(5/4/02)
So, another part down, another step to go. How tedious. Being at the beck and call of Shevat, requested to follow out this order and that with only knowing barely half of what they're up to in the first place rather -irked- the second in command. But hey, why order with your allies? The Kaiser had approved them to be used for it, and this helped them in the end anyway. Still. Time to go on to the next part. Sigh. The Sandcruiser Yggdrasil had been following it's counterpart for a few days now, upon the promise of them having the Holy Mother--A promise that they could only now make good on. Keeping close enough to lure, but not far enough to escape, the JNK had planned this as best as it could. And now.. it was time to continue. With a sigh, Dirah allows herself one last moment of her femininity to shine, as she gives a heavy sigh and runs a hand through her hair, brushing it off her shoulders and towards her back as she contacts the other Yggdrasil with the delicate tap of a few buttons. Care to answer, dears? She can at least hope that they'll fall for this. It would be.. Convenient if they did. But draw your expressions still and stand tall, girl. But the actress is quite good at pulling her job. And silently, she waits.
"Hey, Bart!" comes a voice from the area below. The voice of everyone's favorite Dolphin, Franz. "I hear something in the distance, it sounds like a motor. Kind of like the Ygg's actually." At this, Bart (currently at the wheel) turns his head to Franz and blinks. "Whoa. You don't think it could be the Dark Ygg, do you?" no, it likely is not, Bart. Yggdrasils are common articles of car-lots everywhere. Another person chimes in: "A large vehicle in our radar!" This makes Bart pull down the telescope to take a look for himself. "Hey, it IS the Dark Ygg. ALRIGHT! Let's prepare some heavy artillery! This is for Margie!"
Sigurd peers into the Bridge warily at the mention of 'heavy artillery'. Perceiving Bart eyeing the Bart Missile buttons longingly, Sigurd enters hastily. "Young Master, wait for once before you act." Sigurd points dryly at the blinking transmission buttons. "They are attempting to contact us. If they have something important to say, I would rather hear it before I blow anything up. Especially since it may concern Marguerite." Sigurd doesn't like this juxtaposition of the Margie-talks and the sudden peak in D-Yggdrasil activity at all. If his hunch is right, the Dark Yggdrasil has something to do with Marguerite's dilemma. And he wants to hear them out before Bart can nuke them. "Listening and thinking before one acts is a virtue, Young Master." This comment given a little more gently than the others, but still faintly reproving. Crossing the Bridge, he taps the console that opens the link between the ships, and glances expectantly at the lowered screen.
He previously insisted that the Dark Ygg is not much of a threat, but with their recent activity Ryukumu is starting to change his mind. Even if they do not have much firepower, their resemblence to the Yggdrasil and good timing can make them very deadly. Ryukumu leans over the guard rails surrounding the control wheel to catch a glimpse of the display screen with the video feed from the Dark Ygg.
I wonder what they want, thinks Kyle as he looks at the screen. Best keep my mouth shut, so I don't cause an international incident...that's Bastion's job, anyway. I remember meeting their captain once, I thought it was Bart! I wonder...
Goodness, how long does it take for them to answer a call? Well, one supposes you can simply expect some degree of rudeness from the.. less graceful Yggdrasil. And Dirah is not a patient woman. Resisting the urge to tap her foot while waiting or, even worse, to rest a hand against her hip in a semi-lounging state... No, no. It's a man that they expect. And a man at they will get. Or at least one doing her damnedest to pretend. And as they answer and open the communication, that is exactly the image she is playing to. She is in full Sigurd outfit, top to bottom, eyepatch and all. Down to the very last hair she has perfected it--A situation where vanity aids her--In all that she could do in looks. Gracefully hiding her true gender in the manner she stands and the careful way she wears the outfit. And as they open the communications.. She smiles. A gentle gesture, for all it almost seems almost strangely predatory. "Good afternoon..." The voice is soft, entirely androgynous at best, easily passed for male. And to those who didn't know him, it'd be quite a good call at Sigurd's. "Having fun tailing us, I hope?"
Bart's eyes are still in the sightscope for the moment, but he sighs outwardly. "Alright, alright," prying his face out of it, he raises the sightscope, and gawks at the viewscreen. He does a double take, turning his head towards Sig, then back at the viewscreen. "Hey! Don't do that!"
