SKYWARD MIRACLES - IC Thread

[EmperorsChosen]

A direct hit! Unfortunately the monster of a pirate wasn't yet ready to fall from simply a blast chopping at his feet and two blades piercing his back. As Drayton embedded his weapon's into the pirate, then proceeding to twist them, Yellowbeard wasn't going to have any of it. Knocking Drayton in the head and launching him away, the thief would be too delirious to recover and make another attack before the captain would fall. With a chuckle, the swordsman brought a hand to his forehead, attempting to soothe the pounding headache he now had, brought on by concussion from Yellowbeard's final attack on him. "Well... I think I helped..." He muttered to himself, attempting to push himself up. However the reverberations though his skull disabled this. Watching as the others celebrated their victory or rushed themselves or others to medical, Drayton's expression grew distraught as his gaze reached the corpse of the infamous pirate captain; his swords were still buried in the captain's back. "...Fuck me..."

A few hours later, Drayton once again had his blades and was hauling a sack of loot over his shoulder. Most of the good things had been taken after the first hour, but he wasn't about to let someone swipe his swords from Yellowbeard's back. Besides, some was better than none. Making his way back onto the Lughanta, the thief glanced down at his apparel. Torn and bloodied, it seemed as though he had managed to avoid taking in too many cuts in the bout. A few bindings would be enough followed by some booze at the bar to dim the pain.

Knocking at the doorway to the sick bay, Drayton made his presence known. "Yo, got any bindings?" Inquiring to that, he noticed that the Doc had two rather mangled patients. One was Wu Kong, who fought with him against Yellowbeard. If he recalled, she was gone by the time he had even managed to roll Yellowbeard onto his side. Then there was the Blood Devil, the snooty type he mocked at the briefing. From what he heard, she had the most kills logged in the battle. Likely she wasn't much different than how he pegged her, but at the very least she could pull her own weight. "Well, I heard you got the top kill count. I'd congratulate you, since you're strapped in a medical bed I don't think it'll mean much. How bad are they Doc?"

~~~

"Oh ho, the Human lived huh?" Seemingly prideful about the remark on the results of her berserker charge Sorina smirks a bit if not arrogantly, at least until Josef walked over and coughed.

"Highest Kill count maybe, but also most damaged, if not for that armor I would be preparing her Body to go home. As to how they are, if humans they would both be crippled or laid up for a couple of months.. Being what they are, a couple days in here plus a week or two of taking it easy." Crossing his arms Doctor Kamov gives both a disapproving glance, then looks back at the newcomer. "In spite of her bitchy nature, she is a bulwark of a Vanguard, course I doubt she would ever admit to it being for anything other than killing."

A bit irritated the Blood Devil shoots the Doctor a nasty look before scoffing. "I'm right here you know?"

"So you are." He says simply, motioning for Drayton to come forward. "Well let's scan you."

~~~

"Hah." Drayton smirks as the Blood Devil is berated, then sets the sack of loot down and bends down over it. "So next time, maybe try dodging some more. You got the most kills, but didn't get much of else. Probably were dragged off to medical before you could grab anything, eh?"

Pulling out a small, ornamented rectangular box, the thief steps forward and sets it on Sorina's bed before moving over to get scanned. "I was… busy for the first hour or so, so most of the good stuff was gone. But I thought your snooty ass might like it."

~~~

Not bothering to comment, on the fact she was carried here, she at least would snarl a bit of an angry reply. "Heh let's see how you you like fighting a dragon bitch that rams you through the bloody airship hull.. That was where most of my damage came from. And oh trying to gain my favor, are you peasant, I-"

Before she can finish the Doctor sighs a bit pulling out his magitek device. "You could learn how to talk to a lady a little bit better, though that's a box to hold a music crystal. I'm guessing you picked that up on mistake and just want to pass it off." Using his medical reader there was a bit of tissue damage to the man, a few burn and cutting marks from elemental rounds and some shallow cuts that the healing salve could deal with.

"Well looks like you got hit by a bear, plus a few minor wounds, well let's go to the back and patch you up. I'll give you some gel and a potion for the wounds, just take it easy for a week or so. For a former thief you don't seem all that good at dodging yourself."

~~~


"I can talk to a lady just fine. But I've seen the aftermath of the damned Devil. I'm not gonna care to hold my speech in front of someone that rips people in two." Smirking to that, it was hard to see the girl as a lady after the gore she left behind. "Kinda just grabbed whatever I could. I don't like noble-types, but at least you're one that can pull your own weight, an' some of others. Gives you a bit more leeway to act like a princess. Take it as an apology for me picking a fight with you just from first impressions, or don't. I try to make amends when I've done some wrong."

Turning his attention to the readings, Drayton sighed. "Bigger than a bear. I dunno what the captain was, but it wasn't a damn human. Smacked everyone around like ragdolls, even the dragon girl got overpowered." Leaving out how he had to roll over the cadaver of Yellowbeard to retrieve his swords, he nods. "Heh, what fun is that?"

~~~

A bit miffed at being called out she holds her tongue, though tilting her head with a smirk at his reasoning of the gift. "Oh? Well then you are an ally for now, I can let bygones be bygones, otherwise it would not be very noble of me would it. Thank you."

Snickering the Doctor begins to gather the various items he would be needing for the treatment and shrugs slightly. "Or it could be as he doesn't want you painting the halls with his blood."

Giving him a death glare she mutters something to the effect of painting the halls with him but Josef seemingly pays it no mind. Finishing his work quickly on Drayton the Doc motions with his free left hand to the door thumb first. "Don't take anything on the way out, more so the monkey's horde. And sorry I didn't rub the gel on you, I'm not given to touching men unless it's an emergency, plus I doubt you much wanted me to either."

~~~

Smirking, the thief nods in response as he turns to grab his loot. "Yeah, I can do the rest myself. Take care of the noble and monkey, Doc." Slinging the sack over his shoulder, Drayton turns and almost adopts an insult expression. "Huh? Hey, everyone in the bar lost their shit fair and square. And I only take things from people who have it coming." Grinning a bit again, one would wonder who exactly he saw has "having it coming". With a wave, he stepped out of the office and wandered down the halls.

The first stop would be his room to toss his stash, then the bar for some fun and celebration.

 

[Skyswimsky]

Her Captain's voice assured them of their victory not long before the actual Titan fell. Despite the unworldly resistance he had put up, in the end, he was just a human. There was no need for words. The cheers could be heard all over the ship as the last of the remaining pirates that still put up resistance were brought to justice.

There wasn't even a need to tell her crew the obvious. While Laura refrained from such actions, she had to accept that it was something that Mercs simply did. As even Cera left her side, the Divine Knight let out a sigh of relief as her body instinctively eased up. After all, nothing threatened her life anymore. That was a mistake.

The sensation of the still searing wounds that she had so blatantly faded out returned. Compared to the minor wounds she had taken before, Yellow Beard's attack had taken a bigger toll on her than she liked to admit. 'I just need a moment' or something like that were her words? What a load of crap.

By now, the Divine Knight was simply functioning by will power alone. Enough will power that she was even able to curse herself for not having pumped more Mana into her Barrier Jacket. That way, maybe, she could have survived Yellow Beard's attack without any major damage? Then again, Laura did survive his attack. Thus, her judgement about its power wasn't completely off. Wasn't that worth praise?

