A Tale Of Two Wings: Fired To Greater Heights

[Kami-Gaz]

Another day dawned for the water city of Water7, and people milled on as they would normally. Merchants were setting up shops and stalls all along the water ways, the public had begun traversing the watery roads as the world-famous shipwrights from every company milled into their yards and dry docks. A Seatrain had rolled into the station not long before sunrise and tourists were exploring the island in force ahead of a big day.

A day that was big for many reasons, aside from the new Pipsi-man theatrical event that was to launch this evening a new story was being spun by the people on the streets. On one street corner there were a couple of thugs unconscious with a large lump on each of their heads and their hands all tied to a lamp-post. Above them was a note, detailing their crime of burglary from a store and a signature. “These criminals broke into a jewlery store and attempted to steal its contents. Don’t worry police people I did your job for you. All you need to do is throw them in a cell and throw away the key. Signed Anarch Blue XXXXxxxx.”

That was giving the city a buzz, a vigilante had emerged and was there to keep the streets safe. Some considered it unneeded and that the police were enough. Some considered this vigilante to be worse than the criminals that they were beating up. Truth be told this was not the first incident, over the last month or so some thugs had been left beaten up before but this was the first time a note was left.

Annika Stratonovski was walking by the exact scene now, noticing that each of goons had a police officer around them to take them in. “I wonder if Simon is around…” The young woman spoke… she hadn’t seen him properly in such a long time. They had met and gone to watch some of the Pipsi-man re-runs but she never stuck around after to really talk with the man she considered to be the real reason she was who she was now. He was a great friend and an icon to look up to. She had not paid much attention to the family Spa since she was spending so much time in the gym training with Fonzie… he had been using it hadn’t he?

No matter? The girl adjusted her zipped up letterman jacket and made sure the glove on her left hand was on snuggly. The white with black stripes hood that came from another article of clothing under her jacket was pulled from her head and left to rest against her back. In the last few months her hair cut had changed to crop the back fairly short but keeping her bangs at a massive length. The young woman had also a small blue face tattoo that curved under her left eye to her ear, but that was mostly hidden by her long bangs.

“What’s going on here? Is Officer Rickshaw around?” Annika asked of an officer that was facing away from her. A cold look in her eyes that was matched by the icy blue lipstick that gave her resting bitch face a new colder quality. “I’d love to have a few words with him if he is.” She spoke softly, hoping to the heavens that he was… there was so much to really update him on.

---

Post: 1
Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

Today was indeed a very special day, but it wasn’t so spectacular for everyone. For the officers who had been called out to take the rounded up goons in, it was a tiring one. Some were annoyed to have their work load increased, while others felt ashamed of the fact that somebody else was doing their job better than they were. On the other hand, a few were secretly quite pleased to have a helping hand and see that someone in the community cared about the quality of people roaming the streets and was actually doing something about it.

As the group of officers gathered with mixed feelings about the situation, they were about to head off with the newly arrested villains when a voice seemed to come from behind one of the officers. Hearing Officer Rickshaw being mentioned made the present officer laugh, “Rickshaw, who’s that? Oh, you mean the dumbass who got himself suspended.” He cackled without bothering to turn around, assuming that this was only one of their inside jokes that Simon was the butt of, as usual. “Who would have thought that hanging out with renowned criminals, the Strat-“ his words were soon cut short – though not soon enough – as he began to turn around and saw Annika. The officer was not on visiting basis with the family, so it had been a long time since he’d actually seen a picture of the girl, but there was no denying her Stratonovski status. The blue hair, the impeccable dress-style, and, most of all, the icy stare that came from her blue eyes.

“He, he, uh… he’s…” as all blood drained from the officer’s face, he suddenly found himself fumbling for words. Clearing his throat, he straightened up to greet her more formally – this girl had the potential to ruin a man’s career. “He’s…”

“He’s on personal leave.” Another bored officer shouted over his clipboard.

“Yes, on personal leave. So you can’t talk him. Sorry. He’s not here.” The fragmented nature of this man’s speech was enough to attract his buddy’s gaze off the clipboard, then followed by a sigh.

---

As for Simon, any day was to be considered a special day, as any day could be the day he’d be reinstated and allowed to work again! It was an optimistic mentality that kept the man going – and smiling - but he had been suspended for associating with criminals and accepting bribery from the family over a month ago and it seemed that the higher-ups hadn't come to a final decision yet. Left hanging in limbo, being optimistic was his only option.

Until then, however, Simon required other distractions and frequently went out for walks. He had been following the reports of a vigilante, but nobody seemed to know who it was, and since no note had previously been left, there was no way of identifying who this mysterious person could be, although some part of him had the slightest suspicion of who might want to fill those very large shoes of a super hero. Either way, he thought it would be best not to get involved. The biggest issue for him at this point was what to busy himself with.

