if this was a good idea – but what could go wrong? If anything happened to her, they were all dead men at the hands of her father, no doubt. The officer glanced back toward the stalking man, then began to climb down the ladder after Annika, being very careful with his footing. He’s made it this far without any ‘unfortunate falls’ to use Miguel’s words, he’d like to keep it that way.

It seemed he spoke too soon as just as he had almost reached the base of the ladder, either his footing was off or one of the steps had simply come loose, as his foot went right through it and his heel went crashing into the boards of the lower level of the ship. His arms flailed for a moment as he staggered in shock due to the unexpected increase in speed of his descent, and he grabbed onto one of the crates among the cargo. A subtle “Whoa…” escaped him as he took a moment to adjust and process what just happened. He stared at Annika, then looked at the ladder to see the last three steps of them broken. “Those were already like that, right?” he asked as he tried to position the steps back in their former places, but there was no hope. Those three steps were dead, murdered by the policeman’s boot.

He quickly moved away from the ladder and stopped all suspicious behaviour when he heard the man who had been following them get closer to the hatch opening above them.

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Let’s hurry up and get started so we can make sure you get home on time…”

The officer moved away from the now broken ladder and to the first crate to begin his inspection, hoping to find any cutting tools or firework launchers, but expected to find none.

---

Simon: d2ce2f

[Kami-Gaz]

“Are you coming slow poke?” Annika called up as she looked around, not seeing her current partner in… ‘crime?’ make his grand entrance. However, she did hear it. A great crashing sound as Simon’s heavy boot slipped through the bottom three rungs of the latter, making him fall backwards and nearly take quite the tumble. The young woman swivelled on the spot to catch a glimpse of the man doing his best to play the fall off.

“Are you okay?” She asked before he cleared his throat and shifted the focus on getting Annika out of here. She forced a small smile for him and his concerns but turned her head back to the crate she was running her fingers over… How was she going to get it open? She frowned in deep thought as many ideas formed in her pretty little head.

There was a heavy thud behind the pair as the dirty shirt wearing smuggler slipped where Simon had broken the ladder and fell on his rear. “Shit!” He growled in annoyance as he stood up and looked at the pair then back down to the ladder, there was a confused and angry look on his face. “Was the ladder broken when you came down here?” He asked, a pointed question towards Simon.

As his attention was away Annika seized a crowbar from the side and gently wedged the end into the wooden box she was stood by and used all of her puny might and weight. It was a comical sight to see the girl kicking her legs in the air as she tried her darndest to crack the top off of the box. “Almost~” She grunted out before there was a tearing sound of nails ripping out of the wood. In a flash the young woman was on the floor and the lid of the crate was peeled back enough to see in.

Inside were row upon row stacked with mass produced cutlasses… they were a cutting implement alright. Each of these crates were full of them. Towards the back were a stack of flintlock pistols. These were a bit harder to pass for firework launchers… but that was just semantics.

“Ow…” Annika complained as she slowly moved to get up.

---

Post 9            
Annika: acd1fc 

Captain Bell: 86810a

Dirty Shirt Guy: bebebe

[Bobbie]

Simon offered a little nod, simply dusting himself off and getting on with their business. He was looking at one of the crates with her, wondering the very same thing. He had some nifty tools on his belt, but he was quite certain that they were no good for opening anything other than bottles.

He turned to look at the man on the ground, then the ladder, then back to the man who had already stood up. The amount of willpower that it took not to laugh, not even a little chuckle or a smile, was unfathomable. It was torture. Then he heard the question that seemed to be more directed toward him than it was to Annika. The officer noticed Annika was busy with something and he tried to keep the angry man’s attention off her as he approached the ladder with a very serious hum. He crouched down by it and stared at it as if he were inspecting a crime scene.

With a heavy sigh, he stood up again to meet the man’s gaze with the best impression of the grumpy Miguel that he could manage, his lower jaw pushed out. “Well, it certainly is now.” Was his big revelation.

Thankful for Annika’s success, he slipped away from the man in the dirty shirt, eager to create some distance between them – Simon didn’t have to be a fashion expert like this girl seemed to be to want to stay away from the filthy rags the pirate wore. Those stains could be anything and it made him shudder to think about all the possibilities.

Peering into the crate that now had its cover parted from it at this edge, Simon walked down along it to scan every single item stored within the wooden containers. “Cutting equipment…” he mumbled beneath his breath. It was going to be a headache for sure, with a good enough argument, these could pass as just that. Then he spotted the flintlock pistols.

