Another Story Begins! A King and Her Sword!

[Vio]

^{Amasagi #8}

---

“I guess that means this one’s yours, huh?” Jaz asked—more or less stated—to both Amasagi and her annoyance. The swordsman smiled, a response to the gesture given as her strange saviour confirmed aloud her own reckless and simple plan.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Miss Danziker grinned, daring not to take her eyes off Sandino for even the briefest fraction of a second. Her opponent hadn’t moved much since reclaiming his blades, slowly and calmly drawing them at distance to declare without words the duel they were about to have. Those blades, though rather simple and common in design, had been cared for. Numerous times had they clashed with Onibi’s edge, a handful of times had they come close to cleaving into flesh and bone with swift strikes.

“I’ve been looking forward to this,” the slick swordsman sneered, katana crossed in front of him as he adjusted his footing. A familiar, solid stance that seemed to make him wince slightly. Even if he was handicapped, it was nothing in comparison to her own issue. “…Burrasca!” From solid footing to sudden speed, Sandino’s whole form accelerated towards her, steel flourishing about him in synchronised circular motions.

He’s initiating with that…?! Caught out at least a little by her foe’s aggressive bound, Ama’s hands turned at the grip of her own blade as if to follow the assailing edges. Pioggia and Tuono’s edges closed in upon her, metal upon metal grating and warbling as she managed to parry the two-angled technique with Onibi’s undulating edge. But while his attack and her response were identical, the difference between now and then was immediately palpable. Weakened, the superior defensive blade was pushed aside by the blow, threatening to slice into her arm and stomach had she not stumbled backwards.

And stumble she did.

F*¢<… Avian claws scratched at the earth beneath her more than a few times, her entire centre of gravity nearly spilling over the threshold of balance. Because of this I’m permanently on my toes! My balance is off and I can’t use my heel to create traction and stability…! Now starting to realise the curse she had inherited, Amasagi adjusted her footing once more, this time preparing to take her own swing at Sandino as he lightly rotated his swords in his own grip. Splayed toes and bent legs sprung into action, propelling her forwards as she guided Onibi into an angular slash. There was no doubt about it: She felt physically weaker, but nothing had changed about her upper body to warrant a complete shift in her style.

^{“Taking the initiative? Good,” Sandino smirked:
“Wouldn’t be as satisfying if you didn’t try…!”}

^“Trrrp!”

“Wha…?!” In a second, vision was obscured, about two thirds of her field of view cut off by black as the proverbial curtains closed upon her foe. Her swing still went through, but she just couldn’t tell what was happening—the anxious noises of Meiwaku tipped her off as to why. Steel cleaved the air, but found no mark, and instead it was her that took a substantial hit. A blunt blow to the stomach delivered by the pommel of one of Sandino’s swords knocked the air out of her lungs and tossed her backwards into a rough landing.

^{“Bahaha~! To think! I lost to you?! Pathetic!”}

^{“Meiwaku! Don’t do that!” she chided the crane:
“I need to see, else we’re both dead…!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>As Sandino unleashes the first attack, Amasagi is forced to get to grips with the nuances of her new anatomy, with Meiwaku proving more of an impairment!

Notes:— Sandino’s swords are named Rain and Thunder (Italian).</sub>

---

Danziker Amasagi | #e44d2e
Meiwaku | #778899
Cricket Jaz | #4b9eec
Costello [NPC] | #9200ca
Sandino [NPC] | #e6c519

[Jade]

There was a moment of stalemate between the three parties on the balconies. Jaz moved her arms slightly, holding them just above resting position and with her fingers splayed, ready to move. The goons behind her were watching the intruder warily, not so eager to rush her after watching her toss their friend like a wet paper towel. And from the level above them, Costello glowered down at the lot.

"... What are you lot waiting for?!" he suddenly barked. The goons practically jumped out of their skins at the sudden show of intimidation thrown their way. "Kill her, or I'll crush your skulls with my own hands!"

Jaz watched the mob boss, for all his bravado, hurry and disappear down the hall, beyond where she could lob his men after him. "What an inspiring speech..." she remarked, and then turned her head to look over her shoulder at the group that had gathered up behind her. "You guys picked one hell of a boss, huh?"

As she walked toward them, one carefree step after another, the goons tightened their grips on their weapons - but did not act, not until it was too late. Jaz grabbed the first two men within reach by the fronts of their shirts, one in each hand, and barreled into the group like a spinning top, knocking the huddled-up group down. Her sudden spin came to an equally sudden stop with the planting of her foot down on the tiled floor hard, coinciding with the release of the two men she'd grabbed, resulting in them being hurled in opposite directions down the hall.

