Intertwined Island: IC

[Hothnia]

Luciana Vespazzi


The man seemed to think over her offer in his head a bit, before finally stretching out his hand to give the revolver over to Yao Ming. As Yao Ming approached the man, he took a step back, putting the Taiwanese sailor in between her and the man, ending her clear shot and putting Luciana back on her toes.Please just give the gun up and leave. I don’t want anymore people to get hurt, and I don’t want anymore trouble. Just give it up and go, please.

A gunshot echoed acrossed the street, and Yao Ming doubled over, taking a kick tot he face. Luciana reshouleered her rifle and fired a shot, one that struck the ground to the left of the man. Cursing loudly, she dropped to the ground as the man fired off a string of bullets in her direction. After the man turned his attention back to the three sailors still standing, Luciana popped back up and fired another shot, this one bouncing off the building opposite of hers.

Luciana almodt fired a third shot, but stopped herself as the bystander from acrossed the street yelled something caught up in the action and charged no intro the fray, landing two quick strikes on the man. Now unsure of what to do, Luciana stood up and sprinted down the stairs and out the door of her bar, rifle still in hand. As she passed through the door, a stray bullet hit off her doorframe, causing her to fall flat in the road. Cursing, Luciana stood back up again and made her way tot the fallen Yao Ming. Reaching his side, Lucianan dropped her rifle and attempted to drag the large man to safety, but in vain.

[Rykil]

Resumed Brawl

Just as he had thought that the diplomatic path would work, amazing. The hooded one had shot a sailor straight in the abdomen and then received a kick to the face. The other three were trying to dogpile him as well as the girl he had told to stay out. He nearly took a shot to the leg which made him jump a little, and the pub owner was trying to drag away the injured sailor. By this point, Aldia had enough. He swiftly drew the sword with one hand and with the other saw use as to drag the girl away. The armored talons were sharp, slightly digging into the skin as the Nightingale wasn't trying to hurt them. He looked towards the pub owner.

"Get him to safety, I'll try to help break up the fighting!"

[Foxfound]

Resumed Brawl

Just as he had thought that the diplomatic path would work, amazing. The hooded one had shot a sailor straight in the abdomen and then received a kick to the face. The other three were trying to dogpile him as well as the girl he had told to stay out. He nearly took a shot to the leg which made him jump a little, and the pub owner was trying to drag away the injured sailor. By this point, Aldia had enough. He swiftly drew the sword with one hand and with the other saw use as to drag the girl away. The armored talons were sharp, slightly digging into the skin as the Nightingale wasn't trying to hurt them. He looked towards the pub owner.

"Get him to safety, I'll try to help break up the fighting!"

Downtown
Mariana Strange

"Ow! Hey! Who's side are you on?! He's trying to kill everyone."

Her flailing attempt to get free was surprisingly pitiful. Now that she was contained, it became clear that she was little more than a brash young girl, perhaps not even an adult at all.

"At... at least give me my shoes back." Her violent facade was breaking down.

Downtown
Betty DuVall

*ahem*

Betty stood a safe distance away, a stern look on her face. Though she was only thirty, when things became serious she had the attitude and air of someone much older and wiser. If nothing else, she had at least a little respect among most locals. Perhaps not enough to break up a gang brawl, but that wasn't really what she was here for. Besides, she knew she couldn't stay in the presence of so much blood without... anyway.

"I believe this girl is my responsibility."

She pulled her away from Aldia and started dragging a by now very stupefied Mariana along with her down the street. It was very possible that the fighting was continuing as she walked and then ran back down the street, girl in tow.

"Hey! What about my shoes!"

"You just witnessed something that would scar most people for life, and you tell me you're worried about shoes?"

Then they were out of normal earshot, though Betty could a second later be heard yelling for someone to call the police, which was probably the only normal response to the brawl that had yet occurred.

[Cossack Khanate]

Alec Ramz, the Brawl

Ramz was blindly firing his Glock when he was hit in his left stomach by two-well landed fists. “Ah, f**k”, he said turning to Mariana, who was now being dragged away by a...taloned man? By the time Alec turned back to his main threat, he received a clap to the side of his head. He stumbled back, ears ringing. Before the sailors could strike again, Alec delivered a perfect kick to the jaw followed by a swing with the butt of his pistol. He fired once, hitting one sailor behind him in the chest.

