Pirate Age: The Golden Era

[Arcadius]

"Hell of a ship you have there, sir and madam!" Arcadius started his introduction. He was leaning against the gunnel at first, but got up and approached the two with a hearty grin and an outstretched arm. "It's wonderful to know there is still honour amongst the pirates!" The big man's grip was like a vice, inside another vice, but Arc did not let it show on his face. Zilla could rearrange the fingerbones back later. It was strange feeling, being instantly hundredfold more popular, just because some organization placed your name on a list. Arcadius knew what it meant to be on a list somewhere. It meant doors opened. It meant people actively searching you with interesting offers. It meant you were the one deciding the choices for others.

It also meant one other thing, especially here, in shadow of the huge Nova pirate airship. They needed upgrades. It would not do for someone on the list to go around in a mere sailship, they were absolutely not popular enough to pull that one off. "Luro? We..." he took a deep breath before actually saying that. "We should talk some time later, I think."

 

[SilentxChaos]

​

Jack blinked, surprised by Zilia's note. He looked up just as she turned away with a mixture of gratefulness and apprehension. I'll have to be more careful around her… he thought. The doctor was perceptive and saw more than she let on. It didn't surprise him, in hindsight. Certainly something to note in the future.

Reluctantly, Jack collected the rest of the newspaper and stuffed them inside his vest. As much as he wished to follow Zilia's advice, the arrival of the Nova Pirates prevented such a thing.

He knew as much of the Novas and he had the Reds: notable crew mates including captain and first mate, bounties, symbols, and, of course, their position on the Worst Generation list. It was certainly concerning that within a span of a few months with Stardusk Jack had the misfortune to meet two Worst Gen crews, not to mention becoming one himself. It was a strange thought, one he didn't know how to process. Was Stardusk really strong enough to be No. 4? They were placed because of their prison break, something Jack and the other newer members had no part in. Was it the World Government's vendetta that bumped their notoriety? Or did Stardusk have the power to hold their newfound position?

Jack wanted time to process these questions. But with the Novas at their boardwalk, so to speak, he didn't know what No. 2's intentions truly were. For the time being, worrying had to wait.

Coming up behind the rest of his crew, Jack caught the eye of Alton Guaneri. The cook smiled and made a polite bow before his gaze slid over to the radiant Robin. He lingered...and while the smile remained, his eyes tightened at the corners. He rubbed his shoulder then reached for a smoke.

 

[Capt. Blu]

Location: Lady Luck
Time: Late Morning

The captain of the Nova pirates had stayed back, giving only a single nod as his form of greeting. When he was offered a handshake by Kadi, he politely returned it. His wife was better at giving warm welcomes than he was. His brow raised when Luro mentioned his wife being pretty and he gave another nod, following with a matter of fact, "Yeah, I know." When his glasses were mentioned, they flashed in the sunlight as he straightened up. A brief moment of silence fell, before Alton let out a booming laugh. If some of them were close enough, they would almost feel the vibration caused by it. "Oh I can tell already we'll have a fun fight! Stories are one thing, but seeing you all up close confirms it."

Robin, after reading Zilia's note, happily nodded, only to hear her husband's joyful outburst. "Haven't heard him laugh that much all day." She smiled and then looked over at Luro as she began to hand the note back to Zilia. "Oh?" Her voice was curious and she raised a curious brow towards the doctor as she began to panic in front of her. "Dear, haha. It's quite alright-" But Zilia had already ran to Sara. So instead, she turned back to add her own two cents about what Luro said about fighting. "As fun as it may be, you'd be better off taking on the Cutthroats before trying to fight us." She gave a playful wink at Luro before nodding to Sara's comment about Zilia. "It sure would be hard to tell. It's always those gentle faces you have to be careful about." Robin gave a playful smile.

"Wait a minute-" Runali started. Hearing Luro excitedly mention 'Worst Gen buddies' did make that earlier excitement come back. "Wait what's that supposed to mean?? Fight the Cutthroats? But they're above you guys, aren't they?"

By this time, Robin had drifted over to her husband, still light as ever on her toes. She looked at Alton as he adjusted his glasses and waited for him to answer. "Ranks are all about who gets into the most trouble, not about who's the strongest. The Cutthroats are a fine group of lasses. Real tough, I like 'em. But anyone can piss off the Navy."

It didn't quite answer Runali's question but, giving it some thought, she understood enough not to ask any further questions. Not yet at least. There was something about the two in front of them that seemed to radiate raw power- more so than all of the other Worst Gen pirates she met. Had they not have been so friendly, it would have been intimidating. But like Luro, she was eager to see what they were made of.

Fortunately, unlike Luro, Runali had self control and decided to double back on the conversation. "Hey, yeah! Can we see your ship? How does it even work?! We saw two at Brass Cape but one was technically being built and we've never seen one actually flying! It's so cool!"

Alton stretched and hopped onto the edge of Lady Luck. "Aye, the Flying Minnow is a fine lass. And you know what, we've got time to kill since we're headed to Brass Cape. We can kill two birds with one stone. My crew'll show you around and you can learn all about the ship. No harm in it."

Runali beamed in delight, looking over at Luro. She felt like she didn't have to explain that she wanted him to figure out how the ship worked considering he seemed to be one step ahead of her there. They even said they were going to Brass Cape! It was perfect!

However, pulling her back to reality, seeing the large man easily hop onto the ledge of the ship and scoop up Robin like a doll made her raise a brow.

"The Junkers will help you onto the ship. We'll see you up there soon." Alton grabbed onto the thick cord hooked into the ship and Robin gave a mock salute. In the next moment, Alton kicked the grapple loose sending the two whizzing up into the sky and into the opening where the platform had came from.

"The… Junkers?" Runali managed to echo after watching the two practically fly into the air and disappear out of sight.

As if on cue, those four people that were resting on the platform, flipped off, landing with as much grace as the captain and the firstmate. However, the only difference was, these four had cables attached to them. They were all wearing an assortment of buckles and odd gear, and all wearing goggles that shined in the sunlight. It was hard to describe any other features about them. The only discernible thing about these four had been the reddish brown 'J's on their chests and their mischievous grins.

"Nice to meet you!"
"At your service."
"Please stay calm."
"Junker Express is always a little scary the first time."

Before the crew could question the four, wheels popped out of the fours' shoes and they were whizzing past the crew at incredible speed. The crew could barely see that there were harnesses being attached to them until the four were in front of them again, now without the cables attached to them.

Sara, Jack, Alicia, Kadi, and Zilia all had harnesses on.

"Hm. Two left."
"Miscalculated."
"I told you we'd need more than a 'plus one'."
"It's fine, we still have to get the other cables up."

"Shoulda put it on the giant."
"Nah, it's fine!"
"Ladies and children first."
"And the captain?"

"Wh-?"
"Captain are captains."
"Now you're just being silly."
"You're right, you're right. Now let's not keep our captain waiting."

They rambled amongst themselves, barely paying attention to the crew in front of them. There was no clear way to take the harnesses off no matter how much they struggled, so the Stardusk crew was left with more questions than they had answers.

Not even batting an eye, one broke from the discussion to press a button on their wrist, sending the five flying up and onto the platform without warning.

"You were supposed to warn them."
"Oh right."
"They'll be fine."
"They did make it up there. And they're still attached."

"You're right."
"Yes, let's get the other two."
"Captain is waiting."
"Miss Robin is waiting, more importantly."

They broke apart and one, a bit taller than the captain, zipped by and held onto Runali's waist, grabbing one of the grappling cords. "I call dibs!"

"No way!" Another raced by and grabbed the rope as well.

The other two grabbed Luro and directed him to hold on to the cord with them. He was twice as tall as they were and they were sure they couldn't hold onto him alone.

"Hold tight."
"We'll make sure you don't fall."

Something similar was said to Runali and moments later both groups were flying up to the rising platform, barely making it before it closed completely into the Flying Minnow. The Junkers left one grappling hook in Lady Luck to lazily drag it behind.

They all had regrouped below deck of the flying ship and the Junkers skated around, unlatching the harnesses around the Stardusks and going about their business after saluting the captain and first mate.

"I see you all managed that okay." Alton chuckled towards some of the bewildered and surprised faces and raised an eyebrow towards the more excited ones. "Don't mind the Junkers, they're a little all over the place. They mean well."

"Oi, Junkers! Get Caleb for me! I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving this crew a detailed ship tour. Because Alton won't do it."

"Aye, aye Missus Robin!"
"Yes ma'am."
"Right away!"
"We'll be back in a flash!"

"I kinda want to do that again." Runali mumbled, only for her to realize more Nova pirates began to crowd around. It was then that she also realized that the actual Flying Minnow was about twice the size of Lady Luck, compared to how it looked from below.

"Alright crew! Stardusk pirates, Nova crew. Nova crew, Stardusk pirates. Make 'em feel welcomed. Friends today ane enemies, eh, sometime later. We'll see."

Besides the occasional 'hello' from someone apart of the Novas, the Stardusks were left to admire the lowest part of the ship. They were informed that the Flying Minnow had three levels, and the level they were on, the 'hold', was where most of the magic happened. There were gears and knobs and dials along the walls, blueprints tacked on cork boards, and so much more. Crew, obviously the shipwrights- or engineers maybe- were checking things that the Stardusk crew couldn't quite comprehend. Some that weren't actively checking the ships engines and mechanics were standing around tables with metal contraptions, tinkering away at weapons and devices. It seemed so busy and chaotic, but if they paid closer attention everything and everyone flowed smoothly and coherently, as if it was all one big functioning machine.

The captain and first mate stood off to the side, awaiting questions, awaiting Caleb, and also idly chatting with crew that came up to them. The questions ranged from gadgets beyond the crew's knowledge to things as simple as did Miss Robin want lavender or vanilla scented soap for her bath in the evening.

When it seemed to get quiet enough, Robin started to offer them to explore the rest of the ship saying, "The rest is free for explor-" but Alton huffed, signalling for her to hold that thought before she began. There seemed to be a silent communication between them before finally Robin crossed her arms and nodded with a soft huff. There was nothing overly suspicious about it save for a married couple disagreeing through facial expressions, even though Alton's eyes were covered.

 

[Mizos]

​

For a brief moment Zilia sincerely regretted asking Sara for help as brought up Sunter Island again of all things, it would be nice if they could just forget what happened in Jaipur. She stared to comment further but stopped when Sara seemed to speak in her defense, she slowly stepped away from her at this point and turned back to Robin. Though at the comment of being a good physician her gaze fell to the ship and she fiddled with one of her bangs, the compliment was appreciated but unnecessary, though she made no attempts to halt any further ones. At the very least it was explained she wasn't a bloodthirsty killer, she would take that with her.
"Thank you Miss Sara I appreciate it."
Zilia handed the note to Sara before turning back to Robin crossing her arms under her chest at her playful comment, she focused her attention elsewhere deciding to remain silent, she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to keep up with this person. At the comment of seeing their ship Zilia couldn't deny a bit of curiosity especially when the Junkers fell down from the sky, though she wasn't entirely sure how they were supposed to get up there.
"What is the Junker's express?" Zilia questioned looking over at the four.

Zilia visibly shook on the flying Minnow her eyes twitching slightly and a death grip on Jack's shoulder as her legs trembled trying to keep her body up while her brain tried to process what just happened. She was pretty sure that her feet left solid ground, she was positive that she was in the air for what seemed like a few seconds. Her eyes slowly moved over to the Junkers and she removed her hand from Jack's shoulder and managed to regain enough composure to at least stand up straight, though her body still trembled every few moments. She received the answer to her question and it was certainly an experience that wasn't going to leave her mind for a moment.
"Why is nothing...ever done in moderation...also there are no children in our group...what strange people..."
Zilia wandered over to the edge of the ship and peered over it, she stared down at the ship and sure enough they had been pulled up to this ship, though looking at how far she squeezed the bridge of her nose and made her way back over to the group.
"No."
Zilia handed the note to Runali informing that they were not doing that again on purpose.
Putting aside the frightful climb Zilia was surprised at the ship, it was unlike any she had ever been before, but she supposed that made sense as this was her first time on a flying ship. Aside from the rough start this was actually really fascinating and she couldn't deny feeling a bit of excitement of flying through the air, a small smile the only real hint she was enjoying this if only a little.

Luro brought a hand to his chin wondering why they would fight the Cutthroats first when they were right here, but he couldn't deny wanting to see Oz again, going up against someone with her skill would be interesting. He supposed if they ended up killing each other he wouldn't be able to learn more about their ship. It would probably be a good idea to fight the Cutthroats first then that way he could learn more about airships, get their ship to fly then they could have an airship battle! Luro grinned at the idea, and gave a firm nod at fighting them later, he wanted an airship battle with them more than anything now. Though invested in going up to their ship Luro's attention moved away from the Guanari's and the Junkers to look over at Kadi remembered that he had called out to him not too long ago.
"Sure we can talk later Kadi," Luro said patting the man on the shoulder. "We'll drink till the sun comes up, then drink some more. Haha we'll have all kinds of bonding times."

Luro watched as the Junkers put the other crew members on the 'Junker Express' looking up as they flew high into the air onto the floating ship above them. Luro raised his hand blocking out the sun as the others landed on the ship above them, arching his brows he looked back at the Captain.
"Alicia has different undergarments on today, good to know she changes them," Luro said with a small nod. "I'll have to clear that up with Z and eight other people later."
When the Junkers approached Luro grabbed hold of the chord at their request and nodded, the moment they flew up a loud laugh escaped from Luro as they approached the ship, the moment they landed Luro immediately pointed towards the edge of the ship.
"Guys we have to do that again!" Luro exclaimed. "That was so much fun!"
Luro looked over at Alicia realizing they weren't going to be doing it again at the moment and walking over, he pat his comrade on their back before grinning at her.
"Good on you Alicia, you took my advice and changed your undergarments. I'm so proud of you right now," Luro said before following after the others. "I can't wait to see more of this ship. It's okay if I take notes right?"

Luro's attention seemed to move from their ship to his notebook, a gleam in his eyes each time he raised his eyes to look around the marvel of a ship. They were inside of a working flying ship, this could help his research immensely, and every word that he didn't recognize got circled in his notebook. He drew a few pictures next to what words he did recognize and grinned as they made their way through the ship which was fantastical. Every now and then Luro would point at something and wave his arms before speaking.
"What's that! Oh oh what's that...why's that do that?! What's that about! That's so nice what is it?"
He repeated this throughout the walk laughing with utter glee each time they came across something new or strange, when they brought up the tour would really start when some person named Caleb came Luro nodded and stood bouncing from foot to foot unable to stand still while waiting for their guide.
Luro did glance over at the two Captain's however when Robin was interrupted, he was sure she was about to give them free reign but was stopped for some reason. Luro just shrugged and continued looking at all the pieces surrounding them.

 

[Mizos]

Collab: Mizos and Capt. Blu

Location: Flying Minnow - Touring


"Junkers."

A voice penetrated the deck as something in the distance seemed to quickly approach the Guarneri's and Stardusk. The figure of a young man seemed to weave between the people and objects around the deck, ducking under some people and stepping over contraptions being moved as the person kept a steady pace forward. Upon closer inspection the person was paying no real attention where they were going their attention focused on a strange square device that seemed to shift continuously in their hand, their other hand seemed to be moving it back into place until it would form a square then break apart again only to return to shifting into different shapes.

The young man was dressed a tad differently than the others around him, dressed in a blue shirt and brown pants accompanied by a pair of white boots, there were a mess of straps, pouches and random knick knacks on his person, including multiple watches that made him stand out a little from the others. That accompanied with the tattered green cloak he wore and a strange mechanical device on his right side made it clear the man was a little different from the others currently working around him, or perhaps just had a more eccentric sense of fashion.

"I need a Red Pigeon immediately," the young man said stopping near the Guarneri's.

He spoke in a controlled voice but his pace was quick and judging by the fact he clicked one of the watches on his person it was clear his quick way of speaking was to avoid wasting more time than necessary, and he was timing them.

"What matter requires my attention, Captain with a capital S," the man said raising his head to the Guarneri's. Though the moment he lifted his head from his device his gaze went to the new faces, his blue eyes moving between each member of Stardusks faces before his attention returned to the Guarneri's, there was little change in his expression, a distant look with a mild interest in the happenings around them, an almost bored expression in a sense. He looked at Robin than to Alton before promptly turning and trying to walk away.

The Junkers hadn't gotten too far when they spotted Caleb in his own little world, so they cornered him. Or at least, they surrounded him so he couldn't wander off while he wasn't paying attention to them talk. When they relayed the message and he started to walk towards the captains, the Junkers curiously followed behind, wanting to know more about the Stardusks. However the command for a Red Pigeon made them snap to attention and salute like robotic soldiers.


"Right away!"
"Just a red pigeon?"
"Should be easy enough."
"We'll be back asap!"

The four scattered and skated away. They jumped over tables and slid under people working, however no one seemed to bat an eyelash as they did.


"Hi Caleb, how are you today?" Robin cooed and then reached down to lift his arm. It looked as if she was about to hold his hand, but instead checked one of his many watches. "Hmm, according to this one you've got time to spare, no?" She gestured to the faces he had scanned over. "Captain and I are requesting a favor from you. The Stardusk crew here- You know, recently turned fourth gen? Well, they wanted a tour of our fine ship and I figure who better to give that tour than the one in charge of fixing it?" She continued to give that radiant smile, finally letting go of his arm. "Besides, you know this ship like the back of your hand so I know you'll be efficient. And when you're done you could just send them to the kitchen. I'm sure they want to check on their bird after all. Will you do that for me Caleb?" Robin didn't expect him to deny her request so she thanked him.

Alton was still as a statue, leaning against the wall. He hadn't moved a muscle so it was hard to say if he was sleeping or not until he looked over at Robin, realizing she was done. "Star Crew, this is Caleb. He's our shipwright and frankly, one of the smartest people we know. And we know a lot of people. I'll let him decide whether or not you guys can take notes about our ship."

The young man who seemed to be Caleb meant to be their guide came to a stop realizing he wasn't escaping and sure enough Robin confirmed his suspicion. They called the Shipwright to them and there were new faces on the ships, it didn't take much to understand what favor was about to be asked of him, though Robin had caught him on two fronts; she made it clear he had the time and was calling it a favor from the two of them. On top of that it was impossible to refuse Robin anyway, even the grumpiest person on the ship couldn't say no to that smile.

Upon Alton's introduction Caleb ran a hand through his short blonde hair and shrugged realizing he wasn't getting out of this, he tuned to face Stardusk and stopped one of his watches before speaking to them.

"Elliot and Robin are generally the people persons…" Caleb said adjusting his gloves. "Very well if my Captain with a capital S asks it of me there is little reason for me to decline. I will be your escort on the ship."
Caleb looked at the faces of Stardusk noting the ones that actually look excited before making a motion with his hand towards Luro seeing he was holding a notebook. The moment he was handed it he looked at the pages flipping through a few of them, his eyebrows arched a bit at this and he handed it back to Luro.

"You are permitted to take notes…no sane person could understand the logic of this ship anyway," Caleb said turning and walking away. "Though I already know your names, we should go through the customary greetings necessary with encountering new people. You already know my name so tell me who you are and something interesting about yourself, that's the custom correct? Captain Lev why don't you start?"
Caleb seemed to be leading them upstairs as starting from top to bottom seemed to be the fastest and most efficient method, and the Kitchen was on the lowest part of the ship and their final destination anyway.

Since Caleb agreed, Robin waved the crew off and slipped an arm around Alton's. "Bye! Have fun, we'll see you at the end of your tour. Don't break anything!"

Runali watched the interaction between the Junkers, then between the new person named Caleb. He seemed a little odd, but something about his oddity fit right into the hodge podge of gears and trinkets that made up what she had seen of the Novas so far. When he spoke to them, Runali stared at him for a long moment just trying to figure him out a little better. The name Elliot rang a small bell, but she couldn't quite remember its importance. So, she let it be for now.

The Stardusk captain gave a small salute, taking a step closer to the shipwright. "Nice to meet you Caleb! I'm-" He had just said her name so it was a little redundant to say it again. "Runali. Stardusk captain, yeah."
As everyone else introduced themselves, she looked around while Caleb lead them to the top of the ship. "As curious as I am about all of this ship's flying prowess, I'm wondering," Runali raised a curious brow. "Does it sail at sea as well as it does in the air? Do you guys get the best of both worlds??"

Caleb seemed to return to messing with the object from before as the crew introduced themselves, it seemed he was more invested in finishing it than the tour, but he was walking at a steady pace showing he was taking them into consideration. Luro Makachi shared that he was the carpenter of Stardusk which seemed to be the most interesting thing about him, and the quiet one named Zilia wrote that she was still alive, which Caleb didn't understand the significance of it but figured it was an interesting thought for her and left it alone.

"You have as much energy as they say Captain Lev," Caleb said. "Your group is certainly interesting, a mess of unknowns among you, a Tilean, a Yula Feian and a Sunter amongst you. Truly fascinating…your worlds are very different yet you inhabit the same area, you must inform me how you avoid killing each other on a daily basis."
"Well Alicia tried to kill Sara once," Luro added causing Caleb to nod.
"Yes I heard, one of the Misery cults told me about that," Caleb said. "It's quite the story."

Caleb went silent after this for a decent amount of time fiddling with his gadget once more as they made their way to the top deck of the ship, he would occasionally point at something to indicate its presence but aside from that didn't give any particular description to it, this continued throughout the hold during the tour, Caleb without raising his head pointing at a particular object to indicate it was important. Once they made it fully onto the top deck Caleb only stopped hearing Runali ask a question, he turned to the Captain of Stardusk putting his gadget away and hit one of his watches taking in a deep breath.
"What door have we opened…" Zilia thought staring at Caleb.
"The Flying Minnow is a marvel in both sea and air out sailing and flying any other ship on the sea, a necessity in our line of business. The Minnow doesn't require the aid of the wind to achieve her destination the generator built into the ship is more than sufficient in propelling us forward meaning we are not bound the winds whims to go where is needed, however there are times when one wants to sail like a proper pirate thus-"
Caleb motioned up to the sails on the ship before he continued.
"Generally speaking she is able to excel on anything she sets on, it isn't impossible for her to sail on land as well, I recall I experimented with her once in the desert sailing her across the sands after some modifications I made to her….though I was made to apologize to the Cutthroats as it appears seeing a giant ship sail by repeatedly unnerved them. Saffron was especially bothered as she saw me taking notes on the ship and glancing at their base as I circled around it. I believe she thought I was spying though I informed her that was not the case, though I suppose testing if it could go up vertical structures was a tad far…though I was successful thanks to the usage of their temple."

