elevator past [p]

[GABRIEL HAWKE]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true] It was obvious that Zeus & Poseidon weren't content today. The tepid storm rocked the ship back and forth between its breast. The huge vessel had quickly transitioned into a play thing for the vast blue sea. It was only their ninth day out at sea on their way towards Marine HQ to dock. But the turbulent weather crashed the group's odyssey without invitation, ultimately destroying their plans to rendezvous. With the pellets of rain plummeting downwards, the various members of the crew hurried to their assignments. They had trained for times like these but of course they hadn't registered the shock value of it all. The vast majority held looks of uncertainty about their chances of survival. But in the midst of the ravaging storm the captain of the boat quietly stood at the forefront of his vessel. The eyes of the youth became glued to the swaying trees of a island yards away. If the memory of the map that he had viewed earlier was correct, then they had been forcibly pushed off their path and he had reached the island of the Kuja - Amazon Lily. It wasn't as if going there would knock them completely out of their problems. The famed Kuja were known for their isolation and utter ban on men. It didn't intrigue Gabriel in the slightest their reasoning for doing such a thing. But there wasn't a doubt about it. They had to dock at the island or be forced to suffer the raging storm. And if the latter was the option then the losses on the boat would increase. It wasn't bad "man-wise" since the HQ seemed to always have an infinite number of marines ready to replace the next. However they couldn't allow any more barrels of food to roll over board or crash open unless they starve. A simple deckhand lurked at Gabriel's side and looked at him only in fear of the looming water below. "Sail towards that island. We're going to the Amazon Lily." he commanded, his tone bereft of the urgency of the circumstances. *** The men remained slumbering quietly on the docked vessel with the looming storm dying down. There had been no signs of the Kuja but he was inexplicably sure that their presence was known. He stood wide awake waiting for an envoy to be sent so he could explain their predicament. But to no avail, hours had passed without any sign of such. Though Gabriel was careless and reckless, he didn't dare encourage the fury of these women. So with the safety of his ship in mind, the being left the pier with his ship safely docked and thrust himself into the wild forest of the Amazon Lily. The growls of creatures unseen and more fierce than lions, tigers, and bears - oh my - stalked into that of the night. But his faith in his own skills didn't waiver as he incessantly searched for a woman of the Kuja tribe.

[atrb=valign,top] sometimesss, i get a good feeling saga notes: --

[SAGA DELPHINIUM]

[style=position: relative; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/J048h.png); border-radius: 100%; -webkit-border-radius: 100%; -moz-border-radius:100%; width: 100px; height: 100px; border-style: solid; border-width: 5px; border-color:#63AB62;][/style]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,padding: 5px; border-left: 5px solid #63AB62; border-radius; 10px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; border-bottom: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;][atrb=width,340,true][atrb=border,0,true] [style=letter-spacing: 1px; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9px;]saga could see the storm miles and miles away at the edge of the grand line from her perch in one of the taller trees of amazon lily. and even from where she was she could tell that it was bad. she had never experienced a storm before as amazon lily was situated in the middle of the calm belt where no wind ever blew and no storm ever appeared nor did she think that she ever wanted to experience one. from what she had been told by the other kuja pirates they were dangerous, even more so than sea kings. she shuddered and wondered if the kuja pirates were okay, being out in that storm and all but she pushed that thought away. they were the kuja pirates, led by the empress of amazon lily! of course they were okay. she shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and was about to climb down when she noticed a speck on the distance which was coming closer and closer. she squinted, raising her free hand to shield her eyes from the setting sun and watched as the speck grew into a ship with the navy's symbol on its sails. her eyes widened for a fraction of a second and she was about to call for one of the older women but she stopped when she saw how beat up the ship looked. "maybe they came from the storm," she thought. it was rare for any ships but the one belonging to the kuja pirates to pass by amazon lily but saga had heard stories of how some scien-whatever man had created a device of sorts that allowed ships to sail through the calm belt. just the thought made her want to hide and never reveal herself. she watched as they ship came closer and docked at the island but none of the marines on the ship stepped foot onto the island, even though she could see them peering curiously and wondrously at it. she didn't have a single clue as to why some sand and trees would be so wonderful but she had been told that men were strange creatures and from what she saw they were. she moved as close as she dared to before settling on a tree limb, her back resting against the trunk as she watched the marines scuttle about like ants. oOo the sounds of the forest at night didn't bother saga a bit as she watched the now slumbering ship. she had heard bits and pieces of some of the conversations aboard and she was glad that they would be leaving once the sun rose. she was even gladder, though, that no one left the boat and went onto the island as that would be breaking the law of the tribe and then saga would have to be forced to send them away or kill them. she watched with quickly mounting despair as the captain of the ship exited the ship and entered the forest. she clenched her eyes shut for a moment before sighing and jumping down from the tree she had been hiding in and following the captain until they reached a small clearing. taking a deep breath, she took a step forward and revealed herself before asking, "why didn't you stay on your ship?"[/style]

