high_seas | [02] i came in like a

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[02] i came in like a

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.

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So the details of Sasuke's arrival were not yet common knowledge, at least not to those who had not been there at the time -- which was a piece of information Sasuke filed away for future reference. If what he'd been told about pirates was true, then it made sense that not all of them could be docked at once, though it begged the question of exactly how many pirate ships there were and how they managed to avoid all-out warfare over whatever sea territory was officially called.

In any case: there was something to be appreciated about someone who could be straightforward about his intentions, and it was more than fair for him to suspect someone who had so hastily arrived on board.

Still, there was the question of how much to divulge -- Sasuke kept his voice carefully level when he answered, surreptitiously gathering chakra in case he needed to defend or attack.

"The town centre was destroyed. The military chased everyone ... I was given to understand that everyone the military chased out of town was a pirate."

There was still disbelief when he said the word, despite everything.

Edited (bad typing) 2013-11-28 21:03 (UTC)

Marvelous furrowed his brow, though it was largely in interest. The Navy was chasing people off the island, now? That would mean if they needed to re-supply...

Crap, was the first thought that ran through his mind, before everything else he had been told fell into place. The way he put it all, the suspicious arrival, the fact this guy was clearly just as poised as Marvelous to go down swinging if the other attacked...

He swung his saber absently in a circle, sighing.

"Well, this sure is an interesting day. And a pain in the ass, 'cause we're gonna have to find somewhere else to dock, I'm guessing," he muttered. "So, do I get to ask just what destroyed that area, or is it time for me to start jumping to conclusions?"

The expression and body language that followed the information was interesting -- relaxation, if anything, Sharingan reading nothing but vague irritation in the arc of the saber the man spun with evident ease. The sentiment on this ship toward the military seemed less than positive overall, and this confirmed it, though it failed to particularly reassure when it came to people who had provoked attack.

There was no point denying it, and Sasuke had no habit of pretending to peaceful cooperation in any case. At least this response seemed to further bolster what that girl had said, that this world was populated by real people and not just brainwashed and bizarre figments of Madara or Obito's imagination. Whether the world itself was illusion or not was what was still in question.

"You don't need to ask or jump to conclusions," he said finally, straightening his posture into something less immediately threatening. Even if the man chose to attack, there would be enough time to respond from their stances. "I destroyed the area.

"I arrived here from a war. It was my assumption that this world was an illusion." He paused, then admitted: "I am still not convinced that it is not."

Marvelous gave him a long gaze at that explanation, but there was obvious amusement in his eyes.

"If you really insisted, I'm sure we could find ways of making you believe it was real," he replied, and twirled his gun in his hand once. "But man, there's going to be a lot of people mad at you..."

Though Marvelous well knew this was something inevitable, regardless of Sasuke's actions. There was too much activity from their kind on that island. After just a few days, he already knew that well enough.

He looked back at the ship, and then to Sasuke.

"So, what are you planning to do, then?"

Sasuke tensed at first, the man's focus returning to him with intensity, but relaxed almost immediately when it became clear that the news was apparently funnier than it was something threatening. Score another for this not being the illusion he'd expected; if the wholesale destruction of a town centre was something to be amused at, there couldn't be much by way of even brainwash-enforced peace in this world.

In any case, there was too much to be concerned about currently at hand. Sasuke was nothing if not accustomed to being the focus of people's anger, but in an unfamiliar place with strange abilities at every turn, it was something to consider with more care than was his habit.

"I can take care of myself," was what he said, finally. "But I can't stay here whether people want my head or not. Do you stay here by choice? Is there no way out?"

"You might be able to take care of yourself," Marvelous said, but then waved his gun arm at the wide expanse of ocean off one side of the ship. "But there's a hell of a lot of water out there."

He glanced back to Sasuke. "The only way out I've gathered, and that's only maybe, is to look for some sort of treasure that's out there. Otherwise, most of us sure as hell wouldn't be hanging around, because none of us are from around here either."

It was, indeed, and it was the only reason Sasuke hadn't simply taken off. Walking on water was hardly a draining jutsu, but walking on saltwater with no sense of direction was suicide. He had no choice but to acknowledge the reality of the man's statement, brow furrowing with irritation nonetheless.

"Someone else in the town mentioned a jewel of some sort," the girl who had attacked with ice and a bizarre amount of sparkles. "She said we were brought here for the purpose of finding pieces of it. Is that something we have no choice in either?"

Marvelous cocked his head up, his grin wide.

"Seems that way! I'm good with that, myself. If I was going to get pulled anywhere, it might as well be someplace with a good treasure hunt. On the bright side, it sounds like it might be our ticket home."

If this business about different worlds was true, this man must have come from a truly carefree one -- a ridiculous treasure hunt as a good diversion? Still, it had no real bearing on their current conversation, which had somehow become less tense after Sasuke had admitted to being the one to destroy the town.

He wasn't sure if that demonstrated good priorities or disorganized ones, but it benefited him in either way.

Still, he scrutinized the man a moment longer before deciding that there was little chance of a lie in front of him -- and if there were, little chance the lie would do much more damage than had already done by simply being in this place.

"If that is the only lead we have, then I will search for it as well." He paused, glancing around the ship with an eye for more detail now that he was no longer skimming for immediate threat. "Are there others aboard this ship? Are they looking for this jewel as well?"

"There are, and so far as I can figure, anyone who's anyone is lookin' for a way out of this world," he said, and began to pace back and forth in front of Sasuke, studying him as he went.

This guy was dangerous. That much, between his stance and his admitted actions, were clear.

