Name: Rigel “Ridge” Larrat
Age: 19
Race: Human
Faction: Pirate
Gender: Male
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Appearance: Rigel's most prominent feature is the color of his eyes, far and away. His eyes are striking. They shine so green that one's reflection can practically be seen in their depths. They shine like emeralds even from a fair distance away from Rigel. A thick and recent scar runs along the left side of his face across the bridge of his nose from his fight with an android. Shaggy blond hair hangs in thick locks across his face and neck. He's typically clean shaven simply because he doesn't grow facial hair all that fast. While he doesn't pay much attention to his appearance, Rigel was raised in an upper class household, and tries to dress in such a way that reflects that, keeping hygienic and well groomed. Though nearly in his twenties, Rigel's boyish face and lithe proportions can make him seem a fair bit younger.
Rigel carries himself with an energetic dignity. Though he can get carried away and raise his voice or act out of turn, Rigel knows how to act appropriately, and usually speaks professionally except with those very close to him. His voice is playful and carries a naturally taunting tone. He likes to wear form fitting clothes that permit a great range of movement. Tucked behind his ear or between his knuckles is usually a pencil or a piece of chalk in case he's struck by inspiration.
Personality: Rigel Larrat is a wide-eyed and ambitious dreamer. He can be captivating and charismatic to those that hear him, which has gotten him into and out of a great deal of trouble in his past. Though he can act childish and playful, he's actually quite serious and straightforward. Much of his gravity comes from how he takes most things at face value, and is very rarely sarcastic or joking in what he says. Rigel is honest and open. The door of his opinions swings both ways. Just like how he'll freely offer his opinion, he's very open to the suggestions and viewpoints of others, even those that are miserable or reprehensible. This doesn't mean he's naive or constantly influenced by what everyone around him says, but merely that he takes what others say into account, even if it doesn't make sense at face value.
This can sometimes make Rigel a bit too pensive and not instinctive enough. Once he's developed a plan or a course of action, Rigel is very strong willed about carrying it out. Until these have been conjured in his mind, Rigel will explore the options available to him. Sometimes this can mean that he'll stop in his tracks during critical points in time, if only to think things through. In his mind, he spent much of childhood doing impulsive things that put others in danger, and so he'd rather do the right thing the first time than have to fix it later, even if he's pulled to act on instinct.
Rigel is mostly a Chaotic Good character, with a nose for adventure so long as nobody undeserving gets hurt. He doesn't necessarily commit to a life of lifting up the experiences of every single person. He's more interested in creating a world where everybody can have as much fun as they like, mostly himself and his friends. When different ideas of fun clash, it can cause some crisis for him. It can also mean that he'll try to oversimplify situations in an effort to maintain a positive atmosphere. His ambition is a perfect example. He doesn't really mind that the World Government gets their kicks out of pushing down the little guy on a broad scope, so instead of getting in their way like a revolutionary might, his ambition is to create an island outside of their jurisdiction. This can cause more extended problems that are answered by equally implausible, yet simple answers.
In his mind, if people don't like getting controlled by the World Government, then they should just stop doing what they say. If prisoners don't want to be in prison, they should just leave. If people are too poor to afford food, then they should just steal food or money from the people that do have it. This doesn't mean he's heartless, it just means that Rigel finds the simplest solutions the most sensible, even if they're strange or illegal. It can also make him seem a bit of an airhead, but his conclusions don't come from stupidity, they come from his sound logic. He finds these individual situations easy to solve, and systemic problems and oppression too theoretical for him to care.
Rigel can get a kick out of helping others who need it, especially when the odds are stacked against him. He likes solving problems for people, and a grudge against the World Government usually means he ends up picking fights against them, even if he outwardly claims to not care. The process of hatching schemes or plans or simply acting out in and of themselves brings him a great deal of fun.
