| Role-Play Name: The Pain and The Pleasure Date Started: 11 May, 2019
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Isle of Marcella[]
It hadn't been too long, only 2 days had gone by since the events at Cascadé Rirrock had transpired. Affra Amethyst had only known life with another individual for as long. Roughly 10 years ago, Amethyst had secluded herself from the rest of the world after having everyone she'd loved die before her. She had been with them for only a few weeks before it all happened, those few weeks were probably some of the best weeks of her life.
Those days were behind her now. She'd come to terms with what had happened, maybe sooner than others. Now, all she wanted to do was be there to help people. And for one reason or another, she found herself at the side of yet another pirate.
Amethyst walked within the forest with her basket, looking around for any type of vegetable she could get her eyes on. For some reason or another, there didn't seem to be too many around. Amethyst had almost been ready to turn around and head back to camp. That was until her eyes laid upon a still developing apple tree. She outstretched her arm to it, a faint green aura radiated from her palms and before anyone knew it, the tree had sprouted to adulthood with full grown apples.
"He's going to love these!" Amethyst spoke with a child like giddiness, reaching up into the tree to pluck out as many red delicious fruits as she could get her hands on. After collecting all she could, she turned around and started to head back towards the camp site. Before, Amethyst was too busy looking for something to eat to take in the beauty of the forest she was in. If she was totally honest, this was a life she could get used to. No wars, no ambushes, no worrying about Marines and other Pirates or what have you coming to claim your head for a bounty. Deep down however, she knew this tranquility could only continue for so long. The one she wanted to be with was a Pirate, and a well known one at that, so trouble would only find him at some point. Until then, she only wanted to enjoy the time they had together. For as long as possible, after all, that's all anyone could hope for.
"I'm back with some apples. I hope you like them." Amethyst spoke, gently setting the basket filled with apples down on the soft grass. "You know, I saw a town while I was out looking for something to eat. Maybe we should go see what's out there?"
Boots and pants against the ground, there, before Amethyst's eyes, had been Draco D. Damon, one of the Horsemen and the one who had recently engaged in combat with Gambi Marlow. A scowl, "You keep coming back." And, even then, a soft smile graced his lips, his chuckle prompting his shoulders to rise.
Though, it quickly dropped. He was to set off soon, he had no time to be spending here. The battle's wounds hadn't been much, of course Damon would be free to go.
"Thank ya' for the apples," Damon got up in a blink, "But, they actually just serve to make someone hungrier." Still, he gently took one of them from the basket and glanced over its frame. "They..." Damon blinked a few times. "Look surprisingly mature."
A small frown grew on Amethyst's face as she heard Damon remark her presence as if it were a nuisance. She couldn't blame him for felling such a way, but it still hurts sometimes. Her expression revived itself once Damon thanked her for the apples. "Starving sounds like an interesting form of torture...maybe I should try it." She spoke to herself, poking her little green cheek markings. She made a playful expression, and she'd be surprised if Damon hadn't quite figured out what type of girl she was.
"Yea, I guess I'm just naturally gifted when it comes to finding apples don't you think?" Amethyst went on. She liked playing this game, being alone with Damon, just talking and getting to know one another. A small smile was still on her face, yet reality would once again cause her smile to diminish from view. "So...when are you leaving, Asura?" This had been the first time Amethyst had called Damon by his epithet, reminding him that she hadn't quite forgotten his status as a Pirate.
She placed the basket of apples down as she sat on a fallen log that had been converted into a makeshift bench. "I want to see if we can go into the nearby village and give these apples away. I'm only guessing you don't plan to stay around long enough to enjoy them all, so I thought it best we give them to the people who need them." She crossed her legs over one another, enjoying the scenery of this spot. Even though she'd seen it for quite awhile, each time she noticed something different. A baby bird first taking flight, a new blossom growing on the plants, or a different mother calling out to it's children out in the distance.
"What'cha said?" Damon's gaze shot at her once her muttering came through, nothing he couldn't hear, though, he didn't quite make it out. Maybe it wasn't worth it, or, well, it was rather personal. Quickly, his expression defaulted and he just observed their surroundings. "Your haki is immense," Damon nodded with her question, "So, no surprise." At first, he would have guessed she had some ability or even pertained to some race, but, when his haki replenished, it was clear.
Expression unchanging, Damon looked upon the very ground, letting whatever breeze went through their small place hit him. "I want to support my... friends." That time, a smile managed to creep its way back into his lips, "But I'm sure I can help you with the give-away. A commendable thing, dorararara."
Much like with her, the surrounding events made their way into his mind, either via his instinct, his senses, or even his haki, but they did. All at the same time. Damon gestured all around them, "D'ya want me to be quick about it or...?" He tilted his head and crossed his arms.
Amethyst smiled as she heard Damon mention how he wanted to help those close to him. She stood up, grabbing the basket and turning to face him. "I kinda want us to take our time handing these out. Who knows how long it'll be until I get to enjoy company again." She chuckled a bit, starting to skip off towards the direction of the town.
"C'mon hot stuff!" She teased, "We don't have all day if you plan to leave tomorrow." Amethyst pivoted on her left leg, turning back to face the direction of the village yet again. She looked away as she responded to Damon's earlier comment on her haki. "You kinda have to have a strong will to get through what I've dealt with." She stated as cheerfully as she could, with no ounce of sadness detectable in her voice, almost as if she was proud where she came from.
"Being raised in the Cipher Pol does a number on you. Especially Number 9." Amethyst went on, letting some things about herself slip out. It had been ages since she was able to actually talk about these things, so she couldn't help if she let more slip than she intended. "Go from that to, well, certain events...and eventually having your whole crew get destroyed and manage to cope with that, you're well on your way to some serious willpower." Amethyst had gotten over most of this years ago. And a part of her couldn't help but think that being a CP9 operative played some part in it.
