[X] [Plan] Have Cricket teach you the local language.
[X] [Plan] Talk with Cricket, get to know your new… landlord? House-mate? [X] [Plan] Illona said that mages can get Mana from the land. Try to do that.
[X] [Cricket] Yes, stay with him. At least for a little while.
[X] [Plan] Have Cricket teach you the local language.
[X] [Plan] Talk with Cricket, get to know your new… landlord? House-mate? [X] [Plan] Illona said that mages can get Mana from the land. Try to do that.
Agreed on becoming less homicidal before we travel more. Jin is feeling hurt and lost because he lost the only person he really knew and mostly trusted, and Cricket is a good person. Jin doesn't need a replacement father figure but someone trustworthy is good and Cricket is the friendliest and most trustworthy person we are going to find on Jaya island. Also this may help us figure out where we are in the One Piece timeline.
[X] [Cricket] Yes, stay with him.
[X] [Plan] Have Cricket teach you the local language.
[X] [Plan] Illona said that mages can get Mana from the land. Try to do that.
[X] [Plan] Talk with Cricket, get to know your new… landlord? House-mate?
Mont Blanc Cricket?! He's a good dude. I like him.
[X] [Cricket] Yes, stay with him. At least for a little while.
[X] [Plan] Have Cricket teach you the local language.
[X] [Plan] Talk with Cricket, get to know your new… landlord? House-mate?
[X] [Plan] Train a Skill or Stat.
- [X] [Plan] Acrobatics x1.
We are in the One Piece World. Devil Fruits aren't what is considered the strongest. It's Haki. Same with Mana. Got to train the body before something goes wrong.
[X] [Cricket] Yes, stay with him. At least for a little while.
[X] [Plan] Have Cricket teach you the local language.
[X] [Plan] Talk with Cricket, get to know your new… landlord? House-mate?
[X] [Plan] Illona said that mages can get Mana from the land. Try to do that.
[X] [Cricket] Yes, stay with him. At least for a little while.
[X] [Plan] Have Cricket teach you the local language.
[X] [Plan] Talk with Cricket, get to know your new… landlord? House-mate?
[X] [Plan] Explore the surroundings, try to find something interesting.
[Cricket] Yes, stay with him. At least for a little while.
[Plan] Have Cricket teach you the local language.
[Plan] Talk with Cricket, get to know your new… landlord? House-mate?
[Plan] Illona said that mages can get Mana from the land. Try to do that.
Cricket's House, Some Island
Day 2
In the end, it isn't much of a choice. True, you were ready to try and rough it up until you could find somewhere with streets and walls, but if the man is offering…
Plus, it ain't as if you couldn't throw lightning at him again if you really needed to.
So before he could come to regret his choice, you accept his invitation with a nod. Together, you enter his house. You pay careful attention to his reaction to how you left it, with half the food gone and your nest of old garments on a corner.
He glares at you, and mutters something that felt insulting, but doesn't try to attack so you let it go. To pay for his hospitality, you help him drag his matters back in and tidy the place up. Very pointedly, you do not put the food you stole back in its place, just in case, and Cricket gives you a look but doesn't push it.
He's kind of a good guy, huh?
When the house is back in order except for the busted lock, you and Cricket take a seat on the floor in the middle of the house and proceed to… try and speak.
Mostly, it's just Cricket pointing at things and saying their name on his tongue, and you repeating after. It's annoying, but at least his language seems rather similar to Common to your ears. You may not understand what the words mean exactly, but pronouncing them comes easy and you can catch the gist of what Cricket tries to say if he goes slow and simple enough.
"Jack is very smart," Cricket says slowly, for your benefit, after the sun falls and you've both eaten a meal of fish. "Impressive."
You shrug, taking a sip from a glass of water. "This be easy," you tell him, and it is. Maybe you're smarter than you thought.
Cricket smiles at you and you shrug again. His hand rises, reaching for you, and your arm moves on its own. Before you realize it, there are sparks dancing on your fingers and Cricket is rising both his hands, keeping them in full view.