Rigel has loved to explore since he was a kid. The more far off and impossible the place, the more magnetized he is by the idea of visiting. New islands, new people and new stories are prime incentives to Rigel's sense of adventure. For him, the sensation of finding or discovering is beyond any tangible prize that could lay under the X on the map. He won't be mindless about the process, but he can get a little one-track mind if no one is around to pull him back down to the earth.
Often struck by ideas or new concepts, a quirk of Rigel's is that he'll sometimes drop to the ground or run to a nearby wall just to draw out an idea for a fortress or a castle or something along those lines. This can make him an inadvertent vandal with a piece of chalk or a pen. He has a steady hand for drawing, but is typically limited by the realism drilled into him by his parents. So if he's asked to draw something formalistic or impossible, he'll find his finger muscles tensing and his brain snapping from the effort. Even against his wishes, everything he draws must be technical and precise. Despite this, he still loves drawing, especially with the input and collaboration of others.
Rigel also really likes desserts and baked goods. Any and all kinds of sweet food are his favorite, even the logical side of his brain knows they're not something he can constantly eat, he'll still always seek them out. This too along with exploring strange buildings of a great variety is especially interesting for him. Old ruins, advanced buildings or even valuable monuments are all worth exploring and typically inspire Rigel in buildings of his own. Though for Rigel, doing just about anything with valued companions can be interesting for the young man. Rigel is a very social creature and likes hanging out with people that interest him or to whom he's close.
Conversely, Rigel can be bored and agitated by dull situations or being stuck in the same boring places for too long. Repetition and static situations aren't habitable for Rigel, even if those settings bring him peace and security. Rigel isn't in a mindset where he wants to settle grow slothful. On a more surface level, Rigel can be a bit shallow about attire and presentation, sometimes fixating on these specific aspects in himself or others. He also doesn't care much for red meat.
Future: Rigel becomes a great Pirate figure that unites different crews under his banner to create lands of freedom and prosperity.
Dream/Goal: Rigel dreams of creating a pirate nation where all of its inhabitants are free to make their dreams come true.
Home Island: Ophidian Island
History: “Leo! Taurus! Orion! I see them!”There is a star that’s only visible once every two hundred and thirty-six years. Even at this point, the star is hardly visible, only peeking in through the dim sky as if to check back in on the planet that it so often deserts. Named for the star under which he was born is Rigel Larrat. Born to parents who were astronomers, Rigel was taught the names of the constellations before he could speak them himself.
Ophidian Island was the subject of much renown as a scientific haven. Great thinkers from all works of life gathered onto its shores in the West Blue, creating a financial boom. Fearing what an island of such financial and scientific prowess might accomplish undeterred, the Navy established the 73rd Marine Base on this island. Full of derelict, incompetent and brutal officers, the squads of marines became direct obstacles to the achievements of Ophidian’s scientists.
Rigel watched this change take over his home island. His parents went from well respected astronomers to dodging the business end of flintlock rifles for saying the wrong thing at a bar. Scientists scattered from the island. Rigel’s friends fled with their parents. His favorite candy stores were abandoned. The abscess of money created a need for beli, which attracted even more unsavory types. Old grocery stores became illegal arms shops overlooked by marines for small bribes. All this, too, was seen by Rigel.
“Why don’t we leave too?”Rigel’s parents were stubborn, reluctant to surrender their dreams to the invasion of thugs. The observatory in which they lived became the last house of science on the island before long. Despite that reality, Rigel’s parents clung to their fantasy. All they would need was a single more breakthrough, and that would jumpstart the island. It would again by the paradise of thought.
Years passed, and no such discovery arrived. Every time they grew close, the family’s equipment was stolen. Every time it was stolen the Rigel’s doubled down on their fantasy. More equipment was purchased, rather than a ticket off the dead end island. It began to wear on Rigel.
He loved his parents. He admired their ability to see above and beyond grim realities. But, Rigel no longer had friends. Rigel could no longer go running through the streets of Ophidian Island. Rigel could hardly leave the family’s observatory. He was imprisoned by the dangers outside of his house. Not gifted with the curious mind or sheer intellect of his parents, Rigel was usually an extroverted and active kid, now limited in companionship and space.