He held a hand out to Annika to help her back up onto her feet in a swift motion mid-stride, and then continued on his way. That may have very well been the smoothest transition between tasks of his life.

Next, he picked up one of the flintlock pistols. “Firework launchers?” he asked, spinning on his heel to eye the man as the gun was now in perhaps some very dangerous and clumsy hands. “These don’t look like they were made for launching fireworks.” He continued to talk and fiddle with the gun at the same time, first checking whether it was loaded, and then checking what kind of ammunition it was loaded with. Sadly, for any charge to stick, he needed hard evidence to debunk any manipulative portrayal of these tools as harmless.

“I trust you are also following regulation and not transporting any of these pistols while loaded, right?” he asked as he picked up a second one and watched the man’s reaction. It was simple – if he panicked, then they must be dangerously loaded and most likely with deadly ammunition. If he didn’t … well, more investigating would need to be done.

[Kami-Gaz]

The young fashionista was pouting on the floor, she had done all the hard work as Simon told some dumb funny joke and now, she was paying for it with a bruised posterior. Like really? Was he distracting the guy or trying out a new gag for a comedy sketch show that all policeman had to participate in?

The smuggler in his dirty shirt however leaned in close and looked at the broken rungs as Professor Simon did his best to investigate what had happened. To see what the cause of this was. Then it happened, the glasses going on the mans face, the bad line… he could almost hear someone up on deck screaming ‘Yeeeeeeeeeah!’ as it happened. The smuggler frowned as he stood up and grumbled before noticing that the man had swiftly glided over to an open crate.

“Hey! No!“ He yelped but it was too late. Annika was on her feet and a pistol was being brandished in his face.

Annika had taken the hand and hopped up, she patted her rear a few times and get the dust and dirt off of the finely made Zarzaran jean trousers. “This place is filthy.” She grumbled before standing as tall as she could to peer into the box of weapons that Simon was now digging a second pistol out of.

“No…” The thug spoke as he backed up to the ladder as the weapon was waved around by the copper. This was bad, they were totally loaded and ready to be used. The slightest knock could set it off as well. Which is exactly what happened as the policeman wheeled it around. There was a massive BOOM inside the cramped hold of the smugglers ship. A sound loud enough to give all three of the people inside of it some minor shell shock.

The young woman screamed and ducked behind a crate, covering her ears from the massive sound. “WHAT THE HELL?!” She questioned as she stood up and looked the others, seeing that the smuggler had done the same. “I CANT HEAR ANYTHING!”

---

Post 10            
Annika: acd1fc 

Captain Bell: 86810a

Dirty Shirt Guy: bebebe

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah Guy:   efff9b

[Bobbie]

Simon was quite pleased by the dirty thug’s reaction. Finally, he had the upper hand. Finally, it was somebody else’s turn to squirm in angst and fear. Finally, it was his turn to shine! Finally – Simon’s heart felt like it exploded with the loud boom that echoed in the cramped space.

With the sudden shock that he somehow couldn’t predict would happen, his entire body jerked in such an unnatural manner that he quickly lost his balanced and staggered back, shoulders tense and eyes wide… and both guns in the air, no longer in his grip! Moving quickly, he managed to catch one, but the second pistol seemed to be more elusive. In a grand juggling spectacle the gun seemed to have a mind of its own as it rebelliously bounced back up into the air each time his fingers only reached to tap the grip of it but not wrap around it.

It took three bounces, and then it hit the floor with a second deafening BANG.

Simon jumped back pre-emptively and brought both hands up to his ears as well in an attempt to cover one ear with his free palm and the other with his wrist, as that hand was still occupied with the second gun. Luckily, he had the sense to keep his finger off and away from the trigger this time.

Frozen on the spot, he didn’t dare move, a loud ringing in his ears preventing him from hearing anything, including Annika’s shouting. “TH-THESE ARE LOADED!?” he screamed at the man in a volume louder than he anticipated when he could finally command his body to function again. He quickly lowered the one gun that was left in his hand and very gently, oh so carefully, placed it back in the crate before taking several steps away from it as if it could explode any moment. Before he knew it, he had reached the other side of the hold, and his knees buckled, all of his weight resting against on the wall which kept him from collapsing onto the wooden floor. “IS EVERYONE OKAY?” he looked around for the two people who were down there with him, still in shock after what just happened.

