Serious: The Fair Pirates, chapter 1: A new Beginning?

((Heavens to effin' betsy, I get so tired of myself some times.

Half the time I go to post, I don't even recognize the person who typed my last post. I tend to vary between something of a higher energy, more expressive and less lucid individual and a more level-headed but melodramatic and overactive one; it's a rare day when I find myself in that comfortable and viable balance in between.

I apologize for my erratic and inconsistent presentation of my character, as well as the way my absolutely progress-hindering narrative style has been miring this storyline for ages. Thank you, though, for not just ditching me earlier. It's one thing to be a dippy twit who constantly swings from one polar end of the mood spectrum to the other; it's a different thing to let my characters become that way, too.

Please be patient with me, I'll try not to keep being so useless. Heh...))

Seppy leaned forward in his chair; whatever strange, external mania that had possessed him a moment ago fading. Beads of perspiration formed along his brow-ridge, the roller-coaster like, rapid shifting series of moods that had possessed him from the day's onset taking a physical toll on him. Resting his hands atop eachother, he stared at the ground for a short while. Looking up at Miyu, he gave a slightly confused, slightly embarrassed smile.

"Sorry," Seppy apologized. "Me 'an th'others back at th'Lab usedta greet eachother like that when we're real happy. 'M jus'..."

Smiling a bit more broadly, his pupils rounding back out into circles once again, Seppy slicked back his hair with his right hand, looking off to the left.

"Jus' real happy." Rapidly turning to Avery, Seppy took the opportunity to keep the subject moving.

"Two more," Seppy stated flatly. "A man an' a girl, both kinna dangerous. Don' work so good with others, though, so might work out fer us..."

Avery sat up and shoved Lawrence off of him. He looked serious now. Still, it was hard to take him completely seriously. Lawrence had gotten behind Avery, placed his front paws on his master’s shoulders, and began gnawing on his head.

“A man and a girl, huh?” Avery said quietly. He glanced over at Seppy. “The girl wouldn’t happen to be a weirdo wearing a witch’s hat, would she?” He punched a fist into the palm of his other hand. “Man, that girl really got on my nerves, arresting me for no reason. I’d love to give her a reason.”

((I didn't even notice it was. Don't worry, it's all okay with me. And you haven't rped Seppy in a long time after all.))

A girl... in a witch hat...?
Miyu thought about it. Why did that sound so.....
"Th-that's Esther chan! We're not going to hurt her, right?"
That just wouldn't feel right! Esther had tried to help her, after all! And she... had kind of started this whole mess... But she had tried to help her out of it! But if they were to face her, what....
"Unless.... we have to..."
She said, her voice back to normal again. Right, she had to try and stop thinking like Miyu. If she thought about this as Miyu, then this fight was a lost cause! Miyu would just run away again. And it had worked before, it was just.... Theo was so persistent. She had never managed to piss someone off so effectively.
But more improtantly, who were the other two, and how did Seppy know about them?
She raised her head to look at him.
"So... Who are they, then?"

"They're, eh..." Seppy looked off out the window, running his fingers through his hair over and over. His teeth closed around his tongue, the visible part between them turning purple as he bit down just a little too hard. When he let go to speak again, he still couldn't bring himself to look at Miyu.

"They're from 'Th' Lab,'" Seppy stated plainly. "They got things done to 'em, too, so..." Looking over at Avery, the pirate pointed down at his dog. "One a 'em, Duo, kinna looks...doggish." Looking down at the ground, Seppy paused again. "Th'other one...she's got pale skin, real pale...an' a gol'en horn stickin' outta her head." Lifting his own head up, Seppy placed a pointer finger on his forehead and then lifted it out a bit by way of demonstration, smiling goofily. Something about his face, though, showed a deeper distress than his actions and words let on.

"We were...kinna friends, but I did somethin' stupid - I didn' know, I mean! - but...they tried t'kill me, an' pretty sure they're lookin' t'try again." At last, Seppy lifted his gaze back to Miyu's, hanging there only for a moment before he jerked it aside to meet Doc's stare, the man watching on in silence, not even the sound of his breath audible. Still, cold, silent; the man looked more like a wax statue than a human being.

"Y'got any ideas, Doc?"

The old man finally broke his stillness, shaking his head. Standing, he walked away to some unseen door, speaking over his shoulder as he entered it and left the room.

"You paid to fix the girl, and that's what I've done. I'll give you all some time to sort this out yourself, but..." The door slammed shut just as the final few words rang out from the darkness.

"You're on your own."

Avery didn’t say anything right away. He was slightly disappointed that the girl, Esther, wasn’t going to be there. That might have been a good thing though, since Miyu was obviously against the idea of fighting her. It wasn’t like Avery wanted to really hurt her anyway. The girl had acted a bit too childish and she hadn’t actually hurt him.

Avery sighed. Maybe he was being stupid. In any case, it didn’t look like that was going to happen now.

“So…Seppy…if you know these two and they used to be friends of yours…do you really want to fight them?” Avery asked, looking up at him. “We could always just leave. Well, you two could. I still want to go have a talk with the Marines.”

Avery was surprised. For a moment there he had actually considered himself part of their group.

((Gore's gonna be on simmer until her creativity is up to it's normal levels again, so we can try to get up to the more actiony, interactive posts in the meanwhile. I'll try to post towards that end shortly.

We'll be cheering for you, Gore! Fight, fight, fight!))