Sigurd is similarly astonished, and for the first time in a -very- long while, his set countenance wavers and changes to a look of utter shock. Last time he checked, the viewscreen wasn't a mirror! But Sigurd's internal systems adjust rather quickly, and his arms go automatically up to cross over his chest. "I am not doing it, Young Master," he replies, managing a completely calm voice. ::Evidently, Bart is not the only one who has a double...:: Sigurd's single eye narrows at his mirror-image- and this brings up a sensation of deja-vu, of how he used to stare balefully at his reflection, years ago, and glare down his own inadequencies... but now it is Dirah who is on the receiving end of his scrutiny. "State your business," he says shortly to his reflection. Tart, aren't we?
Ryukumu's jaw drops and smacks the guard rail he was leaning over. Ow. Holy crap, so they have a fake Sigurd too. ...I guess it's to be expected... Sigurd is just as politically important as Bart. Ryukumu wonders if he has a double, then realizes that's not important right now. "...Whoa."
Well...that's something ya don't see every day...Kyle blinks, he then looks at Sigurd, and then back at the viewscreen. "Oy vey..." Yes, this makes things interesting, and will probably mean that there will be an adventure of some sort eventually. More then likely one that will cause him massive pain/internal injuries.
Oh-ho! It's wonderful when the people you're mimicking themselves are impressed by your skils! And being just like any fine actress, Dirah must resist the urge to glow in this indirect praise. Oh, Bart recieves a smile just for him for that comment, one swiftly granted and dropped. As she has business to attend to, and can not -quite- give herself the leisure of time to glow in pride to how well she pulls this role off. Move along, Dirah. There will be plenty of time to praise yourself later. "How very direct. Well, as I did not call to wonder at your manners, I suppose I might as well." Smooth. And she allows that smile to linger all the while, so sly. The sort of expression one grants when you know something they do not. "While I'm impressed that you haven't given up the chase, I admit it is becoming a quite a nuiscance. So. I wish to strike a deal with you. Would you care to listen?"
Bart shakes his head, "I was just surprised, Sig. Sorry about that," he sweatdrops, and turns to Dirah, a bit of an irritated frown on his face. "Hey, how do I know I can trust any kind of deal you want to strike?" then again, it occurs to him that they still have Margie. So he sighs, and crosses his arms. "Alright. Fine. What is it?"
Ryukumu can't do much else except for standing there and watching. That is, after he resets his jaw in place.
Sigurd has disconnected.
Bastion has connected.
The answer to that is simple. "You don't." So smug! Especially for one who is supposed to be requesting that they leave her ship alone. But well, that really isn't terribly telling.. Dirah is -always- this way. "But you certainly don't have to. I'm certain we can have a great deal more fun with your Holy Mother if you wish." So, bring that up first. And with that subject drawn as a reminder to them--Yes, don't blow us up, and wont you -listen- for a moment? We have Margie!--She speaks again. "It should be simple enough for you to understand. You are being a nuiscance. We can give you back your Holy Mother. She's of no more use to us." After all, they did what they came to do. If you believe that they were only here to make it look like the Dark Ygg was attacking Jasper, and only took Margie as a safeguard to do so and get away with it. "In return, you allow us to go our merry way, minus your prying eyes. Is that quite clear enough?"
Bart sighs. This is lower than low...and sounds a bit fishy. They'll give Margie back just for getting off their backs? Bart doesen't like this. "Lemme think for a second, ok?" he gestures to Ryu, Bastion and Brighton and turns to them. "(What do you think?)" he says in a low whisper, "(Sound too fishy to be true?)"
Ryukumu shakes his head and whispers to Bart, making sure to cover the microphone with a free hand. "We can't trust them. If they're being THIS underhanded, I say we throw it back at 'em. Accept their deal, then send a few Gears out to tail 'em. Maybe not attack--that'd be a bit much-- but tail 'em until we reach their base. Come back and fight another day." Underhanded? Yes indeedy. But it's probably very likely that they know the location of Bart's hideout anyway, this could help even the odds. The imposters would still be in the wrong by a pretty wide margin, anyway.
