Org. XIV (story)

"I'm hardly going to spill my plundering secrets like that, am I?" Sylvia pointed out with a wink. "And enough with that," she rounded onto Lance with a scowl. "Don't patronize me, ok?" She grumbled irritably. "Just because I'm not a demi-god like you lot doesn't mean I'm incapable of my trade." She flipped her hair out of her eyes. "Now, we getting some food, or what?"

Lance raised his hands in defense, "I wasn't trying to insult you. Honestly, if you were lucky enough to gain the powers I have. I think you could soundly beat me. You're talented with a sword... Just here in our world, pure talent won't get you through. If you knew some offensive techniques, you'd be quite the force to be reckoned with. Now, to dinner then?" Lance explained making plain how impressed he was with the tealent he had seen Sylvia exhibit.

Nick rolled his eyes, "He's honest you know. And maybe you could show a little respect to the guy who not only saved from the woods but took you in without a second thought. Talking about stealing everything he's worked so hard to have isn't exactly friendly."

"Humph. I ain't exactly a friendly person," Sylvia frowned at Nick. "And I won't change who I am for nobody. Don't get me wrong." Her eyes flickered over to Lance. "I'm not the kind of person to let debts go unpaid. I mean, honestly, why bother to steal from a King that gives so willingly? There's no point," she shook her head. "No sport in it either, really. I have a bigger goal in mind, and it's not on this planet."

If...if it still exists. I know my homeworld and ship was swallowed whole. I've accepted that.

But...I can't accept that Treasure Planet is gone, too! I can't!

"So yeah. Don't write me off as a deceitful woman, yet. I may be a pirate, but I got some sense of honour, nonetheless." She grinned. "Just don't like to show it much."

"Alright!" She rested her hands on her hips. "Let's go fill our stomachs! Gods know I need to."

Thalia greeted the group as they entered the dining room, "Perfect timing, all of you. Dinner was just finished." Stretched out on the table was an assortment of Italian dishes, spaghetti, lasagna. and other various noodles along with a fresh salad.

"Quite the spread. Of course, Chef must find it nice... To cook for guests again." Lance acknowledged.

Thalia nodded, "He's estacic that it isn't just you, me, and Maya anymore."

Eoni walked through the Shadow Forest, hands outward. "No a drop of blood in here odd" he said as he continued the path. Then the rustle of the black, and ashen bushes caused him to pause. "Hm? Hello?" He called. Then six men appeared in a form of a colorless wheel. From white to black. "The chosen of Xetus...where is your master...and your demon as well?" One said stepping forward. The men where wearing armor, their movements like shifting gears and plate. Eoni crossed his arms slowly. "Dead, Dead and locked away until the end of time" he growled. Another knight stepped forward. "So your powers are gone?" The monochrome man behind him said. He sounded...happy? Excited even. Eoni then realized just how these men found him. "Yes" he said as he reached behind his back, fingers tapping the hilt of his blade. "But I'm no weakling"

Radiant Garden, central district

Roland was propped up against a streetlamp, his breaths heavy with exhaustion. He fumbled within his jacket for his flask, and upon finding it, lifted it up to his lips. He found no liquid relief however, and he sighed, shaking it once to be sure, before putting it away.

Gunamnex walked up to him, extending a hand. His voice was as usual slightly winded but clear.

"That Gregor does good work, doesn't he?"

"Ja, he's got the endurance for it." Roland said in reply, grasping the hand being offered to him. Gunamnex helped his comrade up, the two masters walking down the street.

"Where are those two right now?" Roland asked, expecting Oxthmas and Gregor to be nearby.

"You'll see" Gunamnex said in reply. He stopped before the door to a local tavern, opening the door with one hand, ushering Roland in with the other.

The sight within the tavern was truly one of merrymaking. The sounds of tankards, glasses, and bottles clashing as residents cheered were interlaced with the uplifting beat of a record player. The barkeep, a trio of moogles actually, were hastily filling out orders, floating about behind the bar top and between the open lanes of tables.

"Quite different than our old place" Roland said silently to himself.

"There they are" Gunamnex said, pointing to a corner booth. Roland looked over in the direction, and sure enough, the professional gambler and guardian were seated across from each other, their hands holding cards. Oxthmas placed his cards to the side indicating defeat, his face unwaveringly stone cold, the face of a true gambler. Gregor laughed in response to Oxthmas's surrender, pounding the table with one fist cheerfully.

"That's a rare sight to see, Oxthmas losing" Gunamnex said with a slight chuckle as he and Roland sat down between the two already seated.

"What can I say, it's an interesting new game to me." Oxthmas said in reply, dismissing the cards. He took a sip from the cola next to him.

Roland, his stomach grumbling, glanced over the menu.
"Lets have some cheese fries everyone" he said, the other three nodding in agreement.

Roland called out in his baritone voice, loud enough for one of the moogles to notice.

"One large order of fries over here!" <Think outback steakhouse cheese fries>

"da, and some bottles of Vodka!" Rang out from Gregor.

"und some Schnaps!" replied Roland.

The moogle responded quickly, alerting the other two. Two of the moogles carried over a rather large plate covered in cheese fries, the other carrying bottles of both assortments of vodka and schnaps.

Roland and Gregor, looking at one another holding a bottle each, broke out in wide grins, proceeding to guzzle down their perspective drinks with much vigor.

Gunamnex and Oxthmas looked between the two and laughed in unison, before proceeding to partake in the feast.

