Time
Moderator 
THE ONE PIECE! THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!!
Posts: 449
|
Post by Time on Jun 7, 2023 5:13:35 GMT
Freya smiled once Yanagi cooperated. "That's good to hear.". Before resuming the application of ointment and bandages around her wrists. Listening as she did, Freya paused at the description given, then she radiated bloodlust. Unlike the last time where it had been unexpected, this time Freya could brace for it. Still, it took all her mental might to keep from jumping back again, as she finished up the past bandage. **"So you're from Wano? Ayane is from there as well, but she doesn't talk about it much. As for your captors, those were Marines. They're a naval law enforcement group funded and made by the World Government. What's more, I would highly advise you not mention that you're from Wano. Anyone from there automatically has a 800 thousand berri bounty on them..... If you want to know more, I can call Ayane over, and she can explain. Outside of that, my orders are to take slow sips or you'll throw up.". The little girl stated before giving a mug to her with fresh water in it. "If you want to wander, avoid going downstairs any further than the deck. Things tend to break when we barely touch them thanks to Ayane.... Otherwise stay put.". Freya would then walk out leaving Yanagi to her own devices.
Meanwhile Isabella nodded in agreement. "Yes... A log pose would be critical, but we can't afford to wait. If this defense is successful, then it could mean the end for our crew. A fast or a slow death.," She stated before walking away with the paper, "meow if you'll excuse me, I want to read a bit more of this. I'm waiting for Close Scoop to release their next big piece of news.....". The old minx said as she wandered off.
Almost immediately after Ayane finished her sentence, a resounding **BOOOOOM** Echoed through the ship. There was no fire, but it WAS clear that it was a Backfire blast, instantly killing the engine. Moxie glared at Ayane, before sighing and stepping out to tell the crewmates to open the rarely used sails. They wouldn't be going fast, but they would be going.
|
|
|
|
Post by cmd1095 on Jun 7, 2023 13:09:23 GMT
Ayane smiled sheepishly "ehe... failure huh? My bad. I'll uh... go fix those. See you in a few hours~" she said, the sheepish look fading quickly as the thrill of starting her work replaced it. She managed to look chastised for all of 30 seconds this time though, which was pretty long whenever there was a shiny new project around to distract her. The girl got so absorbed in her work that everything else took a backseat much of the time. With a wave and an excited giggle she darted off to the engine room. She'd get things up and running again soon enough, she'd at least taken enough precautions with this experiment that even the worst case catastrophic failure would only stall them rather than destroy anything... but these engines took a while to rev up.
"Man if I could just find some sort of power source for these that was stronger, I heard some wild stories about crazy technology from islands in the Line. Maybe one of them would let me improve these things more." Ayane mused to herself "man I can't wait to see it all and incorporate it all into my babies! hehehehehe"
And like that Ayane was fully back in her own world, it was doubtful she even remembered they had another Wano resident on board at the moment. She'd remember and check in on Yanagi later... probably.
--------------
When the boat lurched to a stop, Serena was one of the few who was utterly unaffected by it, her fruit giving her an uncanny sense of balance because of her control of her own kinetic energy. She sighed in exasperaton... she was going to have to scold Ayane later. She and Onaka seemed to be the only ones the little gremlin genius listened to in any serious capacity. She understood Onaka, but she never quite got why Ayane paid her so much attention in particular.
Regardless with the ship stalled, they weren't doing anything for a few hours except coasting on wind power. So Serena decided it was a good time to head to one of the upper levels and enjoy a nice shower... she needed to decompress after that bit with Yanagi.
-------------
"heading to the Line after all these years huh? How exciting~" Onaka said giddily, the thrill of new adventure quickly drowning out her more rational and concerned demeanor from before... especially with Isabelle having wandered off and not around to rein her back in. She was jolted back to reality by the jolt of the ship engines stalling though "Ughhhhhh Ayaneeeeee" she groaned, facepalming in tired exasperation. They all loved Ayane dearly, and the girl was an undeniable genius... the state of their ship was a testament to that... but she was a handful.