Luro raised his hand causing Caleb to point at him before he took out his notebook.
"How's it work?"
Caleb opened his mouth and went into an extremely detailed explanation about how the generator functioned, but it essentially sounded like.
"So you take two pieces of ham, a goose and duck, then you shake the harlot with a stick and dunk her in the ol basin while the taxer right up shoes the bingy."
"Okay okay…then how did you get rid of the rudder," Luro said writing the notes down.
"I took Mary by the waist and rightly flowered the mongoose with my hat making sure da tea mit was customarily adorned with the cloudy wench cellar."
Zilia watched Luro furiously take notes glancing over at the two then at the others and finally the Captain before bringing her hands to her head.
"Have…have I gone mad. These don't sound like words! Does this all sound like gibberish just to me?!"
"Any other Questions on how the ship functions?"

Runali grinned when he mentioned her being energetic, but proceeded to raise an eyebrow when he spilled out more information about them. It wasn't surprising that he would know something about them, but she was sure Alicia and Sara's fight went under radar. She was also sure that no one knew where her home was. That made her tense up a bit, until the conversation kept going. She figured she could ask questions about it later.

When they reached the deck, Runali's one eye sparkled with delight. She would have ran off had it not have been for Caleb actually answering her question- which only made her more excited. "That's amazing!" And then the conversation droned on to things more technical. At least, that's what the captain thought because she had already zoned the conversation out. It was how to build that kind of thing- that was what Luro was for. However, seeing Zilia look panicky- not that she didn't always look a bit panicky- she patted her shoulder and gave a reassuring all too bright smile. "Relax a little Z! We're in a flying ship! A ship that can fly! We're as high as the birds right now!" She wandered a little ways from the group to lean over the edge of the ship. "The view's amazing!" Runali turned her head, not actually being able to see Caleb, but asked, "How long does it take to make something like this?? Follow up! Did you make it? Like, the blueprints and the idea for it? And how many times did it crash before it worked?" She rambled off the questions before turning her attention back to the sea below and at the view around them. Some of the Novas on deck watched curiously, but nodded in solidarity. The first time they had gotten to travel in a flying ship they were just as amazed too.

Caleb continued to provide an explanation until he noticed Runali move from her spot, the Captain seemed especially excited to be on the ship, if it wasn't for the fact the muscles required to smile would probably hinder his thought process he would have done so. He made sure to look at the others in case they had any inquiries of their own, though the small quiet one seemed a tad bothered being so high up. He did take note at the fact she seemed to calm down at Runali's comment, Captain's Lev effect on her crew was interesting, though they were fourth generation now under her guidance, which meant they at least knew what they were doing.
Hitting one of the watches on his arm he pointed back inside and started to move only to stop at Runali's question, he arched a brow at her.
"Two days, I'm the creator ideas and blueprints and once but that was intentional and I've already apologized to the Cutthroats and paid for the damage. Let's continue."

Caleb pointed inside of the ship and made his way back inside before moving down the stairs to the hold, the tour was generally just Caleb pointing at things as they walked past them until they made it to the bottom of the ship. The lower floors smelled almost sickeningly sweet, the smell was akin to walking into a field of flowers covered in dew with a single apple pie sitting in the center of the floral arrangement, it didn't take long to pinpoint the smell as Caleb lead the way into a small room.
"This is the Kitchen."
The moment he spoke he leaned his head to the side as a knife flew past him narrowly missing his skull and stabbing into the wall near the door, a familiar bird could be seen nearby past the thrower of the knife whose hand was still extended, the other hand continuing to turn the stew she was currently standing at.
"This is our Doctor," Caleb said.
The young woman who seemed to stand at Kadi's height stared at the crew, violet eyes peering through the smoke at the intruders to her 'home'. She was dressed in a linen shirt with slight ruffles on the sides accompanied with a pair of black pants and boots, an apron rested on her torso reading 'if you can read this you're too close'. Setting a top on the pot she made her way over to the group, stepping a bit more into the light to reveal her features, she reached up moving a strand of silk like purple hair behind her ear, the strands falling slightly forward ignoring her earlier movement. Her visage almost like a porcelain dolls and her eyes seemed to shine like sapphire under moonlight as her thin lips twitched to the side slightly…if not for the fact she had an aura that screamed 'screw off' and a constant glare on her expression she'd probably look feminine.
"Why are you here Caleb?" the woman said glancing over at Stardusk. "…who are they?"
The woman's voice dripped with venom as she reached forward and pulled the knife out of the wall, she was clearly irritated but the tone itself was light which was enough of an indication for Caleb that she wasn't as upset as she appeared, and to anyone paying careful attention.
"If you don't have any business get out," the woman said motioning to the Stardusk crew.
"This is Seliria, she's in a good mood today since we're returning to Brass Cape, and your bird's company."
"…that pile of feathers is yours," Seliria said motioning over to CP. "… is that the only good company you keep, I'm not seeing anyone else worth the investment."
"They just made Fourth Gen recently I believe Seliria, the Captain with a capital S have already congratulated them."
"Forgive me for not having a medal ready for them," Seliria said grabbing some nearby lettuce. "Which one of you is the Captain step forward so I can have a look at you."

Had she not have been called over, Runali would have been left behind as Caleb continued their tour. It wasn't all too informative since all he did was point to things, but she enjoyed it nonetheless, making a mental note of what looked odd enough to remember. "Only one crash yeah?" For a moment, Runali rubbed her cheek in thought. "Hrmm, that means Luro's gonna need supplies worth two airships. Enough for one to work and the extra supplies... Hey Alicia we've got the funds for that right-"

The smell of flowers and pie, made her turn away before she could get an answer from the swordswoman. "Oh. Smells pretty good." Despite not actually remembering if Jack made a pie before, she was still pretty certain he could make one better. Runali wasn't sure why she thought it either, but it was a passing thought.

The knife caught her off guard, but she raised a curious brow towards the doctor. For some reason, knives being thrown around reminded her of home. "Hm. Doctors don't normally cause injury do they?" She looked around the kitchen, remembering Caleb's oddity throughout their tour. "Must be the chef." As she, Seliria, grabbed her knife, Runali commented, "A feisty chef." With a single small hop forward, Runali smiled and introduced herself. "Captain Runali Lev of the Stardusks." She let out a small whistle and CP flew over to sit on her shoulder. "Thanks for taking care of CP. And you know, not adding her to your stew or something." Despite the woman's not so friendly aura, Runali put a hand out to shake hers. "Nice to meet you!"

Seliria glanced over at Runali when she stepped forward, she moved away from the lettuce and moved closer to the Captain brushing her hand off on her apron in the process. Seliria stared at Runali's hand for a moment glancing back at the Captain then to her crew, she reached forward but pet CP's head making no attempt to shake Runali's outstretched hand, staring at the bird as she spoke to Runali.
"I'd never add her to a stew, she's too precious," Seliria said. "Though I do apologize for this CP."
Seliria quickly lowered her hand and grabbing Runali's shirt slammed her against the nearby wall shoving the knife in her other hand to the Captain's throat, the action happened in what seemed like seconds but Seliria's gaze remained fixated on Runali as she pressed the blade against her skin. Zilia had lowered her body the moment she heard the Captain's body hit the wall, though Luro only stared arching his brows slightly at the scene.
"…the ones who moved Captain are the ones you should keep an eye on," Seliria said before pulling the knife away. "They tend to be the ones who die first."

Seliria released Runali and reaching down took her hand in hers giving it a single shake, there wasn't an ounce of killing intent any of her movements and no blood drawn which she figured Runali would notice eventually…if she was worth the effort of getting to know.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Seliria as Caleb so eloquently said, I'm the cook on this ship. I like the size up any crew that the Guarneri's allow on here. You can tell a lot about a person on their instincts in the moment. You're the Captain so I figured you can take a bump or two."
"…you may as well be our doctor with all the damage you cause…especially with those meals of yours," Caleb said. "You ability to treat stomach aches is only rivaled by your ability to create them."
"You're terrible sense of taste is not part of this discussion," Seliria said returning to her stew. "I'm obligated to be nice to guests, I'm permitted to beat you down should the need arise Caleb."
Walking back over to Runali she handed her a small bowl of what was in the pot.
"Here try some Lev," Seliria said. "I'm willing to bet Caleb was asked to guide you around the ship and he just pointed at things didn't he?"
Seliria seemed a little less irritated as she lingered near the Captain, twirling the knife she had at her throat moments ago in her free hand, mainly as a casually reminder to Caleb than anything else.
"Elliot and Robin are the people person's on the ship…though that messenger has a fun habit of vanishing when he's needed," Seliria said. "Hopefully Robin isn't too upset over first impressions."

"Ah, I see you're a fan." Runali's hand went back to her side, not minding the rejection. She only had time to raise an eyebrow towards her apology, only to suddenly be slammed into the wall. Just as fast as she was pinned, Runali had grabbed the blade from her boot- only to put it back almost as quickly as she grabbed it. At some point of hitting the wall and seeing the knife, Runali felt less threatened than she thought she should have been- only to realize Seliria wasn't actually trying to kill her. There was a brief moment of disappointment for not being able to have a proper fight, but she figured that was for later. It fell quiet for a moment before Seliria spoke, making the captain laugh. "I keep an eye out for all of my crew. But thanks for the advice." As she straightened her shirt back out and shook Seliria's, Runali added. "You've got very pretty eyes by the way."

CP had fluttered back onto Runali's shoulder, a little more weary after Runali was attacked, but after a few pats, the bird relaxed again. "Oh yeah. He's pointed at a lot of stuff. Cool looking stuff." She happily took the offered bowl. "S'okay. If I get a stomach ache Z can get me medicine. Or I dunno, Jack can make something that tastes better." She tasted the stew, paused for a brief moment, and then finished the rest. "I dunno Caleb. Maybe you do have bad taste. Apples are pretty good. At least, that's what this tasted like." She nodded her thanks to Seliria and handed the bowl over to CP who flew over and gently sat it by the sink.

As if a light bulb flick on above her head, Runali straightened up. "Oh right! Elliot was the one we saw at the Cutthroats place! Luro tried to kill him for the flying board or something. He didn't stay too long. No matter, I think the first impressions are going pretty well."

Seliria glanced over at CP as she set the bowl back over at the sink, staring at the bird for a moment before turning and making her way back to the stew. She seemed to pay little mind to the compliment taking a peek inside the pot. The opinions of strangers mattered little to her and she had more important matters to attend too but as she didn't scowl at Runali it seemed she didn't mind it. Though the moment Runali commented on Caleb's sense of taste Seliria looked back at Caleb who met eyes with her.
"He dislikes normal food" Seliria said. "You are correct Lev. Alton was munching on an apple not too long ago but we're out now. This is a substitute for that, and if Alton is happy, Robin is happy, that's generally how it goes. The Junkers know not to complain about the food, well four of them do..."

Zilia felt there was a hidden meaning in those words, but from the look in Seliria's eyes she decided to shove that thought immediately to the side. Luro on the other hand seemed to just stare at Seliria bringing a hand to his chin, Zilia wasn't sure what it was but he seemed extremely invested in something pertaining to the irritable cook, whatever it was faded quickly however as he grinned and looked back at the Captain as Caleb spoke.
"It appears Captain Lev didn't doubt the effect it would have on her though. I suppose taking chances is a Captain's job," Caleb said looking over at Runali.
"I'm going to ignore that insult to my cooking as an apology for my earlier actions, though her faith in her crewmates is annoyingly endearing" Seliria said walking back over to Stardusk. "A crew watches out for its Captain, Captain watches out for crew and you each watch out for each other, that's a proper relationship. It seems you lot have that down…well most of you which is good enough."
Seliria glanced over at the members of Stardusk, her gaze seeming to linger on the newest members for a moment before she closed her eyes.
"Though that's just the words of a cook and stranger, you have your own answers for things…my opinion is hardly needed," Seliria said. "Now why don't I help give a proper tour, the stew has to simmer anyway."
Caleb started to voice his opinion only for Seliria to shove a roll into his mouth to stop him from talking, removing her apron she set it to the side and turning Runali around gently pushed her out of the room, doing the same for the other members of Stardusks.

Zilia wasn't sure what to really take from the situation but the woman seemed to be trying to help them so she handed her a note which Seliria took once they were outside.
"That's…very kind of you thank you for taking the time,"
Seliria stared at the note before looking back at Zilia, turning it over she wrote something on the back of it before handing it to Zilia. The Doctor read the words on the page before immediately looking back at Seliria who stared at her with a slightly narrowed gaze.
Zilia's eyes twitched as a bit of red flowed into her cheeks and writing something back on the same page she handed it back to Seliria who read it before shoving it into her pocket.
"Don't fall behind."

Seliria's explanation was a bit easier to understand and happened to use words, she explained that the ship had multiple rooms attached to it courtesy of Caleb to accommodate for how long they were away. They had multiple storage rooms, rooms for everyone on the ship, a workshop, a few places to bathe, a makeshift garden on the top floor of the deck and an indoor tavern.
"You guys have a tavern on your ship?" Luro said causing Seliria to stop.
Seliria who had led them to the second floor of the ship turned a corner, and reaching over pressed on the wall, the wood seemed to sink in before the wall nearby spun revealing a mini tavern inside the ship, chair and tables set up here and there along with a plentiful amount of drinks lining the wall behind the counter. Seliria pressed the button however closing the door seeing Luro was staring to walk inside. He turned towards her and she held a hand up to him noticing the sorrow in his eyes at her cruel action.
"I'll have the Junkers escort you here later when there's time," Seliria said. "That aside we're away from Brass Cape for quite a bit and Caleb wanted to ensure we have everything so he's not called on for unnecessary distractions. Due to that there are plethora of places like this on the ship, we're basically a flying town, there's even an inn on the ship on the west side of the third floor, though it's more the crew's bunks than anything else. The Flying Minnow is a world of her own…quite literally."
"I read stories of floating castles…this might be the closest things to one," Zilia thought looking in the direction of the hidden tavern.

Seliria and Caleb lead them through the rest of the ship, showing them what helped keep the ship afloat, the pipes running through the sides of the ship that expelled steam were part of it, they were connected to devices fueled by steam on the ship. The last stop was right before the Kitchen, they stepped into an open room, roughly the size of their own abodes on the Lady Luck, there were golden pipes running up around the room and through holes which as shown earlier ran through most of the ship. Seliria motioned towards a small rectangular device connected to a few of the earlier pipes, it was barely the size of an orange and she looked at Caleb who stepped forward.
"This is what keeps the ship in the air," Caleb said. "This provides enough power to keep us from falling out of the sky and propels us when we take to the sea."
Zilia reached over and grabbed the back of Luro's shirt seeing him step forward, he glanced back at her only to see her shake her head at him seeing what he was about to do. He was not touching the thing that kept them afloat in the air.
"That's most of the ship…at least the more interesting bits. Caleb if you had done this in the first place I wouldn't have had to put for the effort."
Caleb however was already walking out of the door tapping one of his watches and trying to return to his earlier machinations.

 

[Eastwood]

Sara grinned once she observed the harnesses, already guessing what's to come. She raised her arms, letting the numerous junkers attach the harness. It appeared that this ship and crew had their own Luros. Sara had to wonder if every pirate crew had their own version of Luro in some way although, she reasoned, this type of life did attract eccentrics. She screamed as she was suddenly yoinked up not of fear but from joy. When she landed on the platform with a heavy thump, she came to her feet and grinned. "You're not kidding, that was fun!" She froze when she heard Luro's voice from behind her, when he had commented on Alicia's underwear, and she suddenly became thankful for her fashion choice of pants over dresses or skirts. Luro had crossed a line, and she was very curious as to what Alicia would do.

She had clambered up to her feet and walked over to Jack, after her harness was taken off. She whispered, flashing looks towards him and Luro. "Hey, ten dollars says that Alicia throws him off the airship."

As they participated in the rest of the tour, her eyes widened taking in every detail. It wasn't as much of an airship as she had thought but more like a floating town. When they had arrived at the kitchen, Sara's eyes narrowed at the rudeness demonstrated by the ship's cook, but didn't comment on it nor did she even blink when a kitchen knife was suddenly lodged in the nearby wall, she figured that's how pirate cooks say hello, with the exception of Jack of course. However, when Runali found herself pinned, Sara stepped into action and wrapped her hand around the wrist of the hand of that held the knife. "That's enough." Sara said, quietly. "We were invited here. Is this how you always treat your guests?" She let go when the would-be attacker did, and she didn't react to her warning for what did this cook know about her? Sara remained quiet for the rest of the tour, up until the power source of this ship was revealed, which was no bigger than an orange. Sara stared, before asking the obvious question.

"What is that?"

 

[SilentxChaos]

​

What a wonder.

Jack detached from the harness- the last seconds of zipping through the air both exhilarating and incredibly painful, thanks to Zilia's death grip- instantly taking in everything and nothing. He had never been on a ship like this; let alone seen one. He'd visited Brass Cape once long ago, seen the model for railways and the first airship. That model intrigued him then but now it looked like a child's toy to the real thing. He made sure the doctor was steady on her feet before venturing a few paces away from the group to examine the machinery around them, and the crew. He tried to hail one of the Junkers as they all reassembled, wanting to ask what they did on the ship, what was it like, but got derailed when Luro's comment broke through his marveling.

Groaning, Jack passed a hand over his face. Sara came near him and he lifted an eyebrow. "She's more like to throw him off Lady Luck than be disrespectful to our hosts," he hypothesized seriously, considering. He gave Sara a smile. "Make it twenty and it's a deal."

During their tour, Jack listened intently to Caleb's explanations. He lit a cigarette as they neared the kitchen, nodding to something explained to Luro that he only half-guessed what it entailed, but making mental notes all the same for later research. Or maybe he'd ask Luro. Their conversations, at times, showed threads of logical thinking. It concerned the cook greatly. Jack secretly worried he may end up talking to himself in the middle of the night like Luro did, to things that weren't supposed to be there. Flowers and a hint of cinnamon apple hit his nose, disrupting his thoughts. He sniffed the air.

"Hm. Could use more cinnam--" Entering the Nova's kitchen behind Runali, a flash of steel caught his eye. He moved his head to one side as the knife embedded into the wall, raising his eyebrows. "Never mind."

He brushed the hidden knife in his sleeve when the cook Seliria lunged at Runali, but did not move. He observed coolly the rest of the crew, prompted by Seliria's cryptic statement, before looking back at her. Her point may be valid. But why the lesson to newcomers? Jack puffed his cigarette and tapped his foot. The Nova pirates were becoming quite an intriguing study in observation.

 

[Arcadius]

"Ah, yes, perfect, Luro. However, I wasn't really planning to drink, I mean, we can, sure, but my idea was really more of a desi-" Thump of heavy boots landing on the deck behind him. Two strong arms around him, working leather straps with surprising speed.

"Wha-" Sudden pull upwards. Lady Luck vanishing beneath his feet at great speed. Wind howling in his ears, like a predator disliking invasion of its territory. Few additionally seconds of disorientation as the world spun all around the Navigator, before a rough landing on wooden planks, suspended somewhere high up in the air by unknown art.

Luro loudly proclaiming it was fun and he wants to do it again.

Careful crawl to the edge of the cargo door, and looking down at Lady Luck in the sea down below. Very much down below. Hurried escape to a corner furthest away from the open pit. Conclusion that he doesn't like flying all that much.

"Again? FUN? You tall redheaded cob-donut, I will nail every of your fingers to the helm and spin it until there's no intact bone left in your body if YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!" A normal person would find themselves at least partially calmed by being surrounded by at least three walls, a luxury provided by the corner. Sadly for Kadi, his condition was far, far beyond that, and his newfound skills told him very precisely he was sitting a good hundred meter above the sea line. He closed his eyes, and grabbed for something to find something to use as a lodestone of mental support.

His hand closed around a steampipe. It was hot. "GAH!" he shouted, jumping to his legs and pulling the arm back. He opened his eyes, and noticed Caleb already leading the rest of them away, across the cargo pit from them. "UNGHH!" he groaned, as he pulled all the mental fortitude to make at least one step closed to the opened hole, and slowly crawled around the room, keeping himself at maximum distance from the cargo pit. The technicians around were giving him bemused looks. Half of them probably recalled their first visit here, and feeling just as queer about the living conditions, but now it was long time since this arguably rational fear was suppressed in them.

The ship was, naturally, beyond impressive. The ad hoc design made it irreplicable, and irreplaceable, yes. Many technologies were married through shotgun wedding to keep this whole contraption aflight, work of many clever people cobbled together in a pioneering design. The Navigator had to ask himself, however, whether the overcomplexity was accidental or intended, whether it was not intentional obfuscation. The man has seen a lot as a being traversing the dreams for Macropulos, and some of her plans and ideas were a solid competition for this craft in the manner of headache-induction.

Then, finally, they were introduced to the heart of the ship. One did had to give it ten out of ten for presentation. Instead of something mundane, like a gargantuan steam boiler, or enslaved flame spirit, or a (Librarian forbid) something made with Red Science, it was a small golden box, roughly the size of a cigar case. Everything else seemed connected to it, like a nerve system spidering from here all across the ship.

"So... this is it? This just makes all the steam for... everything?" It made sense, didn't it? Everything they saw on their way here was complex, yes, but mundane. There was no way steam power, something that had barely enough energy to pump water out of a mineshaft, would be able to provide enough energy to lift anything even close to the mass of Flying Minnow. No, there was something new and unexpected afoot here. One step left from being able to peer behind this facade.

"How does it work?"

 

[Mizos]

Seliria was starting to leave herself but stopped as she caught the one named Sara's question, she stared at her a moment recalling she was one of the crewmates who moved earlier. She turned her gaze back to the small object not exactly keen on explaining what exactly it was when Caleb had already done so but she could see at least a few confused faces among the crew. With a small sigh she brought a hand to her hip and motioned back towards it.
"It's called Pandora and-"
Loud footsteps quickly approached the room and Caleb sprinted back into the room stopping in front of Seliria who stared at him still pointing at the device. Caleb paused one of the watches on his wrist before looking back over at Sara.
"That is not the name of my device. Its proper name is-"
"Too damn long to say so just call it Pandora, that thing is why we're not plummeting to our deaths," Seliria said looking over at Sara. "That's all that matters, now if you would-"

Just as Seliria was starting to push past Stardusk the other one with the eye patch opened his mouth, her narrowed gaze immediately shot to him and she almost covered his mouth but it was too late. Caleb slowly turned his attention over to the one referred to as Kadi and tapped one of his watches as his brows arched at him, he was silent even as the timer started to tick, his eyes locked on Kadi's features as he turned to fully face him. Steam burst out of the pipes around them and Caleb seemed to be pulled from whatever was going through his head by the noise, his gaze moving up to them. Reaching over he knocked on a nearby pipe twice causing the steam to shoot out somewhere else and with a small shrug he walked over to Kadi bringing a hand to his chin once he was within arm's reach of him.
"Mikchail Arcadius correct…" Caleb said.
"Your friend is a pain," Seliria said looking over at Runali. "He was almost gone. It was almost peaceful."
Caleb reached and tapped the side of his own skull before speaking again.
"You wouldn't understand if I told you, so it's unnecessary to explain it to you," Caleb said before nodding and starting to hit his watch again. "I don't want to waste time."
Seliria reached over and grabbed Caleb's arm to stop him from walking off again.
"Oi Caleb…when I'm rude at least it's intentional….they don't understand your weird mannerisms," Seliria said. "Mikchail right?"
"Kadi," Luro said holding up a finger. "Mikchail's the safe word."
Seliria looked over at Luro for a moment, her eyes twitching as he smiled at her before looking back at…Kadi.
"Right…anyway what Caleb means is it's not possible to understand with your kind of knowledge. You lot have survived this long and made it to Worst Gen so I imagine you have some kind of cognitive skills…that or you're really lucky. Caleb explain it properly."
Caleb looked over at Kadi then back at Seliria figuring he had explained it perfectly, though the look from her said otherwise. With a sigh he moved his hand away from his watch and motioned over to Pandora.

