A Dance with Danger [Shinsei]

[Jess]

Let's make some history together, eh~?

“My, my, such a greedy one, aren't you~?” The brow of the blonde lifting as once more it seemed that her host seemed to wish to defy the 'type' he had been given, regardless of which way it seemed to end up even, Samantha could only smile and tilt her head as she teased him on his apparent range of characterization, though did so in a way that seemed to be heavier with amusement at the concept over anything else.
“Though I can't argue with your ambition…” Certainly having no reason to complain about the combination thus far, after all, she licked her lips and curled the corners of her mouth upward as she confirmed her enjoyment of his drive in that regard and showed no shortage of approval for his desire to combine the rough and the smooth together. Though really, with how their evening was going he was only just getting started with all he had to show her, wasn’t he?

“Wow, you really are one just packed with surprises, aren't you~?” Case in point how ably it seemed that Shinsei seemed to take to not only the rowdy atmosphere but also the song and dance which was in mid flow when they broached it, all that Miss Stephens could do was feel her eyes and smile widen as she watched him set to something folksy and noticeably alien to their locale and her own ensemble, but no less delightful for that fact. In truth the woman delighted by what she saw regardless of how it lined up with the culture of the land they found themselves in, all the blonde could do was beam blissfully at the spectacle which she was shown by her scarlet haired suitor, and felt no loss in the fact that they had left the refinement and routine of the rest of the island behind for the sake of this enchanting atmosphere.

“Now… Let's seeee…!” Lunging into the action herself the very moment she was invited because of how the raucous revelry seemed to permeate her very being and awaken something within her soul as a result, even if her own 'routine' wasn't as practiced or polished as that of her prospective paramour, Samantha was more than happy to make up for that fact with her enthusiasm. The skill she had in gymnastics certainly aiding this endeavour as well for that matter, as did her pretty smile as well one might have imagined, though she was a little clusmy at first she certainly found herself guided readily by both the rhythm and the expertise of the man before her, and soon the pair were starting to fall into a syncronicity which might have made them stand out even in this crowd.

“Teeheehee, it's starting to be~” Not that Miss Stephens had all that much time to observe such facts as she found herself entirely too captivated by both the dance and the dashing gentleman with whom she found herself sharing it, as Shinsei questioned how well their deed was seeming to quench her desire for liveliness the lady could only shake her head and smile, then tuck her bangs behind her ears as she continued with reckless abandon. With an emphasis on the former, in fact.
“The night's only just getting started, right~?” Able to strut her stuff and having a rollicking good time doing so, all she could do was grin giddily as she began to mop her brow, and hardly even seemed to notice how one of her steps seemed to bring her close to someone carrying a tray of drinks. Too close in fact, given how it caused him to stumble and drop a couple of mugs, sending wetness spilling to the ground unintentionally as she continued on without notice, let alone apology…

	Samantha Stephens	### words
	@tag, Going Native

[Bobbie]

The redheaded cyborg was quite lost in the moment, enjoying his interactions with his fellow dancer as he guided the woman almost perfectly into a dance that she was clearly not familiar with at the beginning, yet she seemed to pick fairly quickly. Her body moved in synchrony with his and the pair soon appeared as practiced professionals in a lounge of amateurs.

While most of his attention was on Samantha, he couldn’t help but notice a few distractions even with the music being played so loudly and the stomping of patrons’ feet causing the entire building to rumble with excitement. One corner housed the arguing bunch, the situation slowly escalating as he could get a glimpse of hands that were raised, but they had thankfully not come to fists yet. Meanwhile, at the counter were many people, men and women alike, who had far too much to drink and were becoming increasingly annoying to those around them, the annoying scoffs almost impossible not to hear, and some people on the dance floor had had enough and were frustratingly in the way as they failed to match up with the tempo of the others occupying this space, resulting in a few shoves here and there between them. 

“Careful-“ Shinsei only caught a glimpse of the server who was carrying the mugs filled with beverages and he tried to catch his blonde companion’s waist to pull her away from them, but the distance between them prevented his arm from reaching. As the mugs crashed to the ground, he gently slipped over to Samantha’s side to swap with her, now being closer to the server than she was so that he could apologise before this became a scene and without interrupting their dance.

“Sorry, buddy.” His head turned away from Samantha for a moment, he slowed down in his movements. Which part of passing across the dance floor with a tray of delicate ceramics seemed like a good idea to you? Although he did not voice that thought, the look on his face was enough to reveal that he may be thinking something along those lines.

Before the server could even reply – and their reply was certainly not going to be a favourable one, judging by the expression on their face, tossed in Shinsei’s direction and then Samantha’s – a scream filled the air, following by the sound of more glass shattering.

Then the bar was in chaos.

It seemed that the mugs crashing to the ground was enough to cause panic among the drinkers who were in the middle of a disagreement as one of them mistook the sound for an initiating blow and was quick to react with a punch to the jaw of an innocent bystander. To that, a friend nearby the innocent victim grabbed a jug of ale and threw it toward the initial attacker in retaliation. As with all bar fights, of course, many people seemed to get involved quite unnecessarily and simply began throwing punches in all directions because that seems to be what is usually done in bar fights, regardless of who started it. “Oh boy, here comes the fun…” Shinsei grumbled beneath his breath in an attempt to pull Samantha to a halt in his arms.

