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 Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:28 am
----------Prologue----------
After Akitsu's sudden return from Zabra Island she was immediately given a new contract, albeit under a friend of her former employer. This time she found herself in the office of the CEO of a large company. Upon entering the office she was immediately greeted by a man about in his mid fifties wearing the business attire expected of a CEO. After the formalities were over, Akitsu sat herself in a chair across from her new client who was now sitting behind his desk, staring at her with a guarded expression.
"Well, Ms. Suzushima, I was quite surprised to learn that your so young...,but when it comes to hunters I've learned from experience that age doesn't necessarily mean lack of skill. I have chosen you because I've heard good things about you."
She gave him a polite smile. "Thank you, Mr. Kasuga."
"Well, to get to the reason why you are here. Recently my company has been a major sponsor of the construction of a new luxury liner named the Bathyscaphe, named so for a feature the ship has I will explain later. Anyway the promotion of this vessel was so large that several famous people will be in attendance....along with some of their precious belongings. This ship will also provide transportation for some museum pieces due to the many stops the ship will be making along its route. For this reason, in addition to the standard ship security, this company will be hiring at least twenty professional Hunters as security. I intended to chose only blacklist hunters because I believe they are the ones who put their fighting abilities to the test the most, however you were recommended by my friend because your intellect and your eye for detail.....I also assumed you were the daughter of Mrs. Tamamo Suzushima, whom I hired as my personal body guard a few years back. If you acquired your own fighting skills from her I surmised you would be an excellent addition. Anyway, I digress. All of the hunters I've hired will be boarding as passengers, but because of your status as body guards will have unlimited access to all points of the ship except the vault unless the need calls for it. I expect the normal liner security will be enough for this voyage, but just in case they cant handle something you hunters will step in."
"I see....in case of assassins for the big named passengers....,but are you really expecting an attack or a band of thieves?"
"Not really, but you can never be too careful. This is the maiden voyage of this vessel so I don't want to leave anything to chance. Over time the amount of hunters we hire will probably decrease, but for now I believe caution is better. Anyway you will be meeting the other hunters on board so you will all be familiar with each others presence, however your identities will be a secret to the liner security. The only one who will know that you are hunters hired by me are the Captain and the bridge crew. If the fact that your a hunter is revealed...I expect that to be the case sometimes..., you are not to mention that you are currently working for me. Due to the flexibility of this job, each hunter can quit at any time, however you will have to keep everything you've learned about the liner a secret....you will sign the appropriate documents while on board during the meeting with the other hunters. Your rooms will also be given to your during the meeting....I would have issued you all first class rooms, but in order to do a thorough job it would be best for you to be familiarize yourself with all the passengers rather than mingling with the celebrities. Anyway the hunters will be boarding first along with the Captain and his staff, so follow his directions when you get to this location." He slid a small booklet in Akitsu's direction. "The date and time of the meeting is also listed there so be on time...now if you'll excuse me I have much to do."
----------End Prologue----------
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:05 pm
-----Day of Voyage (Early morning)-----
Akitsu was among the first of the hunters at the location. Since she didn't know what class room she was going to be in she was merely garbed a white tee shirt and blue jean shorts and sneakers. In her left hand was a large trunk she was dragging behind her, and in her right was Tsukiumi, her katana wrapped in its usual cloths. The location was a warehouse, and outside was the luxury liner Bathyscaphe....she saw it from the outside and managed to conceal her excitement. This would be her first time on such a large boat....well other than the sunken ones. In the warehouse already was a mixture of both men and woman in uniforms, the one wearing a cap merely nodded to her but otherwise stayed in his position with his arms behind his back. Because of the cap she immediately assumed he was the captain and figured out his intentions from that nod. He wanted to wait for the other hunters to arrive. Akitsu wheeled her trunk to a secluded corner of the warehouse and sat on it as she waited.
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Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 1:46 pm
Apollo was leaning against the wall of the hanger when a girl in a white shirt and blue jeans came up with her suitcase. He got back on his feet after she sat down and headed over to her with a friendly smile. "Hello ^_^. My name is Apollo. What about you?" He knew that he might be at a disadvantage by giving away his name, but if this girl was hostile he would deal with her. Apollo hung his head back and layed on his arms, still standing, still smiling. A cat was at his side and it made a tiny mew as if saying 'Hello' to the girl also.
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:11 pm
She studied the boy before replying. "My name is Akitsu...I guess since your here we will be working together." Looking down to find the source of noise she was a little surprised to see the cat. "How cute." She uttered without much feeling behind it. She had nothing against animals, but she wasn't one for displaying lots of emotion to strangers.
