The warship Koso
“Why do I have to go?” His voice was accusatory and angry, definitely angry. If Akito hadn’t had such words worked out of him from years of being forced to be polite Akito would have described him as pissed. It didn’t help that the entire deck of the ship could hear every word. “Why are you dumping me there?”
“Don’t treat it like a punishment,” Akito sighed. “Treat it like a promotion. That’s what it is after all.”
“A promotion from cabin boy to lackey I’m so excited.”
Akito ran a hand through his hair, “You’re going to kill me with all this ranting one day.”
“Good.”
“Honestly…”
He snarled, “Leave me alone!” He stormed out of the control room leaving dozens of staring officers.
“Get back to work!” Akito snapped before sinking into his chair, “Well that didn’t work like I wanted it too.”
---
1 week later, Cranagan streets
“And you’re still staying with them?” Syn rolled her eyes. “Honestly you need to stop avoiding the problem and talk to Nanoha!”
“If you had a fight with your mom you wouldn’t be ready to go back to fast,” Vivio was glad Syn’s school had finished early that day.
“Meh,” She shrugged. “If mom and I fought she’d probably just dress me up as punishment then forgive me. She’s pretty easy to please.”
“I should remember that the next time you piss me off, I think Aunt Hayate has a maid outfit in your size,” Vivio pretended to contemplate the air.
“Try it and you’ll find yourself on the wrong end of Hellskor,” Syn said nonchalantly.
“Heh heh,” Vivio rubbed the side of her head, “Can I do your hair at least?” She played with a few stray hairs hanging out of the pony tail Syn had tied up, probably to avoid Vivio’s straying hands. “I’ll make it cute I promise.”
“No you will not.” Syn pulled her hair away from Vivio’s hair. “And I won’t let you mess with it until you make up with your mom.”
Vivio crossed her arms and looked away, “That’s not fair.”
“It’s not my fault you’re being stupid.”
“Miss Takamachi?”
Vivio looked behind her, “John?”
[And here I thought this was a big city.]
---
Riot Force Six, Temporary Headquarters
There was something about arriving in a massive battle ship that made people respect you. Admiral Akito Skala was quite aware of that fact. He knew very well that it was his ship, not his rank, that made people care what he said. As long as he had that ship he still had some kind of power in the politics of the TSAB. But how long until it goes away too, he pondered as he strolled down the halls of Hayate’s temporary base.
Well perhaps strolled was the wrong term. He sure treated it as a stroll but one didn’t normally stroll in full uniform or with an entourage following them. He supposed he looked odd, he was quite tall, with long limbs that dwarfed most people, but his sticklike frame kept him from looking imposing at all. His slopping shoulders didn’t hold the admiral’s uniform well at all.
Behind him were two people, a man and a woman. The man was smaller then Akito but far sturdier from years of handling a very peculiar device. His black hair had once been a stark contrast to the snow on Akito’s head but now it was starting to grey. He had a strict, stern face. He looked like the kind of guy who never smiled unless he was forced into it and that was true, of course Akito knew how to force him into it.
The woman looked similar to the man. She had similar sharp features and stern eyes. Her blond hair was tied into a bun, which made her look like some sort of librarian. She was the smallest of them all but by far still imposing.
The small party stopped in front of a set of double doors. Some Admirals would have pulled rank and just opened the doors but Akito found it was better just to knock. The door was quickly opened by a woman he recognized as Signum of the Wolkenritter. He gave her a quick nod of recognition before stepping inside.
“It was quite kind of you to invite us here Colonel,” he smiled down at the younger woman sitting at her desk.
Hayate stood up and saluted, “Thank you for coming.”
He stepped slightly to the side, “Allow me to introduce you to my left and right hands, Enforcer Sageo Tahoe,” the man stepped forward, “And Artemis Tahoe my Chief of Staff.” The woman stepped forward. “I hope you don’t mind me bringing them here.”
Hayate shook her head, “No no it’s fine. However, I was expecting well you know.”
Akito paled, “Heh… well he seems to have disappeared.”
Hayate looked more amused then anything else, “Well this will turn out interesting.”
---
John set down the bag of groceries he had been holding. He straightened the tie of his uniform. “Wow I didn’t expect to see you here, Miss Takamachi.”
Vivio rolled her eyes, “Stop calling me that.”
