EVENT TWO: a rising threat

[DIONE]

a rising threat

She had been swimming, swimming so fast she really had no sense of direction whatsoever. Where had she ended up? She didn't know this place. But any place was better than being captured by those rugged pirates that had been chasing her.

Exhausted, she collapsed at the shore edge of an unfamiliar beach, afraid that she had come to her end. She pushed herself up and looked back out to the water horizon, realising that she hadn't been successful in shaking the pirates off her trail. She sunk back into the sand and began to cry out for help. Someone had to live here, right?

As she saw a group of people approach her, she immediately covered her face with her hands and stopped calling. She sat up, peeking out from between her fingers to look upon her rescuers. "Are you here to help me?" she asked, wiping a few beads of tears from her eyes.

The ship that had been following her grew ever closer, and before long it had ankered in the bay and the captain was setting his foot on land.

The mermaid looked to her potential rescuers, desperation evident in her eyes. "Please help me! They've been trying to capture me, but I swam -- I swam and I came here -- please don't let them take me!"

(Those who have signed up for this event may post below.)

[EZEKIEL L.]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=style,padding: 10px; border-radius: 0px;] [style=opacity: 0.8; background-color: #F0F0F0; width: 360px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; color: #333333; padding: 10px; text-align: justify;]The sand was feverish against the balls of his toes, but Ezekiel paid the potential blisters no heed. Instead, he maintained his speed, running down the sweep of beach, womanly cries for help ringing in his ears. A solitary figure rose into sight on the edge of the waves, and he angled his course for her. What could have happened to her? Had she been stung by a jellyfish? Twisted an ankle? The red-haired man slowed his pace as he closed the distance between them, vaguely noticing other figures of rescuers approaching in the corners of his vision. And it was as he came closer that he realized... she didn't have legs. He stood a few feet away from her, silent and gawking at the scales. From behind the cover of her hands she inquired to the small crowd's purpose, but Ezekiel couldn't find his voice; it was lodged somewhere in his throat. Slowly, he lifted his eyes towards the horizon and the nearing ship - she was running from these people, it seemed. The man stood in shock, still trying to wrap his mind around her fins, as the vessel dropped anchor. Again, she turned to them and desperately pleaded for their assistance. She was helpless, unarmed, and obviously unable to defend herself in any way, stranded on the beach as she was. With a determination in his eyes, Ezekiel said not a word and stepped protectively in front of her. He could ponder who - and what - she was, after she was safe. [/style]

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[marigolds]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #eeebe3; width: 450px, bTable] notes ex-military man to the rescue! (this is shitty what.) count 324 tags lots of people wow Ross pulls down his bandana, wipes the sweat off of his brow, and clocks out of the Baccar Inn for a break at one, stepping from the air-conditioned building and into the sun. It’s a nice day, but it’s dry; the summers in Sepalum are hot, the cloudless skies giving no indication of shade, and while Ross is used to being in the heat, he would really prefer he wasn’t. He steps down the roads amiably, sticking to his daily routine of taking a walk when he feels overworked, and ends up deciding to go to the beach, if only because the salty, ocean air sounds appealing and cool. Heading in that direction, Ross almost rethinks his decision when he hears screaming from the beach. Heart pounding a mile a minute, Ross stops solidly in his tracks, only to hear the sound again; once he decides that it is definitely coming from the beach, then, and quickens his pace to a jog, then a run when the screaming doesn’t stop. He rushes towards the noise and is shocked to see a redheaded man, probably younger than he, standing guard over a young girl in the sand. Ross slows to a stop close by, then stares out across the beach where a small ship containing three rugged-looking men is coming to land. “What’s going on?” Ross asks the redhead defending the girl. Upon looking at him, of course, that’s when he realizes -- the girl doesn’t have any legs. Instead, she has a long throng of scales leading down to a fin. Ross’ eyes widen in shock, but he doesn’t have time to ponder, as the ship is only sailing closer. “Damn it,” he murmurs, stepping forward to stand next to his redheaded partner. He’s had training for this kind of thing; he can totally take out a few stupid pirates -- especially if the other figures approaching the scene are any sort of help.

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[zain]

It hadn't actually been Zain's plan to go to the beach that day. But after a day at the clothing store with no inspiration whatsoever, he had felt the need to go down there anyway. Maybe get a sketch done, but certainly cool off in the breeze from the ocean. Walking between the jewelry store and fish shop, his feet took him along the soft sand.

