The Dragon Hunters.

[Dahrinn (Groucho)]

"The Dragon Hunters"

The Beowulf slowly and gracefully lands at the dock in Apollo's rest, almost immediately, a group of people rush in to take away the carcass of a large green dragon. They haul it into a massive cart, and push it some distance away on a rail, some workers climb up on it, already carving up the beast with buzz saws.



Apollo's rest is, like on most days, is a hive of activity, all revolving around these dragon's corpses. Every part of the dragon find's it's use, but the most valuable part are the Dragon crystals, flesh is peeled from the bones, and then the crystals are scraped off, and emptied into a separate cart. These ones are Blastite, identified by a dark red color... it's likely they will go towards munitions, or be refined into fuel.
​

It's been all over the news for a while now, the famous Captain John Caine, one of the best dragon hunters in the world, is looking for new recruits. Many people gathered around to see the Beowulf, and with the release of some steam and a creaking noise, the door opened... some medics rushed in, and carried out a few injured crew mates from the previous hunt on stretchers. As their carried off, John steps out into the light, and waves goodbye to them. He looked out towards the crowd for a few seconds, then swiftly turned around and walked back into the ship. Enki stepped into the light, saw the crowd, and walked back into the ship with even more haste. The two could be seen talking to each other for a moment, John walks out alone, going where he normally sets up the meeting spot for recruits.

He headed towards Alton's, a restaurant ran by the first cook aboard the Beowulf. It is significant for serving Dragon, and John usually gives him dragons to cook for an insanely low price, reasonable... after all, without Alton's quick thinking, Daggerfoot would have gotten all of John, rather than just a chunk of his hand, but that story would be better told by John.

The Mayor's voice was heard on the city-wide broadcast.

["Is this on? Oh uh... The Beowulf has successfully landed... and John Caine is now heading towards Alton's restaurant to accept new recruits, if you would like to join, please make your way there within... preferably... the next five hours."]

John made his way through the city, a hive of activity powered by Dragon Hunting, John looked ahead,looked around, observing all of the activity, and was obviously excited to start another adventure. John walked into Alton's, and with a quick hello to Alton, He sat down. He removed a stack of blank recruitment forms from his jacket, and set them down.

John looked out the window, watching all of the movement outside, and wondered which of those people would split from the crowd, walk into the restaurant, and ask to join the crew of the Beowulf...

John waited.
​

 

[Cheesecake]

Rupert jumped to his feet as he heard the mayor talking on the city-wide broadcast. John Caine was here! He was finally here! Rupert began running through the crowded streets of Apollos Rest, knocking over a few old ladies, sending newspapers flying everywhere, and causing ruckus. But he'd apologized later. He had five hours to get all the way to Alton's restaurant.

By the time Rupert got to the outside of the restaurant, he was huffing and puffing like a dragon about to breathe fire. Taking a moment to wipe the soot and sweat off his forehead with a rag, he got to his feet, composed himself (as much as he could) and entered the restaurant. Just as quick as he entered, a waiter was there to throw him out.

It wasn't because he was a filthy street-rat. Well, partly. But it was mostly because he'd stolen dragon meat from them once. When Rupert first arrived in Apollos Rest, he had a good sum of money to live on his own, but splurged it all on one serving of dragon thigh. It became a bad habit, and every other meal he'd waste money on dragon meat, until he was broke and homeless. Then he began stealing from the kitchen when he applied to be a busboy.

As he was being dragged by the collar, Rupert frantically looked around for someone to take pity. He wasn't here to steal. He was here to join John Caine!

 

[Duwang Chew]

"Bzzt... Bogey has landed, over." the electronic voice poured through after some static.

With a turn of the head, the stringy-haired young man looked to the small box-shaped instrument to his left. The wooden thing could barely fit in his palm, not that he wanted to try any feat of that sort. One fall was all that was needed for the pieces inside to snap loose again, making the device useless. After a few moments, he turned back to the manuscript in front of him, its pages filled to the edges with the inner workings of the most renowned functioning motor of a republic across the Durham sea. However, his blue eyes glanced at the device one final time. Or not, apparently, as it delivered;

"Bzzt... I repeat, bogey has landed... Over." came the voice again, taking its time this time around.