He looked down at the gun that had fallen on the floor. “IT WAS LOADED… I CAN’T BELIEVE IT WAS LOADED, WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU!?” his outburst came out before his gaze followed the direction that the gun was pointing when it went off, which happened to be in his direction. Looking down at his trouser-leg, a clear bullet-hole could be seen in the fabric of his uniform around his ankle.

Simon reached down in horror to grab his trouser leg in one hand, the other held securely in place against the wall to keep him steady, and he pulled it up toward his knee with a trembling hand. He then let out a huge sigh of relief as he saw that the bullet had completely missed his leg and just went through a fold that had gathered at the bottom of his trousers. “I’M OKAY…” he dropped the leg of his uniform and looked at Annika. “I CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING!” He repeated her exact words, unaware that she had just uttered them herself moments before.

---

Simon: d2ce2f

[Kami-Gaz]

The dirty shirt wearer took the shot as a sign to get the hell out of dodge and scrambled up the ladder as the other two were clutching at their ears. It was the best distraction he could get… seriously who shoots a gun in a confined space like that?! That copper must have broken the ladder as well! This was all a set up! A Sting! It had to be!

As the man vanished through the trapdoor it slammed shut leaving Annika in the dimly lit hold that contained so much weaponry! It was almost as if this was going to supply an army or something. The ringing sensation was slowly going away from the girl as she stumbled across to the police officer and looked at the weapons in his hands. “WHY WAS IT LOADED?!” She shouted out just so he could hear her. The deafness was fading away.

All she wanted was to pick up her fruit and leave, not stumble into a busted-up smugglers operation that didn’t know it was not safe to transport loaded weapons through a port in broad daylight? With a frown she took the still smoking gun and placed it onto the crate before rubbing her ears again. “This is not right. When I hired them, they said they just moved dangerous packages not all this!” She grumbled before feeling for the purse that dangled from her right shoulder. Once it was in her hand she opened it up and began to root around inside of it.

“Mr Simon, we can get out of this right?” She asked, pausing her search to look at the man with eyes that read more than just resting bitch face. It was a look of respect for the man that could give her the safety she needed. “You can get us out of this and make sure they can’t get these things to all the bad people, right?”

As the final question rang out in the cargo hold the entire ship rocked violently, causing Annika to stumble slightly before catching her own balance. It was faint and hard to make out still because of the shell shock they had… but above were the sounds of fighting. Something big had happened. Did the police come to back up Simon? Did the smugglers get spooked and start a fight? A pit formed in the Fashionista’s stomach… this was only just getting started.

---

Post 11            
Annika: acd1fc 

Captain Bell: 86810a

Dirty Shirt Guy: bebebe

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah Guy:   efff9b

[Bobbie]

Simon was too preoccupied to notice the man in the dirty shirt bolt and make a run for it - due to the ringing in his ears, he didn’t even hear the trapdoor slam shut behind him, and all of a sudden it was darker.

He watched the girl approach him and could just manage to hear her words. “I DON’T KNOW. THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN!” he shouted in response, but frowned as his hearing was slowly returning to him and he realised that he was shouting. He watched her take the gun and place it safely in the crate, shaking his head lightly. “You really should be more careful with the people you associate yourself with.” He felt the need to correct that bad habit and nip it in the bud, although he knew how this usually went and warnings like that are rarely ever listened to, not really.

The officer’s eyes adjusted to the dimmer light and were now fixed on Annika. What was she looking for in her purse that could be so important right now? He raised his gaze to meet hers when she asked that question. The dreaded question about whether everything will be alright or not. It was one he never felt comfortable answering. Even his hardest is sometimes not enough to make that a reality, so he was never really quite sure how to answer that question honestly.

He took a deep breath and straightened up, putting on the bravest face he could muster. “We’ll figure a way out of this.” He marched over toward the ladder but was forced to stop as the ship rocked and the man staggered, first to the left and then the right, as if he were in a pin ball machine. He could hear something going on above, though he wasn’t quite sure what it was. Turning to the girl once more and seeing the look on Annika’s face, he assumed she could hear the conundrum going on up top as well. He offered a reassuring smile, “I’ll make sure they can’t get all of these things to whomever they were intended for. Everything will be fine in the end, just wait and see.” 

As he finished his bold statement, he continued to walk toward the ladder. “I bet the bad guys are all being arrested as we speak.” Skipping the lower three rungs, still mysteriously broken, Simon pulled himself up with a slightly strained groan. “Miguel and the others would have heard the shots, and they must be up there handling the situation right now.” He continued to talk in a chipper tone which he thought might be comforting and a smile still on his face as his attention was now on his footing so as to avoid another accident. As he reached the trapdoor, he grabbed whatever handle he could get a grip on and tried to push it open, but it wouldn’t budge.