The only real field of study that appealed to Rigel was in architecture, not in astronomy. He loved designing grandiose buildings and scattering the drawings all over his house. Detailed plans of impossible fortresses, regal castles and tree forts for him and his friends were common drawings for the boy. But nothing could just be done for fun, and his parents insisted he learn the real mechanics behind the field of work.
Bored of his house and desperate for adventure, Rigel snuck away from home at the age of thirteen, only for a night. He explored what replaced Ophidian Island’s scientists and families. Safely unrecognized as the child of the wealthy academics, Rigel found himself accepted by the bands of criminals and ne’er do wells.
To his immense surprise, they were nothing like how they’d been described to him by his parents. Rigel found different kinds of families amongst the dark and dangerous strangers. Pirate bands that ate around small campfires, ruthless bounty hunting guilds scrounging for food and the petty cogs caught in the cracks of the lawful world and collided and mingled in lovely violence. These were families founded by desperate circumstances. Instead of critically analyzing the dreamy buildings that Rigel conjured, they supported the cool designs and made silly requests of the boy, impressed by his steady hand. They were no less real than Rigel’s own family.
This first night would become one of many spent in the cold. The curiosity of the nocturnal boy earned the suspicion of both of Rigel’s worlds. It wasn’t long before they began to collide. The criminals and vagabonds uncovered Rigel’s deception under the leadership of a headhunter. Tsuru Kawa was a vindictive hitman, brutal towards his foes and a haven to his friends. Tsuru realized this deception and could only see it as a condescending infiltration of his family.
Rigel had posed as a gutter kid off the streets. He would pay for his deception. After rallying a small platoon of other hunters, Tsuru stormed the house, demanding the head of Rigel. His parents were defiant. Neither were any kind of fighter, but they passionately defended their house. Before any true fighting could begin, Rigel intervened, throwing himself between the two families.
In truth, Rigel had come to passionately love both families. His parents had created a home of wholesome love and learning. They'd provide for him in ways that he'd never be able to repay. They named him after the stars and always challenged him to reach beyond what he thought possible. Rigel's found family had appealed to his wild side. They'd inspired him of stories of the outside world. Even if they were dangerous, they protected Rigel and fanned the flames of his adventurous spirit. They'd taught him to fight, to survive and everything he knew about the real world.
In telling both Tsuru and his parents of all of this, neither family found themselves able to lay a violent hand on the other. Some criminals still felt betrayed that Rigel had lied about his upbringing, but Rigel's parents solved this by opening their doors. Their knowledge, their table and their home became open to every unsavory type on Ophidian Island. With this announcement, the rich family opened their kitchen as well. The two families were reconciled overnight, united by feast and by Rigel.
"We can all reach for the stars!"As apology for stealing so many of their tools and books in the past, the criminals offered their services to the two scientists, happy to help however they could. Whether it was out of genuine guilt or hopes for another free meal didn't matter to the astronomers, who were happy to get the first real help they'd had in years. At first, all that was received was grunt work. The criminals would transcribe notes, or move delicate machinery, or organize textbooks, but quickly, they began to learn what it was that the astronomers were studying. Work for them became a sort of learning experience. Novice scientists were made of lifelong bandits, mercenaries, and pirates.
The motivation was varied. Some of the criminals learned star maps simply to navigate their ships more efficiently. Some copied meteorology predictions to guess where some sunken ships had found their final resting place. Whether by coincidence or conscious choice, these efforts became more and more genuine. Once again, Ophidian Island became a land of science. Passing visitors would be blown away that even the shabby pirates drinking at the bar could discuss astronomical phenomenon with impassioned vigor. Ophidian Island became something of a marvel. It began attracting attention once more.
This is the island in which Rigel matured. His adolescence was a wild mix of textbook studies, of stowing away on short-lived pirate voyages, of making trouble for local marines, of challenging mercenaries to academic gauntlets. Even Rigel's parents, who'd initially stifled at the ever present criminals would regularly invite them to their house to assist in research. Tsuru Kawa, who'd once threatened the Larrat family for Rigel's deception, found himself overjoyed at this peaceful era. He thought himself as another guardian for Rigel, and was treated like family.
