266/Spooky Moonlight Meetings

Spooky Moonlight Meetings
Date of Scene:	20 August 2023
Location:	An Alleyway With A Soda Machine
Synopsis:	Tsukiko encounters Jolly Roger after the Sports Pavilion incident and learns the nature of the pirate's curse.
Cast of Characters:	Erika Shimizu, Ikiko Hisakata

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Erika Shimizu has posed:
    It's not too long after the fracas in the academy's sport's pavillion, but the sun has set completely... Though Tokyo's usual amounts of light pollution mean the stars aren't quite easy to spot, the full moon looms overhead in the night sky. It's a perfect time for various magical girls to do their patrols and rove the city in search of anything that could go bump in the night. But one girl... One certain magical girl has other things on her mind.

    o/` ~ "Yo hohoho~. Yo, ho ho ho!
    Yo hohoho~. Yo, ho ho ho!
    Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew~.
    Sea wind blows, to where? Who knows.
    The waves will be our guide~." ~ o/`

    Jolly Roger is casually swaggering down an alleyway on a straight course for something VERY IMPORTANT.
    This alley has a vending machine in it. A soda vending machine.
    Spending a moment fussing in the pockets of her naval greatcoat she pulls out a few yen coins and plinks them into the slot before pushing the button to make her selection.
    With a PLUNK the soda can drops out for her to catch and she pops the tab... And takes a good, long, swig of the good stuff.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
After the attack on Hannah today, Cute Wolf Tsukiko has taken up patrolling in the vicinity of the school, keeping an eye out for any trouble approaching. While she doubts that there's going to be an attack this soon after the initial attempt, it's better to start protective routines now instead of waiting for a second incident.

But this does mean that things are a bit boring.

Pausing for a moment on a rooftop, the wolfgirl hears the refrain of a shanty in a slightly familiar voice coming from nearby. Heading over to the edge of the roof, she looks down in time to see the pirate complete the transaction and chug some soda.

"Hi~!" Tsukiko calls down to Jolly Roger, making sure the pirate mahou sees her before hopping down to a more conversational range. "Thanks for the help with th--huh?!?"

Okay, she's definitely looking more (un)dead than she was this afternoon! From above, the hat and greatcoat shroud the body enough to be undistinguishable from normal, but horizontally, at close range... very spooky!

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    The hat does its job and it does its job well. It is a good hat, with its twin feathers and jaunty little angle. ... But it does look a bit tattered in the light of the moon. No, that's not quite right... As Tsukiko descends from up on above, the pirate pauses in pounding down her purchased pop. Because, indeed, from the lower angle, when Jolly Roger steps out of the light of the vending machine to face the cute wolf better, the light of the moon hits her full on.
    She's in shambles. Her hat is threadbare, her greatcoat ratty with holes and tattered, her bandanna and breeches tattered and worn, while her skin is a shade of pale grey and dark bags look almost painted on under her green eyes.
    "Ahoy! What's wrong, lass?" She asks way too casually in spite of the situation, when Tsukiko trails off, as she takes another sip of her soda. "Ye look like ye've just seen the dead walk." She says in clear jest.
Very spooky, indeed.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Tsukiko looks at the pirate, then glances upwards at the slim crescent of the moon, then back at the pirate. "And here I thought I had problems with moonlight," the wolfgirl remarks deadpan.

    (and a smidge of hyperbole, given her dilute nature.)

Well, Yellow Pearl Voice's singing didn't seem to cause any problems to the pirate during the robo-maid fight, so whatever's the cause of Jolly Roger's undeath isn't dark per se, and it's not like Tsukiko doesn't know at least one other non-evil undead (albeit a much less corporeal one). "Jolly Roger-chan, right? I'm Cute Wolf Tsukiko; you wandered off earlier before the rest of us did introductions," the wolfgirl smiles, no longer quite as startled.

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    "Aye, the moonlight reveals me for what I truly be." The pirate replies, setting a hand on her hip as her fingers trace over the rim of her soda can. "But aye, that's right, the name's Jolly Roger." She confirms in a jovial tone.
    Well. The whole 'undead' thing probably explains why she took a chainsaw-ing so well after getting hit the way she did. But she flashes a big ol' smile.
    "Wasn't wearin' me red coat." She says as though that explains everything. "Didn't want anyone to see me bleedin'."
    Ah. It's another jest, isn't it.
    "It's a right pleasure, miss Tsukiko." She does add though after that. She is nothing if not a proper and polite captain, after all.
    "I'm sure I'll have th' chance to meet everyone else proper under ah... Better circumstances very soon. But what has ye out so late, hmm?"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Patrolling for trouble," Tsukiko sighs, leaning against a wall. "Miscellaneous youma are a minor hassle that can usually be dealt with as they appear, but the one this afternoon was targeting Hannah-chan. An assassination attempt, and not a case of an incidental would-be victim."