Alec circled the last sailor, who had drawn a small knife. Alec held his pistol out in front of him and pulled the trigger. Click

“F**k”

The sailor charged at Alec. Alec jump-kicked him in the chest, stumbling him back. Alec drew his own knife. The sailor charged again, this time thrusting his knife. If the knife had been an inch longer, it would have impaled Alec, but this time, Alec caught the thrusting arm and bent it. The sailor screamed out in pain. Alec lashed out with his foot, kicking the sailor in the back of the knee. He fell to one knee. Alec slashed his chest and backed away, letting the sailor fall face first into the road. Before the sword-bearing talon-man could intervene, Alec turned and ran, reloading his Glock as he went.

Alec only stopped five minutes later, back in Tokiro’s section of town again. He sat on a public bench under a shade and began to reload his revolver. He rubbed his head where he had been hit by the shoe and by the club. This is not how I became one of Tokiro’s favorite hitmen, he thought. He pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Yamamoto, the job’s done”

One of Alec’s friends and one of Tokiro’s helpers answered “I’ll tell him. Expect your payment soon. Hear from you soon Alec”

“See you Yamamoto”

Alec hung up and holstered his revolver...

[Rykil]

Downtown Scene

That was a mess.

No innocent bystanders appeared to be hurt, that was the first goal on Aldia's mind. There was a practical pile of dead sailors that had to be buried or sent out to sea. The Pub's business was either going to be slow, sparse, or nonexistent entirely due to the fight. The hooded figure had stirred up trouble, first shooting someone without a currently known reason before proceeding to murder more sailors. Not only that, but they had nearly shot both him and the pub's owner. It was likely a criminal bounty, or some other crime-ridden plan. The owner of the Aviator's Shelter, Betty DuVall, someone who he frequently saw in his visits to the place, had taken the girl away. What was with them? Charging into a brawl between a gun-toting gangster and multiple armed sailors was idiotic, brash, and brave at best when being generous. He looked towards the corpses and the wounded, as well as the Pub's owner trying to pull one of them away. He joined in on it, pulling any remaining wounded sailors to the pub with the dead being organized somewhere else. The dead would be thrown out to sea once this was done.

[Likar]

Downtown
Akira Xing; alone

Akira hears the muffled screams and shots on the street, and swiftly jumps into a local store.

[Danceria]

Carlos Carbaldi
Aboard the SS Hoshi
En route to docks

Looks like another rainy day...

---

Rain. He hated rain. The dark skinned man was from Florida and joined the Marines to get away from the hurricane weather of his home state. Still, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Rainy enough to be miserable while you went from point A to point B, or to cozy up with that special someone. While a romanticist at heart, this post was the furthest cry from R&R.

"Only couple more minutes, Ame-ko-san!" the elderly captain happily chirped. "Gee-Eye Joh moving to Karamiaushima?"
"No, they just need just one to do a look over of the island." the marine would shrug. "Just my luck that I'm the one doing it."
"Not much to be doing." the Captain admitted. "Is quiet, not much happen...or is that why...you no like it?"
A few minutes of silence passed between them. "Don't like the quiet forever." he would admit. "Don't like too much action either-"
Plink
His breathing sharpened his eyes narrowed, even the captain noticed the telltale sound of gunfire.
So much for quiet...

Unholstering his M1911, he heard the Glock 19, and took a knee. "Keep out of sight, act natural, and we'll get through this." he reassured the gradually panicked ship-captain.

[Cossack Khanate]

Alec Ramz

Alec’s phone rang. He picked up, and on the other end was Tokiro. Alec spoke quickly before the gang lord could “Ohayō gozaimasu sir.”

“Ohayo. I have another job for you. My boys on the docks tell me that there is an unidentified ship coming in. It’s not ours, it’s not a trade ship either. Says SS Hoshi on the side. I am arranging for ten men to meet you at the docks. Question the sailors onboard, if they are enemies, I don’t need to tell you what to do”

“Definitely sir. I’ll be there in five minutes”

five minutes later

Alec stopped his motorbike in a remote shadow of an office building, swinging off and drawing his Glock. The ten thugs sent by Tokiro were waiting, all of them carrying various handguns, from a Desert Eagle to even a centuries-old Apache pistol knife. Alec motioned with his hand, and they headed as a group towards the outline of the SS Hoshi...

[Foxfound]

The Aviator's Shelter
Betty and Mariana

The two young women sat in the middle of the otherwise empty dining area of the saloon, across from each other at a table.