Quickly, he put his hand over on the box, and turned it towards himself. With the other hand, he gathered the rod-like mouthpiece from another corner of the desk. He clicked a button at the base of the mouthpiece, and breathed before speaking into it once the small bulb at the base lit up.

"...Catch that, Twenty-Three. You going to intercept with, or is it just me this time?" he paused. Looking down at the speaker, a small smile overtook his lips as he mentally picked the perfect jab for the person speaking on the other end, which nevertheless took some powerful decision-making. After all, there were just so many choices. "...What, don't know what to wear? ...Over."

"Bzzt... Negative, Mother Base needs fixing..." the speaker put out some static in between. "Bzzt... Be sure to bring along Miss Sunshine. Over." continued the male voice. The blue-haired young man stretched a bit under the sunlight that flowed in through the workshop windows while he waited for the other fellow to finish.

"Alright, thanks." he told the man. "...Give my regards to the family. Might be gone for a while... Over." he sat back on his chair and massaged his neck a bit while he looked around the mess of a room for where he'd thrown his jacket. When the static came trickling out of the speaker again, he had already gathered up some of the papers lying on the desk in one hand - papers he was going to need later.

"Bzzt... Will do. Best of luck, to both of you." said the voice, and the young man sighed softly again, trying to stave himself from feeling too blessed as he listened to the man's words. "...Over, and out."

With the line falling silent, the young man was then back to thinking by himself. He switched the radio off on his end as well, and got up to grab his jacket and any other small thing he'd fancy to have on himself while he waited in line over at Alton's, where there was sure going to be a big crowd of prospective hunters. Maybe even before he'd actually get there? Captain Caine was one of the biggest deals of the past decade, after all. Thankfully, he already knew the restaurant well from having lived around these parts the past few months and even further back, so he could find his way there easily enough.

Now, Mycroft thought, he'd just need to tweak his route so that...
​

<---|--->

​

"...She's not here?" Mycroft asked the landlady again in disbelief. The woman was carrying her child in her arms when she answered the rust-bolted door. The baby peeked out from beneath its soft cap to look at the lines of people walking up and down the street, and was clearly somewhat ecstatic at the fact that they seemed so vastly different from one another. There were whole rows of them that Mycroft could already tell were headed for the Beowulf's recruitment. And she had to disappear now, of all times?

"The lass ran out the moment they spotted the ship. She's probably already there; the poor girl. Why'd such a chipper little thing want in with such a rowdy, dangerous bunch, I'll never know..." said the woman, a worried look on her face as she looked back at Mycroft. He nodded in agreement, but didn't say any more than that. After all, it was easy for people to mistook the girl for being younger than she actually was. The unluckier ones, though, tended to think she couldn't take care of herself, so Mycroft wasn't worried at all. Rather, he was worried that she'd embarrass herself in front of the captain, prompting him to move.

"I guess I'm heading straight there, then. Thank you." Mycroft told the woman, flashing a smile at the baby before he stepped off her porch. She waved him off, and he responded in kind before his figure vanished in the street crowd.

​

<---|--->

​

Mycroft checked his watch when he got to the restaurant building, realizing he'd made it in good time. Looking inside, he saw the prominent figure of the captain, waiting at one of the tables. However, he couldn't seem to find the golden-haired young woman anywhere inside or outside the building, causing him to look down at and fiddle with his watch as he continued to think. The people around the captain were acting just as much as he'd expected out of the event. It didn't make it easier to pick out the girl from the crowd, but even after another round of looking, Mycroft found that the search for his friend remained fruitless.

In his mind, a possibility popped up. But before he could entertain it further, Mycroft realized somebody was being dragged by the collars just some feet away from where he was currently standing. Whoever he was, he managed to piss off the waiter, apparently. And well at that. He wondered what the fellow's overall story was, but Mycroft could guess at some parts of it. Brown duster, messy hair, dirty boots, goggles... From the looks of the young man, he's definitely a brand of dragon hunter. Did he try making a scene with the captain?