Even before they'd all hit the floor, Jaz quickly mimed dusting her hands off, and then took a moment to admire her handiwork as the bodies thudded against the floor. It hadn't been enough to knock the majority of them out, no, but it'd stun them for a few moments - which would give the self-proclaimed pirate more than enough time to scramble up the stairs to chase down their boss, and that was just what she did.

[Vio]

^{Amasagi #9}

---

Raising herself to her feet, Amasagi frustratedly pushed back her bangs with one hand while the other—still clutching Onibi—helped to push her from the ground as she fully recovered her breath. Eyes found Sandino, the smug look upon his face noticeable as he stared down the bridge of his nose at her, emphasising his apparent superiority. She frowned. He hardly seemed the same man she had duelled initially, but it seemed that this side of him revealed his true colours, and that lit a fire under her.

^{“Trrrp…!”}

If Meiwaku has control over my hair, too, then that’s a problem I–? She wasn’t allowed to finish that thought. Once again, the dual swordsman rushed her, forcing her into a one-handed defensive just so that her curious companion’s cowardice didn’t further impede her vision. Onibi’s edge deflected one of Sandino’s swords, again demonstrating the difference in strength that had emerged between the two warriors as Tuono pushed the former blade back with a thrusting motion and Pioggia descended upon her at an angle.

^{“Chiraa!”}

“Ack! F*¢<…,” Sandino vocalised, blade and step withdrawing as the two combatants realised at the same time what had just happened. The annoying crane head attached to Ama’s own had acted independently, perhaps realising that her being wounded would reflect upon itself, and thus had lashed out with a fierce thrust of its own bill. “Feathered b@$+@rd hit my knuckle,” the swordsman seethed, drawing the woman’s eye to the small amount of red that now stained the back of her foe’s hand as she took the opportunity to make her own motions, fetching the cream scarf from its resting place in her haramaki.

“Eh? What’s the matter?” Sandino smirked, licking his minor wound but otherwise shrugging off the moment of shock entirely to mock his foe. “Tying a strip of cloth around your head isn’t going to make you any stronger,” he stated, swords raised once more in what Miss Danziker now realised was a rather lax stance. Either his own injuries were still impeding him, or the absolute shambles of a fight they had been having so far had made him cocky and overconfident. Either way, he was trying to get into her head, but she mostly ignored him as she secured the scarf and tightened the knot behind her head, under where Meiwaku’s neck emerged. Black bangs were raised and pushed aside now.

“You’re right, it won’t,” Amasagi replied, gripping Onibi firmly and raising it once more. “But right now, I’m zero-to-one to this annoyance, and that’s just proof I need to step up my game! I’ll need to,” she smirked back, determination welling up from within as splayed toes adjusted and equalised her centre of gravity. “Else I’ll never be able to reach my goal…!”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>Defensively troubled by her own weakness and anatomy, Amasagi is saved from a direct hit by Meiwaku’s intervention, causing Sandino some minor pain and allowing its partner to ready herself!

Notes:— Sandino’s swords are named Rain and Thunder (Italian).</sub>

---

Danziker Amasagi | #e44d2e
Meiwaku | #778899
Cricket Jaz | #4b9eec
Costello [NPC] | #9200ca
Sandino [NPC] | #e6c519

[Jade]

Jaz rounded the corner and practically threw herself up the last section of stairs, rounding the corner to chase after the crime family's boss - right in time for a loud bang! to fill the air, something whizzing just inches away from her face. She froze, staring down the hall at the man she was chasing with a pistol in his hand.

This staring match continued for a few seconds before her stunned shock split into a cocky grin. "You're a terrible shot."

"Oh?" Costello didn't move, simply standing there with a steady grip on his pistol. "Want to bet on it?"

"Oh, I'm not betting on it - I know you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, yeah," Jaz replied, grin widening further as the mafioso continued to not pull the trigger again. She slowly began to step closer to the man, who in turn adjusted his aim so the weapon was always pointing directly at her face. "Why would you shoot a warning shot, after all? And you could've just shot me while I was a sitting duck down below. But, the most damning piece of evidence of all..."

The distance between them was cleared, and she put her hand on the pistol's barrel. Costello sneered down at her and pulled the trigger-

"Is that you're threatening me with a one-shot pistol." Jaz's grin was back in full force as Costello tried to pull the trigger again to the same complete lack of effect, and then struggled to pull the weapon away from the young woman holding in equal vanity. "You gotta reload this bad boy, y'know?"

"You little...!" Costello roared, still struggling to pull the pistol away from the oddly-dressed woman - but it seemed utterly futile, the weapon somehow stuck in space in her grip. He grit his teeth and raised his other hand, the jewels in his rings glittering the sunlit hall in that brief moment before he brought it down toward Jaz's face.

