melodiesofeternity | Player Plot: It's Die Hard on a Ship

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Player Plot: It's Die Hard on a Ship

Who: Closed to those who (before this posting) signed up for the plot. Feel free to comment to the Job Interview thread even if you haven't!
When: On or around early-mid November.
Where: In the sky! On the Pravoka Interviews take place at Ashelia's apartment in Lavode.
What: It's Die Hard on a ship.
Warnings/Notes: Violence, cussing. Okay, all done! Tag in, y'all! Please reemeber to tag yourselves :) Yippie ki-yay, mofos!

Loading up the ship seems to be going smoothly enough, despite the harried look on Lady-Captain Ashelia’s face. She walks to and fro, Kupozencrantz struggling to stay by her side, as she refers once, twice, three, four, more times to her iMog slate. She makes a call - and after a short discussion, appears to acquiesce. Loading and boarding seems to proceed apace. The crew is signed in, inventory is checked and double checked, and the maiden voyage of the Pravoka under Lady-Captain Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca is on her way.

The atmosphere on the ship is calm and easygoing; there’s a lot of cargo to guard, but a lot of people to guard it. The meals are generous, just on this side of lavish, the mattresses in the (albeit cramped) bunks are surprisingly soft and fluffy (is that memory foam? Does memory foam exist on Vaikuntha?) and the air circulation would put some spas to shame. It’s a more or less pleasant time. Until it isn’t.

Shortly before midnight, with the crew scattered about the ship, the lights are cut. Radar and monitoring equipment just shuts down. The ship shakes and groans and, depending on where you are, footsteps can be heard. Hushed voices. Then, you smell something. Or do you? Before you can react, everything goes black. Blacker. More black.

When you come to, you have no idea where you are for a good couple minutes. The room spins around you. You try to move, but find you can’t move your arms. They’re tied behind you, or to the arms of another one of your companions, or above you...are you in the brig? No, you realize as you feel yourself sinking into the plush mattress beneath you. Not the brig at all. Regardless, your next course of action is clear: get free, figure out who did this, and make them pay.

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You come to slowly. The lights are dim, but they’re on. You foggily realize they must be the emergency lights. You can hear breathing around you. You try to move, but can’t really; you’re tied up, from head to toe. Or maybe it’s just your hands, to the metal slats of the bunk above you. Or maybe you’re tied back to back with one of the other crew members, a fellow Hero of Light. Where is everyone? Did everyone get tied up? Well, everyone here in the bunkroom seems to be.

Except Azusa. The ropes are laid over them, but not tied. Well, that’s lucky.

Good luck.

[Azusa never really intended to be on the airship for work, anyways. She only boarded because she wanted to see what kind of work Red was interviewing for and because she had some spare time to help out. There were plenty of promises that she could keep up with the work, of course, and what kind of airship doesn't need a healer, right? It should have been a good time, another good memory for her Vaikuntha scrapbook.

Only when she wakes up on her bunk, it's not the blanket that she feels draped over her. It's heavy ropes pressing her down into the mattress, preventing her from moving much in her sleep. What's going on? Is this some kind of prank? Ropes are a big warning sign in her book—but she drowsily pushes them off of her and cautiously swings her legs over the side of the bed, peering into the dim lights of the room, only to spot Matilda and Baiken bound on the other side of the room.

She starts with them, trying to rouse them from their slumber if they're still asleep, before moving onto Corrin. Serge and Papyrus, she's sure, will be freed by one of the people she's already untied...but girls have to free girls first, right? She speaks in a low, quiet voice the entire time.]

It's alright. You'll be free in a just a second...my, my, they really underestimated me, didn't they? You're not hurt, are you?

[She gives a playful wink, her voice melodic and soothing as always, even in times of crisis.]

"Uh...no, I don't think so, Azura." [Corrin replies somewhat groggily, still a bit out of it.] "What happened? Is it the Hoshidan army? Good thing they managed to miss you, huh?"

Serge awakens... and hey, he's... awkwardly tied to a skeleton. "Uuughh... The hell happened, why're we all tied up?" Somewhat experimentally, he tries his hand at squirming, which... accomplishes little. Whoever did this knows their knots. "Oh, hey, Corrin. Papyrus, too. So, uh. Could one of you give us a hand?"

(It doesn't take much for Azusa to get Matilda up and at 'em, the surprise shifting into a growl as she regains her focus.)

I can take my guesses. If they hurt my chocobo, I promise they'll live long enough to regret it.

(The fox is grimacing as she moves to untie Serge and Papyrus, easily recognizing the skeleton from previous encounters. What a freaking mess this job turned out to be, but she's been through far worse.)

