Good god, I JUST REALISED THERE IS NO FRIGGIN TV IN THE OP UNIVERSE. Remember chapter 1 where our dear little Yue Xin was watching TV? I have changed it to a book on fairytales. I am such a useless author.
"What the heck did you do to our traps? Get out."
"Nope."
"This is our secret base. Visitors are unwelcome."
"I want to know where I am."
"ARGH! You're so annoying! Sabo! Luffy! Say something!" Ace glared at the other two. Actually, it was only Sabo since Luffy was already gallivanting away with Vermillion.
"I don't remember anything but I should at least know where I currently am, right?" Yue Xin raised her brows at the stoic faces of Sabo and (more like pissed off face of) Ace.
"This is private property! Ever heard of trespassing?" Ace yelled back down to the little girl standing before their tree house.
"Then do I ask the trees and the flowers for information, huh, you ignorant barbarian?!" Yue Xin huffed, crossing her arms in front of her. "I just want to know what island I'm on! Telling me wouldn't kill you!"
Ace lunged forward but Sabo slapped a hand over Ace's mouth, blocking his angry retort. "If we tell you, you won't come back and keep sticking to us like some parasite right?"
Yue Xin rolled her eyes. Parasite. She just followed their traces back to their so-called 'secret base' (psh) after hunting down the bear. Dodging and disarming all their traps was a pain in the butt. Dealing with the three brothers was also a pain in the butt. Once she knew more about this island she was on, she was getting out of here immediately.
"Yes, yes, I won't appear in front of you guys anymore. Just tell me what island I'm on, what is close around here, and about that Goa Kingdom Luffy said this morning."
"Okay. I'll go down. It's kinda hard to talk while yelling." Sabo turned around to drop down the rope ladder.
Ace gave another one of his 'Hmph!'s and climbed up to sit against the sill of the tree house window. Yue Xin ignored the barbarian up there, smiling at Sabo instead. "Thank you, I really appreciate your help."
"No need for that. The sooner you're gone, the better."
Sabo felt a pang of guilt when he spotted hurt flashing across the younger girl's eyes. It was gone when she blinked, but she kept her wavering smile up and countered, "I would love to get away from you three idiots as soon as possible too."
"I see. You are smart, Sabo." Yue Xin nodded her head at the crude map of locations Sabo had sketched on the dirt.
Sabo scratched his neck shyly. "Uh, thanks." He quickly pointed to a small square drawn on the dirt map, "This here is the entrance from Town Centre to High Town. High Town is where all the nobles are living..."
Yue Xin stole a glance at Sabo. Top hat, blue overcoat, a embellished belt that has lost its shine, a cravat and boots. Tattered as they were, Sabo's clothes were of finer material and obviously of different style than the simple t-shirts and shorts Ace and Luffy wore.
From the Kingdom? Edge Town? No. Town Centre? Or—
"Hello? Are you listening?" Sabo squinted at the daydreaming girl. "Hello?"
"Yes, of course! I'm just wondering if I can find some information about...uh...about who I am and why I got sent here if I go to Goa Kingdom!"
"Okay..." Sabo's tone didn't hold much hope for Yue Xin.
"Thanks again. It's goodbye here then."
"Alright," Sabo stood up, "Good luck to you. Hope you will regain your memories soon."
Ace offered help from the windowsill, brandishing his pipe, "I can help you regain your memories now, if you want to!"
Yue Xin stuck a tongue out at Ace. "No thanks! Vermillion! Come back right now!"
The sentient sword came zooming in with Luffy right on its heels.
"Oh no! Is mystery girl and Wormmy leaving? Wormmy was telling me so many crazy and fun stories!" Luffy pouted.
Yue Xin spluttered. "Oh, that's great. W-What stories did Vermillion tell you?" She threw a worried glance at Vermillion, praying to the Heavens that the sentient sword hadn't outed her with its stories. The sword may have enough intellect to talk, but sometimes Vermillion could surprise her with its...naivety.
The pouting boy lightened up. "Wormmy told me that she came from the stars, and has 9 other siblings! Her other siblings are all someplace far away now, and she feels sad because she can't contact them!"
Yue Xin breathed a sigh of relief. At least Vermillion didn't talk about her identity. Then—
"Wait, what?! Vermillion, you have siblings?"