At any rate, Mycroft continued eying the small tussle that was going on. It wasn't until he saw the young man's arm, however, that he finally went with the decision to step in. After all, nobody else seemed to be doing anything about it. He didn't particularly know the waiter, or really anyone that worked at the restaurant, for that matter. Some part of him braced for retaliation, but he went ahead and walked up to the two, anyway. And in an instant, the make of his expression changed.

"Well, hello there!" he called out to the waiter and the young man with a smile. "Might I ask, what's this bit going on over here?" to the two, it would have seemed like Mycroft came outta nowhere. His smile was less the cheerful kind, and more the kind that came from someone who knew what he was doing, and yet still meant well. "...Whatever he did, I'm sure he didn't mean it." said Mycroft rather stupidly.

​

<---|--->

​

Meanwhile, at the dock where the Beowulf had landed, a rather short person was still jumping up and down as she sized the vessel up and down and all over, clutching at the hat on her head whenever the gales whistled by. She wasn't alone in staying behind to capture the sight of it, the great airship that it was, but she was definitely going to turn out the loudest.

"Hey! Hey! Hullo! Anybody aboard!?" the girl was doing the strangest thing yet, hollering for anyone from the ship to turn up. "Hey!" she thought about going in, but knew enough that she'd be trespassing. Plus, they were less likely to put her on the ship if she started off with that sort of first impression. For some reason, the actual process of signing up currently eluded her.

Or did she want to meet and talk with a specific person who was on the ship? Whatever it was, she continued walking up and down the docks, calling out to the Beowulf with a spirited tone of voice that seemed like it'd never wilt. All the while, her long scarf bounced behind her figure. Occasionally, she'd knock on the body of the vessel.

"...Hey! Anybody there?" Cisco called out to the Beowulf, yet again.​

 

[Dahrinn (Groucho)]

[John]​

John didn't move his head, but his eyes did move in the direction of the entrance. He saw the waiter trying to remove a young man from the restaurant, and another tall man inquiring if it was necessary. He took a closer look at the young man, and figured that nobody that exhausted wouldn't have something on their mind. Luckily, he and Anton were close friends, so John did have the authority to intervene.
"I agree, let the lad in."

The waiter loosened his grip, and John talked once more.
"You both look like ya got somethin' on your minds... here to join the hunt?"
​

[Enki]
​

After a while of listening to hello's and the sound of knocking... Enki decided to respond. He leaned out the doorway and looked towards a blonde-haired girl. He looked other people walking by... doesn't seem like it could have been anyone else who was knocking on the ship or wanting to see if anyone was inside, so he responded.
"Hello... can I help you, Miss? ...John Caine is at Alton's... if you're looking for him."


His expression couldn't be seen, as his face was hidden under the cover of his bandanna and the shade of his hat, only being further hidden by not stepping out of the shade. A small glint was over about where his left eye was, probably from a monocle of some sort.​

 

[Cheesecake]

Right before the snooty waiter reached the exit, a blue-haired man intervened. The man looked to be a pilot. Sounded like one too. Still, the waiter didn't budge. In fact, his grip tightened a bit. It only loosened when a man's voice ordered him to let go, and the waiter did so. Rupert fell on his butt. He sighed a sigh of relief, opting to lay on the floor for a little while.

"Thanks guys," he said, arm over his eyes.

"You both look like ya got somethin' on your minds... here to join the hunt?" the second man's voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm here to join John Caine." He removed his arm slightly, letting one of his eyes see his benefactors. One silhouette was of the pilot. The other one was...John Caine.

Immediately Rupert leapt to his feet, brushing off the dust from his jacket, fixing his goggles, and trying to make himself presentable. As much as he could, anyways. He extended a shaking arm. Not only was he saved from the clutches of a pissed waiter, he was saved by John Caine! He shot a glance to the pilot, a bright-eyed glance, and winked, as if saying 'we did it!'. His arm was still outstretched, and still shaking.

 

[Crono]

"Oi, lass. Wake up. Yer compass is fixed.

"ZZzZzZz- Wha? Uh... I wasn't asleep."

"Sure, sure. Tis fine. That'ell be ten dollars."


