Played by atomicwarkitten
Cash
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Post by HANAKO TAKESHI on Nov 29, 2017 23:34:27 GMT -5
excuse my eyesore - I'm just diving right in if you don't mindThe woman let out a short breath and wiped some sweat from her forehead on a safe spot of her sleeve. Meat sizzled in a pan in her right hand and a pot she stirred with the other bubbled, marking to shift it and start pouring its contents into a bowl. The chowder released a sweet and savory scent into the kitchen, and out to whoever was sitting nearest to the kitchen. She left the meat to cook a little longer - a good searing was needed - as she carefully placed the bowl of seafood chowder onto a small platter and added a garnish. The other cook slid a couple pieces of garlic bread on each side of the platter. The chowder was looking as delicious as the last one, and she smiled as she placed the soup onto the pickup counter and called the order. The first bowl of soup was always the best. It was unfortunate that every bowl couldn't be the first one.
It was strange, to say the least, being in a real kitchen again. Comforting, but still strange. Though it hadn't been for long, the lurking tightness in her gut while she had cooked on that pirate's ship was gone. She was off that ship, and someone had offered her a job in a kitchen in this town - a woman who had the idea of starting a restaurant ran completely by women. It was perfect; Hanako wouldn't have to worry about working with anyone she didn't want to, or anyone she might be scared of. Most of the waitresses chose to wear the smaller outfits: shorter skirts and tighter shirts (if you could even call them that). They said that it got them bigger tips and more customers. Hanako was fine with wearing longer sleeves and long skirts. No skin to show here. Cooking was all that she needed. Working with another cook made things even better, apparently. She was perfectly fine working with another cook - conversation while they cooked made time pass by quicker and they worked well together so far.
Another cook meant another perk: Hanako didn't have to fear meeting the customers. The other workers all knew about her situation; most agreed that she wouldn't need to meet any of the customers; and if anyone asked to meet the chef, then the other cook would go out, even if Hanako had been the one who made their food. Even the kitchen itself was laid out in her favor: the only spot she could see any of the main area was through a small window to the side of the kitchen where the trash was kept, so there was little chance at any of the customers seeing into the kitchen. Hanako felt safe here, and she got lost in the heat and sizzling and bubbling, even during the few days ago she had set foot into the kitchen. Making good food was the only thing that she wanted to do, and it seemed possible here.
"Hey - sir! SIR you can't come back here!" Hanako turned at the sound of the restaurant's owner's quiet rage. Heavy footsteps followed - had they been so close before? - until the face of a man she knew all too well turned the corner into the kitchen. His face went from curiosity as he gently held his hands up to the owner, hushing her and saying something about 'just being curious about the place', to a grin when he saw Hanako. "Well, well. I thought some of this food tasted familiar.."
Hanako froze.
It wasn't just that a man was staring at her.
He was.. from that pirate crew.
She knew the sizzling meat would dry out if it stayed in the pan for much longer but she couldn't even move to take it off the heat. The other cook came to Hanako's aide as the owner tried to push him out of the kitchen, but he shoved her aside. The other cook rushed to the owner's side - she wasn't much for confrontations, either - as he stepped closer to Hanako. As he closed in on his prey, Hanako found enough willpower to back up and out of his way until there was no place else to run. Her back pressed against the wall, he just calmly stepped too close for comfort as the same lurking sickness came back to her.
Was anywhere safe?
Hanako gasped as he brushed a lock of hair from her face and leaned down so that his chin could've rested on her shoulder before whispering in her ear, "You know, because of the recent patrols and that jail break, the Captain wanted to leave early. How surprised will he be that I found you~" She couldn't think. All she could do was press herself against the wall and hope it would cave in and take her to a place that was safe. A place where they wouldn't find her - where no one would be looking for her except her father and brothers. She couldn't go back. She didn't know if she would even survive getting back on that ship with them all. Hanako shoved at him - she couldn't go back to that ship. "Hey - hey!" He caught her hands and twisted her arms so that she was turned around and he pressed an arm to the middle of her back, pinning her. "If you behave, we'll see if the Captain will have some mercy on you. Maybe he'll just take a finger or two instead of your life. You have to be a good girl, though~. Well?" He shifted his grip and lifted her off the ground a few inches, putting enough pressure on her rib cage to make her cry out.
Maybe he was right.. They had already found her.. she might as well not make any more trouble for the rest of the people here. Just go back to her life where she knew what was coming each day. If she tried to get away, they'd come back. She didn't want to be the cause of their restaurant to be broken up. She knew the Captain well enough that he didn't just let anyone escape alive.
