The Great Huntress Inn [Pirate-Hunter's Plot][Open]

((OOC: Right, so it's going to be time-skip method, just enter whenever and I'll create a new time-branch for you))

~~Zangretor~~
"Welcome! Close the door behind you and take a seat please. Did you enjoy your meal?" Yuuka smiled warmly.

"Right, let's get started. First I should make sure you're aware of the kind of commitments you'll need to make in order to join. You'll be in the airship often, risking your life almost constantly, and the times you don't have to be on the ship you'll be on hold in the nearby area. The job is very dangerous, and the pirates wont hesitate to kill you to save themselves. The pay and living conditions are good, however, and I will make do my utmost to ensure you don't die. Still interested?" She said, repeating the same thing she had said to Aurelia - protocol must be followed, after all.

"Sweet. Thanks, silver-hair!"

As the large man rose from his seat, Fiona spotted a small red-haired figure, once obscured by the larger man's frame.

"So, what brings a naval officer to a place like this? Military life not paying the bills?" she asks with a faint grin.

"Hmmhmmhmm... Yeah, that's fine. We're dead broke right now, so the money's the main thing. I've got one question, though. Will we be able to collect bounty on any of the individual pirates? We'll accept either way, it's just a question that's been bothering me." Zangretor slumps down in his seat, seeming very uninterested. "Just tell us who to kill and they'll be gone before you know it."

"There'll be no need, your bonus upon stopping a pirate raid will include any bounties on the pirate's heads, although you are free to collect any contracts you may have personally, as long as you aren't doing anything illegal. You will be representing the Kingdom of Vale, after all." Yuuka said in reply to the man's questions, although she was a little worried at what his motivation would be.

"Next I'll need two things - your name, and your motivation for joining, in detail please, this is the most important part." She said.

((Pre-Timeskip))

Ami just shook xir head as the man walked off, resuming kicking xir legs as xe turned xir gaze to the woman, before the man on the other side spoke to xir. "Assignment. The Navy wants tabs kept on the new privateers." Xe looked back at the woman, before giving a huff. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna snoop. Feel free to join."

Xe popped the pretzel in xir mouth and carried over xir drink and cheese, setting them down on the table and peeking in an entirely indiscreet manner over the woman's shoulder to read the contract. As xe chewed, some tiny salt crystals fell from the pretzel onto the woman. It took xir a moment to realize xe couldn't make out a single word of it, and Ami sat down with a huff of disappointment as xe took the pretzel out of xir mouth.

"I strongly suspect that legal teams have a strange form of erectile dysfunction, and making words too small to read is the only way they can get it up." Ami shot to xir feet, xir voice taking on the tone of a commercial. "Size six font. Because everyone should know your shameful secret, because paper's not that goddamn expensive."

Sitting back down, Ami looked at the woman, staring at her a moment.

Finally, xe smiled. "Hi."



((Post Timeskip))

There was a loud thump at the door, followed after a moment by the handle turning and Ami sheepishly shuffling in.

After a moment, xe turned xir head away. "... I didn't want to kick too hard..." Clearing xir throat, xe saluted. "Commander Amittai Wormwood. I've been assigned by the-" Ami's voice grew loud, as xe threw xir hands in the air, "GREAT AND POWERFUL ADMIRALTY. HEAR THEM, AND OBEY! Also don't forget to salute."

Realizing xe had lost a thread to that statement somewhere, xe frowned.

"... Oh right. Assigned as a liaison. Attache, but that's an embassy thing. Lamprey. Spy. Meh."

Flopping down in a chair, Ami put xir feet on the table.

"... Hi. How are you?"

"Name, huh? Well, I suppose I'll be the primary one taking on this mission, though I know he'll want to get at least some action. I'm Zangretor Graneiros." The sharp, black lines outside of Zangretor's pupils move towards the center, creating a star shape in the middle. His voice lowers slightly. "And I am Taabrea. I possess no last name, such useless formalities are unneeded amongst deities of my stature." Taabrea sits up straight in the chair, now staring directly towards Yuuka. "Our motivation is primarily to survive. Petty crimes are beneath us now, yet this weak body still requires sustenance. Our secondary reason is to test the power that Vale has to offer. We seek strong opponents and battles worth fighting. I think our addition to your crew would benefit us both in this regard."

~~Ami~~
Yuuka was (understandably) flabbergasted at the (wo?)man's entrance, especially since (s?)he appeared to be sent by some branch of the government, likely the navy, to check up on them or something. She had been expecting someone to come, but not someone that seemed so... childish. It took her a while to even realize the (wo?)man had greeted her.

