World-Marleybone
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Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Sun Apr 27, 2014 5:53 pm
((oh it is so not, IT'S A GREAT STORYTIME! THIS IS BAD, and oh gosh sorry for length))
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"T-thank you. I highly appreciate your own generosity."
Even though she was still uncertain on whether she could fully trust Ulysses and his own inner circle, Hannah knew it was both unwise and highly disrespectful to seem ungrateful of any of the rare, hospitable gestures she was shown here. She was too thirsty to suspect anything from this anyway, content to believe it truly was a charitable effort on Cristobal's behalf. Neither he or Ulysses would really stand to gain much of anything from poisoning her, so it wasn't much of a concern at the moment.
Especially not when she gingerly placed the cup to her lips and drank some of the chilled yum, almost sighing in happiness at how incredibly satisfying it all tasted and felt now. But, this was hardly the time or place for that sort of thing and besides, she had quite the tale to listen to...
She almost choked on some of the yum as Cristobal began, shedding some light into the Admiral's prowess from an early age, to begin the story. To think, he had been inducted into a society of killers for hire at only ten years old! And not only that, had become a true member of their ranks at the very same age she had ultimately been recognized as a worthy enough soldier to be able to fight in the front lines of the Polarian war.
It was...surprising news indeed, and she found herself wondering how the young Septimus had done in the academy. She had been forced to push herself to her absolute limits, to bend over backwards proving herself capable and competent of her own position, and that had been when she was of age enough to be respected and treated as an adult. What sort of hoops had a child in such a position been forced to jump through?
Cristobal did not care to elaborate on those little details however, and moved straight into tales of Altair- that assassin persona of his that she had been told to look into by Septimus himself, and learned a little bit about. It hadn't been as much as she could have, true, but what she had heard the buccaneer felt had been plenty. Though she was soon proven wrong on that front, at least when it came to more about the massacre the eagle had started to tell her of, but been far too saddened thinking back to it to go too deeply into it.
So Ulysses had once had a brother....that was something she certainly hadn't known before. For good reason it seemed, with everything the engineer was telling her. Hannah actually grimaced at the description of what had transpired, particularly that of the carnage that had been caused to that entire assassin branch and Septimus's fallen brother. She could sympathize there, for sure. Her mind reminded her of all the brothers and sisters in arms she had seen killed or mutilated during the great war, how hard it had been to see any of those she had cared about the most laid out on a battlefield, cut open and down in their prime... It was hard for her to think back on the images even now a decade later and talk about, so she could only imagine what sort of pain would follow seeing the same sort of thing happen to an actual brother, along with watching his brothers in arms die because of one of their own's treachery.
She also felt a pang of sympathy for Cristobal, sensing how hard it was for him to drudge up the memory. If he was Ulysses's mentor, then he had likely been the same to some of those who had perished as well, and she could tell it was an emotional thing for him to even talk about. There were many things she wanted to say in response to what she had heard so far, but Hannah held her tongue for now. It didn't seem right to intrude just yet, so she would let him finish before she dared.
Still, she could not help comparing all of that to things she had seen; reliving the anger, despair, and horror she had felt at seeing the twisted bodies of those among her favored comrades who had not survived the war. How she had felt immediately after, what her kneejerk reactions had been. They were not quite as severe as Ulysses's, but at the same time they had been close enough that she could understand, even feel at least some level of the pain he had- something she had not imagined possible even in her wildest dreams beforehand. Maybe...Maybe she had been hasty in judging him based upon her other experiences with those as wealthy as he was.
Her mind flipped from that thought to the next part of the story, focusing even more intensely as the woman- Lavinia- was mentioned. Though the entire tale had been riveting so far, so much that she had momentarily forgotten about the half-drained glass of chilled yum she still held in her hands, it was getting to the worst part of it she could tell. After all, Cristobal had said it was the woman who had driven him further into the darkness that now consumed him whenever pushed. Her apprehension grew the more she listened, until the engineer got to the worst part...a tragedy that was far more terrible than anything her mind had imagined beforehand.
Hannah's eyes actually widened as the last part sunk in, before her own expression twisted, growing ugly with rage at what she was hearing. Pirates...They were such scum, and they had no limits whatsoever. Only somebody as fargone and terrible as them would have done something like that, especially to a woman with child. She dared not ask whether Lavinia's death had been intentional on Adrian's part or not, automatically assuming it had been thanks to her own experience with pirates. The position she found herself in, what had happened to her father, all of that she blamed on their kind, so it did not surprise her to hear any of them could be so cruel.
It was surprising however, to know that this was another thing she could feel at least some common ground with Ulysses on. There were more similarities between them than she had ever thought there would be, though he had lost more between the two of them. It was little wonder then, why Kane had managed to pull Ulysses's strings so easily and effectively, why the human Armada Admiral was so bloodthirsty, vicious, and fanatical about his goals. It was...all he had left at this point. Wealth would likely seem hollow if he could not share it with any of his loved ones- it wouldn't bring them back.
She could not blame him for how he acted, at least toward the majority. She would have likely turned out much the same had she been put in his position, given everything she had done because of the one she found her own in. Hannah remained silent for several minutes as she drank everything she had just heard in, then quickly drained the rest of her own drink, before placing the glass back on Cristobal's work desk lest she shatter it in her hands from the multitude of things she was feeling. Another long, few moments passed before she finally felt she could speak- now at a loss for words, or at least how to properly articulate the thoughts currently swarming her mind.
"I...I can see why he is driven to such extremes." She admitted softly, staring at the locket once more, feeling just as sorry for Lavinia as she now did Septimus. "Those pirates are such wretched blights on the skyways, doing horrible things to any one they please! What happened to him and...them is truly horrific. I have seen and experienced the cruelty pirates are capable of myself, but to think they could go so far as to lead to the death of....a woman with child."
Her body gave a visible shudder of meshed rage and disgust at the very thought.
"I thank you for telling me this. It has been...very illuminating indeed."
Not to mention surreal, with the common ground and pity she now felt for a man she had been still upset and annoyed with not ten minutes ago. Hannah looked back at Cristobal again, her expression still one of anger.
"I sincerely hope this Adrian has been brought to the proper justice, for such a heinous crime- and the same for that snake who sold his own brothers in arms out."
----------
"T-thank you. I highly appreciate your own generosity."
Even though she was still uncertain on whether she could fully trust Ulysses and his own inner circle, Hannah knew it was both unwise and highly disrespectful to seem ungrateful of any of the rare, hospitable gestures she was shown here. She was too thirsty to suspect anything from this anyway, content to believe it truly was a charitable effort on Cristobal's behalf. Neither he or Ulysses would really stand to gain much of anything from poisoning her, so it wasn't much of a concern at the moment.
Especially not when she gingerly placed the cup to her lips and drank some of the chilled yum, almost sighing in happiness at how incredibly satisfying it all tasted and felt now. But, this was hardly the time or place for that sort of thing and besides, she had quite the tale to listen to...
She almost choked on some of the yum as Cristobal began, shedding some light into the Admiral's prowess from an early age, to begin the story. To think, he had been inducted into a society of killers for hire at only ten years old! And not only that, had become a true member of their ranks at the very same age she had ultimately been recognized as a worthy enough soldier to be able to fight in the front lines of the Polarian war.
It was...surprising news indeed, and she found herself wondering how the young Septimus had done in the academy. She had been forced to push herself to her absolute limits, to bend over backwards proving herself capable and competent of her own position, and that had been when she was of age enough to be respected and treated as an adult. What sort of hoops had a child in such a position been forced to jump through?
Cristobal did not care to elaborate on those little details however, and moved straight into tales of Altair- that assassin persona of his that she had been told to look into by Septimus himself, and learned a little bit about. It hadn't been as much as she could have, true, but what she had heard the buccaneer felt had been plenty. Though she was soon proven wrong on that front, at least when it came to more about the massacre the eagle had started to tell her of, but been far too saddened thinking back to it to go too deeply into it.
So Ulysses had once had a brother....that was something she certainly hadn't known before. For good reason it seemed, with everything the engineer was telling her. Hannah actually grimaced at the description of what had transpired, particularly that of the carnage that had been caused to that entire assassin branch and Septimus's fallen brother. She could sympathize there, for sure. Her mind reminded her of all the brothers and sisters in arms she had seen killed or mutilated during the great war, how hard it had been to see any of those she had cared about the most laid out on a battlefield, cut open and down in their prime... It was hard for her to think back on the images even now a decade later and talk about, so she could only imagine what sort of pain would follow seeing the same sort of thing happen to an actual brother, along with watching his brothers in arms die because of one of their own's treachery.
She also felt a pang of sympathy for Cristobal, sensing how hard it was for him to drudge up the memory. If he was Ulysses's mentor, then he had likely been the same to some of those who had perished as well, and she could tell it was an emotional thing for him to even talk about. There were many things she wanted to say in response to what she had heard so far, but Hannah held her tongue for now. It didn't seem right to intrude just yet, so she would let him finish before she dared.
Still, she could not help comparing all of that to things she had seen; reliving the anger, despair, and horror she had felt at seeing the twisted bodies of those among her favored comrades who had not survived the war. How she had felt immediately after, what her kneejerk reactions had been. They were not quite as severe as Ulysses's, but at the same time they had been close enough that she could understand, even feel at least some level of the pain he had- something she had not imagined possible even in her wildest dreams beforehand. Maybe...Maybe she had been hasty in judging him based upon her other experiences with those as wealthy as he was.
Her mind flipped from that thought to the next part of the story, focusing even more intensely as the woman- Lavinia- was mentioned. Though the entire tale had been riveting so far, so much that she had momentarily forgotten about the half-drained glass of chilled yum she still held in her hands, it was getting to the worst part of it she could tell. After all, Cristobal had said it was the woman who had driven him further into the darkness that now consumed him whenever pushed. Her apprehension grew the more she listened, until the engineer got to the worst part...a tragedy that was far more terrible than anything her mind had imagined beforehand.
Hannah's eyes actually widened as the last part sunk in, before her own expression twisted, growing ugly with rage at what she was hearing. Pirates...They were such scum, and they had no limits whatsoever. Only somebody as fargone and terrible as them would have done something like that, especially to a woman with child. She dared not ask whether Lavinia's death had been intentional on Adrian's part or not, automatically assuming it had been thanks to her own experience with pirates. The position she found herself in, what had happened to her father, all of that she blamed on their kind, so it did not surprise her to hear any of them could be so cruel.
It was surprising however, to know that this was another thing she could feel at least some common ground with Ulysses on. There were more similarities between them than she had ever thought there would be, though he had lost more between the two of them. It was little wonder then, why Kane had managed to pull Ulysses's strings so easily and effectively, why the human Armada Admiral was so bloodthirsty, vicious, and fanatical about his goals. It was...all he had left at this point. Wealth would likely seem hollow if he could not share it with any of his loved ones- it wouldn't bring them back.
She could not blame him for how he acted, at least toward the majority. She would have likely turned out much the same had she been put in his position, given everything she had done because of the one she found her own in. Hannah remained silent for several minutes as she drank everything she had just heard in, then quickly drained the rest of her own drink, before placing the glass back on Cristobal's work desk lest she shatter it in her hands from the multitude of things she was feeling. Another long, few moments passed before she finally felt she could speak- now at a loss for words, or at least how to properly articulate the thoughts currently swarming her mind.
"I...I can see why he is driven to such extremes." She admitted softly, staring at the locket once more, feeling just as sorry for Lavinia as she now did Septimus. "Those pirates are such wretched blights on the skyways, doing horrible things to any one they please! What happened to him and...them is truly horrific. I have seen and experienced the cruelty pirates are capable of myself, but to think they could go so far as to lead to the death of....a woman with child."
Her body gave a visible shudder of meshed rage and disgust at the very thought.
"I thank you for telling me this. It has been...very illuminating indeed."
Not to mention surreal, with the common ground and pity she now felt for a man she had been still upset and annoyed with not ten minutes ago. Hannah looked back at Cristobal again, her expression still one of anger.
"I sincerely hope this Adrian has been brought to the proper justice, for such a heinous crime- and the same for that snake who sold his own brothers in arms out."
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:30 pm
((Okay good, though yours isn't bad either, sister 
and haha, I love lengthy posts, BRING THEM ON... Also, surprise time again!))
----
"Ulysses is doing his best to track down both the traitor and the pirate Adrian."Cristobal said softly, taking off his goggles for a moment to wipe a tear away from his eyes, "but even with all his efforts, those two remain out of his clutches, out of the hands of Valencian justice... And I should thank you for listening, and understanding." He fitted the goggles back over his eyes, and resumed working on his work, but not before calling over another Assassin guard, who handed Hannah a plate bearing a rather large and delicious looking steak.
It was then did Sentus Optimus decide to speak up, "I've seen it all happen, seen her death, seen how Lord Ulysses fell into a state of near depression after it, and had to retort to, for a brief period, alcoholism to lessen his pain... What he lost is what forced him into becoming who he is now." He paused, then spoke again with a streak of uncertainty, "I know, and I can sympathize with what he felt, because... I was once a pirate and human, only here because Lord Ulysses spared me, opened my eyes to Adrian Devereaux's tyranny and wickedness." As if to demonstrate his point, Sentus reached up, plucking off his mask with a hiss of air as it left his face, like it was pressurized.
Underneath the mask was the battle scarred face of a well seasoned buccaneer, but with a circular optical visor in place of his left eye, creating a sharp contrast against the real, cold grey left one that was still of flesh. His skin was pale too, like he had not seen the sun for some time, though the scars looked fairly recent.
"Captain Optimus here joined Ulysses before her death."Cristobal added without looking up.
and haha, I love lengthy posts, BRING THEM ON... Also, surprise time again!))----
"Ulysses is doing his best to track down both the traitor and the pirate Adrian."Cristobal said softly, taking off his goggles for a moment to wipe a tear away from his eyes, "but even with all his efforts, those two remain out of his clutches, out of the hands of Valencian justice... And I should thank you for listening, and understanding." He fitted the goggles back over his eyes, and resumed working on his work, but not before calling over another Assassin guard, who handed Hannah a plate bearing a rather large and delicious looking steak.
It was then did Sentus Optimus decide to speak up, "I've seen it all happen, seen her death, seen how Lord Ulysses fell into a state of near depression after it, and had to retort to, for a brief period, alcoholism to lessen his pain... What he lost is what forced him into becoming who he is now." He paused, then spoke again with a streak of uncertainty, "I know, and I can sympathize with what he felt, because... I was once a pirate and human, only here because Lord Ulysses spared me, opened my eyes to Adrian Devereaux's tyranny and wickedness." As if to demonstrate his point, Sentus reached up, plucking off his mask with a hiss of air as it left his face, like it was pressurized.
Underneath the mask was the battle scarred face of a well seasoned buccaneer, but with a circular optical visor in place of his left eye, creating a sharp contrast against the real, cold grey left one that was still of flesh. His skin was pale too, like he had not seen the sun for some time, though the scars looked fairly recent.
"Captain Optimus here joined Ulysses before her death."Cristobal added without looking up.
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:18 pm
((well hey so do I! TWIN POWERS ACTIVATE. and ohoh, so many surprises! >D I love them.))
-------
So those two wretches were still out there. Hannah felt upset by that revelation even though she had never met either one of these men in her entire life. Though, what she had heard had certainly been more than enough to make her unable to feel anything for contempt for them.
It was a shame they had not yet been punished for their crimes...but if Septimus was searching for them and justice, which she did not doubt now that she knew his circumstances, eventually, hopefully they would get what they deserved. She could only hope they would be caught soon and suffer dearly for what they had done- especially Adrian.
"Now there's a shame, because if anybody deserves it, it's certainly them." She returned sincerely, her expression turning into a far more sympathetic one when she could see Cristobal wiping very real tears from his eyes. It was not the sort of thing most people, herself included, expected from a man like him...but now that she was seeing it, it was both comforting and heartbreaking. It spoke to the more human side of this man, as well as Ulysses, which relaxed her at least somewhat, though she also felt a great deal of pity for all of those who had been involved in this tragedy.
How men like those could slip away from the might of the Armada for any length of time Hannah would never understand, though she trusted they would not be able to hide forever. Their crimes would catch up with them eventually, as they seemed to for each and every pirate.
"I am sorry to hear that, though. Truly." She continued, still as sincere as ever about what she was saying. It felt unusual given what had happened earlier, but then....they were all on the same side here when it came to pirates. There was no reason she couldn't agree with them when it came to this topic, especially not after what pirates had done to her father. "...I trust they will pay for their crimes one day though. They always do."
Which reminded her, there were a few pirates still out there in the spiral that she needed to enact her own special brand of justice on as well. Though she pushed that much away for now, since it didn't matter at the moment. She nodded respectfully as the engineer actually thanked her for listening and trying to understand.
"It's hard not to, after what you've told me. I...just hope he can get the closure he needs someday."
Her own past made it easier for her to understand, though she did wonder if Ulysses ever could find true happiness again, after everything he had gone through. The unfortunate truth was probably not, but she still believed Valencia's promised, new 'golden age' would at least be a step in the right direction. The real question was, then what? What would happen to Ulysses, what would he even do? If he held a high position in whatever Kane's vision for the spiral was he would be set she imagined, but if not...it was an interesting thought for sure.
Though not one she thought too much about, before Cristobal returned to work- a good idea she thought, to take his mind off the painful memories he had just relived- and she was surprised yet again by the generosity he showed. She stared at the food that had been placed in front of her, almost as if she could hardly believe what she was seeing, before she dug into it as well- though not without giving Cristobal another respectful dip of her head, even though he might not have been paying attention.
"And thank you again...Really, I can't thank you enough for this, with what waits back home."
It was true she didn't know exactly what that was, but Hannah had to imagine it was something that required a normal level of energy and coherency from her, at the very least. The steak was not the only surprise that was waiting for her though, as one of the clockwork officers decided to speak and weigh in on the topic; surprising in itself, though the buccaneer had at first suspected maybe Sentus just knew a few more details about the tale and could back them up.
