Masquerade Ball - Totally not an ambush

[hiken]

Who: Anyone going to the Corsair Island Masquerade Ball!
Where: ...IDK?
When: April 26th - 27th (Early AM)
What: The Masquerade Ball + Ambush (12am)
Warnings: D for dancing, V for violence, A for Ace, L for Luffy
Style: Action or prose.
Status: Open to anyone attending!

There are going to be two main threads. One for the ball itself and the other for the Ambush! There will be an obligatory third thread for FASHION. Just remember to tag your muse in the subject header and OTA or 'Closed to ???' as you comment.

Comments

[cherrybombpie]

Oh, I see! How nice.

[Kodachi positively beamed at him. It must've been fun to have siblings like Mr. Ace and Mr. Luffy. She absolutely loved her brother, despite the fact that he was - to put it honestly - a pain in the ass.]

Is that so? We should probably be friends.

[cherrybombpie]

[He was also a rash and big-headed with a million fiancees and a lack of courage to tell the one that he loved the truth, but that was a story for another day.]

Oh! He sounds very respectable. My father likes to teach as well.

[And terrorize the kids.]

They would probably get along.

[cherrybombpie]

[Kodachi looked up at him, her slanted eyes gleaming.]

I shall. But what will you do for me in turn? ♥

[Ace, the lady that you were dancing with was a vicious sneak. It was time for you to know that.]

[dragonbadfaith]

[PREENS.]

Oh, it's a simple bit of...magic......really.

[Stares. STARES. All like O.O with his jaw dropping a little.]

......What are you?

[rebellions]

[He likes udon.]

I don't grump! [If this was a sitcom, a laughing track would go here without any doubt.] 'Sides, I do plenty of things. Like... [Pause. What does he do with his life, anyway? Or better said, what does he do that he'd be willing to share with the girl...] Like travel around.

[It's probably not the right time and place to say it's mostly to destroy the branches of his world's equivalent of the Navy, so Ragna will keep that part to himself for now.]

[cherrybombpie]

[She was willing to bet that if something was different about said udon, he wouldn't like it anymore.]

Do you like traveling and find it enjoyable?

[Kodachi raised a brow and looked at him expectantly.]

[booyaka_boom]

There was a quick moment of throat clearing before Selphie found her rhythm again, but she managed it without too much of a fuss, and without too much blushing. "All good here! Are you alright?"

[rebellions]

I─

[He stops as a sudden realization strikes him─ he's never considered that. It's simply something he has to do: his goal is to destroy the Novus Orbis Librarium, which of course can't be achieved by sitting on his ass, so traveling is a necessity. Not to mention he normally can't stay around other humans too long, or else his Grimoire would absorb their souls... It's obvious he would travel under those circumstances, and he doesn't really mind it too much if it helps his purpose.

But does he actually enjoy it?]

... I never thought about that. I guess it's not too bad...?

[cherrybombpie]

[Kodachi watched him quietly. Her life had been quite "boring" (as boring as a life could be in Nerima) before she came to this place, but at least she had things that she liked - she enjoyed her martial arts and liked cooking, music, dance, and other things feminine and girlish. She couldn't imagine living a life without any sort of joy, whether it was in the small things, like a batch of perfectly baked cookies.]

I see.

Is there a place you really want to go?

[maskedtyrant]

...Huh. [So regardless of who this is, both sides are in for a brawl. Brilliant. That is, if they decide to go through with it.] I just hope everyone's in the know--wouldn't want to catch them in the crossfire, right?

[maskedtyrant]

It's more of a title. [She grins pointedly and pokes a finger to his chest.] "Lieutenant."

[maskedtyrant]

[Codi nods, slowly. She thinks she understands what he means--at least, she gets that there's something very different about the natives. They don't have a natural energy? Whatever that means, it sounds important.]

That does sound kind of odd. Why wouldn't they?

[elissacousland]

The lady laughed again as she gifted her partner with a wry look. "That is helpful advice - if one knows the meaning of nonchunks," Elissa chuckled as she stalked a few steps forward at Marco's lead.

