[OP-F26] A Night Amongst the Stars [Event]

[Lessa 1]

After Jomei's shrimp-related admission, Lessa added a snort of her own. "You can't eat fifty shrimp in one sitting?" Feigning disappointment, she shook her head, then heaved a great sigh. "I'm afraid that's a deal breaker for me. I simply cannot entertain the notion of being with a man who cannot eat fifty shrimp." The words left her mouth before her mind could register them, and she felt a blush climbing her neck. It spread across her cheeks like unfurling flower petals, and she ducked her head to hide the tell-tale embarrassment. Maybe it won't mean anything to him, she thought on a note of desperation. Closing her eyes for a moment, she let the cool air wash over her skin, and imaged it erasing the pink from her cheeks. Being with a man was a pretty forward thing to say, and the meaning could be misconstrued as... well... there weren't too many ways to interpret it.

So she did what any proper young woman would do in her place - she began shoveling shrimp onto a pretty cocktail plate.

Biting into one, she listened to Jomei's answer. Once she'd made it to the tail, the remainder burst into pixels - a handy perk of the in-game system. "I haven't spent much time in big cities," she confessed, tucking into another shrimp. "I'm not sure how I'd handle it. I'd definitely get lost, that's for sure. I've always been pretty directionally challenged." Pausing, Lessa loosed a breathy, whimsical sigh. The pretty sound contrasted dramatically with the pyramid of shrimp perched precariously on the plate. "But the hiiiiistory. I’d love to go to Europe. I bet you couldn't take two steps without running into something literally older than America. I'd kill for the chance to experience that stuff."

"One day," she stated, with a finality that closed the door on what was left unspoken. If we get out of here.

[Jomei 0]

She was just playing along with the joke, of course. He had teased her first, and she had followed up, both calling out 'deal breakers' as if they were actually trying to pursue a relationship. The way it so easily left her lips, a quick glance at the expression on her face spelled out that she was just as surprised about it as he was. He laughed, of course, it was a humorous remark after all (and he knew that letting silence hang would only worsen their slight embarrassment) Lucky for him, the long strands of ginger that fell in front of the side of his face so naturally allowed his smile to show.. but hid the flush of his cheeks.

Moving their conversation from the side of the ship to the long table of small plates and appetizers, Jomei looked over the various choices with an indecisive look in his eye. He eventually settled for a small assortment, with a reasonable amount of shrimp for a single person. Listening to Lessa as she responded, her upbringing and life as a young adult in a completely different setting than himself. His eyes never left her as she spoke, not only politely listening.. but also mentally keeping track of her shellfish consumption. 

Once she had finally finished, he nodded his head, before raising his eyebrows and pointing to her plate. ".. So, are you trying to beat your record?" he said through the chuckle that bubbled up from within. "I think you managed to house five shrimp in between just a few sentences." 

"Farm life sounds nice though, maybe not as quiet as someone like me may think.. especially with you and your three brothers running around." he said with a smirk, "But getting away from the constant noise of the city sounds promising." With a shrug of his shoulders, he took a few backwards steps away from the buffet of food back towards some of the standing tables near the bar. "I don't know anything about farm work though.. not sure if I'd be any good at it.. Heh.. think you could picture me as the farmer type?" 

 

[Hestia 0]

A deep breathe one to calm the nerves as she sets her gaze to look towards the sky having missed the ship due to news taking quite awhile to reach her little place of solace and escapism from the entire world. Though it would be nice to see how things have shaped and what have become of the people she once talked to and became friends with for the most part. Time has laid waste to most of the connections she could only assume as it seems like most Aincrad has this way to act like waves along the beach. People come and ago with the tides with some never returning to the sea to welcome themselves back upon the shores later. She brushes her raven hair behind her ear to gaze up at the floating ship that had taken off upon a floor that she has never visited before this point. However, she couldn't deny the childlike wonder it would be to indulge in flight upon a ship in the sky to feel the wind and be able to overlook this floor from on high.

Stepping forward she made her way across the stone streets of the floor and onto the teleporter that would take her upwards as her hand raises upwards with a soft whisper escaping her lips. "Teleport to the event." She says with firmness and confidence as the blue light envelops her frame blocking all from sight and then revealing to her a brand new sight. She sees a dimly lit room with quite a cozy atmosphere in her opinion with a few windows as she finds herself wandering over towards one of the windows to do just that. The heels she wears sounding out with every step as she gazes outwards with a gentle smile once she reaches the window and looks down at it all. A glorious city like she could only imagine fantasy novels would only strive to reach the level of awe that it inspired within her to be able to gaze out towards. "It all looks so pretty from up here." She whispers softly to herself with a soft hum of satisfaction as she just is content to gaze from here for just a little while.

One should look their best

Spoiler

Not updated since start of 3.0 hope not an issue

 

[Plot Master 0]

Act 3R: A Change of Plans | Twilight

The players continue to enjoy a night of peace and relaxation upon the deck of the sky ship, as it sails upwards out of the city's airspace and closer to the clouds above - once white and whispy, now dark without the sun's light reflecting off of them. Below the deck, doors swing open as multiple servers emerge holding large trays in their hands. This train of NPCs continues through the lower deck, up the stairs, and to the read end of the ship, where they would begin to set up stations for the party-goers to choose and enjoy their main course for the night.

