[Episode] A Brief Vacation

Quest:

"Sir, we'll be docking in just a few moments."

"Thank you."

As the seaman closed the door behind him, Anton turned and looked to the things he was packing. His mind was still replaying the events that led up to this moment...


"A vacation? I can't go on a vacation! There's still so much to do!"

Celia gave a small sigh. "I know, but it's orders from the top. And quite frankly, I agree with them. You've been running yourself ragged these last few days. When was the last time you slept?"

Anton paused and thought for a moment. "What's today?" Yep, just as she thought. Anton had been working non-stop to try and make Minion functional. Taking over and building up an island was one thing, but they were effectively doing this from scratch. "Exactly. You need a break. Somewhere away from Minion. Look, the rest of us will watch things while you're gone. Trust me, it'll be ok. Or do I need to tell the higher ups why you're disobeying orders?"

Damn. Right in Anton's fears. A low blow, but an effective one.


The crewmen were running back and forth, getting the ship ready for port as Anton stepped on deck. He had foregone his usual coat and attire for something a bit more casual, a simple white shirt and black slacks. He still kept his twin swords with him. If life had taught him ANYTHING, it was something will always come at you. He remembered the last time he was here, dealing with assassins after his head.

He looked out at the town before them. It was a bright, sunny day, people milling about peacefully. It brought a small, nostalgic feeling. Anton had missed this. If he had to go on vacation, this was the perfect place.

He had come home to Loguetown.

Post Word Count: 311
Total Word Count: 311

As Anton walked through the bustling streets of Loguetown, he felt like he did before he joined the marines. People were passing him by, simply going about their business. It reminded him of a happier time.
Of course, Anton had his own destination to get to. Thinking back, he tried to navigate the streets. "Ok, if I remember, it was a right here, down a couple of blocks, then a left..."

As he rounded the corner, he suddenly collided with someone. Anton let out a yelp as he stumbled back, almost falling over. "Owie!"

Anton blinked and looked down at the person he bumped into. A young woman, though a bit tricky to tell thanks to her bulky blue clothing. Her hair was a mess of white, and she looked very pale, almost blue. To his surprise, she seemed dressed for cold weather, despite it being a sunny day.

Lune Shiver:

Anton held out a hand to her. "Are you alright Miss?" The woman looked up at him, blinking for a moment longer than necessary. There was something in her eyes before a big smile replaced that expression. "Yep! A-okey! It takes more than a tumble to hurt me!" She took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. He couldn't help noticed her hand was rather cool. "Are you sure? You seem a little, erm, cold?"

The young woman's expression went sour. "Bleh, more like too hot! I don't know about you, but I'm melting here!" Anton squirmed an eyebrow. Too hot? It was actually quite pleasant. Anton was about to suggest she wear something less warm, but that might no be appropriate. Besides, it looked good on her. "Maybe I can get you a cold drink or something?" At that point, Anton realized he never introduced himself. "Oh! Do forgive me, my name's Anton La'croix. May I ask your name Miss?"

She blinked. "My name?" Then a bright smile spread across her face, like she wanted him to ask that. Suddenly, she leaped back, landing gracefully in the middle of the street. A strange, jaunty tune started to play in the air. Anton couldn't pinpoint where it came from, but others were noticing it too, so that rolled out insanity.

Then, bouncing in place, the woman began to sing.

"I'm Missus white winter, I'm Missus snow!
I'm Missus Icicle, I'm Missus ten below!
Friends call me Lune Shiver. Whatever I touch,
Turns to snow in my clutch!
I'm too much!"

As Lune laughed happily, the little show tune took a stranger turn. Several men, dressed in a similar attire to her, started popping out of nearby alleyways and doorways. And they were joining in!

She's Missus white winter, she's Missus snow."

"That's right!" Lune cheered.

"She's Missus icicle, she's Missus ten below."
"They call me Lune Shiver. Whatever I touch,
Turns to snow in my clutch!"
"She's too much!"

"I never want to know a day,
That's over forty degrees.
I'd rather have it thirty, twenty, ten, five,
And let it freeze!"

"Oh, some like it cold, but I like it REALLY cold!"

"She's Missus white winter, she's Missus snow."
"That's right!"
"She's Missus icicle, she's Missus ten below."
"Friends call me Lune Shiver. Whatever I touch,
Turns to snow in my clutch!
Too much!"

"TOO MUCH!"

As Lune's backup singers disappeared whence they came, the bouncy woman landed in front of Anton, just as the song ended. "Nice to meetcha Anty!"

Anton stood there, dumbfounded. He had so many questions. What just happened? Who were those men? What was going on? Instead, all he could get out was, "That...was every nice song Miss Shiver."

Lune giggled almost bashfully, "Aw shucks, thanks Anty. Um, so about that drink. Do you live around here?" Anton blinked and shook his head. "I used to, but for now I'm just visiting. I'm actually staying at my family's inn." Lune let out a giddy laugh. "Aw, that's  cool! Let's go see them together! What's it called?" "Oh, it's the Golden Seaking. You know of it?"