You take a deep breath, calming your racing heart, and remind yourself that Cricket is not a corpse full of maggots trying to eat your brain. "Sorry," you say, and force the Red back inside.
Cricket gives you a sad look but chooses not to say anything. Instead, he begins to put the dishes and glasses away for cleaning. After a moment, you decide just to watch him do it. He uses the water from the sink and some strange liquid to make bubbles and uses that bubbly water to clean stuff. It's rather fascinating.
"What is that?" you ask, using what are coming to be your favorite words, as you point t the bottle full of weird liquid.
Cricket looks at the bottle, then back to you. "Detergent," he says, followed by a jumble of words you half understand. Something bout killing stuff on the dishes?
"Poison?" You ask, a little worried now.
"Only if drunk," he answers, either meaning that it reacts bad to alcohol or that it isn't dangerous if you don't drink it.
After more questions and answers, Cricket lets out a yawn and you join him soon after. Both of you are tired, and the world outside is dark. Night, it's called. The time when people sleep.
Cricket tries to give you his bed, but you ignore him and bury yourself in your nest until he gives up.
You keep an eye on him until you can be sure he fell asleep, and only then allow yourself to relax. You are out like a light soon after.
Cricket's House, Some Island
Day 3
The next day, after waking up with the sun and gorging on more of Cricket's food, you and the man are sitting on his floor again, a piece of paper in front of both of you.
"Jaya Island," Cricket pronounces carefully, pointing at the words at the top of the paper. A map, you think, a map of Jaya Island apparently.
"Jaya?" You ask.
"Island's name," Cricket answers with a shrug.
"Island… water all around?" You ask.
"Yes," he says, and you nod. You suspected, but it's now confirmed. You are on an island, surrounded everywhere by water.
"Only island?" You ask, worried for a second that there's nothing else but ocean in this plane, that you are trapped here for the rest of your life.
Cricket laughs, loud and boisterous, slapping the ground so hard it makes you jump. "No," he laughs, "there are many more in the Grand Line!"
"Grand Line?" you ask again, feeling rather ignorant all of the sudden.
"Later," he says, "first, the island!" Then, he proceeds to point at the important places on the island and tell you what they are called. The X at the top right is his house, the green thing is a forest he calls South Grave, filled with murderous insects controlled by a population of hostile birds.
The moment you hear Cricket describing those insects as giants you vow to never set foot on that place, no matter what, and to thank the Forgotten for not landing there. You would've died.
Then there's Mouth Bay, which Cricket tells you are controlled by Shoujo's Pirates.
"Dangerous?" you ask, not really getting what a pirate is other than ocean-only thugs. Figures, even a different plane of existence isn't devoid of scum like that.
"Not for us," he tells you, "Shoujo is a good kid."
You rather doubt that, if he goes around calling himself a water-thug, but you keep your opinions to yourself.
Last of all is Mock Town, the only city on the island and a lawless nest of thugs, slavers, and worse. "Dangerous," Cricket tells you seriously, "more for you."
"Why?" You ask, a little offended. You can take care of yourself.
"Fish man," he says, "rare, valuable. Savers like that."
You pause at that. Shit, you forgot, you didn't realize— Suddenly, your eyes narrow and you look pointedly at Cricket. He doesn't say anything, just waiting, staring at you with—
[Sense Motive: 16+3=19 - Pass!]
Worry, and a bit of pity. The second burns at your pride, but… Yeah, right, Cricket is a good man. He wouldn't sell you into slavery. He even warned you!
But this is a problem. Your form is causing problems. Of course, it would, there is no Simic Combine here, no protections for people that look like you do—
Should you… change faces? It would avoid problems but— You look at Cricket— if you do that, you'll either have to leave him before that or tell him the truth of what you are. And he just admitted that slavery is a thing here, and you are pretty sure that whatever you're is much rarer than merfolk.
Do you trust him enough for that? No, but you still need him, at least to learn the language. He proved trustworthy enough for that.
You'll wait, you decide, you'll wait until you can speak like a normal person, and then you'll decide. At the pace, you're going it shouldn't take you more than a week.