His smile disappeared and a frown replaced it. “Come on.” He grumbled and shook the trapdoor to try and loosen any part of it that may have been wedged in place, “We’ll be able to waltz out of this mess in no time.” Bringing one foot up on a higher rung to push against the hatch that felt a lot heavier than it should be, he then proceeded to swing the trapdoor open with all his might, causing the pirate who was standing on it to collapse as he popped his head out.

The second the hatch was opened, everything became louder – swords clashing, guns firing, men and women shouting. It did not sound or look like something Simon really wanted to be involved in. The hatch was pulled closed rather quickly after that as the officer ducked back down again.

He stared at Annika with a sheepish smile. “Quick change in plan… there will be no waltzing.” He paused to think of a quick improvisation plan. The best would be to wait down here, but with the way the boat was rocking back and forth so violently, it wasn’t very safe, and it was his duty to keep Annika protected, after all. “So... the bad guys aren’t being arrested – yet! And on a positive note, we definitely have officers on the scene!”

Then he remembered her package. “Is your package anywhere down here? What is it anyway?” he asked, having realised that he never did find out what this mysterious item was that seemed so important to the girl. Simon’s shoulders tensed, one hand still on the handle of the trapdoor, as he could feel heavy boots hammering down on the hatch as people ran by.

“We need to get out of this hold, it’s not safe. Have a quick look and let’s sneak out. Quietly. Very quietly.” He lowered his voice a bit in fear of being heard by those above, then he opened the hatch just a crack to get a look outside as he tried to think of a way to sneak past everyone amidst the chaos. Everybody was very busy, good… police officers, some of the crew members he recognised, and some that he didn’t? They must have been hidden on the ship somewhere before Annika and he came down to this storage space.

Thanks to Annika's brutal criticism that brought everyone's outfit to the forefront, however, it stood out as odd to Simon that some of these new pirates were dressed very differently.

Something just didn't feel right.

---

Simon: d2ce2f

[Kami-Gaz]

Simon was good at comforting the young woman, keeping her mind away from any impending danger as the fighting above grew more and more intense. The sounds of gunfire, swords clashing and fists beating into flesh as bodies fell to the deck. Up on the main deck was a blood bath of a fight already and the pair didn’t even know it was between three different groups of people. “I hope Miguel gets beat up though… then arrests the people.” She spoke, puffing her cheeks up into an adorable pout as she took a step back away from the broken ladder.

She watched how Simon tried to get through the trapdoor, the struggle as he pushed the door up and heard the sounds of quite an intense battle. Oh, this was not good… how did she end up getting into a massive fight? She looked through her purse to find her baby den den mushi, that no matter how hard she looked. “Where is it?!” She hissed into the bag before coming to the realisation… her only way to communicate was in her other purse.

“CRAP!” She shouted in frustration… she couldn’t call for Fonzie to come and rescue her and Simon… this was really bad, like super bad. The girl started to pace back and forth as Simon shifted the topic to her package, it stopped the hyper ventilating before it began.

“Package. Yes!” Annika exclaimed before looking around like a meerkat on drugs. “It’s a devil fruit.” She said simply before darting away from the ladder towards the back of the ship in her haste to start scouring every inch of the hold whilst they waited for the fight to finish up. It was going to be their ticket out of there. Annika was to eat that and use its amazing power to beat every one that was not a police officer up and then get away. She would be honoured as a hero and her life protecting people would start here.

“If we can find it, we can save the day Simon!” She exclaimed quietly in a shouted whisper so no one above would hear them.

---

Post 12            
Annika: acd1fc 

Captain Bell: 86810a

Dirty Shirt Guy: bebebe

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah Guy:   efff9b

[Bobbie]

Simon carefully lowered the hatch to let it close again, silently. The last thing they needed was to get caught before they had a chance to even attempt an escape. Looking down at Annika from his position on the ladder, a hand securely gripping onto the metal handle, he let out a soft laugh. 

"Well maybe not too badly, but... yeah, I'd kind of like to see that too." he admitted, before quickly adding, "Not enough to stop him from getting the bad guys though." he nodded, his eyes fixed on the girl, as he watched her pace. He figured her mind was racing at that point but was glad to see that him talking to her seemed to have a calming effect. Then he saw her face glow at the prospect of her devil fruit being recovered. It would have been more fun and inspiring to watch if she didn't hop about so feverishly, but it brought a smile to his face nonetheless. 