Regardless, the white-hair had to deal with matters at hand. Simply speaking she had to get herself to the infirmary. Sure, there was the possibility of asking for help but... she was in a Leader position and Cera was gone anyways. Not to mention the female fighter had already helped her out. No, Laura had to do this alone - and she knew exactly how.

It took Laura a good ten seconds before she took her first step. She couldn't even begin to fathom where exactly it hurt. Still, slowly but surely Laura made way towards the ships side. The fact she hadn't blindly spend all of her Mana to power up the Barrier Jacket when tanking the Pirate Leader's hit was now an advantage as the white glowing wings once again appeared on her back. Flying, even with the weight of her armor and blade, was for the time being way easier than walking.

Thus, without any aid, Laura made her way towards her home ship.

---

At last, Laura arrived at the Medical Bay. It took the blood-soaked Knight maybe just a good twenty or so minutes to get here but for Laura, on the brink of falling unconscious, it felt like she just traveled over half the continent. Seeing the busy doctors and some empty beds another sigh of relief escaped Laura. The same mistake, twice.

"I...require med-" Laura couldn't even finish her sentence as she fell unconscious to the ground - leaving herself in the complete care in one of the free Lughanta Staff Members.

 

[LowDefinition]

The shot took off the Youkai's arm and made a rather serious wound on Sorina. Silva watches as they both fall, praying that Sorina don't die. Silva sighed in relief when someone caught Sorina. She continued to look at the Midas through her scope. Noticing that Yellowbeard is dead, she silently walked away from the deck and goes to her room. Putting down her rifle and munitions bag. Due to her usual positions, Silva doesn't have the time or leisure to take some loots. If anything, she usually asked one of the crew to gather something she needs.

She wondered if she should visit Sorina in the Sick Bay right after she shot her. But she figured that maybe it's better for her to visit Sorina later after she recovered some more. Silva headed for the Mess Hall to relieve herself from the tension from the battle earlier.

---

At the Mess Hall, Silva could be seen outside the loud crowd of the crew that currently celebrate their winnings. Sitting by herself, with some bottles of alcohols on the table. She was drinking while watching the crew celebrates. Waiting for no one in particular, she continued to drink by herself.

 

[Ehb]

Calmly, Seven put in a freshly cut roll of carrots into the stew, brewing up today's meal. Though he wasn't smiling - like always - he looked rather content. Enough for his boss to take notice. A youthful looking elf with blazing red hair. Her appearance was in no way matching to who'd you think of as being a head chief on an airship.

"Cutting up carrots in the kitchen sure beats getting cut up by pirates, right?"

"I won't argue with that." Seven sighed as he closed his eyes and eased his posture. "But, I'm a little bit disappointed."

"How so?" Asked the Elf, taking out a silvery butterfly knife out of her pocket.

"I didn't really do anything."

That was the truth, at least for the rest of the crew. Seven taking down the engine room and his retreat shortly thereafter was only known to him. It was for the best. He didn't want anything to know he had turned tail... even though he did smash up the control panel and knock out the same old man engineer whom had been manning it during his escape. So not to undo his own work.

So... even more so than being known as the man who took down an entire engine room using sewage... he didn't want anyone to know he took the lazy way out by avoiding the fight.

His hardworking image was one thing he liked having on this ship.

"Ha!" The elvin girl have him a surprisingly strong pat on the back. "You got out of it alive. So that's good enough. The pay for going on a raid with the captain isn't anything to laugh at either." The girl made an ok symbol with her hand. Simultaneously chopping a gourd clean in half with her other hand. "That makes the risk worth it!"

"Yeah." Seven agreed with a resigned response.

"So? Did anything cool happen?"


Mentally, Seven recalled surviving a fall down several decks after pushing the black haired girl out of the way of an attacker coming from above. That was...

"No. Nothing really. Everyone else was so much better at fighting that I wasn't really needed."

"Ahahah... well that is to be expected." The Elf said as she shrugged, tossing the two gourd halves into the pot in the very same motion.

Using a ladle, Seven stirred the broth a little before closing the pot. It was then he did remember something noteworthy. "Well, to be honest I did learn something..."


Seven didn't get any response from the head cook. Unfortunately for him. she had already moved onto another dish in preparation on another stove.

His shoulders drooping a little. he continued with his duties.

He jabbed the air with his ladle in a thrust like motion.

 

[Beowulf]

Taka nodded in confirmation when he was told that he could go and look the Golden Midas. Not exactly the words he'd use, but it'd end up being the same thing. With a small pop, Buras appeared once more on Taka's shoulder. "Oh, glad to see you return after the fighting's all done." the Youkai jabbed at his spirit animal, who went about preening his feathers like nothing was said to him. Rolling his eyes at the owl, Taka continued his journey into the bowels of the Golden Midas in search of it's erchius crystals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taka inspected a crystal as best he could, holding it up to the light to see how clear it was and wearing a magnifying monocle to get a closer look. Erchius crystals were unlike any other crystal he had seen. Clarity was a bad thing, the cloudier the better, meant more energy was trapped in it. And flaws weren't necessarily a bad thing like so many believed it to be. Able to cut metal if sharpened, yet so fragile that they'd probably break before they ever reached to point of being able to cut metal. And not to mention the faint hum that it produced as it resonated with the energy inside it. Enough of these together and he could destroy a building, but the amount required for that is astronomically high and it'd just be easier releasing the trapped energy of one and watching the whole thing explode. And it was able to be melted at such a low temperature and remain a liquid even beyond it's freezing point, unless a catalyst of an erchius crystal is introduced. Then it'll collect around the crystal and form several that will break off and in turn be a catalyst, infinitely speeding up the process. Speaking of, he had already had Buras carry several flasks of erchius liquid to his room, flasks carefully labeled with "erchius liquid, do not drink" so as to prevent any moron from drinking from the leather flask.

He could only fit so many erchius crystals though, and eventually had to settle for what he had and make his way back aboard the Lughanta, where a meal was being prepared. He could smell it even inside the Golden Midas. He hoped there'd be quail, or rabbit.

 

[Izurich]

@Weisenhart

During his return towards his own cabin, the tanned Smith found himself encountering one of the fairer face in the Lughanta, the Lilim Marumei. A welcome respite from all the pirates and burly mercs really. The green-eyed blonde witch noticed him as well as she gave him a tired, but cheerful, smile. "Hey, Herman~" The girl waved at him as she noticed his injuries, "Oh my... you should get those treated." Her eyes narrowed with concern as she examined the sack he was carrying, the man was injured, he'd only make things worse like this.

"Here, here, let me help." She threw one of her cards so it floated in the air before enlarging, serving as a platform so Herman could put his loot on there, "I'll take this to your cabin, just tell me the number." She waited until he did so before stepping close to his injured right arm. "I don't have much mana left but at least I can do this..." Her palms hovered above his wounds as she chanted a healing spell. Herman could feel warm tingles as his smaller wounds closed, leaving only the major ones for the doctors to handle. "There, I've patched most of the minor wounds. You still have to see a doctor, understand?"

Her green eyes seemed to simmer a bit before she stepped even closer, "Hey, Herman... you looked really cool back there." the witch whispered before she kissed him on his cheek. Drawing back with a mischievous giggle, Marumei skipped away along with Herman's loot, not giving him any chance to retort.