Cricket breaks the silence, clearing his throat, and continues telling you about the island. There is another band of pirates around, headed by a man called Masira, that seem to specialize in salvage operations. You perk up at that, but maybe that's a euphemism for killing people and looting their corpses, so you restrain your interest. For now.
The rest of the morning passes like that, with Cricket telling you bout the island, or teaching you new words you absorb like a sponge. Then, after lunch, you follow Cricket outside.
The man stands on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the waters below with a determined face.
"What are you doing?" You ask him.
"Preparing to dive," he tells you. You look down at the waters, so deep you can't see the bottom. They could be hiding anything, monsters or jagged rocks or—
"Why?"
"Gold," he says simply, and then jumps. You understand that answer, understand it perfectly. One can never have enough gold.
You stay on that cliff for a long moment, looking down at the ocean, but when it fills to tint with Cricket's blood you shrug and walk away. You don't know how to swim.
To pass the time, you sit cross-legged beside Cricket's house, your eyes closed. You remember Illona telling you bout how mages work, how they gather power from the land to fuel their spells. You… don't need to do that, at least for now, but your soul is not as deep as the ocean, and you don't want to run out if you can.
So… You close your eyes and focus. But instead of focusing inwards, you focus outwards, and below. On the grass, you're sitting on, on the endless churning of the ocean, on the weird house and the gold figurines, on the earth and the stones and—
[Roll: 7 - Fail!]
And there's something there, something you can almost see, almost taste. But— it's far, you stretch and stretch but you lack something, some… insight on this land. You don't know enough to understand it, and you can't bond with something you don't understand.
When you open your eyes the sun is setting and Cricket is back home, wet and tired and empty-handed. You eat a serving of rice and fish, learn a few more words, and then go to sleep.
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 5
Two days later, you find a book on the second floor. You can't read the language yet, so you wait until Cricket comes back and you ask him to help you read it.
His face when you show him the book is… weird. Pained, even.
Immediately, you know that there's something wrong.
"What's wrong?" You ask, your words halting but understandable, even after only three days worth of practice.
Cricket looks old, now. Old and tired, he slumps atop his bed with none of the grace you're used to seeing on him. "That book," he says slowly, pointing at the book, "it ruined my life."
You tilt your head. "What?"
Cricket snorts. "Liar Noland, that's what is called." He meets your eyes. "It's a story about the biggest liar in history, of how it got him killed. My ancestor, Mont Blanc Noland."
"Oh," you say, looking down at the book. "Is that why you live alone?"
Cricket hums. "Partly." He sighs, "I suppose you won't get it until you read it. You know how to read?"
You shake your head. "Not this tongue."
"Then pay attention," Cricket says, unsurprised, and begins to tell a story. You follow along with the book, tracing the shape of the words and intuiting their meaning according to what Cricket says, and the pictures in the book.
The story goes like this.
"A story over four hundred years ago...
"In a certain country in the northern seas,
there was a man named Mont Blanc Noland.
Noland the Explorer's stories were always grand adventures that sounded like lies.
But the people of the village could never tell if they were true or not.
"One time, Noland went on an expedition,
and came back to report to the king. "I saw a mountain of gold on an island across the great seas."
To see for himself, the brave king took two thousand warriors
and crossed the great seas in his ship.
He fought powerful storms and huge sea monsters.
"Finally, the king, Noland, and one hundred soldiers landed on the island.
But what they found there was nothing but jungle.
Noland was sentenced to death for his lies.
These were his last words. "That's it! The mountain of gold sank into the ocean!!!" The king and the others were shocked.
"Nobody believed Noland anymore, but he never stopped lying until he was dead."
You stay silent for a while.
"You get it now?" Mount Blanc Cricket asks.
"The diving… you search for Noland's gold? To prove him… innocent?" you ask.
Cricket snorts. "No. I'm old now, and the past is past. I don't care if he was a liar or not."
"Then why…?"
"I want to know. To settle the matter. Either I find it, or I die, and either way, it will be solved." He says.
You stay silent for a long moment. "I don't think he lied," you say at last.
"Oh?" Cricket raises an eyebrow, "how so?"
"He would have run away," you say, "if he was lying, he would've run away."