He pressed on her again and her own voice surprised her. "Okay! I-I'll go.." she squeaked out weakly. Her voice lowered and she was uncertain of her own words. "P-Please, just.. leave them alone.." The mohawked man frowned and pulled her from the wall just to shove her against it again, causing another cry from the woman. "You shouldn't be making any orders here, considering where you stand."
MIGUEL HIDALGO
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Post by MIGUEL HIDALGO on Dec 4, 2017 11:12:35 GMT -5
[attr="class","afirr"] [attr="class","afir"]  [attr="class","afir1"] [attr="class","afir2"]ALL THROUGH THE LAND [attr="class","afir3"]I send a pestilence and plague into your house, into your bed, into your streams, into your streets, into your drink, into your bread, upon your cattle, on your sheep, upon your oxen in your field, into your dreams, into your sleep until you break, until you yield. I send the swarm. I send the horde. I send the thunder from the sky. I send the fire raining down. I send a hail of burning ice on ev'ry field. [attr="class","afir4"] Good meals were always a nice find, no matter what island they went into. Good meals that actually merited him to pay belli out of his own pocket instead of charming them out of a few free meals in exchange for a performance or even the rare but fun dine-and-dash? That was much rarer, because it was a rare combination of affordable and delicious.
In fact, this spicy curry he was eating right now was delicious enough that he was honestly considering bringing Miyu over here for a little private dinner or perhaps even the whole crew if he could get Bedivere to behave and eat like they weren’t eating at another bar for more than five minutes. It was something to think about for sure, while he was seriously pondering getting another serving of this spicy curry – spices weren’t all that common travelling between the seas and he did like spicy food from time to time.
Right as he was halfway through his meal and at the verge of deciding to order take-out for the rest of his crew –they’d pout and whatnot if he decided to not bring them back anything and they all always liked food- he looked up when he noticed voices much louder than the norm in a restaurant… by the kitchen? Curious, he looked up and saw some mohawked man barging into the kitchen followed by what looked like some of the upset staff and even the owner.
Miguel’s brows furrowed. Huh. Usually there were complaints about shitty food or service before that sort of thing happened. Both were good, so they had no reason to complain – this was something else. Something else that could disrupt his good meal and maybe have this restaurant need repairs for a bit. Damn it, he wanted that take-out.
With a small sigh, he stood up from his seat and walked over to the kitchen as unobtrusively as possible. They all seemed to be distracted by the commotion inside, so it was easy enough. He did raise an eyebrow when it looked like that Mohawk was threatening one of the cooks and even man-handling her, and even more interestingly….
…it was a face he recognized. So THAT’S why the food tasted so familiar! Before he could say anything though, he frowned when he saw her being shoved into a wall.
Well, that was enough of that. Hecasually took two sharp-looking knives and threw them with extreme force, embedding the knives deep into his shoulder blades to the hilt, the tip peeking out.
The man screamed and dropped the girl, his arms now limp and useless as he turned around to glare at the man who threw the knives. How’d he know? Because the others in the kitchen were gaping at him. “WHAT THE HELL!? You’ll pay for that, asshole!”
“Sorry, but manhandling cute girls is something I don’t like seeing. Especially when they cook good food. Plus, you’re disturbing the patrons so please get your crippled ass outta here.” The polite smile was almost eerie with how genuine it looked even as he stepped out of the way of the door.
“I can still- ARGH! AH!” The man began to stagger back up, only for burning spikes of pain to shoot up his impaled arms when he tried to move them, followed by a brave soul smacking the guy on the head with a cast iron frying pan and knocking him out with a loud ring.
BOOM! The door then opened with a bang… just in time for four rough-looking ruffians –one even had a stereotypical hook hand and another had a metal peg leg—to see Mohawk drop to the floor, bloodied and bruised with a shaking female cook standing above him with a bloody frying pan. They quickly began to pull their weapons.
“NO! You little shits are going to pay for this, starting with shorty and the broad!” The one with a hook hand snarled.