“Oi, you. Gimme some beer!” a pirate who wore a black and beige bandana had stepped up onto the counter, demanding more drinks for himself and his companions, then let out a deafeningly shrill whistle and a signal to the musicians to change up the tune to something more fast-paced to suit the situation.

Shinsei looked toward the door, wanting nothing more than to leave at this point, but it seemed he wasn’t the only one with that idea. . A patron with a matching headscarf to the man who stood atop the counter stood in front of the door to block its path and prevent anyone from leaving. “The Rider’s Tavern is now Pirate Riker’s Tavern!” he announced, followed by a mixed response from the crowd. Some were scared, a few others raised their glasses with a loud cheer, and many were too drunk to understand what was happening and simply joined in with the cheers. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell who initiated the cry of support amidst the chaos and was therefore allied to this supposed ‘Pirate Riker’, presumably the man in charge who raised himself above the crowd on the furniture. With a deep frown, Shinsei scanned the crowd to look for anyone who wore a bandana. 

Maybe I am a cursed man after all - doomed to never ever get the easy way out of any situation, with or without a pretty lady on my arm...

He didn’t need to look very hard, however, as a third bandana-donning pirate with a wicked smile that bore very few teeth soon grabbed Samantha’s arm and yanked it. “Let’s dance, poppet!”

---

Shinsei: #ba0303
Pirate Riker: #cfbc81
Pirate 2: #9d81cf
Pirate 3: #548565

[Jess]

Let's make some history together, eh~?

“W-Wha…?” It seeming that everything went to hell in a handbasket so fast that even the usually smart minded and smart mouthed Samantha was left batting her lashes in astonishment at what followed, the fair femme found herself confused by the sudden change which her companion seemed to show because of her unknown misstep, and only seemed to begin to realize the carnage which she had created when she heard the sound of the tray clattering to the ground nearby. Which was quite the fright really, i can tell you.
“Oh goodness, I didn't even…” Stunned by the impact for a second and quickly sensing the odd sense of tension which seized the air because of it, all fun and frivolity seemed to crash to a sudden halt as if a needle had suddenly scraped vinyl in the middle of a track, and while this was definitely disappointing given how much she had been enjoying the dance the clumsy coquette immediately set to sorting the situation out.

“Here let me, I'll get-” Dipping forward and bending her waist and knees as she began to deftly nab the larger and nastier shards which had been created betwixt the meeting of glassware and the unyielding ground, she looked around to see who had lost their drink because of her accidental act, and begins to offer to buy another round for whomever the remnants belonged to, at least before the idiot jumped upon the bar and started to shout like a man possessed.
Pirate… Riker? Who on earth. Tilting her head at the name which he seemed to wish to espouse with such a sense of grandeur and apparent entitlement as well, the clueless Miss Stephens could only stand back up to look toward Shinsei in order to ask about the name because of her ignorance, and didn’t even notice the hand reaching for her arm until it's too late because of that. Which was less than pleasant really.

“G-Gosh!” Stumbling to the side because of the sudden shift in her inertia as the fool seemed to try to drag her away from her 'date', clearly he was underestimating the woman in a kimono in how she would react when she squared her stance a couple of steps later and drew her hand back, then felt little issue swipes at the fool with the full force which her palm could provide.
“Keep your hands to yourself!” Not exactly superhuman in terms of pure brawn but still able to conjure a crisp crack as she caught the idiot around the chops, the blow of the blonde carried with enough 'spice' to smack the taste right out of his mouth and then some, and when she was done Samantha claps her hands on her hips as the room seems stunned by her act. The sheer audacity! To clip the wings of one of the men of 'Pirate Riker', and think she would get away with that afterward?

	Samantha Stephens	### words
	@tag, Going Native

[Bobbie]

As the tavern was overrun by only three pirates, the scene was flung into chaos and many people panicked while others took advantage of the situation to join the villainous goal of stealing some party-goers’ ladies, pulling them into dances and pushing their partners aside.

That very same act that this filthy toothless pirate had just done to Shinsei.

Still somewhat stunned by how suddenly the jovial atmosphere shifted, the man who had previously fulfilled the task of keeping this gorgeous vixen occupied for the night failed to catch her by the arm and prevent her from being snatched away. That didn’t matter, however, as he soon found out - this brazen blonde was perfectly capable of getting herself out of such a situation, as a loud clap rang through the air when her palm collided with the dirty bearded man’s face.

Shinsei raised his eyebrows, getting another indication of what kind of lady he was dealing with, and was all the more intrigued by it. A lady with spunk... that must have hurt.

The man on the receiver’s end did not find this very amusing, and it seemed neither did most people in the crowd, as even the musicians stopped playing their music and all commotion stopped to a standstill. Clearly, the trio was not used to such resistance from anyone, let alone a woman. The blow was enough to get the man to let go of Samantha’s arm, it also warranted a very angry glare from him and his companion, who was now beginning to move away from the door to approach the bold lady.

Before he reached the woman, however, her own companion also had a reaction to share, as Shinsei broke the silence that stifled the air and started laughing.

