high_seas | To go with your crew...

Entry tags:

To go with your crew...

Who: Everyone who is fighting in the battle to kill the witch.
Where: The Black Fortress in the East
When: Jan 24th-25th
What: The grand battle to get back what you have lost, get revenge for what was taken, and avert disaster.
Warnings: Language. Death. Victory. Defeat. True love. Miracles.
Style: Text or prose
Status: Open to all

The black fortress ripples with shimmering iridescent energy, the piles of black coral heaped on roped together barges around it, bobbing in the waves. On the largest barge stands a slender man with a copper belt, wearing a face mask, orange red hair flecked with black from ash or dust. As the dawn slowly folds over the ocean, he'll look up, as if hearing some hidden voice.

At the top of the fortress, a figure climbs into vision, a woman, dressed in gray, features obscured by a hood with impenetrable darkness behind it. She staggers a moment as if she is weary, then straightens to her full height. As she speaks, her voice comes out of the journals, echoing over the water, low but clear.

"This is no small task ye do. She that rots within'll do anythin' ta stop ye. Don't hesitate to kill what ye find. If they were human once, they hain't no more. Watch out for her golems, too, or they'll drain ye dry quicker'n a wink. But if ye can get rid of 'em, it'll weaken her." She hesitates, cants her head to the side. "And if ye lot aren't as much of a bunch'a idiots as usual, ye might come out alive through this."

That said, she raises her hands. After a moment so does the man on the barge. For a moment, nothing seems to happen and then iridescent light shimmers over the coral, seeming to match that which surrounds the fortress. It crackles and dances like a fire, and then without warning bursts into a furious life, slamming against the energy of the fortress. There is the sound like thunder and light snaps and crackles, zipping with energy. Then with a woosh the light flies upward, taking the figure with it. The man on the barge lets out a cry like a seagull and dives into the water as if intending to swim after her.

For the boats that remain, a part of the fortress will crumble away into the sea, revealing a small harbor and an open doorway. Enter all ye who dare.

[If things become too crowded, feel free to make another thread outside of these. Just put where you are in the header.]

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[Part of him hadn't actually expected to regenerate, actually. He may not know much of pirates or sailors, but he's sure that killing a crewmate isn't a good thing. So part of him expected some sort of punishment, and if not... He would have found a way.

Still he knows it's hard to understand. That there may be nothing to understand. And she says nothing so he remains silent as well, just rowing and leaving his mind blank.]

*Selphie sniffs a little, pressing her eyes into her knees as Ikki continues to row them along. They both sit in silence that, with the quiet and the gentle rocking of the boat, Selphie is eventually lulled into sleep. Which is understandable, given how tired she has been lately with lack of sleep, but it starts to become problematic when she begins to tilt towards the edge of the boat*

[He sees that, and as tempting as it is to let her sleep, he has no wish for her to fall from the boat. He stops rowing and lets the boat stay still as he shifts, moving to pick her and bring her down until her head lays over his leg, using it as a pillow. Only when he's sure that she's in a position that doesn't present danger to her he continues rowing.]

*There's a moment when Selphie's eyes open where she looks incredibly unhappy, and maybe she might stop him to protest, or move to try to keep away. But as he moves her nearer her eyes close again, and she falls asleep with her head in his lap.

Eventually, after a good long nap, she begins to stir, half asleep and rubbing her head against his thigh like it was a pillow. She murmurs something in her sleep, then turns and places a hand in his lap, just getting herself comfortable*

[She can look as unhappy as she wants, he won't let her sleep in any other way than that. Besides, she would be unhappier if he let her fall over the edge of the boat.

By the time she stirs, they have put a good distance between themselves and the Sun, as well as the other ships. And in the horizon Ikki can see what could be a ship for them to take care of. It's still in the distance so he lets her sleep a bit more.]

*Finally, her eyes do open and she looks up to see Ikki still rowing the boat alone. She's not sure if he's noticed that she's awake yet, so she decides to just keep her cheek against his leg and watch him for a while. Her eyes drift towards his arms, feeling her cheeks flush as she watches the way his muscles move as he pulls the oars. It's really rather distracting...

But then she remembers why they're out there. And it's not because Ikki thought it would be fun for them to get away, or because they'd decided to have a nice holiday together, it was because they both had way too much anger to deal with right now. That thought leaves her feeling a lot less impressed, and she pulls herself so that she's sitting up*

Guess I fell asleep...

[She wakes up just in time and Ikki welcomes her with a quite clear smirk.]

You did, and in a bad position as well. You should be more careful, you don't want to fall over the edge, do you?

*Selphie manages a small smile in return and stretches her arms above her head before resting her head against his shoulder for a moment*

You should've woken me up... so I could help with the rowing... And so that I wouldn't fall out of the boat. It's nice...that you saved me again...

[Ikki snorts bitterly at that.]

I guess that makes it two out of four?