PHARAOH LEAP. [googlefont=PT Sans Narrow] [newclass=.afirr]width:500px;font:10px Verdana;text-align:justify;color:#777777;position:relative;z-index:1;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir]padding:9px;height:100px;width:100px;border:solid 1px #333333;float:left;-webkit-filter: grayscale(100%);-moz-filter: grayscale(100%);filter: grayscale(100%);margin-top:-12px;transition: all 1.0s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease; -ms-transition: all 1.0s ease;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir:hover]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0%);-moz-filter: grayscale(0%);filter: grayscale(0%);transition: all 1.0s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease; -ms-transition: all 1.0s ease;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir img]height:100px;width:100px;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir1]margin-left:130px;width:359px;margin-top:-24px;padding-left:10px;height:130px;border-left:solid 1px #4C4C4C;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir2]background-color:#397760;margin-top:-12px;float:left;padding:5px 10px;color:#f5f5f5;font:20px PT Sans Narrow;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir3]margin-top:29px;background-color:#eeeeee;font:8px Calibri;padding:10px;height:59px;letter-spacing:1px;overflow:hidden;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir4]width:480px;padding:20px 10px;border-top:solid 1px #4C4C4C;border-bottom:solid 1px #4C4C4C;margin:-12px 0px -2px 0px;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir4 b]color:#397760;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir5]background-color:#397760;color:#f5f5f5;text-align:center;font:12px PT Sans Narrow;padding:10px 0px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir5 a]color:#f5f5f5;font:12px PT Sans Narrow;[/newclass] |
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Played by atomicwarkitten
Cash
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Post by HANAKO TAKESHI on Dec 5, 2017 21:28:31 GMT -5
And still, more would come.
She had prepared herself for it. More years of being stuck on that ship, possibly even rotting away into nothing. She didn't want it, but she wanted to bring downfall on this restaurant and everyone here even less. They didn't deserve to get caught up in any of her own issues. 'This is the only way to protect them..' she told herself in the hopes of raising her spirits. There was no hope to be had; all of it had drained from her along with the color in her face as soon as she'd seen the mohawked man. Nothing was left but a ghostly husk.
The man's screaming echoed in her mind, and she thought it was herself screaming - who else would be screaming? Hanako stumbled on her own weight as she was released, nothing but her body's instincts taking over to keep her from breaking her face. Her head whipped around at the man who had grabbed her and she rubbed at her wrists where he'd been holding them, confused why she was free.
Then she found the man who asked Mohawk to leave - was he the one who stabbed him? The man seemed familiar, somehow. His face she recognized, but she could not put a name to it. Before she could open her mouth to ask, the banging of the door opening again caught her attention as more faces she did recognize barged in, threatening them. 'Please.. can't it just be one of them??' She didn't blame the man that saved her - he was only trying to do right - but the only thought she lingered on was that now there was someone else in the equation.
'So do something. Help them fight them off!' Her eldest brother's voice came to her - the line he'd told her time and time again. Her jaw clenched. Maybe this was actually a situation where their advice could actually come in handy. Hanako gently took the skillet from the other woman still standing near her. There was a loud BONG! from it as the skillet hit the first one through the door, knocking him out cold before he even hit the floor. Hanako found her balance again, tipping back as her brows tightened in worry and she muttered out, "S-Sorry.." It wasn't in her nature to hurt anyone, and she felt bad as she picked up an empty pot as the hook-handed pirate came at her. His sword threw her off balance and she landed on her back, sword still locked with pot.
It had been years since Hanako had been in any sort of scuffle, but she twisted on her hips and shoved him back into the other two hard enough to knock them all down. With that, there was only a moment of freedom to stand and glance at the man and the other cook as the pirate trio untangled themselves. "Please! We have to go out the back door!" She wasn't even sure of it herself, but that was the best plan she had. This was an exquisite kitchen, and, even if she may not ever see it again, it'd break her heart if it ever got ruined. And even out in the alley there'd be more room if this was to continue. |
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Post by MIGUEL HIDALGO on Dec 16, 2017 4:18:21 GMT -5
[attr="class","afirr"] [attr="class","afir"]  [attr="class","afir1"] [attr="class","afir2"]ALL THROUGH THE LAND [attr="class","afir3"]I send a pestilence and plague into your house, into your bed, into your streams, into your streets, into your drink, into your bread, upon your cattle, on your sheep, upon your oxen in your field, into your dreams, into your sleep until you break, until you yield. I send the swarm. I send the horde. I send the thunder from the sky. I send the fire raining down. I send a hail of burning ice on ev'ry field. [attr="class","afir4"] Oh dear. It looked like Miguel was stuck playing the hero now… or so it seemed. With a surprised look on his face, he watched as the small girl proceeded to use the pan like a pipe or a crowbar and then just bat the first one away with more force than should be possible for someone with such a tiny body. Then she proceeded to have a brief sword-against-pan (probably cast iron since it wasn’t just flat out breaking like the cheap ones would) and holding her own before she knocked them all away again. Geez, and he thought Bedivere was impressive.
