https://strawhats.rpg-board.net/t786-the-hangover?nid=35#3488

The heavy wooden door to the local tavern at the heart of Mock Town swung open and Mashyuu, black jacket folded under one arm, mask tucked into his front left pocket and red sunglasses on his face lazily walked into the bar. Bruised and battered from his fight with the chain wielding slaver, his black hair was a mess, white wings tucked in on his back defensively as if they were so tired from flying they would fall off at any moment. He wandered to an empty table at the farthest corner from the door and flopped into a wooden seat with a loud thud. Slowly he tilted his head down and removed the red shades from his face only to let them clatter on the round table in front of him. There were only a few people in the bar, most of witch were regulars who were plastered and talking about some concert that should have been over by now. Curiously, Mashyuu's right brow arched up high and he lifted his head to listen to the conversation going on across the bar. The winged pirate had never heard of a concert before, where he was from only had pain and death, and after that, the island he fell to was small, only a hundred people if not fewer, sure they had music but nothing like what the men were talking about. I'd sure like to see what all the fuss is about. It does explain why nobody was out to try and break up my fights today. Maybe that family the two slavers were after wasn't even home, considering they didn't come out... I NEVER MOVED THE DEAD BODIES! THOSE KIDS ARE GONNA FREAK! Mashyuu thought to himself with wide eyes as he realized what he had done.

Mashyuu's shoulders slumped forward and he heaved his jacket up onto the table and he waved a waitress over to him. She sauntered up to the pirate and flirted before taking his order, a simple one, a pack of ice, a glass of whiskey and a plate of meat. When the ice arrived, Mashyuu placed it on his fingers that had been crushed by the chain, his arm would heal fast enough but he wouldn't be able to use his dagger the way he normally did with swollen and bruised fingers. It was then that people from the concert started to flood into the bar, looking for a place to keep drinking after the festivities had ended. Mashyuu smirked, seeing people happy always lifted his spirits and from how the people were acting, the concert must have been been fantastic.

Soon enough someone had found a piano against a wall and started to play a tune just loud enough that everyone could hear it but still talk over the sound. The tune was pleasant to the ear and relaxed Mashyuu to the point that after his meal and glass of whiskey he was able to simply lean back and watch the others. It was then that a man walked in who would set Mashyuu on the path of true piracy weather either of the two knew it or not...

It was at that moment that a roughed up looking Klinghoffer stumbled into the bar, putting his hand on a nearby table to keep his balance. As soon as the musician walked in the crowd of people populating the pub cheered and gathered around as he made his way to the piano, holding up his pointer finger signalling the barkeep for a drink. The night was only young considering the concert had just ended, the show had gone on for a good few hours, the townspeople kept demanding encores so they just kept coming back on stage until they could no more. The Smooth Criminal's hair was all messed up, his dead black shades crookedly sitting on his nose and his shirt collar unevenly done. As he sits down on the piano bench the barkeep slides a glass of the same whiskey he always has along the counter, "So what's your name lass?" Klinghoffer asks the pianist as he catches the drink just as it's about to fall then takes a big sip, shaking his head wildly at its strength. "M-Me name's J-Jenny, M-Mr. Yamamoto..." The young girl said as she continued to play the piano. "Well then Jenny, do you have anyone special here with you tonight?" The musician says as he puts his hands onto the keys and begins to play as well, "Y-yeah my sister over at the bar, her name is Debra-" She spoke but was cut off by Klinghoffer beginning to sing.

Stuff:

After a good ten-ish minutes of playing Klinghoffer thanks the girl then downs his drink, slamming it upon the counter. The bar-goers all cheer once more as the song comes to a close, the musician stands up and orders one more from the barkeep and surveys the area. The bar became a lively place, with groups of people crowding around each table, the music continuing and bellowing through the bright atmosphere of the slightly overcrowded pub. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots a lonely and slumped over man, his stylish jacket and piercing red sunglasses lay on the table where he nurses his hands with a pack of ice. The Smooth Criminal walks over to the round wooden table, steals a seat from a nearby group of people and sits down opposite the well-dressed man. "Well then..." Kling says as he lowers his shades to look at the man, "You look like you're in dire need of a good time, the names Klinghoffer... A pleasure to meet you." The musician takes off his sunglasses then places them nicely on the table, he then swings his guitar case off of his back and places it down beside him, "We're gonna rock like a hurricane tonight!"

Mashyuu watched the rock star step into the room, the young new pirate couldn't help but continue to watch the man as he walked over to talk to the pianist and flirt with her before he joined her in playing a song. The long haired rocker was talented to say the least, not that Mashyuu really knew music, but he knew what he liked. The crowd cheered and Mashyuu assumed this one of the people performing at the concert that everyone had been talking about, considering he was playing a piano and getting free drinks. It was then that Mashyuu felt his body slump and the stress of the day start to pass.