[He shakes his head and points to the horizon where a ship can be seen. It's not close enough to have spotted them, just a boat in the middle of the ocean, but it's size makes them able to spot it already. And Ikki has calculated that it's already close enough for him to be able to fly there.]

I found our first prey. How are you feeling?

*Selphie bites her lip at that and glances away. Maybe that wasn't the best thing she could have said. But she looks over at the ships and grins, grabbing her weapon from her bag*

That's a... well, an enemy ship, right?

*Turning to him again, Selphie grins slightly and nods*

I'm hungry! But I can eat once I've blown up some bad guys!

It certainly doesn't belong to any of the ships of the people like us. It's a pirate ship of people from those lands. And if they are already pirate... I don't think it will be a problem if we take care of them.

[The thief who steals from a thief shall be pardoned for a hundred of years... Or something, he's sure he has heard that somewhere. He frowns at the mention of food, though.]

Didn't you eat while you got ready to leave?

Alright. Let's go.

*Pulling her nunchaku free, she holds them in her hands as she wobbly gets to her feet, staring at the ship as though that would get her there quicker*

Eat? No, I didn't have time!

[Have a glare as he picks up his own bag and stands up.]

What the hell were you doing then? I told you to prepare!

[An arm sneaks around her waist pulling her close before he burns his Cosmos. In a matter of seconds the bird made of flames is flying across the sky until it lands on the ship, the flames exploding and starting to burn everything as he sets her on the ground.]

Did you really take twenty minutes just to wash yourself a bit?

[Why yes, he's still going to argue as he attacks the ship and ignores the yelling and alarm that settles on the pirates.]

I did prepare! I got my stuff all ready and put together, didn't I?

*She frowns at him then, shaking her head, and looking like she might say something else, but the next thing she knows she's being held by him over to the ship. Selphie squeals as they lift, stomping her feet when he puts her down*

What are you talking about?

*With pirates coming at her from all sides, she flicks out her nunchaku, along with a powerful fire spell of her own*

It was more than just a bit! So nice of you to notice!

*After all, she really didn't look her best after being in that cell for weeks, and she at least wanted to be clean

[Some idiot decides that it's a good idea to charge while screaming at Ikki taking advantage of how the other has his back turned to him. He gets a punch in the face and several broken teeth for his trouble... And Ikki still doesn't even turn to look at him.]

You were supposed to only wash a bit! Not go through a complete "spa" treatment!

[He turns, leaning forward slightly and launching a fiery attack to another group of pirates, sending one overboard while the others get seriously burned. His Cosmos flares and lashes out, the fire increasing, totally harmless to Selphie and him but lethal for anyone else.]

You remember why we've come here, don't you?!

Fine! Maybe I shoulda just stayed all charred and burned looking.

*As she says this, she swings round to a small group of advancing pirates and shoots them back with a fire spell*

Maybe you like me better that way.

*She jumps aside a knife that was thrown at her, and while it's not usually his thing, she picks it up and tosses it straight back from where it came. Then she pauses briefly to consider his question, but spins round when she feels hands grabbing for her body from behind. She smacks his wrists with her nunchaku, then shoots him and his friends with a thundara spell*

I have no idea.

*She sounds angry when she says it, though mostly she is genuinely confused about the real purpose of this trip*

[Another flare of Cosmos to send a few pirates flying, it's not enough to put them out of the fight, but that's not what Ikki was aiming for. It won't serve for anything if they get trampled over too easily.

He grabs another attacker by the face, fingers clutching tightly on his skull as if threatening to crack it open. Twisting he smashes his prey against yet another pirate, sending both of them headfirst against the floor.]

I told you I was coming to release anger! In other words, to pick up a fight! Do you really plan to remain immaculate while you fight and destroy things?!

[And since when does he care about how she looks? Does she really think he's with her for her looks?]

What the-... Hey, what is that supposed to mean?! Do you think we're just your anger release toys, asshole?!!

[Ikki buries his elbow in the stomach of the yelling pirate, prior to grabbing his neck and throwing them against another group that was quickly climbing from below the deck. He doesn't even bother answering him, in fact he doesn't really notice that the pirate was yelling. He's too busy arguing with Selphie to bother to feign to pay attention.]

Then what did you bring me for? If I'm such a nuisance to you!

*Selphie whirls round to Ikki then, facing him for the first time the fighting started. She catches sigh of the way that he holds the pirate's head, noting how easily he could snap that man if he wanted to. But she doesn't have long enough to stare, and she turns, still silently somewhat shocked, to sweep a kick round the pirate's ankles and drag him to the deck*

I bet even these pirates appreciate me! They'll like it that I'm clean!

*Though she doesn't like the leering look on the face of the one closer to her, so she promptly aims for his stomach with her weapon, sending him stumbling backwards*

[He catches sight of a pirate giving Selphie a kind of look that makes his insides boil with even more rage. He doesn't even notice her attacking said pirate, he just jumps forward reaching out with a hand at the stumbling pirate as the man tries to recover his balance. Ikki's fingers close over his face before the man has a chance to do anything. A dangerous growl leaving Ikki's throat.]

