Re: [Episode] Hitch Hiking Honeys

Tue Jul 26, 2022 1:20 am

OOC: Erudite has a strong rural Louisianan accent.

Erudite stifled a laugh when she saw the reaction of her fine Mink friend. Was charity and hospitality really dead nowadays? Well, this was the new great age of Piracy, was it not? Perhaps that was the reason why there had been so much activity here in the North Blue. So many islands changing ownership, and so many islands are being conquered. And soon… the Primetime Pirates would do the exact same.

“Yes sweetheart, imma lady of my word.” She acknowledged, raising her free hand up and flipping her hair out of her face momentarily.

Her eyes gazed over towards those same men once more.

“And we all have our skillsets I suppose. Look at that darlin, ya helped me figure out my niche.” She’d give a wink before handing the cup out to one of her men who took it from her.

She placed her palms on either side of the crate, pushing up and off the wooden box, dusting off her plump backside before fussing with her hair for a moment. Turning towards Aya with a smile and her hands tucked behind her back. She listened to the red panda discuss her family, choosing not to interrupt her while she spoke.

Erudite couldn’t tell if Aya’s attitude was related to a genuine hatred towards her siblings or if this was some sort of thing that relatives did. But she did chuckle when the woman expressed with full enthusiasm that she wished she was an only child. It was funny how both ends of the spectrum could find a reason to want to be like the other. But in her own case at least, Erudite was completely fine with being an only child in most ways. She didn’t even like her own parents to be quite honest.

Thirteen kids though, that sounded… horrendous.

”Yur poor ma.” She didn’t need to say anything else but chuckled nevertheless.

She rose an eyebrow at the offer to be painted and to catch a coffee. Was this woman truly that grateful for her doing something that wasn’t all too hazardous to either of their healths? Erudite moved forward towards the woman, reaching out and patting the Mink on the head softly.

“I humbly accept yur offer, suge. I’ll definitely hit ya up, in fact, let me make this easier on ya.” She nodded her head, thinking to herself about the logistics of making such a request work.

She put her hand out and spoke towards her minions without having to look at either of them.

”Give me one of those grumble poppers.” She ordered and one of the men immediately reached into their belt and pulled out what appeared to be a sphere with a skull on it.

She’d take it and hold it out for Aya to take.

“If ya plop this here into the water, I’ll know exactly where ya are no matter where ya are on the island. Just make sure ya take a few steps back after ya use it… and uh… don’t use it indoors. If’n ya do use it indoors. Just get out of the building immediately.” She chuckled before looking at the Mink with a stern and motherly expression.

She wasn’t fucking around. This was serious business. This was a popper made of her captain’s power.

Which meant that it was incredibly dangerous and could cause a great deal of damage if not properly stored.

“Speaking of which… why are ya going to Notice anyway? Looking for more inspiration for yur painting?” She asked with a smile on her face.

{594 | 2658 | 5000 }

sucré @ gs

Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:29 pm

Aya's light ears folded and flopped a bit as Erudite patted her head. The short mink peered up at her excitedly. Before she could even pull herself from the shimmering bliss of the opportunity to make a new friend she found herself carefully cradling a sphere in her paws.

As she rolled it into one palm the sight of the skull shot a paralyzing chill through her heart. Her pupils narrowed into focused slivers behind her shades...

....Did this nice lady just hand her a bomb of some sort?

The little mink was pulling her best poker face as she was warned about the dangerous item she now possessed. She was trying desperately to ignore the worry about types of wild ideas someone aligned with the world government might cook up if they knew she had something like this.

Of course, that was more of a worry for the future.

Erudite's smile shattered the frozen surface of Pikasso's downplayed surprise. She quickly tried to shift her focus back to what she was being asked after gingerly and oh-so-carefully tucking away the gift for safekeeping. She cleared her throat quietly before speaking again.

"Ah... Y-yes, actually! I heard the views out there are awe-inspiring at certain times of day! I figured I could use a little rest, as well... and if I'm going to spend a day resting it may as well be somewhere nice, hm? Maybe I'll even stay a couple of days!" A few nods brought the runty panda back to smiling warmly over at her. It certainly sounded as if she hadn't planned this trip in advance. "...You said you're here getting supplies, right?"