"Don't do something like that! It'd be foolish!"
Really, just after he had been caught by them... marines didn't tend to be so forgiving... And also, he had been seen with them. So... that'd make this.... their fault... and ultimately hers, since it was really her Theo was after... Those other two Seppy was talking about though.... Especially the female one... Weird, really pale... like, really, really pale? Hmmm.... Somehow... That sounded so... Didn't she know someonw else like that? Naaah!
"So... if those two know you, Seppy, maybe we can just... talk it over with them?"
Even she doubted it. She knew she could be an overbeliever when it came to peoples goodness, but even she didn't really believe someone who tried to kill someone else.... But maybe it could work?
What if it didn't?
"So... In case we'll have to fight them.... What do you know about their abilitites? I mean, I hope we won't have to, but...."
Really, she hoped they didn't have to. But she wouldn't let anyone harm Seppy!

(consider this practice.... And don't... take it too seriously. I was just feeling a bit guilty about abandoning stuff)

((question how long is this thread going to be??))

(We basically need to kill those guys or beat them or whatever, so I don't know. However long it'll take.)

((Hey, you don't have to worry about it one bit, Gore! This SL is one of my all-time favourites, so I'll wait however long it takes you to get your muse back. In the mean time, the least I can do is make sure I've got my posts up and waiting for you when you're feeling inspired.

Fight, fight, fight! I mean me, this time. I can do this!))

"Gonna have'ta fight 'em, Seppy stated, his gaze lingering on the door where Doc had departed for just a moment longer. "Not too much choice."

Turning his eyes back to Miyu, Seppy had a somewhat distant expression. It seemed for a moment as if he wasn't in the room, wasn't really looking at her. His mouth opened to speak, exaggerated double-canines catching the room's dim lighting. There was a short pause between his jaw dropping and the words coming out.

"A long time ago, back at th'lab, Duo tried t'kill me," Seppy explained, his eyes taking on a thousand-yard stare. "Uni, too." He searched for some form of coherence, some way of explaining the circumstances to Miyu and Avery in a way that would help them understand the situation.

"I did...somethin'..." Seppy paused, turning his gaze back to the present and at the floor. Staring down between his knees, he continued slowly.

"I did somethin' they said I wasn' s'posed to, an' then The Boss tells 'em t'kill me. All a 'em." Looking up, there was a vague smile playing on the corner of his lips, though his eyes were seeing the past again.

"Some a them didn' lissen, though," the ex-hunter said, sounding a note nostalgic. "Four a 'em fought t'keep me alive. Boss died that day, an' we all broke out..."

Seppy's feline eyes suddenly focused back on Miyu in the dark room, his face sobering out. His lips were drawn tight as he spoke again.

"Maybe we don' gotta kill 'em..." Seppy paused again, his backpack writhing in the silence between words.

"But those two...sure's shit're gonna try 'n' kill me."

Miyu listened on in silence as Seppy talked of his past with the persons now hunting him. He had never told her much about it, she noticed, and though she had never told him much of hers either, she was sure it was of no real importance. Not like his.... No! Don't go there! this way of thought would only lead to her blaming things on him. And she really didn't want to. A person like Seppy, a person so great and goodhearted, couldn't do something like this on purpose. She was sure this was all just a misunderstanding in one way or the other.
Even after he had finished, she stayed silent. She had the feeling she was forgetting something.... something important she shoulod be doing right now.... But she couldn't tell what, and she needed to concentrate! No good in spacing out now!
"I.... I've never killed anyone before."
For a moment she stayed silent.
"And I'm not sure this is what I want. But I don't think there'll be much of a choice... Whatever happens, I won't let anyone harm you. Either of you!"
She looked at the newfound comrade, even gave his dog a glance, just to make sure she wasn't forgetting anyone. She didn't know why it was up to her to decide, but she did not want to be the reason they'd have to go through pain. If they had to fight, then she'd fight.But there was one thing..
"Just.... when the time comes... I mean... When we.... If we...."
She took a deep breath, then continued.
"I just want them to have a choice. They should be allowed to choose their destiny."
It was foolish, she knew. Defeating someone, then giving them a choice, having them make promises they could easily break the moment their backs were turned. But.... she knew that she would have wanted a choice back then.

“Why thank you,” Avery said Miyu, grinning and looking embarrassed while scratching the back of his head. “I’ve never had someone try to protect me before. ‘Cept my parents back when I was little and I would cross the street, or when I…”

His voice trailed off and he looked at the other two nervously. He still knew next to nothing about them and he wasn’t sure if bringing up parents would be a bad thing or not. His expression glazed over as he thought about his parents. They had always looked after him and he wanted to make them proud. He wondered what they would think of him now. Like Miyu, he hadn’t killed anyone before, but he had smacked around some Marines. He was sure that his parents wouldn’t have approved of that, even though those same Marines had ultimately ended up killing them.

Lawrence wined and laid his head in Avery’s lap, looking up at him with his dark eyes. Avery smiled and ran his hand through the dog’s soft fur, eliciting a rumbling growl of approval from the animal.

"They can make th' choice fer us, then," Seppy said, his usual smiling getting a bit stronger. "Leave us alone 'n' live, 'r else..."

Deciding the rest would be understood, the feline ex-hunter hopped to his feet. He walked over to the blinds facing out into the streets, licked his lips out of instinct. Turning to his companions, old and new, he flashed the trio a thumbs-up and an optimistic smile.

"Let's give 'em 'till noon 'er so," Seppy advised, sitting back down. "Someow, this place feels kin' a safe. Fightin' so early ain' really m'thing, but I don' wanna give 'em a whole day's lead on us, y'know?"