Okay, now he was impressed and in a less involved role he might even be gaping at the sight. Instead though, he compartmentalized that away for later, hands moving to his daggers as he moved away from the door and towards the small blonde right as she mentioned that they needed to get out. The small size of the kitchen would have actually helped them out more than the free space of the streets or alleys… but there were also more possible victims for the pirates to use to turn around their situation. Since he was playing the hero right now, that was unacceptable lest he break character and turn this into a possible free-for-all.
Besides, he hated shanking cute girls without a reason, so the choice was clear. ”Alright. Never been in this kitchen before, so lead the way Blondie.” He spoke up as he pulled out his cutlass from where he was hiding it in his jacket, prompting a few looks of surprise. ”Don’t think we have much time.” Even as he said that, he was already slowly walking away towards the nearest exit he could see that didn’t have bodies. From the doorway, he could already hear the sounds of footsteps and outrage – not a good sign, that.
Once the blonde starts leading for real, he would start to quicken his pace and follow along, hopefully before the pirates fully pull themselves up together. Granted, the other cooks were shooing them and were shoving bodies right out and barricading the door, which was helping, but for how long until they were smart enough to go around or strong enough to bust it all down…?
PHARAOH LEAP. [googlefont=PT Sans Narrow] [newclass=.afirr]width:500px;font:10px Verdana;text-align:justify;color:#777777;position:relative;z-index:1;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir]padding:9px;height:100px;width:100px;border:solid 1px #333333;float:left;-webkit-filter: grayscale(100%);-moz-filter: grayscale(100%);filter: grayscale(100%);margin-top:-12px;transition: all 1.0s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease; -ms-transition: all 1.0s ease;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir:hover]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0%);-moz-filter: grayscale(0%);filter: grayscale(0%);transition: all 1.0s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease; -ms-transition: all 1.0s ease;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir img]height:100px;width:100px;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir1]margin-left:130px;width:359px;margin-top:-24px;padding-left:10px;height:130px;border-left:solid 1px #4C4C4C;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir2]background-color:#397760;margin-top:-12px;float:left;padding:5px 10px;color:#f5f5f5;font:20px PT Sans Narrow;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir3]margin-top:29px;background-color:#eeeeee;font:8px Calibri;padding:10px;height:59px;letter-spacing:1px;overflow:hidden;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir4]width:480px;padding:20px 10px;border-top:solid 1px #4C4C4C;border-bottom:solid 1px #4C4C4C;margin:-12px 0px -2px 0px;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir4 b]color:#397760;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir5]background-color:#397760;color:#f5f5f5;text-align:center;font:12px PT Sans Narrow;padding:10px 0px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir5 a]color:#f5f5f5;font:12px PT Sans Narrow;[/newclass] |
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Played by atomicwarkitten
Cash
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Post by HANAKO TAKESHI on Dec 20, 2017 11:49:39 GMT -5
And then the flame of resistance was blown out. The smallest bit of doubt sent her arms shaking and her legs almost buckled beneath her. Her eyes looked around wildly as she heard more commotion in the next room over. No, no, no! What was she going to do? They'd found her already, and now here she was, putting others in danger because she thought she could simply get away from the pirates that had held her captive for.. how many years? And for what? An ounce of freedom. She shouldn't have done that. She should've just stayed put on the ship. It would've been simpler that way. She wouldn't have gotten anyone else into trouble.
Her own thoughts swam about in her mind, growing and growing. Even as her head pounded the thoughts whispered in her mind until a voice sliced through them, dispersing the whispers so that she could focus around them. ”Alright. Never been in this kitchen before, so lead the way Blondie." The whispers still told her bad things; what will happen now, the trouble she was causing for others, and on and on. That might not ever leave her. For now, she could deal with just getting the two of them out of this kitchen. The tool she had been using was left on a counter as she turned toward one of the pantries at the back of the room. The door creaked as she opened it, then she crawled in to remove a board from the back of it.
"I-It's through here.." The frame of the opening in the wall was big enough for most people to at the very least squeeze through - but it also kind of made people wonder why it was like that to begin with. The walls were solid, and the tiny room on the other side of that little hole in the wall was made of stone with a more proper door to the outside on the far wall. The room might've been used for some kind of illegal item storage at one time - a back gambling room or stolen goods storage. There was mostly extra storage of drink and other foods that would not perish soon for the restaurant back here, but it was clear that none of the workers liked being back here. It was the kind of room that made Hanako's skin crawl just from its lack of light. The danger behind them was a little more immediately threatening than a poorly-lit room.
