IC Log: Dangers of a Bounty Pt 3
WHO: Sanji, Nao Yuuki, Orihime, Yuna, Edward, Envy
WHERE: Marine Base Cuspidor (The Grand Line)
Orihime gathers friends to help break Sanji out of jail before he's executed by the Marines, while Nao takes it upon herself to attack the base in her own way. Look for special appearances by Captain Hina, Double Ironfist Fullbody, and Seaman Recruit Jango.
Marine Base Cuspidor
Not so much a base but a couple of buildings on a small island otherwise unoccupied that exists in the Grand Line. It's a forest covered island with a bare center where the base is located. Luckily the weather is good and there's no hint of cold the way there is in other gates right now. Seasons don't really matter much around here. That allows the Marines to walk around in their usual whites and from the looks of it, this base carries an accompanyment of thirty men. Plus one Marine Commander who is in charge of the daily activities here. So when a large man came in to hand over one of the Mugiwara Pirates, it was a little more than he expected. Beli was given in exchange after Sanji's identity was confirmed and he was taken away to a proper jail cell to await instructions from a higher authority.
The base itself is a total of four buildings, three a single story in height (Barracks to the left, a Mess Hall toward center, and a Clinic to the right), while in the back of the compound is the headquarters, a three story building that looks quite official. This is where the Commander, one Commander Spitoon is sitting behind his desk on the Den Den Mushi snail phone. "We've taken into custody one of the Straw Hat's, Ma'am. Sanji the Black Leg." A woman's voice speaks on the other side of the line. "Good. Hina is pleased. Two idiots are nearby and will come to pick him up within the hour. Hina, goodbye." *click*
With the capture of the prisoner, the Marines are all in a good mood. This might mean promotions! Or at least a nice Christmas bonus this year. But they're not slacking off. Guards are on rotating shifts and the amount on guard is doubled than the usual to keep a good eye on things. They wouldn't want any Straw Hat's coming to rescue their friend.
It would be easier if it were night time, but there's not a moment to spare. Judging from the size of that bounty, and the words 'dead or alive', they might decide to execute Sanji immediately! Orihime's still a little woozy from her previous fight, but as soon as she was steady, she started calling in reinforcements.
How lucky for them to have a summoner's help. With the flying aeons, they moved themselves to the closest inhabited island to Cuspidor. There they rented a small boat and began rowing. A small group of people would draw far less attention than Bahamut and Valefor soaring overhead, right? (Though if Orihime knew of the giant animals, including seagulls, that flew about the Grand Line, she might have given the idea a try.)
Orihime stays low in the boat, her fingers curled around the edge as she peeks towards the island. Best if she stays low, since she can't change her appearance at will like Envy, and therefore comes prepared in costume. "Okay... I think we're ready! Yuna-san, you send Ifrit-sama in and draw their attention. We'll row in and find Sanji-kun. Be careful, okay? Don't take any unnecessary risks!"
OOC NOTE: The costume is Orihime and Edward dressed up like Sanji.
When Orihime called needing help breaking a friend of hers out from the clutches of The Man, Envy was knocking on her door within minutes. Sure, playing nice-nice with everyone made for a happy 'Hime and Yunie, but it was boring the heck out of the homunculus. No work and no play made for a dull abomination. Now given the opportunity to help a friend and sow a little chaos, how could he pass it up?
Of course, it wasn't until they got on the boat that Envy realized he was going to have to work with the Midget. Oh joy.
It was too late to back out, not with Orihime and Yunie depending on him, so he went along - spending the flight and boat ride doing nothing but staring daggers at his little brother and plotting how to 'accidentally' leave him in Sanji's cell. Ho ho ho. The trip was also a good time to try to come up with a good form to use once they land at the prison island. Thoughts of a surprise visit from Lt. Colonel Hughes of the Amestrian Military Intelligence came to mind, but were quickly disregarded when he remembered that he told Orihime about ol' Maes. Damn. Should've kept that one to himself.
Its at the very last minute that an idea comes to mind, and the homunculus's cute form vanishes in sparks of transmutation. Now, sitting at the bottom of the boat, sits a black and white puppy - an Akita perhaps. Nobody expects the Black Hayate Inquisition!
The Summoner was more then willing to help once she heard about Sanji's inprisonment. She wasn't really paying any attention to the passengers as she leads Bahamut and Valefor towards the island. But once on the boats, she closes her eyes and just was quiet through the trip. Only when Orihime starts to speak to her does she reopen her eyes. "Do not worry about me, just get Sir Sanji out." She states as she stands up and goes to head to shore. "Wait for fire to show before heading out."
With that single command she sneaks her way around before finding a good hiding spot and begins to dance.
Nao doesn't usually need a disguise to offer distraction. She always goes about things her own (and sometimes wrong) way. She had her own way of finding out about Sanji's capture too. She never dreamed he was worth so much! It's left the redhead slightly conflicted. But she's still determined to break the pirate out. If she doesn't, that means he'll be forced to stand her up -- and no way is she letting that happen!
It was easy enough to convince someone to bring her all the way here. Since arriving she's hidden in whatever shadows she could find to just study the base for awhile, getting a feel for the movements of the men. Marines. Men who've probably been at sea for months at a time. Big burly men who know how to fight! "...Is there anything more pathetic?" Nao crosses her arms over her chest. She's already summoned her Element, those green claws covering up the normally pale flesh of her hands. The nails that tip them look sharp and dangerous. Is she even worried about casualties? Sorry...but no. Nao sighs and stretches her arms casually above her head. The red claws start to glow along with five red eyes behind her. Looks like Sanji's rescue is important enough to her to call Julia out too. "Wait here." Nao strides out, absent of her usual Fuuka academy uniform. Instead she's dressed like...a Marine. Courtesy of the wiggling, bound, and now stripped man laying at Julia's feet.
He owed Orihime a favor, and on top of that he was bored. What better way to pass the time than a jail break? Besides, it was allowed property damage! Not many a chance does he get for that! So Edward is present with the others, wearing the usual blacks he tends to. He figures that if Alphonse can go wandering here and there without him, then why can't he?
Edward has purposely ignored Envy's glares, but he is well aware of his homunculus brother's presence. He knows he'll have to watch his back with that one around. At least Yuna was also there though. He stays near the girls, just to help ensure Envy's behaviour was on his best.
In the main headquarters, there are thousands of Marines and it's easy to mistake a face, but here with only a compliment of thirty, those that work here know each other. They live with each other, eat with each other, and even sleep in the same barracks. They're like brothers here! So when a girl dressed as a Marine comes out of the woods and begins to approach the gate of the wooden wall that surrounds the base, the four men standing guard all notice and lift their guns. "Who goes there!" As for the others starting with their plans they go undetected so far.
Orihime beams. "Wow, looks like someone else is starting trouble too!" she whispers. "Better luck for us, isn't it?" She gives Yuna a quick wave as the summoner departs and begins preparing her summoning dance. "All right, then...Elric-san, Envy-chan, let's go!" Staying low to the ground, Ori-Sanji scurries quickly over the sands towards the wall that surrounds the base. She's not sure if Sanji still has his radio, but if so, that'll make it much easier to find him. She raises her wrist, turning it towards the Relief Society band. "Sanji-kun! Are you there?" she whispers, flattening her back against the wall. "We're on Cuspidor, we're here to rescue you! Come in, Sanji-kun!" She shifts her glance towards Ed, then grins. "Think you can make an opening, Elric-san?" Definitely his specialty!
Black Envyate wags his tail eagerly at Sanjihime just before he leaps out of the boat and happily trots his way towards the front gate. Infiltration is his own speciality, after all, and more the better if he can save the distraction too. It also couldn't hurt to get himself as far away from the Midget as possible. Especially now that he might find his boots a little wet. You should've looked at the doggie when you had the chance, Edward!
Nao's just a little girl! Okay, she looks older than she actually is. Still not an imposing figure by any means. "Yoo-hoo!" Instead of backing down when the guards aim their weapons at her, Nao calls out and waves to them! "I hope I'm not late." She comes to halt in front of the men, hiding her arms behind her back. Normally it would be suspicious posture but she's hoping they'll be momentarily distracted by other things. Like the fact that the top few buttons of her shirt have been left undone. Shameless, yes. But it's what Nao does. "Someone called me earlier, said you had a reason to celebrate. I'm the..." She blushes before coyly glancing away. "Entertainment." Which means they'll probably get to see her take that uniform off! "Wow! I've never been to this base before!" Nao says excitedly while trying to peer past them. "Is this where Lucky got restationed? He's in his forties, bald with one eye, a peg-leg and a hook for a hand?" She bats her eyes innocently. And just as quickly the look is gone. Nao brings her hands forward from behind her back. A glowing red thread extends from each claw, seeking to wrap around four Marine throats, or intercept bullets if any of them manages to get a shot off.
Grinning at Orihime, Edward gives a nod at the girl before he steps up to bat. Entrances, no problem! They were probably wanting to be somewhat discreet though, even if there was another party joining this crazy escapade. "Okay, no problem..." the young alchemist says, rolling up his sleeves before he brings his hands together in front of him. He'll have plenty of time to yell and kick puppies later. If he were to break into an outburst here, well, it wouldn't be good.
The four marines glance to each other and then back to the cute girl. Wow! One of the officers must've sent her over. Though they're not sure what boat she came on.. but who cares! And even if they don't know what 'Lucky' she's talking about.. who cares about that either! She's probably not too smart anyway, given her line of work. The guns are lowered slowly and just in time for them to be wrapped about the neck, all four of them caught by the thread. The dog.. is ignored. Even if there aren't any tame dogs, let alone wild dogs roaming this island. They have other things to worry about than who smuggled in Fido. However, with the group that's about to gather at the front of the main gates it'll be a crowded entryway for man or animal to get through with all those stomping feet.
Other marines who're making the rounds spot the danger their four comrades are in and shout for help. That's when Commander Spitoon exits the main compound. "What?! We're under attack?" Quickly he turns his head to the side and spits some chewing tobacoo into a pot. *p-tink* "Group two, guard the door here! The rest of you spread out and go see what's happening!" That's followed by a chorus of 'yes sir!' as the marines start to move. Twelve men stand guard in front of the three story building with guns and swords ready. Six more are running for the main gates, drawing their weapons to try and help those Nao has captured, but they can't fire just yet with the four marines standing in the way. As for Edward, naturally he'll have no problem making a door.
Fido's too busy facepawing to try sneaking in right now. Oi, first you get inside ur base, then u start killing their doodz! Not the other way around! With a dismal shake of his head, Black Envyate lopes over into the woods, and a couple moments later, the hapless Marine that Nao had left behind comes racing out of the woods - pulling up his pant zipper. Ah, bathroom humor. Where would we be without you? "AAAH! I leave my post for five seconds and this is what happens!"
It was around this time that Yuna finished her summoning dance and soon, a circle of flame surrounded the place with strange symbols on the ground being created by the fire. The ground would act like it's breaking as Ifrit springs out of the ground with Yuna sitting on his shoulder. He then moves Yuna to under his mane so that she would remain hidden as he goes to start creating fires all around the place and attacking any marine that came into his path.