While out on one of his walks, dressed in plain clothes as he was not allowed to be in uniform while on suspension and his pistol securely at home, his sunglasses were his greatest companion, dulling the sun’s bright rays that bounced off the pier where his legs seemed to involuntarily take him, simply out of habit. With a heavy sigh, he peeled away from the dock and forced himself to move inland to take in more of the city. Surely, there’s more to life than work, and the thought had him wondering what Annika might be doing right now, or even Miguel, who had also been suspended as Simon’s supervisor for failing to keep track of him.

"I wonder if I'll find her at the theatre for that new Pipsi-man event launch... maybe she's camping it out. Miguel's probably 'shooting hoops' at -" like a deer in headlights, Simon suddenly grew tense, his shoulders raised, and he froze in surprise as people pushed past him in a huge rush to get to where all the excitement was - the vigilante has struck again!

Curious, the man casually followed the crowd.

---

Fumbling Officer: #3838ff

Bored Officer: #ff3838

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Kami-Gaz]

A frown grew on the icy blue lips of Annika, she was hearing everything that was being said in a cruel joke. Typical, Simon was too good at his job and because he had made them all look bad for rescuing her and accepting the personal reward from herself and her father he was suspended. This was just more proof in her mind that the police force on water 7 was utterly corrupt, rotten to the core. When a good man is punished for just doing his civic duty and not going with the flow like these guys had.

Her eyes were laser focused and glaring daggers of ice between the now stammering officer as his friend called over a save. Was he really on a personal leave? Was that a cover? Was this one just joking as if he was messing around with the other officers who treat Simon like Miguel did? Either way it was still fuel to the icy fire in her heart that this city needed truly cleaning up. The Galley-La company dealt with the major issues around their shipyards, which lead the police to be complacent.

“I’ll be having words, if he has been suspended for doing good work in rescuing me a few months ago then I will not stop until he is back patrolling the street.” She looked over to the slowly waking up crooks that had been deposited with the note. They were being roused before being dragged away to the station.

“He’s far better than all of you. If he was not hindered from doing his work and you guys stopped bullying the actual good cops, then you wouldn’t need this Anarchy Blue to clean up the city for you!” Annika hissed, causing some of the near by bystanders who had recognised her to gasp and start to whisper amongst themselves. Annika Stratonovski knew how to cause a scene, and today was no exception to that rule. With a huff she spun around, and the still long bangs whipped around with her and brushed the stammering officer as she left, walking through the crowd that was practically parting for her and her dangerous aura.

Then she saw Simon on the approach in his civilian clothes and a bright smile donned her icy blue lips. “Simon!” She called before rushing over, picking the man up in a great big hug and spinning him around… Her training with Fonzie had been paying off wonderfully.

---

Post: 2
Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

The officer was visibly uncomfortable in the dangerous girl’s presence, and he could do nothing but nod in fear as her icy stare penetrated right through his very core.

“Y-Yes, well…” he continued to stammer, “Like the other Officer Sosa- Uh, Officer…” his entire body went cold as he now had two people glaring at him – Annika for badmouthing her friend and the bored officer who has now perked up as his companion revealed his name to the girl. The poor man looked like he could faint on the spot as sweat dripped down his face. “I-I mean… like he said - we said - he’s on personal leave.” He repeated the lie for what it was worth.

As the girl scolded him and essentially everyone on the police force of Water 7 for being inadequate in comparison to a man who somehow single-handedly brought her back to safety with barely anything more than a scratch and a light dusting of hypothermia, he lowered his head as he just might be crying. “Y-Yes ma’am.”

Her bangs slapping into his face as she spun around was the final blow to crush the man’s dignity.

Following her departure, Officer Sosa was the next one to scold him for being an idiot.

Simon first heard his name being called and for a moment, his head whipped around like a turkey, trying to find the source of his caller – then he spotted the blue hair and a huge grin cracked face open.

“Annika!” he replied with a laugh, making his way toward her, but before he could greet her properly, he was suddenly picked up and spun around. Shocked, a soft ‘oh’ escaped him as the man flopped around in the girl’s arms like a ragdoll. Once his feet touched the ground once again, he laughed again, “Wow! You have become very strong!” he said, as if he himself would weigh a tonne – but if one were being honest, his timid frame must not weigh very much… nevertheless, still impressive to be lifted so effortlessly!

“How have you been?” he asked, before glancing toward the spot where the goons had previously been deposited and were now no longer there. He then brought a hand up to the corner of his mouth to whisper to her and her alone, “You been busy?” he raised an eyebrow that shot up higher than the rim of his sunglasses as he placed his hands on his hips. “I love the new haircut, it’s ridiculous how much that suits you.” His hands lowered and his head tilted as his body eased up entirely in a matter of seconds. “Also the tattoo… does your mother know about that?” His eyes narrowed behind the reflective lenses that shielded the delicate man's delicate eyes from the sun's rays, as he spoke in a caring tone, but didn't dwell on it too much. Perhaps he had already been too involved with the family in general, yet he simply couldn't resist! They were such lovely people, and he adored Annika.