Indeed that was how the conversation started, and it only made her feel that much more pity for the Admiral. But then, it took a bizarre turn as the clockwork then went on to say that he had been human once upon a time, that he had known Adrian and Ulysses had spared him whatever his fate would have been otherwise. At first she didn't know whether to believe it or not, but before she could ask Sentus anything about the matter, he proved it to her; actually able to take off his face, revealing the decidedly human one underneath.
So..he really was telling the truth. Hannah gawked at him, her mouth dropping open in complete shock at what she was seeing. She didn't mean to be disrespectful, but she had..well, she had never seen anything like this- not work this extensive. She didn't know how to feel about this blend of man and machine, though her brain went back to her father and the state he was in momentarily, before it went back to the man turned clockwork in front of her.
Finally, she realized how long she had been staring, when Cristobal's voice snapped her out of the mesmerized state she had been in. She immediately looked away, feeling at least a little embarrassed at how she had stood there gaping at the Captain, though she couldn't imagine she was the only one who had seen what was underneath the mask that was so startled.
"...What...what happened to you? And how is it possible..?"
Though she didn't finish the second question, it was obvious what she was asking about. The idea of a blended human and clockwork, unsettling as it was to her, was also very intriguing at the same time. Especially how such a feat was possible in the first place.
-------
So those two wretches were still out there. Hannah felt upset by that revelation even though she had never met either one of these men in her entire life. Though, what she had heard had certainly been more than enough to make her unable to feel anything for contempt for them.
It was a shame they had not yet been punished for their crimes...but if Septimus was searching for them and justice, which she did not doubt now that she knew his circumstances, eventually, hopefully they would get what they deserved. She could only hope they would be caught soon and suffer dearly for what they had done- especially Adrian.
"Now there's a shame, because if anybody deserves it, it's certainly them." She returned sincerely, her expression turning into a far more sympathetic one when she could see Cristobal wiping very real tears from his eyes. It was not the sort of thing most people, herself included, expected from a man like him...but now that she was seeing it, it was both comforting and heartbreaking. It spoke to the more human side of this man, as well as Ulysses, which relaxed her at least somewhat, though she also felt a great deal of pity for all of those who had been involved in this tragedy.
How men like those could slip away from the might of the Armada for any length of time Hannah would never understand, though she trusted they would not be able to hide forever. Their crimes would catch up with them eventually, as they seemed to for each and every pirate.
"I am sorry to hear that, though. Truly." She continued, still as sincere as ever about what she was saying. It felt unusual given what had happened earlier, but then....they were all on the same side here when it came to pirates. There was no reason she couldn't agree with them when it came to this topic, especially not after what pirates had done to her father. "...I trust they will pay for their crimes one day though. They always do."
Which reminded her, there were a few pirates still out there in the spiral that she needed to enact her own special brand of justice on as well. Though she pushed that much away for now, since it didn't matter at the moment. She nodded respectfully as the engineer actually thanked her for listening and trying to understand.
"It's hard not to, after what you've told me. I...just hope he can get the closure he needs someday."
Her own past made it easier for her to understand, though she did wonder if Ulysses ever could find true happiness again, after everything he had gone through. The unfortunate truth was probably not, but she still believed Valencia's promised, new 'golden age' would at least be a step in the right direction. The real question was, then what? What would happen to Ulysses, what would he even do? If he held a high position in whatever Kane's vision for the spiral was he would be set she imagined, but if not...it was an interesting thought for sure.
Though not one she thought too much about, before Cristobal returned to work- a good idea she thought, to take his mind off the painful memories he had just relived- and she was surprised yet again by the generosity he showed. She stared at the food that had been placed in front of her, almost as if she could hardly believe what she was seeing, before she dug into it as well- though not without giving Cristobal another respectful dip of her head, even though he might not have been paying attention.
"And thank you again...Really, I can't thank you enough for this, with what waits back home."
It was true she didn't know exactly what that was, but Hannah had to imagine it was something that required a normal level of energy and coherency from her, at the very least. The steak was not the only surprise that was waiting for her though, as one of the clockwork officers decided to speak and weigh in on the topic; surprising in itself, though the buccaneer had at first suspected maybe Sentus just knew a few more details about the tale and could back them up.
Indeed that was how the conversation started, and it only made her feel that much more pity for the Admiral. But then, it took a bizarre turn as the clockwork then went on to say that he had been human once upon a time, that he had known Adrian and Ulysses had spared him whatever his fate would have been otherwise. At first she didn't know whether to believe it or not, but before she could ask Sentus anything about the matter, he proved it to her; actually able to take off his face, revealing the decidedly human one underneath.
So..he really was telling the truth. Hannah gawked at him, her mouth dropping open in complete shock at what she was seeing. She didn't mean to be disrespectful, but she had..well, she had never seen anything like this- not work this extensive. She didn't know how to feel about this blend of man and machine, though her brain went back to her father and the state he was in momentarily, before it went back to the man turned clockwork in front of her.
Finally, she realized how long she had been staring, when Cristobal's voice snapped her out of the mesmerized state she had been in. She immediately looked away, feeling at least a little embarrassed at how she had stood there gaping at the Captain, though she couldn't imagine she was the only one who had seen what was underneath the mask that was so startled.
"...What...what happened to you? And how is it possible..?"
Though she didn't finish the second question, it was obvious what she was asking about. The idea of a blended human and clockwork, unsettling as it was to her, was also very intriguing at the same time. Especially how such a feat was possible in the first place.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Sun Apr 27, 2014 8:58 pm
((YAY FOR TWIN SYNCH >D and there will only be more if you like them so much 
))
----
"I was foolish enough to entrust in that wretched swashbuckler Adrian."Sentus spat, anger clear in his one fleshy eye, "foolish enough to fight against the Armada when he told me to... Only to be left behind when he saw that I was wounded in battle, incapacitated and unable to fight because of my eye gouged out, both legs gone and one arm lopped off. As you may have guessed, Lord Ulysses took me prisoner, back to Cadiz...
Now, keep in mind that under normal circumstances, someone like me, who has such an extensive association to Adrian, the number one enemy of Valencia, would have been executed for multiple charges of piracy and assaulting Armada officers... Lord Ulysses insisted to the elites, to Lord Kane that I be spared of such a fate, and given a chance to redemption.
The Supreme Commander, I do not know why but I am grateful for it, agreed, and handed me over to Bishop. He replaced what I lost with mechanical parts, in a way washing away my sins as the pirate Wolf Hawkins, and made me who I am today, Sentus Optimus, lieutenant to Lord Ulysses."
It was that moment when Ulysses stepped from his cabin, once more back in his highly decorated uniform and mask, with Cahin trailing him. He passed by Sentus, who was quick to raise his black gloved hand in a salute, then Hannah with a small nod as he settled once more into his golden, throne like chair, the Harlequin leaning rather affectionately against his leg.
Cristobal stood, and walked quietly over to Ulysses, handing him the locket Hannah had found earlier. Since Ulysses was wearing the mask then, it was difficult to tell what expression he had, but the relieved look in his eyes was already enough. He took the locket, and quickly slipped it into a pocket in his coat that was closest to his heart.
Just as Ulysses was about to say something, the entire ship jolted, prompting Septimus to jerk to a standing position, his stance tensing when his eyes found just what had caused it-
A pirate ship, and flying the colors of Adrian Devereaux neverless--the Jolly Roger surrounded by a circle on a blood red background--sending a pang of rage into Ulysses' mind. Drawing his sword, Septimus immediately snapped off a command, "RETURN FIRE WITH ALL PORT SIDE GUNS, PREPARE FOR BOARDING BATTLE!" Around him, the Marines and Dragoons snapped into action, while the Musketeers loaded their rifles and unfolded the razor sharp bayonets on their guns.
Cristobal drew his own sword as well, but he did not move into a stance like Ulysses just did, instead, he tossed the weapon toward Hannah, letting it clatter onto the deck before her. "Help him in this battle,"the engineer pulled from his shoulders a sleek black sparquebus that looked like an advanced Armada musketeer rifle, "then he'll act a little friendlier, not to mention the better light it will give you before the elites."
The Assassin engineer punctuated his words by quickly pivoting, and sniping off a pirate with one shot from his weapon.
))----
"I was foolish enough to entrust in that wretched swashbuckler Adrian."Sentus spat, anger clear in his one fleshy eye, "foolish enough to fight against the Armada when he told me to... Only to be left behind when he saw that I was wounded in battle, incapacitated and unable to fight because of my eye gouged out, both legs gone and one arm lopped off. As you may have guessed, Lord Ulysses took me prisoner, back to Cadiz...
Now, keep in mind that under normal circumstances, someone like me, who has such an extensive association to Adrian, the number one enemy of Valencia, would have been executed for multiple charges of piracy and assaulting Armada officers... Lord Ulysses insisted to the elites, to Lord Kane that I be spared of such a fate, and given a chance to redemption.
The Supreme Commander, I do not know why but I am grateful for it, agreed, and handed me over to Bishop. He replaced what I lost with mechanical parts, in a way washing away my sins as the pirate Wolf Hawkins, and made me who I am today, Sentus Optimus, lieutenant to Lord Ulysses."
It was that moment when Ulysses stepped from his cabin, once more back in his highly decorated uniform and mask, with Cahin trailing him. He passed by Sentus, who was quick to raise his black gloved hand in a salute, then Hannah with a small nod as he settled once more into his golden, throne like chair, the Harlequin leaning rather affectionately against his leg.
Cristobal stood, and walked quietly over to Ulysses, handing him the locket Hannah had found earlier. Since Ulysses was wearing the mask then, it was difficult to tell what expression he had, but the relieved look in his eyes was already enough. He took the locket, and quickly slipped it into a pocket in his coat that was closest to his heart.
Just as Ulysses was about to say something, the entire ship jolted, prompting Septimus to jerk to a standing position, his stance tensing when his eyes found just what had caused it-
A pirate ship, and flying the colors of Adrian Devereaux neverless--the Jolly Roger surrounded by a circle on a blood red background--sending a pang of rage into Ulysses' mind. Drawing his sword, Septimus immediately snapped off a command, "RETURN FIRE WITH ALL PORT SIDE GUNS, PREPARE FOR BOARDING BATTLE!" Around him, the Marines and Dragoons snapped into action, while the Musketeers loaded their rifles and unfolded the razor sharp bayonets on their guns.
Cristobal drew his own sword as well, but he did not move into a stance like Ulysses just did, instead, he tossed the weapon toward Hannah, letting it clatter onto the deck before her. "Help him in this battle,"the engineer pulled from his shoulders a sleek black sparquebus that looked like an advanced Armada musketeer rifle, "then he'll act a little friendlier, not to mention the better light it will give you before the elites."
The Assassin engineer punctuated his words by quickly pivoting, and sniping off a pirate with one shot from his weapon.
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Sun Apr 27, 2014 10:23 pm
((AW YEAH. and oho, so I see! >D))
---
The more she listened to Sentus's story, about what had happened to the life he had once had, the more hatred she began to feel for this Adrian Devereaux. The man sounded like a complete monster, so it was even less wonder now why Septimus ever became one in the face of adversaries like him. The battle this man had been through and the damage he had sustained sounded horrendous, and Hannah could not prevent herself from paling at the very idea of all those lost limbs. That was one of her very worst nightmares, and her mind drudged up bloody, disturbing images of what she imagined the man before her must have looked like in those moments, before she forced them away.
She nodded silently as he continued his story, well aware of the fact somebody with the sort of charges his former life had likely piled up would have ultimately been executed for such a high number of crimes. In her experience, those who had too many charges stacked against them were often seen as either beyond redemption or point blank refused it themselves, and so were terminated while those who had done far less would have their lives spared and be punished in other ways.
Hannah tilted her head curiously as Sentus mentioned that it had been Ulysses who had advocated for his life, ultimately saving it and giving him the chance to start anew. It was...interesting for sure with how she had personally seen him handle other enemies of him, especially since he had been connected with the man who had taken every precious thing he'd had left from him. But at the same time it was incredibly clever- generous for sure, though it also gave him a highly grateful, indebted, loyal soldier who knew his most hated enemy well. While Ulysses might have done it out of what goodness was still left in his broken and darkened heart, it was a brilliant tactical move at the same time; a complete win win for him, especially since Sentus appeared to be nothing but loyal to him now.
As well as held the exact same contempt for his former captain. She felt she could sympathize with and feel pity for Sentus as well now, even if she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with what she was hearing. She almost wanted to reach out and pat him on the shoulder for everything he had gone through to figure out how wrong he had been, but stopped herself halfway; only extending her arm somewhat, before she felt it would be too awkward a gesture and let her hand hover for a moment or too before dropping said arm back to her side.
"That is..Truly terrible..There is no honor among men like Adrian I fear, and it is a pity you had to find that out so painfully. But, it seems like this new slot in life is the best possible thing that could have happened to you...however traumatizing the road getting here was. If only more of them could be as redeemable as you were."
There had to be others like him out there, though in Hannah's opinion they were likely a rarity. At least this one had seen the error of his way, after Ulysses had granted him a second chance, which was more than what she might have done for many pirates...especially any who would have had connection to one she hated the most. So he had the ability to feel compassion for his enemies as well then, an admirable trait for sure after what he had endured. Hannah had been about to ask more, when Septimus emerged from his cabin and the conversation was cut short.
And was rather surprised by the nod of acknowledgement he gave her. Out of habit she nodded back, something she had learned and gotten far too used to in Valencia to have much control over anymore, but once he had passed and returned to his throne she couldn't help but wonder what that had meant. He had not done anything of the sort up until that very moment, and the buccaneer wasn't sure what to make of the gesture. But he seemed in a sentimental enough mood as she caught sight of a glimmer of relief in those blood-red eyes of his as Cristobal returned the locket. Unfortunately she didn't have much time to read whatever she could from his body language, before the ship lurched and her focus was diverted to keeping herself upright as well as finding out what in the spiral had caused such a thing in the first place.
Once she spun around, it became all too clear. They were coming under fire by another ship, whose flag immediately made Hannah think of pirates. She narrowed her eyes at the sight, never pleased to be in the midst of a vessel like this. Going home even to a terrifying meeting was far better than having to deal with pirates, any day in her mind. Especially when her weapons were under lock and key somewhere else on the ship...although if those fools actually boarded, she wasn't afraid to use her fists to make a point.
All around her, the other occupants of the ship sprung into action, following Ulysses's enraged call to battle. Cannons and musketeer fire went off everywhere, the once peaceful trip turning into a chaotic spectacle in the blink of an eye. Hannah stood her ground, waiting to see how this would turn, before shockingly Cristobal threw a sword at her, which clattered onto the deck as she had not been paying enough attention to him to have seen that coming. Once he explained his reasoning for doing so however, she snatched the sword up as quickly as possible- she would do whatever it took to get Septimus off of her back, as well as smooth things over more with the elite. And if it meant helping kill and maim a few pirates along the way, that was just a wonderful added bonus.
She felt adrenaline rush through her, energy restored by the food and yum she had been granted, and leftover feelings from the great war. This all felt...so familiar, as if she had been involved in a scrap of this magnitude only yesterday. Her fingers clenched tightly around the handle of the sword as she waited for the moment one of the ships would board the other. This would not be hard to do to help herself...she had been made, trained for this, after all.
---
The more she listened to Sentus's story, about what had happened to the life he had once had, the more hatred she began to feel for this Adrian Devereaux. The man sounded like a complete monster, so it was even less wonder now why Septimus ever became one in the face of adversaries like him. The battle this man had been through and the damage he had sustained sounded horrendous, and Hannah could not prevent herself from paling at the very idea of all those lost limbs. That was one of her very worst nightmares, and her mind drudged up bloody, disturbing images of what she imagined the man before her must have looked like in those moments, before she forced them away.
She nodded silently as he continued his story, well aware of the fact somebody with the sort of charges his former life had likely piled up would have ultimately been executed for such a high number of crimes. In her experience, those who had too many charges stacked against them were often seen as either beyond redemption or point blank refused it themselves, and so were terminated while those who had done far less would have their lives spared and be punished in other ways.
Hannah tilted her head curiously as Sentus mentioned that it had been Ulysses who had advocated for his life, ultimately saving it and giving him the chance to start anew. It was...interesting for sure with how she had personally seen him handle other enemies of him, especially since he had been connected with the man who had taken every precious thing he'd had left from him. But at the same time it was incredibly clever- generous for sure, though it also gave him a highly grateful, indebted, loyal soldier who knew his most hated enemy well. While Ulysses might have done it out of what goodness was still left in his broken and darkened heart, it was a brilliant tactical move at the same time; a complete win win for him, especially since Sentus appeared to be nothing but loyal to him now.
As well as held the exact same contempt for his former captain. She felt she could sympathize with and feel pity for Sentus as well now, even if she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with what she was hearing. She almost wanted to reach out and pat him on the shoulder for everything he had gone through to figure out how wrong he had been, but stopped herself halfway; only extending her arm somewhat, before she felt it would be too awkward a gesture and let her hand hover for a moment or too before dropping said arm back to her side.
"That is..Truly terrible..There is no honor among men like Adrian I fear, and it is a pity you had to find that out so painfully. But, it seems like this new slot in life is the best possible thing that could have happened to you...however traumatizing the road getting here was. If only more of them could be as redeemable as you were."
There had to be others like him out there, though in Hannah's opinion they were likely a rarity. At least this one had seen the error of his way, after Ulysses had granted him a second chance, which was more than what she might have done for many pirates...especially any who would have had connection to one she hated the most. So he had the ability to feel compassion for his enemies as well then, an admirable trait for sure after what he had endured. Hannah had been about to ask more, when Septimus emerged from his cabin and the conversation was cut short.
And was rather surprised by the nod of acknowledgement he gave her. Out of habit she nodded back, something she had learned and gotten far too used to in Valencia to have much control over anymore, but once he had passed and returned to his throne she couldn't help but wonder what that had meant. He had not done anything of the sort up until that very moment, and the buccaneer wasn't sure what to make of the gesture. But he seemed in a sentimental enough mood as she caught sight of a glimmer of relief in those blood-red eyes of his as Cristobal returned the locket. Unfortunately she didn't have much time to read whatever she could from his body language, before the ship lurched and her focus was diverted to keeping herself upright as well as finding out what in the spiral had caused such a thing in the first place.