"That so?" Archer grinned. "I met a pirate lady long ago once myself. One of the greediest, money-grubbing person I knew. But she was a tough one, that one. Challenged entire fleets with small numbers and emerged victorious with a wide grin on her face."

Stormwolfex wrote:"That so?" Archer grinned. "I met a pirate lady long ago once myself. One of the greediest, money-grubbing person I knew. But she was a tough one, that one. Challenged entire fleets with small numbers and emerged victorious with a wide grin on her face."

<Fate/Extra Rider?>

< Different incarnation of her ^^ >

"Heh. Sounds like my own hero, Captain Amelia." Sylvia's smile lit up at the thought. "Even though...she's gone now." Her smile faltered slightly. "Well, better leave bygones be bygones. This woman you met sounds like someone I'd like to meet." She followed Lance and the others to the table where all the Italian cuisine was laid out.

Sylvia swore she was never going to be able to get used to this much food.

"That smells good," she sighed, rubbing her stomach in anticipation. "Is that spaghetti? Wow, it's been ages since I've had a dish of that! And what's that white layered stuff?" She pointed towards the lasagna. "Hell, I don't care, I'll eat anything!" Sitting down heavily on one of the chairs, Sylvia began to gorge herself on the food, slopping spaghetti and bread messily onto her plate.

"Hmm... this chef obviously has beginnings as a commoner," Archer sighed as she swallowed down a crusty bread. "All the food are rich in flavour and not overdone like so many other royal pompous asses I have seen cook."

Lance sat at the head of the table, Thalia to his left, Nick to his right, with Archer and Sylvia near him, and Maya next to Thalia.

Lance nodded as he filled his plate first with a side salad then the pasta, "I don't deal with in-house labor forces, they come and go as if it were a restaurant, the head chef here was just dish boy when I was young. He's worked hard to be where he is and he deserves it."

"Huh. Well, if you say so," Archer chuckled as she dug into her food with gusto. "Let's just hope your enemies don't find it too easy to infiltrate your castle then, hm?"

Lance smirked, "More like near impossible. You'd be surprised by the security of the castle despite its inept appearance. I'd be alerted to thier presence before they made it through any entrance."

Archer merely cocked an eyebrow. "You seem awfully sure of yourself. I'll take you at your word, of course. Let's just hope you don't ever regret it." She sliced a slab of meat up, chewing it enthusiastically.

Lance nodded, "Not sure of myself, reassuring my friends. There in lies the difference." He explained before returning to quietly eating.

Thalia smiled trying to keep a conversation going, "So, Nick? Why don't you enlighten us all about your service time with Lance? He's never told me much but the way he's talking lately... sounds like he's happy to have you back."

Nick laughed, "Yeah, he fought in the militia with me. That was back when he was Xancel though, heartless prick." Nick smiled.

Lance laughed raising an eyebrow, "You're one to talk. You were one hell of a loose cannon yourself. I remember how you leveled that army of heartless with what you call it? Kamekameha?"

Nick rolled his eyes, "Master Spark. Looks a lot like a saiyan attack. NOT the same thing."

"Saiyan?" Archer blinked blankly as recognition dawned. "Oh. That crapsack alternate world. Ewww." She shook her head in disgust as she went back to eating.

Lance shrugged, "I've met one... His name's Dispatch and he's hard headed and aggressive to no end. Likes to solve problems with his fists and metal and not his words. Otherwise, he's alright."

"I'm not talking about that," Archer made a face. "Either way, was I ever glad to be done for that mission." She rolled her eyes as she poured a small bowl of juice for her to drink.

Thalia nodded in agreement, "A planet with nothing but Dispatch... Pfft, no thanks. Anyhow, let's not stick to that subject. Maya, have any memories come back today?"

Maya shook her head, "No, Maya doesn't remember more... She thinks it's coming back faster now though." The girl was happily reshaping her spaghetti into various animals before eating it, playing with her food was really all Maya knew as true manners and refused to listen to Lance and Thalia when they told her otherwise.

"So what's she, anyway?" Archer glanced at Maya curiously.

Thalia lifted her hand and ruffled Maya's hair getting a look of irritation from her, "We found Maya when we fought with a group known as the Damned Syndicate. They were using her to cloak thier world and to fight us directly without getting thier more important members eliminated. When Lance saved her from Infernus, she decided to tag along with us in Lance's shadow. She's been with us ever since."

Lance nodded, "She's like a little sister to us. Sure, she's a little crazy and young for her age but she means well. We'd give her back to her parents but chances are they aren't with us anymore. Infernus wiped all of Maya's memories when he kidnapped her so she doesn't remember anything before the Damned Syndicate."

"Except Ienzo... 'Cept he turned mean too... He used to be a nice guy too..." Maya pouted depressively.

"Is that so?" Archer faintly cocked an eyebrow. "Well, if she does have bits and pieces of her memories then they weren't destroyed... merely suppressed." She glanced at Maya. "Her illusions must be quite something to cloak an entire world."

Maya nodded her head happily, "Maya's really good! Watch!" The behemoth from Sylvia's room "broke" through the wall and toppled Lance from his chair with a shove of its head. Then, in a blink of an eye, it was gone, the wall was repaired and the only evidence it had been there was Lance setting his chair upright again.

Thalia laughed settling some of Lance's hair returning it to its asymmetric spikes, "Yeah, her illusions are pretty impressive, she can even use them in combat since they can have mass if she want them to.

"Huh. That's interesting enough. Not a fan of illusions myself but they are effective," Archer shrugged. "Just try not to use them on me. My response is usually fatal."