Description: Her Jinchuu match having not gone well, Sada retreats to allied ground in the form of the attacking carrier. Though her reception doesn't go well at first, there is one who recognizes her for who she is and things start looking up quickly for the 'refuge'.
Swimming toward the metal leviathan that is the Black Noah might seem a hopeless direction to look for for help right off hand. The deck is so high above the surface that the odds of anyone up there even noticing someone treading water down below are pretty slim at best. And there aren't any places that present themselves as convenient locations at which to climb aboard...
Except for the sea-level harbor in the side of the hull facing the Black Noah from which the motor boats have been ferrying 'R' soldiers back and forth with the Suiryuu. Two sides of the little launch bay are lined with docks and and a few boats tied up alongside them. The traffic from the port was heavy at first, but has slowed to a trickle. Most of the men that could be spared for the assault have already been shuffled aboard the boat and at this point the only changes are to bring back the ones that have been injured to the point that they're doing more harm than good by staying aboard the 'People's Vessel'.
A few men are on guard in the bay itself, of course. Can't just leave the main door into the boat wide open after all. Bored soldiers pacing back and forth on the dock or performing maintenance on the motor boats that have been damage during the battle. Even though things are somewhat idle on this side of the 'war' that doesn't mean there isn't a lot to do still.
Sada is, to her dismay, still in her underthings. She also left her Kusarigama behind. As such, she has little to prove her identity beyond, potentially, her sneakers or a distinctive physique.
She starts to tread water right outside of the launch bay, considering what to do. This is tricky. She could, on one hand, sneak aboard - overpower guards - fight her way to the center...
Her side aches.
She clears her throat and then calls out, in her relatively powerful voice, "Hey!" She then continues quickly - they might have guns. "Sada Asai! I'm on your side! Help me up!" She waves a wet hand in the air helpfully. Hopefully they'll throw something OTHER than a rock. She glances briefly over her shoulder - hoping perhaps to see the ship go down, even if she WILL lose that Louis Vuitton wallet in the process.
A voice from the water is a first during this entire undertaking, actually. None of the people aboard the Suiryuu have been so desperate as to leap overboard and seek refuge aboard the assaulting ship. Which is why when Sada first cries out the men on light patrol freeze and whirl around, pointing guns and turning mounted spotlights out into the dark water to fix on the student treading water.
"What? Who are you?" Weapons primed, safety switches disabled, these guys are bored and having the chance to finally shoot someone rather than guarding a bay that NO one is going to assault... well. "Wait," one of the men shoves his way past the guys at the edge, "Check that name, I think I recognize it."
Back closer to the hatch that leads further into the boat a guard leans over a display panel, gloved fingers punching a few buttons and keys as he brings up some rosters, name lists, targets, allies, and so forth. "Aaah... yeah, if she is who she says she is, she's on our side!" he yells back to the trio on the edge of the dock now.
The three guards kind of look torn on what to do next, however. All they have to go on is her name. On the other hand, it looks to be just some girl who's had to abandon ship in a rather hasty manner, so... what harm could there be? Fortunately for Sada, a rope ladder is unfurled off the side of the dock after a brief moment of deliberation. "Don't get any fancy ideas about going anywhere," one of the men grunts, as two of them keep weapons drawn on her. The third shouts back to the guy near the desk, "What now?"
It's not like a lot of schoolgirls in their panties wash up on the Blacknoah. She can probably be thrown overboard if need be. She dogpaddles over towards the rope ladder and pulls herself up; even after all of this she doesn't seem terribly exhausted. Perhaps she's just taken it easy, or maybe rage is fuelling her on some level.
She raises her hands slightly once she's up in the deck; it's not abject surrender, but those ARE guns, and she kind of already had to fight a guy with one. "I don't have an identification card with me," she says, which is probably self evident - she isn't even wearing shoes any more - "but if Kurow Kirishima's here, I can prove who I am."
She lifts her head up, as if expecting that name to conjure dire results!
When Sada's state of dress... or, rather, undress becomes readily apparent, the three guards kind of react differently, one chuckling, one staring blatently, the third turning around with a shake of his head as he waves toward the fourth over at the panel. "Claims she's with that Kurow kid. You know anything about that?"
The fourth guard looks undecided as he glances back at the other three. If he makes the call to let her aboard and she isn't who she says she is, it's his neck on the line. On the other hand, the only other alternative is not pleasant either... "I'll ask the boss." he mutters finally, pulling a headset off the desk to rest against his ear, his voice subsequently too low to be heard from a distance.
Awkward minutes pass before anything changes. The two training the guns on Sada get kind of lazy after a while. She doesn't seem very scary at a glance. Fit, clearly stronger than the average school girl, but they're big mean soldiers with GUNS, so what's to worry about?
