Ouken's daily routine recently mostly consisted of him waking up in the gutter where he'd then make his way to the port. On his way to the port, he'd pocket an apple from a stand while the owner wasn't looking and when he got to where he was going, he'd find a way on top of a roof that'd overlook the whole port. He'd sit there for a few hours eating his apple and watching the ships come and go from the port. With every new ship, new potential recruits would walk out onto the island which Ouken could, from his vantage point, sift through visually to see if any of them caught his attention. The lot of them were disappointing and in order to cope with the ever growing disappointment that came from his quest to build a crew, he'd make his way to the local pub at sunset to drown his sorrows in more than a few cups of whiskey and whatever else he could pawn off of the other visitors. He'd drink and relax at the pub until closing, where he'd make his way out of the doors and promptly collapse, passed out, into the gutter for bed.
Rinse. And repeat.
The fact was that Ouken's time spent on Jaya wasn't being used in the wisest of ways. Looking for a crew was important, but he was starting to believe that his methods of searching weren't the brightest. Eventually he'd come up with an excuse to scrap his current plan, but until then he'd remain undeterred and continue his current practice. The worst that could happen to him in his current state was that he'd have to go back to doing what he had been for years prior in working on the various ships that he could work for. That, or he'd ruin his liver from the overabundant consumption from the alcohol, but that was less of a worry when it was also the only thing he could do in Jaya to entertain himself.
As the sunset, Ouken sighed to himself before rolling over and scooting himself off the roof and onto the ground. Brushing off whatever dirt he'd have accumulated on his front and back, he would then make his way to the next stop on his routine - the pub. When he arrived, he'd take his seat at the booth he'd almost used long enough to consider it his, waving to the staff to bring him his favorite beverage. Ouken made it a point of not looking at them for more than a second because every time the waitress would bring him his whiskey, she'd give him a dirty smile and quickly hustle off back to the rest of the staff. He didn't have the greatest presence in the pub since his run in with Dunkirk, but at least they weren't trying to kick him out anymore.
On this particular evening the pub seemed to be busier than normal. Ouken mulled it over in his head a few seconds, but couldn't come up with a day of the week or a reason why it would be busier, so he gave up trying and took a swig of his whiskey. Instead of wracking his brain over something that didn't matter, he'd rather enjoy the bar as it was now. Ouken wasn't a social person, but he did enjoy watching the larger crowd of people having their fun. People dancing, people laughing with their friends, playing card games... The bar was lively and it was part of the reason he kept coming back.
As the sun and moon rotated in the sky, the bar would begin to rotate out patrons and the ones that stayed would start getting particularly friendly thanks to their beverages. Ouken was one of these people that had downed more than a handful of drinks in his time there and was feeling a fair bit tipsy at this point. But the fact that he was losing the sober he had when he walked in only transformed his interest in the crowd to admiration in the form of amusement to pure amusement. The bobbing of the crowd and the over-the-top laughter became more funny to him than anything else. Anyone that looked his way could see the slightly drunk man giggling to himself while his eyes darted around the room.
The hours following proceeded in a similar manner. Ouken continued to drink and watch the rowdy patrons continue to have fun and drink themselves into exhaustion. The party continued and Ouken took note of the staff allowing themselves to cut loose with their customers. Everyone was in a good mood and as the pub began to drift apart for the night, the now tipsy bartender paid Ouken a visit in his booth. Ouken was too drunk to care at this point and so was the bartender, but a small amount of acquaintanceship had been forged between them with Ouken's bomb threat.
"How's it going, boy?" the bartender shouted. He collapsed into the booth opposite of Ouken and coughed, nearly out of breath. He was the owner of the pub, but also the primary bartender. His staff supported him during the few times that he decided to cut loose from his usual work and join with the fun that came to his business. Sweat was dripping from his forehead as expected of someone who had been running to and from the bar to dance and keep his glass filled.