[ Baiken did not wake up nearly so easily as the others, still lurching over and mostly just crumbling onto the floor once she was free. Azusa was the only person there who really knew her, and it was probably in her best interest to warn the others who didn't to get back... odds were strong she was going to be immediately dangerous when she came to, and a bunch of relative strangers were definitely not the first people she wanted to see when she'd been knocked out and tied up. ]

Serge sits up, rubbing his wrists. "Thanks, uh... Don't think I really know most of you guys. I've met Papyrus, though, and obviously Corrin."

He looks around. Ropes all over... that could be bad. "Looks like someone's boarded the ship. Maybe the others have already got 'em?"

Papyrus groggily stirs from his unconscious state. The moment he does, his eye sockets go big and googly. "OH MY GOD!!!"

For a moment, he struggles, then he notices the other. Relaxing briefly, he exhales despite his lack of lungs.

"SO... I TAKE IT THINGS DIDN'T GO PARTICULARLY WELL."

Still, he looks to Matilda with an awkward smile. "AH, BUT THANK YOU FOR UNTYING ME!" He looks around and... yep. That sure is a lot of rope. Whoever did this sure is thorough.

...Shoot.

"W-WAIT! IF THEY CAPTURED US, WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS?! FRISK-"

Panic mode initiated.

"It's Azusa," she gently corrects Corrin before moving to kneel next to Baiken. She gently rubs the woman's shoulders, trying to gently wake her, and repeats her name. "Baiken. Baiken, please wake up. It's Azusa."

While she does this, she turns back over to look at everyone gathered. She doesn't recognize some of the people with her, but she recognizes the skeleton from 'around' at least, and she can answer at least one of his statements.

"Things didn't go well, no, but they forgot to tie me up. My, my, I think we're going to help them regret that little mistake, aren't we...?"

There's a little chill to Azusa's words that's never there.

[Corrin is coming too now, but momentarily looks confused. Azusa's voice possesses the same melodic quality Azura's had, which also doesn't help.] "What? But..." [Recollection of her recent situation sets in.] "Oh...r-right. Sorry."

[She gets to her feet, a steadier now.] "What are our resources? I don't have my sword with me, or my Eye-Mog slate." [Which figures, right? She finally manages to get Shadow Yato back and the first adventure she takes it starts with it getting stolen.] "They get everyone else's weapons?" [She looks over at Azur-Azusa dammit Corrin, stop doing that.] "You weren't tied up...did they leave you anything?" [Whoever "they" are.]

Edited 2018-11-10 00:40 (UTC)

"They took my eiku and I can't swap to Time Mage... sorry, guys." He grimaces, but looks at the door, considering. "I'll go after 'em with my fists if I have to. If they hurt the others..."

Baiken's sword was definitely gone, and as she finally started to get back to reality, it became obvious that her Demon Tools were missing as well... which meant whoever did this got a little close to her right side...

Baiken stumbled to her feet, pushing Asuza aside perhaps a bit too aggressively considering she'd just helped her, staggering past the others and towards the door...

She lets out a roar, lifts her leg, and just smashes her foot right into the door, splintering it at the hinges, the whole thing denting in at the point of impact.

So. Probably the best first impression one could have with the strangers she'd been captured alongside.

"I'm not very skilled with hand to hand combat, but--"

Matilda barely gets a chance to make that pathetic offer of hers before Baiken proceeds with her own plan, kicking down the door and almost making a show of it. That...that might help make up for any lack of weapons.

"--Well, now we really don't have time to come up with a plan. Everyone, take whatever makeshift weapons you can find; anything's better than nothing."

She's looking around to see if she can dig up a harpoon or anything to use as a makeshift spear. She's not gonna be at her best without her chocobo, but what other option does she have? Tilly's been around plenty of the headstrong types who'd do what Baiken just did; there aren't many options besides keeping up and making sure they don't get killed.

Oh. Well that's a very direct way to push forward, isn't it? Very Undyne. Papyrus' sockets once again go googly as he watches. He raises his finger, opens his jaws, tries to search for the right words, but.

That. Is not going to put them on the stealthy side of things, is it?

Heaving a sigh, he finally musters up the power to speak. "IT'S FORTUNATE THAT I HAVE CHEMIST AS MY PASSIVE JOB NOW! I CAN AT LEAST SWAP AT WILL, THOUGH THAT... WON'T HELP THE REST OF YOU.

HOWEVER! SHOULD WE NEED HEALING ITEMS, I BELIEVE I COULD SWITCH TO CHEMIST TO ACCESS MY POCKET SPACE AND THEN RESUME MY CURRENT ASTERISK."

But that would take time, a luxury they don't have. And at least with his custom job, he can rely solely on ranged magic in lieu of weapons. Ah, what a conundrum...

Two yelps are heard through the door.

"What the bloody hell was that?!"

"Shite, they're free!"

"What do we do?"

"Get the feck out o' here!"

Footsteps are heard clomping away.

"Gaaah! Don't forget those slates!"

Footsteps are heard clomping back. Then they clomp away again, and there's silence.