“You find this funny, do ya?” the man with a swollen cheek now glared at Shinsei.

Shinsei didn’t reply and simply continued to laugh, seeming to find it impossible to contain his laughter. What are the odds that tonight, of all nights, this so-called Pirate Riker and his gang, no more than a miserly trio, come to the bar that I happen to be at? I didn't even want to come here in the first place! Of course, what started off as a perfectly beautiful and seemingly gentle woman turns out to be nothing short of a feisty tiger, her claws ready to sink into any man who dared impose on her. Shinsei couldn't help but find the humour in a situation that he could have easily predicted, despite initially stating he wanted no part of.

“What’s wrong with you eh?” the second pirate approached, equally irritated and confused, as this was no laughing matter. Things only got more serious when Riker himself hopped off the counter and the crowd parted like the sea for him to walk through until he was very close to Shinsei's face.

“Do you know who I am? I am Pirate-“

“Pirate Riker, yes.” He managed to stop laughing long enough to say that and then he sighed. “No clue if that’s supposed to mean anything to anyone here, but… yes, your buddy announced it.” as he finished his statement, he wasted no time and promptly wound his arm before he threw his fist forward into a wild punch at Riker. As Shinsei’s fist went through the air, the area would light up as a flame ignited on his ring, spreading across his knuckles until they collided with the face – of the original pirate who had been struck by Samantha, once Riker himself ducked to dodge the attack. The fire was snuffed out shortly after.

“Alright, now they match!” he joked, seeing that he struck the nomad’s other cheek for it to grow equally red as the other one. The redhead's manner certainly was a contradiction as he seemed to come to life at the prospect of a serious altercation in the bar. “I don’t think you can keep up with the lady in a dance, poppet, but you can always try with me.” He continued to make light of the situation, yet, while his intention was clearly to protect Samantha from these thugs, he made no chivalrous move to step in front of her and be a wall for her to hide behind, as she clearly needed no protector. Regardless of whether his woman needed protecting or not, these three were killing the mood in this bar and ruining his plans of having a good time with this fine lass.

For a man who claimed to prefer staying out of trouble, he certainly was prepared for it. The three pirates, on the other hand, one of them scrambling on the floor and patting his burning cheek, less so.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

Pirate Riker: #cfbc81

Pirate 2: #9d81cf

Pirate 3: #548565

[Jess]

Let's make some history together, eh~?

Looks like things could get nasty… Looking over the crowd and feeling the tension build because of her slap, though undaunted by the thug and his cronies none the less she feels a little guilty for ruining the atmosphere for the more honest patrons here, though even then she finds her hand drifting toward the pistol she has tucked into her robe all the same. After all, she has no idea which way this is going to go, with cutthroats involved.
Well, at least someone is having fun~? Some of those pangs and the feeling of anxiety seeming to be washed away however by the way her cohort seems to cackle at her deed all the same, Samantha shook her head and sighed at the levity which was provided by her partner as she found that chuckle melting her nerves a little, and found herself relaxing enough that she could stay her hand, for the time being at least. Remy would have to wait, wouldn't he?

“You'll have to forgive us, darling, we're new in town…” Shrugging it out as Shinsei dismisses the name of the pirate who frankly she had never heard of and had no mind to remember anyway, she steps in to support her new beau in light of the way that she seemed one of the few people even in this rowdy locale with the courage and confidence to stand up to these crooks, and laid a reassuring hand upon his shoulder as she explained away their ignorance while also making sure that they knew she wasn't intimidated by them either.
“And well, one can't be expected to remember every Tom, Dick and Riker who picks up a bread knife and calls himself a pirate~?” Very much of the mind-set that the only thing which allowed evil to rule the world was the inactivity of good people, though impish however in how she expressed her belief perhaps, Miss Stephens couldn't help but put the boot in a little as she denounces the importance of the declaration, even if she knew that it's likely to land them in more trouble with these boisterous bodies.

“Pft. Terribly generous of you, my love~!” Ultimately sensing there would be no way bull headed ruffians like these would back down without a good reason to do so, Samantha gasped as her comrade in charms swatted the meaty fellow who had tried to haul her away on the other cheek as he raised a complaint about his treatment, and stifles a chuckle at the act before shaking her head and smiling toward her red rogue gleefully.
“What's say we show them how to behave around a lady, hm~?” By this stage sure that things were likely to get worse before they got better but glad to at least have one person on her side when they did, the blonde was happy to step in behind him in order to cover his back for the fight to coming and readied herself for the next 'dance' by loosening the sash around her waist to free up her movement a little more. Though, lucky for her, she guessed she might know the steps to this one a little better than their folksy foray, given how usually she ate pirates like this for breakfast…

	Samantha Stephens	### words
	@tag, Going Native

[Bobbie]

As his blonde company chimed in, her words uttered matched up perfectly with Shinsei’s own thoughts. Her final question, an invitation perhaps to a dance a lot deadlier than their last one, brought a smile to the redhead’s face. “With pleasure, sweetheart.” he replied, a wave of reassurance washing over him as she stepped behind him to make an excellent duo in this brawl.