He waits a moment as if holding off for an opportune time to pull this off, and likely any loud noises coming from the other direction will do nicely. Palms
are touched to the wall, blue light snaking across its surface as low and behold, a door is created just for them! Never you mind the gothic skull motif! In Edward's opinion, it certainly is a plus to the rest of the base's appearance. The young alchemist then grins, gesturing to Orihime as he opens the door a crack, deciding to take point just in case someone's on the other side wondering when the heck they got a new door installed.
"Great! That's wonderful, Elric-san!" Orihime whispers, beaming as she claps her palms together in open appreciation. The skull is blinked at, then she sniggers. What better way to save a pirate than to invoke the centerpiece of their flag, right? She stays close to Edward, also turning her head this way and that before scurrying forward. No response on the radio...she hopes he's not sleeping, or unconscious! "Shun'ou, Ayame, Tsubaki!" She touches her fingers to her hairpins, and six petals break away. She'll reserve the three on the shield just in case someone tries shooting at them. "Spread out and search the cells, the marines won't be able to s--ow ow ow! Tsubaki-kuuuuun!"
"What's this?! This isn't in my job description, I'm your cutting shield! Not a rescue ranger!"
"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll let you cut lots of stuff when we get home!"
"That's hardly the point! AUGH! Foolish woman! Fine, I'll go this once, but let it be known that I don't like this!"
Shun'ou and Ayame glance at one another, sweatdropping, and swiftly wing away to slip into one building each. Two left to investigate...
Nao tightens the threads around their necks just enough to constrict their breathing but not enough to slice their flesh. She gives them a tug, holding them like puppets in front of her. The HiME watches half a dozen more men approaching her but stands her ground behind her shield of their comrades. "Mou, don't be so rude." Nao pouts. "I've come all this way and you won't even invite me in?" She sounds really hurt! "Fine." Her voice goes suddenly flat as she shoves the men forward. She's not overly worried about them right now. They're gonna be more concerned with getting oxygen back into their lungs. "Julia." As soon as Nao says the name, there's a disturbance in the woods behind her. Something large and green leaps straight up through the trees and lands solidly in front of her. They can explain their lack of manners to the huge green spider then! Meanwhile Nao herself turns towards that hapless Marine. "Ah, so happy you could join us." She smirks, beckoning him closer with a single claw-tipped finger. "Would you like to play with me?" <3
The six marines who had reinforced the gate guard and are trying to get a clear shot at Nao see their comrade return from the woods. "Leroy! What're you doing?! Help us out here! This girl is crazy!" Good thing Leroy's coming from the rear wooded area. Maybe he can get a jump on Nao from behind! That's when Julia makes her appearance and lands in front of Nao. Once the four are released they stagger forward and fall to the ground unconscious, but at least they're out of the way. "FIRE!" All six open fire with their guns on large green creature that belongs to Nao.
The door is created and when Edward peeks through he can see a group of four marines running past, but they don't stop to notice the door since they're in such a hurry. If they're going to sneak in they'd better do it quickly! But wandering about won't leave them unseen for long, now that the marines are scouring the area. As for Orihime's messengers, they zip off and will no doubt report back when they find something!
The explosions from outside the wall cause those standing guard in the main part of the yard to look over. "What's that?! Is it the Mugiwara Pirates?" "But there's no ship out there!" The fire that's going on around the base is worrisome, but none are going to venture outside the gate to check on it when they're on the defensive. If Ifrit wants to smack some marines around he'll have to get inside the wall first!
So much for the jump from behind! This is what I get for lone wolfing it again, Envy thinks to himself as he starts to sweat nervously at Nao and her 'pet'. Time for a Think Fast moment. "Hey! Your spider's having babies!", 'Leroy' points quickly to Julia's abdomen, and just as quickly - he leaps atop the spider's carapace! Hooray for Leroy, he's bravely taking on the evil critter!
Or is he? For the Marine leaps again, this time somersaulting, twirling, and even shimmering in the night sky! What lands foot-first in a soldier's face certainly isn't Leroy, but a frond-haired scantily-clad androgynous freak. Abomination, if you will. He winks to the rest of the troops right before trying to dash inside and find a nice new shadow to hide in again.
Edward Elric flashes Orihime a thumbs up, his grin faltering at the interruption from Tsubaki. The boy blinks at the belligerent manifestation that pulls on Orihime's hair. Shrugging, he then proceeds into the building with her, golden eyes continually moving about, on the alert for anything or anyone. Hope those fairy things found who they were looking for- it'd make things much easier once they knew where to head.
The upper part of Julia's body, the part that looks a little more humanoid actually smirks at the Marines. As the men are pulling the triggers, Julia fires in her own way -- her chest opens to start shooting thousands of sticky webs in the men's direction. But some of the bullets do manage to make their way through. The large arachnid stumbles a little when one of her legs is shattered by one. It's okay though, she's still got seven more! But it's still enough to really tick Nao off. They're not simple partners in crime, Julia's connected to someone Nao loves. She takes a step towards Leroy, looking slightly less amused than before.
Blink. Her spider is doing -what-? Nao is stunned for a moment, giving the impostor a chance to get past her. The redhead hisses, before spinning around to keep him in her sights. She's slightly confused by it all but at least she doesn't have to deal with him. Meanwhile Julia attempts to advance, slightly off-balance by the three legs on one side. Her bladed tail thrusts forward from beneath her abdomen, trying to keep whatever Marines she can at bay.
Listening to the orders by his Summoner, Ifrit continues to cause fires surrounding the base and then charges towards the wall itself. He lets out a roar before going to place his hands (paws?) against it and to the poor marines on the inside of the wall cause suddenly the wall bursts into flames and Ifrit goes to stand in the middle of the flames, standing on his hind legs and spreading his arms outwards and downwards with his palms facing whatever marines at the area.
Orihime's head swivels left and right rapidly, and with an exaggerated scurrying of pointed toes, she creeps forward boldly. Sounds like quite a ruckus is going on outside the gates. Yuna and Envy must be doing a bang-up job out there! With Shun'ou and Ayame heading out to the two buildings farthest away, she and Ed can investigate the first one they come across. Now's the dangerous part for sure. "If we get spotted, I'll play decoy. I can run really fast, and the shield will keep me safe. Keep looking in the meantime!" she whispers, edging close to the concrete walls. "I think...this is a good place for a back door, don't you?" Grin smile beam! She must have learned that from Ling.
"Up there!" The marines look up to see Envy, though one gets stomped on the face and falls to the ground. He might be full of bullets if it had not been for Julia's stickyweb, which ensnares four more guards and causes them to fall, unable to fire again. The remaining get back to rejoin the large group that's making a front against Julia at the gate, but three with swords break off and start to chase after Envy. After such a direct view of him, they're not going to let him out of their sight so easily! Especially in the middle of the day. As for the large group that's holding it's ground against Julia, again they begin to open fire. "Commander! This thing is..!!" They're in big trouble!
The wall to the east of the compound breaks down and in charges Ifrit. The flames are intimidating enough without the beast looking like it stepped right out of hell. There's a unified SCREAM from Group #3 and three of the men are swiped away by the summon and go flying. "This is bad! Someone get the canon ready!" Three of the men from Group #2 that was guarding the front door of the main compound go running inside.
With nearly half the marines incapacitated already, things are looking grim, but two spot the roaming Edward and Orihime (who are outside the barracks building) and point in their direction. "More intruders!" "Hey, isn't that the prisoner!?" Two of the prisoner? The two marines turn to each other and begin to talk, but not so quiet they can't be overheard. "They dress like the Black Leg.. but look at that one." Insert a composite sketch of Sanji, looking as handsome as always *shimmer* next to Edward. A dotted line above Sanji's head and then a dotted line above Edward's.. which reaches to Sanji's chest. *BZZZZ* "He's too SHORT!" His partner agrees, "Yes definitely waaaay too SHORT to be the prisoner!" "And look at that one!" They stare at Orihime. "...." "...." And say together. "That's DEFINITELY a woman." *_* *_* At least they're too distracted to call for backup?
The Fullmetal Alchemist smirks but doesn't shake his head. He supposes anyone who spent that much time with the Xingese freeloader was bound to start borrowing on his expressions eventually. Licking his lips, Edward looks towards the wall. He gives it a brief tap, useless as he figured since it doesn't yield much hint as to how thick it was. Oh well. Not like he couldn't improvise. He raises his hands, poised to pull another transmutation-
-and speaking of improvisation, his Elric-senses tingle. His hands clap together, but he doesn't move towards the wall. Instead, he spins and drops a palm against the ground. Blue light flares and crackles along the floor towards the two impudent guards that DARE say anything about his height! He's gotten at least a -little- taller at seventeen, give him a break!!
The ground begins to buckle upwards as if something were burrowing its way in a maddened frenzy towards the two men, and if they haven't taken to running yet, they probably will soon as a giant stone shark-like head breaks through and surges towards them in typical RARIEATYOUNOW fashion.
Brow still twitching although not fitting with the twisted smirk on his face, Edward turns again to handle making that door Orihime had suggested, as if nothing had happened. The new door happens to be skull-ridden as well, and are those teeth on the edges?
EEEEEEEP!!!! Orihime freezes in shock and stares...up until she realizes that they're staring at her. Huh? What's with that strange starry-eyed gaze? Hee hee, they look just like Keigo! But she's gotta think fast, they're not buying the disguise. Wasn't there a fighter out there that changed into a woman sometimes for mysterious reasons? Something about a spring of Juusenkyo or such? "Yes!" Orihime declares, and flexes an arm, sticking her leg up into the air the way that Sanji does. "With the power of the JuJu fruit, I can now change into a woman! And split myself in two, with the TwinTwin fruit! Ta-dahhhhh!" She pirouettes three feet to the left, then three feet to the right.
Ayame swoops in close to Orihime's ear, cupping her small hands to her mouth. Whisperwhisperwhisper! Oh? Oh!!! "What great news! Ahem! Other me, it seems...AHH!!!" Orihime gapes as she witnesses the full fury of the Fullmetal Alchemist. W-wow! That's a pretty big shark! She reaches to grab Ed-Sanji's elbow, beaming from ear to ear. "They found him! That building in the back, third floor! Let's goooooo!"
Oh, right, its the middle of day- Wait. Who the hell thought of raiding during the afternoon!? Envy makes another mental note to talk over infiltration strategies with Orihime sometime as he dashes across the courtyard. The guys with swords will find it hard to keep up with him at first, as those long unburdened legs and quick strides give the homunculus a definite advantage in speed. However, with no place to hide, he's dashing in a beeline straight for the headquarters building. No obvious cell blocks to be seen, so that Sanji guy must be in there, along with Orihime and the Midget by now. Sounds like a good time for a rendesvous!
Nao follows behind Julia as the spider clears the way for her. Another leg is shattered by Marine fire, prompting Nao to fling her Element's threads around Julia's torso so she can pull herself onto her back. Nao places a hand on her Child's shoulder to glare down at the men. "If you'd just been gentlemen and invited me in...!" None of this would've happened! She leans down suddenly, the red claws extending. She'll slice the guns right out of their hands if that's what it takes. She slashes at one man before rising with the help of her threads when more Marines rush forward. She might not have the most firepower of the HiME girls, but sometimes getting rid of her is like swatting at a scampering spider. It's not always as easy as it seems. Julia's chest opens again to spray more webs amidst jabs from her tail. It's chaotic but that's the way Nao likes it!