“Can I help you?” John was looking at Syn who was eyeing him suspiciously as if he was going to lunge at Vivio any minute.
“You know this guy Vi?” She folded her arms and tried to look as imposing as possible.
“Yeah he’s John, he’s like Aunt Hayate’s nephew. He’s been staying with her,” Vivio explained.
[He’s a pervert too.] Falling Soul added.
“Oh is he?” Syn’s mood was impossible to tell based off her voice.
“N-no I’m not,” John waved his hands in the air.
“Honestly he’s not,” Vivio also waved her hands in the air, “Falling Soul just over reacts.”
“He doesn’t look very strong for a TSAB officer,” Syn looked like she was about to accuse him of not being a .
“Well I’m only a support and long ranged mage,” He offered, seemingly trying to appease Syn.
She was not impressed, “I’m a long range mage too.”
“Ah,” he nodded, “Then maybe I’ll get to see it sometime.”
She shrugged, “Meh you’re not that impressive.”
“I see…”
Vivio looked up at the sky wondering if someone up there was laughing right now, “John meet Syn Virage my—”
[Girlfriend.]
“Shut up you stupid machine!”
John held out his hand, “It’s nice to meet you Miss Virage.”
Syn looked at him for a moment more before shaking his hand, “I guess if Vi likes you, you can’t be too bad.”
“Thank you… I think.”
Vivio sighed happily, a giant clash seemed to have been avoided for now.
John picked up his groceries, “Well I should be heading home. I’ll see you tonight I suppose Miss Takamachi.”
“Yeah and don’t call me th—”
“You're the Takamachi Brat! Funny I thought you'd be stronger.” A rather loud voice shouted with a mix of confusion and disgust, interrupting Vivio mid sentence.
The three teenagers looked up into the trees that lined the road. Standing on one of them was a boy, no older then Vivio.
“There’s no way,” He pointed down at Vivio, “you’re supposed to be some tough, mighty protégé not a dinky little kid.”
“Dinky?” Vivio couldn’t believe he had just described her as dinky.
He rolled his eyes. He was an odd kid, his choice of clothing was what seemed to be a pair of black jeans and a black and white t-shirt with the addition of black fingerless gloves. Add on the black hair that had been spiked with some jell and he looked like he was training to be a mime sans the makeup and the beret.
“What’s with the outfit?” Syn raised an eyebrow, “Did you break a bottle of ink?”
He ignored her, “Man I came all this way to see this great warrior only to find out she’s my age and wimpy looking.”
“I am not! I look much stronger then you!” Vivio protested.
He didn’t look very strong at all, he wasn’t very tall and though he definitely had muscle on his arm the only thing truly impressive about him was the air of confidence around him. “This sucks,” He crossed him arms and plopped down onto tree branch. An air that quickly changed to one of annoyance. “Man,” he was seemingly talking to himself, “well that doesn’t change anything.”
“Doesn’t change what?” Vivio crossed her arms.
He scrambled back up trying to make himself impressive again, “Vivio H. Takamachi I challenge you to a duel!”
“A duel?”
Syn rolled her eyes, “Well this is stupid.”
He held up a hand, “If I win there’s a favor I need from you.”
“Why would I want to fight you?” Vivio squinted to see him better. “I don’t even know you.”
“Well if you’re a coward then I guess there’s no point.
“Hey!” Vivio was starting to get ticked off.
“Don’t get worked up,” Syn warned, Vivio often did things she didn’t mean to without thinking.
“And I thought she’d be at least as strong looking as that Nanoha woman.”
“I’m gonna knock you down!”
“Of course she did,” Syn shook her head and rubbed her forehead.
“Why get worked up over that?” John bent down so he could better hear Syn.
“She hates being compared to Nanoha in anyway at all. She’s too prideful like that.”
Vivio bounded into the air, looking like she was trying to swing her fist into the boy’s face. Unfortunately for her by the time she got close enough he had disappeared.
Vivio landed on the branch he had been sitting on. “Where’d you—” She looked up to see him crouch, slightly surprised looking, on a glowing black belkan magic seal.
“Gonna have to do better then that,” he picked at his ear.
“Set up!”
[You’re being childish I won’t play along.]
“Can’t even control your device?” He shuffled around, “Must be a really sucky device then.”