"Maybe he was an idiot," Cricket says.
"Maybe," you allow, "he got himself killed. Maybe it runs in the blood." You say with a smile.
"Are you calling me stupid, brat?" Cricket says, smiling back, and a part of you can't help but hear the Old Man in his voice. Your smile dies, and you shake your head.
"Diving is for young people," you say instead of bantering back, "you'll die sooner."
Cricket snorts. "Is my life to waste," he says, and the conversation dies.
But… you think you understand Cricket better, now.
[Cricket SL 1/?]
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 7
Your seventh day on this plane starts like any other. You wake up, eat, practice your words and letters, and try to connect to the land.
[Roll: 11+2=13 - Pass!]
You reach, deeper and deeper, your memories of this place serving as fuel for your effort. Cricket, diving tirelessly in search of hold. The half-a-house, with its strange back wall and mysterious pass. The story of Liar Noland, the uncovered truth of the matter…
With a last effort of will, you forge a bond between you and this place, and you can feel a current of Blue energy, foreign but also familiar, begin to trickle into your soul.
[New Land Gained!
Cricket's House (U): Tap to gain water-breathing for 1 hour.]
You are interrupted by Cricket kicking the door open. You immediately raise to your feet, one hand on your knife and the other crackling with half-formed power.
Cricket sees you, tensed and about to lash out, and immediately his wide smile wilts a little. "Right," he mutters to himself. Then, louder, "Brat, we're having company."
You tense in a completely different way.
"What?" You ask.
"My sons are coming to visit," he says with cheer, "and we'll be drinking through the night and telling stories!"
"You have sons?" you ask, even more confused.
"Didn't I mention them?" He asks, and you shake your head, "Masira and Shoujou, I would swear that I—"
"The water-thugs?!" Cricket's sons are the two pirate bands?
Cricket snorts. "Ha! Oh, what I would pay to see them hear that. Yeah brat, the pirates. Ah… I was planning to introduce you, but— " He looks at you, and whatever he reads on your posture makes him reconsider. "— I can just take them to the city, anyway. Will you be good on your own?"
Father to pirates or not, Cricket really is a good man.
Cricket is, in a roundabout manner, asking you if you want to meet his sons or if you would prefer not to. What do you say?
[] [Sons] I'll be fine. You don't want to meet those pirates, especially looking like you do. Cricket is a good man, but his sons probably aren't.
[] [Sons] I want to meet them. Pirates or not, they are Cricket's sons, and you doubt they'll do anything to you with him round. And you can defend yourself if they try.
Also, the week is over and you have a choice. Having now realized that your current form could be problematic, what do you do?
[] [Form] Keep being Jack. You'll deal with whatever problems being a Fish-Man cause later, and you like living with Cricket.
[] [Form] Choose a new form, something more ordinary.
-[] Say goodbye to Cricket and go to Mock Town.
-[] Show Cricket what you really are and keep living with him.
No matter what you choose on the second vote, it'll happen either while Cricket is away with his sons or after the party if you choose to meet them.
[X] [Sons] I want to meet them. Pirates or not, they are Cricket's sons, and you doubt they'll do anything to you with him round. And you can defend yourself if they try.
Masira and Shoujou are cool and I want to meet them.
[X] [Form] Keep being Jack. You'll deal with whatever problems being a Fish-Man cause later, and you like living with Cricket.
@RedLegend do our gills as a fake Fishman actually work or do we need the water breathing spell?
I want to stick around with Cricket for now and we can change form later if we need to. Masira and Shoujou won't mind us being a fishman.
I'm fine with it. As long as we train dammit. When I said relatively I meant it.
Edit: Decided to change vote. In my muddled slowly awakening mind at the time. I failed to realize how useless the damn form is. We have gills yet can't use them. We could swim better, yet thats all. A human(Rayleigh) swam the dang sea of the rebellious grand line. Can't become a better swimmer than that.
[X] [Form] Choose a new form, something more ordinary.
-[X] Show Cricket what you really are and keep living with him.
[X] [Form] Choose a new form, something more ordinary.
-[X] Show Cricket what you really are and keep living with him.
