Eyes on the Horizon

[Hirohashi]

[spoili]

[/spoili]​

The shining city of Cogton. It's many brass structures were truly at sight to behold at sundown. When the clear blue sky retreats to make way for a blend of oranges and pinks. All of which warped and reflected off of the polished, rounded metal. When paired with the ever present hum of the town's machinery, Cogton almost felt alive. A feeling that unsettled it's most recent visitor.

Captain Nathan Lockster made quite the roundabout journey to the nearest shipyard he could find. Pulling a couple of the shining coins from a small pouch on his waist, he made sure that the totally respectable and not at all shady looking character around back never saw nothin', as he put it. A fair trade. You can't put a price on peace of mind.

Dusk rolled around, with the fine Captain walking with his business associate towards the back entrance to point out to the stocky fellow which sky ship would need the supplies. Spare parts, fuel, ammo. Nathan handed over the rest of his satchel of gold, assuring the burly shop owner he would receive the rest of his pay, as well as a generous tip when his order was delivered. "Now remember," The captain placed his hand on the man's broad shoulder, where there was the least amount of grease and soot on the fellow. "You want The Heaven's Spear, and I want it discreet. Unmarked crates only."

"O-course, lad!" The man spat. "This ain't my first delivery, y'know! Why, I been dealin' with--"

"Marvelous." Nathan cut the man short to take his leave, an audible grunt coming from the gentleman. Nathan gave the boy he had paid for his silence a smile and pat on the back on his way out, wiping his glove clean in the process.

 

[Esthalia]

[GALLERY=media, 14822]Genevieve Calhoun by Esthalia posted Jun 20, 2017 at 8:25 PM[/GALLERY]

"Oi!" A rough shoulder knocking her side brought Genevieve to her senses, auburn hair bouncing in curls around her now flustered cheeks. Had she not been leaning her smaller frame against a group of cargo barrels, she would have been climbing her way back from dirtied hands and knees. With a shudder of her spine, her temper flared, brown eyes focusing on the hair of the passer-bye who has so rudely bumped her.

" 'Spose a 'pology might be too much ta ask, eh?!" her forehead darkened with the growing aggravation, a small vein throbbing under the surface of her skin. "Ye, that's about what I thought!"
The recipient of her hollering grumbled under his breath, and spat on the ground, completely ignoring the shining bronze badge pinned over her heart. It wasn't too often she came across a dock worker with good manners, and that usually didn't get to her, but after a round of bad news; Genevieve was feeling a bit sensitive.

"Right! keep on walkin' then!" Feeling as if she'd won the battle, Genevieve tossed her head to the side, mini cap of feathers brushing against the pitted brick of the building she'd taken to. Inside her troubled mind, she wondered how people could just be going about their day, moving on as if nothing happened. The people of the city were in no way the smartest, but she was still completely appalled by the election of a complete villain to detective. How long had she been trying to get that position? To find out that the people still wanted a man who quite obviously had his hands in the pockets of the pirates they were trying to bring down; what a complete let down.

Genevieve let out a snort of disgust, slender fingers finding their way to the holster of her gun. What if she let herself go completely loony and shot him right then and there? Her eyebrows flexed with how the scene played out in her head. She wasn't really cut out to be in prison.

It wasn't until another long moment of imagining another tortured path in life that Genevieve pushed herself off the wall, dusted herself off and decided to take a walk around the docks in an attempt to clear her head. Who knows, she might get lucky and bring a drunk or two into the station for a good bonus.
Passing a few wanted posters, Genevieve continued her fantasy- positivity convincing her that if she could round up one of those big names, then maybe, just maybe, she could take the position she knew belonged to her.

"Officer" A local cart manager gave the woman-cop a wave, acknowledging her in a way that only the well behaved ones, or the sneaky ones would do. She lingered by his stand for a moment, mouth pursed in a way that made it obvious she was looking for hints of foul play.
"I got me act 'tugethur- promise" His honesty made Genevieve sigh, good behavior meant she wouldn't get that raise- that was for sure. ​

 

[Hirohashi]

Nathan detested these lengthy waiting periods. Cogton had nothing to keep his interest at this hour. At least nothing short of a pub, but there simply wasn't time for that now. If one were paying close attention they would notice that a single crow happened to be perched on nearby rooftops anywhere the pirate captain went. Maintaining a constant vigil for signs of approaching trouble. He'd give the dock worker about forty minutes to fulfill the job before heading back to port. That grease ball had thirty-five to go.