"Take your time." Is the responce, even and soft. So eerily like Sigurd's voice. Even though Dirah really, really is not a patient person. She does not want to wait. And she does not like them spreading around their paranoid thoughts. Just take it or not and be done with it. Giving no hints of her own, she clasps her hands behind her back, in a rather formal gesture. Waiting. Expressions unreadable. Hiding her impatience with this entire ordeal behind the utter calm of one perfect blue eye and a still face. Ah, the things she suffers for the Shevvites, of all people.
In a whisper, Kyle says to Bart, "(I dunno, I think that it sounds a bit weird, but I think we should go with Ryu's idea, it sounds OK.)"
Bastion and in plods Bastion. Hes tired and hes looking for some mishief. He looks around sleep still in his eyes and then starts. Sigurd on the screen? What for? Wasn't he on the ship? Uh oh...here comes a classic Bastion moment, "HEY SIGGY! WHATCHA DOIN ON THE MAIN SCREEN EH?" He grins and charges over using Brighton's shoulders as a vaulting platform to get a better look.
Bart nods, "(alright. So...let's go with her for now then. Good idea, Ryu,)" he replies. Turning back to Dirah, he recrosses his arms. "Alright, we'll do it. We'll take Margie back and wont..." he tenses up almost visibly as Bastion yells at the viewscreen. "...uh, hey...Bastion. I think I need to talk to you after this, ok?" he nods and clears his throat. "Now. We'll take Margie back or whatever and not follow you. Ok, um..? What should I call you? Hey, I know! DuoSig." He really did want to shoot his Bart missles at the ship before he realized Margie was on it, but he'll get other chances. For now, Margie's safety is top priority. Then they follow.
Twitch. Sweatdrop. Twitch AND sweatdrop. Ryukumu nods to the display screen respectively and says, "Excuse me for a moment." He then proceeds to pull Bastion off to the side with a headlock. Once out of the camera's field of view, he clubs Bastion on the back of his head with the closest blunt object in reach (details aren't important).
::Sweatdrop:: Kyle watches Ryu and Bastion and just sighs. This isn't a sand sub, it's a nut house!
Bastion fights free of the head lock eye flashing the whole way. He uses Ryu as a point of leverage to kick off the wall and go sailing back behind him safely. Having land he rubs his head and sweatdrops. He turns to look at the screen, "Its...not...Siggy? It looks like Siggy..." He rubs the back of his head bringing away a small bit of redness, "Ow...this is gonna leave a mark demmit." He turns to glare at the others, "You could have at least made a general announcement like, 'We are being hailed by a really convincing Siggy impersonator do not come to the bridge vaulting people and asking why he is calling us.'" He crosses his arms over his chest not sure if that made any sense...and not really caring.
...They're all crazy. Entirely, completely crazy. And Dirah doesn't quite know whether to laugh or to just roll her eyes. Instead, she looks choked somewhere in between. And instead fixes them all with a very quizzical peer. Before she turns that blue eye back to Bart and raises an eyebrow gracefully in question, "...DuoSig? ...Ah, er..." She shakes her head mildly, "I wish I could say that was clever..." But that's not important, and nor is wasting precious time taunting them when they could easily be plotting something else. So! To the point! "Very well, then. We shall do this professionally, then. Halt your ship where it is. The prisoners shall be escorted out of our ship and shall be taken directly between our ships. You take your Holy Mother, we leave, and we all go away happy." Aha. Prisoner-s-. That's very gracefully dropped. A small smile, before she finishes with, "And if that is quite that, then this call is over. I must get back to my job, after all, which you have all proved that I do so -terribly- well." ...Modest, isn't she?
Bart clenches his teeth, but nods. "Fine. Everyone, stop the Ygg's engines. We're gonna be sitting here for a while, na?" he points at 'DuoSig' now, "Alright, you're getting what you want. I'll meet you on deck," he sighs at that.