"Mew," Seppy stated, turning towards the woman he'd been travelling with of late, his most recent and certainly best friend. "Y' were smilin' when y'first ran inta me...I mean, 'till y'started fussin' 'bout all th'blood. Still, though, y'smiled a lot." Pumping his fist once, the pirate pointed towards his partner.

"'M gonna put th'smile right back on that face. Jus' watch!"

((Alright, so we're all set up to skip some hours and start the big match. We can give this thread some well-deserved archive status now...set us up, Cappy-tan!))

The city was still buzzing with activity, as today was the last day of the festival. Many of the merchants had already packed up their precious belongings and left, out of fear that all good places to haggle would be gone by the time they reached the next city. The few that were still there in hope of selling at least a bit more now that the competition was almost gone would soon leave, as well, since the last ship of the day would not stay much longer, and it was dangerous to travel privately for weak merchants with precious things to sell and little money to pay for soldiers.

The group had left the small house some time ago. They had been in some places, never staying for long, half looking for their enemies, half fleeing them. At least that was what Miyu was doing. Somewhere, she was still hoping for a peaceful outcome, but the more time they spend here, the more it became impossible.

Right now, they were in one of smaller streets, few people around, but mostly peaceful, with the golden light of this warm day painting wonderful sceneries.
"They haven't shown up...."
She murmured. They were wearing hooded cloaks to conceal their faces, since the marines were still looking for them, although halfheartedly. Miyu could have sworn she had seen Theo somewhere at one point, and her heart had skipped a beat, but he was gone too fast for her to determine whether it had been reality or just an illusion.
"Seppy, are they here? Haven't they left?"
She wasn't even sure what to hope for anymore. Would it really be better if they had?

Avery reached up and pulled his cloak down further to hide his face. Wearing the cloak reminded him of that person he had been chasing earlier. Who had that been anyway? A Marine? It was possible considering that there were Marines looking for them, but he did think that was it. After all, a Marine would have hardly run away from him.

Lawrence, being unable to wear a cloak and being so memorable, had been ordered to follow them, but from a distance. Now, with so few people around, the dog approached his master and nuzzled his hand, hoping for some attention. Avery merely swatted his nose and told him to go back into position, which the dog did, reluctantly.

In his cloak, Seppy looked almost like some giant hunchback, his backpack and bent posture giving making him almost as distinctive disguised as he was normally. In broad noon, there was little he could do for this; staying awake during mid-day was challenge enough, but being stealthy was another matter entirely. Keeping a low profile under his circumstances wasn't something he'd had any experience with.

"Nah, th're close," Seppy answered, testing the air again. "I bin tryin' a keep a constan' distance from 'em, but 's hard," he added. "They keep gettin' further whenev'r we move away, 'n' too close when we circle back."

As soon as he'd finished his last statement, Seppy held out a hand towards the other too. This was a common move for him; he'd signal a halt, tilt his head back and point it in a few directions, then move them off somewhere new. At the moment, he seemed to be looking around pretty wildly.

"We bin 'ere," Seppy stated plainly, sounding a bit dissapointed. "Wer' gettin' herded in circles."

Without warning, Seppy reached back and threw his cloak off. A moment later he unhooked his backpack and whipped that off as well, throwing it against a dumpster in the nearest alley. Everybody on the street near enough to see stopped and stared; it was several seconds before the first scream sounded and everyone began their wild, panic'd fleeing.

"Raaaar!" Seppy shouted, comically exaggerating the gesture. Lifting both clawed hands into the air, tentacles flailing menacingly, he leapt out into the middle of the street. "I'm th' evil...err, purple people eater! Better run 'less you wanna get eatted!"

As if to emphasize what he was saying, one of the mutant pirate's tentacles stretched out and snapped up Miyu around the waist. Though it was without warning, the grip was firm but gentle, the movement to hold her above him quick but not jarring. When the streets and buildings around them had all cleared, Seppy set her down gingerly infront of himself.

"They were leadin' us on," he explained, licking his palm and slicking his bangs back, away from his face. "They got more people 'n us, easier fer 'em t'do." Smiling broadly, Seppy walked out into the middle of the big, empty street, with it's big, empty buildings looming to either side.

"But now, they gotta come fight us 'ere." The normal, happy smile turned to something of a feral grin. "Jus' keep on yer toes." Shooting a sidelong glance to Miyu, Seppy said something quietly, meant just for her ears.

"'N Mew...if y'feel tired 'r weak, don' push yerself...jus' come close, where I can help ya..."

((This would be a perfect time for anybody who's interested in joining to join. The large disturbance in the center of town would draw a lot of attention, and anyone who wanted to jump in could use that opportunity.

Anyways, Gore: Just have Theo and sis, maybe some mooks if you wanna, show up for now. I have plans for Duo and Uni's entrance.))