A blow that should have crumpled her, however, was suddenly stopped. Jaz's other hand, partially wrapped around the much larger fist, had stopped the punch inches from her face - and now that she had a grip on both of Costello's hands, she yanked them both to the side in order to take the final half-step closer to her opponent. Without a word, she brought her knee up high for a direct strike to the criminal's jewels. A particularly pathetic yowl left the man as she stepped away, leaving him to drop to his knees and, after a moment, glare at the woman now that they were at eye level with each other.

"Y-you... You'll pay for-!"

CRACK!

His growled threat was cut off by the pistol suddenly slammed into the side of his head, causing Costello to drop to his side. Jaz flipped the pistol in her hand, considering its heft for a moment - and then threw it behind her down the hall. "Wow, you're actually kind of pathetic when it comes right down to it, aren't you?" She laughed a bit, and then put her boot against the man's head. "Just a big bully, all bark and no bite-"

Whatever other taunts she was about to toss down to the fallen man were cut off as a big, meaty hand wrapped around her ankle and flung her away, slamming against a wall with enough force to break a big hole in the plaster. Costello pulled himself up off of the floor into a kneeling position - then raised his hand to the side of his face, touching his temple, and then observed the red stain on his fingers.

"What happened to all of that bravado, hm?" he taunted right back as he pulled himself to his feet, taking a few staggered steps toward where Jaz was still slumped against the wall she'd been thrown into. "Heh. Maybe I was being too nice. A smart-mouthed b**** like you... Oh, I'm going to enjoy breaking you, girly."

The man knelt down, reaching a hand forward to grab Jaz by her face...

[Vio]

^{Amasagi #10}

---

“Trrr,” Meiwaku trilled, apparently quite surprised at their own successes as well as confused about the imposed restriction upon what little movement they had. Sandino’s stance tightened somewhat, far less lax than he had been not a moment earlier as his eyes locked with those of Amasagi. Perhaps he saw it again—that same conviction the woman had shown in their prior duel. His scar burned dully as he remembered the strike that had bested him.

^{“Does that scare you…?”}

^{“What…? Tch!” the swordsman spat:
“I’m not scared of a circus freak like you…”}

“Good.” Miss Danziker’s legs straightened, pushing her forwards into a dashing thrust with her blade and prompting her opposition to act in accordance. Twin swords crossed over one another curiously, like a pair of scissors closing around a thread. “…” This move was foolish. Or so she believed until the motion completed, both blades arcing towards her in a winding offensive instead of the defensive manoeuvre she had anticipated. A gritty smile found itself upon her lips, taloned toes affording her much greater grip as she halted in the midst of her advance and tossed herself sideways, Sandino’s swords passing through the air where neck and shoulder would have been.

His surprise showed itself.

^{“The hell– …?!”}

Krang…! Steel met steel once more, but this time the tables had turned. Sandino’s formerly superior strength seemed to surrender to the swordswoman’s strike as Onibi’s undulating edge grated against the smooth steel of Pioggia, his blade repelled even before Ama’s sword’s unique design could take effect. Tuono whipped about in an arc in an effort to slice her arm, but Miss Danziker had already sprung backwards out of harm’s way, forcing him to turn Pioggia into an offensive tool in a follow up lunge, only for its tip to be deflected from Onibi’s flat.

“Hah… Hah… You were a wreck seconds ago,” her adversary huffed, returning his blades to a solid stance as he kept his focus upon her, but unable to stop his eyes from cautiously checking the splayed toes she balanced upon. “The f*¢< changed?!” Truly, there was no way that—after a mere minute or so—she could have mastered the anomaly that was her body. By all means, it made no sense.

“Huff… Heh,” Amasagi gasped, herself feeling the strain of depleted stamina, but smiling through it all the same. “Nothing…! Nothing at all! This is a challenge,” she announced, proudly between intakes of air. “So I’m going to… rise to it! And cut you down!” Once again, the anatomical aberration vaulted forwards upon extended legs, engaging again in a dance of storm and fire as three blades contended—two against one—for victory…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>Rushing into an offensive, Amasagi suddenly seems to turn the tides against Sandino as he is forced into a defensive, reckless series of actions!

Notes:— Sandino’s swords are named Rain and Thunder (Italian).</sub>

---

Danziker Amasagi | #e44d2e
Meiwaku | #778899
Cricket Jaz | #4b9eec
Costello [NPC] | #9200ca
Sandino [NPC] | #e6c519

[Jade]

Just as his hand came within an inch of her face, it stopped, as Jaz's hand grabbed Costello's arm by the wrist. The mafioso tried to push through in vain before switching tracks and trying to pull back - but to the same effect. The young woman who had been slumped against the broken wall lifted her head, fixing Costello with a mischievous grin behind her XO glasses. "Hey, aren't you supposed to save the creepy threats and gloating for once you've won?"

"What-" Costello's other hand reached around, trying to pry Jaz's hand off his wrist as she used him to lift herself up off the floor. "What the hell is with your grip...?"