"You asked me 'how does it work' but that's not the right question. That's the question of someone using common preconceptions…I already explained it provides power, the source being plain to see since we're surrounded by it and you even mentioned it. Which leads me to the conclusion you don't want to know 'how it works', but more 'why it works'. Though I could be mistaken I am terrible with people and a majority of animals."
Caleb looked over at Seliria who shook her head and spoke to Kadi knowing Caleb was leaving parts out again.
"It's impossible for anyone with common sense to understand how Pandora works; you would have to be either stupid or utterly mad to comprehend it. It's one of the reasons why replicating it is impossible. Generally three things happens when Caleb explains. Someone says it's impossible…someone believes he's lying…or it makes no sense. Kadi…unless you have a serious need to know I'd recommend just dropping it, you don't seem mad to me."
Seliria gaze moved over to Luro who was trying to touch Pandora, Caleb slapping his hand to stop him from doing so.
"Well die if you do that," Caleb said as Luro shook off his hand.
"…really?" Luro questioned.
"It would probably take 25.3 seconds but yes we would die."
"Someone like him though would probably get it…he seems mad," Seliria said motioning to Luro.
"I'm not mad, I'm pretty happy right now," Luro said glancing back at Seliria.
"Yeah someone like him...but less stupid," Seliria said before making a motion outside.

Caleb looked at his pocket watch and hitting one of the switches closed it before looking back at Kadi, he was using far too much time in this venture, but he liked curiosity, curiosity led to wonderful things, but there really was no point in explaining it to Kadi, he truly wouldn't understand, though that was a tad presumptuous of him, he gave all the warning signs, ignoring them would be foolish.
"If you are inclined to know Kadi I'm happy to explain it to you, but only if you ask the right question so I know you'll understand. I don't want to explain and use up both our times, otherwise my previous explanation should be enough to comprehend how A-"
"Pandora," Seliria said stopping Caleb. "How Pandora works…now go shoo off somewhere."

Seliria feeling that was enough of a tour quickly shooed Stardusk out of Pandora's room Caleb following after and shutting the door behind him. He started to set his watch again when Seliria stopped him her gaze moving over to Stardusk. Releasing Caleb she walked up to Luro who tilted his head at her, glancing over at the faces of the crew she pointed at the gathered group before speaking to Luro.
"Which one's the cook Red?"
Luro stared at Seliria in silence until he realized she was speaking to him, he pointed at Jack causing Seliria to walk over to him, her mouth twitched to the side and she gave a small nod.
"…I had a feeling it was this one…the one who had the audacity to bring up my cinnamon measurements," Seliria said. "Though you're not wrong, regretfully the crew on this ship are picky about their food and thanks to this excursion I couldn't prep everything…which means I'm going to need a little help. That's fair right considering I was nice enough to give you a tour of the ship."
Seliria reached forward and grabbed hold of Alicia's wrist pulling her over to her side, releasing her she reached up and put her arm around Alicia's shoulders, patting her opposite shoulder as she glanced over at new assisstant.
"I'm gonna take this one Captain Lev…just for a little bit to help me finish my food. You're welcome to eat with us of course…long as you don't complain about the food. Until then feel free to explore the ship or whatever fits for you, there's a library near the tavern if you're the studious sort. Just ask one of the crew and they'll-"

Seliria cut herself off seeing Zilia turn and quickly leave everyone behind sprinting down the hall, she watched the Doctor vanish in the distance and decided to just leave it alone removing her hand from Alicia's shoulder she gave her a small pat on the back before making her way towards the kitchen.
"Um….why are you taking Alicia," Luro said holding up a finger. "She can't cook she's terrible at lady things. Masu would probably be better."
After asking Luro who Masu was Seliria looked over at Alicia before pointing at Jack.
"The problem with having another cook in my kitchen is they have their own styles and opinion, and what passes for food on your ship may not be worth dirt here, and vice versa, there's no point in bringing that one anyway, he's got a mouth on him. Now for this 'Masu' she's got spirit and bark two annoying things to put up with while cooking," Seliria said.
Seliria gaze moved over to Alicia and she motioned to her with her head.

"This one looks like the responsible type, she keeps an eye out, and carries herself a certain way. A Yula Feian too who are all about that politeness. Basically she's the type to listen to orders and not complain, at least openly, if she did that would look bad on you. Simply put…she'll behave herself, just the kind of person I want in my kitchen. I don't want fake smiles or sideway glances from another cook it's annoying. That and watching her tense up from touch is entertaining, come on then Tashi I got a spare apron."
While Seliria was basically dragging Alicia away from the others with a surprising amount of strength Luro looked over at the two before yelling in their direction.
"Hey how did you know Alicia was from Yula Fei! You said you didn't know stuff about us!"
Seliria stopped at this and glanced back at the others before arching a brow.
"I lied," she said simply. "I told you…I like to size up, see whats fact and fiction….there's a lot of fiction. Tashi move faster you're making Stardusk look bad."
Caleb watched Seliria until she had dragged Alicia far away from the others and glanced back at them.
"…I will be doing my cycles, but if you require any extra assistance feel free to approach me or the Junkers. Though I can't promise I'll be as polite as Seliria was. She's in a good mood today."
With small nod Caleb turned throwing his cloak up in the process and walked away form Stardusk.

 

[Winter]

Seliria released Alicia once they were back in the kitchen walking immediately over to her pot to check on the contents. Giving a small nod at the state of the stew she set the top back down and walked away from it. Reaching over she grabbed something on the counter and turning tossed it over to Alicia. It was a frilly pink apron that read 'I'm happier than I look' and as Seliria slipped on her own apron she walked back over to the lettuce she had set down earlier before making a motion over to a pot of water nearby.

"That's fresh so wash your hands, then start cutting the vegetables on that table," Seliria said motioning to a few apples and carrots on an opposing table.

"If you know how to cut with a sword you should know how to cut with a knife, after that peel the potatoes. When you finish that let me know and I'll give you your next task. Don't worry I won't keep you from your friends long."


Alicia had said mostly nothing the entire time as per usual. Her ascent from the the deck of the Lady Luck had been finished elegantly with a graceful twist before she'd touched down on the flying ship with practiced precision from the many times she'd achieved feats of acrobatic ability in battle, having demonstrated time and time again her ability to soften her falls or manipulate the environment to avoid harming herself upon suffering gravity.


Luro's comment had earned him a deathly glare, although Jack had been right in his assertion that Alicia was unlikely to cause a scene in front of allies and while being guest on board their ship. As such she gave Luro, Jack and Sara the kind of look that suggested she would be coming back to this upon returning to their ship at a later date.


The tour was intriguing and Alicia had paid close attention to the subtle details, not really commenting above acknowledging their hosts with a nod or a smile when they cast looks her way. At least that was until the cook took hold of Runali, to which the swordswoman had responded with a step forth as Shusui whipped forth from it's saya in a flash as the rooms light caught the dark flat surface. The blade had stopped inches from Seliria's wrist before it became apparent what was happening, the blade having clearly been aimed to remove her wrist and the knife in one frighteningly fast movement. Of course Alicia silently returned the blade to it's rest once the few words were exchanged.


Upon being grabbed Alicia frowned and was about to express her dislike about being touched before Luro spoke, drawing her attention. "I'll have you know I'm perfectly able to coo- hey!" she was pulled again, causing her sentence to cut short. When she eventually stopped she sighed, "It's Tashigi" she corrected, holding up a single hand with her finger pointed upwards in a matter-of-fact kind of expression, although her tone retained her soft politeness.


She caught the apron out of the air and upon inspecting it, grimaced before placing it down on one of the clear counters as she began to carefully roll back her sleeves, of course knowing they would only get in the way of things. Her hair was already tied back in her black bow so all that was left was to put on the apron, which didn't really bother her all that much to be honest. "It shouldn't be an issue" she replied when asked to cut the vegetables.


The swordswoman approached the chopping board, wielding one of the offered knives before she began to cut the vegetables with perfect precision, combining trained speed and dexterity without compromising the care in each cut through the various greens. Each piece was measured equally from Alicia's heightened perception and within a few short minutes each vegetable lay in it's own pile upon the chopping board with the knife neatly placed beside it with barely any mess to be found.


The peeling process was handled with the same care and the excess parts of the food were quickly disposed with minimal waste to the food items themselves.


Seliria was silently attending to her side of things only to stop and walk over to Alicia she chopped the vegetables, crossing her arms under her chest she watched the skilled woman in silence, the same narrowed expression on her face as she observed her. When she finished Seliria moved closer and lifted up a few of the pieces turning them over before nodding and dumping them all into a small bowl, upon doing so she set the bowl to the side.

"Precise and well cut, good work…" Seliria said before setting the same vegetables in front of her. "Unfortunately we have picky eaters who will complain about how perfect those are, cut them a little sloppy. I forget you responsible types dive into most things seriously. That was my mistake, the potato is fine though, they rarely complain about the shape of that. I won't waste these though I'll just use them in my meal."


Seliria grabbed one of the vegetables and started cutting them, unlike Alicia she made an effort to cut them slightly lopsided, she motioned to it with her knife sliding one over to her.

"Cut them like this, I'll do it with you just in case it's impossible for you not to do it perfectly, just watch my movements," Seliria said returning to her cutting.

She was silent for a moment as she cut the vegetables a small yawn escaping from her as she grabbed the lettuce once more.

"So how many times have you put your life on your line for those friends of yours? I imagine at least once or twice right."


Alicia blinked as she was asked to intentionally cut them imperfectly, actually feeling a little anxious as she tried to process if she could even make herself complete such a request. Being both a swordswoman and a Feian meant that intentionally striving for imperfection was not something she was used to, not to say she was often perfect, but Alicia was used to always trying her best in every situation. It was true what the cook said about how serious she tended to undertake tasks, although that was true of most Feian's who delved into just any practice whether it was art, craft or even cooking. Nevertheless she nodded, "I see" she replied and watched her cut the vegetables imperfectly before endeavoring to do the same, though this time she was far slower and seemed to concentrate more, the ask clearly something she wasn't used to.


Her question caught her a little off guard and she raised her eyebrows and looked to the cook for a moment before she gave it some thought for perhaps the first time. She smiled, "I... am not entirely sure actually. More times than I care to remember I should think, though not all times will have been moments they'd be aware of" she said as she continued to cut, "Which suits me just fine, I need no thanks. Though it'd be nice if some of them took a little extra care in their actions, if not for the sake of their own lives and preserving them", she replied. It then only just occurred to her, "Wait, how did you know I'd saved them at all?" she asked curiously, "Simply guessing or is Luro's lack of thought for his own well being that obvious?" she asked.


Seliria glanced over at Alicia watching her concentrate on the cutting the vegetables, she stared at her but said nothing merely waiting for a response to her question. When she received it she shut her eyes stopping the movements of her hands for a moment, though it passed pretty quickly and she took their collected vegetables before shoving a bowl over to Alicia and making a spinning motion with her finger.

"Put some oomph into it," she said motioning to the ingredients. "Just mix it until it turns yellow."

She grabbed the rest of the vegetables deciding to handle the rest of the cutting herself, it was a little painful watching Alicia try.


When Alicia asked her how she knew about her 'habit' Seliria gave a small shrug.

"Well yeah Red does seem like he doesn't think before he acts but you responsible types are kindly rude most of the time so it's an easy guess for some," Seliria said. "For how I know…you're the only one who drew her weapon back there. Though your cook touched whatever he has hidden away he didn't act. People who do what you did have generally seen the worst of a situation too many times, unlike Masu you didn't grab me, you went right for a solution. Thus it's easy to see that you've risked your life for them numerous times. Well maybe not for some but I've seen it enough times to know the signs. Do you protect them because you care for them Tashi?"


The swordwoman smiled sheepishly when the cook appeared to take over from cutting the greens, knowing that she herself was taking more time than was appropriate as she tried to change her thinking in order to cut them differently. Nevertheless she did as she was asked and moved to stir the ingredients till the mixture turned yellow without question, admittedly the food did smell rather good and was smarter than to question a woman who clearly knew her craft. Serilia's response to her questions were fairly reasonable and she merely nodded in response before listening as she asked her another question. "Tashigi" she replied politely, seeming to retain her patience, "And as for your question, I can not deny that I care for them. Perhaps more so than they would understand, but that is not the only reason why" she replied, "Feian's are taught to respect all life big and small and to hold it equally in importance. So long as I am shown that you are a good person, not someone who will threaten the lives of others... I would defend you with the same tenacity that I would if you were Stardusk" she gave a soft chuckle, "I understand that might be confusing. Forgive me, It's difficult to explain some of my cultures teachings, at least in a way that wouldn't require me to stand here and talk for hours about my homeland".

Seliria calmly put the cut vegetables to the side glancing over at Alicia to show she was listening as she spoke. Her expression remained blank expecting such an answer though as she went to talk about Yula Fei she sighed a little and took the bowl from her putting it to the side. She wiped her hands off with a towel before grabbing another one and tossing it to Alicia, Seliria grabbed a few of the ingredients cut by the two and dumped them into the pot before moving her hands to her hips, for a moment she was quiet before speaking keeping her back to Alicia.

"I understand it well enough, your culture and traditions are familiar to me," Seliria said. "To an extent anyway."

Seliria walked over and pat Alicia on the shoulder arching a brow at her.

"It's how I know you Feian's got a problem with personal space, you always move away and flinch. Most don't understand why but I do…not that it stops me."

Seliria removed her hand from Alicia's shoulder and looked back over her kitchen crossing her arms under her chest.

"…there's a lot I want to say to you…but unfortunately you Feian's are stuck in your ways. Which is a good and bad thing. Due to such things giving warning and advice is heeded but when you grow up being taught values and traditions…you tend to stick to them. Either because they make you who you are…or you're afraid of what you'd be without them. I'm guessing you're the former and in all honesty we're basically strangers, what I have to say carries little weight ultimately."

Seliria looked over at Alicia, there was a softness in her expression for a moment but it seemed to leave as soon as it came and she shook her head.

"What you did earlier was a good thing for your Captain…but she had that situation handled herself. Do you doubt your friend's abilities that much? Did you not think Captain Lev could get out of that situation without your help…or did you body just move before you could think…I'm genuinely curious."


Alicia's intrigue was peaked when Serilia explained that she knew of Yula Fei's culture, wondering just how much she knew and what her opinions might be. The girl was hard to read as her expression changed more often than Luro's ramblings on ideas whenever he became excited about something that was usually extremely dangerous. The pat on her shoulder made her tense a little as she winced and she gave the cook a flat look as she outwardly explained that she knew about her issues with personal space, though to Alicia's credit she still remained polite and patient, which if this girl knew about her culture she'd probably expected as much. "Interesting question" she replied at first as she took a moment to consider it, "I suppose a good part of it is instinct, but let me ask you a counter question. Is it better to have the help and not need it, or need the help and not have it?" she asked, studying Serilia curiously.


Seliria arched a brow at her when she mentioned instinct though that did make sense, it was a spur of the moment thing and something she was looking forward. Though when a question was posed on her she leaned her back against the counter, tapping a finger one her arm as she studied Alicia, that was certainly a Feian thing to do they had habits of making things into lessons, which is generally what made talking to them unpleasant.

"So I'm being given a lesson hm, well that's fair I have been asking questions. It's only fair I answer one," Seliria said. "Neither are good in my opinion. If you have the first you become blind to too many obvious things which will get you or others killed, and the latter well same problem. That's not to say not needing the help and not having it are much better honestly."

Seliria reached up and slipped a strand of hair behind her ear staring straight ahead for a moment, her eyelids lowered slightly and got off the counter removing her apron before neatly folding it.

"I imagine the answer to my first question is in your answer?" Seliria said looking over at her.


Alicia's smile faded as she tilted her head a little, "No lesson here Serilia, I'm simply satisfying my own curiosity in how you choose to answer a rather controversial question" she replied at first. She found Serilia's answer to be quite similar to her own which was surprising as most would concede the former was the preferable option, which as the cook pointed out wasn't always the case. "No, I don't doubt the abilities or skills of my crew or my captain" she replied, "I acted because I could, I acted because I wanted to. I acted because I knew with certainty I could remove your wrist before you could reach my captains neck" she replied honestly. "If my choices should put me on the path of my own demise then I have no one to blame but myself. But I won't lament my choices, as choices make us who we are and I assure you I rarely make a choice unless I am both certain and prepared to endure the consequences" she replied, her smile returning.


With a small sigh Seliria reached forward and flicked Alicia in the forehead seeing her smile, Feian's were weird, granted their whole group seemed weird, but she couldn't throw stones, Robin was a bundle of energy, Caleb was…Caleb and Alton was like a wall with legs sometimes. Seliria looked past Alicia into the hall noticing a few members peeking in, at her glare however they quickly ran off causing her to sigh, she didn't normally let strangers in her kitchen so she knew it was a strange sight at least.
"Firstly I saw your attack so no you wouldn't have made it," Seliria said. "Also Alicia for being a Feian…that was quite the selfish answer. Though I am pleased you're not one of the uppity Feians, I'd have a meal with you."
Seliria reached down and picked up one of the knives and stared at it for a moment.
"…that was the answer of a swordsman though…not a Stardusk" Seliria said looking at Alicia. "You may blame yourself, but your death will make others blame themselves especially that Captain of yours. It's not your own opinion of your choices, but your friends lamentation of them that should concern you and those consequences don't affect you alone, but those who care about you. It should also go without saying that it's not just your choices that make you who you are…we always leave something behind no matter how good or bad our choices are. You daughter of Sakura should know that better than anyone else, she left quite a daughter behind that seems to reflect more than her choices for some. Especially Stardusk I'm sure if asked they'll mention you more than her actions every time."
Seliria stared at Alicia with the same irritated expression, but there was no hint of anger in her eyes or form, and ultimately she closed her eyes and sighed.
"You Tashi have the potential to be a horrible friend because of who you are. Kindness and generosity can hurt more than malice and hatred. I'm sure that Captain of yours wouldn't agree with what you just said either and I think on some level you know that. However you're free to live your life as you wish, you're still growing and learning that's all we can do in this world and as I said you Feian's are a stubborn bunch."
Seliria motioned to Alicia's apron before filling a small cup with water and moving it towards her.
"You're free to go, try to practice being imperfect more you're really bad at it," Seliria said before making a shooing motion with her hand and returning to her stew. "Don't worry though Tashi this conversation never happened. I'll visit Yula Fei again sometime, I'll make sure to make you uncomfortable with my 'ignorance' of your culture again."

The swordwoman's hand moved frighteningly fast as her hand gripped around Serilia's wrist, preventing the flick from reaching her forehead. Her left eye had changed color to a deep blue although there was no burning aura trailing from her iris, "Please refrain from touching me" she said softly before releasing her wrist, her eye fading back to it's usual color, Alicia having almost been pushed too far with the physical contact. Despite her attempt to invade her space again she listened as the cook went on to reply to her statement, causing her to raise an eyebrow when she suggested she'd have been faster, something which was entirely possible but something Alicia wasn't entirely convinced of. She said nothing as the cook continued to talk, though Alicia's expression remained neutral the entire time, removing the apron before folding ti and handing it back neatly. Only when she was prompted to leave did she turn towards the door, at least at first before she turned a little back towards Serilia, "It's Tashigi" she replied again. "You are quick judge and eager to assume, never did I ever mention my lack of concern for those I would leave behind. In fact... it is exactly that which drives me to ensure I put that much more consideration into my choices" Alicia turned and made her way for the door.


"I'm a pretty terrible person and you've shown me little to change my opinion," Seliria said in response to Alicia before pouring herself a small bowl. She glanced back at Alicia as she spoke further Seliria sighing a little and shaking her head, this woman was unbelievable but she wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows herself, she at least acknowledge that fact openly though. With a small shrug she took a sip from the stew and arched her brow.

"Off you go Tashi your friends won't survive without you around right, better keep them safe."


Seliria patiently waited for Alicia to leave and set the bowl down before covering her mouth a small cough escaping from her.

"I never said you had a lack of concern Tashigi, just that your response was selfish," Seliria mumbled. "If you're that considerate of your choices and you're still acting like that it makes you a selfishly kind individual, something that's going to get someone hurt one day."

Seliria glanced back at the door shoving a hand into her pocket.

"....in the end you're going to learn the hard way aren't you? That's how it always is with you responsible types...but that's okay too. That stubbornness, that slip of patience for a moment...shows you're not a complete lost cause. Maybe you'll prove me wrong and be one of the different ones. I hope that's the case...or you're going to suffer in the worst way."

Seliria turned around and returned back to her meal.

"...she reminds me so much of her I couldn't help but be a little preachy...hah...being with the Guanari's has made me soft...I truly hope you don't regret those decisions Tashi, that kind of thing can destroy people like you."

 

[Capt. Blu]

Location: Flying Minnow
Time: Afternoon

While everything was happening around her, Runali had been examining the pipes and steam around them. She'd glance over at the ones around her, indicating she was paying attention, but other than that she was relatively quiet and listening to everything being said. Pandora was an interesting device, but she didn't understand it. It was okay though, because based on the interactions- Luro understood Caleb and that's what really mattered.

Seliria had spoke to her, and without looking up, she responded, "Questioning. A tactic for survival, no?" Runali seemed to be in some sort of deep thought as she stared at Pandora, only to blink and stand straight with a smile. "Ah, at least that's something I've heard, I think." She chuckled and moved along, watching as things continued to transpire.

Alicia was swept away, Zilia was running off to find the library, and Caleb was leaving as well.

The opportunity made Runali perk up. "Hey, cool! Go explore, don't get us kicked out!" She knew where she wanted to be and she was going to go there right-

The Junkers swarmed in on their rollerskates, circling Jack, Luro, Kadi, Sara, and Runali, before saluting and circling Caleb before he could get too far. They continued to circle, moving with the shipwright as he walked so he couldn't run into them.

"Hey Caleb!"
"Red Pigeon right?"
"Yeah!"
"We got them."

They settled things into Caleb's hands. A metal red bird. An actual red pigeon who seemed to panic a bit as it spotted CP. A drawing of a bird. And the last one was hard to make out, but it looked like some sort of tool or device.

While all of this was going on, Runali slipped away from the group, on her own mission.