Pirate Riker was less enthused by the situation and not the least bit amused. It was clear, however, that the option of backing down has now long been missed. His expression of pure annoyance then changed as he eyed the cyborg down and grinned. “And just how, exactly, do you plan to do that, tough guy?” he asked, before drawing a sword from its sheathe that had been hanging on his belt. “I don’t see any weapons on you. You may have all the charm with this lady, but it looks like you ain’t got much more than that if you plan to come to a swordfight with nothin’ but yer bare fists.”

With that, he nudged his two men with an elbow each and they circled round them to get to Samantha’s side. Chuckling, they each drew their weapons and began to taunt Samantha. One of the pair had a large hook, which he quickly used to try and catch the lady's arm and pull her towards him.

“Time to show them that nobody disrespects Riker’s Crew and gets away with it, boys.” as he gave the command for his men to make a move, Riker himself pounced at Shinsei, swiping his bladed weapon viciously.

Riker was correct to state that Shinsei was unarmed, and possibly at a disadvantage. However,  it would be wrong to assume he should rely on one. Swiftly, he jumped into the air to dodge the first attack, then ducked below the second one that Riker aimed higher in an attempt to counter his previous maneouvre. Although he didn’t seem particularly skilled in combat, the pirate moved quickly. With the third slash, Riker came in close to the man clad in red, appearing to strike from above, but cleverly lowered his blade in a split second before reaching Shinsei and jabbed toward the cyborg’s stomach.

With a choked wince, Shinsei flinched, the point of the blade piercing his skin at his stomach and Riker assuming he’d taken care of this pest, a smug grin growing on his face. Then, feeling a pressure on his own hand, he frowned. “What?” he growled, trying to pull at his weapon to retrieve it from his opponent’s abdomen, but he quickly found that not only had the wound he’d inflicted not been as deep as he thought, but Shinsei had his hand firmly wrapped around Riker’s at the hilt, keeping him from making any distance between them.

“What an honour, the mighty pirate Riker getting so close and personal with me!” he joked before he raised one foot and stomped it as hard as he could onto Riker’s left one, eliciting a cry. “You know, I did offer to dance with your buddies, all you had to do was ask.”

With a sudden and aggressive shove to the man’s chest, Riker was flung backward, allowing the sword to be pulled away from his stomach, while his grip only tightened on the pirate’s hand. While his hand, clasped securely around Riker’s, kept in an unbalanced limbo state where he would be at the mercy of gravity if he just let go, Shinsei’s foot which was pressed onto the pirate’s prevented him from getting himself out of this predicament.

“What are you doing!?” Riker spat and flailed, his other arm trying to reach Shinsei, unsuccessfully, until his growls of rage soon turned into child-like screaming when Shinsei’s ring began to heat up to impossible temperatures, burning into Riker’s knuckles. “Let go! Let go!” he wailed, “That’s my ukelele hand!”

Ignoring his pleas for now, he turned his head to see how Samantha was doing up against the two lesser goons.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

Riker: #cfbc81

[Jess]

Let's make some history together, eh~?

“My, my, you boys are making a whole lot of assumptions, aren’t you~?” This time a little more prepared for the attempt of her adversaries to steal her away and a little happier to go with the flow so to speak, Samantha simply followed the inertia as that hook tugged her toward one of those wicked figures, and smirked as she used her free hand to reach into that robe once more with every intent of using what she had hidden there to the fullest extent.
“You think a woman would walk into a place like this without some protection~?” Initially intent on being merciful with these mooks until they opted to pull out their weaponry and now perhaps a little consumed by both irritation and a desire to highlight their inadequacies because of this, all it took was a flick of her wrist as she fell toward the fool and beneath her guard for the fair fox to reveal that they weren't the only ones who had the good sense to bring a little protection, which she might just have gloated over with a gunpoint pressed into his throat. after all, at this range gun beat hook, didn't it?

“Remy~” Mindful of the friend of her foe and the sword he had in hand and guessing that if she let loose that lead then she would quickly find hot iron in her back, instead of simply making a rather gory mess for the bar staff here the blonde instead opted to awaken the weapon she had in her grasp, and so spoke with soft and almost serene tones as she called to the animal inside the armament in order to enlist his aid.
“Show him what happens to people who threaten mama~?” Releasing her grasp by the devilish doberman who she had been hiding all this time certainly not doing the same as the barrel of her weapon transformed into a snarling head, rows of fangs seemed only too happy to bear down on the brute as the dog of the damsel lurched forth in a hybrid state of pooch and pistol, and ensured that all attention in the bar would turn to him as miss stephens herself skipped away in order to deal with her second enemy.

“You really shouldn't take your eyes off your enemy~” Evening the odds and more with the introduction of her oh so faithful hellhound and exploiting the distraction that was provided by the almost booming growl he gave to get the better of her next enemy, Samantha exploited both the swiftness with which she had been blessed and the way she had loosened her kimono for her next move, and started by wrapping not one but two hands around the hilt of the fools weapon as she herself tucked tightly and turned.
“Hnuff!” Exploding out of this move in a neat turn as she both aimed to wrench that sword from her attackers grasp and drive her knee into his abdomen, frankly the flaxen femme did not care whether she hit his stomach to drive the air from his lungs or regions lower for greater impact, but ultimately showed that beneath her silk lay steel which would compromise for not motley crew of sea dogs anywhere, least of all these clowns…

	Samantha Stephens	### words
	@tag, Going Native

[Bobbie]

Shinsei turned to look at Samantha just in time to watch her excellent display of taking the upper hand by releasing the hound upon her opponent and he raised his eyebrows. “Doing pretty well there, love, and looking great doing it.” he snickered, as one of her foes was screaming in horror under attack of her guard dog.

