Welcome to Gaia! ::

"DOUBLE KNOCKOUT!!" the announcer girl squealed into her microphone admist the roaring fans before a small man bounded up behind her and whispered something into her ear.

The microphone hit the floor as the girl ran from the crowd and down the change-room hall...

********

"Gods Sting, ever heard of deoderant? I think i'm gonna gag from your stink..." Meryl muttered with a wince, turning her head away from the fat man as she slammed his stomach into the table full of cash, the leafs of money falling onto the floor as she forced his chubby hands behind his back and into the cuffs she had ready...

Before something suddenly grabbed her cloak, pulling her back by the neck, a strangled gasp emitting from her lips as she was pulled off the fat man and staggering back. Lifting her hand up, she flicked the clasp of the cloak, the dark material flashing off her breastplate and releasing her to let her breath again, one hand to her throat as she turned to look...

...At the announcer bunny. THe cute girl, who had been hopping about the arena shreiking girlishly as the fighters went at it, had another look on her face - cold and hard, her hands sinewy as she grasped the loose cloak with a white-knuckled grip - before throwing it down on the floor and advancing.

A left hook blocked and a right kick slapped away was all Meryl got out before a head-butt smashed right into her temple, kncoking her back into the chubby body of Golden Sting, shaking her head to get rid of the stars dancing in her vision - before kneeling as a kick stabbed forward, the heel of the announcer-bunnie's shoe stabbing into the fat-man's back, elicting a grunt of shock as Meryl decided to counter-attack.

Pushing off the floor, having been coiled like a spring, Meryl shoved her shoulder into the groin of the bunny and pushed up, her left arm grasping the girl's thigh and flipping her body around and down to slam her down onto her neck, a brutal crunch echoing around the room as the girl landed with her chin stabing into her chest and looking right down her dress -

Before she suddenly slipped her body up and back, out of Meryl's grasp and over her head to land on her feet, kicking off her other heel so she was standing on bare feet.

Meryl smirked as she stepped back. She could reach for the tonfas on her belt...or the sai's behind her...perhaps the throwing knives? Or maybe even the Lament...but no. THe roar of the crowd had made her Tribal blood boil - she felt like a fight now. Lifting her hands up in a ready stance, spreading her feet shoulder-width apart, she beckoned the bunny forward. "C'mon."

THe bunny sneered as she spread her legs wide, her mini-skirt tearing a little more to allow her more kicking room - then advanced, slipping forward quickly - then pausing about three four feet away from Meryl. Suddenly standing on one leg, the bunny lifted her right, the leg pinned right out as it slowly went straight out forward then bent in, the knee pointing right at Meryl as the bunny lifted her hands out before her, her fingers loose, her hands open as she stared at Meryl down her forearms.

Kickboxing stance... Meryl realised - before smirking and dashing her right thumb over her nose, her own stance changing too. Rigid before with her arms held up like a boxer's, she began to hop from foot to foot, her hands moving freely with her hops, one arm up before moving down, the other lifting as the other went south.

The bunny frowned at Meryl's loose, almost shapeless stance - before Meryl suddenly slashed her fist out, her fist loose but firm as it almost slapped the girl's face, knocking it back for a second and causing her to lose her footing for a second.

Meryl's grin grew wider. She was too fast for the girl...too smooth.

The bunny took her stance again and suddenly leapt forward with a yell, her raised foot suddenly stabbing out wiht her heel aimed directly at Meryl's chest - before Meryl, her free-formed stance working almost automatically, slipped her left wrist against the ankle of the girl and simply pushed the attack away, the girl now face-to-face with Meryl as the blond Tribal grinned up at her still -

Then four blows landed. Each one was fast. Lightening fast. Too fast for the naked eye. The bunny could only stand there in a daze as Meryl's right arm finally slashed up, smashing her knuckles into the girl's chin and blowing her right off her feet, sending her back-flipping through the air - to land on G1, out for the count.

Blowing her knuckles free of the disgusting makeup the bunny had been wearing, Meryl crouched to grab her cloak, swinging it over her shoulders and clasping it as she turned back to the wounded Sting. "Now, where were we..."

O_______O

That was the exact expression on Turriens' face as he watched the pirate ship sail into the docks, his mouth flat and wide and his verdant eyes replaced by perfect circles of vacant white.