A scream echoing through the air stopped him in his tracks.

Screaming. That was never good. He looked around for the source, but it wasn't till someone ran past him that he realized it must be coming from the shore. Instinct taking over, he too began to run down there.

The scene before him was.... unexpected, to say the least. First he noticed the large ship just sitting there on the water, and the small boat quickly heading their way. Then he focused on the three people by the shoreline. Two were standing protectively in front of a woman lying on the sand, and he quickly ran to join them.

Once more, he stopped short at the sight of the woman. She had a tail??? Like, a mermaid from the fairy tales he liked to read. He hadn't actually thought them real though! Blinking and pushing past his shock, he crouched down near the obviously scared woman.

"We'll help you, Miss," he said quietly, smiling reassuringly. He sure hoped so anyway. Those pirates looked pretty mean. "Um, are you hurt anywhere?" If she was, he wanted to be able to help her, in case she needed to escape again. It looked like she'd been swimming for a very long time though.

© gundam-kun of gangnam style

[CECILIA S.]

The town had a beach. Cecilia didn’t like it. She was pouting, crouched upon a large rock, arms hugging her knees of which she was resting her head to stare out at the loud, intrusive ocean. She had never been to the beach, her home was landlocked and nobody in her family was one for travel. Apparently she hadn’t been missing much. The sand was hot and uncomfortable; it got in your shoes, your hair and countless other places one need not mention. The water was loud and cold to the touch, smelling of salt, fish and other un-pleasantries. No, Cecilia did not like the beach.

The girl continued to pout and stare at the ocean, not willing to actually get up and leave the place of her discomfort. No, she’d stay here a bit longer, try to collect her thoughts despite the large distractions of the waves and the few people on the beach.

There was a scream.

Like a dog realizing their master had treats, the woman perked up, fierce, narrow eyes trailing to the spot where the voice was coming from, presumably a woman, whom was now hidden by the handful of figures running to her rescue. Cecilia let out an indignant huff as she watched the scene. Four men for what was most likely a girl’s twisted ankle? How silly. She returned to her former pouting position, somewhat watching the scene unfold in front of her, somewhat watching the large fishing ship as it floated gently out in the ocean.

It drew closer and closer, until Cecilia could see the betraying mast of the jolly roger. She blinked. Pirates?

Apparently this place wasn’t as safe as her father thought.

The woman stood up abruptly, hand instinctively grabbing her sword as she began to walk quickly towards the group. At least in her town, there were strict guidelines when it came to situations such as this and guideline number one? Get rid of the liabilities: the children, the elderly, the useless. Having them present only hindered your fighting skills, splitting your mind between attack and defense and preventing the total focus needed in a fight.

”Hey!” she let out a harsh call as soon as she and the group got within ear-shot of each other. ”Go home, now!” Her sword was out and she kept a careful eye on the pirates growing ever closer, the woman was still at least partially hidden by the three figures. ”Tell the town to get to their homes, stay alert and stay armed.” She didn’t request back-up. The woman was, of course, used to fighting in a team. In her town, dealing with attacks was a shared responsibility, everyone helped. But, in her town everyone knew what they were doing. Cecilia could trust them, she knew each of their capabilities, their tendencies, she could trust them. Here, that wasn’t the case and guideline one was there for a reason: Fighting while babysitting was always a recipe for disaster.

ooc:sorry its a bit long, won't happen again ^^;

TAGGED: EVERYBODY

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

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[RINGO S.]