Ifrit remains looking like a creature coming from hell as he attacks Group #3 before going to slam his hands down to the ground with causes it to open up and bursts of flame roars upwards.
As the shark head starts to come at them the two marines turn and start to run. Aiyeeee!!! Guess that took care of those two guys. No doubt the shark is not going to stop for awhile after what they had said.
When Orihime, Edward, and Envy all start to run they do indeed regroup in the courtyard and the trio is heading straight for the main building, which is still being guarded by Group #2. However, they have a slightly bigger problem to deal with, once Commander Spitoon exits the building and brings out.. a gatling gun. Being three times the size of a normal man, he's able to heft it easily. But first.. *p-tink* He spits out more tobacco before he hoists the big gun while standing in front of his troops. "DIE PIRATES!" Well, who else would be attacking them? The gatling gun opens fire on the three in a flury of bullets. Of course, the two guys who were chasing Envy to begin with are nearly shot themselves and go diving to the ground for cover. "Commander! Be careful!" ;_; ;_;
Two of the marines lose their guns from Julia's slicing at their arms. They fall in pain, trying to stop the bleeding. This is getting messy! The whole group is forced to continuously retreat thanks to her advances, and the couple that remain open smoke grenades and hurl them in Nao's direction. Maybe if they can get that woman it'll stop the monster too!
Two more are swiped aside by Ifrit and the entire Group #3 begins to back off. That's because on top of the roof of the main building there's a large canon rising from the rooftop and the gun is pointed in Ifrit's direction. "Fire the canon shell!" There's a loud whistling and an explosion from the point of the canon as the shell is fired right for the summon.
OH NO BULLETS!!! Orihime doesn't look afraid, though. She furrows her curly brows, fingers rising to the hairpins hidden in the mop of blonde wig. The triangular shield is immediately summoned forth to protect the trio from the spray of bullets. "I'll take care of the commander! Envy-chan, Elric-san, I'm counting on you to go ahead! Remember, it's on the third floor!"
Half-brothers should work together, after all. Orihime just hopes that her good intentions don't backfire...it'd be a big tragedy if they ended up fighting and blowing up the whole island.
It doesn't take Edward long to be running alongside Orihime, once they've been informed of Sanji's whereabouts. He dashes a bit ahead of her, turning a corner, the main building in sight. He catches a glimpse of a familiar homunculus as well, throwing Envy a smirk. "Nice of you to join us," he says, right before the shout from the commander grabs his attention. Or rather, the gatling gun he totes. "-!?!"
He's already clapping his hands together, however the need to create a barrier is nullified by the fact that Orihime beats him to it. Grimly, Edward nods at the girl before casting a look at Envy. No funny stuff. We're here to take care of business. And with that, he suddenly dashes around the side of Orihime's shield, running his fingers along the ground to expend the alchemic energies he had activated. It'll be of use after all, this time creating a cannon. Hey, it had to appear sooner or later. The thing fires at the commander and his men's direction, more or less to be a distraction as well as clear the entryway for them.
Nao's eyes widen when the smoke grenades are hurled her way. She lifts an arm to cover her mouth but the sounds of coughing are evidence that it's not enough. Nao and her Child are momentarily concealed from view, leaving one to wonder if they've finally had enough and retreated. There should be a way to escape the grenades effects though. Straight up. Julia springs towards the sky with Nao still hanging onto her. The spider can't jump quite as high as normal thanks to her damage. But that will be regenerated by the next time Nao summons her. As long as she's not destroyed completely...and that will never happen as far as Nao's concerned.
Julia lands on the roof of the nearest building, leaning her torso over the edge to stare at the grenade-launching men with all those glowing red eyes. Hmph. Who are they calling a monster?! Red strands float through the air to wrap around the edge of another building. Once they have, Nao gives them a tug while Julia leaps away with her, bringing rubble raining down over the remaining Marines.
Ah, there they are! Envy winks to his friend (and totally not the midget) and skids to a stop, even as the Commander yanks out something that Hawkeye would give Mustang's left *bricked*- er- eye for. Right on schedule, up comes the solitary shield to reject the bullets, all the while the homunculus makes silly faces at the Marines. While Ed runs one way, he keeps the Marines distracted by taunting, "Pirates? Oi, I don't even look the part!" A flash of alchemy later, and the androgyny's now donned a tricorner hat, an eyepatch, a fake beard, a cutlass, and even a plush parrot on his shoulder. "Now I do! Yarr! Have at ye, landlubbers!"
Somewhere, several Gates over, Dante mutters something about letting her minions watch too much TV.
The mission was to rescue Sanji, and not play silly games, so now that he's pulled the Marines attention his way - and hopefully not the Midget's, though he really shouldn't need the help being as SMALL as he is - Envy makes a break for the other side of the shield, and lunges - straight for a first-floor window. "Avast!"
Ifrit continues to attack the Group #3 and even starts to use his teeth before going to summon more fire to his aide in but then looks up at the whisling from the canon. He doesn't move out of the way in time but manages to move out enough not to let Yuna get hit. However, that doesn't stop the shriek of pain as Ifrit vanishes in a swirl of pyreflies leaving an bloody looking Yuna on the ground. She goes to cough and spot some blood out before going to look around. Oh.... Fayth.
The Commander's bullets are deflected by the shield that Orihime and Envy put up. That was unexpected, so now he's got his hands full. "Stand down, Missy!" *p-tink* Another spit of tobacco and another volley of bullets are sent in her direction. The men behind him begin to charge forward. Momentarily they're baffled by Envy's tricks and with that the canon Edward creates makes short work of them. An explosion sends the group flying and the entryway to the main compound, along with windows, is now wide open for them to run inside.
Once Nao takes to the sky the small group follows after her, only to have the rubble of the building fall down upon them and pin them beneath it. And that.. takes care of them! Looks as if most of the recruit marines have been dispatched. From her vantage point, Nao will see out at sea, actually getting very close now.. a Marine ship. But there's no time for that. The trio on the roof cheer as Ifrit vanishes. Yes! They killed it! Only to turn reloaded canon in Julia's direction. "Fire canon shell #2!" Again the whistling is heard as a shot is fired for the roof of the barracks where Julia stands.
Up on the third floor there are no windows to see out and it's all grey walls. An iron door bars entryway into a long narrow hallway lined with five jail cells and in the final one Sanji is waiting. It's no wonder he didn't answer Orihime's first call when they arrived at the island, because he's chained to the wall with his arms spread and appears only half conscious. Looks like they didn't bother treating the wounds he received from the Juggernaut when he was turned in. And why would they? They're going to execute him anyway.
Orihime doesn't budge from where she stands, palms pushed forward to keep that shield between her and the commander. Darn, how do they keep figuring out she's a girl? Her disguise is perfect! "I can't stand down, until I've made my daring escape and rejoined my crew so I can cook lots of delicious food again! I will take you on, man to man!" Because she's totally a man, yeah! "Come fight against me and my black leg!" And she kicks her leg into the air, issuing her challenge. Go Envy! Go Edward!
Yuna slowly goes to stand up but stumbles a bit. "I still have to help and still have to check up on Lady Dizzy." She winces as pain goes through her body and lets out a small cry of pain as well. She goes to scan the area for marines before moving towards the base. She still has to be an distraction, no matter what.
It doesn't take long for Edward to get inside, and he's in a better mood seeing as how his cannon has done the trick to clear things up for him to just run on through. Out of some random feeling of maliciousness he's also renovated a few things. Just in case he'd find some people pursuing him, he's transmuted a few extra staircases leading to nowhere at all or doors that lead straight to the outside, just a floor or two above ground level.
Iron doors mean nothing to the Fullmetal Alchemist, easily opened with a little alchemic persuasion. If he were not on the clock here, he'd do things a little more neatly and not rely so much on alchemy as his teacher has impressed upon him. The cell door that stands between Sanji and freedom is kicked open, the top portion knocked off its hinges as the door sags sadly at an angle once it swings inward. Edward bites back any quirky chatter as he notes the prisoner's condition.
"Hey, Sanji, was it? Hang on, we're getting you out of here." He moves to take care of those chains.
Nao watches the men get pinned beneath the rubble without a trace of emotion. It's hard to tell if she's a good guy or a bad guy sometimes. The only side she's usually on is her own. Well, her work is done. The photons evaporate from her Element, leaving normal hands behind instead of red and green claws. She finally takes a deep breath and turns her head towards the sea, blinking at what she spots there. A ship! She looks down at the ground frantically before calling out to anyone who might hear her. "Hurry up!" Incoming! In more ways than one.
'Fire canon shell #2!' Nao's eyes widen at those words. It's enough to send a chill through her body. She turns her head slowly in the direction of the ominous whistling sound. Nao's breath catches in her throat when she sees the canon shell on course for a direct hit. "JULIA!!" She crouches down, not even bothering to
abandon the spider creature. There's no point. If Julia's defeated, Nao's Most Important Person vanishes with her. There'd be nothing left for her. The canon definitely hits /something/, sending dust and debris up into the air. As everything slowly settles there's not a sign of any big green spider or redheaded girl anywhere. Not until a few seconds later when the severed tip of Julia's tail falls from the sky, embedding its blade deep in the ground.
Its only after he tucks and rolls on landing, that Envy remembers how strikingly painful it is to jump through a broken window. Even worse, though, is when he realizes what the master plan is. "Oi, so its me and Fullmetal Shorty for the rescue," he sighs as a bloodied hand ruffles a few glass shards and assorted plushie
stuffing out of his fronds. No worries, though, as by the time he gets up to the third floor, all the wounds will have knitted up already. Its the part of having to team up with the guy he hates the second most in all of the Gates while his two best friends look on that's giving the androgyny a case of the frowny-faces. Grr.
Another spark of transmutation gets rid of the silly pirate stuff and the homunculus dashes up right behind the alchemist, staying at the top of the stairs to keep a wary eye for any last Marines running out of the bathroom. Mostly, though, he pouts and folds his arms in front of him. A little Devil Envy poofs into place on his shoulder, flailing his arms and pitchfork. "Now's your chance! Throw the Pipsqueak in a cell and lock him up here!" Angel Envy poofs onto the other shoulder with a wagging naughty finger. "Not with everyone watchin'! What would Orihime and Yuna think?" "Bah," the devil fumes, "We'll just say there was a trap or somethin'! C'mon, what would make That Bastard hurt more than to hear his son's got himself locked up in a cold dark cell for the rest of his miserable life!" Angel Envy sighs and chucks his halo at the other, knocking him right off of the shoulder. "You idiot! They'll execute him or somethin' worse! That's /our/ job! Anyways, we might need him for a Stone or two. Best to keep our chewtoy around!"
With a confident nod, the angel disappears in a poof, leaving the real Envy to make the same nod himself. Once he's sure that Ed has everything in hand, he starts hunting for the commandant's office. Getting on the island was easy, getting off of it might be harder, and it wouldn't hurt to make sure he has a couple other aces up his wrist-gloves...
With the bullets still being deflected somehow, the Commander turns his gun to the side and stops the fire. *p-tink* Another spit of tobacco before he starts to charge like an ox at Orihime. The gatling gun is lifted high and then swung straight at her like a baseball bat, or at her shield as the case may be. "Whether you're a man or a woman, if you're a pirate then you'll be arrested!"