"Why are you so violent, child?" Betty asked with deep concern on her face. She wasn't even sure if Mariana was an adult yet, and here she was rushing into deadly fights.

Mariana didn't like how this lady who wasn't even twice her age was talking down to her, but the experience downtown had left her somewhat subdued.

"Well... people were getting hurt. I wasn't just going to stand there and watch."

"So you threw your shoes at the man with the gun and charged him? You're lucky you weren't killed."

Mariana just grumbled under her breath in response to this.

"Where are you from, dear?"

"Japan. Tokyo." she said flatly. "And before you point out my name sounds American, not all of us have been in the same country for a hundred generations."

"And why did you come here? Yesterday you told me you were an investigator, but that could mean anything under the moon."

"I investigate paranormal activity, and try to tell the world about it, except the world doesn't listen. Sometimes things shouldn't be exposed. Us humans tend to ruin anything new we come across."

Betty found this odd. It was clear this girl was disturbed in some way, but this was off the mark. She talked about the fantastical like someone who experienced it every day. And most humans, especially in the materialistic cities, did not. To them, it was all hogwash.

"Would I be correct in assuming you poking your nose into the world of fantasy has gotten you into fights?"

"Correct," Mariana replied, though there was a bit of a crack in her voice. "Both in search of the paranormal and in the protection of it from other paranormal entities."

"Do you enjoy fights?"

"Yes. No. Does it matter? Nobody at home or at school believed me when I said how I got hurt, save the kids who gave me tips. Sometimes I have to fight, and that's all there is to it." She leaned back in her chair and put her feet on the table. "I don't uncover the truth by cowering. That never worked. I've learned so much by being a defender."

So, Betty thought. Here we have a girl that has an unhealthy obsession with knowledge and with fighting off evil, or perhaps just fighting in general. She's come to this island looking for new fantastical adventures to act out, most likely running away from parents, school, and sensibility to do so, and on day one she's gotten into a brawl with a mob thug. It was times like this that Betty wished her sister was here; she was studying psychology at a Japanese university. Betty had been pursuing higher education too, until her parents passed away unexpectedly and she felt compelled to return home.

On the other hand, maybe this girl just needed someone to protect her, to shield her. Whoever she had back home hadn't done a very good job of that, that much was clear. Who on or under the Earth would let a child wander the underground of Tokyo, even if they didn't believe in monsters? Regardless, there was an unavoidable question, or rather several bundled together:

"Are you really an adult, do you have parents, and do they know you're here?"

"Yes, yes, no. I love them dearly, but they wanted me to live a life of suits and handshakes on the surface. I'd rather chew off my arm."

Betty sighed. This was much more exhausting than she had anticipated.

"Child... why don't you go back up to bed, and think about just what you'd like to explore? I am not going to report you're absence from home to authorities. Quite frankly, it sounds as if you're parents have been quite irresponsible. Later, maybe tomorrow... perhaps I'll show you what this beautiful place has to offer. But no more fights with the mafia, alright?

Mariana grinned. This lady was still very adult-like, but some of what she said there seemed alright.

"Alright, I'll go up. To be honest with you... fighting isn't that great, anyway. Not when it isn't educational, anyway."

She trotted up the stairs. She probably would have been proud of herself if she knew she had mentally exhausted a vampire, for this was no easy feat indeed. Betty sat for a while before going about getting food ready for later, wondering just what she'd gotten herself into. She'd have to ask one of her elders for advice, that much was certain. Madame Pitchsworth would know what to do.

If only her parents were here.

[Main Nation Ministry]

Agent Thomas Maher
Coastline
Status: Healthy

Thomas Maher was still recovering from the large wave that swept him against the shore, as he felt the rain fall onto his face, as he laid on the sand. He opened his eyes slowly, as he saw the cloudy sky above him. He sat up, as his bottoms of his pants were coated in wet sand. His whole suit seemed like it took a bath in ocean water. Thomas looked around the beach to see the overturned lifeboat that had washed ashore. "Well, that's going to take a while to salvage." Thomas thought, until he noticed something attached to his wrist of his left hand. It was a handcuff and at the other end was a colored striped briefcase. Thomas examined the number lock to learn that a 4 digit numbered code was needed to get it open.

