Part Of The Crew

It had been roughly a day or two since Kyoko had parted ways with the man she had met in the hot springs. Thankfully her walk to the docks had gone as planned, undisturbed by the murderers she had been warned about. Unluckily she had overslept the morning of the departure by a significant amount and found herself late for the boat she intended to sail away on. With an exasperated expression, she’d watch as it sailed into the horizon and contemplated her next move. She was relatively broke so it was unlikely that she’d be able to pay for passage on a normal ship, however, she potentially could trade some of her concoctions and offer to work the ship during the journey.

Kyoko would then begin going ship by ship, inquiring about the possibility of joining them. Unfortunately, when they learned of her lack of sailing knowledge they turned her away and pointed her to the next boat along the dock. It was nearly nightfall and she was quickly running out of options as she approached one of the final ships. She was unsure of what she would do if none allowed her to travel with them, she could attempt to sell some of the goods she carried but most of what she had left was her personal stock.

As she examined the vessel she now approached she noticed that, unlike the other ships that had been loading various cargo onboard, there seemed to be nobody busting around the deck. Using a wooden ramp, Kyoko would slowly make her onto the ship in hopes of finding somebody she could speak to. She fully would make her presence known, not attempting to hide her approach. Once she arrived on the deck she’d cup her hands around her mouth slightly as she began to call out to any who may be nearby.

”Helllooo? Is anyone around?”

Should she hear a response, she’d turn her gaze in the direction of the voice with an inquisitive expression. To an onlooker, they’d see before them a short, young woman who looked to be a bit stressed. Long, dark purple hair laid in loose curls against her back and bangs could be seen framing her emerald green eyes perfectly. A black, low-cut halter top could be seen hugging her chest tightly, exposing her mid-drift. Matching black shorts snugly fit around her hips, stopping near her upper thighs. Under that, slightly ripped fishnet stockings could be seen racing down her legs and disappearing into the tops of the boots that covered her feet.

If she was able to catch the attention of anyone in the surrounding area, she’d offer them a sweet, warm smile along with a respectful bow. She attempted to give off a relaxed, nonthreatening demeanor, hoping they’d at least hear her out.

WC: 472

As night fell in the Land of Hotsprings and the sky turned dark, Grey would look up at the stars above. Enjoying the soft breeze, the Hyuuga closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the surrounding waves. The past weeks and months had been quiet, uneventful even. Not much had happened, at least nothing out of the ordinary. A couple of jobs here and there, working on their ship, getting some training in. The Dreadnought made a name for itself, and so did its crew. You needed something done? You simply hit up the Kaizoku. For a fair price, anything was possible.

Growing restless, in need of adventure, the Hyuuga wondered when something would cross his path next. "Perhaps my time here is coming to an end". Maybe there was nothing left for him to do, to achieve. Work could be found anywhere, which meant there wasn't anything keeping Grey in the Land of Hotsprings. "The Dreadnought can literally take me wherever I want to go". Perks of having such a beauty of a ship. It gave them freedom, the ability to explore. Not being bound by the chains of a village, even if they needed to commit some crimes to get there.

As he gathered his thoughts and looked toward the future, the rogue suddenly heard a voice coming from the deck. Not expecting any visitors this late at night, Grey decided to check it out. Doing so, the Hyuuga noticed a young woman, her long and dark purple hair a nice addition to the beautiful night sky. "Forgive me, my mind was otherwise occupied" he apologized, the earlier distractions causing him unable to pick up on the female visitor's presence sooner. "Something I can help you with?". She didn't exactly strike him as one trying to recruit, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything requiring the Kaizoku's assistance.

(WC: 311)

Blue hues filled the dusk sky as Rio found himself finally making it to the Land of Hotsprings. His ship fell to pieces due to wear and tear, slinking its way to the docks. The boat didn't represent Rio's skill as a sailor, but more at the state of the sea and the age of his craft. The ship was only supposed to get him here anyway, so it served its purpose. Upon arriving, Rio ran off the boat as it fell into the deep blue sea, never to be seen again. He took a moment of silence for the ship, meditating on the journey that was his life. He sat crisscrossed for a short while, before he decided he needed to find another ship or at least a place he could stay for the night.

Rio found himself walking down the docks looking for a ship with character and a place he could find himself staying at. Wondering who he might meet and what he may learn. Whatever it may be he was ready for whatever may come. He finally stopped at the dock of a grand ship. One that resembled an almost pirate ship aesthetic.

