Mast/Story

Spoilers!*"Your greatest villain Drake shall warn you, SPOILERS AHEAD!"*The following article or section contain **spoilers!** Viewer discretion is advised.

Overview**Story**VoicelinesGallery

## Behind the Scenes

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Shin Na-ri

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Lisa Reimold

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Ryo Hirohashi

## Profile

Mast is one of the members of Aegis squad alongside Helm and Anchor, serving as the Ark's naval force. She is always seen accompanied by a parrot named Morgan. A whimsical sort who fancies herself as a kind of privateer, Mast's tendencies to kick back and drink cause no end of headaches for Helm. A good chunk of this behavior stems from how she chafes at the Admire's state of wasting away as a glorified party boat for the rich, wishing nothing more than to sail out on the open seas.

### Nikke Backstory

Mast has longed to hit the high seas ever since she saw the swashbuckling adventures portrayed in pirate films as a child.
As time drew on, however, her soul-crushing tenure at the Naval Squad slowly made her disillusioned.
Even so, her vibrant personality remains untarnished, and she always brightens everyone else's day aboard the ship she serves.

## Story

### Event Story

#### Brand New Year

Despite the Admire being made to host the New Year's party for the upper crust of Ark society, Helm lets Mast and Anchor go off and have fun, though Mast ends up getting drunk enough that Anchor has to drag her away.

#### Golden Ship

Finding a map that (supposedly) leads to the lost treasure of Captain Alligator, Mast sets off on a "grand" adventure to find the eponymous Golden Ship that holds it.

#### Sea, You, Again

With Helm and the others on Blue Water Island in danger because of the Kraken, Mast and Anchor are left in charge of the Admire and have to piolet to save their friends.

### Character Story

#### Episode 1 - Calling All Pirates

A man with the seagulls' cries in his ears and the salty breeze in his nose dons a pirate hat and belts out orders to his crew to set sail. The man in question is known as Jack Lowe, or simply Captain Jack...and is the star of the movie currently on the TV.

Cut to the Commander's Room, where the protagonist is pondering on Mast's choice of movie. In response, Mast extols the virtues of this film, as it's a classic from the pre-Invasion era that shot scenes using real ships on the ocean, no CGI or special effects whatsoever. The protagonist marvels at how such an old movie still exists in this era, and was made without any kind of overly-fancy technology. After a shared moment of thinking about the sight of the ocean, the two turn their attention back to the movie.

Watching Jack Lowe taunt his latest opponent while monologuing about chasing passions, Mast cheers over seeing her ideal of what it means to be a pirate. The protagonist agrees...but also asks Mast to tone it down so he can pay attention to the movie. The film is hitting its climax as Jack and his crew stomp and revel on the deck, shouting for all to hear about how rum and passion are all a pirate needs. Mast herself is fully enraptured, stamping along and quoting Jack's monologue word-for-word about the adventurous spirit of pirates as the movie draws to a close.

With the movie over, Mast cheers about how timeless the film was and how she can never get tired of watching it. After getting the protagonist's opinion on the film, Mast notes that they're making a sequel to this one, and she wants the protagonist to accompany her somewhere. The man can quickly put the pieces together, especially knowing Mast's passion; she wants to audition for the sequel herself, and (in her words) become a "true-blue pirate". There's even an event going on for it, calling for people to become pirates in "Pirates of the Caspian 2".

The protagonist points out that they're clearly asking for people to *pretend* to be pirates rather than actually *be* pirates, which she knows and understands. But by her reasoning, the film crew is looking for people who can most convincingly play the part of a pirate, and for a pirate-maniac like herself, it makes no difference whether she's living it up pirate-style in reality or simply playing it out for the silver screen. Moreover, she believes that the film makers hold the same passion for piracy as she does, given the quality of PotC1. After ~~gaslighting~~ reminding the protagonist he too is a pirate like her, Mast sets a course for the PotC2 auditions, which will finalize casting tomorrow.

