Stowaway [Open]

The crashing of seawaves onto a ship's frame. The eager cries of seagulls seeking for prey. An occasional shout or two coming from the shipcrew. Yes, those three sounds were the only things that had been heard around for a long while, and honestly, it was beginning to be quite boring. Who in their right minds could like the seas so much? Nothing interesting had happened aboard ever since they had set sail, not even the slightest event that could pique anyone's curiosity. Yet, how much of an option can a lone traveler who is bound by the ship have, at least until they reached their destination, Hargeon Port? It would be accurate to say that sunbathing was just about everything that could be done to at least entertain oneself for a couple of hours, despite the activity being nothing else than lying around the place.

However, even that was not allowed to one of the group of men currently travelling on the ship. Why, one may ask? Well, quite simple. A white haired young man sat inside a large, wooden crate, with no light other than that which filtered from the top of the ship and through the holes in the enormous box. Munching whatever was left from the supplies he had brought with himself to survive the trip and make it to Hargeon, the man was doing his best to focus on one of his most developped skills; the art of chillin'. In a position some may have even assumed to be uncomfortable, the late teenager lazily rolled his eyes, trying to figure when in the world would they reach their destination.

But what was he doing there, though? Why wasn't he in a room, our out in the deck? The answer was quite simple. At first, he had attempted to board the ship the normal way, but was quickly kicked out for two reasons: first, one needed to have a passport in order to travel  throughout Earthland, and two, he was broke as hell. Other than a small amount of jewels, he had no means of paying for the ride... but it turned out he needed it, so he took the best and simplest course of action: yep, he was deadheading all the way to his target location.

It wasn't like they would be able to do anything to him now that they had been travelling for a couple of days, and if shit hit the fan... well, he'd figure things out. The tall man scratched his bare chest with a lazy hand; given the heat inside the crate, he had to get out of his favourite trench coat, which was basically his second skin. Just when he was about to take another nap,  the much awaited shout was issued. "LAND AHOY!"

As these words entered his ears, the white haired male opened his right eye right as a half-grin was drawn on his lips. -About damn time! -Vargas Seig exclaimed out loud, only to realize he might have screwed up things in the last moment. Luckily enough, everyone was busy preparing the ship for the arrival on port. He could overhear the sailors talking about building supplies and some sort of repairs, but it was none of his business. After another hour passed, he could feel the boat finally stopped moving, which gave him all the information that he needed to know. With that in mind, he patiently awaited for the crew to come pick the crates; he had seen them doing so manually before, so he would be kept company for a bit more.

It wasn't long until a group of men finally did as expected and began unloading, first taking the crates to the shore. He did not want to risk being picked up by any sort of Lacrima powered machine, so he would have to make a quick escape. Carefully gathering his belongings and putting his coat over his shoulder with one arm, he laid on the ground, surveying the holes on top. The moment the crate was left on the deck was his signal. -"Alright then... let's rock!"

A powerful kick delivered by both feet was enough to shatter the top of the wooden crate, all heads turning towards him. Vargas hastily jumped out of his confinement, and looked at all of the crew, whose activity had been paralyzed. As one opened his mouth, the stowaway moved his hand and opened his palm, signaling him to let him talk. -It's been a pleasant journey, but it's about time we parted ways. Thanks for bringing me here, I'll be sure to pay something to your company once I've earned a bit of money! -he spoke while cracking up an amused smile.

Of course, the reaction would be amazingly quick. All of them attempted to catch he who had sort of illegally entered Fiore. Vargas had no idea if that was a major crime, and honestly, he did not want to find out either, so the man quickly jumped from the ship towards the port, and  began running away. As he surveyed his surroundings, he could see everything in a wrecked state, being repaired by a lot of workers. Well, he had heard that Hargeon town had been shaken by disaster not so long ago.

-"OI, YOU! WAIT UP!"
-Thanks, but no thanks! You can send me the bill later! -the male said with his typical uncaring attitude, treating the persecution as a simple game.