Rio climbed up the ramp where he could see a woman at the top. She was turned away from him though. Maybe she was also looking for a place to stay or find work, he wondered. The woman had long dark purple hair, an interesting choice or maybe it was genetic. He couldn't tell, he took a second to move the long curly blonde hair out of his eyes. Fixing himself, making sure his cotton shirt was tucked into his pants hoping he looked a tad more presentable. He also buttoned one of his top buttons just leaving the one open as a formal casual look for his meeting of the crew and possible captain of the ship. As Rio walked to the edge of the ship he made sure to do his best not to scare the women.

"Hello, you the Captain of this ship?" he said to the woman. Offering a kind face, and a soft voice.

Turning to see the young man who was already farther on the ship, he wondered if he had made a mistake. Rio would wait to see the woman's and man's reply to his presence so he could choose his next words carefully. If they were pirates he might need to have a silver tongue.

WC: 410

Kyoko would offer the pale-eyed man who approached her a slight bow and a smile as he greeted her. Standing a bit taller than her and significantly stronger, she couldn’t help but be a bit intimidated by his stature. She wouldn’t let her anxiety about the situation get the better of her and instead, she remained calm. He then would inquire if there was something he could help her with, to which she’d eagerly nod as she spoke up.

”I’m looking for safe passage to one of the nearby islands. The boat I was supposed to leave on departed before my arrival, so I’m a bit stuck at the moment. I don’t have much ryo or experience on a ship, but I can help out in other ways if you’d allow.”

Before she could continue, she could hear footsteps on the ramp behind her. Turning her attention toward the source of the sound, she noticed another man climbing aboard. Immediately she assumed that he was one of the crew returning from either a job or getting supplies. However, this thought would cease as he addressed her and asked if she was the captain of the ship. Taking a small step back, Kyoko shook her head and let out a light giggle. Never in her life could she even dream of owning something so large and expensive so she found his inquiry a bit funny.

”Me, the captain? I hate to say it my friend but no, I just got here as well.”

Looking back to Grey, Kyoko would offer him a shrug. She was unsure if he was going to allow her to stay or not and was attempting to figure out what to do if he rejected her. Perhaps she could do some work and save up some money to leave, though she knew it would take quite some time to do so.

WC: 320
Total WC: 792

Resting both hands on either side respectively, Grey allowed the young woman a moment to gather her thoughts. She appeared slightly nervous, but friendly nonetheless. After all, it took a certain amount of courage, or foolishness, to board a strange and unfamiliar ship. Even if things had been rather peaceful in the Land of Hotsprings lately, it was still a hub for rogue and missing ninja alike. "Well, I'm one of them" the Hyuuga thought to himself. Perhaps the female stranger was quite gullible, or maybe she simply ran out of options, the Dreadnought her only option left. Whatever the case, he would hear her out.

Doing so, he was able to find out about the woman's circumstances and how she would be in search of safe passage to one of the islands nearby, the ship originally taking her there having already departed. "Any in particular?" the Hyuuga inquired, curious and looking for adventure as always. Together with their crew the Kaizoku had traveled many places, but the world was vast and opportunities could always show up unexpectedly. "Depending on the location you have in mind my ship might be able to help you reach your destination". Even though his name wasn't on there, nor did he own the Dreadnought, Grey's own situation required him to step up.

Before the two of them could continue their conversation, another stranger made their appearance as they attempted to board the ship. "That would be me". He still had a hard time believing, even now that he said it out loud. Grey, captain of the Dreadnought, who would've thought. "Welcome aboard, a true beauty isn't she, if I say so myself". It had costed blood, sweat and tears. And money, a whole lot of money. But in the end it was all worth it. They fulfilled their dream, the one everyone worked so hard for, and eventually everything paid off.

Reminiscing aside, Grey would give both strangers the chance to further explain themselves, wondering what brought them there.

(WC: 335, TWC: 646)

Auron meditated in his quarters since he recently came to the decision of stepping down as the Dreadnought's captain. It had been a decision that came almost instinctively, but nevertheless stung with a dull ring. Over the course of the last year the Yamaguchi had been facing an internal conflict centered around his regime as the captain and the correlation it had with the disappearance of several notable crew members. Thus came an agreement between himself and Grey that the Hyuuga would relieve him of his responsibilities and take over as captain; and since then, Kaizoku had thrived under Grey's leadership. And so he found himself sitting cross legged in the center of the room, eyes closed, and with an incense lit. Since migrating from the captain's quarters to the first mate's chambers, the Saboteur had relocated his belongings and decorated his room accordingly.