#### Episode 2 - Let Me Pass the Pirate Audition

Cut to the next day, where the protagonist bluntly muses to himself that Mast completely bombed the audition. She didn't get cast as a single role. While Mast is inconsolable over her failure, the protagonist flashbacks in order to perform a mental autopsy on the audition.

Cut to a few hours ago, when the auditions were still running. Despite Mast's passion shining through the interview, her ability to read the script and recite its lines was...unsatisfactory to the judges, and they told her to stop trying after a few more blunders.

That moment was the nail in the coffin, and even Mast could tell that. The would-be pirate slumps into a chair, bemoaning her sunk chance to be a part of PotC2. After a moment's contemplation, the protagonist asks Mast if she *has* to be a key character. The pirate-maniac denies this, stating she just wants to be part of this project, not wanting or being interested in the ~~hassle~~ fame of being a movie star. With this knowledge, the protagonist suggests auditioning for a smaller role, sighing as Mast breaks into another pirate-themed monologue about passion and drags him into her (mis)adventures again.

#### Episode 3 - A World Without Passion

In the end, Mast was cast as Pirate No. 1, a bit role without any lines to it. Sure, it's much less dignified than being an actual character, but the pirate(?) is satisfied with simply being a part of a movie she believes is the epitome of what it means to be a pirate. The camera crew calls for Pirate No. 2 to get on stage, which is revealed to be...the protagonist, whom Mast ~~dragged in~~ convinced to participate in the auditions with her. Frankly, the man can't believe Mast actually got past the screen test, given how she's *still* in her uniform that *clearly* signals her status as part of the Ark's navy. The pirate(?) claims that her passion convinced the staff to let her in, but the protagonist distinctly remembers them trying to rebuff her at first. Then the camera crews call for "Pirate No. 2" to get in position, and the protagonist jolts to work.

As the actors move here and there to the director's wishes, Mast and the protagonist get a glimpse of the Black Diamond, the ship featured in the first PotC movie. Their adulation of the iconic watercraft gets a chuckle from one of the staff, and the duo sheepishly agrees to keep their mouths shut while they're at work.

For Mast, the *real* crown jewel of this whole affair is being able to meet the (man acting as) Jack Lowe in the flesh. Despite the protagonist reminding her the man's an actor rather than a genuine pirate, the fangirling privateer(?) believes only a fellow pirate fanatic could portray a pirate that well on the big screen. Despite the protagonist's best attempts to forestall a potential disaster, Mast rushes up to her buccaneering inspiration...and what happens next is the very definition of "never meet your heroes".

Hearing the (actor playing as) Jack Lowe talk trash about pirates and anyone who's a fan of them (including Mast herself) is earth-shattering as the actor tells her to shut up and be more like the faceless voiceless extra she's been cast as. The mutterings of other staff who haven't seen a real-life pirate or even the sea is further cold water on her enthusiasm, and the protagonist has to drag her away from the murmurs.

In another part of the studio, Mast is inconsolable despite the protagonist's best efforts. The unfathomable betrayal, to hear that (man playing as) Jack Lowe smack-talk pirates, question the *existence of the sea*. Such a man is the face to her role model, her inspiration to take up the mantle and lifestyle of a pirate. Was the passion in his eyes in every scene of the first movie a lie? Did that mean the passion she garnered from those scenes...was also a lie?

Mast admits the protagonist had a point, in that meeting your heroes will lead to disappointment. She skulks away, and for the rest of the shoot, her eyes and face are bereft of their previous light. To the protagonist, she looks like a child, lost and adrift...

#### Episode 4 - Captain Commander

Some time after the shoot, the protagonist is painting a box gold and marking it as "treasure". Anis and Rapi ponder what new brand of eccentricity their commander is getting up to, but agree to help him anyway.