Another sigh. "I may not be part of an organized defense, but I can at least help a bit by watching for any nearby trouble," the wolfgirl admits. "Even if it's just for a couple of hours a night."

The corners of her mouth quirk upward inquisitively, and Tsukiko takes a step away from the wall as she puts the weightiness of the situation to the side for now. "So, what brings an undead pirate like yourself to Tokyo, if you don't mind my asking?"

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    "Ahar. That be a noble cause." Jolly Roger concedes. Watching out for youma- someone has to do it, but then her lips purse into a thin line. "Aye. I'm not up to speed too much on the situation but..." She taps he r forehead. "Even I can tell that was a targeted attack." She admits. "That was a strong one, though." The pirate further concedes before knocking back her soda can for another pull of her drink.
    But on to better things, indeed. The question comes and now it's the blonde's turn to flash a grin.
    "I may not look it, but I'm born and raised. Half-Japanese on me mother's side." She explains. "After a minor little incident in a trip to the Caribbean we stopped sailin' and decided to settle down a while." A pause. "The kind of incident involving haunted pirate gold, anyway."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Haunted, you say?" Tsukiko inquires, her ears perking up. "I'm more familiar with lycanthropy than haunted goods, but various forms of misfortune are an interest of mine, and I know a general assortment of basic lore."

She fishes a bit of money out of one of her vest pockets, and purchases a fruit-flavored soda from the vending machine. "From the looks of things, the haunting is more inconvenient than malevolent, given that you don't seem to be laced with dark energy," the wolfgirl notes as she takes a drink of her soda. "That, and the fact that you were able to travel this far away from where the haunting occurred; as I understand it, vicious spirits tend to be a bit more... direct in their approach."

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    That's when something golden glimmers in Jolly Roger's hand's. A single Spanish doubloon from a time long gone by dances in her fingers as it flips from knuckle to knuckle.
    "Is that so? An interest of yours, eh?" She muses, flipping the coin with her thumb before catching it out of the air. "Heh. Lycanthropy? I couldn't tell." Added playfully as she eyes those perking ears.
    "I got greedy. Took a coin from the Captain's share on a ghost ship. And now here I be. Inconvenient? Aye very. Verymuchso."
    Not being an ACTUAL creature of Darkness though, well. She'll count her blessings while she can and live with that inconvenience. ... For as much a definition of living as she can muster anyway as she tips back her soda and finishes it off.
    That's when she looks down. ... At the big soda stain on her vest and coat- likely thanks to the chainsaw-guitar attack from earlier.
    "Ah... Well that won't be comin' out easy in the wash now will it?"
    Good thing it'll go away with a stylish de-transformation, but that can come later.
    "I think it was very direct. There was a note an' everythin' on the plunder chest: 'I curse whosoever takes a single coin of my treasure'. Oops." She mutters before basketball tossing her empty soda can into a nearby trash bin with a clink.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"And putting it back probably didn't do anything," Tsukiko muses. Or it was too far away to do so when the curse kicked in, or it required more thorough methods to resolve. Lots of common possibilities, and untold numbers of uncommon ones.

The playful quip about lycanthropy draws a grin from the wolfgirl. "Turns out that using the 'bundle of sticks' method to strengthen your soul only partially protects you when fighting a werewolf, and that after three generations an outnumbered sliver of wolfsoul is much more domesticated than feral," she remarks.

After watching the coin dance across the pirate's knuckles, Tsukiko adds, "Did the treasure's captain give you any messages after you took the coin?"

Erika Shimizu has posed:
    Patting her soda-stained chest down a bit, the pirate grimaces. That's going to get sticky and nasty soon. Blasted sugary drinks!
    But then she shakes her head. "Put it back? That was an option?" She sounds like this NEVER occurred to her. Oh dear.
    "I'll have to remember that next time I fight a werewolf, huh." She does consider, before dusting her hands. "But aye."
    "Said to me if I wanted the curse lifed, I had to gather up all his treasure and return it. Right as the boat sank and dragged it all to the sea. ... Lucky for me Tokyo's been attracting all manners of strange tides lately. I be fairly sure it all wound up here in Japan. ... Somewhere." Jolly Roger says with a shrug. Before she flashes another grin.
    "Anyway. I'd best be gettin' back to my treasure hunt, iffin you catch my drift. That plunder ain't gonna find itself~."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"The other, more-certain protection is to have a diamond-strong soul, and I think that's common for magical girls," Tsukiko shrugs. "It'd explain why energy drains are less likely to affect us, anyway."

She waves to the pirate. "See you later, Jolly-chan! I should probably get back to my patrol, too," the wolfgirl smiles before wall-hopping back up to the rooftops. Silently, she makes a note to herself to look up more pictures of Spanish doubloons, and to make sure she starts carrying a few more purified silk handkerchiefs. She doubts that the scattered ones will be as cursed as the main chest...

    ...but a little professional caution goes a long way.