A Meeting of Hunters [Pirate-Hunter's Plot][Closed]

Taabrea retreated back into quiet meditation as Zangretor regained control. "Heh, well he seems like a pretty cool guy. I was seriously worried about this whole thing. And he'll give us a job too? Looks like we've made a pretty close new friend in a very high place." Zangretor kicked up his feet on the table as he waved to the bartender to fetch him a drink.

"Punch 'em in the dick, what!? Punch 'em in the dick! Motherfraggers talk drek, I'mma punch 'em in the dick!" Ami, like usual, was singing as xe kicked open the door, the doorman visible holding his head before they shut behind xir. "Yo look at that chump, see the way that he struts? Don't kick him in the rump, go nuts on his nuts! Jus' pop a squat, start lettin' off the shots, like KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK just cold-cocked his-"

Xe stopped when xe saw a glare from the bartender, rubbing the back of xir head.

"Hi~... Sorry I'm late... Am I late? I think I'm late..." Xe looked at the clock. "... Not really late. But late enough. Later than planned. I am late in spirit, if not, in fact, late in a linear, non-subjective temporal sense. My lateness... is a lateness... of the soul."

Xe gave a deep, sagely nod as xe finished.

Zangretor takes notice of Ami's entrance. "Well, if it isn't the little captain that could." He waves over to xir, grinning. "I'd almost forgotten about you after all that stuff that happened in the park. Any luck killing off the various vermin of the city?"

She shrugged at his comment for taking a sip of her rum. "Whatever you say." She placed the bottle under her seat again. "Why did I sign up?" She thought about it for a moment. "Well, to protect and serve the people of Vale first and foremost." That is what she told Yuuka, after all. She starting tapping her chin. "And I suppose I am hoping to come across something along the way."

Commendable? She thought, If only... "In that case," Kasumi asked, "Why is your reason any less noble?" A bit hypocritical of me to ask and not tell, but whatever.

She took a sip of her drink, feeling the cool liquid slide down her throat, This man seems strong and observant, not unlike myself. And, like me, he has demons of his own...but don't we all? She thought, He could be a useful ally, and a terrible enemy.

I guess it's time to tell the story I had formulated during the interview, he thought as Kasumi asked him of his reasons.

"I guess it would not be a problem to tell... I'm sure enough that you aren't one of them... Though it is somewhat a long story...", he said to her as he sat on one of the chairs near her and ordered a glass of scotch.

"I... was raised under a strict rule of my family; they've controlled my life and observed my every move. My whole life was planned out by them. The knowledge and wisdom that I had absorbed, and my own perception of the world were under their control.", he took a sip of scotch then continued.

"Recently, I began to doubt the things they had taught me and it was only recently when they had allowed me to roam freely. They probably believed that what they had molded for years wouldn't be easily influenced. Well, with my new-found freedom, I started to compare what they had taught me and what was the norm.", he then took another sip and continued.

"Somehow, they had caught wind of my actions and they started limiting my freedom again. Though I would not let them control me anymore... So I took a gamble... They could observe me on land but if I were to affiliate with something that wasn't under their control and a place they could not reach...", he said as he finished the glass of scotch.

"Well to make the long story short... I simply ran away from them... that's my reason for joining this expedition. Oh! I'm sorry if I started rambling. I have a tendency to do that... I apologize if I had bothered you by telling you my story..."

Kasumi smiled cooly, "Not a bother at all." She said, and took a small sip of her drink, but her keen eyes had seen something different, "And although that is a nice story, I'm not too keen on liars." She said, echoing her boss' words to her from memory. "You don't have to tell me the truth, but please don't try to deceive me with a fabricated story." She said with a smile on her face.

"Well, you've seen right through me. Indeed. Though it was a story that allowed me to be part of this expedition. I guess not everyone could be deceived so easily. Or probably I was allowed due to my persistence but no matter", he said with a smile though only in a tone that she could hear and he then gives her a a business card.

Business Card wrote:

Avernus Corporation
Maverick Avernus
CEO
***-****((OOC: Assumed telephone number))

"I'm actually here to confirm something... though of course its not something that could hinder you or the rest from fulfilling your jobs and of course, I will also be performing my share of the workload."

"Though I'm rather amazed in how you could see through my act. After all this is over, would you care to join the corporation? We are somewhat currently lacking in intelligent individuals such as yourself."

Kasumi glanced at the card, Avernus? Never heard of them, but I imagine they are pretty well-off, considering this man's attire. She smiled, "It's all about observation, and these eyes," She said, tapping her temple next to her right eye, "See everything." A job offer? "I truly appreciate the offer, however I am not too keen on being tied down to one place. I believe, if you are as persistent as you claim, that we can discuss the matter of work at a later date." She said, trying not to give a definitive answer.

It would certainly be an interesting prospect, but I have to talk to her before I do anything. She thought.

While he was conversing with Kasumi, he turned to where the person who had asked him if he was selling something.

It seems that we have a person here who is rather too good with eavesdropping... and has a lot of experience

"Rather than selling, I'm simply making an important investment for the coming future.", he said as he also gives his business card to Jett. "I can see that there are a lot of capable and promising individuals here. Though of course, I mustn't forget the fact that currently we are all here as pirate-hunters."