Meanwhile, Mast is as passionless and despondent as ever since that day on the set. Hearing (the actor of) Jack Lowe be such a pirate heretic shattered her worldview and dreams with it, to the point where the first Pirates of the Caspian, the movie she watched almost every day, is no longer on her watchlist. She fears that if she were to see it again with her newfound "knowledge", she'd see those same eyes and find them bereft of the passion that set her heart alight. While Mast tosses and turns in bed, bemoaning to Morgan how colorless and devoid of adventure the Ark is, a card slides under the door.

It's a message calling the reader to find "the Captain Commander's treasure" which the map on the back will lead to. Hearing Morgan caw about this being a "pirate adventure", Mast barrels out of her room...

Meanwhile, the protagonist has spent several hours by the Outpost pool waiting for Mast. He thinks back to Rapi and Anis helping him put on this pirate getup. He elaborated to them that he wanted the appearance of a passionate pirate, like Jack Lowe. The photo he has is plenty of material for the two to work with, so they found a way to make him look the part.

A door screeches as Mast walks into the pool area, her sour face quickly turning red as she see "Jack Lowe" standing before her. The protagonist proceeds to kayfabe like there's no tomorrow, calling himself "Captain Commander" and insisting he is guarding his treasure from any would-be takers. Mast's disbelief skyrockets as she opens the treasure box to find only a wooden cup inside, only for the protagonist's next line to stop her cold; "What are you getting so worked up for?"

Those iconic lines from the first movie leave Mast speechless, allowing the protagonist to say his piece. So Mast met her hero, and was sorely disappointed by the man behind the role. So what? Is she going to just let people who haven't even *seen* the ocean talk trash about pirates? As Mast jolts from these words, the protagonist stomps his feet and raises the wood goblet he was holding. What follows is, while slightly different, a line-for-line, moment-for-moment reenactment of the climax of the first Pirates of the Caspian.

Finding her second wind, and with the protagonist at her back, Mast steels her resolve as the two go deeper into their altered reenactment. They can laugh at her, call her a fool for shouting to the hills about pirates and the sea, and claim she only knows the sea on the silver screen. They, and their words, don't matter. She has a dream to become a pirate and sail the seas, and come hell or high water, she'll chase after it.

#### Episode 5 - Passionate Eyes

Back at the Commander's Room, Mast and the protagonist are all ready. They've got popcorn, cups of mead, and snacks for Morgan. The protagonist hits the play button, and a familiar cry of seagulls echoes from the TV...

Flashback to a while ago at the pool, after the reenactment reignited Mast's passion. She meekly asks the protagonist to watch Pirates of the Caspian 1 with her one more time. There was something she was thinking about that she was afraid of finding before, but if "Captain" is with her, then she thinks she'll be able to handle it...

As the duo watches the movie, Mast is impassive and calm, a stark contrast to all the previous times when she was roaring and reciting with every iconic moment. As the credits roll, Mast finally opens her mouth. She admits that even after Jack Lowe('s actor) turned out to be such a disappointment, she still loves this movie. The revelry of pirates, the vast open sea, the passion that twinkles in Jack's eyes. Even if the people behind them don't believe in them, it's still a spectacle that grabs the heart and never lets go.

Mast makes a vow to one day sail the seas, and prove to the Ark that pirates *did*, and still *do* exist. Echoing the protagonist's words from the pool, she refuses to relinquish the reputation of pirates to those who don't even know a thing about the sea. The protagonist's promise of support confuses Mast, as the way he puts it, it sounds as though he *isn't* coming for the ride with her, a notion that certainly won't do in her book. "Captain Commander's damnable crew" is herself, Morgan, and the Captain himself, after all...

As the TV suddenly switches to seas shanties, Mast stops an argument with Morgan to sing along. Her fervent belting of verses and sparkling eyes cements an image in the protagonist's imagination. He can see Mast and Morgan aboard a grand pirate ship, cutting a path through the azure waves.

## References

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