Once Amethyst realized partially what she had hinted at, she took a moment to reassure Damon of her allegiance. "Oh, don't worry by the way. I defected from the Cipher Pol quite some time ago. And honestly, I don't think they'd take me back even if I had brought them a Yonko on a silver platter." Amethyst swung the basket back and forth, at least appreciating that Damon hadn't walked off while she ranted. She already had half the mind that he wasn't quite listening to her going on and on about her past.
"Hmmm..." Damon thought on tilting his head at her remark on company, maybe she hadn't listened to what he said. Tomorrow was almost too late, he took a quick glance at the ground, but walked towards her nevertheless. "I imagined," Damon skipped his own thoughts, falling back into the subject of Haki, which, oddly enough, was cut short by Amethyst instead.
Albeit his eyes were looking forward, his ears took in all of what she said, nodding in large intervals. "We wouldn't be here if you were still with 'em," Damon nodded for the last time, they seemed way much close to the village, some people looking in their direction due to his lack of a shirt. They were very close to soon engaging in conversation with the villagers, but Damon sped up his steps and grabbed some of the apples, bolting by Amethyst.
In that small interval, Damon's whisper was to reach Amethyst. "You shouldn't share that story so easily," He didn't even look back, instead, waiting on her to engage the other people as well. "Good mornin'."
Amethyst did a bit of shrug in response to Damon's own on the topic of her allegiance. She simply kept her mouth shut, believing she had gone on for long enough. Contrary to what she believed, Damon was kind enough to at least listen to her go on and on about her history in this world. As they entered the town, she continued to keep her cheerful mentality.
As Damon began to speed up, Amethyst would feel the weight of his words against her ears. She gave a comfortable smile, which Damon wouldn't notice as he'd gone ahead of her. "There's no reason I should be concerned sharing that story with you." She thought to herself, raising her free hand in a waving motion to greet the villagers.
She found herself surrounded by children, many of whom began to make remarks about her appearance. Most of which were on the topic of her beauty, with one of the young boys giving her a frog as if declaring his affection. Amethyst happily accepted the small amphibian, giving the boy a kiss on the forehead. He would run off in response, yet it seemed to be out of excitement. More children gathered, with the topic changing from her beauty. Many of the girls made comments about her hair, asking to braid it. Yet, anyone who wasn't on the topic of her hair were questioning her cheek markings.
"You like them? I can make them glow! You wanna see?" She went on, shifting into crisscross on the ground. As the children nodded, clearly wanting to see the woman's magical cheeks, they begun to glow with a faded sickly green. The children oohed and ahhed at the sight, while some of the other's had managed to remove Amethyst's hat and started to braid her hair.
Amethyst took this pause in action to look up to Damon, handing him the basket as she took a bit out. "Why don't you go pass those out? I'll see if any of these munchkins are interested, ok?" Amethyst had started to make her cheek markings flash repeatedly, the flash wasn't bright in the least, but it was interesting show nevertheless.
The persistance of Amethyst's warm thoughts didn't go unnoticed by Damon's haki, yet, he looked not at her. While she busied herself with children, he took upon himself to handle stuff to just about anyone else. Was for the better, kids weren't much of an angry adult's fans, Damon's back faced the scene with them. It seemed Amethyst read his mind or whatever, for she suggested that next.
"Yeah, okay," Damon quickly nodded, managing a weak side smile as he went to grab the large basket. Before he went on ahead, however, Damon stopped abruptly and spoke at Amethyst. "What do you plan on doin' after this?" Even then, he didn't look back at her, again.
Amethyst kept calm, continuing to entertain the children. Her eyes however, were deadlocked on Damon. More specifically his muscles, or what she could see of them from her position. "Short term? Going to eat at that restaurant we passed. Long term? Haven't quite figured it out but, I'd love if you were a part of it." She hoped that Damon would come to join her at the restaurant, but didn't outright say it. Something was telling her that, even without words, he would know. It just always felt like his Haki was active, or maybe that was just the power the emanated.
Her stare was present upon him, yet, it held no weight. Or, at least, that was how Damon would describe it. He listened intently at what Amethyst had to say, licking his lips before blurting out his answer, "Short term sounds cool, you and I deserve a good place to eat at." Of course he would fall flat on cooking once again, every time he had the opportunity, it just didn't come. Was someone cutting Damon's attempts at cooking...?
Damon should have asked for interacting advices to Soren, or maybe, how to turn down someone with Tabart... Okay, maybe he wasn't the one to be asked for that. Chibi images of them floated into his head, Apu and Katashi played chess in the background, Damon shook his head. "Once our bellies are full with proper food, we can part." He walked off, holding the basket with one hand and preparing himself to summon more hands to give the fruits.
Amethyst did her best to let everything Damon said go through one ear and out the other. There was more than one type of pain, and she knew what types she did and didn't enjoy to be subjected to. As Damon continued his walk to deliver the fruits, Amethyst had the children to keep her company for now.
"Is Mister your boyfriend?" One of the young girls spoke, continuing to style Amethyst's hair.
Amethyst's blushed as the lass made the comment. It was clear she wanted more than what she had with Damon, but what really did they have? As far as he was concerned, Amethyst was just the creepy girl who followed him from a warzone. "No...I don't know what we are really?"
Another one of the girls gasped, cupping her mouth with her hands. "Did he kidnap you?"
"Are you being held captive by the Mister?" Another girl chimed in.
"Of course not, us girl's are too strong to be imprisoned by men." She cheerfully stated, hoping to inspire the younger generation with her words. If anyone was being held captive in this relationship the two had, then it was definitely Damon. She looked around at the five girls whom were still styling her hair, a gentle smile growing as she cherished the moment. "You lot seem like some confident lasses, how would you all go about telling a boy your feelings?" She asked. It was hilarious, a twenty-something woman asking pre-teens for advice. But in all honesty, Amethyst wouldn't be all to surprised if these children had more romantic insight than she had.