“Well shit,” Syn rolled her eyes, “there goes the last line of reason.”
“What do you m—”
[Destroy him.] Falling Soul’s voice had turned truly devilish.
[Leave nothing behind.]
Vivio looked down at her wrist, “Isn’t that going a bit too far?”
[Completely gone!] He changed into glaive form as Vivio’s barrier jacket formed around her body.
“It’s orange?” He stuck out his tongue. “You have some sort of carrot fetish?”
“Told you the orange was bad,” Vivio pointed out to her device.
[Orange is a noble color!]
“Can you hurry it up Vi? I’d like to go home before next week,” Syn called up to them.
“I’m getting to it!” Vivio turned around to look at Syn and promptly fell out of the tree. “Wahh!”
[Aerial Ace]
“Thanks Falling Soul,” Vivio grinned.
[Just get that guy!]
“Done talking?” The boy was tired of waiting for Vivio and had left his perch to kick Vivio in the head. Well attempt to because her automatic barrier protected her from it. He used the barrier to kick off of and onto a new floating platform. “I can just jump around all day, but that’d be boring.”
“Then why don’t you stay still!” Vivio spiraled forward slashing in the air with Falling Soul.
Of course he had no intention of being chopped up and he continued to flip onto more platforms that appeared as he jumped.
Below them John noted the slight line of black that came from Vivio’s opponent’s feet as he jumped. “Enhancement magic?”
He hadn’t intended for her to but Syn heard him, “On his legs?” She and John watched Vivio fly and the stranger bounce through the sky. “Then it has to be a fast spell.”
“Or a continuous one that he cast before he spoke to us.”
“Looks like he knew he could get Vivio to fight him.”
“I thought you wanted to fight!” Above them Vivio continued to attempt to attack the boy who kept moving just out of her reach.
“Well you’re not putting up anything resembling one,” The two of them were quickly moving away from where they had started.
Below them Syn and John had started to run, trying to keep them in their sights.
“You don’t have a flight spell either?” John asked Syn as he tried to run and balance his groceries.
“No I have one,” Her eyes were focused up, “but Vivio wouldn’t want me to leave her friend behind.”
Vivio skid to a stop, chasing him wasn’t working at all, he was faster then her. It was time for a new strategy. “Falling Soul!”
[I got it.]
Her opponent stopped too. “Now what?” He didn’t seem interested in running away but he also didn’t seem interested in actually attacking her. He stretched, he was no longer standing on one of his platforms, instead he had moved onto a steel beam making up part of the frame of a skyscraper in the midst of production.
“Over here,” Syn motioned to John before disappearing between the cracks in the protective fence blocking the construction site from the sidewalk. It was lucky that the crew had taken the day off.
[Crescent…]
Vivio squared herself and aimed.
[Release.]
Like a gunshot the crescent blasted off and spun through the air, aiming to hit the boy smack dab in the middle of his forehead. Of course Vivio wasn’t that lucky and he ducked and it managed to fly right over his head.
He grinned cockily, “Oh come on.”
[Return.]
A whirring sound filled the air, he didn’t ever have time to comprehend what was happening before the crescent smacked into his back. He was sent flying off his perch, it was fortunate for him that he had retained enough sense to grab a hold of a lower beam and haul himself onto that one.
“Are you alright?” Vivio caught her spinning blade and lowered herself down in the air and closer to him though still far enough away that he couldn’t quite reach her she believed.
He groaned and shook his head like he was trying to clear it out. He then quickly bounded to his feet and jabbed his thumb at himself, “Of course I’m okay.” He pointed at Vivio, “That wimpy thing wouldn’t be able to bruise me. My barrier jacket’s the best get it!” His expression changed to an annoyed one, “But wait a minute… we’re opponents. Why are you asking me? You should have attacked me when I was falling!”
“He has a point Vi,” Syn called up from the ground.
“Indeed Miss Takamachi,” John pushed up his glasses, “in combat pleasantries must be placed aside.”
“I was being nice!” Vivio yelled back.
“You speak weirdly,” Syn looked to John with a look of mild boredom.
John chuckled with a hint of embarrassment, “do I now?”
“Rule one of battle!” The boy drew up a barrier in front of himself, “never,” he pulled back his fist, “be nice!” His fist barreled into the barrier, shattering it as if it were made of glass into at least a hundred fragments. With a flick of his wrist they abruptly straightened out and rocketed at Vivio.
