((XDD isn't it though?))

Laharl looked over and sniffed.
"Bah...if you're the only one who can see him that doesn't make him real.." But of course Anna was too far gone to hear him by that time, practically drooling over the sight of the working portal.

"Is it really working right?" He asked moving up next to the GateKeeper.
"It would appear so Prince." He sighed and looked over.
"Geeze Anna, close your trap, you look like one of those fish your 'sea' houses."

Flonne heaved a silent sigh of relief, at least there was that miracle. She supposed Dimitri thought they'd been gone long enough.

Anna glanced over at Laharl, glaring. "S-shut up, I do not! I'm just ready to get out of this freakshow of a castle of yours!"
As if getting increasingly unnerved by having to wait, she twitched slightly and attempted to keep herself from yelling "Open the portal already!! Baaah, w-what if I get back and my ship's all messed up!?!"

Abel watched Anna have some sort of small psychotic freak-out. "Huh... well, I'm not sure if I could call it a miracle, or just Dimitri being a pain in the behind, as always. I can't exactly figure out why he trapped us down here, anyway..."

Laharl smirked.
"Alright, alright, you seem itching to get back." He turned and let out a whistle, all his vassals were gathered around in mere minutes, of course, none of them had gone all that far, but still, for them..it was impressive.
"Alright! We're heading back now! Last call for preperations!"

Flonne shrugged.
"I'm not sure either, he's an odd character to say the least."

Anna grinned in a rather insane fashion. She already had lots of plans for when she got back... one of which included kicking Dimitri's sorry behind for this entire thing. "Hurry up! I can't wait to get that idiot killed for this!"

Abel looked towards Flonne. "He certainly is... and of all things, I don't get why he's taken up with Anna. And I mean... of all people, even... well, it's not as if we can really make him go away... sadly..."

((*Stabs compy* Has not wanted to work with meeeeee T^T))

Within the next minute or so, everyone was lined up around the Gate. Laharl nodded in approval, and grinned.
"Alright Anna, it's your ship, get you butt on it!" He pointed a finger at the portal and waited for her to go on in.

Flonne grabbed Abel up when Laharl seemed ready to go, and waited with him in the back.
"...Is Dimitri that bad of a person?" She asked.
"That you would want him to go away?"

(Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry XDD When your computer messed up for a while, I forgot to... check on this for a while, as well)

Anna, looking like she was in a huge hurry of some sort, squirmed slightly and immediatly ran through the portal aftowards, screaming something along the lines of, 'YOUR BEHIND IS MINE, DEMITRI!'

Abel sighed slightly. "He's been a bother... ever since I first met him, which was a long time back. Anna was around five or six, then, you know... he popped up alot at our base, before we were attacked by Asylum, at which point he did save her... even before that I wanted him to leave. He was just... annoying."

((XDDD S'alright ^^))

Laharl leapt in after her, followed by Dagger, then Mint, then the mages, and at last Innes.

Flonne stared after the others.
"Well.....looks like they're heading on..." She smiled down.
"We'd better get a move on if we don't want to be left behind." She hopped into the portal herself, deciding that it was going to take much more than that to make up her mind about Dimitri....what a confusing character.

(Grah, thank you for being so patient with me XDDD)

A loud series of angry yells could be heard and soon, Etna came flying into the room, waving her fist angrily. "WAIT FOR ME, YOU LITTLE BRAT!!"
She lunged into the portal after Flonne, making sure to get through in time.


And there she was; back home, on her ship.
Anna had landed on her feet, surprisingly enough, and lifted her head, spotting Demitri almost immediatly. "You! What'd you do that for!?!"

Demitri glanced back over his shoulder, spotting Anna. "O-Oh! Anna, hi! H-how ya doing?"
Anna bared her teeth, looking ticked off. "Why did you trap us in there, Demitri!? Answer me!"
Demitri grew quiet, scratching his chin. "So... are you and your little blue haired boyfriend getting along any better?"
A deadly pause fell over the ship as Anna got a look on her face that was similar to the look one would get after being hit in the stomach with a hammer.

Martha was heard laughing wildly in the background, before Anna pulled her axe from her back and held it up in the air. "IT'S GONNA BE YOUR HEAD FOR THAT ONE, DEMITRI!!!"

Laharl landed on the deck of the ship...only to hear Anna screaming:
"...BE YOUR HEAD FOR THAT ONE DIMITRI!!!!" He looked around and cocked an eyebrow.
"What's her problem?"

Flonne hopped out with a smile and took a deep breath. She'd been missing this place, so she was glad to be back....only...she really shouldn't have stayed where she was...Etna, coming in fast from behind...ending up shooting out of the portal...and landing on top of her.
"Etnaaaaaaa~" She groaned under the other girl.
"Get off please, you're squishing meeeeee~!"

