Skoli has a minion!

Gatherer the Fire Carrier

It was never my intention to become a pirate. In fact, before The Incident, I would have laughed if someone had told me that I was slated to become a part of one of the most wanted pirate crews in the world.

Before it happened, I was one of the best informants. If there was something you wanted to know, I would find it. No matter how obscure the information, or how dangerous its procurement, I would seek it out and share it with my precious customer. For the right price.

That was always something I had in common with the thieves and pirates I so disdained. Money makes the world go round, and I enjoyed my fair share of luxuries. As a skillful practitioner, I could charge outrageous rates and they would still crawl on hands and knees, begging for the sugary words of knowledge to drip from my lips.

The client that started it all was like them, the lowest of the low. He wheedled and simpered and catered to my every need in the short interview to discuss pricing. His smile was unctuous and his eyes glowed with dark desires. He wrung his hands continuously and smoothed his pants more times than I cared to count. His hair hung lank and stringy and his odour showed his contempt for hygiene, but he had wealth.

When he first approached my small table at the rear of the tavern, he dumped a small bag bursting with gold pieces before me. He grinned slyly and said it was a patron gift to one of the most stunning beauties he had seen. I returned his smile with a blank look and pocketed the pouch. I never let free money slip through my fingers.

He sat and made his request. I nearly denied him then and there. But it would be a challenge. I had grown increasingly weary of following adulterous spouses, crooked politicians and tyrannical military men. I yearned for something or someone to push my abilities to their limits. His request was simple.

"I want you to find out the true identity of Suzaku."

Suzaku, the red phoenix. The pirate captain who eluded the marines at every turn. They would barely hear of her ransacking some misfortunate castle and she and her crew would disappear only to turn up half way around the world pillaging a small political office. There was never a pattern to her actions and she always left everyone alive. Mysterious indeed.

And yet, a pirate was a pirate. The stories all claimed that there were no fatalities, but the dead can't talk. Perhaps every other raid, she and her crew annihilated every person to witness their misdeeds, thus removing any possibilities of stories arising.

So, I sat and pondered this client's request. Discovering her true identity would be the thrill I was seeking, and it would give the marines a place to start, a chance at finding a weakness. My eyes narrowed and my head cocked to one side, I had hummed for theatrical value. The client dropped another, smaller bag onto the table, which jingled merrily. I smiled at him and stood.

"I believe we have an accord."

~

I started searching where I always started, in the taverns where rumours ran rampant. Not just one tavern, though, no. Every tavern on every street of the city was scoured for news. When nothing panned out from that, I moved on to the next city. All things take time, and though rumours of her and her crew buzzed in the corners of every back alley and flea hole, I had heard it all before.

I wanted the real deal.

When I approached this particular bar, I didn't know what I was walking into. A shady place, simply named Biddy's Red Bird, it seemed as innocuous and drab as all the others pubs I'd floated through. The floors were wooden, stained with past binges, scarred from fights with swords and guns. The walls showed similar stains, traces of blood smeared across the pristine whitewash. The bar wench was hefty, and I smirked at the cliche atmosphere of the place.

I took my seat, ordered my tankard of ale and waited. The whispers here were the same as anywhere else. "Mysteriously appeared," one man murmured to his companion, "ransacked City Hall. Apparently, strung up the mayor, saying he stole all the King's taxes for himself."

"I heard they's not people at all. I heard they the ghosts of people who the government done wrong," another wheezed, eyes darting back and forth frantically.

That one was new, but no more informative than anything else I'd yet heard. I sat, sipping from my tankard. The ale was subpar, at best. And then, the hush settled over the bar as the door opened.

A small group entered the bar, the most noticeable a striking blonde clothed in the oddest assemblage of reds and blacks I'd ever seen. She radiated friendliness and goodwill. "Biddy!" she cried, walking over to the wench and wrapping her arms around the larger woman,"You look splendid!"