"Here. I'm seeing a lot of people around today. Something happening?"

"Yeh haven't heard? John Caine is at Anton's lookin for new crew members right now! He'll only be there for five hours!"

Nina Cloud's eyes widened. The John Caine? Looking for crew members today? The young pilot snatched her compass from the grizzled tinkerer's counter and dashed out the door, waving goodbye from his shop window. She ran down the street, pausing only to help up some poor old ladies screaming about the youth today. She couldn't believe her luck, it had only been a week since she was forced to leave the Behemoth and now she was going to join the crew of the Beowulf! Captain Crono had apparently met this John Craine before and defined him as a reliable soul who loved to laugh and was a better dragon hunter then he could ever make himself, only making the young woman more ecstatic.

Soon Nina was at the restaurant made known for serving dragon. She had always wanted to try such a dish but could not risk to waste the money. Perhaps if she was accepted she could splurge as celebration. When she arrived at the door she was met with a bespectacled man with a kind face and a several containers of luggage. In his mouth was a wooden pipe with smoke lazily drifting out of its port as he held the door open for her. "You first. I insist."

"Thank you." Nina replied gratefully, the man entering soon after herself. She saw John, recognizing him from the trademark missing hand chunk and deflated slightly. He was already talking to two others, one who looked like a pilot. That didn't spell well for her, who would hire two airship pilots? Not to be deterred Nina straitened up, took a deep breath, adjusted her goggles, and walked forward. The man had taken a seat, did he really just come here for food? No, he was watching, waiting. She looked back to John, stopping and saluting, "Nina Cloud reporting for duty sir. I would like to join your crew."

 

[Dahrinn (Groucho)]

[John]
​

John smiled, he's been in the restaurant for a few minutes, and people were already rushing to join the hunt. He nodded, and motioned his hand to the stack of papers.
"If you'd like to join, take a document and sign it where it says, then head over to the Beowulf and show it to Enki, then tell him what job you'd like, he'll let you in, don't let his... style... intimidate you, he's a nice guy. There'll be an elevator at the back and front of the ship, take it to the middle section, and it will open up to a hallway encased in the balloon, the rooms to the sides are all bunk rooms, the big one to the right in the middle is mine, the big one to the left in the middle is Enki's... Choose a room and put your stuff in it... we take off in nine hours..."

He looked out the window, watching a large cart of Pyrocite being moved (carefully) on a monorail, and was momentarily lost in thought.
He wondered when more recruits would show up.

He also wondered if Enki washed all of the dragon blood out of the cargo hold...
​

[Enki]
​

Enki momentarily thought to himself. (I should probably get to washing the cargo hold sooner or later.)
​

​

 

[Duwang Chew]

At first, there was no response. Only the wind blowing on the docks seemed to be answering her voice. Cisco paced back and forth again, arms tucked into each other in front of the chest. She wondered if she should've followed some of the crowd who went into town. Thinking back to the moment when the Beowulf had just landed caused her to puff her cheeks, feeling annoyed. She had a good spot readied to see the captain come out, but that was before some knuckleheads in the crowd started to play the pushing game. And suddenly, she got to see nothing in the end but the clothes on some buff guy's back! Sure the big gun-spear-thingamajig he had on him was pretty neat to stare at at first, but she completely missed the reason she came here in the first place! And before she realized it, people were already leaving.

Cisco turned back to walk towards the ship, looking aside at some of the men tending to the other ships' needs. She wondered briefly whether the Beowulf always had this small of a crew, or if they were somewhere else? Wait, is that somewhere where the captain is? Oh crap, was that part of the crowd following the captain? Suddenly realizing she's in a pickle, Cisco turned towards the famous vessel again. She remembered the functions on the ship were still online, which had to mean that people were still on it! It gave her hope, but the thought took a back seat when Cisco noticed the thickly-clothed figure of a man leaning out the doorway. She felt a sort of rush go through herself when the man turned towards her; she hadn't really thought this far! At that moment, a gale whistled through, but her eyes couldn't leave the man's sight, even as her hat got blown away.

She wondered who he was, when, through the daze, she finally heard a particular name.

