Cogs!

North Blue, Mendo Town:::.
Afternoon, 4:35 PM::.



The mess was still in the streets, the horses running free a nice new shiny blade hanging from the belt of the arctic bandit, alcohol was flowing and smoke drifting through the air whilst nice hot food was on it's way whilst a large proportion of people were enjoying the beer, banter & music which was blasting throughout the bar known as the Tangerine Talons.

Carrying three plates up their arm and making their way between the drunkards and many many tables which were littered throughout the bar a young lady with hair tied in a pony tail and a single small mole on her cheek arrived at a table. This was the table where a pink bear, a guy cleaning a sword's blade and lastly a man who looked like he'd been a young surgeon's practice dummy sat.

Coughing as smoke billowed before her face she opened her mouth.

"I've got your food here, sorry about the wait" placing the plates down on the table so she could quickly cover her face once more Genzo removed his feet from the free seat and sat forward. Removing his cigarette from between his lips with his left hand Genzo lifted his empty beer bottle with his right and shook it before the waitress.

"Another one o' them thanks!"

Snatching it from his grip the waitress nodded and through gritted teeth replied. "Of course!"

Looking at the waitress as she stormed off angrily Wilfred reached for his own beer and opened his mouth to speak up.

"I hope you've the money to pay for that, cause I ain't got anything."

"Nope, but if they have any arguments they're more than happy to come at me." Genzo replied lifting his new sword and holding it horizontally as he looked down the blade examining it to make sure it was nice, clean and shiny.

Turning his head towards Annie, Wilfred rolled his eyes gesturing towards Genzo and how ridiculous he could sometimes come off.

"This guy am I right?"

Exhaling from his cigarette out of the side of his mouth Genzo watched as a new bottle of beer arrived upon the table with a thud. Turning to see the waitress he could see he'd clearly pissed her off as she'd already made her way back to the kitchen. Shrugging Genzo reached for his new beer and looked towards Wilfred who was eyeing up the crowd.

As his eyes scanned over the lot of them he was trying to figure out if there were anyone else here worthy of joining his crew. But chances were, that all those who would've been were after the same sword that had been added to Genzo's armoury which hung from his belt.

Annie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, she had been like this since they had entered having seen so many people in one place. She hadn't said much besides ordering her food only to get a strange look as she orders a steak, bloody, not exactly raw but very nearly.

She had been about to start carving up her food before she was brought out of her thoughts by the voice of her new captain. Her captain..boy that would take some time to get used to...

"Hmmm?" She says looking from one man to the other, or what looked like it from under the bear hood. After a moment of mental rewind shed turn to the swordsman with a huff "Sweetie the least you could do is be a bit nicer you know...There are enough asses in here without you adding to them" She says before stabbing a piece of her meat with a claw before it disappeared into a hidden hole where the mouth would be. There was a pause as she chewed then she gave a shutter and reached into her bag resting at her feet pulling out a bear-shaped jar of honey and with a spoon drizzled it over steak...

"As for money, don't worry about it I got us covered as long as you don't plan on drinking the town dry.." She says in her ever bubbly tone as she stared into her food again.

At the mention of Annie having money to help pay for the food Wilfred grinned watching as Annie slipped the chunk of meat into her mouth hole beneath the hood. As for Genzo he sat with his new drink in hand and removed the cigarette so he could take a swig.

"Nice Annie, knew I'd found the right person in you. Just no raw meat for me if that's alright with you" Wilfred joked. As the simple joke left his lips A few words from Genzo escaped carrying the scent of his beer.

"You can call me an arse all you want pinkie, but bottom line, demons never got anywhere being kind."

"You telling me I've a demon swordsman aboard the crew? Or that you're just an asshole?"

"I can be, just get me the swords I'm after and I'll give you what you want."

"Heh, all I want is to become the pirate king. But I'll help you guys along the way with your dreams too."

Raising his bottle into the sky Wilfred decided to make a quick toast.

"To the beginning of our nice little crew we've got here. Should we see each other through thick & thin  and carry one another from the deepest of pits into the sky of gold."

Genzo reached for his bottle raising it half heartedly as he exhaled from his cigarette one more time.