Once she spun around, it became all too clear. They were coming under fire by another ship, whose flag immediately made Hannah think of pirates. She narrowed her eyes at the sight, never pleased to be in the midst of a vessel like this. Going home even to a terrifying meeting was far better than having to deal with pirates, any day in her mind. Especially when her weapons were under lock and key somewhere else on the ship...although if those fools actually boarded, she wasn't afraid to use her fists to make a point.
All around her, the other occupants of the ship sprung into action, following Ulysses's enraged call to battle. Cannons and musketeer fire went off everywhere, the once peaceful trip turning into a chaotic spectacle in the blink of an eye. Hannah stood her ground, waiting to see how this would turn, before shockingly Cristobal threw a sword at her, which clattered onto the deck as she had not been paying enough attention to him to have seen that coming. Once he explained his reasoning for doing so however, she snatched the sword up as quickly as possible- she would do whatever it took to get Septimus off of her back, as well as smooth things over more with the elite. And if it meant helping kill and maim a few pirates along the way, that was just a wonderful added bonus.
She felt adrenaline rush through her, energy restored by the food and yum she had been granted, and leftover feelings from the great war. This all felt...so familiar, as if she had been involved in a scrap of this magnitude only yesterday. Her fingers clenched tightly around the handle of the sword as she waited for the moment one of the ships would board the other. This would not be hard to do to help herself...she had been made, trained for this, after all.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Sun Apr 27, 2014 11:04 pm
((YEP AND YAY I ACTUALLY GOT THIS OUT ))
----
Ulysses waved his sword arm in one wide, downward chop. "PREPARE FOR BOARDING COMBAT!" His shout was acknowledged immediately, as Sentus stepped swiftly back to the wheel, to his station and started to guide the ship closer to the pirate vessel, while the Marines and Dragoons manning the cannons continued to pound it with a hailstorm of cannon fire.
The Armada admiral shifted into his battle stance, speaking now in his normal voice, which was calm and collected as well as calculated. "I propose a challenge, shall we see who can destroy more?" He made no move to direct it toward a particular crowd, as he sensed they would know who they are, as well as he was aware of the fact that his mentor had just revealed his background and story to Hannah, something he was more than grateful for, since he himself would have found it hard to vocalize it.
Next to him, Cahin threw his rondel daggers up into the air and expertly caught them again, laughing but more controlled and with insanity toned down so it was more like those of a child's as they were playing. He shifted into his own ready stance, looming around Ulysses as the human Armada admiral called out more commands to his troops on the deck.
The Engineer was doing just as well; with the help of his sparquebus, he sniped off pirates with deadly accuracy, almost as good as the musketeer officer Servus Decimus, but still leaving enough in case of a boarding battle, considering the other ship virtually crawled with pirates.
Minutes later, with a loud boom and another jolt through the deck of the Interceptor, the two ships locked into each other for boarding combat.
Pirates, most of them swashbucklers, leapt onto the deck of the Armada frigate, only to be confronted either by Ulysses himself, or if fate truly detested them, Cahin, but if they are lucky enough, were sniped off by a shot fired either by Servus Decimus or Cristobal Auditore... Though a large majority faced off Ulysses' regular troops, under the command of Sentus Optimus who fought with the vicious style that was a bizzare mix of Armada trooper and pirate buccaneer fighting techniques.
Septimus kicked down one of his foes, swiping his sword across their throat with one fluid strike, then quickly stepped over them to find more enemies while leaving that one bleeding to death and choking on his own blood... A much more merciful fate than those ones who faced off Cahin were granted-
Laughing wildly like it was all a game to him, Cahin stabbed one of the pirates under their chest, before neatly flipping over his back and stabbing him in the neck, then puncturing his right lung, leaving his target incapacitated and collapsing to a limp pile on the ground, internally bleeding to death, but by then, the Harlequin was already gone, off to seek another playmate for himself.
))----
Ulysses waved his sword arm in one wide, downward chop. "PREPARE FOR BOARDING COMBAT!" His shout was acknowledged immediately, as Sentus stepped swiftly back to the wheel, to his station and started to guide the ship closer to the pirate vessel, while the Marines and Dragoons manning the cannons continued to pound it with a hailstorm of cannon fire.
The Armada admiral shifted into his battle stance, speaking now in his normal voice, which was calm and collected as well as calculated. "I propose a challenge, shall we see who can destroy more?" He made no move to direct it toward a particular crowd, as he sensed they would know who they are, as well as he was aware of the fact that his mentor had just revealed his background and story to Hannah, something he was more than grateful for, since he himself would have found it hard to vocalize it.
Next to him, Cahin threw his rondel daggers up into the air and expertly caught them again, laughing but more controlled and with insanity toned down so it was more like those of a child's as they were playing. He shifted into his own ready stance, looming around Ulysses as the human Armada admiral called out more commands to his troops on the deck.
The Engineer was doing just as well; with the help of his sparquebus, he sniped off pirates with deadly accuracy, almost as good as the musketeer officer Servus Decimus, but still leaving enough in case of a boarding battle, considering the other ship virtually crawled with pirates.
Minutes later, with a loud boom and another jolt through the deck of the Interceptor, the two ships locked into each other for boarding combat.
Pirates, most of them swashbucklers, leapt onto the deck of the Armada frigate, only to be confronted either by Ulysses himself, or if fate truly detested them, Cahin, but if they are lucky enough, were sniped off by a shot fired either by Servus Decimus or Cristobal Auditore... Though a large majority faced off Ulysses' regular troops, under the command of Sentus Optimus who fought with the vicious style that was a bizzare mix of Armada trooper and pirate buccaneer fighting techniques.
Septimus kicked down one of his foes, swiping his sword across their throat with one fluid strike, then quickly stepped over them to find more enemies while leaving that one bleeding to death and choking on his own blood... A much more merciful fate than those ones who faced off Cahin were granted-
Laughing wildly like it was all a game to him, Cahin stabbed one of the pirates under their chest, before neatly flipping over his back and stabbing him in the neck, then puncturing his right lung, leaving his target incapacitated and collapsing to a limp pile on the ground, internally bleeding to death, but by then, the Harlequin was already gone, off to seek another playmate for himself.
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Mon Apr 28, 2014 2:32 pm
((AW YEAH, you beat the curfew for one more post! *hands you more chocolate* 8’D And good luck on all the stuff you’ve got coming up, so I want to say in advance I understand if you need to take time away from the longer posts for everything. Totally A-okay with me especially with how goshawful slow I am on everything, and I wish you the best of luck with all those tests! And gosh sorry it took me forever to get to any action in this post. XD I was going to have more causalities, but given how long this turned out I decided I’d wait until the next post for more slaughter. >]))
---
Hannah felt…almost like a real soldier again as she stood at the ready, listening to Ulysses barking out orders to his legions. A concept that felt somewhat foreign, yet wonderfully nostalgic at the same time. There was a bit of apprehension in there as well, war was never kind after all, but at the same time it was honestly nice to feel she had the chance to prove herself as, well, needed. And she certainly had no love or respect for the throngs of pirates that were currently threatening them.
Had it been another ship of honorable Marleybonean soldiers who were simply doing what they felt was their duty, it would have been harder to convince herself to join in the slaughter without pity or regret for their victims. But since they were pirates of all things, it was the easiest thing in the spiral to justify what she was about to do, without any emotion at all. Perhaps she owed these fool some gratitude though, for providing her the opportunity to make herself look at least a little better in Septimus’s eyes….as well as making it easier for the lot of them to get rid of a large number of them at once. Honestly, what kind of idiots or egomaniacs attacked an Armada ship as large as this one? It was begging for capture or death.
The closer the ships got to one another, the more energy seemed to flow through her. She really couldn’t thank Cristobal enough for offering her not only food, but a drink with restorative properties when it came to energy and a weapon with which to fight as well. Had the engineer not been so hospitable toward her, she wouldn’t have been in any position to help out with this onslaught. She would have to find some way to repay that sort of humanity, Hannah mused to herself, if helping them dispatch as many of these pirates as possible was not payment enough. For now though…
“Wait, you mean..me?”
She shifted her focus to Ulysses as she heard him speak in a cool and calculating tone, having initially assumed he had been talking to somebody else. Even when his proposition had sunk in, her first thoughts had been of Cahin or Cristobal, that he was extending a friendly challenge to one of them. But when she took notice of the fact neither the engineer nor the jester were responding to his words, it struck her that maybe he was talking to her.
Hannah didn’t know how to respond at first, what was the proper way to do so with how she had behaved around him before and what she now knew. Even this seemed strange, but then again maybe Cristobal had informed him of what exactly he had told her. She hadn’t heard what the two men had been saying to one another when he had returned the locket, so it was very possible Ulysses was aware of the fact his tragic past was now out in the open and this was his way of making things a little less hostile between them. If that was his intent she appreciated it, because it was an easier way for both of them to adjust to the reality that they had any common ground whatsoever; that however much they might have disagreed on several things, it was silly and downright foolish for them to behave as enemies.
She managed a small smirk as she glanced over her shoulder at the imposing figure, ultimately deciding the best response was to accept, with the most playful air she could manage to make it seem more…normal for the two of them. Even though it would not feel like a game at all the instant she stepped into action and old, battlefield habits consumed her.
“I do love a good challenge, especially one bound to have results I think all of us can be satisfied with...Why not? That sounds like fun to me, Admiral.”
Especially for how much it would help her out and vent out some of her anger and frustration at the same time. She waited, anxious to begin, still tightly grasping the large sword she had been offered with both hands as she watched the musketeers and Cristobal pick off as many pirates as they could prior to any boarding. She wasn’t worried about a lack of targets, there were plenty of these wretches crawling all over the enemy ship, though she would have to act fast once one of them had boarded the other and both Ulysses and Cahin sprung into bloody action, if she wanted to get in as much punishment as the fearsome duo no doubt would.
It didn’t take long for the two ships to get close enough for the combat she had been waiting for, practically craving. The pirates launched into action almost immediately, rushing at all of them with just as much desire to slaughter them as they felt in turn; many of them bold enough to completely ignore their comrades who fell to Servus or Cristobal and keep coming for the rest of them no matter what was launched at them. It was almost admirable. Almost. Mostly, it came across as a desperate attack doomed to failure, on a ship as well-stocked and armed as this one. At least they would die martyrs in the eyes of the resistance for their equally as doomed cause though, Hannah supposed.
The second the wave on incoming pirates drew closer to her position, Hannah sprung into action. There was no way she would allow Ulysses and Cahin to get enough of a head start on her to consider her far beneath them in terms of fighting skill, and she only needed to watch them and the others dispatching pirates for that switch between her civilian and soldier side to flip in her brain. As far as she was concerned at the moment, this was war, a battlefield like the many she had served on years ago, and as a soldier it was her duty not only to try to make sure she and her fellow Valencians survived, but to help see to it that the enemy was crushed as well.
Her first victim didn’t see her coming until it was too late, distracted and both unnerved and enraged by what she had witnessed Cahin do to another one of the pirates. By the time the swashbuckler had noticed her it was much too late, and her sword had already made a nasty, lethal gash on the other woman’s throat. Hannah’s face was cold, emotionless as the female pirate crumpled to the ground and dropped her weapons in favor of clutching at her bleeding neck.
She watched her victim struggle only for a moment to gauge if any more action was necessary, before she noted the other woman’s fingers desperately gliding back to one of her twin sabres, likely with the intent to try and ‘take her down with her’. That was all she needed to see. Just as emotionlessly, Hannah raised the bloodied sword high, before quickly bringing it down on the pirate’s skull. This time, she didn’t get up again when she fell. With the resulting splatter, how she had felt this sword cut straight to and practically through the skull, the buccaneer wasn’t surprised. Maybe by how powerful and sharp Cristobal’s sword was, but not the fact the swashbuckler was now dead.
She didn’t linger either, following the jester’s example of moving to the next target as quickly as possible, though with decidedly less pleasure. It did not truly satisfy her to kill or see the blood of her enemies splatter all over- she hated the sight, texture, and smell of so much blood in fact, but had learned how to numb herself to it in the midst of battle.
Results and survival were all that mattered. Even the fact she hated most pirates did not drive her actions here more than the training she and all soldiers received, though it would come in handy once the fight was over, in remaining emotionally detached from the carnage she was helping cause now and being able to both easily justify and forget about it.
---
Hannah felt…almost like a real soldier again as she stood at the ready, listening to Ulysses barking out orders to his legions. A concept that felt somewhat foreign, yet wonderfully nostalgic at the same time. There was a bit of apprehension in there as well, war was never kind after all, but at the same time it was honestly nice to feel she had the chance to prove herself as, well, needed. And she certainly had no love or respect for the throngs of pirates that were currently threatening them.
Had it been another ship of honorable Marleybonean soldiers who were simply doing what they felt was their duty, it would have been harder to convince herself to join in the slaughter without pity or regret for their victims. But since they were pirates of all things, it was the easiest thing in the spiral to justify what she was about to do, without any emotion at all. Perhaps she owed these fool some gratitude though, for providing her the opportunity to make herself look at least a little better in Septimus’s eyes….as well as making it easier for the lot of them to get rid of a large number of them at once. Honestly, what kind of idiots or egomaniacs attacked an Armada ship as large as this one? It was begging for capture or death.
The closer the ships got to one another, the more energy seemed to flow through her. She really couldn’t thank Cristobal enough for offering her not only food, but a drink with restorative properties when it came to energy and a weapon with which to fight as well. Had the engineer not been so hospitable toward her, she wouldn’t have been in any position to help out with this onslaught. She would have to find some way to repay that sort of humanity, Hannah mused to herself, if helping them dispatch as many of these pirates as possible was not payment enough. For now though…
“Wait, you mean..me?”
She shifted her focus to Ulysses as she heard him speak in a cool and calculating tone, having initially assumed he had been talking to somebody else. Even when his proposition had sunk in, her first thoughts had been of Cahin or Cristobal, that he was extending a friendly challenge to one of them. But when she took notice of the fact neither the engineer nor the jester were responding to his words, it struck her that maybe he was talking to her.
Hannah didn’t know how to respond at first, what was the proper way to do so with how she had behaved around him before and what she now knew. Even this seemed strange, but then again maybe Cristobal had informed him of what exactly he had told her. She hadn’t heard what the two men had been saying to one another when he had returned the locket, so it was very possible Ulysses was aware of the fact his tragic past was now out in the open and this was his way of making things a little less hostile between them. If that was his intent she appreciated it, because it was an easier way for both of them to adjust to the reality that they had any common ground whatsoever; that however much they might have disagreed on several things, it was silly and downright foolish for them to behave as enemies.
She managed a small smirk as she glanced over her shoulder at the imposing figure, ultimately deciding the best response was to accept, with the most playful air she could manage to make it seem more…normal for the two of them. Even though it would not feel like a game at all the instant she stepped into action and old, battlefield habits consumed her.
“I do love a good challenge, especially one bound to have results I think all of us can be satisfied with...Why not? That sounds like fun to me, Admiral.”
Especially for how much it would help her out and vent out some of her anger and frustration at the same time. She waited, anxious to begin, still tightly grasping the large sword she had been offered with both hands as she watched the musketeers and Cristobal pick off as many pirates as they could prior to any boarding. She wasn’t worried about a lack of targets, there were plenty of these wretches crawling all over the enemy ship, though she would have to act fast once one of them had boarded the other and both Ulysses and Cahin sprung into bloody action, if she wanted to get in as much punishment as the fearsome duo no doubt would.
It didn’t take long for the two ships to get close enough for the combat she had been waiting for, practically craving. The pirates launched into action almost immediately, rushing at all of them with just as much desire to slaughter them as they felt in turn; many of them bold enough to completely ignore their comrades who fell to Servus or Cristobal and keep coming for the rest of them no matter what was launched at them. It was almost admirable. Almost. Mostly, it came across as a desperate attack doomed to failure, on a ship as well-stocked and armed as this one. At least they would die martyrs in the eyes of the resistance for their equally as doomed cause though, Hannah supposed.
The second the wave on incoming pirates drew closer to her position, Hannah sprung into action. There was no way she would allow Ulysses and Cahin to get enough of a head start on her to consider her far beneath them in terms of fighting skill, and she only needed to watch them and the others dispatching pirates for that switch between her civilian and soldier side to flip in her brain. As far as she was concerned at the moment, this was war, a battlefield like the many she had served on years ago, and as a soldier it was her duty not only to try to make sure she and her fellow Valencians survived, but to help see to it that the enemy was crushed as well.
Her first victim didn’t see her coming until it was too late, distracted and both unnerved and enraged by what she had witnessed Cahin do to another one of the pirates. By the time the swashbuckler had noticed her it was much too late, and her sword had already made a nasty, lethal gash on the other woman’s throat. Hannah’s face was cold, emotionless as the female pirate crumpled to the ground and dropped her weapons in favor of clutching at her bleeding neck.
She watched her victim struggle only for a moment to gauge if any more action was necessary, before she noted the other woman’s fingers desperately gliding back to one of her twin sabres, likely with the intent to try and ‘take her down with her’. That was all she needed to see. Just as emotionlessly, Hannah raised the bloodied sword high, before quickly bringing it down on the pirate’s skull. This time, she didn’t get up again when she fell. With the resulting splatter, how she had felt this sword cut straight to and practically through the skull, the buccaneer wasn’t surprised. Maybe by how powerful and sharp Cristobal’s sword was, but not the fact the swashbuckler was now dead.
She didn’t linger either, following the jester’s example of moving to the next target as quickly as possible, though with decidedly less pleasure. It did not truly satisfy her to kill or see the blood of her enemies splatter all over- she hated the sight, texture, and smell of so much blood in fact, but had learned how to numb herself to it in the midst of battle.