Lune's expression froze, before she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, though I just rembered, there's some things I need to do. Maybe next time. I hope to see you around Anty!" And with that, she headed off down the road, bouncing with each step.

Anton stood there, a little confused. He recognized that she was making excuses for and didn't want to go. But why? Had something happened?

Fear suddenly gripped him. Had something happened to his parents?

"Mother! Father!"

Anton took off down the road at top speed.

Post word count: 764
Total word count: 1,075

Anton had never navigated the streets of Loguetown so fast in his entire life. As he closed in on the familiar site of his family's inn, he could see the building was still standing. Good. It hadn't bee destroyed. But that could just mean everyone inside had been murdered! But there was no sign of law enforcement. But that might mean they just hadn't found the bodies yet!

Gripped with panic Anton burst through the front doors. "Mother! Father!"

A stocky man with red hair and a beard looked up from behind the front desk. His eyes lit up at the sight of him at the door. "Anton! You're here!" he paused, seeing the panic on Anton's face. "Son? What's wrong?"

He was alive. Everything was fine. Anton sagged against the doorframe in utter relief. "I'm fine. Thanks Dad." Philip La'croix blinked and then gave a hearty laugh, walking around the desk to approach his son. "Oh Anton, you always were a nervous lad. Good to see something things never change." He helped him up, patting him on the back, before turning towards the inn and calling out. "Chloe! Anton's here!"

There was the sound of hurried footsteps before a plump woman with graying brown hair in a bun came through the door, eyes lighting up happily. "Anton! Oh it's so good to see you!" She rushed over to hug him, which Anton returned with a smile. "It's good to see you too Mom."

While Anton's mother gushed over how her son had grown and the like, his father collected his things, bringing them up to the room he would be staying in. His mother then ushered him into the inns dining area, before making them tea.

"We've been keeping up with everything that's been going on," his mother said with a big smile. "The battle of Las Camp, you liberating Minion Island, and even protecting a foreign prince! Oh we're so proud of you! If only your brother could be alive to see you now." If Basil had been alive, Anton would never have gotten into the marines in the first place. Though he kept that part quiet. As his father returned, his mother gave him a small smile. "So, tell us Anton. How's your crew? Are they good people? Found...anyone yet?" Any son knew that smile. The smile of a woman who very much wanted to see their son find someone and before long give her grandchildren. Anton flushed in embarrassment. "Mother! N-No, I haven't found anyone. And my crew are some fine people." Though he did leave out his attraction to Yumiko. Unfortunately the woman from Wano thought the most romantic thing someone could do was die in their arms.

Anton shook his head, trying to focus his thoughts. "B-But how are you all doing? How's the inn doing? Seems a bit quiet at the moment." Philip laughed. "Not at all! In fact, the place is packed! We were only able to save a room for you because we reserved it before hand."[/b] Anton blinked in surprise. But, where was everyone? "A large group is staying here. They all came together. Can you imagine?" his mother explained. A large group huh? "This group wouldn't happen to include a woman in blue with white hair, would it?" Anton asked, remembering Lune's reaction to hearing about the inn. Chloe blinked in response. "No, not that I know of."

Before Anton could ask further, a voice spoke up.

"Excuse me. Am I interrupting?"

Post Word Count: 584
Total Word Count: 1,659

Mother, father and son all looked towards the doorway. Standing there, looking at them, was a young woman. She was dressed in a simple red dress that came down to her knees, with red hair with blonde highlights that made it almost appear like flame. There was something about her. She gave off a sense of, what was the word? Not warmth. Heat.

Sol Cinder:

Chloe La'croix smiled. "Oh, not at all Miss. Please, come in. Have a seat. This is our son, Anton." Ah yes, the tell tale words that often meant 'please come and meet my son, and maybe marry him.' Anton tried to resist the urge to roll his eyes, instead giving the woman a sheepish, apologetic look. Of course, his mother completely missed all of that. She looked over at Anton with an excited smile. "Anton, this is one of our guests. This is Miss-" "If you don't mind," the woman politely interrupted, a small smile appearing on her face, "I would like to handle my own introductions."

And then, there it was. That familiar tune playing in the air, though this time it was a slower tempo. As his parents looked around in confusion, the woman, looking right at Anton, started to sway languidly, and started to sing.

"I'm Missus green summer, I'm Missus sun.
I'm Missus heat blister, I'm Missus hundred and one.
They call me Sol Cinder, whatever I touch,
starts to melt in my touch.
I'm too much."

Anton's eyes moved towards the nearby stairs. As if on cue, and Anton predicted, several men in red attire came down the stairs. Strange how he wasn't surprised by this point.