"Hm?" One of the girl's thought, holding a comb to her chin as she wondered. "Maybe you should just tell him how you feel? That's how the fairytales work!"
"Yea! If he loves you, he'll accept!"
"It's meant to be, so he can't say no!"
As they all continued to chime in, one of the girl's interrupted the pattern. "No, I don't think it works like that. If it did, then momma and papa would be together."
A frown grew on Amethyst's face, she extended her arm to grab the hand of the young girl. "She's so...mature. The poor thing." Amethyst thought. As the girl stopped doing her part in styling the woman's due, she seemed to have something she wanted to say. Amethyst could tell this. No, she could feel the desire. "So, what would you suggest, sweetie?"
"I do think you should tell him how you feel, but, don't make it all about you." The girl spoke, she looked up to match eyes with Amethyst, which thankfully kept her from frowning up too much as she continued. "Romance isn't one sided. So, I think it's best for you to let him know how you feel, but don't expect his feelings to be mutual." As she finished, she lowered her head once more. Amethyst would give the young girl a kiss on the cheeks.
"What's your name?"
"Jenny..."
Amethyst let her hands go, realizing that her hair was done being tampered with by the children. Amethyst's hands would then move to Jenny's shoulders, "Well then, Jenny, you're a very smart girl." The boys had already taken the apples Amethyst had and departed, leaving the girl's to chat. As the woman admired her long braided hair, she grabbed her cap, putting the frog one of the boy's had given her on her head and covering the frog with her head wear. "Thank you girls, it was fun!" She said, waving to the group as she walked to the restaurant.
Just Enough[]
It had been maybe an hour, give or take, since Amethyst and Damon had split to deliver the fruits. Now, Amethyst sat outside the restaurant with her newly braided hair, awaiting the arrival of her current companion. So much was racing through her head, mostly about Jenny. Amethyst couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the young lass to make her so mature. Or in another way of thinking, just how did she gain such insight on life?
Eventually it made Amethyst wonder what her life would've been like without her history with the CP-9. Yet, she'd known it was all for the better, after all, how else would she had gotten where she was without those events. But part of that thinking was highly contributed to the fact Amethyst was completely unaware to what life could be like outside of what she lived now.
Something boomed out in the sky, some leaves perched to the side once hit with a gust of wind. Very low rumbling went through the quiet night of the forest behind the town. Flower petals briefly took over the sky, even if minimal. Damon seemingly stepped out of a bush, a few scratches throughout his muscular frame, though, then, he was wearing a shirt. A simple black tight shirt.
"Is this the place?" Damon rose a hand at Amethyst, approaching her with his default expression. "It does look nice," His nose sniffed some bit, "The scent is also nice."
Amethyst stood up as Damon approached. For a quick moment, her eyes caught sight of his shirt. This was the first time she'd seen him wear anything on his upper body since the two had met. Despite his efforts to dress up, whether it was for her benefit or his, Amethyst couldn't distract from all the ruckus he had made. "What were you doing just now?"
Damon looked to his left side, then, in a sudden motion, he surged his arm from his hip to the side of his head, whipping any bruise on his face. "Um, well, does it really matter?" He tried a wavy smile, making sure that his tone didn't come off a certain way. After all, it was not like people wouldn't get curious in a situation such as this one.
But then, a sigh made its way out of his lips, Damon lowered his head briefly. They would depart soon anyway, maybe he should just be a bit more truthful. "Okay..." He rose his head, still looking at his left, "Y'know the basket right? Right... so, a bunch of weird creatures snatched it from me..." Quickly, his left hand shot up in a thumbs-up, Damon said, "I got it back though!"
"I see..." Amethyst stated, she frowned a bit at what Damon spoke. But at least he was honest with her. She gave a slight smile as she held her hand out. Before she touched him however, she remembered their first encounter. The anger in his eyes, the fury that was creeping through his skin. It made her flinch a bit, just as much as it made her lust. "Would you mind if I touched you?" She stated.
"Hm?" Damon blinked at her hand extending towards him, his mouth opened and his lips curved downward. But, tightening his fists allowed him to revert to an expression closer to his normal one, "...I actually would." Damon's gaze fell and shadowy lines blocked part of his face. Instantly, he gestured at the restaurant and began to take steps, "Let's walk in, you sound hungry."
Amethyst raised her brow just a bit as Damon reacted to her question. Before she thought he only reacted so aggressively due to the situation. But now it seemed as if he had some sort of vendetta with being touched, even if it would allow him to heal. She followed Damon into the establishment, and while Damon claimed she was hungry, she was more so thirsty if anything.
As the two walked in, Amethyst seemed to take charge of the situation. "Table for two please?"
A man walked by and gestured for the two to follow them. Amethyst followed him without checking to see if Damon was behind. Something just told her that he was, even if she couldn't see him. Amethyst sat down at the table as the waiter put down two menus. "So, what can I get for you two to drink?" He asked.
"I'll take a Cora." Amethyst calmly stated, flipping over the menu to quickly decide what she wanted to eat.
"And for the gentleman?" The waiter asked, looking towards Damon to see what he desired.
Having walked quietly while behind Amethyst, from a fair distance as well, Damon took his seat in a swift motion. His back rested against the chair, posture straight, while his hands stood atop his thighs. Attention over the waiter, Damon licked his lips and asked, "Would ya' know what's a Fruchttee?" A blink, "If yes, I'd like a strawberry one, please yo."