Just as he was starting to fade to sleep, someone's voice caught his attention and Mashyuu jolted upright with wide eyes and hand flexing around the handle of his morning star for just a moment until he realized that the rock star was sitting across from him. "Eh? Oh...Yeah. Gotta say, I didn't think my first day as a Pirate would start like this. All I really wanted to do was see the town. Bah, doesn't matter, what's done is done. I'm Mashyuu, nice to meet you Klinghoffer. Strange name, is it a fake name that rock stars use or is it your given name?" Mashyuu asked then glanced down at his hand. "I'd shake your hand, but mines a little busted up at the moment. Once it's not swollen and purple though." He assured Klinghoffer.

Mashyuu's eyes darted down for a moment to the mans dark shades, then the guitar case that was set down next to the man across from Mashyuu. Mashyuu didn't really know the guy, Klinghoffer, but he could say that the man had good taste in shades. "Ya know what? I've never partied before so however one would party like a hurricane, count me in!" Mashyuu shouted while lifting up his empty mug to signal to fill it back up. He had never gotten drunk, never had a party and didn't know the first thing about life outside of his old home island, why not live a little. He would have to eventually and if he got drunk enough, he might not feel the pain in his hand. All in all, it was a win for the winged Pirate.

With his glass filled, Mashyuu looked at the dark amber colored liquid and tilted it and his head back, drinking the entire glass in one long gulp. He slammed the glass down on the wooden table and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand only to shake his head with the daze he put himself in from drinking the second glass so quickly. Already the world started to wave up and down while the winged man waved for another drink. "O-Okay Mister Rock Star... Yer goonava ave t' teach me ow to talk to the babes." He slurred while leaning over the table and looking at Klinghoffer with a twisted smile. "In retun, I'll... I'll.... OH! I'll teach ya ow to steal from right out under someone's nose. It's easy... people are simple." Mashyuu flopped back down just in time to get his third drink. His blue eyes lit up with joy at the mug being filled. "Hey, waitress... Keep em coming. Oh yeah! Yeah if you see someone come in with a black bag, you tell me.
Someone stole my bag and it has my good clothes in it." The waitress looked first at Mashyuu then Klinghoffer and smiled while patting Mashyuu on the shoulder. "Yes, okay dear. Rock Star, take care of your new friend here and don't get into too much trouble." She winked at the two men and sauntered off. "So... what brings you to Jaya? Don't tell me it's just to play music? If that's the case, you might as well join my pirate crew! Live free without rules!!" And so, the night went on...

Suddenly and without warning Mashyuu's eyes snapped open and quickly his hands came up to cover them as he found himself looking directly into the sun. His head spun while he sat up and realized he was at a slant. Weakly he opened his mouth and felt a tinge of pain in his jaw as if he had been hit with his morning star. Slowly he reached into his pockets and pulled his shades from them and placed them on his face. "...When did I put these in my pocket? Where's my jacket?" He asked himself out loud, just to make sure he could talk. A sudden throbbing pain pounded in the front of his skull and Mashyuu winced in agony. "Last thing I remember was drinking with the rock star... What was his name? Klinghoffer? Am I saying that right? Ughh my head... Why am I on the roof?"

Weakly Mashyuu rolled onto his stomach and chest to glance down and saw the Rock star sitting against the wall below him, looking much like Mashyuu did. Carefully he pushed off the roof and used his wings to glide down next to Klinghoffer and turned to puke. A stream of rainbow colored vomit hit the street and splattered while Mashyuu wiped his mouth. "Huh... I don't think I've ever puked before. Odd colors." He remarked then turned to make sure Klinghoffer was okay. "Hey, hey wake up. I need you to tell me what the hell happened last night, where's my morning star and coat?"

Mashyuu took a step back from Klinghoffer when he shouted and started to stand up. Even though it was a slow and unsteady stand, Mashyuu allowed the man to do it on his own. As his glasses fell to the feet, Mashyuu dropped to a knee and picked up the broken shades. Oh man... what the hell did we get into last night? Mashyuu thought to himself. Mashyuu frowned when Klinghoffer decided that not only would he call Mashyuu "Mash man" but it was too bad that his stuff had gone missing over night. But a crack of a smile formed on the winged man's lips when karma struck Klingoffer and he realized that his guitar was missing as well. Mashyuu turned his back on the man and used his index finger to slide his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. "Well... It seems the shoe is now on the other foot. Or so the saying goes. How about we team up and find our stuff together?... Mashyuu waited in silence for a response, one arm folded across his chest while the other reached up and kept his glasses in place. When a long moment went by, Mashyuu spun on his heel to face Klinghoffer, who wasn't even there anymore. He fell!