"The mission! But.." Thomas remembered what he was supposed to do. But he didn't remember his exact objective. He didn't seem to know how the briefcase was handcuffed to him, though. It felt like something caused his mind to be empty, getting rid of the most important information he needed the most. He couldn't concentrate, since he was getting cold from the rain. "This island looks like it's being occupied. I need to get to cover." Thomas rationalized, as he started to leave the coastline and walk towards the mainland of the island.

[Likar]

Downtown
Akira Xing; alone

Akira continues to walk down the street after the muffled screams and shots end.

[Kaziimar]

Shinji turned over a gold coin in his fingers, after speaking with his father who was slowly nodding off again. He was given permission to take some money to go out with, and slipping a few coins into a bag he decided to head to the tavern that that Luciana woman ran. She was very beautiful, although the young dragon lord's flirtations rarely got him anywhere. He was in his human form again, as it was far easier to move around the island instead of flying around in his dragon form like he did this morning. Not only were there pretty girls there, but maybe there'd be a bit of action around the place as everybody and their mom seemed to use it as their hangout spot, news channel and town council all in one.

[Zjaum]

Adam Boone strolled into town with his backpack, strapped upon which was a foldable table and chair, both of which he'd fashioned himself. Everything was portable; he shouldn't get in trouble with the authorities, and he could pick up and move elsewhere in case he did. It was a good day to be walking, and the long hike from the other side of the island was invigorating. His hands felt dry after such a long walk, though. He reached into the side pocket of his backpack and squirted a dose of hand-sanitizing lotion, rubbing his hands and enjoying the clean smell. Pine smells great, but man makes better smells.

He'd heard shots a little ways away, but that didn't exactly concern him. This wasn't an essential run, nor was he selling essential cargo. Maybe he'd buy something special, not related to work. He had his eye on a couple of books and puzzles from a few various shops in the area, and those things didn't come cheap, the vendors having to ship their wares across the sea after all.

He found a spot that he didn't consider dirty and set his backpack down there. He pulled out wooden ladles and spoons, fishbone hooks, and a variety of other small things he whittled in his spare time. He didn't like making things that weren't practical, and he was proud of the quality of the things he now displayed. He set up the table with one hand and laid his wares on it with the other. He unfolded the chair as he bellowed out: "Wooden tools, handcrafted by frontiersmen on the frontier! Perfect tourist items, and lovely gifts! Going now for a bargain!"

With that, he sat back down on his chair, pulled out a copy of The Last of the Mohicans, and began reading.

[Likar]

Downtown
Akira Xing; alone

The sound of church bells ring across town. Its early in the morning still. On the islands, the few muslims here begin there daily fast, as Ramadan recently began. Its cold outside today, and Akira feels a shiver slowly ascend up her spine. She feels worried; gunshots rang earlier across the island. Was it a hatecrime? An attack? Or just a few idiots with guns? Or is she just overthinking this.

[Likar]

bump

[Likar]

OOC:

Seriously guys, we dont want this to die. Please post.

[Foxfound]

The Docks
Betty DuVall

Time passed. As it neared noon, the Saloon's opening time, Betty was finishing up a walk down the main dock street. On her right were the docks and dock warehouses of varying sizes, on her left more warehouses, behind them the shops and apartments that lined the street she usually took downtown.

Normally Betty would be inside right now, working hard to get ready for opening, but today there was rain, rain that made it easier for her to fight the sun, and she was taking full advantage of that. Besides, she needed time to think. What was she going to do with an irritable child who thought life was about playing detective? The walk had given her all the time she needed, but answers hadn't come.

She reached the end of the docks, where the shoreline turned a bit inward and the road made a 90 degree turn to the left in response; at the next intersection after you turned was the saloon. The rain seemed to be getting a bit worse, though it might have just been the wind. She strolled over to the end of the road, where a small area of grass wedged between a warehouse and the last dock hugged a slope down to the water. Further down the shoreline it relaxed into a beach, far enough away from the noisy docks district to be enjoyable, but obviously not occupied during such rainy weather. She gazed out at the oddly peaceful scene; the town was quiet today, most of the usual dockworkers inside somewhere, the conversations of those outside drowned out by the rain.

That was funny. There was something breaking the waves far down the beach. She couldn't get a good fix on it from here, but the beach had no such rocks, so it was clearly something washed ashore.

"Over there. Do you see that?" she asked of an old fishmonger who frequented her establishment.