And so what surrounded him was a dimly lit, eerie space which reflected his own connection with themes such as necromancy and weaponry. One of the walls had been adorned with a collection of skulls alongside a wall mounted altar that held scrolls specific to his clan's jutsu and ritual. The neighboring wall housed a display of his arsenal of weapons, including a mount for Masamune and Kiribachi, both of which would typically be accompanied by their respective suits of armor, Andeddo no Gaito and the Armor of the Sharkborn. Today though, Auron had his blade sheathed upon his hip which was securely fastened outside of his armor. Underneath that display was a series of shelves, book cases, and a desk which the first mate humbly referred to as his modest library. It had been one he built upon throughout the Dreadnought's travels, which helped him enlighten himself on the various topics of the world. And across from it, a simple twin bed and nightstand. Overall the room exuded a cold, otherworldly chakra based energy which reflected the personality of the Saboteur.

Whilst meditating, the swordsman passively extended his chakra sensory to the confines of the ship. Unexpectedly, he'd feel the presence of two unknown chakra signatures boarding the ship. But also upon the deck was none other than the Captain. Although Auron knew Grey would have no problem taking care of business should the need present itself, the first mate took it upon himself to investigate as well. Raising from his rest he'd calmly fixate his cloak and yukata upon his body while allowing his Kasa's fastening string to suspend from his neck, leaving the kasa itself draped across his upper back and shoulders. This allowed his face and head to be exposed, offering a clear visual of his dark skinned complexion, sharp facial features, and high top dreadlocks. Auron would then depart from his room and ascend the stairwell of the ship until he arrived at the rear entrance to the deck. And once he arrived he'd prop his weight against an adjacent wall of the stairwell's exit, fold his arms across his chest, and cross one foot over the other with its toe pointed down and heel up. From his position he was about 5 meters directly behind Grey, but in clear enough sight so that the two newcomers boarding the ship could make out his appearance due to the well lit deck which offset the night sky's guise. The Yamaguchi would remain silent, as he normally would, listening for now until there was a need or invitation to interject into the conversation. Until then he'd study the mannerisms, appearance, and words of these newcomers closely.

WC = 593
+2 NE Stacks

The girl's note that she had also just gotten here made Rio a tad more anxious. He felt his chances of getting on the ship's crew had diminished considering the girl had been their first and he had randomly walked up on the ramp. "Nice, well glad we cleared that up," he said, giving her a slight smile as he did appreciate her clarity.

Turning towards the proclaimed Captain, Rio stood there listening as he introduced himself.  "I see, she is quite the beauty, one of the finest ships I've set my eyes on," Rio said, calmly and with sincerity. He didn't know how this Captain worked, for now, he seemed quite cordial.

Behind the Captain, Rio saw that there was someone else on the ship. A man of a dark complexion, that had sharp facial features and dreadlocks on the top of his head. The man was slightly shorter than Rio and had a trimmer physique. Rio took note of the newcomer and was ready to move into action if need be. But for now, everything seemed fine.

Shifting his focus back to the Captain of the ship he began by saying, "I'm Rio, I've been a solid deckhand for many crews through my travels. Your ship seems to be the finest one here, I only ask for the chance to join its crew and prove myself worthy of coming aboard," Rio said, in a calm voice, smiling a little showing his lightheartedness.

Rio remained standing where he was, as he didn't want to give the crew of this ship a reason to attack him.

Nature Stacks-2/6
Gaining one from this post and the last one.

Though she didn’t know much about ships, she could agree that it at least looked to be quite the vessel. Kyoko would nod as the captain expressed his admiration for the ship, which the other newcomer seemed to agree with as well. Briefly, her gaze would shift around the deck as she examined the beautifully crafted ship she now found herself on. Before introductions were made, she’d make a note of the man who now joined them and stood about 5 meters behind Grey. Though he didn’t speak up, Kyoko would briefly bow her head slightly to him as he leaned up against the wall. Should he make eye contact with her, Kyoko would offer him a sweet smile before shifting her attention to Rio as he began to introduce himself.