It took him a couple of laps around the place to get lost, and lose his pursuers as well, who had likely given up for the time being. Once he realized, he lowered his pace, and wiped a couple of white locks off his eyes, returning them to their usual position. Vargas would then put on his red coat again.

-"Now, that's better."

Once everything was set, the man began taking his first steps in unknown land. Where was he, exactly? All he knew was that the wrecked port was Hargeon... and of course, stowaways were not given maps or any touristical advice.

However, even in foreign ground and completely lost, he simply put his half-smile on again and shrugged, beginning to walk as he dropped one simple comment:
-Things always gotta be complicated!

Vargas had done well so far avoiding the trouble. While Hargeon was quite ruined, there was no way that those sailors would be able to find him, and even if they did they would probably not be able to leave their workpost without any consequences. Repairings in the port had to be made, and as such, they were probably on a tight schedule to rebuild everything that had ended up destroyed. To be fair, the young man did not know whether it had been a natural disaster, or more scary and less probable, if it had been someone or something going on a rampage. Well, not like he was concerned about it, anyways; at the time he might have been unable to do anything even if he was there, and he had no intentions of playing hero.

As he tried to find out where in the heck he had ended after the chase, his eyes suddenly surveyed something huge approaching the port. It was... a freaking airship? Vargas's was taken aback for a second, and used his right hand to block the sun in order to be able to take a better look at it. He couldn't help but to let an single amused laugh.
-Hah! Check it out! It can fly! -he spoke out loud, mostly to himself, although everyone would've been able to hear him. The man had no idea who could be aboard, and had no interest, if we don't count his wondering on how could he get one of those; it'd certainly be much better than to just walk around to places. Yeah, public transport was good, but your own airship...

The man closed his eyes for a second and shrugged with a tranquil smile. -If I ever get the money, that is. -he spoke, despite it being high unlikely due to how awfully he managed his savings. After a couple of seconds of staring at the magnificent aircraft, the white haired male would return to doing his own thing. He was just about to try getting directions from someone, an attempt trumped by the fact that those people did not even pay attention to him.

Just as he recovered, Vargas noticed something else was moving, this time towards him. To be fair, an airship was already enough, but now, a futuristical looking armor was heading towards him.

The Seig quirked an eyebrow, while thinking. -Hah, that looks awesome too. Guess Fiore is more advanced in the technological department than I thought.
Being from far away, where technology hadn't really advanced that much, it was all new for him. Whoever was inside the suit hovered over him with a hand out, as if telling him to stop. -Finally. I was beginning to feel a little ignored! -he said with his typical laid-back, somewhat excited attitude.

The armored person, who he assumed to be a female due to her voice (despite a bit distorted, probably because it was being delivered through speakers?), was quick to tell him that stow-aways were some of the, literally, worst kind of scum. His half-grin not vanishing from his face, the man took a simple step forward as he extended both arms outwards in a relaxed gesture after which he spoke as well. No point in denying he had been travelling... cheap, to say the least.

-Hey, cut me some slack! It's not like I tried to come here, but do you know how hard it is to get one of those passports out of here? -he began, messing around a bit. -Also, "worst kind of scum"? Ain't there far greater sins than climbing a ship after being kicked out from it? I could name a few, but take a guess and name one or two yourself, first.

He would attempt to turn the whole interaction into a game, but just as he did so, some sort of strange ash that travelled just over the ground took shape. At first he quirked an eyebrow, but his expression suddenly changed to an amused one as the particles joined, taking the form of a young woman. Her skin was a bit on the weird side of the color spectrum, but Vargas did not care. He let out a whistle once the newly formed woman spoke to him, and probably, his new armored acquaintance.

-Now, that's what I call good reception -he contently said to himself at the sight of the clothes she was wearing, despite how threatening she may have appeared. Hey, if she was supposed to arrest him, too, then at least it would be much more enjoyable than having to deal with two extra large-sized Rune Knights, or the like.

The gray-skinned woman resumed her speech, this time about something Vargas did not really understand. The demonic looking dog she was holding, as if reacting to her words, jumped and stood its ground, lashing its tail continuously. -Huh, I've never seen a mutt like that before! -the man commented.

