Seeking strong Allies(OPEN)

[TEMPEST BLACKFIRE]

Tempest Blackfire was a young man. A man with a burning determination to prove his father wrong. His father, a great pirate in his time, told him that he was not made of the right stuff to be a pirate, but his brother was. It had hurt like hell. Ever since the man adopted him he'd tried like hell to be a son worthy of his respect. Yet the man had said he wasn't worthy to follow in his footsteps. That was so painful to hear.

Tempest had come to Loguetown to find a crew. He didn't feel he was cut out to start a crew yet. He hadn't had enough experience pirating to lead anyone. His only really marketable skill was swordsmanship and so he aimed to become a swordsman for whatever crew seemed good.

After walking about the town and enquiring he found out that the pirates who were the most respected, or feared, were the yonkou. Four pirates who were known by everyone. Being part of their crew and doing well would prove he was a worthy pirate. Perhaps, working up from scratch would be better. However, getting experience with a yonkou would allow him to one day branch out and start his crew. He'd heard some crews were actually sub crews of the yonkou crews and from that they became very famous.

"I will find a crew and prove you wrong Father." Tempest said standing at the end of a dock staring out at the ocean. In the distance he could see sails and near him were several ships. He was using his eyes and ears to listen for any information that might lead him towards a crew, a crew that would be the one to lead him to glory. "Soon, soon I will show you."

[long1]

There was no point anchoring the ship close, the man realized. An advantage to being, well, himself, was that he didn't have to dock the ship in the island's bay, where Marines could get at it. Instead, he could leave the ship anchored out at sea and out of sight while he swam the rest of the way to the island. Any Human would have likely considered it ridiculous to do so. Which made it quite fortunate, then, that the man who did this was not a Human. Not in the slightest. He stood on two legs like any man. He possessed arms and legs and a face not unlike any Human's. But there were things that also distinguished him. From a slit in the back of his outfit stretched a shark fin. His teeth were sharp as knives and along his neck, gills could be seen.

The sea was serene. Closer to the land, seaweed was being washed up towards the shore. Fish swam through the water, only to quickly speed away as the Tiger Shark Fishman passed. He could see a couple of things that had apparently been dropped off the dock - a crate here or there, an old, rusted anchor and, he noted with slight disturbance, a body with cement shoes. The things people did still disturbed and fascinated him. Shaking his head, he looked up towards the shining light on the sea surface. Sweeping his hands in front of him, the webbed appendages pulled him further up and up through the water until at last he reached the surface. Unlike Humans, he didn't make some gasp for breath, but instead simply looked around to see where it would be easiest to climb up.

Grabbing ahold of the wooden dock, the Tiger Shark Fishman fixed a crick in his neck and carried on walking as others stared. For a second noticing their expressions, he decided to correct the commisar cap that rested on his head so that it sat more neatly, not aware that the actual reason for the staring was because... Well, who swam onto the docks? Dripping wet, the Fishman continued as normal without a care in the world. He caught more stares, no doubt due to his dripping wet appearance, but he paid them no mind. They probably recognized him too, after all. Wild, blonde hair, sharp teeth and an outfit that combined a military motif with a piratical flair made him pretty recognizable.

Having a bounty poster helped too.

[TEMPEST BLACKFIRE]

Most people were watching the man because he was swimming up to the harbour, which was in itself very impressive. However, it was the man emerged from the water that the eyes of Tempest became focused on him. He had recently, when finding out about pirates, seen bounty posts for many, including the yonkou. He couldn't believe his eyes. This blonde haired man was one of them or was his splitting image. After a few moment's though Tempest decided to run over to him.

"You're Captain Lao Hu Long right? The yonkou?" he asked and then realised how rude that may of sounded as the start of a conversation. He decided to quickly introduce himself "I'm Tempest Blackfire, i'm a swordsman."
As he mentioned being a swordsman he tapped the hilts of his two swords, Jiyuu and Nenshou. "It's an honour to meet someone as famous as you."

[long1]

Before the Fishman could continue on his way, a voice caught him. The blond Fishman stopped, turning on the spot to face a young man standing on the docks near where he'd surfaced. He always got stares from people whenever he did that, it wasn't unusual. But most didn't call out to him. At least, unless they were Marines. But this kid didn't just call out to him - he made it aware he knew perfectly well who he was talking to by not just calling out to him, but calling him the Yonkou Captain Lao Hu Long. The blond Fishman eyed him, his face like stone as he now turned fully towards him. He watched the swords at his hip. Who was this kid? What was his aim? The Yonkou folded his arms as he stood there, watching him still.