"She's Missus green summer, she's Missus sun,"
"That's right."
"She's Missus heat blister, she's Missus hundred and one."
"They call me Sol Cinder, whatever I touch,
starts to melt in my clutch."
"She's too much."
"Thank you."

"I never want to know a day that's under sixty degrees.
I'd rather have it eighty, ninety, one hundred degrees!"

"Oh some like it hot, but I like it really hot." Sol giggled.

"She's Missus green summer, she's Missus sun."
"Sing it!"
"She's Missus heat blister, she's Missus hundred and one."
"They call me Sol Cinder, whatever I touch,
starts to melt in my clutch.
I'm too much."

"TOO MUCH!"

As the music came to an end, Sol sat herself down besides Anton. "It's a pleasure to meet you Anton. Your mother here's told me so much about you." "Really? I can't imagine why," Anton didn't even seem phased by the musical number now, giving his mother a look. Chloe seemed to get the message giving a sheepish smile. Sol nodded and smiled. "Indeed. A Rear Admiral of the marines huh? Well, I wont hold that against you." She leaned in close. A little too close. Anton flushed brightly, quickly jumping to his feet.

"Oh! Well, um, it was very nice to meet you Miss Cinder, but it's been a long trip," he gave a long yawn, "And I really should get some rest. I-I hope to see you around. This really is a lovely inn. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay. If you'll excuse me."

Anton quickly made his exit, heading upstairs to his room. His life in the marines had prepared him for many things, but getting hit on was not one of them.

Post Word Count: 560
Total Word Count: 2,219

Anton laid quietly in his bed, trying to rest, though right now his mind was running miles. Today had certainly been a very interesting day. His mind kept going back to Lune and Sol. Both were very...interesting women. The songs and backup singers were one thing, there were some quirky people in this world, but there was something else about them. Something unsual. And no doubt the two knew eachother. Lune, who was cold, and Sol, who was hot. Lune's reluctance to come with him to the inn made sense the instant he met Sol. It was also why he didn't mention her. No sense in kicking a potential hornet's nest.

And then there was the fact that both seemed to like him. Lune was awefully friendly when they first met, and Sol, well, he could blame his mother for that. Trust her to try and set him up with a complete stranger like that. Not that he didn't like Sol, she seemed nice enough. But it was just so sudden.

Still, today wasn't bad. But Anton couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was about to happen.

BOOM!

And that confirmed it. Anton's eyes snapped open.

"What was that!? Are we under attack!? Status report! STATUS REPORT!" Anton screeched, bursting out of his room, looking around wildly. Fortunately the boom hadn't seemed to have occured near the building, so his family wasn't in any immediate danger. Anton rushed past his confused parents as he dashed for the door, bursting out into the street.

And paused in his tracks. Of all the things he expected to see, he hadn't expected to see...

"Snow?"

Indeed, that's what he was seeing. Snow, falling from the sky. Coming down quite heavily, but not so much it could be considered a blizzard. But, it was strange. This was the middle of summer. Why was it snowing? It seemed others who were coming out of their homes were just as confused as he was. Though Anton noticed that the children didn't seem to mind. A snow day was a snow day, as their eyes lit up to play in the flurry. But it was so confusing. What had caused this? What was that boom?

Something drew Anton's eyes to the middle of the street, and there, he saw, was his answer. Standing there, arms outstretched, looking up at the showering snow with a big, joyful smile, was Lune Shiver. "Lune?"

The pale woman blinked, looking over at Anton before the biggest grin split her face in half. "Anty!" she cheered, bouncing over towards him, "Just the person I wanted to see! What do you think? My snow bomb's a massive success!" Anton blinked, looking up at the sky. "Snow bomb?" Lune nodded rapidly. "Yep! It generates a localized cold front which causes snow to fall. Awesome, right! Just what this town needed on a hot night like this!"

Anton looked around. It had been a bit of a shock, but ultimately, no harm had come of it. It was just a temporary change in the weather. "Well, the kids certainly seem to be enjoying it," Anton said, looking over as the children were happily playing in the snow. Their parents, still a little confused but now seeing there was no harm to be had, were starting to watch the scene with a smile. Similar to the one Anton had across his face.

"Do...you like kids Anty?" Lune asked. Anton gave a small shrug. "Well, I mean, sure. I've got no problem with them. Heck, I wouldn't mind having some of my own some day, if that ever happe-erm, are you ok Miss Shiver?" Anton blinked as he looked down at Lune's expression. The woman's eyes were wide and sparkling, and if her smile got any bigger the top half of her head was going to fall off.

And then a fireball came right at them.

Post Word Count: 651
Total Word Count: 2,870

"Look out!" Anton yelped as he jumped back, Lune doing the same as the fireball shot past, harmlessly hitting a nearby wall. Tensions immediately shot back up as people were confused and a little shocked by the sudden assault. Anton's body was already tense, the fleet admiral looking around for the source of the attack. He didn't have to look for long.

"I should have guessed this horrid weather was your work Lune."