[atrb=style, Background-color: #dddddd][atrb=width, 537, bTable][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=vAlign,top] JUST ONE MORE Ringo took out his watch and stared at it. Today was not his shift so that left him with nothing to do at the moment. He placed the watch down and looked at the various books and pages scattered across his desk. Ringo laid back on his chair and turned over to the rest of his room...or rather the rest of his house. His house wasn't too big. Just one gigantic room with a kitchen and such...and the other room being a bathroom and such. Ringo's house was actually kind of messy thinking about it. Not helped by the scattered books, items of various kinda, and the gigantic dark blue ink circle drawn in the center of the room. Ringo should do something about that... ...later, after Ringo get some fresh air. Just because today was a day off doesn't mean he can just slack off. He placed on a black t-shirt and jeans with a thin light blue jacket. He picked up his brown carry on bag to store any items of interest that he finds. Ringo looked out the window. The beach looked like a nice place to visit. Nothing could happen there...right? The beach was what it was expected to be. Soft sand, the lush color of the sea and sky, the screeching of a mermaid...okay the last bit was out of place for Ringo as he ran faster toward the beach as he heard a scream and observed a ship heading toward the shore. He ran to shore and took a closer look at the mermaid. He then looked up to see the other people and the ship anchoring itself. "Please help me! They've been trying to capture me, but I swam -- I swam and I came here -- please don't let them take me!" Ringo looked up to see a few of them going down. He took a deep breathe. Traveling, he had to prepare himself for possible muggers...but the best Ringo's self defense skill he has is punching them in the stomach and running. He could use magic but rituals take time. Not to mention the only ritual he has right now is enforcing his own body to take slightly more punishment than normal. He rolled up his sleeve to look at the markings he made on his arms and then turned his view toward the pirates. ”Hey!” A girl with short black hair shouted. ”Go home, now!” She has a point. She was armed as Ringo could observe from her sword...but it still felt wrong to just leave her here alone to deal with them. ”Tell the town to get to their homes, stay alert and stay armed.” Ringo turned over to the mermaid and the others. "Looks like we're going to have to carry her." Ringo said. He rolled his sleeve back down. "Let's get you somewhere safe." Ringo reached over but stopped. "How often does your body need water...wait would you need specific water? Ugh, now isn't the time..." Ringo looked over at the others. "I'll need help carrying her over." He looked back at the short haired girl. "You going to be okay on your own for a bit?"

[atrb=style, background-color: #b2cf6d][atrb=vAlign,top] DREAM Notes: Not the best intro but at least he's there. Music: None Tagged: Open

[cs=2] template by pianissimo of BTN and LS

[NJORD]

a rising threat

He had quite enough of chasing after these damned creatures. He clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes in irritation as he waited for his ship to pull closer to the peninsula. They were such infuriating creatures. He had thought to ask politely at first. Maybe he could earn their trust but it was clear none of them held any interest in such conversation.

Once the ship drew nearer, his crew lowered the ship and the captain climbed aboard it setting out onto the shallow waters. That one. She was the easiest one to find. She didn't hide very well after all. And playing the victim card of all things.

"Yes, go home." He replied, mimicking the woman that appeared to have arrived on the scene. He had never been terribly fond of hurting women - or at least human women - but he would if she dared to draw her sword against him. "Step away from her." The sand shifted beneath him once he pulled ashore, some of his shipmates remaining in wait as their captain spoke.

Njord rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, eyes lingering on the woman before traveling to look at the others. They were all men. There was a good chance that they would be able to take them but he wanted to solve this with as little violence as possible. Damned mermaids. Dragging others into such a conflict. All he wanted was her pretty little scales.

"She's just a little scared after all. I wouldn't dare do anything to hurt her pretty little head. Do you understand now? Go back home like that woman said."

[DIONE]

a rising threat

With trembling hands, she covered her mouth to conceal her relief that there was not only one, but five people who had come to her rescue. Two red heads, two brunettes and one short haired girl. But this girl didn't seem like trifle, no, she even had a sword!

The still shaking mermaid smiled at them all, a few beads of tears welling up again, but she quickly wiped them with the palm of her hand. The males didn't seem very talkative, except for the brunettes. "Thank you, you are too kind-- I-I'm not hurt, no, but-" she managed to say before the other one started talking.

"N-no! That's okay, y-you don't have to carry me." The fear of being held, like any other woman had, was still in her, even though she was a mermaid. And she didn't want to cause them any more trouble that what was necessary.

The spiky haired male seemed to babble, which caught her off guard. "E-eh? No need for s-specific water, but I can't be dry for more than f-five minutes-" There was distinct concern in her voice, and she was still stuttering. If they carried her away from the ocean she would be fatigued and weak, and if she was caught she wouldn't be able to do any resistance.

"You should focus on those pirates, they don't look very nice." She peeked her head out from between their legs to look at the pirate captain, and when she gained eye contact with him she furrowed her brows. "Don't b-believe anything he says, none of it is true!"

