"Uhhh… Well, I'll be returning to my ship," Shanks said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. He took several steps towards the dock, then remembered something and turned. "You still have…" He shot a quick glance at Law, then changed his wording, "Those cards, right?"
Lor cocked her head, confused for a moment. Then she understood what he was talking about. The Vivre Cards. She nodded. Shanks grinned and walked off with a wave.
"Let's go," Law said harshly, grabbing her wrist and yanking her along.
She stumbled, tripping over her toes before she regained her balance. Lor pulled, trying to free her wrist from the vice-like grip, but to no avail. She was forced into a gait that was something between a hop and a walk as she tried to keep up while avoiding stepping on the pirate's heels.
"Bepo, help?" She whispered to the bear.
"I'm sorry," the bear only said.
So Lor had to maintain the uncomfortable position until they arrived at the bar. Law finally let go, but only to push her inside. She sent a dirty look to his back before moving to sit down. What was he mad about this time?
"You know Shanks-ya," Law stated from behind her the moment she sat down.
Lor yelped, spinning in her seat, then pressed her lips in a thin line. She didn't notice him following her! She glanced down at the box that held her heart. Hopefully the Hearts' captain didn't feel the racing heart through the walls of the box. If he did, he gave no indication.
"He's my surrogate father's best friend."
Law seemed to relax a little. "Oh."
Lor cocked her head, confused by his strange mood swings. Did men have their own version of PMS?
'He luuuuurves you!' A mental voice in the form of Kuzuri's voice teased.
Inner Lor pounced on the miniature mental Kuzuri, stomping him into the dirt and tossing him out the window. She puffed out a breath of air and wiped off her hands to get rid of the 'Kuzuri germs', nodding at a job well done. Good riddance.
"So what did he say that made you turn red?" Law asked, grey eyes trained on the girl.
Finally, finally he got a reaction he expected and wanted out of the girl. Her eyes widened in shock, her back stiffening. Slowly her face flushed red, to the point of her ears. Law smirked.
"N-nothing," she said. Damn, her voice had come out in a near squeak.
"Don't lie," Law leaned in.
Too close. He was too close! She shivered unconsciously as his breath tickled her ear. She shifted in her seat to put some distance in between them. In her peripheral vision she saw Law's smirk grow.
"Really. Nothing," Lor said, this time regaining control of her voice.
Law straightened, a little disappointed. He'd wanted to toy with her a bit longer, but she had too much control over her expressions. But with every new thing he found out about his cook, he discovered that he had ten more questions he wanted answered. He could ask her directly, like his crew had attempted before, but what would be the fun in that?
Besides he'd found that she was always cryptic when giving information. She would never willingly tell him enough to satisfy his curiosity.
"Lor!" April called out, grinning.
The woman sashayed over. Lor could see that she was unsteady on her feet. They had just arrived at the island! How much did April drink?
"Drink with me!" April giggled, forcing a glass into Lor's hand.
Lor glanced hesitantly at the liquid. The last time she had alcohol, Shanks laughed like crazy, Mihawk flipped, and aside from the bad taste, the headache she had the next morning was enough to make her swear off alcohol. But April stared at her expectantly. Lor took a small sip. Satisfied that her friend was drinking, April relaxed in the chair next to her, cradling her own drink.
"Oh, Law. You were here. Shoo. Girl time," April ordered, making a shooing motion with her free hand.
Law opened his mouth to tell his former girlfriend not to order him around. But April was tipsy, and she wouldn't care anyways. Alcohol+ April=insanity. He walked away.
"Lorlor! C'mon! It's a party! Drink all you want!" April shouted. Her words weren't slurred yet, but they were getting there at an alarming pace.
The crew cheered at the words—they didn't need a second invitation to party and drink. Lor sighed. Pirates and their alcohol. She could tell that the crew was quickly descending to the Red Haired Pirates' level at the rate they were going. Now that was a crew that did almost nothing but party.
Lor took another sip. It tasted pretty good. Nothing like the disgusting rum she had a few years back. She drank a bit more. Well, as long as she stopped before she got drunk, she won't get a hangover, right?
But she didn't even get that far. In fact, she didn't even get to finish her glass.
"Oh. My. Heavens. All the shit in the world that is holy, could be holy, or will be holy. Who is that?" April gasped.
Lor stared weirdly at the other girl. Interesting phrasing. She would find it more interesting if April's nails stopped digging into her arm.
April was staring at the door, eyes wide and mouth agape. Her slightly slurred words had become clear, as if she had sobered just from the sight she saw. Lor flinched as the nails dug deeper. That would leave a mark. She tried to pry April's fingers loose, but finally resigned herself to crescent moon shaped marks on her arm for the next few days.
She turned in her seat, eyes following April's line of vision, to take a look at what April was going on about… and froze.
Two lean males in their early twenties stood at the doorway. One had brown hair and green eyes, the other black hair and brown eyes. Lor couldn't see their eye color from where she sat, but she knew the traits like she knew her own. The glass in her hand fell from her numb hand. She didn't even notice it shattering at her feet—her eyes, wide with shock, only saw the two men.
But everyone else heard the sharp sound, and the bar fell silent. The crew stared at her, surprised and curious. Somewhere in the corner of her mind she knew April was tugging on her sleeve, worried, but she didn't really take notice.
On the two males' faces were expressions that mirrored hers.
"Sho… Leo…" Lor whispered, but in the silent enclosed space, everyone heard.
The three stood like statues for only a moment. The two turned on their heels and ran out. Like they were marionettes on the same string, Lor lunged forward at the same time. Her hand reached out to them… But the fingers paused mere centimeters away from the back of Leo's hoodie, hesitant to reach out and grab hold despite the girl wanting so badly to do so. And then Leo and Sho were gone, their legs carrying them far away.
Arm still outstretched, Lor stood alone in front of the doors. Then suddenly, as if all the strength had drained out of her body, the arm fell to her side, and the girl collapsed onto her knees.
Law's breath caught. He almost reached out to her. Almost.
But Lor's limp arms moved, wrapping around her midsection, gripping the cloth of her top until her fingers turned pale and bloodless. Her hands were visibly trembling. Eyes wide, mouth gasping for air, Lor knelt there, unable to think, unable to breathe. The only thing flashing through her mind was the look on the two males' expressions, burning into her memory.
And then a heart-wrenching scream, filled with pain and grief, filled the air. It took a moment for Lor to realize it was her own voice.