Player Plot: Great Ape Nappa

[minorinpain]

Who: Nappa, Zelda, Darin, Emet-Selch, Miriam, Gohan, Sonic, Ranma Saotome

Status: Closed to those participating in the event.

Where: Nappa's hideout in a less-populated area of Elah.

What: Looking for an illicit payday, Nappa kidnaps Zelda to hold her for ransom. However, he makes sure the pay-off happens on the night of the full moon, so he can play his trump card if things go south...

Warnings: Gonna be violence.





[ooc: Will be adding toplevels throughout the day as I'm going to be travelling overnight and trying to pace myself.]

Comments

Nappa, Zelda: The Kidnapping

[minorinpain]

He'd waited long enough, got the moon cycles down, found an appropriate hideout to stash his meal ticket once he'd nabbed her, and prepped his Saibaman crew as best he could. It was time to put his plan into action.

In two days, when the sun rose, Nappa would be rich. No Frieza, no Vegeta to take a share. Wealth enough that Nappa could finally realize his dream of being a Big Man here, start his own crew, really start knocking heads together and make sure everyone here knew a high-class Saiyan warrior was someone to be feared.

He'd been keeping a lookout on the blacksmith from above. If he didn't want to just hover over the street he could watch from the rooftops. Waiting for that princess who's boyfriend had bed-buying money came outside, could be grabbed.

When she finally does emerge, Nappa follows her for a bit, waits for the princess to put some distance between herself and the blacksmith before he makes his move. Once Zelda clears a few blocks, Nappa moves. He swoops down into the street, grabs Zelda from behind, and hauls her up as he flies away. Pretty standard grab an' go, no need for anything fancy. Nappa will be long gone with her by the time anyone else on the street can process what just happened.

"Wouldn't try to struggle too much if I was you, Your Majesty." Nappa taunts as the town passes by underneath. "It's a long drop if I were to lose my grip!"

[multidisciplinary]

It takes a second for Zelda to realize what just happened. One moment, she's on her way home from the Starmetal Forge; the next, a big burly arm wraps around her waist and yanks her off her feet. Zelda can see the street rapidly shrinking below her as Nappa shoots off into the sky.

"What--?!" She wriggles around in Nappa's until she can turn and look up at him. "You!!"

It's him! That huge mountain of a man she met at the Ghoul's Moon masquerade months ago, the one that reminds her of a Goron!

... What was his name, again? She doesn't remember at all. (Goddess, she was very drunk that night, wasn't she?)

--Never mind that now, being addressed as 'Your Majesty' gets another gasp out of Zelda. But how? How does he know she's royalty? That's not possible! She's been so careful!

"Wh-What do you want with me?"

[minorinpain]

"To keep your trap shut and do as your told!" Nappa snaps at her. They're leaving the city behind at this point, flying out deeper into the island. "You behave, an' this'll all be over soon. Heh. Assumin' your boyfriend isn't too dumb to play ball, that is."

He grins nastily at her, clearly enjoying this. "How much do you even remember about our little chat back at that party? Surprised you weren't dancin' on the tables, you were so wasted, "Your Majesty". I found it pretty enlightening!"

[multidisciplinary]

Zelda's confusion only deepens. 'Boyfriend?' Does he mean Darin? It sounds like there's something he wants from Darin-- But if that's the case, why are they flying away from the forge instead of towards it?

"Our chat?" Her brows furrow as she tries to think back to the Ghoul's Moon masquerade.

"We were playing some kind of game... A truth-telling game?" A game where the loser of the round had to down a shot of alcohol that tasted like candy. Zelda barely remembers the game... only that she was doing pretty badly at it. Except--

"--B-But I was wearing a mask! How did you find out who I am? A-And stop calling me 'Your Majesty!' It was just a costume!"

Maybe she can convince Nappa she was just pretending to be a princess for the masquerade...

Nappa, Darin: The Ransom [Video]

[minorinpain]

[Maybe Darin's noticed Zelda's been gone longer than expected. Maybe he even heard that someone got nabbed off the street. Or maybe the message is a complete surprise, when it comes in. A video, live. Zelda, tied to a chair, in an unfamiliar location. The camera lingers on her for a moment just so Darin can see that it's live, before it swings back to Nappa's leering mug.]

Just wanted to make sure I got your undivided attention. You and me got some business to discuss.