"Strawberry Fruchttee..." The waiter repeated to himself as he wrote down the beverages. It was suddenly ended with the click of his pen and followed with a... tongue pop? "I'll be back with your beverages shortly darlings!" The waiter's tone became much more flamboyant and feminine like. He did a swift and sassy turn about as he headed into the kitchen, switching his hips ferociously as he did so.
Amethyst chuckled a bit as she watched him head out. "He's quite the character isn't he." She slowly stopped her laughter, fully focusing on Damon. "I've yapped your ears off a lot today. Where are you heading after today?"
Damon offered a nod and a quick smirk, "Thanks!" His head turned back to the table before him, and Amethyst. "I guess so," He finished with a smile, "Friendly interactions are good service."
Since Amethyst took her time at laughing, Damon simply diverged his gaze in different directions. He, however, quickly spoke up when she was done, "I am heading to the waters of Boffola." Damon sighed, gaze still shifting every once in a while.
"Boffola?" Amethyst repeated, too busy gazing at her menu to notice that Damon seemed a bit antsy. "I've never heard of it. Is there a specific reason you're heading there or would you rather not tell me?" Amethyst asked. She didn't want to seem too nosy, but she couldn't help but be interested. She would look over to see the waiter returning with the duo's beverages in hand.
"Here is your Cora, Queeny." He spoke to Amethyst, putting her drink down. "And for the hunk of a man we have your delicious Strawberry Fruchttee." He would gently place Damon's drink down as well. "Are you two ready to order or should I give you both some time?"
Damon tilted his head briefly, "It's a group of islands... though not really an archipelago?" All he knew was that they were quite some days apart from one another, maybe an archipelago would have closer islands. "I'm meeting with my comrades," Damon took no break between her question and his answer. All the while, his gaze shifts had started to enter some sort of pattern, though they were less frequent.
Eyeing the waiter as well, Damon gently cupped the beverage and smiled, "Thanks for the drink and compliment!" His gaze then fell over the steaming tea over the table, its scent filling his nostrils. "I don't want anything right now," Damon uttered.
The waiter nodded and headed off to the other table he was attending. "Miranda! Girl I knoooow you didn't! Girl you so damn crazy!" He laughed as he went on his way.
Amethyst stared at her bottle of Cora. She would swirl it around, but never seemed to take a swig. "I don't assume you would want me to come along, would you?" She asked. The atmosphere lightened only for a moment, and suddenly the air became stiff. Amethyst could almost choke on her words, but she held up. "I could play medic...which is kinda what I was trying to do earlier when I asked if I could touch you."
The grip on the cup suddenly tightened, but Damon held no breath of his. "Wanting and needing are different... I don't have any answers for either, I'm sorry. I really don't know what'll happen," He lowered his head briefly, taking the chance to rise his cup and sip it a bit. "Hot," Damon hissed for but a single moment, petals flying off. "I know that, your power allows you that right?"
Amethyst nodded, noticing how Damon's grip changed on the cup as it shifted slightly in his grasp. "Yes, I have the ability to hasten the regenerative properties of the body. In some cases I can also perform the impossible." She almost managed to ramble on, but kept her part to a minimum.
"Let me ask you this. Would you rather me stay here instead of going with you to Boffola?" Amethyst asked, seeing as Damon dodged her previous question.
"Hasten... like you're pouring down water into a plant and it grows really fast." Damon nodded, glancing to one side as if he was talking alone for a second. His eyes went back to her, "Seems our powers make the impossible possible." Another sip, "It's nice."
At her subsequent question, Damon took his time in swallowing more and more tea, then, he put the cup down and licked his lips. This was better than the one at home. "I... think so, we're on a specific quest, find this big ass dude... and there will be people... blocking our way I guess?"
Amethyst sat calmly. In one way or another, her power was like pouring water on a plant. But if anything, it was more like the fertilizer. She contemplated Damon's words, and what to say next. As her beverage remained full in her hands, she looked Damon directly in the eyes. "So, why would you rather I stay here?"
Eyes over Amethyst's drink, the notion of it being full did not escape from Damon's mind, he thought on asking her, but shut his mouth closed. It opened again, but, for other words. "It's stuff you're not involved with... people you don't know, not sure what anyone else could even say, or do. And there is also the fact we may be dealing with both marines and yonko," He glared ahead, eyes half-lidded, some shadow strands over his face.
A soft smile etched itself on Amethyst's face as Damon spoke. Her eyes still gazing directly into his. "Listen, I can take care of myself on a battle field. Yonko, Marine, or Shichibukai. I don't care. I just want to know." She moved her hand to the neck of her bottle, and for all intent & reason she radiated with passion. "Look me in my eyes and tell me, do you want me to help you?" She asked for the final time. And whatever answer Damon gave would be final.
One needed not Haki to even feel the sheer amount of pressure she ehxaled with that action. "I see..." Damon allowed a smile to grace by his lips, while his eyes closed gently and his head lowered slightly. He had to give an answer, "N- SHIT!!!"
An explosion quickly cut off all sounds, be it from chatter or maybe from music played inside the restaurant. Though no debris nor glass flew inside the location, outside, through the windows, people would be capable of seeing the immense cloud of dust that rose, the tiles of the very ground shattered. More explosions followed, shaking the whole building everyone was in, some chandeliers went to one side to the other, utensils and plates fell to the ground.
The explosion caught Amethyst off guard. She was going to get her answer, on whether she wanted to keep this going or not. But then this happened. As the building shook from the power of the explosion, Amethyst could only look around to see if anyone was hurt. She could barely process what was happening, but as a Doctor, it was her duty to focus on the health of others. "Damon! What's happening!"
Before she could get the answer of her second question, Amethyst would find herself looking at Damon's form as it dissipated into flower petals, "I'm sorry... I had to keep them away-" He vanished completely into thin air, prompting the cup of hot tea to crack against the floor.