CP was about to follow, but she decided to rest on Jack's shoulder for now.

----

At least an hour later

'BOOM'

Smoke fell over the deck of the ship. It was only for a brief moment before the wind caused it to clear away. From the smoke, Runali was on her feet, sliding backwards with two circular ring-blades in her hands. Across from her, and gaining speed, Alton rushed at her with gauntlets at the ready. The Nova pirates on deck spread out, watching the sudden fight. Had they not have seen Robin skipping to find a comfortable seat, they would have acted- and probably imprisoned the rest of the Stardusk.

It wasn't like their captain to just fight someone at random.

-----

When the Captain disappeared

"Ohhh~ baby! Upgrades!" Robin chirped in delight, standing by a table of scattered weapons of all sorts. Alton stood behind her, with arms crossed and a stoic look as usual. "Tell me what you got, love!"

The man, she addressed, their weapons expert as Robin liked to call him, removed his gloves. He began to explain each new gun, each new sword, and some other devices that weren't quite familiar to a 'simple' pirate. "...But your newest upgrade, Boss, I think you'll love." Before he could begin to explain, Runali had appeared with a determined look on her face.

"I need to know how you do it. You guys are strong. I know it. But… you guys make it look so easy. I've seen the Reds and how hard they try to be tough. I've seen the Cutthroats and even though they're pretty...chill, they still assert their power. But you two. I can practically see it. I need to know."

Alton and Robin looked at each other, a little surprised about how forward she was. They were even more surprised by how perceptive she was however.

"You know dear," Robin's grin became almost cheshire-like. "That perception of yours is… a lot more than what you think it is." Before Runali could ask what she was talking about, the first mate winked. Before continuing, she looked over at the weapons expert and he nodded, stepping out of his workshop to take a break. "Tell me. Where does your strength lie?"

Runali crossed her arms in thought. "My strength…? Hm, well my crew-"

"Ah, ah, ah." Robin shook her head. "That's where you're stuck." Robin stood next to the table as Alton began to dismantle a few guns, lining them up in order. "I've kept up with the you all the moment your names started hitting headlines. Waaay back in Waterdeep. As a worst gen pirate, I've done my research. I have to. And I know a lot more about you all then you'd care to know. Reds do the same. Cutthroats and the Court don't too, fortunate for some." Without breaking eye contact, she began to assemble the guns in record time. Each one, she tossed to Alton and in one smooth motion he'd catch it and shoot way across the room. It was a fluid motion that never broke as Robin talked. "I admire your leadership. Even within the few moments you've been here, I can tell your crew trusts you. But you're blinded- ah, poor choice of words, sorry. I mean, you're too focused on being a great leader. Don't get me wrong. It's not a bad thing at all but how can you be a good leader, if you only focus on your crew?"

Runali watched their unison and technique in awe, only to frown a bit towards her question. "What do you mean? I focus on myself too-"

"Then tell me Captain Lev. All of your crew brings something to the table, yeah? Strength, skill, intelligence. What is it that you bring? And you can't just say that cute face of yours either."

"I-" Runali started, only to pause in contemplation. No matter how she thought of it, Robin was right. Sara was pure strength. She never fought her, so she couldn't be sure she could go toe to toe with the gladiator for long. Alicia was such a graceful and skilled swordswoman. Had it not been for her and Ray, her own sword skills would have faltered. Kadi was the smartest and most skilled navigator she had ever met- grant it, he was always a bit confusing but without him they'd have been chasing their tails. Then there was Zilia, a skilled doctor and a great voice of reason- without a voice. And Jack, who saved them from bland meals everyday. She had admired his own armament haki skills, being able to transfer it to weapons he used- she couldn't do that. And then even Luro who was not only the best marksmen she knew, but also the best shipwright- and only shipwright she had.

Runali frowned a bit. What did she bring?

Her train of thought broke when Robin practically squealed in delight. "You can see it too Alton, right?"

The man hadn't said a word, simply watching the transaction between the two women. But the moment Robin spoke, he adjusted his glasses and stared right at Runali. She could only see her reflection, but she couldn't help but tense a little. "Give it some time… She'll probably be stronger than the both of us. If she plays her cards right of course."

"I know! It's so exciting! She can't even see her full potential and it's adorable!"

Runali had a moment of deja vu. She could have sworn she had this conversation before… except the last time she had this conversation it was in the form of riddles and she was dead- or at least trying to cheat death. That ghost… cat thing was trying to get her to figure out the same thing. And she forgot about it... "What… What do you see?"

Robin was about to respond, only for Alton to raise his hand up to stop her. His next gesture was towards the weapons on the table. "Pick one."

Runali turned to look at the variety of weapons on the long table. She ignored the guns, knowing it wasn't in her best interest to try learning. She thought about asking Luro for lessons, but after the 'Sara almost killing Jack' fiasco, she figured she'd wait. Her hand brushed against a sword, knowing she had practiced with it, only for it to move, knowing she wasn't entirely comfortable with them.

Then, a particular weapon caught her eye. There was a pair of circular blades, with handles in the middle- obviously to hold it. "What… What are these?"