With his bird keeping an eye out, Nathan passed the time swiping a few knick-knacks where he saw an opportunity to do so. Vendors that were engaged with an overly vocal customer, or citizens that were simply negligent of their own belongings. He was teaching them a valuable lesson about personal responsibility. After all, the only real use he had for any of his newly acquired baubles was spare parts. They weren't even worth pawning. At least any of it but the pocket watch an old man took his eyes off of for a few seconds too long. That had all sorts of creative uses.

After a half-hour or so, the sound of a calling crow echoed through the street. An alarm from the captain's bird. Emerging from the abandoned alley, Nathan's eyes caught a glimpse of the direction his pet was orienting itself in. The docks? In his rush, Nathan was no longer taking care to avoid the town's citizenry. Bolting towards the direction of his ship, he heard the sounds of familiar engines flaring to life. With a sinking feeling in his heart, Captain Nathan watched helplessly while The Heaven's Spear began setting sail without him.

"Tock!" Nathan shouted, finally gathering his wits enough to try and find someplace a little more obscured from prying eyes. "TOCK! Get down here, now!" He bellowed, the panic clear in his voice as well as the wide-eyed expression he wore. The bird perched overhead swooped down towards his master. What landed on his well padded glove was a steel colored, clock-work bird. It's eyes shifting into focus to watch the Heaven's Spear lift into the sky while Nathan began to fiddle with the mechanical bird. A small panel on Tock's back opened, revealing a few dials as well as what appeared to be a display for radio frequencies. After adjusting them to receive a signal from the small transmitter within his captain's quarters, Tock began to play the sounds he was now picking up from the device. It was hard to make out through the static, but Nathan could pick up a few voices.

"--iel! Why would ya do this? Cap'n Nathan left ya in charge, dit'n he?"

"If you had any brains in that thick skull-a yours, you'd know why! Captain Nathan's gone soft on us! All of us!" That answer came with an inaudible mix of cheers, or angry rambling. That voice churned Nathan's stomach. First mate Daniel, a man Nathan had known for nearly nine years. Cunning, and forceful. He made for a stalwart ally, and helped Nathan to become as successful as he was. From the sound of things, that friendship no longer meant much to Daniel, who must think he could lead the crew on his own. "We haven't had a good haul in months! Lost his nerve, I can see it! Well, we don't need that good for nothi--"

Shit! Out of range. "That sonuva bitch!" Nathan cursed under his breath, closing the panel to his metallic bird's radio. His mind was racing a million miles a minute, trying to formulate a plan. "Tock, go take a closer look for me, pal." The mechanical bird chirped a response, taking off after the departing sky ship. "and don't go getting taken on me, too!" The captain's dark green eyes began to scan the dock for anything to give chase with. He'd be damned if he was about to let the Heaven's Spear go without a fight.

 

[Esthalia]

[GALLERY=media, 14822]Genevieve Calhoun by Esthalia posted Jun 20, 2017 at 8:25 PM[/GALLERY]

Holding a conversation with a dock worker was like trying to compress a diamond by hand. Not only was it completely impossible, but it was physically exhausting. Genevieve cradled her head in her left hand, feigning interest with a poorly timed nod of her chin or flounder of her unoccupied hand.

"An 'leeme tell ya', no work you be 'doin roun' here is makin' an difference! Same faithless crooks 'roun er jus' waitin' ta rob ya blind!" Of course, Genevieve didn't disagree with the poor, uneducated fool, but there wasn't much she could respond with that would put an end to his ranting. Pinned down only by her unnecessary fear of being rude, Genevieve remained awkwardly silent.

Almost as if by divine intervention, her prayers for escape were answered by the not-so-distant yelling of someone who was obviously in panic. the red headed officer sped quickly around corners, running with one hand on her pistol as she gained ground on the unfamiliar voice. Before coming to a humiliating crash, Genevieve managed to get her legs up and over an assortment of half-crushed boxes, finally halting herself only a few yards from where the panic originated.

Familiar? Suspect? Genevieve could have sworn she knew the man her eyes fell on. He had brown hair parted to the side and a set of somewhat sunken in eyes that gave away a restless lifestyle. It was almost like a trance, time slowing down as she stared at him, memories speeding through her mind with no true idea of what she was looking for. It wasn't until she allowed her eyes downward that a ping of remembrance popped her bright eyes wide.

"Nathan Lockster!"