"Okay, okay, let's take things one step at a time..." he replied to the idea of saving the day. Saving the day usually meant a lot of work and a lot of risks which he generally preferred to steer clear of. "That devil fruit of yours... it is registered on the manifesto, right?" he asked in a hushed and cautious tone - he wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer to that question, but he had no idea where the paperwork actually was anyway, so it didn't really matter anymore. Somewhere amidst the chaos of the guns going off, the ship swaying, and the one crew member in their company fleeing and slamming the hatch to remove their main source of light, the papers simply got lost. 

"Be careful of the firearms." he warned as he watched her go through everything in search of her package, "they have very sensitive triggers, probably even faulty." he continued, offering a reasonable explanation for his previous mishap, entirely no fault of his own. "Here, I'll-" he began to offer to assist her as he was about to come down from the ladder, but a sudden loud THUD came from directly above him, the trapdoor rattling as it sounded like somebody collapsed right on it. The loud sound startled Simon and caused the clumsy man to lose his footing on the ladder - again - and the next thing he knew, his legs were swinging below him as he hung from the iron ring pull of the hatch that he had been holding onto for stability this whole time. 

He gasped, but luckily had the sense to suppress a yelp to keep himself as quiet as he possibly could, though the expression on his face of sheer panic was enough for Annika to hear his inaudible screams as he kicked out in desperate attempt to reach the ladder. Sadly, he just didn't have the muscle power to pull himself back onto the steps as the ring was too far out.

"Stop him! Don't let him get back up, you fools! Hold him down!" Miguel's muffled voice could be heard through the wooden boards, yelling at his men and treating them poorly, as the officer seemed to do very often. Then came another thud, and then another. "What the heck are they doing, piling up on him!? Great tactics, Miguel, expert police work!" Simon hissed, unable to contain his frustration at how things turned out and the embarrassment of how foolish he probably seemed, hanging there - but it looked like such a high drop when Simon looked down, should he just let go? What if the fall broke his knees or his ankles?

His first question was suddenly answered as there was a cracking sound just above his head. The trapdoor couldn't support all this weight! In an instant, he let go of the handle and crashed down to the ground. Wasting no time, however, he barely gave his body time to process the impact from the fall as he sprang back up onto his feet and made a sprint toward the girl. "Hide, hide, hide! It's about to break!"

Sure enough, the trapdoor cracked, splintered, and then it rained chunks and flakes of wood down into the hold, as the entire area filled with light again. Two police officers and a pirate collapsed all at once into the space as well, piling up on each other.

---

Simon: d2ce2f

Miguel: ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

The young woman carried on her search, crowbar in hand as she looked at crate after crate eyeing each of them up and guessing whether each of them contained weapons or packages of illegal or hard to acquire goods. It was hard to tell, some of the crates had some large chests on top of them. They couldn’t be Annika’s prize, could they? With a determined frown she climbed up one of the crates to get a better angle as Simon made his warnings about safety be known.

“Yes Daaa~d” She groaned before plunging the business end of the crowbar between the lid and the body of a chest just by the lock with a satisfying crunch. Her frown twisted to a smile as she heaved down and pushed the lid up. “I didn’t tell them what was in it! I just got someone to get these idiots to transport it for me.” Annika said as a matter of fact, if anyone knew it was a devil fruit, they would have eaten it for the power! She couldn’t have that.

Then came the thud as she peered into the chest, in the dim darkness she couldn’t get a good look at a glance. That was okay as she peered over her shoulder to Simon flail and dangle about as he struggled to get back to the ladder. Oh, that was not good! Not good at all! She had grown to like this Simon fellow, him getting hurt now would be bad!

“Mr Simon!” She called over, scrambling to the side of the crate she was on and looking for a way to help him get back, or at least down. With a grunt she leaned forward and extended her arms out to try and get the crowbar out far enough to give him the extra nudge he needed to reach the ladder. That was to no avail as he dropped to the floor and quickly rumbled away and to his feet at the sounds of the trap door disintegrating into splinters at the weight. Crap.

The three bodies fell and hit the floor with a horrid sound of wet thudding… were they bleeding? Were they alive?! If anything bones had broken in that fall. “Mr Simon! Let’s hide!” Annika suggested as she tossed the crowbar aside and spotted a crate that had a loose lid. She quickly scrambled over to it as the sounds of battle above intensified now the trapdoor was gone.

