Two lone figures stumbled out of an alleyway late in the evening as the sun made its final stand against the darkening sky. Upon a closer glance, one might have recognized the unsteady couple as pirates belonging to a notorious crew but due to the quick actions of the smaller woman, their very presence was erased from the near empty street that they found themselves on.
Keeping her clima tact out, Nami slumped against the dirty wall, wincing as the injuries on her back came into contact with the brick wall behind her. Her breathing had not still not returned to a normal pace and she struggled to address the tall woman next to her, "That should buy us some time I think." She glanced around the dimly lit street, eyes scanning any stragglers for signs of recognition or hostility. Finding none, she closed her eyes and sagged against the wall further, "Not that we'll need it."
Robin hummed her agreement and tentatively kneeled down to examine the hunched figure of her younger companion. Keeping her tone low despite their isolated location she whispered, "Nami, if we take too long to get back the ship, curiosity may send the others to come for us." Glancing briefly at the sky she continued, "It is already getting late and we haven't looked at your injuries yet." The crouched position she was in was starting to weigh heavily on one of her own injuries and her own breathing was beginning to match the laboured pace of Nami's.
Unable to open her right eye properly, Nami cracked open her left eye to peer at Robin as she attempted to smile with her split lips, "I don't think we can get away with it this time, Robin. I don't think there's any sort of way that we can hide our injuries this time when they're all over our faces too." Sighing warily she continued, "Although I think we may deserve it for being so careless. I can't remember a single time where someone was able to land a hit on me like that." Wincing slightly as she prodded her left side where a large and unsightly bruise was forming.
Laughing slightly as she recalled the moment, Robin murmured, "Yes. Well, we haven't been to a fight in so long, we were bound to encounter some minor issues with regaining our particular style, I think." Sparing a wry grin to Nami, she said, "However, Navigator-san, I don't remember there being a time where you ignored a blatant warning from me and tried your own attack in the middle of a fight."
Sputtering at the old nickname from her friend and her chastising statement, Nami immediately grew defensive, "I wasn't ignoring you! I was just- ah..." She trailed off seeing Robin's amused expression. Turning her head and pouting slightly, she mumbled, "Well that girl was strong anyways. Like she was a pro or something." Nami could feel the embarrassment seep into her cheeks at being caught by Robin. She really hoped that Robin didn't notice that she had failed to heed the older woman's warning, or her guilty face.
Robin let out a soft chuckle as she slowly straightened up and put her hand out for Nami to help her up. "A professional underground fighter, Nami?" Her tone betraying her amusement at the concept. Taking a moment to breathe in the cool evening air, she looked out into the street, her soft smile tugged downwards as she briefly debated their options on getting back to the ship.
Looking back into the bloodied face of her friend she took in their appearances and noted that Nami had the most severe-looking injuries out of the both of them. Their last opponent of the day had taken a liking to punching Nami in the face and it definitely showed, her right eye was in the process of swelling and would have largely been obscured by the blood overflowing from a cut above her eye. Nami's lip had been split by a particularly vicious uppercut and bruises littered her body. Her own body was not exempt from visible injuries as she could feel the sore stinging in her face and body.
Closing her eyes, Robin leaned her uninjured shoulder against the wall and breathed out. "This fight felt like something different didn't it, Nami?"
"Mm." Nami hummed in response as she closed her uninjured eye as well, "I think this is the first time we lost." She paused and opened her eyes to look at Robin with a soft smile on her face. "But it doesn't feel like losing?"
"Yes it feels like we've just been challenged hasn't it?"
Nami laughed a little and reached for Robin's hand. Grasping it lightly she inspected Robin's bruised knuckles and compared it with her own. "Yeah. I'd like to get that girl back for all this, you know," her voice taking a tone of mock anger.
At Robin's quiet chuckle, Nami gently let go of her hand and whispered, "But I think it was the first time we really got serious about beating someone like that. Other times it was just -"
"Blowing off steam?"
Nodding slightly, Nami continued, "Yeah but this was.." She trailed off.
"It was different. A good different."
Smiling, Nami closed her eye again for a moment and breathed deeply before she shifted slightly and said, "We should head back now."
As Nami began to haul herself away from the wall Robin whispered quietly, "We need to think about what we will tell the others, because at the very least Sanji-san will take it upon himself to 'avenge' us."
Nami was already several shaky steps ahead of Robin, walking slowly and with definite concentration on keeping herself upright as she turned to Robin with a cheeky grin, "I'll think of something."
"You fell down some stairs. Are you serious." came the disbelieving reply from Zoro, who was the only one who managed to register the incredulity of the bloodied navigator's words. He could only stare open mouthed at her pathetic attempt at a lie and how resolutely she stood for it. He was almost impressed.
The rest of the crew remained shocked into silence until Nami happily chirped a "Yep."
The dam finally broke with the sight of Nami's split lips cracking into a smile causing blood to pool at the wound.