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: helvetica, sans-serif;]breathe by gumball @ on the edge[/style]

[GABRIEL HAWKE]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true] Gabriel's movement through the jungle were vastly uncordinated. The only objective he had in mind was to thrust himself deep in the wildlife and move inwards to the very center of the isle. At least that was his thought process through it all until he had that of a voice call out to him. Initially he became frozen in place, a slight chill running down his spine at the unexpectedness of the voice. Were there any hermits that existed in the jungle? He had never for once considered that voice to be that of a Kuja despite the angelic tone embedded in her vocals. "A woman lurking in the jungle?" That was definitely surprising. He would've thought that the other Kuja would've allowed the presence of an outsider to their territory as long as they were female. Finally with his desire to tie loose ends, the marine twisted on the balls of his feet to face that of the stranger. He had originally suspected the stranger to be that of a woman that was wild looking. But he didn't see any of the marks of the wild on her frame. And he most definitely didn't catch sight of any "hermit". Temporarily wide eyed and breathless, he found himself stuck in a miniature stupor. Hastily, he seized what ounce of intelligence he could before he would have been struck as immensely dumbfounded. "Why didn't you stay away?" he repeated using the socrates method of answering questions with another question. Immediately he recognized her as a woman from the tribe of Kuja with her inhuman appearance. She resembled that of a goddess even in the dark of the moon's reach. For some reason his emotionless and careless manner had been replaced by a powerful curiosity about the woman before him. In resemblence he felt like she was that of a deer and he the hunter. As his occuli met her own, he didn't want to do anything sudden to frighten her away. The only difference in that altercation compared to this one was that Gabriel was sure she had a means of fighting back if needed. For now, it was something he would try to avoid as it seemed that he wasn't the first man her eyes laid on. "I was seeking out the leader of the Kuja tribe." he honestly exclaimed as intentions to explain himself had formed. After all, he was a stranger and an "invader" of sorts to their homeland. "The weather at the moment doesn't allow my ship to safely set sail. Therefore I was hoping I'd be allowed to dock here once the storm is over." he explained with a single step forward towards the woman. He didn't want her to spaz or view him as someone that didn't mean her tribe or her well. "So I was searching for an envoy sent by your queen or the queen herself to ask for permission. I take it that you're the envoy ...? Or were you sent her to threaten and dispatch of me?" he inquired with a single pausing lingering in the air. He didn't know exactly what this woman was looking for but the only thing that was certain was that they needed to remain docked. So far she hadn't expressed any hostile emotions or actions that endangered such. And the only thing the commodore could do was hope for the blessing of the woman and her tribe. "Excuse my lack of manners, I'm commodore Hawke, Gabriel Hawke." he interjected. He was definitely acting rather different than usual.