A thoughtful hum came from Aya as she slid from her seat atop the wooden box and handed the cup back over gratefully.

"Have you been there? ...To Notice, I mean." Realizing the excitement had gotten the best of her for a bit, she tried to settle herself. She was still admittedly trying to imagine what sort of huge neat ship someone like Erudite took the helm of, her imagination running rampant. She wasn't doing her ability to focus any favors.

"I heard lesser minks vacation there! So it's got to be at least kind of nice..." She laughed, shrugging as she motioned vaguely with her dark silky paws. "... Someplace youteia can get fancy little drinks with umbrellas! I don't get the chance to relax in places like that too often."

Not that islands filled to the brim with human tourists with enough money to vacation were the most welcoming for someone as distinctly fuzzy as Aya. She'd been chased out of coffee shops with brooms more times than she could have counted before she realized a little missing coffee was often less disruptive than a mink showing up to try to buy it legitimately in some places.

The world worked in such funny ways sometimes!

With a half-hearted stretch, she adjusted the straps of her backpack and took another cautious glance over the crowds. One could never be too careful, after all, even if the company she was currently keeping seemed to be warding off the most immediate trouble.

"I hope your sailing is smooth! The weather doesn't seem too bad.." Frankly, she had no idea how people kept track of that sort of thing, but it seemed important.

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Thu Sep 08, 2022 9:31 pm

OOC: Erudite has a strong rural Louisianan accent.

Erudite wasn't the kind of woman that often delved into matters of her personal experience. Still, it was rare for her to be around someone who somehow shared her unique life experiences in addition to having another woman to speak with.

Believe it or not, there was just an aspect to womanhood that the opposite sex couldn't relate to as well.

Not that she valued the men in her life any less. It was just something extremely noticeable to her. She felt relaxed. It was a strange feeling that she had yet to get used to.

"Sounds like a real hoot. Ya' dun have'ta convince me darlin'. You can paint me any ole time." Her smile showcased her sharp rows of teeth that otherwise were never quite on display.

She made a mental note of the information she had learned about her new sea sister, committing the knowledge to memory.

She didn't envy this woman's life that was for sure. Especially given how this woman seemingly had more brothers than needed. Like… holy fuck use protection.

Erudite came over to think over her response before speaking; she didn't want to cause any problems by sounding sensitive to the situation at all.

"Not tryna be rude but that sounds like a fucking nightmare." She chuckled, taking one more look over at her men.

"My crew only has one other woman on it, but between you and me let's just say she's a few hens short of a full coop."

She slapped her own thigh enough for it to draw the attention of some nearby smugglers. But she paid them no mind.

You know what it was like to struggle, comparatively to the shit she had seen in the grand line the North Blue was pathetic quite frankly. And her personal opinion they really shouldn't have even been here in the first place. But if her Captain wanted to take Notice as his own then she would do whatever she could to ensure that he got what he wanted.

That was the thing that separated her from the chaff and chattel. Erudite had her own goals and ambitions separate from anything related to her crew, and it had been the promise of Brood that he would go out of his way to make sure that she achieved them herself. So how could she turn and face him and not give him the same help that he had already given her?

She wasn't a fucking hypocrite.

"Now don't you go being reckless now darlin', I don't know how you've been going around these islands by yourself without there being any incidents but you better be damn sure that you're wearing your stomping boots."

A fair warning, there were so many threats out here for someone who didn’t have a crew watching their back. It was best to be prepared for anything.

“You know how ta fight darlin’?” It was a serious question, one that gave a lot of information, believe it or not.

{500 | 3158 | 5000 }

sucré @ gs

Sat Sep 24, 2022 8:47 pm

Aya seemed more at ease with the conversation going, and she couldn't help but snicker at the other woman's honest opinion of the size of her family.

"...Now youteia understand a bit more of why I'm out on my own, hm?" The little red panda laughed, waving it off with a passive paw and shaking her head.