Onaka would decide to go pay their new guest a visit, see how that was going. It was hard to get excited over adventure when they were going to be barely moving for a few hours. On the way she updated the 'days since last Ayane incident' from 7 back down to 0 with a resigned sigh.
|
|
|
|
Post by ultralilly on Jun 7, 2023 21:23:56 GMT
Marines, huh? World Government? Did these people think themselves better than everyone else in the world? That they knew better? It made her chuckle and then seethe. That was ridiculous. They can get away with being THAT cruel and yet still consider themselves a World Government. How foolish. While it did make her blood boil, they weren't here now. These people gave off a very different air. It was somewhat relaxing to be able to be fed, lay in a bed, and to not worry about having to look over her shoulder for impending danger.
For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Yanagi could breathe in relief.
But apparently it was bad to be from Wano to the World Government. That was outrageous! Almost downright laughable!
She took a sip of the water as instructed and then the ship came to a halt. Yanagi nearly flipped out of her bed. She landed perfectly on her two feet then casually took another drink of water before setting it down on the tray. She had been given instructions on where she could roam and was not about to defy those rules. But curiosity about this ship was going to get the better of her soon enough.
They had stopped moving and Yanagi was feeling like she needed to find some way to wash off all of this junk. Might as well go exploring. She wandered off with a smile on her face, admiring the woodwork and designs of the hallways. She ran her fingers along them with awe then started upstairs and stopped once more to give the woodwork some closer inspection. She nodded, noticing how different it was to Wano woodwork. The cuts and striations were completely different and the smell was a bit odd. What oil did they use to polish this?
She wandered a bit more then stopped to admire the doors. They were sturdy. But then she reminded herself she needed to get washed up. They must have a placeto wash on the vessel, right? They seemed to have everything elseso why not a washroom?
|
|
Time
Moderator
THE ONE PIECE! THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!!
Posts: 449
|
Post by Time on Jun 8, 2023 3:31:25 GMT
The crew went about their business in a hurried manner, sails were set, the helmsman was steering again, and the Sea Quill was now working with the wind. Things weren't exactly quiet, but they were at least not as chaotic as they could be. Ayane could find that her implementations to control the results of the malfunction was effective, though the smoke that came from the engine was spewing out the backside of the ship, a logical conclusion considering the design of her safeguard. Still, it'd likely signal other ships if not quickly dealt with.
Meanwhile, after wandering for a bit, Yanagi would make it up to the deck. Before her was the crew, some attending the sails, while others were cleaning its deck. They worked hard, and it was clear why. Suddenly a man slid down the mast, blowing on his hands at the end of his oddly long looking arms before walking up to greet her. "Yoho! Something the matter?". The man asked the newest guest of the ship. It would be now that Yanagi would be able to spot the unusual design made on the sail, of a skull with quills or spikes sticking out if it. What's more, the flag was in a similar design. There was also another odd sight, a woman with long stiff looking quills who seemed to be the person everyone listened to on deck.
Serena would be able to reach the Upper Deck without anyone stopping her, hell, she'd even find the shower room empty as everyone was busy at the moment. A design made by Ayane, and ingenious when considering how they could use the engine to heat up the water with it's residual heat.
|
|
|
|
Post by cmd1095 on Jun 8, 2023 3:57:40 GMT
Serena would be grateful for the empty showers. She made a point of showering when the washroom was empty to minimize the odds of anyone entering her shower and seeing what was on her back. Everyone had seen glimpses of the scarring on her back and shoulders, but the full extent was worse than they knew and she liked keeping it that way... plus right on the center of her back was... that mark. Nobody needed to know about that, it would only endanger them.
Serena would be lost in her thoughts as the shower began, tuning out the world for a bit.
----
Ayane stared at the smoking component, that would probably cause a problem if she didn't address that. Man that modified fuel tank really had malfunctioned badly huh?
"Welp, this tank is shot, and the design was a failure so..." Ayane mused aloud "out it goes!"