While Robin beamed as usual, Alton gave a faint smirk. "Those are ring blades. Some call them chakram. It's a versatile weapon. Sharp edges to cut- similar to a sword. And if thrown, you can use them to stab your opponent. And if thrown right, it'll come back to you." He watched as Runali picked them up. The rings weren't very large, in fact, they seemed to fit perfectly in her grasp. She twirled them around, testing how they felt. And while she did, Alton put on a pair of metal gauntlets that were on the table. "Well? Come on. You wanted an answer to your question right?"

~~~~~

Now

By now, all of the crew both Stardusk and Nova had heard the sudden fight that started from below deck to above deck. Before the Stardusk could intervene, they were stopped by Robin and Seliria. "Wait." Robin said, with a more attentive look.

Each punch Alton threw caused a small explosion to add to the impact. It was requested that Caleb made the ship extra sturdy for things like this. However, with each explosion, clouds of smoke appeared, and Runali would weave into it, disappearing and reappearing to attack.

"She's… ohhh, she's smart." Robin grinned.

Despite the man's size, Alton was extremely fast, moving back and forth, light on his toes similar to Robin's casual dainty movements. Every punch had tremendous force behind it, but the captain dodged most of them, some more effortless than others. Some of the punches, Runali took head on, deflecting them with her armament haki- surprising Alton a bit even though his expression didn't change.

It was hard to see, with how cloudy the ship had gotten thanks to the explosions, but there was something more fluid to how she fought now. The ring blades helped. At one point, she tossed one of the rings into the main mass and used it as a stepping stool to jump over Alton.

She'd have to apologize for the damage later.

In another moment, she found herself, metal against metal as one blade and a gauntlet grazed against each other, only to drop down and use the second to cut him down. Grant it, he reciprocated by tossing her to the side, but she landed on her feet, keeping her balance.

Another punch that missed and hit the ground caused smoke obscure everyone's view. And in the next moment, a hard thud caused the murmuring Novas to fall silent. When the smoke cleared, Runali stood over Alton, with one of the blades pointed at his neck. Her and even Alton's breathing was heavy. She stood like that for a moment before dropping her arm and holding one of her sides.

"Ayaah- I think you broke my rib!" She fell to her knees, but instead of the suspected groans of pain she was laughing- which probably hurt a little more.

Alton sat up, wiping some of the blood off him and looked over at Runali. There was a moment's pause before he chuckled. "Ah, sorry about that.. I got a little carried away. Besides, you nearly cut my arm off."

Robin clasped her hands together before looking at Seliria. "Sel~ now's a great time for food, don't you think?" She smiled and gave a playful wink towards the Stardusk crew and headed over to the two captains on the ground. She crouched down, helping Runali to her feet, whispering, "I hope that at least starts to answer your question." Without waiting for a response, she twirled the captain into Kadi's arm and went to help her husband.

Runali looked up at her navigator and saluted, before dropping her head to look at Zilia- upside down. "Hey doc, do you mind patching me up?" The captain offered no explanation to the crew should they have questioned the sudden fight, only giving small shrugs and simple answers like, "It just happened."

Before Robin escorted Alton, who was skillfully playing off the limp he now had, to their infirmary, she spoke. "Lunch will be ready so feel free to head that way- or of course you can wait for your captain. And by the way, I hope you don't mind the trip but we're heading to Brass Cape! Also Doctor Zil, you can use some of our supplies, just follow me."

"By the way, Captain Lev," Alton nodded. "Keep the blades. They suit you well."

Runali saluted, using Kadi as a crutch to stand. "Thanks."

 

[Mizos]

​

Earlier

Luro scribbled in his notebook as his eyes wandered around the ship, he had been talking to those on the ship learning as much as he could. Anything from Brass Cape had an immense amount of potential, and as he did a few sketches of the pipes he stopped seeing Caleb standing nearby. He seemed to be conversing with the people apparently called the Junkers, he seemed to be looking at the items they brought. He looked over each item of a 'Red Pigeon' with the same bored expression, though he looked at the picture of the Red Pigeon for the longest glancing up at the Junker who brought it before handing it back.
"…none of this is correct," Caleb said stopping his watch before starting it again. "Do it again."
Caleb stared at the group before reaching over and taking the picture of the Red Pigeon.
"I can use this though now kindly hurry."
Turning he walked away Luro quickly sprinting after him, catching up to him he grabbed Caleb by his cloak which almost caused the man to fall down, the two meeting eyes as Caleb stopped one of his watches.
"…yes?" he questioned adjusting his cloak.
"Can we have a fun conversation?" Luro asked.

Currently

Luro watched the explosive scene in front of him watching as the Captain fought the large guy from earlier, he had run up here immediately hearing the loud explosion though Caleb seemed to linger behind for a bit. He seemed to know what was going on and mentioned that he would join eventually. Luro however was genuinely curious at what was happening and ran up to see the cause of the commotion, what he saw however was unexpected. He didn't think he'd see the Captain of all things fighting another Captain, a toothy grin found its way onto his face as he watched the two exchange blows and the Captain fight against Alton. A fight between Captains was one of the most interesting things to watch and the fact it was his Captain against someone whose strength even he could feel went beyond a simple brawl. He didn't get to see the Captain go off like this, watching her move between the attacks, search for openings and fight like a proper Captain.

A strange pain suddenly hit him and he brought a hand to his head as it started pounding, his eyes twitched but he kept his attention focused forward on the scene in front of him, his vision seemed to blur sightly and a strange warmth ran through his body, watching the Captain the mist over his eyes seemed to clear slightly and his body slowly started to relax. The pain was making it hard to focus, the sounds around him started to fade and he could feel a strange chill run through his body, Luro gripped his chest feeling it tighten, his breathing started to slow and the world slowly seemed to fade around him, everything going black except the fight in front of him.
"Ah...I know this feeling."
The sickening warmth, the chill and his whole body screaming at him for some kind of release, it had been a bit since the feeling had hit him, his eyes glanced over to see Cloaky standing next to him watching the fight in silence. This had happened before, but he didn't feel as lost this time, at the very least he was still standing though his body did tremble slightly. His breath caught in his throat and he grit his teeth as the fight between Alton and the Captain continued. This feeling was still so intense, he couldn't ignore it, his mind slowly slipping away from reality as his eyes moved to the Captain.
He was able to maintain at least enough focus to recognize his friends were nearby, but right now that didn't matter, the Captain fighting with so much fervor was what drew him in, what brought this feeling back, it clawed at his being, it felt like his insides were on fire, he hugged himself his fingers clawing at his long sleeves, he could feel the warmth through the thick fabric.
"K-Kill..."
Luro's mouth opened slightly a chuckle escaping from it as he watched the Captain dodge another attack.
"I want to kill the Captain so much right now!"
This rush of emotion, the all to familiar ache in his chest, only the Captain could bring this out, watching her fight, watching her meet another with such vigor ignited every bit of his existence, her struggle, her desires, her strength, all of it was so delectable and he wanted to be there, he wanted to be Alton so badly right now!
"Go Captain! You can do it!" Luro yelled pumping his fist in the air. "You got this!"
Luro screamed with the same smile seeming to regain a bit of his composure, Cloaky was gone and the world was back to normal, but the warmth didn't fade, the all too familiar bloodthirsty sensation faded as quick as it came and he jumped cheering for his Captain, in the end he made a promise to behave, but he couldn't deny that desire still lurked in there whenever he saw the Captain like this.
"Masu, Jack, Z that's our Captain showing how a Stardusk does it! Aren't you guys happy you joined?!"

Zilia stared at the scene in front of her bringing a hand to her face as the explosions echoed in front of them, she recalled being happy for a brief moment. She was surrounded by books engaged in a nice conversation and everything for a moment was calm. Luro was distracted by something else so she wasn't forced to engage in one of his talks again. No one was in need of any medical help and she had all manners of rare tomes at her disposal, some with titles she had only heard of in passing, all within reach and no one to halt her from gaining not only knowledge but solace in the written word. That however was earlier and now she was standing here with Seliria who was aiding in keeping anyone from interrupting watching her Captain not only damage herself but her relaxing free time. She regretted expecting a moment of peace, there was never a true moment of reprieve, she felt an immense sadness at that fact.

Putting her own thoughts aside however she had to admit that the scene in front of her was an impressive one, she had never seen the Captain really fight, at least like this before. She had watched Alicia and Sara in the arena, Jack and Luro in Sunter and Kadi in the underworld...but she had never seen the Captain fight someone with this kind of determination.
She couldn't help feeling a little bit excited at the scene if she was being honest, it was hard not to be impressed by the sight, she knew Runali was skilled but to watch it up close was a whole other matter.

Seliria herself watched the scene with a cold gaze, though half her attention was focused on making sure Runali's gungho friends didn't interrupt she did want to see what the Captain had up her sleeve. Going up against Alton was a brave thing to do, if not for Caleb's work most of the ship would probably be in pieces by now. It wasn't that boring to watch at the very least, she could see Caleb watching as well, his eyes twitching every time the ship was damage in some way but he was clearly invested in seeing this fight, granted he liked research.
"Hm...this lot may actually be worth a second look...maybe," Seliria said arching a brow at the fight.

When the fight ended Zilia stared at the Captain with a tired look akin to a mother catching her child in the cookie jar once again, she had a strong feeling Runali either instigated or was too willing to participate in this fight. She brought a hand to her face when she spoke to her, her form shaking in silent anger at her words. She gets into a fight, and then comes to her to patch her up for a violent exchange that 'just happened' apparently in such a carefree manner, did she have no regrets for the person that had to patch her up?! Zilia slowly lowered her hand from her face a gleam in her eyes before a small dangerous smile found its way onto her lips. She pat Runali on the shoulder and gave a small nod at taking care of her.
"I am not going to be gentle Captain."
Seliria glanced over at Zilia as she left with Robin to get supplies before motioning to everyone standing nearby.
"Food's ready downstairs, eat your fill I made extra," she said turning and walking away. "If you have any complaints about the food feel free to stab yourself and go over the edge of the ship to save me the effort. Enjoy."
The woman vanished inside at this leaving the others to head to the dining area as she left to attend to her task.

A.L.C

(This is the Active.Luro. Coalition or A.L.C. This has nothing to do with the story but is canon. Read this only if your curios or bored, otherwise feel free to skip it. This'll only show up in downtimes).

Lai stood in front of the square table staring at the other Luro's, the group back in the familiar white landscape devoid of all life save the Luro's present. He had called everyone for a meeting but for some reason, Luro, Lai and Maka were having a card game and Banana was keeping score, it was a bad situation since they had a mess of important things to talk about, and he could see keeping their attention was going to be another problem.
"Gentleman...we have important matters to discuss, I want your focus," Lai said.
Luro moved one of the cards in his hands at this paying little mind to Lai.
"Did Cloaky get out of his cage?" Luro asked. "Lo you got any five's?"
"Go fish," Lo said before setting a table on the table. "King me."
Luro handed Lo a crown watching as he rested it on his shoulder before returning to his cards.
"No Cloaky is still very much locked up, there are other important matters," Lai said shaking his head.
"Oh are we buying a new table!" Maka exclaimed looking up from his cards.
He was wearing a bright pink dress and the 'Kadi' wig, he had more cards in his hands than the others and a mess of gold coins in front of him. Lai stared at Maka for a moment and made a motion to the empty landscape around him.
"There's no stores in the Roam Maka..." Lai said.
"Of course there is, there's a table store right over there," Luro said motioning behind him.
Lai looking over noticed there was a small rectangular structure nearby, a Luro with green hair waving at him as he motioned to the many types of tables in front of his store. Lai blinked a few times and adjusting his glasses pointed at him.
"That wasn't there before..."
"Of course not they were closed," Maka said looking at him.
Lai looked back over only to see the store was gone, reaching up he squeezed the bridge of his nose and motioned to the empty space once more.
"Did he close again?"
"Nah he had to move, that's the problem with competition," Luro said pointing in front of him.
Another store sat a few feet away with tables and chairs in front of it and a blue haired Luro motioning to his stock with arched brows, Lai decided to just ignore what was going on and focus on getting the others attention, after all that happened they had to have a discussion about Stardusk.
"Gentleman can you listen for one moment, we need to discuss our fellow crew members."
"Can it wait till the game's over," Luro said taking a card from the deck.
Lai looked over at Banana who was writing something on a piece of paper, he seemed to look up at the three on occasion and he figured since they had been at this for a bit they had to be close to the end, or at least close enough for a few minutes not to matter.
"Banana how close are they to finishing?" Lai asked motioning to the three.
"Hmmm I'm not keeping score, I'm just drawing. It's all of us playing soccer with that one guy's head."
"Oh ya mean durin' that walk a few years back," Lo said grinning at Banana. "That's a good memory."
"Right!" Maka said. "...his wife seemed mad though."
"Really?" Luro asked looking over at Maka. "I don't remember that."
"Gentleman!" Lai exclaimed drawing the others attention. "How close are you to finishing?"
"Ah well we're on the first checkmate," Luro said.
"...so you have four more to go, that's too long."
"Oh no we're going by southern rules, we only have two left," Maka said. "Roll the dice."
Lo tossed a single die on the table watching as it came up two, Luro nodded and and set two pistols on the table, grabbing one he pointed it at Maka and pulled the trigger seeing the smile on his face widen. Hearing the click that followed Lo picked up the other one and pulled the trigger.
Maka fell back as the gun fired his body hitting the floor with a loud thud and Lo and Luro putting the guns back under the table.
"Nice two checkmates, yeah we're almost done," Luro said.
"...fine hurry up," Lai muttered sitting down. "We have to make sure we've updated who has the firmest behind list."
"Oh that is important," Banana said. "I thought that was the two o' clock meeting though?"
"It got pushed up, the two o'clock has been replaced by the Made discussion. Hurry and finish."
"Yeah I wanna see who wins," Maka said standing next to Lai.
"Maka clean up your body," Lai said motioning to his body which still lay a few feet away.
"Eh Cloaky can get it!"
"I'm changing my pawn to a king," Luro said grabbing another card.
"Kay."
"This game is going to take forever," Lai said laying his head on the table.

 

[Eastwood]

"You mean... like the box?" With that reference to the old myth, Sara almost immediately lost interest in a power source that couldn't be replicated. If it couldn't be replicated, then it was implied that it wasn't built but rather found, and Sara had no interest in things not made by human hands. It was impressive how it all hooked up, but Sara didn't particularly care, as the very heart of the machine was ultimately meaningless.

When the two captains fought, Sara almost drew her own blade but stopped. She realized that, with the advent of new weapons, it was merely an exhibition match and she relaxed, taking it in. Those new weapons were interesting, but ultimately gimmicky, she concluded. Still, as she observed Runali using them as a stepping stone, they did have potential in the right hands.

 

[SilentxChaos]

The Three somewhat amigos

Luro and Caleb were walking side by side through the ship, a bright grin on Luro's face as he seemed to be surprisingly invested in their conversation, his hands going up in the air on occasion every time Caleb seemed to respond to whatever came from him. Caleb seemed a tad bothered by their conversation, though any on the ship that knew the eccentric carpenter would more than likely realize that since he wasn't checking his watches every few minutes he was invested in the conversation himself. At some point Luro had pulled Caleb aside and pulling out his notebook had been trying to figure some things out with the man's help.

"I see I see that makes sense," Luro said. "I wondered if I could use as an alternate source."

"It is possible though it takes some preparation before it can be used," Caleb said.

"So by using that kind of material…"

"You can alter its properties slightly yes, your calculations were just off here."

Luro nodded and made some slightly changes to the words written on his page, though after a moment he stopped and slamming the notebook shut turned and slammed both his hands on Caleb's shoulders.

"Ow," Caleb said staring at up at Luro.

"Can we be best friends!"

".....we aren't already? You've been surprisingly invasive this whole time for us to be at a stranger's level."

A bright grin was the only response from Luro before he turned and noticed a familiar figure nearby, releasing Caleb he waved to the person before beckoning them earlier.

"Jack! Caleb and I were going to get a drink come with us!"

"I wasn't going to drink, they serve drinks other than alcoholic there."

"I'm getting rum! Jack come with us!"


Jack smiled politely behind a half-smoked cigarette as Seliria appraised him. After her stunt with the captain, the Stardusk cook was inclined to trust his counterpart as far as he could throw her, but at the same time believed her apron might speak some of the truth. Despite her biting cold demeanor, he sensed no genuine animosity. Like always, Jack hung back and observed as Caleb explained the Pandora room before the crew filed out. Though disappointed, Jack nodded in understanding as Seliria choose Alicia to help with the cooking.

The Junkers circled the rest of the crew after they left the kitchen. Jack watched disappointedly as Zilia managed an escape (he, too, had hoped to check the library after some exploring) and was surprised to find Runali also slipping away. With Caleb preoccupied by his hyperactive underlyings, Luro distracted by Caleb, and Kadi and Sara off to their own devices, the cook decided to amble nearby with CP as company.

He did not get far before he heard Luro calling him. Jack looked up from a clipboard he was holding near a work table. CP, nesting on top of his head, nipped at his ear for moving. Bird and cook blinked at Luro, then at Caleb next to him. "Alright."

Joining them, the cook seemed to recall the clipboard in his hand. He smiled and handed it to Caleb. "Oh, by the way, I found this on the floor. Looked pretty important so I thought I ought to return it to you."

Luro grinned hearing Jack was going to accompany them and CP was coming as well, having personal times with friends, especially with drink on hand were how proper pirate memories were made. Walking over he put his arm around Jack's shoulder Caleb being pulled along before making his way to the tavern, he had memorized its location having stopped by there himself earlier, though he wasn't really sure how to open the door, thus his need to grab Caleb. Seliria had informed him she was busy when he found her so he had to depend on the Carpenter instead as the Junkers had run off somewhere.

"Hehe this is going to be great, I gotta add a tavern to the ship sometime...I wonder if Alicia and Sara would be okay without rooms for a few days…"

Caleb didn't seem all too enthused to be accompanying, granted there was a good chance his face was stuck in that expression, as he had yet to smile or show any interest in anything outside of his machinations. When Jack brought up the clipboard Caleb took it with a nod and looked over its contents, he read it for a moment before writing something down and setting it back on the work table.

"It's someone else's…and that calculation was off a little…thanks for pointing that out," Caleb said.

Once the group reached the spot Caleb pressed the indent in the wall and the moment the door was open Luro sprinted inside waving to the bartender before quickly ordering drinks.

"Perhaps we should take a seat, I'm not sure what Makachi wants but he quite adamant about visiting here."

"I'll have ten bottles of rum and something for my friends," Luro exclaimed to the man.

"…is he generally inebriated in some fashion…you're not going to drink that much correct?"

"I don't think they'd overly appreciate it," Jack commented to Luro. He watched Caleb with the clipboard briefly, disappointed there hadn't been something of more interest there, but shrugged it off. He chuckled at Caleb's comment as he sat next to him. "Well, the man does have a way of making whole casks disappear overnight. I don't have the stomach for that."

Sitting on Caleb's opposite side, Jack ordered whiskey and rum while gazing around the tavern. He noticed, for the first time since they boarded the Flying Minnow, it was quieter than other parts of the ship. The constant whirs and whizzes and hisses from the machinery that kept the ship in the air was a consistent buzz all around them. It was slightly unnerving. Sometimes, when the noises ceased to be noticeable, Jack forgot they were in the air and imagined the bowels of ship rocking to the waves. The gusts of wind helped with that-- as long as he didn't look over the rails or through portholes.

He took his cigarette and stubbed it out in a dish then smiled at Caleb. "So. How long have you been a Nova?"

Luro sat at the bar waving at the bartender and downing rum bottles before quickly ordering more, he seemed to have forgotten for a moment that he had come here with others, more than likely as he didn't have to pay for the rum and continued to order. It took him a few minutes before he remembered the others and quickly made his way over to the table setting bottles on the table before running back, grabbing more and repeating the process until there were more bottles than table.

"Guys the Rum here is free! Isn't that great!?"

A young man set Jack's drink on the table somehow finding space amongst the bottle and with a small nod moved away as Luro took a seat in one of the chairs. Luro started to lower the bottles only to stop seeing Caleb was taking notes only stopping realizing he was being spoken to.

"I've been with Nova for...1,825 days...twelve hours and...forty-seven minutes...I think," Caleb said. "I've known them for far longer however."

"Oh...that seems like a long time…" Luro said said looking over at Jack. "Jack hasn't been with us for that long...it feels like it though. We're best buds especially when he lets me wear his dreads."

"I'm afraid I don't know the exact date Jack...it was a rather...interesting time and I pay little mind to my time with them, it could easily be less or more...my apologies I don't have a real answer for you...I'd say just go with those numbers...it feels right."

Caleb stared at Jack for a moment before raising a hand, the young man returned with a glass with a red liquid in it, Caleb moved the glass closer to him and dropped a nearby cherry into it before motioning to Jack and Luro.

"Allow me to impose the same question back to you, your time with Stardusk as precise as possible."

Luro took one of the bottles into his hand and brought a hand to his chin, he wasn't sure he had the exact time with everyone but he at least knew one thing, which was enough of an answer.

"I've known everyone for years," Luro said. "Somethin' like that. Hahah just remembering the day I met the Captain makes me happy."

Jack raised his eyebrows behind his glass, curiosity piqued. "I don't think I've heard that story yet— you didn't try to kill her, did you?" He looked up Luro suspiciously, knowing by now the giant's odd need to fight everyone, not unlike Sara. He'd also heard snippets of occurred to his crew that went to the dream land in Undersea. He fervently thanked whatever divine being watching over him that he did not have to endure that particular hell.

Luro drained one of the bottles and with a content sigh went to grab another only to stop as Jack brought up the story, he blinked a few times and tilting his head at Jack shook his head.

"Yeah I tried to kill the Captain," Luro said with a bright smile. "That was my intention. I had been stranded on an island again. Since I was sitting on a throne in a wedding dress I probably just drank a little too much the day before."

"Define too much," Caleb said glancing at him.

"I don't know I don't remember...but then again I don't remember yesterday either," Luro said grinning.

Looking back at Jack he rested his cheek on his fist and grinned at him.

"I shot at the Captain's hand to get her attention on her boat as she passed the island. I was starving, thirsty and on the verge of death again. I wanted her ship...but I didn't shoot her. Still not really sure why. Anyway I got on the ship and Kai, Nolan and Ray were there, then I proved to the Captain that I purposely didn't shoot her. I joined and we agreed that I could kill her some other time."

Caleb took a sip from his drink and glanced over at Luro who was already working on another bottle.

"So you intend on killing Captain Lev at some point."

"Hm I'm not allowed, Captain made a rule I'm not allowed to kill unnecessarily," Luro said smiling. "No senseless murder, and Captain's the Captain so I have to follow the rules."

Caleb looked over at Jack at this arching a brow at him.

"Does everyone in Stardusk wish to kill Captain Lev...are you only holding back before of her 'no killing the Captain' rule?" Caleb said as he set his drink down. "You were found on Tilea correct... not an island?"

The cook covered a smile as Luro explained his first meet. Though a bit shocked Runali willingly agreed to let someone kill her, the whole situation seem to...fit, for Luro. It sounded ludicrous and Jack suppressed outright laughter. A million questions popped into Jack's mind; why was he stranded on the island, who was Kai and Nolan, why did simple rules keep Luro's overly-ecstatic trigger finger from taking the shot? Jack filtered through them and had chosen the first one to ask, seeing as it could provide the most relevant information, before Caleb chimed in. Jack started to grin- certainly not everyone had the blood thirst of Luro Makachi on Lady Luck- up until it Caleb mentioned Stardusk finding him on Tilea. The corners of his mouth froze, and he carefully set down his glass before tilting back his chair and looking at Caleb.

"You seem to know a lot regarding the Stardusk crew," he said slowly, thinking of his words before speaking, "Considering it hasn't been that long since we reached Fourth Gen. Not long enough to get so much information, I would think. Why is that?"

Caleb seemed to notice the sudden change in Jack though Luro continued to drink happily. Stardusk were a certain kind of bunch, and the more he learned the more fascinating he found that they had managed to cause so much trouble. Some of their actions defined logic yet seemed to function just fine in the long run. He was already considering calculating the possibilities of their next venture and its success rates from what he heard, the very idea brought him an immense amount of joy, though his face remained the same bored expression.

At Jack's question Caleb stared back at the man, his eyelids lowering slightly, he set his drink down and folded his hands on the table, looking into Jack's eyes. Luro stopped drinking for a moment pretty sure he felt the air chill for a moment, his gaze moved to his two friends who seemed focused on one another.
"You did seem like the careful type," Caleb said keeping his attention on Jack. "I thought the answer would come naturally to you. You seem to like asking questions…why don't you answer your own by thinking about it….I guarantee you already know the answer. Take a moment and think about it and who you're with."
Caleb was one of the Worst Gen and though a tad eccentric one didn't reach this position without some manner of skill, and though he spoke in the same tone and bore the same expression, there seemed to be something else behind his words, something subtle, easy to miss if one wasn't paying attention. It was something Jack already knew the answer too and Caleb, a man who disliked wasting time, saw little point in answering a question he already knew.

"I see," Jack picked up his drink and sipped it. He had the urge to down it all but did not want to show his growing nerves. I guessed as much, but it's better to have confirmation. Question is...who is it? Jack always preferred knowing what he was getting into, and was quite good at figuring that out. Until he met Stardusk, at any rate. They had such a knack of finding- or jumping straight into- dangerous situations it was impossible to gain any kind of bearings. Here, at least, he had time to observe and look. But it was onboard the ship of a Worst Gen and Jack still didn't believe he was on that list too. He was out of his league-- and it made him feel precarious.

Jack finished his drink and signaled the bartender for another. He re-addressed Caleb. "You're quite right, of course. But, as a former captain once said, it's better to confirm than merely assume. You never know what you could miss."

"Fine advice," Caleb said with a small nod picking up his drink. "…however…by the time you confirm…won't it be too late?"

Caleb took a small sip from his drink swirling the liquid in his glass as he eyed the liquid within it ignoring the weight those words could carry. He seemed to understand what Jack was doing or at least pretended he did, at the very least he remained silent since Jack already knew the answer there was little point in him talking about it.

He still couldn't get past how fascinating Stardusk were, he was being surprisingly entertained by such a simple conversation, he supposed it was the stimuli of new things that gave him this feeling.

"You guys are acting all weird," Luro said grinning. "This is supposed to be a party!"

"When did this become a party?" Caleb asked looking over at him.

"Eh it's always been a party! We got drink, the tavern and each other, thats a party in itself!" Luro exclaimed holding up one of his bottles.

Caleb blinked a few times and brought a hand to his chin, that was an interesting notion to say the least, though it seemed it didn't take much to get Luro in a good mood. Granted in their short time together he hasn't seen him without a smile on his face.

"A valid point Makachi, I like that idea."

"Yeah! Let's have a toast," Luro said holding his bottle up. "To new friendships!"

Caleb raised his glass and tapped the rum bottle glancing over at Jack.

"Indeed….to new friendships."

The smallest grimace passed over Jack's face. He, indeed, heard that before. Always careful, sometimes he failed to act and made mistakes. Perhaps too many. Cautious and wary, Jack put on a wide smirk and raised his own glass to Luro's, then Caleb's. "A part indeed. To new friendships...may they never turn against each other."

"Yep! Unless we all have to kill each other for some random reason!" Luro exclaimed.

"That's a terrible toast Makachi but we've already started the process," Caleb said before lowering his glass and taking a large drink just as Luro did. A satisfied smile came from Luro and he laughed as he settled back into his seat, he was almost beaming at this point and with a content sigh he grinned at the two before looking over at Jack.

"Thanks for coming along Jack, you seem so distant sometimes so I've been wanting to invite you to a drink."

"Habits like this do build strange friendships," Caleb said with a small nod.