She stood, dusting off her skirt as if it would brush away her nerves. "Here - we can get out this way I think.." It was only a few long paces to the other door. Hanako placed a hand on the knob and looked out the window of the door before unlocking and slowly opening it. She screamed as the door flew open, dragging her with it. Her free hand flew out to catch her from hitting the ground. Someone pulled her by the collar of her shirt before she had the time to blink the dust from her eyes.
"Oi, oi. Where d'ya think yer goin'?" The pirate pulled her closer to his face, holding her up so that her feet barely touched the ground like some kind of ragdoll. She flinched once his face came into focus and she let out a weak little cry and struggled against the fabric of her chef's jacket in such a way that she slipped right out of it, leaving her with an undershirt that wasn't much more than a tank top. The pirate shrugged and tossed the jacket away and then stood to block the doorway, sword at the ready. Hanako stumbled back, tripping over herself. There was a grunt when she landed on her back.
"I-I'm sorry! I d-didn't think they'd g-get back here this fast.." She even stumbled on her own words. They were trapped now; this was the only other way out. Hanako had hoped they could've just slipped out past the pirates, even if they'd been just a few paces ahead, but it seemed one, 'maybe more', had gotten smart and found the back door. "I'm sorry I.. I shouldn't have dragged you into this.." 'I shouldn't have dragged anyone into this..'
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Post by MIGUEL HIDALGO on Dec 28, 2017 6:14:04 GMT -5
[attr="class","afirr"] [attr="class","afir"]  [attr="class","afir1"] [attr="class","afir2"]ALL THROUGH THE LAND [attr="class","afir3"]I send a pestilence and plague into your house, into your bed, into your streams, into your streets, into your drink, into your bread, upon your cattle, on your sheep, upon your oxen in your field, into your dreams, into your sleep until you break, until you yield. I send the swarm. I send the horde. I send the thunder from the sky. I send the fire raining down. I send a hail of burning ice on ev'ry field. [attr="class","afir4"] Miguel didn’t actually expect a kitchen of all places to have a legitimate secret exit, but the girl clearly defied his expectations in more than one way for such a meek familiar face. After all, she was here and being chased instead of with them and longing to be free – that was a change in of itself. Even the food wasn’t the same – it was better, if anything.
Still, he got what he wanted and so he followed along into the pantry and into the hole that was apparently in the pantry that was just enough for him to squeeze through. He thanked his lucky stars that he was just an average guy in height or this would’ve been very uncomfortable indeed. When they got to a tiny room with an actual proper door, he blinked and wondered exactly what sort of thing they would have done in this tiny room – and frankly given his background most of what he could think of were illegal activities perpetuated by the previous or present owners. Which was fine with him – he was a pirate after all- but it was interesting to think about for sure.
Of course, the words I think wasn’t exactly encouraging, as was the darkness. He wasn’t some sort of mink with nightvision after all. But still, he continued to follow, fairly confident… up until the door suddenly opened more abruptly than the girl had probably intended to and he saw another guy grab her by the collar, only for her to slip out of it and land on the ground. His eyebrow then raised but he was already humming a song in his mind as this motherfucker proceeded to block the door while the blonde apologized to him for dragging him into this.
”To be fair, I inserted myself into this.” He remarked with a small chuckle as he looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. ”I suppose you aren’t inclined to let us go?” It was really too bad that he left his gauntlets or this would have been so much easier. Still, his mental humming was already psyching him up well enough.
“Like hell we are! The girl comes ‘ith us… along with your ‘ead if you ain’t backin’ off!” The pirate barked as he brandished his sword.
”Let me think about that for a moment…." Even as he said that, he suddenly moved forward in an attempt to slice the man in half, only to be blocked by the pirate’s blade. To the pirate’s shock, his hand actually shook as he blocked the blow and had to block a few more blows from one-handed swings to the point where he was distracted enough that he didn’t see the blackened hand from the side until smashed into his face with crushing force. He screamed in pain as his nose and eyeballs were crushed and the hand actually pushed his face in from the force and from the surprising hardness.
”Sorry, even in the dark you were just SO ugly I just had to try and fix it." He quipped as he watched the man fall down to his knees holding his face, screaming in pain as he dropped his sword. Miguel then kicked the man outside of the door with surprising force and then nudged the blade over to Hanako.
”Up and at ‘em, little lady. We’re gonna wreck our way through them like bulls because they refuse to let us do it the easy way. I’ll help. Besides, you have one hell of an arm – use it.” He flashed the girl a smile, ignoring the blood and other fluids on his other hand (that was once again the color of tanned flesh) even as he heard the others begin to approach.