"Hey, I was thinking of going to the local courtyard to watch Miguel play a few games, want to join? The kids draw out the lines of the thing and there are some nets hung on either side, kind of makeshift basketball area. He says he's really good, but I never got to see it for myself so..." he paused and shrugged, "Now that I've got a bit of free time on my hands..."

---

Fumbling officer: #3838ff

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Kami-Gaz]

With his compliment to her strength a very rare thing emanated from the heiress’s throat, something that nearly never appeared along side her smile. A soft giggle, an alien sound that many people on Water7 would pay very good money to hear. A sound so pure that it could heal the dying. She was strong now wasn’t she?

“I’ve been really good Simon!” She replied, as he leaned in close. She had been busy last night. These goons here, a mugging stopped a couple streets over and some despicable old man trying to sell some kids something they should never have. All dealt with last night after her training. It was evident there were bags under her eyes covered by a gentle application of makeup. A simple nod was the reply to her close friend.

The tattoo, he brushed her gloved hand over it and nodded, pulling the sleeve on her jacket back and then opening her jacket to show that in face was a wavey style tattoo that covered practically the entire left side of her body and in the shade provided by the clothes it was under had a faint glow from luminescent ink. “She knows!” Annika spoke before shifting her clothes back to how they were and zipping up her jacket to hide the sleeveless top she was wearing underneath.

A frown plastered her face at the mention Miguel, he was in her mind the main reason Simon had been put in this situation. It was policemen like him that gave Simon a bad name. “I don’t mind going to see that pompous butt get beat.” She spoke, that cold air she was known for slicing right through the warm spring breeze she had just given. “Lead the way Simon, let the police process someone else’s good deed.” She spoke, raising her voice loud enough for those that could hear to hear the insult. Simon was too good to be with these people.

As they walked she looked over to the man. “My Daddy is always looking for good people to be guards, im sure Fonzie can help train you and you will be good!” Annika spoke, not out of malice to her friend but genuine care and wanting him to be in a job that would appreciate him for his skills. “If you don’t want to do that, I can bend Daddy’s ear and you can set up a private detective service!” Annika spoke excitedly, already behind the idea. “Simon Rickshaw, Private Eye. I love it.”

---

Post: 3
Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

Hearing the rare sound of the girl giggle brought an even wider smile to the suspended officer’s face. Of course, he knew Annika well enough by now to realise that such an occurrence was reserved for very specific people in her life and he felt it an honour to fall into that category as well as to be able to make the girl glow like that.

As she let him know how good she’s been the past few months, he nodded, quite satisfied to hear she was doing well, and keeping busy in such a proactive way. He felt proud of her as if she were a niece of his own, or cousin, or some other familial tie. Despite not knowing her for too long, a certain maturity grew in her and he could see it. Then came the display of all those tattoos on her body and his nose scrunched ever so slightly, his sunglasses being pushed up a little higher. It wasn’t that he disliked tattoos or disapproved of them, he saw nothing wrong with ink on skin… but boy did they look painful.

“That’s… that’s a lot. Very nice, but didn’t it hurt to get all of that?” he asked in a bit of awe – but then again, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the slowly growing smile on his face to replace his frown revealed the direction in which his thoughts were going. Annika never really did shy away from adventure, and a bit of pain from a couple needles, repeatedly stabbing into her skin to cause such a permanent mark was no match for the brave Anarchy Blue! “It looks very good though, I think the pattern suits you.” He finally nodded.

Then he watched her own face twist into a frown and he let out a loud laugh at her first comment to reveal the cause for such a look of disdain to tarnish the girl’s pretty features. “Oh, don’t get your hopes up… I hear he used to make it into the top ranks before he joined the force. He must have been quite young then, so it would have been pretty impressive at that age.” He explained as he began to lead the way. “I haven’t seen it for myself though, so I’m excited to watch a game.” He offered a genuine smile as the man somehow succeeds at steering clear of the anger most people would hold toward their own antagonist, one such as Miguel, especially, who has no problems flaunting the power he holds over others.

For a moment as they walked, he seemed to consider Annika’s proposal, quite drawn in to the idea. He soon grinned and chuckled, “Simon Rickshaw, Private Eye, huh? Sounds catchy, I like it!” he exclaimed, but then he gently shook his head, “Thank you, but I’m sure all of this will blow over soon enough.” Unaware of the lie that was told to Annika by the other officers on the scene, he continued to reveal more of the truth, “Miguel and I will both be reinstated and everything will go back to the way things were. I quite enjoy my job…” his tone took on a subtle and uncharacteristic shift as there was a hint of sadness hidden beneath layers of his happy-go-lucky attitude. He did enjoy his job, but what if he was wrong? What if they wouldn’t be reinstated? What if this really was the end of his career? With a gentle sigh he dispelled such defeatist thoughts and chose to remain positive. However… if things did take such a sour turn, it would be nice to work with Annika and her family. Not for a second, could Simon believe that any one of them was anything close to a criminal. They were too nice.