“Get off the boat! Run!” A stranger could be heard bellowing before a cacophony of splashes could be heard and the cheering of some gruff men on top of the deck. As the young woman climbed into the box she realised it was filled with Alabasta Silk. Well this was the best possible place to hide it seemed.

---

Post 13            
Annika: acd1fc 

Captain Bell: 86810a

Dirty Shirt Guy: bebebe

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah Guy:   efff9b

Random Dude:      ffffff

[Bobbie]

Simon followed her right to the crate with the loose lid, easy enough for them both to climb into. Pausing while his body was, more or less, hidden, he looked back at the three bodies that had collapsed onto the wooden floor. They’d better not be dead – there were two officers there! He’d have to help them… he heard groaning coming from the pile but not one of them moved and it was impossible which of the three men was the source of the unpleasant sound.

Then he heard the voice, but couldn’t quite place it, unable to recognise if it was an officer or not, but it certainly couldn’t be the crew of this boat, could it? Why would they abandon their ship with all these goods still on it?

His thoughts were interrupted as he almost received a girl’s heel to the face from Annika while she climbed into the crate. He instinctively raised a hand to help get the last parts of her into the box, then it seemed to register what they were doing. “I am not getting inside a box!” he forcefully whispered at the girl. “I am not cargo! Neither are you, now get out of there, we need to leave!” he hesitated on the spot for a short couple of seconds before another groan came from the pile on semi-conscious bodies to send a shiver up and down his spine, and just like that, the officer was clinging onto the edge of the opening to try and pull himself in after a quick change of heart. “Make space for me!”

With less grace than wildebeest ramming through a herd of its own kind, Simon climbed into the crate and fell onto the silk beside Annika. He groaned uncomfortably as he shifted to get out of the awkward position he had fallen in and then let out an exasperated sigh. “This is crazy, I can’t believe I’m actually sitting in a crate of…” he paused to feel the gentle fabric, “Oh, Good choice though, this feels nice.” He mumbled, his initial complaints easily pacified by the comfort of the crate’s content.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to calm his nerves, however. The thundering of boots slamming on the deck as people scurried to get off the ship, some cries of people who went as far as to jump, and the splashing sounds were all quite disconcerting. Then came the rocking of the ship as Simon had to place one hand on the inner wall beside him to prevent himself from rolling into it, and then do the same on the other side with his other hand when the vessel shifted, in order to stop himself from rolling onto Annika, his arm outstretched over her. The silk that they were on made it quite difficult to keep himself steady because of how fine and slippery it was.

Soon, the shouting and running came to a stop as it seemed the frenzy on deck was finally over. “Okay, I think it’s over…” he whispered, unable to hear much splashing either for some time, until the both suddenly swayed to one side again and water could be heard once more. This was different though, it wasn’t the sound of shallow splashing as people jumped and ran to shore… no, this sounded like a deeper splash. It sounded like a wave, crashing into the side of the boat, the very side of their crate in this storage area.

The boat was moving.

Simon was completely frozen, a hand on each wall of the crate, his eyes wide and his face completely white. He mumbled something unintelligible beneath his breath as horror befell upon his face, which was now starting to turn from white to green. “It’s … the ship…” he spoke a bit louder.

“THE SHIP IS MOVING!”

---

Simon: d2ce2f

Miguel: ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

Annika did not have the same benefits in size that Simon did when it came to stretching out and securing his position in the silk laden crate. Despite all of his complaints about not wanting to be in a box he did certainly not hesitate to compliment her on her choice of hiding spot once he felt it’s silky smoothness. Her icy frown cracked ever so slightly into a small smile as he did. It was too dark for him to see that though.

How Annika secured her position in the crate was to burrow deep into the silks and make a nest of comfort, yes, she felt the ship rocking and it filled her with unease but at least she was comfortable. “I picked the best hiding spot, if I picked wrong, we would be hiding lying on top of sharp swords and jostling loaded pistols!” She hissed once they had gotten comfortable. “I can feel we’re moving Mr Simon, you don’t have to state the obvious.” Annika grumbled quietly.

Just outside of the crate they could hear the groaning of the men that fell, it seemed they all survived with various levels of debilitating injuries. That, at least wasn’t too bad. Before the fashionista could open her mouth to start saying something else voices could be heard coming down the ladder. “Bloomin’ Great haul Frank! Look at this stuff! So many crates! Chests and the boss even found a bleedin’ Devil Fruit in the Captain’s cabin.” A chipper lad who spoke with a slightly clipped tongue.