Ouken raised a glass in response before speaking. "Drinking, witnessing the fun." He was calm. He was drunk, but when Ouken spoke, he made sure to keep the tone of his voice even and speak steadily. If it wasn't for the person hearing him speak, it was for his pride in keeping himself composed.
"Enjoy things more! The map is close!"
Ouken sobered up, if only slightly, as he heard something that piqued his interest. "Map?" he asked.
"The map," the bartender explained, excitedly. "The one to Treasure Island!" The drunken man took another big gulp from the pint in his hand, belching loudly, and smiling at the young pirate across from him.
"I like the sound of treasure..." Ouken trailed off, his imagination wandering. Ouken hadn't been on the island for very long, but there was a reason he had chosen Jaya to be his starting point. Primarily, he knew that a lot of pirates came to the island, but more than that, his dream was to see the city of gold and visit Skypeia for himself. The idea of an island made of treasure was more than pleasing to the young pirate, having him foaming at the mouth in giddy excitement. Drool ran down from the corner of his mouth as his head filled with thoughts of being able to bathe in piles of gold that matched the color of his very own castle.
Before he could get too deep into his dream world, Ouken was cut off by the bartender. "I doubt a bomb threat could handle the curse there, lad," the bartender shouted, laughing loudly. "I don't want to see you get hurt!" Of course... Ouken knew that even being drunk wouldn't save him from the taunting of the staff here, but he actually wished it'd have stayed at silent sneering rather than getting flat out insults like he'd just been given. He simply looked back at the bartender with a face that so obviously represented his lack of amusement.
"Tell me where it is," Ouken managed to force out. His momentary disdain for the man that also fed him alcohol couldn't compete with his desire to cash in on anything he could get his hands on.
"It's only a rumor," he said. In spite of the fact that both of them were drunk enough to inhibit their ability to walk properly, he could still see that Ouken was series. He sighed loudly, but continued, "I'm happy to get business from a rumor. Which is what it is - a rumor. But basically, there are marine ships that'll pass within view of the island. They won't dock at Jaya, but they'll be close enough to touch. One of them will be carrying the map."
"I want it."
"You're going to get yourself killed." The bartender was dumbfounded at the pure straightforwardness coming off of the young man. He couldn't help but find it admirable at the same time though, and smiled lightly before taking another big gulp of his drink. "You're going to die, but I'll tell you one more thing. Rumor has it that the ships will be passing only a few hours from now."
Hearing the information that he needed, Ouken slammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out the cash he needed to pay for his tab before jetting out the door. Once he was out onto the street, his legs kept moving, pulling him into an all out dash to the port in pure excitement. Luckily, the town wasn't busy at this time of night and the port was just as slow. He didn't have to wade through a large crowd of people to find his mighty seafaring vessel that had served him so well - the great 'Dutchman's Mistress'.
Before he had started to take work aboard random ships, Ouken had made his way from island to island using the 'Dutchman's Mistress'. The way the bow of his ship crashed into waves was something that made Ouken happy to the core of his person. This vessel was one of the things he took the most pride in, and although she wasn't very big, she was reliable. It was fortunate that Ouken didn't have a crew of his own though, because the 'Dutchman's Mistress' couldn't hold more than five people aboard at any point. She was small, but it made covert affairs much easier for him.
There was no better option for Ouken. He knew he had to avoid suspicion and sneak onto a marine ship at the break of dawn. 'The Dutchman's Mistress" was about to make herself that much more important in his life. He relieved some of the weight off his body by dropping his rifle, hand cannon, and his pistol into his vessel before pushing her from shore into the water. Sitting on one of her few benches, he stared out into the open water waiting for the marine ships to finally show themselves.
- Items in Possession:
- XPLD-4 Ver. Miniature
- Rifle-chan
- Pistol-kun
- 'The Dutchman's Mistress' (row boat)
- Skills Used:
Stamina: 250/250
- Notes:
Word Count: 1773