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Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:54 pm
"Hi Akitsu! Yeah we will be working together. And this is my friend Mizu." Apollo sat down next to her as if they were old friends. " So how did you get selected for this? Were you one of the few who were seen for their talents or one whowas refered to by someone else? I was refered but..." He pointed out another man with a scar down his face. Apollo frowned, deep in thought over something before turning back to the girl. "Well some are very strong and deserve to be here. Im really just here to get pay. Im not exactly strong but I make up for it with my ability and other things." He let Mizu into his lap and started scratching her behind the ear.
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 3:43 pm
She listened to him talk with a blank expression, before an amused smile touched her lips. 'He sure talks alot...i'm surprised he can be so calm around a total stranger.' After a moment of silence, she answered his intial question. "Both." Although she didn't mention it, she was more-so a referral as well, but her employer had also heard of her skills.
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 6:21 pm
"Thats cool! Haha I wonder what this trip will be like..." He looked far in the distance and smiled. He watched the sun for a minute and spoke back to Akitsu, "Ever heard of Apollo? He was a god of Greece, incharge of the sun. What it would feel like to be him...Sadly I don't know my base Hatsu yet, every test I take is different. Sometimes its Reinforcement and others its Materialization or Manipulation." He sighs, "I dont know maybe its all in my head." He sets Mizu back down and crosses his arms frustrated.
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 2:09 pm
She listened to him talk while absentmindedly playing with her hair, but her expression turned to one of concern as he started talking about his abilities. In an almost practiced motion, she raised her left hand and placed her fingers on his lips. "You shouldn't say much to a total stranger."
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 2:34 pm
Apollo stopped talking after Akitsu had pulled her finger up to his mouth. He never thought that others might be tired of him talking but knew he talked alot. Quietly he took her hand and moved it away. "Sorry about that...I just like making friends wherever I go. It calms me to have someone I know around." After that he took Mizu into his arms and headed over to his own corner, where a small cup of water waited. "Ok one more try." He sets his hands on the side of the cup and releases some nen. Expectantly he saw the leaf in the middle move around the cup signaling a Manipulation user. He layed down on his back, waiting for others to get here so he can go on board the ship.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 8:25 pm
Cecelia walked aboard the ship cautiously, taking note of her environment. This was her first time away from home in a long while and she was very wary about being away when she still thought that her fighting ability was very far from good.
"The best teacher in the world is experience," her teacher had told her firmly before they parted ways. "What you really need is to have a real fight! Come back when you can defeat me fair and square without me having to hold back!" And with that, she was thrust out of her own mansion without anymore guidance. Because her teacher had also taken away her credit cards and the like, she had to actually work and the only available work field she could think of was to become a contract hunter and put her music hunting aside for the moment.
She sighed and sat down away from everyone else, withdrawn and wanting to go home.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 9:21 am
Apollo saw another girl come up and sit down away from everybody else. He was about to stand up and walk over till he remembered what Akitsu had said about not talking so much to strangers. Apollo looked back at the new girl and decided it was atleast good enough to say hi. He put on his best smile and walked over to the girl and sat down next to her still smiling. "....It looks awesome doesnt it?" He was refering to the cruise ship, still lazing in the harbor as everyone waited for the rest of the Arrivals.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 8:01 pm
"Eh?" Cecelia asked, a little startled at the man's friendliness. "Oh, uh... Yes."
Instead of easing her tensions, his friendly advances only proved to make her more cautious of her surroundings. I bet he's only trying to attain as much information about other people as he can. I can't let my guard down one bit.
With this thought in mind, she decided to pick another topic so that she didn't come off as aloof. "I... wonder how many other people will come on board," she forced out, blushing in embarrassment. The comment she made didn't sound convincing, even to herself.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 9:39 pm
"Hmmm...I heard that there atleast 150 passengers. There are 75 officers for security. The captain and crew is about 30. Then I dont know about hunters..." Each time he mentioned a group he pointed to where a mass group of them were. When he was done he looked nervously at Akitsu and then at Mizu who was padding up aswell. She trotted up between them and let off her cute mewling. Apollo reached into his pocket and flicked her a treat
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 2:42 pm
Cecelia subtly shrank away from the cute kitten. Yes, she enjoyed cute things as much as the next girl, but she also had very little experience with animals, making her wary of being around them. As an after thought, she hesitantly reached for the kitten and caressed it's soft head once before withdrawing her hand once more.
"I see," she said feeling proud of herself for being able to pet the kitten.
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Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 5:52 am
Apollo hadn't noticed her reluctance, as he was still either staring at Akitsu, watching for any reaction of dissapointment, or at the entrance, watching for more people coming in. When the girl spoke again he looked back at her and saw her beaming at the Mizu. "....She isnt going to bite you know?...You can play with her some if you want. Her name is Mizu by the way. Mine is Apollo." He held out his hand for her to shake and smiled at her.
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