[atrb=valign,top] bow chika wow ow saga notes: --

[SAGA DELPHINIUM]

[style=position: relative; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/J048h.png); border-radius: 100%; -webkit-border-radius: 100%; -moz-border-radius:100%; width: 100px; height: 100px; border-style: solid; border-width: 5px; border-color:#63AB62;][/style]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,padding: 5px; border-left: 5px solid #63AB62; border-radius; 10px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; border-bottom: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;][atrb=width,340,true][atrb=border,0,true] [style=letter-spacing: 1px; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9px;]she waited quietly as the man collected his thoughts, expecting something like that. she had been told that men were always struck speechless when they saw a kuja but no one could ever figure out why. saga herself always thought that it was because all men were born with some kind of weakness that made them pause whenever it acted up. of course, she never questioned why it only acted up when the men saw a kuja but she never really wanted to, either. saga tilted her head curiously to the side when he finally answered. why hadn't she stayed away? did he not know of the rules and laws of amazon lily? she had thought that everyone knew which was why no one ever came to amazon lily but this man seemed to exhibit actual confusion. "because it is my duty to uphold the laws of my tribe," she answered taking a few steps closer and watching the man warily. she had only ever heard terrible stories about them but this man didn't seem to be evil and horrid like the others had described all men to be. and there was something about him that made her want to just look the other way with the whole trespassing incident but she couldn't allow herself to do that. it was her duty to uphold the laws, just as it was every other kujas' duty as well. and no man would change that. ever. "i was seeking out the leader of the kuja tribe." "hebihime-sama is not on the island at the moment," saga answered. "she is currently away on business but that does not mean that we are unprotected. every women on this island is a trained warrior and none will hesitate to kill you if the need so arises. so i'd advise you to not go any further and to just return to your ship." she wasn't lying and she only hoped that the man would listen to her and leave. she would pardon him just this once as she couldn't bring herself to harm him after having watched him and his crew all day and well into the night. she didn't know why she suddenly felt this compassion towards him but she didn't have a chance to think on it as he had started to speak once again. "as i said before, hebihime-sama is not here at the moment nor did anyone send out an envoy to greet you or dispatch of you. i was merely in passing when i saw your ship dock and i decided to keep an eye on you and your crew to make sure that no one left the ship," saga answered. "and if you return to your ship now you may stay docked but you will have to leave once the sun rises. if you continue to linger on the island than i will have to be forced to rid it of you." for some reason, just that thought made her shudder and she once again found herself dreading to have to do anything of that sort. she wondered briefly if there was something wrong with her. maybe she was getting sick? but that was almost impossible as the kuja didn't get sick often. only one had eve gotten sick in all saga's years of living and that women had died of it. she once again shuddered at the thought. "excuse my lack of manners. i'm commodore hawke; gabriel hawke." saga blinked not expecting the man to introduce himself and as a result she answered in return. "i'm saga delphinium."[/style]

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: helvetica, sans-serif;]breathe by gumball @ on the edge[/style]