After a while the metal doors leading further into the boat open with a hydraulic hiss and through the opening steps Rugal Bernstein himself. Clothed in the red suit he's seen most often wearing in public and accompanied by a young woman in a full length black dress with a grey, sleeveless vest over her torso. Her hair is black with curls around the edge. Hanging over one of her arms is a luxurous, violet velour robe.
Rugal and his assistant approach the guards who shuffle out of the crimelord's way with bowed heads of deference. "Miss Asai," speaks the tall German, glancing at her only briefly and somehow coming to the conclusion that she is who she claims to be. "Welcome to the Black Noah. Erise, please," he gestures forward with his hand with a nod toward the young woman at his side who steps forward and offers the robe out to the soaking, under dressed Seijyun girl with a respectful bow. Apparently the guard had informed the man the condition Sada had shown up in!
Sada stares back at the guards with dull distaste. She doesn't speak up, perhaps remembering grandfather's advice for dealing with the white man when he inevitably invades Japan again, 'this time for keeps'. They are respected, perhaps, for the power of their weapons and numbers, but aren't loved.
Her eyes go wide when the towering tan figure of Rugal Bernstein arrives, seemingly out of nowhere. She can't be that surprised, she tells herself. Oh man, she worries on some level: Will he be here to - No, she tells herself a moment later. I'm on his side. Oh man, she continues inwardly: I'm on the same side as a man with an aircraft carrier!
Dark manipulation of society is /awesome/.
She returns the bow to the older woman and takes the robe, slipping it on carefully and tying it before bowing, again, to Rugal. Her hair falls forwards, still wet, and lands partly in her face, giving her a passing resemblance to that Seven Days woman before she pushes it back with both hands. "Thank you for your hospitable greeting," she says, her tone more formal. "It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Bernstein." She thinks 'Mr'. is the correct form of greeting here. Or would it be Captain? Stop second guessing, she tells herself in a further development of internal monologue.
Rugal is the very picture of patience. A side of him the guards have only ever seen when he's in the company of someone he either considers worth respecting or someone he wants to butter up for the purposes of manipulation. Which is it is left up to each to make up his mind, really. In any case, the man is entirely congenial to the young Sada.
"Mister Kirishima informed me of your presence aboard the Suiryuu. I appologize if the invasion proved to be disruptive, but timing was everything and we had to act swiftly when we did." The one eyed tyrant of 'R' gestures again to the woman at his side. "Elise here will be happy to show you to quarters that have been made available. She will also be able to provide you with clothing once you have had time to recover from your ordeals tonight. But mind... your abilities may become necessary in the near future so I hope that you have not been too injured by whatever you have been through."
What need the likes of Rugal might have for Sada's fighting abilities is anyone's guess, but the man is always planning things out a fews steps in advance. Perhaps already forming contingency plans in his head after the unexpected defeat the last time he stepped foot aboard the Boat of Judgement.
Elise bows again toward Sada, maintaining a neutral expression. The black haired assisstant is the absolute picture of formality without coming across unpleasantly cold toward the High School girl.
Sada doesn't laugh, although she has to suppress it, at the nature of the apology. Invasions are usually disruptive - if they're worth the name, anyway. Instead she bows again: "I understand," she says, which is perhaps not quite the case but will certainly work for now. She drips, then, slightly, and looks up towards Rugal.
"My style uses a weapon," she says. "It isn't complex, but without it I'm a lot less effective. I'm not afraid to fight, though!" She straightens up a little further at the statement, as if to emphasize this despite the hint as to rearmament.
She then glances back towards where she came from, and looks back to Elise. "I won't need long," she tells the woman, perhaps to re-emphasize the tough girl image. She doesn't even get interrupted by her stomach growling or something similarly indignified. And she certainly doesn't seem to be bleeding profusely into the robe.
"A weapon, hm?" Rugal replies, paying close attention to the girl as if she was a visiting dignitary or something far above her station in life. "We do have training facilities with nearly any weapon that has ever been used in combat available a few decks up from here. Perhaps you might find something suitable to your tastes when the time comes."
He offers her a curt nod and glances toward his assistant, "I am remanding you to Elise's care then. If you need anything, do be sure to tell her. Food, or something to drink, perhaps. Now if you'll excuse me," and with that, just as suddenly as he had appeared moments ago, the busy crimelord turns to leave toward the bay room's exit.
Elise will agreeably escort Sada to a rather luxurous suite aboard the carrier, complete with a large hot tub, comfortable bed, and other creature comforts. Guests and allies are treated with the best money can buy, after all. And money is something 'R' is in no short supply of.
Log created on 00:09:36 10/09/2007 by Rugal, and last modified on 15:39:11 10/14/2007.