"HE'S BEEN ON HIS TOES, BRO!" A loud voice hissed from outside the place, another explosion came.
With that last explosion, someone crashed through the walls of the restaurant, skidding through the floor and some tables, only to then finally crashing against the restaurant's opposite wall in another explosion. Dust covered most of the insides. The shadow rose from the created debris, holding his bloody nose, "Gah..." It was Damon who coughed and shook his head. His eyes widened at the sight of Amethyst.
Yellow and large, a three-fingered hand darted through the scenario and swiftly met Damon's face, pushing him outside of the restaurant once again, "TRULY ON HIS TOES!" The phrase was repeated, but, by a rougher voice. Two figures ran across the cloud, though, they were both shot offward a second after, clearing the smoke and revealing Damon.
As Damon's body faded to petals, it was clear what had been going on. All this time, when she thought she was having an honest conversation with Damon, she was only talking to a mirror image. A clone. A byproduct of his Devil Fruit. It stung, more than anything that he'd done since she'd known him. For that brief moment of what she believed was the true Damon crossed eyes with her, her brows curved down as she gave him an angered expression.
Quickly and calmly, Amethyst ordered for the occupants of the building to get under tables. "Please, you have to! Atleast until this is over!" As another explosion erupted, Amethyst's hat was blown off, revealing the frog underneath. Out of sheer reflexes she was able to grab it before it go too far, placing it back onto her head. She confidently walked towards the wall Damon had been thrown out of, observing the escalating situation.
"Are you ok?!" Damon bellowed, not glancing at her, eyes flashing a deep red with trails and going around in search of his attackers through the dust. Deep down, he knew she was not okay, it was pretty obvious. But, that was not the matter at hand of then. "These guy-"
Before Damon could finish his sentence, the same gloved hand from before shot out of the dust like a torpedo and smashed him through one of the remaining walls. "C!" The hissing voice said, "I got him real good!!" Since the dust had settled, the two figures that had lurked were easily visible.
The owner of the yellow glove had a large body, as if he was wearing a green coat, which extended into a hoodie. Both his hands had yellow gloves, three fingers each, they seemed to be tied to his coat. Two shining yellow eyes peeked from inside the hoodie, no other facial trait visible. The other was smaller in stature and dressed in an open red coat, the hoodie he also had extended into a mask that blocked everything but his eyes, shining red eyes.
Amethyst continued to look at Damon, yet spoke nothing. Her eyes said it all, the anger and frustration she was harbouring towards him and his actions. As the hand flew through the dust and debris and threw him into the building, her expression remained bleak. She put one foot in front of the other. How ever, since there was no more floor beneath her, she gently floated down to the streets of Marcella. She reached to the back of her dress. And seemingly out of nowhere she revealed two wires from her back. A stone cold expression sat on her face as she griped the wire, twirling it like a windmill in her hands. She aimed it at the hand that had griped Damon, launching it forward, the momentum carrying her into a spin that revolved only once. It wasn't aimed to kill or even injure for that matter, but the accuracy was spot on. No, the intent was to warn whomever these ruffians were to back off. And to put some distance between Damon & his adversaries.
These same feelings that Amethyst exhibited, they constantly had Damon shifting his attention, much like his clone before. Amethyst was, undoubtedly, a person of strong aura, which meant that it ressonated strongly againt the environemnt. Whereas Damon was favoured in his Kenbunshoku Haki, especially when it came to emotions, this made it where any of her sensations could easily override many others that got into his field. This was true even earlier, when Damon was occupied fighting these mysterious figures, Amethyst simply took off his attention off the fight sometimes, prompting even the clone to shift his attention.
On top of that, the opponents seemed to be adept at masquerading their movements. Not only in regards to how swiftly they attacked, but also with the lack of visible intent. On top of that, just what was it that they were doing which kept Damon, a martial artist, busy all this time?
Amethyst's wire soared through the air to hit the gloved hand, producing a loud crack against the air. Surely, even when she didn't aim for any serious damage, the gloved hand would be hurt. Yet, the attack reached not even the man's glove, going through a blank atmosphere and hitting the other figure, who wasn't even the target. "GYAAAAAAAAH!" They screamed, flung back into a building.
Damon gasped for air, having taken the chance to pause, unlike before, when the gloved figure assaulted him over and over. In fact, the figure seemed to have disappeared altogether, no steps were taken when he vanished, no gusts of winds due to his body breaching any kind of velocity. At the same moment, a flickering yellow glove appeared from behind Amethyst's shoulder, seemingly ready to grab her.
As Amethyst’s wire struck the other adversary who, quite frankly, Amethyst didn’t see, she realized what exactly she was up against. “Shoot!” She called, and as a reflex to the current situation, her eyes became a deep red. Not before the yellow gloved figure could get it’s hands on Amethyst however. Her eyes went wide as she felt the grip on her shoulder, being completely at her opponents mercy.
Mistaken Business[]
"Off with me," The glove had been flickering, suddenly, not only would Amethyst feel the grip on her shoulder, the visage before her flickered into a moment's static. Before any words were whispered, buildings gave way to trees, pavement became soil, bright shifted to dark. The screams dulled, as if they were too far away.
Amethyst would find herself in the middle of the woods, far away from the town. Craters and destroyed trees littered the environment, had they all been fighting here beforehand?
Along with the visage, the grip on her shoulder was also gone. Amethyst would probably be capable of aiming a simple attack should she react fast enough. After all, as soon as he let her go, the gloved man was to flicker out of existence again.
Amethyst looked around her new location, and couldn’t help but wonder if all that was going on was some form of advanced illusions. “I was really hoping he’d slam me into the ground...” She spoke, somewhat disappointed. Looking around she could only question why. Why these creeps were after Damon. And where the hell they’d come from.