“Too right! The police raiding this thing was just perfect! They didn’t expect us to swoop in an’ just kick all their asses. Only one that got hurt was the newbie, Geoff.” A second more refined voice stated before the soft thud of his feet hit the deck by the groaning men who fell. “Let’s get these idiots tossed overboard, like the rest Kal.” Frank noted.

Annika’s eye bulged as she looked over to Simon in the darkness. It looked like they weren’t going to check over the rest of the loot… that was good it kept them safe… but they weren’t being rescued by the police any time soon, that was for sure. “What now?” She barely breathed in the darkness. It was barely audible over the grunts of the poor broken men being carried up the ladder and onto the top deck. “We’re screwed! They have my fruit!” Annika added, her face twisting from a picture of fear to one of great annoyance.

---

Post 14            
Annika: acd1fc 

Captain Bell: 86810a

Dirty Shirt Guy: bebebe

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah Guy:   efff9b

Random Dude:      ffffff

Frank:   a55eff

Kal:  e2e619

[Bobbie]

Simon frowned and was about snap a hissy response back to her, when he heard voices outside their safe little silken cot. His heart raced as he tried his best to keep himself still with the movements of the ship while he listened, all of his attention on their words.

It was clear. When Simon noticed faces and outfits that seemed a little off, it wasn’t his memory playing tricks on him – they did in fact get caught in a three-way skirmish, and it seems the victors now commanded this very ship. What’s more, Annika’s devil fruit was stashed away in the Captain’s cabin, then… quite securely and well-guarded, he figured, as well. Of course, why wouldn’t it be? No way anything could just come easy, could it? No, no, her package just had to be in the most inaccessible spot on the entire vessel! They’ve already technically been kidnapped and had to find a way out, why not add another obstacle to keep things exciting?

When he heard them mention what was to be done with the three men in the hold with them, the dreadful thought of what would happen to them if they were discovered crossed his mind and a loud gulping sound escaped his throat. He wasn’t sure what would be worse, drowning in the salty waters or being eaten alive by this girl in a dire situation, stranded at sea and starving - if they weren't killed first.

Annika’s voice snapped him out of his imaginary scenario of what Hell might be like and he looked in the direction of her voice. It was quite dark and he couldn’t make out details, but he could see a darkened silhouette where the girl lay, nestled in the silk. His fingertips remained pressed against the crate, just in case any sudden jolts happened.

“I don’t know ‘what now’, getting into this crate was your idea! This is insane, we could be out in the middle of nowhere and nobody's coming for us!” he replied in an equally quiet whisper and irritated tone, and then he sighed softly. Her words stung - she was probably just as scared as she was. “No, we’re… we’re not screwed, we just need to be patient. Don't worry, we'll find a way out of this mess.” He continued, as if already having a plan in mind. “We’ll wait for them to take care of those three… people… and then we’ll get out of this box and take it one step at a time. We’re not screwed.” He repeated, aiming to convince himself as much her. One thing was certain – step 1 was getting out of this crate, which couldn’t be done before the men left.

Eventually, the pair would manage to get the three incapacitated bodies out of the storage area and had them thrown overboard just as they said they would. Simon flinched and cringed with each loud splash, envisioning their own bodies meeting the same fate. Once it was clear, the officer raised the lid just a crack to get a look. “Okay, it’s clear. We can get out of here, that’s the first step.” He kept his voice low, just in case anybody could hear them from above, and his eyes fixed on the open trapdoor. He relaxed a little bit when he realised that anybody who approached it would cast a shadow down it, which would serve as fair warning in case they needed to hide again. “Come on, come on.” he reached a hand in to help her out. “We’ll get your devil fruit and find a way out of here, but first…” he paused and made sure she was safely out, before he turned away and slithered to the darkest corner behind some barrels.

“I’m going to be sick.” He uttered, hoping Annika hadn’t followed him to the corner as the stress of the whole situation proved to be too much for the officer. A hand securely on whatever it could grab onto to keep himself steady, he hunched over and was indeed quite sick.

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Simon: d2ce2f

[Kami-Gaz]

The panic attack was cut off before it could really start with Simon replying to her fear and annoyance filled face, she was in way over her head and she knew it. This was not something some rich heiress should be doing… hell most police shouldn’t be in this position! Annika had forced it when she decided to become a hero against corruption, she was going to have to get used to this feeling… the feeling of being so small against this big big world.