Eyes immediately turned to the door to the inn, as Sol stepped out. Her sharp eyes were glaring right past Anton and at Lune. The pale woman was dusting herself off when she caught sight of her, her normally jovial expression turning to one of petulent anger. "Horrid? Take a look around Miss Sunburn! People like my snow. Much better then a hot, muggy summer night!" Anton could see cracks forming in Sol's otherwise composed face. "A little humidity helps keep the skin moist. Better than freezing in their beds you inconsiderate flurry."

"It's easier to sleep on a cold night!"

"A cold night increases the chance for nightmares."

"Where'd you read that? Quack Weekly?"

"You'd learn something if you bothered to read you little imp."

Anton tried to put himself between the two bickering women. "O-Ok now, let's all take it easy. I'm sure we can all talk this out." He remembered the fireball. He was not going to have a fight starting here. Suddenly, he felt Lune grip his arm from behind, peaking out and glaring at Sol. "Anty here likes my snow, and he's not freezing cold! Guess it's just you who can't stand a light breeze." Seeing Lune grasping Anton caused Sol's eye to twitch. "Anton's a gentlemen. I'm sure he's just humoring you. I'm sure he would prefer something warm, then something that sends chills through him." Lune scowled. "Oh please! Being around you would leave him hot and sweaty before you can even get close to him you walking swamp!"

That did it. Sol's composure broke. "That does it! Anton, step aside! It's time for me to teach my bratty sister a lesson!" Sisters. That made so much sense. "Now hold on!" Anton tried to interject. But it seemed to fall on deaf ears as Lune jumped back. "Stand back Anty. I'm gonna cool off my high and mighty sister here!"

And then Anton saw something he never would have expected. In Lune's hands something formed. It almost looked like a blue fireball. But now, it wasn't fire. Fire was hot. This...this seemed like a ball of cold fire. A devil fruit user? Everything was starting to come together. Sol snarled, snapping her fingers as two fireballs formed in her hands. "The only one walking away with a burn here is you Lune!"

Anton was starting to panic. This was getting out of hand.



"Not in front of the inn!"

Post Word Count: 479
Total Word Count: 3,349

[Note. In regards to this fight, Anton isn't attempting to defeat Lune and Sol. More, he's trying to prevent their fighting from causing any damage. Mechanics play out as normal, with Anton's successful attacks blocking the two sisters, while any hits on their end are Anton getting caught in the crossfire. Thank you for your time.]

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses:
Activate Toggle - Molting
Sonic Cutter - MT at Lune and Sol
Hopper Kick - LT at Lund and Sol
Snap Kick - LT at Lune and Sol
UT at Lune and Sol

Lune and Sol use:
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT aat Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 12, 19, 2, 8

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

#2 'Reflex Check' : 16, 13, 4, 14

And without further ado, the battle between the two sisters commenced. Sol launched out multiple small fireballs almost like a machine gun. Anton yelped as he dove to avoid the flames, while Lune dove the other way. Fortunately, the fireballs struck a stone wall behind them, leaving slight scorch marks, but not setting anything on fire.

Lune scowled as she primed a large ball of what Anton can only describe as cold fire, before launching it at Sol. Sol moved to dodge, but Anton's eyes bugged upen, realizing that Lune would hit the inn behind her.

As the ball shot past Sol, Anton sped behind her like a rocket, shifting into his hybrid form and shedding excess skin behind him. (Molting active) Thinking fast, Anton swung out a leg, aiming to kick the ball away from the inn.
The end result was Anton's leg getting frosted over instead. (Snap Kick - LT, miss) (Lune's LT, hit)

Sol spun around, seeing the grasshopper man behind her. "Wha!? Giant bug!" "It's Anty!" Lune called out, "He has a Devil Fruit!" Sol blinked. "Oh..." she then spun to scold Lune, "You idiot! You hit Anton!" "It was an accident!" Lune wailed.

Meanwhile, Anton was hopping on one foot, trying to get feeling back into his leg. "Cold, cold cold!" "Here," Sol offered, placing her warm hands on Anton's leg. Surely enough, a small bit of steam rose as his leg thawed out and feeling returned. "Better?" Sol asked with a smile. Anton nodded. "Much, thank you. Erm, think you guys could maybe stop fighting?" "Nope. Sister's gotta pay." she replied, spinning around and priming fireballs.