Unexpected, from behind the veil of a deep blue cloud, a soft boom rings out through the night sky. A small portion of the cloud seems to split, as a small object hurtles through the air.. difficult to track with the suns waning light.. but enough to tell that the object was headed directly towards la Duchess Sincere. The wooden foremast, that once pointed in the direction of their destination, suddenly shatters with a loud crash. Another three booms from off in the distance, each one slightly illuminating the clouds from where they originated from. One projectile would crash into a railing towards the back of the ship, the other two would find their marks; hitting two of the four propellers that helped to keep the air ship afloat. 

All at once, the players would feel the ship lurch and tilt, many of the NPC servers losing their balance, dropping their trays and spilling food all over the deck. While the cannon fire may have stopped, the danger had not passed. Four vessels, Each shaped vaguely like a manta ray and only about quarter the size of the Duchess, would come into view suspended by a balloon above each 'wing'. Once in range, about even with the long balloon that served as the main means of levitation, each would launch a harpoon with a cable into the deck of the ship.

Since fell over the scene for just a few short moments, before figures began to quickly descend down the cables stuck into the wooden deck of the ship. Each wore ragtag bits of leather and armor, none matching, save for the threatening aura their visage gave off. Landing on the deck, a few meters from the bar at the rear of the airship, was the largest of the individuals. Sporting a long, black coat made of patchwork leather and what appeared the be the remnants of both a Landonian and Galtean soldier's helmet, reworked into armor that would sit on his shoulders. Head shaved clean, with stubble across his cheeks and chin. On his back, an axe that would make even the tallest of players look small in comparison. 

Pale, green eyes would scan the players and servers on the deck as a large hand scratched a slightly bulbous stomach, before his lips curled into a victorious, cocky smile. "A party, eh? Heh. Must've lost my invitation in the mail."  The smirk would fade before he would shout in a voice that boomed like the cannons of his ships. "Where's Daemon Xandis!"  Behind him, the other pirates begin to round up the others on the deck (They start with the NPCs before they start moving towards the players) and begin binding them to the railings with rope. Also, in usual pirate fashion, they help themselves to whatever drink and food they can find, shoving their dirty faces with a handful of shrimp, or guzzling down an entire bottle of whatever spirit they can get their hands on.

"One of you, bring me damn Xandis.. and no one gets hurt.." he reaches a hand back towards the staff, all tied to the wooden railing of the ship, "Unless, of course.. you don't care for their lives. I'll go through each one of them until I get what I want... then I'll go through all of you."

_____________________________________________

[Jomei 0]

The smile Jomei wore as he spoke with Lessa, the two moving towards an open table so they could enjoy their small meal without the need to walk around, suddenly faded as he heard what he could have sworn was cannon fire off in the distance. Was it the sound of continuous fighting between what remained of Landonain forces and the Galteans? Before he could think any further on it, the front of the ship erupted in small splinters of wood. More cannon balls crashed into the ship, the damage causing the ship to slowly tilt into a dive. His eyes began searching the skies for their attackers, while a free hand instinctually reached out to his side, searching for the blonde's hand. "I'm not sure if the skies technically count as a safe zone or not.. so be ready for anything." he would say to her as the four ships began to attach themselves to their airship.

Not much longer later, the ship was being invaded by, what he could only assume were, pirates. They began tying up the ship's staff, the leader calling out for the captain of the ship. It was a few tense moments with no one making any moves before Jomei would summon his menus, and in turn, his rapier. 

The still suited man stepped forward towards the Pirate with his blade drawn, "I don't know what you want with the Captain.. but this is a peaceful occasion. We won't let you hurt these people just so you can get what you want." The pirate would look in the ginger's direction, letting out a slow chuckle as they removed the axe from their back that stood taller than Jomei. "Captain? Them? Psh, don't make me laugh... But you wanna be a tough guy eh? Alright.. I'll give you one free shot." 

Jomei would respond without allowing more than a second to pass. He would quickly close the distance on the large pirate, thrusting forward with his rapier. With speed unexpected for a man of his size, the pirate would parry Jomei's rapier out of the way with his axe before shoving the blunt tip into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Jomei stumbled backwards towards the railing, readying his weapon again. However, before he could act, a swing from the pirate would knock the sword out of his hand, sending it skittering across the deck. Planting a heavy boot against Jomei's chest, they would pin the ginger against the wooden railing, the only thing keeping him from falling to his death. "Nice try." the pirate would say mockingly before lifting his boot, grabbing the ginger by the scruff of his neck, and tossing him back towards the center of the deck. "Right, any of you lot try that shit again.. I start piling up bodies." 

Jomei would push himself up onto his knees, grasping at his chest and glaring at that pirate captain, "You bastard.." 

[Yona 0]

Freedom was an inner ideology that Yona had for herself. The problem was, not everyone was worthy to use freedom in her eyes...such as disruptive people who were far, far more chaotic than her. And those who disrupt her personal freedom, do so at their own peril.

     She hadn't even finished her wine halfway when something sounded wrong. What sounded like the shot of a cannon boomed in the distance. The moment the sounds of destruction arrived, agitation and aggravation filled Yona. "You have got to be f**king kidding me!" She exclaimed as she struck her wineglass against the surface, to which only a portion of the item shattered, the rest of the wineglass becoming an effective, but one-use makeshift weapon.

  When the enemies boarded and made their way to whatever refreshment they could find, Yona thrust the glass into the forehead of her first available target before shoving him aside. She quickly accessed her menu to switch to the necessary equipment for combat, returning to her usual getup for scenarios in Aincrad. She once again wore a simple blue dress, paired with a soft and durable, yet also stylish white jacket, and in her hand was her Resplendent Falchion, a weapon fit for someone of status. Aside from the earrings she wore as well as minimal makeup, there wasn't anything left of her party appearance.

