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| - Beyond the docks of Calico Town's houses and farms, lie seemingly endless fields of flowers. Near one of those fields sits a bar on the side of the road. It's doors were half hung and always open, with the constant smell of roses and oranges floating around the bar like a lackadaisical wind. "The Orange Bar", is the name of the small bar. On a usual day, a few costumers would come and comment on it's fruity drinks. Laughter and joy was boundless, and a calm crew of workers and laborers was always a frequent happening. Yes, the Orange Bar was a joy, but today was different. Today there was panic. A loud crash resounded as the doors flew outward causing the bottom level to shake in response. "Rika! Rika!" A man-like voice called out, "Rika! Get your bum down here! Rika!" Suddenly a door atop a staircase opened up, revealing a young blonde woman with her hair about and strewn, wearing pajamas. The girl took a few steps down the staircase, only loose her footing to stumble down the stairs. "Yes Mrs. Edna?! I'm coming I'm - WAH!" Her footing slipped causing one of her slippers to come off as she kept falling toward the ground. Her hand released from the railing, and soon another crash shook the bottom level as the young Rika face faulted onto the wooden floor. The voice seemed to continue as a short woman with her hair tied in a bun came around the stairwell, and simply stared at the fallen girl. Her expression was one of confusion and annoyance. "Rika!" the short woman called before whacking the young girl on the head with a broom. "Wake up! I need-" Suddenly, Rika's head jerked up as she gritted her teeth and yelped in pain. "My head! Owie!" Rika cried out, the elder woman looking at Rika with a half smile. "Good, you're awake! We have rats..." She spoke bluntly, her tone that of a hammer driving a nail. Rika's eyes expanded at the sound of this. "Rats? How!" Rika asked, shuddered and confused. Suddenly, with a swift motion of the hand, Rika's ear was in Edna's hand, causing her legs to spring upward. Rika was forced to a large door with a large number of locks on it, and the words "Bar Cellar" so bluntly carved into the flat wood. The door flew open and Edna angrily looked into the room as she forced Rika to look inside as well. "You left the basement window open all night long! You little menace!" "But I'm not allowed in the basement... only you have the key" Rika stated with a calm, yer confused expression on her face. Suddenly Edna's face turned bright red before she looked away, coughing a bit and regaining her composure. "Listen, it's best that we don't place blame!" Edna started by dropping the broom. "But I need you to go to town and grab some traps, in the meantime..." Edna reached up to the wall next to the basement door, grabbing a copper and wooden shotgun, the words "Exterminator" carved so barbarian-esqely on the side. "I need to handle this rat problem the only way I know how". Rika, not liking loud noises quickly ran outside. As she looked back, she took a deep breath. Her calmness quickly breaking at the sound of shotgun blasts and screaming. At this, Rika began her way to town. Rika ran through town, passing the houses, shops, and the square. She ran over the bridge which lead to the docks. The only true place she knew where to get the best traps, was from the fisherman of the island. The netted boxes and some stinky bait was all she needed and she would leave. As she walked the lengths and piers of the docks, she finally met an old sailor who was preparing his boat, a large netted trap and some old fish was what she saw and couldn't hold her excitement to leave back to the bar. She walked to the old man whom smiled as she arrived. "Oh, Hello Rika!" He said, his mustache curling as his eyes closed. "Pleasure to see you again, care to-" However, Rika was nervous and didn't want a long conversation. She hated being in large public places, her legs shook just hearing every word. Before he could finish, she interrupted with a near shouting tone. "Excuse me!" She interjected, the man's eyes opened a bit unexpected. "Can I have your trap! I need it really bad!" The sailor man looked at the trap, before lifting it. Before he could ask if this is what she meant, she grabbed the trap and began running down the pier, red-faced and shaking, shouting a loud stream of utterances, and pushing everyone out of her way. She turned around the corner, and yet again. Her footing slipped. The pier was wet, the stones smooth, and at the water's edge awaited a small rowboat with a large trunk. She screamed as she clutched the trap to her chest, eyes closed and the loud boom of her body falling to the rowboat echoed over the quiet dock. She rubbed her head, the trap laid on top of her. She smiled, as she attempted to stand up. Smiling at her good work. But her ear caught the sound of a tumbler and as she turned around she saw the trunk lock untwist and the lid break open and out came a man with a long black coat and a booming voice. "LAND HO!" He called, but his voice was shut up with a loud scream of Rika. As soon as he turned to the source of the scream, his vision was blacked by the view of a fist crashing to his face. His eyes blanked and his vision went black. A rush of fregrance filled his nose, his eyes surged open and he awoke with a stiff back and his face hurting. In front of him, with a look of anger, an elderly woman with one hand holding some flowers. Behind her, covering her mouth with her clenched hands was the blonde he met after his escape from the trunk. He sat up, rubbing his face which was pure red. The girl quickly feel to her knees and looked at Swift in the eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Wah! You scared me! You were in that trunk on a boat, why were you in that trunk, Wah!" Rika ranted, her voice like a bullet train with no brakes. The man quickly covered Rika's mouth and looked at Edna, confused. "Is she gonna be alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Edna merely shrugged, before going back to sweeping the floors. This strange man then noticed it was silent, and turned to look at Rika, who was looking annoyed at the man for covering her mouth still. The man looked blankly at her, before suddenly feeling a sharp pain on his palm. "Wah! Did you just bite me!?" He shrieked, looking at his palm. Rika looked a bit nervous, pushing her two index fingers together. "Well, you wouldn't move your hand." She began, "And besides, where di you learn your manners. Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a lady." She spoke up a bit. The man looked at her, then shrugged. "I didn't really learn manners. I mean you don't really need them to be a pirate, right?" His words cut the air like a knife, Rika paled and Edna turned to him with a quizzical look, the room became silent for a brief minute before Edna cleared her throat. "Exactly who are you?" She said calmly, the man smiled before standing up, grabbing his black coat which he had been laying down on and holding it over his shoulder. "I'm Jonathan D. Swift!" He proclaimed, with a thumbs up, "The New Pirate King of the Entire World!" He smiled, as Rika paled to a new shade of white. She screamed loudly, then fainted herself. Edna walked over to Swift and looked carefully at him. "Are you really going to be the Next Pirate King?", Swift merely nodded. A few hours passed, and Swift was eating and Edna chuckling at Swift.
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