"I am. Who's asking?" he blurted out rather boldly. He hadn't meant it to sound rude, but everything he did and said seemed confrontational, if only because it was he who was saying it. The kid proceeded to introduce himself as Tempest Blackfire, calling himself a swordsman. The Fishman watched him curiously, wondering who in their right mind would knowingly try to catch the attention of a Yonkou. Nevertheless, he didn't seem hostile, so the Fishman relaxed himself just a bit. Nodding as he listened, Lao Hu stepped forwards with one foot, his arms still crossed as he eyed him. You always had to be careful, after all. What could seem like an ally could just be an enemy waiting to stab you in the back.

"That's very interesting, but do you have some sort of business with me? You're not a Bounty Hunter, are you?" he asked, though he already doubted it. What Bounty Hunter would pick a fight with a Fishman - and a Yonkou, no less - when they were right next to water? Marines at least had the excuse of orders or a code of conduct for that kind of idiocy. It seemed unlikely he was an enemy - unless, of course, he was an idiot.

[TEMPEST BLACKFIRE]

Well, so far things were going well. The man hadn't attacked him, he acted a bit hostile, but that was to be expected. He had just suddenly called out to him without warning.

"No i'm not a hunter, I suppose if anything i'm a pirate without a crew." And if that didn't hint as to exactly what Tempest was after than the next sentence would. "I want to become a great pirate and who better to learn from then one of the four most famous pirates in the world." This was quite direct and to the point, much like how things should be done in a sword fight and that was just how he was. He wasn't one to beat around the bushes, no he preferred to just cut the bushes down. It was generally much quicker. "Basically, to get right to the point, I'm wondering if you need a swordsman in your crew." This sentence was even more to the point. If it was anymore nearer the point it would probably enter some quasi-pointed reality state.

"I'm pretty good with a blade, and I'm developing my own style Mugenken, which one day will be feared." he said and it was in a confident or bragging way. It was as if he was just stating a fact. He was pretty good with a blade, his style was his own and one day it WOULD be feared. Or that is how he felt. There was no room for uncertainty. One moment's uncertainty in battle and you were probably dead. "I'm also pretty good at taking things without people noticing."

This was another fact. In the past, when they were young and had not been adopted, he and his brother had been forced to steal to live. His brother had been good, but Tempest had been great. He seemed to have a natural knack to it. He planned to use that thievery skill somehow in his Mugeken eventually.

[long1]

"I hope you realize it isn't that simple, kid," he told the young man, watching him carefully. Even if it was a bold move to come directly to a Yonkou, Lao hadn't entirely ruled out the possibility that he could be an enemy. He felt no hostility yet, but you could never be too sure. Uncrossing his arms, he reached down with one hand for his gourd of water that hung at his hip. Lifting it up, he began to take hold of the stopper with his other hand, slowly pulling it out of the gourd as though he were about to drink it. But it wasn't there because he was going to drink it - it was there because the gourd was one of his greatest weapons. His eyes remained focused on the young man, eyeing him.

"I'm sure, if you've bothered to remember my name and title, you probably already know why I'm so infamous. I'm the leader of not just the Rising Sun Pirates, but the revolution itself. Even if I wasn't a Yonkou, I'd likely be one of the most wanted men on the seas," he told the kid, lifting the gourd up and pretending to take a sip. His mouth made motions as if to gulp water down, but it was nothing. Not that the kid would be aware from this angle. "There are plenty of people looking to take my head. I'm not so naive as to let even a kid on my ship just because he says he wants to be a pirate. But I'm not so foolish as to throw away a potential ally, either. You understand, right?"

The Fishman raised his hand and pointed to a flag that hung in Loguetown. A sign that this wasn't just free land, but territory that belonged to someone. It wasn't, unfortunately for Tempest, Lao Hu's flag. But it was the flag of another Yonkou - a Yonkou who had chosen to take Loguetown as her territory. It was the flag of the "Hellfire Queen", Hakkyou Darklight.

"Only a crazy idiot would take her flag down from the flagpole over there. You'd have to be the kind of guy willing to declare war on the entire world, even. Don't you think?" he looked to the kid, making his intentions clear. If the kid wanted to join the crew, he had to prove he wasn't an enemy by doing something so insane no mere mole or rat would ever dare to do. Not even someone undercover would dare to piss off a Yonkou to sneak onto the ship of another one. Which was exactly why Lao Hu was gonna make him do it.