[VIDEO]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin doesn't usually keeps tabs on Zelda. Though, given her penchant for being reckless, he might want to consider starting. So, the call does take him by surprise. For a second, he thinks it's a gag. He's confused. There's only one person he could think of who would attempt to harm Zelda, and tying her up like this was not the way he'd expect him to do it.]

[When Nappa turns the camera his way, though? The confusion fades.]

...'Business?'

[Humoring him right now is about the only way he's going to be able to keep his cool.]

Do you have any idea what you're doing right now? You don't want this, Nappa.

[minorinpain]

[While Darin is—barely—keeping his cool, his warning to Nappa unleashes months of pent-up rage.]

NO, THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG, SHORTSTACK!

I've wanted this since you tossed me through a damn WINDOW! You don't wound the pride of a Saiyan Elite without there bein' consequences.

[Nappa takes a second to compose himself. He's in control. He's the Boss.]

Heh, you know, it's her own damn fault she's in this mess. I stuck around that party, had a real nice chat with her over drinks. 'Course, she'd already knocked back more than a few by the time I bumped into her. Made her real chatty, real chatty. Interesting topics of conversation about how successful your business is. With all that bed-buyin' money and all.

Now I ask you, what was an old space pirate like me supposed to do? Just let that opportunity pass by? Nah. Saiyans take what we want, when we want it. And I want your fortune. Good news is, you let me have it, you get your girl back, safe and sound.

Only way this goes wrong is if you make it go wrong.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin...can't believe what he's hearing. He just wants money? Nevermind the blatant victim-blaming, what the hell was this idiot's plan? Where did he think he'd go with his money? Darin still had his forge!]

[But no, it's the way he talks about Zelda that gets under his skin. Like she's some possession or a tool or...that her title is all there is to her.]

Don't act like it's her fault. You said it yourself, you've wanted this since I publicly humiliated you. She's a means to an end because if you had the stones you'd come at me yourself.

But you won't. Because you know what'll happen.

But let's play a fun little game of "what if" shall we??

[There's a noticeable shift in Darin's tone and Zelda might be able to hear it. There's an edge that's never been there before. Something focused and barely restrained.]

What if I give you all of my money? What then? I still have my forge. I still have my work. You gonna come knocking around every couple of months when you need a handout? And you think I'll let you?

Either way, if you want anything I need to come meet you, don't I? Do you really want me to humiliate you again? Want me to bring a camera so everyone can watch?

[It's been almost a year since Darin let his arrogance and defiance show so plainly. This is what he was like back on Anmaral— when bullies threw their weight around he was the first one to egg them on.]

Don't be an idiot. I am telling you, you don't want me to get mad. Let her go now and I'll forget this happened.

[minorinpain]

[If Zelda catches it, Nappa doesn't. He doesn't know Darin nearly well enough to detect the shift in his tone. Instead, Darin's anger only feeds his arrogance. Oh, he loves when they try to puff themselves up. Make themselves look bigger. Like a threat. Darin thinks he's got Nappa all figured out, but he doesn't know where that road always ends; entire planets reduced to burning ruins under the light of a full moon.]

You caught me by surprise. I'll give ya that. Had to rethink things a little. Keep your little forge, the hell do I care about that, huh? I just need a nest egg. A little capital to get things movin'. My own ship. My own crew. It's my turn to be the big shot now, and you're gonna provide the funds that'll get me started. I sure as hell wasn't gonna run errands or do someone else's busywork, not when I can just take what I want from you. I'm done takin' orders from anyone!

So you'll deliver the money here, tomorrow night, but let it never be said the Mighty Nappa isn't gracious in victory, so I'll give you that long to get my money ready. I'll send you another message after dark tellin' you where to go. And since I know you think you got this all figured out...you should know I got some help of my own. oh, Vegeeeeeeeeetaaaaaaaaa~!"

[Nappa turns the camera back to Zelda, just in time for something big, bulbous, green and vaguely plant-like rising up over her shoulder, like it had been clinging hidden to the back of the chair until he called. Red, beady eyes and a toothy, shit-eating grin as Vegeta the Saibaman comes into view, resting a three-clawed hand on her shoulder.]

