[02] i came in like a

[thethundersaid]

Who: Uchiha Buttface Sasuke and the kindly crew of the Charming Murderess
Where: Deck of the Charming Murderess
When: November 19th
What: A really grumpy ninja getting dumped via Nav onto the unsuspecting deck of completely innocent pirates.
Warnings: Rudeness. Definitely rudeness.
Style: Any!
Status: Open to all crew members!

As if it weren't humiliating enough to have been forced to make a run from the unexpected number of whatever the armed forces had been (not shinobi by their movements, but trained enough), he'd been roundly lambasted for a fool by the woman whose shop he'd ended up ducking into to avoid the searchers -- but if what the girl who had called herself a 'Precure' was right, then not everyone in this world was a construction of genjutsu. It was perhaps less that Sasuke was inclined to spare lives, though it was certainly a waste of a chakra reserve that continued to deplete more rapidly than was normal, and more that there was a possibility of useful information from a real person than a piece of the illusion.

If it weren't an illusion, as the shopkeeper had insisted ... that was an idea he had no time to contemplate before he'd found himself unceremoniously shoved into something she called a 'Nav' and, in the next moment, stumbling into a completely different place altogether.

There had been no reverse-summons seal that he'd seen, no exchange of blood for a kuchiyose, just a moment of being in the dim light of the shop and then sunlight full in his eyes, forcing him to roll into a defensive crouch before he'd even fully processed his location on ... the deck of a ship?

Depleted as it was, his chakra flared in alarm at the realisation that not only was he at sea, but he wasn't alone.

Comments

[gokai_red]

He wasn't alone, and he had a man in a red coat dropping down onto the deck upon his arrival, drawing a saber and pointing it at him.

"Okay, what the hell? You sure as hell aren't on the manifest."

Marvelous rolled his eyes, and muttered to himself. "If it's not one thing, it's another..."

Glancing back to Sasuke, thumb impatiently tapping on the gun he was holding in his other hand behind his back, he went on. "You've got thirty seconds."

That, really, was being generous. However, enough weird stuff was happening here that he didn't want to just blow the kid's head off without a warning.

[thethundersaid]

It took far less than thirty seconds to catalogue the disadvantage of his position -- the helm and open sea at his back and a ship defended by at least one armed man at his front. There was no way this one was alone, either, and the vertical expanse of the masts provided plenty of foothold for another vantage of attack. Overly destructive measures would be self-destructive until he could ascertain just how far from land he was.

The only advantage was that this man seemed unlikely to be a shinobi given his upfront threat and unsubtle choice of clothing (not that Sasuke couldn't name a ninja who met both those habits).

Tensed for response, his stance still guarded, he let the Sharingan flood his vision to scope the ship and the man's intent (completely serious).

"I was sent here," he said, levelly. "By someone calling herself 'Miss Margie'."

[gokai_red]

Marvelous eyed him for another moment. That name meant this guy had come here the same way he and Luka had. But he'd been 'sent' here by her?

At the very least, that posed enough questions that it raised the possibility he wasn't there for antagonistic reasons. Maybe. Always throw a healthy dose of caution in there when dealing with sudden appearances of strange, funnily dressed people.

He spun his saber up, resting it on his shoulder. However, showing that he wasn't fully at ease, he let his other hand drop to his side, showing his gun in full. Even though its barrel was pointed at the floor, it was held firmly in hand, his finger on the trigger.

"That so? And just why's she sending people to our ship, eh?"

Asked the man who had only been Captain of it for a day, but Marvelous is nothing if not defensive.

[thethundersaid]

The change in the man's stance didn't so much indicate a lessening of threat so much as a shift in its mode, but the -- weapon? that he revealed was not one that Sasuke knew. It didn't seem to have any practical use in and of itself, except perhaps as a club, but the range the man was keeping between them and the confidence with which he presented it as a threat suggested that it was something that could be used at some distance. Speed of response would be a priority.

Sasuke's own stance shifted to match accordingly, subtly balancing his weight on the balls of his feet and gathering chakra to allow shunshin if necessary. It might very well be, given how little he had to offer in answer to that question.

"I don't know. I needed to leave that place and she pushed me toward a round object. Then I was here."

[gokai_red]

Now, that was a key word there, Sasuke.

Marvelous had certainly wanted to leave that island with Luka.

But need?

"Needed to, eh? What's gonna bring someone to pop up on a ship like this uninvited, I wonder?"