<----->

@LowDefinition

After helping out Sorina, he saw the doctors and nurses aboard the Lughanta began to control the situation better, Aster deemed he'd better let the professionals take care of the wounded. Stretching his tired muscles a bit, the blue-haired young man entered the bar, aiming for a well-deserved break along with the crew. He strolled up to the bar as usual, "Chateau Florentia please." then ordered his favorite vintage, a fine Imperial red wine who had been his favorite since his father introduced him to fine liquor.

The bartender served the drink then went about to serving the rather hectic Mess Hall. Picking up the glass, Aster lightly shook the glass, smelled the liquor, then drank it, properly consuming the drink much like a noble would. "Ha..." Exhaling lowly in satisfaction as warmth traveled down his throat, his blue eyes noticed the silver-haired figure seated not far away from him. It was none other than Silva, the sniper whom he was heavily involved in battle mere moments ago. So many things happened and now they had time to relax, his thoughts began to wonder about the older woman.

"Hey, may I?" He decided to approach her, taking a seat across from her. "Long night, huh?" Aster chuckled, "Can't believe we got out of that mess in one piece." True, they flew across the skies, literally holding on for dear life, "Hey, Silva, you did well out there, no one else could take those two shots. Oh, Sorina is fine by the way. She's one tough devil." He took another sip, just enjoying her company.

<----->​

To: @Skyswimsky | Written by: @RedArmyShogun

"What in the hell is all that ruckus. And why so meek.." Turning his attention from a broken arm and removal of wooden fragments from a member of the Lughanta crew, Doctor Josef was about to wave one of his orderlies to handle the situation, but the later repeatedly called for his attention. Till he seen the collapsed Laura in the sickbay doorway. Coated in blood and with clear signs of scorching to her body, while she didn't have the gaping hole and multiple projectile wounds of Sorina, this situation was just as critical. Dropping his task he rushes over to pick her up, placing her on a bed and wheeling it off to the operations room calling for an orderly.

"By The Divine one, Sol and Luna, what in the hell were you doing.. You are a Holy Knight not a Holey Knight.." Pulling out his Magitek device yet another time while counting on his medical eye he lets out a low whistle, barking orders to the orderly that was with him. "Several burns, severe under the armor, a few cracked ribs, bleeding, possible internally.. Get sponge with water basin, a potion, I need a whole jar of the gel, a focus stone and sedatives, MOVE!" Hurrying to remove the armor and to cut away the burnt clothing the Doctor attempts being gentle, even though he detected trace amounts of angelic energy aiding her recovery time was of the essence as the assistant hurriedly grabs the requested items.

Scrubbing her body down with the sponge the doctor goes behind the orderly applying the green gel to her burns and cuts, taking a syringe into his hands, he injects a blue compound into her right arm before grabbing a roll of bandages. Wrapping the cloth around the burned portions of her body, he takes another syringe of the green gel and injects it directly into her chest cavity. Finally finishing a few minutes later Laura looked a whole lot cleaner than before, if not like a partial mummy. Not taking advantage or the moment to squawk at her body the doctor exhales heavily using his limited magical power and aid of the focus stone he pumps magical energy into her alongside with what she had to help with healing. Doctor Kamov's clothing had more than a bit of blood on them now and the day was still not done.

"Put her next to Sorina and Wukong. Find a gown for her, set up a blood pack transfusion O+, one pack if we have any, give her a bit of juice to wake her up an hour from now. Also add some diluted gel to her hair, some of it was burned, we can't have the lady being upset. Feed her small amounts of the potion while she's out every five minutes. Check her breathing each time, I'll be around to see how well she's regenerating after that. Now go." Heading back to work there was no time for rest.

 

[☆Luna☆]

Continuing after Shinobu's last post…

Just outside the door throughout Shinobu's meeting with Agatha, was a patiently waiting, and unintentionally eavesdropping Yumi. Yumi only intended to wait for her, having just missed her on her way in, but a natural sense of curiosity would naturally get the better of her. She might have shown restraint if it were a more confidential sort of conversation, but most of the crew already had an idea of what sort of discussion they were having. Fortunately, although fatigued from her battle on the Midas, Yumi still had her wits about her, and was a safe distance away the moment Shinobu passed through the door. Yumi's ears fold downward, a sign of her submissive attitude, and she speaks quietly, "Um, hey there Shinobu."

-----

Stormy gray eyes flickered towards an unexpected voice. Yumi? "Agatha called you here?" Shinobu asked, wondering if their wonderful captain was actually going to go out of her way to punish people who disobeyed the rebel.

-----

Yumi shakes her head, "If Agatha wanted to see me, she hasn't told me yet. I could hardly expect it since I only woke up a few minutes ago." Smiling nervously, "Someone as busy as the captain would have to be pretty upset with me to go through the trouble of notifying me the moment I woke up." Clasping her hands together, "I'm not sure that I did very good this time. I don't know what everyone thinks about my performance. So maybe I'll be seeing her…" Shifting inflection, "But I wanted to see you… Actually. Specifically, I wanted to thank you. I know, that not everyone agrees, but I think that you are amazing. You made great judgement calls under pressure, and kept everyone safe." Talking quieter, "Specifically, I think you saved my life, since I didn't have to charge down that hallway. So, thank you, for that."

------

Now, Agatha might be 'just' a human and not a half-Youkai with keen senses like Yumi, but even she could hear what the two were talking about, especially when they initiated the conversation right in front of her cabin. "Haaa…" The captain sighed heavily as her palm rubbed down from forehead to her chin. Yumi was a good girl but she was much too naive sometimes… and frankly, her whole melancholic attitude was grating on the captain's nerves. Fortunately, she had more pros than cons, plus she was trustworthy… she also followed orders unlike that one 'winged' Witch.

The captain walked to her door and opened it, "I can hear you both you know. Perfect timing, Yumi, I need to talk to you." Her issue wasn't as important as Shinobu's so she wasn't given a summon, Agatha intended to talk to her later on but now would be a good time since she was here.

------

Yumi lets out an audible, "Eeeep," as Agatha informs her that she heard that conversation. Her face goes beet-red, and her ears droop as she tucks her tail between her legs. Although it was not like she intended to hide anything from Agatha, she certainly would have used more tact if she considered that she might be privy to the conversation. Accepting her losses, Yumi dutifully follows Agatha into her office, awaiting whatever sort of discussion might await her.

-----

The captain gestured for the cat-girl to close the door behind her as she entered, then she gave her a glass of warm tea to drink, calm her nerves down a bit. "So… I don't have much of a problem with you actually, but I must tell you that Shinobu disobeyed a direct order. You also lack understanding of the tactics I've given the team. I specifically told Herman to cover our advances with a smokescreen then Shinobu to launch her grenades, scattering the pirates. Then we charge with Sorina at the front, using her shields." She sighed, "The plan could be so simple since you saw how powerful Shinobu's weapon is, but the situation was just too hectic for me to protest her… It still doesn't justify what she did." The captain looked into her eyes, "Do you understand?"