"Why does it take so long? All I told you was one simple thing: Find them!"
Theo was prancing like a caged lion, depraved of its fun and freedom. In front of him, there was a smaller group of soldiers, all of them visibly nervous, and behind him, Nerissa, who seemed a lot calmer. She knew the fits her half brother could go into at times, and if those soldiers thought this was his worst, then boy, were they wrong.
"And what about your great mercenaries? Where are they, huh? Damn freaks and their weird hypnotism! They'll probably want to get paid as well!"
For a grown man, he was pretty childish at times. The moment he had been able to think in a straight line again, he had picked up the theory that the female mercenary must have hypnotised him, how else should it be possible for him to respect such a freakshow? He had also taken on calling them freaks, just to show how little the girl meant to him and how much he despised her. Still, white hair, fair skin, kind, somehow weak seeming, somewhat weird? Nerissa started to see a pattern in the women he seemed to obsess over.
She had turned his quarreling off a long time ago, thinking about more important things than his gigantic ego for once. Where could they be? The mercenaries were experts, but there was a small possibility that they were already.... No, even if Delaney and Seppymerc had been sucessfull, there was no way for them to have escaped. There were soldiers at the harbour, she had been there just ten minutes ago. So what....
Suddenly, people started running around her. Somewhere nearby, something had send them into a panic. Immeadeatly, she looked at Theo, who had suddenly gone quiet.
"Theo, it could be that..."
"I know! I'm not an idiot!"
So what was he waiting for, then? The soldiers were nervous, they wnated to go have a look, or to run away, but didn't dare to while the lord hadn't given his orders.
For a moment, theo just stood there, eyes fixed on the people running, taking a deep breath. As if trying to memorise every detail of this scene. Then, he started dashing towards the scene, the surprised soldiers following a second later.

Miyu had been..... surprised, no, a bit weirded out by Seppys sudden behaviour. This was not the right time to play. It would get them too much attention. But it had been too late to stop him already, and so, all she could do was to try and calm some of the people down, tell them about what a goodhearted person Seppy was.... Nobody listened, they were busy running.
It only dawned to her that this was serious when she was suddenly picked up and found herself in the air. She let out a small shriek, of surprise, not of fear, which only made the effect more believable.
When she was sat back down, the place was already empty. She looked at Seppy, still confused.
Before she could ask, he already explained. She couldn't say she understood, but if they were to fight here, then it sure was a good thing all the people were out of the way. She wanted to reassure her friend she would be all right, and that she did have two men and a dog for support, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Miyu Delaney!"
Even though the person was wearing a cloak, Theo instantly knew who it was. There was a big grin on his face, finally he had found her! Slippery little thing, escaping him for so long, but now the time was here!
Oh, he had waited for this far too long.
"I am arresting you for various crimes against the world government, yadda yadda, let's just skip this part!"
He turned to the soldiers who had gone in position behind him.
"Kill the others, but I want the girl alive!"

Lawrence may have seemed a bit dim, but no one could fault the dog for being stupid. He had, of course, already been in a situation like this one back before he met Avery. That time he had been hurt and his masters killed, but this time things would be different. Just as Theo turned around and spoke to his men, the dog sprang from the shadows and hurled himself on one of the guards, snarling and tearing at the man.

Avery, seeing his dog going into battle, followed suit. In one smooth motion he pulled off his cloak. Then he ran towards the nearest building, jumped and kicked off of the side of the building with his mechanical leg. The extra boost of strength and speed sent him flipping backwards over Theo’s head. Avery released his cloak from that position, dropping it towards the soldiers below to try and blind them. Then he reached back and drew his staff from his back, instantly snapping it apart into its nunchunk segments. Then he dropped towards the troops, weapons spinning as he struck at them wildly.

"Y'fuckin'..." Seppy growled, spinning to face the onrushing horde, his feral smile turning to a feral snarl. "Fleshton, eat them! Eat every fuckin' one!"

The marines and bounty hunters that had rallied under Theo's flag had been prepared for a lot of things. They had been prepared for a fight. They had prepared to be wounded, beaten, thrashed. They had been prepared to lose, if it came to that.

What they had not been prepared for...they had not been prepared to be eaten.

The first of the grunts disappeared down the whip's gullet, and emerged out the other end fleshless, writhing in agony. Like an unstoppable wave, terror broke through the ranks. One grunt after another broke rank and file, fleeing from the hideous thing that hungered like no other hungered.

Once a weapon of terror in the hands of Idulio Yorgen, Fleshton made his own name as a thing to be feared, whipping his hooked body among the rank and file, devouring anything that came too near his jaws and flaying to death anything that dared stay within reach of his body. Before long, Theo's minions were utterly broken. Slithering lazily on the sidelines, the snake-whip defaulted to it's master.

"Y'can' have 'er!?" Seppy shouted, his voice echoing down the deserted streets. "Y'tell 'em, 'kill everyone else'," the feline hunter growled, stalking towards the source of the noise. "Tell 'em whatever th'fuck y'want. Y'll have Mew..."

Seppy's tentacles flailed out, grabbing two hapless lackeys by their necks and tossing them, spines broken and hapless, into the casualty that was war by it's nature. There was no energy left in his victims to state their disapproval of his methods.

"...Over my fuckin' lifeless corpse!"

Up until now, Miyu thought she had been prepared. She thought she had seen enough cruelty, enough injustice in the world to feel prepared, maybe even happy to see someone so obviously evil brought to justice.
Now, she was standing there, in the warm breeze, her hands shaking and her eyes wide open. She wanted to look away, but couldn't. and once again, she remembered... Seppy was a monster in a way, and she couldn't tame a monster, couldn't rip its claws out.
Avery was at least only hitting the soldiers, they would live, they would see their families again... Even his dog wouldn't.... But.... that whip... That whip Seppy ordered... She was sure it wasn't evil, just like Seppy wasn't. They had just been in the wrong hands for too long.
Those thoughts were rushing through her head, but seeing what was happening around her, she could only halfheartedly believe them. She couldn't even bring herself to try and help the soldiers, didn't know what to do, where to touch them... And so she just stood there, the thoughts in her head roaring, and it reminded her of something she had heard before.