Cisco suddenly screamed out loud, surprising some of the workers on the dock. Her hands were gathered up close to her chest.

"...C-Captain! Captain John! W-What happened to you?! Did a dragon do that to you?!" rang the girl, a horrified look sweeping over her face.

<---|--->

​

Mycroft had turned towards the captain's table when the latter spoke out to the waiter. Quietly, he sighed out of relief. But before he could turn back to the other guy, he'd already fallen to the floor with a plop, surprising Mycroft for a bit. The thought crossed him to help the guy up again, but he muttered a word of thanks, to him apparently, and hid his face behind an arm. Mycroft didn't really know what to make of it at that moment. Meanwhile, the captain was still speaking. Just as he finished, so did the other guy speak up again. Mycroft just stayed still, waiting for his turn to offer a few words. He didn't want to bother the other guy in his moment, at least.

The duster-wearing lad sprang to his feet and cleaned himself pronto. Then there was a certain glint in his eyes as he looked over to Mycroft. There was a pause in the pilot when he realized the look in Rupert's eyes was the same sort of glint he once saw in himself, when the photographer took that picture after his first successful run. His reverie, however, was broken prematurely when the other man put an arm forward. Mycroft looked down at it, saw the trembling in his nerves, and looked back up at the man. Realizing he was keeping the guy on hold, he quickly took the man's hand and shook it, the same fleeting smile pulling on his lips as he did.

"Hmm." Mycroft simply acknowledged Rupert with a nod, questioning then, what sort of person he actually was. He did seem like he was a bit slow, but past his bungling first impression moments ago, there was definitely the look of a sincere person. He knew they were going to be working together, but Mycroft figured names could come later. Looking over his shoulder, he sees the captain again, and was ready to speak. "...As a matter of fact--" he only got so far when a girl suddenly entered the scene.

With as much as two lines, she beat them both to the punch. This was when Mycroft reeled a bit. Her stature made her to look somewhat like his friend at first, but Mycroft didn't need another second to realize the stringy-haired girl was another person altogether.

"...That easy, huh?" said Mycroft again when the captain was done explaining. He decided to return to common courtesy before he spoke further. "...At any rate, it's an honor to meet you, captain. My name is Mycroft Magdalene. If today goes well, I'm hoping to put my piloting skills to good use, up there on the Beowulf. Along with a friend..." he stopped when he recognized the scent of smoke, however from a pipe instead. With a glance to the side, Mycroft noted the man in the brimmed hat and glasses and frowned.

"Smoking in a food joint... That guy's definitely not any shade of doctor." thought Mycroft.​

 

[remmey]

Victoria sat back and smoked a cigarette. She appeared to be relaxed but in reality she was waiting for the city-wide broadcast. It took a few minutes but soon the Mayor's voice could be heard. Smiling, she grabbed her bags and started for Alton's restaurant. She wasn't in much of a rush but she knew she should be considering how many people would likely show up. Victoria took her time examining everything around her, just for the hell of it. In a way it annoyed her because it brought back memories of her father and she didn't want to be reminded of him at the time.

Victoria pulled out another cigarette and lit it in hopes of distracting herself. She picked her pace up slightly, hoping that she'd get there in time. In the back of her mind she worried that she would be late or that she wouldn't be accepted, but she has roughly fives hours left and it only takes her under an hour to get there. But then again, how many medics could be there? And there's nothing wrong with having multiple medics, right?