Anna shrieked, chasing after Demitri, who was busy attempting to run away from her.
He held both arms up in the air, laughing madly. "ANNA AND HARLIE, SITTIN' IN A TREE--"
"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UUUP!", she shrieked loudly. "I'M A PIRATE! PIRATE'S DON'T DO THAT STUFF!"

Martha walked up to Laharl, patting him on the head. "I heard you and the Captain are getting along better, 'ey, shorty?"
She laughed in about the same insane way Demitri did, earning her a weird look from Abel, before he got smashed under Flonne.

Etna, who had landed on top of Flonne, blinked. "Oooooh, sorry, Flonne. Honest mistake."
She stood up, before brushing her skirt off and walking over to Martha and Laharl. "Did I miss something I could pick on the Prince for? Well, shoot."

Laharl silently fumed.
"We didn't kill each other if that's what you mean." He said.

Flonne sat up, rubbing her head.
"Owwwwiiieee..." She looked down and let out a squeak seeing Abel pinned under her.
"OH! Sorry!" She apologized standing quickly.
She looked around at the chaos already and sighed.
"I have no idea..."

Martha only let out a large snickering fit, apparently doing her best to calm herself down a little. Oh, how she loved this sort of stuff.
"Oh, really, now? Huh, I bet so..."
She leaned down infront of him to look him in the eyes, both her hands on her knees and a grin on her face that practically stretched from ear to ear. "I never imagined the Captain with someone SHORTER than herself, though..."
Etna soon burst out laughing, getting where this was going already. "Oh, man, Prince, what'd I miss!?"

Abel shook his head and wobbled around a little bit, looking around. "Oh, wow, I see Martha and Demitri are up to the same things as they've always been up to... except this time Martha's drug Laharl into it. Poor kids."

Laharl turned a bright pink.
"J-Just what do you mean by that!" He demanded.
He glared over at Etna and gritted his teeth.
"Shut up Etna, you're not helping matters!"

Flonne sighed.
"This won't end well.." She said flatly.
"Won't end well at all."

Martha only kept the huge grin on her face, except now she was glaring slightly. "Aw, you know what I mean, kiddo. Eh, she could've done better, you're so tiny..."
"'EY! ENOUGH OUTTA YOU, WOMAN!", screamed Anna, who had apparently overheard her. "IT AIN'T LIKE THAT!"
Martha stood up straight, placing her hands on her hips and looking towards Anna. "Aw, sure it isn't. My little Captain's growing up..."
Etna let out some sort of weird giggling noise, before elbowing the Prince in the shoulder. "Geez, what'd I miss!? I go off for a little bit and all this stuff happens..."

Anna looked infuriated, her face turning a reddish color as she attempted to resist throwing her axe on the deck, knowing it'd only end up messing her ship up.

Abel shook his head. "No, no it won't. Just like Martha to get herself into something like this..."

Laharl didn't fare any better than Anna....his hand gripped his sword, begging to be shoved into something....or someone, so instead...he opted for a better alternative...slamming his elbow into Etna's rib....harder than she'd nugded him.....MUCH HARDER.
"YOU ARE NOT HELPING!" He fumed.

"And Etna to push Lord Laharl too far.....it's almost scary how these two places exist in such simillar circumstances...."

Etna made a bit of an 'oof' noise, stumbling backwards, managing to fall down on her butt. She grumbled, glaring at Laharl. "Oooh, c'mon, Prince!! I was just joking!"
She glanced away, lowering her voice to barely a mumble. "... Although it could happen..."
Anna immediatly snapped at Etna. "IT'S NOT TRUE AND IT AIN'T HAPPENIN'! I'M A PIRATE, THE ONLY THINGS I LOVE ARE MY SHIP AND MY TREASURE!"
Etna looked creeped out. "Geez, for a human you've got some good ears..."

Abel nodded in agreement. "I find that fascinating in general, Flonne... the way that everyone acts as if all the races are so different, but in all reality, they're not. The whole time I've worked for him, Laharl reminds me so much of Anna, it's not funny... and--"
"Blondie, and... whatever you are."
The orange haired girl from before stood a short distance behind the two. "I need to speak to you two in private. Mind coming with me?"
She immediatly turned and headed off inside, and Abel only stayed still for a moment. "... Flonne, if you don't want to go, I will. This might be what I wanted to know..."

Laharl stood over his vassal, sword drawn, ready to stab it anywhere near Etna....in her, around her...anything just so she would SHUT UP!
"Etna....." He growled out.
"One of these days...ONE OF THESE DAYS!" He sheathed his blade quickly before any damage was done.