"Aha! You're finally catching on." There was a twinkle in Jaz's eye as she rose to her feet. She gave a tug on Costello's captive arm, dragging his face down to her eye level while she raised her free hand up in front of his face, flexing her fingers. "It's not the flashiest ability out there, but my Toru Toru no Mi is pretty handy in the right situation, don't you think?"

Costello's eyes went wide. "You- Ate a Devil Frui- Gh!" His words were cut off as Jaz's free hand suddenly grabbed him by the face, fingers latching onto the skin in an unbreakable grip as she flexed her fingers down. His free hand reached for his face-

"In other words!" Before he could reach the hand gripping his face, Costello found his wrist finally released, but only so that he could be slammed into the wall in the exact place he had thrown Jaz mere moments prior - the smaller hole in the plaster smashed bigger thanks to the man's larger frame. "I'm a Grabbing Human!"

Jaz pulled the man back out of the hole in the wall by the hold she had on his face. From between her fingers, the mafioso glared down at her, his previously perfect suit now covered in dust from the smashed plaster wall. The self-proclaimed pirate grinned at him before spinning on one foot and slammed him skull-first into the wall, cracks spider-webbing outward from the hole that was made.

"Wait, don't say it, let me guess..." the young woman started, snapping her fingers on her other hand while she thought. "What you want to say right now is... 'F*** you, I'll kill you', right? Blink once if I'm right." Her answer came in the form of her captive glaring daggers through her. "Eh, close enough. See, here's the thing - I've got an answer to that! But first, I had a little message for you..."

Costello was dragged back out of the hole his skull had left in the wall of his stately manor as Jaz dragged him back into the center of the hallway. Just as he started to get his feet back under him, Jaz raised him as high as she could manage - the large man's feet scraped the ground, but couldn't find purchase. "Maria sends her regards." The crime lord's eyes went wide with an indescribable mixture of confusion and rage at the mention of that name.

SPOILER: Click to show

{"50 Caliber Funk!"}
Making full use of her otherworldly grip, Jaz takes a grabbed target and drives them into the ground or another readily-available solid surface with enough force to splinter wood and lightly crack stone.

Jaz put her whole body into it, lurching forward and curving downward as she slammed Costello's head into the tiled floor of the hallway with a sickening crack! The force of the impact disrupted the grout and tiles, causing those nearest the point of impact to be thrown out of their place, and even those further away shifted out of place and cracked. She stood over his body for another moment or two, watching for any hint of movement - and to his credit, the enraged criminal held onto consciousness for a second or two after impact before his body went limp.

[Vio]

^{Amasagi #11}

---

Clang! Klink! Clash! Each and every exchange was an almost perfect repeat of the last. Amasagi’s elongated legs launched her forwards as Sandino stepped to, only for his twin swords to be repelled by the arcing swings of Onibi, repelled by an undulating edge or solid flat or parrying hook. An occasional strike slipped through, cutting edges narrowly missing a flank, thigh, or neck as the two opponents bounded back and forth in an exchange where mobility clearly favoured the former.

^{“Huff…” “Hah…”}

For a moment, they paused, eyes locked on to the other in case they attempted another assault. Beads of sweat had formed on Sandino’s face, one dripping from his chin. What little moisture seemed to care to escape from Miss Danziker’s own was caught by her tongue—even the slightest reclamation of liquid was a blessing after what she had been forced to endure. The baking sun was unrelenting.

I can’t hold up much longer, Ama noted, feeling the blurry haze of unconsciousness trying to claim her from the corners of her vision, but shaking it off with a deep breath to clear her lungs. Time had been of the essence from the very start. Hunger and thirst deeply onset had massively crippled her stamina and she had been pushing herself to her limits just to keep up these exchanges, but Sandino—and she certainly had noticed—wasn’t holding up too well either.

One more attack… And I know how to do it! Almost in unison, both she and her foe darted forwards. Onibi readied, the swordswoman’s edge in motion was matched by the encroaching steel of Tuono and Pioggia, dancing together as the sun gleamed from their silvery forms. This is it… Everything goes into this! Now or never…! Splayed toes slammed hard into the ground, taloned toes gripping as best they could the dirt as ankles and knees bent to lower her position. Tuono whipped overhead.

^{Leaping Flame Style…
“Tobihiryū…”}

“S#¡+…!” Sandino cursed as he watched the wavy edge raise up diagonally towards him, drawing Pioggia into a defensive downward strike. As steel met steel, the disturbing grind of that uneven weapon that broke the blond man’s defense, the blade finally forced from his grip as his wrist caved to the shock and grasp loosened. Staggered, he narrowly avoided the deflected sword, but his balance was off. And he knew it. One step in any direction would topple him, needing just a fraction of a second to slide a foot back into a stable position.

It was too late.

