Wealth, Adventure, and the Open Sea: A One Piece RP.(Arc 4: Porte Carlo.)

[NeoAC]

"Depends," Sammi answered Marielle. "I don't know how far into the Line Peter's looking at going on his first go, so it could be a quick trip, like a day or two. Could be a couple of weeks. There's not much rhyme or reason to how the islands are scattered."

Sammi glanced around the crowded market place, looking for some kind of vendor who could offer something more filling than a piece of fruit. The aroma hitting her nose of freshly grilled meat told her that such a place was not far away. "I think breakfast is somewhere over here." She headed off to the West, not caring if the other two wanted to follow.

After a few seconds of travelling, she spotted the source. A couple of tables adorned a small section in front of a counter staffed by two people; a woman working the till, and a man standing over a fresh batch of bacon, letting the wind carry the smell through the market. It was hard for Sammi to keep from drooling right there.

"Wow," she said to herself. "Been so long since I had bacon...didn't even realize that until now..." She grabbed a spot in line, eagerly anticipating ordering a home style breakfast.

[hr]

Guess I better restock on the pain killers. Holik was heading down to the infirmary in preparation for the battles that he was told about before. Last fight in Tevice drained the supply. That Doc better be good and ready.

As he headed into the first room, the nurse was already tending to one of the Marines. Holik stopped and looked at the woman on the bench, he didn't recognize her from the intro he got when coming into Porte Carlo. Of course he wasn't paying attention anyway. He didn't need to know the peons. He just needed to know who was signing the checks.

"Hey, nurse," he said, not breaking his gaze from the one-eyed Marine. "You got any pain pills? I'm running low on my stock, might need some for these pirates coming in, you hear me?"

 

[tsatoma]

As the nurse was helping Alaena out and preparing to lead her to a room she could wait in, a large man appeared in the infirmary and asked the nurse about pain pills. The nurse looked unamused by his interruption, seemingly not pleased with having to help everyone out. "One moment please," she stated unenthusiastically, walking behind a desk and taking a look at a clipboard.

Alaena shot a quick glance at the weathered looking man before keeping her eyes on the nurse. She didn't like the look of this man, nor did she want any trouble. Her cut was being held by her free hand, a couple of drops of blood dripping to the floor. 'Let's get a move on nurse, I'd rather not stay here much longer,' Alaena thought, watching as the nurse went over to a metal door behind the desk and unlocked it. It was only kept open a moment before the Nurse walked in and closed it, but Alaena glimpsed numerous medicines inside. 'I need those keys for tonight. Picking the lock might be too difficult from the looks of it. At least that helps narrow down what I need, and where to get it.'

 

[SkyeNeko]

"Outside of Porte Carlo? I don't know. I don't have very many useful skills other than shooting. I would have no idea what to do, or where to go. Have you seen a lot of places? Are other places that different?" She couldn't think of any reason to leave, but she couldn't think of any reason to stay either. "Have you been around a lot, sir? Seen a lot of places?"

 

[CounterAttack]

Marielle looked quizzically at Sammi, wondering how she had come to that conclusion... then the same scent that had reached the other woman's nose hit hers. "Is that... yes," she murmured to herself, immediately following the path Sammi had taken. In her limited experience, where there was one part of a breakfast the rest would soon follow. She got in line behind Sammi, the apple from earlier practically forgotten; the smell coming from the grill was almost intoxicating.

As she waited in line, absent-mindedly chewing on a fingernail, Marielle felt a hand where it didn't belong: in one of her pockets. She whirled round and grabbed the invasive hand by the wrist before the owner could escape. A young boy stood there, clutching a fistful of Beli that had clearly been lifted from Marielle's pocket. The kid struggled in her grip, and threw the money back at Marielle in hopes that doing so would let him go.

Marielle sent the kid on his way and collected her money from the ground, returning it to her pocket. To make sure she didn't fall prey to similar pickpockets she placed her own hands in her pockets, just in case.

 

[NeoAC]

As the nurse rummaged through the cabinet for the pills that Holik requested, the burly Marine took the opportunity to size up the woman on the table. Something didn't really sit right with him, aside from the fact that she didn't look familiar. At least not from the Porte Carlo orientation.

"So what the hell happened to you?" he asked the Marine. The blood on her hand as well as the couple of drops on the floor suggested some kind of scuffle. "Don't tell me you actually let one of those pirate sons of bitches tag you? That's pathetic."