Vivio barely had time to pull up her barrier before they reached her. However, instead of glancing off the barrier they stuck to it as if her barrier was wood. She could contemplate the anomaly though because as soon as they stuck her barrier started to crack. “Falling Soul?”
[Barrier Status… let’s just say not good.]
Vivio opened her mouth to respond but never got the chance. Her barrier was instantly shattered by a single punch and she was flung to the ground by a foot hitting the side of her head. It was all too fast for her to register until she was on the ground.
Vivio grunted and groaned, letting herself rest on the ground, at least she would have liked to rest. Unfortunately she immediately had to roll to the side as striped shirt boy landed where she had been the minute before. She scrambled to her feet and into the air. “Falling Soul change form!”
[No need to yell.] The blade in Vivio’s had fanned out, forming a full circle while the pole retracted and folded out into a sword, roughly three feet in length.
“Melee with melee,” Vivio muttered as they engaged again. Vivio forsook her barrier for a more physical method of blocking.
He threw the first punch.
Vivio caught it on her shield and countered with her own kick to his stomach. Now Vivio was the first to admit that she wasn’t the strongest person in the world but that didn’t prepare her for her attack not even fazing him.
He quickly knocked her down, this was seemingly becoming a pattern. Vivio wasn’t going to fall into it though. She smacked the broad of her sword into the back of his knees. He kneeled over but not without grabbing her ankle as she tried to stand up. She was pulled back down.
“This is quickly becoming less of a duel and more of just a fight between teenagers,” Syn felt that it might be time to break them up.
John couldn’t bare to look at them anymore, “This is becoming ridiculous—”
The two of them were cut off by the sudden pink binds restricting them.
“P-pink,” John paled as did Syn. “But that means—”
Vivio pulled up her now empty fist as Falling Soul had been knocked out of her hands and got ready to slam her fist into the boy’s, who had now been pinned under her, face. She would have except a pink bind wrapped itself around her fist and her entire body and flung her into the air where she hung while the same thing happened to the boy.
“What. Were. You. Thinking?”
Vivio’s entire body stiffened and every hair she had bristled. She may not have heard the voice in a week but she definitely recognized it.
Nanoha lowered herself down in front of Vivio, “I thought we taught you to be responsible! Not act like a child and get into fights! I have half a mind to—”
“How dare you!”
Nanoha’s lecture was interrupted by a flash of black. A man that seemed familiar to Vivio flew through the air and proceeded to slam his foot into Vivio’s, now bound, opponent’s stomach. Unlike Vivio’s kick, this one looked like it hurt, considering the boy created a crater where he landed. Vivio suspected it had something to do with the Admiral’s, at least he was going by his uniform, steel toed boots that Vivio suspected were his device.
“Private Zen Skala!” He growled.
“Private!” Vivio, Syn and John voiced their surprise at the same time.
“Not only did you disgrace yourself and me, you disgraced the entire crew of The Koso.”
“Why do you care?” Zen wiggled up, still bound, “You’re the one ditching me old man!”
The admiral’s eye twitched and he proceeded to fly down and remind Zen why he was in charge.
When he was finished and Zen was thoroughly “reminded” he turned to Vivio with a charming smile. “And you must be Vivio I’ve heard quite a bit about you.”
And all of the sudden Vivio realized she was face to face with Admiral Akito Skala, The Smiling Wolf. And she was indeed in quite a bit of trouble.
---
All in all it hadn’t been too bad. The Admiral had actually simply apologized for his subordinate’s behavior. However, Nanoha hadn’t had a chance to talk with Vivio yet. She was going to but a group of police officers had shown up and were they were forced to move everything to Hayate’s temporary headquarters.
The four teenagers were forced to wait in chairs outside while the adults argued inside. Vivio was reminded of afternoons spent in front of the principal’s office. Zen had tried to move his chair as far away from them as possible but he had found the chairs were bound to their place and Nanoha had bound them to the chairs.
I should have stopped you, Syn spoke to Vivio telepathically.
You wouldn’t have been able to. It’s my fault anyway I don’t know why you and John are in trouble. Vivio looked up at the ceiling.