    Yona then tapped the binding stone hanging at her hip. She didn't like the fact that she'd have to let him out, but if he could give a possible advantage... "Their leader." Yona spoke, just audible enough for Shaxus to hear. The mysterious puff of shadow emerged from the binding stone and descended to the floor, moving quickly but passing from shadow to shadow as to reduce the chances of being seen. Shaxus couldn't do much, but if he could create an opening for Yona by startling the enemies' leader from behind...

  A Ginger haired player attempted the first attack against the captain, as was apparently "granted". As Yona had figured, however, such first attacks were always easy to dodge or deflect, and the enemy captain proceeded to turn the tables, disarming the ginger and pinning him to the ship's railing with only his foot. The enemy captain then tossed him towards the center of the deck and gave his warning.

       "Bodies will start piling up, all right," Yona called out, a confident yet smug expression on her face. "but they won't be ours, nor theirs." She added, clearly talking about the innocents among the NPCs when mentioning "theirs".

Shaxus rose from below, to let out a whisper from behind the intended target, in a deep, husky, and seemingly disembodied tone, very unlike how he usually sounded. "They'll be yours."

Should this startling distraction work, Yona's Sword Art would surely land a hit against the pirates' leader. Otherwise Yona, who was now advancing towards her target with all due haste, would need to keep an eye out for sudden movements.

 

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

The booming of something in the distance caught Nari's attention, drawing her eyes away from the party on the main deck of the airship. She was certain the sound had come from above, and ever so slightly behind the ship itself - somewhere in the clouds distant - and yet, she couldn't see anything beyond the cloud cover. 

Odd, I could've sworn...must be imagining things. The thought passed through her mind, right as something came striding through the sky. Nari watched in slow motion as the thing - Is that an anchor? - slammed into the Duchess. Almost immediately, the rope was pulled taunt, snapping as if something were pulling against it. What the hell?

Before she could consider anything further, a group of individuals had leapt onto the deck, appearing from the sky above - That's another airship! - and impacting onto the deck of the Duchess before Nari could truly react. Leaning against the edge of the ship, she watched as the pirates began moving throughout the crowd, pulling NPC and players alike to the railings, and tying them in place. As one of the pirates moved towards Nari, she leaned back and raised one of her hands, holding it out lightly and grinning madly. 

"Would you like me to do that, or do you think you can handle a simple tie knot?" Before the NPC could answer - likely with a preambled response - Jomei had stepped forward. Nari watched with a smile as he tried to stand up to the pirate captain, her smile faltering only as the larger man tossed Jomei around like a rag doll.

Her eyes flitted between Jomei and the pirate captain, a sudden look of concern flitting across her face. She had expected Jomei to roll over the pirate captain, and when he had been knocked back Nari had felt something she hadn't in a long, long time - fear.

[Lessa 1]

Her hand clutched his, and in it, Lessa found balance in both the literal and figurative sense. Later, she'd look back on that moment and ruminate on the fact that they were holding hands. But in that split second, she simply squeezed, steadying herself against the sudden attack.

With a pang of regret, she let his hand slip away as he confidently summoned his weapon, drew it, and strode forward. Jomei was one of Aincrad's most powerful players - surely, he'd surpassed her over the years - and she had complete faith in him. Whatever this random encounter was, she could think of no better champion than the Emerald Duelist. As the burly pirate disarmed Jomei with ease, all of that warm, comfortable confidence exploded past Lessa's lips on a hard exhale. Her blood chilled, the color and the life both draining from her face when that heavy boot crushed the man's chest.

"No," Lessa cried, but her pathetic protest came out more like a helpless kitten's mewl. The sheer sound of it disgusted her, and that red-hot emotion seemed to melt her frozen limbs. With the sharp click of heels, the blonde approached. Not far away, another woman appeared to have the same idea, taunting the pirate captain with a smug smile before summoning a sword art. As the colors burst into existence, so too did Lessa's enormous sword. She gripped it tightly, prepared to swing, then watched the enemy easily side-step the brunette's attack. Lessa faltered.

"I wouldn't." The captain's voice, once loud and commanding, dropped to a low snarl. That, Lessa found, was far scarier. "Your boyfriend here might stand a chance against me." Feigning repulsion, he added, "Maybe. But them?" He motioned over his shoulder, to where one of his men pressed a blade to the neck of a young, terrified serving girl. She winced, and a line of crimson slipped down to pool at the base of her throat, uncomfortably reminiscent of the rubies worn by the partygoers. "If I were you, I'd drop that sword of yours."

That was all it took for Lessa to comply, letting Arcael's Might clatter to the ground. The captain's ruddy face split with a wide, self-assured grin. "I thought so. You!" He jabbed his axe toward one of his men. "Round them up and take them below deck. If they resist, cut a throat or two." His dark eyes danced as he scanned the gathered Players. "That should get our message across."

[Jevi 0]

All at once, almost too fast for anyone to really comprehend, the peace and serenity that came with this gala in the sky fell into utter chaos as unknown attackers began to close in on the Duchess from all sides. As one of the anchoring shots of a harpoon pierced through the wooden deck of the ship just mere meters from where she stood, the shock and scattering of tiny pieces of wood sent her crashing into the ground.

Shooting a glance up into the cloudy sky, through strands of hair that had come loose and fallen in front of her face, Jevi watched the four, ray shaped airships settle into place at the corners of their vessel. As the pirates began to board the vessel, she felt a twisting in her stomach.. a little mix of fear, and excitement. While she always enjoyed down time.. a bit of action would definitely spice up the night. 