Come to think of it, it was an insane idea for even Lao Hu to suggest.

[TEMPEST BLACKFIRE]

Tempest listened and nodded in understanding. Joining up with Lao would not be easy because he was not the most trusting of a new people due to his position. However, it seemed the man was willing to give him a chance. This chance involved taking down the flag of the person who owned this territory. Doing so, even he knew, would be like declaring war on that person. Now who had he heard owned this territory? He stood there for a moment thinking carefully. Thinking about it he hadn't actually heard. He'd just heard they had a protector. He decided to see if the flag held any clues. It was obviously that of a famous pirate crew, otherwise they wouldn't feel protected. And it was obviously a dangerous one because Lao said it would be insane to take it down. Then it hit him. He had no idea who the flag's was, but he guessed it was one of three people, one of the other yonkou.

"So to become an ally, I have to become an enemy to someone else." he mused and then grinned. The pirate life was already sounding fun. Being part of a yonkou crew, part of the revolution and having an enemy of another yonkou. If that didn't prove he had guts, or at least some insanity worthy of being a famous pirate.

Without saying another word he leapt at a wall and kicked off of it with a precise amount of force and angle that caused him to seemingly vanish and appear 5ft away almost at the wall on the other side. With another quick kick off he vanished once more. This was his Mugenken: Ryoushi, a high speed movement technique. This time when he reappeared he had enough height to be on the roof. He looked over at the flag. After a brief run it was close enough for him to be accurate with how he planned to take it down.

"Mugenken: Mukogiri." he stated as he swung. A blade of air launched off at 10m/s and sliced the flag neatly at where it was tied to the pole. Caught by the wind the flag would slowly blow away. He wanted to use that technique purely to show Lao what he was capable of.

[Hakkyou Darklight]

[style=width: 416px;background-color: #b1b198; color: #989884; font-family: arial black; font-size: 9px; text-align: right; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; padding-top: 3px; letter-spacing: 4px; margin-bottom: -1px;]I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING HALO[/style][style=width: 416px;background-color: #b1b198; color: #d4d4b4; text-shadow: #814a4a 1px 1px 0px; font-family: georgia; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; text-align: right; font-weight: bolder; text-indent: 2em; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-bottom: -3px;]can't you see i'm no one's angel[/style]

[atrb=style,border-top: 8px solid #333333; border-bottom: 8px solid #333333; border-left: 3px solid #b1b198; border-right: 3px solid #b1b198;][bg=7b3636][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top] [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left:3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style]   [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left: 3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style]  [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left: 3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style] [style=margin-right; 19px; margin-top: -360px; height: 375px; margin-left: 115px; margin-bottom: -5px; overflow:auto; background-color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px; color: #e1dbc2; padding-top: 16px; padding-bottom: 19px; padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 10px; text-align: justify; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 10px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 10px;]It had been a rather dull day so far for Hakkyou. Nothing of much interest had happened, and there hadn’t been anyone else in town she thought would be a good addition to her crew. There weren’t many people out and about today at all for that matter. The markets were surprisingly quiet. I’ll probably have to head to the next island over to find more souls willing to sail under my flag. She let out a small yawn and stretched her arms over her head as she continued to meander along the streets. The craving for something sweet and baked hit her and she altered her course in the direction of one of the bakeries. Despite being an infamous pirate captain, Hakkyou refused discounts on anything she bought in town. The people living here had been outright surprised when they found out, but eventually the surprise faded and they viewed her with more respect. Hakkyou enjoyed living here, and only someone who had no value for their life would be foolish enough to try and take that from her. A fairly large black cloth lying in the street caught her eye as she walked. It looked oddly familiar, so naturally she walked over to investigate. When she saw it up close she paused, the silence around her becoming very uncomfortable. A low growl built up from her throat as she knelt down to pick up what she now knew was her flag, cut from where it flew above the town. Someone just asked for a death sentence, and the Hellfire Queen was more than willing to oblige. Carefully, she took the flag up and folded it before carefully stowing it in her coat. To anyone passing by at this moment she’d look deceptively calm. Once she’d taken care of her flag, a look of enraged determination settled her face. Using Devil’s Step, she quickly made her way to where her flag had been flying, too fast for the normal eye to see until her foot touched the ground for less than a second before kicking off again. Whoever had cut her flag from its pole was neither brave nor careless, they were a fool. Blood would be spilt this day. [/style]