The zenith of these developments would come on Rigel's seventeenth birthday. As a present, Rigel was gifted, from his two families, the blank blueprints to a state of the art observatory. It would be a mega complex, consuming much of the square footage of Ophidian Island. Telescopes, laboratories and even a small aviation center. There, rudimentary aviation devices would be developed, all for the far flung dream of one day perhaps journeying into space. "Pegasus One" would be the gateway to the shared dream of Ophidian Island. It had been decided that Rigel would be given the chance to design the huge fort, and the rest of the island would put their backs into making it a reality.
The dream of the Pegasus became a unified vision for the inhabitants of Ophidian Island. Almost all of them committed themselves to its success. The 73rd Marine Base was the only exception. As they reported, Pegasus One was to be a pirate fortress and its ongoing construction was a growing threat. According to its commanding officers, the 73rd Marine Base would quickly be overrun if drastic measures weren't swiftly taken. Their superiors responded swiftly.
A cloudy day prefaced the day. The sky looked as if it would break open at any moment. Captains aboard surrounding battleships were aghast at their discovery. Orders from the 73rd were to destroy the fortress before beginning a landfall invasion. At the sight of its size and progression, the battleships agreed that the fortress must be destroyed. Thunder and lightning never fell. Iron and and fire exploded instead. Cannonballs, bullets and hellfire razed the dream of the Pegasus. Hundreds of lives were lost to the destruction. Nearly a quarter of an hour was all it took for the skeleton of the Pegasus to be ground to dust.
Rigel's body was protected by Tsuru. They were discovered, severely injured, by the scavenging marines. Every survivor was to be arrested in small local prisons. In exchange for lighter sentences some criminals caved and identified Rigel Larrat as the designer of the project. Despite his endless questioning, the boy was never able to find out what had happened to his parents. He never found out whether or not they survived the onslaught. He was alone. Or, he would be, if Tsuru hadn't fought half a dozen guards to aggravate his prison sentence. With that sacrificial act, he'd be sent to the same dangerous facility as Rigel. They'd both been sentenced to live out their sentence at Balloon Flock, the most dangerous prison in South Blue.
"You live, now, a thousand feet in the sky. No prisoner who has left here has lived to walk the earth."Balloon Flock was a prison of experimental design and unique circumstances. Only death row or lifetime prisoners were sent to its floating cells. The prison was deceptively colorful and vibrant. Dozens of large balloons house concrete chambers, linked to one another by rubber tunnels. Breaking out of the walls only leads one to fall to their death. New prisoners arrive by additional balloons being floated up to join the Flock in an ever expanding formation of cells and balloons. Those who leave fall back to the ocean in deflating balloons welcomed by battleships. No escape had ever been successful. To be sent there was a death sentence.
The prison's design was especially hurtful to Rigel. He saw what could have been a fun and beautiful idea tarnished into a death trap. He felt the soul of its designer crying over its violent implementation. Something he would constantly say to Tsuru was that the prison was deeply flawed. The way it was being used was toxic.
On the charge of "conspiracy to commit acts of piracy" Rigel found himself imprisoned alongside some of the South Blue's most dangerous and predatory criminals. From violent wardens to depressing cellmates to serial killers to prison godmothers, Rigel had been thrown into a world of threats and very little protection. Tsuru tried to act as Rigel's guardian, but was constantly separated from the boy as co-conspirators on the outside of the prison. Rigel was pushed to fight and survive in a way never before necessary. The safety and family of Ophidian Island had been a constant safety net around the young boy. Without it, Rigel was being tested in dangerous new conditions.