Yuna will find, as she scours the base, that most every marine is down and out thanks to Julia and Ifrit, but Orihime appears to be having quite a battle with the Commander while the rescue team is bringing out the captive.
Any marine who goes into the building next time will be.. really confused that staircases that lead into walls and other such places. Sanji lifts his head as he hears the door bang open, though everything is out of focus for awhile. "Who're you?" He manages to say in a hoarse voice. Well, guess it doesn't matter since Edward is unchaining him, and he's not likely a marine.
The trio on the roof begin to cheer again when the second monster is dispatched. However, the canon jams at that point, inabling them to fire it again. The three work furiously to try and correct the situation. Envy does find the commander's office. There are various maps and other such things he would expect to find. The really weird thing is the snail on his desk. With a receiver on top of it. And.. it's speaking in a woman's voice! "Answer! Base Cuspidor, respond! Hina, annoyed..." Looks as if it's this world's version of a telephone.
Using her staff to walk, Yuna continues to look around the base but winces as she hears gunfire. Gritting her teeth, she goes towards the sound of gunfire (Orihime's direction) and if she does make it in a decent amount of time, should would fire an 'Holy' spell at one of the marines to continue to provide distraction before going to run.
"A friend of Orihime's," Edward replies with a faint grin. The chains are dispatched with a clap and touch of a finger to each. "Can you stand? Here, you can lean on me." The boy may not be as tall as Sanji (hey, these pirates are all stringy!), but he's stronger than he looks! "We gotta get out of here while the others have 'em preoccupied."
Hello there, bat! Meet mah leetle friend, Mr. Shield! Orihime weathers the attack MUCH more easily than one of The Juggernaut's bone-shattering punches. And after he's swung, she beams and playfully shoves him over with the shield. Not hard, of course. She really has no desire to hurt anyone, even if the feeling isn't mutual. "Ha ha ha! Sanji escaaaaaapes! You'll never catch me, coppers!" she taunts as she turns on her heel and runs like crazy.
Maps are good, there might be a second or third way back to the Gate they can find this way. First things first, however, as the corners of Envy's mouth turn upwards into a mischevious grin. "A golden opportunity," he cackles in a muted voice. Who to frame? Greed? Ling? The receiver is calmly taken in hand as his voice box
reconfigures itself, and a dark and steely voice both the homunculi and the State Military have grown to love answers the phone, "All your Base Cuspidor belong to Ishbala. Repent your sins now, before our holy vengenace strikes you down!" A beat. "Kneel before Zod." Click.
Envy's toothy smile is a mile wide as he walks out the door, with various maps and wanted posters tucked in his loincloth. "Oi! Shorty! Time's a wastin'! Let's blow this island before the posse arrives and you get stuck here!"
Sanji blinks a few times at the mention of that name. "Orihime-chan? She's alright?" The last he saw her she had been beaten up by that damn behemoth that did the same to him. Sanji nods and manages to stand, though shakily, and will take Edward's help for support. Even if he has to bend down to do it. *cough* It's time for a retreat!
The swing smashes against the shield but does little good, only to be followed by a shove from Orihime. The man staggers back and falls, then begins to rise again. "You can't run!" Suddenly he spots a white light coming at him, and then there's a flash. When it fades the Commander is lying down looking highly dazed, thanks to the holy spell.
On the other end of the den den mushi, a beautiful woman sitting in a deskchair reclines, then slowly sets the receiver down on top of the snail. "Hina.. confused.." And annoyed. Yes, Hina annoyed, also. The rambling is dismissed as a punk's joke and won't make it into her report. Obviously the situation at Cuspidor has gone out of control. She just hopes the subordinates will be alright.
And as the group is making their run for the exit...Two men appear before the main gate, each walking in step together. They stop and then.. DISCO POSE! Each points a finger into the air. "You're not going anywhere, BABY!" "That's right!" The other one chimes, doing a hip shake. "We're... The Black Cage Corps: Black Spear
Squadron!!" Shounted in unison!
"Seaman Recruit Double-Ironfist Fullbody!" AND "Seaman Recruit Jango!" Where is that techno beat coming from?! Looks as if there's one more loose end to tie up. "Are you taking our prisoner?! I know that guy!" Fullbody points at Sanji, who looks up and blinks a few times in Fullbody's direction. "You look familiar.." Again Fullbody fumes, "You FORGOT me?!"
Yes! One down as Orihime is hopefully being able to make her escape as the Summoner watches the younger teen run. Panting as the spell took a lot out of her in her current condition. She starts to head back towards the base. Perhaps she can still provide distraction.
A nod is given in response to Sanji's question. "She's fine- she's outside holding off guards. We'd better hurry on down." He helps the pirate out of the cell and back to the main hall of the third floor. His brow twitches at Envy's shouts. "SHADDUP Envy, I hear you! Either help me out here or make yourself useful!"
They eventually get down though, but not without conflict. Edward sweatdrops at the odd pair that's appeared. He stares blankly at them, glances to Sanji, and then looks to the two. "Hey, if you're not gonna do anything important besides stand there like idiots, ya mind moving aside for us?"
Too late, here comes the reinforcements. Envy. having dallied to annoy Hina, is at the rear of the group by the time they meet up with the Disco Bandits. Thus, its possible they don't see his flat-eyed and loose-jawed 'WTF' expression at first. Nor perhaps the return of the toothy mischevious grin that follows, or the explosion of alchemy that follows that.
What they won't miss, is the gigantic muscle-bound freak with the foot-tall blond afro, sparkly white leisure suit, and perfectly styled handlebar mustache. "BEHOLD THE BEAUTY AND PERFECTION OF THIS SUPERBLY TRAINED DANCING MACHINE! Stand aside, wee Edward Elric, this looks like a job for Alex Louis Armstrong, THE DISCO ALCHEMIST!"
Oh, you thought they were joking? Fullbody grins and starts to run in. "No matter what.. I won't disappoint Hina-jou!!" There's a quick leap upwards and his fist, which is bearing iron knuckles, is sent for a punch aimed right at the disco alchemist's face. They are marines, even if they don't behave.. normal! Fullbody also used to be a lieutenant... he just got demoted. A sacrifice for friendship. Perhaps Envy was so amused by they're amazing style he was caught off guard! And that punch is the equivelant of being hit by a truck. What did you think this was, a dance off? Fullbody already won second place in the Grand Line Dancing Tournament! Jango won first, and is shouting in the background, "Go get 'im, brother!"
Okay, how can she -not- hear that? Gritting her teeth and biting her tounge in order to stay awake. Yuna follows the sound of men shouting strange things.... Please let her not get notice yet.
"............." Edward makes no comment as Envy goes Armstrong-mode. Ugh. Of all people... He watches as the disco freaks take on the freak, then glances to Sanji. "Uh.... yah. Should we continue?" Assuming that Jango is too busy routing for his brother.
Aw, how cute, Sailorboy's going to kick the flexing Disco King in the fa- CRUNCH.
Treasure this moment, Edward, for you'll likely not hear such a string of words coming from the real Armstrong's mouth: "OWOHSHI-WHATTHE@$*#!?" Armstrong!Envy staggers back, blood dripping from his broken nose down onto his pristine polyester, as he raises a single disbelieving finger at Fullbody. Dammit, he just got owned - and in front of the Pipsqueak too. Its on like white on rice now. "Oi, playtime's over, $#*@es!" The Disco King nearly dissolves, leaving behind the scowling and slightly less bleeding cute form. "I'll show you how to dance!"
Cue the breakdance music! Envy pirouettes around Fullbody, finshing with a dip that raises one leg to spinkick the Marine upside his head. Any incoming counter-strike is met with a feint backwards, then a full reverse somersault, handstand, and vault back to a three-point stance. Ideally, Envy would much rather have Gluttony here to eat this joker's foot, but if he can show up his dance moves with his own gymkata - he'll take that!
There's a malicious grin from Fullbody as the strike connects. The other fist, which is also wearing iron knuckles is brought around, but misses as Envy goes into breakdance mode. He counters the first couple of kicks with disco moves of his own. He's quite the shaker! But by the time Envy has finished his routine he's on the ground beaten to a pulp.
"ANIKI!!" Jango points a finger at the trio. Looks like he's not letting you leave so easily, Edward! "Now you're in for it.. my amazing hypnotism technique!" A silver ring is dropped from a piece of string and begins to sway in front of the group. "When I say One, Two, Jango, you will apologize for what you did to my aniki!" The ring begins to sway. No one has ever been immune to Jango's amazing technique before. "One.. Two... JANGO!!" No one has ever been immune!
... including Jango, who forgot to look away and is now on the ground with his arms around Edward's leg. "I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!!" ;_; Fullbody shouts over, "Aniki!! You're not supposed to look too!"
Edward can't help but smirk as he sees Envy/Armstrong take a hit to the face. It would only have been more satisfying if he were the one doing it. Ah, but now it seems that they won't be left alone to make their get away just yet. Golden eyes glance back at Jango almost dismissively.
....perhaps the hypnotism would have been foolproof.... if Edward had been looking in that direction. As luck would have it, he'd rolled his eyes as soon as Jango spouted using his technique. Is this guy for real? And then he blinks as he finds something latched to his leg. "Gah! What the- Get off!" Edward growls, kicking at the guy with his free leg. Which would hurt even moreso if it turns out to be the left one.
Rumblerumblerumble... Thunder? That's funny, the skies were relatively clear just a few moments ago. And in fact, they still are! So, then, what's making all that noise?
Around the corner of the base, Orisanji skids out on one foot, eyes wide with panic. She ducks her head into the wind and closes her eyes tightly, pumping her arms and legs as fast as they'll go. And right behind her is a horde of stampeding marines hot on her heels. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Orihime wails. "There's too maaaaaaany! Run run run! Into the boat!" she yells. They'd better leave this place, and FAST!
Envy wasn't looking either, he was too busy flipping his fronds triumphantly over the fallen Fullbody. He could give Jango tips on how to make his Amazing Hypnotism Technique more effective, but he's a loser, so he no PROTIPS for you. There's one last detail to take care of, and the shapeshifter lowers himself down to make sure Fullbody hears it loud and clear over that growing rumbling. "When you write up those wanted posters, his name," he jerks a thumb at Ed, "Is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Shrimp. My name is Envy - E-N-V-Y - and make sure you get a better artist than whoever did the hack job on Sanji there!"
There. He can feel his infamy score rising already. And here comes Yuna - ack - and Orihime - MAJOR ACK. "Yunie!", he shouts, bounding over to sling the wounded summoner over his shoulder, then abruptly spinning around to bound after Orisanji! "Last one to the ship's a midget alchemist!"
Yuna finally arrives on the scene and just goes to stare at it. "Anyone in need of healing?" She calls out, ignoring the fact that she needs healing herself if all the blood is any indicator. Yuna blinks as Envy goes to her aid but then sees Sanji. "Sir Sanji!" She goes to point her staff at him and goes to pour out an 'Cura' at him. But doing so causes her to pass out and yes, she is out of the running away!
"Orihime-chwan! Yuna-chwan!" Sanji has miraculously revived! *_* Though no one should wonder why, really. Except there's no time for swaying, heart bubbles, or bad poetry at the moment. A boat is waiting to get them all off the island. Jango is stomped into the ground and.. doesn't get back up. With Fullbody still down that leaves the way clear for everyone to make a hasty get away while the marines and Commander Spitoon chase after the group. Running as fast as they are, the marines aren't likely to catch up.