Slowly Mashyuu peered over the building and sighed, just happy the only man who was with Mashyuu in his drunken state was still alive, even if he was now in a trash can. The Winged Pirate beat his angel like wings twice and jumped, effortlessly gliding down to land next to Klinghoffer as he pulled himself out of the trash. "Alright Kling, I'll help you find your guitar, so long as you help me find my morning star and jacket." Together the two walked into the bar, Mashyuu's laser like focus and regular appearance of not having a care in the world helped mask the fact that he was still feeling the effects of drinking and his head was actually throbbing and keeping him from focusing on anything. While Kling demanded to know what happened the night before, Mashyuu found a seat at the bar and hopped up to jump onto one of the many barstools, only to overshoot it and go right over the seat and crash to the floor. In a blur he was back on his feet, leaning against the counter and nodding his head up and down as if to agree that he demanded to know what happened last night.

The portly bartender leaned over to look both men in the eyes while offering them a glass of water. "Don't remember eh? Well that's not shocking after what you two got into last night. First it was the drinkin, and thanks for paying for everyone's tab last night. Mighty kind of the two of you. But when we ran outta booze you two took off, ran down the road to the local brewery. I don't know if you ever made it but you reeked of the good stuff when you stumbled in here this morning. At least that's what the guy that was here before me said."

Mashyuu placed his face in his hand and heaved a sigh. "Kling, I've been here for an entire day now. I don't know where anything in this town is yet. I must have followed you. Come on lets get a move on. The faster we retrace our steps the better." Mashyuu pushed his hands into his pockets and headed out the front door, waiting for Klinghoffer at the entrance. "This a regular Tuesday for you?"

Lazily Mashyuu followed along the side of Klinghoffer while keeping his head low and hanging to the man's left side. A wry smile crossed his face, knowing full well that the man had crazy nights, especially after spending a night partying with him so hard that neither of them could remember what they had done the night prior. "Ya know, worrying about the guitar won't find it any faster. Just stay calm and we will find it, it can't be too far." Mashyuu smiled wide at the man as he fixed up his glasses. "You got a lot of fans? Seems like everyone on the island knows who you are." Mashyuu stopped talking and reached out to try and prevent the collision of bodies but was too hung over and tired to be fast enough to stop the large man or Klinghoffer.

"Sorry big guy, my buddy here had a little too much to drink last night and...." Mashyuu's explanation trailed off to a mumble as the Rock Star was cut off by the large man and a group of ten of his friends. Mashyuu could see the men sneering at Klinghoffer while the rocker went to pull his guitar first as if it were a weapon, and maybe it was, who knew? Then he opted for a hand full of guitar picks and tossed them into the air. Suddenly his shadow came up and sprouted to catch the picks and slash across the sky so fast that Mashyuu was sure the things could keep pace with him. The winged man glared at the few men who weren't struck by the picks and let his wing pull back to rest against his back, showing his blood stained morning star, a clear warning to back down. Not that Mashyuu wanted to fight as it was. "Me? No, no I'm good. I think I'd rather see them all run for their lives. If they cross us again then we can have a spat with them then." Mashyuu said evenly while keeping his voice clear and level.

The dark haired Mashyuu waited for the group to scatter along with their leader then folded his wing back over his weapon "Is Klinghoffer really your name?" It was an odd name but like he said earlier, Mashyuu had an odd name too. The tall Rocker walked along side Mashyuu and together they drew closer to the brewery. "That trick with the guitar picks, fancy... From where I'm from, there are legends of fruits that give the eater almost magical, some would say God, or Devil like powers. The trick you did a result of that?" It was a skill Mashyuu had never seen before and was honestly curious.

It only took a few moments later for the men to arrive at a rather small but impressive looking brewery. The sign displaying name of the place had long since rusted over. "Ya know, I've been considering getting into the blacksmith trade. I bet I could make that sign look good again." Mashyuu said as he gestured to the building that reeked of booze. The winged man led the way to a heavy metal door and heaved his body against it until the thing swung open. "C'mon, lets see what happened in here." Mashyuu started to holler until a loud voice boomed out from behind him. OH no! You two get out and stay out!" Mashyuu nodded his head and laughed hard. "Okay, well. It's your guitar, why don't you take the lead here rock star. Sounds like they don't want to talk to us."