Twitch. He'd smack Bastion again, but the Boy Wonder will probably go ninjutsu and accidentally kick a foot through the monitor screen. Instead he just says, looking rather embarassed, "...shut up. Please. I'll give you 5G if you don't say another word until you can think of something that makes it SOUND like your IQ is higher than your shoe size." He says over to Bart, "Want me to come with you?" He knows very well that he needs to get his Gear prepped for launch. The Dark Ygg knows Ryukumu is a pilot, and perhaps by suggesting to go on deck that might kill off any suspicions they have of him getting ready to launch. To make it authentic, he'll have the crew in the Gear dock go ahead and start prepping the Gear, that way right after the switch-off he'll already be set to launch. I'm so smart.
"Yea, Skipper, do ya want me to come too?" Well, Kyle might be able to provide a little backup, seeing that he is a Martial Artist. Besides...he really needs to get away from Bastion right now...
Bastion walks over towards Bart and stands next to him back to the screen not giving any indication he is talking to Bart. "(If someone stays behind to open the forward doors I can hop in my sniper gear and be ready to fire on command.)" Bastion may not always be bright...but he can smell a trap from halfway across the desert. "You know...just in case." He finishes whispering. He stands straight up as if waiting for orders.
And a brief smile is given to that by the 'DuoSig'.. Ah, pardon, Dirah. "Perfect." Oh, she knows they're likely up to something, but what does it matter? With any hope, this will yet work out well enough to be of use to everyone. And so, with barely a nod, she gives a rather mocking salute, unformal and with only her first two fingers as she adds, "Thank you for being so agreeable, then Captain." So entirely mocking. And with only a parting smile she adds a mere, "'Ta." And the viewscreen goes black.
Bart sighs, "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Alright, now. He turns around and breaks out in song. Wait, forget I said that. Nodding at Brighton and Ryu, he says, "Actually, i'd like that. Come on. And... (We've got it covered, Bastion. Don't wanna set them off.)" With that, he starts out of the room, dancing. Oh, bother, kill that last word.
((OOC: The previous post was a play off of how Bart-RPer was listening to the super-hyper Tales of Eternia song, 'Count Down to Paradise'. >_> Just so you know that we're all not -completely- mad.))
....
The Path to Nisan, South
Let's get this over and done with, shall we? You get what you want, we get what we want. ...Kind of. But reading between the lines isn't something that the Yggdrasil should do right now, if they're a clever bunch. Dirah's Gear is not far away, close enough for her to escape easily if foul play is put into effect by this bunch. Smiling gently, her arms are crossed. And not far away is one extremely out of sorts Holy Mother and a nun, both with their hands bound in rope. Can't have them making trouble now, can we? Tifa might have let Marguerite wander as she pleases.. But Dirah would rather not risk antyhing right now, if possible. And so, she waits. And taps her foot gently.
..Extremely out of sorts? That's rather an understatement. Margie is extremely, extremely unhappy. Feel free to blame it on the fact that she was just kidnapped by a bunch of crossdressers, that she's being traded back to the Yggdrasil, that no matter what she does or why or how, she -always- ends up being a burden somehow to Bart and his crew. And now she's standing here with a Nisan nun by her side, her hands bound and... Well, it's easy enough to explain why she looks possitively downtrodden. Unreadable besides that, Marguerite simply stands in silence, gaze half focused on the ground. Dull. Upset deeply, but in a dozen ways that don't manage to be clear.
Climbing on deck is a Pirate Captain named Bart. Walking to the end of the railing, his eyes scan the area for a Holy Mother named Margie. Look who comes into view? This only makes Bart tense up. Damn, if only he could do something to make them pay for this! Oh, well...Bart at least takes comfort in that those ambassador people got her stolen from them, but this is like out of the fire and into the spikey pits.
Ryukumu follows closely behind Bart. I guess in this case he serves more like a bodyguard... meh, whatever. If they try anything, they'll get a sword-lengths worth of steel shoved through them. Hopefully they're more civilized than that. He quickly scans over the area looking over Sigurd-wannabe, Margie, the nun, and the guy in fatigues. Other than the Sigurd-wannabe and the guy in fatigues, this doesn't seem too dangerous right now.
Following Ryukumu is Kyle Brighton, an Engineer, and normally cheery fellow. They had better not have hurt her, Thinks Kyle. For those who know Kyle really well, the expression on his face is not unknown. What expression is that? Well, take the standard expression that Kyle has on his face, and get rid of it. Replace it with a completely blank look, except for in his eyes, which have a look of fury barely contained by his rational mind. Kyle is not happy, not happy indeed.