[thethundersaid]

Suspicion was far from unexpected -- deserved, in all probability -- but it was highly inconvenient. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, keeping his tone even.

"People in the village were chasing me. Some kind of military force. I found the shop by accident." The military hadn't been shinobi by a long stretch, but more trained than the civilian population and (more significantly) armed. In point of fact, some of the projectile weapons they had been using had looked not unlike the one that was in front of him now.

The velocity of those things had been incredible. His leg wasn't injured so deeply that it impacted his own speed, but ... the whole situation was edging past inconvenient into dangerous.

"What do you know about this military?"

[gokai_red]

"I know they'd rather put bullets in all our heads and be done with it," he replied evenly. "That said, me and my friend weren't getting shot at when we left earlier."

And he just left that comment hanging there for the moment, still staring the ninja down.

[thethundersaid]

... bullets was yet another new word, but this conversation was clearly not the time for finer discussion of uncommon weaponry. Or common, as it appeared to be in this world.

No -- it was clear that he was digging for particular information. How quickly did news travel in this place? Even if it was apparently the case that the military force was the enemy of all, it didn't necessarily follow that Sasuke, as the enemy of this man's enemy, was his friend. Without a sense of where he was on the water he had limited options even if he destroyed the ship and simply walked.

"You're getting at something," he said shortly. "Say it straight."

[gokai_red]

All told, Marvelous had not yet heard about the goings on. But it was true, he and Luka hadn't been pursued off the island. It simply made sense to wonder just why he was being CHASED off it in such a manner.

It sure as hell made him suspicious, though. He certainly wouldn't MIND another crew member, because he didn't have room to be as picky as he would be back home, AND they just needed all the help they could get.

But there was still a degree that needed to be tested.

"I could. You got a straight answer?" he asked, tapping the back of his Gokai Saber on his shoulder. "We left earlier and there wasn't any kind of ruckus going down there. Like I said, we didn't have anyone trying to kill us. I've got a responsibility to protect this crew now, so some guy who basically got chased on her by the people that want us sunk could make a problem. Just what the hell happened?"

Of course, in the end, he also realized that very little could probably make this Navy want to blow them to Kingdom Come MORE the way he was reading things. Still, it seemed like a good way to pose the question at the time.

[sun_goddess_sacrifice]

Futo did not like sudden visitors, they were in a precarious situation, and everyone knew this. Their replacement captain was new, and many of their members unfamiliar with sea, and children!

There was something about this one that caught her senses though, a warrior? Depending on his disposition he could be a good addition, or a risk. Still, she could not ignore her own instincts and training, from up above the desk she pulled out her long bow and drew an arrow of light against him.

"Speak! Know that thy words will be judged most harshly."

[thethundersaid]

This one had a distinctly different aura than the first man; less flamboyant, more direct. Her speech was oddly formal, but that was secondary to the weapon she pulled within moments of reacting to his presence -- Susano'o's flared around him immediately, the chakra drain of maintaining even just the ribs a deep, echoing pain.

He gritted his teeth through it, standing to glare up at the figure in the rigging.

"What do you expect me to say? I didn't choose to appear here."

[sun_goddess_sacrifice]

She was not a stranger to such defense spells, but it made her more edgy and wanting to make her own potential counter measures.

"That is a start. Why not explain how you did come to us, and what your intentions are," she kept her arrow aimed true, but also summoned multiple balls of fire to float around her from up high. It was a warning, saying that she was prepared for anything.

[thethundersaid]

Their mutual tension was hardly a source for comfort when his preliminary glance around had failed to spot any notable land. He had enough chakra to flesh out Susano'o to armour perhaps one or twice, and there was always the jutsu's own weaponry, but he preferred not to damage what was keeping him afloat if possible.

With effort, he straightened into a less threatening stance, trusting that the quick response of this crew member meant she would be able to read the intent in his posture.

"I have no interest in harming you or your companions. I was sent here by a Miss Margie when I was looking for a place to avoid the defensive forces on that island."

[sun_goddess_sacrifice]

She did indeed read the intent, and in turn lowered her arrow, though did not take back her fire. She did relax her stance though, and leapt from her perch flying slowly down to the deck. The balls of fire stayed where they were more or less.

"I see, then I suppose you are simply a new arrival lost and confused. In that case I will not judge you so harshly, however, it is polite when boarding someones vessel to be humble and apologetic, not ready for a fight."