As the first of the pirates slid down the ropes right behind her, she popped up to her feet and turned to face them, balling her fists at her sides. Before she could even act, or take a step in their direction, the pirate, a burly woman a few inches taller than her, dismissively reached a hand out and shoved her out of the way. Her heels did not do her any justice in helping her keep balance after that, yet she prevailed and managed to not fall flat once again. If they were going to be doing any fighting, these deathtraps would have to go.

"Bitch." she muttered under her breath as the pirate walked away.
"Say that to my face ya lil wench, I feckin dare ye."  the pirate said as she turned around to face Jevi, still walking backwards towards the bar.

In the same moment, Jomei and others made a quick move to take down the captain of the brigade, the ginger quickly being taken down without even landing a hit. Turning her eyes back to the female pirate, she saw only the shit-eating grin she wore as she popped the cork off of a bottle of wine. 

Okay.. so this may be a bit more difficult than she had thought.

 

[NIGHT 0]

unfortunate that the lone nibblet was her only respite between occurrences; what she hadn't expected, however, was the sudden ambush. and from the way her companion reacted, it seemed as though it hadn't been planned for their meeting, either.

which was a frustrating reveal. night had pulled open the interface just as the leader of the invaders had been pre-ambling, only to pull her hand away from typing when her shadow had stopped her, and the eyes from their system audience had been too much to bear. the resting palm on the back of her hand quickly shifted into a hard grip, that pulled night away into the crowd of noblemen and women alike. if they were the first to be addressed by the rabble, then it made sense for the individuals to blend in -- just in case the pirates were feeling threatened enough to start picking on people lesser than their sizes.

cardinal would know the difference between them and its puppets. she turned to look at her duple, watching them take on a haggard form, the mask on their face fading from embedded gem cuts to molded leather. from under their tattered canvas robes, they pulled forth short strings of rope, but not before kicking at night's feet, sending her backwards, stumbling further into the crowd.

she wasn't going to draw attention if she could help it; and not to day, first, besides herself.

night had no further commentary on the scuffle between players and pirates thereafter. but it seemed apt that the first one to start shoving her below deck was the lone individual aligned with her -- and so too were her restraints knowingly loose. playing dumb would come at a cost, as the hands behind machinations were only on her back. soon, they would be lost to hassle some other, and night wouldn't be sure when they would be getting out of this ship, if ever.

[Astralin 0]

    So much for having a good time on this trip. As fate would have it, this was yet another time where Astralin had come expecting a moment of peace and happiness, but instead war came knocking on the door.

      As the pirates landed on the ship, they began doing what pirates do. Plunder. There were a lot of things that Astralin did not expect whatsoever, and they all happened so fast. First unexpected thing, Nari would respond to the threat of being tied up the way most people...wouldn't. "Nari???" Astralin exclaimed with a hand nearly over her mouth. Was Nari taunting the pirate, or was she serious about herself being tied up? What was even going on here?

   Astralin's eyes darted in several directions before she dashed in the direction towards the center. She didn't have any time to pull out her Skillbook, but thanks to quick change, she was at least able to equip one of her two sets of handwraps, at random, due to her rush. It ended up being Zero Degree Chill. Well, this would be far better than accidentally setting the ship on fire with the other set's burn enhancement!

   Two of the pirates grabbed her by the arms, probably on the assumption that she was trying to get away. "Not so fast, little missy," One stated. "Ain't she a treat for the eyes? Do you think the cap'n will let us keep her?" The other remarked. Astralin scowled. "Hey, hands OFF!" She warned as she gripped the two pirates' by their torsos and knocked their heads together, in which they would let go of her arms to deal with what Astralin just did to both their heads. Then she ran towards the unfolding scene. As the two pirates got back up, they'd given up on capturing Astralin but they did have some words for each other. "This is why you're still single, you bloody idiot." remarked the first one. "Well you're no blasted prize either, Jones." The other shot back.

 

   A towering figure who Astralin assumed was their leader demanded the location of a certain individual. Astralin might not have known who he was talking about, but maybe some clarity on the situation was in order, even if these pirates were ruining everything. The second unexpected thing followed, as Jomei would attempt to fight and ended up getting his rear handed to him. Then Yona tried to see if she had any luck, except there was also this...puffy little thing, with little red glowing dots for eyes, that slowly rose up behind the pirate leader, speaking in an unexpectedly haunting voice. This unexpected third thing was that for some reason, it seemed to be working with Yona, whose attack was dodged with a sidestep.

   Things were really looking bad, and the pirate leader made his threat very clear. Innocent NPCs, maybe even some players, might die if things didn't get dealt with this moment. "Well then, what did Daemon, or any of us ever do to you?" Astralin called out. She was likely to get a stupid, selfish, or generic response in return, but it wouldn't hurt to try and see why he's making such an aggressive search.

[Plot Master 0]

The Pirate master scoffed at the petite, blonde girl's question. "What did Daemon do to me, she asks.." he says to himself before ejecting his arms outwards to either side.  "THIS is what Daemon TOOK from me."  The pirate continues to scan his surroundings, not looking at the players, or the staff, but the ship itself with a disgusted scowl locked on his face. 

"They stole my ship, right out of the dock, and turned it into this.. This prudish cruise for the wealthy upper class." that disdain still ringing in their voice, he would spit upon the wooden floorboards at his feet. "Abandoned my crew in the middle of the night, abandoned ME.."  his expression would soften from anger, to contemplation.. confusion. The face of someone who has had this conversation with himself multiple times, and still cannot find the answer. "So now, I'm taking it back. And getting some revenge in the process." 