The Nun, bound by rope, stands next to Margie, a few tears falling from her eyes. She silently watches the others, wishing, and waiting for this torture to end. She looks over at Margie, who looks angry, and whispers, "Soon, it will be all, over don't you worry." After this is said, she turns her back to the ground, seeming to go into a prayer.
Bastion looks about. Its strange to see this little scene. He keeps his mouth shut as that is best and his Sniper Rifle in his hands readu to go. Who wants some would be what he would say...but he doesn't want to get smacked.
Granle follows closely behind Dirah and Margie, meekly carrying his gun. Another fiasco like the one in the Cathedral, and he'll be reduced to carrying dishes in the mess hall. And mind you, it's not regular dishes! Animals excrete on them!
He runs his eyes over the crew, examining them as he passes by. What a motley crew. It's amazing that people can even live with them. He shifts his weight as he shuffles around to position himself in close range of both the Holy Mother and Dirah.
Well, ha! The lot of you can be as peeved as you want to be over this. It doesn't do a mite bit of good. But, as it's apparently the Dark Yggdrasil's job to take the blame for everything that's gone on lately.. Eh. Dirah doesn't particularly mind. A job is a job. And the fondness of the Yggdrasil crew is hardly something she's aiming for. So, with a soft and gently mocking smile, she walks a few steps forward, saying simply, "Glad you showed up." And with a lot of armed people, too? Hm. Unsurprising. Putting a hand gently on Margie's shoulder and her other on Aniko's, she adds, "A deal is a deal, then. You may have these pretty things we found, and we'll be on our way. If you try to double cross me, our sniper here will put a bullet in someone's head. Got it?" With that, she gently pushes the nun and Marguerite forward, stepping back a step and recrossing her arms. Making certain that this finishes properly before she decides it's safe to go.
...So much, so wrong. Margie resists the urge to turn out of Dirah's grasp as she sets a hand on her shoulder, less than content with anything at all goin on. And for some reason or another, the nun's comforting words are absolutely of no comfort to Margie. With a faint sigh, she glances up at the Yggdrasil crew, seeing the gathered bunch there, irate as a whole.. And yet does not say a thing yet. There is a distinct note of guilt in those blue and blue eyes, vague and blurred. But there is a great deal else tearing at her mind. And all in all.. She doesn't look -angry-, put in best words, although she looks certainly less than happy. But whatever's on her mind and whatever plagues her remains carefully guided. How shameful, to be marched across a field with her hands bound. But there is a great deal wrong with this as it is. A sigh again, and she starts walking. Carefully. Making sure that Dirah means it, and isn't just calling such for show.
Bart sighs. "Yeah, I know. But next time I see you, I wont hold back!" it's a futile attempt to save face like this. Those people are really something. Oh, well...at least they didn't strap anything to a bomb this time, and they even took one of Margie's nuns! Who...doesen't look familiar to Bart at all. Maybe it's one of those new recruits, like Gabri. He looks back to Ryukumu, before jumping down the railing and starting to meet Margie and the nun.
'Motley Crew'? ... ... ...okay, so Bastion snores like nobody's business, and the condition of Brighton's clothes is not unlike a pauper, and Bart--- let's not even GET into Bart... hmm, maybe they are a motley crew after all... at least the leaders of the REAL Yggdrasil don't have a 'thing' for crossdressing. The imposters do it all too well... Ryukumu stands their waiting on the deck, only moving to unsheath his sword by about an inch with a thumb, just in case...
Kyle just stands next to Ryukumu watching. He looks like he'd be ready to jump off and fight at a moments notice. Uh...His clothes really don't look that bad...do they? No matter. The important thing is that we get Margie back safely...
Bastion doesn't look all that good either. All his clothes look like they've seen a little too much sand and sun but his gun...now thats impressive. OUt of the clothcover Bastion normally has over it to hide the sheen, the sniper rifle is all silver and shinnier than Gabriel's heater. He looks at MArgie and then at Dirah and then at all the others. He getting kind bored and so he taps his foot and idly fiddles with the magazine. Good thing the safety is on cause that .50 cal could do a lot of damage to alot of things all on accident.
