Serious: The Twin Bird Pirates - EP1: Oh Scrap!

The early morning sun of the South Blue was boiling the seawater in which a single ship sailed. The Bird's Nest was heading straight for the nearest island, with it's faint outlines already showing in the far horizon.
The ship was carried forward by the mild wind, it's sails flailing and it's flag waving to anyone who might spot them, passing a single message: "F*ck You".

A few weeks have passed since the old revolutionary leader, who supplied the undying will for a change that lead to the birth of the crew, was executed, and the grief was pretty much gone from his young proteges. The crew haven't seen any major activity ever since they began their journey, but they did increase in number, counting five members at the moment, who were still getting to know each other.

The annoying sound of happy seagulls and the unusual heat were interfering with any chance of a good six hours sleep for the rookie captain of the Twin Birds, Lockon Chopsaw. The young revolutionary captain was sitting next to the helm, occasionally steering it to the left and right to make sure the ship remained on track. The tired captain left his coat hanging on the door of the male quarters, realizing that today wasn't the best day to walk around with a coat. He sat on a wooden box, containing the remaining bottles of rum, with his sleeve-less white shirt and his casual black pants, his bandages covering his forearms and forelegs as always, and his old tattoo showing on his left shoulder. The hot weather forced him to walk around with bare feet.

The quick increase in number made the young captain quite satisfied. He was planning on docking in that next island to try and get some supplies before their quest could continue, because after all, no army can fight with an empty stomach. He was scribbling a few notes in a small notebook that others might call "The captain's log". He prepared a list of supplies that they were running low on.
"Let's see..." He mumbled as he reached for the helm, correcting the ship to the left for about the hundredth time this morning. "Bread, milk, meat, rum, fresh water, lumber, fishing nets, baits, a new fishing rod to replace the broken one..." He read from his list, trying to create an accurate assessment of the price. "Did I forget anything?!" He shouted to his crew, wherever they were. By this time they should all be either awake or swimming in their respective pools of sweat, so waking any of them up shouldn't be a problem.

" Such a beautiful day huh Leo?" A women said to the snow white bird pirched on her shoulder as she looked up at the sky with a smile on her face.

The women was standing nearly 7ft. tall easily towering over he crew members, she had long snow white hair stopping at her back, and beautiful icy blue eyes. She wore black tight pants and a black shirt but the thing that would catch your attition is he white heals which made her even taller.

She stared at the sky as the wind blew threw her white hair, she enjoyed days like this when nature is so peaceful and queit, as she enjoyed the weather she heared he captain call out a check list and then ask if he forgot anything. Ashley slowly walked over to the man and looked down at him with a smile on her face she spoke in a soft and polite voice which seem to fit with her appearance " Wouldn't some tea would be a nice thing to get"

Milla had awoken earlier than most, feeling like a man. It was just as well. It was a hot day, and her masculine attire breathed well. She dressed herself, carefully folding her hair under her hat. Then she went to inspect the pantry.

Having seen the sad state of the pantry before anyone else woke up, she decided she should do something about it. The ship was going at a slow pace, but if she was out of the ship, it might still overtake her if she had to fight with a fish. So she needed some rope. Fetching some, she tied it around her waist before tying the another end to the railing of the deck.

It was time to fish like a MAN!

She leaped out while the ship sailed on, causing a mighty splash as she impacted through the surface of the water, swimming onward in a downward angle, grasping a large pike (fish) by the gills in a single swift motion. Her splash had scared most fish off, but she could still catch some before they got away. She turned around in the water, still holding the futilely struggling pike. Another, smaller fish whose reflexes hadn't caught up to it yet was backhanded into submission. She grabbed it and rose to the surface. The fish were all gone by now, but this was a fair haul for such a short amount of work. Her new style of Blitzkrieg Fishing was working well.

She climbed back up to the ship, dropping the still flopping fish onto the floor as she untied herself from the railing and placed the hat back on her head. Then she noticed Lockon.

"Morning, Lockon!" She greeted her friend and captain, deepening her voice to the lowest point she could maintain it at.

Yan sat out on the deck smoking his pipe looking calmer than usual. He turned his head and glanced up at the flag flying proudly in the sky, then quietly laughed to himself as the flag itself amused him from time to time. He exhaled a small cloud of smoke and watched it float away as the mild wind carried away. Yan got up and walked around the ship. Everything felt so calm and peaceful without the loud hustle and bustle from the cities, the sound of the ocean waves and the seagulls reminded Yan about the unique sounds nature can make and how calming they can be sometimes. He felt much more relaxed after he got away from the urban living but once they reached land, the whole crew would have to go to some kind of town for more supplies and he would have to get accustomed to it again.