[style=width: 416px; background-color: #b1b198; margin-top: -3px; color: #212121; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px;] words:: 371 ♠ tagged:: Lao, Tempest ♠ notes :: yeaaaaaah....you've incurred a demon's wrath now. May the Gods have mercy on your pitiful souls.[/style][style=font-family: courier new; letter-spacing: 4px; font-size: 10; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;] template by synchronicity[/style]

[long1]

"To think he actually did it..." he muttered lowly, watching as the flag fluttered down. The kid's swordsmanship was advanced enough that the blade didn't even need to touch the flag directly to slice it from its flagpole. He was certainly talented enough to claim the position of Swordsman, at the very least. Of course, the fact he'd actually dared to do that meant neither of them could stay here for very long. He'd rather not run just after he got into town, but he didn't exactly plan on fighting a Yonkou. Even if he was one as well, there was little point in staying and potentially dying. Now wasn't the right time to die, after all. Watching the young lad, he decided to shout up to him.

"Alright, Tempest, you pass! But we're not staying for long!" he told the kid, hoping he'd hear. He still kept his gourd out, ready for use should the need arise. If she got here too quickly for them to run, he'd have to fight her off for at least a short while. He had a feeling it was unlikely for her to listen to his reasons - not that he particularly cared if she remained angry with him. He already considered the Yonkou to be rather... Disagreeable. It was unlikely they'd ever consider each other allies. Such a shame, too - they could have helped with the revolution. In any case, he kept watch and waited, knowing he had to wait for the kid to get back before they could leave. But if the kid took too long... Well, he'd just have to prepare himself for a fight.

"Well... What is a Pirate's life without a little risk?" he mused aloud, watching and waiting. He had a new crewmate. Now he had to make sure said crewmate didn't die after only a minute.

[TEMPEST BLACKFIRE]

As he cut the flag he instinctively felt something bad was going to happen. It reminded him of a time once when his brother had a got a bit cocky and decided to steal some actual money rather than food. He'd known something bad was going to happen and it did. He had only just managed to get his brother out of there. However, in this situation he knew if anything bad was going to happen from what he did then it would be him.

What really tipped him off was how quiet things had suddenly become. The whole town seemed to have frozen or at least reduced itself to whispers. He decided that he wasn't as brave as to risk fighting a yonkou, if that's who the flag belonged to, so quickly shimmied down a drain pipe and headed over to Lao. Even he seemed a bit anxious, well if anything happened it was Lao's fault for making such a dangerous test and not his.

Luck was against them it seemed because as he got down he heard a slight thud and looked up to see someone by where the flag had hung. Fortunately, he had been a good distance away from the flag so unless she saw him climbing down or on the roof then it would be hard to tell.

His suspicions that it had been a yonkou were correct though. He recognised her from her wanted posters. She was Hakkyou Darklight, not someone you wanted to mess with. This was not gonna be good, particularly if she saw Lao, as yonkou tended not to get on too well.

[Hakkyou Darklight]

[style=width: 416px;background-color: #b1b198; color: #989884; font-family: arial black; font-size: 9px; text-align: right; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; padding-top: 3px; letter-spacing: 4px; margin-bottom: -1px;]I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING HALO[/style][style=width: 416px;background-color: #b1b198; color: #d4d4b4; text-shadow: #814a4a 1px 1px 0px; font-family: georgia; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; text-align: right; font-weight: bolder; text-indent: 2em; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-bottom: -3px;]can't you see i'm no one's angel[/style]

[atrb=style,border-top: 8px solid #333333; border-bottom: 8px solid #333333; border-left: 3px solid #b1b198; border-right: 3px solid #b1b198;][bg=7b3636][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top] [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left:3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style]   [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left: 3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style]  [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left: 3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style] [style=margin-right; 19px; margin-top: -360px; height: 375px; margin-left: 115px; margin-bottom: -5px; overflow:auto; background-color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px; color: #e1dbc2; padding-top: 16px; padding-bottom: 19px; padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 10px; text-align: justify; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 10px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 10px;]A kick off from a roof top and a flip was Hakkyou’s entrance of choice. She landed next to the flagpole in a small cloud of dust, the thud of her landing being clearly audible in the eerie silence. A small breeze picked up to clear the dust cloud and ruffled her blood red coat, bringing with it the cool scent of the sea. For any sane person who knew who she was and what she was capable of, the sight of her standing there would be terrifying. The two standing before here looked to be pirates, and only a cocky pirate would be foolish enough to challenge her. Just knowing they had cut her flag from its pole was making her blood boil. Normally, she’d try to keep her demonic blood under control, but this situation had her seeing too much red to really care. In fact, she was relishing the feeling of bloodlust rising in her veins. Her tail flicked in anger as another breeze blew in from the sea. A growl rose from her throat again, louder and more threatening, as she sent the two pirates in front of her a frigid glare. For now she kept a pronounced scowl, though she could feel the demonic urges building up more, causing the corner of her mouth to twitch slightly. “Who has dared to challenge me for my domain?” As she spoke she began to use the most terrifying ability in her arsenal; Hellish Half-Blood. Her glare shifted from two red eyes to six pupil-less red ones staring at the two with rage. [/style]