"Onwards into the face of destruction and dismay" Genzo added attempting to describe his own steps. Ever the dark one with a sick sense of humour and a self obsessed mind.

As Wilfred made his toast and awaited for Annie to either add something of her own or just raise a bottle to the beginning of something potentially beautiful there were a few patrons who got to their feet making their way out of the front door. By the looks of them a rival pirate crew but time would tell.

One tall and muscular with large meaty arms like those of a cow's leg and hair so wild it'd give a lion a run for their money. Whilst the accomplice was the opposite. Short and slim only coming in at about 5ft tall with arms similar to ropes with thick knots for the joints.

As the two made their way through the door Wilfred spotted the jolly roger on the back of the jacket. Choosing to keep the appearance in mind Wilfred figured it'd be best to keep an eye out for them in case they got in their way on his journey to the top.



Well the name of the place was definitely spot on. This place really was full of junk. Every piece of the island was a pretty horrendous piece of junk or at least had the putrid effects of it such as the smell or appearance. In all honesty this junker of an island really wouldn't have been Maka's first choice as a place to stop off, as if her depression wasn't bad enough to deal with.

Sighing Maka slipped her fingers between one another and bent them backwards cracking her fingers. She couldn't be expected to just sit around and wait here for her client to turn up on this junker. All she knew was he was going to turn up at the Trash Panda bar sometime today. That was all the information she'd been given and that wasn't good enough.

Heading out of the front door of the bar into the streets Maka took it upon herself to indulge in a favourite past time of hers.

Five Finger Flex.

She would give herself an hour to pick as many pockets as she could. The aim was to beat her record on how many she could pick in an hour and beat the amount she could take in that hour. Her current record was thirty pockets and one hundred and twenty beli.

Looking towards the clock outside which hung from the bar she'd just left, Maka waited for the bell to ring signifying the current hour ending and the next beginning.

Seconds later her game had begun and her victims laid before her in the street. It was go time and her first few willing victims were already closing in.

"To the day the world will know our names and never dare forget them!" She says with a cheer clinking her drink with theirs unlike the demon swordsman did so wholeheartedly. Once she has taken a drink gulping down she turned to her food stabbing the pieces of bleeding steak using it in place to raise it to her lips. Once she had chewed and swallowed she spoke once again this time a bit less energy "so um...is this what people do? sit and eat together? normal people I mean.."

Hearing the final words coming from Annie's mouth Genzo raised an eyebrow a little concerned at this freak's ideals for a dream to accomplish. As the three clinked their mugs Genzo brought his down to take a swig as he removed his cigarette from his mouth.

Hearing what Annie had to say just made Wilfred chuckle. Allowing a small chuckle to filter from his mouth at her words he brought his drink down and followed suit with Genzo. As the two downed their drinks like children racing one another Genzo slammed his mug down on the table in quick succession with Wilfred proving neither had been first but alas the same time.

Smirking at Genzo's failure to best him Wilfred heard the voice of Annie perk up one more time questioning if this was what normal people did? With a smile still on his face he responded.

"Normal people? Probably. But I wouldn't know. We're not normal people."

Curious where he was going with this Genzo exhaled from his cigarette in the opposite direction to Wilfred.

"Than what the hell are we?"

"We're the Clockwork pirates, and we do whatever we like regardless of what anyone says."

"The clockwork pirates? The hell d'you get that from?" Genzo questioned.

"Damn straight, it's got a nice ring to it."

"And what do any of us have to do with clocks?"

"Like the cogs of a clock we keep on tick tick ticking away. Nothing to stand in our way cept time itself!"

With a serious & monotone voice Genzo replied, "I won't even let time stop me."

"Good"

"So if we're pirates then, shouldn't we look about getting our hands on a ship then?"

"Any ideas where we can get one?" Wilfred asked looking at Genzo before turning his attention to Annie. "Either of you?"

Listening closely to the words of the newly formed Clockwork pirates the two who'd entered the bar earlier and taken a seat sat in a booth watching Wilfred and his crew. With their ears peeled and brains working at a million miles a minute they two of them remained quiet.