Theo was shaking a bit, only for a moment, his eyes widened. He could have slapped himself for it. Damn, what was he, a little girl? Still, he liked his skin where it was....
It was two... three against one. Delaney herself didn't seem to count, as she was busy looking at all the blood around her, being astonished and shocked... Good for him, but there was still two persons and a dog, and he was alone. But they wouldn't dare harm him, right? He was a von Rosberg!
"Theo!"
He spun around and saw his sister, Nerissa, who had blocked the staff.... weapon thingie the other man held, the one he didn't know.
That made two. Against three. Oh well, he still had the advantage.
"You really think you have a chance? A freak, a lowblood, a dog, and a frightened little girl that would really rather come with me than see this continue?"
Too bad she seemed far too spaced out to hear him. But he knew it to be true. He had met her only twice, but he knew the type. Ready to throw her life away at the slightest notion of being able to save someone else by it. She reminded him of a rabbit. A frightened little rabbit jumping straight into the fox's teeth when the strong animals around it got harmed in the slightest.
For the first time in, oh, ages, he took out his gun. It made him feel safe...ish to actually have a weapon. Might kill the dog if her hit it. He wasn't so sure about Seppymerc. Where were those damn mercenaries when you needed them?

so that was his decision then? Nerissa had seen it coming from a mile away, but it still surprised her. Weird how the world worked. She had alwas wished for him to stand up and fight for something he truly cared about, but she hadn't really thought it'd be catching a pirate girl. She didn't even have the feeling he'd hand her over anymore. Not after he had hunted her for so long and went to such dangers to get her. She was a trophy. Poor girl. Execution would be better, in her mind at least.
Her arm hurt from blocking that mans hit. A good fighter, no doubt, and though she'd rather take her revenge on Seppymerc, she knew Theo wanted to do that as well. She would jump in when things got tough, save him from the finishing blow.
"I'm sorry, but I won't let you harm him."
She said to the man in front of her. She really was. He seemed like a good man to her, a strong one on top of that. And a dog person. But she ahd to do what she had to do.

"In the end, you're still just an animal," the voice stated plainly.

A moment later there was a figure standing between Seppy and Theo. His face was stern, young and handsome, with light brown eyes that at once looked compassionate and condemning. His hair was short, a light yellow-brown tan sort of colour, running in great muttonchops down the sides of his face. A simple, button-up white shirt with open sleeves, brown slacks, and brown leather boots were all he wore, sparse and effective. The interloper held no weapons. It was if he'd literally appeared in the empty space.

"An yer still jus' an asshole," Seppy growled at the figure, his lips curling into a smile. "'Least 'm fightin' t'protect someone..."

"Her?" Dutera asked, pointing towards Miyu. "Are you serious?"

Cautiously, clawed hands at his side, the doggish mercenary began to side-step his way around Seppy. For his part, the ex-hunter seemed to have forgotten about Theo, instead keeping his wide, glowing feline eyes on Dutera. Seppy was standing on the balls of his feet, his pitch-black boots grinding soundlessly in the dirt as he shifted to keep face with his opponent.

"How can you really protect her, when the one you should be protecting her from is yourself?"

"Same ol' bullshit, too," Seppy said, his voice dangerously low. His tentacles were dead still in the air above him, both arched like a snake ready to strike. His hands were busied unwinding the chain around his waist.

"'M not jus' an animal anymore."

"She doesn't seem to think so."

Though every fighting instinct told him not to, Seppy through a quick glance at Miyu. In an instant his blood froze, his jaw dropped. There was Miyu, shaking, surrounded by the bloodied corpses of the men who'd been ordered to kill him, Avery, and Lawrence.

There was Miyu, who he promised he'd protect. Miyu, to whom he promised he'd do his best to solve this without loss of life.

There was Miyu, who'd watched him kill dozens of men without hesitation to protect her.

Thousands of thoughts raced through his mind, his own eyes locking with hers in a wild horror of his own. The second he'd seen Theo, all Seppy had been able to think about was protecting Miyu. In a heartbeat he'd fallen back on instincts, on a primal need to protect and preserve at any cost. He'd ordered a tool of torture imbued with the spirit and flesh of a wild predator to let loose it's own murderous instincts even as he freed his own.

There was Miyu, who loved life and peace, who's protector was a wild and ferocious animal.

The entire train of though only took a split second, but that was all Duo had needed. In a heartbeat he vanished from the place where he was standing, appearing behind and off to the left of the distraught hunter. Seppy didn't have time to turn his head, but didn't seem to need to. The man lifted his leg and delivered a powerful kick into thin air, though it made a horrible snapping sound as he did. Meanwhile, a meter away, Seppy flew into a storefront.

Interestingly, his form seemed to curve through the air as it flew; a trail lead from the "empty space" where he'd been kicked to the base of the stone wall where he'd crashed. It only took him a second to get back on his feet, but his eyes made it certain he didn't have his mind in the battle.

"Do you see, Septera?" Duo stalked across the space he'd just tossed the hunter, hands raised at his sides. "You aren't fit to live in the company of humans. You aren't fit to call protect anyone."

Seppy glanced over his opponent's shoulder at Miyu, a look of pained confusion on his face. He really didn't know what to do; he'd already messed up everything.

"You missed your chance to go hide in the wilderness with the other savage beasts," Duo stated bluntly. "The only option left for you now...is death."

----------------------

Even as the scuffle between the pair of ex-comrades took place, a familiar figure in an ephemeral white gown strode down the street, the hem of her clothing seeming to hover off the ground the slightest bit, the dirt too respectful of her beauty to dare cling to it. Her footfalls were silent, but somehow each made it's presence known. Pale skin, golden hair. Eyes of molten gold...delicate, spiraled, pearlescent silver horn sprouting from her forehead.