Well, so much for waiting, the arrival of the pirate ship seemed like the perfect oportunity to start this adventure. With a daring leap, he grabbed onto one of the rope riggings which was nearby as he sheathed his rapier, being one to stand atop the main mast of the ship. Quickly dropping down, he landed with a thump, the impact being absorbed by his fine boots and his knees as he bent them upon landing, he even almost lost his large plumed hat.

Quickly crossing the boards of the ship's deck, he hopped off the railings down into the docks to look for his assembled team.

Turriens was quite the sneaky b*****d. Sneaky as he moved rather quietly through the bustling crowd, and a b*****d since he didnt really have a father, being a half-elf and all by circumstance. Moving swiftly through the groups of people gathered at the docks, the swashbuckler crept up behind both the girl Amunet and the man Rin.

"On an adventure!" he answered the question that was directed at the cat, suddenly from behind the group. "Didnt I already tell you that?" he wondered, eyes peering skywards as he twisted his face into an expression of deep thought.

"To shineys of course!" he threw up his hands in exclamation before continueing, answering the second question, "We will get there on that!" he said, pointing at the docked pirate ship, a crooked mischivous grin on his face.

SHINEYS!!

::The scream was like that of a little child seeing a golden mountain of candy after a week on a vegetable diet. Needless to say, it was as loud as it was annoying, and exstatic.

And it came from a mouth of a child that was currently airborne. Yes, airborne. There were alot of children in Latent and this child probably went un-noticed just like the others, but at the saying of that "magic word", he flew. Well not flew, more like pounced. He lept through the air directly at the flamboiant swashbuckler, aiming to grab on and shake the shiney's out of him.

Now this child was a mystery of sorts. He was equal parts inconspicuous and conspicuous. You see, he was short, about 3ft tall, and he was dressed in a pair of black shorts with a dull silver trim, and several silver detailed designs across it. He wore a black vest, must like a musketeer would wear, and again it was covered with silver trimmings, but undernear it, was a long sleave black shirt. Really all that could be seen was the sleaves.

Strangely though, especially for the hot weather today, he was wearing boots. Black boots. Big boots which looked about 2 sizes two large for him.

As he pounced though the air, his perfectly cut jet black hair blew in all directions, and it stood out as a stark contrast to his pale skin.

But really, at that speed, soaring through the air. Most of that probably wouldnt even be noticed. But one thing would definately be. On his back, just sort of dragging behind him was something...big. Something long, about 6ft long, and 5inches wide, and wrapped in bandages, white bandages that were old and stained. And a strap which held it to the boys chest. One could see that at the bottom end of the wrap the bandages had been worn away because the point of what looked like a blade could be seen sticking out from the bandages. And if you looked closely enough at the ground you could even see a trail where that sharp point had carved into the town floor as the boy wandered around. It alone wieghed about 50 pounds, which would probably add the wait that the poor swashbuckler would feel when or if, the boy grabbed him.::

I wants the shineys!!!!

::He screamed as he the man hit the floor. Almost immediately this little devil started his "quest". Pocket after pocket, in what looked like a mad rave, he started searching this "victim". He leaned up on his knees and stradled his "prey", his mouth was closed, almost as if he was hiding something that was in it. But his lips made a very wide smile, and a little giggle could be heard.

He was impressively fast, not only for someone his age, but simply fast in general. His hands were something like a blur, and he was only driven to work even harder as he heard the jingling of the swashbucklers tools. Until finally after what was no more than 5 seconds of mad searching the boy stopped. He plopped down into a sitting position on the small of his back, after having made a horrible mess of things, and having cast various things hidden in the swashbucklers pockets all about the area. He cocked his head to the side, and looked the man directly in the eyes.

The boys eyes were strange as well, they looked ordinary in that light reflected off of them, and they were mostly white except for the pupil, but that pupil...was black. Not a dark all encompasing black, but black, as if the black fit his eye like a normal color.

And he spoke. His speaking voice was far different than his screaming voice. It was small, and even kinda cute, and carried a definite problem with pronouncing the letter "r".::

Thewe's...no shineys?

Blargh! The swashbuckler lifted his face from the dirty ground as he looked around. Random metal things from his pockets and holsters were found here and there in the proximity of where he lay. He got up, dusted his hat off, and began to pick up a few items such as his throwing knives, a spoon, and a small comb.

"Ah yes, the shineys are not here, but we are off to get them!" Turriens spoke to the child as he moved about, picking up a few items here and there. And with that done, retrieving his more important supplies and leaving some items he didnt even know he had, he began to move towards the pirate ship.