The black sword 'nodded'.
Yue Xin just stared incredulously at the sword. "Who are your siblings? Are they swords like you?" She hadn't heard an inkling about this from her mother, but it was not like Vermillion could talk about itself to her family either. Probably Vermillion had tried, but none of them understood.
Vermillion wiggled.
Luffy translated, "Wormmy says no. She says they are all different things, like her big brother is a...is a bell, her little brother is a stone, and her little sister...is a string-string thing?"
Hearing that, the black blade whirled around and whacked Luffy on the head.
"Sorry Wormmy! I don't know what is that!" Luffy yelled, pulling his straw hat down to save his poor head from being battered.
Yue Xin peeled her eyes away from her violent sword to fix them upon Sabo's baffled expression, "How does Luffy talk to Vermillion?"
"I have absolutely no idea." Sabo muttered, still staring at the sword and Luffy arguing about something.
"..." The little girl could feel the pregnant silence pressing down. She was supposed to leave now. It was the opportune moment wasn't it?
But Yue Xin just stood there, watching Luffy and Vermillion bicker, her feet rooted to the ground. She could feel Sabo's hesitation, wondering if he should chase the unwanted visitor (Yue Xin) away, or just stand silently like a piece of wood and give the sword and his little brother more time to fight over their...whatever their conversation was. She could also feel Ace's unkind gaze getting sharper the longer she stood there.
She had definitely overstayed her welcome (if there had been one at all). Yue Xin willed her rooted feet to pluck itself off the ground. It definitely wasn't because she didn't felt like leaving. Nope. Not at all. She needed to go home. Back to the Empire.
"Then, urm, I'll be going then." Yue Xin started walking backwards in a random direction, waving an awkward hand at Sabo.
"Uh, okay, goodbye?" Sabo raised a hesitant hand. "That's the wrong direction though..."
Yue Xin stopped herself, almost tripping on a branch. "I, uh, knew that!"
Sabo didn't comment further but doubt was written in blg block letters across his face. "Turn there— " He pointed with a helpful finger, "— to reach Goa Kingdom."
Yue Xin coughed, mumbling her thanks again. "Vermillion! Get back here! We're leaving!"
The sword gave a sad buzz to the rubber boy, floating back to its mistress who flicked it with a finger full of the embarrassment she was withholding within her.
"Oh no! Bye, Wormmy! See you again soon!" Luffy waved at the sword who was trying to say its last goodbye while chasing after its fleeing mistress.
"No, they are not seeing us again soon!" Sabo landed a fist upon Luffy's covered head, "She won't be coming back."
"But...but..."
"No buts."
Yue Xin didn't go to Goa Kingdom.
It was getting late. The setting sun was already colouring the blue sky with swathes of bold pinks and orange. She needed to sleep to get enough energy to think of a way home back. And a safe place that hungry animals at night wouldn't try to attack her and disturb her well-deserved rest.
Other than the three brothers' hideout, she considered Foosha Village- but even though it looked close to Mt. Corvo on the dirt-drawn map, she didn't know how far the actual distance was. It could take half a day for her to reach.
Yue Xin was hungry again. Tired too.
Dadan it is.
The little girl stood up from the rock she had been sitting on. Bringing gifts while visiting someone else's home was etiquette (and for bribing them to let her stay the night). Yue Xin eyed the tall palm tree that was like a waypost of Dadan's cottage.
What would the old woman like? Flowers? Not enough. They have no real use for those things that would wilt in a day. What else? What else do they have use for?
Yue Xin decided to look for some flowers first when a deep snarl sounded behind her.
She turned to find a pack of red-eyed wolves with antlers pawing the ground.
Her brown eyes glinted evilly, "Ooh. What great timing. You'll make a perfect gift, little doggies."
The wolves hesitated, red eyes showing uncertainty.
Yue Xin's grin grew wider.
"Goddamnit! WHO THE HELL IS KNOCKING AGAIN?! We're trying to pick straws here!"
"Someone go get the door!"
"That someone go hunt for dinner later too!"
A bandit sighed heavily, rubbing his growling stomach as he made his way to the door. It was always him who ended up hunting for dinner. "Who the fuck are— "
"Hello again."