------

Regardless of her understanding or not, Yumi gave a reflexive, "Yes Captain," before actually giving thought to if she really did understand or not. Yumi took a sip at her tea, contemplating the matter, though she likely didn't seem to be thinking much at all. After thinking through Agatha's strategy, she still couldn't say it was superior to Shinobu's, but it was reassuring to think that Agatha didn't just mean charge. At the time, without all the details calmly explained, it really did feel like she meant to just charge, and she probably wasn't the only one who felt that way. It all just showed how their lack of experience fighting together went against them. Fortunately the team was far more elite than the pirate crew, but maybe they wouldn't be so lucky in the future. Yumi continued to think on the implications of this. By now it became obvious that she wasn't speaking her mind, as she hadn't made eye contact with Agatha for several seconds now.

-----

"Alright." Agatha was an experienced leader, she met countless types of people over her life, both as the daughter of a Patrician and as an airship captain. She knew Yumi wasn't truly grasping what she just told her, it wasn't hard to see really. However, at least the girl showed the willingness to learn from experience, the same couldn't be said for the white-haired witch. Speaking about Helen, where was she now? Hiding in some hole, she presume? Geez… they'd have a long talk after this.

As for the half-breed, "Next time, put more trust in your leader, we all want to live. At least you can be assured that I am not one of those tyrannical generals who won't think twice of sacrificing his own men." The captain believed she made her points clear, "You're dismissed."

-----

While under normal circumstances, Yumi would have taken the dismissal at face-value, and left right away; however, this time felt different. Where before Yumi could only see Agatha as her captain and authority figure, this meeting brought some humanity into the otherwise distant figure. Yumi found herself surprised that Agatha might be worried about something like trust and what those under her command thought of her. It almost made Yumi feel guilty. She believed that all Agatha wanted was people who did whatever she said. She came across as that sort of pragmatist. Testing the waters, Yumi speaks back, "Trusting people, is something new, for me at least. But, thank you, for making the time to talk with me. It helps." Yumi bowed her head to the captain, "I look forward to working with you again." Yumi stuck around just long enough to feel out if she is still wanted.

-----

"Heh…" The twintailed human chuckled, "Of course, we'll keep watching each other's backs. Can't enjoy the gold if you're dead." She eyed the liquor on her table for just a brief moment before turning back to Yumi, "Alright, that'd be all." "I need a drink…"

------

Smiling Yumi walked up casually to Agatha's desk. Setting down a glass, Yumi took a bottle of 'Chateau Florentia', pouring it for Agatha. Setting down the bottle next to the glass in the likely case that she wanted more in the future. Wordlessly, Yumi pranced out of the office with a big grin on her face. Everything about herself seemed to have changed since first entering the room. Her ears were perked, tail up, and she simply exuded her own quiet form of joy. Plus, if she stuck around any longer, Agatha might get the last word.

 

[Skyswimsky]

Way earlier...

Morons. All of them. It did not matter if pirate or mercenary. Or maybe it was the mere fact the Dragon Youkai didn't look like somebody from the pirate crew in the first place. Or maybe it was because she hasn't worked too long for Yellow Beard anyways. 'Yellowbeard has a scary female winged Youkai warrior on his side' or something... she never heard of that anyways.

Thus, it came to no surprise that Ruu, after resting long enough to gather some new strength, was about to high-tail out of here. Not without anything to gain however. The mere fact that the plundering mercs mistook the girl for just another Mercenary of another company came now to her advantage. She only had to avoid a 'certain group'. As for any pirate that could have been about to snitch her out... one scary glance towards them made sure they even feared her after being captured.

In the end, the one-armed Dragon Youkai got a few valuables that she knew were more worth than others - a trait inherent for all of her subspecies . After all, she only had a really limited amount to carry. With all of that done, it was time to go.

Fate, Luck or Skill. Whatever it was that made Ruu escape relatively unscratched from this encounter did not matter. The Dragon Youkai had to survive. It was a simple instinct. She had chosen the losing side in this battle. Sure, she did let herself get agitated but at the end of the day there weren't any hard feelings.

After all, she wasn't part of the pirates because she liked being a... pirate. It was, as so much in life, for the Florin. She needed more. Ruu needed way more riches than she currently had if she was to reclaim what she had lost. Dragon Youkai were greedy by default after all.

At the very least she didn't make much of a loss; Ruu wasn't so stupid to have her hoard on top of a flying pirate airship. As for her body... she didn't lose anything that could be fixed. If anything, her time with Yellow Beards Crew could have been called a 'bad investment'. And to believe she nearly felt something like compassion to those people... disgusting.

Even so, as Ruu flew close to the waterline, she couldn't deny the thought of wanting to settle what she had started with this Blood Bitch... heck, she didn't even know her name.

 

[Izurich]

The seers have foretold of blazing wings,
Sweeping Bumi in flames of war,
Brendorn, Bane of the Divine, mankind's wrath unbound,
With an ambition to swallow the world!
​

CHAPTER I
Imperial Decree​

---

---

With Yellow Beard slain and the Golden Midas conquered, the notorious pirate band was no more. Venesian skies would be much safer now. The Lughanta was the first airship to return back to Venesia, bearing urgent news for the Doge. Three items would be presented to His Most Serene Majesty, the Midas' flag, Yellowbeard's head, and a lockbox which contained the sealed letter. Two of these items would earn the Lughanta crew their handsome pay, the last one would earn them their next mission.

After arriving in the titular capital city of the Venesian Merchant Republic, the crew would be free to relax and leisure, doing whatever activities they'd like while Agatha and a few escorts went into the Palazzo Ducale, the Doge's residence. The Nightingale was quickly welcomed by the guards and ushered into the Doge's study, clearly, His Sereneness was quite desperate to her. As bringing in the severed head of a pirate captain into a ruler's room was questionable, Agatha only carried the lockbox and flag inside.

She would spend hours in that room. What was inside that lockbox would set off an event that'd forever change the history of Bumi for better or worse...

<---->​

@Everyone

One month later
The skies off the east coast of Autrea
Morning, Clear Sky

Just a few hours after the sun had risen, the voice boosters stationed all over the crimson airship blared with the familiar tomboyish voice of Captain Nightingale. "Attention! This is your Captain speaking! These crew members are summoned into the War Room. Taka, Adale, John, Helen, Shinobu, Cera, Silvania, Saki, Wukong, Charlotte, Seven, Herman, Marumei, Laura, Drayton, Yumi, Sorina, Saone, and Sonya!" She did all that without taking a pause to breathe, "Be there in three hours!" It was clear from Agatha's no-nonsense tone that the urgency of the summons wasn't something they could wave off... if they wished to keep their job.

Three hours later, the summoned crew would see the captain herself and her blue-haired second-in-command discussing a matter as various notes, illustrations, and parchments were laid out on the tables and boards. The raised circular platform in the middle of the room that contained the map of Bumi was prepped with wooden figures of airships. "Welcome, close the door please." Agatha said to the last person who entered the room. "Everyone here? Good." The brunette motioned for Marumei to lock the door before she gestured for everyone to take a spot around the raised platform, facing the central board.

---

---

"What I am about to say must not leave this room. I've chosen you all based on my personal judgment, however, if I find a rat among us... I'd not hesitate to make your life a living hell." It wasn't often that Agatha gave threats but indirectly, those words were more directed towards the shadier member in the group, particularly the Rothmer Sonya. Why was she here? Her sheer expertise at subterfuge weighted more than the risk she posed, proving the urgency of the mission. "This just doesn't concern you as mercenaries but your livelihood, family, loved ones, and arguably civilization itself." This one was said to the nobles of the group but it could apply to anyone really.