We were trespassing. That John is worse off though. As a TSAB officer he’s supposed to break up fights like that.
Vivio sighed.
“No need to make us more depressed Eyes,” Zen leaned forward so he wouldn’t be blocked out by John.
“Eyes?”
“If she’s eyes,” Syn leaned past Vivio. “Then what exactly am I?”
“Well you’re.” He grinned and removed his gloves. He said something but Vivio couldn’t make heads or tails of what it was and from the expression on Syn’s face she couldn’t either. John on the other hand smacked Zen hard.
“You’re a creep,” he looked disgusted.
Zen blinked before a long of realization came over him. He slipped his gloves back on, “I should have guessed with a name like John.”
“That doesn’t make us allies in anyway,” John looked away with a bothered look.
They were silent for a few minutes. Vivio was simmering a bit, she would have been angrier but she didn’t actually know how Zen had insulted Syn. It was Zen who spoke again and broke the silence.
“Man I want to get out of here,” Zen fidgeted in his chair. From his tone they could tell he wasn’t talking about the hall.
“If you hate it so much then why did you come then? Are you some kind of masochist?” Syn smirked.
“For your information I didn’t have a choice,” he glared at the blue haired girl. “Admiral Skala made me.”
“Really?” That didn’t make sense to Vivio, the Admiral hadn’t seemed like the type to make someone do something they hated.
“He only seems like a nice guy,” Zen grumbled. “In reality he’ll ship you off as soon as he can.”
John pushed up his glasses, “Why did he send you to Cranagan? That’s far off for an Admiral who patrols the boarders of the TSAB’s territory. If he wanted to get rid of you there are a lot of closer bases. He can’t be a very good Admiral if he makes his cr—”
“He’s a great Admiral!” Zen interrupted, “The best! He just sometimes doesn’t do things I like.”
“But weren’t you just complaining about him?” Vivio really didn’t get this kid.
“W-well you know he’s—”
“You wouldn’t like it if someone said something bad about one of your moms would you?” Syn asked Vivio.
“Wait so Admiral Skala is Zen’s father?!?”
“Well they do have the same last name.”
“It still feels strange,” John twirled around a pen in his hand, “I always thought Admiral Skala wasn’t the type to well… you know with… you know,” John was turning a dark scarlet and getting darker with every word, “but those are just stupid rumors so…”
Vivio and Syn were left wondering exactly kind of rumors persisted around the TSAB as John seemed unable to finish his sentence.
Zen shrugged, “most of those rumors are actually true. But,” he glared at John, “I’m adopted. That answers your question.”
“Why do you hate this city so much?” Vivio was starting to feel like Zen was under examination but after the way he had acted he deserved it.
“It’s not the city I hate,” there was something in his eyes that chilled the air, something Vivio didn’t quite recognize. “It’s this unit. It’s that woman. I refuse to work under, now or ever. That woman…” his hands were trembling and his voice had obtained a true ferocity, “I hate her more then anyone else! That… that woman, Nanoha Takamachi.”
Vivio wasn’t sure how to respond, she couldn’t begin to understand how anyone could hate her mother. She didn’t get anytime to think about it though.
“Now now, hate is a strong word.”
The four heads all turned in sequence. None of them had any idea who the old man standing in front of them was. He was definitely pushing 60, maybe even more, it was hard to tell. He was tall and broad shouldered, obviously once he had been a man to contend with. Now, however, he leaned on his cane and looked like the kind of man who would spend his days fishing rather then fighting There was something familiar about him but Vivio couldn’t put her finger on it.
“You shouldn’t throw around words like that.”
Zen’s eyes had reverted to their normal bored expression, “’Oi who are you and why are you speaking to me old man?”
“You need to be more polite,” Syn glared over Vivio’s head.
“Well none of us are perfect. Glasses needs to get the stick out of his ass—”
“Hey!”
“—you need to be less bossy and Vivio,” he jerked his thumb at said girl, “well she needs to grow boobs but I don’t see any of those things happening soon.”
There was a jerking sound, the sound of Vivio attempting to break her bonds and stand up.
“Now now there’s no need to fight,” Grandpa smiled at them kindly. “I’m looking for Colonel Yagami’s office if you children would please point me there.”
They all pointed to the door he was standing by.
He chuckled, “Of course.”