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Rescue Zelda Operation: Zelda, Emet-Selch, Miriam

[minorinpain]

Sounds of battle rage outside the small cabin where Nappa has stowed Zelda the past couple of days. Clearly things aren't going to the Saiyan's plan. But Vegeta the Saibaman remains steadfastly attached to the back of the seat Zelda is tied to, claws tightly gripping her shoulders.

Anyone who's not the master who comes in, he must self-detonate. Vegeta knows this. It's orders. Can't disobey orders. Saibamen don't disobey orders, even when the orders mean their death.

But Saibamen don't live as long as Vegeta has. Unlike the other Saibamen let loose tonight, Nappa planted Vegeta months ago, to prepare him for the job. Vegeta has been alive far longer than possibly any other Saibaman in history. Long enough to come to grips with existence and decide he likes it pretty well. Especially if the alternative is...not.

It's not a problem anyway. Master will win. He said so. So there's no problem.

Who would be foolish enough to risk blowing up the person they're trying to save?

[emet_sulk]

Emet-Selch can see two souls inside the room. One is more definitely Zelda's and the other is unknown. He's not the sort to go crashing into a room for a rescue, no matter how urgent. Over the ages, he's seen all sorts of wild plots and so, although he has absolutely no inkling of Vegeta's instructions to self-destruct, he pauses outside the door.

"Zelda is most certainly inside," he says quietly. "But there is someone else in there with her, quite close. They may have a weapon drawn."

[crystalrepose]

Miriam had been feeling...off of late. The longer the night drew on, the more antsy and restless she felt. The moon seemed unusually bright and distracting, though Miriam was certain it was the same as it always was.

But there was a job to do; a friend was in danger, there was the sound of violence behind her. She clung to that purpose with a laserlike focus even more tightly than usual, and ignored the moon presence crawling at the back of her mind. She didn't know this person well, but they seemed of unified purpose--and that was enough for Miriam. She frowned a bit in worry; every instinct screeched at her to do something, tear off the door, break the windows, fight whatever was inside--keeping those thoughts muzzled felt as difficult as a fight would be. But she had to. Whoever had abducted Zelda was clearly prepared for violence, and in such a small space she'd be caught in the midst of it. Rushing in was no option at all.

"One of my familiars could get a closer look," the Shardbinder said, voice quiet and tense. There's a brief glow from the crystal on Miriam's back and a bit of light in the palm of her hand, and a creature hops out of the circle of light to the ground.

It's a rat, or close to one; maybe a bit bigger and shaggier than usual, with a blue color to its otherwise beady eyes. Its magic signature was similar to Miriam's own for the most part, as if it were a projection of herself. The rat sat up to polish a bit of dust off its whiskers, and set off to find a crevice or gap in the wall a rodent could squeeze its way into. It seemed run down and dark in there; plenty of hiding places for a little creature.

[emet_sulk]

Emet-Selch by contrast is a picture of calm as he stares at the familiar then watches it scuttle off. If he knew this woman better then perhaps he would realise something is off. But as it is, he simply assumes that she's concerned about rescuing Zelda.

"Don't be reckless. The last thing we need is for the other one inside to feel provoked," he cautions. He can track her familiar's faint glimmer even through the wall. He watches it - and the pair within the room - carefully in case there is a need for him to take sudden action.

[multidisciplinary]

For the past couple days since her capture, Zelda has been a perfectly well-behaved hostage... although it didn't start out that way. As soon as Nappa landed at his hideout on Elah, she tried to conjure her sealing magic to shackle him in place with rings of light so she could use the Purah Pad to teleport herself back to the safety of the Starmetal Forge. But when Zelda waved her hand, nothing happened. In fact, she couldn't sense her sealing magic at all. It was like when she first arrived in this world, before getting her tattoos-- her magic was completely inaccessible.

With no way to escape the brutish Saiyan and no hope for convincing him to let her go (she tried that on the flight over here), Zelda decided the best course of action was to obey Nappa's orders. It seemed like the only thing he cared about was the ransom money he was trying to extort from Darin in exchange for Zelda's safe return... something Darin wouldn't give Nappa if he killed her. And while she hated the thought of Darin handing over the fortune he had worked so hard to earn just to save Zelda, what other choice was there? If either of them tried to do anything but follow Nappa's orders, the Saibaman clinging to Zelda's chair would self-detonate, killing her along with it.