"Everyone, I bring dire news." The Captain began her monologue, "Reports had come from Venesian contacts in Brendorn, yes, that Brendorn, that the Empire has been developing a new power source for their war machines." Agatha paused, letting the revelation sink into the crews' mind. "Yes, this means they would be able to disregard the embargo threat and ignite Bumi in the all-consuming flames of war once more. Did you think our battle with Yellow Beard was intense? Hmpf... it's child's play if the Empire had their way. Lives, innocent lives, will perish. The Empire gives no quarters, those who stand against Empress Kyrie's ambitions will burn."

She gripped her hands into fists, took a deep breath, then raised her head, "That's why we need a collateral, a bargaining chip, something that will halt the Empire's movements." What sort of thing that would be enough to sway the Flame Empress' mind? She had no need of florin, nor titles, she had a whole empire in her hands. "We're taking Princess Olivia hostage." Yes, that was right, the Nightingale just asked the crew to kidnap Olivia Amaryllis Brendorn, the Empress' little sister. "First and foremost, her blood relation to the Empress should give her pause. Additionally, while they may be mere rumors, Olivia is a scholar, our contacts believe she is the brains behind the Empire's weapons research, hell, some even said she was the one behind their successful expansions. It is imperative that we have her in our hands." She turned towards her second, "Aster, if you please."

"Yes, Captain." The blue-haired man took the stage, "The Empress is celebrating her birthday two weeks from now, a Grand Ball will be held in the Empire's infamous Sovereign Gunship." Aster pointed to the board where an illustration of the massive airship could be seen, it looked more like a floating fortress instead of a vessel. It was the Empire's pride and joy, how apt that Kyrie would celebrate her birthday there. "Reports from our contacts, well, spies really, have said that the princess would be attending the ball as well. It's rare to see the reclusive princess in a public event so this is our only chance." Aster then pointed to the map, specifically the spot where the Sovereign would be, near Regnum, the Imperium's Capital. "Here, expect escorts and heavy defenses. A frontal assault is obviously suicide." He stood back, relaying the spot back to the Captain.

"That's why we'll be divided into two teams. The first team will be attending the ball as legitimate guests from Venesia. Our main task is to locate the Princess then plan out a tactic to snatch her based on field observations. I will lead the first team." She made sure everyone was listening before continuing, "The Second team will infiltrate the Sovereign through one of the hangar bays. One of our insiders will use an imperial airboat to get you in. Disguises will be provided. From that point on. Your main tasks are to go to one the engines, place remote-controlled bombs as you go, and take over the control room, sabotage the ship's systems. Leg it out of there, once you're in a safe location, detonate the bombs. Laura, you will lead the second team." She rubbed her forehead, "Back to the first team, chaos should happen and in the confusion, we snatch Princess Olivia then make our exit ASAP. Further details would be provided later in the form of notes and on-field instructions." She sighed, man, just talking about it put a toll in her mind, "Aster, announce the roster."

"Yes, Captain. First Team: Agatha, Adale, Helen, Cera, Silvania, Saki, Charlotte, Herman, Sorina." He cleared his throat, "Second Team: Laura, Taka, John, Shinobu, Wukong, Seven, Marumei, Drayton, Yumi, Saone, Sonya."

"There you go, you have two weeks to prepare. Before you're dismissed, any questions or concerns? If you wish to change your team, tell me now and with good reason." Agatha informed. "Rest assured, rewards will be aplenty, your main concern should be that if we fail this mission... we might very well doom Bumi into another war."

 

[Karyra]

Specific mentions of: @Izurich and @RedArmyShogun
​

Sonya apprciated the fact that these people were either gullible enough or shorthanded enough to recruit her, but the thief felt out of place on the ship. These people probably were all upright and proper citizens of whatever countries. To top it all off, they had an Inquisitor or holy person or whatever. Plus she had nowhere to go except the ship. Unless she wanted her lovely new companions to start asking questions about her reasons for disguising herself.

Serendipity was stupid like that, sometimes.

But still, it was the only place she figured she could fit in at least somewhat and stay off the grid enough prevent her arrest. But a whole month aboard the ship just left her restless and irritated. She wandered around, helping the doctor some, helping the kitchen, whatever would keep her busy and likeable. Of course, being Rothmer didn't earn her that much in the way of leniency and she felt like she was being watched wherever she went.

However, as she leaned on the edge of the ship as the sun rose, being here did have some perks at least. The sunrise was beautiful. She bit into the apple she'd taken for breakfast -she asked for food and didn't steal it, if she did then she'd just end up more suspicious- and waited around for the usual day to start. Maybe she'd help out the kitchen again... she was the least shady person there by her standards. Seven... psssh couldn't even come up with something that sounded like a name.

But he wasn't Rothmer. In fact, far as she could tell she was the only Drow on the ship. I'm starting to feel like there's a double standard in there somewhere... which did lead to why on Bumi they'd hired her. Diversity? They actually needed a scout? This wasn't Sonya's most successful or most put together lie, either. Didn't have time to bribe the right contacts to put her lie into place. Nor did she use a false name because she couldn't think of it in the moment.

The announcement nearly passed Sonya by, as she didn't expect her name to be called. The surprise was genuine, as she knew the head people been working on something in secret for days. The fact that she was called alongside the people who helped to take down the Golden Midas was something that made worth going for more than just the implication that she might get fired if she didn't go.

Sonya was the first to arrive, as she was more than ready to appear trustworthy. But once the meeting started Agatha showed her true colors. Sonya smiled at the thinly veiled racism. Why did you hire me, then?

The explanation of the plan certainly was... well what was happening definitely made Sonya invest in making sure they succeed. The Empire would no doubt start with the Rothmer eradication if they won, and even then war was always awful. All that art and fine jewelry, ruined.

But they were going back to Venesia to kidnap the princess. She tried to conceal the fact that her blood ran cold at the idea of potentially being on the first team. But she was told to be on the second team -again, probably because she was a Drow- and that relaxed her. At least she'd be in the most famous gunship in the fleet, which had to be a bragging right for any thief worth their salt. She doubted they'd have time to take any worth anything besides the princess, though.

"Don't worry about Sonia there being a rat. I'll try to keep an eye on her best I can, captain." Sonya said with a flirty wink to Agatha. The underlying message was clear though, 'I know you were talking about me'. "But I have a lot of concerns about this. The first and foremost being why that would stop them from going to war in the first place? Like, we'll have leverage, but we are dealing with a heavily militaristic, racist, and eager to fight country. There's no promise they won't go to war because we stole their princess."

"Second, at least one of the first team should pose as a guard to Sorina. If there's one thing that anyone knows about nobles, it's easier to make them do what we want if they think someone in charge knows how to help them save their skins. Having someone in armor, even if they're unarmed, may help us spirit the princess away and prevent them from getting hurt as well. Could also assist in getting close to the guards of the ship for the second team."