As Anton let out an exasperated groan, Sol launched her fireball right at Lune. Anton shot forward, putting himself between them. Throwing out his leg, he caught the fireball, this time kicking it up harmlessly into the air. [Hopper Kick - LT, hit] [Sol's LT, miss]

Lune grinned and clapped. "Yay! Go Anty!" Sol scowled. "Move!" She launched a barrage of balls, trying to shoot around Anton to hit Lune. Anton's limbs were a flurry, kicking and smacking balls out of the air. Though doing so caused him to scorch him as well. [Anton's UT, hit] [Sol's UT, hit]
Lune giggled and leapt into the air, charging up a massive orb of cold. "Sorry Sol, but Anty's picked my side!" "No I haven't!" Anton yelled out. He couldn't kick this one aside. "Anton!" Anton looked over, just in time for his father to throw him his swords. "Thank you!" he called out before swinging, sending an arch of air which sliced through the ball. [Sonic Cutter - MT, hit]

Lune landed with a disappointed whine. Anton turned to Lune. "Nobody here is hurting anyone, got it?" Lune was about to respond, before she noticed something behind Anton. The Rear Admiral looked back, just in time to see Sol breath a blast of fire at them like as freaking dragon! Anton let out a yelp and was about to jump out of the way. However, the gentleman within him instead opted to use his body to shield Lune. The end result was Anton getting the brunt of the flame. [Sol's MT, hit]

Lune blinked, looking up at the charred Anton before grinning. " Such a gentleman!" Anton let out a wheeze. "You're welcome."

Post word count: 550
Total word count: 3899

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses:
Sonic Cannon - HT at Lune and Sol
Fast Hopping - LT on self
UT at Lune and Sol

Lune and Sol use:
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 12, 16, 20

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

#2 'Reflex Check' : 11, 11, 16, 19

There were a couple of, admittedly noble, traits that Anton at times wished he didn't have. The first was his reluctance to fight women (Las Camp being a regretful exception), and his desire to protect others. Regretful because right now those two traits were putting him firmly between two superpowered women who were determined to beat the heck out of eachother. With fireballs and balls of ice.

Anton was zipping around at top speed, trying to intercept the blasts. Unfortunately, they were being fired off so rapidly and from different directions that even with his heightened speed couldn't prevent him from taking some hits. All things considered though, he was doing relatively well. [Fast Hopping - LT, active] [Anton's UT, hit (crit)] [Sol & Lune's UT, hit]

Naturally, Sol and Lune were starting to get a little distressed by this. "Anton! Will you please get out of the way?" Sol demanded. "Yeah!" whined Lune, "I don't want to hurt you Anty, just her!" Anton panted, looking back and forth between the two. "Not until you too stop fighting. I don't want to see either of you hurt!"

This earned a collective 'aww' from the pair. "Such a gentleman," Sol smiled. "Yeah," Lune sighed, before glaring at Sol, "So stop throwing fireballs at him Sol!" "Me!? You're the one who froze his leg!" "You set him on fire with your bad breath!" "Oh that's it! You're getting it now!" "OH COME ON!"

Both sisters sprang into the air, trying to jump and climb their way to the top of the buildings. If Anton was going to keep getting in between their duel, then they needed to take the fighting away from him. Sol kept onto a nearby sign, priming a fireball to throw at her sister. Unfortunately for her, her footing slipped, causing her to yell out as her shot went wide.

Right towards an old man who was watching nearby.

Anton let out a shriek. What was he doing there? He bounced towards him, putting himself in front of the man just as the fireball collided with him. Anton cried out as the impact caused his shirt to catch fire. "Hot hot hot!" he yelped out, trying to douse the flames. [Sol's LT, hit]

"Anty!" Lune yelled out in concern. Leaping down behind him, she took a deep breath, before blowing out a burst of frigid air right at Anton. Well, the icy air did its job, putting out the flames. But now it left Anton shirtless and shivering from the chill. "C-Cold. S-s-so c-cold," he chattered as Lune jumped back up towards the rooftops. [Lune's LT, hit]

The old man gave a small chuckle. "Looks like you're having a tough time there son." Anton looked down at the man in front of him. "Wh-Wh-Why are y-you st-still here?" With another chuckle, the old man pointed behind him. "Oh, don't mind me. You have them to worry about."

Trembling, Anton looked over his shoulder. Atop the rooftops, the sisters had generated an insane amount of fire and cold balls, and were about to unleash the whole barrage on eachother. As the attacks launched, Anton let out a shriek. He sprang onto his hands, and with a sharp movement of his legs fired a burst of sonic force right at the impact point. As the two attacks closed in, Anton's shot blasted between them, the force causing the to burst harmlessly in the air. [Sonic Cannon - HT, hit] [Sol and Lune's MT, miss]

Despite being foiled once again, the sisters couldn't help but be impressed. "Nice shot Anty!" Lune cheered. "Very impressive," Sol said with a smile.

Anton let out a sigh before he heard another sound. Clapping? Anton looked over to see a number of townsfolk had come out and were now applauding like they were watching an impressive light show.

"WHY ARE YOU ALL HERE!?"

Post Word Count: 645
Total Word Count: 4,544

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses:
B-Flat - AoE at Lune and Sol
UT at Lune and Sol

Lune and Sol uses:
HT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 13, 20

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

#2 'Reflex Check' : 17, 3

For a pair of sisters that seemed complete opposites, the two seemed to surprisingly been the same train of thought. Mainly, if launching projectiles wasn't going to get them anywhere (as Anton was determined to intercept them), then they would have to try a different tactic.