Don't you fucking dare to look at her like that again.

[He throws the man backwards, and a sickening snapping sound is heard as he does, having thrown the head with too much force for the neck to sustain. The now corpse falls back only to be cremated right away as Ikki flares his Cosmo again, this time reaching to grab Selphie and make her turn to look at him.]

I like that you're alive, safe and with me! You could be covered in shit, and I would still be in love with you!

*When Ikki turns to that pirate, Selphie is sure that the result isn't going to be good, all the more when she hears the sound of his voice. Her face pales, frightened of what might happen, and worried that that anger would transfer back to her. Then his reaction, and that snap, it makes Selphie's heart freeze in her chest and for a moment she can't breathe.

She almost stumbles when Ikki grabs her to look at him, and her eyes are wide with a fear and confusion, hurt creeping into her expression. Finally, she can breathe again, but her heartbeat is faster. There's so much going on inside her that she barely knows what to do with herself. Suddenly, she extends a hand to punch at his shoulder - as hard as she can, though that probably matters little to him*

Ikki, you are such a jerk. A horrible, stupid, idiot jerk.

*And regardless of the pirates that may be left standing on deck (though Selphie doesn't know because she's been paying them no attention) she grabs at his chest and pulls herself to him, frowning before kissing him angrily*

[Ikki notices the way she looks at him... But he honestly doesn't care. She was the one who asked for it, who wanted to be with him, and he won't let her go just for something so simple. The punch is met with a stoic expression, and when she pulls herself close to him he does nothing but kiss her back.

The remaining pirates around them just stand in awe and stare at the moment, and soon enough they are clapping and cheering while being happy for them.

Except that this isn't a shoujo manga or a Hollywood movie, please.

So instead of stand in awe and stare, what the remaining pirates do is yell in anger and thirst of revenge for the attack and the fall of a crewmate. And instead of clapping what they do is charge against the couple, swords glinting under the light of the fires that the couple has caused. In a moment Ikki breaks the kiss and moves forward, leading Selphie with his hands towards his back.]

You take care of my back. Go wild.

[Leaving to her the pirates charging from behind him, Ikki focuses on the ones who are in front of him.]

*Standing in awe and cheering isn't something that Selphie would shy against, but that's not something that is happening right now. Her focus is Ikki, and allowing him to feel just how angry she is, and how in love she is, both at the same time. But this really isn't the time or the place for that, and that becomes increasingly obvious as the pirates gain in on them.

Now she's annoyed, but mostly that her moment has been ruined by the pirates. She nods gravely at Ikki, then whips her weapon into action, covering them both with a protect spell, smacking thundara spells around the pirates, quite happy if they drop like flies. Going wild with one spell after the other is certainly what Selphie is doing now, and she seems quite in her element*

[He's in the middle of smashing a pirate into the wooden floor, cracking the panels when he catches a glimpse of Selphie and her magic. Not many pirates are actually trying to get to him, probably because the sight of him cracking necks and heads with just his hands makes them think that they might stand a better chance with the pretty girl. At least until they get fried, burned or frozen with one of her spells.

He could go help her, even if she doesn't need it... In a moment.

Ikki actually leans back to watch her go wild with mild curiosity. This is pretty much the first time he sees her like this after all, the time she did it with their own ship doesn't count for he had other things in mind than to stop and look at her. He certainly doesn't mind if she finishes the job on her own, this is just the first of many as far as he's concerned, he will have time to release his own anger later on. Maybe when they find a ship that isn't full of just pathetic excuses of pirates.]

*Once she got into the spirit of things, it seemed like there was no stopping her. This was different from last time, because her attacks are more direct, and more thought out. She cycles through a range of spells, targeting individuals and groups, whirling her nunchaku round in various tricks while she's at it. Overall, it's quite an energetic and colourful display. She might not have eaten in weeks, but she is full of the burning need to release her anger, about what happened to her, what had happened to others, what she had made Ikki go through. The only thing that will stop her is not having any further pirates to battle. She doean't seem to even notice that Ikki is standing by watching, so intent on using as much of her energy as possible*

[He makes himself comfortable as he watches her fight and unleash havoc around. The way she doesn't seem to have spent a long time without eating and the way the magic flows from her. She's a force to be feared... And quite a hypnotic sight, or something, because he can't really look away from her.

Ikki has to admit, that watching her destroy things and burn people to a crisp somehow puts him in a good mood, specially if said people aren't crewmates. It also makes him want to cause havoc himself, but at the same time he can't really bring himself to bother with that now. One of the final remaining pirates decides that, after all, the crazy girl is too dangerous as well, but notices that Ikki seems distracted and attacks him, trying to get him by surprise. His sword is stopped by one hand that takes hold of the blade and tightens its hold until the metal cracks and shatters. The pirate only has time to scream before a punch sends him flying and crashing against the mast, near where Selphie stands.]

To go with your crew...

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Yay for kissy icons!

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