CHAPTER NINE

Dipping Cheese

The first thing EJ heard when she woke up the next morning was Usopp saying: "I really did stay up all night long!"

"Yeah right," EJ heard Zolo's voice. "And I'm the Tooth Fairy."

Under her covers, EJ grinned like the Cheshire Cat (most everyone's mad here).

"I want some meat!" Luffy cried impatiently.

"Ssh!" Nami hissed. "We have to wait for EJ to wake up first! We can't leave this room until she does!"

"But I'm hungry now!" EJ pictured Luffy wearing an unhappy pout.

"You have to learn to patient," Sanji told Luffy. "Especially in the presence of such lovely ladies like Nami-San and EJ-Chan!"

"Luffy, now what are you doing?" Zolo asked him.

"This is…OWWWW!!!!!!" Luffy practically screamed.

"SSH!" Hissed about three people.

"BUT THE RED SWORD CUT ME!!!!" Luffy howled.

EJ woke up pretty fast hearing that.

She threw back the covers to see the Straw Hats crowded around their captain, whose hand was lacerated quite cleanly.

"All I did was touch it!" Luffy complained.

"Why would the sword hurt you for that?" Nami wondered.

They all glanced over to EJ's bed, where she was sitting staring at them.

"Ohayoo." She said.

"She's awake!" Sanji cried, hurrying over to her as climbed out of bed, feeling groggy from sleeping in clothes. "EJ-Chan, are you alright!?"

"Yes, I'm fine." EJ replied. To Luffy she added: "L-Luffy…that sword…used to be grey…black, almost."

"Black?" Zolo repeated.

EJ nodded. "Mmhm. As black as Mihawk's black sword. It was…coloured crimson by…my blood, and nobody else can wield it."

There was a silence, as the crew digested this piece of information.

"Well," Luffy said after awhile. "I wouldn't need a sword anyway," He pulled at the side of his mouth, making it stretch. "Since I can do THIS!!"

The rest of the crew laughed, although Usopp was still regarding EJ carefully.

EJ knew he was probably still curious as to why she had defended the Black Cat Pirates last night.

Well, she wasn't going to tell them about her encounter with the evil genius Kuro just yet!

Instead, Sanji and Zolo told her about their encounter with Arlong.

EJ was emotionally upset. "I…I don't believe it…" She muttered. So many people died because of me!

Sure enough, upon turning on her TV, EJ found news report after news report about what happened.

Tears gathered in her eyes, but she hastily brushed them away. What would the Black Cats say if they saw her crying!?

That was when Jed walked in unannounced, carrying Kyo in his arms (Jed and EJ are the exception to Kyo's hate everybody attitude).

The Straw Hat Crew stared in dismay at EJ's Kuro-like butler.

OoO

For what seemed like the longest moment, Jed just stood there, as Kyo jumped out of his arms and bounded over to his mistress, who cuddled him for support. His purring reminded her of Siam, and her face started to turn pink.

Finally, Jed said: "Good morning. I am Miss. Emma-Jane's butler, Jed. Luffy, Sanji, Zolo, Usopp and Miss. Nami," (Jed's always polite with the ladies). "Please make yourselves at home oh, and Miss. Emma-Jane?"

She looked up.

"We are having turkey and bread with dipping cheese for dinner tonight." Jed nodded to her, and then left the room.

EJ's eyes were shining. "That, my friends, is one reason why Jed's such a great guy!" He's not very much like Captain Kuro then, is he? She stood up. "Excuse me a moment…"

OoO

Down in the kitchen, EJ asked Jed how he knew who her friends were.

"Miss. Emma-Jane," Jed smiled at her. "You have been watching that anime and reading that manga since before I came to work here. I would know them anywhere by now."

"Oh," EJ said, still holding Kyo to her chest, his tail swishing. "But…they're from a different world, Jed doesn't that bother you?"

"No." Jed replied. "Should it?"

EJ shook her head. "No, I guess not. Oh, but don't tell Mum and Dad, and Kylie and Nicole, okay?"

He nodded. "It will be our secret." He promised her.

OoO

That night, EJ had to laugh when she saw Luffy, Zolo, Sanji and Usopp. Jed had outfitted them appropriately, in suits and ties. The suits were all black and they all wore white shirts. Luffy's tie was red, Zolo's was green, Sanji's was blue and Usopp's was grey.

Luffy still wore his straw hat, and Zolo had fished his bandanna out of the wash. It was tied around his left arm, as usual.

EJ and Nami were dressed up too. EJ had explained that you always got dressed up for turkey, bread and dipping cheese night. Nami was wearing a blue and silver cheongsam-styled dress. EJ was wearing a cheongsam-styled dress too, except hers was red and gold.

"NAMI-SAN!!" Sanji just about had a heart attack. "AND EJ-CHAN, YOU LOOK WONDERFUL!!"

"Jeez, don't we always look wonderful?" Nami winked at EJ, who grinned back.

Everyone sat down and, as the meal was served, Zolo asked: "Hey EJ, where are your sisters?"

"Kylie's probably at her friend's house," EJ replied, eyeing the bottle of pink wine Jed had just brought out. Zolo was eyeing it too. "And Nicole's got dance rehearsal or something."

Jed brought out the turkey, and the break and dipping cheese. "Perhaps you should tell them now?" He suggested to EJ.

EJ nodded, and her new friends looked curious.

"See, we have this rule," EJ said calmly. "That if your bread falls off into the cheese whilst you're dipping it, then…you have to kiss the person sitting on your right!"

They were sitting in the dining room, and you've never seen a bunch of pirates look more horrified.

OoO

Diner proceeded without any further delays, after Luffy spilt his glass of water (just about everyone had agreed that Luffy shouldn't drink – Zolo, and the other hand, couldn't be kept away from the stuff).

EJ was thinking, as she watched Kyo wander in, and then out, and wondered how she'd tell her friends they were from an anime and that her sword had been given to her by Captain Kuro, when IT happened.

IT, of course, was the falling off of EJ's bread from her fork and into the dipping cheese.

Guess who was sitting on her right…