With loud cries of battle, the two sisters kept from the rooftops, going right at eachother, aiming to collide in midair. Sure Anton couldn't get between this, right?

They were of course wrong as Anton leapt up, trying to put himself between them. However, there was no stopping the momentum between the two sisters, nor their desire to get in some whacks at eachother that had been denied them this evening. The end result was all three of them colliding in the air, and the unfortunate Rear Admiral getting caught in a literal dust cloud of fists, feet and fury. And unfortunately for Anton, in his determination to keep the sisters from harming eachother, as many blows hit him as they did eachother. [Lune and Sol's HT, hit]

Of course, Anton wasn't simply going to sit back, let himself get pummelled AND let these two ladies hurt eachother. As the tangle of fighting reached the ground, Anton struck down at the floor hard. The resulting shockwave not only cracked the pavement, but had the intended result of pushing the two women back, away from eachother. Another round of applause came from the crowd that had gathered. [B-Flat - AoE, hit]

Nearby, a young girl tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Mommy, why are the fire and ice lady fighting? And why's the bug man getting in the way like that? Isn't he getting hurt?" The mother looked down at her daughter with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry sweety, it's only a performance. See, the two ladies represent the forces of heat and cold. Polar opposites and constantly fighting against eachother." The girl tilted his head. "And the bug man?" The mother thought for a moment. "Well, erm, he represents balance! He makes sure that neither one overcomes the other of course." Yes, that was it. It was all symbolism.

The girl scrunched her face, trying to understand it all. "But why is he a bug?" The mother paused. The fact he was a grasshopper man didn't factor into her interpretation. Not only that, but it was clear her daughter wasn't understanding it. Maybe a different tactic for a younger audience. "Because, erm, he's the grasshopper prince! And he's in love with both the fire and the ice princess, so he doesn't want to see either of them hurt!" She sighed with relief internally when she saw her daughter's face light up. There, that made much more sense to her.

However, she wasn't the only one who heard her little synopsis. Anton was staring at them, his eyes bugging out and his jaw hanging slack. Lune gave a cute giggle. "Ooooh, I like that! Anty loves us! Anty loves us!" she cheered out childishly. Anton spun to face Lune. "W-Wait a minute!" Sol chuckled back. "I like it too. Our dear grasshopper prince." Anton was spluttering now, trying to find the words. "You do like us, don't you Anty?" Anton spun back to see those large eyes looking at him. "W-Well yes, I do. You both seem like nice women and all." Sol smiled as Lune cheered. :And you Anton are an absolute gentleman."

Anton sighed. "Well, now that we've established that we like eachother, can we please stop fighting now?"

"NO!"

Post Word Count: 585
Total Word Count: 5,129

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses:
Insect Launch - HT at Lune and Sol
Snap Kick - LT at Lune and Sol
UT at Lune and Sol

Lune and Sol use:
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 9, 1, 15

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

#2 'Reflex Check' : 20, 5, 16, 6

This had been, without a doubt, the strangest fight the two sisters had had. Sure, people had tried to break them up before, but they hadn't really been able to do much. They weren't as tenacious as Anton, who just kept throwing himself into their attacks over and over. Besides, they LIKED Anton. They didn't want to hurt him. And yet, honour demanded the sisters to punch eachother square in the face. This was a conundrum that required a solution.


And it seemed Lune came up with it first. "Alrighty! Back to business!" She formed another cold sphere in her hand and wound like she was making a pitch. Anton prepared to intercept. Suddenly, Lune launched the orb off to the side. Caught by surprise, Anton couldn't move to stop it in time before it hit a nearby sign, only to then ricochet off and shoot straight at Sol. The fiery woman yelped as she dove to avoid it.

"Oh, so THAT'S how we're doing it huh?" Sol growled, charging a flame in her hand, "Fine by me!" With that, she hurled the fireball, not directly at her, but to the side, hoping to achieve the same affect.

"Hey!" Anton yelled out. This time he was ready. He lashed out with a foot, catching the fireball and kicking it out of the air. [Snap Kick - LT, hit] [Sol's LT, miss]

"Heehee, thanks Anty!" Lune chuckled, taking the opportunity to launch another cold sphere at Sol. Anton tried to to intercept, but mistimed the kick. Instead of kicking the ball away like he planned, the ball instead ended up bursting on his leg, resulting in his leg being coated in ice. The Rear Admiral yelped as he hopped on one leg, trying to shake some feeling back into the limb. "Th-That applies t-to you too!" Anton responded through chattering teeth. [Lune's LT, hit]

Sol growled. Not only was she still missing, but Anton got hurt too. She launched another fireball, hoping to hit Lune while Anton's movement was hampered. Anton was still quick to move. One one leg, he lurched forward, reaching out with his sword. The blade caught the ball, and in an almost impressive display, launched the ball harmlessly into the air. The misguided audience that were watching clapped in response. [Anton's UT, hit] [Sol's UT, miss]

Anton balanced himself before stomping his foot into the ground, shattering the ice. "Ok, now cut that out!" He then blinked and somewhat paled when he saw what the two sisters were planning next. It wasn't just one ball this time. The sisters were conjuring up multiples. With a loud cry from both of them, they launched their numerous projectiles in all directions. Too many for Anton to try and stop one by one.