WHERE: Marine Base Cuspidor (The Grand Line)
Orihime gathers friends to help break Sanji out of jail before he's executed by the Marines, while Nao takes it upon herself to attack the base in her own way. Look for special appearances by Captain Hina, Double Ironfist Fullbody, and Seaman Recruit Jango.
Marine Base Cuspidor
Not so much a base but a couple of buildings on a small island otherwise unoccupied that exists in the Grand Line. It's a forest covered island with a bare center where the base is located. Luckily the weather is good and there's no hint of cold the way there is in other gates right now. Seasons don't really matter much around here. That allows the Marines to walk around in their usual whites and from the looks of it, this base carries an accompanyment of thirty men. Plus one Marine Commander who is in charge of the daily activities here. So when a large man came in to hand over one of the Mugiwara Pirates, it was a little more than he expected. Beli was given in exchange after Sanji's identity was confirmed and he was taken away to a proper jail cell to await instructions from a higher authority.
The base itself is a total of four buildings, three a single story in height (Barracks to the left, a Mess Hall toward center, and a Clinic to the right), while in the back of the compound is the headquarters, a three story building that looks quite official. This is where the Commander, one Commander Spitoon is sitting behind his desk on the Den Den Mushi snail phone. "We've taken into custody one of the Straw Hat's, Ma'am. Sanji the Black Leg." A woman's voice speaks on the other side of the line. "Good. Hina is pleased. Two idiots are nearby and will come to pick him up within the hour. Hina, goodbye." *click*
With the capture of the prisoner, the Marines are all in a good mood. This might mean promotions! Or at least a nice Christmas bonus this year. But they're not slacking off. Guards are on rotating shifts and the amount on guard is doubled than the usual to keep a good eye on things. They wouldn't want any Straw Hat's coming to rescue their friend.
It would be easier if it were night time, but there's not a moment to spare. Judging from the size of that bounty, and the words 'dead or alive', they might decide to execute Sanji immediately! Orihime's still a little woozy from her previous fight, but as soon as she was steady, she started calling in reinforcements.
How lucky for them to have a summoner's help. With the flying aeons, they moved themselves to the closest inhabited island to Cuspidor. There they rented a small boat and began rowing. A small group of people would draw far less attention than Bahamut and Valefor soaring overhead, right? (Though if Orihime knew of the giant animals, including seagulls, that flew about the Grand Line, she might have given the idea a try.)
Orihime stays low in the boat, her fingers curled around the edge as she peeks towards the island. Best if she stays low, since she can't change her appearance at will like Envy, and therefore comes prepared in costume. "Okay... I think we're ready! Yuna-san, you send Ifrit-sama in and draw their attention. We'll row in and find Sanji-kun. Be careful, okay? Don't take any unnecessary risks!"
OOC NOTE: The costume is Orihime and Edward dressed up like Sanji.
When Orihime called needing help breaking a friend of hers out from the clutches of The Man, Envy was knocking on her door within minutes. Sure, playing nice-nice with everyone made for a happy 'Hime and Yunie, but it was boring the heck out of the homunculus. No work and no play made for a dull abomination. Now given the opportunity to help a friend and sow a little chaos, how could he pass it up?
Of course, it wasn't until they got on the boat that Envy realized he was going to have to work with the Midget. Oh joy.
It was too late to back out, not with Orihime and Yunie depending on him, so he went along - spending the flight and boat ride doing nothing but staring daggers at his little brother and plotting how to 'accidentally' leave him in Sanji's cell. Ho ho ho. The trip was also a good time to try to come up with a good form to use once they land at the prison island. Thoughts of a surprise visit from Lt. Colonel Hughes of the Amestrian Military Intelligence came to mind, but were quickly disregarded when he remembered that he told Orihime about ol' Maes. Damn. Should've kept that one to himself.
Its at the very last minute that an idea comes to mind, and the homunculus's cute form vanishes in sparks of transmutation. Now, sitting at the bottom of the boat, sits a black and white puppy - an Akita perhaps. Nobody expects the Black Hayate Inquisition!
The Summoner was more then willing to help once she heard about Sanji's inprisonment. She wasn't really paying any attention to the passengers as she leads Bahamut and Valefor towards the island. But once on the boats, she closes her eyes and just was quiet through the trip. Only when Orihime starts to speak to her does she reopen her eyes. "Do not worry about me, just get Sir Sanji out." She states as she stands up and goes to head to shore. "Wait for fire to show before heading out."
With that single command she sneaks her way around before finding a good hiding spot and begins to dance.
Nao doesn't usually need a disguise to offer distraction. She always goes about things her own (and sometimes wrong) way. She had her own way of finding out about Sanji's capture too. She never dreamed he was worth so much! It's left the redhead slightly conflicted. But she's still determined to break the pirate out. If she doesn't, that means he'll be forced to stand her up -- and no way is she letting that happen!
It was easy enough to convince someone to bring her all the way here. Since arriving she's hidden in whatever shadows she could find to just study the base for awhile, getting a feel for the movements of the men. Marines. Men who've probably been at sea for months at a time. Big burly men who know how to fight! "...Is there anything more pathetic?" Nao crosses her arms over her chest. She's already summoned her Element, those green claws covering up the normally pale flesh of her hands. The nails that tip them look sharp and dangerous. Is she even worried about casualties? Sorry...but no. Nao sighs and stretches her arms casually above her head. The red claws start to glow along with five red eyes behind her. Looks like Sanji's rescue is important enough to her to call Julia out too. "Wait here." Nao strides out, absent of her usual Fuuka academy uniform. Instead she's dressed like...a Marine. Courtesy of the wiggling, bound, and now stripped man laying at Julia's feet.
He owed Orihime a favor, and on top of that he was bored. What better way to pass the time than a jail break? Besides, it was allowed property damage! Not many a chance does he get for that! So Edward is present with the others, wearing the usual blacks he tends to. He figures that if Alphonse can go wandering here and there without him, then why can't he?
Edward has purposely ignored Envy's glares, but he is well aware of his homunculus brother's presence. He knows he'll have to watch his back with that one around. At least Yuna was also there though. He stays near the girls, just to help ensure Envy's behaviour was on his best.
In the main headquarters, there are thousands of Marines and it's easy to mistake a face, but here with only a compliment of thirty, those that work here know each other. They live with each other, eat with each other, and even sleep in the same barracks. They're like brothers here! So when a girl dressed as a Marine comes out of the woods and begins to approach the gate of the wooden wall that surrounds the base, the four men standing guard all notice and lift their guns. "Who goes there!" As for the others starting with their plans they go undetected so far.
Orihime beams. "Wow, looks like someone else is starting trouble too!" she whispers. "Better luck for us, isn't it?" She gives Yuna a quick wave as the summoner departs and begins preparing her summoning dance. "All right, then...Elric-san, Envy-chan, let's go!" Staying low to the ground, Ori-Sanji scurries quickly over the sands towards the wall that surrounds the base. She's not sure if Sanji still has his radio, but if so, that'll make it much easier to find him. She raises her wrist, turning it towards the Relief Society band. "Sanji-kun! Are you there?" she whispers, flattening her back against the wall. "We're on Cuspidor, we're here to rescue you! Come in, Sanji-kun!" She shifts her glance towards Ed, then grins. "Think you can make an opening, Elric-san?" Definitely his specialty!
Black Envyate wags his tail eagerly at Sanjihime just before he leaps out of the boat and happily trots his way towards the front gate. Infiltration is his own speciality, after all, and more the better if he can save the distraction too. It also couldn't hurt to get himself as far away from the Midget as possible. Especially now that he might find his boots a little wet. You should've looked at the doggie when you had the chance, Edward!
Nao's just a little girl! Okay, she looks older than she actually is. Still not an imposing figure by any means. "Yoo-hoo!" Instead of backing down when the guards aim their weapons at her, Nao calls out and waves to them! "I hope I'm not late." She comes to halt in front of the men, hiding her arms behind her back. Normally it would be suspicious posture but she's hoping they'll be momentarily distracted by other things. Like the fact that the top few buttons of her shirt have been left undone. Shameless, yes. But it's what Nao does. "Someone called me earlier, said you had a reason to celebrate. I'm the..." She blushes before coyly glancing away. "Entertainment." Which means they'll probably get to see her take that uniform off! "Wow! I've never been to this base before!" Nao says excitedly while trying to peer past them. "Is this where Lucky got restationed? He's in his forties, bald with one eye, a peg-leg and a hook for a hand?" She bats her eyes innocently. And just as quickly the look is gone. Nao brings her hands forward from behind her back. A glowing red thread extends from each claw, seeking to wrap around four Marine throats, or intercept bullets if any of them manages to get a shot off.
Grinning at Orihime, Edward gives a nod at the girl before he steps up to bat. Entrances, no problem! They were probably wanting to be somewhat discreet though, even if there was another party joining this crazy escapade. "Okay, no problem..." the young alchemist says, rolling up his sleeves before he brings his hands together in front of him. He'll have plenty of time to yell and kick puppies later. If he were to break into an outburst here, well, it wouldn't be good.
The four marines glance to each other and then back to the cute girl. Wow! One of the officers must've sent her over. Though they're not sure what boat she came on.. but who cares! And even if they don't know what 'Lucky' she's talking about.. who cares about that either! She's probably not too smart anyway, given her line of work. The guns are lowered slowly and just in time for them to be wrapped about the neck, all four of them caught by the thread. The dog.. is ignored. Even if there aren't any tame dogs, let alone wild dogs roaming this island. They have other things to worry about than who smuggled in Fido. However, with the group that's about to gather at the front of the main gates it'll be a crowded entryway for man or animal to get through with all those stomping feet.
Other marines who're making the rounds spot the danger their four comrades are in and shout for help. That's when Commander Spitoon exits the main compound. "What?! We're under attack?" Quickly he turns his head to the side and spits some chewing tobacoo into a pot. *p-tink* "Group two, guard the door here! The rest of you spread out and go see what's happening!" That's followed by a chorus of 'yes sir!' as the marines start to move. Twelve men stand guard in front of the three story building with guns and swords ready. Six more are running for the main gates, drawing their weapons to try and help those Nao has captured, but they can't fire just yet with the four marines standing in the way. As for Edward, naturally he'll have no problem making a door.
Fido's too busy facepawing to try sneaking in right now. Oi, first you get inside ur base, then u start killing their doodz! Not the other way around! With a dismal shake of his head, Black Envyate lopes over into the woods, and a couple moments later, the hapless Marine that Nao had left behind comes racing out of the woods - pulling up his pant zipper. Ah, bathroom humor. Where would we be without you? "AAAH! I leave my post for five seconds and this is what happens!"
It was around this time that Yuna finished her summoning dance and soon, a circle of flame surrounded the place with strange symbols on the ground being created by the fire. The ground would act like it's breaking as Ifrit springs out of the ground with Yuna sitting on his shoulder. He then moves Yuna to under his mane so that she would remain hidden as he goes to start creating fires all around the place and attacking any marine that came into his path.
He waits a moment as if holding off for an opportune time to pull this off, and likely any loud noises coming from the other direction will do nicely. Palms
are touched to the wall, blue light snaking across its surface as low and behold, a door is created just for them! Never you mind the gothic skull motif! In Edward's opinion, it certainly is a plus to the rest of the base's appearance. The young alchemist then grins, gesturing to Orihime as he opens the door a crack, deciding to take point just in case someone's on the other side wondering when the heck they got a new door installed.