I have no real problem with letting people we trust know we're a changeling, and from what I've read about him Cricket doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd sell us out. aside from that I was against the fishmen form to begin with but I joined too late to vote on that.
Hey guys. Today and maybe tomorrow there won't be any updates, mostly for personal reasons. I may be able to squeeze something tonight but I can't make any promises.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I'm sorry about the delay. If anyone has any suggestions or criticism or anything, I'll also be glad to hear them!
[X] [Sons] I want to meet them. Pirates or not, they are Cricket's sons, and you doubt they'll do anything to you with him round. And you can defend yourself if they try.
You choose to meet the sons, but there was a tie in the form question. I will take that as Jin themselves being indecisive about the matter, and write accordingly.
I'm currently in a bus so the moment I get home and shed my watersoaked shell (had to walk back from classes in the rain) I'll get to write.
Sorry for the delay! The weekend was very busy on my end.
[Sons] I want to meet them. Pirates or not, they are Cricket's sons, and you doubt they'll do anything to you with him round. And you can defend yourself if they try.
[Form] A tie!
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 7, Afternoon
"I want to meet them," you speak out, vanishing what hesitation you may feel. Which is none, because you don't hesitate. Ever. "They sound… neat."
Cricket rubs the back of his head, looking kind of awkward. "Look, Jack, you don't have to—"
"Are they assholes?" You ask, and Cricket's eyes boggle. This is the first time he heard you curse, you think.
"They are nothing but perfect gentlemen—" he begins to puff himself up, probably starting a rant. Parents are always like that, even if their sons are pirates.
"Then what's the problem?" You cut him off again. Cricket glares at you, muttering something you don't catch under his breath, but he finally surrenders.
"Well, you little shit—" you give him a cheeky grin, finally getting some use of those sharpened teeth your form has, "—I'll give them a call so they know about you, and then we'll party."
"A call?" You ask. Now that you think about it, how the fuck did he receive word about his sons? You assumed it was a planned event, but— And then Cricket takes out a giant snail from his pockets, and it's your turn to boggle.
It's a somewhat disturbing creature, with giant human eyeballs at the top of its eyestalks and a wide mouth— why the fuck does a snail have a mouth?! And there's a metal thingy on its shell, almost like a button. No, no fucking almost, because Cricket presses, and the fucking mutant snail begins to emit a series of high-pitched sounds from its weird mouth that has fucking human teeth—
"OI!" The snail shouts, making you jump. What the fuck. "This is Masura speaking, what do you want?"
"Masura!" Cricket shouts into the snail. What the fuck. "It's me, you still coming tonight!?"
"Pops!" Masura-snail shouts back, full of joy. What the fuck. "Ukikiki! Of course, of course! What, did ya drink all the beer?"
"You brat!" Cricket shouts. They are shouting so much. Why are they shouting?! "No, I'm not an alcoholic like you!" Cricket laughs, and the snail laughs.
What the fuck.
"No," Cricket says after calming down, a little bit quieter, "I'm just telling ya, we'll have a fourth joining us."
"WHAAAAA?" The snail shouts, fucking hells. "Pops, did ya manage to shag a—"
"NO!" Cricket snaps, sending you a pained grimace. You answer in kind, mostly because your ears are fucking ringing. "No, I'm taking care of a kid I found. Come here kid, say hello to my shitty son."
You approach, eying the snail wearily even as you ignore the complaints of who you assume is Masura talking through the snail. What the fuck? "He ain't taking care of nobody," you tell the snail (what the fuck) with your best though guy accent, "Old man here fell and broke his hip so I'm his nurse now."
"Oi!" Cricket snaps as Murasa laughs, and you duck under a slap of his meaty hands. "Am not bloody old!"
"Ukikikiki!" Snail-Murasa laughs (you think?). "I like him already! Kid, did ya have enough diapers for the old man? I can bring some if—" Suddenly, the connection cuts as Cricket presses a button.
He glares at you, and you meet his eyes with a cheeky grin. After a long moment of silence, he starts to chuckle, and you giggle, and then he laughs, and then both of you are laughing. It's pretty nice.