[style=width: 416px; background-color: #b1b198; margin-top: -3px; color: #212121; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px;] words:: 265 ♠ tagged:: Lao, Tempest ♠ notes :: Let the battle begin![/style][style=font-family: courier new; letter-spacing: 4px; font-size: 10; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;] template by synchronicity[/style]

[long1]

"Already here, huh?" he muttered, too low for Hakkyou to hear from her position on the rooftop. The Tiger Shark Fishman stared back up, watching as her face contorted in anger. Her voice was laced with venom and her words were sharp enough that he was surprised she didn't cut her own tongue saying them. But she hadn't attacked yet, he noted. No, even if her eyes stared daggers into them, she had yet to reveal an actual, physical one. He still felt tense, but he was able to return her gaze with his own, serious look. Letting her intimidate him was exactly what she would want. Why give her that? No, he looked into the dark, wrathful eyes of the demoness and he stared right back.

"Believe it or not, the challenge isn't exactly yours," he spoke, directing his words towards the wrathful Yonkou. "I wanted to challenge this young kid," he directed his hand towards the young Tempest Blackfire. "Because I didn't trust him. Only a fool would pick a fight with a Yonkou, right? If he really was crazy enough to do so, only then did he deserve at least some of my trust," he remarked, keeping his gaze steady on the Yonkou. He wasn't going to look away, because he knew doing so would make her think he was being insincere. Right now, he had to try his hand at diplomacy. It wasn't a subject he was comfortable with, but having two Yonkou fight it out here was a bad idea. He wanted to avoid it, if possible.

"So how about it, "Hellfire Queen"! I'm sure you must know how difficult it is finding someone trustworthy. You'd probably do the same thing in my shoes, wouldn't you?" he asked, his eyes focused on her as his hand kept a firm grip of the water gourd. On the off chance he didn't listen, he still had a weapon with him. The water behind him, too, was also a weapon. Fighting a Fishman near water was a bad idea. Maybe it was something a Yonkou could deal with, but even she had to realize there were problems with giving him a water source. But before that, he hoped she could listen. But ultimately, it would only be down to pure chance that, in her enraged state, someone like Hakkyou would listen to reason.

[TEMPEST BLACKFIRE]

So his intuition had been correct. It generally was. Now the owner of said flag had arrived. Another yonkou, the captain of the hellfire pirates, Hakkyou Darklight. He'd heard rumours she was a demon, but only now did he believe them. It was taking all of his bravery to keep his pants clean and dry. His body was shaking slightly though he kept a brave face. He was glad he had Lao here to back him up.

A dark thought did lurk in the back of his mind. He sincerely hoped Lao wouldn't try something like killing him to save himself. It didn't seem his style, but you never know. Sharks were generally solitary and he was a shark fishman. A tiger shark at that and tigers too were solitary for the most part.

That wasn't the most reason he was nervous. No, not only did he have one yonkou pissed at him it seemed possible from what the fishman had said that a fight might start between the two of them. Being in the middle of a fight between two yonkou was not his idea of a good time. The fact the yonkou was trying diplomacy also worried him. It was like he was worried about the fight.

He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to pull it out. He hoped he would have enough time to do so if she attacked. Right now he remained silent. Mostly because he had no idea what to say, but also because he was scared if he said anything that would set her off.