"Great! That's wonderful, Elric-san!" Orihime whispers, beaming as she claps her palms together in open appreciation. The skull is blinked at, then she sniggers. What better way to save a pirate than to invoke the centerpiece of their flag, right? She stays close to Edward, also turning her head this way and that before scurrying forward. No response on the radio...she hopes he's not sleeping, or unconscious! "Shun'ou, Ayame, Tsubaki!" She touches her fingers to her hairpins, and six petals break away. She'll reserve the three on the shield just in case someone tries shooting at them. "Spread out and search the cells, the marines won't be able to s--ow ow ow! Tsubaki-kuuuuun!"
"What's this?! This isn't in my job description, I'm your cutting shield! Not a rescue ranger!"
"Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll let you cut lots of stuff when we get home!"
"That's hardly the point! AUGH! Foolish woman! Fine, I'll go this once, but let it be known that I don't like this!"
Shun'ou and Ayame glance at one another, sweatdropping, and swiftly wing away to slip into one building each. Two left to investigate...
Nao tightens the threads around their necks just enough to constrict their breathing but not enough to slice their flesh. She gives them a tug, holding them like puppets in front of her. The HiME watches half a dozen more men approaching her but stands her ground behind her shield of their comrades. "Mou, don't be so rude." Nao pouts. "I've come all this way and you won't even invite me in?" She sounds really hurt! "Fine." Her voice goes suddenly flat as she shoves the men forward. She's not overly worried about them right now. They're gonna be more concerned with getting oxygen back into their lungs. "Julia." As soon as Nao says the name, there's a disturbance in the woods behind her. Something large and green leaps straight up through the trees and lands solidly in front of her. They can explain their lack of manners to the huge green spider then! Meanwhile Nao herself turns towards that hapless Marine. "Ah, so happy you could join us." She smirks, beckoning him closer with a single claw-tipped finger. "Would you like to play with me?" <3
The six marines who had reinforced the gate guard and are trying to get a clear shot at Nao see their comrade return from the woods. "Leroy! What're you doing?! Help us out here! This girl is crazy!" Good thing Leroy's coming from the rear wooded area. Maybe he can get a jump on Nao from behind! That's when Julia makes her appearance and lands in front of Nao. Once the four are released they stagger forward and fall to the ground unconscious, but at least they're out of the way. "FIRE!" All six open fire with their guns on large green creature that belongs to Nao.
The door is created and when Edward peeks through he can see a group of four marines running past, but they don't stop to notice the door since they're in such a hurry. If they're going to sneak in they'd better do it quickly! But wandering about won't leave them unseen for long, now that the marines are scouring the area. As for Orihime's messengers, they zip off and will no doubt report back when they find something!
The explosions from outside the wall cause those standing guard in the main part of the yard to look over. "What's that?! Is it the Mugiwara Pirates?" "But there's no ship out there!" The fire that's going on around the base is worrisome, but none are going to venture outside the gate to check on it when they're on the defensive. If Ifrit wants to smack some marines around he'll have to get inside the wall first!
So much for the jump from behind! This is what I get for lone wolfing it again, Envy thinks to himself as he starts to sweat nervously at Nao and her 'pet'. Time for a Think Fast moment. "Hey! Your spider's having babies!", 'Leroy' points quickly to Julia's abdomen, and just as quickly - he leaps atop the spider's carapace! Hooray for Leroy, he's bravely taking on the evil critter!
Or is he? For the Marine leaps again, this time somersaulting, twirling, and even shimmering in the night sky! What lands foot-first in a soldier's face certainly isn't Leroy, but a frond-haired scantily-clad androgynous freak. Abomination, if you will. He winks to the rest of the troops right before trying to dash inside and find a nice new shadow to hide in again.
Edward Elric flashes Orihime a thumbs up, his grin faltering at the interruption from Tsubaki. The boy blinks at the belligerent manifestation that pulls on Orihime's hair. Shrugging, he then proceeds into the building with her, golden eyes continually moving about, on the alert for anything or anyone. Hope those fairy things found who they were looking for- it'd make things much easier once they knew where to head.
The upper part of Julia's body, the part that looks a little more humanoid actually smirks at the Marines. As the men are pulling the triggers, Julia fires in her own way -- her chest opens to start shooting thousands of sticky webs in the men's direction. But some of the bullets do manage to make their way through. The large arachnid stumbles a little when one of her legs is shattered by one. It's okay though, she's still got seven more! But it's still enough to really tick Nao off. They're not simple partners in crime, Julia's connected to someone Nao loves. She takes a step towards Leroy, looking slightly less amused than before.
Blink. Her spider is doing -what-? Nao is stunned for a moment, giving the impostor a chance to get past her. The redhead hisses, before spinning around to keep him in her sights. She's slightly confused by it all but at least she doesn't have to deal with him. Meanwhile Julia attempts to advance, slightly off-balance by the three legs on one side. Her bladed tail thrusts forward from beneath her abdomen, trying to keep whatever Marines she can at bay.
Listening to the orders by his Summoner, Ifrit continues to cause fires surrounding the base and then charges towards the wall itself. He lets out a roar before going to place his hands (paws?) against it and to the poor marines on the inside of the wall cause suddenly the wall bursts into flames and Ifrit goes to stand in the middle of the flames, standing on his hind legs and spreading his arms outwards and downwards with his palms facing whatever marines at the area.
Orihime's head swivels left and right rapidly, and with an exaggerated scurrying of pointed toes, she creeps forward boldly. Sounds like quite a ruckus is going on outside the gates. Yuna and Envy must be doing a bang-up job out there! With Shun'ou and Ayame heading out to the two buildings farthest away, she and Ed can investigate the first one they come across. Now's the dangerous part for sure. "If we get spotted, I'll play decoy. I can run really fast, and the shield will keep me safe. Keep looking in the meantime!" she whispers, edging close to the concrete walls. "I think...this is a good place for a back door, don't you?" Grin smile beam! She must have learned that from Ling.
"Up there!" The marines look up to see Envy, though one gets stomped on the face and falls to the ground. He might be full of bullets if it had not been for Julia's stickyweb, which ensnares four more guards and causes them to fall, unable to fire again. The remaining get back to rejoin the large group that's making a front against Julia at the gate, but three with swords break off and start to chase after Envy. After such a direct view of him, they're not going to let him out of their sight so easily! Especially in the middle of the day. As for the large group that's holding it's ground against Julia, again they begin to open fire. "Commander! This thing is..!!" They're in big trouble!
The wall to the east of the compound breaks down and in charges Ifrit. The flames are intimidating enough without the beast looking like it stepped right out of hell. There's a unified SCREAM from Group #3 and three of the men are swiped away by the summon and go flying. "This is bad! Someone get the canon ready!" Three of the men from Group #2 that was guarding the front door of the main compound go running inside.
With nearly half the marines incapacitated already, things are looking grim, but two spot the roaming Edward and Orihime (who are outside the barracks building) and point in their direction. "More intruders!" "Hey, isn't that the prisoner!?" Two of the prisoner? The two marines turn to each other and begin to talk, but not so quiet they can't be overheard. "They dress like the Black Leg.. but look at that one." Insert a composite sketch of Sanji, looking as handsome as always *shimmer* next to Edward. A dotted line above Sanji's head and then a dotted line above Edward's.. which reaches to Sanji's chest. *BZZZZ* "He's too SHORT!" His partner agrees, "Yes definitely waaaay too SHORT to be the prisoner!" "And look at that one!" They stare at Orihime. "...." "...." And say together. "That's DEFINITELY a woman." *_* *_* At least they're too distracted to call for backup?
The Fullmetal Alchemist smirks but doesn't shake his head. He supposes anyone who spent that much time with the Xingese freeloader was bound to start borrowing on his expressions eventually. Licking his lips, Edward looks towards the wall. He gives it a brief tap, useless as he figured since it doesn't yield much hint as to how thick it was. Oh well. Not like he couldn't improvise. He raises his hands, poised to pull another transmutation-
-and speaking of improvisation, his Elric-senses tingle. His hands clap together, but he doesn't move towards the wall. Instead, he spins and drops a palm against the ground. Blue light flares and crackles along the floor towards the two impudent guards that DARE say anything about his height! He's gotten at least a -little- taller at seventeen, give him a break!!
The ground begins to buckle upwards as if something were burrowing its way in a maddened frenzy towards the two men, and if they haven't taken to running yet, they probably will soon as a giant stone shark-like head breaks through and surges towards them in typical RARIEATYOUNOW fashion.
Brow still twitching although not fitting with the twisted smirk on his face, Edward turns again to handle making that door Orihime had suggested, as if nothing had happened. The new door happens to be skull-ridden as well, and are those teeth on the edges?
EEEEEEEP!!!! Orihime freezes in shock and stares...up until she realizes that they're staring at her. Huh? What's with that strange starry-eyed gaze? Hee hee, they look just like Keigo! But she's gotta think fast, they're not buying the disguise. Wasn't there a fighter out there that changed into a woman sometimes for mysterious reasons? Something about a spring of Juusenkyo or such? "Yes!" Orihime declares, and flexes an arm, sticking her leg up into the air the way that Sanji does. "With the power of the JuJu fruit, I can now change into a woman! And split myself in two, with the TwinTwin fruit! Ta-dahhhhh!" She pirouettes three feet to the left, then three feet to the right.
Ayame swoops in close to Orihime's ear, cupping her small hands to her mouth. Whisperwhisperwhisper! Oh? Oh!!! "What great news! Ahem! Other me, it seems...AHH!!!" Orihime gapes as she witnesses the full fury of the Fullmetal Alchemist. W-wow! That's a pretty big shark! She reaches to grab Ed-Sanji's elbow, beaming from ear to ear. "They found him! That building in the back, third floor! Let's goooooo!"
Oh, right, its the middle of day- Wait. Who the hell thought of raiding during the afternoon!? Envy makes another mental note to talk over infiltration strategies with Orihime sometime as he dashes across the courtyard. The guys with swords will find it hard to keep up with him at first, as those long unburdened legs and quick strides give the homunculus a definite advantage in speed. However, with no place to hide, he's dashing in a beeline straight for the headquarters building. No obvious cell blocks to be seen, so that Sanji guy must be in there, along with Orihime and the Midget by now. Sounds like a good time for a rendesvous!
Nao follows behind Julia as the spider clears the way for her. Another leg is shattered by Marine fire, prompting Nao to fling her Element's threads around Julia's torso so she can pull herself onto her back. Nao places a hand on her Child's shoulder to glare down at the men. "If you'd just been gentlemen and invited me in...!" None of this would've happened! She leans down suddenly, the red claws extending. She'll slice the guns right out of their hands if that's what it takes. She slashes at one man before rising with the help of her threads when more Marines rush forward. She might not have the most firepower of the HiME girls, but sometimes getting rid of her is like swatting at a scampering spider. It's not always as easy as it seems. Julia's chest opens again to spray more webs amidst jabs from her tail. It's chaotic but that's the way Nao likes it!
Ifrit remains looking like a creature coming from hell as he attacks Group #3 before going to slam his hands down to the ground with causes it to open up and bursts of flame roars upwards.