"What the fuck is that thing?" You ask after both of you calm down, pointing at the weird mutant snail.
"Transponder snail," Cricket answers easily, already used to your ignorance on basic stuff. "Snails that can speak between themselves over large distances, the best method of communication in the entire Grand Line!"
"They look freaky," you say. Immediately, the snail in Cricket's hand slumps down, and you wonder if they can actually understand you.
"They're cute," Cricket insists, "and useful. Aren't you?" And then he wastes a good ten minutes cooing at the snail as if it were a small child. It's very disturbing to watch.
The second call is, thankfully, much quieter. "Hello? This is the great Sonar King Shoujo speaking. State your business!" Comes a small, reedy voice from the snail.
"Shoujo, cut it out, it's me." Cricket greets with some resignation, "you still coming tonight?"
"Yes, yes!" Shoujo says, sounding enthusiastic, "What, did you finish all the beer by—"
"Murasa already did that joke," you inform the snail/Shoujo.
"That bastard!" Shoujo shouts, making you snort. "Oi, wait, who's this? Is that a kid? Old man, did you kidnap a kid?"
"Yes," you say at the same time that Cricket shouts, "No!"
"Old man!" Shoujo exclaims dramatically, sounding both hurt and tremendously disappointed. Cricket glares at you, and you show him your tongue.
"Shoujo, I didn't kidnap him. I found a lost kid and I took him in." Cricket explains calmly.
"Ah," Shoujo says, "that explains it all." He seems very gullible. Or maybe that's because Cricket is the one speaking? "Will he be joining us at the party?"
"Yes," you confirm, "I'm Jack, by the way."
"And I'm Shoujo!" the snail says, "once, I won a singing competition because every other contestant got sick that same day! Impressive, innit?"
You turn to Cricket, who very slowly shakes his head. "Anyway," the man says, "that's all. See you tonight, brat." And then he disconnects the… uh… snail? You are still confused bout the mechanics of it all.
"Well?" Cricket asks you.
"Well?" you repeat.
"What did you think?" he says.
"About what?" you ask.
"Brat," Cricket says, "don't be difficult."
You shrug. "They seem nice."
Cricket nods. "They do, don't they?"
"Are you sure they are yours?" you ask cheekily.
Cricket snorts. "They ain't my sons by blood," he says, "but they're still good kids." He looks very proud about it. "Don't tell them I said that, they'll get big heads."
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 7, Evening
You spend the whole afternoon helping Cricket prepare for the party. Caskets of ale and other alcoholic drinks are brought from a basement you didn't even know existed. Pieces of wood are lowered from the attic and assembled outside into a pretty big table.
"Are we expecting many people?" You ask as you help Cricket put the last board in.
"The boys will leave their crews behind, so no," Cricket says.
"Then why is the table so big?" You ask.
Cricket sends you a smug smile. "My boys are big men!" He says and refuses to explain further.
It's only when the full decorations are done, the table set, and the bonfire ready to light that you notice something amiss. "And the food?" you ask.
"Here it comes," Cricket says, looking at the distance. You follow his gaze and can't help the dumb look of surprise that covers your face.
In a small rowboat, two humanoid monkeys approach from the sea. One is big and muscular, with spiky red hair and a dumb grin on his face. The other is big and fat, with long locks of green hair falling in the wind like a banner behind him. In fact, both of them are big, and it's only more obvious the closer they come. What the fuck.
Oh, and they are dragging a giant dead shark behind them. As in, bigger than the boat itself.
The monkey brothers, Masira and Shoujou, wave at both of you, their laughter audible even from that far away. You can't help but wave back.
The brothers are even bigger in person. They drag the giant carcass up the cliff with ease, and as they greet their adoptive father you can't help but feel short. Very, very short.
Cricket is already a big man, probably had some giant blood in him. Almost eight feet tall by your reckoning, he's very, very tall.
His sons make him look like a midget. Both of them are well over eleven feet tall, but it's not only that. They are wide, too, not only because Shoujou is kind of fat but also because Masira has muscles on his fucking muscles.