SPOILER: Click to show

{

^{Burning Salmon…!
“Shō Sake…!”}

}
_{From a standing start, Amasagi brings her blade up in a crossing arc, shifting the weapon’s position in a single fluid motion in order to bring it back down again, making use of her avian legs to rise and fall without actually jumping, though a jump can be used if necessary. The short period between ascent and descent can often catch opponents unaware, with the second strike cutting across in the opposite direction to the first — from upper right to lower left assuming the initial strike started from lower right to upper left.}

Toes still gripping the earth as her avian limb reached the limit of its extension, the very same double-jointed motion that had raised Amasagi to the sky was unwound, knee and ankle bending again without her toes even leaving the ground. Her entire weight was pulled down, drawing Onibi with it in a descending diagonal that mirrored the first strike. Slash! Steel found its mark, spilling red as a new wound—coupled with his old one—left an ‘X’ upon the swordsman’s chest.

^{“Y– You…,” Sandino coughed:
“B¡+¢#… …! …Ughhh…”}

^…Thud…

“Trrrp,” Meiwaku trilled feebly, eyes watching as its company dropped to her knees in the wake of success. Sandino’s body lay prone and unmoving. Amasagi sat, exhaustion setting in, but even then she mustered a smile and a nod—a recognition of her own success—before flopping supine to try and save her strength…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>Unleashing a signature technique, Amasagi uses the last bit of full strength she can muster to finish off Sandino!

Notes:— Sandino’s swords are named Rain and Thunder (Italian).</sub>

---

Danziker Amasagi | #e44d2e
Meiwaku | #778899
Cricket Jaz | #4b9eec
Costello [NPC] | #9200ca
Sandino [NPC] | #e6c519

[Jade]

A gaggle of goons in suits had gathered in the courtyard, staring in disbelief at the two fallen figures - but there was no question about which side had come out victorious, not if the blood pooling around Sandino was any indication. They were muttering between themselves, as none had the gall to suggest going over and messing with the bodies; if the fallen woman had won, and she was just playing dead, then what if she were to pick herself back up and turn her fury on them? No, no, it was much safer to stick to the sidelines and wait for their boss to return-

"Yo."

The group jumped as one, rounding on the source of the voice. Jaz stood there as casually as ever, her unusual clothes cleaned of any dust from her unwelcome encounter with the wall, peculiar X-O glasses still partially obscuring her face, and with the gang's boss's ankle in her hand as she dragged the unconscious man over the floor - that last detail, of course, being the one that sent a wave of panic through the men gathered in the courtyard. "What are you idiots still doing here? Don't you have anything better to do? Go on, get, go home or something."

She didn't have to say it twice; anyone who could take down a man as fearsome as Costello wasn't someone regular men like them wished to tangle with. Jaz stood there with the dust cloud outlines of men for the moment they remained, and then grinned as she dragged Costello over into the courtyard with Amasagi and Sandino. The mafia boss was deposited on top of the bleeding swordsman with little fanfare, leaving Jaz free to walk over to the swordswoman she had come out here for in the first place.

"Hey, good job with that guy," Jaz said as she bent down over Amasagi. "Though I'm afraid I do need to dock points from your performance review, since this isn't the front gate. Ah, but I suppose it comes out in the wash, since you're getting bonus points for the poetry that is carving an 'X' in that dude's chest." She grinned at her own terrible banter, and then moved to pick the woman up. "C'mon, let's get you out of here."

---

--Outskirts of Town, Baterrila Island, The Next Day--

"You said she turned you down, right?"

Jaz was in the middle of a very careful balancing act - tilting the chair she was sitting on on its back two legs with her feet kicked up on the table, leaning back as far as she could without tipping it over, all while reading a book she was holding in one hand over her face. With a subtle movement of her heel, she shifted the chair forward so she could risk turning her head to the woman who had just addressed her; a tall, powerfully-built woman wearing a green dress that left her shoulders exposed, wavy brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Maria was every bit her father's child, at least in stature, but she had the benefit of not being a scumbag criminal.

With eye contact established, Jaz tilted the chair back and put her attention back on her book. "Yeah, she did."

"So." Maria sat down across the table from her guest, setting the tea pot she'd been carrying down on top of a folded towel so it wouldn't scorch the wooden surface. "Why are you sticking around?"

Jaz's eyes didn't leave the pages held aloft over them, but she also was obviously not reading either. A moment of silence passed before she snapped the book shut and tilted her chair forward, letting the front two legs slam against the floor in their proper position - and she fixed her host with a wide grin. "Because I'm a persistent little so-and-so, aren't I?"