At the mention of a ship the two looked at one another before whipping out a thick piece of material which looked as if it had been folded numerous times. As the two begun to converse a waitress attended to their table obscuring vision between the newly formed crew of Wilfred's & the two members of this unknown pirate crew.



Dancing almost balletically through the crowds to make an easy escape whilst using her fingers although tiny ballerinas from pocket to pants, she slipped found her own bottoms filling up a considerable amount with either wallets, purses or even a few stray notes. None of which she'd complain about. Turning her head overly confident to see the passerby who hadn't even noticed the sudden absence of their goods, Maka felt a strong force before her.

Turning as her torso met it. With the speed she'd been travelling at and balance of her carefully choreographed steps Maka met ground with a splash of beli.

Looking up she had run into a naval soldier with a large build. Grunting as her arse hit the ground she peered up through her hair to see the white & blue which sent chills into her heart.

Shite!

The sudden sounds of coins & sight of notes taking flight caught the attention of not just the soldier she'd bumped into but the patrons who'd passed by her who suddenly searched their pockets for their valuables which as if by magic had found their way to the floor around the girl with a suddenly disgruntled expression on her face.

A roar of voices exclaiming their wallet had gone, came crashing down towards Maka as the soldier reached for his cutlass. With his hand on the hilt Maka took advantage of this and swing her right foot skywards to send the soldier into a world of hurt before she threw herself to her feet and made a mad dash out of the way of the mob who were returning to collect their goods.

Still with a few stuck in the top of her pants Maka burst through the doors to a near by pub hoping to find an easy escape.

"A ship...." Annie says tilting her head this way and that that wide impossible smile still on her face before she put the bears head back on. "Oh how about...no no that one went up in flames" She says with a huff. She couldn't help but feel touched that they also felt nonnormal it made her feel like she could be open if only a bit more

She was pulled out of her thoughts at the sound of a loud bang turning to see a figure standing in the doorway looking around panicked before she turns back to her new crewmates "what do you think that is about?"

At the mention of a ship from Annie, Wilfred raised an eyebrow thinking they could be in luck till she mentioned how it had been burnt down. Genzo smirked realising she was on about the ship the two of them had attacked the previous night. Looking at Annie then towards Wilfred the demon swordsman known as Genzo opened his mouth as he twirled his cigarette between his fingers.

"You're thinking of the ship we burnt down, but we could always just snatch one from the docks. What do you think cap?" Genzo questioned. This was when the doors to the bar burst open. Turning his head to the door a figure was seen standing in the door. As Annie asked the two of them what this was about Wilfred shrugged.

"Maybe she's got a ship we can have?"

"Wishful thinking"



Crashing through the doors to the bar Maka made a quick dash from the doors towards the table directly in front of her with the Marines hot on her tail. Sprinting towards it she leapt atop an empty chair quickly followed by her next foot upon the rounded table top and leapt from it as a Naval soldier burst through the door too.

Removing his rifle and taking aim at Maka the officer opened up barking orders.

"FREEZE RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!"

Ignoring the commands Maka pounced from the table making a balletically choreographed leap towards the a table with the pink bear, a blonde haired massacre victim & a smoking looking demon with a special katana. Hitting the table Maka's balance was the tiniest bit off and sent her over the table and Wilfred's shoulder. The perfect accident as two bullets tore through the air from the officer's rifle headed straight for Maka till she fall out of the way.

The sound of metal on metal was heard as a pair of steely blades pinged the two bullets away from the blonde haired doctor known as Wilfred Cyckes.

Standing at the head of the table armed with two scalpels one in each hand Wilfred looked down towards Maka then back towards the marine.

"No idea what this is all about Annie, but it looks like we got a bad egg here."

Gulping a little the marine was joined by two comrades each armed with rifles. Aiming them towards the position Maka was currently in Wilfred felt a sense of threat run down him.

"Need a hand young lady?" Wilfred asked Maka without removing his sight from the soldiers.

"You best lower those guns, cause you'll be in a world of hurt if ya don't." Genzo shouted towards the soldiers as the patrons of the bar rushed looking for cover trying to avoid the conflict. The lady with blonde hair & the marines were the ones to avoid. The three who'd just become a crew weren't any real threat just yet.

But if things took a turn for the worse they might just be the biggest threat in the bar.