When they come to greet you, you have to crane your neck all the way back to meet their eyes. You are tense, you can't help that, and it shows in your posture. Your right hand grips the handle of your knife tightly, for all the good it will do against these fucking monsters.
Your left hand wants to crackle with red sparks, but you stop yourself. Not yet, not yet.
"He's tiny!" Masira shouts, leaning so far down he's basically lying on the ground. "Too tiny! Old man, have you been starving the kid?!"
"He's a Fishman," Shoujou says, voice quieter than his brother's. "You didn't say anything about him being a Fishman, old man!"
You can't help but dart a look at Cricket, but the man is only standing there, arms crossed, watching quietly. He gives you an encouraging nod but doesn't say anything to his sons. No help coming from him.
[Diplomacy: 13+2=15 - Pass!]
First, you turn to Shoujo. "You are a monkey," you inform him, and he looks struck, "don't come complaining about my appearance looking like that, monkey man."
"Ah!" Shoujo wails, "I'm not a monkey, take that back! I am handsome, handsome I tell you!"
"Ujijijiji!" Masira laughs, "He got you there, brother!"
"And you," you turn to Masira, stopping his laugh short, "who are you calling tiny? I'm perfectly proportionate, you fucking monster. What do you eat, pure fucking protein? Have you tried fruit?"
"Ujiji!" Masira laughs, "I do love bananas!"
"Yeah," you drawl, "you really look like you do."
That brings him up short. He stops laughing and gives you a half-offended, half-confused look as if he didn't know if you were saying what he thought you were saying.
"Ajajajaja!" Shoujou laughs at his brother, "He got you there, Masira!"
Masira snorts, and that makes you chuckle, and then everyone is laughing like a bunch of lunatics. It feels… good, to laugh. You've laughed more today than… ever, almost. Even when the Old Man was alive, he wasn't one for jokes, and—
"Hey, kid," Masira lays a giant fucking hand on your head, "help me cut this thing, okay? I'm starving!" He points at the giant carcass.
"Sure," you say, taking out your knife and doing a twirl with it—
[One-Handed: 3+4=7 - Fail!]
Or, at least, you try. It ends up falling to the ground, barely missing cutting your finger by an inch. Masira and Shoujou both look at you as if you were a new and fascinating specimen, and you can feel your face flushing blue.
Quickly, you grab the knife and walk to the carcass, the sound of laughs behind you.
You take every good thought you had about them back, they are nothing but a bunch of fucking assholes and you'll poison their food and steal their shit, you swear it!
The party is about to start and the food is being prepared! Now, choose:
Who do you find yourself expending more time with?
[] Mont Blanc Cricket, the old man.
[] Masira, the Salvage King.
[] Shoujou, the Sonar King.
During the party, there is more alcohol than juice. Do you take a sip?
[] No, you are a responsible kid.
[] Yes, you get absolutely fucking smashed.
When the party is done you still have to make a choice. Do you reveal your shape-shifting to Cricket?
[] Reveal it, you trust the man.
-[] His sons too, they are good men.
[] Keep it hidden, better he remains ignorant.
[X] Mont Blanc Cricket, the old man.
The brothers are fun, but I still like Cricket the best. Though I do remember enjoying the brother's interactions in the manga. I haven't read the Jaya arc in a long time so now I feel like a re-read or watching the One Pace version. I may do that and end up changing my vote.
[X] No, you are a responsible kid.
I don't know if responsible is the right word, but let's not set ourselves up for failing constitution checks and embarrassing ourselves.
[] Revel it, you trust the man. nit: this should be Reveal, not Revel
It might have been better to do this before we met Masira and Shoujou if we don't want to show them, but it feels more right to reveal it now that Jin has gotten a little more comfortable around Cricket. Cricket is going to assume it's a devil fruit power and because we probably don't know how to swim we aren't likely to reveal that is wrong. Though if we want Cricket to teach us to swim we might want to stay a Fishman anyway. Hmm, will need to think about what I want to do here.
I argue we should reveal our shape-shifting powers, as the alternative is to basically not shapeshift for a good chunk of our time here (as otherwise we would reveal our shape-shifting powers).