Moving a few strands of hair that dangled in her face, she tucked them gently behind her ear as she listened to him speak. He seemingly had been a deckhand for quite some time, and admittedly she felt a bit nervous that they’d decide to only take one of them on board. Clearly, he’d be the better option if they were looking for somebody who knew anything about ship travel, though she hoped they’d accept both of them. As he finished talking, Kyoko would quickly speak up after realizing she forgot to mention her name.

”Oh, and I’m Kyoko! To answer your question, I’m looking to go to Moon Country in hopes of finding a rare plant. I’m a traveling alchemist and am currently learning about the medical arts. If the rumors are true, and I can get my hands on the ingredients I need it’ll help my research significantly.”

She sounded quite excited as she spoke, though not wanting to bore them with the details she’d stop there unless questioned further. Kyoko knew her near obsession with her occupation wasn’t shared by most of the people she ran into, so it was best to drop the matter.

WC: 332
Total WC: 1124

As he waited for the two strangers to form their thoughts into answers, Grey could notice how Auron had taken place roughly five meters behind him. For now the Hyuuga remained silent, similar to the way his Yamaguchi friend made an appearance. In doing so, he would also put the visitors at ease, making them aware that another crew member's sudden arrival was no reason to worry or panic. Eventually, the boy dressed in a cotton shirt would be the first to speak up. "That sounds very interesting, Rio" the Dreadnought's captain replied as the deckhand shared his past experiences.

Almost following up immediately, the young woman introduced herself in turn, claiming to be looking for a rare plant that could only be found in Moon Country, hoping someone would be able to take her there. "An alchemist are we, Kyoko? Well that's a first" the Hyuuga responded in a friendly and intrigued manner, not having dabbled in said art himself. With most of their members having decided to explore other horizons, the Kaizoku crew could always use an extra pair of hands, or even two for that matter. And, perhaps more importantly, Grey's search for adventure, to enjoy freedom.

Taking a moment to ponder, the Hyuuga spoke up once more. "What do you think, Auron? Do these two look like they'd make fine additions to the Dreadnought?". Even though he now held the title of captain, Grey wouldn't allow anyone on board unless his friend agreed.

(WC: 247, TWC: 893)

Auron's eyes would flicker a single time between the blonde haired man and the petite woman while they took turns speaking. The man seemed to have some experience working aboard a ship before, citing his experience with many crews. Auron slightly frowned at this, conscious of the fact that this implied that Rio struggled with finding his home within those crews. In no way, shape, or form did Kaizoku paint themselves as a family of close knit pirates, but the Yamaguchi was preferential to those who aboard their vessel to be committed to the long haul. There were too many examples of former crew mates abandoning the ship or trying to move onto something "better". In any case the first mate was not looking for another mouth to feed...without some display of devotion, of course. The silver lining was that this Rio character seemed to want to prove himself worthy of coming aboard...no temporary guest would seek to prove themselves in they only sought to hitch a ride. And the tonality of his words exuded sincerity, so Auron's posture loosened up slightly indicating that he was more accepting of this man than what he originally displayed. Nevertheless his posture remained the same as he shifted his attention towards the other one.

When the woman, Kyoko, began to speak, her words appeared a bit shaky and she seemed rather flustered. Typically introductions were among the first things to be conducted when meeting someone, let alone when boarding their ship. Yet she seemed to save this for only after stating that she needed a ride. The Saboteur quietly scoffed to himself, only slightly vexed that this woman seemed to seek her own quest rather than wanting to be a true crew member of Kaizoku. But at least she was upfront about it, and perhaps this research she sought after would ultimately benefit the band of buccaneers. The excitement in her voice also seemed genuine, suggesting that she too was truthful and looking for some level of partnership.

Grey responded just as Auron anticipated him to, straightforward and short. This was how the pair of men grew accustomed to interacting with each other, and potentially why they had a good friendship. Their communication was always direct, logical, and considerate of the other. So when the Captain posed the question to his first mate, Auron would respond in time.

He'd subtly propel himself off the wall and lower his hands to his sides while walking towards the group at a calm pace. Auron halted once he reached Grey's side, then rested his right forearm onto Grey's left shoulder in a friendly manner.

"They seem alright. Though I am curious about their longevity on the ship. Not many are cut from the same cloth as us, so not many last on the Dreadnought. Tell me," he'd pause while diverting his attention to the two newcomers. "Are you here for the short run, or are you committing to Kaizoku?"

WC = 493. TWC = 1086
+2 NE Stacks; 4 Total