[thethundersaid]

What was that fire jutsu? For all his familiarity with Katon-based arts, Sasuke had never seen anyone simply leave the fire floating in mid-air quite like that -- using fire as if it were water jutsu instead. Did they function the same way, as reservoirs for future use?

More immediately noteworthy was the fact that she had left them behind even as she approached, perhaps covering her now that she had lowered her weapon.

"I did not expect to be boarding a vessel of any kind," he responded, choosing not to touch on lost and confused, however accurate they might be. "The only logical action was be prepared for attack."

[sun_goddess_sacrifice]

"The logical action should be caution and nothing more. Hostile activity is more likely to lead to a misunderstanding," she shook her head a bit before waving her hand and dismissing her fire. It seemed for now she did not consider Sasuke a threat.

"I suppose now you will need a better understanding of this world and why we are here."

[thethundersaid]

... for all that she appeared to have knowledge and command of advanced fire manipulation, she was clearly from a different background if the expected response to unexpectedly arriving into an entirely unfamiliar environment was nothing more than caution. More importantly, though, was that repeated assertion of this world as if there were numerous others -- as good a place as any to start, if she were offering information.

"I have reason to believe that this might all be an advanced illusion technique," he said, tone flat. "But I've been told by others that they arrived here the same way I did, but accepted that this is reality. Is that the case with you?"

[dragonbadfaith]

[Sitting on one of the ship's railings and flipping through his journal when Sasuke suddenly APPEARS and stumbles onto the deck. Draco jumps a bit and nearly topples over backwards straight into the water, but he manages to steady himself and scowls over at the newcomer.]

Oh, for Merlin's sake. Another one?!

[Seriously, how many new people are they going to get?]

[thethundersaid]

[Sasuke is no less startled by his own appearing, but his reaction is to balance his weight for maximum speed of response -- though the flailing of this one suggests that he is likely not a combat threat.]

How does that thing work? [Which means he is a target for interrogation.] Do people get sent through it often?

[dragonbadfaith]

[lol no, combat not so much.

He eyes Sasuke warily.]

...It's like a giant Portkey. [Not that he thinks this guy is from his world, what with that getup.] When you touch it, it sends you somewhere else. To other ships, if I'm not mistaken.

[He hops off the railing, opting to lean back against it instead and cross his arms.]

Were we expecting you?

[thethundersaid]

A what? [If nothing else, he's learned more words since waking up here than he has in a long time.] Like a reverse-summons?

[There is no threat in this one's manner and Sasuke relaxes slightly, taking in more of the ship and the deeply unpleasant awareness that there is no nearby land.]

No. I wasn't expecting to be sent here.

[dragonbadfaith]

A Portkey—never mind. Sure. That, what you said. I imagine it's probably similar, see, it's really not complicated. It gets you from one place to the next. Though usually you have to know where you're going.

[He frowns a bit.]

Which begs the question, how are you here if you didn't know where you were going? Where the bloody hell did you come from?

[thethundersaid]

[Not complicated is one thing, but to be powerful enough to bring him somewhere without any apparent matching seal -- though perhaps that is what is concealed within the orb-things. The feeling is vastly different, but then again, this is apparently a vastly different world. He nods finally, accepting the explanation, and eyes the complicated rigging and its limited sight distance with suspicion.]

I came from the shop owned by someone named Margie. She was the one who got me here.

[He glances at the pale teenager with some disbelief.] And you? You're a pirate on this ship, then?

[dragonbadfaith]

Oh her.

[Draco relaxes marginally. As far as he knows, she's one of the few people in this world who seems willing to help the newcomers.]

That's odd, you'd think she would've informed us ahead of time.

[He bristles at that disbelieving look, though even he's not sure if it's because he's insulted that the idea him being a pirate is so unbelievable, or because he's insulted that he's being accused of being a pirate at all.]

I'm...a crew member on this ship, though not necessarily by choice. And as we're sailing around without the proper papers, by default we're considered pirates. It's a rather bad deal all around.

[thethundersaid]

[Interesting -- the name clearly inspires both confidence and relief. Something to note, though the shopkeeper had clearly been something less than pleased with him when she'd all but shoved him into the reverse-summons. How would she have informed this ship when they were out at sea, though? Some kind of Yamanaka-style jutsu?]

How would she have told you?

[The rest of that explanation only makes his frown deepen. Evidence is beginning to point to something at once detailed and large enough to be the Infinite Tsukuyomi and too illogical to be something dreamt up by one person at all, and a born shinobi no less.]

Why can't you get the needed papers?