Answering the Call (AZN CREW)

[Wonsanji]

The Lucky Dragon was a Korean warship, and as such was built with many unusual features geared towards combat. One of these features, in fact, one of the more obvious, was the dragon figurehead that doubled as a gunport. Capable of shooting both regular bullets and flames, the fierce bulging eyes of the great serpent pierced deep into the souls of every sailor and would-be adversary it faced, haunting their thoughts as they traveled that final road to heaven or hell.

But what Yong Soo liked most about it, to be honest, was that of all the vantage points on board, the dragon head had both the first and the most view. The Korean was currently settled within its mouth, crossing his arms between its large metal teeth and letting his large sleeves dangle down towards the sea, lifting his large grin towards the horizon as he caught the ocean spray on his face. In the high moon's light, he almost seemed to be a ghost.

Sang Ki bobbed in the night wind, wearing a grin almost as broad as the young Asian man, and with a bright laugh Yong Soo addressed it, "It never gets old, does it, da ze? So much better than wandering town to town." Behind him, the Korean could hear the commotion in the cabin, as Yao commanded the crew and managed them into order. Yong Soo smiled, resting his chin against an iron tooth, as he thought again what an amazing thing it was, having the Chinese man so close by.

"It's not just you and me anymore, da ze." Yong Soo confided, lifting one sleeve to tap against the curl, "And soon, it won't even be just us and him. Soon as we get to Libertalia, and meet the other pirate crews, we're gonna find out more about the others. I can feel it, da ze. Intuition originated in Korea, you know."

The curl bobbed from view, and, looking past it, Yong Soo saw a vague shape begin to form in the distance. The Korean blinked a bit, at first, not sure what he was seeing, and then, with an even broader smile than before, the Korean slipped out of his perch, sliding past the gunport and bouncing down the two or three steps into the main cabin. Waving his arms in excitement, the Korean raised his voice to address the crew, "YAO-HYUNG, YAO-HYUNG! I SPOTTED LAND, DA ZE~!"

[China]

Yao was sitting at his desk, working on the plans and coordinates for the next destination after landing on the port they are expected to land on relatively soon. Looking over his maps again, and checking his calculations, it seemed everything was right. At that precise moment, Yong Soo appeared at the doorframe flailing his arms excitedly about reaching land.

"Seems like we landed earlier than we expected," Yao said, getting up from his seat, and making his way over to his Korean companion. "Let's go prepare for docking the ship then, aru."

[Wonsanji]

Yong Soo grinned like a maniac, giving the other a surprisingly crisp salute as the other crew-members scrambled for their posts, “Al-gess-seub-ni-da, hamjangnim!”

Twirling on his heels, the Korean dashed for the large panel that controlled the oars, eyes flickering across screens and gauges as his sleeves fluttered with almost manic speed, pressing buttons and pulling levers with mechanical confidence, as though he had managed the ship all his life. Every so often he would call out on people operating the sails, coordinating their efforts with a singularly Yong Soo enthusiasm, and soon, the Lucky Dragon was swooping in towards the island, encroaching on the bay before entering the hidden cove.

“Lower the sails—don’t want them scraping the cave ceiling,” the Korean commanded, easing his frenetic pace in favor of finesse as he guided the ship along, grinning expression focused and fierce as he instructed over intercom, “Someone should be in the gun-port to catch the lantern signals, da ze~” After catching an affirmative, the quick-handed Asian flicked on another camera located in one of the figure-head’s eyes, providing another grainy view from the bow of the ship to further confirm the crewman’s interpretations of the lanterns.

Taking the sparest of moments to brush Sang Ki out of his face, Yong Soo called over his shoulder, “Yao-Hyung, would you call ahead, da ze, and announce our arrival?” Even though it was phrased as a suggestion, the Korean clearly had assumptions, as his statement was immediately followed with another that announced the proper radio frequency, gesturing towards the nearby radio-communication apparatus before returning his attentions to navigating his precious heirloom through the craggy cavern.

Yong Soo’s auburn eyes were bright, glimmering with excitement, as he mentally prepared for both the Lucky Dragon’s debut into the world of piracy, and his own.

Al-gess-seub-ni-da, hamjangnim! = Aye, aye, sir!

[China]

Yao smiled. It was good to see the Korean so lively and energetic.

You're only young once Yao thought. As much of a pain Yao thought Yong Soo's energetic nature could be, he had to say the years that they were separated he did miss it quite a bit. Even if Yong Soo could be a bit much to handle at times, Yao knew that he loved Yong Soo as if he truly was his brother, and wouldn't replace him for the world. It was good to have such a bubbly persona in his life again. It strayed him from the dark thoughts of "what if"s and "if only"s he would constantly think of in the past when he was alone at night searching for his siblings.

"I'll radio right away, aru. Just make sure not to crash into anything," Yao said half jokingly, taking his mind away from the depressing thoughts.

[Wonsanji]

"No way, da ze! Crashing didn't originate in Korea, you know~!" Smiling to himself, Yong Soo returned his attention to the passage mapped out on his screen, concentrating on both what he saw with his eyes and the extra directions he heard from the crewman upfront.

"Tricky, da ze," the Korean murmured, eyes glinting as he navigated through the narrow cavern, in spite of the challenge of the ship’s strangely U-shaped hull. Occasionally the ship lurched, battling with the current, but Yong Soo was swift to correct its course and avoid crashing upon the cruel rocks. The Korean would be damned before he wrecked his ambitions and vessel so close to the brink of real pirate society.

Soon, the ship reached smoother waters, where a vast array of ships docked alongside the bay. Yong Soo gaped at the images on screen; along with the sheer variety of the vessels, all shapes and sizes, an entire town was built on the side of a cliff, sprawling and chaotic with vitality and movement. Vivid colors and bright light spilt out from the taverns and shops, flowing over the edge of one level and out into the one below, as though the light was only a different kind of water. Apparently it was happy hour in the taverns, as music and laughter filled the air, interspersed with the occasional cheer and shot of gunfire. It was, without question, a pirate’s town.

The Korean bit his lip, his heart giving an almost painful throb. It was with surprising strength that Yong Soo wished it was him at the figure-head, seeing the high-rising cliffs first, instead of the crew-man who had been so helpful in getting them there. Shaking off his momentary envy, the young Asian turned towards the Chinese man nearby, his broad grin mirrored by the curl of his hair. “Where do we dock, da ze?”