(Carrying her away from the water will cause her to weaken, and if she's weakened enough she will die and the event will be lost.)

[EZEKIEL L.]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,300,true][atrb=style,padding: 10px; border-radius: 0px;] Ezekiel briefly craned his neck as another red-haired man came up behind him, responding to his inquiry with only a single-worded answer. "Pirates." He offered simply, voice dry, then turned around to face the approaching marauders. He eyed the leader, skeptical of his intentions. It wasn't that he trusted the girl more than the next person, but pirates weren't known for their humane codes of conduct. As he pointedly watched the nearing group, a sharp, feminine voice overpowered the other rescuer's questions. He turned to regard her, flinched at the weapon in her hand and furrowed his dark eyebrows in bemusement, though he didn't respond to the fellow blacksmith's demands. The captain had come into hearing range, then, and mocked her instructions. Ezekiel drew his gaze back to the man, the presence of another sword making his stomach flutter, though his expression remained rigid. Hesitantly, the red-head's green eyes flickered to gaze at his partner, vaguely wondering if he would stand his ground or back down. With a slow exhale, he turned to face the irritated captain, suspicion lingering in his visage. "What do you want with her?"

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[marigolds]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=style, background-color: #eeebe3; width: 450px, bTable] notes still shitty. count 254 tags lots of people wow Though Ross is mildly alarmed by the woman with the sword, he pays no mind to her shouting -- he wouldn’t dare leave his post in a war, so why should he leave an innocent civilian in the hands of one person? Counting the other two men that arrived, the group of five outnumbers the pirates; it really comes down to how much help everyone actually is at this point. Casting a disdainful look towards the two brunette men, particularly the one suggesting they move a mermaid away from the water, he begins to have his doubts. He refocuses, however, as the pirate captain steps forward to speak, unarmed but with his hand on the hilt of his own sword. Ross is really not in the mood for negotiations and doesn’t believe the captain for a single moment. Pirates, he reasons, have a way of telling the truth while leaving out important details; he won’t hurt her “pretty little head”, sure, but that doesn’t mean he won’t hurt some other part of her. Ross’ gaze hardens and he steps even closer to the other redhead, walling the girl with his and the others’ body. “Who cares what he wants?” Ross asks, tone biting. “He’s a pirate. No matter what they want, they don’t think much of playing fair,” Ross says, keeping his gaze trained carefully on the captain. “There’s no use trying to move her, either; she won’t make it. We’ll have to stay here. Protect her with force.” His good eye flashes at this.

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[TERRA]

There is no posting order, so don't be afraid to post before others.

[zain]

With the confirmation that the mermaid was mostly unhurt, Zain straightened back up to his feet. They certainly couldn't move her, it would be too dangerous to take her away from the water, even he knew that. But what the other woman had said as she joined the group? For them all to leave? No offense to her, but he wasn't going to just leave when the pirates outnumbered the woman with the sword. True, he didn't have much in the way of fighting skills except for a few magic spells, but surely their numbers would come in handy.

He frowned as he listened to the pirate. He was obviously lying, well, he thought so anyway. Pirates weren't trustworthy people in his stories, but he'd never seen one in real life either. Were they really going to have to fight then? In order to protect the mermaid? Zain stood protectively beside the girl, but still behind the others, rolling up his sleeves and pulling out his wand so he'd be prepared to cast a supportive spell, just in case.

© gundam-kun of gangnam style

[CECILIA S.]

The boy closest to her seemed to listen, turning to the others and suggesting they carry the girl. Cecilia couldn't help but let out another huff of indignation. It wasn't as if a twisted ankle required that much attention.

"How often does your body need water..."

wait what?

The boy continued to speak as Cecilia whipped her head around to get a better look at the girl. "E-eh? No need for s-specific water, but I can't be dry for more than f-five minutes-" Finally she got a decent glance at what had actually caused all the commotion.

"You going to be okay on your own for a bit?"

"y-yeah." Her previously stern tone wavered just a tad as her wide eyes took in the scene and it's implications. She quickly turned her head again to face the now approaching pirate captain. This was why they were here. This changed everything.

No longer was this a baseless raid of some town. No, now the attackers had a motivation and by the looks of things they were pretty darn motivated meaning taking the mermaid away, especially if it was back to the town, had the high probability of a very undesired consequence.