The name sprung from her mouth before she truly realized exactly who he was, his poster lingering in the back of her mind until finally bringing with it a flood of information. The surrounding salesmen and dock workers nonchalantly abandoned their posts, turning their backs and grumbling to themselves, almost as if there were annoyed by the arrest-in progress.

"We've warrant fer' ya arrest under multiple charges! Do not move from tha' spot less I be forced to fire on ya'" was this really happening? Her fingers held tightly to his pistol, which she had released from it's holster without even knowing. ​

 

[Hirohashi]

As if on cue now that things didn't seem like they could possibly get any worse, a police woman emerged on the docks to his right. This is what he gets for being careless, even for an instant. I don't need this right now, lady. She started to drone on with her by the book spiel about arresting him. Shooting if he resisted. The same old droning statement he'd heard so many times before. At the very least her shouting with excitement seemed to cause most people to turn away, hiding themselves from what they must suspect would turn into a shoot out. One thing was finally going his way. The towns people wouldn't be helping her.

Emboldened by this, the captain turned to face the woman. The scowl he wore given his circumstances faded for the time being. Deception was a trick he picked up over his many years of piracy and he needed to distract her. He couldn't do that looking so distraught. "Listen, officer..." The pirate paused briefly, though quickly deciding better of it than to expect introductions. He was short on time. He didn't need her name. "Right. Doesn't matter." He continued on, hands raised in feigned surrender. "You caught me. Bravo. Good for you." Testing his luck, and this woman's nerves which he was betting were far from being made of steel, Nathan took a step closer as non-threateningly as he could. Banking on her buckling to pressure, fear, or even fumbling with her cuffs so she could attempt to bring him in. He only needed one opening where she wasn't pointing that gun at him.

That gun... Taking a quick glance at her firearm, Nathan at last realized she wasn't holding him at gun point with some standard issue pistol. It seemed like a custom job. Something a green as grass rookie or simpleton would not possess. In his hesitance he took a step back, the wood creaking under his boots.

 

[Esthalia]

There were words spoken in her direction, which seemed to go completely unnoticed. Outwardly, she had a slack-jawed visage of confusion. Most likely unflattering, Genevieve did not realize she was making a bewildered expression, eyes seemingly glazed over and unfocused.

He was still talking to her, only registering the underlying sarcasm when he feigned his surrender. there was no way in hell that a crook so dirty, and so dastardly would simply throw his hands in the air without some sort of retaliation or planning.

Now that she thought about it, still giving him seven series of strange looks- he must have been coming up with some idea of how to escape her.

"Don't ev'n think about escapin'!" Dammit! Now he was definitely thinking about it. Genevieve shook her curls and took a second to check her peripherals. The road had cleared, most likely because no one wanted to witness the murder of a cop or the escape of a wanted criminal. Cowards.

"Empty ye' person and set every thin' on the ground!" How could she not come up with something more confident?! Here he was taking a step in her direction and all she could do was bark at him? Genevieve knew she was trained to bring him to the floor, but for some reason her knees were locked and pasting her to the dock-boards. Instead of moving herself forward, her fingers tightened and adjusted their grip on her firearm, waiting for what would come next.

"slowly...."

 

[Hirohashi]

Much to Nathan's surprise, the officer seemed completely unfamiliar and hesitant about this whole process. Was she really threatening just because she had such an unusual gun? From the display she'd given so far, she seemed to be all brains and no guts. Or perhaps she simply purchased it. Either way, it was all playing perfectly into Nathan's hands. The faster he got away from this odd woman, the sooner he could get on his way to taking his ship back.

"As you wish." The pirate complied, moving his hands towards his many pockets. A move that a sharp law enforcer would shut down immediately, but it was what she explicitly commanded. He went along with it at first, hoping to further lower her guard by playing along. Nathan had pulled out several of the baubles that he had nicked from the townsfolk that were concealed in his jacket, or small pouches.

He took this time to work on his plan. He knew he wanted what she had. The real question was; should he allow the poor sod to live after taking her weapon, or simply kill her and take it from her after the fact? Reaching towards a back pocket, Nathan made his choice.

"I suppose you'll be wanting this as well?" With a flick of the wrist, Nathan's right gun was removed from it's holster, meeting Genevieve in a stand-off. "I suggest you take my advice here, sweetheart." The pirate captain's voice sank while his eyes narrowed threateningly. A gunshot would only further complicate matters. The last thing he needed was for there to be more police showing up before he could get off the ground. Some of whom might actually know what they were doing. "Drop the gun and live to see another day, aye? I'd really hate to make these folks have to clean up your blood."