PHARAOH LEAP. [googlefont=PT Sans Narrow] [newclass=.afirr]width:500px;font:10px Verdana;text-align:justify;color:#777777;position:relative;z-index:1;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir]padding:9px;height:100px;width:100px;border:solid 1px #333333;float:left;-webkit-filter: grayscale(100%);-moz-filter: grayscale(100%);filter: grayscale(100%);margin-top:-12px;transition: all 1.0s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease; -ms-transition: all 1.0s ease;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir:hover]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0%);-moz-filter: grayscale(0%);filter: grayscale(0%);transition: all 1.0s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease; -ms-transition: all 1.0s ease;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir img]height:100px;width:100px;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir1]margin-left:130px;width:359px;margin-top:-24px;padding-left:10px;height:130px;border-left:solid 1px #4C4C4C;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir2]background-color:#397760;margin-top:-12px;float:left;padding:5px 10px;color:#f5f5f5;font:20px PT Sans Narrow;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir3]margin-top:29px;background-color:#eeeeee;font:8px Calibri;padding:10px;height:59px;letter-spacing:1px;overflow:hidden;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir4]width:480px;padding:20px 10px;border-top:solid 1px #4C4C4C;border-bottom:solid 1px #4C4C4C;margin:-12px 0px -2px 0px;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir4 b]color:#397760;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir5]background-color:#397760;color:#f5f5f5;text-align:center;font:12px PT Sans Narrow;padding:10px 0px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir5 a]color:#f5f5f5;font:12px PT Sans Narrow;[/newclass] |
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Played by atomicwarkitten
Cash
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Post by HANAKO TAKESHI on Dec 31, 2017 0:53:31 GMT -5
 BUT NOW I'M INSECURE AND I CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK Hanako looked up at Miguel from her spot on the floor and shook her head. All of this mess was her fault. He was just doing what any decent person would do, right? She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find any right words to make the situation better. Nothing came out. Were there any words she could even say? Miguel was already speaking before a sound came from her mouth, and Hanako's mouth clamped shut as she stared, terrified, at the pirate. She didn't realize she had even been scooting herself back until she knocked into one of the many shelves lining the wall and clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Nerves had her skin crawling, and the sudden impact made her think someone was behind her, trying to grab her. She looked up in time to see Miguel's sword raise up, then his entire fist punch the pirate's face inwards. The pirate's screams made her flinch - she wasn't sure if it was from sympathy or surprise in the man's own skill. She shivered and held her own arms. She thought she heard something crash from behind them, but nothing seemed to be coming through that hole in the wall that she could see. They would need to hurry, before they were completely surrounded. Now that one pirate was out of the way, maybe they could make a run for it.. She used the shelf to pull herself up off the ground finally, blinking at Miguel's words. He wanted her to fight? She didn't know how to fight. But she couldn't do nothing. She hesitating in taking the sword from him - a weapon she knew less about than anything else on the planet - her face mixed with confusion and a little regret. Why did she put him in this sort of situation? "...Besides, you have one hell of an arm – use it.”Hanako looked at the man, surprised. She wasn't a fighter, but everyone she had met knew and said she was strong. She had always just chalked it up to her family's bloodline - everyone in her family was strong. But somehow, just hearing it now from an almost complete stranger made her want to defend herself and him. She took the sword, holding it awkwardly and nodded to the man. Her nervous smile was hidden quickly as she jumped out the door with her sudden burst of courage, then her skin started crawling again as a line of pirates began forming, blocking all sides to escape from. Maybe 10? 15 of them? Loud footsteps said there were more coming. The woman hesitated again, but then gripped the handle of the sword again, then started slashing randomly. She didn't actually want to hurt any of them, and so her initial reaction was to keep her eyes closed, but they opened when the sword stopped slashing, and she felt her arm struggling against an unknown force. One of the pirates had put up their sword; many had jumped out of range of her random swinging. 'Come on.. can't just give up..' She rushed the man, screaming out as she did, and pushed him away with her sword against his: no special movements or swordsmanship training, just a plain old bull-rush. She never knew how to start a fight - not on purpose, at least. But she could finish them. She leaped at the same pirate, turning suddenly to kick him. There was an audible crack as she hit him, sending him flying into a few of his comrades. The pile was either knocked out or stunned, but Hanako left them alone for the time as another swung their sword at her. She moved, the sword swinging into thin air as she slid to the side of its path, then knocked a fist into his back and forcing him into the ground. Hanako tried to catch her breath, but had to hold up the sword to keep another sword from being thrust into her side before she could even pause. |
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Post by MIGUEL HIDALGO on Jan 3, 2018 1:44:53 GMT -5
[attr="class","afirr"] [attr="class","afir"] [attr="class","afir1"] [attr="class","afir2"]ALL THROUGH THE LAND [attr="class","afir3"]I send a pestilence and plague into your house, into your bed, into your streams, into your streets, into your drink, into your bread, upon your cattle, on your sheep, upon your oxen in your field, into your dreams, into your sleep until you break, until you yield. I send the swarm. I send the horde. I send the thunder from the sky. I send the fire raining down. I send a hail of burning ice on ev'ry field. [attr="class","afir4"] Miguel’s eyebrows raised up when he saw that there were a lot of pirates –or criminals or both, he didn’t discriminate- coming out of the woodwork. Did he accidentally piss off a large crew by saving the girl? Granted, if the ones he’d already taken down were a standard of what kind of crew this was, then he wasn’t terribly impressed by the quality of these grunts. So at least they weren’t entirely screwed-
-and then he saw the girl charge on ahead without a plan, just using the sword he gave her like it was a club or a bat. Okay, perhaps a little more screwed than he thought if these pirates had a modicum of sense, but the tight alleyway actually worked in their favor since they couldn’t completely surround and swarm him and his new companion. And it worked for her ‘you only live once’ ‘die hard’ strategy.