Biddy laughed and returned the hug. "Aye, and I say the same, Captain! Now, what have you dragged in with you?" She swept her eyes over the rest of the group, which prompted me to do the same.

Three men and four women eased into tables and booths near one wall. Two of the men were imposing, one blonde, the other dark haired, while the third was small, lithe and had hair that shone green, of all colours. The imposing men wore frowns and disapproving looks; the other flirted nonchalantly with any woman in a five foot radius.

The womens' diversity made my eyebrow cock. One had hair that was not grey, but a true white. Matched by pale skin, I thought her an albino for a moment, but her dark eyes proved that assumption wrong. Her eyes swept the room and she refused to sit. She seemed military.

Another blonde, who jealously guarded a steaming mug, chatted incessantly with a younger girl that had pale, dirty blonde hair. This blonde had a coating of dirt on her hands, as if she'd been working soil all day.

The final red-haired woman tucked a glaive carefully at her feet and pulled a deck of cards out of thin air. She wore little to no clothing and where the cards had come from was a mystery.

I watched this ragtag bunch of folks as the drinks flowed freely around the room, my brain turning all that occurred over and over again. Something was off. I just had to find it. No, I didn't instinctively think, 'Ah, this must be them.' I never felt a twinge of instinct. It was just odd. And odd always made me curious.

It was about an hour after their arrival when it clicked. Captain. How many women could claim the title of captain on any vessel, marine or pirate? A handful at most. Even if it was just a nickname, it bore investigation.

I slipped from the bar and began walking. The coast was my goal and I was hard pressed not to run. Months I had waited, a few more minutes would be nothing. It took another hour and half to find their damn ship, it was so well hidden. I watched from my viewpoint and counted three more aboard the ship.

I returned to my room and picked up my weapon. I hadn't found them, they stumbled upon me. Usually, I would pick out her identity in a more subtle way, but my pride was stung. No informant worth his salt would admit the info fell into his lap. I would work for it.

~

I waited hidden outside the pub as the night drew itself out. The crew of the infamous Suzaku left the bars in pairs, stumbling back to the ship. When only four of them remained, the door burst open, the dark-haired man dragging the glaive-wielding redhead out of the establishment as she swore and struggled against him.

Blaze. The name seared through my mind, igniting my memory to obscure facts that constantly made their way to me. The redhead was Blaze the Berserker. I smirked, wondering how many knew she stood under a pirate flag now.

The white-haired woman strode up to the berserker and wrenched her arm up, aiding her dark accomplice. Together, they dragged Blaze away.

Frost. The second name flashed before me. A corporal in the military, she had turned her back on them and swore to kill any marine she met. Coyote Frost, was now a pirate, as well. How was Suzaku collecting all these people?

The three disappeared down the street and I smiled. She would be alone.

She was.

Suzaku bowed out of the pub, apologizing profusely to Biddy, before turning to saunter towards her ship.

I slipped from the vantage point I had claimed, trying not to make a noise. The plan was simple: knock her over, pin her down. I crept forward and cocked back my scythe.

For those who know nothing of weapons, a scythe is unwieldy, unless you know what you are doing. I knew what I was doing. What I did not know was how fast the female pirate could move.

She turned and leaped as I moved to sweep her feet out from under her. She landed neatly in front of me, shoving her curled right hand up under my jaw. The heel of her hand hit squarely and my mouth snapped shut, pain searing my sinuses. Her second shot hit me in the solar plexus, and I curled in on myself, winded. I felt the scythe slip from my fingers and could do nothing about it.

I saw the glint of metal, my own weapon turned against me. I saw death approach and... it never came. I unclenched my eyes, and twisted to see what had happened. I had been pinned to a lamp post. With my own scythe. Huh.

"Now," Suzaku chirped, "why are you trying to kill me? Marine? Angry politician maybe?"

"I wasn't trying to kill you," I returned, taking an experimental tug to see if I could free myself. "I was trying to pin you so I could ask you some questions."

"Pin? Haha! Now that is some irony for you!" I rolled my eyes, as irony this was not. She continued as I tried to pry myself free. "But why pin me? You could just ask."

