high_seas | Not her best idea

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Not her best idea

Who: Celes and Kagerou
When: Backdated to Monday evening
Where: The fountain and then the outskirts of town.
What: Kagerou has got something to tell Celes and she wishes to do so privately...and at night.
Warnings: None at the moment.
Status: Closed

The sun had set roughly an hour ago, but even so Celes hadn't rushed to the fountain where she was to meet Kagerou. It was just starting to get dark enough to leave, yes, but that isn't why she hadn't left yet. The whole ordeal felt suspicious to her and as such she was hesitant to go along with it despite having agreed to do so. A weapon was all well and good, but in a place such as this, with so very many things that were not explained or logical...well. She wasn't sure if such a plain weapon would do anything at all if things got bad. Being a human was nice when everyone else was, but this place showed her that this wasn't exactly the case.

...bah. This is ridiculous! She's Celestia Ludenberg for fuck's sake; such fear is beneath her.

After telling herself that for a few times, she pushed the foolish thoughts out of her mind and headed straight for the fountain. Hopefully the other woman would already be there, but if not she would have to begrudgingly wait for her to arrive.

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She was approached by a hooded woman, her steps quiet and nervous. In her hands was a small oil lamp, attached to a rod to keep it a bit distant from her. Well, this was it... besides Ace and Seki, she'd been careful to keep her nature a secret. But if this woman was to be her captain, she deserved to know.

"Ludenberg-san? It's me, Kagerou... We should go somewhere a bit darker, I think. P-please don't misunderstand, it's just important that only you see what I'm about to show you..."

When Kagerou approached, Celes met her with a blank expression. The truth of the matter was that she was very unsure about this scenario, but she knew better than to show that kind of emotion. Letting people know that you were scared or nervous gave them power over you. It was sad, perhaps, but such is life.

"Of course. Do keep in mind this was merely a meeting place." she responded, matter of factly. "If you wish to go someplace more private, so be it. Lead the way."

Kagerou, on the other hand, did nothing to hide how anxious she was. Her steps were uncertain as they made their way to the edge of town, and her hands seemed to just wring on the lantern rod. When she figured they were far enough from potential public, she let out a long, nervous sigh.

"Okay... Ludenberg-san, how familiar with fairtale lore are you? Japanese? Western? Well, really, I just want to know... what you know about wolves."

It was actually rather comforting how anxious the other woman was. The uncertainly, the hesitation, it made her very easy to read. Such actions didn't belong to a person planning to commit murder, but even so she never let her guard down. This could all be an act, after all. A pretty good one too, considering how long she kept it up.

Once they'd stopped and Kagerou had asked her question, Celes couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "...you mean werewolves, yes?"

"Could you please hold the lamp?" Kagerou extended the rod to her, turning fully to face the gambler.

...she's got a baaad feeling about this.

Hesitating for a brief moment, Celes nodded and reached for the rod, gripping it firmly before taking a few steps back.

After a few deep breaths, Kagerou finally pulled the hood back, and adjusted the skirting in her dress. Before Celes's eyes, out popped two fuzzy wolf ears and a long, bushy tail. She focused briefly before her talons transformed as well, completing the look... or at least as complete as it could look under the current level of moonlight.

"I am a Honshu Werewolf... the last of my kind. You've probably heard a lot of stories about the Big Bad Wolf? Well... that's me. Sort of."

Oh.

Well.

This certainly was interesting. Celes herself was certainly no stranger to cosplay; god knows Yamada would prattle on and on about it, but...this, upon closer inspection, was clearly not a costume. For a few seconds she's unsure what to say, red eyes still taking in the sight before her.

"I see." it's not much, but she still needs a few more seconds. "...tell me, are you able to fully control yourself? Do you transform more so or less so depending on the phase of the moon? These questions are quite important, so please answer them honestly."

"As more of the moon becomes visible, I become more obviously wolf like. Plus, if the moon is visible at all, I can transform into a more lupine form, than this humanoid type I have now. I try to hide it for the most part because, well... people don't like werewolves very much, in general. I hide less back home, because weird youkai are so plentiful, but... around here, I'd prefer to keep it a secret for as long as I can." She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"I'd like to be on your ship, because I really do want to find a way home for myself and my friend, Sekibanki. But part of being on a team is knowing you can trust one another... so I can't keep this a secret from you, or any other potential captain I might end up serving."

Celes nodded when appropriate, listening intently to what Kagerou had to say before taking her turn to speak. "I have no problems with keeping your secret, but are you prepared to reveal it to the other member of my crew? And to anyone else who joins?"

"Well, if you need me to, but... Do I really have to?"

"They are going to find out eventually, you know. Besides, we're supposed to be a team, aren't we? It's not like I'm asking you to reveal yourself to everyone here; just everyone that matters. Which, as you'll find, is a relatively small number."