“They’re in a meeting,” Vivio warned.
He winked, “I don’t think they’ll mind.” He disappeared inside.
Ten minutes of silence later Vita poked her head out of the room. “In,” was all she said before retreating back inside.
The four stood up, their bonds having disappeared, and headed inside.
---
“Now,” Hayate sat at her desk flanked by Admiral Skala and Nanoha, looking very unhappy, who were in turned flanked by two people Vivio had never seen before. “I want you four to know you’re very very very lucky.”
Vivio’s two friends and Zen looked in different directions. Vivio took the moment of silence as an opportunity to speak up. “John and Syn didn’t have anything to do with this. They just happened to be there!”
[I agree Vivio deserves the punishment,] Falling Soul chimed in.
Syn wasn’t about to stand by, “That’s not true we should have stopped Vivio, so we deserve equal punishment.”
“No as an officer I deserve greater punishment,” John stepped forward resting a hand on his chest. “I had the authority to take them into custody and I didn’t.”
All eyes rested on Zen. He shrugged and looked off to the side, “I started it but I don’t care what happens to you guys. I don’t even know you really.”
Syn rolled her eyes. “So you’re just a freak who randomly attacks people?”
“No! I was going to get Vivio to take my spot!”
“Then why didn’t you just ask.” The two had broken away from the other two and were standing at opposition to one another.
“Well excuse me for not thinking of it!”
“That’s the first thing you should have thought of.”
“Children!” Hayate slammed her hand on her desk, drawing them all to attention. “That’s better,” she sighed, “If you’d be so kind as to listen to me. I was going to say you’re very lucky because you’ve received the closest thing to divine intervention you’re going to get at the TSAB.”
Their confused looks prompted a second person to explain.
“I suppose it’s my fault for being too… understanding, so to speak, of young talent,” it was the older man from before, “I’ve cleared you all of charges on one sole condition. You all become members of Colonel Yagami’s unit.”
“Who the hell are you? You never answered me.” Zen crossed his arms and proceeded to look very grumpy.
“Zen!” Admiral Skala’s eyes grew far wider then a normal person’s were supposed to go. “Do you have any idea who you’re speaking too?”
“Eh?”
“It’s alright. After all, my assistant makes sure I stay out of the spotlight.” He straightened up taking on a new air, an aura of power Vivio hadn’t noticed before. “I am Alistair Hunter, acting head of the TSAB.”
“Oh.” Zen’s pupils became specks. “Oh.”
Vivio snapped, “Oh that’s why I recognized you.”
“I’ll expect your enlistment papers along with Miss Virage’s very soon,” he smiled down at Vivio.”
It was then that it hit Vivio just what he was implying. He wanted her in the TSAB and there was nothing her mother could do to stop him. She mentally cheered.
“Of course I’ll expect your respective guardians to enact proper punishment in the TSAB’s stead.”
And the cheering died instantly.
---
That night, The Takamachi home, Roof
“Ommph,” Vivio squirmed up the drain pipe, careful not to make much noise outside of her parent’s bedroom. She’d been forced back home after the affair in Hayate’s office.
“This is harder then I remember,” Vivio hadn’t actually climbed up to the roof in a long time, flight was much easier. Ten minutes of struggling got her onto the roof. It was lucky that it wasn’t a particularly steep roof. It was built perfectly for Vivio to lay on it.
Syn. Vivio called out mentally,
Syn~ Syn… SYN!
Mmm yeah, The sleepy tone in her best friend’s voice told Vivio that Syn had been about to doze off.
Did I call it or what?
What are you talking about? Syn was probably yawning,
I don’t recall you calling anything.
I knew you’d be on your roof. Telepathy magic was extremely hard to maintain over long distances, they had done it enough that they were used to it but they weren’t very good at doing it if they weren’t both outside.
You took long enough. I almost fell asleep. She was probably rolling her eyes.
We’re going to be forwards! Vivio was grinning.
Syn mentally groaned,
after all that happened that’s what you’re thinking about?
Well why not? I’m excited.
I don’t know maybe the fact you narrowly escaped getting arrested, there’s a jerkwad who apparently hates your mother for no good reason on the same team as us, and the head of the TSAB is an old man who we most definitely offended.
When you put in like that it sounds bad.
You’re hopeless.
Meh. I like to think I’m just fine.
