Daba Dee Daba Da

[fierybluebird]

[Oh Marco is pissed. Aside from being a zoan who considers himself almost more phoenix than human, he's spent decades on the Grand Line fighting to protect fishmen and merfolk or okama who have to hide who and what they are from humans who can't handle the idea of someone being different or having more power than them. So you can bet that he'll be signing up for tons of missions to get his damn rank higher, and doing them all as a phoenix (as much as possible since talking requires human form or at least hybrid) in protest. Of course, since most people mistake him for a blue GF, this probably won't matter much, but it's the thought that counts.]

[He's still really furious though. He's never been able to adjust to taking orders from anyone other than his father, and really, he nearly came close to trying to kick Squall's ass on the principle of it. Now he's being restricted, and yeah, Mr. Phoenix doesn't do so great with that. He earned his place as the first division commander and 2nd in command to the Whitebeard pirates, and he kept it specifically because of Whitebeard's trust and respect in him. So this would do the exact opposite of cultivate loyalty and it undermined a lot Marco felt the Garden (or at least Headmaster Cid) had always been striving for.]

[Not to mention the sheer indignity of all of it. Rank 6? Rank 6?! Did they even know who he was or what he was capable of? That clearly had to be a clerical error. 26 maybe. Oh yes, his pride is rankled. Compound that with his purposeful hatred of hiding his phoenix side, his attempts to show to others it was okay to be yourself, and yeah, Marco was probably less furious when he was trying to chase down black holes and volcanoes he thought came from Blackbeard and Akainu respectively.]


Option A:
[And so it is that Marco is just kicking the shit out of anything in the Training Center... and finding that so less than satisfactory. He'll just have to go out on another mission just to kick things in the face.]

Option B:
[And true to his protest, unlike the human versions of his friends walking around the campus to try out the potion, Marco struts around in phoenix form. Purposely snagging attention. Normally he'll just laze about and read or sit in a tree and watch. Not this time. This time he's being downright impetuous, sneaking up on humans and stealing pens or scattering papers. Or he'll sit and stay for a pat on the head if you're nice. Still, if his non-human friends have to suffer, he'll make the humans suffer along with them! Hope you didn't want that tea, because he might just stolen it. Bonus: he can't recognize all the nonhumans in human form so he might just wind up antagonizing them too........ oops?]

Option C:
[And finally, finally when he's no longer being held back by his wife from kicking through the Commander's office and possibly rioting or at the minimum, mutinying; he'll post to the BBS.]

It seems there are a lot of phoenix feathers offered as rewards for the missions, so just where are the phoenixes that these feathers come from? They can't all be GFs. Has anyone even seen a phoenix before? I thought they were made of fire, how do they even shed feathers?

[Never mind that Marco himself goes through a horrible awkward shedding state each and every spring. Mm-hm.]

If the phoenixes are being held hostage, clearly they must be freed immediately.

Thank you.

- Marco

[He does NOT sign with his rank, because clearly that is a mistake they will go about fixing shortly. Or they will learn.]

Comments

[fierybluebird]

[Scowls anyway, because while he's fine with the option being there, he still hates it. And really hates the whole covering up "who you are" thing.]

And what do you think?

[Carefully neutral toned.]

[espio]

I think it's useful, and yeah, I'm gonna use it. Thing is, I'm gonna use it when it suits me, not Zabala. When have I ever let being a chameleon stop me from leaving the Garden before? I'm not going to start making a big deal out of it now.

It's just like invisibility. If I want to hide, I hide. If I don't, I don't. Can't deny it, I wouldn't mind a visit somewhere without being stared at for once.

[fierybluebird]

Fine.

I need a cigarette.

[Mostly you know. Air. And fire. And maybe a smoke. Anyways, please come with little chameleon bro, because he has to think this over before he says anything on it.]

[espio]

Seriously, Marco, I like the option. It's not worth stressing out over.

[He can see that you are anyway, though, Marco, so he's going to follow just to make sure you don't get ridiculous over it.]

[fierybluebird]

[Well, that helps. Definitely. So he nods, though he keeps heading outside.]

Aye...