"Yep yep, when I was talking with Caleb about you he agreed you need some good old fashioned 'bonding' time."

Caleb looked over at Luro and arching a brow motioned to Jack with his free hand.

"Hm there's little need in telling Jack that Luro, he already figured out how I knew about him."

"Eh really? Wow Jack you're so smart. You knew I talked to Caleb about you, you're really good at that kind of stuff huh."

"Though I did just ask Luro to remind me of your names…he kind of went off telling me all manners of things…I've forgotten half of them though. Oh except that part about you fighting off an Octopus with your dreads, very impressive."

One of the Worst Gen Pirates was swirling his drink staring at the cherry inside of it, with a look of a man who didn't have a single care in the world. Similar to the redhead sitting next to him, there was a decent chance, a real good chance actually that Caleb took what Jack said quite literally and had no idea what was going on right now. It made sense that Luro who just moments ago admitted to wanting to kill his Captain to a fellow crewmate would think little of sharing anything about his crewmates with someone.

Caleb looked up at Jack at this and arched a brow at him.

"Hm you seem a tad tense Jack? Is the drink not to your satisfaction? You may order another if you wish."

Caleb took a drink from his own glass and checked one of his watches with a somewhat tired expression, Luro meanwhile finished the bottles on the table and was raising his hand ordering more as Caleb asked for a quick refill.

Jack kept wearing a smirk, eyes glinting, one hand on his glass swirling the remaining contents, as he listened to Luro and Caleb until the bartender came over with a new round of drinks. He reached up and took his from the tray. "Bring a second one too, if you'd be so kind. Extra whiskey," he asked the man politely. This one he downed it all in one large gulp.

Caleb was playing him. He was certain of it, and it left a foul taste in his mouth. All Jack wanted was a normal pirate life on the sea. Cook food for the crew; attack a few ships; fight the Navy; and enjoy relaxing shore leaves at the most dingiest, rundown ports a crew could afford. Well, maybe not the latter but still preferable than to finding himself playing constant mind games with crews that posed significant danger to his own. Sighing, he smiled at Luro. "I fought an octopus with my dreads? Really? I must have blocked it out."

Maybe, just maybe, if he ignored the quip having many names and all the knowledge Luro supposedly had of him- which, the cook expected, was little in concrete facts- it would get forgotten. Maybe Luro could pull one of his crazy stories out and derail Caleb. Jack released a snort at himself. As if.

"How could you forget Jack! It was so cool, you ran out of the kitchen still in your apron and dove into the sea. When you surfaced you threw the octopus on the deck telling us it was our dinner for the day," Luro said throwing his arms up. "Alicia was flexing her muscles at a nearby shark and Masu was arranging some flowers nearby, I remember it."

Caleb took a drink from his glass eyes shut apparently focused on his own thoughts before Luro stood up slamming his hands on the table. The sudden action caused Caleb to open his eyes and glance at Luro who motioned to Jack causing Caleb to look in his direction.

"I don't think Jack remembers, but he has to remember when he fought that whale for our lunch."

"…a whale for your lunch…intriguing."

"Yeah so here's what happened, first it was all Kadi's fault we lost it."

Luro went into a long detailed story about how Kadi dropped a platter of their sandwiches over the side of the ship as he was wearing two eye patches for some reason. It seemed he was trying to be more Captain-y then the Captain which apparently happened on occasion since they both wore eye patches. Jack seeing his hard earned work being eaten by a whale dove into the water, and that was when the whale pulled out a cutlass seeing Jack approach, but that didn't stop him, a cutlass wielding whale wasn't enough to stop Jack Kunal. It was a ferocious battle, Alicia couldn't join because she was too busy flexing to a school of fish nearby, and Masu was weaving on the lower deck. The Captain was busy doing Captain stuff and Kadi was lamenting over his actions earlier, Luro wasn't allowed to fight whales in that part of the sea so he couldn't join in.

The story went on Luro describing the grand battle of the two, Jack being thrown back onto the deck of the ship a few times, but he rose up determination in his eyes, his dreads hovering behind him as his real power came forth, he dove back in wielding eight cutlass, two in hand six in hair and fought the whale, using his techniques from fighting the Octopus and eventually the whale returned the sandwiches and swore to fight Jack again one day.

"That's what happened," Luro said nodding.

"I see," Caleb said with a small nod. "Hmm so a whale merman took your sandwiches and Jack fought him, that's no small feat."

"I know right!" Luro said. "Jack's like the eight strongest person on the ship. He's pretty good."

"What was the technique he used again?"

"Oh the eight sword technique, it was Octo-Arts Stance Seven, it's one of his ultimate techniques. He can only uses them once a day due to the strain on his body."

"I see I see," Caleb said writing it down. "Fascinating, so his dreads function as other hands."

"Yeah! He even eats with them on occasion, but we're all used to it!"

"Right right."

By now, seven empty glasses stacked in front of Jack as he wobbled on his chair's back legs and twisted a newly-rolled cigarette between his fingers. He stared up at the ceiling with increasing astonishment to Luro's tales. Not a single recollection of experiencing, or hearing, one crossed his mind. But Luro spoke with such conviction, the cook remained uncertain to if it hadn't actually occurred. Until he mentioned Jack eating his hair.

"Excuse me," Jack interrupted, setting his chair on all fours to look at Luro, "I do not eat my own dreads, thank you very much. Do you know how long it takes to regrow these?"

Caleb looked up from his book at this and looked over at Luro for clarification, at that Luro blinked a few times before shaking his head and pointing to Jack's bangs.

"Whoa I didn't know you could eat them too Jack. I just knew you ate with them. I guess if you're eating with your hair you must take bites on occasion."

"This has been extremely educational, this venture was worth the time used."

"Right! I told you so!" Luro said with a grin.

The table itself was full of empty bottles and even Caleb had a few glasses in front of himself at this point, there was red in Luro's face as he stood up and started recounting another tale as Caleb took notes.

Shaking his head, Jack downed the rest of his drink and whistled for CP. She glided from the tavern's rafter and resettled on his shoulder as he followed Luro and Caleb out of the tavern.

*****​

The captain blurred with new blades and a born determination Jack hadn't seen before, and he watched admiringly as she danced with Alton. It was hard to say if the Nova captain, or either of them, were holding back but the spectacle recalled memories of Thorn's matches back on Harbor Island. She's almost as good too, having just start wielding those ring blades...I wonder who'd win, Jack thought with a puff of his smoke. Maybe it was the buzz from the drinks, but Jack felt a spark of pride for his captain.

Jack turned to Luro, curious what the giant thought. He clutched at his long sleeves with tight knuckles, an odd look on his face. Jack frowned. "Luro? Are you al--"

The giant exploded with glee, cheering on the captain, proclaiming his need to kill even more now. Jack stepped back. CP took off, startled by the excitement, and decided to settle in a calmer place on Alicia's shoulder. The cook slipped a knife back up his sleeve, cocking his head to one side as Luro asked what he thought. His own mind went back to the moments in the tavern with Luro and Caleb. Jack looked around until he spotted the Nova's shipwright next to Seliria.

"Well my friend," Jack said dryly, "it's certainly been a fascinating journey."

 

[Capt. Blu]

Collab: Mizos and Capt. Blu

Location: Out at Sea/In the Air
A Few Days of Travel - A Look into the Nova Life

Caleb sat in his workshop scratching the side of his head, he had been keeping himself extremely busy making a few modifications to the ship. He found himself a tad bothered however as he stared at some plans he had drawn up, annoying as it was to admit it was probably time for a break, he always pushed himself to his absolute limits and then a little beyond before he stopped himself. He went much longer this time which he believed was a worthwhile achievement. Reaching down he stopped all the watches on his arm and removing a majority of them set them on his desk, stretching his arms over his head he stood up cracking his neck and back, he figured it would be good to take a break anyway, he didn't want it to seem like he was avoiding anyone, that and Seliria had been putting plates in front of his door the last few days, he owed her a bit of thanks later...probably.

"....I wonder if I should engage the others in casual conversation…" Caleb said bringing a hand to his chin. "Probably not but I should at least leave the workshop and go for a walk."

After getting the Stardusk crew settled onto the Flying Minnow, both Alton and Robin went back to their own duties as captains (or captain and first mate if people wanted to be technical). They figured the Stardusk couldn't get into too much trouble on their own, plus, after the 'big fight' Alton had, he needed the rest.

"So we're smooth sailing for the rest of the trip." Robin was sitting on the edge of the ship, looking out at the clouds. The deck had its usual amount of hustle and bustle, although little work needed to be done. "And at this rate, we'll be able to get the extra supplies we need earlier than we planned." Beside her, and never too far away from her, Alton was leaning with his back against the ship's edge. It was hard to discern where his gaze landed thanks to the glasses he wore, but without looking, Robin knew he was looking at her. "Are you going to keep daydreaming over there or are you going to go over our plans?"

Alton's usual hardened expression cracked into a small smile as he straightened up. "I don't see why I need to go over anything, you're already so good at it. Besides, as long as the Passano family shop is running smoothly, we can just enjoy Brass Cape. You and I both know some of the Novas have to be told to take breaks from their work. If we don't tell them, they'll work themselves into the ground."

"I prefer to call it passing time, but that's open to debate."

Seliria walked onto the top deck hands folded behind her back, she gave small nods to Alton and Robin before walking to the edge of the ship, maintaining her general two person distance as usual with the same irritable expression on her face. She let out a long sigh and stared out at the sea her eyelids lowering slightly as she took in the sight. Contrary to her appearance she was very relaxed right now, though only a careful eye could catch when she was in a good mood. The moment seemed to fade however as a voice reached them her body tensing up slightly again.

"Captain with a capital S and Seliria…is it time for one of those 'moments' again?"

Caleb approached the others taking the open spot between Seliria and Robin causing Seliria to casually slide away to keep the same distance. Caleb leaned against the side of the ship resting a hand on his cheek, he hadn't expected to run into everyone here, this was a rather fortuitous situation, he almost didn't regret taking a small break.

"It is a little hard to relax with new guests upon the ship…I can't seem to keep my focus as much as I'd like. I figured coming out to count bird feathers would help get my thoughts back in order. Though I didn't expect everyone to be here, we should share in a 'moment' since we're all here."

"I don't want any 'moments' the sooner we get to Brass Cape the better…as for our guests…long as they don't cause trouble you can just ignore them. Learn to tune things out."

"That is impossible I have to be in tune with the ship constantly."

Seliria kept her attention forward before looking over at Caleb.

"Like that, see how easy that was," Seliria said before focusing her attention forward. "What are you two doing out here?

"Three," Caleb added raising a finger.

"What are you two doing out here …are you enjoying the quiet with Elliot gone too."

Before Robin could agree with her husband, both Seliria and Caleb approached. "If it isn't my favorite cook and my favorite shipwright… I suppose these two were your examples?" When Alton nodded, she laughed and waved towards them both. "It's nice to see you two out and about and in good spirits. Especially you Caleb. No watches or anything, it's good your taking time to rest." The mention of having a 'moment' made Robin pat Caleb's head, as if he was a little kid. "We always have moments dear, but I appreciate you knowing we do!"

"Think of the guests as… Junkers, Caleb. Except these Junkers are scattered and… aren't quite in tune with the rest of the ship. But also not breaking anything- of value at least." Curious eyes and hands led to some of the crew touching things they shouldn't have, but fortunately everything was easy to fix.

"That sounds like more reason not focus on tasks."

"I didn't say I was good at comforting Caleb."

Robin waved her hand at Alton, as if waving his response away. "The Stardusk are a nice hodgepodge. A little odd here and there, but they're nice. Besides, with them here, you guys get to see what their worth for when they become a threat later." Robin gave a light shrug and then looked out to the clouds again. "As for what we're doing here, just planning our Brass Cape trip. We're getting those new blueprints for some projects, some extra supplies to restock, the Junkers said something about new goggles, and-"

"And I'm taking her to our favorite jazz club and everyone- that does include you two- is going to take a well needed rest. We're going home. Besides, Elliot's going to come back with issues from the Reds. There's always issues with the Reds."

Caleb closed his eyes at the head pat opening them when Robin backed away, opening his notebook he immediately scribbled something down. He was to a degree timing his free time but more mentally than physically, but he wouldn't mention that, in the end he could make adjustments easier that way anyway, should he wish to shorten or lengthen. It appeared it would be the latter this time.

"You don't need to write down every time she pats your head," Seliria said sighing.

"It is important to write down times when I am content, as a reminder for when I'm not," Caleb responded.

His gaze moved over to Alton as he spoke and his eyes twitched slightly as he sighed and opened the notebook once more.

"Such as right now…that previous head pat written reminder has improved my mood slightly already."

Seliria seemed to nod as Caleb went back to writing, more than likely taking notes of what Alton said as they explained what they would be doing there, especially about the news of the Red's. Caleb seemed to stop writing at that and shaking his head put the book aside. That was correct, when Elliot returned there was a good chance it was going to be more problems, that meant this downtime was all the more important.

"Another annoyance to deal with later," Seliria said sighing. "…though you are right on both accounts. Stardusk as they are…hmmm it wouldn't be worth it fighting them yet. I like the look in some of their eyes though."

Caleb tapped his notebook in his hand at the idea of taking even more time off.

"Relaxation…I suppose I could visit Risa…I have more lessons to instill…" Caleb said.

"Guess those are orders then…if there's no other choice then I'll find something to do when we reach Brass Cape."

Caleb looked over at Seliria at this, blinking a few times he arched his brow at her.

"Are you not going to spend time with that person once more as you normally do?"

Seliria whole body seemed to twitch slightly at Caleb's words though she kept her attention forward, lowering her head slightly.

"….Seliria?" Caleb asked. "Did you not hear me? The person you generally spend time with at Brass Cape. When you wander off to 'attend to business' I'm positive that-"

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about Caleb," Seliria said keeping her attention on the sea below. "Perhaps we should focus our attention on our actions after Brass Cape then your random musings."

"…I saw you with the person though, you were-"

Seliria quickly slammed her hand over Caleb's mouth stopping him from speaking further, she actually looked a little tense her brows twitching as she tried to hide the red that had found its way onto her face.

"Your eyes are playing tricks on you Caleb…I am positive you are imagining things," Seliria said removing her hand from his mouth before looking over at Robin and Alton. "…that club is a nice one correct…what do you normally do there anyway?"

"Are you attempting to chan-"

"What are the blueprints we're collecting as well, may as well discuss that since we're all here," Seliria said holding up a finger.

Robin and Alton watched them go back and forth like children, the former almost always joking that that's exactly what they were and she was the mother to some of them. She decided against commenting about Caleb's need to write down things- mostly because she found it a little endearing. Just as she found Seliria's need to look and be serious entirely amusing as well.

It could be said that Alton thought similar to his wife, although he'd never admit it out loud. "Well as long as it's someone that you enjoy being around and isn't causing you any harm." Spoken like a true dad- or at least, something similar to it. The glare in his goggles flashed when he raised a brow at Seliria. "It's a good place to relax and unwind. Good music, good food, dancing. You know, just a good time in general." There was a moment's pause before he added, with an unchanging expression. "A nice place to take anyone on a date too." He gestured to Robin, as if clarifying he wasn't suggesting any hidden meanings- even though he definitely was.

While he spoke, Robin's attention was more on Caleb. "You're not planning on terrorizing that Passano girl again are you? Last time you confused her so much she locked herself up to figure out whatever problems you asked her to solve." She couldn't help but laugh at the idea. "Also," She whispered, even though it was still loud enough to be heard, "you weren't imagining things. Sel's slipped off a few times when we make Brass Cape stops. But I think she doesn't want us talking about it."

Seliria squeezed the bridge of her nose feeling a headache coming on, she was going to inflict an immense amount of bodily harm on Caleb when the opportunity presented itself. She would wait until he did the most recent repairs on the ship, that way there wouldn't be a problem with him being out of commission for a few days. While she gripped the edge of the ship planning for this moment her gaze went over to Alton as he spoke. At his words she immediately turned holding her hands out slightly.

"They would never do such a-"

Seliria froze up mid sentence eyes wide as a single bead of sweat made its way down the side of her face, she brought a hand up to her mouth straightening her body. With a small turn she looked back over the sea hiding her expression from the others, though she gripped her sleeves realizing how much she had just said.

"…there is little need for me to go on a date with an acquaintance," Seliria responded. "Though the advice is duly noted."

Caleb at this scratched the side of his cheek and looked over at Seliria who was still choosing to remain silent on the matter. Leaning over he smelled her slightly before bringing a hand to his chin.

"…a date is an outing together correct…you tend to smell like those strange flowers whenever-"

Caleb cut himself off when Robin whispered to him, though Seliria who stood crossed armed nearby seemed to shake slightly clearly hearing the comment from where she stood.

Glancing back at Seliria he realized he must have spoken something private out loud, he didn't take into consideration that Seliria didn't want to talk about it, she was a generally open person when it came to how she felt after all. He looked back at Robin however as he felt he had to clear up her earlier misconception.

"I have never caused trouble for Risa, she has good potential…I merely wish to help her towards achieving it. I gave her something during our last visit…I am curious of the results. Perhaps this time I will give her fifty-eight calculations to solve blindfolded, she should be able to solve them from a simple glance, I'll make them easy for the first lesson."

"Your version of easy is others impossible Caleb," Seliria said sighing looking back at everyone. "I actually feel bad for the girl sometimes; she's so damn earnest she actually tries. It'd almost be adorable if it wasn't pathetic watching."

"Your concern towards my pupil is unnecessary Seliria…ah but I do apologize. I seem to have brought up a private matter of yours. It is rare to see your mouth curve upwards so I remembered the scene. I don't understand why you fed each other though…you both have hands."

"Aggghhh! Stop talking," Seliria said grabbing Caleb by the front of his outfit. "Please stop talking!"

Seliria's eyes widened and she was almost begging with her expression, though Caleb didn't seem to comprehend the desperate look in her eyes.

"…Ah I did it again…my apologies. I won't speak of when you held hands either."

Seliria lifted Caleb off the ground with surprising ease and dangled him over the edge of the ship.

"You have to die….you have to die right now. It's the only way to erase your memory and end this moment."

Seliria was visibly shaking as Caleb looked down then over at Alton and Robin.

"This brings back memories…Seliria did this the first time I gave my honest opinion about her cooking correct. I enjoy these 'moments' of ours."

"Am I not allowed to have a love life….is that so bad…" Seliria stared at floor of the ship mumbling to herself. "Even I get lonely…of all the people…"

"Alton could you retrieve me please," Caleb said looking over at the man. "I do not know when she's going to come back but I prefer being on solid ground."

Alton watched Seliria's reaction for a moment, almost contemplative. He also watched as she tried to 'kill' their shipwright. Despite his facial expression, he couldn't help but be amused. In a way, he could almost see himself in her situation. Fumbling over being 'caught', trying not to be too obvious about there even being a someone, and hating when his friends mocked him about it… There were some similarities, no doubt. "Take it from an… old married man." He scratched his chin and huffed. "Won't know if you don't ask. And who knows, maybe it'll turn into a life long good thing." He looked over at Caleb who was dangling on the side of the ship, albeit, securely. The man wasn't going anywhere soon, but it probably wasn't best to leave him there. He walked over and grabbed Caleb by the ankle and held him upside down, pausing and turning his attention to Robin when she spoke.

The first mate refrained from embarrassing Seliria even more by going 'aww' at every little thing Caleb had mentioned. But she couldn't deny how cute it was. However when Alton spoke, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Aw, you big sap- put Caleb down please. The blood's going to rush to his head." She waited for Alton to turn him right side up and then set him on his feet before Robin lightly squished his face. "Caleb, you gotta stop… observing Sel when she's having her personal time. It's not-" She tried to think of how to put it in terms Caleb would understand. "Sel doesn't want her personal matters shared. She wanted the opportunity to say so, when she was ready, but you beat her to it. You know, like when the Junkers tell us they finished fixing something but they didn't triple check and it breaks." She was still squishing Caleb's cheeks when she looked over at Seliria. "And we're not stopping you from finding love, dear. I can understand if none of the Novas… are your fancy. So you should spend as much time with them as you can- invite them to join even." She let go of Caleb, patting his head again. "Also can you not dangle him off the side of the ship please? He doesn't mean it, I promise. Caleb's just… a little eccentric. But, adorable. Speaking of, no not fifty-eight. Start with three."

Alton's heavy hand patted Caleb's shoulder as he turned to Seliria. "Don't worry about Caleb. He's a little off balance, but we both knew that." Even though it wasn't apparent, he had a warming and reassuring tone.

Caleb brought a hand to his chin at Robin's words as Seliria seemed to calm down slowly, at the mention of the Junkers Caleb ran a hand through his hair shutting his eyes a bit at the memory of that. That was a bit of an annoyance to generally deal with, it made him want to do it himself in times such as that, but something clicked at that point and he looked at Seliria who was wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She seemed to grumble to herself which showed she was somewhat back to normal and Caleb wrote the most recent head pats into his notebook along with Robin's note.

"…three seems too easy but very well…and I am truly sorry Seliria. I did not attend to follow I merely came to ask you a question and noticed the scene. The sudden shift in your demeanor and person made me curious as to why," Caleb said glancing over at Seliria.

He rubbed his shoulder where Alton had pat him reminded of the strength of the man but made a note of it nonetheless.

With a long sigh Seliria rotated her shoulder glancing over at the other Nova's, her normal expression returned, though there seemed to be just a little less anger in her normal gaze.

"…it's because of what you two have that I'm lucky to be here. It's what made me hesitate when I was your assassin after all…I'm already on limited time as it is. The idea of love and all that nonsense is wasted on me, I may not wake up tomorrow, why would I put anyone through that turmoil on a daily basis."

Seliria narrowed her eyes a bit and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's just selfish of me…but that's what you aggravating people do to me, you make me doubt such thoughts. Being around you lot has made me soft and it's annoying. Having to watch your lovey dovey interactions on a daily basis makes me so damn jealous…"

She didn't seem serious about that last action but there was a bit of truth to it.

"I've known them since I was an assassin and it just…kind of happened. I spend time with them every time we visit Brass Cape…this time being no different."

"Ah that's why you were in such a good mood lately," Caleb said with a nod.

"Your observations are as keen as always…annoying little…" Seliria mumbled. "Anyway…why the hell would I get involved with one of the Nova's, you're basically family, there's little point in such matters."

"….is that why you dangled me over the edge."

"Caleb you know who I was, if I disliked you I would have killed you already," Seliria said looking over at him. "I don't tolerate annoyances."

"Captain with a capital S I think Seliria likes us, this is a 'moment' isn't it," Caleb said looking over at the two.

"I didn't say that I liked any of you," Seliria said shaking her head.

"You said we were family though," Caleb said looking back at her.

"Yeah and you don't have to like your family. I put up with you because you're all I got, that's the end of it understand."

Caleb looked over at Robin and Alton wondering if they were getting this, but Seliria didn't seem intent on speaking any further on the matter. Though he supposed it was always like this, she was generally an honest person underneath everything, she spoke her mind which was something he did as well, it was one of the reasons their conversations were always interesting, there was little point to hold anything back.

"I'll introduce you some time since it's already out there…and every time you embarrass me Caleb I'm going to break body parts starting with fingers," Seliria said glaring at him. "If we're quite done with this 'moment' can we move on…there are more important things."

"You hear that Alton? She loves us." Robin's head was in her hands as she looked at Seliria with a doe-eyed expression. "You want to know the best part about love?" She sat up and held her hand out to Alton who helped her off the ledge. "It always has a knack for finding a way to work. Besides, you're an assassin. Not a soulless zombie." She leaned against the larger man next to her. "And the way I see it. You make your time on this big rock. There's no limits unless you set them for yourself. We're in the Worst Gen- and second no doubt. We have targets on our back constantly. But why would I, or you, let that tiny detail stop us from finding happiness? Don't be jealous, embrace what you have! It's great and freeing and well, you deserve it."

Alton hummed in agreement. "You're the only one who sees yourself as soft you know. Trust me, I thought the same thing when I met Robin." He looked over the ledge, ahead of them. "There aren't more important things, really. Unless you count that Brass Cape will be coming up soon. But, in a more reassuring light, Caleb'll be busy so he won't be able to follow you about. Stardusk Captain mentioned new supplies for their ship, and I've seen that shipwright of theirs constantly taking note of the Minnow." His shielded gaze turned to Caleb. "Before he ends up finding work to do that's not considered taking a break, I figure an easy project like… playing tour guide would work well enough to keep you distracted."

"You want to help the Stardusk?" Robin looked up at him with a curious gaze.

"I like them… That crew has a lot of potential and since they've just now reached Worst Gen status I want to… push them in the right direction. That, and well, if they can knock the Reds off their pedestal that would keep them off our backs for awhile."

Robin hummed in thought, taking a moment to understand the plans Alton had. There was something unspoken about it that made her nod in agreement before she spoke again. "Do you mind it Caleb? They don't need much in the way of a flying ship, but… something to help. It'll be killing two birds with one stone too since you'll get to see Passano as well- unless of course you take them to someone else."

"I don't need you telling me that," Seliria said glancing towards the two at their reassurance. "…ugh…your closeness is sickening sometimes…"

Seliria shook her head though she did seem a tad happy at the idea of Caleb being too busy to intrude on them, seeing Alton was giving him a job to do caused her to glance in Caleb's direction. He didn't seem bothered by the aspect, but then again he'd make the sky fall if the Guanari's asked him to do so, the annoying part was the amount of loyalty he had towards them, not that she could point fingers.

"…I'm also a Nova before an assassin," Seliria mumbled tapping her finger on her arm.

She shivered a bit and hugged herself feeling a large pit in her stomach as a chill ran up her spine, she shivered for a moment before finally straightening herself out.

"I can't believe I can say such things with a straight face," Seliria said sighing.

Caleb seemed to stare at Alton and Robin for a moment the idea of escorting Stardusk through Brass Cape did seem like a fun venture. He was interested in their development as well, there was something extremely unimpressive about them, yet they had grown to such heights with those kinds of faces, especially the Captain, her face was the most unimpressive. Judging from the outside was a rookie mistake however, he could see fire in the eyes of some of them and even he could see the potential Alton spoke of not matter how utterly plain they looked in some aspects.

"Caleb you have that look on your face that generally leads to you thinking really insulting things," Seliria said glaring at him. "I know that face because you normally say something stupid right af-"

"I will assist them," Caleb said nodding. "I was going to visit Passano anyway. I will aid them in having impressive faces."

"…huh you didn't say something stup-"

"Besides Risa is already the one named Luro's Mistress, as such their intimate relationship will aid me in my research."

"There it is…and what research?" Seliria asked sighing.

"Research into how you suddenly gained the affection of another with your lackluster love life. By observing their interactions as both their faces are unimpressive I believe I can figure it out. Perhaps money was involved."

Caleb brought a hand to his chin as Seliria held him over the edge of the ship again her body shaking in fury as the shipwright thought to himself, paying little mind to the huge drop below him.

"Your existence is the most painful thing in my life…I need to end it."

 

[Capt. Blu]

​

Location: Flying Minnow - After the Fight

Hearing- or well, reading the look on Zilia's face made Runali deflate and pout akin to a puppy in trouble. "Aw, c'mon doc, it could have been worse!" She glanced over as the Nova captain and first mate walked away. Her pout turned into a frown for only a split second before she was smiling again. "Could've been worse. He was holding back." She rubbed a cut on her face and shrugged. Runali was almost sure he didn't just let her win, but she was also sure that he wasn't fighting at his full potential. Then again, she wasn't sure she was either… Runali didn't mention it though. It was something to think about later. Instead, she limped on and looked over at Kadi with a playful pout. "Don't let the mean doctor hurt me please?" Despite it all, it looked like she would have to plead mercy so she could actually eat lunch with the rest of the group.