Looking straight forward, her Haki imbued eyes scanned everything in an instant. Staring at the victim of her attack earlier, she observed every inch of their body both inside and out thanks to her Naibu Shindan.
Taking a tight hold on her wires, the sharp metal tip adopted a serpentine aura in response to the Haki being poured into it. While she prepped the wire in her left hand, a tight grip remained on the wire she tossed earlier. While she did her best to keep her opponents eyes, the stray wire would attempt to coil itself around the target.
Upon viewing the man's body through her Haki, Amethyst would notice something... odd. He seemed thinner than the shape of his clothes. "Insistent..." He spoke, figure stopping to flicker out of existence. He breathed, "Very well," The wire steadily surrounded his form, which gave off a quick mist within a second, he breathed again.
"Who are you?" He asked, seemingly not bothered by her wire wrapping around him. Though, as soon as it did, even though it was guided through Haki, the wire seemed to become even sturdier, acquiring a lighter texture throughout its frame.
“Who I am doesn’t matter. Who are you and why did you attack the village.” Amethyst spoke with a tone colder than ice and a conviction stronger than steel. As the wire continued to wrap around her victim, she could tell whatever this person was, wasn’t human.
She gripped the wire in her left hand, which had yet to see action. Without any further thought, she launched it forward like the first, albeit with less power. However, the serpentine avatar allowed the wire to fly at speeds greater than the first. Unlike the first shot, which wasn’t aiming for anything fatal, this attack was. It had been soaring directly for the individual’s heart. Suggesting it landed however, it would lodge itself into the victims heart to prevent blood loss. Keeping them alive long enough just to meet Amethyst’s demands.
"My name is Leonidas. Our business..." He began, voice stern as well, the white texture extending further into the whip around his frame, a mist oozed from it... was it ice? "Lies with the Oni." Cracks reverbered through the wire's frame, it would no longer have the fluidity it had beforehand, but that didn't solve all the problem.
Everything flickered once again, though, Leonidas didn't disappear, rather, it seemed that he, Amethyst, and the wires all moved a few meters. After all, a tree stood in the fair amount of space between them, whereas that same tree had been located a distance from where they previously stood. The wire etched into the tree almost instantly, while the other one seemed to crack even more, allowing for Leonidas to move freely.
However, the wire aimed for his heart was too fast, thus, Leonidas' eyes widened and he had no time to simply move completely away from its trajectory. Instead, he tried to duck his torso only slightly and move his hand, which gave off that same mist, to take a hold of the wire, though he knew not this wire attacked with less intensity.
Amethyst seemed to completely ignore the flickering environment for the most part. After the first time around, she came with the conclusion that looking at such things would only be a hinderance. However, a large tree suddenly popping between her and her target would catch anyone off guard. She would quickly reel back, not without noticing what this fiend had been doing to her wires.
She would quickly drop her ends of the wires, seeing as they were no longer of use. And seemingly out of nowhere, she revealed 2 more wires from within the sleeves of her outfit. She wielded them like Kunai, visibly preparing for close ranged combat. Or alternatively, this offered Amethyst the opportunity to quickly gather herself and move around if projectiles would come her way.
Her glistening red eyes would continue to gaze upon the creatures figure. “Forget the Oni. I’m your opponent now.” She uttered with determination, and slightly anger.
Oh, of course, Leonidas shouldn't be surprised that she had an additional pair, given how the first two were easily rid of. His eyebrow had visibly went up, since part of his hoodie moved, yet, his eyes kept themselves on her pose, flashing a deep red. He almost cooed, her emotions were blatant. "Why tell me to do something-" Another buzz, Leonidas vanished out of sight, figure reappearing a few meters from where Amethyst stood, "-I've already done?"
A misty hand lunged forward, seemingly ready to strike her backside. However, Leonidas' hand hadn't truly went towards Amethyst, rather, he shot a small wave of cold air at her, knowing full well that if he went for direct contact, she would counter-attack swiftly. After all, her emotions blatant meant her actions could be read by his Haki. Should the air sip into her, Amethyst would feel her body slightly more rigid, though not a lot.
Amethyst quickly took her wires in hand. She allowed them to hang a little, yet the actual length was rather minuscule. She let them spin, almost like wind mills as she prepped for her next maneuver. Easily swinging both of the wires into nearby tree trunks, she was able to use them to lift herself off the ground. This spared her the northern winds that had been shot at her.
“What are these two planning?” Amethyst thought to herself, swinging her wires like she had done before. She seemed to wait for opponents next attack, basing her own on the following assault. If there was any assault coming that was.
"Very clever," Leonidas nodded at Amethyst's maneuvers, "I can read anger all over you." He lifted a large finger up, this person sure knew how to handle herself in a fight, there was not a shed of doubt in Leonidas about that. "My comra-"
Before Leonidas continued, an explosion of dust and debris covered their surroundings, probably partialling ridding them of their vision. The resulting shockwave travelled through the rest of the forest, a visible trail of smoke coming from the supposed direction of the village. "He was just fast," A voice blurted out loud, emerging from the smoke.
Damon held up the other fighter by his leg, they seemed bloody and coughed several times. "L-LEO, HE GOT ME!!" Their childish voice filled everyone's ears.
"Cleombrotus!!" Leonidas stared at the two of them, eyes wide, had it truly been a mistake not to teleport back to the Oni?
Once the environment warped yet again, Amethyst had now come to question what exactly was at hand. Was this what kept Damon preoccupied for so long? It had to have been. For the little time Amethyst spent battling Leonidas had shown that these guys weren’t to be underestimated.
With Damon and his beaten opponent, Amethyst could only take in the sight for a split moment. A young voice came from Damon’s victim. As they dangled, Amethyst felt a ping in her heart. Why did he have to be so brutal? This was wrong! It had to be.