The night of the hand-off arrives. And no sooner did Darin arrive outside the cabin and bellow for Nappa to come face him did the Saiyan's carefully laid plans begin to crumble. Even though Nappa prepared (and probably even hoped) for a fight, it doesn't take long for things to get out of hand.

Maybe she can take advantage of the chaos outside to try to reason with her guard. Nappa has very generously explained to Zelda about Saibamen and their mindless obedience to their masters, but the one guarding her seems different from the others. It's capable of speech and seems to be able to think for itself, to an extent. If it's that self-aware, then it probably knows what will happen to it if Nappa orders it to self-detonate. Surely it would prefer not to die.

"Come on, Vegeta, this is your chance! Run away now while Nappa is distracted. You can go somewhere else and live freely without worrying about being ordered to self-detonate."

Engaged as she is with talking to the Saibaman, Zelda has not yet noticed Miriam's familiar. But the rat will be able to see that the small, run-down cabin is empty except for Zelda, tied up with rope, and the Saibaman diligently clinging to the back of her chair. The front door to the cabin has been torn clean off and the fight between Darin and Great Ape Nappa is visible beyond.

Great Ape Nappa Side-Fights

[minorinpain]

[The fight with Darin, when it finally happens, is a big one. He's putting up a tougher fight than Nappa expected, nor did he realize his Great Ape form would be gimped here. But The Mighty Nappa refuses to give in! Maybe he sent Darin flying, or Darin sent him flying or in the confusion of battle they just got separated, but for the moment, someone else taps in, because there's a giant monkey on a rampage, and that's not good for anyone.]

[spinsandneedles]

[Gimped or not, it's still hard to miss a big rampaging monkey. Sonic's fought way bigger monsters than this, and while his victories against those usually hinged on the Chaos Emeralds, he figures he can probably take this guy. At least slow him down a bit? Either way, he can't just ignore it. In case this is just some big guy having a bad day though, Sonic doesn't straight up attack right away.

Using his speed to his advantage, Sonic appears suddenly seated on Nappa's shoulder. Diplomacy first, and if that fails, then punching.]

Hey big guy, you wanna maybe chill out a bit? You keep this up, someone's gonna get hurt!

[minorinpain]

Nappa feels a rush of air by his ears, and someone speaking to him. Big red eyes fall on Sonic as Nappa turns his head to see the hedgehog.

"GETTIN' PEOPLE HURT'S THE IDEA, SHRIMP!" Nappa roars right before he tries to bring his other hand down to squash Sonic like a bug.

[spinsandneedles]

Sonic very quickly moves, repositioning himself to stand on top of Nappa's head.

"Ahh, so that's your game! Great! I haven't had a good workout in a while!" He sounds maybe a little more excited about the idea of a giant, rampaging ape smashing people than he should. Nobody ever said Sonic was smart.

From his current position, he jumps in the air and rolls up in a ball, smashing down on top of Nappa's head a couple times, surprisingly hard given his size, before running down his back and off... somewhere. He's fast, he could be anywhere. He's just waiting to see what Nappa does next before committing to his next move.

[minorinpain]

"WHAT THE HELL—OW! QUIT THAT!" The bonks on the head actually hurt, but by the time Nappa's hand reaches up to grab Sonic, the hedgehog is already gone in a flash.

Who the hell is this wannabe, lame-ass Burter knock-off? What is it with blue guys and bein' really annoyingly fast?!

Nappa looks at his surroundings. "SO, YOU WANNA PLAY GAMES WITH THE MIGHTY NAPPA, HUH, FUZZBALL? ALL RIGHT, THE NIGHT IS YOUNG. LET'S PLAY!" Darin can wait for the time being; Nappa forms a ki sphere in his hand and then hurls it in the direction he thinks he detected Sonic racing off too.

[catsgothistongue]

[There's never a dull moment in Ranma's life. He was snoozin' away after a day of training, so when the ground beneath his floorboards began quaking and the serene quiet is replaced by a ginormous crash like a tower falling, it was quite the start. By the time he was on his feet, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he saw the silhouette of...

A. a giant gorilla suffering from male pattern baldness, wreaking havoc in town.

One hell of a wakeup call... It takes him a minute to grab some backup weapons, pocketed away thanks to his ki, and throw on decent clothes. He's not about to fight King Kong in his bare necessities now!