With a wry shake of his head, he followed behind her at a more leisurely pace while still humming that one same tune. He didn’t want to be in front an untrained wild swordswoman –though honestly maybe he should give her a warhammer or a greataxe after this, seems to suit her more- so instead he darted in and out from the sides to help her out, his sword and his blackened gauntlet hacking and smashing respectively. None of the pirates were quite expecting his or the little girl’s strength at first and so weapons came flying and various body parts got caved in, as the first three to try and subdue Miguel were quickly put out of their misery with crushing blows to their ribs that caved them in or deep slices to the gut.
Soon though, he heard the door being kicked open and he promptly kicked away the nearest man to him, his foot blackened with Haki. All the constant on-and-off his Haki was beginning to tire him more than humming the song, but he didn’t –couldn’t- let up. ”I’ll take care of the ones behind first, bowl them over or something if you can’t cut through them!” He said as he turned around and charged forward, the blade in his gauntlet slipping out as he shoved it in between one of the newcomers’ ribs and then pulling it out and stabbing another in the throat.
He was switching up tactics now to quick and dirty kills as they were starting to get kicks and punches on him. Mostly because he wasn’t terribly fast and his hits are more slow and sure than swift and sharp. One, two, three down… and then more…
PHARAOH LEAP. [googlefont=PT Sans Narrow] [newclass=.afirr]width:500px;font:10px Verdana;text-align:justify;color:#777777;position:relative;z-index:1;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir]padding:9px;height:100px;width:100px;border:solid 1px #333333;float:left;-webkit-filter: grayscale(100%);-moz-filter: grayscale(100%);filter: grayscale(100%);margin-top:-12px;transition: all 1.0s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease; -ms-transition: all 1.0s ease;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir:hover]-webkit-filter: grayscale(0%);-moz-filter: grayscale(0%);filter: grayscale(0%);transition: all 1.0s ease; -webkit-transition: all 1.0s ease; -moz-transition: all 1.0s ease; -o-transition: all 1.0s ease; -ms-transition: all 1.0s ease;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir img]height:100px;width:100px;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir1]margin-left:130px;width:359px;margin-top:-24px;padding-left:10px;height:130px;border-left:solid 1px #4C4C4C;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir2]background-color:#397760;margin-top:-12px;float:left;padding:5px 10px;color:#f5f5f5;font:20px PT Sans Narrow;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir3]margin-top:29px;background-color:#eeeeee;font:8px Calibri;padding:10px;height:59px;letter-spacing:1px;overflow:hidden;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir4]width:480px;padding:20px 10px;border-top:solid 1px #4C4C4C;border-bottom:solid 1px #4C4C4C;margin:-12px 0px -2px 0px;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir4 b]color:#397760;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir5]background-color:#397760;color:#f5f5f5;text-align:center;font:12px PT Sans Narrow;padding:10px 0px;text-transform:uppercase;[/newclass] [newclass=.afir5 a]color:#f5f5f5;font:12px PT Sans Narrow;[/newclass] |
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Played by atomicwarkitten
Cash
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Post by HANAKO TAKESHI on Jan 9, 2018 16:56:13 GMT -5
BUT NOW I'M INSECURE AND I CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK "O-Okay.." The woman didn't want to hurt anyone. And really, if she was now able to overpower these pirates, maybe she could have just done it beforehand. But.. she didn't want to hurt them or want them dead. She just wanted to be left alone. For the longest time, that was all that she wanted. And as she held that sword and slashed it through anyone who was too foolish to get close to even her - untrained, strong, and blinded by.. not rage, but desperation - she felt less and less compelled to continue. Hanako couldn't even find it in her heart to hate them for keeping her captive for so long. In the moment to come, her hand faltered. In that faltering moment, one of the closest pirates twisted his sword around hers and flicked it away behind the pirates, just to be clear that it wasn't something she would be picking up again. Her hands drew up close to her as she tried to dodge the swords. A few screams of pain as the blade caught her skin here and there, but Miguel seemed to keep up on his end to keeping anything serious from hitting her. In the confusion of battle, the smell of blood was beginning to make