Results and survival were all that mattered. Even the fact she hated most pirates did not drive her actions here more than the training she and all soldiers received, though it would come in handy once the fight was over, in remaining emotionally detached from the carnage she was helping cause now and being able to both easily justify and forget about it.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Mon Apr 28, 2014 8:23 pm
((YAY *noms chocolate* THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THIS, MY DEAR SISTER <3 and well, Hannah you better hurry with the killing, Seppy is racking up quite a count now >) ))
----
Ulysses chuckled, dodging a strike from a swashbuckler's sword, then quickly retaliated with a very well aimed stab of his Hidden Blade into the pirate's right shoulder, ripping hard to his right while the blade was still wedged inside his foe. A shower of blood erupted, dousing the sleeve of Ulysses' elaborate coat and parts of his elegant mask, while a loud, ear drum shattering scream tore its way from his victim's throat, the pirate's hand flying up to grasp at the gyser of blood that shot from the wound and dropping his weapon...
Which proved to be a foolish move, as Septimus' blade ran him clean through only a moment later, with the human Armada admiral pushing his opponent's corpse off of his blade with his foot. That would be kill number five for him, making Ulysses wonder just how well the others are faring. Pivoting around sharply, the Assassin sidestepped another swashbuckler's strike, whipping out his golden colored Valencian flintlock in the process.
He placed the barrel between the pirate's eyes, smiling with a audible, "Requiescat in pace, bastardo." The moment he fired the gun, it was like he had created a sinkhole in his opponent's face, a sinkhole that sucked in all the features, all the skin around it and spewed blood out in return. With a loud, obnoxious thud, the pirate's body collapsed onto the deck, unmoving while the admiral turned to face his sixth kill-
"Armada scum!"Ulysses' eyes narrowed dangerously, his sword this time speaking for him; he lashed out hard, slicing the pirate's left arm clean off, separating his head from his body with his second slash, executed with such a force his foe's head flew back and rolled across the deck like some deformed ball. This one went down faster than he had anticipated, but then again, those are barbaric pirates who never received proper combat training like he himself did from an early age.
Twirling his rapier and pistol set, the admiral charged into the fray once more. There really was no shortage of targets, considering how the other ship was probably filled to the brim with those vermin when they so foolishly attacked his frigate... Something Septimus greatly appreciated, as he had been suppressing his lust for blood and unbridled brutality for quite some time and this was more than relieving...
Meanwhile, Cahin was surrounded by a circle of swashbucklers, each aiming to run him through. Unfazed, the Harlequin spun in one deadly circle, his daggers ripping into unsuspecting throats before he performed a cartwheel, kicking one of the pirates in the face so hard that there was a resounding crack as his nose shattered under the sheer force, while getting knocked onto his back... But before he could react any further, Cahin swiftly plunged his dagger into his foe's heart, ending his miserable existence.
He spun around, now facing the survivors with a loud, hearty laugh. "Who's next? Who else wants to play with me?" Cahin was a little more than disappointed when no one stepped out, so he called out, "Very well, then I shall pick my playmates... HEHEHAHAHA!" By the time he started laughing, the Harlequin had already dashed back into the fray, daggers poised to rip into flesh liked the claws of a demon...
<3 and well, Hannah you better hurry with the killing, Seppy is racking up quite a count now >) ))----
Ulysses chuckled, dodging a strike from a swashbuckler's sword, then quickly retaliated with a very well aimed stab of his Hidden Blade into the pirate's right shoulder, ripping hard to his right while the blade was still wedged inside his foe. A shower of blood erupted, dousing the sleeve of Ulysses' elaborate coat and parts of his elegant mask, while a loud, ear drum shattering scream tore its way from his victim's throat, the pirate's hand flying up to grasp at the gyser of blood that shot from the wound and dropping his weapon...
Which proved to be a foolish move, as Septimus' blade ran him clean through only a moment later, with the human Armada admiral pushing his opponent's corpse off of his blade with his foot. That would be kill number five for him, making Ulysses wonder just how well the others are faring. Pivoting around sharply, the Assassin sidestepped another swashbuckler's strike, whipping out his golden colored Valencian flintlock in the process.
He placed the barrel between the pirate's eyes, smiling with a audible, "Requiescat in pace, bastardo." The moment he fired the gun, it was like he had created a sinkhole in his opponent's face, a sinkhole that sucked in all the features, all the skin around it and spewed blood out in return. With a loud, obnoxious thud, the pirate's body collapsed onto the deck, unmoving while the admiral turned to face his sixth kill-
"Armada scum!"Ulysses' eyes narrowed dangerously, his sword this time speaking for him; he lashed out hard, slicing the pirate's left arm clean off, separating his head from his body with his second slash, executed with such a force his foe's head flew back and rolled across the deck like some deformed ball. This one went down faster than he had anticipated, but then again, those are barbaric pirates who never received proper combat training like he himself did from an early age.
Twirling his rapier and pistol set, the admiral charged into the fray once more. There really was no shortage of targets, considering how the other ship was probably filled to the brim with those vermin when they so foolishly attacked his frigate... Something Septimus greatly appreciated, as he had been suppressing his lust for blood and unbridled brutality for quite some time and this was more than relieving...
Meanwhile, Cahin was surrounded by a circle of swashbucklers, each aiming to run him through. Unfazed, the Harlequin spun in one deadly circle, his daggers ripping into unsuspecting throats before he performed a cartwheel, kicking one of the pirates in the face so hard that there was a resounding crack as his nose shattered under the sheer force, while getting knocked onto his back... But before he could react any further, Cahin swiftly plunged his dagger into his foe's heart, ending his miserable existence.
He spun around, now facing the survivors with a loud, hearty laugh. "Who's next? Who else wants to play with me?" Cahin was a little more than disappointed when no one stepped out, so he called out, "Very well, then I shall pick my playmates... HEHEHAHAHA!" By the time he started laughing, the Harlequin had already dashed back into the fray, daggers poised to rip into flesh liked the claws of a demon...
Last edited by Ulysses Septimus on Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:09 pm
((You are very welcome, my pleasure! ^^ SHE’S GETTING TO IT, DON’T RUSH HER. XD lol no she has her own…way about it. Lol also pardon my horrible attempts at action sequences. I am so DERPITY DERP tonight, yet still apparently obsessed with RAMBLING NOVELS. I don't know what my life is anymore..))
----
Hannah had lost sight of Septimus somewhere along the way, amidst the throngs of pirates that kept insisting at coming for all of them, so foolishly rushing toward their own deaths. She wondered how many pirates he had killed already, though did not doubt he was hacking his way through them with a greater fervor than she was. Which, meant she would have to move faster if she wanted to win this little game he had proposed. Although, now that she was in this sort of mindset, the buccaneer couldn’t say she really cared about that little challenge anymore. Having fun with this was one of the furthest things from her mind, her thought processes completely consumed by her training. There would be no pleasure in this until it was over, whether she destroyed more of them or not.
The screams of the pirates the others viciously tore through and apart were all background noise to her at this point, things she tuned out and ignored as much as possible. A feat that was easier, since she felt no need to ‘waste’ pity on any of the pirates who had initiated this attack. She moved her way aggressively across the main deck in search of any of the other Valencians to see how they were faring, lashing out at anybody foolish enough to make an obvious move in her direction without thought or hesitation. It resulted in three wild, vicious strokes against three swashbucklers who had ignored the clockworks and Septimus’s crew to take their rage out on her; likely suspecting she would be the weakest among them, since she wasn’t picking them off quite as fast.
…A mistake that would soon cost two of them their lives, and leave the first one to strike in excruciating pain. The first pirate to come after her was parted with what attractiveness he had once had and the function of one of his eyes as the sword cut diagonally across his face, mercilessly tearing it apart and leaving him in agony. The only reason she did not finish the job was because the other two lunged at her too quickly for there to be time for it, and he had been in too much pain to react immediately. Hannah was content to ignore him as the other two held the most threat at the moment.
She threw herself to the ground as they both came at her at once, quickly shoving the sword straight up into the closest one’s gut before he could use the grace and agility all swashbucklers had to his advantage and still make his mark. She sprung up as his comrade howled with rage at her, swiftly pulling the sword from the second pirate’s torso before she leapt behind and shoved the injured man as violently as possible toward the other. Most of her strength had fortunately returned by now, making it far easier to do so. The third, uninjured one stepped out of the way, deciding against attempting to catch his friend and avenge him instead, but it was what she had been anticipating him to do. When he lashed out at her in what would have been an impressive display of swashbuckler grace and finesse had he not done it so sloppily, she leapt out of the way herself then rounded on him before he could turn back for another assault; slashing the sword against his unarmored back as brutally as possible, before shoving him to the ground.
The second he had fallen she drove the sword through his throat, until she felt the blade make contact with the metal planks underneath him. Then, and only then, did she pull the weapon out of him, content that he would soon be dead if not already.
“You shouldn’t have attacked this ship.” She found herself muttering a few seconds later, as her gaze flicked back to the pirate who she had stabbed in the torso, still alive and attempting to crawl off somewhere. “You might have lived, if you had just ignored it. Now, you leave me with no other choice..But don’t worry, I’m sure this will be quick.”
Not necessarily less painful, though she neglected to inform him of that as she kicked him over onto his back, then drove the deadly weapon straight into his chest, where his heart would be; granting him at least enough mercy to end it there and move on, finally coming upon at least one of the others- Cahin. She froze as she watched him surrounded by a gang of swashbucklers, torn between whether she should try and help for the sake of glossing things over that much more or leave him to his own devices, but it soon, thankfully became apparent the jester did not need her help.
She watched, impressed as he handled himself against the odds stacked against him, killing many of them almost effortlessly. She couldn’t blame the pirates for being unsettled by this and refusing to step forward, but knew it wouldn’t matter in the long run whether they had or not. He would kill all of them he could reach, and that much was clear in the deranged, bloodthirsty cackle he let out.
She had almost decided to help him anyway though, when a sound behind her made her jolt; turning out of the way of what might have been a far worse attack, but not in enough time to avoid it completely. The pirate she had left alive, with the now-mutilated face, had regained enough strength and rage for her actions to come after her, and the buccaneer quickly found herself on the business end of one of his daggers; the sharp metal digging into an unprotected area over her shoulder and slicing through her flesh with the same ease she had done his face. She clenched her teeth, refusing to cry out in pain, though the hiss she gave was likely encouraging enough to the pirate. Now she was emotional, angry, at both herself and the pirate for how she had let her guard slip.
She pulled away from his dagger’s grasp, painful as it was, and rounded on him quickly before he could summon the strength to do much more; delivering a powerful backhand to his face out of sheer rage. He stumbled back from the stinging pain it caused his wounds, his other arm reaching for a pistol that was strapped to his side. Hannah flew into action vindictively, slashing out at him again and again- every which direction she could, her temper explosive and attacks excessive. It was only when the man’s equally as sliced up body crumpled to the ground and was mutilated almost beyond recognition did she stop, panting in both rage and some exhaustion at her ‘handiwork’.
She didn’t regret it, as the wound on her shoulder cried out…but she could fight through it, ignore it. That was the buccaneer way, after all.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:16 pm
((Okay good, Hannah, as long as you are trying LOL and yay I beat the curfew once more XD and that was not horrible, trust me.))
----
Cahin kicked down one of his foes, though this time he didn't use his dagger; instead, he slammed his foot down on the fallen pirate's skull, brutally shattering it underfoot as blood and bits of brains exploded into the air. He laughed happily, enjoying the smell of blood and the sound of his enemies screaming in pain and horror, enjoying the terrified look in their eyes when they realized his own masked gaze was the last sight they would see in their lives.
He turned around, locking into another enemy like he would when he was in his Animus training program, when he was still a normal, sane Assassin warrior. Cahin dashed forward, pouncing on his target like a large predator going in for a kill... Before brutally drove his daggers into his new playmate's torso in rapid succession, each strike so strong they lifted the pirate's body off the ground one or two inches... Before dropping back down after the final stab, dead, mutilated beyond recognition.
The Harlequin got back to his feet by performing a neat backflip, landing on both feet while he searched out more friends to play with...
Ulysses, meanwhile, was doing a much cleaner job of killing everyone; standing back to back with his lieutenant, the admiral either ran them through the heart with his rapier, or just outright shot them in the head with his pistol... Other times, though, he would hack away one of their limbs, then laugh as they clench at the stump and cursing him... Only to drive his sword through their guts a moment later and rip it out while the blade was still wedged inside their flesh.
Such was the fate of three more pirates who dared to charge him....
----
Cahin kicked down one of his foes, though this time he didn't use his dagger; instead, he slammed his foot down on the fallen pirate's skull, brutally shattering it underfoot as blood and bits of brains exploded into the air. He laughed happily, enjoying the smell of blood and the sound of his enemies screaming in pain and horror, enjoying the terrified look in their eyes when they realized his own masked gaze was the last sight they would see in their lives.
He turned around, locking into another enemy like he would when he was in his Animus training program, when he was still a normal, sane Assassin warrior. Cahin dashed forward, pouncing on his target like a large predator going in for a kill... Before brutally drove his daggers into his new playmate's torso in rapid succession, each strike so strong they lifted the pirate's body off the ground one or two inches... Before dropping back down after the final stab, dead, mutilated beyond recognition.
The Harlequin got back to his feet by performing a neat backflip, landing on both feet while he searched out more friends to play with...
Ulysses, meanwhile, was doing a much cleaner job of killing everyone; standing back to back with his lieutenant, the admiral either ran them through the heart with his rapier, or just outright shot them in the head with his pistol... Other times, though, he would hack away one of their limbs, then laugh as they clench at the stump and cursing him... Only to drive his sword through their guts a moment later and rip it out while the blade was still wedged inside their flesh.
Such was the fate of three more pirates who dared to charge him....
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:27 pm
((She is trying! xP It just isn’t as much of a game for her as it is for…well Cahin, lol! Aw yeah, beating curfews all around here. This calls for another party, I think! >] And thank you, I do worry sometimes haha! None of your posts are horrible either though, since we’re on the subject. NONE. I do regret to inform you that this post of mine is boring though haha! This time I’ll blame the obnoxious cold/bronchitis though. The Italian is also likely off, I apologize haha!))
--
“Just how many pirates can they possibly cram onto one ship?”
Evidently the answer was far too many, from what she was seeing. Hannah grumbled a few choice, Valencian curses underneath her breath at the very thought. It wasn’t like they were losing or that she felt that was even a threat here, even the pirates had to be noticing the fact they were making a severe dent in their numbers and defenses by now. But, as helpful as this entire thing was to her and possibly even the spiral in the long run, it was starting to wear on her very last nerve. Letting even one of the pirates take her by surprise certainly hadn’t helped matters there, her temper was thin and explosive enough with their kind already, she only had patience and respect for worthy adversaries who didn’t cling to their sort of lifestyle.
Unlike Cahin, she couldn’t see this as a game. What she had said to Ulysses had been for the sake of making things at least a little less awkward between the two of them and nothing more. She wasn’t even keeping track of how many pirates she had killed already, perfectly content to allow Septimus the victory this time around so long as he was willing to acknowledge the fact she was helping them and proving where her true loyalties lay. True, killing pirates was an entirely different matter than slaughtering, say, Marleyboneans…but she would have made herself do much the same with them had it been necessary. Just with far less contempt and more pity and regret. But, that was an irrelevant thought, not to mention a dark truth she would rather not mull over at the moment, so she turned her mind back toward the task at hand.
The buccaneer let out an exasperated heave and cringed in disgust as she finally took notice of the fact she had quite a fair share of blood staining her clothing, even her skin. This would be quite a feat cleaning off later, mostly from her armor. As much as she wanted to rid herself of the blood though, she knew she would have to wait a while yet, not to mention the fact it probably only played more to her best interests to let it sit for a while. If she could look every inch the cold, merciless killer Ulysses and Cahin did, then she would, no matter any of her own discomfort. She could certainly be both of those things if she felt it necessary, anyway.
Several more pirates would learn just that soon enough, since none of them seemed to have any sense at all. Retreating would have been a far smarter option than staying to fight, but she was prepared to give them exactly what they seemed to want and indeed deserved. It was her duty anyway in a way- especially if she ever wanted the most cherished parts of her family’s old life to return to anywhere near its former glory.
“The sooner they’re all crushed, the sooner this is all over with.” Hannah told herself as she took upon a new tactic of dealing with them- one she and many soldiers had adopted during the old war, even if it hadn’t appealed to their own style of fighting.
It was hardly unique, more like Ulysses’s means than anything else, but the sort of style likely not expected from a woman like her. It was more mechanical than the sort of passionate that was the buccaneer’s usual flair, but better suited to helping end a battle like this as quickly as possible. That was why she slipped into it in the first place, eager to help put an end to this madness.
Her strategies became less and less ‘honorable’ as she went along, though as pirates held little honor amongst themselves this was one of the situations Hannah was able to silence that part of herself on with little struggle. She snuck up on one pirate, a rat dressed like he was from Scrimshaw, wrapping an arm suffocatingly tight around his thin neck as she drug his back into her sword; kicking him off the blade once satisfied it had gone deep enough to ensure he would bleed to death or at least be in no position to gain revenge. A scream of rage came to her attention a moment later from somewhere to her right, followed by a string of obscenities specific enough Hannah knew they were directed at her. Another rat, this one female, was looking at her with nothing but murder in her eyes as she picked up the largest sword she could find from a pirate one of the others had already killed and came rushing at her.
She realized in that moment that the two rats knew each other, they must have been lovers or related. Had they not been pirates, Hannah actually would have felt bad. As it was, all she could think about was how their kind how crippled her father, the damage they had done to him and her entire family…and what the one had done to Ulysses’s wife and unborn child. It was practically impossible to feel remorse for her actions at all, with all of that floating about her mind.
The female rat was good though, she would give her that much, as she brought her sword up to meet the other, the two weapons clashing against each other with a loud clang. Despair and rage gave her an impressive amount of strength, Hannah could feel the rat putting everything she had in trying to push her away first so that she could strike. She might have put up a good fight, if she had been interested in playing fair. Unfortunately for the other woman, she was not.