Victoria stared at the sky as she walked and continued smoking to keep her mind occupied and she walked faster to the restaurant.

~~~~~~~~~~​

Victoria stood outside Alton's restaurant and finished the last of her cigarette, with a thought that she should let up on the smoking. She tossed the bud to the ground and stepped on it before walking in through the door. She had only been here a few times and didn't know everyone here. She looked around for a moment and then went up to the closest person.

"I'm looking for John Caine, have you seen 'em?"​

 

[Dahrinn (Groucho)]

[John]
​

John looked at Mycroft, he looked like the piloting type.
"Well, the hardest part about hunting dragons isn't becoming a hunter... it's hunting dragons, look at all the people around us, you don't see a lot of them stepping up, so, would that be the main vessel, or a smaller vehicle?"
Noticing Mycroft's frown, he also looked in the direction, but he didn't notice the bespectacled man... he noticed a girl with colorful clothing, blue hair, and an eye patch walk in, she certainly did stick out... amidst the grays and browns and yellows. She appeared to be looking for someone, and so John asked.
He heard that she was looking for him, and so he called her over.
"Signups are over here!"
He got an additional paper from the stack and put it down, and then turned back to Mycroft.
​

[Enki]
​

He did not move in response to the young girl's panic, but after a look to his left and right, he responded.
"I'm not John, I'm Enki, first mate of The Beowulf. You'll find John at Altons, with no... new... Dragon-related injuries... Once more, can I help you?"
He noticed the hat tumbling away, and with a fast motion of his arm and wrist he drew his grappling hook from his holster, and shot it at the hat, a claw-mechanism grabbed the hat, and it was reeled in. He took the hat and, when the wind died down, tossed it to her.​

 

[Karakui]

Kuroki had been sitting at a small table in the corner for some time, watching the events surrounding this John Caine. She knew little about the man beyond that he was a famous hunter, and was very surprised to see that he wasn't 3 miles up his own asshole, as most people of such fame are. When a quiet break happened as most of the other people in the building had begun to leave for their jobs and whatnot, she walked over. "Have any use for a dragon stone specialist?"

 

[remmey]

Victoria walked over to where the sign ups were and grabbed the paper John had set down. She looked over it quickly before finding a seat and signing everything. In the back of her mind she worried that John would not accept her because of her eye patch. Despite her loss in vision she was still a good medic, and she could prove it easily. After going over the paper once more to make sure everything was filled out, she stood and looked around to see who else was here. She didn't stay for long though, she wanted to get to the Beowulf and get a good room.

 

[Duwang Chew]

"...Oh, pardon me, captain..." Mycroft turned back to John, however just in time for him to holler out to somebody in the distance the next moment. Mycroft looked back again, and saw the vividly-dressed young woman near the entrance. Whoever she was, the captain apparently caught her a lot better than him. She looked like she was talking to another person then, so did he actually manage to hear her? Looking aside to John, Mycroft's eyes narrowed as his conclusion on the captain's person seemingly drew near. Then again, he figured they could've just known each other beforehand. Even if he was touted the legendary dragon hunter, he should still just be another human being.

Another girl walked over to their group in the middle of the restaurant. Mycroft didn't notice until he was halfway back to talking to the captain, however. Her smartly buttoned-up outfit painted her as the studious sort, catching Mycroft's eye. True enough, she mentioned a dragon stone specialist, which he assumed to refer to herself. From her features, she didn't look like she was from around these parts. If anything, her eyes seemed like they could be just as expressive as his friend's, if not for the fact that the rest of her seemed pretty restrained so far.

"...Dragon stone, you say? Sounds like something we can definitely talk over." said Mycroft, who felt like getting that out for one reason or another, to the black-haired girl. He was far from being anything to the level of a specialist, but he's worked with the dragon crystals before. There was always something to look forward to when it came to learning more about them. When the captain finally turned back to him, Mycroft decided to respond in kind. Though he still kept the black-haired girl at the edge of his vision, even as he patted Rupert on the back once. "Come on, buddy. You have to say something, at least." Mycroft told the other man in a low voice, realizing that he still hasn't said anything, and should definitely get a piece in as well.