her gut churn, but in the moment of her mixed feelings she reached out and grabbed the man who's just lost half his own stomach and swung him, then threw him at the others still coming. She panted, watching she had just knocked over; nearly all of them left in the alley keeping Miguel and herself from an easy freedom, all scrambling over each other without helping the other to get up, so they just seemed to tangle even more. Ah, it was their moment to escape! "H-Here.. we can get over them, I think.." It was a better plan than to wait to be surrounded, anyways. The first few were easy enough for Hanako to step over - they'd been left unconscious or, y'know, maybe the fact that they had just had a person thrown at them had stunned them pretty well. She turned to be sure that Miguel was following before kicking away another's sword, then a hand so that she could step on a couple wriggling backs and faces before she was able to jump free of them. Hanako frowned weakly, holding herself as she turned to watch the men wriggle. She couldn't tell if they were uncoordinated or just still didn't know how to fight with each other, but the smaller alley seemed to have worked against the lot of them. The captain, as she remembered, would just hire on whoever would go so long as they could hold a sword. Save for a small number, much of the crew's bodies changed sporadically. Hanako had always thought that it was a bad way to run a crew, and over time he'd been stolen from and nearly stabbed in the back more than once. He was very strict if he ever caught them.. He might not have known how to run a crew, but he did try to run it with an iron fist. The captain was stronger than the rest of his crew, faster, quieter, and at least a little smarter than they were, too. A shadow passed, and Hanako remembered the one other fact that sent a shiver through her spine and made her hands clammy. He was particularly tall and wide. Not fat, but muscular. She turned to this captain, wearing a hat with his own crew's jolly roger, tilted to one side, and wearing nothing more than pants, a saber in one hand and a flintlock pistol in the other. "Hanako," he said roughly. The blonde girl jolted at the word, casual as it was, and froze. The man scratched his forehead with the end of the pistol, groaning. "All you damned pirates couldn't take care of one little girl?" He took a step toward Hanako, tying his saber onto his belt and then lifting Hanako's frozen face up with his now-free hand to get a better look at her. She didn't dare pull away from his grip, but she visibly shivered where she stood, a silent fright like a child about to be scolded. The captain blinked. "No trouble at all.." he smiled and pulled her closer, holding her in front of his body as a sort of shield against Miguel and raised his pistol at the man. "But I don't recognize you.. I suppose it was you who put some sort of 'rescue' nonsense into her head?" He laughed a little. "Her cooking's quite fine, and she's certainly stronger than she looks in a couple different ways.. but she's mine, fair and square." Hanako felt her skin crawl as the man touched her, pulled her close in an almost-embrace. He turned her around so that she faced Miguel as her mind blanked. She knew what was happening; she was losing her grip on any control again. It was as if it were slipping between her fingers, and all she could do was revert back to what she did best; when the pirates had picked on her, she had found that no reaction made them leave her alone more quickly. Her eyes had closed, shutting out everything as she stood there. Her attempts to not cry from the fear coursing through her veins failed: Fear that she would cost more than she deserved from this man she recognized but did not know; fear that she would be taken back to that cage of a ship. His hand tightened on Hanako's shoulder. "Finders keepers - you know how it is." The pirate captain shrugged. "In case that isn't clear-" a short pause and he fired the pistol. The mind does strange things when it's afraid, frozen to a stop. Time seemed to slow as Hanako opened her eyes and she recognized where the man had come from. His face was younger when she had first seen him by her stall. Her father had been there, talking to customers and a couple of her brothers had been handing out fliers for their food. A younger Miguel had come up, flashed a smile and ordered spicy.. shrimp? Something spicy every year after that second music festival she had gone to. They had chatted now and again, about food and music mostly. By the end of it she probably would have called him a friend. "Miguel?" She said his name through choking tears, quiet enough that she wasn't sure if she even heard herself say anything at all. |
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