Simon’s plan was solid… wait for the splashes of the unfortunate people and then slip out to freedom… from there they needed to be slow and methodical. He was right about being careful, just as she heard the harsh splashes, she could swear she heard one of them scream. She gulped. This was real and they could die if it didn’t go well. If only Fonzie were here! He would break the ship and get the fruit and take them away!

Her thoughts were interrupted when a hand poked in and helped her climb out of the silken nest she had made… good bye safety! “I think there’s a trap door to the captain’s cabin back here!” She whispered before heading away from Simon towards the area she had started to search over before the interruption had gotten in the way. It was a good start!

Then she heard the retching of a man that had let it all go to his stomach… this she did her best to ignore because if she didn’t the anxious knot in her stomach would come undone and she would be losing her breakfast as well, a fate she did not want because these shoes were just to die for and if she got any kind of vomit stains on them there would be hell to pay. Even if it were her own. “It’s okay! We can do this Mr Simon!”

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Post 15            
Annika: acd1fc 

Captain Bell: 86810a

Dirty Shirt Guy: bebebe

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah Guy:   efff9b

Random Dude:      ffffff

Frank:   a55eff

Kal:  e2e619

[Bobbie]

Once Simon got it all out of his system, he actually felt much better and colour was starting to return to his face as he straightened up again. He let out a quick huff of air, before going back to the crate they had been in and pulled out a piece of the glorious silken fabric. The sacrilegious act that ensued next of the officer giving his shoes a quick wipe-down in the soft woven material fit for the gods was one that even he felt ashamed of. It wasn’t that he gave a hoot about his shoes, but he just didn’t fancy walking around with any remnants of his stomach contents on any part of his uniform. Tearing that soiled corner off, he tossed it aside.

“Okay… much better. A trapdoor, you say?” he asked as he walked up to her, in the same area where all of this started. He wanted to urge her to just forget the fruit – it wasn’t worth it. This was all turning out to be quite dangerous, and frankly, rather stupid of the pair. They, of course, knew it was all accidental, but Simon knew how people talked, and when people talked, the truth had a tendency of dropping into the background and stashed away behind a more extravagant make-believe version of events. But then again … they were stuck here anyway, and if there really was a trapdoor to the captain’s cabin as she said, then it shouldn’t be that hard to retrieve it, right? As long as things go smoothly, they should be in and out in no time. It was a simple operation.

Another voice captured Simon’s attention, and he gently grabbed Annika’s arm, his other hand with a raised finger to his lips. “Shh… do you hear that?” he lowered his voice to a quiet whisper as he realised it must be coming from the captain’s quarters. “I think it’s coming from this direction.” Simon paused to listen to what was being said, but could only get a snippet of the conversation through the muffling effect of the walls.

“Aye, cap’n, we’ll get right on it! Gots all we need in them barrels to have a real blast!” a voice said in a cheery tone.

Barrels? Blast? They weren’t planning on blowing up the ship, were they? There certainly were plenty of explosive devices down here, and what would be stored in barrels if not gunpowder or some other destructive piratey thing? His mind raced through the worst possible scenarios so quickly that he completely missed the most harmless and obvious one – kegs often hold beverages. Rum!

The officer let go of her arm and gently started to feel the wooden walls of the storage hold, squeezing in behind some crates that were too heavy to push out. Conveniently, however, there was enough room for one person of average build to fit, almost like a little crawl space – or emergency escape! Eventually, he found one board in the wall that felt loose enough for him to fit his nail in along the edge of it. “This has to be it. We need a plan – no mucking about, this has to be clean. When we nick your devil fruit, we have to be very sneaky and nobody can find out. Get in, get out.” He warned her, despite undoubtedly being the less graceful of the two.

One set of heavy footsteps could be heard leaving the cabin.

The next thing that he couldn’t help but wonder was – then what?

As the cogs were turning in his head, he looked around to try and figure out where, exactly, this possible escape route for the captain could potentially take him, if it really was an emergency escape like he suspected. If this was some kind of safety procedure to keep the captain out of the enemy’s grasp in the case of an overthrow, then it had to lead somewhere, right? Unfortunately, it appeared that all possible routes led right to the ladder that would take them up onto the deck – definitely not a possibility for them right now. By the sound of things, there were a lot of people hustling and bustling up there, busy as bees with something...

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Pirate: #548565
Simon: #d2ce2f