“Don’t worry, I’m not that cruel…” Hannah began, brazen enough to lean her head a tiny bit closer to the rat as she knew she would not tear her sword away to strike her just yet, in fear of being stabbed in the gut before she could. “ Voi saranno ancora insieme.”
“And just what is that supposed to mean, you stupid, crazy, bi-“
The rat never had the chance to finish that. Halfway into her angry remark, Hannah took advantage of the lull in the other woman’s concentration, pulling back from their crossed swords suddenly with one, deadly spin; her blade whirling about and catching the rat on the neck. Hard.
“It means you’ll be together again shortly.” She responded only when the other had fallen to the ground, flicking as much blood as she could off of the sword..though it was wasted effort at this point. “A pity you both insisted on something like this, when you might have been happy together otherwise.”
With that she turned away from her latest victims, actually catching sight of Ulysses and his lieutenant fighting back to back, mowing down any who dared challenge them. Well, it was no mystery who would be winning the challenge here, though she still didn’t mind. Besides, he probably needed it more than she did, after everything he had gone through. Contributing was plenty, for her. And with how things were going, the pirates wouldn't last that much longer. She did wonder though if any would be allowed the chance to escape or be taken as prisoners back with them, or if Ulysses intended for each and every last one of them to perish.
--
“Just how many pirates can they possibly cram onto one ship?”
Evidently the answer was far too many, from what she was seeing. Hannah grumbled a few choice, Valencian curses underneath her breath at the very thought. It wasn’t like they were losing or that she felt that was even a threat here, even the pirates had to be noticing the fact they were making a severe dent in their numbers and defenses by now. But, as helpful as this entire thing was to her and possibly even the spiral in the long run, it was starting to wear on her very last nerve. Letting even one of the pirates take her by surprise certainly hadn’t helped matters there, her temper was thin and explosive enough with their kind already, she only had patience and respect for worthy adversaries who didn’t cling to their sort of lifestyle.
Unlike Cahin, she couldn’t see this as a game. What she had said to Ulysses had been for the sake of making things at least a little less awkward between the two of them and nothing more. She wasn’t even keeping track of how many pirates she had killed already, perfectly content to allow Septimus the victory this time around so long as he was willing to acknowledge the fact she was helping them and proving where her true loyalties lay. True, killing pirates was an entirely different matter than slaughtering, say, Marleyboneans…but she would have made herself do much the same with them had it been necessary. Just with far less contempt and more pity and regret. But, that was an irrelevant thought, not to mention a dark truth she would rather not mull over at the moment, so she turned her mind back toward the task at hand.
The buccaneer let out an exasperated heave and cringed in disgust as she finally took notice of the fact she had quite a fair share of blood staining her clothing, even her skin. This would be quite a feat cleaning off later, mostly from her armor. As much as she wanted to rid herself of the blood though, she knew she would have to wait a while yet, not to mention the fact it probably only played more to her best interests to let it sit for a while. If she could look every inch the cold, merciless killer Ulysses and Cahin did, then she would, no matter any of her own discomfort. She could certainly be both of those things if she felt it necessary, anyway.
Several more pirates would learn just that soon enough, since none of them seemed to have any sense at all. Retreating would have been a far smarter option than staying to fight, but she was prepared to give them exactly what they seemed to want and indeed deserved. It was her duty anyway in a way- especially if she ever wanted the most cherished parts of her family’s old life to return to anywhere near its former glory.
“The sooner they’re all crushed, the sooner this is all over with.” Hannah told herself as she took upon a new tactic of dealing with them- one she and many soldiers had adopted during the old war, even if it hadn’t appealed to their own style of fighting.
It was hardly unique, more like Ulysses’s means than anything else, but the sort of style likely not expected from a woman like her. It was more mechanical than the sort of passionate that was the buccaneer’s usual flair, but better suited to helping end a battle like this as quickly as possible. That was why she slipped into it in the first place, eager to help put an end to this madness.
Her strategies became less and less ‘honorable’ as she went along, though as pirates held little honor amongst themselves this was one of the situations Hannah was able to silence that part of herself on with little struggle. She snuck up on one pirate, a rat dressed like he was from Scrimshaw, wrapping an arm suffocatingly tight around his thin neck as she drug his back into her sword; kicking him off the blade once satisfied it had gone deep enough to ensure he would bleed to death or at least be in no position to gain revenge. A scream of rage came to her attention a moment later from somewhere to her right, followed by a string of obscenities specific enough Hannah knew they were directed at her. Another rat, this one female, was looking at her with nothing but murder in her eyes as she picked up the largest sword she could find from a pirate one of the others had already killed and came rushing at her.
She realized in that moment that the two rats knew each other, they must have been lovers or related. Had they not been pirates, Hannah actually would have felt bad. As it was, all she could think about was how their kind how crippled her father, the damage they had done to him and her entire family…and what the one had done to Ulysses’s wife and unborn child. It was practically impossible to feel remorse for her actions at all, with all of that floating about her mind.
The female rat was good though, she would give her that much, as she brought her sword up to meet the other, the two weapons clashing against each other with a loud clang. Despair and rage gave her an impressive amount of strength, Hannah could feel the rat putting everything she had in trying to push her away first so that she could strike. She might have put up a good fight, if she had been interested in playing fair. Unfortunately for the other woman, she was not.
“Don’t worry, I’m not that cruel…” Hannah began, brazen enough to lean her head a tiny bit closer to the rat as she knew she would not tear her sword away to strike her just yet, in fear of being stabbed in the gut before she could. “ Voi saranno ancora insieme.”
“And just what is that supposed to mean, you stupid, crazy, bi-“
The rat never had the chance to finish that. Halfway into her angry remark, Hannah took advantage of the lull in the other woman’s concentration, pulling back from their crossed swords suddenly with one, deadly spin; her blade whirling about and catching the rat on the neck. Hard.
“It means you’ll be together again shortly.” She responded only when the other had fallen to the ground, flicking as much blood as she could off of the sword..though it was wasted effort at this point. “A pity you both insisted on something like this, when you might have been happy together otherwise.”
With that she turned away from her latest victims, actually catching sight of Ulysses and his lieutenant fighting back to back, mowing down any who dared challenge them. Well, it was no mystery who would be winning the challenge here, though she still didn’t mind. Besides, he probably needed it more than she did, after everything he had gone through. Contributing was plenty, for her. And with how things were going, the pirates wouldn't last that much longer. She did wonder though if any would be allowed the chance to escape or be taken as prisoners back with them, or if Ulysses intended for each and every last one of them to perish.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:27 pm
((LOL it is not boring, AND I HOPE YOU GET BETTER MY TWIN <3 ))
----
Ulysses smiled darkly when one of the few buccaneers in the pirate ranks charged up to confront him, an impossibly large sword in his grip and swinging around with the force of a raging bull. "Another challenger? Show me what you have!" He carefully lured the pirate away from Sentus, who just shield bashed one in the face before driving his halberd through the stunned pirate's chest, and drew his second sword, after shoving his pistol back into his belt... It wasn't like he was about to need it, or could use it, since he just ran out of ammo anyway.
"Well aren't you slow?"Septimus remarked with a trace of dark amusement in his voice, while he gracefully sidestepped his enemy, who nearly crashed into his own comrades in his haste trying to get to the Armada admiral. He watched as the buccaneer tried to charge him again... Only to be met with the Assassin's foot as Ulysses kicked off his back, using the force of his own charge to knock him down onto the ground, a little trick that Cristobal taught him when he was younger.
With his enemy down on the ground, Ulysses made one quick slash at the base of the buccaneer's neck, severing it with relative ease and instantly killing his enemy. He stepped back, admiring his handiwork. Just as he was going to return to see how Sentus was doing in battle, a large, dark figure crashed into him, effortlessly knocking Septimus to the ground.
It took Ulysses about two seconds to realize just what had happened--a large, burly pirate, clearly a buccaneer, had slammed into him, and was quite keen on trying to end Ulysses' life with just his bare hands.
Which, Septimus would not admit, he came close to. Ulysses gagged slightly, unsheathing his Hidden Blade on his left arm after releasing his hold on his second rapier, and was just about ready to drive his blade into the pirate's neck to make him release his choke hold. Though, he soon found it was not needed-
Cahin saw all of it happen, and was swift to react; with a ear piercing shriek of pure anger and fear, the Harlequin snatched up Ulysses' fallen blade, and drove it with brutal strength through the buccaneer's throat so the tip showed only three inches away from Ulysses' mask. The pirate gagged for a moment, choking on his own blood, his grip slackening on Ulysses, just enough for the Armada admiral to shove the pirate off of him... Though not without driving his Hidden Blade into the spot connecting his neck to his shoulders, effectively ending his life...
After that little incident, the tide had swerved in favor of the clockworks... And by the end of the next hour, most of the pirates were either dead, or wounded prisoners under the watchful eyes of Ulysses' Dragoons and Marines.
----
Ulysses smiled darkly when one of the few buccaneers in the pirate ranks charged up to confront him, an impossibly large sword in his grip and swinging around with the force of a raging bull. "Another challenger? Show me what you have!" He carefully lured the pirate away from Sentus, who just shield bashed one in the face before driving his halberd through the stunned pirate's chest, and drew his second sword, after shoving his pistol back into his belt... It wasn't like he was about to need it, or could use it, since he just ran out of ammo anyway.
"Well aren't you slow?"Septimus remarked with a trace of dark amusement in his voice, while he gracefully sidestepped his enemy, who nearly crashed into his own comrades in his haste trying to get to the Armada admiral. He watched as the buccaneer tried to charge him again... Only to be met with the Assassin's foot as Ulysses kicked off his back, using the force of his own charge to knock him down onto the ground, a little trick that Cristobal taught him when he was younger.
With his enemy down on the ground, Ulysses made one quick slash at the base of the buccaneer's neck, severing it with relative ease and instantly killing his enemy. He stepped back, admiring his handiwork. Just as he was going to return to see how Sentus was doing in battle, a large, dark figure crashed into him, effortlessly knocking Septimus to the ground.
It took Ulysses about two seconds to realize just what had happened--a large, burly pirate, clearly a buccaneer, had slammed into him, and was quite keen on trying to end Ulysses' life with just his bare hands.
Which, Septimus would not admit, he came close to. Ulysses gagged slightly, unsheathing his Hidden Blade on his left arm after releasing his hold on his second rapier, and was just about ready to drive his blade into the pirate's neck to make him release his choke hold. Though, he soon found it was not needed-
Cahin saw all of it happen, and was swift to react; with a ear piercing shriek of pure anger and fear, the Harlequin snatched up Ulysses' fallen blade, and drove it with brutal strength through the buccaneer's throat so the tip showed only three inches away from Ulysses' mask. The pirate gagged for a moment, choking on his own blood, his grip slackening on Ulysses, just enough for the Armada admiral to shove the pirate off of him... Though not without driving his Hidden Blade into the spot connecting his neck to his shoulders, effectively ending his life...
After that little incident, the tide had swerved in favor of the clockworks... And by the end of the next hour, most of the pirates were either dead, or wounded prisoners under the watchful eyes of Ulysses' Dragoons and Marines.
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Tue Apr 29, 2014 10:11 pm
((Well I'm glad it didn't put you to sleep! XD and thank you my twin, I appreciate your kind words! <3 ))
---
After about another hour or so of battle, finally the pirates were soundly defeated. Though, not without requiring a fair amount of effort on their part. As much as she detested piracy, Hannah could give their enemies at least some amount of credit for the spirit they had shown. Many of them had seemed more invigorated than ever the harder the battle had become, determined to pull out a victory against the mounting odds. No matter how foolish and doomed it had been from the very start, there was also at least a spark of something admirable in there.
More so in the ones who had finally realized that they were fighting a losing battle, thrown down their weapons, and were now being watched over carefully by some of the toughest clockworks Ulysses had. They likely wouldn't enjoy whatever fate had in store for them when the ship returned to Valencia, but at least she could say they had gained enough sense to stop their hopeless assault. Perhaps Septimus would even grant some of the survivors mercy if he was in a good enough mood, like he had with the one pirate who had been turned into one of his favorite clockwork warriors.
"Finally."
As much as she loved a good scrap, Hannah couldn't have been happier when the conflict was over. Her frustration started to slowly inch away, and her breathing was finally beginning to return to normal as well. There was still not the same amount of pleasure she was sure the others, at least Ulysses and Cahin, felt though. While she could justify their actions, grateful to ensure these pirates would not be harming innocents all over the spiral any time soon...it was still something that felt just the same as any other large battle she had ever run into.
All she felt was the relief it was over and they had struck a decent enough blow for their side. But, in the end, she supposed that was plenty. While she could understand where Ulysses's fearsome persona came from now and pity him for the road that had led him to this, that didn't mean she wanted to be just like him. Speaking of Ulysses, though...
"So, with that last one I suppose you've won our little challenge. Congratulations, Admiral. I still think I won at being messier, though. Well, at least between us..I think your son won that particular game easily."
She resisted the urge to move stray locks of her hair away from her eyes, mindful of the fact she would only be spreading the blood that had splattered onto her hands all over her face and hair. Instead she blew them away as best as she could for the moment, while offering Septimus another small smirk at the last part. It was an ironic truth really, considering how she wasn't pleased by so much blood in the first place and the smell as much was concentrated all around them right now actually made her stomach cramp with disgust. It was something she knew how to work her way through and pretend wasn't true, though...the Polarian war had been no different, in this regard.
"Those last two though...had enough boldness for the entire ship. It seems strange though, a galleon that full just coming out of nowhere. Are they...or were they, recurring enemies of yours?"
It did seem a bit too bold for most pirate ships, and one a little too well stocked for it to have been mere coincidence they had run into each other. This seemed to have been a planned assault to some degree, at least in her mind. It would honestly surprise her if the admiral reported that he didn't know any of these pirates at all, and if so...they were starting to get a bit too bold for their own good. Even if he did know who they were though, the same was true.
As she waited for him to answer and illuminate whatever she could, Hannah remembered the sword she had been given belonged to another and tossed the bloodied-up thing carefully toward Cristobal; enough so that it would land on the deck close to him, but not hit anybody in the process.
"Thank you, by the way." She directed toward him with a nod of her head as she did so. "I would have hated to have been completely useless, and this spared me that much."
With that she turned back to face Septimus, rolling her shoulder slightly to try and help dispel some of the pain she felt from where the dagger had run her through. That was going to leave another scar....though not one she could be proud of, like many of the rest. It would serve as punishment for being complacent enough to have given that pirate the chance to launch a sneak attack on her, instead.
---
After about another hour or so of battle, finally the pirates were soundly defeated. Though, not without requiring a fair amount of effort on their part. As much as she detested piracy, Hannah could give their enemies at least some amount of credit for the spirit they had shown. Many of them had seemed more invigorated than ever the harder the battle had become, determined to pull out a victory against the mounting odds. No matter how foolish and doomed it had been from the very start, there was also at least a spark of something admirable in there.
More so in the ones who had finally realized that they were fighting a losing battle, thrown down their weapons, and were now being watched over carefully by some of the toughest clockworks Ulysses had. They likely wouldn't enjoy whatever fate had in store for them when the ship returned to Valencia, but at least she could say they had gained enough sense to stop their hopeless assault. Perhaps Septimus would even grant some of the survivors mercy if he was in a good enough mood, like he had with the one pirate who had been turned into one of his favorite clockwork warriors.
"Finally."
As much as she loved a good scrap, Hannah couldn't have been happier when the conflict was over. Her frustration started to slowly inch away, and her breathing was finally beginning to return to normal as well. There was still not the same amount of pleasure she was sure the others, at least Ulysses and Cahin, felt though. While she could justify their actions, grateful to ensure these pirates would not be harming innocents all over the spiral any time soon...it was still something that felt just the same as any other large battle she had ever run into.
All she felt was the relief it was over and they had struck a decent enough blow for their side. But, in the end, she supposed that was plenty. While she could understand where Ulysses's fearsome persona came from now and pity him for the road that had led him to this, that didn't mean she wanted to be just like him. Speaking of Ulysses, though...
"So, with that last one I suppose you've won our little challenge. Congratulations, Admiral. I still think I won at being messier, though. Well, at least between us..I think your son won that particular game easily."
She resisted the urge to move stray locks of her hair away from her eyes, mindful of the fact she would only be spreading the blood that had splattered onto her hands all over her face and hair. Instead she blew them away as best as she could for the moment, while offering Septimus another small smirk at the last part. It was an ironic truth really, considering how she wasn't pleased by so much blood in the first place and the smell as much was concentrated all around them right now actually made her stomach cramp with disgust. It was something she knew how to work her way through and pretend wasn't true, though...the Polarian war had been no different, in this regard.
"Those last two though...had enough boldness for the entire ship. It seems strange though, a galleon that full just coming out of nowhere. Are they...or were they, recurring enemies of yours?"
It did seem a bit too bold for most pirate ships, and one a little too well stocked for it to have been mere coincidence they had run into each other. This seemed to have been a planned assault to some degree, at least in her mind. It would honestly surprise her if the admiral reported that he didn't know any of these pirates at all, and if so...they were starting to get a bit too bold for their own good. Even if he did know who they were though, the same was true.
As she waited for him to answer and illuminate whatever she could, Hannah remembered the sword she had been given belonged to another and tossed the bloodied-up thing carefully toward Cristobal; enough so that it would land on the deck close to him, but not hit anybody in the process.
"Thank you, by the way." She directed toward him with a nod of her head as she did so. "I would have hated to have been completely useless, and this spared me that much."
With that she turned back to face Septimus, rolling her shoulder slightly to try and help dispel some of the pain she felt from where the dagger had run her through. That was going to leave another scar....though not one she could be proud of, like many of the rest. It would serve as punishment for being complacent enough to have given that pirate the chance to launch a sneak attack on her, instead.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Tue Apr 29, 2014 10:43 pm
((Anything for you, my dear 
))
----
Ulysses chuckled, replying with a tone that was calm, relaxed even, like he was just talking about the weather, "I am always up for a rematch, if you aren't satisfied, Ms. Durante... And I must agree, Cahin more likely did." He turned his face toward his captured foes, not bothering to clean the blood from his battle mask so he held the same Grim Reaper appearance, though his posture made it clear he was still disgusted at those pirates, scum of the skyways. He took a few steps toward the prisoners, making the both of them shrink back instinctively in fear.