This situation would go unchanged for a full year. New prisoners were constantly being inducted. Current inmates would be killed by cruel guards under the guise of protecting the prison's integrity. Many broke from their elevated cells to jump down to the sea floor. There was little protection against this, as a fall from the prison's height killed even the most hardy criminals upon impact. It was simply a way to avoid enduring the harsh conditions of Balloon Flock. Rigel's own cellmate attempted to do this.
A young man named Everado Bravo, he was routinely beaten with relentless brutality and interrogated for a crime of which he had no knowledge. Rigel returned to their cell to find Everado having broken through the wall and poised to leap out the gap in the rubber cell, becoming food for the hungry sea creatures. Rigel pulled the man away from the cell wall, protesting his decision desperately. Nothing could convince the man to continue living, and so Rigel began to lie.
He spoke of an impossible dream. He began talking until even he started to believe what he was saying. Rigel designed, from his panic, a country where Everado would be free to live. He promised the man an escape from the hellish prison. He promised that no matter what Everado's dream was, that Rigel's sole ambition was to create a country in which everybody's dreams could be achieved. A country where a jolly roger flew in the capital, and where the World Government dared not go. It was enough to pull Everado away from death. Rigel went on for a full night, elaborating on his fantasy country. Whenever he paused, Everado would plead for him to continue, entranced by the boy's words. When Everado fell unconscious, tired, smiling and exhausted, the pleas began to come from neighboring cells.
Eavesdropping inmates had grown unnaturally quiet for a short while. They too begged for Rigel to continue. Until dawn broke over the prison once more, Rigel endlessly talked about his country. He spoke of its grand buildings, its shining harbors and its impossible features, incorporating the aspirations and dreams of the other prisoners, all giddy and drunk off the boy's dream. When Everado awoke once more, he seriously asked if even his dream would be included in this country. When Everado revealed his dream, Rigel was the only one of out of the crowd who didn't burst into laughter. He matched Everado's serious face without so much as a smirk.
"I will slay a dragon."From that day on, Rigel was surrounded by allies. Everado pledged his loyalty to the young man, and the surrounding prisoners similarly promised to protect the boy and his dream from violent prisoners and even the guards. The sight of a growing faction within the prison was a point of contempt for its godmother, Embrace Olivier. The seasoned pirate demanded an audience with the boy, bribing guards to bring him to her cell. For years, Embrace had been the top dog of Balloon Flock, and she wasn't excited by the idea of an up and comer stealing her spot. In a gambit to do away with the boy, she offered him a peace agreement if he brought her the head of the Prison Killer.
A cryptid that allegedly lived among the prison population of Balloon Flock, the Prison Killer was an inmate, or a guard, or a ghost or something else entirely that killed certain prisoners with no apparent methodology or pattern. Rigel was given a single week. To solve the old woman's game, many prisoners volunteered to pretend to be the Prison Killer, offering themselves as scapegoats to answer Embrace's challenge and protect their faction. Rigel denied their suggestion, agreeing to honor the offer.
As each night came, Rigel's cell would be kept unlocked, and he'd be allowed to hunt, alone, for the Prison Killer until morning checks. He was challenged to slink around the prison seeking clues and suspects in a desperate hunt for his target. This search was, at first, fruitless. For days, no clue turned up, as Embrace expected. Instead of a killer, Rigel found a lead on a thief within the prison, somebody that moved at the same time as his investigation and stole food from within the kitchen. His own exhaustion had led him to the kitchen, hungry for energy to keep going in his search. To his shock, Rigel found himself face to face with a little girl.
No such prisoner lived in any of the cells. The girl fled and Rigel pursued. It was the only abnormality he could find, and he felt compelled to see it through. In chasing the small girl, Rigel found her hideout, a small, closed off cell which housed another figure. The android which was unaffiliated with any faction, yet considered highly dangerous acted on the little girl's pleas for help. Rigel and the robot dueled, with the latter adamantly protecting the small child. Their fight ran the two across half the prison. Rigel wasn't sure if he was fighting to survive or fighting because Zeke was a suspect. Either way, Rigel was defeated after a lengthy entanglement, only saved from death by passing guards forcing the both of them to flee.