The smoking experimental fuel tank would simply be tossed out of the ship to sink into the ocean, it'd be a little longer before the smoke fully cleared from the engine, but without the source the problem would be resolved. She'd put a new unmodified fuel tank in and run some diagnostics on everything before starting the boot up sequence again
-----
"Ah, seems our guest is already up on her feet and exploring, good to see" Onaka said as she spotted Yanagi, she hadn't gotten the full update on everything that happened in the medical bay just yet, but since Yanagi was up on her feet and wandering about she figured it was fine "you sure bounced back fast, and Freya let you out of bed too, wonders upon wonders! I sent someone to get you some fresh clothes... but none of us are quite your size so it's going to basically be a bunch of towels roughly stitched together till we can clean what you're wearing now. Showers are on the upper deck if you wanna wash up after your ordeal. Kitchen is on the main deck if you wanna bug Serena for more food, but don't touch the food stores unless you like the idea of Freya choking you out."
|
|
|
|
Post by ultralilly on Jun 8, 2023 4:25:53 GMT
On top of the woodwork, there were even more interesting people on board this vessel! Long arms?! It made her stare a bit before normalizing it in her mind. Then came the sail that looked quite unique! She wasn't sure why but it put a smile on her face. The man's words got her attention. "Oh, I was just...ah!" Her head turned to get a full look at Onaka who greeted her warmly. Seeing the quills made her want to ask but figured this was just another unique person aboard. They even wanted to give her a change of clothes! The thought alone filled her heart with a warmth.
She shook her head."You people have done enough. Giving me food and treating my wounds. I've no home to return to right now so I might stay here for awhile if your leader would permit such a thing." she got on her hands and knees and kowtowed before Onaka and the man. She arose quickly after. "I will head then for these showers to clean up." she looked to both,nodded to them, then headed back inside to navigate her way toward the showers.
|
|
|
|
Post by cmd1095 on Jun 8, 2023 4:44:03 GMT
"Well the person in charge is me, and I'm ok with it, I'll have someone show you around proper later. If you're going to be on board you'll need to pitch in, but for now go wash up and recover." Onaka said, letting Yanagi go head to the washrooms
--------
Serena sighed as she continued washing up, she couldn't get that declaration from Yangi off her mind. Sure the girl was cute and all, but what would possess her to say something like that? Was she insane? Or trying to win her over for nefarious purposes? Nowhere in Serena's mind was the possibility that there was just genuine interest in her, and that made her thoughts on the matter extra cynical.
-----
Ayane would keep working away at the engines
|
|
Time
Moderator
THE ONE PIECE! THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!!
Posts: 449
|
Post by Time on Jun 8, 2023 4:52:36 GMT
The long armed man looked a bit confused as Yanagi bowed before him and the captain together. "Uhmm... Hate yo break it to ya, but that's our Captain right there.". He stated pointing a finger awkwardly at Onaka as he tried his best not to accidentally outstretch his arm into her quills. He had done that one too many times when he first joined the crew.
With that said, Freya would come up from below deck, and notice the girl as well, before hearing what she had to say and watching her go with an idle wave. Approaching Onaka, she'd speak. "She's fine for the most part. Her muscle atrophy wasn't bad, so she capable of a quick recovery. She'll just need to drink plenty of water and citric fruits. Outside of that..... Based on what she had told us of her captors, it seems she was captured by the Marines, though I have no idea how she managed to escape. Didn't bother to go into that much detail.".
The long armed grunt excused himself to handle business. Meanwhile, the fuel tank that was smoldering was ejected and soon was floating still in the water behind the crew as the boat sailed on. Moxie would shout down to the deck, "Flambeau Island! Several miles ahead!",making sure that everyone knew what was going on and where their destination was. They would be there in two hours, characteristically longer than normal as they weren't using the engines. Still, it was one of their hotspots, and also where they had the best reputation so far. It was also where Serena had hidden their stashed savings by Freya's advice. It was ultimately their "home base" of sorts, and while the people were especially friendly it was more important that it was a accepting community.
Ayane would begin to reinstall the new tank, but there were some unforseen warping in the fuel tank bay. It seemed the frame had taken the brunt of the force, and a few bolts were missing outright. Nothing she couldn't copy and fix, but it'd take time, and she'd stay busy unless she got bored.