"Smart."He remarked after hearing her next words about if they were with his enemy or not, "they are, those pirates are followers of that damned Adrian Devereaux." At the mention of the cruel pirate lord's name, Cahin's face snapped toward Ulysses' direction, a low, gutteral growl escaping his throat to show he clearly knew who the Admiral was talking about, and didn't like it one bit, even his stance changed from his once relaxed one to those of tensed for battle...
The engineer took the bloodied weapon, chuckling, "You do not have to thank me." He took a piece of rag cloth from his satchel by his side, and carefully wiped off the blade of the large weapon until it was just about as shiny as Ulysses' throne, before placing it back into the sheath by his side-
"Those pirates are his followers, clearly, they've been stationed here so they can ambush me on the way back to Valencia."Ulysses explained calmly, placing one calming hand on Cahin's shoulder as the Harlequin moved so he was by the Armada admiral's side. "Which is a reason why I am still trying to determine their fate..."
))----
Ulysses chuckled, replying with a tone that was calm, relaxed even, like he was just talking about the weather, "I am always up for a rematch, if you aren't satisfied, Ms. Durante... And I must agree, Cahin more likely did." He turned his face toward his captured foes, not bothering to clean the blood from his battle mask so he held the same Grim Reaper appearance, though his posture made it clear he was still disgusted at those pirates, scum of the skyways. He took a few steps toward the prisoners, making the both of them shrink back instinctively in fear.
"Smart."He remarked after hearing her next words about if they were with his enemy or not, "they are, those pirates are followers of that damned Adrian Devereaux." At the mention of the cruel pirate lord's name, Cahin's face snapped toward Ulysses' direction, a low, gutteral growl escaping his throat to show he clearly knew who the Admiral was talking about, and didn't like it one bit, even his stance changed from his once relaxed one to those of tensed for battle...
The engineer took the bloodied weapon, chuckling, "You do not have to thank me." He took a piece of rag cloth from his satchel by his side, and carefully wiped off the blade of the large weapon until it was just about as shiny as Ulysses' throne, before placing it back into the sheath by his side-
"Those pirates are his followers, clearly, they've been stationed here so they can ambush me on the way back to Valencia."Ulysses explained calmly, placing one calming hand on Cahin's shoulder as the Harlequin moved so he was by the Armada admiral's side. "Which is a reason why I am still trying to determine their fate..."
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Tue Apr 29, 2014 11:13 pm
((You are just too sweet, you know that? SO NICE.))
----
Though she couldn't say the idea of a rematch that meant they would try to see which one of them could kill the most people appealed to her on the same level it did Ulysses, Hannah forced her smile to broaden anyway. She didn't think it wise to do anything that would make him aware of the fact she steadily grew weary of so much bloodshed and destruction, save for when the proper emotional buttons were triggered and she lost her sensibilities to the kind of explosive rage that was expected of somebody like her. She would do what she needed and was expressly ordered to just the same, but the longer all of this drug on with no golden age for Valencia yet in sight...the more tired she grew of all of it, even if she could still be good at it.
Septimus was the last person in the spiral she wanted to pick that out and shove in her face, and so she would do practically anything to hide those weaknesses from him. He was good practice at keeping them bottled up as well, if she really was to come face to face with any of the elites later.
"I may just have to take you up on that sometime. That is, if you're still interested when I finally come calling."
She wasn't sure if she ever would or not. Maybe if it served her interests she would force herself into it, continue rebuilding a reputation that had been lost over time, or simply hope Ulysses would forget if she didn't. He seemed to be a busy enough man as it was that he would likely forget such a challenge on his own with everything else that was going on.
Hannah watched him carefully as he approached the prisoners, the way they cringed and shrunk back in fear from him. He was certainly a man who commanded respect and fear...much like the Supreme Commander himself. Septimus couldn't have chosen a better idol and model for that sort of thing, she mused to herself, and there were even certain similarities in how the two of them carried and held themselves. That was very interesting indeed, even if it was still unsettling to her to some degree.
She felt...flattered next, when he actually acknowledged what she was saying as smart. She nearly puffed her chest out with pride at that, though managed not to. It was just, well, she rarely seemed to hear that sort of word launched in her direction by people like Ulysses. Too many looked at her as just another typical buccaneer with no brains and all bulk. An insulting stereotype she had never liked, because they could have just as much intelligence as anybody else. It felt relieving to hear him say it though, as well as significant as it wasn't being tossed at her sarcastically or with derision. Maybe the hostilities finally had broken down, which she was incredibly grateful for.
She couldn't blame Cahin for the way he reacted next, as even she felt rage bubbling within her at the mention of that name. So, that wretched monster actually had followers? Hannah couldn't imagine why, but now she felt even less remorse for the pirates she had helped kill. If they could follow a man like that and justify horrible things he had ever done....well, they got everything they deserved. She refused to even consider the fact they honestly might not have known about the horrible deeds he had committed in the past.
There was silence as she absorbed Ulysses's words, glowering at the prisoners herself while the admiral calmed his son down at least a little bit. Yes, determining their fate would have been tricky- there were so many possibilities for him to choose from.
"If I may.." She finally spoke up, looking between the prisoners thoughtfully. "There were...means of handling these sort of things during the Great War as well. Not exactly approved, but I have seen very effective messages sent. There was a time I saw a man take revenge on the Polarians by sending one of their men's heads back to them as a message of their failed ambush, a...fairly excessive fear tactic. Others were brought back for public punishment, to serve as an example- some ones that left their lives entact but shattered any honor they might have had. The rest were executed as war criminals."
Not all of these means had felt right back then, but they were ideas just the same...and she didn't feel quite as bad suggesting them when it came to pirates, much less ones who had followed somebody like Adrian. They had been wildly effective measures of fear and control in her experience, though they did sometimes only make enemies angrier, which she knew was an issue.
"Of course, a man like Adrian would probably only get angry....but something like that could draw him out, or at least make him send more foolish pirates to their death from whom you can torture information out of to finally get closer to him."
She knew the clockworks did things like that, hell, even the living soldiers and officers had if they felt torture was the most effective means of getting information they needed. Perhaps she was speaking too boldly here though, Ulysses was in his position for a reason after all. She did not expect her suggestions to have much merit to him for that much, but at least it could be said she had tried to help him in his cause.
"Forgive me though, that's hardly my place. I'm only a soldier, after all. I'm sure you can think of something fitting...and as terrible as they deserve."
----
Though she couldn't say the idea of a rematch that meant they would try to see which one of them could kill the most people appealed to her on the same level it did Ulysses, Hannah forced her smile to broaden anyway. She didn't think it wise to do anything that would make him aware of the fact she steadily grew weary of so much bloodshed and destruction, save for when the proper emotional buttons were triggered and she lost her sensibilities to the kind of explosive rage that was expected of somebody like her. She would do what she needed and was expressly ordered to just the same, but the longer all of this drug on with no golden age for Valencia yet in sight...the more tired she grew of all of it, even if she could still be good at it.
Septimus was the last person in the spiral she wanted to pick that out and shove in her face, and so she would do practically anything to hide those weaknesses from him. He was good practice at keeping them bottled up as well, if she really was to come face to face with any of the elites later.
"I may just have to take you up on that sometime. That is, if you're still interested when I finally come calling."
She wasn't sure if she ever would or not. Maybe if it served her interests she would force herself into it, continue rebuilding a reputation that had been lost over time, or simply hope Ulysses would forget if she didn't. He seemed to be a busy enough man as it was that he would likely forget such a challenge on his own with everything else that was going on.
Hannah watched him carefully as he approached the prisoners, the way they cringed and shrunk back in fear from him. He was certainly a man who commanded respect and fear...much like the Supreme Commander himself. Septimus couldn't have chosen a better idol and model for that sort of thing, she mused to herself, and there were even certain similarities in how the two of them carried and held themselves. That was very interesting indeed, even if it was still unsettling to her to some degree.
She felt...flattered next, when he actually acknowledged what she was saying as smart. She nearly puffed her chest out with pride at that, though managed not to. It was just, well, she rarely seemed to hear that sort of word launched in her direction by people like Ulysses. Too many looked at her as just another typical buccaneer with no brains and all bulk. An insulting stereotype she had never liked, because they could have just as much intelligence as anybody else. It felt relieving to hear him say it though, as well as significant as it wasn't being tossed at her sarcastically or with derision. Maybe the hostilities finally had broken down, which she was incredibly grateful for.
She couldn't blame Cahin for the way he reacted next, as even she felt rage bubbling within her at the mention of that name. So, that wretched monster actually had followers? Hannah couldn't imagine why, but now she felt even less remorse for the pirates she had helped kill. If they could follow a man like that and justify horrible things he had ever done....well, they got everything they deserved. She refused to even consider the fact they honestly might not have known about the horrible deeds he had committed in the past.
There was silence as she absorbed Ulysses's words, glowering at the prisoners herself while the admiral calmed his son down at least a little bit. Yes, determining their fate would have been tricky- there were so many possibilities for him to choose from.
"If I may.." She finally spoke up, looking between the prisoners thoughtfully. "There were...means of handling these sort of things during the Great War as well. Not exactly approved, but I have seen very effective messages sent. There was a time I saw a man take revenge on the Polarians by sending one of their men's heads back to them as a message of their failed ambush, a...fairly excessive fear tactic. Others were brought back for public punishment, to serve as an example- some ones that left their lives entact but shattered any honor they might have had. The rest were executed as war criminals."
Not all of these means had felt right back then, but they were ideas just the same...and she didn't feel quite as bad suggesting them when it came to pirates, much less ones who had followed somebody like Adrian. They had been wildly effective measures of fear and control in her experience, though they did sometimes only make enemies angrier, which she knew was an issue.
"Of course, a man like Adrian would probably only get angry....but something like that could draw him out, or at least make him send more foolish pirates to their death from whom you can torture information out of to finally get closer to him."
She knew the clockworks did things like that, hell, even the living soldiers and officers had if they felt torture was the most effective means of getting information they needed. Perhaps she was speaking too boldly here though, Ulysses was in his position for a reason after all. She did not expect her suggestions to have much merit to him for that much, but at least it could be said she had tried to help him in his cause.
"Forgive me though, that's hardly my place. I'm only a soldier, after all. I'm sure you can think of something fitting...and as terrible as they deserve."
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Wed Apr 30, 2014 5:41 pm
((Because you are family to me, sister and I value my family.))
-----
"I like that idea," Ulysses reached up, plucking the bloodstained mask from his face and wiping it clean with a kerchief he drew from the depth of his coat, clearly displaying the slight curve in the corner of his lips that was a malicious smile, "sending a message to that fool... Hmm." He set the mask back onto his face, and drew his bloodstained rapier, grimacing mentally; he really need to remember to get this thing cleaned when he has the time.
The admiral strided forward in one graceful step, his hand dashing out to take hold of one of his prisoner's hair, yanking it back harshly to expose the pirate's throat to him. Ulysses raised his rapier high, his arm prepared to strike... And lowered it a moment later, his mind having a second thought; what use is it to kill his prisoner now? He has all the time in the Spiral, maybe even more once they get back to Valencia, plus, Lord Kane might have another idea regarding those fools.
He released his hand on the pirate's locks, sheathing his rapier with a screech of metal rubbing against the leather of its sheath. "Take them down to the brigs."The admiral commanded his marines, "put on alert mode 3 outside of the cells." His clockworks needed only that command to carry out what he wanted, quickly and easily dragging them down into the rather spacious dungeons of the Interceptor.
Once his marines returned, Ulysses scanned around the bloodied deck, scowling slightly at how much of a mess they've made on his once spotless ship. He gave another command, "Clean this place up of all this organic mess, ensure it is clean by the time we reach Avernus skyways." However, this time, his Assassini guards responded, as they are the only ones who truly understood what he meant.
He swept into his cabin once his Assassins started working, keen on getting back into a new, cleaner uniform, because as much as Ulysses liked the sight and smell of blood, having blood stuck on his garments and dried blood on his skin was unpleasant even to him.
Once inside, he threw off his coat and the vest from his once white shirt, which by now was covered in bloodstains, and unbuttoned his shirt, tossing the garment over the large chest at the foot of his bed and fishing a new one from the chest itself. Rebuttoning his shirt and putting on a new, dark green vest, Septimus picked up his coat again, relaxing when he felt the familiar weight of the heavily decorated uniform on his shoulders...
Ulysses walked back out his cabin, greeted by the Harlequin as he settled back into his golden throne, watching his Assassins clean the deck, some on their hand and knees, while the others are just throwing the bodies over the sides, and lieutenant Sentus Optimus steering the ship back on course for their way to Valencia.
The rest of the day went by in a blur of activity, activity that included Ulysses himself sparring with Cahin, Cristobal working on a second blueprint, and the clockwork officers patrolling the deck.
and I value my family.))-----
"I like that idea," Ulysses reached up, plucking the bloodstained mask from his face and wiping it clean with a kerchief he drew from the depth of his coat, clearly displaying the slight curve in the corner of his lips that was a malicious smile, "sending a message to that fool... Hmm." He set the mask back onto his face, and drew his bloodstained rapier, grimacing mentally; he really need to remember to get this thing cleaned when he has the time.
The admiral strided forward in one graceful step, his hand dashing out to take hold of one of his prisoner's hair, yanking it back harshly to expose the pirate's throat to him. Ulysses raised his rapier high, his arm prepared to strike... And lowered it a moment later, his mind having a second thought; what use is it to kill his prisoner now? He has all the time in the Spiral, maybe even more once they get back to Valencia, plus, Lord Kane might have another idea regarding those fools.
He released his hand on the pirate's locks, sheathing his rapier with a screech of metal rubbing against the leather of its sheath. "Take them down to the brigs."The admiral commanded his marines, "put on alert mode 3 outside of the cells." His clockworks needed only that command to carry out what he wanted, quickly and easily dragging them down into the rather spacious dungeons of the Interceptor.
Once his marines returned, Ulysses scanned around the bloodied deck, scowling slightly at how much of a mess they've made on his once spotless ship. He gave another command, "Clean this place up of all this organic mess, ensure it is clean by the time we reach Avernus skyways." However, this time, his Assassini guards responded, as they are the only ones who truly understood what he meant.
He swept into his cabin once his Assassins started working, keen on getting back into a new, cleaner uniform, because as much as Ulysses liked the sight and smell of blood, having blood stuck on his garments and dried blood on his skin was unpleasant even to him.
Once inside, he threw off his coat and the vest from his once white shirt, which by now was covered in bloodstains, and unbuttoned his shirt, tossing the garment over the large chest at the foot of his bed and fishing a new one from the chest itself. Rebuttoning his shirt and putting on a new, dark green vest, Septimus picked up his coat again, relaxing when he felt the familiar weight of the heavily decorated uniform on his shoulders...
Ulysses walked back out his cabin, greeted by the Harlequin as he settled back into his golden throne, watching his Assassins clean the deck, some on their hand and knees, while the others are just throwing the bodies over the sides, and lieutenant Sentus Optimus steering the ship back on course for their way to Valencia.
The rest of the day went by in a blur of activity, activity that included Ulysses himself sparring with Cahin, Cristobal working on a second blueprint, and the clockwork officers patrolling the deck.
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Wed Apr 30, 2014 6:28 pm
((D'aww, I feel the same way. FAMILY GROUP HUG TIME.))
----
For a few moments, Ulysses seemed to latch onto her initial suggestion with an almost sadistic glee. Hannah blinked as she watched him, surprised he had listened to her ramble on about that much, much less decide he would actually take advice from somebody so underneath him in rank like she was. Though then again, the first example she had given had been fairly violent, the sort of thing that appealed to this man- she really shouldn't have been very surprised at all, all things considered.
She turned her gaze off to the side as the Admiral closed in on his prey, not wanting to watch a beheading in all of its bloody glory even though she had been the one to bring it up. But the sound of a sword slicing through flesh and bone never came, and Hannah soon found herself looking back, just in time to see Ulysses think twice of such a drastic move and sheath his sword. That one wasn't too surprising, he probably wanted to do something more...creative to his prisoners, given who they served. And maybe he wanted to be the one to determine their fate without having to say somebody else gave him the idea in the first place as well.
Whatever the case was, the victim he had almost chosen was incredibly lucky indeed. At least for now....Septimus probably had access to a wide range of horrible little torture toys back home he could use on these wretches then. A worse fate probably waited those pirates back in Valencia, and she almost pitied them for that much. She was happy to see them drug off the main deck and to the holding cells down below though, as it meant things would get back to as peaceful as they could be for the time being.
Ulysses's next command had her thinking back to what a messy sight she was like most of the rest, cringing again as she realized she wasn't going to be able to get the same treatment as the rest of them. The Admiral and his living soldiers likely all had spare uniforms somewhere on the ship they could all slip into, while she was stuck like this. She hardly suspected she could convince Ulysses even now to allow her the chance to stop home to get her own change of clothing. In hindsight, maybe she should have been a little cleaner....but there was nothing she could do about it now except push her disgust to the furthest corner of her mind until she did get the chance to change.
She was sure going to stick out among the rest of them awkwardly though, not that she wasn't used to that sort of thing as well. Hannah sighed as she resigned to her current, uncomfortable 'fate'. At least her weapons were spotless, wherever they were currently being held. Which, gave her reason to wonder if she would ever get them back. It was something she meant to ask Ulysses, though not now. Patience would be a virtue in this case. She just hoped he would understand how much they meant to her, all the emotion and memories that were connected to the halberd and shield, and be gracious enough to return them to her on that much alone if for no other reason.