Flonne was about to agree....but she turned pale and turned around.
"Oh ah....us?" She asked pointing to herself and then to Abel..
"You.....alright..." She looked down.
"No way...You have to wait for the Red Moon Abel....I'm not letting you die before then." She smiled down.
"I'm coming with you." So that he had no say...she knelt and picked him up, carrying him with her...possibly squeezing just a little tight out of nervousness...

Anna grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring down at Etna, before looking like a mix between embarassed and angry and storming off past Martha and inside of the ship.
Martha blinked, only chuckling slightly and growing quiet after that, gaining the attention of Demitri.
"What's up with that look?", he asked immediatly. "Geez, you managed to get her to run off, you should be proud."
Martha looked over at Demitri. "I think you know already, Demitri..."
Demitri nodded. "Yeah... I see it, too."

Abel blinked slightly, looking up towards her. "Flonne... thank you."
The orange haired girl watched as the Captain walked past her and straight into her room, closing the door behind her. She raised an eyebrow, and soon approached the trap door leading to the bottom of the ship, opening it with ease despite her tiny frame.
She looked back at the two. "I'm sorry. I know it is unpleasant down there but all the other rooms aren't exactly secure... you two first. I can't have you running off."

Flonne smiled.
"You're welcome."

Seeing the dark inside of the cargo hold...Flonne stepped back a bit.
".....Mmmmnnnn..." She sighed then.
"It's awfully dark down there...." She said hoping that it wouldn't be her going down first..though she knew that if push came to shove....she'd get thrown inside.
"Alright.....just...don't lock us in there....alright...." She looked down at the Prinny.
"You'd be surprised at how many times Etna's done that..." She took a deep breath..and headed down.

Abel looked back at the girl, who had followed them down after she shut the door; thankfully, she had brought a small lantern with her. "So, dood..."
The girl snickered, shaking her head. "I know who you are, no need to put on an act. It looks like you two are onto me, so..."
With a snap of her fingers, her form isntantly shifted from that of a skinny teenage girl into that of a tall, adult woman with her entire figure clad in robes. Abel recognized her almost instantly. "So I was right... so it's you, miss Asylum."

Asylum rolled her eyes. "Oh, no need to be so formal now, Abel. Believe it or not you don't need to be threatened by me anymore; I did my job back then, I don't need to kill you again."
She leaned down to look Flonne in the eyes, growing quiet, as if she were trying to figure out something by doing so. "... I need to ask you an important question, miss Flonne."

Flonne's face paled in the dim light. She'd expected something like this...but still seeing her face to face....she found that she was more frightened of Asylum than she first thought.
"Y-Yes?" She choked out, squeezing Able even harder.

"The Captain and her crew... are horrible people.", she began. "They've killed people for insulting them, and, heck, the Captain's offed a few of her own crew members for either insulting her or messing her ship up in the least."
She raised both eyebrows. "She's stupid, stubborn, and utterly cruel. Yet... since you and your friends came here, she's started being nicer to her crew members... not to mention, she didn't try to kill that blue haired boy even though he almost destroyed her ship. How did you all do it?"

Abel looked carefully at Asylum, as if he were confused. "What...?"
"I don't understand it.", she said. "But... the Captain is acting differently and in turn, so are her crew. I don't know which one of you did it or how you did... but, there is definetly a difference..."

Flonne blinked.....then blinked again
"You...mean you didn't bring us down here to kill us off silently...?" Her grip lessend on the poor Prinny, and she shrugged.
"I.....I don't know what changed Anna's behavior....why the sudden interest?"

Asylum chuckled, shaking her head at Flonne's question. "No, and, it's not a sudden interest. It's the only reason I'm here."
She finally stood up straight. "The only reason I killed Abel and the others... was because it was punishment for the bad things they had done. I tried to take out Anna, as well, but she managed to get away..."

Abel looked absolutely confused, but soon seemed as if he understood. "We WERE pirates... we done alot of bad things. Maybe we did deserve it... still, why haven't you killed Anna, yet, if that's the case?"
"If she stops being such a bad person... then there will be no need for me to punish her.", Asylum responded. "But, she's still got a long way to go until I can consider her to be undeserving of punishment..."

Flonne would have passed out from being overwhelmed by it all....if her brain wasn't working so hard to keep up.
"Saywhosiwhatnow?" She said, shaking her head.
"Wait...so...you really didn't just come out of nowhere to attack Anna? There were REASONS for what you did?" She cocked her head trying hard to put all the peices into place.
Finally giving up, she asked a more demanding question.
"What are you Asylum....aren't you a Demon? I didn't think ANY demons acted this way..."