"Hah! Is Klinghoffer my real name..." The musician laughs to himself for a second as he retracts the tentacles and returns the guitar picks to his pocket. "My full name is Klinghoffer S.C. Yamamoto, really people just call me S.C. It's actually how I got my "alias" Smooth Criminal, some asshole marines read my write-up when I was initially getting a bounty, took my middle name and made a joke of it. Sadly it stuck..." Klinghoffer rambles on about his annoying and semi-unfitting alias, "As for these powers..." he says leaning in and lowering his voice "They do come from the devil himself y'see, it's a curse I have to live with...plagues my mind with dark emotions." As the rocked up to the brewery they were greeted by an angry voice bellowing from behind them, with a comment from his accomplice the musician spins around on his heel and looks at the body that had yelled at them. His eyes stare at a fat belly as he slowly raises his gaze to meet that of the owner of the brewery.



"Ahhh good day! I'm terribly sorry for whatever happened the last ni-" The musician tries to explain the situation but is cut off by the bellowing owner once more, "I don't care about what you have to sa-" In return, Klinghoffer counter interrupts the large man. "But you should, we don't remember anything from last night and are missing my beloved guitar and my friend's morningstar. If there is anything we can do to repay you, my good sir, then we would be in your debt!" The sly musician pleads as he bows his head, after a few seconds of silence he looks up at the owner to see him pondering silently. "Anything you say?" Klinghoffer stands back up straight and says "Anything!"

Not Long Later

"How the hell did we end up doing this?" Klinghoffer murmurs with a loud groan as he stumbles along the bustling streets, a hood over his head to not only hide his identity but to cover his hangover-induced sensitive eyes from the blazing sun above. He stares down at a scrap of paper given to them by the owner, all the items on the list are obscure things including herbs and a large number of logs. "Man, what the hell is this final one?" Kling says as he leans over to Mash and points to the final item which states 

"Hostage taken by the 20 Tan Bandits"

Mashyuu's brow raised sharply as Klinghoffer explained his name and the nick name he had been given. It was an odd story to say the least but at least Mashyuu knew more about him now. "Yeah well... I'm just gonna call you Kling. Anything more or less seems too formal and I don't have time for that. After getting trashed with you and having to retrace our steps, I think normal formalities aren't needed." Mashyuu placed his hand on his forehead and shook it side to side with an annoyed tone.

At the brewery, Mashyuu simply kept his mouth shut while Klinghoffer dealt with the brew master. While Kling was busy bowing, Mashyuu was considering using brute force to get the info out of the man but decided against it, the portly fellow might be of use later. "Bowing is beneath me, but helping you will get things moving faster. Fine fine. Lets be on with this." Mashyuu commented at the end of the talk...

Walking down the street, Mashyuu glanced over at the note that was in Kling's hand and pondered for a long moment. "Logs? How big of logs? Does he want logs to make a boat or just something to burn? This is an odd list. But... What the hell is this hostage? Does he want us to kidnap someone?" Mashyuu wondered out loud. "Look, I'll get the logs, flying a few large logs back to the place should be fine, worse comes to worse he can split them into smaller logs. Can you grab the herbs and we can....hey. Weren't those guys we ran into a while ago the tan bandits? They looked like a bunch of scrubs."

Mashyuu glanced at Kling, a brow raised sharply in his direction. It seemed like Klinghoffer had succumb yet again to the after effects of drinking too much. "Hey, ya know what, I passed out long before you did. Why don't you let me take care of this. Head back to the brewery and I'll gather the supplies." Mashyuu reasoned while gesturing back at the building they had recently walked out of. Once Kling had vanished, Mashyuu closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Okay, just a few thugs and some easy supplies. Wheat's and stuff. I can only imagine it's to brew a beer." Mashyuu muttered while he started to walk down the street with a groggy bounce in his step.

The only place Mashyuu could think of that would have large logs was the docks where ships were built and that seemed like the easiest place to start. Luckily not only did Mashyuu come into town from the docks, he had recently saved a slave or two from them as well. With a strong beat of his wings and a jump into the air, Mashyuu shakily started to fly towards the shipyard and docks.

By the time Mashyuu had arrived it was already well into Midday, workers had started their days long ago and the sounds of tools colliding and sliding echoed off of metal and wood deep into the city proper. With a sort of grace that could only be described as a first time landing, Mashyuu crumpled to the wooden planks of the docks and was slow to stand up straight again.