"Ummm.... I'm... good? Thank you?" Yuuka said somewhat quietly, still very confused over what had just happened. She took a moment to recover, "Right, yes. I was expecting you, but I'm not really sure what you're here for. Were you sent to get a report? Watch this operation for a while?" She asked.

~~Zangretor/Taabrea~~
So. It seemed this man was not only crazy, he had a split personality too. A rather creepy one at that, but at least their motivations seemed acceptable. She looked up the man's name in her files while she listened, but curiously found nothing. No records of going to any combat schools, he didn't even seem to exist. So probably not a native citizen of Vale, or at least not one living in a major city. She did find something... interesting though. Rumours of a man whose description matched that of Zangretor, rumoured to have committed countless atrocities.

"I see... Can you explain these rumours of your... I hesitate to call them crimes, as they go far beyond mere crimes, but I suppose stronger words would be inappropriate. Your, ahem, crimes? Murder and torture seem to be the most common rumours. While I can't arrest you based off rumours, can you give me proof that you wont simply revert back to performing those acts as soon as you think you're unsupervised? Can you prove that, as you say, 'petty crimes are beneath you now'?" She asked seriously, her face growing very serious as she spoke.

'Psh, well another reason I didn't enlist'

Fiona finishes up her drink. The bartender notifies her that its her turn for an interview.

She gets up from her seat and enters the back room. A young women with brown hair holding a tablet greets her.

Brandishing the flier,

"I hear you need capable fighters"

Taabrea thought for a moment, looking displeased. It wasn't often that he found himself without an easy answer. "If anything, the fact that we've left our native home and come to Vale should be some indication. We would not simply leave behind an easy life with constant victory and large incomes for nothing. If that is still not proof enough, then I will allow you to monitor our activity in whatever way you please. Should our behavior fall too far out of line, we will correct it immediately. I give you my word that I shall withhold my malice and keep my wrath within acceptable range. A swift death will visit the pirates, no torture. I would even be willing to leave some alive if you require them for questioning." The star shape in Taabrea's pupils reverts to normal as Zangretor regains control.

"Hmph, yeah, what he said. Money is our biggest concern. You'd be doing the rest of this place a favor really. If we can't find money here, there's a good chance we'd get involved with something that could be 'detrimental' to someone... or whatever junk you say to cover up incidents here." Zangretor slumps back into the chair once more, crossing his arms over his stomach.

~~Fiona~~
Seeing another applicant enter, Yuuka smiled, "Yes, we certainly are. I'm going to assume you know what we're looking for help for - pirate hunting, of course. First, you should understand what you're getting into, the commitments you need to make to join." She said.

"You'll be in the airship often, risking your life almost constantly, and the times you don't have to be on the ship you'll be on hold in the nearby area. The job is very dangerous, and the pirates wont hesitate to kill you to save themselves. The pay and living conditions are good, however, and I will make do my utmost to ensure you don't die. Still interested?" She said, once again repeating the words that were beginning to become habit.

~~Zangretor/Taabrea~~
Yuuka sat quietly for a minute, thinking things through. It would be dangerous to allow 'them' in of course, not only to the team, but also from the government. If they found out that she knew these 'two' had been criminals and still let them in, things could be bad. But Yuuka had always believed that people could change, and deserved a chance to change, and these 'two' certainly seemed to have the will and want to change for the better.

"...Very well, I will trust you and give you a chance." She said, sighing, not sure if she had just signed her death warrant or not. She once again signed in a few fields on the contract in front of her, identical to the one she had given Aurelia, "Sign here, at the bottom and simply give it to me whenever you're ready. I suggest you take some time to think things through and also to read over the contract, although I assure you there's nothing hidden in fine print. I hope you prove yourselves to be worthy of this second chance I'm giving you." She said, handing over the contract along with another pen.

((Post-Timeskip)

"Well... allow me to quote my exact orders, from one source."

Amittai's shoulders rose, and xe held xir hands parallel to the ceiling as xir entire upper body rose in synchronous harmony. ... Xe shrugged. Xir posture returning to normal, xe looked across the table, appearing dead serious.

"Another told me to, and I quote, 'meddle,' and a third, my former captain, told me he understood the orders to mean to do whatever I felt was best." Ami's voice grew low, and annoyed. "He was having trouble keeping a straight face. And this being after the Phoenicia became the only ship in the fleet to have a regulation about booping the captain's nose thanks to yours truly, so that man was hard to rattle."