"That would be unwise.."

A voice from below the deck would call up the stairs, as the figure came into view with slow steps. Captain Xandis would finally step forth to face this pirate, their long braided hair and coat gently picking up in the wind as they emerged into the open air. The gold embroidered, white jacket was slightly undone, and they now wore a longsword on their hip. "Adam. It's been awhile.. I would suggest not causing a scene upon the deck of my ship. My guests here are renowned adventurers and warriors, they could deal with you and your crew with ease. So lets keep this civil, no?"

"That's Captain Loughran to you...And that's up to them."  The pirate would glare at the players, "If they want a fight.. I'll give them a fight. But it'll be your people that end up dead if they try it. So here's my offer to you. I take back my ship, I take these servants as.. lets call it payment for emotional damages." he would say sarcastically with a low rumble of a chuckle. "In return, I let your friends here go. You, on the other hand.. You'll be coming back with me."  Loughran had closed the distance between himself, resting a large knuckle under Daemon's chin and lifting their face to meet his.

"You're a terrible man, and an even worse lover." they would respond before smacking his hand away from their face. Loughran's expression quickly changes from a cocky smirk, to one of rage. "Tie them to the mast.." Loughran would shout to his nearby crew. "You'll regret your decision to oppose me. I'll give you some time to rethink your decision.. before I start tossing your crew overboard. Their blood will be on your hands." 

As Daemon Xandis is grabbed and dragged towards the a mast in the center of the ship, they would whisper to any players nearby, "We need a plan.. quickly."

[Jomei 0]

The ginger would pick himself back up to his feet, watching as the blade that had been thrown from his hands disappeared in a flash of white, returning it to his inventory. Shortly after attempts were made to take down the pirate captain and his crew, only diminishing his patience even more, the Captain Xandis of the Duchess would emerge and speak with Loughran themselves. 

It seemed the only option that Daemon was given was to turn the ship, the crew, and their own being over to the pirate crew. If they obliged, the players could get out of here easily.. but could they truly make that decision and let that weight sit on their conscience. Xandis quickly decided for them, which only pissed off Loughran even more. If they didn't come up with a plan soon, people were going to start dying. Jomei didn't know if that included the lives of the players or not, but he wouldn't want to take that chance.

But what could they do? 

They could attempt to all take on the pirates head on, but with how powerful Loughran seemed, there was no saying if they would all survive. And the guarantee that more of the hostages' lives would be taken was something they could not risk.

No, this would come down to bargaining with the pirates.. or outsmarting them. And if one person was somehow able to steal a ship from the Captain and the rest of his pirate crew.. then maybe brains weren't something they depended on. So he began to start weighing their options.

Most of the servers had been taken below deck, with a handful of pirates watching over them. Getting to the control room of the ship may be out of the question. Above deck, were the number of players, Loughran, two other pirates, and Xandis, who was currently being bound to the central mast. The four, smaller ships surrounded them on all sides, attaching themselves to the larger vessel via harpoons and rope. 

Jomei would run his hands through his hair, and paced once forward and then back towards a grouping of other players. "Any ideas?" he would speak softly, so only they could hear.

[NIGHT 0]

set to the back of the room, night was quiet, huddled with the other nobles, her eyes set to the floor. there was a lot more space below deck than she'd first thought, once she saw the servants collected beside her; they were made to stand rather than kneel, in lieu of the number of attendants.

the rabble were trading concerns over hushed whispers, with the occasional bark from one of their captors for them to shut up. it helped that night hadn't made a sound, then -- instead of listening, her attention was focused, wrangling the ropes locking her wrists together. soon, she was able to set them free.

it was perfect timing thereafter that she received a message about the dialogue that was exchange from above:

 

day: "you're a terrible man, and an even worse lover." ^✓✓
day: ↑ this you? ^✓✓

 

there was a brief pause, as night's eyes narrowed and she raised a hand to send a retort.

 

day: :) ^✓✓
day: cockpit's in the room behind you. ^✓✓
day: you know how to fly the ship... right? ^✓✓

 

night is typing...

night: no ^✓✓

 

she rapped twice on the door of the cockpit. if anything, she was surprised that the pirates' first move wasn't to secure control of the ship at the control room, because there had been a lack of retaliating shouts towards the lounge itself. furthermore, the reply had been from a wavering, timid voice, posing a question, with no lack of naivety.

"who's there?"

the player rolled her eyes. what? she was supposed to give a response? if night stopped to think, she immediately regretted her answer afterwards --

"...ligma."

oh. nice going, genius. a years old internet joke at some classy valentines event as though that's the context that cardinal would recognize it in; what are you, sixteen--

"ligma-- xandis? you shouldn't be joking around at a time like this, sir, i-i thought you'd said--"

there were footsteps, and then the sound of the door opening, alongside the flood of light into the darkened lounge from the cockpit as a young pilot started to step out. night jumped at the opportunity, barreling the man over to force her way into the room, closing the door behind her, and kicking the pilot out instead.

whatever locking mechanisms were present on the door, she made sure the entrance was sealed shut -- two latches, one swing bar, and the handle jammed. she wasn't going to care for how the rabble yelped at their new hostage, and what alarms the guards might sound to their leader. night took the time to crack her fingers, strolling over to the control panel, relishing in her knowledge of her lack of experience in driving any vehicle, ever.

here, row boats did not count.

there was a steering wheel at a helm (?) and that was all she knew. taking one of the handles into her hand, she shrugged, turned the wheel on its axle, and felt the ground beneath her feet go unsteady.

wherever everybody else was, the ship would start to tilt on its side.