"Forgive us," Unitera stated, keeping her eyes to the ground as she approached Theo from behind. "We were tracking our mutual quary in such a way as to...guide them...to the safest area possible for our fight. "

The graceful mutant's figure was slight, thin. Her dress was comprised of two parts: an opaque undergarment which amounted to little more than a white short skirt, and a sparkling, translucent white piece over it with more the make of an elegant gown, but trimmed and cut in just the right ways for practicality of movement. Her face was unveiled; somehow, she seemed to have a radiance that made it hard to look at her.

"We were moving away when Sep...Septera caught on to our plan. It took us a bit to regroup." Uni looked up, her golden eyes burning with a gentle intensity. "But we are here now, and we will serve as promised. You will not come to harm as long as you've my aid."

Avery had seen the whip. It was kind of hard to miss after all. He hadn’t seen who was wielding it and he didn’t really need to look to figure it out. It was attacking only the soldiers and avoiding him and his pet. That meant either Seppy or Miyu was using it and he doubted Miyu would use such a thing after he had seen what it did to people. Then again, what did he know about his new comrades?

Then, unexpectedly, a woman stepped in and blocked one of his nunchucks just as he was finishing off one of the few soldiers who remained. He frowned at the woman, annoyed by her interruption Avery simply glared at her. But then she spoke, saying she wouldn’t let Avery hurt him, whoever him was.

Lawrence leaped to his master’s aid. He ran to Avery’s side and was about to jump at the woman, but Avery raised one hand and the dog stopped.

“Back off,” he said, speaking to both the woman and his pet. His next words, however, were directed solely at the woman in front of him. “I don’t know who you are, or what you think you’re doing, but it’s obvious from your words that you too have people you want to protect. So, if you know what is good for you, you will take that person, or persons if that is the case, and leave here. Now.”

If help with his confusion was what his comrade was searching for when looking at her, he was looking at the wrong place.
She didn't know what to do either! There were.... people... around her, people without.... with.... So much blood... Some of them were still alive, moaning, screaming. She knew those sounds, but where from? It all seemed distant. But that was the last thing worrying her now.
Her eyes took in the gruesome scene, then, shortly, they brazed theo, who was standing there with a strange... person..., they took in Nerissa and Avery, and Lawrence, and lastly, they reached Seppy. In his eyes, there was pain and confusion. Why wasn't he fighting?
But then she remembered. Slowly, she stepped towards Theo and the strange woman, insecure and trying not to step into the blood too much, as she didn't want it on her skin, which was, though bruised and dirty, at least clean of blood.
"Excuse me.... Please..."
Her voice was weak and trembling, and she tried desperately to stand taller and look mightier than she had ever been.

There she was again, and Theo stepped away from her instinctively, eyeing her suspiciously.
"I... am not a weakling. I don't need protection."
He had wanted it to come out powerful and a bit arrogant, like it always did, but in the position he was in, stepping away from her with his hands held up insitncitvely, as if shielding himself from her, it came out like begging. Begging. That was what he was reduced to? A von Rosberg, begging?
He straightened his frame and returned her look, but couldn't hold it before turning his head, seemingly to watch the battle.
"Just do your damn... job..."
The last word came out a bit slower than the others, not because he hadn't wanted to say it, or had only just though of it, but because Delaney was moving... towards him. He had estimated her to be doing something stupid that'd ulitmately drag down her team which was, let's face it, brilliant, even though it was made out of freaks, but not really.... this.
"What is it? come to turn yourself in? You could end this, you know.....?"
Finally, now that he wasn't looking at that freak anymore, he could think straight again.
A smirk stretched across his face as he gestured to the men on the ground, Seppy and Avery and their opponents. A moment, he was silent. then he finally added: "Nah, just kidding, I'll kill them."
Why was he being honest? Why not, what was she going to do about it? Most likely jump anyway.

Miyu gulped and balled her hands into fists. Just a few steps away, Theo was looking at her. She tried hard not to tremble and to sound secure. When she did talk, it came out more like a whimper.
"Excuse me.... White lady...."
She was the key, wasn't she? Not Theo, her. If only she could somehow talk it over with her, then maybe they'd leave them alone, and no one would have to suffer anymore.
Even she knew it wouldn't be that easy. But there was a choice to be offered.
"Please... I just want to leave with my friends.... We're not evil, honest! We..... I just want to live in peace..."

How dare that girl ignore him! After all he ahd done for... no, to her!
He was a noble, for gods sake, didn't that count anymore?
He took two quick steps forward, towards her, saw her wince when he suddenly came closer and raised his hand, and felt a bit of satisfaction at the fact that he was able to scare her that easily.
His hand hit her in the face, and left a red mark there. She stumbled back and fell to the ground, her white dress now red where it touched the blood. Oh, he liked this!
he grabbed her wrist and dragged her up again.
"What? No fight? No smokey powers this time?"
Almost a little disappointing, but then again, he could lose in a fight.
Delaney stayed silent almost for too long, looking somewhere behind him.
"What do you think you're looking at, huh?"
"Please..."
Again with the small voice. God, she was such a girl! Couldn't she talk a bit louder? It was just a little blood, for gods sake.
"Whatever your past with Seppy is, please let him go. I don't.... I'll keep him in check, I promise. Just don't do this."
She was still ignoring him? She wasn't even paying any attention, was she?
Slowly, Theo turned, and, as expected, she was still looking at the freak girl. The pretty one.
At any normal time, he would have just stabbed whoever was hogging his attention right through the heart, but somehow he had the feeling....
"You'd better not betray me, freak girl!"
The fact that he couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes wasn't really helping his cause.