In truth, for all that it was chaos she held no real animosity towards her family or the home she had grown up in. But the heart wanted what it wanted, and Aya wanted to see what more the world had to offer.

That meant risking it outside of Zou. The chance to experience quiet was just the proverbial icing on the cake of that big decision.

Luckily, she had a few aces up her sleeve for tricky situations.

Most situations, at least.

"Oh, yeah... I'm tougher than I look!" The sly smile amongst the laughter suggested Aya was fully aware she wasn't the most intimidating creature under the sun. With her size, stature, fluff, and quiet demeanor, she couldn't blame anyone for assuming she was relatively harmless. And in most cases, she was.

"I try to avoid it if I can, but, ah... some things are inevitable." She shrugged. "...Especially when most people see me as easy pickings."

It was easier to avoid people completely when she could to save herself from the trouble of conflict, but there would always be situations where it couldn't be helped. Rubeck was just the most recent.

"...Rest assured, though, I'm not afraid to handle a problem when it comes up." It wasn't like she needed to go into detail. Aya couldn't see a way of this conversation going so badly it would come to blows, but the element of surprise was always useful just in case!

She didn't really feel the need to ask if Erudite could fight, considering the intimidating air about her. Pikasso didn't know much about fish people, but she certainly knew were often formidable combatants.

To doubt that seemed rude. The way she spoke of knowing how to 'command water' was confirmation enough for Aya.

A little glance over towards the crowd placed the source of a noise that had made the little mink's ears twitch. Another small scuffle had broken out between two thieves too far down from them to care too much. What more could one expect from a cove this shady?

The shorter woman rolled her eyes, exhaled softly, and turned her attention back to Erudite.

"... Do you do a lot of business around here? I uh, tend to keep to myself, so I haven't heard that much about this area.. "

In truth, most of the information she got about lesser minks was from observation and eavesdropped gossip, which, while interesting, was not always the most accurate. The noise of shouting, arguing, and the hauling of various suspicious cargo made it near impossible to follow a conversation from a distance around here.

That was what had landed Aya out in the open in the first place.

Believe it or not, the swindlers and smugglers around weren't much for blabbing about the more sensitive details of their business. And simply picking a ship and hoping for the best was what had got her to Rubeck Island in the first place.

She was sure she heard a snorting laugh through the din of the crowds, and it seemed to bring her mind back to the trip ahead.

" ... You... don't think those guys will be much trouble, do you?" She questioned, more curious than worried as Aya's baby blue eyes peered up from behind her lenses at the woman before her.

{614/3,374}

Mon Oct 17, 2022 5:54 am

OOC: Erudite has a strong rural Louisianan accent.

“I have no doubt ya can take care o’yaself, suge. Still, this plan will require ya to do a bit of hidin'” With a smile, Erudite acknowledged that she thought highly of the little mink lass.

Thinking about what she could and couldn’t say, especially in regard to the business that her crew conducted. She figured it was best to answer just enough to satisfy her curiosity without getting into anything specific.

“We do enough business, been here for two weeks… and we will be here for slightly longer still once we finish our main bit of business in a few day's time.”

There was pride when she spoke about her crew. They were going to fuck shit up on every island in this Blue… and then they’d be on their way to the Grandline once more.

Even if she hated it there.

It was a fair question as to what would happen here and now. There was no way to properly gauge how these men would react to two overly developed non-human females approaching them. But she wasn’t exactly scared of anyone here in the North Blue.

Especially since her Captain was so powerful, it truly felt like she was a large fish in a small puddle.

That being said, she had to do her best to reassure the young woman that accompanied her.

“They ain’t goin’ta to be dumb enough to start anythin’ here and now. Especially not while all of this here business is being conducted.”

She’d reach up with her left hand, grabbing onto her right shoulder before rotating her arm. So that her joints were loose and without all the additional stress placed on them.

A smile crawled its way across her face, displaying her self-assured nature in the face of potential danger.

“Though, no one can say what will happen once we’re out on the sea, suge.”

Her eyes focused, she knew what she had to do next.

Breathing in and counting down from three, her game face would snatch the spotlight away from her normal face. Masking herself the best she could for the negotiations that lay ahead.