Not long after, her second opponent was doubled over, his hands over his stomach as they no longer held his sword - no, they were lower than that. Again, Shinsei grimaced as he watched the pathetic pair fail to match up to the lady in both boldness and technique. “My hand is burning!” Riker continued to scream, only to be ignored by his aggressor.

What the cyborg didn’t realise, however, most of his attention on his blonde accomplice who was expertly ramming her knee into you-know-where, was that the other of her attackers had managed to push through the pressing chomp of Remy and the beast’s weight, forcing it off his arm but not without a deep wound. Eager to impress, this lackey tossed the animal aside before he grabbed a glass jar from a nearby stool and swung it round to smash it into Shinsei’s head and let its contents pour out onto the man.

This prompted him to let go of the squealing Captain Riker at the loud pop of the glass vessel shattering to pieces. Surprised by the blow to the head, Shinsei staggered and grew silent for a moment, before turning to the short man who dared attack him. “That was uncalled for...” he said, before he grinned, “Swap with me, sweet cake.” Confident that Samantha could manage the poor excuse for a captain, he stepped toward the pirate who was trembling in his boots to see the angry cyborg slowly approach in retaliation.

The musicians at the bar, who were just trying to make ends meet with their musical skills looked at each other, as one picked up a violin to play a rowdy tune and another started beating his drums to start a rock’n’roll beat, a third member strumming his guitar. “Hey, you’re banjaxed! Hey, you’re fools!” the singer of the four-man band shouted over the chaos, before being joined by the rest of the musicians, “Your death is coming for you!”

Reaching up to ruffle some bits of glass out of his hair, Shinsei was able to wet his fingers with the alcohol that had come from the bottle, cracked open on his skull. As he lowered his hand, the heat from his ring almost instantaneously ignited the alcohol that now lingered on his hand, a few drops falling to the ground to spread a fire across the drink that was pooling on the wooden floorboards - and from there would promptly escalate as the flames wildly licked at anything that came in its path. The pirate’s eyes widened with immediate regret and he turned to try and run. It would have been the smart thing to do because of the fire alone, yet Shinsei was not done with him yet as he grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. “Where are you going? The party’s just starting.” he yanked the man backwards, causing him to step into the ignited puddle of flammable liquid, “And I believe your drink...” grabbing the man’s trouser leg with his other hand, Shinsei lifted the man off his feet with a heavy groan. Spinning him around a full 360 degrees, he flung the heavy man into the bar counter, “Is served!”

As the man crashed into all the bottles and jars, he wasted no time in getting back up onto his feet, his trousers were on fire. Screaming, he proceeded to run around in circles until he hopped into the wash basin that was stored behind the bar for washing glasses and the like, and let out a soothing ‘Aaaaaah’ as he sat there, seeing stars.


The second Riker was released, he shook his hand in pain and picked up his sword with the other. Assessing the situation, he saw that one man was hunched over, eliciting a wince from the captain as he immediately understood the situation, and the other was just about to face off with the angry red-head. Naturally, he turned to Samantha with a nasty grin. “You may have got past my two boys here, pretty lady, but you’re not getting past me. I’m Pirate Riker!” as he threw his name into the air with such pride, he slashed at the blonde and took a step forward.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

Musician: #81becf

Pirate 2: #548565

Pirate Riker: #cfbc81

[Jess]

Let's make some history together, eh~?

Such brute force…! Drawing the sword of the scoundrel into her grasp as she knocked the wind out of him for a moment, Samantha was spared a moment to look back to the faithful friend she had left behind as her now disarmed detractor stumbled back because of the stiffness of the shot which she sent into his solar plexus and clattered to the ground momentarily, and saw her hellish hound being torn from the grisly grasp he had upon his target's arm by sheer force alone. Which was, admittedly impressive, though less so given the state it seemed to leave his hand in.

“Ouch. All change~?” Whirling the weapon she had liberated in hand as she adjusted to the weight and readied herself for her next round, once more the roguish redhead showed that he was made of sterner stuff than anyone could have expected as a bottle shattered on his head and seemed to stir more irritation than injury, though miss Stephens had been aiming to take care of the grabbier goon she was happy to cede her right to her comrade, and offered up a new challenge to her canine companion as well.
“Looks like this one is yours, Remy!” Waves to Remy to take over where she was since it seemed that Shinsei was intent on handling the bruiser, the vision of the vixen wheeled around to focus upon the apparent 'captain' who had been abandoned in the fight, and seemed to be looking to take advantage of the distraction that his previous partner had fallen victim to. Well, one could hardly blame him for being mad, could they, after being stood up like that?