[Vio]

^{Amasagi #12}

---

It was at that moment that the door opened—the door to a side room that had been used as a temporary place of rest—and a familiar figure stepped out. Odd, avian feet balanced precariously upon the floorboards as Danziker Amasagi tried to process the nuance that was now becoming her norm. Eyes felt heavy, arms leaden, throat dry, and stomach empty. None to the degree that they had been in prior days. Perhaps most wonderfully of all, she had awoken with her back and head upon soft bedding, instead of hanging bound to a wooden post.

^{“Trr– Chep!”
“Please, be quiet…”
“Hoon! Ho– Nnn…?!”}

“I said quiet, dammit!” One hand wrapped firmly around the slate bill of Meiwaku as she pulled the crane’s head into view, the swordswoman steadied herself and took a moment to open her airways and breathe hospitable air for the first time in a fair while. She wasn’t alone. The stranger who had been so bold as to mosey on through the Costello Estate sat on a chair at a table, opposed by another woman of much more significant stature, somewhat familiar to the woman’s addled mind. A hot pot of assumedly tea sat upon the table, too, but there wasn’t much more to be said from Amasagi’s perspective.

A flash of recent imagery whirred through her mind.

“Well,” the avian anomaly exhaled, finally releasing the bird’s beak when she ceased to feel resistance. “I take it I didn’t make it to the gate like we agreed?” A few awkward steps further, somewhat more confident, but still lethargic and unsteady by waned strength, and she grabbed a free chair to set herself down in. Here came the weirdest part. How did one sit with such high ankles? A quandary for another time, she resigned, as she slumped into the seat with legs at angles to avoid bashing any of the multitude of joints off of anything wooden.

“Though, guessing by the fact we’re sitting here,” Miss Danziker smiled, “I also take it you finished off that b@$+@^d…?”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>A weak but recovered Amasagi enters the scene again!

Notes:— N/A</sub>

---

Danziker Amasagi | #e44d2e
Meiwaku | #778899
Cricket Jaz | #4b9eec
Costello [NPC] | #9200ca
Sandino [NPC] | #e6c519

[Jade]

As if right on cue, the door cracked open. Jaz and Maria both turned their heads to face the woman walking out from the bedroom, taking careful steps on odd feet across the floor to join them at the table. Jaz grinned - but Maria pushed her chair out from under the table and stood up. "Guess we'll need another cup. I'll be right back."

While their host wandered off back to the kitchen, Jaz leaned forward on the table, putting her elbows down on the surface and resting her chin on her laced-together fingers. "Yeah, but no harm no fowl," she said, paused for effect, and then carried on like she hadn't just made an awful pun. "But really, admittedly, I just sort of made that 'meet up by the front gate' plan on my own. It's not like it stopped us from getting out of there or anything..."

The pirate with the odd eyewear sat back in her seat and waved off the question of "finishing off" with a flippant hand gesture. "And, uh... Sorta? I mean, yeah, we kicked their asses. Didn't 'finish 'em off' in that sense of the phrasing, but let's just say I ran their goons off and gave those two a taste of their own medicine." Jaz smirked up at the ceiling, though the expression dropped to something more earnest as she made eye contact with Amasagi again. "By which I mean I left those two tied up in that tiny little courtyard."

"And I took the opportunity to report them to the proper authorities." For her size, Maria could move pretty quietly - she seemed to just appear behind Amasagi at the table, looming over her chair before placing an empty tea cup in front of the wounded swordswoman and making her way back to her seat. "And now that you're awake, I should say two things - first, thank you for your part in that, Danziker Amasagi. Second, you have my apologies for what my father did to you." Maria didn't linger on the apology very long. Instead, she went to pick up the tea pot-

Only to be beaten to the punch by Jaz, who had grabbed the piping-hot vessel by both the handle and the side with her bare hands. She quickly filled the three cups laid out on the table, starting with Amasagi's, then Maria's, and finally her own before placing the pot back down on the hand towel it had been resting on. "Cheers," she said to no one in particular with her tea cup held aloft, and then started sipping at the beverage.

[Vio]

^{Amasagi #13}

---

Miss Cricket’s little pun did not go unnoticed, but the energy to give a reaction was still fairly low. Amasagi certainly felt a bit more rested than she had done in recent days, free of restraints and with her back having straightened itself out thanks to sleeping in an actual bed of sorts, but she wasn’t fully recovered just yet. All the same, Jaz recounted the aftermath, accompanied by the words of the woman who was showing them such hospitality.

^{“Thank you,” she’d stated:
“You have my apologies…”}

“Ehhh… Don’t worry about it,” Ama dismissed with a wave of the hand and a small smile towards Maria, whom she had definitely already recognised as blood relative to the large mob boss. “It’s not your apology to make. Besides, you’re already doing more than enough by letting me rest here,” she added, humbling their hostess and sipping at the steaming beverage that Jaz had poured. Truly, she wasn’t one to expect much of others—a little bit of good manners, respect, and hospitality where due were all the signs of a good person in her eyes.