Aniko is pushed slightly, in the direction of the Yggdrasil. She begins to walk that direction, keeping in pace with Margie, looking down at the ground the whole time, not making eye contact with anyone.
Granle takes out a box full of bullets, and very slowly begins to load them into his rifle. He also has another pocketful of shells, and two extra magazines zippered securely in his uniform breast pocket. Despite what Ms. Yui said about this meeting, would it really turn out as well as everyone had hoped? He sincerely hoped so. A bloody firefight wouldn't look good on his request for promotion.
Granle narrows his eyes as the Yggdrasil members tighten their hands on their weapons. It wouldn't take much for someone to begin shooting or fighting. He turns his face away from the sun and stares at the ground between the Yggdrasil crew and the Dark Yggdrasil's crew. Another soldier would be comforting right now. Any soldier. Even Kaori!
A thing for crossdressing? Hey! A job's a job! You do what you must for your people and country, you know. And for money. And prestige. Even if this might not be the best thing to be known for. Well... Regardless... That being that, Dirah simply grants a shrug. And another smile, "I'm sure you will, Captain." A soft chuckle, as she turns, walking off towards the ship with her customary note of, "'Ta." Taking pains to make sure she walks without betraying her gender, she only gives a soft note to Granle while she passes, "Keep an eye trained on them. If they make one move against us, I want to see someone down." And hopefully not her. Dirah just simply can't -stand- people who don't keep their word. ...Hypocracy kindly brushed aside. And with that, she proceeds towards the JNK Yggdrasil.
No matter what she does. No matter what she tries. Even when she thinks she's doing the absolute best thing, making the absolute best choice, she ends up in a situation like this. Is she just perpetually plagued by awful luck? Keeping her gaze trained on the ground the entire time, Margie glumly trudges her way over, picking mildly at the ropes about her hands as best she can while she walks. ...Well. You've managed to make a victim out of yourself again, Marguerite. And once again you've needed help and saving, when all you wanted initially was to do something right and get something done properly. Finally approaching the Yggdrasil crew, she looks up a bit, guilty and distant and quiet yet.. And can not even manage a smile. Can anyone blame her? For the only thing she brings herself to say is a very quiet, "...I'm sorry..."
Another glare shot at DuoSig, and Bart starts to work undoing their bonds. "Come on, Margie. Let's just go and let things calm down for a while. I know this is gonna sound weird coming out of me...but i'm glad to see you again," he smiles a bit warmly at this, as he finishes undoing Aniko's bonds and her own. "Come on, let's just get out of here."
Ryukumu stands there ready, just in case. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face. As Margie and the nun are safely brought to the Yggdrasil, he sighs in relief and takes his hands away from his sword, crossing them behind his head.
Kyle watches everyone as they come back to the Ygg, and then shoots a look at the folks from the Dark Yggdrasil. Suffice to say, if looks could kill, that ship would be a giant piece of smoldering metal right now.
Aniko brings her hands up, and rubs her sore wrists, which are read from the ropes. She looks at Margie, and then at the man who undid her ropes. "Thank you." She stands there, awaiting further orders, watching Margie slightly, not wanting to look -too- interested in her. Have to keep the facade up.
Bastion laughs to himself...the Dark Ygg would be fun to highjack...but not today. He keeps that yeah I'm bad and I've got a big gun additude as Margie is on here way back. Bastion still smells something trapish in the air but he says nothing. It not his place after all.
Granle nods slightly in reaction to Dirah's orders. So she was sensing the tension as well? Well, it was comforting to know that she noticed it just as clearly. He slowly slides his finger to accomodate the trigger, and mentally plays out which Yggdrasil crew member he'll shoot first. Probably the sniper, ne? He blinks several times to rectify his blurred vision.
He's almost touched by Margie's display of gratitude. Almost. A cruel grin plays over his lips. So, all had worked out in favor of Shevat. This, indeed, was a wonderful day for the home country. He shuffles away from the Yggdrasil, then walks in the direction of his Gear. If one of those pirates tried to pull anything, the sniper cannon from Bullseye would make a far better retribution than a flimsy automatic rifle.