Giving his long body a stretch and crack of his bones, Mashyuu looked around the area until he found a shipyard with what looked like plenty of logs to spare in a pile next to a long building... Mashyuu gathered his wits at the door and knocked on the wooden passage just loud enough to signal that he was entering. A moment or two later he stepped into the room and waved at a man behind a counter. "Hullo! Good afternoon my man. I represent a man at a local brewery. He needs logs for burning and asked that I find him a place to get them from. Now while I could have stolen them I instead decided to broker a deal.
All you have to do is set a price and I'm sure my boss will pay it. Or I can maybe do some work for you or even a trade." Mashyuu reasoned while looking around the room from behind his glasses. "Yeah, we have dealt with him before. A grumpy man but he doesn't take more than we can supply, and only asks for a bit at a time. I'll send a shipment out to him.

Mashyuu closed the door behind him as he left the building and looked back over his shoulder. "Did this guy just ask us to do some run around's for the sake of seeing us sweat?That son of a bitch..." Mashyuu grumbled in annoyance. "Well next is herbs. Didn't really give a list of them. So what do I get? This guy has to be fucking with me." Mashyuu muttered. "Herbs...herbs... medicine shop, they will have what I need!" Mashyuu exclaimed and glanced back down at the paper he had pulled from his pocket. He had no idea what the herbs were but needed to make sure that they were in hand for the safe return of his morning star.

Without really knowing where he was going, Mashyuu wandered about, getting directions from various people and going in what felt like circles until the sun had started to well and truly set. He wandered into a small building with a medical bag symbol hanging off a sign. Must be the place... Mashyuu thought to himself and entered the building. Inside a woman scurried around, locking cases and setting up displays. "Ummm... excuse me, are you closed?" Mashyuu inquired. "No, not yet. Ten minutes, what is it you need?" The woman asked. Mashyuu raised a brow and glanced down at his list. "I suppose just the items here on the list. My employer sent me and upon delivery of the herbs, will pay you in full." He handed the note to the woman working and let her go over it quickly. "Hmm these items when used together will intoxicate someone. Nothing dangerous but they will feel light and giggly. Looks like it's for a beer or something. You're boss will have these in the morning now if you will excuse me I have a lot to do before closing." The woman copied the list on a small pad of paper and handed it back to Mashyuu. Mashyuu smiled kindly and bowed then left the woman alone.

All that was left was the hostage taken by the twenty gangsters. But where were they located and who was the hostage? Mashyuu found himself sitting outside the medical shop and pondering the question. When he last saw the group there were twenty or so men and they had nobody captive. As far as Mashyuu knew, there weren't any hostages. Mashyuu sat and thought over the situation. The worker at the bar was apparently a fan of Klinghoffer but was not happy to see him. If things went south for the brewer he would have simply made Kling pay for whatever damage had been done. Something was wrong...

Mashyuu marched up to the brewery and glared at the building, long ago the hangover had passed and now the winged man was angry. Not only was the brewer holding info about Mashyuu's things captive but he had pieced it all together. Walking to the door of the building, Mashyuu kicked it in and looked at Kling who was asleep at the side of the building against the wall and the portly brewmaster who was going over orders for the week at his desk. "I take it you figured me out then? I knew that if you and Kling went together you would be too busy trying to get materials to realize that there was no hostage and that I was going to send you to your deaths. Truth is, I hate Kling but I'm not a killer by nature." "No but you'd happily send others to their death just because you don't like how someone treated you. So what, you're a fan who didn't get an autograph once?"

Mashyuu stepped inside the room and stood in front of the sleeping Klinghoffer. "You tell me where our stuff is and I carry this guy to his hotel and tell him you were very helpful,
no harm comes to you considering nobody is hurt and you didn't have to do any running around yourself today. If you don't tell me where our stuff is, I'm gonna break your legs, from the toes up and when Kling here wakes up... well I don't know what kind of dark power he has but he won't treat you very well." The portly brew master looked Mashyuu dead in the eye, past the dark haired man's red tinted glasses and sighed. "Okay... I sent your stuff back to the tavern you were staying at. The bartender was going home and put the stuff in the back of a closet or office or something. He should be there now." Mashyuu smirked and scooped Kling up into his arms. "You have a good night." Mashyuu said with a threatening tone in his voice then left the man to his own devices.

...Mashyuu set Kling down at a table so that he would slump to lay against the wooden table while Mashyuu spoke to the bartender. "I'm told there is a morning star and a guitar in the back of the building somewhere. We were really drunk last night and don't remember much." The Bartender smiled wide and nodded his head up and down then scurried to the back only to return with the items. "Yeah I almost decided to keep that guy's guitar but I'm not a thief. Here ya are." The man handed the items over and Mashyuu walked to Klinghoffer and slipped the guitar case under the man's arms.

In the morning Mashyuu was flying through the sky, on the lookout for his next adventure and left Klinghoffer with a note explaining the situation and that Mashyuu was sure they would meet again.