[Lessa 1]

"No," came her knee-jerk answer, grief-stricken expression never wavering as she watched the bound captain. Half a dozen armed men surrounded the man, and though Daemon Xandis wore a brave face, Lessa could see his jaw clenching and unclenching anxiously. The NPC, who had never been anything but kind to her, was in genuine trouble. His people, the innocent Ladonians, were likely in a similar predicament below decks. They don't deserve this.

"I'm not sure if this is some sort of messed up event or what," Lessa muttered, words spouting from her lips like water from a faucet, "but it's honestly horrible. I'm so sick of these events causing the deaths of NPCs. Its cruel, and I swear, this floor has so many of them that I-"

Her head snapped up suddenly, blue eyes blazing as she met Jomei's gaze. "Wait, yes, I do. I do have an idea." With one hand, she motioned toward the stairs that led downward. "We can't do anything until the NPCs are safe. They're the bargaining chip here - we can't make a move while their lives are on the line." The lines of her round face hardened as she amended, "At least, most of us won't. We aren't willing to play hard and fast with them. But, if their safety is guaranteed, we could potentially plan a combined attack." Pausing, Lessa surveyed the handful of Players surrounding her, then gave a short nod. "We could take him, I think, if we worked together. But not until the NPCs are safe."

With a swoosh of cobalt fabric, she turned toward the staircase. "I'm going down to check on the NPCs. If I can incapacitate those guards, we'll at least open the doors to future attacks, right? And if I draw this Loughran guy down, then you can grab Captain Xandis." 

A sudden need for physical touch had her reaching for Jomei's forearm, and as she gave it a small squeeze, Lessa flashed him a grin. "I'll see about hijacking one of those smaller ships and loading the NPCs while I'm down there." She was only half-kidding.

"Now all I need is a distra-"

She called, and the universe answered, the lurching ship sending everyone skittering sideways. Lessa stumbled, her high heels wobbling as she fought for balance. The moment she found it, she thundered toward, then down the stairs.

The pirate was waiting for her at the bottom.

His scarred face twisted with a sneer, and as he stared down his beakish nose at her, he jabbed the air with a curved sword. "No funny business," he warned, and as Lessa instinctively lifted a hand to summon her HUD, he jabbed again. "What'd I say?!"

I'm in high heels, and I definitely do not have a sword hidden in my uncomfortably low-cut dress. Lessa's mind whirred as she stared the man down. I should try to outsmart him somehow. Play the damsel in distress? Flirt? Convince him I'm a turncoat, and I'm on his side? Whatever I do, I have to-

The ship banked a second time, and as Lessa lost her footing, her body moved without conscious thought. Her hands found the back of a small wrought-iron chair, and after she righted herself on it, she swung it at the pirate's head. It met his face with a sickening crack, and his knees buckled.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," she murmured as she hiked up her skirts and leapt over his fallen body. "That was horrible, oh god, never again."

[Yona 0]

   Not even one second into taking action, and already everything was going to shit. This was clearly a good potential situation, and it was just flung out the door as though it didn't even exist. How so? The target acted like Shaxus didn't even exist, and that was where the attempt fell apart and was sidestepped so effortlessly. Yona remained on guard, whilst Shaxus seemed to be surprised.
 "He...didn't even NOTICE me." The small puff of shadow observed.
     "Yeah, I figured that out the moment he sidestepped." Yona shot back, frustrated at the situation. There had to be some way to punish these idiots with the least number of casualties possible. Most of the NPCs here were hired staff that were just doing their jobs, and the Players could only live once...Yona didn't give a damn about the rest, and she wouldn't unless given a feasible reason to.

    When the enemy leader commanded some of his men to start rounding up players and NPCs, two pirates approached Yona. "I wouldn't, if I were you." Yona warned with a confident expression.
    One of the two pirates snickered. "Oh, really now?" He questioned, as the second one held a cutlass in one hand and was chugging alcohol with the other. "Well if you don't start walking, someone's gonna be going overboard instead." He threatened.
    Yona gripped her sword. "Alright, I can see someone going overboard." She remarked.
 "Heheh, wait, seriously?" The pirate scoffed, while his ally sputtered out the drink in a fit of laughter at this unexpected, casually spoken response.
         "Yeah." Yona assured. "Hmm, how about....eenie, meenie, minie..." Yona grappled the scoffing pirate's forearm with her free hand before finishing with "You." And heaving him off the ship(admittedly, with some difficulty). The other Pirate became hostile as a normal enemy would, and Yona would strike him down normally while the others were busy messing about. This wasn't going to get the 80% of viable defensive targets harmed, was it?

     As soon as Yona looked back to the main scenario, she noticed a familiar face speaking up. "Astralin???" Yona thought. "What are you doing here...and why do you look so damn pretty??? Ugh, that dress really suits you so well..."
    Astralin was asking the enemies' leader why he was doing this. Was...was it not obvious? Apparently, it wasn't entirely obvious after all. What confused Yona, however, was that this event was described as "for the wealthy upper class". Yona held back a laugh, not all the players would have been welcome if this was actually what it just got described as. Sure, it had potential luxurious benefits, but this was clearly not what it seemed. "That's so stupid, you think you know the elite, but you just...don't..." Yona muttered under her breath, as a smile broke out of her expression over how ridiculous she found this to be. Truly, this man knew little of the wealthy upper class, and the only reason why Yona knew better of the subject was because she had experience with such a person.