All the while, the eye-patched girl walked past them without announcing herself, unlike Nina or the black-haired girl, becoming the first to grab one of the forms for herself. For the time being, though, Mycroft focused back on his conversation with the captain, realizing he needed to explain that there was a friend of his that wanted a spot on the vessel as well, but whom he couldn't find at the moment. If, at least the captain was aware of that, he could perhaps put aside a spot, or maybe even two should Mycroft feel it's better for him to go back out there and skim the city.

"...Well, it's the small, fighting sort of aircraft. Although, fighting isn't the only thing it can do." Mycroft told the captain. "But before that, captain. I've a friend who's... just as determined to be working on the Beowulf as anybody here. It's just that she's, well, sort of disappeared right now." he continued, though his mind had sort of wandered off at this point.

To his knowledge, the girl should've at least heard of where to go. He did tell her about the broadcast, after all...

<---|--->

​

"O-Oh... Really..." Cisco seemed to take a few seconds to come to grips with what the man had told her, but her body and expression nevertheless straightened out again afterwards. Thankfully, her exploding earlier seemed to have drawn the daze out of her system, and she heard him loud and clear this time around. When the man pulled out his grappling gun and fired behind her, Cisco backpedaled a step. In a flash, the cable reeled in again, and soon he had her hat. Cisco's face lit up with awe until he threw the brown hat back to her. Quickly, she snapped it out of the air with both hands before the headwear could touch the ground in front of her, closing her slack mouth as she did. But she still wasn't putting it back on just yet. Cisco was again looking over to Enki at the doorway, an awfully worried look on her face.

"But, but still! Even if you're not the Captain, you're alright? You aren't... You aren't hurt?" Cisco surprisingly moved closer to where the man stood, clutching her hat in front of her chest. She's heard of the first mate to the Beowulf, but before this everything had only come through to her as rumors. It was only here and now that Cisco saw the man for herself, and she couldn't help but think that someone who was actually wearing as many layers of clothing all over their body like that looked as if they were hiding something painful, something that would otherwise make people ask all sorts of questions. It was something she felt she personally understood.

 

[Dahrinn (Groucho)]

[John.]
​

"Well... I certainly could use the both of you." Said John, acknowledging both Mycroft and Kuroki.
"Well, as long as you can get her on the ship by the time we're off the ground, she can join the crew."
The city broadcast went on again.
["Be quiet, the broadcast is on! Um... Uh... four hours left, John is... Still at Altons. Is is off now? The green button?..."]
​

[Enki.]
​

After a few seconds of pause, Enki shifted his position, looking at himself.
"I don't think so... I took a nasty knock on the head by a loose pipe on the last hunt, but I'm better now... And a few days before that Daggerfoot nearly ripped me a new leg... I... should probably double check later, injuries have a way of sneaking up on me at the most inopportune times."
He looked around as the broadcast came on a second time.
"So... are you here to join the crew? You got the look of a hunter."


He noticed a girl with blue hair appear, and she had a paper in her hand.
"Oh! Looks like we got a recruit! Please hand the form to me on the way in, and welcome to the Beowulf!"

He moved aside to allow her to pass.

​

 

[Crono]

Nina had been quietly listening to the whole conversation, taking note of who came and left. Then the one named Mycroft said he wasn't a airship pilot. She thrusted both fists into the air and grabbed a paper. After quickly scribbling down her name she ran to the door. "See you guys on board!" She called cheerfully before leaving for the Beowulf. About that time the man stood up.

​

Simon Cigstean approached John Caine with a friendly smile, remembering what had led to this brash choice.

"You done yet? It's been hours."

"Well actually it's only been-"

"Shut it. Answer the question."

"Er... Yes, it's done. Try to lean on your other leg for now..."

"Bla bla bla. Do you ever shut your trap?"

"But I've-"

"Shut. Up. Speak of this to anyone and I blast your head off, understand?

"*gulp* Y-Yes sir."

The doctor watched as the man disappeared into the crowd and dashed into his drawers. "Scalpels, anesthetic, robotic parts, anesthetic, medical license, tobacco, medicines, this that the other, and... anesthetic." Shoving all his possessions into his bag and suitcase he made his way to the door. He spirited his revolver into his coat, lit his pipe, turned his sign to 'Sorry, we're closed!', and stepped out onto the street. "Now what's the fastest-" The intercom sounded. "Well, that could work."