“Mind if I cut in here~?” For that reason Samantha happy to step in and cut off his swing with her own now borrowed blade as something of a compromise, the sassy siren deflected the weight of the attack away from both herself and the red rogue before and pushing both of their weapons downward, and following up with rather the spicy backhand in order to create some space for them to do this properly.
“I do hope you can keep up!” Fully armed at last and finally able to show her best work because of that fact, while the blonde wasn't blessed with a wealth of strength or whatever manner of apparent superhuman conditioning which was allowing her ally to shrug off these strikes and stabs so readily she did had speed and skill, and showed both as she made the air sing around her with the assault she unleashed, pushing her enemy onto the back foot with pace and poise as she left the boys to their fights and aimed to claim the head of the 'big name' for her own…

	Samantha Stephens	### words
	@tag, Going Native

[Bobbie]

Pirate Riker faced the beauty as he launched an attack on her, but had clearly underestimated her as his slash was easily countered and brushed aside in a clash of metals. “Why you...” he growled, jerking his blade away from her to retrieve back into a defensive position - which was a wise decision, as Samantha unleashed a flurry of swift strikes, her blade whirling through the air at great speed.

The pirate struggled to keep up with her, but he did for the most part, only missing a few of his marks to block her assault. However, it was impossible to switch to an offensive stance with the way she relentlessly kept coming at him and each block sent him one step further back until his body reached the counter. It was at this moment that his buddy was flung over it in a loud crash of bottles and glasses, setting the poor barista’s space ablaze. With a gasp, he scurried away from the perilous fiery situation and circled around for Samantha to have her back to it instead of him and then lunged forward at her in an attempt to scare her into the fire.

Once Shinsei had cleared his hands of one goon, he turned to the second one who was just recovering from Samantha’s previous blow to his prized jewels. Shaking his head, Shinsei walked up to him and chuckled, “You know, if you looked like your legs worked, I’d suggest you ditch your so-called captain, because he doesn’t stand a chance against that gorgeous doll.” He gestured toward the blonde beauty, causing the whimpering man to stupidly take his eyes off his opponent as if in need of confirmation of whom, exactly, Shinsei was referring to.

With a whistle, the redhead grinned, “Quite a sight, isn’t she? But you best improve your listening skills, she’s already had to tell you once...” To the man’s horror, upon whipping his head around to face Shinsei again, he was standing mere inches away. "Wha-"

“You really shouldn’t take your eyes off your enemy.” He echoed her words exactly as she had uttered them, minus the flirtatious inflection that seemed to happen so naturally as she spoke Raising his fist into a fiery uppercut, he launched his target into the air, his route ending as it landed him in the same water basin that his buddy currently sat in with a loud splash, mercifully allowing him to avoid all the fire along the way. Once he was in there, the man didn't have the energy to get back out of the container, leaving both of them lounging in the cold, soothing water as if it was a spa day... or perhaps they were both unconscious.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

Pirate Riker: #cfbc81

Pirate 2: #9d81cf

Pirate 3: #548565

[Jess]

Let's make some history together, eh~?

“I hope going a little fast for you, darling~?” A liar if she tried to say she wasn't enjoying the chance to have the churlish figure who had interrupted her delightful dancing date with his rudeness and need to impress his attitude upon everyone around him, samantha shone with the whites of her teeth as she saw her frenzied and fast flurry of attacks seem to chip away at and begin to overwhelm the guard of the woman who once held himself in such high regard, and was clearly now starting to reconsider that self-approval with how he was allowing a woman in an admittedly pretty gown get the better of him.
Sneaky little…! Forced to do something about that and not something that seemed to be steeped in honour and integrity as he scurried across a countertop in order to strike a woman from behind, the blue eyes of the beauty found surprise as he skirted away from her focus but soon wheeled around fast enough to provide her with at least an opportunity to fend off the assault which followed, but it seemed today that she wouldn't need it.

“Aren't you a dear~?” Cover coming in the form of a canine companion whose semi-shifted body was a little lacking for the swiftness of his full form but far more blessed in the art of defence thanks to the resilient metal shell over the mix of meat and mechanics which made up his anatomy, the lips of the lady curled a little as she found her dearest boy nudging her aside and transforming the slash that followed into only a grazing scrape across the shielding that surrounded him, and left the man who commanded it dumbfounded and ready for a coup de grace.
“Now…” Only ever fighting at half or so capacity by herself and still impressive in that right, with the effort of the captain stalled by such a timely intervention the vixen knew it was her moment to end the fight, and so she moved quickly even more decisively as she kicked off the countertop herself, and then took to the air in such a manner that made her shoulder sweep across the roof of the room they were in.

“Diving…!” Acrobatic as ever and frankly loving the rush of air through her hair for the second she had to enjoy it, all too quickly it was time for the temptress to return to the earth and she did so with both aplomb and efficiency, as well with the harsh edge of the weapon within her fingers leading her descent.
“Falcon!” Carving downward as she used not only her own strength butalso the assistance of momentum and gravity's grasp to add to the impact, even a worn cutlass like this was able to glide through the body of this bold belligerent like it was little more than butter, and guide him to the floor in agony-inflicted unconsciousness as the feet of the fox touched back town on the ground and signalled an end to hostility for all of them…

	Samantha Stephens	### words
	@tag, Going Native

[Bobbie]

As Samantha’s pet lunged in between them to effectively render his assault useless, Pirate Riker growled back at the beast, though nowhere near matching in ferocity as only one of the two was actually terrifying. “Get that mutt out of the way!” He angrily snapped, as if his opponent were breaking some unspoken rule of battle, bringing an animal onto the field.