Fortunately for Runali, her injuries weren't all that severe. Unfortunately, it was thanks to the not so tender approach from her doctor that she was able to make a speedy recovery. "I swear I'll die sooner with a doctor." She mumbled under her breath, but pretended she said nothing when Zilia gave her a look. Runali promised to make it up to Zilia, not quite saying how she planned to do so- it was more just an excuse to get away from being poked with needles.

The trip on the Minnow was as smooth as it could be with one excited captain and her curious crew. Everyone welcomed the Stardusk- most of them kindly, and allowed them to explore where they could. There were certain areas off limits, but that was clarified by a stern crew member or the captains themselves. In which, they would just be pointed in another direction. Runali found herself exploring the layout of the ship, intrigued by the gadgets and gizmos, and especially intrigued by the hidden rooms behind walls. It was practically a flying town and Runali could find just about everything she could think of in it.

As captain, she didn't shy away from checking out things that catered to her crew, from, how they navigated in the sky and was it much different from sea travel to something as simple as how they stored large amounts of food for travel. Every little thing she could learn was important, even if she couldn't completely understand it. At least she could recite it back to the proper crewmate should she need to.

Location: Brass Cape

Travel seemed to go much faster being in the sky rather than out at sea, but it could have just been Runali enjoying the trip. Several times she found herself on the ship's deck, looking out at the sky and the open sea around them. The view alone was amazing. And every once in awhile, she looked down at Lady Luck, who was lazily dragging behind. Their ship was fine and the view was amazing from where she was. Runali would have loved to have a ship like the Flying Minnow one day…

"All hands on deck! Brass Cape is approaching!" Alton's voice boomed. It was loud enough to cause everyone to scatter to where they needed to be. Runali watched as sails were set into a different position and things were tied down for safety. Below deck, most of the magic happened as even the Junkers helped the ship's descent. It was a slow process but the giant ship landed at the docks, settling right next to Lady Luck after a few Novas slid down the grappling hook attached and steered the ship accordingly.

Alton and Robin addressed their crew about their own matters while Runali looked on at the bustling island in front of them. It had been awhile since she had been there. And while Brass cape was already in its own world of advancement, it seemed to have grown exponentially in the matter of two years. Besides the wonders of the place, she remembered when Alicia got her sword broken. It put a bad taste in her mouth for a few moments and the last thing she wanted was to revisit it. Fortunately enough- or unfortunately depending on who you asked, Runali didn't even remember the name of the guy that they had faced. Nor did she really want to…

Shaking her head, she hopped onto the edge of the Minnow, examining how far of a jump it would be to land on the ground. She was instantly reminded that said ship was much larger than Lady Luck, so she paused, looking at her crew as they gathered behind her. "This is just a supply run- with the bonus of meeting the Novas, yeah. But we're just here for a few upgrades for the ship and some extra supplies. Gotta be better prepared as a Worst Gen crew. I suppose we'll have to stay put for some time in order for Luro and- oh yeah! I wonder if Risa and her brother still work around Brass Cape-"

"That they do!" A little too suddenly, and a little too gracefully, Robin hopped onto the edge of the ship in front of her. The sudden intrusion caused Runali to take a step backwards and slip. However before she could fall, Robin grabbed her hand and spun her back onto her feet, practically dancing with the shorter woman for a brief moment. "And speaking of the Passano family~ as a gift from us to you," Alton walked up as she spoke, with arms crossed and that straight laced gaze. "Caleb's going to assist you all in those upgrades you want- or most of them. We want you to be ready for when you try to challenge us after all."

"Caleb's got a head start and is already down there waiting for you."

"Caleb also knows this place like the inside of the ship! So if you want any recommendations to places, he knows where you can go!" Robin giggled. "You just... have to ask the right questions." It was a little cryptic, but Robin clasped her hands together. "Alright! You all have fun and if we don't see you before we leave, then, it was nice meeting you!"

Alton held his arm out, catching her as she jumped off the ledge. Opposite to Robin's enthusiastic goodbyes Alton merely nodded and turned away from the group, walking alongside his wife. "So, favorite lunch spot now and the jazz club tonight?"

Runali watched the two go, before gesturing to her crew. "Alright! Let's gooo shopping~" And she led the way off the ship and towards the docks where Caleb waited.

 

[Mizos]

The ride on the Minnow was a fun one and Luro got an abundance of ideas thanks to Caleb and walking around the ship.
If their destination wasn't Brass Cape he would have asked to stay for a few more days to get more ideas, but the moment he heard their destination was in sight he ran to the edge and peered down at the expansive city below. He had never gotten to see Brass Cape from above and the view was beyond beautiful, like a wench in a short dress picking up a bottle of drink, two beauty's put together for the price one. Beyond the city being huge and filled with all manners of enjoyable shops and places, it's very existence called to him. The white and black smoke coming from the small stacks on buildings with such interesting shapes, the pointy bits coming off the meticulously decorated abodes below, the pointy bits apparently being called spires according to Caleb. The tall tower adorned with the fanciful lanterns on its edges and the weird animals on each side, that helped the entire city tell time. Everything about Brass Cape filled him with all manner of joy, wherever he turned he could see wonderful works of art, and that was just the buildings, the creations that decorated the landscape around them was all the more enticing. No matter how far into the distance he looked the bronze and sometimes golden shimmer of the Cape called to him.

"I'm going to get all kinds of extra stuff Captain, since most of my last collection is...kind of at the bottom of the sea and I doubt Davy would share if I went and asked," Luro said looking over at the Captain.
At the mention of Risa Luro grinned and turned his attention back to the expansive city below, it would be nice if Risa was still there, there was so much he wanted to say and do and kidnapping Risa was now on the top of that list. She was such a good victim last time he made sure to make a note of it in his notebook for when he eventually did it again.
Just as he was about to talk to the Captain about the Passano's, Robin answered the question almost killing the Captain in the process. Luro was inches away from leaping over the edge himself when the Captain was pulled back on the ship and the Guaneri's went on to explain their gift.
"You guys are amazing!" Luro exclaimed grinning at the two. "I'm going to make Lady really powerful so our future fight is really fun! I'll make sure of it for being so nice!"
Luro cheered at the idea of shopping and ran after the Captain.

Zilia walked onto the main deck of the ship hearing that they had made it to their destination, she had heard all manners of things about Brass Cape but had never been herself. A few of the pirates she ended up on the ships of spoke of the place like it was something out of a storybook, Luro being one of many. Just as she was about to peer over and see what all the fuss was about she noticed the Captain bring up what their trip was here for, supplies did seem like a decent idea, and she preferred that over finding random bits of trouble. She wasn't sure who this Risa was but she had little time to consider the option seeing the Captain almost going over the edge of the ship, she felt her heart drop into her stomach until Robin grabbed her spinning her back onto the ship.
"Can you avoid dying for five minutes..." Zilia thought gripping her chest trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

Zilia turned and walked to the edge of the ship taking a few deep breaths as she looked down to the city below.
What she saw caused everything in her mind to go blank, she leaned over the side of the ship her eyes wide as she stared down at Brass Cape, the supposed city of wonders. The words of the other pirates didn't do the city justice, some called it picturesque, others lovely and scenic but the place in front of her didn't seem real, words that described its beauty was wasted. Brass Cape was a like a whole other world filled with unimaginable sights, it was the moment when one opened a new unread book, the feeling of the first warm breeze after a harsh cold, a warm dinner after months of fasting, it was a sense of wonderment that couldn't be described simply with words only feeling. Her body trembled as they steadily approached the city, she had never seen buildings shaped like this before, nor the strange lights that didn't rely on a lit flame, everything she saw from the city seemed to throw her own understanding out of the window.
"I wouldn't doubt it if someone told me this place was built partially by a higher being. It's almost hard to believe this place is manmade."
Zilia was only pulled from her spot at them landing and the Captain's yelling, which caused her to follow after writing in her notebook as she approached.
"I'm right behind you...if possible I'd like to find books from here. I can only imagine what kind of works they have."

"Stardusk!"
Zilia turned seeing Seliria standing a few feet away from the crew on the docks, she raised a hand to the everyone before speaking again.
"Don't get yourself killed, you made me waste my time on you so I'm expecting you to pay me back when you're stronger and wiser. When you lose you can clean my kitchen, until then."
Seliria raised a hand to the crew before turning and walking off in a random direction, Zilia watched the woman go before touching the notebook in her pocket. The conversation she had with Seliria was still fresh in her mind, but she had to focus on other things right now, she wanted to enjoy Brass Cape to the fullest, and that meant making sure her fellow crewmates stayed out of trouble.

 

[Capt. Blu]

Collabo: Mizos & Capt.​

Location: Brass Cape

"Aye, aye." She responded to Luro's excitement. "Can't go over the budget though- Well. We could, 'cept Alicia would probably be not too happy about that- plus someone wouldn't get paid." She rubbed her cheek and shrugged. "Ah, don't worry about it. We can get as much as we need. It's important after all." It became more of musings to herself until Zilia approached her. "Oh yeah, there's gotta be a bookstore or a library around here. Robin said something about asking Caleb the right questions about it. He'll probably know where they are."

Speaking of the Nova shipwright, true to Alton's word, Caleb was standing on the docks waiting for the Stardusk crew. He was looking down at one of his watches, not sparing Runali a glance when she hopped in front of him. "Alright! Tour time-"

"You are late."

"But we haven't even-"

"Let's keep moving, there is much to do if I'm going to make your faces impressive," Caleb said turning and walking off. "Passano's are first."

Runali watched Caleb take the lead and head towards the city, confused for a brief moment, but quickly followed right after. It was probably for the best not to question his watches and time management… Or anything about him really.

Caleb approached their destination with a casual gait at least compared to how quick he moved on the ship, he seemed to be playing the part of tour guide and making sure not to move too quickly to give everyone a chance to take in Brass Cape, especially the ones who were clearly first timers. He came to a stop and motioned to one of the buildings straight ahead, a rectangular two story building with a large sign on the front that read 'Passano'.

There were a few contraptions on the store that seemed to shift and move as if they were alive, especially on the slanted roof of the establishment. Caleb walked up to the building and ran his fingers over the black brick rubbing the substance on his fingers before looking up at the wooden sign.

The building stood out a bit more from the other buildings more due to the assortment of knickknacks on it than the place itself, there were a few windows on the first and second floor which revealed there were even more doohickeys on the inside, though the upstairs windows had red curtains in front of them, more than likely being where the owners slept.

"The Passano's are in here…ah wait the sign gives that away," Caleb said before looking up at the sign. "This is the Passano's Workshop and this is the outside. Let's continue the tour."

Caleb said as he walked inside.

Runali didn't remember the building being as large as it was, but it had been over two years so upgrades weren't really surprising. Inside the workshop, there were an assortment of shelves and tables housing tools and metal parts. There were bins with labels on them that Runali didn't bother to read, instead, she walked right to the counter where a woman was working. She was careful not to get too close, because she was using a blowtorch on something, but she did knock on the countertop to get her attention.

"Hold one moment, I'll be right with you." The woman didn't bother to look up at first when she heard the bell ring to let her know someone opened the door. Her eyes hidden behind goggles as the fire glared against them, and her long blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail to keep it out of the way. If they looked closer, they'd notice that the ends were a bit singed. And then she realized there was more than one in the building, so she turned the torch off and stood up, only to look a little surprised to see Caleb. "Caleb? You're here… today? Bah, Simon said you all were coming in next week!" She pushed the contraption she was working on to the side and raised the goggles off her face, revealing an outline around her eyes to show the rest of her face was covered in dirt. She didn't seem to acknowledge the rest of the group with him, because she had already started to turn and grab a box on the floor next to her. "Dad just left with Simon, but he told me you guys wanted a few thin-"

When she finally paused and looked at the crew behind Caleb and the person at the counter, her surprise grew. "Oh... well you're not the Novas."

Runali grinned and saluted. "It hasn't been that long, has it? Can't believe you can't even recognize us anymore. Ow, and I thought we were friends."

Risa's gaze went over each of the Stardusk, one by one, lingering on a few of them a little longer than others, before she leaned over the counter. "Wow! I haven't seen you guys forever! Congratulations on the Worst Gen thing- I think. I suppose that might not be the best situation to be in. But yeah, you were the talk of the town a few days ago. And now you're here, what a surprise. And oh, nice to meet new faces! But… what happened to the others?" She gave a small, sad look towards Runali.

"Ah, nothing to worry about. Nolan had a… secret life to take care of. Had to keep it under wraps, you know? And Ray? Well, he's going to war." It was a bit of an exaggeration about both, but she had to keep up their old chef's 'scary history' for the sake of it.

"Wow." She remembered the chef being dangerous, so him having a secret life wasn't too surprising. "Well," She looked over to the ones she hadn't met. "I'm Risa Passano- engineer here, but inventor mostly. What brings you by… With the Novas of all people?" Her gaze trailed back to Caleb as she began taking her work gear off, like her gloves and goggles.

The moment Caleb walked in he hit one of his watches stopping the clock, it seemed he wasn't intending on timing their encounter with the Passano's or Passano as there only seemed to be one person at counter. Caleb walked with Runali up to the counter, he didn't make an effort to draw the woman's attention picking up one of the objects nearby and fiddling with it. He knew all too well being hard at work on something and being interrupted, he'd wait until the sun went down if need be but that didn't seem necessary. When the woman looked at him Caleb set the object down raising a hand to her.

"Our business was finished earlier than expected," Caleb said in response to their timing.
It seemed he didn't need to explain the people behind him weren't the Nova's and from Risa's response it seemed it was true they did know her, not that he had any reason to doubt but it came with his job.

"We ended up-" Caleb started but hearing footsteps quickly approaching the counter he stopped.

"Risssssaaaaa! I missed you!"

Luro's exclamation caused Caleb to turn as Luro leapt into the air trying to clear the counter to embrace his old friend, though Caleb put a hand on his chest mid flight stopping him above the counter before he quickly pulled his hand away. Luro fell immediately slamming his head on the counter in the process before landing on the ground face first. Caleb stared down at Luro for a moment as a pool of red formed around his head, when Luro twitched showing he was still alive Caleb took out a rag and wiped the counter off as Zilia went to get Luro.

"We encountered them along the way," Caleb said finishing his earlier sentence. "My apologies but business first before physical intimacy. Though…to think my apprentice would become a Mistress at such an age…the world is a truly interesting place. A shame I missed Papa Passaso however."

Both Runali and Risa flinched when they heard the sudden yell. The former however, took a step to the side to avoid casualties- only to watch as Luro was effortlessly knocked to the ground. "...Huh." Was all she said as she watched Zilia hurry to his side. She was more impressed by Caleb's feat than Luro's injury. He could drink it off, no doubt.

Risa on the other hand had frozen like a startled animal, only to wince when she heard Luro slam to the ground on the opposite side of the counter. While Caleb cleaned off the blood, she leaned over the edge to look down at Luro. "H-Hi Luro, it's...nice to see you again too?" But he was already unconscious. Caleb's following comment made her straighten up quickly. "I-I am no one's mistress Caleb!? Where on earth-" She clasped her hands together and took a deep breath, willing herself to refrain from blushing or making a fool of herself. "Nope. It's not important. Just… I'm not a mistress Caleb. But," Risa focused on business as Caleb requested while Runali snickered in the background, lightly nudging Luro with her foot. "Y-yes. He and Simon went off to help someone fix…" There was a note pinned on the wall nearest her. "Right, patching up a cargo ship. They should be back later this evening however. But he did leave a few pieces and parts- something about- actually I'm unsure. But it should be useful."

"We are in agreement, you don't seem like the authoritative type in such affairs," Caleb responded with a nod. "Though you were spoken of intimately…strange…we'll talk more about it later in great detail especially about what happened in the shop."

Caleb requested the location of the objects left for them and stepping over Luro made his way to the items in a nearby box, he picked up a few turning them over with a small nod, on occasion he would tap something with his fist, or put two things together. After a few minutes of this he nodded and made his way back over to Risa stuffing the objects into the bag he kept on him moving the strap over to his other shoulder.

"Papa Passano always has a good eye, these will come in handy," Caleb said before handing Risa a list. "I would like these items prepared for Stardusk as well, Luro apparently had requests as well, when he comes too I'm sure he'll ask what he needs. They wish to make their ship fly as well so anything of high quality will suffice, put anything they need for the ship on my tab as well. It is my job to make sure Stardusk have impressive faces."

Caleb nodded at this before dropping a pouch on the counter, for his and Stardusk parts. Afterwards he slid another piece of paper on the counter tapping it.

"Use these calculations to pass time when you're working. Robin told me to only give you three…so there's fifty-seven there. It's not a priority, I'd prefer you work on your previous task first, which reminds me have you made any progress on it? I have a feeling you haven't solved it and obtained the secret inside yet."

"Oh… wonderful." Risa sighed, already mentally preparing herself for the long… detailed conversation with Caleb. At the thought, she would have preferred her dad's pestering. She rested her head in one hand and looked over at Runali while Caleb inspected his things. "So… Kane'Artem, yeah?"

"It was nothing, really."

"A high end, secure prison island is nothing? Huh, no wonder you shot up in the ranks." The idea of the small, ragtag team of pirates effortlessly making their way to the fourth spot of the Worst Gen was easy for her to believe- then again, she seemed to believe a lot of the stories that they told. "And so you all want… a flying ship?" Risa took the list from Caleb with her attention still on the Stardusk captain. "You know it takes years to make something like that and a lot more hands. I-I mean, I'm sure Luro's a capable shipwright, but it's a… complex job. B-But you would have to stay at Brass Cape for a little longer than a 'visit'."

Runali waved her hand dismissively. "Bah, it won't be a problem! Besides, we're not getting the flying ship now. We just need the materials and such! Our main priority is to get our ship a few upgrades."

Risa nodded and went through the list, mumbling a few things to herself. "Hm, I can have all of this stuff ready for you by tomorrow afternoon. I'd have to make a few trips…" Spotting the new page Caleb gave her, she put the list in her chest pocket. She was about to mention that fifty-seven calculations seemed like a bit much, but the mention of his gift to her- if it could be called a gift- made her walk over to a chest behind the counter. What she pulled out looked like an ordinary cube, but looking closer there were smaller shapes decorated in a variety of colors.

"What's that?" Runali mused, reaching to inspect the object.

Risa lifted it away from her grasp and turned it around a few times. "It's a puzzle of some sort. Caleb says once I figure it out, there's some secret inside. I've been able to complete four sides of it at most since he's given it to me, but today I think I'm onto something." She showed Caleb the four completed sides. "I'm sure I can get another side done during this supply trip. I just know it."

The casual nature of Stardusk Captain was always an interesting thing to see, most pirates would gloat at escaping from such an infamous prison. He supposed being grounded aided them in their rise to power, but that was a thought for another time. When Risa commented on the flying ship he looked in her direction, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment before he shut his eyes only opening them when Risa pulled out his present from his last visit.

Walking closer he took the object from her and turned it over in his hands a few times, his brows arched and he tossed the cube to his other hand before handing it back to Risa.

"You have made considerable progress," Caleb said with a small nod. "I would expect no less from my apprentice. It seems you're keeping to the rule as well, you're only allowed eighteen moves to solve it before you reset it for the day."

Caleb knew Risa would follow the rule but he felt inclined to bring it up again, he really was surprised she had done so well, the amount of possibilities of that cube was not something so easily solved.

"Though it has been a fair bit of time since my last visit, months if I'm not mistaken so I expected some progress," Caleb said looking back at her. "You've done more than I expected however. Risa I give you moderate praise for your efforts, the reward will be worth the time but do not rush, make every move count and contemplate, one wrong move will ruin it."

Caleb turned and looked out the window of the shop, his gaze moving to the sky for a moment before his eyes went back to his watch. He tapped one of them and turned back to Risa remembering how long it could take to get the parts, it was a fair amount of objects, he admittedly felt guilty putting so much on his apprentice, but it was a good learning experience as well and he was sure her family would help when they returned in the evening.

"Also Risa don't forget lesson 2 'Impossible is a term created by people,' you know better than to rely on the opinions of others to decide what can and can't be done. Challenge your own logic as well, and have faith in these people."

Caleb looked back at Stardusk.

"They have already done what is 'Impossible' once already; I see no reason why they cannot repeat it."

"Aw, thanks Caleb." She grabbed a small notepad from one of her many pockets and scribbled something down- similar to Caleb, which only made sense considering she was his apprentice. "I'll take a look at these problems too but-" Now, her full attention turned to the Stardusk crew. "Sorry about that, business comes first, you know? Anyway, since you guys'll be staying for a day or two you should explore the city! It's so much more than just inventing and working. Brass Cape has plenty of places to check out like taverns, jazz clubs, a new attraction is the ferris wheel they built which is basically a large wheel to… sit in and then ride all the way to the top to see a better view of the island. It's a lot more interesting when you check it out." She listed off different restaurants and market places, along with a bookstore and festivities that went on during the day and night, only to realize she was rambling. With a sheepish grin, she rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I think you get the picture. I'd love to join you all, but work first. Besides, Caleb is a fine tour guide."

"I can guide you to any place you like, so make the most of your visit," Caleb said focusing on Stardusk. "That is my job after all."

 

[Mizos]

Luro's somewhat Peculiar Adventure​

Luro rubbed the bandage wrapped around his head as he made his way down one of the back roads of Brass Cape. He couldn't deny being a bit sad he wasn't able to welcome Risa properly but he'd just make up for it when he went back later. Z for some reason told him it'd probably be a good idea to wait anyway since everyone was going off to enjoy Brass Cape. Since he wasn't sure when they'd dock here again he had to make the most of this trip and get as many supplies as he could, Caleb was apparently getting the materials for the ship, though he asked him what exactly just to make sure his Lass wasn't being courted by another.
"Still I wonder what Kadi wanted…guess I'll just talk to him later about it," Luro said smiling. "For now I gotta find those shops, take a small break at the tavern than join everyone. It's been a bit since I've wandered on my own, but Z slipped off somewhere."
Luro brought a hand to his mouth and yawned a bit rubbing some sleep out of his eyes, that nap earlier left him a little tired, though his head hurt for some reason.
"Give us your money!"
Luro stopped hearing voices and turning noticed a young man being approached by three large men in a nearby alley, one was holding a knife while the other two stood grinning behind him. He arched a brow his eyes moving to the 'victim' of the robbery, a young man shaking against the nearby wall. The youth had short brown hair that stopped at his neck, and was dressed a bit better than the men in front of him, adorned in a black vest over a white shirt, and a pair of black slacks. He didn't appear to have any weapons on him, and from the look on his face he didn't like the one the robber had. He was considerably shorter than the three men making it easy for them to loom over him.
"O-okay ju-just hold on," the man said holding up his hands.
"Hurry up!"
The young man jumped a bit as the knife was shoved closer to his face, he started to dig in his pockets when he heard footsteps echo in the alley, he turned expecting another thief when he noticed a tall man standing in the nearby shadows. He couldn't see his face but he did notice the tattoo on his exposed chest.
"Hey! We're in the middle of something here. You know what why don't you empty your pockets too," the man said turning his knife to Luro.
The youth flinched a bit as something white poked out of the shadows, seeing it was the toothy grin of the stranger he watched as he pulled a hand out of his pocket.
"Well now the Captain can't get mad if I defend myself…you're clearly going to try and hurt me. One of the rules is not to die after all."

"R-Run!"
One of the men ran out of the alley his left arm dangling lifelessly out of its socket as he stared wide eyed at his companions, one was trying to drag the other away, his clothes torn to shreds, and four of his fingers missing. He desperately tried to help his friend who had cuts all over his body and a knife embedded in his leg. The walls of the alley were smeared with blood and Luro grinned at the three his hands and face splattered with red.
"Hey you guys forgot your money, come on back and get it. We were just getting started," Luro said holding the pouches out to them. "Just come back in here, it was getting fun."
"Screw that! Go!"
Luro blinked a few times seeing the three make their escape, he pouted and opened the pouches going through the coin.
"Hm they had plenty of money, don't know why they were robbing you," Luro said before looking over at the previous 'victim', he wasn't sure why he was trembling on the ground, probably because he almost got robbed.
"You okay?" Luro asked.
"H-huh?!" the man said quickly standing up. "I-I'm fine."
"Okay...What's your name?"
The man looked behind him but Luro stepped closer causing him to freeze up, he was within arms reach so running didn't seem like a possibility.
"Maxwell."
"Oooh nice name. Imma call you Max though," Luro said patting the man shoulder. "Let's get going then Max."
"Huh?"
"I got errands to run and stuff to do. You can help me carry stuff."
"What…but I have things to do I can't-"
"Let's go!"

Luro continued his errands with the help of his new friend, stopping by the marketplaces and grabbing all he could from them as he made his way through the city. Carrying multiple bags he returned to the ship dropping them off and wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead as he wrote down what he had brought onto the ship, he made sure to grab a bit of wood while he was out as well, he was going to need extra for repairs since he was going to use a decent amount just making the ship better.
"Is it really okay for me to be on a pirate ship?" Max said looking around.
"S'fine. Well unless Alicia finds out, she'll probably rip your spine out through your mouth," Luro said putting his notebook away. "Or Jack…you could become the secret ingredient in his chili if you're not careful."
Luro watched as Max quickly ran off the ship and smiled before walking after him.
"Hey have you heard of Fluffykins Bun-Bun Bottoms?!"

Max wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had been forced to accompany Luro, he couldn't find an opening to escape the clutches of the giant man, always feeling a firm hand on his shoulder whenever he tried to find an opening, he didn't really get what was going on but escaping this man seemed important, he screamed danger. Seeing him walk towards a tavern a bit of relief filled him, he could probably slip away if he started drinking.
"All right let's have some fun in here too," Luro said. "I haven't had a good brawl in a bit."
"Wait brawl…aren't you going to drink? You should have a few while you're here...I'll even pay."
"Well of course I'm going to drink, but the brawl comes first. You beat each other up then you drink together, that's how it works."
Max started to speak against that line of thinking but just closed his mouth and shook his head.
"I can't win against his stand…learned that on the way here. I just have to play along until I can get away."
Luro walked into the tavern, taking a big breath in before a content sigh escaped him, the low lights, the smell of drink and old wood, that familiar creak of footsteps and surrounded by jokes that would make a sailor blush, this was his second home and it was good to be back. It was hard not to relax inside the tavern, especially with all the lasses around, with some luck he might find one to listen to his troubles.
"Follow my lead," Luro said walking up to a table of four men.
Luro watched the group playing what seemed to be a card game, with the man closest to him, who seemed to have muscles on his muscles apparently winning. He listened to their conversation for a moment before looking at the man's mug. Reaching over he smacked the mug causing it to fall on the floor, the contents spilling on the floor. The man immediately stood up at this and grabbed Luro by his shirt glaring daggers at him, Max took a casual step back but his friends had already surrounded the two of them.