Rigel confronted the robot in the daytime. Named Zeke, and defensive towards Rigel's advancements. In the day time, the boy was protected by Everado, Tsuru and a small squad of other allied inmates, there wouldn't be a victory for Zeke. The android dodged the boy's questions. In desperation, Tsuru, who'd heard Rigel's story, threatened the robot with exposing the girl. At this threat, the robot acquiesced. Zeke admitted to being the Prison Killer. They agreed to do whatever Rigel asked. Rigel only asked a single question.
"What girl?"With that, the threat was dropped. But, Zeke couldn't simply surrender to Embrace, who would surely destroy Zeke as punishment for the robot's killings. They suggested that if Rigel was able to defeat Zeke before the boy's time was up, they would do as they asked, as thanks for keeping the secret of the girl. Rigel agreed. Tsuru and Everado were incredulous, and pushed for Rigel to change his mind, but he was adamant, and instead demanded that the prisoners work together to train Rigel for the coming fight. Three more nights remained in Embrace's deal.
On the first, Zeke was expecting Rigel, and had learned his rudimentary moves from their first fight. The girl watched their fight. Rigel lost handily. He retreated honorably. The next day, he trained like a madman, but lost again in the night, after a fight that went on for what was close to an hour. The third day, again, Rigel worked his body endlessly. Before fighting Zeke, the girl introduced herself as Hafsa, and she followed Rigel, accompanying him to his fight with Zeke. She asked why he needed to win, and Rigel explained that he needed to stop Zeke from acting out as the Prison Killer again. Hafsa explained that Zeke hadn't killed anybody since the two of them had met, because she'd told Zeke that it was silly.
Zeke admitted to this as well. They had stopped killing since they'd stumbled into meeting Hafsa. Rigel plead with Zeke. If the android was honest about this with Embrace, then all the parties would be satisfied and safe. Zeke refused. Instead, they insisted on a fight, to which Rigel reluctantly agreed. This encounter was the closest fight yet. Zeke had grown accustomed to the boy's fighting style, but his learning was thwarted by everything new that Rigel possessed. Their fight came to its conclusion and Rigel was victorious before sunlight broke over Balloon Flock. He demanded that Zeke attend a meeting between he and Embrace in the day, and Zeke agreed.
Rigel, Tsuru, Everado, Embrace, Zeke and even Hafsa convened at the appointed time. It was the strongest coalition of inmates to be collected inside of Balloon Flock. Guards shifted and panicked, eventually summoning the warden out of fear for what this group could accomplish. Embrace tried to make the meeting quick, suggesting that if Rigel could keep Zeke in check, there would be no need for war between their groups. Rigel wanted more. On the blacktop on which they stood, Rigel drew out an island with a slim piece of chalk. Next to the island he drew a simple Jolly Roger. Everado and Tsuru recognized what the boy was doing, and were the first to shout from the group. Each of them proclaimed their dreams, lobbying for Rigel to include it in his drawing.
"Draw some dragons! Fearsome dragons for me to slay!"
"A concert hall! The greatest ever, and full of fans!" The island was littered with scaled beasts, swimming through its shores and soaring over its mountains. A magnificent stadium was constructed, with shining lights and crowds of roaring fans. The huge drawing perplexed Embrace and Zeke, who could only watch on as others shouted for their dreams to be included on this fantasy island. Some of the other prisoners caught on, and began offering input, joking at first.
One rowdy prisoner suggested endless beautiful women, and princesses and movie stars were drawn in miniature. Another prisoner bellowed for bottomless booze, and a pleasant looking bar was drawn. Even these silly dreams were accepted with total seriousness by Rigel. The men saw their dreams take shape and began offering ambitions with more sincerity. A harbor full of beautiful ships of every different kind spotted the shorelines. A dazzling restaurant was the envy of every eatery on the oceans. A library, rivaling the height of a neighboring mountain sprang up from the chalk and asphalt of the prison courtyard.