As the unknown lady finished her speech, the Seig scratched the right side of his forehead.
-Don't really get what you are saying, so care to explain? Cause if you're threatening me, I'm not really into that; I'd say I'm more of a romantic when it comes to first meetings. -Vargas said, his devil-may-care half grin growing in size a bit. It was at that moment that the dog growled menacingly, prompting Vargas to quirk an eyebrow.

He rose his hands in a conciliative way.
-Easy, Fido. Don't get cranky! -the man calmly stated. Well, he did not know how much of a threat those two could be, but from what little he had learned to sense, they both were quite above him.

What specially bothered Vargas was the fact that just because of Marceline being close, he was already been damaged, somehow. Still, he did his best not to show it, though the pain was there.

One last thought crossed his mind... -"Oh, well... Let's find out what happens!"

It seemed that Vargas's words had a bit of effect and served to ease the whole interaction with the armored woman a little bit. While she still thought that he ought to have worked to earn himself the passage, she did compliment his ability to sneak into the ship unnoticed. The Vargas smirked, turning his attention towards her once again. -Please, please, you're gonna make me blush. It's not like I had that much of a chance, though: I'm pretty impatient when it comes to travelling. -he revealed with an amused expression. Suddenly, the woman in the power suit began franctically slapping her own helmet, prompting Vargas to quirk an eyebrow.

-You okay in there? -the white haired man questioned, only to shrug as she apparently returned to normal and, once more scolded him for his actions, mentioning that he could've waited in line for the passport. While the sentence had been a bit odd, as if she had tried to say it before, the Seig did not pay attention to that and simply answered with another comment of his own.

-Sorry, queues and I don't really mix. Plus, I had heard that the passport was a bit... expensive, if you know what I mean. Hey, cut me some slack; at least I didn't steal one; then you'd have a good reason to arrest me -he joked around, despite knowing that she could have already apprehended him if she wanted to. He was probably on the line, but oh well.

On the other hand, the ash gray-skinned woman gave him quite a bitter response to his checking her out. Vargas simply cracked his half smile again, a bit of teeth showing. He made a dismissing gesture with his right hand, too.

-Whoa, that's scary. -he stated, albeit his relaxed gesture did not fade. -Relax, I'm just messing around. Also, now that you mention it... it's the first time I've seen anyone with red eyes. -he stated, holding her aggressive gaze with his own grayish blue irises. When she mentioned that she was just there for business, he nodded in agreement. -Is that right... I'm actually here for the same reason. Well, more or less. Let's say it's a trip for pleasure, business and... personal stuff. I'll save you the details. -he simply stated, not intending to tell anyone about his story unless it was at a tavern and with a cold jar of beer.

At first, the mysterious ash girl, given that he had no other way to call her at the moment, had appeared to be quite cold, aloof, and mature. However, when Vargas's comments were directed to her pet, she showed a bit of an infantile side that cracked him up. She quickly denied it being a mutt, and more or less, told him what it was. He certainly had never seen one before, but he'd be on the lookout.

Again, he looked at her with a clearly amused visage, and dismissed the matter while scratching the side of his head, tilting his neck a bit to the left in the process. He did look quite relaxed in that situation. What really got him was the pout that she made. He had to admit, it was kind of cute how she had changed from being very cold and speaking of death to that new facet.

-It's cool, it's cool. I'd still say it behaves like a dog, but I'll guess I'll have to trust you on that one. Still, Ramakri-what? And here I thought that my name was peculiar. -the white haired man stated, joking once again.

The focus of the conversation returned to the armored woman, who would ask Marceline if she was being evil just because. She did mention something about a Heero, and Fairy Tail? Vargas did not recall having heard any of those names; he guessed that they'd be quite famous around the place. The more menacing girl simply answered with one line, albeit she then returned her gaze to Vargas and looked at him rather seductively.