Most likely, he wasn't someone Marvelous would have trusted aboard the Gokai Galleon. He couldn't be sure of his motivations or trustworthiness.

At the same time, though... If he sought the same things they did, and he was that dangerous? It could be to their advantage.

While Marvelous may have been a terrible poker player, he knew a gamble worth taking when he saw it.

"If you're gonna search for it, you're gonna need a way to do it. Yeah?"

Competition for what seemed to be the only item of any relation to escape was to be expected, but an irritating thought nonetheless: there were plenty of weak people here, doubtless, but there also seemed to be a variety of bizarre abilities that would prove a hindrance if he had to run up against them alone. That, and the awareness that Itachi (or some age of Itachi, as real as anything else appeared) was here and likely to look for it as well -- all unwanted and unavoidable complication.

It was likely evident to all, as much as the intent way the man started to scrutinize him was: not analyzing a threat this time so much as trying to measure him in some less specific sense.

The question, when it arrived, was not unexpected. They'd confirmed that they were no immediate threat to each other -- the obvious next step for someone seeking to protect the place was to decide where to put him, whether on or off-board.

"I will," Sasuke confirmed, and glanced meaningfully out at the open ocean. "I assume a ship is the only way to travel efficiently here."

He stopped and just grinned.

"You'd be about right. Unless you plan on swimming."

"Normally, I would walk," Sasuke said, irritation creeping into his tone at the fact that the most efficient option -- finding the island again and finding whoever passed for leadership to interrogate -- was made impossible by his absolute ignorance of this terrain.

"But I don't know this world enough to know there will be land in reach. I assume that is why you've taken a ship as well?"

"Walk," Marvelous repeated, but didn't really further question the comment.

"So far as I can tell it's just some islands and water as far as the eye can see. It's a bit annoying, really. I'm used to just flying over all this junk, but hey... gotta make do with what you've got, eh?"

Just islands and water -- Sasuke couldn't recall any portion of the map of his own world (and the concept of not being on his own world was going to have to be something he reconciled himself with, it seemed) that looked like it. It made walking an even less appealing option.

"That makes searching for anything difficult as well," he said, frown deepening before he drew the inevitable conclusion. "Is there room on this ship for one more?"

Marvelous gave him a sharp chuckle, and stopped pacing, staring him straight down.

"Sure do, and we could use someone who can do what you just did," he said. "So long as you're gonna stay on our side. And... under one other condition."

Sides hadn't been anything Sasuke had paid any particular attention to for a long time now, and as far as he had seen he hadn't lost much by it. The truth had found him only through fighting to find it wherever he could -- but it seemed unlikely here that there would arise a situation where he needed to attack the ship he was on.

Even if Itachi was here. If anything, there was less danger to Itachi specifically in a world where clan-murder wasn't pinned to his name.

"I will not take action that will harm the ship," he said instead, but folded his arms. "What is the other condition?"

Marvelous lowered his weapons. His expression became notably more serious, and far less jovial.

"Honesty. I know what you did, I can understand even how it happened. I want to make sure everyone else here does, too. And if they have a problem with you for it, if they wanna toss your ass over the side, I'm not gonna be able to blame 'em. You need to be able to show anyone here you're worth keeping on this ship. You painted a target on your back, though. You'll have to deal with it."

Was this man actually warning Sasuke before broadcasting his actions to the rest of the ship? It took a moment before Sasuke decided that yes -- that was it. Something like a smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth, unexpected.

"I'm used to that. I'd already assumed you would tell your people."

Marvelous paused a bit, leaning back his head.

That jovial look was back.

"Oh no, mine's much more fun. I want you to tell them."

That cheerful look was somehow not reassuring, and what Marv said next confirmed it -- Sasuke blinked at him, almost impressed at the way he'd managed to time the concessions Sasuke had made. Was it deliberate or a matter of good luck?

"And if they choose to attack me for it, I can't take action against the ship. I see." Worse come to worst, it was unlikely to be impossible for him to incapacitate any aggressor long enough to leave the ship. As diverse as the powers he'd seen here were, he had yet to find one that seemed undefeatable. "Fine. I'll accept your terms."

"That way, at least, we're all on the level. So long as you can convince everyone else there's no reason to toss you into the drink, we should be great," he said, paused for a second, and then added with a shake of his gun in Sasuke's direction. "Just next time if you wanna blow something up, warn some folks, first."

It was fair enough, and gave Marv the option to not be blamed should any of the crew indeed take a dislike to Sasuke. Sasuke mentally re-evaluated his opinion of the man, making note to keep note of him.

"I'll be sure to broadcast it the next time I believe I'm in a hostile illusion," he said, dry as the desert. "Who has the command here? I'll tell them first."

Marvelous gave an equally dry laugh. This guy was obviously cautious. And strong.

To be honest, Marvelous liked both of those things.

"You just did. The name's Captain Marvelous," he replied. "You'll find Gibbs as the First Mate, if you wanna start working down from there."

... well, that certainly made things easier. If Sasuke's limited knowledge of naval practices was correct, the captain of a ship was supposed to have enough authority that his presence shouldn't be too much of an issue if the captain had accepted it.

Then again, this Captain Marvelous seemed a far cry from the kind of complete authority a squad leader or village leader usually held. Still, it was a better start than he'd hoped for.

"Very well," he said, nodding agreement. "I'll make my round of the ship." He paused, and then offered -- a name for a name -- "I am Sasuke."

A moment before it occurred to him that he couldn't count on his name and eyes being notorious anymore, and then he added: "Uchiha Sasuke."

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gokai_red - 2013-12-18 03:30 (UTC) - Expand

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