"My, my. That was impressive, Baiken."

She rubs her arm after picking herself up from where she'd been kneeling. She's not going to judge Baiken for being rough with her or for kicking the door; everyone surely responds to being kidnapped differently. Azusa quickly paces to the door and tries to open it. With the dent and the splinters, it's a bit of a struggle.

"They're making off with our slates...I don't know what Jobs you have equipped, but I'm an Astrologian like usual. You can be as reckless as you want. I'll be there to heal you--!"

With a grunt and a gasp, she finally manages to throw the door open. Their captors have already fled from the room, but they're now free to move after them.

The open door reveals a more or less nondescript hallway; one door on the opposite wall, none on the walls perpendicular to the bunks. Just beside the door to the bunks are two folding chairs, one of them on its side. Those pirates wasted no time in getting the hell away from the freed Heroes.

And, unfortunately, no slates.

"Crap." Serge helps wedge the door open, throwing his weight into it and stumbling into the corridor. "They're completely gone. Man..."

Experimentally, he tries the other door, pulling it open. If there was anybody behind it they would've already come out, right?

Edited 2018-11-10 16:34 (UTC)

As soon as Serge pulls the door open, an arrow whizzes just past his head.

Visible from the open door is a larger, wider room; the galley. Tables have been turned over, their tops facing the door Serge just opened. There's an upper level that hangs over the main eating space, covering about twenty percent of the room on its outer edge. Judging from where the arrow came from, the archer must be stationed on that upper level, directly across from the door.

There is silence...other than the sound of another arrow being notched...and a gun being loaded...

"Serge, watch out!"

[As silence descend upon the room, Corrin quickly risks a peek out before withdrawing her head and before the enemies have finished reloading.]

"I'm willing to bet there are more of them behind the tables, getting ready for us to rush out. [She says this in a low whisper.] "I think I can get to the stairs from here and distract the archer-" [She's a tank and used to getting the crap kicked out of her, physically and emotionally!] and give the rest of you time to handle anyone else who might be down here."

"I'm a cavalier, so I'll be at a disadvantage without my chocobo. Still, I think I can manage something..."

...Like this broom. There's no harpoon here, but she does have this broom to work with. It's the best she can do. Once she has a hold of it, a white aura wraps itself around the fox as the flourish of her ~~broom~~ polearm still triggers one of the Divine Stances.

Right on time, too. With the arrow shooting in and the pirates alerted to their presence (specifically Baiken's perhaps), it won't be long before they get away with their iMogs.

"I'll make an opening for you; just let me take a shot!"

It's more of a statement than a request, with the way she readies slides into position by the door, risking that quick peek outside to get a look of the situation. Just remember everything Felena taught you about firefights, Tilly...

With her broom at the ready, the cavalier keeps herself pressed against the side of the door, taking aim with her lance and guiding the Light Arrow towards the archer. It may not hit very hard, but the chance to blind him is what she's going for...

The broom hits the ranger, and he does seem to be blinded. He stumbles backwards, dropping his bow and wiping at his eyes. With one hand, he scrambles for his belt, finding the pouch at his right hip.

Other than the ranger's gasps and the wooden clunk of his bow hitting the floor, there's no other sound, no other movement. Maybe they are all laying in wait...

"I don't know how much help this will be, but without a deck of cards, I can't quite strengthen you all the way I want to," she apologizes, moving closer to the door. If Corrin is going to go in next, she at least needs to provide her a distraction of her own to dash in after, right?

She presses herself up against the wall, listening to the silence before only getting the slightest peek into the room. Once that's done, she casts Malefic at one of the tables that has been turned over, aiming to hit anything behind it or at least send it flying it away. It's a little difficult to aim a spell when you aren't sticking your face into the room, but she shoots the comet of light in that direction anyways.

"Please hit!"

"Okay...GO!"

[As Matilda and Azusa cast their spells, Corrin is already out the door, head down, running towards the stairs, taking them two at a time as she bounds up them. Once she reaches the top, she barrels toward the archer, cognizant of the fact that he's armed with at least a bow, while Corrin herself is armed with a pair of "jack" and "shit". This does not cause her to slow down. It does however cause her to yell at the blinded guard so he knows she's coming for him...so his bow is pointed at her and not anybody below.]

"HEY!"

Baiken wasn't far behind her, equally unarmed, and one armed, letting Corrin be the vanguard as Baiken dashed in low on the rear.

The moment the ranger's attention was on Corrin, however, she just as quickly ducked out from behind her, rushing in close to grab at the archer's shoulder. The Himawari was one of the few techniques she could use unarmed, and she immediately made it known, aiming to leap off the balcony itself with the ranger in tow, hoping to slam him into the floor below.

GROUP 5: AZUSA, BAIKEN, SERGE, CORRIN, PAPYRUS, MATILDA

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