Don't get me wrong, I like having both, eh?

[He just doesn't like their reasons. Or is that immature? After all, if his own men had to choose between scaring people or covering up the tattoos... actually Marco would still tell them not to cover those tattoos up. Oops.]

But treating the general populous as incompetent means they won't ever start to do better either.

[espio]

Eh... I'll do my part, but convincing the populace that I'm safe isn't something I want to invest full time hours in. I just wanna be lazy once in a while.

Besides, I still feel like me. I thought it'd be like controlling something alien, but actually? It feels natural. Except for the two-foot-taller part.

[fierybluebird]

Aye. [Leans on and plays with the black hair a little to adjust himself to it mentally. He wants to argue they look nothing alike, but then chameleon and all. He just had to look human to blend in with humans, and that he did.]

I can understand that.

Still, it's not like if we all wound up in Fishman Island the humans would try to look like Fishmen, eh.

And the height's not bad on you. [Sticks his tongue out.]

[espio]

I suppose. Though honestly, I still find it hard to get my head 'round how... [what is the word??] homogenous the population is. That's the word, right?

I mean, I'm used to a mix of everything in one place, humans included - I didn't even know any other chameleons in New Tek.

[fierybluebird]

[Grabs a seat outside and dangles his legs off the side, puffing on the cigarette.]

Admittedly the Grand Line isn't that extreme, but jeez, definitely nothing like this.

And there are good reasons for them to be afraid of outsiders. People like Blackbeard or Shadow, eh? But if they don't deal with that fear, they'll always just be prejudiced cowards. What good is that for anyone?

[espio]

[Raises his hands.]

Don't look at me - I have no intention of sticking to the "mandatory usage in public" thing. That's ridiculous. It's just like I said - it's handy if I want to be lazy. I have a full time paid job here, remember? Educating the world outside of the Garden, that's not what I'm paid for, and I have no intention of being a walking educational aid.

And besides - chameleon. Blending in is supposed to be my thing anyway.

[fierybluebird]

Yeah yeah. [Ruffles his head.]

I know. I mean, it's good for anyone who wants it.

[A shrug. He's still mad about all the things though! ALL THE THINGS.]

[espio]

[He would continue discussing this, but he's momentarily distracted.]

What is with people and my hair?! Even Grell's tried to play with it!

[fierybluebird]

It's distracting.

[espio]

[That is exactly what Grell seemed to think. Exactly. Espio pulls a face, then pulls off that hat to take a look at it.]

And why's this on my head, anyway?

[fierybluebird]

It's a present.

[espio]

Uh-huh.

[Stares at it. It's a cowboy hat. Why have you got him a cowboy hat, Marco? Really?

He notes the Whitebeard symbol, rolls his eyes, then - without even a word of thanks - puts the hat back on his head.]

[fierybluebird]

[Hides his ear to ear grin, albeit badly. He can see right through your tsun Espio. If only because Grell told him exactly what it was.]

It looks good on you.

[espio]

Hm.

You know, I'm gonna need some clothes if I'm gonna be using this potion. These are Toby's, and they're way too tight.

[Espio is a hoarder. Of course he's kept Toby's stuff!

And yes we're still assuming this is before NewToby's appearance.]

[fierybluebird]

Ask Grell. She'd love to take you shopping.

[100% deadpan man. 100%. Ignore that impending doom because it's not in Marco's voice at all.]

[espio]

No. Way. In. Hell.

[The very prospect of letting Grell take him shopping is terrifying.]

I'll take myself! I can actually afford stuff now, anyway.

[fierybluebird]

Eh? What do you mean? You get a raise for all the pilot stuff or something?

[espio]

No, my rank went up.

[fierybluebird]

Oh?

That's...

[... Espio's went up and his went down?! Marco's actually been going ON missions. What is this witchcraft?! Weren't they being dicks about the whole other-worlder non-human thing?!]

How?

[espio]

Well, my rank was kind of low anyway, but all the instructors were made rank twelve.

[fierybluebird]

That's it. I'm not talking to you anymore.

[He 100% does not mean this. Even for all his usual deadpan.]