Sonya leaned back on the wall, finished bringing up the concerns she had about the mission. The rest was fairly straightforward. Go in, cause hell, get the princess, get out. Wouldn't be so easy when they got there, but hey- that was the fun of it.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

​

Over the following days Sorina was thankful to be out of the sickbay sooner rather than later. Having went to port Sorina's first objectives were repairing her equipment, buying a helmet, a couple of books and surprisingly to any that may have followed making a donation to a couple local Venesian charities. Sending a letter home she then purchased some Tea and wine, while nutritionally these did nothing for the blood drinker, they did taste good. Though her opinion of cooked human food was less positive.

Minus a few small jobs the Blood Devil simply took things easy, mostly keeping to herself. It was nice to be able to rest, and minus the rare visit or company she liked being able to listen to her music or read. Though the Owl man seemed cranky if her music got too loud. Sipping a cup of tea and preparing for bed the Captain's voice comes over the ships speaker system.

"Oh? More work? And here I was enjoying my break, but I guess I should get a move on."

Deciding not to put on her full armor she settles for the arm pieces and legs, wearing a fabric doublet with a basic cotton design dyed black. Taking a short nap Sorina wastes little time heading for the meeting room a little over two hours later. With a smirk she was accustomed to plastered on her face, slowly it vanishes as the seriousness...or rather the madness of this mission is laid out.

The knife ears addressed her first concern, they had no way of being sure the Empire would keep it's word, in all honesty she felt she should inform her Family on this matter, it was of grave concern to the whole realm. But she could not do that, least not now. Even if she could she had the rules of her contract to follow, however this all seemed like a terrible idea.

"I am concerned with the fact that the pair look nothing alike. Are they really Family? Or is this a case of adoption or a usurper? What if we kill the Empress by mistake? Or are traced back? You know what this will mean for us. War with the Empire." Stating her concerns matter-of-factly, she does turn her gaze towards the new comer, her gaze softening as she turns her attention around the room.

"As much as I love my armor I do concur, Ladies and Gentlemen of the room, I humble wish her Majesty a boon on her day of birth and offer praises in her name, may she live to see many more." Offering a bit of a curtsy bow with a slight lifting of her hands on an imaginary dress, the Blood Devil tilts her head thoughtfully.

"As our Elf compatriot has summarized I will be best able to carry out a covering task. I am well versed in the etiquette of the court, dance, speech and the playing of instruments. While it pains me not to join the slaughter, nor to be in armor I do not believe aside from Charlotte and perhaps the Captain any of the others tasked to this will be able to play off in the capacity of a Noble, nor Guests of Honor."

Looking at the others as she runs a hand under her chin between index finger and thumb, lingering her gaze on Silvania and Herman, she then switches to the rest. "Maybe those two in the guise of guards at the least.. The rest as servants or functionaries, the working class are often unnoticed and paid no mind so long as they seem busy or complete tasks in a timely matter."

Giving a knowing laugh as if to dismiss the thought she nods her head towards the pair she had studied the most closely in her observation, to single them out. Now turning her attention to Agatha and then Charlotte there was one more small matter and a bit of proper protocol to follow. "Though it is your Command my Captain, I'll carry out whatever role I am able, tis merely a suggestion. Also Charlotte I may have need of that one little skill of yours, red eyes are noticeable least the Imperials wish to humor or gain friends among the Houses of my homeland."

Oddly for the character she had shown to this point, she seemed to be leaning heavily into the barring of a noble, but given where she claimed to be from and the coin she had to back it up, perhaps this persona was not overly strange, though it likely was at odds with the sheer savagery she had showcased in the last mission.

 

[ShiroKiyoshi]

Creating Damsels in Distress 101​

John slept during the time of peace; he'd wake up, condition his body, sleep, wake up for lunch, do his "chores", then sleep until dinner. This was his cycle for the longest time during the pretty uneventful month on the Lughanta, but while he did all this he could only think about the bodies on the Golden Midas and that man, he was oddly excited that John had spared him, even making a declaration that he'd never forget him.

"Spartan... what an odd man."

John was on the main deck, stretching to prepare himself for his workout, he set his blade beside him. However, the moment he took to pause and think about Spartan he looked out at the skies as they flew over the blue sea. He hopped up on the railing and leaned over one knee John then noticed how nice of a morning it was, the sun made the water sparkle, it was a magnificent sight and then Agatha called his name over the speakers.

John looked toward the sound as the names were called off, it was three hour heads up. So, John, got down from the railing, resumed his stretches, and then got to his workout which encompassed a run around the ship and other simple exercises. After he had finished he went and washed up, got dressed, brushed his hair, and brushed his teeth. He then made his way to the mess hall for breakfast and with an hour left he made his way to the war room, waiting the whole hour by the door. The hour soon passes and John joins the others in the war room to listen to their mission.

"This one actually seems pretty straightforward. Make a fuss and get the girl. But, I agree with the Drow, the nobles need to look like nobles, complete with servants and muscle. Though, I must say I'm surprised that Sorina is so well taught in her mannerisms. I apologize, I thought you were a mere warrior 'til now." John gave a smile to Sorina as he scratched the back of his head. He then turned back to Agatha. "Nothing else to add."

John falls back into his seat and waits for others to add. Meanwhile, he thought about this princess chick. A bookworm who makes weapons of mass destruction? Something just seemed off about it, almost like she was bred for it.

@Izurich @RedArmyShogun @Karyra

 

[Izurich]

@Karyra

The brunette gave a neutral look at Sonya, likely Agatha was waiting to see if she had chosen wrong depending on the Rothmer's next words. Fortunately, instead of fooling around or making herself look even more suspicious, the white-haired tanned woman expressed good questions. Agatha's facial features relaxed slightly as if moving on from her 'Don't bullshit me...' outlook to 'Those are fair points.'. "Concerns are expected, this is a mission unlike any other. The answer is simple really, even a ravenous tiger loves her own cubs. The Empress might be a megalomaniac glory hound but even she will pause if we have her sibling in our hands. It might not hold them back forever, but at least it will give us time to prepare. Us as in Venesia, Fraulia, and pretty much everyone else."

This done, she moved on to the Drow's next point which was more a suggestion than a question. "Hmmm... that is indeed a sound advice. It fits with my vision actually, not all of us will be nobles. In fact, most will be servants and guards." She crossed her arms, "The second team will be given Guard and Engineer uniforms, yes."

@RedArmyShogun @LowDefinition @Weisenhart @Click This

At last, the Captain was just waiting for this peculiar fact to be brought up. "Yes, they look nothing alike." Anyone who wasn't blind could see that Kyrie had blazing red hair and fiery red eyes while Olivia possessed golden locks and gentle blue eyes, it was as if the pair was made to emulate Luna and Sol, direct opposites. "That's correct. We have suspicions that Olivia may be adopted or half-sister. Whatever the case, they are as different as night and day, it'd be a miracle for us to take the wrong person, let alone killing the Empress. As for tracing, our contacts will make sure to sweeping our trail. Not everyone in the Empire wants another war."

It should be obvious that Sorina would be one of those who'd take the role of a noble. "Yes, myself, you, Charlotte, and Adale will be the nobles, the rest will be escorts, bodyguards, and servants." Unless anyone brought up a request for a role change, that should be the default plan. "Huh, alright, Herman can be my bodyguard. Silva looks more like an advisor if I do say so myself." Agatha chuckled, the sheer contrast of Sorina now compared to in-battle was amusing, to say the least. Maybe being sprayed by all those blood had an effect on her, "I am confident in your abilities, you are a noble after all." She nodded as she turned to the green-eyed blonde, "True, Charlotte, please teach Sorina how to disguise her eyes."