“In that case, I would need a lot of training just to keep up with you though, wouldn’t I?” he laughed as they were approaching a basketball court, drawn out on the stone in chalk.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

[Kami-Gaz]

With the advent of Simon asking if it hurt, she nodded with a proud smirk, he was right it hurt a hell of a lot but it was something she and Fonzie had worked out together. It was the final step of her training, to know only a slither of the pain she could be enduring and not shed a single tear when getting it done. He said to her there was always going to be a fight to push her to her limits and if she can endure the pain of this tattoo then she can endure anything. She had picked the design herself.

Then Simon said the magic words that made Annika go cold, her eyes from fresh pools of crystal water to icy daggers that stared right through him as she heard what he said. She knew he wasn’t getting his job back; she could just tell. The way the spoke about how he was involved with her family and the words they said. Not long into her training her father sat her down and told the girl the long and hard truth about the family business. They skirted the rules to help those that needed it most, people who fought a corrupt world government. People branded as pirates for following their dreams to explore. He hired those who gave that life up to give them a chance at a more normal life. And to do the good in the world he believed they were doing they had to deal with dodgy people to facilitate it… that is where their besmirched name came from.

“Simon…” She spoke, coolly. “I heard what those officers said about you… it wasn’t nice. I think they are going to fire you and Miguel.” She said, fighting back the sadness inside as she walked up beside him and took his hand into her own as they walked. She blamed herself of course, how as she to know that the police were so against her family. Corrupt from within by a criminal who had a vendetta against Oleg for not bowing down to him and paying his criminal Tithes. “If fleur finds out she will be pi~ssed.” She spoke as a joke to alleviate the tension; she had spoken to the foxy quarter mink about Simon and his invention request. She was genuinely impressed with him, she only met him the once and considered him a true man and a friend.

“I think Fleur can make more gadgets to help you keep up with me Simon.” She spoke again twisting on her heels to stick her tongue out before letting go of his hand and running forward to find a good place to stand and watch… which was not going well due to her short stature.

---

Post: 4
Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

As Simon walked with her, he realised her silence and it made him uneasy. Her silence was a response to something that he said, and that could only mean one thing – she knew something about the employment situation that he didn’t. The words that came out of her mouth next were cold and chilling, more than usual, as she confirmed it. Simon was usually unaffected by the iciness in her demeanour, but this time was different. He could feel it to his core.

He took a deep breath to remain composed, a smile appearing on his face despite the severity of the situation as the girl took hold of his hand and walked with him. The bond that they had formed together was unexpected, but he wouldn’t exchange it for anything in the world – even his job. Former job…

“I’m sure it will be fine. They can’t fire us over something like this, I was doing my job to serve and protect, whether your family is mixed up in a tricky business or not, and Miguel was… well, I don’t what Miguel was doing, but he wasn’t even a part of it, so he shouldn’t get any backlash for it either.” He said, although that was clearly untrue, as the ‘backlash’, as simply as he put it, had already started. They were both suspended. “They certainly can’t fire Miguel, that’s for sure. He’s been in the force for a very long time and he has connections to the chief- oh… no, wait, that was the old chief who has retired now.” He explained, unintentionally highlighting the very realistic possibility of them both losing their jobs. For a moment, his thoughts wandered to a very dangerous place, as he simply couldn’t imagine himself doing anything else, really, even if the possibility of being a Private Eye was on the table.

Annika’s next comment snapped him back as she mentioned Fleur and he relaxed just enough to let out a chuckle. “Oh, I have seen Fleur get quite angry, they wouldn’t like that. Did she tell you about the time I accidentally grabbed her tail?” he asked as his little chuckle became a sheepish cackle. “It was an accident!” All of the man’s focus was now on their discussion, avoiding the sad reality that his career was about to be officially over very soon. “Okay, okay, more gadgets would be helpful – but no more impact shell thingies to make me fly, and no more chocolate!” he shouted as he watched her run ahead.

The closer to the court Annika would get, lines chalked out on the ground, the louder the cheering, and a few dismissive boo’s, would become. The game was intense, and although there were only three supporters for each side, they were riled up enough to create quite the ruckus, some players also joining in and calling to their team members or dissing their opponents, shouting across the drawn out court. Currently, the ball was in the hands of a tall man with short-trimmed dark blue hair and tanned complexion, hunched slightly as it was expertly dribbled and bounced from one hand to the other; whether this was to frustrate or confuse the enemy, it succeeded at doing both.

“Just get it from’im, yeah!?” a passionate support shouted, quite angrily at their team's passive defender, “Do sommet!”