        Then the captain of the ship came to try handling the scenario. And oh, my, the drama... 

    Now if Yona could just look for an opportunity...
Of course, it was only a few minutes until the opportunity knocked at her door, by temporarily tilting the ship. She then looked over to those rope tethers keeping the harpoons attached to the ship...maybe, if she could cut those...
    Shaxus looked Yona in the eye. "....You're not seriously thinking about helping without allowing any casualties, are you?" He asked Yona, who had an unamused look on her face. "If we're talking about my fellow adventurers, and the servants on this ship, not to mention Captain Xandis, then yeah, I'd prefer there not to be any casualties among them." She answered. Shaxus's eyes showed a hint of intrigue. "And what of the nobles on this ship?" He added. Yona scoffed. "If they're anything like Father, then I couldn't care less about them." She answered. Shaxus was silent for a few seconds. "We'll need to speak more about this later, but for now, what's the plan? Assuming you have one, that is..."
      "I need you to be eyes at the back of my head. Alert me if anything tries to attack me from behind, 'cause I'm gonna try to cut those ropes holding the ship in place." Yona stated. "Fair enough." Shaxus agreed.

    There was one pirate who tried to intercept her along the way. "You stop right there, over to below the decks with ye!" He ordered. Yona scoffed. "See, there's this thing that I guess I haven't made clear yet..." Yona then readied her sword art. "I take orders from no one."

  After knocking the pirate down with a sword art, Yona and the pirate struggled in attempt to grapple each other. Yona succeeded and tossed the enemy overboard, before moving on to the tether rope. "The time is now, Shaxus, let's see if I can't damage this thing."

      The good news was, her sword art would deal some damage to the tether rope. The bad news, however, was that this inanimate object was sturdier than it looked, for its HP(or durability) didn't go down very much. "Damn it," Yona thought aloud. "This is gonna take longer than I thought."

Shaxus had a feeling it would be time consuming anyway, especially if any pirates were to look and realize was Yona was doing this very moment.

[Jevi 0]

Finally the Captain stepped in... took them long enough. Did they need to pretty their hair and makeup first before checking on the status of their ship, crew, and guests? Everything seemed to hit a stand still as the two captains confronted each other, spilling their checkered past onto the wooden deck planks for all to hear. Past lovers? So maybe this was part of the event after all.. rather than just some random occurrence that interrupted their night.

In the end, Daemon ended up tied down to the mast of the ship, leaving Jevi and the others to quickly come up with a plan to get themselves out of this mess. Suddenly, without warning, the ship lurched to the side, as if someone was trying to free the vessel from the pirates' grasp. The brunette barely kept herself from tumbling down the stairs to the lower deck. Lessa quickly made her way down the stairs, maybe to check on the situation? Jevi was unsure, since she was not standing in the group of players coming up with a plan. As she watched the blonde descend the stairs, Jevi began to take off her heels.. hoping to avoid almost breaking her ankles if the ship decided to --

Almost as if on que, the ship tugged in the opposite direction. This time, she was definitely not ready for it, and she was sent tumbling down the stairs. There may not have been any pain as an overturned cocktail table stopped her from tumbling into the group of hostages, but the shock and numbness she felt all over wasn't any better. Before she could process what had just truly happened to her, Lessa had grabbed a chair by the back, and swung it at the first pirate she saw. Aside from the sound of the ringing iron, and Lessa's murmuring to herself, there was a short silence that fell over all of them; the servants, Jevi, and even the other two pirates that stood guard seemed baffled that this pretty, blonde woman just knocked out their crewmate with a chair. 

One of the other pirates seemed to snap out of their gaze, their wide eyed expression hardening as they reached for a dagger at their hip and took a step towards Lessa. Jevi quickly popped to her feet dove through the group to meet the pirate head on before they were able to attack the other player. With the back of her left hand, she would slam it into the knife wrist of the pirate to disorient-hopefully disarm- them. With the same hand, she threw a punch straight forward into his face to knock him back, finally following up with a roundhouse kick from her right leg to the side of his head. Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about opening her menu to sneak out a weapon when she was a marital artist. 

Looking over at Lessa, and finally at the final pirate standing below deck, she would raise her fists. "Think you can take us?" she said with a smirk.

[Jomei 0]

Things were not looking good. They had gone from passengers on this journey, to the ones being relied on to save the day within a matter of minutes. The lives of everyone below deck - and possibly a few players - rested on their shoulders. A sudden memory flashed in front of his eyes, fighting off the Night King's army through blood soaked snow as the town that depended on the two for safety burned all around them. His eyes clamped shut for a moment, before the confident, and to him in this moment, calming voice of Lessa chimed in.. snapping him back to reality. His eyes rested on hers, that roared with that same amount of confidence that she held in her voice. 

Securing the hostages so they could take on the pirates, it was a solid plan. They were really the only bargaining chip that the pirates held over them... since Loughran seemed to want this ship, and Xandis, back in one piece. "Great idea." Jomei quietly responded to her with a nod of his head. As she placed a hand on his arm, Jomei's eyes looked down at it, before looking back up to her with a soft smile. "I'm counting on you.. You've got this."

He would slowly exhale as she would walk away, making sure not to make any sudden movements to alert any of the pirates that they were up to something. The ship, however, decide to make its own sudden jerk, nearly knocking him off of his feet. "What the hell was that?" Jomei would say under his breath, as he righted himself and checked the surroundings for his friends. Off in the distance, he noticed Yona at one of the ropes, behind the pirates' backs, attempting to cut her way through the rope and free them from one of the anchors. "Think you can keep Loughran off of us?" Jomei whispered the Xandis as he righted himself, his finger twitching at his side as he mentally prepared to open his menu and retrieve his rapier at light speed. 