The cook had simply begun yelling incoherently at the scene before practically collapsing into a wounded mantra of "Nami-swans" and "Robin-chwans." Luffy had looked murderous until he had taken a single look at Nami and Robin's smiling faces before relaxing. Usopp, Franky and Brook all had shocked faces and were shouting incomprehensibly. Maybe comprehensibly, but the ringing in Nami's ears was starting to change the very language that they were speaking.
Her gaze fell to Chopper and noted his stricken expression. Ah. She thought. Forgot to let him know that we'd be out fighting today. As covertly as her mangled face would allow, she sent him an apologetic smile and made a small sharp nod towards the sick bay in hopes that a doctor's priority to inspect the wounded would trump the looming trial by inquiry she stood to face standing out on the deck of the Sunny.
To her dismay, it appeared her covert and subtle skills were left completely wasted on the perceptive eye of one particular crew member. Zoro, it seems, caught on to her grand escape plan.
Stepping purposefully, between her and Chopper, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared down at her. "Bullshit."
Nami groaned inwardly at the stubborn swordsman and his irritating actions in blocking the only route she had to getting her body to not completely fall apart like it felt it would any second.
Clearly, Zoro saw right through her intricate web of deception and was fully prepared to argue any other half-assed excuses that she was likely to put forth. Seeing her state begin to rapidly deteriorating as the tendrils of nausea slowly started to settle in her stomach she knew that should she rise to his bait, she'd lose the argument on the grounds of forfeit. And she had a great track record of winning arguments with this particular moss head. She'd win this one somehow.
Frankly, she didn't know why he was even reacting as he was. Nami figured that out of all of the crew, he'd be the least interested in any of what was occurring.
Straightening her back as much as her injuries would allow, Nami met his glare with her own. Granted it wasn't as fierce with one eye practically swollen shut, but it would have to do. "You don't have to believe it but it's what happened." She mentally praised herself for not slurring any of those words. At least she think she didn't. "You weren't there so what ever happened is based on what Robin and I say." She turned slightly to face the crew, "and we say we fell down some stairs. Got it?"
Nami really wanted to raise her fist and shake it a little to emphasize her point, but as it stood, she wasn't sure that she had arms anymore. Or a functioning body.
The crew sans Zoro immediately quietened at her words that left a lingering threat of bodily harm in the air.
Zoro once again broke through her iron clad defence with a simple, "I don't care what you say. I'm calling bullshit."
Not even bothering to stay and argue his ever so eloquent rebuttal, Nami slung Robin's arm around her shoulders and began her new quest to reach the sick bay and douse herself in painkillers. "C'mon Robin, let's go," she mumbled to the older woman who had merely stood beside Nami in complete silence watching the scene unfold.
Robin smiled lightly at Nami before craning her neck to address Chopper, who was still largely obscured by Zoro's coat, "Chopper, I think we need a doctor." She shifted her eyes to the rest of the crew, "just a doctor."
There was a collective sigh from the crew as they resigned themselves from this particular case and watched Chopper scurry to tend to his self appointed charges. A threat from Nami was one thing, physical violence could be endured, but from Robin, no one knew just what exactly the woman promised, but the resounding threat was that it could not be endured.
As the women disappeared off the deck, Usopp turned to Luffy and smacked him on the head lightly before whispering, "Luffy! Why didn't you say anything? Did you see them? Don't tell me you believe that obvious lie."
Luffy simply rubbed his head where Usopp hit him and smiled brightly, "Well they said they fell down stairs, so they fell down stairs!"
"Idiot! They're clearly lying! They look like they got beat up by someone!"
Laughing loudly now, Luffy smacked Usopp on his back, "No, you're the idiot, dummy! Who looks proud after getting beat up like that?"
At their captain's simplistic logic, a soft silence fell over the crew as they pondered his words. Sanji seemed the first to accept this as he lit a cigarette and made his way over to the galley. Usopp noticing this yelled out,, "Oi Sanji! Where are you going?"
Without turning back Sanji replied, "They'll be hungry when Chopper's finished." His voice held no emotion, which may have been the only outward sign that Sanji gave to betray the fact that he had not entirely accepted what happened.
Usopp glanced back to the rest of the crew as they settled back onto the deck, each pretending that what occurred was normal and noticed Zoro still standing where he argued with Nami, staring at where the women had walked off. Confused at the scene he tried calling to the other man, "Oi Zoro! What are you doing?"
Snapping out of his reverie, Zoro seemed to realize his actions and spared the empty space he was staring another glance before turning around and making his way towards the Crow's Nest. At Usopp's call of his name he merely grunted in response.
Left practically speechless, Usopp looked to Luffy, Franky and Brook for any support and found the shipwright and the musician pointedly ignoring the entire scene and Luffy lying on the grass taking a nap.
Oh good.
They were all gonna internalize this.
Great.