Although normally she would have offered this woman safe passage aboard the Dead Air, she couldn’t risk one of her less-than-honorable crewmates getting their hands on her. Be it her captain, or worse, Desmond.

That was why she adopted a swagger befitting someone twice her age with three times as much experience in the art of the talk.

There was no room for failure when making a case on behalf of another person.

Approaching the blond male in the group who sported a nasty goatee and thick, sideburns. She’d gaze into his dark brown eyes whilst placing a hand on her right hip. Taking a moment to size the men up before she spoke in a manner most authoritative.

“If’n I ain’t mistaken, ya boys are on ya way to that there island of Notice. Amirite?” She spoke with a coolheadedness that was reflected in her soft words.

The blond male spoke up, though the piggish man seemed to fix his gaze on his fellow mink. As if he was expecting something. A garchu perhaps. Though the slobber building at the corner of his mouth was highly indicative that his mind is gone. Focused solely on something nefarious.

“Heh, that we are. And what, praytell, gave it away?” The man took a moment to size the fishwoman up, his haunches overflowing the same way his pig fellow did.

Erudite chuckled momentarily, before directing her free hand upward, pointing out the man’s cargo.

“I ain’t new to this rodeo, cowpoke. I know ‘fer a fact that yer hauling high-quality silks, linen, furniture, and laundry supplies based on watchin’ ya earlier. The only island that would pay top dollar fer such things here in the North Blue is Notice. Simple as.”

Crossing each of her arms underneath her bosom, her grin grew even more. Her teeth fully displayed.

The larger pig man grunted all the while, looking agitated with Aya as he spoke. “What? No greeting for a fellow mink?... Snnorrtt... Wasting time trying to impress these… Snnorrrrt “...Lesser mink?” He spoke in an offended manner. Eyes narrowing all the while.

He was clearly dressed in rags, looking like a mangy, shaggy pirate himself. Even his teeth were all the way rotted through.

Sure everything about him screamed that it was a red flag to engage him, but that wasn’t exactly a fair way to handle this situation. Even if he came across as a vile sort.

But that didn’t mean that he deserved to be treated like a leper. He was going to show her how nice he was.

She just needed to let her guard down.

“Alright, you’re clearly the nosey sort. What do you want??” He spoke with a guttural tone, showcasing that he was just as much of a slob as his pig companion.

Never taking her eyes off the man, she continued to speak. Confidence oozed out of every word she spoke.

“I just want to pay ya to transport some cargo fer me. Just need a crate of goods delivered to Notice. I’m willing to pay you a fair price, my friend here will be accompanying the goods. Just to make sure everythin’ goes well.”

This statement alone was enough to capture the attention of the hogman. And there was no indication that he’d let the face of their group turn down the offer.

“Hmm… I see... I ain’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. We could arrange a single crate shipment for say… 30,000… and what is in the cargo?”

Erudite expected this, but she didn’t quite mind that these men were curious about what she’d be shipping. Not that she’d tell them the truth.

“Now, what does that matter, darlin’? This here be a smuggler cove, rite? So who cares?”

The man rubbed underneath his nose with his right index finger, showing his fangs as his grin turned rather mischievous.

“Heh, I care… You see. Depending on the potential hassle… and risk. It might be best for us to up the price. And if it proves to be too much well… we can work something out.” He’d nudge the brunette man to his left and the group of five men all began to chuckle amongst themselves.

"Doesn't even have to be you... ssssnort~... who works it out either."

No better than schoolyard children fresh off the leash.

“Oh? Ya don’t say. Guess I can tell ya what were packin'.”

Truly, this was all amusing. She hadn't dealt with this level of blatant stupidity in quite some time.

{1111 | 4269 | 5000 }

sucré @ gs

Tue Oct 18, 2022 1:17 am

Aya seemed relieved, the mere mention of hiding another clear lucky break in her eyes. Maybe fate was on her side here after all!

"... No problems here. I'm a real hide-and-seek champion back home, actually." She snickered, nodding her confidence in the idea to Erudite. " Piece of cake."