Hearing an enemy supporter get impatient, Miguel snickered, locking eyes with the one player who was currently standing in front of him and desperately trying to block him, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. “Come on, man…” if Miguel moved to the left, he moved to the left, and if Miguel moved to the right, he moved to the right. While the former’s movements were swift and flowing, however, the latter was jittery and on edge, his joints seeming to be struggling to keep up with the tension in the air. Miguel almost felt sorry for him, this dude was so tense it was no wonder he didn't stand a chance.

With a sudden jerk in the defender’s direction and a huff of air, Miguel's opponent also jerked back, allowing Miguel to sweep right past him, leap into the air, and skilfully throw the ball right into the net before raising his hands to an uproar, some in delight, others in anger. “Go Mickey!” One person shouted as Miguel was treated like a hero, running to him to slap hands, pat him on the back and congratulate him for winning the game.

“See? He’s pretty good. I guess this really is his element…” Simon said, now standing beside Annika, having watched his former supervisor score. He took a deep breath and smiled widely as Miguel looked over and spotted them, but his words communicated something other than the warm welcome his face displayed. “I think he will actually kill me if he gets fired.”

“What are you doing here?” Miguel approached the two, looking quite different as he was out of uniform, casually dressed in a loose pair of dark three-quarter length trousers and a grey fitted vest. He pulled up the front of the vest, the fabric elastic enough to reach and wipe sweat off his face as he walked, revealing a muscular abdomen beneath which was not done justice by his police uniform. “Did you see the look on that guy’s face?” he sneered, basketball being an easier game to him than most – and it seemed his mood also reflected his love for the sport. Then his attention left smiling Simon, a little unnerved by the size of that grin, and he glanced at Annika with a hint of confusion and anticipation of another verbal assault about his outfit to spew out of her mouth.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

Miguel: #ffdfb2

Defender: #b5fdf3

Enemy supporter: #d9fdb5

Supporter: #fdb5dd

[Kami-Gaz]

As Annika got to the court she managed to work her way forward and stand to watch the goings on… that was where the icy air she had formed during the talk with Simon about his potential dismissal for unfair reasons thawed into a summer breeze. The passion, the teamwork… Everything was amazing! And all of them were looking good in their sports clothes, even Miguel. With a slight bit of colour to her cheek when the thought of actually finding him attractive in his current attire hit her, she looked up to Simon with a pout.

“No fair!” She spoke quietly. “How am I meant to hate him when he looks cute in that?!” She asked before looking back to see the man approaching and the flush grew before she let out a huff at his addressing of them. She didn’t know how to process Miguel not being in his gawdy and over jewelled police uniform.

“Yeah, that guy looked stupid.” She muttered quietly to agree with the man, looking to the side to hide the tattoo that creeped up from around her neck and onto her cheek just below her eye. Almost as if him seeing it and potentially putting it together with her training to be strong was an embarrassment. The mind of a young woman was always an oddity, even to its owner.

“Simon wanted to see if you would come and get dinner and watch Pipsi-man with us.” She blabbed out, knowing full well her friend had said no such thing, but the awkwardness and embarrassment at seeing this man who was far to old for her look this good was throwing her thought process through a loop. “You suit not being in a uniform, Miguel. You look happy and good like this!” She said as a weird back handed compliment, she had to tell the truth at least in this regard. She was still an authority on fashion after all.

---

Post: 5
Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

“Hm?” Simon looked at Annika with raised eyebrows, about to ask what was the reason for her pout, then she exclaimed that something wasn’t fair. Again, he would have asked, but she promptly continued and what she said shocked Simon to his core. C-Cute? He removed his sunglasses and blinked as he stared at her, before turning to Miguel. He didn’t have much chance to respond, so he did what he always did: he slapped a big grin onto his face to greet his fellow suspended co-worker. Was she blushing? His grin grew wider, and the unease on Miguel’s face was painfully clear, before the older man turned his attention to Annika instead, in desperate attempt to get out from under this oddball’s watchful eyes that hid behind his sunglasses.

As Annika agreed with what Miguel said, however, the basketball player quickly realised that something was going on. What, he couldn't quite tell yet. “Yeah, really stupid…” he muttered quietly, before looking around them for some hidden crew of sorts. The Stratonovski girl actually agreed with what I said. Is this a joke? Is that annoying big guy somewhere around, watching? He was referring to Folonzo, of course, as the large man had left quite an impression on Miguel.

His attention snapped back to them as Annika extended an invitation to join them for dinner and to watch… Pipsi-man. Having absolutely no idea what that is, he turned to Simon. The invitation did seem to come from him, after all, even if the words came from Annika’s mouth.

Simon immediately began to sweat, his mouth frozen in its open position, flawless white teeth sparkling in the sun. “Y-Yeah! Yes. I wanted to see if you would join us… you like food. So you must like dinner. So… I was wondering if…” he stuttered out his fragmented sentence, quite possibly being the worst liar in all of the four blues. Miguel’s eyes narrowed on him, “If… I wanted to join you for dinner, yes, I got that.” He finished his sentence before letting out a frustrated sigh. “And watch Pipsi-man? What is Pipsi-man?” a quick glance toward Annika made him refrain from asking his next question: What on earth possessed you, Simon, to think that I would want to watch that, whatever it is, with you?