As the shark head starts to come at them the two marines turn and start to run. Aiyeeee!!! Guess that took care of those two guys. No doubt the shark is not going to stop for awhile after what they had said.
When Orihime, Edward, and Envy all start to run they do indeed regroup in the courtyard and the trio is heading straight for the main building, which is still being guarded by Group #2. However, they have a slightly bigger problem to deal with, once Commander Spitoon exits the building and brings out.. a gatling gun. Being three times the size of a normal man, he's able to heft it easily. But first.. *p-tink* He spits out more tobacco before he hoists the big gun while standing in front of his troops. "DIE PIRATES!" Well, who else would be attacking them? The gatling gun opens fire on the three in a flury of bullets. Of course, the two guys who were chasing Envy to begin with are nearly shot themselves and go diving to the ground for cover. "Commander! Be careful!" ;_; ;_;
Two of the marines lose their guns from Julia's slicing at their arms. They fall in pain, trying to stop the bleeding. This is getting messy! The whole group is forced to continuously retreat thanks to her advances, and the couple that remain open smoke grenades and hurl them in Nao's direction. Maybe if they can get that woman it'll stop the monster too!
Two more are swiped aside by Ifrit and the entire Group #3 begins to back off. That's because on top of the roof of the main building there's a large canon rising from the rooftop and the gun is pointed in Ifrit's direction. "Fire the canon shell!" There's a loud whistling and an explosion from the point of the canon as the shell is fired right for the summon.
OH NO BULLETS!!! Orihime doesn't look afraid, though. She furrows her curly brows, fingers rising to the hairpins hidden in the mop of blonde wig. The triangular shield is immediately summoned forth to protect the trio from the spray of bullets. "I'll take care of the commander! Envy-chan, Elric-san, I'm counting on you to go ahead! Remember, it's on the third floor!"
Half-brothers should work together, after all. Orihime just hopes that her good intentions don't backfire...it'd be a big tragedy if they ended up fighting and blowing up the whole island.
It doesn't take Edward long to be running alongside Orihime, once they've been informed of Sanji's whereabouts. He dashes a bit ahead of her, turning a corner, the main building in sight. He catches a glimpse of a familiar homunculus as well, throwing Envy a smirk. "Nice of you to join us," he says, right before the shout from the commander grabs his attention. Or rather, the gatling gun he totes. "-!?!"
He's already clapping his hands together, however the need to create a barrier is nullified by the fact that Orihime beats him to it. Grimly, Edward nods at the girl before casting a look at Envy. No funny stuff. We're here to take care of business. And with that, he suddenly dashes around the side of Orihime's shield, running his fingers along the ground to expend the alchemic energies he had activated. It'll be of use after all, this time creating a cannon. Hey, it had to appear sooner or later. The thing fires at the commander and his men's direction, more or less to be a distraction as well as clear the entryway for them.
Nao's eyes widen when the smoke grenades are hurled her way. She lifts an arm to cover her mouth but the sounds of coughing are evidence that it's not enough. Nao and her Child are momentarily concealed from view, leaving one to wonder if they've finally had enough and retreated. There should be a way to escape the grenades effects though. Straight up. Julia springs towards the sky with Nao still hanging onto her. The spider can't jump quite as high as normal thanks to her damage. But that will be regenerated by the next time Nao summons her. As long as she's not destroyed completely...and that will never happen as far as Nao's concerned.
Julia lands on the roof of the nearest building, leaning her torso over the edge to stare at the grenade-launching men with all those glowing red eyes. Hmph. Who are they calling a monster?! Red strands float through the air to wrap around the edge of another building. Once they have, Nao gives them a tug while Julia leaps away with her, bringing rubble raining down over the remaining Marines.
Ah, there they are! Envy winks to his friend (and totally not the midget) and skids to a stop, even as the Commander yanks out something that Hawkeye would give Mustang's left *bricked*- er- eye for. Right on schedule, up comes the solitary shield to reject the bullets, all the while the homunculus makes silly faces at the Marines. While Ed runs one way, he keeps the Marines distracted by taunting, "Pirates? Oi, I don't even look the part!" A flash of alchemy later, and the androgyny's now donned a tricorner hat, an eyepatch, a fake beard, a cutlass, and even a plush parrot on his shoulder. "Now I do! Yarr! Have at ye, landlubbers!"
Somewhere, several Gates over, Dante mutters something about letting her minions watch too much TV.
The mission was to rescue Sanji, and not play silly games, so now that he's pulled the Marines attention his way - and hopefully not the Midget's, though he really shouldn't need the help being as SMALL as he is - Envy makes a break for the other side of the shield, and lunges - straight for a first-floor window. "Avast!"
Ifrit continues to attack the Group #3 and even starts to use his teeth before going to summon more fire to his aide in but then looks up at the whisling from the canon. He doesn't move out of the way in time but manages to move out enough not to let Yuna get hit. However, that doesn't stop the shriek of pain as Ifrit vanishes in a swirl of pyreflies leaving an bloody looking Yuna on the ground. She goes to cough and spot some blood out before going to look around. Oh.... Fayth.
The Commander's bullets are deflected by the shield that Orihime and Envy put up. That was unexpected, so now he's got his hands full. "Stand down, Missy!" *p-tink* Another spit of tobacco and another volley of bullets are sent in her direction. The men behind him begin to charge forward. Momentarily they're baffled by Envy's tricks and with that the canon Edward creates makes short work of them. An explosion sends the group flying and the entryway to the main compound, along with windows, is now wide open for them to run inside.
Once Nao takes to the sky the small group follows after her, only to have the rubble of the building fall down upon them and pin them beneath it. And that.. takes care of them! Looks as if most of the recruit marines have been dispatched. From her vantage point, Nao will see out at sea, actually getting very close now.. a Marine ship. But there's no time for that. The trio on the roof cheer as Ifrit vanishes. Yes! They killed it! Only to turn reloaded canon in Julia's direction. "Fire canon shell #2!" Again the whistling is heard as a shot is fired for the roof of the barracks where Julia stands.
Up on the third floor there are no windows to see out and it's all grey walls. An iron door bars entryway into a long narrow hallway lined with five jail cells and in the final one Sanji is waiting. It's no wonder he didn't answer Orihime's first call when they arrived at the island, because he's chained to the wall with his arms spread and appears only half conscious. Looks like they didn't bother treating the wounds he received from the Juggernaut when he was turned in. And why would they? They're going to execute him anyway.
Orihime doesn't budge from where she stands, palms pushed forward to keep that shield between her and the commander. Darn, how do they keep figuring out she's a girl? Her disguise is perfect! "I can't stand down, until I've made my daring escape and rejoined my crew so I can cook lots of delicious food again! I will take you on, man to man!" Because she's totally a man, yeah! "Come fight against me and my black leg!" And she kicks her leg into the air, issuing her challenge. Go Envy! Go Edward!
Yuna slowly goes to stand up but stumbles a bit. "I still have to help and still have to check up on Lady Dizzy." She winces as pain goes through her body and lets out a small cry of pain as well. She goes to scan the area for marines before moving towards the base. She still has to be an distraction, no matter what.
It doesn't take long for Edward to get inside, and he's in a better mood seeing as how his cannon has done the trick to clear things up for him to just run on through. Out of some random feeling of maliciousness he's also renovated a few things. Just in case he'd find some people pursuing him, he's transmuted a few extra staircases leading to nowhere at all or doors that lead straight to the outside, just a floor or two above ground level.
Iron doors mean nothing to the Fullmetal Alchemist, easily opened with a little alchemic persuasion. If he were not on the clock here, he'd do things a little more neatly and not rely so much on alchemy as his teacher has impressed upon him. The cell door that stands between Sanji and freedom is kicked open, the top portion knocked off its hinges as the door sags sadly at an angle once it swings inward. Edward bites back any quirky chatter as he notes the prisoner's condition.
"Hey, Sanji, was it? Hang on, we're getting you out of here." He moves to take care of those chains.
Nao watches the men get pinned beneath the rubble without a trace of emotion. It's hard to tell if she's a good guy or a bad guy sometimes. The only side she's usually on is her own. Well, her work is done. The photons evaporate from her Element, leaving normal hands behind instead of red and green claws. She finally takes a deep breath and turns her head towards the sea, blinking at what she spots there. A ship! She looks down at the ground frantically before calling out to anyone who might hear her. "Hurry up!" Incoming! In more ways than one.
'Fire canon shell #2!' Nao's eyes widen at those words. It's enough to send a chill through her body. She turns her head slowly in the direction of the ominous whistling sound. Nao's breath catches in her throat when she sees the canon shell on course for a direct hit. "JULIA!!" She crouches down, not even bothering to
abandon the spider creature. There's no point. If Julia's defeated, Nao's Most Important Person vanishes with her. There'd be nothing left for her. The canon definitely hits /something/, sending dust and debris up into the air. As everything slowly settles there's not a sign of any big green spider or redheaded girl anywhere. Not until a few seconds later when the severed tip of Julia's tail falls from the sky, embedding its blade deep in the ground.
Its only after he tucks and rolls on landing, that Envy remembers how strikingly painful it is to jump through a broken window. Even worse, though, is when he realizes what the master plan is. "Oi, so its me and Fullmetal Shorty for the rescue," he sighs as a bloodied hand ruffles a few glass shards and assorted plushie
stuffing out of his fronds. No worries, though, as by the time he gets up to the third floor, all the wounds will have knitted up already. Its the part of having to team up with the guy he hates the second most in all of the Gates while his two best friends look on that's giving the androgyny a case of the frowny-faces. Grr.
Another spark of transmutation gets rid of the silly pirate stuff and the homunculus dashes up right behind the alchemist, staying at the top of the stairs to keep a wary eye for any last Marines running out of the bathroom. Mostly, though, he pouts and folds his arms in front of him. A little Devil Envy poofs into place on his shoulder, flailing his arms and pitchfork. "Now's your chance! Throw the Pipsqueak in a cell and lock him up here!" Angel Envy poofs onto the other shoulder with a wagging naughty finger. "Not with everyone watchin'! What would Orihime and Yuna think?" "Bah," the devil fumes, "We'll just say there was a trap or somethin'! C'mon, what would make That Bastard hurt more than to hear his son's got himself locked up in a cold dark cell for the rest of his miserable life!" Angel Envy sighs and chucks his halo at the other, knocking him right off of the shoulder. "You idiot! They'll execute him or somethin' worse! That's /our/ job! Anyways, we might need him for a Stone or two. Best to keep our chewtoy around!"
With a confident nod, the angel disappears in a poof, leaving the real Envy to make the same nod himself. Once he's sure that Ed has everything in hand, he starts hunting for the commandant's office. Getting on the island was easy, getting off of it might be harder, and it wouldn't hurt to make sure he has a couple other aces up his wrist-gloves...
With the bullets still being deflected somehow, the Commander turns his gun to the side and stops the fire. *p-tink* Another spit of tobacco before he starts to charge like an ox at Orihime. The gatling gun is lifted high and then swung straight at her like a baseball bat, or at her shield as the case may be. "Whether you're a man or a woman, if you're a pirate then you'll be arrested!"
Yuna will find, as she scours the base, that most every marine is down and out thanks to Julia and Ifrit, but Orihime appears to be having quite a battle with the Commander while the rescue team is bringing out the captive.
