Just Gotta Keep Sailin The Quartz

[allendsmeat]

Who: Straw Hat Pirates, possible Bloody Roses Pirates
Where: Sailing log from 7/7- 7/10, Isla de Quarzo Rosa 7/10-7/12
What: The first leg of the race
Warnings: The usual
Status: Semi-open to the Bloody Roses.



Pls date your threads.

Bloody Roses, how close we're sailing is up to you guys though probably not enough to just casually swing over without some ability. However, feel free to come encounter us at any time on the island!

Straw Hats, enjoy the veggie rain! Also remember our NPC pirates are Mama's Bone Boys who will attack us intermittently throughout the journey and send spies on board. Let's save the major boss battles til the finale, though, shall we? But otherwise, have fun!

Comments

7-7 through 7-10

[letteropener]

[Celestia is enjoying the race immensely, or at least, with as much calm contentment as she ever shows. No whooping and racing about like a maniac for this princess; save that for the rest of the crew. But she isn't just standing about looking pretty, either...]

[A. During the course of the vegetable storms, the pirate pony takes to the deck, her horn crackling with power and the air thick with magical energy. Vegetables pelt down at the Million Merrily, only to get sucked into that magic and stacked nearly on the deck for later consumption or for Sanji's use. Mighty is the mare who moves the sun, after all.]

[B. When the storms relax, then Celestia takes her ease, lounging gracefully on the raised rear deck as she reads a book she'd gotten from the market.]

[C. Especially of late, Celestia has developed a nasty habit of staying up late and sleeping in late, quite possibly because she has literally never been able to do that in a thousand years. But this isn't simply leisure and luxury on her part. Those who choose to stay up late in their own turn can find her on the deck, with subdued yellow energies swirling around her in curious and complex patterns, while she works diligently on shifting said patterns while writing in a scroll that seems both unusually large and part of a set of several.]

C

[yourotherleft]

[Zoro is always up late. He doesn't sleep much. But if someone else is on watch, that leaves him free to see what else is going on while most of the crew sleeps.

Celestia's current activity is more than interesting; even knowing her powers, it's not every day she has energy swirling around her like that. And how the hell does a pony write, anyway? She's too fascinating not to bother.]

...ah. Hey. Everything all right?

[letteropener]

[She starts when he speaks, not out of guilt but simply from having her focus disturbed. Moving for what feels like the first time in a very long time, she gathers the energies up into a ball, which she carefully sets above and in front of her as she looks to Zoro.]

Yes, everything is quite all right. And with you?

[yourotherleft]

Yeah, fine.

[his eye follows the ball, though]

What's that?

[letteropener]

Magical energy. I am conducting research and experimentation into various spells I think might be of aid to us. It is hard going with only my own learning and memory to rely on, but that is hardly a reason not to try, is it?

[yourotherleft]

Oh. So, self-teaching. Training. [he can get behind that] Figure out anything interesting?

[letteropener]

I think it's not quite the same as that, but I see what you are saying.

[Celestia carefully unravels the ball, leaving four long strands of energy pointing in four directions like a compass rose.]

What I am discovering is that I cannot make a spell of navigation, at least not by the methods I remember.

[yourotherleft]

[he moves to lean against the mast, watching with interest]

No? Huh. That's weird. Normal compasses work here, it's not like it's the Grand Line. Think it's like...I've heard other people say their powers don't work the same here.

[letteropener]

The compass spell works fine. But I cannot place our position on this map relative to any other island. Whether this is a flaw in my spell or due to some magical law here, I do not know, and that is what I am trying to establish.

[yourotherleft]

Hmm. Yeah, that'd be a problem, wouldn't it? I should probably let you work on that. [it all goes over his head, really]

[letteropener]

Truth be told, I would appreciate the company, if you are willing to stay, I work at night to keep certain... unrestrained members of our crew from interfering with my spells. [HE knows the ones] But I don't fear that you'll tamper with them.

[yourotherleft]

[he smirks because he knows. Yep.]

I suppose somebody's gotta keep watch overnight, in case the other ships racing us decide to make trouble.

[he takes his swords from his hip and sets them aside before finding a place to curl up and sit, and watch]

[letteropener]

I would make them regret it, you know. I think you can trust anypony on the ship that far, even those of us more peaceful than your usual crew.

[yourotherleft]

I have no doubts. Not about any of you. I mean, it's just a race, but those assholes from the Bone ship have already proven they're willing to start shit, so who knows what else might happen.

[letteropener]

Oh, have they? I will keep a closer eye out, then. I do wish I could shield the ship better, but I haven't quite worked out how to keep it mobile while doing so...

[yourotherleft]

Yeah, a handful tried to sneak on board the other night. Me and Luffy took care of it so nobody else had to get woken up.

...a shield. What, like a bubble around the ship?

[letteropener]

Oh dear.

[Was it after she went to sleep, or had she simply been so engrossed in her research she had missed it? Maybe she's been letting herself become too lax...]

Shields are not my specialty, but I know how to cast the spells. You have the image correct.

[yourotherleft]

Ah. And no idea why it won't work, huh?

Maybe you just need to train more. [his solution for everything]

B 7-8

[allendsmeat]

[Luffy is kind of bored and wanting company, so he'll just go over to where Celestia is and lean against her, laying his head on her back. After a moment he asks]

Whatcha readin?

[letteropener]

This is an adventure story, about a human who went into ruin and contended with deadly traps to retrieve artifacts for their historical value. I purchased it when I realized it was very much like some books I am familiar with in Equestria.

[allendsmeat]

[His mind cut off right at adventure story. The rest doesn't matter so much]

Tell meeee!

[letteropener]

Tell you -- what am I telling you? [She tries, but sometimes even she can't track Luffy's thought processes.]

[allendsmeat]

The story! [what else?]

[letteropener]

A Daring Do story, or this one? Because I can simply loan you this book when I finish... although I admit I expect you to declare yourself not a reading type.

[allendsmeat]

Whichever. As long as it's exciting. [though he nods at her statement.] Yeah. Reading is hard. [and he gets distracted.]