There was something about her that was different. She was acting very strange, and Simon was clearly having trouble getting a coherent sentence out which usually meant that he was lying or keeping secrets. Raising an eyebrow, he tilted his head in an attempt to get a better look at the girl’s face, extremely confused by her behaviour as she seemed to be avoiding looking at him properly. Are those tattoos? He supposed it had been a long time since he’d seen her, and her body did physically change… anybody could tell that she was less of a pipsqueak now.

“Well, Pipsi-man is-” Simon began to answer his question but was cut off by something far more important, uttered by his companion. A compliment from none other than Annika Stratonovski, and, even more astonishing, it was to Miguel.

       Miguel stared at Annika.

               Simon stared at Miguel.
    
                        Miguel looked at Simon.

                                  Simon looked at Annika.

                                           What the heck is going on?

                                                      Miguel turned to Annika once more.

“Thanks.” He replied, glancing down at his outfit, puzzled. He would have thought this to be quite an embarrassing appearance, especially before such a harsh critic, but didn’t dare question it. After such a strange compliment coming from the girl, he’d feel bad if he refused to join them – for dinner, at least. “Alright, sure.” His guard was still up, not yet convinced that this wasn’t some kind of prank, then he looked at Simon. “I must like dinner, seriously? What’s the matter with you?” he frowned and shook his head.

Simon laughed, nervously. It was the best he could do in a situation he wasn’t prepared for.

“Mickey, your spoils!” the person from earlier called out to him, before tossing a wad of money toward him, which Miguel caught and swiftly pocketed. Whistling to get their attention before they turned away, he gestured toward his hoodie, which was then thrown to him as well, and he put that on over his t-shirt.

“So where are we having dinner?” he turned back to the pair.

“I don't know, Mickey." Simon replied with a smile as he put his sunglasses back on, preparing to walk with them.

“I will shove those sunglasses so far down your throat if you ever call me that again…”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

Miguel: #ffdfb2

Supporter: #fdb5dd

[Kami-Gaz]

The question was asked… where were they going to have dinner? Well, that was deep, the best place to go that wasn’t too showy and would still let them all in given their odd attire wouldn’t be too high end. It would have to be somewhere that would accept some people no matter what but wasn’t too cheap or known for unhealthy foods. If Miguel was going to keep playing sport, he had to keep his shape.

As her mind pondered, she caught wind of Miguel threatening Simon and her illusion shattered as her cold eyes whipped around from in front and stared the man down. As she did a four-pronged hook appeared with a thin layer of cold mist emanating off of it before falling a few inches to dangle on a wire that came from her palm.

“Threaten Simon again and I’ll make sure you won’t do it for a third time.” The heiress spat and a chill wind blew her hood down to reveal the extent of the tattoos that ran down the back of her jawline from her eye and down her neck. A protective sense had come over the young woman regarding the man she considered to be one of her closest friends.

“Are we understood, Mickey?” Annika hissed before spinning the hook just inches away from her hand. If that were released from this range, it was going to do more than smart and leave a mark… that was for sure.

A moment passed before the ice in her eyes thawed and the hood was pulled back up. She had let the hook vanish as if it had never existed and used that hand to tame the bits of hair that had blown about in the wind. “I was thinking something nice and easy for dinner. Maybe Burger Queen or something?” She asked spinning to take the lead again and walking the group on and away from any potential witnesses of her little outburst.

---

Post: 6
Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

Simon was quite used to receiving threats from Miguel, and so he handled it like he always does, with a big silly smile and a content brotherly laugh, as if he and Miguel were the best of buddies. Of course, Miguel did not like this, and he was about to say something, but Annika spoke first.

The tall man froze with an eyebrow raised as he watched the shorter girl threaten him in response, a hook seeming to materialise out of nowhere. As his gaze fell on the hook, he made the connection to the devil fruit that she had got her grubby hands on not too long ago. Back when he had the misfortune of meeting little miss prissy. He didn’t have an answer, as he was clearly quite intimidated by the weapon that she wielded, but then his attention was diverted elsewhere.

Her hood fallen, the girl’s tattoos were exposed and Miguel’s expression shifted from a fearful one to a rather intrigued one, a smirk spreading across his lips. “Well, well…” he snickered and leaned down to meet Annika’s gaze, getting a closer look as his face was dangerously close to such a vicious woman, the same glint of excitement from being in the game returning for a fleeting moment. “If it isn’t Anarchy Blue, in the flesh.”

“Shh! Miguel!” Simon immediately hissed.

With all the patience he could muster, Miguel shifted his gaze to look at Simon before he straightened up. “What?”

“You can’t go throwing that around, it’s supposed to be a secret! That’s the whole point of a pseudonym.”