After that the prestigious Dr. Cigs made his way down the street, held the door for a spunky young lass, and almost chickened out. He sat down at the table nearest and watched the girl. Could you blame him? The doctor once operated on a man whose arms were stuck together by a dislodged dragon tooth, and his feet smelt rancid. Now that the girl had gone he realized that he couldn't wait all day. So he put on the most polite smile he could and here he was. He removed his hat for a gentlemanly bow. His smoke trailed in a ark. "Doctor Simon Cigstean at your service sir."

 

[remmey]

Victoria handed the man her paper, assuming he was Enki. She was actually surprised that that was all she had to do. She walked around, examining each room before deciding. She found a room that had a window in it and decided that she liked it the most. Victoria put some of her stuff away and sat on the bed. After a minute or two she contemplated going back outside to see who else would show up, and maybe introduce herself, especially to Enki.

She slowly walked to the exit, admiring the interior, and found Enki where she saw him before.

"Hello," she extended her hand out for a handshake, "name's Victoria, nice to meet you. I'm assuming you're Enki?"

 

[Dahrinn (Groucho)]

[John]
​

John, quite visibly smiling, said; "That name rings a bell... Either you or someone else with that name fixed up Anton's arm... a few years back. Either way, welcome to the crew then, believe me when I say we need medics. We only had one last time, and HE got injured, so we had to bail out after only one Dragon."
​

[Enki]
​

Enki returned the handshake, with a grip that would almost hurt most people. He nodded and said. "Indeed I am, and you are?" Unknowingly to him, the fabric on his right hand started to come loose, and it could be seen, he a robotic hand, with metal fingers sticking out of a base covered with leather. He took notice after a moment, and wrapped it up again, more tightly this time, and quite quickly, as dexterously as if he were tying his shoe.​

 

[remmey]

"I'm kind of new around here I guess, wanted to go with John and figured I'd get in since I'm a medic." Victoria stared at his arm, but then looked away because she didn't want to seem rude. She figured if John let someone with a robotic arm on the ship, then she should be fine; but then again, you can use a robot arm and she had almost no use for her eye.

"That's a nice arm you got there, how'd you get it? And would you mind if I got a closer look?" Victoria was always interested in amputation and prosthetics and she didn't want to turn down the opportunity to see a robotic arm considering it's not exactly common.

 

[Crono]

Nina arrived, and had to take a moment to take it all in. The legendary Beowulf was docked before her in all its glory. The gentle bobbing in the air was a complement to this astounding dragon slayer. After spending a few minutes basking in its glory Nina actually looked for a way into the Beowulf. She found a open doorway with several people crowded around it. She made her way forwards, gripping her flyer with determination. When she made it to the man that seemed the most threatening therefore in charge she saluted him and extended her hand with a paper. "Nina Cloud airship pilot at your service sir."


Dr. Cigs smiled lightly, trying not to think about the bloody mess that was that man's arm he had fixed. "I think I remember a Anton. Thank you for your welcome Master Caine. I will give it my all." With that he took a flyer and made his way out, however he did something rather odd. The doctor seemed to turn left instead of right, and after a moment he went right. What had happened was that as soon as he left Simon turned to bang his head four times against the front of the restaurant. "I, am, so, dead," he muttered before leaving for the Beowulf.

 

[Dahrinn (Groucho)]

The broadcast came on once more, this time... a voice other than the Mayor's.
​

Attention! Attention! There has been a dragon attack on a caravan of Merchant vessels roughly one-hundred miles to the east, the Dragon in question is of undetermined size and variant. The Caravan was guarded by three military-class vessels, but all communication has been lost.
​

[John]
​

John nearly fell out of his chair. "This close?! Alright... if something can't be identified by three military ships before they're taken down, I don't think the turrets will properly bring it out of the sky." He looked around. "If anyone who wanted to join has not got the chance yet, just take a paper and read it while you follow me!" He walked at an extremely fast pace, before reaching The Beowulf a few minutes later.
​

[Enki]
​

Enki heard the broadcast. "Well..." He turned to Nina. "John's probably going to be here at an alarming speed, and when he does, we are going to take off. Controls are at the back of the vessel, like in antique ships. To activate the spike, press the big red button." He turned towards Cisco, and thought for a moment. "If you want to join, just hop on, John I can deal with paperwork later."
​

John came up to the ship, rushed to Enki, they both nodded, and John said.
"Everyone aboard, we are going to hunt a dragon!"



This is how a large amount of John Caine's voyages start.​