Eyes drifting around the makeshift office, Ami sighed.

"So my role in regards to this operation is apparently left to my discretion and better judgement. Because when the admiralty looks at the command crew of the Heavy Cruiser Phoenicia and specifically her XO... they clearly thought of discretion and better judgement." Xe left the tone of the statement ambiguous.

Xe suddenly perked up.

"Oh, and song and dance. Have you ever seen a line of hung over sailors having to do the hula as punishment for public intoxication?" Xe grinned. "It's hillarious. And effective."

Zangretor moved to immediately sign the papers, however his other hand pushed away the pen as Taabrea retook control. "We will read through the contract thoroughly." Taabrea assured before taking the paper and moving out of the room.

~~Fiona~~
Somewhat surprised that the woman had agreed so quickly, Yuuka continued with what was rapidly becoming routine, "Well, I'll need your full name and your motivation for joining, as detailed as possible please, as this is the most important part of the whole interview.'

~~Ami~~
"I... see? That's very interesting..." Yuuka said, trying to picture a bunch of tough sailors doing the hula, and failing miserably. It simply wasn't something that she could even picture.

"Well then... If you're just here to keep an eye on me, may I interest you in a role in the task force? I'm looking for a capable captain, and someone with experience would certainly be useful. Temporary, of course, since I'm sure you're needed elsewhere. I would give you the speech I've been giving all day, but I'm sure you're familiar with all the dangers and benefits." She said.

Zangretor overhears Fiona as he examines the contract. "So, she's a bounty hunter. Hope she's not international or we could have to duck out early." Zangretor returns to his reading, moving behind a wall to remove himself from Fiona's line of sight.

~~Fiona~~
Yuuka shook her head, slightly apologetically, "Unfortunately that's not enough, I'm going to need your full name. I wont disclose it to anyone else without permission though, you need not fear that, it will be our secret. However, I hope you understand I need your name so I can look it up in my files, to make sure you aren't some sort of wanted criminal or anything." She said, pointing to her tablet.

"And unfortunately, I cannot help you with that information... The information I have here is classified. Although... I suppose if you prove yourself in the line of duty and establish yourself as a good soldier, you could submit a request to Vale to release those specific documents, and with luck, and potentially a recommendation from me, you may be able to view whatever information the government has on that man. Which is a lot, if the information I have on others is anything to go by." She said.

It took quite some time before Aurelia finished reading the contract. It certainly didn't help that she was drinking a bottle of rum. She signed off on the contract and brought it over to Yuuka, the bottle hidden behind her back. "Here you go, mam! All done! It will be a pleasure working with you, I'm sure!" She put a big grin on her face.

'That's a shame. But this my only meal ticket right now...', thinking to herself for a moment.

With a sigh,
"I guess I have no choice. My name is Fiona Jacobs. I am a graduate of Signal and attended Beacon for a few years. You should find my records in their archives."

"Woahwoahwoahwoahwoah. Captain?"

Ami's feet were off the table as xe looked at the woman as if she had just told xir that potatoes were a fruit.

"You're telling me you're setting this up, without a Captain for your ship, hoping someone experienced shows up?" Xe stared at the woman in front of xir, slowly shaking xir head.

Then staring at her. Then shaking xir head. This continued for a bit.

"... Give me the details on the ship, and what you have of a crew so far. And I'll think about it. By which I mean, I know you don't have  anything bigger than a frigate, so commanding it and being called 'captain' as a courtesy title won't make me cringe in existential horror, question my existence, cause me to spiral downward into an inevitable madness, and lead to my superhero alter-ego becoming the dominant personality to lead me to a life of fighting crime instead of barking orders that have already been given."

Ami started leaning in, climbing up on top of the table and crawling toward the woman as xe brought xir face uncomfortably close.

There, xe whispered. "... And we don't want that. Do we, Miss Yuuka Asaka of Vale City, Beacon Graduate, and Miss Febtober-in-a-certain-calendar-yes-I-know-about-that?" Slowly, xe shook xir head. "No. No we do not." Xe crawled back off the table, sat back down, and put xir feet on the table again.

Kasumi tucked away the vials of Dust in the pouch on her hip as she approached the inn. She noticed one of the posters outside, Looks like I'm in the right spot. She thought as she reached the door. She entered and saw a number of people lounging around, a couple of them seeming to be there for the exact reason she was. Well, maybe not the exact reason, but to join the pirate-hunters.