Apparently he had heard her barks to go home as he was now childishly mimicking them. Cecelia's grip on her sword's hilt tightened as a result, eyes narrowed into daggers.

The blacksmith, whom had chosen to completely ignore her earlier commands, was the first to speak, asking just what the pirate wanted of the girl, a fair question with an answer she wished to hear herself.

A small bout of protest came from the one-eyed redhead at this suggestion and Cecilia's beady eyes grew even more narrow. The already tense atmosphere was only amplifying amongst the group, a group of variables that she did not wish to have to deal with.

Immediately after the word 'force' came into play, the girl's sword whipped towards the ocean forming a ribbon of a barrier between the villagers and the pirate captain. There would be no fighting without her knowledge of the full story, not if she had anything to say about it. For all they knew the mermaid could be yet another species of imp, well deserving of the pirate's pursuit.

"Wait." she hissed. "Hear him out first." Her gaze did not waver from the captain, letting him know that whether or not she trusted the mermaid, he was far from her favor.

TAGGED: EVERYBODY

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

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[RINGO S.]

[atrb=style, Background-color: #dddddd][atrb=width, 537, bTable][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=vAlign,top] JUST ONE MORE "E-eh? No need for s-specific water, but I can't be dry for more than f-five minutes-" This wasn't good...and Ringo can't produce a giant water tank they could move her around in. He started to attempting to think of a solution...but he was not going to have that luxury. "You should focus on those pirates, they don't look very nice." "Yes, go home." Ringo turned over to the one walking up to them. Pinkish hair and eye patch was a weird combination Ringo thought but he can't exactly judge others for their fashion sense. He looked over at the small group not far from him. It doesn't take a genius to say tell that he was their captain. "Step away from her." Ringo did not move. If anything he stared at the captain. "She's just a little scared after all. I wouldn't dare do anything to hurt her pretty little head. Do you understand now? Go back home like that woman said." Ringo was going to need more proof than that. "Don't b-believe anything he says, none of it is true!" "What do you want with her?" “Who cares what he wants?” Ringo looked over at the one with the eyepatch. “He’s a pirate. No matter what they want, they don’t think much of playing fair,” Ringo looked over at the ship and then back on the captain and crew. “There’s no use trying to move her, either; she won’t make it. We’ll have to stay here. Protect her with force.” Was force really the only way? Ringo adjusted his sleeves for a second and took a deep breathe. "Wait." Ringo looked over at the girl as she drew her sword. "Hear him out first." Ringo looked at her...true, come to think of it, they don't know the full story, but Ringo still didn't exactly have the most positive feelings. None the less...this could give Ringo an opportunity. He was already lowered to be able to better speak to the mermaid. He has to hope know one is paying attention to him. Ringo began to draw a circle in the sand quietly. He continued to look at the pirates. If push comes to shove, Ringo can use himself as a weapon seeing as how his body is reinforced due to the ritual written on his arm...though he'd rather not test how many swords it would take to wound him...

[atrb=style, background-color: #b2cf6d][atrb=vAlign,top] DREAM Notes: Ohhhh boy Music: None Tagged: Open

[cs=2] template by pianissimo of BTN and LS

[NJORD]

a rising threat

Figures she would have played the victim card. Although, he supposed that couldn't be helped by him either. Pirates weren't exactly notorious for being savior of the mermaids or anything good. He cast a glance to the mermaid, clicking his tongue in distaste as he shifted on his feet. How to go about this.

"You wound me, Dione. I thought we were all friends here." If friends sold friends for money.

Njord had arrived intending to handle this with as little trouble as possible. Villagers weren't supposed to be able to fight. But these people all looked fairly able bodied. If you subtracted the brunettes anyways. "Perhaps I'm a good pirate. Though, I suppose you've never heard of those." He replied in response to the two redheads.

The woman seemed kind enough to allow him to speak. Although, whether or not he should have thought her to be a fool. He was uncertain. Njord made no eye contact with any of the villagers, his only good one focused solely on the glimmering scales of the mermaid resting ashore. If all of this went south and it would have to be solved with violence, she better not have escaped. Dione, he thought. Such a selfish creature. Involving poor, innocent civilians in her escape. His men pulled the boat ashore, waiting. Just waiting as their captain continued to speak.

"I just want to have a little chat with her. That's all. Cross my heart and hope to die." In theory anyways.