Where’s Falling Soul with a snappy remark?
Busy keeping me from flying, Mama made sure his flight limiter was activated. A fact Vivio was not happy about.
About time… you’re going to mess with it again aren’t you?
Of course.
Good night Vivio.
Night Syn.
---
???
“Now that’s a nice boat.”
The boat in question was more like a floating mansion. It didn’t look much like your typical house boat. The fact that it had multiple stories, a terrace, a roof garden, and various other house affixtures made it seem someone had just picked up their house and glued it to a boat.
“Oh my~” A head popped up over the first speaker’s shoulder. “Jail-Jail never told us he had such rich friends.”
“Hey! Git off!” The first speaker glared at the head on his shoulder. He was moderately tall but held himself awkwardly like he was unsure of his own body. It might have been the long chicken legs he was standing on they seemed disproportionate to his body. It might have been the spiky bright red hair on his head and the stubbly beard on his chin or it might just have been a combination of all of it.
The woman who had put her head on him jumped back with a grin. “You’re such a grump Ji-Ji!” She pinched his cheek.
“Don’t treat me like a little kid. I’m older then you.” Ji rolled his eyes.
The woman just kept grinning. She was shorter then him but her presence was much much larger. Her black hair was straight but the sheer amount of it caused it to frizz out. Doggish was the best way to describe her and the dog ears on her head didn’t help out. The fur on them was black while the inside was white. Her right ear was folded over and her left ear was split but neither seemed to bother her. Neither did the stump she had for a tail. “But you act like a little kid Ji-Ji.”
“And here I thought you were going to help me,” Jail Scaglietti waved his hands in the air, “how wrong I was.”
“Hey the boss sent you with the best of the best,” Hou’s head popped out from behind Ji. “We are the final four!” He bounced forward, “Hou!”
Ji posed with his hand on his stubble, trying to look cool, “Ji.”
The woman then pounced on his head, “Gou!”
They all paused then looked around.
Hou cleared his throat, “your turn.”
A depressed looking teenager stepped out. His bowl of pink hair covered his eyes. He was taller then Hou but not by much and he was on the pudgy side. “Zhu.”
“We’re the quartette of The Metal Menagerie!” Gou cheered. “Isn’t that awesome!”
“You understand I don’t care right?” Jail pointed at the boat, “An acquaintance of mine is in there, I need his help so you’re going to help me get him, alright.”
Ji picked at his ear, “If he’s your friend why don’t you just ask him.”
“You have much to learn,” Jail shook his head. “Scientists like myself don’t just open their doors to everyone.”
“’You have much to learn’,” Ji whispered mockingly into Gou’s ear, “How does the boss tolerate this guy?”
Gou shrugged, “Sam does a lot of things we don’t get.”
If Ji cared about the informality in Gou’s voice he didn’t care. “Well—”
Zhu tugged on their sleeves, “The doctor looks mad.”
The doctor was indeed mad, “We will be entering the boat house. I expect he will have guard drones throughout so be ready to take them down. If I know him he’ll be holed up in his lab. Now we’ll want to be quiet and—”
“Sounds good!” Hou cracked his knuckles, “Forward march!” They all raced inside the boat, completely and totally ignoring the doctor and his orders.
“That’s why I wanted my numbers back!”
---
“It’s pretty big in here,” Ji’s voice echoed throughout the main hall. “We could fit everyone in here couldn’t we?”
The main hall was truly gigantic, and spooky as well. Statues of all sorts lined the walls, as well a portrait after portrait each depicting a family that may have once been cheerful but managed to look only eerie.
“Yeah yeah we should bring them here it’d be fun,” Hou bounced around the room.
“Kitty wouldn’t enjoy it though,” Zhu sighed and continued on in his utterly depressing voice, “not one bit. She’d probably yell at us and call us stupid.”
The four of them all groaned at once.
“She’s so cruel.”
“We just happen to care.”
“But she does says mean things.”
“All the time.”
“All we want is for her to become part of our group.”
“Are you warriors or a comedy troupe?” Jail yelled out in frustration.
[Intruder detected. Deploying in 5… 4… 3…]
“Look what you lot did!”
“It was you not us,” Ji pointed out.
“Too bad we’re doomed,” Zhu looked off to the side, “So young too ah well.”