Yes, a good man. A rare thing to meet, especially in the company of pirates, but there was no such thing as impossible.
"I see we are here for similiar reasons...."
Watching the scene unfold out of the corner of her eye (she had learned to not let her opponent ou of her sight for even a moment), she couldn't help but sigh.
"But it seems your friend is much more ready to accept a retreat than my lord brother."
Which was a huge shame. Nerissa was loyal to theo, she would be loyal to him even now, but.... She knew that maybe, just maybe, this was taking it a bit far for one girl.
"It's a shame, but if miss mercenary doesn't feel like taking her up on that offer, then I will have to disable you and your pet...."
Somehow, she really hoped Uni would think about their weird revenge thingie. Miyu was a good person, and this man was one as well. She wasn't so sure about Seppymerc, but who was she to judge, her brother was practically bad person number one around here, he didn't even have a motive.
"Really, I'd hate to do that. But I am not interfering with my brothers plans, whatever they are."
And however wrong they are.

"Not evil!?" Duo spat, his words scornful and venomous. He sidestepped to put Miyu in his field of vision, glancing at her for a moment. His soft, yellow-brown eyes were filled with a rage that only hatred could breed. Smiling savagely, he tipped his head towards the still-transfixed Seppy. "Are you really that stupid, woman? You saw what he did to them. Innocent men, looking only to serve justice. That bastard just-"

The canine mercenary never had a chance to finish. The moment he'd insulted Miyu, something seemed to overpower Seppy's uncertainty. One of the sinuous purple tentacles lashed out, it's barbed pad slamming into Duo's side, digging into his skin. Instantly the second followed, slamming into his leg and coiling around it. Before the limb was properly ensnared, though, it disappeared, as did the rest of the man's form. Both tentacles jerked forward as if pulled by some invisible force, snapping backwards when they'd been stretched to their limit. Some twenty feet from where he'd been attacked Duo now stood, his ribs and thigh bloodied slightly where the barbs had caught his flesh.

"Keep sayin' shit 'bout Mew," Seppy snarled, stalking forward. "See how far y'get."

While the two rivals closed to engage once again, Unitera stared at Miyu with her kind, amber-gold eyes. They grew glassy as the peaceful pirate made her impassioned plea. When Theo had spoken his last taunts, two milky-white tears formed at the corner of the unicorn-girl's eyes. The rolled down her face, leaving trails behind them that shone all the colours of the rainbow, like molten pearls.

"You truly are..." Uni spoke, her words ringing with crystal clarity and piercing sorrow, "...a truly pure being." The girl stepped forward on bare feet which never seemed to pick up the road's dirt, her toenails black and glossy like the hooves of a horse. "I, however..."

"I am a sinner."

Duo tore his gaze away from Seppy for just a moment, a look of agony on his face. His mouth fell open to scream.

"Uni...don't!"

Before his protest could be vocalized any further, Seppy was already on top of his foe. Duo performed his bizarre vanishing act once again, appearing a ways behind the feline ex-hunter. Once again Seppy's visible form moved without his body seeming to move at all, as if what could be seen were merely a shadow of some invisible true body. Blinking and displaced, the two moved about the field, their own bizarre powers working constantly to thwart the other's attacks. Fist and foot pounded at Seppy, while tentacle and chain tore away at Duo bit by bit. Even locked in frenzied combat as they were, though, both of their minds seemed to be elsewhere.

"You love all things, and wish for them to exist in harmony...you do not want anyone to be hurt, not even your enemies." Uni's eyes shed another set of tears. Avery, Theo, and Nerrisa could feel a strange weight on their hearts, could feel their own eyes watering. A sorrow as pure and cleansing as any they had ever known settled upon them, without reason or source. "I love all things, but...above all else, I love one. I will not let him come to harm, nor will I defy his will. For this crime, I cry them..."

The impossibly fair woman closed her eyes tight, forcing out several more glowing, opalescent tears. When she opened them, they were impossibly sorrowful, fiercely moving. However, they were lit with a pure and unwavering determination.

"Tears of the Sinner."

Miyu could vaguely hear Duo shouting out in impassioned sadness and rage, but the world around her slowly grew silent. A moment later, her knees went weak and feeling left her body. As her eyes closed, through the roaring silence, she thought she might hear Seppy echoing his mortal foe's shout, as the ground rushed towards her.

When her eyes opened, they did not see the street, the buildings or the carnage her partner had wrought. Instead they saw a peaceful blue sky, oddly separated from her by a high dome of latticed black bars. All around her was a scene of perfection: rolling fields of green grass and flowers, a forest in the distance. A bubbling brook not far from her, the delicate scent of the flowers dancing in the air. She looked around without choosing to do so, her neck moving on it's own. For a moment she glanced down, and then it became clear to Miyu why she was not in control of her body. Beneath her were a pair of bare feet, but they were longer, narrow delicate as a colt's legs, skin pale and ephemeral as the sheer gown that lead to them. The nails were glossy black.

Miyu could not control her actions because she was not seeing from her own eyes, but from Unitera's.

"Oh, Seppy," she found herself saying in the other woman's voice, as her head spun around to rest on the familiar figure of Seppy. He was not wearing the outfit she was accustomed to; he wasn't wearing anything except a pair of grey shorts, dripping wet and clinging to his legs. His toenails were hooked like claws, just as the nails on his hands were, his shins covered in the same dark purple fur as his forearms and biceps. His hair was shorter, and his face looked somehow more youthful, his facial hair almost completely absent.