@ShiroKiyoshi

The brown-haired young man was obviously more amiable than their last meeting, perhaps he had learned to trust his Captain. "Easier said than done, John. Remember, we are facing against the Empire here. Imperial Knights and Guards are nothing like those pirate scums. Do not engage in combat unless absolutely necessary for obvious reasons." Agatha took a deep breath, saying she wasn't nervous at all would be a big fat lie, "Anyone else wants to voice their mind?"

 

[☆Luna☆]

In the brief time of peace, Yumi spent her time working in the kitchen with Seven. Since the mission, she found herself spending more time with him. Not that they ever said anything of note to each other. When they did talk, it mostly just had to do with the dish in front of them, but it was a comfortable sort of relationship. Aside from the handful of times that Yumi suggested looking forward to working together in the future, she kept personal details to a minimum in courtesy of Seven's situation. Even if she hadn't a clue what sort of circumstances he was under, she could tell that he had more than a few secrets to keep.

Yumi also started to have a newfound curiosity for one of the newer recruits. Sonya started working in the kitchen, so naturally Yumi found herself in contact with her. Yet, she could constantly feel this invisible force keeping them apart. They had several opportunities to get to know each other, but the circumstances always seemed to keep them apart. The more Yumi paid attention, the more she began to realize the tension that existed between them, and the pressure that Sonya was under. Although it might not be her place, Yumi resolves to try to reach out to her when a chance presents itself.

Yumi wanted to thank Helen for her help in the fight on the pirate ship, but strangely she vanished from her usual locations. It didn't take long for Yumi to learn that she had been avoiding Agatha, but not before searching all over the ship for her. Yumi felt bad, as she knew Helen felt some loneliness since she didn't quite fit in with a band of mercenaries, but it couldn't be helped if she intentionally holed herself away.

With her first major operation behind her, Yumi continued her daily training and sparring exercises. The same challenge as before stood, challenging anyone board to a practice duel. At least among those who accepted the challenge, Yumi was peerless, though it could hardly be considered representative considering she had yet to challenge any of Agatha's most trusted mercs. Since she spent so much time training, she began to grow curious of John, whom she would often see honing his skills with the blade.

Yet the time didn't last. As usual, work came their way quickly. Though Yumi would admit that she'd never thought she'd tackle an operation of this proportion, or attempt the kidnapping of a princess. Yumi looked particularly submissive today with the nervous look of her ears down, playing with her dress and hands throughout the briefing. She made it a point to place herself next to Helen, since she knew she had a rough time of the last few weeks. She couldn't help but smile when she heard the teams however. Yumi rubs her cheek against Helen's as she hears they'll be on different teams, keeping the display to a minimum as to avoid being disruptive. Yumi listens carefully as the initial questions come forth, helping iron out the details of the plan.

Yumi adds quietly, "I'm probably not fit to be in the first team, but... I've been told I look and sound more like a child than an adult. That makes me stand out among servants and bodyguards. Is there any way to disguise that?"

 

[RedArmyShogun]

​

Listening to the various remarks the one known as John had one aimed directly for herself, waiting for a break in the conversations she had three issues so far to address, but this one was the most amusing.

"Oh? Well you are partly correct. Around our Island that leads to the gate are several Fortresses to protect the Homeland from invasion, the Houses that control these are all part of our nobility. Pilgrims, dignitaries and traders all come to our shores, we act as the border guard and guides. While we may find your mannerisms insufferable we too depend on trade for survival, it is in some way's better than being raiders or preying on all who come across. Plus we have our own politics, social needs and arrangements. While not as orderly as your nations we must keep some amount of order in our own, least it becomes little more than the hell the more ignorant of the populace believe it to be."

Taking a more stern look to her face that softens by the time she finishes the final bit she had to say in this regard. "I am a daughter of House Caramitru servants of Luna and defenders of the Realm. While I may be a noble to have that privilege I also am a soldier who will defend her homeland against all who would do it harm. Always bare in mind I am as comfortable in my armor as a dress, if not more so."


Nodding her head in response to the Captain, the next to speak up was Yumi, that one and her friend were problematic on the last mission from what she heard and observed, was she simply wanting to be close to her friend? Or was it something else.. Either way it did not really matter, stifling a bit of a polite chuckle in her current persona the Blood Devil smiles lightly. "Oh too short and young are you? Do you assume nobles only hire adults to do their jobs? At times slaves are taken in some lands, or orphans in others, trained and raised from an early age to be unquestioningly loyal and obedient, be it from the whip or gratitude. For you to take one's place another must take yours, who could that be? Though given your last performance can you play the role in obedience?"

Barely even a thinly veiled swipe at her last performance she was tempted to suggest switching out the cause of her wanting to come over, but all in all Cera would be the logical choice given her combat proficiency. Course she would let the others think for themselves, at least she offered a bit of a reason why the disguise was unneeded. If it would be of doom or boon would be up to the rest.

 

[Ehb]

​

This again...

Seven cursed his luck. Despite his lackluster performance, he was again called to one of these special meetings. Which no doubt meant that he was - again - being thrown into another debacle authored by the captain. He just wanted to get it done with quickly. The Kitchen staff were already behind with making meal preparations as it was, and the head cook needed all the help she could get.

However, the inconvenienced expression on his face turned to that of minor surprise, as Agatha went over the details of what this mission was all about. Infiltrating an Empire vessel and kidnapping a princess? What sort of madness was this? For the Empire, this was practically an Act of War. This fool, was Agatha Nightengale really that eager to give the Empress a casus belli?

Behind his closed lips, Seven was clenching his teeth.

Curse it all...

Truly, he was not having all that much luck. What in the world was he supposed do in this situation?

Kh... Calm down... Can't be making a scene.

Catching himself breaking the composure on his expression, seven ran his hand over his face. This wasn't going to happen for another two weeks. There was still time. Plus, he was just a nameless wanderer now. He didn't have anything to do with anyone. It was his primary directive to keep aside. Not be associated.

But this. The potential to cause chaos was high. We're holding the crown princess so nothing will happen? Was that really going to do it? Was that it? Of course not, there was something else going on with this entire plot. So much he's just found out, but even with this information, he still had his hands tied. Just like Agatha said, if she found any double agent it would mean trouble. One of the others seemed to have taken some notice to that. Some offense to that even.As noted by the newcomer, Sonya.

Maybe this entire thing was just a ruse to find those. Whatever he would choose to do, even if he chose to do nothing, he still had to be mindful of it. He was still under the radar for the most part. Even after saving someone nobody bothered to bring it up or how he survived isolation under the decks. He was still a nobody, and he had to keep it that way. Easing his stance, he watched on.


Sorina demonstrated how she was able to curtsy and her other patrician mannerisms. Drawing some praise and surprise from others. From this she began a discussion about how this ragtag group of people would quickly give away their true intentions due to not being knowledgeable about the finer details of Brendorn high society.

It was about the most irritating thing. Something as simple as a curtsy was elementary. What about proper greeting structure? Conversational etiquette? Damned Demon. Parading as nobility despite being an inferior-

Stop.