"What's your name?"

"Suzaku."

I scoffed, using my elbow to try and lever the scythe out of the pole, "I already knew that. I meant your real name."

Puzzlement crossed her face. "How did you know that? It usual takes more than a day for word to travel when we make port."

"I'm an informant. It's what I do," I snarled, finally admitting that, from this angle, I could not pry the scythe from the pole.

"An inform... not Skoli, the scythe-wielding informant who can make any man reveal his deepest secrets at a simple flick of her wrist?"

"Yes, Skoli. I... what?"

She stepped forward, grabbing my hands. "I LOVE hearing the stories about you!" she gushed.

"I have stories?"

"Of course you have stories. You should have just told me. I would happily indulge you with my life, Skoli."

"Uh..."

"I mean, all the corrupt jerks in parliament deserved everything they got after you uncovered their twisted plots. I just know you strived for perfection in that case."

"Well, I..."

"Oh! You know what you should do? You should join us! I would adore having you with us. You could scout out the situation before we go in. Like a... like a ninja!"

"What in God's name is a ninja?"

"You don't know what a ninja is?"

"Uh..."

"You want my name, right? I'm Meeca. It will be so amazing having you with us. I mean, if we know what we're up against, maybe we could keep the death toll down."

"You have a death toll?"

She gave me a flat look. "We're pirates, Skoli. Of course we have a death toll. I'd like to see you stop a berserker from knocking off a few bozos every now and then."

I blinked. She was a well of information. Meeca practically oozed new things. Interesting things. I was beyond curious. I didn't want to know. I needed to know.

Crud.

"If you could unpin me, I think I'll take you up on that offer, Captain." So that was how she snagged them. Fluster them, confuse them and then offer up what they want without seeming like she was doing just that.

Meeca beamed, and I got a sneaking suspicion that it was her attitude and swagger that kept those she had ensnared around.

Crud.

---

The Anomalies

Meeca: The Captain
I'm still deciding whether sticking around with this joke of a pirate crew is still worth it. I mean, the money I would make selling your identity... aw, no. Puppy eyes are so unfair, Captain.

Xian Zhu: The First Mate
My words and weapons have never been bared against you, Xian. I'm not sure you have enough information to determine if that the statement is true.

Ryoumei: The Bosun
I'll show you scary, you inane bokor! Hold still so I can hit you!

Kai-Ryu: The Warrior
Why do you have amnesia, Kai? Your past memories are what my dreams are made out of. Tell you what. You and me and a mission to find your past. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

Dell Wright: The Shipwright
Your "limitless" charm might get you into a conversation with me, but I doubt your "limited" conversational skills could keep up.

Aimee: The Cannoneer
I never pegged you as the pirate type. Though, when you said "We met in a bar fight", I figured you and the Captain are kindred spirits.

Coyote Frost: The Sharpshooter
Marines are a sore subject for you, aren't they, Coyote Frost. What hell did you walk through to spurn them so utterly that you became what you once despised the most?

Blaze: The Berserker
You never told me how you became a pirate. Would you care to indulge me? No? Why not? Honestly, what would you be losing by telling me? It is my business to know. Quite literally, actually!

Tara: The Navigator
You steer the ship with minimal help from compass and map. You can call birds down from the sky. You grow a better garden onboard a ship then I could ever create on land. What are you?

Marine: The Doctor
I'll be good. I don't need stitches. No, really. I mean it's just a flesh wound. Please. Please, no. No. Save me guys!

Aria: The Cook
What's everyone's problem with your food? Okay, sometimes it smells a little like dirty socks, but it never tastes like them. Maybe I should cook one day. They'd never complain again.

Chloe: The Apprentice
You baffle me the most. First, why a pirate ship? There are safer places to learn ship repairs. Second, and more importantly, why Dell?! You could have had your pick of masters, and you picked Dell. WHY?

---

Story, coding, overlay: Seiryuu