Marines

Watching her ride sail away, Clair laughed at how fast they decided to leave. As soon as she stepped off the ship, they began to set sail again. 'What rude people, did not even say goodbye. Well, if I see them as pirates again I will teach them a lesson.' She let them go without killing them. By taking her to a town she figured they paid enough to earn life. If they were still criminals and Clair finds them again they won't be so lucky.

Changing back into her female form she was glad to be rid of the man bits she gained. For somebody who has been a girl her whole life gaining a new appendage felt wrong.

"Bit drabby, what do you think Yuno?" Looking at the town Clair was dropped off in she was disappointed in it. Logue town is known to be the birthplace of the king of pirates. Maybe it was her view from her last life but she felt this could hardly be called a town.

Unsure of her situation Yuno was in her own world only to be brought out of it by Clair's voice. Being an animal she was happy for the attention even if she did not know what Clair meant. Rubbing her face against Clair Yuno trusted her companion. She was reading Clair's mood If Clair was calm Yuno followed suit.

Most people who saw Clair and Yuno were running away as fast as they could. Every block they would enter they would hear a comical scream followed by shouting and running. 'Well, at least I will get to meet the Marines sooner than I thought.' It was inevitable that somebody would alert the authorities about the situation.

"Stop right there!" Hearing a commanding shout Clair felt this world was too predictable.

Smiling at the Marines that showed up to confront her Clair did not feel any danger from the situation. "Ah, the exact people I was looking for."

"You what is your purpose in Logue town?" Said the Leader of the group of men. His voice was a bit shaky. Mostly because their captain was not in Logue town right now. He would not be back for another day. He had promised that nothing would go wrong and the captain could feel safe about leaving it all to him.

Looking at the leader he was wearing the standard Marine uniform. 'Must not be the top brass If I remember correctly they get those fancy coats.' "I would like to join the Marines." Said Clair.

Trying to absorb what he just heard it was not what he was expecting. He was sure this person was here to cause trouble. "What is your name?"

"Isn't it polite to state your name first?" Giving a classic line Clair was having fun with the situation.

"My apologies, I'm petty officer Haruki." Calming down a bit Haruki was not as aggressive as when he started this conversation.

"Well, Petty officer Haruki my name is Clair no last name." She had no problems giving out her name it was not like she had committed any crimes at the moment.

"You go check the posters for any face or name that matches her." Grabbing a nearby soldier he wanted to be extra careful about bringing this girl and her monster anywhere near the base until he knew she was good.

"I hope you don't mind me checking Ms. Clair." Said the Marine.

Waving her hand."No problem at all Haruki. It would look bad on your character to not be as careful."

Feeling relieved about how well this situation was going he had only one worry. The thing standing just behind Clair. "If I might ask Ms. Clair what is the deal with the huge Tiger behind you?" Yuno was the main reason they were called and honestly, he did not believe the reports and thought the townspeople were freaking out over nothing.

"She is my pet." Pet? Every person who heard it felt like this woman was crazy.

"Is that so...Well keep it in line then." Even though he said that he eyed the rest of his group subtly saying that if that thing does anything shoot it.

"No worries officer Yuno is a big softy." Said Clair while rubbing Yunos chin.

Finally seeing the man returning the officer was anxious about what he had to say. If she was a pirate should he fight her? It was his duty but what does that mean if it leads him to be eaten.

"Sir, we have no record that matches this person."

Pumping his fist in his mind the officer was giddy that he might not have to fight this girl and her pet. "Now that we have confirmed you are not a pirate please follow me." Directing Clair towards the base Haruki was liking the prospects of Clair joining the Marines. If she can subdue a beast as big as the tiger then how strong is she?

Moving through the streets Clair could see the trust the people had in the Marines. The once scared populace now has become window shoppers to their situation. Clair did not know how well the propaganda is during this time period but it must be strong.

Lead into a courtyard outside the base Clair figured they are taking Yuno into account. Watching them bring out tables and chairs to the courtyard Clair was further impressed by the officer in front of her.

"If you will take a seat Ms. Clair I would like to get down to business." Said the officer.

Taking a seat Clair was excited to find out the process of joining the marines. She doubted it was as easy as just asking to join.

"First things first Ms. Clair to join the Marines we need to know your origin. A bit of backstory so we have a better idea of who we are dealing with."

This was not outside of Clair's expectations and she already had a story ready to give the man. "My story is a bit of a sad one are you sure it won't bother you?"

"Please." Gesturing her to continue he had heard his fair share of horror stories.

"I won't make you wait then. I am unsure what Island I was born on mostly because I was too young for it to register in my mind. At the age of four, my mother and father decided to move due to either work or other reasons. Unfortunately on route to our new home we were attacked by pirates. These pirates were not just there for our belongings sad to say." Generating tears Clair was not a bad actor.

"My father was the first to go. Stabbed in the back from trying to fight the pirates off my mother. Luckily my mother was a strong woman. Grabbing me while they struggled with my father she jumped ship. She must have figured drowning was a better fate than what the pirates had in store. The pirates, not one to lose out fired into the water nearly missing me. My mother was not so lucky I would later find out." Clair's tone getting sadder and sadder.

"left alone by the pirates who had more people to rape and kill aside from just two stragglers who jumped ship. Me and my mom slowly drifted away from the ships. She was strong until the end my mother. Using all the power left in her body she kept me and her above water for hours in the ocean water. Me being a kid keep asking my mother "We need to go back for daddy. Won't he miss us?" My voice must have hurt my mother knowing the fate of her husband. Nonetheless, she would tell me. "It's ok honey your father will join us soon." I still don't know if she was hinting that we would not make it or just giving me some hope." Looking at the faces of the men listening to the story Clair felt she was selling it well.

"When we finally got to land the power my mother used to keep us safe gave out. I can still remember how cold she felt. Even as a kid I knew something was wrong so I frantically tried to warm her up. Hugging her as tight as possible I wanted with all my heart to keep her warm. "Please mommy just hold on I'll warm you up." No matter how much I tried she would slowly lose warmth. Looking at me she kept telling me how much she loved and cared for me. Leaving me with one last message about how she and dad were always proud of me. I watched the life leave her eyes as she drifted into death." Keeping her head down Clair had made the air heavy.

"My four-year-old mind could not process death yet so for a full night I kept trying to wake my mother up. I tried to convince myself she was just tired. It will be fine she told me father will join us later he will know what to do. After two days I had to accept something was wrong. My father did not show up and my mom would not wake up. Covering my mother in large leaves I set out to find something to eat. I'm...Sorry, that is all I can say about my mother." Now full-on crying Clair had trained for this since her last life. She thought she could play on the jury's heartstrings to her dismay the videos of her sessions cemented her fate.

"Of course, if you need a break we can postpone the rest." Knowing it must be hard for the girl he wanted to console her.