[hr]

The noise coming from behind momentarily distracted Sammi from the allure of the cooking bacon. As she turned to see Marielle picking Belli up off of the ground, she laughed a little.

"What did I say, Blue? You always gotta be on your guard. Never know who's going be trying to get in at yeah," she warned her comrade as they finally got to the head of the line.

The portly woman working the counter waved her forward. "So what'll you have, hun?"

"Whatever one of your dishes offers as much bacon as possible. Load it up." She reached into the pocket of her pants and produced a stack of Belli, profits from the Ivory Oyster job. "And I'll have some OJ, and lots of hash browns." She pulled a couple of the larger bills out from the middle and placed them in front of the woman.

"Gene!" she called back to the man, who gave a quick glance. "Throw a lot more bacon on there! Gonna need it!" The man nodded and returned to his work. "Thank you very much hun. Hope you can put it all away there."

"Don't worry. I'll be able to." Sammi turned back to Marielle and Yoje. "Order whatever you want guys, I can cover this one."

 

[tsatoma]

"The truth is even more pathetic. Some merchant left a bunch of scrap metal outside their stall on the side of a street, and I accidentally ran into it chasing after some boy that had pick pocketed a civilian. One of the others caught the kid at least; still the cut could have been prevented," Alaena replied to the large Marine, keeping an eye on the locked door that the nurse would come out of. Everything came out clearly with no hesitation; the story flowing naturally. She had done this hundreds of time, and while the first dozen lies were faulty Alaena had gotten better with practice.

'You just need to stay calm, a make sure that your cover makes sense. And at least give yourself some leeway so that if anyone goes snooping around you're already long gone by the time that they find out,' she thought, the locked door opening as the nurse stepped out with a medium sized container in her hand.

 

[GoWithDAFro]

"Thanks, Sammi. I'll take care of any food we bring back to the ship then." Next in line, Yoje walked up the counter. "I'll have a stack of pancakes and some sausage links. Whatever your normal size is. Just water to drink." Having made his order, he went to go find a table for the three of them. The food here smelled delicious, and Yoje couldn't wait to eat.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Peter danced around the depths of the ship, setting up the parts for his little project, waiting for Hal to come back with the tools he needed. He shuffled around to a tune that wasn't there, lost in his own little world, humming as he turned some screws on what would eventually become the ship's engine. "Hopefully Hal comes back with the lighter stuff soon... then I can really get started..." he made a couple scribbles on some nearby notepads between turns, looking like rejected ideas for a pirate flag. "No, that's not right either... and I STILL need to think up a name for this baby..." He took a moment to pause, thinking about the crew. "Y'know... there are still a couple people I still don't really know much about... I oughta fix that once the engine's running." he smirked. "Once we get to our first stop, we can figure out what to do next..." [hr]

Yezeku nodded. "Been around quite a lot of places. I joined right around when I was your age, back in the days of Fleet Admiral Kong. Saw quite a bit of the Grand Line and a couple spots here in the West Blue. Then after some shit, some guys had me reassigned to Lasklee for the last 15 years. It was almost soul-crushingly dull. But I got some things I REALLY needed there." At that, he ran his hand under his at over his obscured eyes. And once this business is done, I'll be heading to the nearest base now that Marineford is out of commission." He turned to Cecilia. "What about you? Want to get off this rock and come with me?"

 

[SkyeNeko]

"I-I'm not really good at anything though sir... and I wouldn't know he first thing to do out there. At least here I have people who tell me what to do." Was he really going to just leave Porte Carlo? Cecilia wondered. Could she just leave Porte Carlo? "What do you think, sir? I only have my parents here... but they don't need me around. Even here I'm kinda useless. Like you said, who needs someone like me to do patrols?" She looked down the sight of her gun, focusing on the ground. "Hippocrates has a lot of faith in me, but I don't know about going to HQ. I heard there's a lot of really skilled Marines there..."

 

[CounterAttack]

Marielle was next in line after Yoje, and approached the counter after he moved on. "Um... I'll go for some of what the others are having. I'm with the two that ordered before me. Hmm. Pancakes sounds good..."

"You want some bacon with those?" the woman behind the counter asked. Marielle nodded vigorously, unable to say no to the scents coming from the grill. "Oh yeah. Definitely. Might as well throw in a hash brown while we're at it," she added, interested in trying some of everything to compare it to Lasklee's fare. Even though it was a breakfast she knew, it could be different in some way. Maybe these people had a different recipe for pancake batter. She would find out.