But on the bright side, at least the ship rides were calming. Then Yan's new captain called out if he had forgotten anything. Yan pondered for a moment, and then double checked his thoughts. He didn't think they forgot anything they need to get, but he would think more rum would be advised. After all, Yan was responsible for drinking a large portion of the rum stock. He stopped smoking his pipe and quickly walked to where Lockon was and said cheerfully, "Good morning. I think more extending the rum stock would be advised. I did drink a large portion of the stock after all."

As Ashley suggested they should get some tea, Lockon turned his head up to look at the tall lady's face, only to spring his face back down as he got blinded by the powerful sun. "Yea, I guess we have enough for some tea if you want" Lockon answered, adding tea to the expanding list. Tea was a very cheap resource, but you couldn't find it on most islands for the simple reason that it wasn't so popular, but they could always give it a try. 'We could use some tea... it should help you calm down and sleep better, those 5 hour sleeps aren't doing you any good' A voice in Lockon's head said. It was his inner narcissist, his younger self. 'I guess your right...' Lockon thought back, quickly jumping out of his dream world as Milla jumped onto the deck.

In the years they have known each other, Lockon grew to know Milla and partially understand her behavior, and from what he could see, she was being a man right now. He knew there was no point in trying to explain that she was a woman, Milla grew to think she could be both, so he had to accept it and move on. "You sure got up early" Lockon said to Milla with a smile, holding his inner self from throwing more negative thoughts about Milla's behavior to his mind. "And now we have our lunch..." Lockon said, looking at the fish Milla managed to catch. "Maybe we could even save on nets and rods and just let you fish for us" He said, knowing that it wouldn't work since Milla only fished like that when she was being a man.

Lockon then turned to Yan, who was enjoying the calmness of the morning sea. "We could always use more rum" Lockon joked, doubling the amount of rum he intended to buy. "Ok I guess we are good to go!" Lockon said as he finished writing down the requests. The ship was now only a few meters away from the shore and it was time to dock. "We're gonna do this good and quick. Ashley, you'll be in charge of finding food: bread, meat and some tea leafs of you find them." He said. He then turned to Milla and Yan, both of them probably knew their way around bars and taverns. "Milla, you'll go with Yan and get us water milk and rum, by the keg. I'll try and get some lumber and fishing equipment. We can all meet back on the ship as soon as we're done." Lockon said, waiting for his crew's approval before they'll each turn to their ways.

Ashley noticed that the sun shined in her Captains eyes it was something she was used to when someone looked up at her she usualy don't care but she didn't want to make a bad impression, " Sorry bout that Captain sometimes I forget how tall I am " Ashley smiled and walked away " I'll get the supplies you asked for" Ashley said as she walked to the edge of the ship and continued to enjoy the wonderful day..

A hawk then flew on deck and as soon as the ship was under it, the hawk turned into a man with blonde hair, who hit the deck and turned to Lockon.

"All clear sir" He said "No then" he said seriously, suddenly straightening out "Food. NOW." he said

The man, who was named Enzo, had been scouting the area for any harmful ships or marines, and none of them looked like a threat, and there were barely and ship to begin with. Enzo was now rubbing his belly comiclly as he waited for his meal.

The sound of feet landing on the deck woke Gear up, he walked outside rubbing his eyes to feel how hot it was on the ship and was glad he didn't wear a top. Gear looked around the ship and saw that it was in perfect condition and needed no work on it. Gear stretched cracking his back and yawned. Morning everybody Gear looked at Lockon and nodded Captain. Getting to know these new crew mates better was something Gear was looking forward to he liked meeting new people and especially new pretty women such as Ashley and Milla.

"Got it cap'n." Milla said in a jolly tone before picking up the the two fish she had fished out. "Catch." She chucked the fish pair to Lockon before turning to Yan. "You heard him, lets go."

While she was still completely soaked from her dive, it was a stiflingly hot day. The water didn't really bother her. She picked up her hat, adjusting it on her head before walking towards the town, assuming that Yan would follow.

Yan broke out of his daydream once he heard Milla talk to him. "Alright." He said in a monotone voice. Yan was happy that there could be more rum, cause that means there would be more to drink and he really did enjoy drinking. He was humid outside, but it wasn't really much of a bother to Yan. He stretched and walked quickly to catch up to Milla.

Lockon was happy to see his scout, Enzo, who brought excellent news. Well, they were relatively excellent, but the crew was formed to bring a change and no change will happen if they won't be able to get into the center of attention. He caught the pair of fish Mila tossed at him and tossed them over to Enzo. "Go nuts, you can join us once your done" Lockon said. The crew then went of to their respectful tasks and Lockon left the deck after equipping himself with his special penknife, the only thing he wouldn't dare to walk without.