Oh this is going to suck!

Anton launched himself off of the ground, shooting towards the clusters of attacks. He couldn't afford simple deflections this time. He shot right into them, crashing through them like a missile until he hit a solid surface. He then bounced back, blasting through another set, using his own body to stop the attacks. Soon, Anton was bouncing back and forth like a bullet. Sol and Lune paused their attacks, almost amazed at what was going on. Sure, Anton could move fast, but right now he was moving so fast it was hard to see. It was a full minute after the attacks had stopped before Anton was able to screech to a halt. The girls were safe, but his body was aching from the numerous blows. [Insect Launch - HT, hit] [Sol and Lune's MT, hit]

"That was awesome Anty!" Lune cheered. Sol snapped out of her surprise, seeing an opening. Before anyone could react, she launched another fireball, shooting past the injured Anton and exploding right in front of the surprised Lune's face. The blast launched the ice girl into the air, before she crashed down into a nearby fountain.

Anton let out a cry of horror. That fountain looked particularly deep. He dashed to the edge and almost dove in before he caught himself. He looked around, a panicked look on his face. "Somebody help her!" he cried out, "She can't-"

Suddenly, there was a burst of water as Lune suddenly surface. Anton stared with wide eyes. "Swim?" It seemed though Anton was wrong, as before his very eyes, Lune swam to the fountain's edge and pulled herself out. She shook herself off, almost like a dog, the water clinging to her coming off of her in frozen flakes. "That was a cheap shot Sol!" Lune snapped. Sol chuckled. "You keep letting yourself get distracted sister."

"Hold it! Time out!"

Both girls stopped and looked at Anton. The Rear Admiral spun to Lune. "How did you do that?" Lune titled her head. "Do what?" "Swim! You shouldn't be able to do that! Rule 101 of Devil Fruit users. No swimming allowed!"

The two women blinked before they both laughed. "Oh dear," Sol chuckled, "I'm afraid there's been a mistake. We don't have Devil Fruits." Anton blinked. "Wha?" Lune grinned, "Using various chemicals and self experimentation, we have managed to alter out bodies to be able to generate intense cold, and in my sister's misguided case, intense heat."

Anton stopped and tried to process all of this. "Wait...so you're telling me you two gave yourselves these powers...through science? More importantly, experimenting on yourselves!?" "Yep." "That's right."

Anton just stood there, his jaw hanging open. Many things were running through his mind. One was how these two ladies turned out to be scientists who basically experimented themselves into gaining powers.

Another was that under no circumstances should his superiors find out about this. It would give them ideas.


[OOC: For those curious, Lune and Sol's abilities were inspired by the Strong World villain Dr. Indigo, and his chemical juggling]

Post Word Count: 955
Total Word Count: 6,084

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
Activates Kenbonshoku Haki
Pirrohuette - MT at Lune and Sol
Hopper Kick - LT at Lune and Sol
GRind Slash - LT at Lune and Sol
UT at Lune and Sol

Lune and Sol use
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 16, 4, 19, 5

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

#2 'Reflex Check' : 4, 7, 2, 19

Anton was still trying to wrap his head around what he just learned. How the heck does one simply give themselves abilities like that? What was even drive a person to do such a thing? What exactly did they have to do to be able to accomplish it? Anton had been so distracted by this information, that he failed to notice the two women were winding up to attack eachother again. Guess they noticed that Anton's attention had temporarily checked out, and they were going to take full advantage of it.

Anton only came back to reality just as the balls of fire and cold started to fly. "No!" he yelled out, trying to move.

And then, everything seemed to slow down. At least, for Anton it did. For you see, Anton had a special ability of his own, that didn't rely on scientific experimentation. [Kenbonshoku Haki, active]

For everyone else, Anton's body was like a blur. Anton shot between the numerous flying orbs, spinning like a top. His leg outstretched, he seemed to catch them with his foot, spinning in place before launching many of them harmlessly into the air, where they exploded in a dazzling display. [Lune and Sol's MT, miss] [Pirrouette - MT, hit] The nearby crowd applauded in wonder.