The idea of boarding a vessel with the occupants knowing full well she was there left her uneasy, but this wasn't a simple situation to navigate. The fear of getting into trouble without an ace up her sleeve was worse. It was worth it to avoid any chance of getting caught using her abilities around this sort of crowd.

It was dangerous enough around ports like these looking as cute, tiny, and alone as she did. She loathed thinking of the dinner bell she'd be ringing by adding 'useful' to that menu.

Some men might not be able to resist. So for now, she'd keep that little trick to herself.

"...Oh, I see... Well, I hope we do cross paths again." Aya's sincerity was out of place in this sort of surroundings, but she couldn't help but be excited about the blossoming friendship... and anything or anyone that was going to get her off of this island expediently.

What she was not excited about, however, was getting any closer to that other Mink.

"...Once I'm off this island, I think I'll be okay. Boats have all sorts of places for someone my size to tuck away for some peace and quiet."

Watching Erudite's preparation left her realizing she was woefully unprepared for most tense social interactions, let alone a negotiation with creeps. It was obvious the fishwoman was going to stay true to her offer, though, so the last thing Aya wanted to do was undermine her help.

Aya nudged her dark lenses up past the scar on the bridge of her nose, taking a moment to light a cigarette. This was so much better than trying to pave the way out herself, but it was hard not to worry about the lingering sense of impending doom around this place.

And she'd be flopping out of the frying pan and right into the fire with this group of assholes.

With one big exhale of clove-scented smoke, she followed Erudite's lead and did her best to pretend she was still safe in the arms of transparency. She didn't enjoy being gawked at by strangers, but it was infinitely better to not be alone. Even so, she was having to keep from hiding behind the other woman out of instinct.

Especially when she felt porcine eyes settle hungrily upon her figure. Her teeth clenched down on the filter of her smoke as she tried to find something, anything else to focus on.

The tactic seemed to only paint a target right at the center of the mink's curvy middle.

Why did the first Mink she'd seen in a long while have to be this guy? Aya's eyes started to water, the overpowering halitosis emanating from the pig hitting her sensitive nose as he spoke.

Even so, the girl was disjointed as she recalled that yes, she did have to acknowledge people when they could see her. The expectant glare made the red panda sputter on her smoke as she worked to force a smile.

"... Sorry. Wouldn't want to get smoke in your face."

It was a lie and a weak excuse at best, but Aya blew her next puff of smoke off to the side to punctuate the point and went quiet again as Erudite spoke with the Lesser Minks.

The newly bolstered attention their deal was getting with the mention of the little mink coming along didn't sit right in her stomach at all. She looked up towards Erudite, watching her speak with confidence even against the boorish behavior.

Pirates sure were something. She could understand the siren song that had pulled her brother out to the sea and subsequently led her out into the world outside of Zou after him.

The version of freedom she had carved out for herself in the world paled in comparison to that of pirates in some ways.

The homesick line of thought was shattered to pieces by another snort. Aya liked the tone of this one even less than the last.

"...Really generous of you. Youteia guys will hardly notice I'm there."

The demure panda murmured the words through a clamped maw into a wisp of spiced smoke. She had gotten so used to no one being able to see her genuine reactions that trying to keep from condescending was becoming a struggle.

Another pensive sigh pursed Aya's lips. This was going to be a pain.

"... How long is the trip anyways?"

She spoke up as the thought hit her, praying to her lucky stars that it'd be over before she knew it. All she needed was to get aboard without anything going awry, and things would be smooth sailing from there. Hopefully.

Besides, it wasn't like she could usually ask about the details of the boats she was stowing away on. It'd be a missed opportunity. The more she knew, the easier it would be to convince herself it'd be a sprint rather than a marathon.

{875/4,249}

Sun Nov 13, 2022 4:14 pm

OOC: Erudite has a strong rural Louisianan accent.

Erudite was more or less amused by the circumstances at present.

The lascivious Pigman was clearly upset with the blatant rejection his fellow mink showed him, and he filed that interaction in his mind for later. It was rare for minks to be this far away from Zou, he knew this well.

But to be so easily brushed off by one required... future consequences for the Red Panda. He'd see to that.

