[RL w/Jacky; Don't worry, big brother's here.]

[shovel_sick]

To say Shuraiya was angry was an understatement; it took every fiber of his being to not call out Kratos on the community and outright destroy him for treating Jacky so cruelly -- the boy didn't know or care the extent of it nor whether or not his sister was at fault, but the fact of the matter was that he left her.

He fucking left her. Any

Comments

[shovel_sick]

After checking the mainsheet and hoisting his flag, Shuraiya settled at the stern, an arm propped lazily on the tiller, the other digging in his pocket for his Log Pose.

"Sure," he replied pleasantly, fastening the orb to his wrist and holding it up, watching as the needle -- similar to that of a normal compass, used in other parts of the world -- spun until it settled to the northeast and held without so much as a quiver. "This is a Log Pose, I use it to navigate -- the islands here in the Grand Line, they've all got their own magnetic poles, so normal compasses don't work here, they go haywire. Y'gotta get one of these, which directs you from island to island.

"But it's not that easy to get around, 'cause the weather here is fuckin' crazy -- and the islands are tremendously far apart. You'll see as we sail, we'll hit at least two, if not three different kinds'a weather." He paused, realizing that he hadn't designated a place for the ship to go, simply telling it 'the Grand Line' landed him, well, somewhere. Nice going, Shuraiya. "I dunno where we are exactly, but it doesn't matter much. We'll hit an island before dark, and once we know where we are, we can go anywhere you want."

[xx_bloody_jack]

Jacky leaned on the banister, staring out across the vast oceans. It was strange to her, these weren't her oceans but they still gave her the same feelings hers did. They were still blue and beautiful, but they had their own behaviors too, things she had never experienced before. This was going to be a new experience.

"It sounds like a challenge to me," She replied to Shuraiya with a grin. How she would love to have her own crew and man her own ship on such waters. Really test herself for once. One day, maybe. For now, though, she was content with being a passenger on Shuraiya's ship.

[shovel_sick]

Shuraiya reached into his jacket and pulled out his hat, smoothing the brim before putting it on with a crooked grin. "Oh, they're a challenge alright. You should've see--" He cut himself off suddenly, having heard something from far off to the starboard side -- it sounded like an explosion, but he couldn't be sure, everything had been quiet a moment before.

It took only a hint of the tell-tale whistle of a cannonball hurtling through the air to cause Shuraiya alarm, and he grabbed Jacky and flung them both flat onto the deck, holding her close as they were hit by the spray of the water -- the cannonball had landed several feet shy of the ship, but it wouldn't be the last.

"Shit, shit, shit, I should've paid better attention --" Shuraiya cursed, silently pleading to whatever gods where out there to please not get his fucking ship sank, not right after finishing her expensive repairs. Lucci would never let him hear the end of it -- that is, if he lived. "They've seen my flag, Jacky, they know I'm a bounty hunter-- it's pirates, we've either got to fight or run."

[xx_bloody_jack]

Shuraiya hadn't been the only one to hear the low whistling sound. Jacky would know that sound anywhere. It had been her life not too long ago. It was only their luck that the cannonball had not struck the ship. But it could have been worse. Jacky hated to watch a good ship damaged for unjust reasons.

Jacky jumped up to the railing of the ship to look across the ocean. She could see them, the pirates. It sent a thrill through her, one she hadn't felt in months. She pushed aside her worries of Kratos. Right now the ship was her worry, and the approaching pirates.

Looking back to Shuraiya, Jacky grinned widely. It was a genuine grin too. "Then what are we waiting for? It seems they wish to fight after all. It would be rude to disappoint, dear brother." How she had missed this life.