As carefree as usual, the white haired male retorted with a smirk and a single sentence.
-Hah, at least take me out for dinner first! -the Seig answered back, not sure of what kind of thoughts would be crossing her head. She'd then point out that the suited woman was talking to someone else inside that huge armor, a detail he had failed to notice. -"She seems to be quite a good observator." -the Devil Arms' user thought. Well, being a mage was dangerous, so he guessed it was a much needed skill. He himself had always been a bit on the reckless side, so he did not really pay much attention to tiny things like that one.

As they continued bickering for a bit, Vargas begun thinking about two things he had heard. Guildless, legal guilds. What were they talking about, again? As difficult as it was, he had arrived in Fiore being completely clueless about such things. -"Well, that's some new info I'll have to ask about later". -the young man thought, before returning to the conversation.

Once they had apparently come to a partial stop, Marceline addressed him again, pointing out that he was an 'awfully carefree' man due to his last sentence, facing death and all. She did appear to be intrigued about how didn't he fear having his life taken away from him at that very moment.

Vargas looked up to the clear sky, and cracked his neck by tilting it to the right side, his hand massaging the cervical area a bit. Once he was done, he simply looked at her and answered her question, walking around, between both Marshy and Ana. -Well, I've never been the type to give those things any thought. I guess... What's the point of worrying about something I can't do anything about? Like you said, if I were to die here, then at least I'd rather go out having a blast than crying and begging for my life like a baby. Besides, it'd be nice to finally tell the Grim Reaper a thing or two; bastard took my favourite goldfish when I was four. -he ended up with a small joke, a wink, and a rather tranquil half-grin.

However, he'd then look at the one that had asked him that quesition, fixing his eyes on hers again. -And what about you? What would you do if you were to die right here, right now? -he flipped the question onto her, wanting to see how she'd react.

As the ruby-eyed girl could easily tell by the tone of his voice and how comfortable he was about the whole situation, Vargas was not being threatening nor aggressive, just curious. To be fair, he found that young woman to be interesting. -Listen, you two, I don't know what's customary to do with stow-aways around here, but stopping a man on his tracks without even introducing yourselves is waaay too rude. -his grin reduced its size a bit, yet did not vanish from his face. -So, what are your names? -the Seig asked.

After all, he figured out that he'd hear about them in the near future.

Vargas had to quirk an eyebrow and crack a half grin yet again when Ana answered to his last comment about introductions. Well, that was scary. She was definitely an aggressive woman, huh? However, that only added a bit more to the fun; the Seig looked at her rather amused, and would respond to her last statement. -Why am I getting the feeling that you don't like me at all...? Also, feeding me to the dogs? Nah, I'm waaay too tasty to be thrown away like that. -he dramatically stated, messing around a little more. I could actually give you a "Cooking Vargas 101", but we can both agree that it'd be a waste of our times-the white haired male would say, although he then shrugged and looked at her, just as she mentioned that in most places, men introduced themselves before women.

Vargas had to admit, she was right... if he had been that type. -Yeah, but I've never been one for chivalry or ettiquete; sorry to disappoint. But, since it we aren't going to get anywhere like this, I'll play along -the male stated with a devilish look. -I'm Vargas, Vargas Seig, and like you've figured out by now, I'm not from around here -instead of being static in one place, the male kept taking steps around, checking the zone they were in as he spoke. Well, he had to admit that despite its wrecked appearance, the town was actually nice, and probably comfortable in its old, glorious days. He wondered how long would it take to have it repaired... and whether the "natural disaster" he had heard struck town was actually that, or something much worse.

Oh, well. It was not his problem, at least not at the time. For the time being, he had to focus on what he had to focus... to get started and put his skills to good use. So, he figured out that if he was going to get arrested by the woman in the armor, he might as well put that to good use. -Hey, shoulderpads. I'll take it you're a mage, so there's no harm in asking. How exactly does a mage get work in these parts? I haven't come here in vacation... though how nice would that be? -he would then pause for a second and took a look at the harbor.

He'd have to actually send those guys a gratitude cheque, or something like at. He'd never liked owing anything to anyone, to be honest.