[Hakkyou Darklight]

[style=width: 416px;background-color: #b1b198; color: #989884; font-family: arial black; font-size: 9px; text-align: right; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; padding-top: 3px; letter-spacing: 4px; margin-bottom: -1px;]I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING HALO[/style][style=width: 416px;background-color: #b1b198; color: #d4d4b4; text-shadow: #814a4a 1px 1px 0px; font-family: georgia; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 15px; text-align: right; font-weight: bolder; text-indent: 2em; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-bottom: -3px;]can't you see i'm no one's angel[/style]

[atrb=style,border-top: 8px solid #333333; border-bottom: 8px solid #333333; border-left: 3px solid #b1b198; border-right: 3px solid #b1b198;][bg=7b3636][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top] [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left:3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style]   [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left: 3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style]  [style=width:100px; height: 100px; border: 3px solid #333333; opacity:0.9;filter:alpha(opacity=40); margin-left: 3px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/o6fge.png); -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px;] [/style] [style=margin-right; 19px; margin-top: -360px; height: 375px; margin-left: 115px; margin-bottom: -5px; overflow:auto; background-color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px; color: #e1dbc2; padding-top: 16px; padding-bottom: 19px; padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 10px; text-align: justify; -moz-border-radius-topleft: 10px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 10px;]“Do the same? You and I obviously have very different views on how to treat subordinates.” As Hellish Half-Blood finished its activation--causing her boots and pants to shred at the bottom due to the demonic form her legs took on; her scowl finally faltered into a demonic smirk. “You see, when my subordinates are stupid enough to do something as insane and foolish as cutting down a yonkou’s flag I make them take the consequences for their actions. They made the bed, so they have to sleep in it.” Her smirk widened to a full demonic grin, her tail flicking quickly from side to side as her posture slouched forward slightly. “So now the only question is whether or not you’re going to make your subordinate dig himself out of the hole he’s in.” A demonic laugh escaped her as her six eyed gaze rested on Tempest. “He looks like he’s all ready for a fight as well, see? He’s got his hand on his sword already~” More laughter filled the air, Hakkyou truly relishing the relaxed feeling of letting loose her demonic blood. Days like this were few and far between. She hadn’t been presented with any good fights since her original crew mutinied. It was also a good excuse to not go home, where she’d have to deal with mirrors again. [/style]

[style=width: 416px; background-color: #b1b198; margin-top: -3px; color: #212121; font-family: arial; font-size: 9px;] words:: 224 ♠ tagged:: Lao, Tempest ♠ notes :: Yeah...my posts are getting shorter lol but this one was dialogue heavy so I think that helps make up for it[/style][style=font-family: courier new; letter-spacing: 4px; font-size: 10; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;] template by synchronicity[/style]

[long1]

She was listening, a little, but that didn't make things a whole lot better. It was clear she was more than a little pissed. She still had enough sense in her to talk, but saying the wrong thing could very easily make her abandon that and start fighting. In hindsight, he needed a better way of testing for moles. Nevertheless, he kept a stern gaze on Hakkyou. If he showed fear, it was inviting an attack. If he backed down, she'd likely strike. No, the way to stop her was not by backing away, but by standing up to her. He wasn't afraid, but even if he was, that fear hardly mattered to him. The Tiger Shark raised his open gourd, pretending to take another swig of it. She'd be unable to tell he wasn't actually drinking any of it from her angle, which made the gourd seem much more conspicuous as he lowered it again.

"Then perhaps there's been a misunderstanding. When this kid cut your flag down, he wasn't a member of my crew yet," Lao Hu responded, gesturing to the kid again. He had to keep her talking if he wanted to get the kid out of trouble. The longer he kept her talking, the more likely he could get her to calm down and relax. "You see, people like us... We have to be more than careful about assassins and spies than other pirates. I can't just trust any kid with a sword who comes asking to be on my crew. So I had him do something... Insane, to prove he wasn't lying. No mere assassin or spy would even dare cut down the flag of a Yonkou, don't you think?"

He paused, continuing to focus his gaze on the young woman.

"I'm under no delusions, but surely you can at the very least understand that?" he spoke again. He didn't look back towards the kid, but from what she'd said he had his hand on his sword. He knew the kid was trying to be prepared, but right now it was an act of hostility. It certainly wasn't helping his case. A shame he didn't bring a dinghy - if he had, he could have ordered the kid to get in it and sail to the ship. Hakkyou wouldn't be able to give chase then, because trying to target someone in the water would only get her injured by Lao Hu. But right now he could hardly tell the kid to swim back to the boat - he was a Human, after all. Go far out enough and the monsters of the sea would kill him, no matter how strong he was on land. No, for now he had to stick to discussion. He had to get rid of this tense atmosphere.