Daemon simply nodded, and looked across the way where Loughran had placed their sword. 

The moment the pirates eyes seemed to wander from the ginger and the Captain, Jomei would summon his menu and retrieve his sword. Raising the blade high above his head, he would cut down.. hoping to sever the ropes in a single swipe. 

[Astralin 0]

A Valentines Day event was one thing, but this was another. It all just seemed so petty. At least Astralin was close enough to the other players to hear the ongoing attempt to strategize. The idea of rescuing the hostages when least expected was a good one, all that was needed was an element of surprise.

Astralin couldn't really take too much action with her current footwear. If she had the time to remove them, she could easily-

 

    Before her train of thought could continue, the ship leaned with a jerk before going back to its original position. Astralin found herself landing on her rear, on the floor of the deck. Well, at least she was in position to remove the heels now, if the game would let her, assuming it wasn't a part of the rest of the outfit. "I still don't know how girls fight in these, let alone cast spells in them." She thought aloud. Needing to dodge or move at a moment's notice was crucial, especially if casting requires movement, kind of like the skill Astralin needed in order to "cast" anything. Not to mention, it was better to be able to dodge than be a sitting duck taking more damage than one can handle.

    Astralin placed the heels back into her inventory, and got back up onto her feet. Wonderful, there was already some struggling going on. She then equipped her amulet, and considered herself ready to take emergency action. She was still wearing the dress she arrived in, as well as those starry hair clips the dress came with, but had equipped a set of handwraps that were now layered over the outfit's gloves, and she was also now wearing the silver necklace with the diamond shaped pendant that helped her in combat, and of course, to make movement easier, she removed the heels. Aside from that, her appearance was generally the same in this moment. 

    She made her way to the situation that was happening on the deck to see that there were many pirates and only one player ready to help Captain Xandis. Astralin took a quick look at the situation, then unleashed a sweeping attack against the pirates near Jomei and Xandis. Astralin then took position behind Jomei. "I'll hold the pirates off for you, go on ahead, do what you need to do!" She called out to the captain and the ginger. Speaking of the Ginger, he was...a rapier user....uh oh.
        Astralin immediately turned her head around, hoping Jomei didn't notice her expression that, while hopeful and reassuring when she spoke, was in the midst of collapsing as she turned her head to face the pirates. "Focus, Libra, don't let him remind you of Leo, don't think about Leo, don't think about Leo, don't think about Leo..."
     Astralin's mind began to flood with memories, she did not need this right now. At least she still had just enough focus to be able to fight the pirates who would now have to get past her if they wanted to stop Jomei and Xandis.

@Jomei

 

      While all that was going on, the two Pirates that Astralin got past earlier had also stumbled when the ship jerked. One of the other pirates had noticed them on the floor. "Davy! Jones! What in the locker are you idiots doing? Don't just sit there, get off your arses and do somethin'!" They called out. The two who had stumbled were about to get up anyway, so the words had no real effect. "So are we stopping the pretty blonde over there?" Davy asked Jones. "Definitely not." was Jones's response. "Isn't she heading over to Xandis or the ropes, though?" was Davy's next question. "We've gotta do something, Jones."
     "I know that," Jones began. "But you saw how we grabbed her by both her arms, yet how easily she bashed us together like a pair a twigs, what do ye think will happen if we faced her in a real fight? Think, Davy, think!" Davy nodded his head slowly. "Aye, don't be hasty..." He remarked in agreement, even if he was to throw that advice out the window the next chance he got as he usually would. "Let's see if we can help out belowdecks, come on."

      The two pirates would head down the steps to find that it wasn't likely to go well here, either. They would stop just in time to make eye contact with two women, who Jones believed were very capable of beating them down. "This the wrong deck?" Davy thought aloud. "No, no I think we're in the right deck, just...at the wrong time." Jones noted, his expression wary, his gaze not breaking. Davy then wondered if he could de-escalate any negative tension, even though there were already one or two other still conscious pirates in the room. "Well...lovely evening, eh, ladies?" He remarked with a polite smile and a tip of his hat, not that it ever got him anywhere in his line of work.
      Jones audibly groaned as he facepalmed. "This...can't possibly end well...Davy, yer gonna get us both killed."

@Lessa @Jevi

Edited June 13, 2023 by Astralin

[Alkor 0]

Alkor stared blankly down at the man who tried to cut his throat only moments before, head tilted and expression blank. These events had become more prevalent since... when had it been? They had been trapped so long that his sense of time had become skewed. The pirate was leering up at him angrily, trying to free himself, slashing wildly at the air as the blonde haired youth kept a foot firmly planted on his chest.

"I just wanted to relax," the Knight-Errant muttered to no one in particular.

"Ye'll be able to relax soon enough!" The pirate huffed. "When yer dead!"

The golden eyed youth sighed. This type of person had too much energy, and a terrible attitude too. They were the hardest type to handle in his experience. "Look," he told the man, "I'll level with you. I didn't know there was going to be a fancy party on this ship, let alone a shakedown. If you just look the other way and leave me alone, I won't make you regret picking me to jump at. What do you say?"

"I say you better not let me up, scallywag!" the man huffed indignantly. "I'll kill ya!"

Alkor shook his head.

"Can't say I didn't try..."

Edited June 20, 2023 by Alkor