Her order placed, Marielle got out of the way to let the next person step up. She took up a spot next to Sammi, figuring she would wait for Yoje to find a table rather than go looking herself. The entire place was a strange, unfamiliar setting to Marielle, and she didn't want to get lost.

 

[Mr. Omega]

"Some of the strongest in the world. Still, things have been going to hell in a handbasket with all the recent shifts in command, especially with the old windbag Sengoku finally isn't there. If you know the right people to talk to, which trust me, I do, I could end up going exactly where I want. Or at least manage to get time to fuck around." Yezeku got up, stretching, walking around and pacing. "Honestly, I think someone like you needs to get out to sea... experience would do you a lot of good."

Suddenly, he heard the door open, and they saw a girl walk past, shoving Cecilia aside, heading towards up the stairs. "Huh. Must be the chick who was missing at roll call this morning. Wonder what she wants..."

 

[SkyeNeko]

"You mean Annabelle?" Cecilia parted her hair to get a good look at the woman, a slightly panicked look on her face. "S-sorry ma'am!" she shouted after her. "S...sorry..." she repeated softer, squirming uncomfortably. The last thing she wanted was to be on the bad side of who might as well be the star pupil. "Leaving the island... I'll think about it later. I need to go out and see if I can find the pirates. Make myself useful..."

Even if she wasn't very inspired to be the best Marine in the force, she was jealous of the attention and praise Annabelle got. Maybe getting off the island would help her get a better reputation, and it made sense to go with someone she knew. Someone I kno- ack! "Sorry sir! I... I uh... I forgot your name..." Cecilia hung her head, scratching her neck.

 

[Mr. Omega]

"Name's Yezeku, little missy." he grinned, extending his hand. "As for me, I might go get some grub..." he went to the door, stepping outside. "Hopefully I won't run into anybody else. What about you? Where are you heading?"
[hr]

Anabelle walked pass the infirmary, and took a moment and stopped, scoffing at Holik "Another trip to the infirmary? Are you sure you aren't too old for this?" she didn't pay Aleana any mind, leaning against the doorway.

 

[SkyeNeko]

"I'm going to do a short patrol, I suppose, Yezuku sir. And then I'll set up my gun in the bell tower, probably. It's my best vantage point." She gingerly shook his hand. He was nice, she thought.

Her mind wandered back to the pirates. What if she did leave the island, and ran into them again? Maybe I should pass by a store and get some food too... I didn't have time to eat this morning. I was already running late...

 

[GoWithDAFro]

Yoje searched for a table, and found one near the back with four chairs around it. The place was crowded, but it still didn't take too long for him to find it. He waved down Sammi and Marielle, then took his seat. He casually glanced over the table next to him, and was pleased to see how delicious the food looked.

 

[NeoAC]

Holik just shook his head at hearing the sad tale that this Marine was telling him. "You serious? Someone who looks like they've taken a few hits, gets dinged up chasing a hood rat? That's pretty lame there." He was starting to get a little impatient waiting for the nurse to return with his supply.

"Another trip to the infirmary? Are you sure you aren't too old for this?

Holik turned around to see that cocksure brat from before harping at him. "I'm sorry I'm not hopped up enough to spend my battle time jumping around like a flea, trying to pick people off with six shooters. I fight real battles girlie. You might want to try it sometime, if you think you can actually survive one."

The nurse finally returned with the desired pills. "Here you go Lt. Holik sir."

"Thanks," he mumbled as he pocketed the large bottle and left to go prepare for the oncoming battles.

[hr]

"Order Up! Homestyle special with extra bacon and OJ!"

"Right here!" Sammi was at the counter ready and waiting for her meal, and now that it was ready, not one second would be wasted in getting it into her mouth. She looked over and spotted where Yoje was sitting, quickly joining him so the feast could begin.

"This smells soooo good!" She popped the first tender strip of bacon in her mouth and savored it as the flavors hit her tongue. "You don't know how much I missed bacon!"

 

[tsatoma]

"It is," Alaena muttered in agreement as Holik was distracted by another Marine coming into the infirmary. Listening in on the conversation gave Alaena some interesting info; Holik was a Lieutenant, and the woman used six shooters. 'Might not need the information, but it is good to remember it just in case,' she thought, watching as Holik was given his pills from the nurse.