However, as Leonidas turned his back to Amethyst to call out to his injured ally, she knew what to do. The light in her eyes went dead as she threw forward a wire, soaring through the air as a sound resonated from the its body.
It struck the ground behind its target, bouncing at diagonal angle so it would pierce through the individuals arm. However, it wouldn’t end there, flying with enough force to also rebound off the roof of a nearby building and directly through Leonidas’s skull. Was it a shot to kill? Possibly. Amethyst had mostly studied the body, but had little knowledge on all the regions of the brain and where exactly she was aiming. All she knew was that it was a sensitive part of any creature. And a deadly location to attack.
Leonidas gasped once the sound of Amethyst's wire flying towards him snapped him back to reality, his eyes glaring at her by the side. However, given the harshness she threw it with, he simply couldn't move away that much, it struck his hand instead of his arm, as he had attempted to dodge.
Blood flew off the rags of his yellow glove, sipping into Leonidas' own clothes and the ground beneath him. The wire was supposed to continue its trajectory still and would bounce back towards him. Yet, from when it touched Leonidas again, coldness had engulfed its structure, prompting it to start to break before it would even reach him.
Taking such a chance, Leonidas jumped to the side, holding his wounded hand with his free one. It was true that Amethyst possessed that knowledge, but it was for that same reason that she should have known that Leonidas was not normal.
Cleombrotus himself slapped at Damon's hand with both of his, making his fingers untight around his leg. Much like Leonidas, he dashed away in a swift step. "Let's leave it, the woman is dangerous too!!"
“Hmph” Amethyst allowed the sound to escape her mouth. Her wire had managed to pierce at least one section of the Yurei’s body, and that was all she needed.
Although the blade of the wire had shattered due to Leonidas’s cold body, the actual wire itself seemed relatively intact. It would be difficult to notice, seeing as the wire had always been black, but Amethyst had succeeded in coating the wire with her Busoshoku Haki. As such, she now had jurisdiction over its movement entirely, even allowing it to make otherwise abnormal movements.
As such, once Leonidas begun his retreat, the wire would wrap around the arm that it had pierced just moments before. It held a tight grip upon his person, almost like it was a constrictor binding to it’s prey. Amethyst would hold onto her own end of the wire, a deadly look upon her face.
“Breath of Life: Realce Muscular!” On command, the woman’s muscles would bulge slightly, their size increasing alongside it. Suddenly, Leonidas would find his arm being tugged on by a force far greater than he could’ve suspected from the petite woman. Or what was a petite woman, for as time went on, her muscles seemed to grow larger. It would only be a matter of time before her strength would become beyond colossal.
"GAAAAH!!" Leonidas cried out whence Amethyst's strong grip, eyes almost bursting out from within his hood and acquiring veins even in their bright form, part of his body was yanked backwards due to her incredible pull. Tissue and bone creaked, almost squished under it. However, rather than force himself against her might, Leonidas summoned forth the freezing mist from his arm, Amethyst would likely think of it as futile, given the presence of her haki, but, that was not Leonidas' aim.
By freezing the small amount of air that was within his clothes and part of them... Leonidas created a thing sheet of ice to stay between his arm the wire. Then, he would just be gone once again, his form whisking away in a blurr of a motion that lead nowhere. Normally, Leonidas would have brought Amethyst and her wire along, but, by creating a small distance between them, he managed to bypass that need.
"Y'two will get away with this this time!!" Cleombrotus screamed, looking back at them.
In the distance ahead, a white and blue mist erupted, spreading through the soil and solidying the ice above it. Leonidas had been there, having teleported there somehow. Cleombrotus jumped and skidded against the ice, skating away from the scenery.
"...Maybe we meet again someday," Leonidas yelled, his free arm holding his damaged one, which looked limp and had blood dripping from it. In a backstep, he, too, disappeared into the night.
Mistakes[]
Damon tched, clicking his teeth a bit. "Wasting my fucking time," He spat to the side, eyebrows formed into a frown and eyes half-way open. Brushing himself with his hands, he put some dust down. Damon faced Amethyst, "I know that wasn't any good..."
Amethyst retracted her wire, looking at it before simply pulling it back within her dress. She would turn her head to look at Damon, but the rest of her body faced forward. "Wasn't any good?" Amethyst's voice seemed to raise in irritation at the statement, her eyes narrowing as he brows furrowed in anger.
"Standing me up with your clone wasn't any good? Putting these people in danger wasn't any good?!" Amethyst ranted on, stopping for a moment as she thought back on what initially led to the separation of the duo. "Did you even deliver those apples I gave you?" Even the idea of Damon not going through with that seemed to irritate the woman beyond imagination.
The click on Damon's teeth increased audibly, but then it stopped, he rolled his eyes in order to spare a glance at her. "Ah, ya' think I liked doing that?" He ruffled his hair with a hand and continued to speak back at Amethyst. "I'm in this mess because I've been tryin' to hand out those apples!"
Damon kneeled down briefly and looked to the side opposite to Amethyst, palming his eyes. "Some citizens reported me in to a nearby Marine post, but these guys intercepted the call and came in themselves." He grinded his teeth and tightened his fists, prompting veins to appear, he used one of them to punch the ground, shaking it lightly. "They from some Mercenaries from the Yurei Tribe, they have beefs with... us." Another three punches were dealt. "Knowin' I'm a Horseman only made them pop out faster!! I don't even know how the fuck that works, they got bounties themselves." More punches.
The visage of their bounty posters was seen when the citizens realized their mistakes, no Marines had arrived. Only "Chase" Cleombrotus with a bounty of 
196,000,000, and "Butch" Leonidas with 222,000,000.