Miguel stared at Simon in silence for a few seconds before he suddenly burst out laughing, his head thrown back and his tall figure nearly losing its balance. “Are you serious?” he turned to Annika, “Is he serious?” he turned back to Simon. 

“Simon, literally everybody knows. It is impossible NOT to make the connection! Just look at her!” the man’s arms flew in wild gesture toward Annika – her tattoos, her bright blue hair, the cold icy gaze and air all around her, and lastly, the feisty look in her eyes that declared nobody would be crossing her path and leaving it unscathed.

Simon was speechless for many reasons. Firstly, yes, perhaps it was a little bit on the easier side to make the connection, but surely it couldn’t be everybody who knows… secondly, Miguel laughed. He hadn’t seen anything other than a grumpy frown on his face the many years he had worked with Miguel, other than a mocking scoff thrown in his direction every so often.

“How do you even deal with this guy? It’s like he lives on another planet.” Getting no reply from Simon, the former officer continued, turning back to Annika once he regained his composure.

He is like a different person entirely, and it’s like he isn’t even angry at me for the situation we’re in. We’re losing our jobs and he doesn’t even seem to care… maybe he’s just happy to return to his roots… maybe I should find my own roots...

“Do you like basketball that much?”

“What?” another prompt from the towering man of over 6 feet was uttered, as Simon's question seemed to come out of nowhere since Miguel did not possess the power to read his mind.

Simon simply shook his head, “Never mind.” It was for the better, he shouldn’t draw attention to their predicament or Miguel’s demeanour could shift in an instant, “I think Burger Queen sounds great. I haven’t eaten a burger in ages! I wonder if they have anything new on the menu.”

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

There was a tension in the air as Annika stared down the sport jersey wearing man, he was easily taken a back at her outburst to protect her friend from his vile comments. Then he spoke up, seeing her hood blown down by the wind and he finally got a good look at her and the tattoos that she had marked herself with as a final test of her resolve.

She was going to speak up, but Simon came to her aid like the sweetheart he was, but he just ruined her plans. There was no evidence that she was Anarchy Blue, no one knew, and she had not officially told Simon, only insinuated. Now that argument was out of the window, and she had to actually put some effort into this thinking. Luckily the pair had a small bicker that gave her time to think.

It wasn’t much time as Simon shifted the conversation topic because he didn’t like this one. With her signature frown she spun about, materialising a hook and spinning it in the air to gain momentum before stepping on the line and making it snap at Miguel at a speed that was blindingly fast. The metal hook stopped, with a portion of it brushing up against the skin of his nose. The air around it was freezing, cold enough to freeze the air around Miguel’s nose into a block of ice as the hook was pulled away and dematerialised by the young woman.

“They may know but there’s no real evidence linking me to her. The only people who could solidly identify me are you two, my parents and some of the higher ups at my father’s company.” She growled as she walked up to the tall man and pressed her finger into his chest. “Simon is a ray of sunshine, both in and out of uniform… You may look a hell of a lot cuter out of that disgusting uniform but your personality is still just as sh*tty.” She hissed at the man, ignoring her vocalisation that he looked good.

“Now. Tell a single soul and I’ll make sure you never get another job in this city in your life. Shut up and behave and then I can get you a job with my father. I’ve already got Simon one.” The Ice queen pulled her hood back up and turned around again, waving for Simon to follow.

“Nah, I don’t think Miguel deserves a meal out of my pocket anymore. Unless he changes his tune. But we can have Burger Queen.” Annika spoke just as she left the shady alley they were using and heading into the bright and populated street. No one had seen her act out of frustration.

---

Post: 7
Annika: acd1fc

[Bobbie]

Simon seemed to shudder at Annika’s response more than Miguel did, as he cringed at how close that hook came to the taller man’s nose. It looked freezing cold too. His shoulders tense, he stared at them with his eyes wide behind his sunglasses, “Annika…” he raised his hands as he started a gesture to try and calm her, but luckily stopped himself before he continued that sentence. He had learnt the hard way, one fine day, that you never ever tell a heated woman to calm down.

Miguel stared at her, partly in awe of how feisty this girl really was and partly puzzled by the fact that all of this was for Simon. The plainest, most ordinary and unaccomplished man that he knew. Oh, and a third part in fear as she genuinely looked ready to tear through his throat.

As he stood there, Miguel was completely silenced. It was amazing how quickly this woman shifted from complimenting him to insulting him, and for the first time, he actually felt her words sting. Perhaps it was because her initial compliment truly proved the honesty in her words, as kind words were certainly not ones she threw around lightly. This wasn’t about his uniform or his job, this was about his personality when he was out and about, being himself, on the courtyard. It hurt his ego, perhaps a little bit more than it should, and Simon saw this.

A pang of guilt running through Simon as he felt responsible for this outburst, as Annika was consistently pushed into corners to defend him, he let out a sigh. He opened his mouth to apologise on Miguel’s behalf – but Annika spoke first.