In the meantime, the buccaneer made herself content with relaxing where she could instead, keeping an eye on everything that was going on all around her. They were so...active, all of them, making the absolute best of all of their time like the entire conflict had never happened. After the ship had been cleaned, she was really the only proof any battle had happened at all, as everything and everybody else was immaculate. It was admirable how they all flipped back to normalcy so easily, though it was also...intimidating in a way. There were times she could do so as well, but it was usually forced, so she didn't know how they did it as she got the sense the same was not true for them.
Maybe they had all just learned to operate as clockworks did...A feat she was far too emotional to ever be able to do herself, for more than a few minutes in the heat of some hectic battle.
----
For a few moments, Ulysses seemed to latch onto her initial suggestion with an almost sadistic glee. Hannah blinked as she watched him, surprised he had listened to her ramble on about that much, much less decide he would actually take advice from somebody so underneath him in rank like she was. Though then again, the first example she had given had been fairly violent, the sort of thing that appealed to this man- she really shouldn't have been very surprised at all, all things considered.
She turned her gaze off to the side as the Admiral closed in on his prey, not wanting to watch a beheading in all of its bloody glory even though she had been the one to bring it up. But the sound of a sword slicing through flesh and bone never came, and Hannah soon found herself looking back, just in time to see Ulysses think twice of such a drastic move and sheath his sword. That one wasn't too surprising, he probably wanted to do something more...creative to his prisoners, given who they served. And maybe he wanted to be the one to determine their fate without having to say somebody else gave him the idea in the first place as well.
Whatever the case was, the victim he had almost chosen was incredibly lucky indeed. At least for now....Septimus probably had access to a wide range of horrible little torture toys back home he could use on these wretches then. A worse fate probably waited those pirates back in Valencia, and she almost pitied them for that much. She was happy to see them drug off the main deck and to the holding cells down below though, as it meant things would get back to as peaceful as they could be for the time being.
Ulysses's next command had her thinking back to what a messy sight she was like most of the rest, cringing again as she realized she wasn't going to be able to get the same treatment as the rest of them. The Admiral and his living soldiers likely all had spare uniforms somewhere on the ship they could all slip into, while she was stuck like this. She hardly suspected she could convince Ulysses even now to allow her the chance to stop home to get her own change of clothing. In hindsight, maybe she should have been a little cleaner....but there was nothing she could do about it now except push her disgust to the furthest corner of her mind until she did get the chance to change.
She was sure going to stick out among the rest of them awkwardly though, not that she wasn't used to that sort of thing as well. Hannah sighed as she resigned to her current, uncomfortable 'fate'. At least her weapons were spotless, wherever they were currently being held. Which, gave her reason to wonder if she would ever get them back. It was something she meant to ask Ulysses, though not now. Patience would be a virtue in this case. She just hoped he would understand how much they meant to her, all the emotion and memories that were connected to the halberd and shield, and be gracious enough to return them to her on that much alone if for no other reason.
In the meantime, the buccaneer made herself content with relaxing where she could instead, keeping an eye on everything that was going on all around her. They were so...active, all of them, making the absolute best of all of their time like the entire conflict had never happened. After the ship had been cleaned, she was really the only proof any battle had happened at all, as everything and everybody else was immaculate. It was admirable how they all flipped back to normalcy so easily, though it was also...intimidating in a way. There were times she could do so as well, but it was usually forced, so she didn't know how they did it as she got the sense the same was not true for them.
Maybe they had all just learned to operate as clockworks did...A feat she was far too emotional to ever be able to do herself, for more than a few minutes in the heat of some hectic battle.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:05 pm
((YAY I LOVE HUGS XD *pounces and hugs*))
---
Ulysses clicked his fingers, summoning to him Sentus Optimus, who saluted him with a "Your orders, sir?" The admiral was silent for a moment, weighing his thoughts quietly in his mind. He wasn't sure, at first if it was wise or not to let such a matter happen so easily, though the logical side of him was quick to reason that they are in the middle of the skyway, thus he shouldn't really have to worry about anything.
"Et revertetur ad dominum arma."He said without a trace of emotion in his voice, "custodi in eis." The Marine captain immediately nodded in understanding, and hurried off to carry out his commands, his footsteps echoing slightly as he stepped under the deck, returning with Hannah's weapons.
"You've earned them back, but know this, don't do anything stupid."Ulysses allowed the last part to hang in the air, warning clear in his voice, though not a threat like what he had said to the pirates sometimes earlier.
Those were the only things he said to her for the rest of the day, no it wasn't because he was ignoring the buccaneer, in fact, he was even more alert, it was more like Ulysses have nothing more to say... At least, not until they reach Valencia, when they finally return to Cadiz to face the elites and Supreme Commander Kane himself.
However, the engineer spoke up after Ulysses went quiet. "My, my, you are a mess, Ms. Durante... You might want to get that cleaned or changed... Captain Decimus!" At his name, the elaborately uniformed Musketeer officer stepped forward, at which the engineer promptly commanded, "Show our guest where the Freshener is, if you may."
The Freshener was basically a cleaning room where the living soldiers of the Imperial Interceptor cleaned their armor and weapons out after battles; it also contained a tub of clean water to scrub the blood off of their faces, because nothing represented a leader's organization skills than a corp of shining warriors.
---
Ulysses clicked his fingers, summoning to him Sentus Optimus, who saluted him with a "Your orders, sir?" The admiral was silent for a moment, weighing his thoughts quietly in his mind. He wasn't sure, at first if it was wise or not to let such a matter happen so easily, though the logical side of him was quick to reason that they are in the middle of the skyway, thus he shouldn't really have to worry about anything.
"Et revertetur ad dominum arma."He said without a trace of emotion in his voice, "custodi in eis." The Marine captain immediately nodded in understanding, and hurried off to carry out his commands, his footsteps echoing slightly as he stepped under the deck, returning with Hannah's weapons.
"You've earned them back, but know this, don't do anything stupid."Ulysses allowed the last part to hang in the air, warning clear in his voice, though not a threat like what he had said to the pirates sometimes earlier.
Those were the only things he said to her for the rest of the day, no it wasn't because he was ignoring the buccaneer, in fact, he was even more alert, it was more like Ulysses have nothing more to say... At least, not until they reach Valencia, when they finally return to Cadiz to face the elites and Supreme Commander Kane himself.
However, the engineer spoke up after Ulysses went quiet. "My, my, you are a mess, Ms. Durante... You might want to get that cleaned or changed... Captain Decimus!" At his name, the elaborately uniformed Musketeer officer stepped forward, at which the engineer promptly commanded, "Show our guest where the Freshener is, if you may."
The Freshener was basically a cleaning room where the living soldiers of the Imperial Interceptor cleaned their armor and weapons out after battles; it also contained a tub of clean water to scrub the blood off of their faces, because nothing represented a leader's organization skills than a corp of shining warriors.
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:53 pm
((HUGS FOR EVERYBODY *pounces and returns the favor all around* I love how we're all LOVE AND PEACE and our chars are super srs))
----
She didn't pay Ulysses much mind until she was met with yet another measure of generosity, this one incredibly welcome after everything that had happened over the past two days. At first, Hannah was almost inclined to believe her eyes and mind were playing tricks on her when she thought she caught sight of her shield and halberd. There was no way in her mind they would be giving her those treasured items back just yet. But she was surprised, pleasantly so, when she was proven wrong the closer the clockwork bearing the weapons came. From a distance they looked the same as many of the ones the typical marine models carried, but once he came within range she could make out the golden rose set between the cogwheel that made it clear it really was hers.
Stunned to silence, Hannah whipped her head to look at Septimus, wondering if this was some kind of cruel joke or if he actually was being generous with her himself for a change. With that in mind she was almost worried to snatch up her weapons at first, before it became clear nobody was trying to lead her on. A sigh of relief escaped her as she traced her fingers delicately over the personal decals on the shield, looking almost like she wanted to bring the shield up to her chest and give it a hug as if it were a friend she thought she would never have seen again. There were too many memories, several fond, attached to this thing for her to ever want to be parted with it for good. It was a reminder of happier times, one of her most cherished items for that fact.
She had been about to thank Ulysses for his charitable action, but he beat her to the punch and her gratitude faltered slightly at his words. So, he didn't really have any trust for her after all then and still suspected she was a potential enemy. It sounded...almost begrudging, hearkening to whatever sense of honor he had because of what she had helped them accomplish against the pirates. Hannah felt...disappointed, but not entirely surprised by that revelation. It seemed she would have to do a fair amount of damage control, for the empathy she had been talked into showing innocent civilians from their former ally power.
"Oh, believe me Admiral, I have no intention of doing any more stupid things."
Whether he believed her words or not she wasn't sure, but she uttered them with the utmost sincerity. It would be difficult to earn this man's trust on any level though, she could see that much. Still, it was an effort worth investing in, given his high position among Kane's officers. She just hoped his trust was something she could eventually gain, even if slowly. Because if he would doubt her for the rest of their lives, it wouldn't make life back home any easier, struggling to jump through hoops to show she wasn't somebody who needed to be watched with suspicion just because she disagreed with and doubted several of the Armada's heavy-handed methods. It wasn't like she would actually stand in their way, after all- she couldn't.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the engineer approach and actually jolted slightly in surprise when he spoke to her, calming down immediately after she had been snapped back to reality by his voice. A weak chuckle was given at his words as she looked at the rather messy state of her clothing, then back to him.
"I'm afraid I don't have anything to change into, and this isn't the sort of ship that would appreciate that sort of show. Cleaning though, that would be very nice."
A clockwork was called over next to show her where to go to freshen up, and Hannah was stunned to silence yet again when he approached. She had seen plenty of clockworks in her lifetime, noted many well-decorated officers, but this one was...different. More ornate than the rest she had seen, elegant enough in design it was a wonder in her mind that he wasn't one of the elites as his appearance made it seem like he could have been one of them.
He was hard not to stare and marvel at, until they had reached the desired room. Then, she was so grateful at the chance to wash all of this blood off she practically ran to the tub of water and other devices, almost viciously scrubbing her skin and clothing to rid herself of the stained lifeblood of their enemies.
It was only after a few minutes of this near-obsessive washing did she look back at the clockwork, tilting her head with genuine curiosity. She had never seen a musketeer model like him, officer or not, but perhaps he was just a new type of soldier Kane held in reserve.
"Pardon my staring, but...I've never seen an officer like you before. Is your model new? You are...elaborate."
It felt incredibly awkward to even start this conversation, but she couldn't help it. She could have asked Cristobal, he seemed amiable enough, but as it was the musketeer she had been gawking and blinking at, felt it was best to at least clue the officer in as to why she had been staring. It was always fascinating to see a new line of clockworks after all...as well as what new, wonderful feature separated them from the models that had come before them.
----
She didn't pay Ulysses much mind until she was met with yet another measure of generosity, this one incredibly welcome after everything that had happened over the past two days. At first, Hannah was almost inclined to believe her eyes and mind were playing tricks on her when she thought she caught sight of her shield and halberd. There was no way in her mind they would be giving her those treasured items back just yet. But she was surprised, pleasantly so, when she was proven wrong the closer the clockwork bearing the weapons came. From a distance they looked the same as many of the ones the typical marine models carried, but once he came within range she could make out the golden rose set between the cogwheel that made it clear it really was hers.
Stunned to silence, Hannah whipped her head to look at Septimus, wondering if this was some kind of cruel joke or if he actually was being generous with her himself for a change. With that in mind she was almost worried to snatch up her weapons at first, before it became clear nobody was trying to lead her on. A sigh of relief escaped her as she traced her fingers delicately over the personal decals on the shield, looking almost like she wanted to bring the shield up to her chest and give it a hug as if it were a friend she thought she would never have seen again. There were too many memories, several fond, attached to this thing for her to ever want to be parted with it for good. It was a reminder of happier times, one of her most cherished items for that fact.
She had been about to thank Ulysses for his charitable action, but he beat her to the punch and her gratitude faltered slightly at his words. So, he didn't really have any trust for her after all then and still suspected she was a potential enemy. It sounded...almost begrudging, hearkening to whatever sense of honor he had because of what she had helped them accomplish against the pirates. Hannah felt...disappointed, but not entirely surprised by that revelation. It seemed she would have to do a fair amount of damage control, for the empathy she had been talked into showing innocent civilians from their former ally power.
"Oh, believe me Admiral, I have no intention of doing any more stupid things."
Whether he believed her words or not she wasn't sure, but she uttered them with the utmost sincerity. It would be difficult to earn this man's trust on any level though, she could see that much. Still, it was an effort worth investing in, given his high position among Kane's officers. She just hoped his trust was something she could eventually gain, even if slowly. Because if he would doubt her for the rest of their lives, it wouldn't make life back home any easier, struggling to jump through hoops to show she wasn't somebody who needed to be watched with suspicion just because she disagreed with and doubted several of the Armada's heavy-handed methods. It wasn't like she would actually stand in their way, after all- she couldn't.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice the engineer approach and actually jolted slightly in surprise when he spoke to her, calming down immediately after she had been snapped back to reality by his voice. A weak chuckle was given at his words as she looked at the rather messy state of her clothing, then back to him.
"I'm afraid I don't have anything to change into, and this isn't the sort of ship that would appreciate that sort of show. Cleaning though, that would be very nice."
A clockwork was called over next to show her where to go to freshen up, and Hannah was stunned to silence yet again when he approached. She had seen plenty of clockworks in her lifetime, noted many well-decorated officers, but this one was...different. More ornate than the rest she had seen, elegant enough in design it was a wonder in her mind that he wasn't one of the elites as his appearance made it seem like he could have been one of them.
He was hard not to stare and marvel at, until they had reached the desired room. Then, she was so grateful at the chance to wash all of this blood off she practically ran to the tub of water and other devices, almost viciously scrubbing her skin and clothing to rid herself of the stained lifeblood of their enemies.
It was only after a few minutes of this near-obsessive washing did she look back at the clockwork, tilting her head with genuine curiosity. She had never seen a musketeer model like him, officer or not, but perhaps he was just a new type of soldier Kane held in reserve.
"Pardon my staring, but...I've never seen an officer like you before. Is your model new? You are...elaborate."
It felt incredibly awkward to even start this conversation, but she couldn't help it. She could have asked Cristobal, he seemed amiable enough, but as it was the musketeer she had been gawking and blinking at, felt it was best to at least clue the officer in as to why she had been staring. It was always fascinating to see a new line of clockworks after all...as well as what new, wonderful feature separated them from the models that had come before them.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:15 pm
((LOL I know right? Even though we are throwing in bits of crack stuff here and there XD))
----
It was true that Servus Decimus was in no way similar to any of the other musketeer officers: his uniform was midnight black and of a much finer material than the regular issue; along with the blood red edge, it also possessed golden fringes like the ones seen on Optimus Aurus; his boots bore golden buckles on the foot as well, just like what Ulysses himself wore; but what made him stand out the most was his weapon, the advanced 50 caliber Armada sniper rifle with the razor sharp bayonet resting in his hands, along with his mask, which was plated with gold in the fashion symbolic of officers, though with an extra addition...a blood red gem between his 'eyes'.
"Affirmative,"Decimus replied, his voice the same monotone as his clockwork bretheren, "I am an elite sniper, only developed two years ago." What he left out, though, was the fact he wasn't made in a factory like all the others, instead, he was created by the hand of Ulysses, as the first of three clockworks that would come to be known as the Ulyssean Triumvirate.
Once she is done, Decimus lead her back up to the main docks, where Cristobal was seated behind his desk, still working on the blueprint.
"Welcome back."He said without looking up, as he had gotten to a rather delicate part of his drawing, "I sense you have a few questions."
----
It was true that Servus Decimus was in no way similar to any of the other musketeer officers: his uniform was midnight black and of a much finer material than the regular issue; along with the blood red edge, it also possessed golden fringes like the ones seen on Optimus Aurus; his boots bore golden buckles on the foot as well, just like what Ulysses himself wore; but what made him stand out the most was his weapon, the advanced 50 caliber Armada sniper rifle with the razor sharp bayonet resting in his hands, along with his mask, which was plated with gold in the fashion symbolic of officers, though with an extra addition...a blood red gem between his 'eyes'.
"Affirmative,"Decimus replied, his voice the same monotone as his clockwork bretheren, "I am an elite sniper, only developed two years ago." What he left out, though, was the fact he wasn't made in a factory like all the others, instead, he was created by the hand of Ulysses, as the first of three clockworks that would come to be known as the Ulyssean Triumvirate.
Once she is done, Decimus lead her back up to the main docks, where Cristobal was seated behind his desk, still working on the blueprint.
"Welcome back."He said without looking up, as he had gotten to a rather delicate part of his drawing, "I sense you have a few questions."
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:35 pm
((Hey, that's half the fun isn't it? XD))
---
Hannah listened intently as she continued to clean as much of herself as she could. The clockwork didn't say much, but what he said was still enough. So he was a new model after all, not too surprising from the way he looked. Most of the officers and clockworks in general were elegant, but this one..he was on a completely different level than many of them. Almost like his construction had been a far more painstaking effort than many of his other brethren. She hadn't seen any more like him after all, not even on this ship, so he was unique, which in itself made him quite a mesmerizing thing to behold. Typically, only the elites seemed to stand apart from all the rest.
Even his weapon was different than what she saw most of the other musketeer officers carry! Similar in make, but likewise more elegant, as well as fearsome from the bayonet attached to the end of the rifle. And that blood red gem that rested on his mask was beautiful, it looked real, the sort of luxury that did not seem to be extended to most of the others. He was special, he had to be, his appearance screamed that out. But what she didn't know was how. It was unlikely she would get it out of the clockwork himself though, whether he knew what set him apart or not, so she didn't ask him any more questions.
Soon enough when she had dealt with the stains all she could, he returned her to where they had been, near where Cristobal was set up. He spoke almost immediately, aware of their presence despite how deeply into his planning he was, though Hannah waited for a few moments for the clockwork to at least wander a little further away before she said anything.
"You're very astute." She complimented, truly intrigued by just how well the engineer seemed to pick up on things like these. "I do, but...I'm not sure whether they are questions I am permitted to know the answers on or not."
The buccaneer threw a pointed stare over her shoulder at Decimus, still in awe of his appearance, of what little she had gleamed from him.