“Mm… Actually,” Miss Danziker followed soon thereafter, her soft red eyes appearing more of a brown hue in the reflection of her face within the tea. A reflection, she realised, she would need to work to get used to now that the long neck and beak of something that just shouldn’t be attached to where it was was visible. “It’s me who should be thanking the two of you,” she spoke up, extending her arms somewhat to keep the cup of tea away from the rather inquisitive beak of Meiwaku.

“I’m not sure how much longer I could’ve lasted hanging there,” the swordswoman admitted, still feeling some of the burden of being weatherbeaten by the hot sun that had mostly definitely burned a little. Mild sun scarring would fade in due time. Something else was a little more pressing on her mind—especially when she felt the crane’s beak close around the back of the chain as if testing it—though she kept it contained for now. Instead, she looked up to Jaz, another query coming to mind.

^{“Future ‘King of the Pirates’, huh?” Amasagi smirked:
“That’s one hell of a dream to start chasing…”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>As Amasagi sips her tea, she returns gratitude to both Jaz and Maria before commenting on the former’s goal!

Notes:— N/A</sub>

---

Danziker Amasagi | #e44d2e
Meiwaku | #778899
Cricket Jaz | #4b9eec
Maria [NPC] | #7be99a
Costello [NPC] | #9200ca
Sandino [NPC] | #e6c519

[Jade]

Jaz was content to stay quiet for the moment while she observed the woman she'd rescued and the woman who was playing hostess. Her first sip of the tea was met with the realization that it was too hot by a measure and a half - so she leaned back further in her seat and gently blew on the liquid, though her eyes never left the table proper. Maria shifted and glanced as Amasagi blew off her apology, clearly still feeling some guilt for the crimes of her father.

"Actually... It's me who should be thanking the two of you."

"I hardly deserve any thanks in all of this mess," Maria gently protested, nodding toward Jaz. "My only contributions to this whole ordeal were... Acting too late, but getting lucky with finding someone who actually could act."

"'Late' is better than 'never'," Jaz chimed in, and then finally chanced another sip of the tea. It was... Definitely more bitter than what she'd prefer, and she pulled a face instinctively, but got her face back under control and continued sipping it a moment later. "But hey, you still did some good when it counted, right? Better take some of the credit before I snatch it all up."

A smirk over her cup was caught by Maria, who laughed and nodded awkwardly. "I suppose... Well. You are certainly welcome, Ms. Danziker. If you ever need a place to stay, my home will always be open to you - least I can do to make up for how poorly my father treated you. That goes for you too, Jaz."

"Cheers," came the repeated phrase from the other end of the table, Jaz raising her glass in recognition of the kind gesture.

There was a moment of quiet, and then Amasagi's next question hit. Maria nearly choked on her tea; she turned away as she sputtered and tried to clear her airways and vision, while Jaz just smiled into her cup at the sudden reaction. She hadn't left that detail out when she'd interacted with Maria before, so had she just forgotten about it in all of the business that had happened since? It was definitely a possibility. As their host turned back to face the table proper, Jaz slowly nodded her head and raised her cup to Ama.

"Well, that's the point, isn't it? If you're going to dream, dream big! Even if you fail, you'll have one hell of an adventure along the way..." She took another valiant sip of her tea before placing it back down on the table, where it remained - and she fixed Amasagi with a big grin. "Of course, that's just the phrase. I fully intend to make my dream a reality." Jaz put her hand over the cup she'd set down, twisting it as fast as she dared without spilling the contents one way and then the other.

"As long as we're onto the small talk for the afternoon - what about you, Amasagi? You have a big dream you're chasing?"

[Vio]

^{Amasagi #14}

---

“What about you, Amasagi?” Of course, the question would be turned around. But while many would probably find such retaliation quite awkward, Miss Danziker smiled a proud and confident smile. Jaz seemed the type who was far from content with merely dreaming big—her words and actions alone were already a large step in the direction of making it a reality without her necessarily having had to confirm it. Even since Gold Roger’s execution, countless men and women had done the same, but few seemed to make as much of a splash about the goal the anatomical oddity had in mind.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” she said, leaning forwards a little. Intent seemed to invigorate her. “There’s people out there in the world who hold incredible titles for themselves, still-living examples of the greatest of greats,” Ama announced proudly. The very notion of her dream had been what had set her on her path in the first place, out into the world to test her mettle against those that proclaimed themselves skilled masters of the weapon she favoured.

^{“I’m going to become…,” she grinned:
“The world’s strongest swordswoman!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>An enthused Amasagi proudly answers Jaz’s question!