However, busy whining about their battle conditions, he hardly noticed the lady’s attack coming at him, as his head was turned in search for his buddies or any sort of volunteer to referee their match. Needless to say, there were none.

Turning his attention back to the spot where he had left the woman in his sights before losing her, he found that she was no longer there. A confused look appeared on his face, which soon shifted into one of pure horror as he heard her announce her next move. “Above me!?” Incredulously, he looked up to face her just in time to take the full force of the blow, head-on. As his body smashed to the wooden floorboards, subtle groaning could be heard as he tried to get back up, but it seemed his body barely moved an inch before he fell entirely silent, lost of all his senses.

A loud whistle would soon be heard from behind the lady, coming from the lips of none other than her cyborg companion. “Look. At. You!” he grinned, intrigued by the very nature of this woman and her manner when engaged in combat and otherwise.

His flattery was soon interrupted, however, as a large wooden plaque above the bar creaked and then fell to hang on only one of its supports, its varnish heavily damaged as the flames licked at its edges and slowly grew larger as they fed on the provided fuel. “My bar!” An elderly man who had been in hiding for most of what ensued now emerged, a look of pure devastation on his face as he came to find his family’s pride and joy in shambles and potentially about to go up in flames. “What will I tell my wife?!” He exclaimed in horror before he burst into tears.

Shinsei’s smile had diminished to little more than a twitch at the corner of his mouth, his eyes wide and fixed on the poor man. “Well... sh*t.”

Turning to Samantha once more, he then glanced down at the unconscious Pirate Riker. “If this chap is so well-known in this area, he’s got to be worth something...” he muttered, but as he looked to the owner, he got no response other than wailing as the feeble old man collapsed to his knees.

“Of course he is, he’s the Pirate Riker. I'm sure he has said that half a dozen times, do your ears not work? The least you could do is give the old man his bounty after the two of you destroyed his bar.” It seemed a patron had stuck around long enough to see this until the end, and she now went to the crying man to try and comfort him, mumbling all sorts of promises about refurnishing this place to make it better than it was before with the money that could be cashed in from these pirates’ bounties. With a little glint in the woman’s eye, Shinsei was sure he heard a threat amidst those promises that included reporting them to the local authorities if they didn’t offer up the money for the damages. Surely they both had the appearance and personality to be recognised anywhere. Thankfully, the owner of the bar seemed an honest man and did not follow suit.

With a sigh, Shinsei took out one of his last two cigarettes, lighting it on an open flame, and watched Samantha. He didn’t particularly care for the bounty, however, and was really quite okay with passing it on to him if it would help him get back onto his feet. None of this was a part of his plan, and all he really needed was the money to afford his cigarettes and lodging, which should be covered with the payment he’d soon be receiving for the work he was actually here to do.

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

Pirate Riker: #cfbc81

Owner: #009b99

Patron: #a8bd96

[Jess]

Let's make some history together, eh~?

“What~? Thought I was just a pretty face~?” Unable to supress the way in which her lips seemed to curl upward when shinsei marvelled at what she had achieved, though Miss Stephens tried to play things as cool as a cucumber and not gloat all that much in her victory she certainly enjoyed the awe that she was shown, even if by rights there was enough for all to go around.
“And you're one to talk, did you just walk off getting stabbed back there?” Kicking the weapon of the captain away just to be sure that he wasn't about to ruin this little moment of celebration and then tilting her head as she highlighted the fact that she was not the only one who had impressed tonight, though the heat of the moment had prevented the flaxen fox from commenting or lingering on how her partner had seemed to shrug off mortal wounds ever since the night had begun, now that peace had returned she was only too eager to ask after them and let her curiousity be sated on the reasoning why.

“Easy now, I'm sure we can…?” Seemingly not offered too much time to twirl her blade and pump the air in triumph however when the barman seemed to pop his head out of his hole like a mole and seem to show how aghast he was at the damage that had been done to his furnishings, while Samantha did not defend what she had done she did attempt a little diplomacy on the matter, though given the intervention which occurred next it seemed it was a little unnecessary.
“Oh~? He's worth something, eh?” Perhaps not a fan of the vieled sense of hostility which was shown to her comrade but happy to look past it for the sake of returning peace to the setting, in all honesty it felt surprising to the sapphire eyed siren that the man she had bested was worth much given how readily he had been routed, but then she had to consider the fact that bounties were generally more a mark of belligerence than outright brilliance in battle.

