HEY, I'm back with more :D
Now look, if you haven't figured it out yet, I've got an OC (Own Character), so if you don't like it, LEAVE.
On another note, I thank you all who've already commented, it means a lot, and I'm liking how you're all helping me with things, informative comments make me happy :3
So enjoy, and don't forget to review!
And that task was rather simple. They all wanted beers. So she simply rolled out a keg from the back that was 20 berries and 'said drink at will'. And they did drink at will, and that will lasted 20 minutes. Leaving Ben the only sober awake man.
"… have they no alcoholic tolerance?" Suzuna asked.
"Eh." Ben shrugged. "So how's Shanks doing?"
"Probably pissing and moaning if he didn't take the flavoring." she sighed.
"Whadda mean?" Ben asked.
"The medicine I gave him is strong not only in bitterness but in tonicity as well. See, it takes the medicine no time to get to your stomach. It then takes its affects, but the user doesn't feel the affects for five minutes." Suzuna paused. "Then the pain kicks in for about fifteen to twenty minutes. After that a wave of relief makes you numb, but you think you're practically in ecstasy." she stopped again. "And you feel all that if you don't take the flavoring which contains the sleeping medicine. If you take that, you fall asleep, sleep soundly, wake up pain free." she sighed. "But Shanks is a stubborn man, isn't he?"
"Yes he is." Ben chuckled.
"… I should go check on him." Suzuna sighed, walking over to the stairs then walking up them.
"B...B…Ben.." Yassop said miserably as he grabbed Ben's pants, pulling himself off the floor.
"HEY." Ben growled. "I'm not the toilet." he shoved Yassop back on the ground and put his feet up on the table.
Suzuna turned the knob, and pushed the door in. she peeked her head in and looked over to the bed. "Shanks?" she whispered. He was facing the door, lying on his back. He was breathing heavily, but didn't reply to her call. "…" the first thought that appeared was 'he really did do what I said'. But then there was the doubt of 'he's just pulling my leg'. So she walked into the room, closing the door and walking over to the bed. "Shanks?" she asked again softly. Again he didn't move.
Suzuna smiled. She looked over to the nightstand to see everything but the mint leaf gone. She looked back at Shanks and noted he was covered in sweat. She grabbed a washcloth on the vanity and patted his face free of sweat. "You're welcome." She laughed and stood up.
His eyebrows knitted, and mouth ajar, Shanks moaned. And his unconscious mind turned his head to his left, towards Suzuna. She looked back to him and sighed. "The medicine's taking affect, but I feel bad?" she asked herself. Shanks' hand twitched and he groaned again. Suzuna sighed. She sat back on the bed and turned Shanks' head more to the left, and patted the sweat off his neck. After that she turned his head to the right and patted his neck free of the sweat. Then she patted what skin on his chest that was exposed.
Shanks' mouth twitched out a smirk, and his once labored breathing calmed and he seemed as if he slept more calmly. Suzuna laughed, tossed the washcloth on the vanity and started to head for the door. "Thanks very much, love." Shanks murmured in a low, raspy tone.
"…Shanks you aren't awake are you?" Suzuna asked worried, feeling her heart sink.
"Oh, no; me? Never." he chuckled. "This happens to be my unconsciousness talking."
"Oh, Christ Shanks!" Suzuna whined, grabbing up the washcloth again and also grabbing a bucket and pumping in some ice-cold water from a pump from inside. All Shanks did was laugh and smile. Suzuna rushed over to her bed, dipped the washcloth in, rung the cloth and set it on Shanks' forehead.
"Oh, that feels nice." Shanks smiled, sighing happily.
"Of course it does." Suzuna sighed. "Why didn't you just go to sleep?" she whined again.
"Never," Shanks paused as Suzuna poured a small amount of water on the washcloth. "Have I ever had a woman ever so desperately rush to a bed where I happen to be." he laughed. "Unless she was drunk, then that's a different story." he laughed even more.
"I don't know if I should be sorry for you or smack you because you're seemingly drunk." Suzuna said in a saddened voice.