But Anton wasn't done yet. In one fluid motion, he shot out with a leg, kicking flying fireball out of the air without stopping losing a bit of speed, before swinging back with his sword, catching Lune's cold sphere and slashing it in two. [Hopper Kick - LT, hit] [Grind Slash - LT, hit] [Lune & Sol's LTs - miss]

For Anton, things were going slowly for him. He was moving between the projectiles, smacking them out of the air, driven by the desire to prevent the two sisters from hurting eachother. It was only when a stray ball caught him on the shoulder did things speed back up to normal. Mercifully by then, the attacks had been stopped. [Anton's UT, hit] [Lune and Sol's UT, hit]

The crowd was watching in amazement. Lune and Sol were completely gobsmacked. Anton had been moving so fast, so fluidly. It was crazy! As Anton stood there, his mind catching up with what just happened, the two ladies could only stare, trying to comprehend what they just saw.

Post Word Count: 384
Total Word Count: 6,468

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses
C-Sharp - AoE at Lune and Sol
UT at Lune and Sol

Lune and Sol use
AoE at Anton
UT at Anton

The member 'Anton La'croix' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 4, 16

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

#2 'Reflex Check' : 3, 11

This fight was starting to get them nowhere. The pair had barely managed to get a hit in on eachother, and instead had only been managing to hurt Anton. The growing concern they had for him was being compounded by the frustration against eachother. After all, if the other one hadn't been throwing attacks around, Anton wouldn't be getting hurt, right? And that growing desire to make the other pay was only continuing to grow.

"Alright," Sol growled, "Time for the kid gloves to come off!" "Fine by me!" Lune snapped, "It was time I snuffed you out anyway!"

Anton blinked, coming out of his confused state to see the two sisters leaping up to get high. Fire and cold charged in their hands, and the Rear Admiral watched in horror as two large orbs formed. No, orbs wasn't right. Sol's was growing into a small sun, while Lune's was...what was the cold equivilent of a sun? A moon? Either way, it was huge!

"Take this!"

The two attacks collided in the air, crashing and smashing together, until the two were a swirling mass of heat and cold. The two sisters watched as their attacks struggled for dominance. And that's what things went wrong. From the swirling mass, bits of heat and cold were being thrown out, showering down onto the town below. It was at that moment the two sisters realized their mistake. "Gah!" Lune cried out. "The town!" Sol yelled out. Down below, the people, who had been watching this like some sort of street performance, were starting to become worried. This was looking dangerously real to them.

Any below, Anton looked up at everything. He had been doing everything he could to keep people safe. And yet, at every turn, things just seemed to get harder and harder. Now this was completely nuts. What was he to do?

Much to the surprise of Lune and Sol, he laughed. Not a joyful or mocking laugh, but a rueful one, like life had just been one big joke and he just realized he was the punch line. Anton's face fell into his hand as he chuckled, swaying side to side.

And then, a familiar tune started to play, though this one seemed a bit more disjointed.

I'm Mr. Out of Luck,
I'm Mr. Scream.
I'm Mr. Grasshopper,
I'm Mr. Poor Marine.
My name's Anton La'croix,
whatever I touch,
falls apart in my clutch.
It's too much.

Sword in hand, Anton lept up, diving into the oncoming rain of attacks. At the same time, a group of familiar faces appeared in the crowd. Lune and Sol's backup singers. Where had they come from?

He's Mr. Scream Miser,
He's Mr. Foul.

"What? No!" Anton yelped out, before a stray attack caught him in the side. [Lune and Sol's UT, hit]

He's Mr. Beanpole,
He's Mr. Lonely Soul."

My name's Anton La'croix,
whatever I touch,
falls apart in my clutch,

It's too much."

"Damn straight!" Anton yelled out, slashing a falling cold orb out of the air, before hopping through the maelstrom, knocking aside hits as he went. [Anton's UT, hit]

I never want to know a day
that must be saved by me.
I'd rather have it quiet, peaceful,
just let me be!

"Forget the temperature, I just want things to be calm!" Anton dove towards the large, swirling mass.

He's Mr. Scream Miser,
He's Mr. Foul.

"Stop that!"

He's Mr. Beanpole,
He's Mr. Lonely Soul.

Anton lept right into the buffeting storm of hot and cold.

My name's Anton La'croix,
whatever I touch,
falls apart in my clutch.
It's too much.

What followed was a shear burst of sound, effectively ripping the storm apart, exposing the clear sky.

TOO MUCH!

[C-Sharp - AoE, hit (graze)] [Lune and Sol's AoE, miss]

As the music faded, Anton landed on the street, panting heavily. All Lune and Sol could do was stare at Anton in shock.

[OOC: The lyrics for Anton's song came from the mind of MAxwell, a.k.a Yumiko. Credit goes to them]

Post Word Count: 652
Total Word Count: 7,100

COMBAT TRACKERS:

Anton La'croix uses:
Grand Spear - MT at Lune and Sol
Snap Kick - LT at Lune and Sol
Treble Kick - LT at Lune and Sol
UT at Lune and Sol

Lune and Sol use:
MT at Anton
LT at Anton
LT at Anton
UT at Anton