[2… 1… go]
The guard drones were deployed instantly, they came from the walls, from the ceiling, and some even from the floor.
“Aww fun’s over,” Hou pouted. “Ah well might as well beat these guys up.” He stretched his arms letting the seals on his hands face the ceiling. “Ready?”
“Yeah yeah,” Ji scratched his right leg with his left. “We need the exercise anyway Gou’s starting to get fat.”
The drones were circling them now. Apparently they were programmed to only attack once the target moved.
“It’s not nice to talk about a lady’s weight.” In a puff of smoke Gou turned into a large, fluffy, black and white husky. “I might just have to hurt you too for that one.”
Zhu lifted up his bangs, revealing bright blue eyes, “well I guess this will be better then fighting TSAB dogs.”
“I take offense to that,” Gou complained.
“Sorry I meant garbage.”
“Will you all just fight?” Jail snapped.
“You heard the old man.”
“Let’s get going.” Ji made the first move, a giant roundhouse kick to the side of a drone, smashing it into the ground and into pieces. His foot glowed red from the magic in the attack. “Low tech. The guy here wasn’t expecting strong visitor in any case.”
“Grr,” Gou growled and pounced on a drone clawing a hole in it and destroying it from the inside. “Too easy.”
“Well,” Zhu ripped part of the staircase’s banister off. He broke it into a smaller piece then popped the wood into his mouth and seemingly chewed. A flash of magenta could be seen before he tilted his head back then shot forward and spat. Like a bullet the now chewed into a ball wood smashed straight through a drone. “I’m not complaining.”
They took care of them in no time flat.
Hou pouted, “I didn’t even get to use those statues.”
“That was just the first round,” Jail shook his head, “Get ready children.”
The second round came in the form of a giant. A fully mechanized golem came stomping down the stairs.
“Hold it off,” Hou spread out his palms, the magic seal forming underneath his feet. “This’ll take a minute.”
“Take all the time you need,” Ji cracked his knuckles, “We’ll keep this bastard busy.”
Sensing magic the mechanical golem tried to smash Hou into little bits, his attempts were thwarted by the white barrier put up by Gou.
The other two watched as the armor tried to break through. “That looks painful,” Ji commented.
“You guys can jump in at anytime,” Gou called out, the pain showing as her barrier was pushed to its limit.
Ji tapped his legs causing them to glow red for a split second before jumping forward and onto the golem’s back. He stuck like glue. “Hey ugly.”
The golem gave up its attack on the barrier to try and shake Ji off it’s back.
“Won’t work I’m like a magnet you know.”
The golem decided to just smash into his legs. On anyone else this would have likely crippled them, on Ji it just caused the golem to vibrate wildly.
“Come on try again! Boss is the best mechanic in the world my legs can take whatever you throw at me!”
One of Zhu’s spit balls rocketed past Ji and dented the golem, as well as drawing his attention, “Don’t forget the rest of your body is fleshy.”
“All done!” Hou’s eyes rolled up and a crash could be heard in the hall as a massive statue of a dragon ripped away from the wall. The others backed up, Ji hopped off of the golem just as Hou’s puppet used a giant stone paw to smash into it. The dragon proceeded to turn the golem into scrap metal. After it was finished the dragon stood still again and Hou returned to his normal, although exhausted, state.
“Well well,” clapping echoed through the room, “It seems little TSAB vermin have invaded my home.” A large blond man stood on the top of the stairs. “I- wait is that Doctor?”
“Arthur Sorell my old apprentice!” Jail clapped his hands together. “I’ve come to ask a favor.”
“Working with the TSAB? I thought you knew better Doctor.”
“Hey… Gou,” Hou panted out from his place on the floor where he had collapsed, “This bozo… thinks we’re… TSAB.”
“Someone… should straighten… him out,” she chuckled softly due to the difficulty she was having breathing.
“I’ll leave it to Ji,” Zhu plopped down on the floor, “I’m getting hungry.”
Ji grinned devilishly, “ Know this blondie,” He pointed up Arthur before jerking back to himself, “We aren’t some mother fucking low life scum! We’re not TSAB! We’re rebels! Remember it!”
2008-07-14, 17:34
Author
My body hurts like hell, I'm tired, and I seem to have found muscles I never knew existed, but we had the greatest of times. 