Good thing he was the Quartermaster.

Erudite couldn't blame Aya, however, it was clear that this man was up to no good.

These men, if one could call them that, were nothing less than what she had imagined them to be like. Crass, obvious, and without any shred of ethics. To say that they truly fit the various stereotype associated with down-and-dirty pirates would be quite an understatement.

In fact, she was so taken aback by the entire affair that she couldn’t break the smile that had found itself draped over her facial features.

With a slight flick of the wrist, she called forward one of the nicely dressed men, who popped the lid on one of the crates and brought forward a remarkable-looking rum bottle, laden with dark purple wrapping.

Her eyes turned to gaze upon Aya, and she scoffed for a moment before letting her attention return to those vagabonds that thought themselves so… charmingly rude. She was more than certain that these men couldn’t even convince a nightwalker to spit on them let alone bed them. Their actions seemingly made that as clear as crystal.

But in this one track-mindedness, she found opportunity.

“It’s just rum, specialty rum at that. From Flevance. We have other shit ta do, so we just need this delivered.”

The admittance to what the drink was caught the blond male off guard.

“And what makes this rum so special?” The man quizzed with his arms crossed.

Erudite chuckled, running her finger through her hair. Gesturing for one of her men to hand out samples to everyone standing there, including Aya.

The Rum itself was sickly sweet, potent, and pungent. All the signs of a strong rum. One that could take you a long way with very little. The lack of bitterness was especially pleasing on the tongue, though to say it was a pleasant experience for those who didn’t drink often would be an overstatement.

“The sugarcane we use is ta die for. Highly concentrated, makes a far more potent batch of liquor overall.”

He'd look to his allies briefly, confidently.

“Hmm… and what is the going rate on the crate itself?” The smugness implied ulterior motives hiding in the winds.

He’d take a sip, his eyes widening as he found himself thoroughly enjoying the brew.

“Not sure why that matters. it ain’t fer sale, darlin’, sorry ta say."

She wasn't going to play their game.

“Huh? It matters because of what I told you before. We’ll be wanting a cut of that profit.” His standoffish nature on full display.

“What? Fer just delivering a single crate to an island not too far?”

She teased their obvious desperation.

“Yep… and that fancy royalty liquor is going to take on a cool 100,000 I'd wager. Notice only sources the best of the best.”

He knew his shit but it wouldn't matter.

“Nope, this ain’t no bluff. We can manage ta swing that… but I refuse. That’s just too steep fer my blood.”

“Hmm... If you give us some of the contents… that will knock off any additional cost. Say… 10%?”

This was the perfect moment to be a bitch.

“Ten? This ain’t a charity, darlin’, make it forty.”

The man's eyes widened at the absurdity of her counteroffer.

“Surely you jest madame, we aren’t some backwater tradesmen. And we do not need to deliver this crap for you. We can do 20%.”

Yeah, he was obviously offended.

“Make it 25% and ya can take half the crates yerself.”

Another absurd offer, but this time in the opposite direction. Favoring the so-called "tradesmen". There was a method to the madness, Erudite was already many steps ahead of these would-be thieves.

“Oh? Seriously confusing as to how you’ll make a profit if over half of your stock is given away.” Didn’t take a brain surgeon to realize something was off here.

She’d shrug in a nonchalant manner, showing no expression on her face that would denote if this was a legitimate offer or not. As far as she was concerned, these drinks held no value. But by acting like it did have value, then she could work something out for her friend here.

“My company specializes in handing out samples as a form of marketing. Yew might be fixin’ to be a new customer if ya like the booze enough.” A good enough excuse in her own mind.

He seemed to think it over, speaking to his allies momentarily.

“Ah, smart. Well, then it’s a deal… though… I warn you the seas are dangerous. Your friend might not be up for the journey.” The man gestured towards Aya, while his hog of a companion never seemed to truly remove his eyes off her.

“She’s got spunk in moxie in equal parts… ya just do yer thing and we will do ours!” A shrug and a hand would be offered.