"I should be fine. Even in this hat, I can be quite stealthy, if I wish to be."

[thethundersaid]

Inexperienced was a word that made Sasuke bristle slightly, shoulders tensing and eyes narrowing as he allowed Haytham to walk around him. Sasuke was far too old now to allow something as trivial as a team member he was no longer accustomed to having back him up as his partner on a mission, but he highly doubted that was what the man was implying --

And it was clarified with his next statement, something that made Sasuke incongruously relax, almost amused at the notion.

"Neither of us have the sort of time for something that banal," he said, tone dismissive. Sakura at twelve might have had some kind of design on him, but far too much time and distance had happened since then.

[thethundersaid]

[He shrugs one shoulder, not particularly concerned.]

If they're not trained to use their ch- energy, they won't be able to shape it. It's the same with most civilians in my world, but it's weird that this world would have a military force of people who can only use physical attacks.

[hoodwinking]

Of course, of course.

[which, she does. The ballroom was a little foreign to her, but she was adaptable. It all came part of the job.]

[hoodwinking]

Already? But-- [as she speaks, a bullet whizzes past her face, giving her a bit of a nasty cut. Which she immediately responds by turning around and literally throwing the saber at the man who fired the rifle, a darker look on her face.

Geh, they really weren't letting up. She immediately dashed towards the man, kicking the body out of the way after prying the rifle out of his hands.]

Fine, let's get out of here. It's getting crowded.

[fierybluebird]

Even more unusual then.

And I thought pirate kings and emperors were unusual.

[windofthephoenixtemple]

[Fuu was shocked at just what she saw, but she knew right now she shouldn't let it get to her. No, she had to keep going this time. With a nod she had staretd to make her way, deflecting sword attacked when she could, using her magic when it was needed and making sure that she tried her hardest to not get hurt.

But that wasn't easy. Every now and again she would miss someone and end up with a cut or two on her body, but she pressed on before turning a corner.]

The numbers do seem larger than before. I'm not sure if we could ever get out the way we came in.

[uccellodifuoco]

[Does this brat not back off from anything? Either way Ikki drags them outside, only letting go of Marco then. He keeps a hand stretched, expecting the cigarettes as he eyes Luffy.]

Have you ever smoked before?

[uccellodifuoco]

Pretty sure that if I used my usual tactics here the result would be different than in the battlefield.

[Though eventually it will boil down to that. As soon as Ace gives the signal. His eyes wander around apparently though he mostly does so to check if Ace is still not giving the signal.

At this rate Ikki will end punching someone just because Ace lifted his hand to wave or something.]

[fierybluebird]

Do you use the same strategy for all fields, no matter the terrain or circumstances?

[BUT HE CANNOT EVEN HIDE HOW AMUSED HE IS. Damn it Ikki you are like, the best bro. Where have you been all his life?]

[rebellions]

Yeah.

[Though it's not for its touristic values, that's for sure. Ragna's not even sure what exactly he's looking for in Ikaruga, or if it's there at all, but that's the only clue he has for the location of Kushinada's Lynchpin─ and if there's even the slimmest chance that could help him deal with the Imperator and Terumi, he'll search high and low for it.]

... I was on the way there before I ended up here.

[Wait a moment, why is he even telling her all of this?]

─What's with all the questions, anyway?

[uccellodifuoco]

[He looks at Marco dead serious.]

Yes, with slight variations but still the same. It's a certified fool-proof strategy, guaranteed to work every time, why would I change it?

[It basically boils down to:
Is it someone/thing you can kill without remorse?
- Yes -> Is it someone/thing that can die?
{
-- Yes -> Burn/punch them until they die
-- No -> Burn/punch them until that changes and they die
}
- No -> Yell at them until they do what you want them to do]

[fierybluebird]

[JUST SHAKES HIS HEAD.]

[BRO.]

[BRO.]

[Bro, plz.]

[No wonder Ikki doesn't get along with Athena as well as he could.]

You're the type to hunt rabbits with a cannon, eh?

One day remind me to teach you how to use greater finesse. Saves you a lot of energy and work, eh.