The island had only one town, but that town had a well scattered shopping area, forcing new comers to go between as many shops as possible before they reach their destination. "Step right up, step right up!" a man standing on a wooden stool shouted. "Come to prove your sword playing skills at The Blue Market! a free supply of tea leafs guaranteed to the winner!". The man was handing fliers to the crowd who seemed quite excited. Tea leafs were a rare resource in this part of the Blues.

Meanwhile, a local bar was having a Happy Hour sale, having every drop of alcohol on half price. The bar, as expected, was packed with drunken men, all drinking as much as they could in that hour. Two waitresses with only thin and short pieces of clothing covering their holy parts were standing outside, holding signs that pointed to the bar, having a small crowd of drunken men drooling over their figures.

Ashley walked off the ship and step onto the island almost instantly the first thing she saw were the dozens of shops the large white eagle landed on her shoulder she pet the bird softly as it rubbed against her hand " Come lets go find the supplies we told the captain we'ed get" she spoke to the bird in a soft yet firm voice..
While walking threw the crowd and dozens of shops on man caught her attetion "Step right up, step right up!,Come to prove your sword playing skills at The Blue Market! a free supply of tea leafs guaranteed to the winner!" Ashley knew it wasn't going to be easy but she had confindence in her swordsmenship " Excuse me sir" Ashley said in a voice that made the heads of many men turn " May I have a try for the tea leaves?"

Dynax set up a bin upside down and then put a board of wood on top of the bin and had 3 bent cards laid on the table in front of him. Dynax shuffled the cards from side to side to throwing them around as quickly as he could. This was the only way he knew to make money so he had to do something to get some food. "Who thinks they can find the queen? You think you can find the queen come prove it." Shouted out Dynax as he spotted a few new comers to the town.

"Phew." The Twin Bird Pirates' cook wiped at his brow as he finished writing in his journal. "Time to go to work I guess..." Following those words, he pulled a black bandana from his pocket and then wrapped it around his head, effectively tying back his hair. "A cook's taste is his livelihood! Now whose ready for some foo-"

At that very moment he noticed that the ship was deserted. "Gah!" He shouted, falling back onto the ship's floor, "This is a horrible way to start out."

Dynax saw a few people approach him then showed them the queen card, he laid it back down the quickly as he could began shuffling the cards, he then slowed down and let the his customers choose a card and place money on it. When Dynax turned the card they picked over it was right, Dynax acted surprised then asked them if they wished to do it again which they obviously did, Dynax shuffled the cards again and did the same letting them find the card the third time they did it Dynax did exactly the same again and waited for them to pick a card. Dynax's customer bet 100 Beli on the centre card, Dynax knew which card it was and bet 110 Beli that it wasn't. The bet kept getting higher and higher, when Dynax flipped the card over he was 450 Beli better off. Only Dynax knew the card they were all looking for was really up his sleeve. When they asked him to show all the cards Dynax flipped them over but as he flipped the last card over he let the queen slide out from his sleeve and land on the table upright while he put the card that was there up his sleeve without anyone noticing. Dynax knew it wasn't honest work but still enjoyed it.

With his money multiplying by the second and more and more eager customers ready to find the queen, who was Dynax to say no? He kept shuffling the cards then hiding the queen and taking the money, 654 Beli richer he chose to take a break and read his own fortune after a well deserved lunch, he bought and ate some chicken which he thoroughly enjoyed before shuffling and dealing forth his own cards. As he laid down 3 cards, he saw the card of wealth and smiled this meant he'd become wealthy in one aspect which could be anything from money to knowledge the 2nd card was that of choice he looked around couldn't think of any choice he'd be offered then laid down the last and saw the card of companionship, he knew this mainly mean't he'd meet new people who he'd remain in contact with, he knew these were only rough predictions due to his grandmother's gift she'd passed on but was still happy with them.

Yan was looking around for any bars or liquor stores while following Milla around. His eye caught the sight of the local bar that was holding a discount on liquor only for the hour. He better get in the bar quickly or there might not be enough rum to buy, but Yan was sure that wouldn't happen. He tapped Milla on the shoulders and said to her, "Milla, I'm heading over to the bar to buy the rum. You go on ahead and get the milk."

Yan ran off and squeezed through the initial crowd of drunken people and walked through the doors of the bar. Everyone in there was loud, drunk, and rather annoying since there were drunks staggering out every fifteen seconds and bumping into Yan. He walked across the establishment and sat down on a bar stool. "What can I getcha, son?" asked a middle age bartender who was smiling a little.