[GABRIEL HAWKE]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,420,true] It seemed the cordial nature that he tried to express towards Saga was ultimately useless. It was clear that Saga was far from an envoy that he desired but definitely an enforcer of sorts. She was adamant about withholding the rules of her tribe when even not pressed under a watchful eye. But it was that type of structure and ruling that made the Kuja such a feared and well known tribe. Even without her leader, Saga still was passionate enough about her tribe to keep any intruders at bay. It was something that Gabriel was forced to respect. After all, Amazon Lily was beyond that of Marine jurisdiction. "Alright." The words were soft and laced with genuine innocence. "I understand." he answered with that of a nod. She had made it quite clear that there wasn't to be anyone to stand inbetween her and her duties. But he truly didn't wish to stay to the confines of his ship all night in order to keep watch. There were many hours before daylight when they would be off and he wasn't likely to rest. Admittedly, the scallywags had worked feverently during the storm to minimize their losts, so it was best assumed that their energy was expended. "But I have one request." he added stepping forward. once more minimizing the distance between himself and the replica of Aphrodite. "I must keep watch until it's time for us to go. The sight of the waves bore me and I was wondering if I could linger in this jungle until it's time for me to go. I won't go inwards towards your village anymore. And I was hoping if you could be kind enough to stay with me. After all, you were watching me and my ship anyways right?" he stated, hoping that Saga would agree. His mouth opened and he had just began to speak once more until he heard another sound from the brush. Between the two, a single bengal tiger would have thrusted itself. Average in size, the animal would have bared its fangs in a predatory fashion. No more than a simple beast, the animal would growl into the night as it turned towards Gabriel. The orange animal only shuffled a few steps forward before contorting its slender body to view the Kuja behind him. It was at that moment Gabriel's eyes had actually adjusted fairly well to the night. Right behindd Saga, he could see a pair of two massive eyes lurking above. It's body was concealed by the inhuman and extraodinary shrubbery of the jungle. But it didn't take Gabriel long to focus on the outline of the animal before rendering it a massive bengal tiger. His body broke into a bolt towards Saga with his right arm reeling back. To her, this certainly would look like an hostile action and if she threw something his way then Gabriel surely would have to manuever through it. "Duck." The warning was quick and concise as the enormous tiger threw itself forward headfirst. It's jaws were hoping to seize Saga in half with one bite, but Gabriel had plans to impede such. If Saga had manuevered out of the way, Gabriel would have found his punch fueled by his own haki. The strike would've landed on that of the animal's nose before sending the "house-sized" beast reeling backwards. With a soft whimper the animal would turn off its back and scamper off into the jungle with the bengal cub that once was in between the two scurrying along. Gabriel's attention would turn to that of Sega's in an act of inspection. "Are you ok?" he reassured with a look of worry on his expression. This was his first time ever encountering an animal of such a rather gigantic size. It seemed Amazon Lilly held more than Kuja from the world.

[atrb=valign,top] where'd you go, i miss you so saga notes: gottabeahero c: // lets get the OP // story-arc thread? // soz fell asleep last night!

[SAGA DELPHINIUM]

[style=position: relative; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/J048h.png); border-radius: 100%; -webkit-border-radius: 100%; -moz-border-radius:100%; width: 100px; height: 100px; border-style: solid; border-width: 5px; border-color:#63AB62;][/style]

[atrb=valign,top][atrb=style,padding: 5px; border-left: 5px solid #63AB62; border-radius; 10px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; border-bottom: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;][atrb=width,340,true][atrb=border,0,true] [style=letter-spacing: 1px; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9px;]she eyed him warily as he took a step forward, throwing up her defenses that had suddenly disappeared but she listened just as intently as she had before. her lips turned down in a slight frown as he asked to stay in the forest and for her to keep him company. sure, she had been watching his ship and all but there was a certain reason as to why she hadn't left her hiding spot to interact with the crew when her curiosity to see what men were like for herself was at its breaking point. it was forbidden, against the laws of her tribe. and yet... "if that is what wil-" she was cut off by the bushes rustling and before she could even blink, a tiger was standing between her and gabriel. she held back a gasp, scrambling for her weapons only to remember that she had left them behind, not having intended on staying out so late into the night. she cursed herself silently, before slipping into a fighting stance only to freeze when she saw gabriel rush towards her. her natural course of action was to duck and so she did she would've even without being told to, tuning on the spot just in time to see a second bengal tiger, this time much larger than the first, disappear into the forest, its cub right behind her. "are you ok?" saga gave a stiff nod, pushing herself into a standing position, her eyes still glued to the spot where the tiger had been. she hadn't noticed that it had been there and if not for gabriel than she would've become its next meal (she completely ignored the fact that gabriel was the reason as to why she was still in the forest in the first place). he had saved her life. at the thought, her cheeks reddened and she could fee her heart start to race and she could only hope dearly that he wouldn't notice. she quickly brought a hand up to rub at her face for a moment before speaking. "thank you. if you hadn't been here than i wouldn't be alive right now."[/style]

[style=font-size: 10px; font-family: helvetica, sans-serif;]breathe by gumball @ on the edge[/style]