“A job with your father?” he raised an eyebrow, intrigued, but not quite convinced that he was even after that. “Why would I need a job with a family of crime-lords when I can make more than enough to get by here doing something that I actually enjoy?” he blurted out, but despite that coming out as offensively as it did, his features were soft and genuinely curious.

“Look, can we just let this go?” Simon interjected before Annika might chop Miguel’s head off. “He didn’t mean any harm, I’m sure-“ as Annika waved for Simon to follow him, mid-sentence, he glanced at Miguel, then back at Annika, hurrying after her. He patted Miguel’s shoulder on the way, pushing him in the same direction to urge him to follow despite what Annika just announced. “Annika, he can still join us. He's not going to tell anyone about your identity, he only said that as a joke about me." He lowered his voice and leant closer, knowing that Miguel was often involved in shady deals that needed to be kept on the down-low, plus there was the whole rumour about Miguel's initial recruitment that was still a question mark after all these years. "If anybody can keep a secret, I can assure you, it is him...”

“I don’t need you to buy me dinner anyway, I can pay for my own food.” Miguel muttered as he followed them, having never planned on allowing a young girl to pay for his meal anyway. In fact, he was considering using his earnings to treat both of them, just to celebrate his win, but the situation took quite a turn before he reached that point. With a heavy frown, the significantly cuter sport jersey-wearer stepped out ahead of the group to bring them to a halt. “Okay, listen. First off, you might get away with talking to townsfolk or other officers in that tone, but you’re not going to address me like that again. Keep your fancy hooks and whatever else you’ve got up your sleeve out of my face, understand? Secondly, I talk a lot of garbage about Simon, but have you ever properly looked at the guy? Half of his body weight is the thick skin he has, whatever I say rolls right off him. Let’s not act all offended about it – look at him right now!” he gestured toward Simon who was currently standing behind Annika, as she was between him and Miguel. “Does that look like the face of a man who takes my insults and threats seriously?” Lo and behold, Simon stood with a big proud grin on his face.

“On a third note, I don’t need a meal ‘out of your pocket’, and I don’t need a job with your family – but, say I was interested… what kind of skillset would you be looking for?”

“See? That’s a pretty decent apology!” Simon playfully nudged Annika, with a pleased smile, and gently prompted the pair to keep walking while they talked. "First we get food, then we talk work." he continued, but he wasn't quite sure why he kept putting the idea off. What started off as a complete avoidance of conflict was now shifting to an avoidance of dealing with the situation entirely - discussing a new job meant confirming the death of his old one... he wasn't ready.

---

Simon: #d2ce2f

Miguel: #ffdfb2

[Kami-Gaz]

Of course he would be disgusted by the option of a job provided by her and her father, he still had that icky indoctrination from being an officer for such a corrupt system for so damn long. “You can only throw so many hoops before people get bored and go and get on with their actual jobs leaving you alone and bored.” Annika spat, words like ice in a quick retort before Simon piped up to stop this before it came to blows.

She nodded and kept her frown; Simon was too nice to the guy that had bullied him for years. Though he was confident Miguel could keep a secret and if Annika could trust anyone’s word it would always be Simon’s. “Okay Simon, he can come.” She said quietly returning to her walk, doing her best to vent the cold annoyance out of her face to look more approachable to those who could look at her face under the hood.

It was a surprise when Miguel stepped in front and started telling her off, he had a backbone… she had to admit that as well as looking extremely cute in that outfit with a determined face. She could feel her heart skip a beat. He wanted her to not call him out for his behaviour? Well, that was going to be tough she was prone to doing that for anyone. Though not using her hooks on him was easy enough.

When called out Annika looked back to see the goofy grin on Simon’s face and let out a small, resigned sigh, he was right. Simon had the skin for it, but the fact he had the skin for it was still upsetting. Sometimes things still would genuinely hurt, and he would just power through it and not react… she looked back and then chuckled at how he approached the job offer.

“Simon is right… Food and then we talk work.” She spoke softly, trying her hardest to keep the chill out of her voice and to power on as if this was an entirely new interaction. With that she lead the group a few streets, crossing over one of the many bridges of Water7 and to a large alabaster white building that had a large sign hanging above the door in the style of a red “BQ” and the words Burger Queen beneath it. In the window a large sticker was plastered of a regal looking woman wearing a gaudy crown and holding a delicious looking triple stacked quarter pounder burger with layers of cheese and bacon between each stack and a salad at the top under the bun.

“Looks like there is plenty of space, cool!” Annika spoke as she walked in and began looking at the menu as she stood in the queue, there was so much choice! Every kind of burger using most meats available in the world. This was a chain restaurant that was present on nearly every World government aligned nation… like how Pipsi and Professor Salt was also sold all over the world, even none World Government aligned.

“I’m thinking a Double Pluton Burger with bacon and Cheese… what about you two?” She asked, looking over her shoulder to see the pair.

---

Post: 8
Annika: acd1fc