Seven closed his eyes. Catching himself looking agitated again. Goodness, his internal thoughts were sounding as severe as his old teacher's. He had to hand it to Sorina, however. She did have the pompous attitude down well enough.


As Agatha responded to the first wave of questions, one detail was worth noting. The fact that there were apparently connections that would help cover up their tracks after the deed was done, furthermore she also implied that they were pacifist sympathizers. How ironic. Were were those people years ago when he needed them?

Finally, Agatha warned of engaging in combat. Mostly due to their foes being several steps above the rabble of pirates they defeated on the Golden Midas previously.


Finally, Yumi made a comment. About how to disguise her apparent childlike appearance and disposition.

Looking and sounding like a child is probably going to work to your advantage in this setting...

Seven wanted to make that comment. But, he again held back. Again, he reinforced his demeanor of not knowing anything. But, as he glanced at her, he did feel a bit sorry for her. She seemed to be a bit downtrodden in her confidence, despite what he'd seen of her when sparring against other crew-members. if anything, she probably should've been the one called up here today instead of both her and himself.

The kitchen schedule really took a hit whenever two people were pulled out of the galley.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Drayton was dragged from his room by yet another summoning. It had not taken long, it seemed, for their captain to land another dangerous contract. Then again, it could be something simple, but it was unlikely considering Agatha was summoning the same group she chose before to aid her in boarding Yellowbeard's ship. With a sigh Drayton grabbed his weapons and made his way to the meeting room, arriving rather late compared to the others.

Listening in on Agatha's briefing, it seemed she was stepping very close to violating the thief's pledge of loyalty; challenges were entertaining, suicide missions were death. The former urchin sighed as the others spoke their minds. "Yeah, I'm not so sure about how well the Empress can practice restraint, even if we got her kid sister." Running a hand through his hair, it was obvious that unlike the last job, Drayton was more troubled by this than excited. "Sure, she could back off and give us time. Or, she could end up charging us without giving us any. Even if we were willing to execute the princess, that would just give the empire more of a reason to chase us down." There was a lot that could go wrong with this job, if not immediately, then in the long-term.

"Though... if we're gonna go for it anyway..." Pausing, Drayton let out a sigh and moved from his concerns to his suggestions on actual performance. "I think I should take guard duty. I'm a good actor, least I think so, and if shit hits the fan it'll be better that I'm not stuck in some dandy clothes with no weapons. Besides, I don't kiss ass enough to play a servant and I ain't snooty enough like the Devil to play some blue-blood."

@Izurich

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

Helen sighed in frustration as she was summoned out of her room by the captain's voice blaring through the ship, she had finally began tinkering after a long shift as a barmaid and was more than a little irritated,though at the same time pleased that if the others were being called up then she was still trusted enough for what she rightly assumed to be a mission.
Thinking back on her actions made Helen blush, she had been in a state of near panic the entire battle, barely able to keep from running away in terror and breaking numerous orders, she had gravitated towards Yumi, the cat girl since she found pretty girls and cats both to be quite calming... And probably hurt both their standing among the crew.

Then to make matters worse she had hidden from the captain! It didn't take long for the woman to find her but it was pretty obvious she had been avoiding her...
Despite that the punishment was relatively light. A short stint as a barmaid was hardly an evil punishment and she actually found herself not minding it, her racial abilities also made it quite easy to convince he crew to leave good tips and even after the punishment she stayed on, much to the delight of more than a few crew members who frequented the bar.

When she finally arrived in the war room the first thing she took note of was Yumi, she had intended to talk to the young woman but had never found the time, and quickly gotten distracted, an unfortunate habit of hers when she wasn't constantly focused on something she would forget it.
The Lilim made an effort to position herself next to the girl and a minute later was graced with a cheek rub that froze the girl for a minute as she processed what had happened, with a blush and smile quickly following, she hadn't really had any gestures of affection since leaving home and was more than happy.

However her smile quickly faded as she heard the mission, kidnap a princess?! That was by far the most dangerous thing she had ever been a part of... And from the sound of things she wouldn't even be able to bring along her wings... Which she basically viewed as a reassuring presence in the battlefield... Indeed, without them she was rather frail looking, and barely effective in close range.
However, she didn't quite feel like she should say anything after her actions in the last mission and decided that it wouldn't be too bad... She had attended many noble parties with her families before and this one would be no different... Well, apart from the kidnapping but if hey were careful there wouldn't even be much violence involved in that part.
She did kind of regret not being on Yumi's team, but even she could see that her skill set was more suited to the first team.

 

[Izurich]

@☆Luna☆ @Mahou-Shoujo

The cat-eared half-breed had been quiet during the exchanges, not surprising really considering her behavior. Agatha had gotten used to her quirks, seeing her in a better light after their exchange after the Golden Midas battle. "..." However, no one was perfect she had to admit that but her needlessly clingy behavior with the white-haired Witch was irking the Captain. This was one of the crews going against the Empire? Pray to the Divine One that their stupidity didn't kill the whole team. One of the reasons why these two were in different teams were specifically because of this.

Avoiding to grit her teeth in annoyance, Agatha took her question as neutrally as she could, "Precisely, your talents are wasted in the first team." The captain huffed, "That works to our advantage as we're disguising you as a thrall, no one would pass a second glance to an insignificant servant." The Empire enforced slavery, especially to non-humans, this would work to their advantage. "Also, you two, better fuck now rather than later in the mission. I don't want your romantic shenanigans to get us all killed." After the scold, Agatha gave a harsh look at the Lilim, the brunette still didn't quite let go of the fact that Helen had been avoiding her ever since the battle. "I mean it."

@RedArmyShogun

As expected from Sorina, the Blood Devil was the one who talked the most, arguably even more than Aster, revealing more about herself, her views, and also taking an even harsher jab at the 'dynamic duo'. "Knowing the Empire has no love for both Celestials and Infernals, this mission is even more crucial to you personally, Sorina."

@EmperorsChosen

The twin swordsman made his voice known next, "Like I said, there is no absolute guarantee but it is better than nothing, much better." Oh what was that? He wanted to be with the first team as a guard instead. "Fair enough, you can be an escort to the nobles of the first team. Aster, mark that down."

@Ehb

After marking the changes requested by Drayton, the blunette's matching eyes found themselves towards his redheaded counterpart, the 'kitchenhand' named Seven. Seriously, if someone made them stand side by side, a poet or two would draw out a list of symbolism regarding the two. He was quiet but any airship officer worth their damn would figure there was no way he was just a peasant whose only knowledge was manual labor. Why did Agatha even choose him for the Midas raid in the first place? However, Aster did respect his need for silence, as long as he wasn't holding a figurative knife behind his back and jobs got done, he was good in his book.

 

[☆Luna☆]

Yumi didn't intend to insinuate that she wanted to swap teams, but now that it had already been interpreted that way, she couldn't help but deal with the fallout. Both Sorina and Agatha had particularly harsh words for the comment. Yumi bows her head, "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm not very worldly, so I wasn't aware of the custom. If there is a place for me on team two, I'll do whatever I can to help. I don't know what sort of misunderstanding you have about my relationship with Helen, but it isn't anything as distracting as romance." Yumi backs away from Helen, closing her eyes to listen to the rest of the conversation in silence.