Meanwhile, Yanagi would begin to approach the showers, though she could hear the sounds of running water as well, or was that the sound of the ocean?
|
|
|
|
Post by ultralilly on Jun 8, 2023 5:00:15 GMT
It took the foundling a little while find her way up but she found it by hearing the sound of running water and followed it with great curiosity. Was someone already inside? Well, it should be alright. Back in Wano, it wasn't strange to bathe with others. "Excuse the intrusion..." she said. She didn't look at whoever was inside and instead turned her back as soon as she entered and closed the door. "Do not mind my presence. I will be in here washing up all the same!"
She said nothing else and removed her attire without warning. Namely, just the tattered and dirtied kimono to reveal a singular breast band beneath. She started humming then paused to think of where her sword was right now. It should be alright. They didn't seem interested in her weapon. But for now, she was unarmed.
Curiosity got the better of her as she turned to get a glimpse at whoever was in here with her.
|
|
|
|
Post by cmd1095 on Jun 8, 2023 5:21:43 GMT
Serena had let her guard down, being on this ship, with everyone busy... there was no reason to suspect anyone would walk in on her right this moment. So when a chill wafted in along with the sound of the door opening and closing behind her she didn't immediately process what was happening. In confusion she glanced over her shoulder, and saw Yanagi there in her breast band behind her.
There was a moment of stunned silence, letting Yanagi get a clear look at her back. Serena's back was covered in horrific scarring, clearly not the kind you got from battles, but from torture and abuse. More prominent than that though was a mark on the square of her back, a large dragon claw. Despite all the scarring it was clearly visible, like it had been branded onto her in such a way that it couldn't be removed even by the mangling of her flesh.
The moment of shock faded soon enough though, replaced by fury as Serena emanated bloodlust and turned, drawing a dagger from a sheath she had in the shower with her and pressing it to Yanagi's throat while pushing her against the wall. If not for the knife it would almost be an exciting position, in this context though... clearly Serena was either extremely modest... or she was keeping secrets... and considering how close they were to each other now that ruled out the first option.
"Did. You. See. It." Serena hissed "Tell me. Now."
It wasn't hard to guess what "It" was. it was either the scarring or the brand, and only one of those was a singular "it"
|
|
|
|
Post by ultralilly on Jun 8, 2023 5:49:44 GMT
The moment she heard movement rushing toward her, Yanagi immediately knew something was wrong. She caught a glimpse of that scar. it was unmistakable. It was clearly a branding of some kind and immediately she felt a tinge of pain in the back of her neck. She turned to face Serena head on raised her chin accordingly with wide eyes that looked surprised but not fearful. In fact, they were focused on Serena's own eyes which reflected a rage that Yanagi wanted to udnerstand. She asked a question.
"Did. You. See. It. Tell me. Now."
Without even blinking an eye, Yanagi answered. "Yes. I know not what it is but me seeing it clearly has upset you which I can only think it is meant as a secret." her eyes were zeroed in on Serena's to show how resolute she was in the following statement. "You saved my life and it is therefore yours to do with as you please. But...I will not die before I fulfill my dream." Never blinked. She even pressed her own neck to the blade and only slightly grunted at the touch of a blade to it. "If it a secret you wish for me to keep, I will keep it and take it to my grave. I am not here to judge or to ridicule.Yet if you deem me untrustworthy..."
She tilted her neck to the side to show a clear and deep scar on the side of her own neck. "I beg you to make it less painful than the one who attempted to remove my head for trying to keep a secret from them so that a friend might live. One of which remains with me to this day."
All things considered, Yanagi's tone was firm, resolute, and filled with sincerity. Not to mention she was a bit taller and looked ready to take whatever punishment with absolute grace.
|
|
Time
Moderator
THE ONE PIECE! THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!!
Posts: 449
|
Post by Time on Jun 8, 2023 7:16:53 GMT
{pass}
|
|
|
|
Post by cmd1095 on Jun 8, 2023 12:49:45 GMT
There were several long moments as Serena processed what Yanagi said, she looked at the scar mentioned, mulled over the tone and how sincere it was, and looked into Yanagi's eyes looking for even the slightest hint of deception. But she found none, so slowly she lowered the blade, sheathing it and putting it aside again. She was clearly still on edge, but the bloodlust was gone.