"Oi you just spilled my drink," the man said clenching his other hand into a fist.
"Hahaha my bad, I'll pay for another one I owe you anyway," Luro said smiling at the guy. "I really am sorry, still it's funny how things work right. I didn't think I'd have to apologize to you twice."
"Apologize twice? Wait owe?" the man questioned loosening his grip on Luro's shirt.
"Well of course, I don't intend on paying your ma for her time, that's going to cut into your drinking money."

Max stood a few feet away outside the tavern, his eyes twitching as he stared at the burning building in front of him, the heat tickling his exposed skin. His clothes were torn and burnt marks were here and there on his clothes, but that didn't matter right now. He watched the bright red flames bringing a hand to his face trying to recall what in the world just happened, he remembered being dragged out by the giant who was laughing with childlike glee as everyone was screaming and trying to put out the fire.
"…that escalated so quickly…" Max mumbled.
"That was sooo much fun!" Luro said walking up to Max.
Unlike Max Luro was in much better shape, though there were burnt marks on his clothes as he was the source of the fire, and the gentleman who was apparently named Aaron didn't back down until the fire took up most of the tavern.
"We should probably go though more stuff to do," Luro said grabbing Max and dragging him away. "That Aaron guy was so nice, I hope he got out."

Luro continued dragging Max around, the man helping him with his 'errands' as he made his way around Brass Cape. Max had given up getting away at this point, mainly because one of their errands ended up blowing a giant hole in one of the buildings. Luro would occasionally stop to take care of some matter of business which generally led to some manner of misfortune for another. One such instances Max and Luro stared at a distance as a home lay in pieces, furniture littered the streets and the giant holes in the walls made it easy to see the inside, which didn't look much better than the outside.
"Haha it worked Max, I knew if I increased the pressure I could do some real damage."
"T-their home is destroyed," Max said looking over at him.
"Well yeah…though I was pretty sure I hit the-"
A large explosion caused Max to jump and he took a step back as the home caught fire, spreading to the homes nearby causing everyone to run trying to find a way to put the flames out.
"Oh there it goes, anyway let's go Max."
Luro grabbed Max by his collar and pulled him away from the scene continuing their venture through Brass Cape, he was pretty sure those people were homeless now, yet the man behind him was whistling as he left the scene of the crime. He wanted to say something but when Luro dragged him onto a roof he didn't feel comfortable speaking against him while they were a few stories up.
"Why are we up here?" Max questioned.
"Just checking something," Luro said smiling. "I wondered what would happen if I made some adjustments to a device over there. It seemed like it was pumping out a decent amount power."
Luro pointed in the direction they had come from, Max looked over at it before a loud boom echoed, fire rising above the buildings as people scrambled towards the fire. Max's eyes twitching seeing a burning crater where a part of the downtown was, the smouldering remains of the machine Luro had destroyed laid in pieces, looking over at Luro he noticed him sitting down next to him taking notes.
"Hm hm so it explodes…I had a feeling it would. Glad I confirmed it huh. Man the Captain would have been mad if I did that on the ship. Anyway Max let's keep going. We got all kinds of stuff do."

A bit of water damage, some toppled trees and three more fires later Luro and Max were back near the amusement park, the latter on his hands and knees.
"Max."
Max looked up at Luro only to catch a pouch watching as Luro started brushing what he could off his clothes. With a grin Luro stretched his arms above his head before looking back in the direction of the Ferris wheel.
"That was really fun Max but you got important things to do right? Thanks for hanging out with me today, you look much better too, you seemed so stressed earlier. A change of pace is good right?"

Max flinched a bit at Luro's words and looked up at him, seeing the bright grin on his face he slowly climbed to his feet, his attention moving to the pouch for a moment. His mouth twitched to the side and looking at Luro he spoke calmly for the first time since they first met.
"…is there a reason why you dragged me around?"
"Of course there is," Luro said before turning his back to Max.
Max watched as Luro rubbed the back of his neck rotating his shoulder a bit, he kept his back to him seeming to get past whatever was making him hesitate as he answered.
"You remind me of someone I knew when I was a little bit younger. I saved him from bullies too….I think a part of me misses him. I might have taken that out on you…sorry if it wasn't fun and for dragging you around everywhere."
The smile on Luro's face for a moment seemed a little less bright when he turned back to him, it was a strange feeling but for a moment Max actually felt a strange kinship with the man.
"I always like having more friends though," Luro said. "So let's be friends Max."
There were a mess of things Max wanted to say to Luro, most of them insults and mean but taking a deep breath he pushed that down and responded trying to keep his calm.
"…sure. I suppose I never thanked you for helping me anyway. I'll just say we're even after all this mess."
"Though to be honest I kind of have to report you."
"Sounds good to me. I thought I'd have to kill you like I did him back then, he didn't want to be friends so I made him suffer sooo much!"
Luro put his hands on his hips and laughed towards the sky at this as it was a fond memory, his pained screams were almost like a lullaby at this point. When he lowered his head Max was gone however, his figure fading into the distance.
"Hm…well he did have things to do. All right, time to ride the wheel. Oh no no wait. I'll win something for Risa, she'll be so happy."
Luro walked with a bit of pep to his step to one of the stands humming a small tune to himself.

Max breathed heavily a fair distance away resting his hands on his knees and glancing behind him relaxed a bit seeing Luro wasn't following him, straightening his body he rubbed the back of his neck his attention moving to the pouch in his hand.
"…what a strange person…though I guess he wasn't wrong. I have been working more lately…though it's not like I really have much to do aside from that."
Max looked at his hands opening and closing them as a small smile formed on his face, he was a little happy to actually be that strange man's friend, he came to Brass Cape with nothing and aside from a job he didn't have much.
"…maybe I should try to get to know some of my coworkers…and I'm pretty sure Loraine is single…hm…maybe I should try a change of pace."
Max nodded a bit to himself before he heard a click and noticed a pair of shackles had been put on his wrists, looking up he noticed multiple guards around him.
"Um…is there a problem?"
"Maxwell Williams correct?"
"Yes?"
"You're under arrest," the guard said pulling him along.
"Wait what? Why?!"
The other guard took a piece of paper out before reading from it moving his finger down the list.
"Arson, starting a bar fight, destroying public property…repeatedly. Just to name a few, the list continues."
"Wait I didn't do any of that! It was that giant with the red hair!"
"Giant with the red hair…really?" the guard said looking back at him.
"Yeah the big guy with the long red hair, he was there! He did all that!"
"No one witnessed anyone with red hair, but you were at all those places. Someone even saw you on the roof right before the explosion downtown looking in that direction."
"Wait no he was up there he was…just sitting down," Max said trailing off at the end.
"A likely story."
"I swear there was someone else!"
The guards looked at each other than back at Max, the guard pulling Max motioned with his head causing the other guard to sigh and pull out a small notebook.
"Fine…what is this redhead's name then. We'll conduct a search for him too."
"O-Okay his name was…uh…wait…"
Max lowered his head trying to recall the name of the man who dragged him around, after a few minutes his eyes widened and he felt his heart fall into his stomach.
"I didn't get his name!"
The guard pulling him shook his head and pulled him a bit harder so they could move faster.
"Making up people just to save yourself…disgusting. We don't have time for your excuses. You're going to pay for all the damage you caused today."
"Wait here me out!"
"Shut it. Accept responsibility!"
"It's not my fault!"
Max came to realize what exactly it meant to be a friend of Luro Makachi.

​

Zilia made an effort not to waste any time getting to the library, Caleb didn't make it any easier by not answering her question until the fifth try. She was happy to find the right one he was looking for, but that time took away from what she could be doing. Though she was mildly interested in the amusements back where the others were, she disliked crowds and noise, that place was filled with both of those things. That and if she had to choose between playing strange games and books, the decision wasn't exactly a hard one.

Zilia expected the library to be large, especially for a place as famous as Brass Cape, but she underestimated just how large it was when she entered. Shelves that reached the domed ceiling and circled all the way around the room welcomed her the moment she walked in. The inside was well kept mahogany chairs and tables placed carefully in the room, windows resting at the top of the walls causing bits of sunlight to land just right on each of the tables, almost like it was planned. A calming white painted along the walls along with random bit of blue shapes here and there, it was simple but had a strange charm to it, even the wooden floor was polished to a shine.
Zilia had to crane her neck just to take it all in, her legs giving out on her as she stared wide eyed at the collection of works all around her. Falling to her knees she felt something wet run down her cheeks as a familiar warmth filled her, it had been so long since she had this feeling she almost didn't recognize it.
"M-Miss are you okay?"
A tall woman walked up to her, dressed in a white blouse and long brown skirt, her brown hair was tied in a bun and she leaned to the side trying to figure out what was wrong with Zilia, she seemed to be one of the librarians within the building. When a note was handed to her she looked at it her brows arching.
"I'm fine...It's just been so long since I've been truly happy...just...give me a minute please."
The woman looked up at Zilia flinching a bit seeing a bit of drool run down the side of her mouth and a rather blissful expression on her face, clearing her throat she took a small step back.
"I'll um...I'll just be...over here if you need help."

The Librarian was pulled from her own book as a stack of them were slammed onto her desk, she jumped a bit at the sudden noise. She leaned to one side then the other trying to see who was behind them only for Zilia to pop her head out. Recognizing her she offered a small smile before taking the note Zilia handed her, reading over it her brows arched.
"You want to buy these?" she said looking up causing Zilia to nod. "Well we do sell some of our books. Let me just make sure these are some of them."
The woman reached up and opened one of the books, her eyes ran over the pages before her brows furrowed.
"I'm...sorry I can't sell you these books. They're especially rare."
"That's why I want them!"
The woman read the note note leaning back a bit seeing Zilia was leaning onto the table a little too close for comfort.
"...t-that may be the case but I'm not allowed. Besides these books are written in another language, a very exclusive one, reading them wouldn't be possible."
The woman started to pull the books towards her when another note was shoved towards her, she sighed and read it realizing this was going to be another troublesome one.
"I am well aware this is the Lucia's civilizations written works. I can read it just fine so I would still like to discuss acquiring them. I'm willing to pay extra."
The woman stared at the note for a moment opening her mouth to decline Zilia again only to freeze seeing the name written on it.
"W-wait I didn't mention the name. You can read this language?"
"Yes the Lucia clan. Prominent in the Southeastern sea forty years ago and a Matriarchal society. It's unknown how long they've been in existence or what caused them to suddenly fade away. These books could answer those questions...and on top of that they're extremely rare!"
The woman stared at the note before picking up one of the books, she ran her fingers over the cover before looking back up at Zilia, she pointed to them and asked Zilia to ask what the volume was and what it was about. Zilia answered her for each book and the woman taking out a small notebook checked her answers only for one of the books to slip out of her grasp, which Zilia caught before it could hit the table.
"You really do know it...the previous head here acquired these books. She told me to take special care of them. We only know the books because one of the members told us what each book was themselves...that was when the library wasn't even half this size."
The woman stared at Zilia who was holding one of the books and flipping through the pages, reaching over she slammed book shut before pulling it out of Zilia's hand.
"Listen...I would like a written record of what's in these books. Their civilization is wiped off the map after all and we know next to nothing about them. If you could translate these I'd even be willing to pay you."
Zilia stared at the woman her gaze moving to the books before she opened her notebook and started writing, the woman waited silently hoping as Zilia scribbled on the page. She knew her mentor would love nothing more than to have that information on the shelves, the Lucia clan's language was only kept to their members, something they were very particular about. The one member who came could barely speak their language as it was. If Zilia agreed it could answer all manners of questions lost to time. When Zilia held out the note the woman took the note with both hands quickly reading over it.
"So long as that payment is in books we have a deal."

Zilia walked out of the library carrying a sack over her shoulder, she turned and raised a hand to the librarian before slowly making her way back to the others, she would have the rest of the books delivered to the ship later, but she wanted to get these back as soon as possible. Depending how long things took here she could get a headstart on a few of them.
"Thanks again!" the woman yelled waving back to her.
Another Librarian walked up to the woman and looked back at the library seeing a quarter of the shelves were being taken down, seeing Zilia walking off with a fair amount of those books she put the pieces together.
"Who was that and why is she taking our books."
"If I hadn't lied and said the rest weren't for sale it'd be most of them," the woman said sighing. "I don't know her name but she translated the Lucia text."
"Really? That's...surprising."
"Indeed...we either got lucky or maybe they didn't all die out."
The other librarian nodded but looking back at the empty shelves looked over at her companion.
"...that's all well and good but how are we going to explain this?"
"....I didn't think of that actually."

 

[SilentxChaos]

A Ferris Wheel Experience

"Hey Jack!" Some time had passed since the crew split off to do their own thing. Sara hadn't forgotten her promise to ride the big wheel with Jack and so, she showed up with large white cat plush in her arms, smiling from ear to ear. "Ready to go?"

The cook stood at a glass window decorated with gold foil trim, elegantly scrolled like an ornate framed mirror. The building itself appeared older than those around it with dark brown brick and a wooden sign that looked ready to fall from its hinges. The once colorful ink had faded to a murky green and red, impossible to read, except for the very bottom that someone constructive enough went over in bright yellow, reading "Confectionary". Jack turned, tucking a stray dread behind his ear, and grinned. "Sara! Come here, look at this."

He gestured her to the window and pointed inside. "It's quite mesmerizing, don't you think?" he asked.

Inside were two rotating machines, one facing the other only a foot apart, swinging in a lackadaisical, circular fashion, as they pulled a thick stretchy substance between them. The substance was long and a pale sea green, and possessed a rubber-like quality as it was continually stretched and overlapped by the machine. It never broke apart or slid off, though the rotating mechanisms were nothing more than a single bar capped by hooks on each end, that captured around and around as it layered whatever it was making. Jack watched it with a crooked grin, his golden eyes crinkling at the corners with childlike amusement. "See how the two bars get close enough to almost touch, but not quite? You always think they'll hit at the last second before passing harmlessly by. I used to love watching this."

He leaned closer to her as if confiding to something confidential, only to pull out a piece of cubical pink candy wrapped in sheer white paper. "Want to try one?"

"What is it?" Sara followed eagerly, and leaned in for a closer look, her eyes open in awe. "It is impressive, but what is it?" She certainly had to agree, the machine was almost hypnotic in it's motions. She leaned in closer to Jack, listen, her eyes glancing down from the machine to see the offered treat. "Thanks!" She took it and threw it expertly in her mouth, catching and savoring the sweet taste. "Mhm, strawberry. Now then, should we get in line for the wheel?"

"Ah, yes. The line seemed quite long when I past it earlier." Turning on his heel, he let Sara lead the way while explaining what they'd been watching. "It's called saltwater taffy. It's not made of actual salt water, mind you, but contains a lot of salt in it which is what gives it that slight tang contrasting the fruity sweetness you're probably experiencing." He looked at her, grinning crookedly, indicating that what she was eating had in fact derived from the same rubbery substance being made. "The syrups make it stretchy and incredibly chewy. There's all sort of flavors you can make with taffy though. Strawberry, caramel, vanilla, licorice…" he listed a few more, poking in his bag to name some he didn't remember. It wasn't until he looked up again, a sheepish expression on his face, that his eyes finally caught the sight of something large and fluffy white beneath Sara's arm.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at it.

Sara listened intently, nodding at all the right moments. That at least explained the salty aftertaste. "I like it." She declared, holding her hand out for one more. The line was as long as Jack remembered, but at least it was moving fairly quickly, with passengers getting on and off at each rotation. It wasn't until they got on one of the shining brass-colored cars that Sara noticed what he was pointing at. "Oh, this?" Sara smiled, moving a stray hair across it's white head back into place. "One of the prizes at the carnival games, I won it at the strength game."

"It's cute." Jack walked up and opened the gate politely for Sara as they hustled into the ferris car.

The moment the ferris wheel had been mentioned, Jack was deeply intrigued, never hearing of it before. The moment he saw it he knew he must get closer inspection. It seemed harmless enough; a fun way to gain an overlook of Brass Cape from far up that wasn't in the clouds on a flying ship with low rails. However, the moment they sat down and the cart swayed at the hint of weight, Jack peered about it suspiciously as he realized it wasn't anchored rigid to the ride itself. He tried to push it out of his mind, refocusing on Sara and her prize.

A closer look revealed it be a cat. His eyes grew. "Where did you find the place where this was and how did you win it? May I see it?"

Sara nodded when Jack asked to clarify. "Yeah, I decided to try the test your strength game In fact, you can see it over there." She pointed the machine out, and a slightly overweight balancing precariously on a ladder, nailing in a new bell while there was an 'Out of Order' written in red letters on a sign. When Jack asked to see the plush cat, Sara hesitated. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it was definite. Nevertheless, she obliged the cook's curiosity.

He took it gently, hiding a smile, and gave it a curious look. A small squeeze and he nodded, handing it back. "A good quality. Very cute, perhaps I will try to find a way to get one myself."

The car jolted, and began to rise, only to stop a fraction after. Jack frowned, peeking out. "Oh. They're loading the next one, it seems." He said helpfully. He followed it up with, "Are you going to name it?"

"Yup, nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy the ride." She leaned back as she took her own advice, taking back her stuffed cat before staring out onto the carnival, idly petting her trophy behind its ears. "What? No." Sara sounded amused at such a prospect. "It's a stuffed cat, it's not like it'll answer to anything.

Leaning against one side so he could see the ground below, Jack helped himself to another taffy before handing the bag to Sara. "Not even out of sentimental value?" he inquired while popping the candy in his mouth. "It was a gift won by a friend, no? On your first visit to Brass Cape no less. Surely it's at least deserving of a name to be remembered by."

Sara nodded silently in thanks, as her hand dipped into the bag of taffy. "Sure, this will always be a fond memory, and I'm glad I got a physical momento out of it, especially one as cute as this. But naming a stuffed animal, like giving a personal name to inanimate object, feels redundant."

"A fair point," he replied.

The car jolted again, this time beginning its circular climb up. Jack leaned back, enjoying a gentle breeze, and released a contented sigh. He didn't remember the last time he felt this relaxed. Watching the ground get farther away, with no one but him and a former gladiator for company, was like leaving behind the burdens and fears he carried. He pulled up a knee to rest his elbow against so he could hold his head while gazing at the rising world around them. This was far calmer than their ascent to the Flying Minnow. Chewing on a piece of taffy, he eventually broke the silence.

"I never thanked you for what you did for me," Jack met her eyes, "Even though it probably wasn't your intention. You might just be the sole reason why I'm still alive today."

Sara was mid-chew when Jack suddenly looked into her eyes. She tilted her head, curious, as her jaws worked at the sticky piece of candy. Sara felt like he was referring to Sumter Island, when they were attacked by those bounty hunters. "For you? Think nothing of it." She swallowed. "Taking care of those bounty hunters was easy. As long as you keep the good food coming, I'll keep the baddies away."

It took a second for Jack to realize what she meant. He chuckled in surprise as he reached into his pouch of tobacco leaves. "No. That's, not what I meant."

As he began to roll a cigarette, the wind picked up as they went higher. The pace was leisurely to the point it was near unnoticeable, except the cart's sway became more dramatic as the breeze grew stronger.

"I was actually referring to Harbor Island. The money I won from your matches was enough to keep me from starving during my first month. And, once I found a job or two, a roof over my head." Jack placed the cigarette between his lips and struck a match with his thumb. He cupped a hand over the flame to keep it from blowing out as he lit the smoke. After a few puffs, he shook the match out and blew out a long whisk of smoke, watching curiously as it snuffed out of the cart into the open air.

"Well, a bet on me is a guaranteed win, so I can't blame you for making an easy profit. Although, if you did want to show your appreciation." Sara raised a hand to her lips, the other holding the cat plush tight to her chest as the carriage began to roll, as she looked away. "...That would depend, how good of a baker are you?"

Jack observed her hugging the plush toy. He raised an eyebrow at her question. "I'd like to think it's as good as my cooking. Though I did once lose in a baking contest...I'm still not convinced it wasn't rigged," he added in a slight huff. He refocused on Sara. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I have a custom order. Can you make a triple-layer vanilla-and-cream cake with fresh strawberries and more cream on top?" Judging by her tone, it was clear that she had thought about this for a long time.

Both eyebrows went up. "That's a tall order." He puffed the smoke and considered, taking stalk of his supplies back on Lady Luck in his head. "Well, if I can find the strawberries and extra cream here...yes, that certainly seems doable. How soon do you need it?"

Sara's expression brightened when it was clear that it was possible. "As soon as possible. Of course, the rest of the crew will be jealous so I have to offer them at least a slice each, so make it big if you can."

"Sure," he replied with a nod, as if that was obvious.

The ride was coming to its peak and soon they'd be able to witness across Brass Cape. Jack sat up so he could see properly, intrigued and eager for the spectacle.

"Why do you want it?" he inquired curiously, glancing from the corner of his eye to watch her response.

"Well, it's kind of a personal tradition for me." Sara began to explain as she talked about herself. "When I was a little girl, a fan brought the group of gladiators a big cake to share, y'know, strawberries, cream, and all that. Of course, I didn't get a slice then but I always had that desire in the back of my head. Once I became a slave-gladiator, I started getting a regular income and the first thing I bought was a cake made in that exact style." She couldn't help but laugh. "I ate it all and threw it back up! I wasn't used to so much rich food after a measly diet of porridge, bread, and a few chunks of 'mystery' meat." Sara leaned back and smiled as she basked in the memory, idly petting behind the plushe's ear. "Since then, on the anniversary of the day I moved from the slave-fighter tier to slave-gladiator, I buy a whole cake and eat it to myself. If I throw up, well that's just part of tradition."

She leaned back and took in the view, they could see the whole boardwalk from up there, all the lights gently flickering cast an almost hypnotic trance when viewed from up above. "Would you look at that view?" Sara whisted in appreciation. "This was definitely worth the trip already."

Jack stood so he could see it better from her angle. "It sure is," he replied. They crested the ferris wheel and for a moment, it was as if someone painted a picture just for their enjoyment and no one else's. The sun, sinking for the coming evening, glimmered across Brass Cape's roof tops and all their metalwork to be seen, creating a spectacle like light on water, but with hundreds of different metallic hues. A landscape of metal, wrought and expanding like nature itself, and no less beautiful, if you were a person who could appreciate both.

Nothing but the wind could be heard at their height and for a moment, Jack released a contented sigh. For a fleeting second, he felt light as air, free and joyful at the splendor below them. Then, the car began tilting down. Jack stepped back, taking his seat again, but not before giving Sara a bow at the waist. "It'd be my great privilege to honor that tradition, Sara."

"How magnanimous of you." Sara laughed, as she sat back down. She enjoyed the apex of the ferris wheel and was now savoring the view before it was gone completely.

"I do what I can," he grinned. "I think it's important to honor traditions. They remind you where you come from."

"Indeed, since I'm so far from my Tilea, it is especially important to remember that." Sara may have been forced to go, but she chose to stay and call it home.

Jack tilted his head towards the gladiator while peering of the car again. From their height, he could make out the color of people's heads and little else, but it appeared they were beginning to unload, one by one. He started leaning back when he noticed smoke rising form the more residential part of Brass Cape. He frowned. "Tell me about Tilea," he said, slowly turning back to Sara. "I've never visited before."

"You mean the archipelago, the island, or the capital?" Sara laughed. It was a common joke among Tileans.

Jack smirked but wouldn't be deterred. "What comes to mind first?"

"Well…" Sara considered the question she chewed over a lump of taffy. "Tilea is a proud nation and a proud people, never bowing to gods and to those who call themselves king or queen. Unlike other nations, we're more welcoming of strangers to our lands. Anyone who capable of becoming a citizen can do so and any citizen is capable of becoming a leader. Even I, as a freed slave, have full political rights and can own property and vote legally. The Tilean people rule themselves, how many other nations can even come close to those glorious ideals?"

"Not many," he agreed. He peeked out on the other side of the ferris wheel, which dropped straight down on rocks and dirty saltwater, and flicked out the burnt up cigarette. He couldn't help but noticed the way she talked of her home. It sounded closer to the readings of history text than personal experience. As he lounged back, Jack gazed at her curiously.

"What do you remember of it?" he asked.

Sara sighed as she leaned back, swallowing that lump of taffy before answering. "Early on it was kind of rough, I only got to enjoy Tilea in my late teens. Tilea is… how can I say this… the best place to be if you are the best at what you do. And since I was best at what I did, I had to say life was pretty good. When I wasn't in a fight or preparing to fight, I was getting ready to mingle with some of Tilea's finest. It was good, for a time."

Jack's interest piqued. He hadn't realized she'd been a gladiator somewhere other than on Harbor Island, though it certainly wasn't a stretch. He only ever saw that island, dumped by the crew to be forgotten, possibly die. Needless to say it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He shoved these thoughts aside and focused on Sara. "What happened?" he asked her softly, aware of the possibility she wouldn't want to answer.

Sara sighed again, deeper this time as she mulled over old memories. "Believe it or not, I didn't want to fight for money anymore. I wanted to be my own woman, my own master, and work for myself. It didn't last long before I was fighting again, this time not in a grand coliseum but a dingy pit for a dingy crowd." She spat over the edge in disgust. "That was until I met Runali and Stardusk and, well, here I am."

The wheel began moving again, and stopped on a repeated basis to let passengers off. Jack gazed out on the encroaching landscape, quiet for a time. At one point, he passed a hand over his mouth, jaw working.

"I know that feeling," he said at last, quietly. "Living on your own terms, right? No one else's agendas to but yours. And no one else's ideology to follow but yours."

He looked at her and smiled. "That's how it is on a pirate ship. Or, a normal pirate ship at any rate. The one's I've served. The captain calls the shots, makes the plans, and ultimately owns your income. You live or die by their rules." He folded his hands behind his head. "That's why I find Stardusk so fascinating. That structure seems nonexistent to Runali. It almost makes me wonder what draws us to her."

"Charm, I'd have to say." Sara nodded in understanding. "This is less of a ferocious pirate crew than more of a group of comrades. You might call it a 'friend-ship'." She couldn't help but smile at her own bad pun. "But you're right, it's definitely a pleasant environment."

The cook laughed at her joke, nodding in agreement all the while. Eventually, their ride came to an end. Jack got out first. He held open the tiny door while bowing and directing Sara with a flourished hand. "Milday," he said, with all the seriousness of a loyal servant to his aristocratic mistress.

Sara's eyebrows raised in mock surprise as she graciously smiled. "My, my. Aren't you full of hidden talents." She stepped off from the carriage, plush cat still in hand.

The smirk Jack gave her was wide and playful. "Sara my dear, you have no idea.

"Thank you, for agreeing to come with me," he said as they walked away, handing her the last piece of strawberry taffy of while talking a green one for himself before crumpling up the empty bag. "This is the most fun I've had in...quite a while." He smiled at her. "We should do this again. We do not hang out much."

Sara gratefully took the offered candy, nodding in agreement. While she couldn't say this was the most fun she had in awhile, she still had a good night. "Definitely!" She chewed over the last piece, throwing away the accumulated wrappers in a nearby metal trash can. Even their garbage was mostly, Sara observed bemused. "And we should do this again. But I think we're re-grouping for the night, so let's find everyone else and hope that we're not wanted by the local law enforcement for something."