Kasumi smiled saying, "Of course. My full name is Kasumi Futo. You might've heard of my father, he is a quite wealthy plantation owner." She said, her smile fading slightly as she spoke of her father, "Although there is little love between us at the moment." She took another sip of her drink as someone else approached them. She sat facing the newcomer, her eyes scanning him up and down, So he was eavesdropping? She wondered, Not bad.

"I see, then may we discuss such matters later", he said to Jett as he turns back to Kasumi.

"I did not expect that I'm speaking to the daughter of Mr. Futo! Your father's plantations are actually one of our finest customers. They usually order the fuel of the corporation for their equipment and such. Quiet a small world.", as he chuckled which rarely happens.

"Although there is little love between us at the moment."

"It seems that you've had a disagreement with him... are you willing to share some small details regarding the matter or is it too personal? I know that I may continuously talk every so often but I am also a good listener.", he says with a sincere smile.

Somehow, this girl reminds me of myself when I was about the same age as her... Though I am who I am now after I disagreed with the family's norms

What a coincidence. She thought, "I don't love talking about it, but I guess you can say he has some...questionable business practices...regarding his workforce...that I simply could not, in good conscience, tolerate." She said, keeping the explanation short, "Therefore, I removed myself from the situation, and here I am."

"Truth be told, there is no such thing as a completely innocent business, especially when money is involved",  he said confidently. "If you were to ask how I can say that with confidence, I'm most certainly sure that you would know the answer to that and if not, then you would definitely learn the answer in the near future."

Though the Avernus Corporation treats its workforce equally... in more ways than one

"Regarding the matter of you running away, I would not say that what you have done is either right or wrong. Though your father had done practices that have upset you, you must never forget that he is still your father who had raised you and loved you.",he says with a concerned look in his face.

"I'm certain that he is worried about you. So, make sure that you take care of yourself during this expedition. Though I'm certain that you are capable of that", he says then gives a polite bow.

"It was indeed a pleasure conversing with you Ms. Kasumi, I am looking forward to our future chats.", he says as he bids farewell.

As he walks away and was heading towards where Jett was, he then stopped and gave a final statement.

"What I've just told you just now is something that my family has never taught me... There might actually be some truth to the supposed lie I had told you earlier."

Kasumi looks at the man once, then returns to her drink, "Likewise." She said in response to his farewell. She listened to what he said in conclusion, but gave no comment. I would hardly consider that monster my father anymore. She took a sip of her drink, That man means well, but he's still a businessman. The reason he's gotten as successful as he is now is because he lies and steals from those poorer than him, just like the rest of them. She finished off her drink, ordering another one before looking around. Upon seeing nothing of interest, she turned back to the counter, resting her forearms on the tabletop.

Ami's ears twitched, and xe glanced in the direction of 'Ian' for just a moment.

Just a moment. Just a single, casual glance.

Those ears, after all, were not for show...

"Well I am acquainted with a lot of people... but regarding the current situation... it seems that I may perhaps know your friend.", he said to Jett with a smile and he didn't lower the tone of his voice during that time to make it seem like it was a normal conversation. "Regarding the 'truth of a lie'... though I can't say right now but I foresee that you'll be able to learn of it in the near future. It does not concern anyone here as of now nor your friends, but what I can say is that you may be one of the few who will be able to learn and accept it."

"But I would advice that we not discuss the matters of the past here", he says but what 'the past' meant was actually a business transaction with a certain individual.

"I understand your current situation and thus no further comment regarding that topic." He then takes out a black business card from his pocket and gives it to Jett.

Black Business Card wrote:

CLEANERS
Founder
***-****

"But if you wish to discuss such, then you may contact me some time in the future."

"Now then Sir Ian, I've noticed that you have a metallic arm which is quite rare. I'm rather interested in where you have acquired it."

((Anyone that joins late can just assume their character is here, regardless of whether they posted or not))

Abruptly, Yuuka stop up, putting the files she had been 'reading' back down on the desk. She clapped her hands several times. It was time to begin the meeting. "Everyone sit down please, it's time to begin." She said, in a loud, clear voice, sitting back down herself.

Waiting until everyone was seated, she continued, "First, I shall be going once more over our mission. Please save all questions until the end."

"Our mission, is essentially to be a mobile response unit to any pirate attacks. The moment we hear about a pirate raid - and we will hear about it fast, we'll be rushing over there to stop it. Our ship is definitely fast enough, so as long as the attacks aren't ridiculously far, we can reach the site in time. From there, the task changes to eliminating the pirates, through any means necessary. Although preferably with non-lethal force, but lethal force has been allowed. Rinse and repeat from there.

"Questions?" She asked.

Zangretor's head bobbed up momentarily, as Taabrea took control. "Yes, I have one." He began, raising his hand. "You say this ship of ours is fast. But surely something you believe so confidently in would be a smaller vessel? How crowded are we going to be, exactly?"

Yuuka nodded, acknowledged the question, "It's a new prototype ship, it's definitely large enough to house everyone in this room and more comfortably, while still being fast enough. As I said, it's very fast, and Vale has developed their information network enough so that we'll be able to react quickly to any threats in time with our speed."