week two | mingle

[showhost]

Welcome to week two, Teens Who Are Definitely Searching for Love!

Hopefully everyone got a lot of rest over the weekend, and are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the upcoming week, because there are a few things of interest this week.

But first, some changes of note in the house!

First: there is a giant rectangular box on the living room table, addressed to Lessing. It is a care package. The only thing in it is his sword.

There is some Bauernbrot bread on the counter. Ask Lessing about that too.

There is now a hot tub near the pool. It’s large enough to seat about six teens comfortably, but you can get more in there if you really try for some reason.

Okay I think that’s everything. Additionally, Tsukasa is here early this week! He’s looking pretty perky, seemingly recovered from the Match Ceremony, and he’s got some interesting info to share with everyone.

Embrace Space | Property Damage, etc | Dates | Mini-Event
Truth Booth Voting | Match Ceremony Submissions

Comments

[hgeegh]

It depends on the crew. Nobody on mine wears anything like this, though our captain's known for his straw hat.

[He lifts the hat with one hand.]

Anyway, thanks.

[haircared]

[ Josuke waves a hand. ]

Don't sweat it. We just tried to find something everyone might like.

[ Not like the food there was amazing or they were giving out Marlboros... ]

But, a straw hat? That seems pretty humble.

[hgeegh]

[What a power couple.]

It's his treasure. He never takes it off; that's why we're known as the Straw Hats.

[haircared]

So that's how it is...

[ He feels like he's read somewhere that pirates have names they're known by like that. Like he just remembered an interesting piece of trivia: ]

What does your flag look like, then? Is it special to you guys?

[hgeegh]

It's a skull with a straw hat. The flag represents what we believe in, so of course it's special.

[haircared]

...But you don't all wear straw hats?

[ Well, maybe it'd look dorky if they all matched. But still.. ]

I guess I thought all pirates just believed in — [ he tilts his head, trying to figure out the words. ] Doing whatever they want.

[hgeegh]

[Sanji does not want to wear a straw hat every day over his two-piece suits.]

That's right, but "whatever" depends on the crew. There are pirates out there who believe in exerting their power over the weak, whether through strength or numbers; however, our captain believes in being free, so he lets us do as we please. We don't pull rank, and none of us has an interest in subjugating others.

[haircared]

So, the whole crew must be helping you find the "All Blue" then, right?

[ That's his wish, isn't it? That's gotta be why he's on a ship. ]

Or you all have wishes like that... things you want to seek out.

[ Wow, this pirate crew is shaping up to be totally different than he imagined; it's actually pretty neat. ]

[hgeegh]

Oh, right.

[His eyes light up at the mention of the All Blue. It's a dear dream—one that seems to take years off of him by how boyish he becomes over it.]

We're all a bunch of dreamers. The captain's going to be king of the pirates while the swordsman wants to be the strongest. Our navigator's creating a map of the world, and we have a sniper on board who'll be a brave warrior of the sea. That's half of us.

[haircared]

[ Oh.... that's actually kind of adorable. They're all a bunch of idealists. It does make it funnier in retrospect, that Sanji had tried to remind the other people in the house that he was a pirate, which means he might be a bad person, when in actuality, his whole crew is just following their dreams. Not what people first imagine when they think of the word 'pirate'.... ]

How about the other half?

[hgeegh]

[Oh, he wants to know more? Fine by Sanji.]

Our doctor's looking for a way to cure any disease while our archaeologist is working hard to unearth missing history. And our shipwright built a ship that can circumnavigate the world, so he's riding with us to see it happen. Finally . . . our musician wants to reunite with an old friend he hasn't seen in years once we circle back from our adventures.

That's all of us.

[Their crew of nine—ten, if he counts the Sunny.]

[haircared]

That doesn't sound so nefarious at all. With the way you were going around day one telling everyone "watch out, I'm a pirate..."

[ When his crew is full of people wanting to cure the world's diseases, reunite friends, and and solve history's mysteries. Josuke laughs, genuinely amused. That card about him is starting to make more and more sense. ]

Are you guys close, then? Or just coworkers...?

[hgeegh]

Well, we did attack the World Government.

[He can't just pretend that there aren't dangers around the corner. It's better to be upfront now than to spring a nasty surprise on someone later. He's here to help, not deceive.]

But we're a crew. That makes us as good as family.

[haircared]

Hold on, the government?

[ SANJI TERRORISM REVEAL?? ]

Why....?!

[hgeegh]

They took one of ours, saying that her very existence is a crime.

[His expression takes a solemn turn.]

She'd been betrayed all her life, and was afraid that we'd do the same to her . . . so we declared war on the government and took her back.

[haircared]

Oh.

[ In that case, nothing to see here. ]

Well, what the law says isn't always right... [ like it being a felony to impersonate a lottery ticket winner or to put someone in the hospital for being an asshole ] I'm glad she's okay. And glad that you guys are like family.