"One of the various keys to life is liveliness. Being drunk numbs the senses and makes anyone unreasonable. Liveliness is merely a tool anyone can use to make not only themselves happy but others as well." Shanks smiled up at Suzuna.
Suzuna merely sighed and looked sad. "Just what are you trying to accomplish captain?"
Shanks chuckled. "That was some strong stuff you gave me. I can't move my legs."
"Is there anything you want? A drink? Food to settle your stomach?" she asked. "Your crew to come up here and bite your head off?" she stood up and walked to the other side of the bed, ready to walk to the door but still talking to Shanks.
"What?" Shanks asked in a high pitched tone.
"Your crew is down stairs; drunk I might add. All except that gentleman Ben." she laughed.
That perked Shanks' interest. "Whadda think of Ben?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest, smiling.
"Ben is… interesting. He seems like a nice guy once you get to know him." Suzuna paused. "I mean, face value, he scares me. But I know better. His eyes are kind, his smile is genuine, and his words are sincere." Suzuna smiled, tucked her thumbs into her pants and leaned back a bit.
"Yeah? You think so?" Shanks smiled.
"You picked a good one." Suzuna laughed.
"Yeah, I tend to do that a lot." Shanks' smile turned into a smirk. "Whadda see when you look at me?"
"…at face value, you looked like a strikingly handsome, charming, flamboyant man. Your attitude supports that. You turn around and you're suddenly caring about some woman you hardly know." she stopped to walk over to the bed, lean down very close to Shanks and start again. "Your eyes are experienced, they've spoken truth and been treated with lies. You like to believe what everyone says, but you can't. There was a day when everything you knew died." Suzuna stood above Shanks, a leg between his, her arms next to his shoulders. She looked into his eyes, sparkling and gleaming. "Naïve; like a boy fanaticizing over a life of fantasy." she laughed quickly getting off Shanks and heading to the door.
Shanks stumbled over words as he stood up and tried to get Suzuna's attention. "H-HEY. You get off on things like that?!" Shanks' voice cracked from the first time in four years.
"Where's your collective coolness?" she smiled. "I can't pin-point you, nor Ben, or anyone else you know that I don't. Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes I don't. I'll assume I was right since you're all stirred up. Sorry." she laughed opening the door and walking out it. "Please sleep." she said softly.
"Suzuna!" Shanks shouted, rather saddened.
Suzuna stopped walking, and sighed. "Yeah Shanks?" she asked, but not coming in the room.
"I… never mind." his voice was dull again. And his eyes veered over to the window as he sighed melodramatically.
"Shanks, what is it?" Suzuna walked in and leaned on the doorway.
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
"…Shanks," Suzuna walked over to the bed once again and sat on the edge. "If you want me to take care of you, you have to tell me what's up." she played with his hair. "I want to help you and your crew, really I do. Just tell me."
"I'll tell you later." he grabbed her hand, pressing it up against his mandible. "Don't worry about it."
"…you feel like going downstairs?" Suzuna moved their hands to the middle of his chest.
"And have my crew drunkenly scold me for ditching them?" Shanks scoffed. "How did Ben fair?"
"A guy with big lips, a long nose and curly dirty blonde hair almost threw up on his leg."
"HA!" Shanks laughed. "Yassop almost threw up on Ben!" he continued laughing.
"How are you doing capt'n?" Ben came in through the door, looking at the two holding hands.
Shanks' laughter abruptly stopped and they both whipped their hands to their sides, blushed and looked anywhere but at Ben. "I'm doing just fine, Ben. You?" Shanks asked back.
Ben laughed once, smirked and bit his tongue. "Just fine capt'n. And you miss Suzuna?"
"I'm doing great, thank you Ben." she said quietly, clearing her throat.
"Great. And how's the Red-Haired crew's star patient doing, doctor?" Ben walked further into the room.
"Well it wasn't like Shanks was deathly ill, it was just a stomach ache." she laughed. "I believe I'm sad to say that my medicine was too strong from what Shanks was used to."
"You wouldn't believe it Ben, I haven't had anything that strong since I was an apprentice with that old geezer captain of mine." Shanks pointed to Ben wagging his finger slightly.
HA. No footnotes XD. Comment please!