Any marine who goes into the building next time will be.. really confused that staircases that lead into walls and other such places. Sanji lifts his head as he hears the door bang open, though everything is out of focus for awhile. "Who're you?" He manages to say in a hoarse voice. Well, guess it doesn't matter since Edward is unchaining him, and he's not likely a marine.
The trio on the roof begin to cheer again when the second monster is dispatched. However, the canon jams at that point, inabling them to fire it again. The three work furiously to try and correct the situation. Envy does find the commander's office. There are various maps and other such things he would expect to find. The really weird thing is the snail on his desk. With a receiver on top of it. And.. it's speaking in a woman's voice! "Answer! Base Cuspidor, respond! Hina, annoyed..." Looks as if it's this world's version of a telephone.
Using her staff to walk, Yuna continues to look around the base but winces as she hears gunfire. Gritting her teeth, she goes towards the sound of gunfire (Orihime's direction) and if she does make it in a decent amount of time, should would fire an 'Holy' spell at one of the marines to continue to provide distraction before going to run.
"A friend of Orihime's," Edward replies with a faint grin. The chains are dispatched with a clap and touch of a finger to each. "Can you stand? Here, you can lean on me." The boy may not be as tall as Sanji (hey, these pirates are all stringy!), but he's stronger than he looks! "We gotta get out of here while the others have 'em preoccupied."
Hello there, bat! Meet mah leetle friend, Mr. Shield! Orihime weathers the attack MUCH more easily than one of The Juggernaut's bone-shattering punches. And after he's swung, she beams and playfully shoves him over with the shield. Not hard, of course. She really has no desire to hurt anyone, even if the feeling isn't mutual. "Ha ha ha! Sanji escaaaaaapes! You'll never catch me, coppers!" she taunts as she turns on her heel and runs like crazy.
Maps are good, there might be a second or third way back to the Gate they can find this way. First things first, however, as the corners of Envy's mouth turn upwards into a mischevious grin. "A golden opportunity," he cackles in a muted voice. Who to frame? Greed? Ling? The receiver is calmly taken in hand as his voice box
reconfigures itself, and a dark and steely voice both the homunculi and the State Military have grown to love answers the phone, "All your Base Cuspidor belong to Ishbala. Repent your sins now, before our holy vengenace strikes you down!" A beat. "Kneel before Zod." Click.
Envy's toothy smile is a mile wide as he walks out the door, with various maps and wanted posters tucked in his loincloth. "Oi! Shorty! Time's a wastin'! Let's blow this island before the posse arrives and you get stuck here!"
Sanji blinks a few times at the mention of that name. "Orihime-chan? She's alright?" The last he saw her she had been beaten up by that damn behemoth that did the same to him. Sanji nods and manages to stand, though shakily, and will take Edward's help for support. Even if he has to bend down to do it. *cough* It's time for a retreat!
The swing smashes against the shield but does little good, only to be followed by a shove from Orihime. The man staggers back and falls, then begins to rise again. "You can't run!" Suddenly he spots a white light coming at him, and then there's a flash. When it fades the Commander is lying down looking highly dazed, thanks to the holy spell.
On the other end of the den den mushi, a beautiful woman sitting in a deskchair reclines, then slowly sets the receiver down on top of the snail. "Hina.. confused.." And annoyed. Yes, Hina annoyed, also. The rambling is dismissed as a punk's joke and won't make it into her report. Obviously the situation at Cuspidor has gone out of control. She just hopes the subordinates will be alright.
And as the group is making their run for the exit...Two men appear before the main gate, each walking in step together. They stop and then.. DISCO POSE! Each points a finger into the air. "You're not going anywhere, BABY!" "That's right!" The other one chimes, doing a hip shake. "We're... The Black Cage Corps: Black Spear
Squadron!!" Shounted in unison!
"Seaman Recruit Double-Ironfist Fullbody!" AND "Seaman Recruit Jango!" Where is that techno beat coming from?! Looks as if there's one more loose end to tie up. "Are you taking our prisoner?! I know that guy!" Fullbody points at Sanji, who looks up and blinks a few times in Fullbody's direction. "You look familiar.." Again Fullbody fumes, "You FORGOT me?!"
Yes! One down as Orihime is hopefully being able to make her escape as the Summoner watches the younger teen run. Panting as the spell took a lot out of her in her current condition. She starts to head back towards the base. Perhaps she can still provide distraction.
A nod is given in response to Sanji's question. "She's fine- she's outside holding off guards. We'd better hurry on down." He helps the pirate out of the cell and back to the main hall of the third floor. His brow twitches at Envy's shouts. "SHADDUP Envy, I hear you! Either help me out here or make yourself useful!"
They eventually get down though, but not without conflict. Edward sweatdrops at the odd pair that's appeared. He stares blankly at them, glances to Sanji, and then looks to the two. "Hey, if you're not gonna do anything important besides stand there like idiots, ya mind moving aside for us?"
Too late, here comes the reinforcements. Envy. having dallied to annoy Hina, is at the rear of the group by the time they meet up with the Disco Bandits. Thus, its possible they don't see his flat-eyed and loose-jawed 'WTF' expression at first. Nor perhaps the return of the toothy mischevious grin that follows, or the explosion of alchemy that follows that.
What they won't miss, is the gigantic muscle-bound freak with the foot-tall blond afro, sparkly white leisure suit, and perfectly styled handlebar mustache. "BEHOLD THE BEAUTY AND PERFECTION OF THIS SUPERBLY TRAINED DANCING MACHINE! Stand aside, wee Edward Elric, this looks like a job for Alex Louis Armstrong, THE DISCO ALCHEMIST!"
Oh, you thought they were joking? Fullbody grins and starts to run in. "No matter what.. I won't disappoint Hina-jou!!" There's a quick leap upwards and his fist, which is bearing iron knuckles, is sent for a punch aimed right at the disco alchemist's face. They are marines, even if they don't behave.. normal! Fullbody also used to be a lieutenant... he just got demoted. A sacrifice for friendship. Perhaps Envy was so amused by they're amazing style he was caught off guard! And that punch is the equivelant of being hit by a truck. What did you think this was, a dance off? Fullbody already won second place in the Grand Line Dancing Tournament! Jango won first, and is shouting in the background, "Go get 'im, brother!"
Okay, how can she -not- hear that? Gritting her teeth and biting her tounge in order to stay awake. Yuna follows the sound of men shouting strange things.... Please let her not get notice yet.
"............." Edward makes no comment as Envy goes Armstrong-mode. Ugh. Of all people... He watches as the disco freaks take on the freak, then glances to Sanji. "Uh.... yah. Should we continue?" Assuming that Jango is too busy routing for his brother.
Aw, how cute, Sailorboy's going to kick the flexing Disco King in the fa- CRUNCH.
Treasure this moment, Edward, for you'll likely not hear such a string of words coming from the real Armstrong's mouth: "OWOHSHI-WHATTHE@$*#!?" Armstrong!Envy staggers back, blood dripping from his broken nose down onto his pristine polyester, as he raises a single disbelieving finger at Fullbody. Dammit, he just got owned - and in front of the Pipsqueak too. Its on like white on rice now. "Oi, playtime's over, $#*@es!" The Disco King nearly dissolves, leaving behind the scowling and slightly less bleeding cute form. "I'll show you how to dance!"
Cue the breakdance music! Envy pirouettes around Fullbody, finshing with a dip that raises one leg to spinkick the Marine upside his head. Any incoming counter-strike is met with a feint backwards, then a full reverse somersault, handstand, and vault back to a three-point stance. Ideally, Envy would much rather have Gluttony here to eat this joker's foot, but if he can show up his dance moves with his own gymkata - he'll take that!
There's a malicious grin from Fullbody as the strike connects. The other fist, which is also wearing iron knuckles is brought around, but misses as Envy goes into breakdance mode. He counters the first couple of kicks with disco moves of his own. He's quite the shaker! But by the time Envy has finished his routine he's on the ground beaten to a pulp.
"ANIKI!!" Jango points a finger at the trio. Looks like he's not letting you leave so easily, Edward! "Now you're in for it.. my amazing hypnotism technique!" A silver ring is dropped from a piece of string and begins to sway in front of the group. "When I say One, Two, Jango, you will apologize for what you did to my aniki!" The ring begins to sway. No one has ever been immune to Jango's amazing technique before. "One.. Two... JANGO!!" No one has ever been immune!
... including Jango, who forgot to look away and is now on the ground with his arms around Edward's leg. "I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!!" ;_; Fullbody shouts over, "Aniki!! You're not supposed to look too!"
Edward can't help but smirk as he sees Envy/Armstrong take a hit to the face. It would only have been more satisfying if he were the one doing it. Ah, but now it seems that they won't be left alone to make their get away just yet. Golden eyes glance back at Jango almost dismissively.
....perhaps the hypnotism would have been foolproof.... if Edward had been looking in that direction. As luck would have it, he'd rolled his eyes as soon as Jango spouted using his technique. Is this guy for real? And then he blinks as he finds something latched to his leg. "Gah! What the- Get off!" Edward growls, kicking at the guy with his free leg. Which would hurt even moreso if it turns out to be the left one.
Rumblerumblerumble... Thunder? That's funny, the skies were relatively clear just a few moments ago. And in fact, they still are! So, then, what's making all that noise?
Around the corner of the base, Orisanji skids out on one foot, eyes wide with panic. She ducks her head into the wind and closes her eyes tightly, pumping her arms and legs as fast as they'll go. And right behind her is a horde of stampeding marines hot on her heels. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Orihime wails. "There's too maaaaaaany! Run run run! Into the boat!" she yells. They'd better leave this place, and FAST!
Envy wasn't looking either, he was too busy flipping his fronds triumphantly over the fallen Fullbody. He could give Jango tips on how to make his Amazing Hypnotism Technique more effective, but he's a loser, so he no PROTIPS for you. There's one last detail to take care of, and the shapeshifter lowers himself down to make sure Fullbody hears it loud and clear over that growing rumbling. "When you write up those wanted posters, his name," he jerks a thumb at Ed, "Is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Shrimp. My name is Envy - E-N-V-Y - and make sure you get a better artist than whoever did the hack job on Sanji there!"
There. He can feel his infamy score rising already. And here comes Yuna - ack - and Orihime - MAJOR ACK. "Yunie!", he shouts, bounding over to sling the wounded summoner over his shoulder, then abruptly spinning around to bound after Orisanji! "Last one to the ship's a midget alchemist!"
Yuna finally arrives on the scene and just goes to stare at it. "Anyone in need of healing?" She calls out, ignoring the fact that she needs healing herself if all the blood is any indicator. Yuna blinks as Envy goes to her aid but then sees Sanji. "Sir Sanji!" She goes to point her staff at him and goes to pour out an 'Cura' at him. But doing so causes her to pass out and yes, she is out of the running away!
"Orihime-chwan! Yuna-chwan!" Sanji has miraculously revived! *_* Though no one should wonder why, really. Except there's no time for swaying, heart bubbles, or bad poetry at the moment. A boat is waiting to get them all off the island. Jango is stomped into the ground and.. doesn't get back up. With Fullbody still down that leaves the way clear for everyone to make a hasty get away while the marines and Commander Spitoon chase after the group. Running as fast as they are, the marines aren't likely to catch up.