There was a sense of relief once Holik had left, and now that he was gone the nurse led Alaena to the back so that she could be stitched up. As they walked past the rooms, Alaena would note anything of interest that she might be able to use. An x-ray machine in one of the rooms caught her eye as something that would be very hard to procure normally in the markets. 'Getting it out though will be a chore. Thank goodness I'll have some help with it.'

The nurse had led her into a small medical room and told her to fill out a form. "We'll have some one patch you up in a minute," she stated as she slammed the door shut. Alaena looked down at the form, ready to write down fake information before realizing she hadn't been left anything to write with. 'Gives me an excuse to look through all of the drawers.'

The Marine doctor came in a few minutes after Alaena had searched through everything in the room for a pen. There were quite a few things she had taken note of for later on, most of which were basic necessities that would be needed. 'All the tough to get equipment are in the others rooms. No sense keeping them in one like this,' she told herself, answering the doctor's questions before he started to clean her injury.

There was no sense of suspicion the doctor was giving from what she could tell as he wrapped some gauze and bandage around her cut. The information she had given must have been sufficient for him as she left the infirmary without a hitch. Exiting the outpost proved to be just as easy as she headed down the steps and towards the shack she had left her stuff in.

'And where I left that Marine too,' she added after unlocking the door and seeing the unconscious man on the ground. All of her stuff was still there, and she quickly changed out of the uniform and back into her own clothes. The Marine was left up against the side of the wall with his uniform back on. Alaena figured that he would simply think he had passed out, and wouldn't report in anything strange.

Now back on the roof tops, Alaena headed back towards the area they had docked at. 'I need to find the crew and inform them of the new bounties, and help out Hal with all the supplies,' she thought, stopping near the edge of a roof and peering down to see if she could spot anyone. After not spotting anyone the first few times, she found Hal making his way back to where the ship was and jumped down in front of him and the cart he was pushing. "Need some help?"

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

As Hal made his way back the the ship he made sure to keep an eye out, both for any Marines who looked like they might have taken an interest in him and for the Log Pose and any other potential bargains. He had just turned from looking at an interesting looking, yet probably worthless, pocket watch when someone jumped down in front of him from the rooftops. At first he instinctively reached for his sword, but relaxed once he realized it was Alaena. "Oh, it's just you Alaena... Nah, I can handle pushing the cart. Although if you're not too busy, I was planning on grabbing all the big stuff on my next trip out and I might need a hand with that."

"Picked up most of your stuff this time around. Stuff wasn't cheap but I managed to snag some deals anyway. The sinks I picked up were... A little used so ya might want to make sure you scrub em down good, but the price was definitely right. All the cleaning supplies and bandages and light bulbs stuff I got a pretty good deal on by buying em in bulk, so you should have plenty to last you for awhile." Hal told Alaena, pointing out each item on the cart as he mentioned them.

"Only thing I didn't get yet on your list was the generator. But I figure that'll be with most of the mechanical stuff I've gotta grab for Peter next." Hal hadn't managed to find any good machine shops for some of the stuff Peter wanted, so he'd have to look elsewhere in Porte Carlo it seemed. He'd picked up a box of cheap little tools and parts that should keep Peter happy for awhile though.

"But yeah, so far so good. How'd everything go on your end?" Hal asked. Alaena didn't seem any more beat up than usual, so she must not have run into too much trouble yet.

 

[tsatoma]

"I'm fine with cleaning up the sinks; I'll already have to do the whole room anyway why not add on some sinks?" Alaena responded as she took a look at all the items Hal had bought. Everything seemed pretty good, though the sinks would definitely need some scrubbing. 'And disinfectant too.'

"I appreciate you trying to save me a pretty penny. The generator will be a bit tougher to get I'm sure, but it doesn't have to be a high-end one. It just has to work," she said to him once she was done taking a look at everything, walking along as he pushed the cart. "Now that I'm done with my stuff I'll help you carry everything next trip out. As for how everything went...pretty well I have to say. I found out where all the key things are inside the infirmary, and got some information too. Speaking of," she started, taking out the bounties she had placed into her pocket. Alaena handed them to Hal, stating that she found them plastered up on a billboard outside the outpost.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Peter had stepped outside the ship to take a quick break, just in time to see Hal and Aleana walking up. "Hey! Good to see ya! Come on, come on! Get up here!" he seemed energetic, and in a good mood. Working on his machines tended to lift his spirits, so he was more cheerful than usual. "How goes the bargain hunting?" he smirked as they walked up the gangplank.