The bandit stared blankly at the smiling little girl before him, her sweet apple cheeks working in tandem to charm the older man.
"I came back to say thank you to Miss Dadan for pointing me to the river," Yue Xin tilted her head in childish innocence, maximising her irresistible eye smile, "Will you call Miss Dadan out for me?"
"O-Okay..." The bandit sucked in a deep breath. Who was this polite, adorable angel in front of him? The aura she radiated was blinding him!
The bandit turned back to the cottage, "Boss! I-I think the little girl from this morning is here! She wants to talk to you!"
"TELL HER TO GO AWAY!" Came Dadan's reply from the inside.
Yue Xin stuck her head in the gap between the bandit and the door. "Miss Dadan! I've brought some food as well! It's my way of thanking you! Have you eaten dinner?"
The bandit by the door almost collapsed with happiness. No more hunting tonight!
"Food? What kind of food?" Dadan's large frame began to emerge from the depths of the cottage.
"I caught some wolves with antlers." Yue Xin grinned up at the woman. She could hear the growls of hunger from the empty stomachs of the bandits. "We can have dinner together! I have not had dinner as well!"
Dadan scanned Yue Xin suspiciously, seemingly having an internal battle of letting the little girl in or kicking her out.
Yue Xin caught on to her dilemma instantly. This was the perfect time to use her ultimate weapon!
The girl cast her eyes down in (fake) nervous expectation, pulling her hand out from behind her back.
Dadan's expression turned into confusion upon seeing the bunch of wildflowers in Yue Xin's hand.
"Urm...Miss Dadan, I saw these flowers on the way here and thought they would suit you very well. You are so kind, and these orange flowers match your beautiful hair colour as well, so I picked them for you. I-I hope you like it!" Yue Xin thrust the flowers in front of Dadan's nose, letting the aromatic smell of the wildflowers waft around her. Yue Xin peeked through her eyelashes to gauge the boss bandit's reaction.
It took a few seconds before an almost unnoticeable blush started to rise to the older woman's cheeks, her mouth opening and closing in astonishment. "Y-You..."
"Do you not like them, Miss Dadan...?" Yue Xin let her radiant smile droop, slowly lowering the flowers from Dadan's face as if she was going to throw them away.
"Y-You— idiot!" Dadan snatched the flowers from Yue Xin's small hands, "You dare give me these ugly flowers? They are useless things! The...The food you bring are just what we need!"
Dadan stormed into the cottage with said useless flowers still in hand. Her steps faltered when she realised her subordinates were all staring at her. "What are all of you looking at huh?! Get back to work! Skin those beasts that the little brat brought!" Dadan huffed, hastily evacuating to the privacy of her own room.
"Y-Yes Boss!" The bandits chorused, scrambling to heave in the pile of dead wolves-stags thrown in front of their cottage door by Yue Xin.
Yes! Yue Xin did a mental fist pump. Step 1 of 'Luring Dadan into letting her stay the night (possibly many other nights) plan' was a success!
She smoothly entered the doorway and into the hall of the cottage, bounding to the side of a bandit skinning one of the wolves. "I will help as well!"
'Aww, what a kind angel!' The bandits cooed internally as Yue Xin shot everyone in the room a lovely smile.
"Hurry up and skin those beasts you morons!" Dadan yelled from her room.
"Yes Ma'am!"
Yue Xin screamed when the piece of meat she had finally gotten into her hands were stolen by a bandit frothing by the mouth. "Excuse me! I believe that was MINE!"
No one replied her as they made a dash for the remaining meat on the plate.
The little girl couldn't believe her eyes when dinner had started with another bandit biting his comrade's fingers off, the rest of them clawing each other for the meat like it was some prized national treasure. Curses and screams of anger flew around, together with cups and pieces of the precious meat.
Was this the culture in this country? Did every citizen eat like a pack of wild beasts?
Yue Xin shuddered in horror, thinking of the death rates that would multiply in a day from every meal. She certainly needed to make a trip to Goa Kingdom to observe their eating habits there.
The door slammed open and three familiar voices announced their arrival.
"What the fuck?"
"They are starting dinner without us?"
"MEAT! MEATMEATMEAT— "
Luffy's voice got cut off when he sprung upon a flying piece of meat that happened to come his way.