“Works out nicely then, how about this…” Happy to hear that there was a reasonable route toward which everyone could come out of this with a smile on their face, or at least everyone who deserved to, the vision of the vixen narrowed as she entered into a little spot of negotiation on the issue, even if she had no intent of claiming any of the reward for her own.
“We let you take the prize, for repairs, and you give us and everyone else who was just trying to have a nice night a round or two on the house? As a way of saying there's no hard feelings?” Guessing that any decently well-known bounty would have more than enough money to cover a little interior decorating and especially so when one considered the rough and run down state of this back alley locale, Miss Stephens opted to take the high road and offer his fellow patrons a reason to celebrate the victory as well as she tried to nudge the evening back to frivolity, and hopefully with plenty of money from her mark left over by the time tomorrow arrived for this whole affair to be forgotten and their venue to get a nice facelift as well…

	Samantha Stephens	### words
	@tag, Going Native

[Bobbie]

The response from Samantha was not what he expected, though his snicker revealed that Shinsei very much enjoyed the knowledge that he had been in her spotlight, even if for that brief moment, amidst battle. With a light shrug, he raised his shirt to reveal the stab wound in his stomach had not penetrated as deeply as Pirate Riker, and possible even the perceptive lass, had thought. “Thick skin and a hard head gets you a long way,” he joked, though in reality, there was, of course, a lot more to it than that.

He had no problem telling his secret to her gentle ears, but to hers only, and so he refrained from saying more as he let his shirt drop to conceal his stomach again.

The woman’s suggestion was easily taken on board by the patrons whose heads seemed to pop out from all sorts of places at the mention of a free drink - one emerged from behind a knocked over table and then another couple more from behind other pieces of furniture around the room, three stacked upon one another as they came out through the doorway one at a time from the men’s room and another group of a solid seven gossipers from the lady’s lavatory. Much to Shinsei’s surprise, two even popped up from behind the bar counter, dangerously close to the fire.

The musicians, who were the real heroes of this story with their motivational music that continued to play throughout this entire ordeal looked at each other, and then everybody turned their attention to the older man, who was kneeling on the floor.

His sobs had grown silent and his gaze fixed on the unconscious pirate, a glimmer of pain in his eyes. After an encouraging whisper from the woman who had previously lowered herself by his side, his mouth curled into a gentle smile, and then so did hers. As his self-proclaimed spokesperson, she turned to the two destroyers of this bar and nodded.

With that, the musicians didn’t wait a beat. Two deep stomps on their wooden stage chorused through the air as they slammed their feet in synchrony. Then another two, followed by a shrill violin screech. Before the bow reached the end of its arch, a lively guitar tune not unlike the original Irish melody that was playing when Shinsei and Samantha entered was added to the song. A drum beat was soon thrown in and within moments they were all in full swing, patrons flocking to the centre of the bar to go back to dancing, while a few more down to earth individuals got started on putting the fire out.

“There’s just one thing…” the owner rose to his feet and walked toward the redhead and his companion. “I'm afraid... there’s no smoking in here.”

Shinsei stared at the owner, horror plaguing his face as he was taken back to the moment this very eventful night started. The man suddenly burst into laughter, a stout finger pointed at Shinsei’s face and a wide grin with missing teeth appeared on his face, twinkle in his eye as his woes seemed to have been washed away by the promise of wealth - enough to not only refurbish his bar but build it all up again from scratch! “Should’a seen your face!”

In a fit of hearty laughter, he went to the bar to man it himself. "Free round for everyone!"

---

Shinsei: #ba0303

Owner: #009b99

[Jess]

Let's make some history together, eh~?

“Free round includes us, one would assume~?” Tilting her head at the announcement from the figure behind the counter and then looking toward her cohort, Samantha shook her head and arched her brow as she pointed out the opportunity in what she had negotiated, and then watched as happy faces seemed to mob the bar in search of their reward. Or one supposed, in this case, their bribe.

“How about we grab a drink and keep an eye on these fools together, whilst the local branch arrives?” Skirting her way around the broken remains of tables and the like that their little spot of excitement had seemed to create and softening her gaze as she did so, miss stephens nudged the figures of their fallen foes to ensure that they weren't just playing possum, and once she was satisfied that they were at the very least acting the part well enough that they wouldn't be a problem for the moment she began to secure them with whatever she could find at hand.
“They might be down for the count, but it seemed prudent to ensure it's as long as needed?” Stripping away whatever weapons they had left as well as belts and other cords which she could find in order to bind their arms as best she could behind them, the flaxen fox nodded toward the bar as she highlighted the idea that she would still expect him to fetch her a drink from this moment of providence, regardless of the blades he had taken to his belly or bottles to his bonnet.

“So, thick skin and a hard head, hm?” Humming softly until she as done with her 'work' as well and then dragging not one but two of the lesser mangled buttock rests to where she had bound the brutes, Samantha smiled as she welcomed her partner for the evening back with soft eyes and the brightness in her expression, but was quick to poke at the explanation he had given earlier for the near miraculous level of tolerance his form had shown toward the intrusion of foreign bodies.
“The academic in me tends to think there might be a little more at work than that?” Shaking her head when she surveyed the details and sensing that there wasn't enough adding up that she could accept such an innocent answer at face value, the fair femme lifted her brow and tapped the second seat she had acquired as she prodded at the justification, and seemed to expect she would get something a little more convincing in its place now that the moment had calmed a little more…

	Samantha Stephens	### words
	@tag, Going Native