A breath before the other punch went, Damon looked on ahead, put his hands against his thighs, and got up. "What the fuck though, you didn't even ask me that and here I'm saying all of it, fuck..." He looked around, the citizens glanced at the two of them, he let his gaze drop. "We're like a foreign race in a closeted country, we should be out." Damon dug his hands into his pockets.
"If they're a problem, then just knock them out." Amethyst spoke, asserting her presence and demanding Damon keep his eyes on her. She couldn't help but feel a ping of guilt. Had she not asked Damon to pass out the apples, then maybe none of this would have happened? No, there was no possible way she had been in the wrong here. She was the one who had been tricked. She was the one who had been done dirty. And no part of her would allow that to escape.
She kept her eyes on Damon, ignoring everyone else around them. In her mind, there was only Damon and herself. "You made a clone to come to the dinner with me. You could've used it to tell me you needed help, I could've came. I WOULD'VE came. How much did they hurt you while you concentrated on playing with your puppet? You would rather play me like a fool and get hurt than telling me the truth?!" Amethyst contested, not letting up for even a second. She wanted answers, and she wasn't going to let Damon keep them away from her this time.
Knock them out? "W- What?!" Damon indeed took his eyes towards Amethyst now, though, the inwards of his eyebrows pressed down. She, she... she- There was nothing else, she had clearly understood something he hadn't, it felt as if she knew about him more than he did about her.
...
Fists untightened, eyes half-closed, posture slumped, Damon turned around. "Yeah, you're right..." Hands still in pockets, he took normal steps off to any direction, eyes closed, he stopped for a second. "I'm leaving." Opening them, Damon walked off, brushing past some citizens who easily made way for him.
Indeed, Amethyst had been perceptive about Damon. She kept her focus on him any time they were together. She could tell his mannerisms, his body language, and she'd begun to understand his speech pattern, although it was rather simple. Yet, this merely proved what Amethyst feared most. That Damon wasn't even interested in her the slightest. Even if, as a friend. However, the one thing that ticked Amethyst off more was when Damon started to walk away. Amethyst began to boil, and all she could think was-
"Oh I KNOW he did not just-" The waiter who served Amethyst and Damon's clone earlier called out, his feminine persona taking the charge at the moment.
Quicker than eyes could follow, and swifter than the winds could entail, Amethyst's had vanished from her previous location and appeared directly before Damon. Another figment of her past resurfacing. Amethyst's face turned even more in rage, and now she asserted her presence physically. Although Damon had been taller than her, she drew close enough to the point their skin was almost touching, essentially trying to make him bag back to where he had tried to leave beforehand, using his fear of touch without even trying.
"You do NOT get to walk away from this! I'm tired of waiting for you to tell me things. I try to be patient, I really do. But you make it so difficult! I refuse to let you go this time! You are NOT running away from this conversation! So tell me, what's the problem?" Amethyst's voice become more and more assertive with each passing sentence to the point she seemed nothing like the kind and quite woman she was before. "Do you not trust me? Do you not like me? What's the issue here because I really want to know!"
By the time that Amethyst flew at him, Damon braced himself just in case, what prompted a myriad of flower petals to fly around the area and temporarily envelop him. A gust of wind passed by, scattering the petals lightly, some citizens held their clothes. His knees bent and his arms crossed, he waited for whatever she could do.
But all she did was talk.
"See, ya' doing it again," Damon talked about a second after Amethyst had been done talking. "Actin' like I GOT to trust you with ALL this stuff, we barely even met!" Petals continued to go around in the atmosphere. "And what if I refuse your refusal and go away?!"
From seemingly out of nowhere, Amethyst shot numerous wires that impaled and seemingly stuck the many petals to the nearby walls. She'd been around Damon long enough to know what the generation of petals meant. Especially after that stunt he pulled earlier.
"I'm not asking you to trust me with everything. If you were being attacked and knew I could better your survival, then why waste your focus on sending a clone to stall me when you could use me as a meat shield if anything?" Amethyst bickered, continuing to press Damon on the matter. But she couldn't deny that he was right about something. The two hadn't known each other very long, so it was natural for him to be more withdrawn. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she deserved to know something, even if from a stranger.
"It shouldn't make no difference how long we've known each other just to answer what the issue with me is, or why you couldn't ask me for help!" Amethyst yelled, but at the same time, she started to pull back. "Well then I'll just refuse your refusal to my refusal to letting you go away! In FAAACT, how about I make this easier for the both of us!" Amethyst started to make her way past Damon, she intentionally rammed her shoulder into him.
"Go to Buffola if you have to. I don't care anymore. YOU COULD DIE THERE FOR ALL I CARE!" Amethyst yelled. She didn't mean it, not in the slightest, but she was in a blind rage. She did and said things she wouldn't mean to, and eventually she'd regret it. Damon would likely pick up on the strong emotion she was filling, a mixture of sadness, anger, regret and frustration. A single tear fell down her face, Amethyst would take off in the direction of the forest.
Damon tilted his head, "Meat shield... right." He closed his eyes, "I've already answered ya', ya' just don't see it." Suddenly, all of the petals that had been pierced by her were simply whisked away. But, they weren't the only, Damon's very form started to dissipate along the wind, taking the form of petals, his eyes opened and he smiled. "Die huh..."
Glancing at his hand for a second, Damon muttered. "That might be it." His entire form had dissipated by that point, for, at the very moment that it seemed that Amethyst would attack him, Damon shrouded himself in petals in order to create a clone, so that he could escape at the same moment. Evident, given the passing gust of wind earlier, when his true form had run off.
The citizens glared at their leaving forms, gritting their teeths, what kind of battle had that been?! That woman, who seemed all but violent, fought against those three other pirates... They swallowed dry, not even the pretty faces were kept from attacking people.
Damon had walked off even before Amethyst told him too. Maybe, just maybe, that also applied to his life. He had died even before she told him he should. Something she wouldn't know until later on.
FIN