Nearly True Marine Stories

[viruswithshoes]

"Upon seeing Yaguaraçú Chaska for the first time I got the impression of a legendary sword that had yet to be forged." - Exerpt from Profile of Yaguaraçú Chaska: The Steel Man in Spyglass Magazine by Zenit Basquiat.

"You're the reporter?" The Captain asked Zenit in the same tone someone would ask if a growth was malignant.
"THE Reporter would be Big News Morgan. I am merely a working class purveyor of words embedded in your agust crew."
The disdain on the man's face made it seem that malignant growth had just run away with his wife, but it was just the latest of his annoyances.
"Stay out of the way. If you die or get sick we're throwing you overboard."

The salute that the bald reporter in the round sunglasses snapped was far too practiced and precise to be taken for mockery, but it still felt that way to the put upon Captain.
"O' Captain, My Captain!"

As much as Zenit wanted to claim he landed a spot as an embedded reporter due to his unrivalled charisma, his elder sibling being in Marine Intelligence and quite the string puller saw the benefit of being owed a favor by a human camera.

The photojournalist had no idea what the subscription number of his self-published magazine "Spyglass" was but it was sure to be doubled or tripled with a Marine Exclusive article.
That would boost his subscribers to eleven or even possibly twelve.

Zenit felt his nerves tickle a little while being led to the rest of the Captain's crew and put a finger on his holstered revolver on his left side as a reassurance. His secondary reassurance was a mutton-chopped lemming perched on his right shoulder sporting a skull festooned cowboy hat of black pinned with a silver skull.
Of the two, Kilmister the lemming was the most fashion conscious.

He was led to a mess hall with nearly a dozen men noisily eating. Zenit stood on a chair and raised his fists as well as his voice.
"My name is Zenit Basquiat, photojournalist! Who Wants to be Famous?!"


Post 1
Sam

[Sam]

*Crunch* *Monch* *Crunch*

Chaska mindlessly ate his lunch, the gray slop that B-4 served was less than desirable but to someone whose pallet was dead it mattered none. Food was food. Just sustenance to keep the engine running and avoid dying. Raising the green apple up to his muzzle the seaman failed to notice the strange looks he’d been getting all morning having forgotten to come out of his hybrid transformation. After all this lankey long form coated in fiery fur wasn’t too different from his lankey human one.

“An apple a day…”

The seaman huffed before crunching into the fruit with sharp canines. Though food was food to him. He had to admit that the sour flavor of the green apple was probably the more enjoyable part of the meal. Chewing on his food he lazily shifted his brown eyes toward the entrance upon seeing a strange bald man barge in. Strange, he didn’t know civilians were allowed on ships like these. Though perhaps he was a government worker not affiliated with the military. But then again, why would a government worker tout about becoming famous? Chaska’s lupine ears flickered indignantly. Whatever the man was up to he now had the attention of the entire dining room who stared at him with apprehension.

“Oh bother…”

His eyes shifted down to the source of the voice which uttered those words. It was a short-haired brunette Petty Officer sitting next to Chaska. She had mumbled to herself rather than talked to anyone in question but the man’s ears in this form had picked up the subtle annoyance in the woman’s voice. The Petty Officer huffed and went back to picking at her bland meal. Chaska raised his eyes back at the bald man. Would being famous make him happier? Would it make him feel a bit more fulfilled in life? Perhaps. But for whatever reason Chaska wasn’t too keen on fame being the answer to his predicament. He wanted something more fulfilling yet. Besides, he didn’t want a bunch of strangers asking him for autographs.

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Chaska | #80461B | Post Count: 1

[viruswithshoes]

Zenit loaded and cocked his finger gun and leveled it at the large, wild beast doing their best to look inconspicuous.
"That's the guy, Captain. He looks as hungry for fame as he does for the flesh of pirates."
The Captain shrugged in relief as if his migraine had crushed his kidney stone.

To be safe, Zenit placed the behatted lemming in the brown leather messenger bag where the photographer kept his reams of photo paper, books and other odds and ends, lemmings included.
As a trained sniper, the bald man in the dark spectacles zeroed in on his target and shot straight and true.
He sat down in front of the giant wolf with a desire to pet the furry creature but enough decorum and self-preservation to prevent any of his limbs from being detached and eaten.

"You certainly know how to get someone's attention, marine!" He reached a brown leather gloved hand over the table to Chaska. "My name's Zenit and I will be embedded with you, but please, be gentle...it's my first time."

There was some laughter but it was more of the nervous, didn't know how to respond variety rather than actual mirth.
As usual, the cute lemming in a hat in Zenit's bag broke three icebergs worth of ice for any awkward moments his pet human may have caused. The mutton chopped rodent scurried around and ushered in many "awwww"s while wielding the twin blades of fur and teeny tiny clothes. Few were immune and those that were had their immunity compromised.

"I have a tendency to come on too strong. It's a pitfall of spending most of my time with my editor Kilmister," he said nodding his bald head toward the capering lemming. "Fantastic eye for detail and wording, but not much of a conversationalist."

The reporter put his palms together beneath his nose as if in prayer and studied the hirsute marine behind his round, dark lenses.
"If you were a Shichibukai, which one would you be? Are you a Buggy or a Crocodile? Scratch that, terribly inappropriate of me. Are you an Akainu or an Aokiji?"

[Sam]

Oh boy, he was approaching him. Chaska’s ears flickered as the bald man pointed at him and in an instance was sitting right across him. How? Or why? He’d caught the attention of the eccentric man… was truly a mystery to the seaman. Chaska looked down at the man from his vantage point and extended a paw to his leathered gloves. Still oblivious of the fact that he was transformed into his strange deer-wolf form.

“Um… hello… My name is Chaska and um… what do you mean embedded?”

With a monotone voice the seaman responded a stutter was in his timbre as he was still processing the abrupt interaction. That is when his russet eyes were pulled toward the mutton-chopped lemming twirling about on the reporter’s back. Everyone around awed at the sight of the cute rodent. Which Chaska appreciated given it removed some of the burden of attention from him.

“Right.”

Chaska responded still blinking slightly confused, his monotone tone probably making the response sound a bit more rough than perhaps intended. That is when the man asked him a strange question. Initially asking him what sort of Sichibukai he’d be. Chaska considered that… he really wasn’t sure? He wasn’t exactly the most familiar with the Sichibukai. Now he went on to talk about the admirals. Chaska tapped his chin. He was a bit more familiar with them given his line of work. Though he didn’t know them in person. But their fame made them known enough he supposed.

“Uh… well maybe a Fujitora? Or Kizaru? Take your pick.”

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Chaska | #EC5800 | Post Count: 2

[viruswithshoes]

“Um… hello… My name is Chaska and um… what do you mean embedded?”

Zenit paused for a moment to take in Chaska's question and look confused.
He fanned out his hands and interlocked them as if that was some sort of definition.
"You know...embedded. I and my editor Kilmister going to hang around and write about your soon to be famous squadron of sailors with you as the center of attention."
The bald man kept his hands upheld and peered through them as if framing a photo...which he was.
"Is that your best side?"

When Chaska answered Zenit's personality quiz query with a non-answer the bald reporter couldn't help but groan slightly and squeeze his eyes from behind his dark glasses while heaving a sigh.
"I don't think you quite get the point of a personality quiz. You're going to be the focus so my readers need to know you a bit. "

"Would it be too philosophical to ask you what your definition of justice is? Nevermind. I'll ask that later. First, why don't you take me on a tour of what your day is usually like. And please, don't feel any need to leave out anything scandalous."

Zenit hoped beyond hope that he didn't pick a marine that looked more interesting than they really were.