"'Ey Uni!" he responded cheerily, his voice uncertain. "He waved at her, his tentacles mimicking the action overhead. Miyu could feel the muscles of a face that were not hers smiling.

"You haven't been to this section of the compound in a long time," Miyu-Uni said, a note of concern in her voice. "Is everything alright?"

"'S kinna like...y'know, I jus' been thinkin'..." Seppy turned to look away, still smiling, lifting a hand to rub the back of his head. Miyu laughed softly, musically, in the pure and clear voice of the woman who's body she seemed to be occupying. She could feel a calmness in her as her senses adapted to the strange experience, a sense of peace and deep warmth. It was clear that the woman who'd body she was in cared deeply for Seppy, a powerful, protective bond.

Miyu also knew felt a strange sadness mixed in with this care. It was there, she could sense it. Something else, something external, coming from Seppy. It was hot, impossibly hot and savage. It burned and tore at her with it's intensity, a flame that got hotter the further you pushed it away.

"Haven't you been practicing common tongue? You're so bright...you could learn it if you tried a bit harder." Uni-Miyu asked. She understood that it was an attempt to change the subject. Seppy didn't take it. He looked back up at Uni, his own yellow-green eyes meeting her gold ones. There was a sinking feeling deep inside of her.

"Please don't say it, Seppy." Miyu reached out to Seppy, who was looking up at her, head tilted forward. His grin faded as her words sank in, that burning feeling coming from Seppy recoiling, then raging even more intensely. "You know about Duo and I..."

The feline mutant stared at her, an impossible mix of emotions playing over his features. She could feel the intensity of his feeling, growing and shifting and threatening to consume her with it's violence. Seppy took a step forward, and Miyu felt something odd; there was fear in her heart.

"Don' care 'bout 'im," younger-Seppy said at last, breaking a long awkward silence. He took another step forward and Miyu found herself taking one back.

"You know how much I care about you, Seppy," she answered, a note of panic to her voice. The burning feeling around her threatened to overwhelm her senses. All the serenity and calm that Miyu had felt earlier was gone. Within her lived a black creature of fear. "Please...please, Seppy!"

At once the flames burst forth the barrier she had placed between her own heart and his. It was a sensation at once torturous and blissful, a feeling like being at the heart of the sun and the highest plane of heaven at the same time. Beautiful and terrible, wonderful and unbearable. Miyu understood that this had always been her curse, feeling the emotions of others. She understood then what the emotion she was feeling from Seppy was, that burned and healed and warmed and froze her to the core.

Seppy loved Uni.

"Y'don'..." Seppy stated, his voice low, a tone of desperation to it. "Y'don' unnerstan', Uni! I can'...I can' think a how t'tell you..." Seppy looked as scared as Miyu felt, but was smiling anyway. His arms were shaking, and he took another step forward. "'N' every time I try 'n' tell y'somethin' er figger out wha's wrong, y'bring up th'damn dog...that damn dog!" Those two carelessly swaying tentacles dancing gaily over Seppy's head shot forward, each wrapping around one of her arms. Their barbed heads were turned out, but a moment later she could feel herself pinned to the ground. Every muscle in her body fought, but they were like bands of steel, crushing and immovable. Miyu could see Uni's leg's kicking, but felt a pressure on them as Seppy stepped forward, pinning them both down beneath one foot and looking down into her eyes.

"I can' figger out how t'tell you, Uni..." he whispered, his eyes sad and furious and full of love. "'M gonna haveta show you..."

A frost crept across Miyu's heart. Seppy's hands reached down to his waist, his thumbs hooking under the edge of his shorts. She could hear a scream coming from her own mouth, a heart-rending wail of a soul in terrified despair. A split second later, though, a tan streak flew across her field of vision. There was a snapping noise, and she was jerked forward. Her arms were freed from the tentacles, and where Seppy had stood a split second ago, Miyu could now see the back of a male, bare except for a thin coat of yellow-brown fur across the shoulders and running halfway down his spine.

"Uni...Uni!" a voice came to her as the world again faded away. "Are you okay, Uni...please be okay...Uni!"

Miyu blacked out to the sound of a gentle, reassuring voice asking her if she was alright. The inferno was gone, the fear was gone. That serene, blissful peace came back to her soul, and a tame, warm flame sprung to life in her chest. The words echoed in her ears as the fire grew in her own heart. How she loved Duo's voice...

"Mew...Mew!" When she came to this time, Seppy was holding her. Instantly she was aware that it was her own body, the surroundings she'd left not a moment ago. Seppy's older, bearded face looked down at her, eyes with the first, early lines of age at their corners looking down at her. "Are y'okay, Mew...jus' be okay, Mew..."

--------------------------

From where he stood, Theo could only watch the strange scene unfold with confusion. The she-freak said something strange, started crying. A moment later, Miyu Delaney collapsed. The he-freak literally vanished from his fight, appearing by the unicorn girl's side just in time to catch her, screaming for her to stop it.

"Don't do it, Uni...don't make yourself live through that again! Please, she's not worth it...she's not!"

On his end, Seppy had made it to Miyu just in time to keep her from falling face-first into the street, catching her falling form with the backs of his tentacles. The noble could see him take her in his arms, crouching low and whispering something to her. After just a moment, he could see her eyes open back up. At the same time, Uni stood back up as well, leaning on Duo. When she'd stood to full height again she gently pushed him away, standing there and facing across the street at Miyu as if nothing had happened.

-------------------------

"Now you know," Uni stated, gently brushing the iridescent tears from her eyes. "Why I cannot...I cannot do this thing you ask, no matter how pure you are..."