She walked up to the barkeep and asked about the posters, "Hello." She said, "Where would I apply for the pirate-hunting job?"

The barkeeper looked up from wiping down the counter, he motioned with his head to a back room, "Back there," He said, "But there's a couple people in there already. You should probably wait until they are all done first."

Kasumi nodded, "Alright." She said, "In that case, I'll have a White Russian." She placed a few Lien on the counter as she said so.

~~Ami~~
"Hey-" To be fai-" "In my defen-" Yuuka continuously tried to interject as Ami made the pirate-hunters seem like a bunch of peasants given pitchforks and told to fight, but failed. After a few tries, she finally gave up and decided to wait until the woman had finished talking first.

She was about to go into a speech about how none of what had been said was her fault, but was stopped dead in her tracks by the calender comment, "H-How do you know about that?! I mean, I have no idea what you're talking about! Wait no, please don't tell anyone, times were desperate and I was hungry!" She spluttered out, completely losing her professionalism and cohesion, her mind almost melting in embarrassment as she blushed deeply.

~~Fiona~~
"Just give me a second... Okay..." Yuuka said, taking a while to read the profile she had just brought up on her tablet, seeing nothing that would be a problem. Actually, the woman reminded her of herself in a few ways - they had both gone to Beacon, and after had travelled the world, gaining experience. She had been helping people out as well, with the main difference between the two being that Fiona-No wait, Shinobu, had charged a cost for her help.

"Yup, nothing wrong, you're all clear. In fact, you remind me a lot of myself." Yuuka said, smiling, "I spent some years travelling the kingdoms as well... Very enlightening experience, I saw a lot, learnt a lot and it was a great experience overall. I think you'll make a good addition to the team."

Filling in a few fields on one of the contracts, Yuuka handed it to Shinobu with a pen, "Right, just sign at the bottom once you've given the contract a read-through, although I promise you there's nothing secret hidden in fine print. Make sure you think this through carefully though. Return it to me when you're done."

~~Aurelia~~
"Welcome aboard!" Yuuka said, smiling as she accepted the paper, putting it away in a folder, "We meet in this inn, in this room in exactly one week, 8pm. Don't be late! For now though, do whatever you want, enjoy that rum. These may be the last free days you have for a while."

Kasumi sipped her drink as she watched a couple people emerge from the back room. She stood, bringing her drink with her. She knocked once on the door and entered, not bothering to wait for an answer, simply proclaiming her presence. She saw a smaller woman looking as if she had just been very flustered.

"Hello," She said, holding out her hand, "I'm Kasumi Futo, nice to meet you." She put on a kind smile for the woman, guessing that she'd be assessing her and not simply taking an application.

Zangretor, exhausted from actually having to read something carefully, signed the contract before relinquishing control to Taabrea. Taabrea also signed, his signature much neater than Zangretor's. Taabrea stood up and walked back to Yuuka, handing her the forms. "You have my thanks for providing us a means to survive in this strange new land. We will hold to our promise as discussed."

~~Kasumi~~
Yuuka returned this new girl's smile, reaching out and shaking her hand softly, gesturing for her to sit down. She didn't speak for a few moments, not trusting her voice while she gathered herself after her last... friendly... visitor...

"Right! Well, nice to meet you too! Before we continue with anything else, I would first like to make sure you have a good idea about what you're getting into, and the commitments you'll need to make if you join. You'll have to be in the airship often, risking your life almost constantly, and the times you don't have to be on the ship fighting pirates you'll be on hold in the nearby area, and will have to be ready to leave at a moments notice. The job is very dangerous, and the pirates wont hesitate to kill you to save themselves. The pay and living conditions are good, however, and I will make do my utmost to ensure you don't die. Still interested?" She said, once again using almost the exact same words as she had with the others.

~~Zangretor/Taabrea~~
Melissa accepted the paper with a hopeful smile, but said nothing, filing the signed contract away with the others and turning back to organizing some paperwork.

Kasumi smirked slightly, It seems like everyone still thinks I'm too young for work like this. She thought. Although that sounded a bit forced, maybe she just tells everyone that. She nodded her agreement, "That all sounds good to me." She said as she sat down on the chair provided for her.

~~Kasumi~~
"Okay, well, since you already gave me your name, all I need now is your motivation for joining out little task force here. In as much detail as possible, please, this is the most important part of the whole process here." Yuuka said, beginning to read Kasumi's file on her tablet as she did.