"Well... I guess so. And you seriously don't think anything of this? You're not afraid?" Because if she had to be honest, she couldn't tell what Celes was feeling at all.

"Not really, no." It was a lie, but a small one. She was cautious within reason, but her face was as unreadable as ever. "I'm quite fond of the supernatural, you see. Besides...your current appearance is a quite different than what I would have expected a real life werewolf to look like."

In other words, she thinks Kagerou is kind of adorable.

"Well, I get a lot more, ah... furry when the moon is full." She gave a nervous laugh.

"Perhaps, but I will at least expect it." she made a dismissive gesture with her hand, waving the other woman off. "So long as you do not try to maul me or my crew I doubt I will have a problem with you."

"That definitely won't happen! I mean, just because werewolves are all bad guys in the storybooks, doesn't mean I'll be! I'm definitely not like that at all!"

"Good, then that's all settled." thank god. Though with that out of the way, there was another matter that needed a bit of discussion. "Now then...I believe you mentioned something about a friend of yours...Sekibanki, yes? I recall meeting a woman here with that very name. Tell me, will she be joining you?"

"We made a promise to stick together." Kagerou nodded. "She's a good hand, though! She's just a little... rough around the edges."

Edited 2013-09-14 02:46 (UTC)

"Ah, right. I do remember her being quite standoffish and uninterested in the situation when we met." she would have taken offense to her walking off...except that she didn't actually care. The conversation had run its course, though there were certainly better ways of ending it.

Ah well. She wasn't about to hold that against someone who could be useful.

"Heh, I definitely apologize on her behalf. She's a good person, though. Just a little too concerned with appearances." As if Kagerou wasn't.

"...really? I didn't get that impression from her. The part about appearances, that is."

"It's something you'd only notice if you've known her awhile."

Celes nodded. "Then I take it you two are quite close?"

"We're both part of a Grass Roots organization for lesser youkai back home. We have a third member, but... she isn't here."

"Could you tell me more about her? It's possible she could show up later." probably not, but you never know. No harm in hoping.

"Her name is Wakasagihime... she's a mermaid from the Misty Lake. She's super nice! And soft spoken, and really pretty and..." Kagerou seems to swoon a bit.

That swoon is noticed, placed in her memory for later, and then ignored. "A mermaid, hmm? I'll be sure to look out for her."

"You definitely won't miss her. Unlike me and Sekibanki, she can't really hide her youkai nature from prying eyes. Having a fish tail and all. And a need to be in water. But I usually just carry her if she needs to cross land, so it's no problem!"

Well, that certainly made sense. However, there was a bit of a problem. "If she's your friend, I'd imagine she'd want to join up with you. However...how would she do so? Would you have a place to store enough water for her to survive on the ship, or would she merely float along side it?"

"Huh... That's actually a good question." Plus the ocean was saltwater, right? Misty Lake was freshwater. It was hard to tell how she'd fit in.

"Admittedly this presents a problem..." she pauses for a few moments, trying to think up a plan. "I...suppose we could keep excess water on the ship for her, if you choose to join me. Set up something akin to a large bath for her to stay in."

"Well, she's not here, and hopefully won't be, so let's not worry about it, okay?"

"...very well. I suppose that's the end of that, then. Which leads us to your decision...have you made it yet?"

Kagerou let out a long sigh, playing with the hems of her sleeves. Right... It came down to this, didn't it?

"Ludenberg-san... knowing the truth about me, you showed no fear, and no desire to just use me to terrify others. You looked at me, not as human and youkai, but just person to person... And that means a lot to me. Maybe there are more people around with the same attitude, but I think I'm safer going with someone who appreciates me for who I am. I'd be happy to join your crew... and maybe learn to sew some pretty dresses for you, too!"

Perhaps, for even just a second, those words...Kagerou's words...reached down past Celes' guarded exterior and dove deep into something else. Her face showed no emotion except for a guarded smile that looked quite like a genuine one, but even so...it's possible. Taeko Yasuhiro was still alive inside her, despite how much the gambler would like to deny that.

Of course, it was equally possible that the other woman's words did no such thing. That Celes felt no such emotional stimulation and that all of this conversation was just lip service on her part. It was impossible to tell one way or the other, and truthfully Celes preferred it that way. Best to not reveal your hand so early on in the game, even to those you can "trust".

"Is that right?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. "Very well. If that is your decision, then I accept you as part of my crew. Welcome aboard, Kagerou-san."

"Aye, aye, captain!" Kagerou gives a salute that might have had a place in Meiji-era Japan, but looks a bit silly and dated round their current parts.

Perhaps it was silly, but at least it gets a smile out of her captain. That's gotta count for something.

"I quite like your enthusiasm, Kagerou-san. Of course, we should probably get back to town. I, for one, need my beauty sleep."

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Not her best idea

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SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR DR1

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