Ranma climbs out a window and gets onto the roof. Parkouring from rooftops to rooftops, trying to get in close to where the monster was, making his stop at an unfinished establishment that closed construction for the day. It hasn't noticed him, yet. He needs to get it away from all these buildings and collaterals, pronto.

Hey, hey Nappa. Have a brick chucked at your face with the speed, force and precision of a bullet. Which considering Nappa's size, shouldn't be anything worse than getting pelted with a BB gun's pellet. Should still, hopefully, get his attention. And if that doesn't do the trick:]

Hey, ugly chimp! [The shouting of the teen his body fought during the Ghoul's Moon might.] Where ya' headin', to find the world's largest toupee?

[minorinpain]

The brick bounces off Nappa's cheek, and it does make him wince, though only out of annoyance. "WHAT THE HELL?" He turns around as Ranma shouts at him, and bares some very large fangs at Ranma. Oh...he remembers you, smartass.

"BIG MISTAKE, KID! I AIN'T PLAYIN' AROUND TONIGHT." And because Nappa's mother didn't raise no liar, he proves this point with a Great Ape-sized ki blast from his palm, right towards the construction site currently serving as Ranma's perch.

[catsgothistongue]

"It knows ki attacks?!"

His brain latched onto that detail, his eyes bulging out of their sockets at the sudden golden eclipse coming his way. His body saves his bacon by acting on primal instincts: jump. Jumping high into the air, putting his all into getting the hell out of dodge, reaching close to 50 feet. The sound of handymen's hard work becoming a smoking crater ring out in his ears.

Whatever of the structure that wasn't utterly atomized by the ki-blast shot out everywhere. Nicking, scraping, grazing Ranma's airborne body. It isn't anything to cry about. He ignores the flesh wounds and, following basic physics, comes down to land on another building's roof.

Close, that was too close for his comfort. He needs to close the distance, deal with this unruly gorilla before the next building that gets totaled houses people in it! Ranma looks less like a person and more a red streak dashing and bouncing from the tops.

Two can play the range game, bastard. During his last acrobatic stunt off the roof, once more taking to the sky, Ranma thrusts out both arms and fires off a golden beam of ki, the attack fueled by his confidence and pride -- which you better believe he has in spades -- at the not-so funky monkey.

[latentpower]

[Gohan wouldn't be able to ignore the rampage of Great Ape Nappa forever. A sudden, somewhat familiar power spike snapped Gohan out of his sleep, one that made him feel uneasy for reason he wasn't sure why. And so he snuck out of his crew's base of operations and returned to the mainland, following the ki signature he was picking up on.

Thankfully, after following the ki signature he was tracking, it wasn't terribly hard to find where Nappa was causing trouble next. How do you miss a giant monkey, after all? Gohan's stomach drops at what he sees. Great, just great.]

You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?

[Gohan's words are cold as they're directed at Nappa. He was a gentle boy ordinarily, but the tone of his voice right now was the tone of an elite warrior.]

[minorinpain]

"EH? WHAT'S THAT?" It takes a moment for Nappa to locate whoever's talking to him, before he looks down and sees Gohan. Oh right...this kid. From the ghost thing. Nappa remembers him. Huh. Got some balls on him for someone so young. Most human kids would be pissin' their pants to come this close to a Saiyan Elite in the full glory of their Great Ape form.

"GET LOST, KID! I DON'T GOT TIME TO SCREW AROUND BABYSITTIN' LITTLE CHILDREN. WHERE THE HELL DID THAT BLUE HAIRED CHUMP RUN OFF TOO...?" He looks around, obviously not considering Gohan a threat. Damn fight...Darin must be around here somewhere, Nappa just lost track of him in all the smoke. After a moment, he looks down again.

Gohan is still there.

"HEY! DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID? SCRAM, KID! IF YOU THINK I'LL GO EASY ON YA, YOU GOT NO IDEA WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH!"

[latentpower]

[If looks could kill, Nappa would be waiting in line for HFIL right now, with the way Gohan is glaring defiantly at him.]

I heard you.

[It's taking a lot for him to reel in the raw anger he's feeling at Nappa right now. He's caused so much destruction in the city, and for what? Some stupid fight he's having?

He wanted to give Nappa the benefit of the doubt, that maybe he'd do better for himself without the influence of Frieza and Vegeta.]

And I know exactly who I'm dealing with. I thought you'd change here, but I guess I was wrong.

[Is there a storm front moving in? Because that was cold.]