Letting out a deep sigh Serena stepped back. "So first of all, I don't know how it is in Wano, but here showers are usually a one person affair unless it's for intimate 'activities.' You may want to make me your wife but we're nowhere near that level of closeness." she said, blushing a bit and lifting an arm to cover herself now as they talked "not that you're not attractive... but we literally just met no more than an hour ago."
"Second, if you tell anyone. ANYONE. About that mark. I will kill you. If news about that mark were to spread, it would endanger this whole crew. My bounty would shoot up into the millions. We'd have warships on our heels constantly, and everyone here would probably be killed just for associating with me." Serena said firmly "the only one who knows about it other than you is Onaka and Freya, and I'd have kept it from them too if I could... the only reason I'm not silencing you is because I know from Ayane how seriously people from Wano take their honor and oaths... and you have the scars to prove it."
|
|
|
|
Post by ultralilly on Jun 8, 2023 18:05:29 GMT
Yanagi listened intently and nodded in understanding. She smiled, noticing how now Serena chose to cover herself up. It was endearing to say the least in the swordswoman's eyes. She placed a hand on Serena's shoulder and grunted with a nod once more. "I promise you, this secret will remain with me til the end of my days. I've never once broken a promise. Not even a threat of death will be enough for me to spill my guts." Her other hand clasped upon Serena's shoulder.
Her serious eyes turned starry-eyed. "I also promise to make you my wife one way or another! My sword is yours!" she looked at Serena up and down then tilted her head. "If it is a singular activity, you won't be able to wash your back! Allow me to be the one to do that! Erm...when you're willing, that is!"
She sighed and muttered to herself. "So much different than Wano..."
She finally processed that Serena paid her a compliment which made her chuckle bashfully. "Oh you called me attractive...I think. W-Well you're an apple-haired goddess and I will be proud to serve!" She let go then got on one knee with head bowed. "I never did introduce myself so i will do so now; I am Yanagi Ebigawa of the famous Ebigawa smith family. My life, my sword and my heart are all yours!" She looked up to meet Serena's eyes. "Might I be so bold as to ask the name of my future partner?"
|
|
|
|
Post by cmd1095 on Jun 8, 2023 23:31:14 GMT
Serena visibly flinched as Yanagi grabbed onto her shoulder, clearly that was a bad move... and one Yanagi might've been able to avoid making if she'd connected the dots of Serena's horrific scarring with the fact that she'd been abused and tortured... and thus probably had hang-ups about physical contact
Yanagi's forwardness in this already sensitive situation didn't do her any favors either, Serena was very clearly not in the mood for flirting or bonding activities. The kneeling down and introducing herself while swearing fealty again ended up being the final straw though. It pushed Serena over from on edge and very uncomfortable right into being done with the situation entirely and needing to extract herself from it... which meant getting Yanagi out of the shower.
"Nope, this is not a conversation I am having while naked. Too much too fast, time for you to get out and pick one of the other showers. Here take this back scrubber, it's how we wash our backs without others in the shower with us. We can talk some other time, Bye now" Serena said, putting her hands on Yanagi's shoulders and effortlessly picking her up off the ground (though her height would make her legs quickly droop down to drag along the ground. Then suddenly Yanagi would feel herself accelerate backwards out the door and into the washroom again... but Serena didn't throw her. She simply seemed to suddenly be moving backwards. Her landing would be surprisingly gentle though, whatever Serena had done, she'd used only enough force to get Yanagi away from her, not enough to hurt her. It was a good sign considering there'd been a knife to her throat moments ago.
Once Yanagi was out of the shower Serena slammed the door shut again, and locked it this time. Her guard wouldn't be dropped low enough for another incident like this to happen again for a long time.
"...my name is Serena..." Yanagi would hear a few moments later. A small concession, showing that Yanagi hadn't completely blown her chances with Serena. However any further attempts to talk to Serena through the door would be met with silence. She was overwhelmed and checked out from the situation now, and was going to need space and time to decompress before any further attempts to connect with her would have any traction.
|
|