Notes:— N/A</sub>

---

Danziker Amasagi | #e44d2e
Meiwaku | #778899
Cricket Jaz | #4b9eec
Maria [NPC] | #7be99a
Costello [NPC] | #9200ca
Sandino [NPC] | #e6c519

[Jade]

Jaz was all ears as Amasagi spoke - it would've been impossible to miss her the excited interest written across her face, from her wide-open eyes to the growing genuine grin. The build-up to the reveal was masterfully done, the sort of storytelling that suited what it was propping up: "The world's strongest swordswoman!"

"A living legend in the making!" Jaz said in answer, not even half a beat later. She opted not to raise her cup, having seemingly forgotten it existed the minute she took her hand off it, and instead leaned back in her seat with a wide smile plastered across her face. "Well, all the better we got you out of there, huh? Would've been a sad place for such a grand dream to fizzle out."

Maria had gone quiet, taking a moment to stare between her two guests now that her coughing fit had been brought back under control. Jaz had eyes only for Amasagi at this point, seeming enraptured by the odd chimeric woman, and so missed it when their large-framed host hung her head and sighed, even as a smile tweaked the edges of her mouth. "Jeez, you're like two peas in a pod with dreams that big."

Jaz let that thought hang in the air for all of half a second before she rounded on their host, her grin taking on a more mischievous tinge yet again. "And what about you, huh? I mean, now that the whole thing with your dad isn't hanging over your head."

"..." Maria stared back at Jaz for a moment, and then shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I... I mean, I don't know, really. I just want to be able to help folks, you know? But there's... Baggage, here. It's not exactly a secret who my dad is, and the sort of things he was responsible for. Maybe I'll try to set off for somewhere else?"

"You could have quite the future in hospitality," Jaz offered up - and then continued, as if she couldn't quite stop the words from spilling out of her mouth, "but maybe not tea-making."

"... What?"

"Oh, uh, it's just-" Jaz glanced down at her since-untouched cup of tea, and then back up at Maria. "It's bitter."

Maria paused, and then a proper smile spread across her face as she fought back a laugh. "I do have sugar, you know. Hang on, I'll be right back." And with the sound of wood against wood, she stood from her seat and disappeared again into the kitchen.

What was a lull in the conversation was seized upon nearly immediately. "Well! I'll be heading out after this, I think," Jaz started, speaking in a quieter tone - the words were meant only for the other remaining woman at the table, and possibly the bird whose life was entwined with hers both metaphorically and quite literally. "It's a nice place and all, but... You know how it is, I'm sure."

[Vio]

^{Amasagi #15}

---

“It’s a tough goal, that’s for sure,” Miss Danziker nodded, aware of the struggle that she would inevitably face—dangerous opponents far above her current level of skill. But what was that if not a reason to keep pushing herself? One couldn’t lay on their back staring up at the ceiling forever. “Not one I intend to half ass, either,” she added, clearly showing some degree of disappointment with recent events, but shaking off that sense of inadequacy just as quickly as it had landed.

^{“Well,” Jaz uttered to her:
“I’ll be heading out…”}

“Trrr,” Meiwaku trilled curiously, roused somewhat by the strange woman’s more focused words. Admittedly, the crane remained mostly quiet for the time being, respectfully so. Ama couldn’t exactly express the emotions of her anomalous associate—those feelings were unique to them—but she could understand the bird’s physical response. There wasn’t any anxiety or hatred or jubilance in the animal’s partial body, nothing perceptible, and that in and of itself was unusual from what little time the two of them had spent quite literally fused…

^{—— A LITTLE LATER, OUTSIDE ——}

To say it had been an unusual day was an understatement. Unusual, however, seemed to be becoming very much the norm for Ama as she departed from Maria’s place—not without further thanks—and headed for the docks. Collecting her thoughts had been a difficult endeavour, to say the least, but her mind was strangely made up. There was no denying nature’s greatest intuition, gut feeling, for it always seemed to know the correct course of action in any given circumstance. Meiwaku, however, did not.

^{“Hoon! Hoon! Ho– Eck?!”}

“Put a sock in it, a$$hole! You’re making a scene,” the swordswoman sighed in frustration as she walked towards the beautiful, crystalline blue waters that surrounded the island, clutching Meiwaku’s bill to silence it. Truly a tropical paradise when you weren’t tied to a post and left to bake under the sun for days on end, or being stared at with fearful and wary eyes by passersby. “Now keep your eyes open, or–?” There was no chance to finish that sentence. The moment Amasagi’s grip relaxed, the curious crane recoiled and twisted itself into a neat bundle at the back of her head, reminiscent of a bun with some sort of heavy pin through it…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synposis:—}
<sub>A little later, Amasagi departs for the docks.

Notes:— N/A</sub>

---

Danziker Amasagi | #e44d2e
Meiwaku | #778899
Cricket Jaz | #4b9eec
Maria [NPC] | #7be99a
Costello [NPC] | #9200ca
Sandino [NPC] | #e6c519