Guards grew more nervous and called for backup. With a simple drawing, Rigel was inciting a riot. Everybody in Balloon Flock was herded to the central balloon, built around a large courtyard blacktop now illustrated by Rigel's island of dreams. Prisoners and guards alike rushed to observe the commotion as more and more dreams were shouted down to Rigel, who struggled to keep up with every one of the dreams. Tsuru bent down, offering his help. Everado followed suit and Rigel offered them chalk. They all fielded the dreams and ambitions of the crowd, growing more and more excited. Hafsa found herself caught up in the uproar, and made herself known to the prison for the first time since she'd been born within its walls.
"No more prisons! Everybody is free!"This dream earned the most applause of any yet. Roaring and screaming and laughing and crying collected into support for Hafsa, and Rigel offered her a piece of chalk too. The girl began drawing to the support of the prisoners. What had began as a quick peace summit had erupted into an uncontrollable riot. Everybody within Balloon Flock had their attention trained on the courtyard. Prisoners kept in their cell slipped free to catch the show. Those bedridden in the sick bay left their treatment. With more and more prisoners, more and more guards were necessary to assert some semblance of control.
With all that commotion, it was impossible to tell that this central balloon was slowly dipping in elevation. The tunnels that connected each of the enormous balloons found themselves strained, as just one of the oblong balloons was burdened with the entirety of the prison's population. Yet still, the weight of the dreams continued to accumulate.
The fantasy island was nearly entirely realized when Embrace intervened. Her approach was anticipated to mean the end of this silly charade. She would surely end Rigel's influence over the prisoners. She stretched out her hand, and Rigel gave away his piece of chalk. Balloon Flock held its breath. The warden had arrived, watching her actions carefully. Embrace could have snapped the chalk, or thrown it aside, or scribbled all over the dreams drawn atop the blacktop. She could have done any number of things with the chalk, but instead, she gingerly stepped between the drawings of the other four. In a mostly vacant plot on the island, Embrace squatted down, taking the chalk to the stone. With a gentle smile, she began to drawn plants of exotic variety.
"I think... a garden... the size of a city would be just grand!"Her support for the island clinched the riot. Zeke too requested the chalk. Like something ceremonious and important, Embrace offered Zeke the chalk with full trust. The robot drew their dream, which was Zeke's head, laughing endlessly.
"An island where I can do whatever I please!" Their unity was terrifying enough for the warden. Before he could order the guards to restrain these unruly prisoners, the tunnels between the balloons snapped from the weight of the central balloon. The links holding up the balloon had been overcome by the violent commotion within the balloon. Rigel was an architect from when he was a kid, and he knew this prison's weakness was inside of it. The balloon, without support from the others was sinking down to the surface of the water. Every prisoner could feel that they were returning to sea level. In the midst of the fall, the prisoners revolted against the guards. It was an unorthodox fight, but the warden had quelled riots within the balloons before.
He turned his attention to the inciting six, specifically to the boy, Rigel Larrat. Unfortunately, he was fighting against six inmates, not just one lonely boy. The group overpowered the warden, and led the descending riot. By the time the balloon crashed, a little harder than gently against the ocean, the guards had been restrained, and the prisoners were victorious.
Rigel's dream had led them to safety. A passing cruise ship investigated the strange balloon from the sky. They didn't expect to be overtaken by a newly freed small army of prisoners. The ship hijacked and the guards marooned on the balloon in the middle of the seas, the prisoners made for landfall. The passion for their dreams rekindled, many of the prisoners fled on the hijacked ship, seeking to make a new life for themselves with the second chance afforded by the inciting six. Rigel Larrat, publicly declared as the ringleader of the breakout, chose to stay behind on an island to take the heat of the marines while the rest of the escapees scattered across the Blues to make new lives for themselves.
Now living the life of a criminal, Rigel retained the ideal of the dreams that had liberated him and his friends. On a new island in the South Blue, he decided to begin, alone, the Pegasus pirates.
That is where Rigel's adventure truly begins.