Shit. Yue Xin turned back to find the three annoying brothers right behind her.
"YOU! Why the hell are you here?!" Ace jabbed his finger at Yue Xin's face, "Weren't you supposed to be at Goa Kingdom?!"
"I..." Yue Xin pushed a bandit's fetid foot from her face, kicking another bandit's head away from the meat she secured moments before the three brothers had burst in, "Tomorrow! I'm going tom— ARGH! That's MY ARM! STOP BITING ME!"
"ACE BROUGHT MORE MEAT IN! COOK IT!"
"MEAT?! WHERE?!"
"MY MEAT! OW! FUCK OFF!"
"MINE!MINE!MINE!MINE!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU BASTARDS!"
The hall dissolved into further chaos, engulfing the three brothers within.
"Every time we eat, this happens!" Dadan hollered at her men, hurling mops and buckets out from the closet. "Where are the three stupid brats?! Trying to run from cleaning duty again?!"
"I think they went to the bathroom to bathe," Yue Xin replied, "But I can help out with the cleaning since I made part of the mess too."
A cleaning rag was delivered into her hands instantly. Yue Xin blinked in surprise, then nodded her thanks to the bandit beside her.
Dadan stormed off to the bathroom to scream at the boys to help out after their bath while the others made quick work of cleaning the hall. Yue Xin rubbed at the grease stains on the wooden floorboards, digesting new information she gathered during the natural disaster of a dinner. She had threatened hungry bandits, dangling pieces of meat in front of their faces and refused to give them the meat unless they answered her questions.
Dadan was hard shell to crack on the outside, but she was a real softie in the inside. The bandit she had coerced with food disclosed that Dadan had started roasting meat with spices in order to entice the three boys back to eat with them. It was the most that Dadan could manage when the brothers were so hell bent on moving out. So the three now often came back with prey they hunted, and Dadan would whip up the meal with a generous dose of seasonings. The tsundere lady boss had also given herself a real good excuse: the dinner they brought back were just payments for using their bathroom to take warm baths.
Yue Xin smiled to herself. Dadan was so funny.
She surveyed the cottage. Water, electricity.
Who's paying for the bills?
It was brightly lit and well-furnished for a cottage in the middle of a mountain. Bandits were never short of money; they could just rob the nearby villages, but the flab many of them wore around their waistline told Yue Xin that the Dadan Family hadn't seen much action in years.
Perhaps they sold some of the meat they caught?
Yue Xin recalled that the crocodiles she caught had skins that would perhaps sell for a high price.
The three brothers tumbled out of the shower at that moment, giggling and shaking their wet, dripping hair to spray each other showers of droplets that still had a trace of warmth from their bath. Dadan who was caught in the crossfire yelled at the three, cursing them for ruining her cleaned floor, then began the routine of chasing the three demons around.
What a nice family.
They were bandits. Riff-raff. The three brothers were not of the same blood, nor were each of the bandits beside her, scrubbing away at the tea stains and picking up the itty-bitty pieces of meat.
Nothing in common, except...
Yue Xin felt like she was intruding upon someone's home. The unknown feeling from that afternoon swelled up within her again, causing the girl to frown. Yue Xin squashed her ire down. Not yet...she would have time to think later once she secured permission to stay for the night. She looked at the bandits who were being thrown back into a disarray by the three idiots. Rags and mops flew around the hall this time.
A sudden realization smacked her right in the head together with a greasy piece of rag.
They are bandits! (A/N: Duh)
Bandits were lawless. They didn't care about permission when ransacking villages, nor had anything called manners! Yue Xin had wanted to ask them for permission; what a joke! She had been upholding her taught manners at the wrong place and at the wrong time, and did not consider the situation she was in. Asking for permission held a risk of letting them reject her request, but Yue Xin didn't want to spend the night out. She needed a 100% chance of success. Which meant she didn't need to ask permission— she just needed to make sure they couldn't throw her out.
Feeling enlightened, Yue Xin picked the rag off her face and wiped her face clean with her sleeve. She then chose a clean corner, plopping down against the wall with her eyes closed. Filtering out the yelled curses and loud thumps, she steadied her breath and began her sleeping act.
Asleep, I'm asleep, I'm sleeping, sleeping, slee...
And then Yue Xin fell into a deep sleep.