"I'll take ten kegs of rum, good sir. By the barrel to be specific."

The bartender asked for the money and Yan paid him. Although he was a little short, the bartender let it go because business was booming and he could easily replace the money Yan didn't have in a snap. The bartender told the girl near him who was obviously working with him to lead him to the cellar to fetch the kegs of rum. The girl led Yan down to the cellar where he took five out of the many other barrels and placed them on the floor. He soon realized he would have to make more than one trip to complete his task. "Miss, I will be returning to make a few more stops so please keep that in mind and let me in when I say so, please." The girl nodded her head and Yan smiled back at her, then took one barrel in each arm and proceeded to leave the bar. It was a bit difficult for him to make it out of the bar and through the crowd but Yan managed to find some gaps in them and shimmy his way through. He reached the ship and placed the barrels on the deck on at a time, then began to walk back to the bar.

"Oh.. hey!" Milla tried to shout as Yan rushed off, but she simply couldn't throw her voice far enough. They hadn't agreed on where to meet again, and while Milla was normally quite rash, you had to be doing things to be rash. Milla was currently not doing anything, and was thinking more than usual.

Then she shrugged. They could still get to the ship, so it wasn't that much of a problem. Still, finding milk in this chaos could take a while.

She walked off to a nearby clearing which seemed to hold a large market. She walked around for a bit before noticing a strange sign perched above a stall filled with all sorts of weird items, none of them looking like they could have been manufactured. By anything sentient anyway. The sign itself looked to be made of about 10 types of wood, and it was unclear enough that Milla couldn't make out what it said.

The rickety nature of the stall had piqued her curiosity. She walked over to it. It was overflowing with junk. The stall was manned by a guy in a suit that looked obviously secondhand, possibly even thirdhand. Milla wondered who would buy this kind of crud.

"Hello, miss!" The man bowed as Milla picked up a compass from the table.
"Ah yes! I'd be willing to part with this fine item for the low, low price of 500 beli." Milla looked at it further. The metal was rusted and the glass covering was cracked. Further, the needle did not move. She gave the merchant a Are-you-a-goddamn-idiot look, before coughing and adopting her best man-voice. "This thing doesn't work." She dropped it back on the counter. "How do you expect to sell this junk?" She continued, glancing at the rest of the stock. "Ah, but it makes an excellent paperweight!" The merchant exclaimed, only to be shut up by another one of Milla's looks. "Who supplies you with this crap? Or have you personally inspected the local junkyard for the worst items you can find?"

The man had suddenly become very small. "Err... and enterprising fellow from Paradise Island sold this to me..." He said. Milla looked at him like an idiot again. Then she let out a hearty, manly laugh. "You, my friend, have been scammed." She patted him on the head. "I suggest you rethink your business practices.

Then she walked off, entering the shadow of a drink stall and leaving with a multi-liter canister of milk, and another, larger one of water. Being a man was once again convenient. She was strong when she was a man.

As Ashley stepped into the place that was known as the Blue Market, she seemed out of place. The shop was filled with muscular men with a wide array of katanas and swords, all standing up in a line in front of some sort of stool. When Ashley asked for a try, the men turned their heads. A few of them giggled by the appearance of a woman carrying a sword, and others were simply smiling at Ashley's will to play with the big boys. "Sure you can" One of the men said, immediately followed by the rest of the men, who wanted to have a laugh with the girl who thought she knew how to wield a sword. "The contest is simple, all you have to do, is fill a cup with hot tea, with your sword alone" One of the men said, pointing at the tea pot and cup that rested on the stool. The area was filled with tea spills of previous failures.

When Yan arrived back at the bar, the next shipment of rum kegs was waiting for him outside. The weird thing was a pack of muscular men that stood around the kegs, shouting at the bartender and his waiter that helped him carry the kegs. When one of the men lifted the bartender up by his shirt collar, the bartender pointed at Yan and said "He is the one who bought it, please don't hurt me". As the giant man lowered the bartender down, a different man, who seemed to be the drunken leader of the pack, turned to Yan. "YOU! You bought the last drop of my favorite brand of rum!" The man shouted. The entire pack seemed too drunk to think in peaceful ways, and they were all cracking their necks and fists, waiting for the opening whistle. "These kegs are now mine, any objection?!" The man shouted at Yan, daring him to stand up for himself. This was all happening right when Milla was passing by the bar with her canisters of milk and water.