"Such as the story behind such an...unique looking clockwork."
---
Hannah listened intently as she continued to clean as much of herself as she could. The clockwork didn't say much, but what he said was still enough. So he was a new model after all, not too surprising from the way he looked. Most of the officers and clockworks in general were elegant, but this one..he was on a completely different level than many of them. Almost like his construction had been a far more painstaking effort than many of his other brethren. She hadn't seen any more like him after all, not even on this ship, so he was unique, which in itself made him quite a mesmerizing thing to behold. Typically, only the elites seemed to stand apart from all the rest.
Even his weapon was different than what she saw most of the other musketeer officers carry! Similar in make, but likewise more elegant, as well as fearsome from the bayonet attached to the end of the rifle. And that blood red gem that rested on his mask was beautiful, it looked real, the sort of luxury that did not seem to be extended to most of the others. He was special, he had to be, his appearance screamed that out. But what she didn't know was how. It was unlikely she would get it out of the clockwork himself though, whether he knew what set him apart or not, so she didn't ask him any more questions.
Soon enough when she had dealt with the stains all she could, he returned her to where they had been, near where Cristobal was set up. He spoke almost immediately, aware of their presence despite how deeply into his planning he was, though Hannah waited for a few moments for the clockwork to at least wander a little further away before she said anything.
"You're very astute." She complimented, truly intrigued by just how well the engineer seemed to pick up on things like these. "I do, but...I'm not sure whether they are questions I am permitted to know the answers on or not."
The buccaneer threw a pointed stare over her shoulder at Decimus, still in awe of his appearance, of what little she had gleamed from him.
"Such as the story behind such an...unique looking clockwork."
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:51 pm
((Oh I certainly agree with you, also ASSASSIN'S CREED REFERENCE TIME))
----
"Thank you... And you wish to know more about Captain Servus Decimus? Very well." The engineer set his pen down once more. "For starters, let me tell you the story of the Apple of Eden-
The Apple of Eden is a mysterious artifact recovered from the Garden of Eden, within the golden city of El Dorado. It has the appearance of a golden sphere etched with black lines, and would glow golden on chosen occassions, but that was not what made it special... It was the fact the Apple could grant otherworldly powers and knowledge onto those it deems worthy of them, while destroying those who are unworthy and tries to approach it... Yes, it has a consciousness of its own." Cristobal paused, chuckling at the memories fondly, pausing to collect details before continuing:
"I obtained this artifact several years ago from the hands of a notorious pirate by the name of Captain Blood, and it was with it was I able to craft weapons so well: the Apple bestowed upon me such a vast amount of knowledge that I fear would take my entire lifetime to examine... Thus, I handed the Apple over to the hands of my student Ulysses Septimus, that was when he had just became Admiral, about a month after Lavinia's... death.
Ulysses had looked into the Apple, like I did, obviously, because only three months after I've given him the Apple, he was able to craft by hand a clockwork sniper, bestowing upon this particular clockwork his bloodlust and power to feel, to a certain extent, human emotions. He gave the clockwork a name unlike the others... Servus Decimus... Whose power immediately brought upon Ulysses the decision to make him one of the most important officers under his command."
----
"Thank you... And you wish to know more about Captain Servus Decimus? Very well." The engineer set his pen down once more. "For starters, let me tell you the story of the Apple of Eden-
The Apple of Eden is a mysterious artifact recovered from the Garden of Eden, within the golden city of El Dorado. It has the appearance of a golden sphere etched with black lines, and would glow golden on chosen occassions, but that was not what made it special... It was the fact the Apple could grant otherworldly powers and knowledge onto those it deems worthy of them, while destroying those who are unworthy and tries to approach it... Yes, it has a consciousness of its own." Cristobal paused, chuckling at the memories fondly, pausing to collect details before continuing:
"I obtained this artifact several years ago from the hands of a notorious pirate by the name of Captain Blood, and it was with it was I able to craft weapons so well: the Apple bestowed upon me such a vast amount of knowledge that I fear would take my entire lifetime to examine... Thus, I handed the Apple over to the hands of my student Ulysses Septimus, that was when he had just became Admiral, about a month after Lavinia's... death.
Ulysses had looked into the Apple, like I did, obviously, because only three months after I've given him the Apple, he was able to craft by hand a clockwork sniper, bestowing upon this particular clockwork his bloodlust and power to feel, to a certain extent, human emotions. He gave the clockwork a name unlike the others... Servus Decimus... Whose power immediately brought upon Ulysses the decision to make him one of the most important officers under his command."
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:24 pm
((AW YEAH. I'm a fan of references, bring them all on!))
----
There was quite a contrast between many of the others and Cristobal. While several had denied her knowledge on things, or simply been incredibly vague and selective in what they chose to discuss with her, the engineer appeared to have absolutely no qualms with telling her stories rich with detail. A truth she highly appreciated, because at least she could feel a tiny bit less awkward around him. If he shared his student's suspicion toward her, then he hid it well, and that was good enough for her right now.
Her eyes sparkled with genuine interest and curiosity as Cristobal began his tale, almost like a child being told a fairy tale. She had never heard of the Apple of Eden before, even though she had heard a few of El Dorado from her parents when she had been young. It was a truly fascinating story, even if she wasn't quite sure whether to believe every part of it or suspect the engineer was exaggerating several of his claims. She did wonder though, if what everything he was saying was true, where the apple was now- what Ulysses was doing with it, if he still even had a hold on it.
Because she knew an artifact that powerful would be incredible in the hands of a creature like Kane. That was, if the apple viewed him as worthy...it was possible its magic would not work for clockwork beings like him. Another question she would tuck away for later, though she wasn't sure that one was smart to ask out loud- if Cristobal didn't answer what had become of the apple now, she wouldn't push matters. There was such a thing as being too nosy, after all.
That question soon dimmed in her mind however, as Cristobal finished the tale off by telling her that Ulysses knew how to make clockworks, that this Servus Decimus was one of his own creation. That was...incredible, truly, and it would have explained why he seemed so unique compared to the others. Because he had far more of a human touch to him, less mass-produced than the others. Her eyes widened at the mention of the fact Decimus knew blood lust and some extent of human emotion. That too was astounding, a feat she had only ever seen applied to the elites, which nobody but the Toymaker knew how had even happened or to duplicate. He was more special than she had initially thought, this Decimus.
Her face flushed somewhat as she thought back of how she had been acting around him. She hadn't really worried too much about it then, thinking his emotional capacity the same as the others, but now that she knew he could feel, and likely understand certain emotions...she felt humiliated at all the gawking she had done. He had probably known more about it than she had suspected, which was just her luck. Oh well, at least if he had, he hadn't cared enough to make a case out of it, she supposed. That or maybe he hadn't really paid attention at all. She would have to be a bit more careful around him, she mentally reminded herself.
"That is..amazing." Hannah finally spoke up, determined to keep the conversation going without running the risk of actually humiliating herself because the engineer could see she was embarrassed about anything. "Makes you wonder how a man like Captain Blood got his hands on something only found in El Dorado, though.."
Him she had heard of, many stories. To think, he had been in the legendary city of El Dorado, one of the hardest places to ever get to as rumor stated.
"I can see why such a...fabulous specimen came from something like that, though. Truly astounding, the sort of magic at work in the spiral."
She could likewise see why Ulysses held so much value to Kane. Apart from having certain manipulable skills, he also had access to or knowledge of an artifact like the apple, as well as could make and presumably repair clockworks. All very startling, interesting information..she was glad she had asked, now. It gave even more insight into the Admiral.
It was still a wonder though, why they hadn't put the apple to use for Kane in some way, shape, or form. Then again, if it had a consciousness of its own, perhaps the apple itself would not allow such a thing. Not yet.
----
There was quite a contrast between many of the others and Cristobal. While several had denied her knowledge on things, or simply been incredibly vague and selective in what they chose to discuss with her, the engineer appeared to have absolutely no qualms with telling her stories rich with detail. A truth she highly appreciated, because at least she could feel a tiny bit less awkward around him. If he shared his student's suspicion toward her, then he hid it well, and that was good enough for her right now.
Her eyes sparkled with genuine interest and curiosity as Cristobal began his tale, almost like a child being told a fairy tale. She had never heard of the Apple of Eden before, even though she had heard a few of El Dorado from her parents when she had been young. It was a truly fascinating story, even if she wasn't quite sure whether to believe every part of it or suspect the engineer was exaggerating several of his claims. She did wonder though, if what everything he was saying was true, where the apple was now- what Ulysses was doing with it, if he still even had a hold on it.
Because she knew an artifact that powerful would be incredible in the hands of a creature like Kane. That was, if the apple viewed him as worthy...it was possible its magic would not work for clockwork beings like him. Another question she would tuck away for later, though she wasn't sure that one was smart to ask out loud- if Cristobal didn't answer what had become of the apple now, she wouldn't push matters. There was such a thing as being too nosy, after all.
That question soon dimmed in her mind however, as Cristobal finished the tale off by telling her that Ulysses knew how to make clockworks, that this Servus Decimus was one of his own creation. That was...incredible, truly, and it would have explained why he seemed so unique compared to the others. Because he had far more of a human touch to him, less mass-produced than the others. Her eyes widened at the mention of the fact Decimus knew blood lust and some extent of human emotion. That too was astounding, a feat she had only ever seen applied to the elites, which nobody but the Toymaker knew how had even happened or to duplicate. He was more special than she had initially thought, this Decimus.
Her face flushed somewhat as she thought back of how she had been acting around him. She hadn't really worried too much about it then, thinking his emotional capacity the same as the others, but now that she knew he could feel, and likely understand certain emotions...she felt humiliated at all the gawking she had done. He had probably known more about it than she had suspected, which was just her luck. Oh well, at least if he had, he hadn't cared enough to make a case out of it, she supposed. That or maybe he hadn't really paid attention at all. She would have to be a bit more careful around him, she mentally reminded herself.
"That is..amazing." Hannah finally spoke up, determined to keep the conversation going without running the risk of actually humiliating herself because the engineer could see she was embarrassed about anything. "Makes you wonder how a man like Captain Blood got his hands on something only found in El Dorado, though.."
Him she had heard of, many stories. To think, he had been in the legendary city of El Dorado, one of the hardest places to ever get to as rumor stated.
"I can see why such a...fabulous specimen came from something like that, though. Truly astounding, the sort of magic at work in the spiral."
She could likewise see why Ulysses held so much value to Kane. Apart from having certain manipulable skills, he also had access to or knowledge of an artifact like the apple, as well as could make and presumably repair clockworks. All very startling, interesting information..she was glad she had asked, now. It gave even more insight into the Admiral.
It was still a wonder though, why they hadn't put the apple to use for Kane in some way, shape, or form. Then again, if it had a consciousness of its own, perhaps the apple itself would not allow such a thing. Not yet.
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Ulysses Septimus Wed Apr 30, 2014 9:55 pm
((OKIE DOKIE, you help bring the posts and I'll drop the references XD AND LURKERS, MAJOR IMPLICATIONS AHOY))
----
"Ulysses had not only put the Apple to use in helping him create his own clockwork warriors," Cristobal suddenly spoke, "sometimes, if he wish so hard enough and sincere enough, he could peer into the minds of his enemies with the help of the Apple... There is no tell how much more the Apple knows." He picked up the blueprint he had been drawing, scrunitizing it for several seconds before putting it down and deciding it was good enough.
The engineer sat there for several seconds, quiet, before speaking, "Remember the very, very faint golden glow you've seen in one of his coat pockets? That is the Apple... Ulysses carries it with him everywhere he goes, for fear of his enemies taking it and using it to their advantage." He didn't really had to tell it, but Cristobal felt like it was needed in order to relieve some of the awkward silence, since he was sure he had picked up on a few things he wasn't supposed to hear during that moment of silence:
"-amica mea, tu iustus difficile ad resistere."
"Quidem blanda, sed non modo clausum et da mihi osculum, deus sexus?"
Cristobal sighed, out of slight annoyance... Did they really have to be so... vocal? Maybe he need to speak to Septimus about this later. "What more do you wish to know?"
----
"Ulysses had not only put the Apple to use in helping him create his own clockwork warriors," Cristobal suddenly spoke, "sometimes, if he wish so hard enough and sincere enough, he could peer into the minds of his enemies with the help of the Apple... There is no tell how much more the Apple knows." He picked up the blueprint he had been drawing, scrunitizing it for several seconds before putting it down and deciding it was good enough.
The engineer sat there for several seconds, quiet, before speaking, "Remember the very, very faint golden glow you've seen in one of his coat pockets? That is the Apple... Ulysses carries it with him everywhere he goes, for fear of his enemies taking it and using it to their advantage." He didn't really had to tell it, but Cristobal felt like it was needed in order to relieve some of the awkward silence, since he was sure he had picked up on a few things he wasn't supposed to hear during that moment of silence:
"-amica mea, tu iustus difficile ad resistere."
"Quidem blanda, sed non modo clausum et da mihi osculum, deus sexus?"
Cristobal sighed, out of slight annoyance... Did they really have to be so... vocal? Maybe he need to speak to Septimus about this later. "What more do you wish to know?"
Ulysses Septimus- Clockwork
- Posts : 715
Join date : 2014-02-08
Age : 29
Location : Valencia, Spiral -
Re: World-Marleybone
by Hannah Durante Wed Apr 30, 2014 10:14 pm
((LOL .I just get the weirdest mental image of those two being so loud and everybody on deck coughing awkwardly and pretending they heard nothing. XD Thank you!))
-----
With that next bit of information, Hannah felt her breath catch in her throat. The fact he carried the apple with him wasn't the most surprising part- that sounded like Ulysses from what she had seen of him, and honestly was a fairly smart thing to do if Kane and his elite court didn't want to waste security on the thing and felt it was safer with Septimus anyway. It was the part about him being able to read the minds of his enemies that disturbed her, as she immediately thought back to all the things he had known about her in previous encounters of theirs, how he had seemed to pop out of nowhere in some places. Perhaps he just knew what certain figures could have told him about her, but...was it possible that, she had been a victim of this side of the apple?
Hannah gave a light, subconscious shudder at the very thought, actually rubbing one of her arms insecurely as she thought about that. Hopefully, Ulysses had just had access to information about her that he had used to his advantage, because she didn't like the idea of others prying around in her mind, of all the conflicted feelings and memories they could find floating about there. Thinking of that made her feel...vulnerable, to imagine the most secure, secret vaults of one's minds could be so easily penetrated by that kind of magic. Far too invasive, for her tastes.
Realizing a moment later that her expression had taken on an apprehensive air, Hannah quickly regained her composure; shaking that anxiety off like it was nothing, trying to ignore it and hoping the engineer would do the same. She had timed it well anyway, at the lull in their conversation, when he had still been looking at his blueprints and off at...a fairly loud noise in the distance which she had heard as well. Hopefully, he would only think she was reacting to whatever Cahin and Ulysses were doing, which she had a pretty fair hunch about.
Just how many times in a day can those two go at it? Hannah quickly thought to herself, actually impressed, before she returned to the conversation at hand.
"To be honest, I never paid much attention to that glow or his pockets...but it makes sense now. I had seen it a few times but ignored it. Hm, an effective hiding place indeed, I'd say."
She was able to smirk lightly at the fact he sighed to the sordid things the both of them were hearing. Though, he had it worse she suspected, he probably knew exactly what they were saying. While she could hazard a guess and come pretty close she suspected, at least she could pretend she didn't know what they were talking about.
"Well, I.."
There were things on her mind, but she wasn't sure how, or even if she wanted to ask. So, Hannah chose the safest path she could think of.
"Anything else you think I need to know, I'll be happy with. If there is nothing else you can tell me, I will thank you for that much- you've helped open my eyes to many things."
-----
With that next bit of information, Hannah felt her breath catch in her throat. The fact he carried the apple with him wasn't the most surprising part- that sounded like Ulysses from what she had seen of him, and honestly was a fairly smart thing to do if Kane and his elite court didn't want to waste security on the thing and felt it was safer with Septimus anyway. It was the part about him being able to read the minds of his enemies that disturbed her, as she immediately thought back to all the things he had known about her in previous encounters of theirs, how he had seemed to pop out of nowhere in some places. Perhaps he just knew what certain figures could have told him about her, but...was it possible that, she had been a victim of this side of the apple?
Hannah gave a light, subconscious shudder at the very thought, actually rubbing one of her arms insecurely as she thought about that. Hopefully, Ulysses had just had access to information about her that he had used to his advantage, because she didn't like the idea of others prying around in her mind, of all the conflicted feelings and memories they could find floating about there. Thinking of that made her feel...vulnerable, to imagine the most secure, secret vaults of one's minds could be so easily penetrated by that kind of magic. Far too invasive, for her tastes.
Realizing a moment later that her expression had taken on an apprehensive air, Hannah quickly regained her composure; shaking that anxiety off like it was nothing, trying to ignore it and hoping the engineer would do the same. She had timed it well anyway, at the lull in their conversation, when he had still been looking at his blueprints and off at...a fairly loud noise in the distance which she had heard as well. Hopefully, he would only think she was reacting to whatever Cahin and Ulysses were doing, which she had a pretty fair hunch about.
Just how many times in a day can those two go at it? Hannah quickly thought to herself, actually impressed, before she returned to the conversation at hand.
"To be honest, I never paid much attention to that glow or his pockets...but it makes sense now. I had seen it a few times but ignored it. Hm, an effective hiding place indeed, I'd say."
She was able to smirk lightly at the fact he sighed to the sordid things the both of them were hearing. Though, he had it worse she suspected, he probably knew exactly what they were saying. While she could hazard a guess and come pretty close she suspected, at least she could pretend she didn't know what they were talking about.
"Well, I.."
There were things on her mind, but she wasn't sure how, or even if she wanted to ask. So, Hannah chose the safest path she could think of.
"Anything else you think I need to know, I'll be happy with. If there is nothing else you can tell me, I will thank you for that much- you've helped open my eyes to many things."
Hannah Durante- Clockwork
- Posts : 191
Join date : 2014-02-08 -
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