Shaking on it, the two created their oath. But she was not foolish enough to blindly trust in this stranger. She knew that they’d try something, so it was going to be up to Aya to not get caught up in whatever their plans were. But hey, at least they got some free cases of drink.

“Fine, fine. Just get the crate here before sunset… and don’t forget your friend hehe.”

She made a note to kill these bozos if she ever came across them again.

At the end of the conversation, she’d pull away, taking Aya and her own goons with her. Making themselves scarce from the earshot of the men they just finished conversing with.

“There, that is my part in all o’this done and finished. Note that the rum doesn’t matter. So do whatever ya have ta do. Just… survive. Ye? It was a pleasure getting to talk with yer sweetheart, if yew and I ever run into each other again, I’ll do something special for ya.”

She listened intently, waiting to see what the woman had to say in return.

Erudite was helping this woman for selfish reasons, but those machinations were not easily picked up on. Many birds were killed in this way. And she left no uncast stone unturned.

{1101 | 5397 | 5000 }

sucré @ gs

Thu Dec 08, 2022 4:19 pm

Watching Erudite weave her way through negotiations with ease was almost as confusing as it was fascinating. Aya deemed to ignore the other Mink's leering, letting her own gaze bounce back and forth between the Fishwoman and the men.

When another drink was placed into her paws she certainly couldn't complain much. A sniff alone was mouth-watering and the taste didn't disappoint in the slightest. Aya's icy blue eyes widened behind her lenses as she took another sip and again coated her tongue in the sweet alcohol.

She was enthused enough about the drink and the exchange that she nearly forgot about the looming danger of the trip until a snort shattered the rosy lens and brought the teeny red panda back to the hog-nosed face of grim reality.

Still, Aya had made herself well-acquainted with a life of stowing away and making her presence scarce on strange ships. This wasn't exactly the sort of situation she was normally used to, but the principle was the same.

Life's recurring game of 'hide-and-seek... or else' was fast approaching once more. In some ways, it was sort of exhilarating. In others, she was dreading it more by the minute.

Sneaking aboard a ship unnoticed was one thing but announcing her presence like this involved a whole new set of perils, with consequences awful enough she refused to let herself think about too long should she fail.

As Erudite led her men and the tiny Mink away, Aya could feel a spring in her step just from the joy of putting distance between her and her would-be chauffeurs to Notice. Still, it was bittersweet, knowing she'd be parting ways with her new acquaintance so soon.

Pikasso pulled her shades up to look at the other woman without interference and grinned.

" ...Thanks for all your help here. I'll try to find a good way to pay youteia back for this if we meet again!"

With a sudden bout of affection, the soft Mink sprung up to hug the near stranger. The warm fluff of her cheek nuzzled against Erudite's face as Aya embraced her thankfully.

"Garchuu~! ...I won't forget your kindness, Erudite!!"

...Later That Day...

'They can't be this stupid, right?'

Aya's errant thoughts couldn't help but pick apart the pieces of the plan she had cobbled together. It wasn't hard to figure out that the sooner she made herself scarce, the safer she'd be on this excursion.

Sure, there was the option to wait for something to happen, but given the company she'd be keeping she wasn't willing to take the chance of getting caught off guard.

Having another Mink around would usually be the cause for celebration, but now it only made things more dangerous. It was impossible to ignore that this crew had bad intentions, and the target was painted clear as day right on her back.

Pikasso's small stature made it easy to hide away in all sorts of places, even without her abilities. She took the first opportunity to slip out of sight and into the thick wooden crate that had been allocated for the cargo. It didn't take long to find a way to semi-comfortably nestle herself amongst the temptingly sweet-smelling bottles of booze.

It was sort of cramped and stuffy but she had squeezed herself into worse spots before! Anything was fine as long as it meant staying out of sight.

The little red panda tried to settle in for the trip, one ear cautiously pressed to the side of the crate. There was no harm in being careful with buzzards circling.

{596/5,441}

Mon Jul 24, 2023 5:58 am

GRADING

Quality Score (Re)assessment: No

REWARDS

Brood X. Bach:

Aya Ruiz:

Sat Sep 07, 2024 10:38 am

[info]Quest archived upon player request.[/info]

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