Meanwhile, Lockon was humming a familiar sailors tune as he walked around the market area. He was carrying a couple of fishing rods and a fishing net on his right shoulder. He couldn't find any place that sold lumber, so they'll have to chop some trees down on their way out of this place. "I'm pretty sure I passed by here..." Lockon mumbled to himself as he took another corner. He was having trouble finding his way back to the ship in the maze of shops. As he took another wrong corner, his eyes caught the sight of a man sitting in front of a pack of cards, eating his lunch. "Excuse me" Lockon called to the man, stepping towards him. "I'm sorry for disturbing your card game" He said. 'It's not a card game fool... He is playing alone, he's probably drun, don;t ask him for directionsk' The irritating childish voice in his head said. "Can you by any chance direct me back to the docks?" He asked, ignoring his younger self that was trapped in his mind.

Dynax raised his head to look at Lockon, "I'm not playing cards. I'm reading my future. I could do yours for you if you like, but it'll cost you." Dynax said smiling he would never offer something to a stranger for free and when he asked for directions to the docks Dynax said "I'll direct you back only if you can find the queen. If not then you can pay me 50 Beli" He knew he may be pushing it but hell if he tried anything Dynax wouldn't be afraid to draw his knives and do what needed to be done.

(I'm posting for Wolfsbane by the way)

Enzo grinned, and caught the fish as he turned back into his bird form. He then proceeded to tear them apart and eat them fairly quickly. He then turned around to see one of the crew asking where everyone was. He then sqacked a few times before turning back to a human and speaking

"They went into town" he said before becoming a bird again

He then sighed in his mind and flew off the boat and into town, looking for a good target to steal from. Spying one man with his wallet hanging from his back pocket, he swooped town and grabbed it, then flew up before the man realized it was good. This is what made Enzo the perfect theif.

"These kegs are now mine, any objection?!"

Milla turned. A haphazard pack of drunkards had accosted one of her men, and she'd be damned if she didn't do something. She knew that Yan could probably beat them up himself, he was a Twin Bird pirate! But it was principle. She was the first mate. It was her duty to throw the first punch.

She walked behind the apparent leader of the group, setting the canister of water carefully on the ground. Then she tapped his shoulder. He waited for the man to turn before she curtly answered "Yes." Then she swung, impacting her canister of milk into the side of the man's head. The man was instantly knocked out, sent flying against another drunk. The milk canister was stained red as the second drunk moved the leading thug from onto him and got back up.

While normal, sensible people with brain cells doing something else than running around confusedly would have scattered by now due to the obvious show of strength, drink had made these men more belligerent. Another drunkard spoke up.

"Hey now missy. You just made a mistake. No-one does that to ol' Vinnie and gets away with it. You might be cute, but we're trashing ya." Another drunk joined the chorus. "YEAH! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Milla looked at the asker for a brief second before pointing her thumb at her chin. "I am a MAN!"

Terco could only watch the man turn into a bird and fly away, once again feeling so, so very alone. He breathed out a small sigh, looking back to the ship and the sheer space there was now that no-one else occupied it. He contemplated running into the city, hoping to meet with his other crew-members but most of them still weirded him out a bit, not to mention the fact that someone should watch the Ship during their expeditions.

The Cook planted himself onto the ship's deck, butt-first. He sighed once more, was this all he was destined for? Maybe? The Hedgehog's Dilemma didn't exactly apply to him completely but ever since his parents had died...he hadn't gotten on to well with anybody except for those in the flotilla. Did Terco automatically extend his hypothetical thorns, ostracizing anyone who attempted to approach him? Maybe it was his religion, the one thing he could fall back on. No matter the situation, the scrolls always remained.

Within in a minute of contemplating on it, Vinewood already had the scrolls spread across a section of the deck, and began his daily prayers to Asa. The ancient tongue he spoke in was long thought dead, but the religion kept it alive and for a single moment...everything was right in Vinewood's world.

Yan's little smile instantly turned into a frown when he was being taunted. As he was about to speak out, Milla tapped the thug on the shoulder and knocked him out cold. The drunks were all riled up now and are getting ready to attack Milla. Yan spoke loudly to try and calm them down, "Everyone settle down! I'm sure your friend is alright. More or less..."

However, Yan's futile attempt to calm them down didn't work but it did make them more angry and riled up, and he had a hunch that they were going to attack Yan also. One drunkard threw a glass at him but he just punched the glass and it shattered. Oh how Yan would love to drink right now...But he can't cause he has to protect his fellow crew mate, even though Milla could easily take all of them on in her sleep.

One drunk dashed at Yan, but the drunkard's attempt was quickly reversed as Yan grabbed his arm and threw him on a table. He looked at Milla and shrugged at her. Yan knew trouble was going to start from this point on and was going to stay that way until all of the drunks get tired and give up or drop dead.