He squinted, scowled, and cursed under his breath. "Looks like one of the boys didn't tie up their shoreboat again." He gestured vaguely out into the harbor, where the silhouette of several fishing craft could be just barely seen against the growing storm. "I'm shorthanded as it is today, and I'm sure as hell not taking care of it myself. They can fix things on their own time."

The grumpy man retreated into his outbuilding next to the dock, lighting a pipe. Betty began to walk on, but as she gave the horizon another look she stopped. There was something on the ground next to the old craft on the beach. She couldn't be sure at first, but when it stood and began to move slowly she knew it was a person. That wasn't some lost shore launch, that was a lifeboat, and someone had been washed up with it.

She turned around to speak to the old man again, but he had already doused the lantern and gone inside, and he didn't seem like he'd be much help anyway. Betty jogged back to the saloon and opened the door. She was just going to grab her car keys - it was a manageable walk down the road to the beach, but the weather was worsening and she didn't want this castaway walking through the cold - when Mariana called out from the stairs.

"Where're you going?" The girl could smell mystery and intrigue a mile away.

Betty hesitated a moment - the person down at the shore might be in bad shape, and if so this girl didn't need to see it - but in the end, she gave a quick smile, and said "I'm not really sure. I think someone's washed ashore down at the beach. You coming?" After all, the girl would be safer with her, she thought.

Mariana smiled, warmer than she had earlier. "You know, I'm starting to like your attitude."

Betty led her to the old hanger next to the Saloon, inside of which was the ancient Japanese car she drove on occasion. Although it looked like it had been left in a junkyard for some years, it started up with only moderate effort, and soon they were trundling down the dirt road to the beach.

Several minutes later, Thomas Maher would see headlights, and then a car coming to a stop at the edge of the sand, two doors opening. Mariana held back while Betty ran over, umbrella in hand. "Are you alright, good sir?"

[Likar]

Downtown
Akira Xing; alone

Akira continued to walk down the streets. It seems to be almost noon. The clock clicks closer every minute.

[Zjaum]

Adam watched an old car pass by his station. There were a number of places where the it could go, but it was more than likely, along this route and given the turns, that car would be moving towards the beach. How was it today? He just got in; he hadn't had a chance to see it. He walked past the buildings on the other side of the street and peered out across the sea. It was a nice view, one that he had aplenty on the other side of the island, but one that felt newfound here. He even saw some sort of mammal cresting across the horizon, though he couldn't quite tell dolphin or whale from a distance. On the white sands, there were a flock of gulls circling around a... was that a dead body? By the boat.

He looked a little closer. Yup. Huh. He looked around. Nobody too suspicious; he could probably leave his stand for a time. He called over to a Japanese resident walking down the street: "Hey! You! Look after my stuff, if it would so please you, ma'am. I'm going to check out the dead body on the shore. If you do, you can have any piece of that collection you'd like!"

And with that, he stumbled down the hillside towards the crash site. Feet can tread where vehicles often couldn't, saving hikers plenty of time. He got there just as Betty began her interrogation. "Hey, what seems to be the problem here?"

[Foxfound]

Adam watched an old car pass by his station. There were a number of places where the it could go, but it was more than likely, along this route and given the turns, that car would be moving towards the beach. How was it today? He just got in; he hadn't had a chance to see it. He walked past the buildings on the other side of the street and peered out across the sea. It was a nice view, one that he had aplenty on the other side of the island, but one that felt newfound here. He even saw some sort of mammal cresting across the horizon, though he couldn't quite tell dolphin or whale from a distance. On the white sands, there were a flock of gulls circling around a... was that a dead body? By the boat.

He looked a little closer. Yup. Huh. He looked around. Nobody too suspicious; he could probably leave his stand for a time. He called over to a Japanese resident walking down the street: "Hey! You! Look after my stuff, if it would so please you, ma'am. I'm going to check out the dead body on the shore. If you do, you can have any piece of that collection you'd like!"

And with that, he stumbled down the hillside towards the crash site. Feet can tread where vehicles often couldn't, saving hikers plenty of time. He got there just as Betty began her interrogation. "Hey, what seems to be the problem here?"

Betty glanced at Adam. Not a regular patron of hers, by any means, but someone she recognized. Then again, she recognized most people she had met at least once.

"Poor man looks to have been washed ashore in a lifeboat." she said dryly, before turning her eyes back toward the castaway.

Mariana eyed Adam suspiciously. "Now who's this then?"