Updated: 10/25/16

Chapter 14: Departure

At ten in the morning, Liara belatedly rolled out of bed in a good mood. She couldn't exactly interpret why she was so happy, but ever since the fireworks' show from last night she had been feeling remarkably jubilant. It was by no means a fallacious thing, just odd.

She swept her auburn curls into a high ponytail and blissfully proceeded over to her closet. As she skimmed through a variety of clothes, thoughts from last night intruded her mind.

When the last firework had exploded, cheering and clapping could be perceived from every direction. Liara's neck had started to tense up from her head being tilted back to enjoy the show for about fifteen minutes. Once she and Brook had finished applauding the finale of the display along with everybody else, she massaged the back of her neck and rolled her shoulders around to try and relieve the tension in her muscles. Brook stood up and held out a hand to assist Liara to her feet.

"Are you okay, Miss Liara?" he asked as he extended out his fingers to her sitting figure. Liara appreciatively smiled and nodded as she took his hand, her fingers of flesh resting on his phalanges.

"Yes, thank you. I'm just stiff is all," she responded, her gaze focused entirely on his face. They said nothing for a moment before glancing down and realizing that their hands were still resting on each other, though this time, neither one pulled apart. Time halted and the noise around them faded into the background. Brook tightened his fingers around Liara's protectively, unsure of what to say or do. It was almost as if they were under a trance.

"Liara-"

"Ahem."

The pair jolted back to reality as they promptly let go of each others hands and looked over to see Robin leaning against the railing, a sly smile on her face. "Good thing I was the first to arrive, or Cook-san would've surely thrown a fit. I certainly hope I didn't interrupt anything."

Liara's face flushed while Brook twisted his head to falsely cough."Er-of course not! I was just saying goodnight to Miss Liara. So, goodnight!" And with that he sped off, leaving behind a chuckling Robin and an embarrassed Liara.

Before the brunette also departed for bed, Robin had given her a wink and promised to not say a word, though Liara rapidly reassured the Archaeologist that nothing had happened. Before another word could be uttered, she descended down the stairs, trying to block out the older woman's laughter.

She slipped out of her pajamas, kicking the black bottoms off the tips of her toes. She dressed herself in a pair of blue-jean capris and a white ruffled shirt that teasingly revealed her shoulders. Once satisfied with her appearance, she proceeded into the kitchen to join the rest of her team.

Surprisingly, she wasn't the last one to arrive. It was Usopp who stumbled in after everybody else, circles visible under his eyes. He sat down between Chopper and Luffy and vehemently yawned before lazily propping his elbows on the table. Chopper visually examined him with concerned eyes.

"Usopp! You need to sleep better and stop working on inventions all night!" the little reindeer admonished in his high-pitched voice. Usopp merely gave a "yeah yeah" before picking up a strip of bacon off his plate.

Liara watched the scene unfold from her spot between Brook and Franky. She felt like a little girl trapped between two giants.

Breakfast proceeded in the usual, boisterous manner, with separate conversations carrying on all around the table. Liara sat tranquil and collected as she enjoyed the upbeat atmosphere. Sometimes, she would peer up at Brook, only to notice him watching her as well. He would smile the way a skeleton could before going back to enjoying his meal, with her mimicking his action.

"Liara, wanna be our artist?" Luffy abruptly asked with a clever grin, causing the whole table to shift their attention onto her.

It took her completely by surprise, but she had to admit she was intrigued and a little excited by the thought. "Are you certain? Would you really like me to?"

"I don't see why not," Franky added as he took a giant gulp from his Cola bottle. "Chopper and Usopp both said you draw pretty well, and I think somebody drawing us and parts of the islands we go to would be neat to look at."

Nami leaned past Franky so Liara could see her. "Plus, the island drawings could be placed with my maps so people would have a good idea about the places we've gone to. By the way, I'm the one who suggested it to Luffy. You really think he could come up with something like that on his own?"

Luffy pouted.

She was so overcome with honor over the position that she found it difficult to utter a single word. When she finally gathered her thoughts, she decided to voice her acceptance of the offer. The group looked pleased, especially Luffy, Nami, and Brook.

Eventually breakfast was completed, and Nami decided that it was time for them to depart from the island. Liara requested that she at least get a sketch in before they left, which Nami approved of. While everybody else prepared the ship to set out, Liara relaxed in the same place she and Brook had settled on the night before to revel in the firework show. The mere memory of it caused Liara's cheeks to heat up, but she knew she had to push it aside in order to get the drawing done in time. She was by no means a professional artist, but she definitely knew the basic steps and how to add shadow perfectly to give off a 3-Dimensional look. She tapped the pencil against the top of her drawing pad in an effort to give an idea of where she would even begin.

After scanning the town for a bit, she decided to begin sketching the giant "Sea Breeze Island" sign. She then proceeded to sketch the surroundings, using the horizon line she'd placed on the left side of the sheet to give better perspective on the architecture. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she advanced to the inking stage, biting her lip as she meticulously added detail to the buildings, trees, and even some of the people. The process went by at a much quicker rate than she expected, but it still took a lot of concentration to correctly shade the objects. It was her first job on the crew, and she didn't want to let any of them down.

How much time went by, Liara couldn't say, but she could tell it had been a while because of how cramped her fingers were becoming. The ink pen was starting to slip out of her grasp from the moisture gathering around her fingertips, and her back had stiffened from being hunched over for so long, causing her to have to roll her shoulders around and twist her torso a bit in order to crack her spine.

The third time she curled around she was met with the ankle of Brook's elongated legs. He stood above her, looking down and witnessing her draw with considerable interest. He placed a hand on his hip bone, causing his elbow to jut outwards at an angle. "Ah, that looks lovely Miss Liara. I see that you like this spot, hm?" he teased, causing her to face away from him with a glowing smile.

"Indeed," she replied. "This was a perfect view for the fireworks last night, and a great view of the whole town to boot. That's it, really." Usually she wasn't sarcastic, but she decided to play along with Brook's jesting nature to show she could evenly match him in humor. He didn't laugh, but it was obvious he was smirking from the "mm-hmm" sound he made.

They didn't say anything much after that, but she didn't mind. The silence they shared was comfortable, as it should be among friends. She paused in the middle of signing her name in the bottom left corner. Friends.

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"Looks great!" Nami complimented as she held up the drawing in front of her. It had to be at least 11' X 14'', which wasn't a bad size. Plus, Liara had managed to fit most of the scenery on the page without making it look overcrowded. She really had talent, and that made Nami even more confident in her suggestion over Liara's new position.

Liara felt embarrassed by the compliment, but looked pleased nonetheless. Currently, they were both standing in the Sunny-Go's library. It was pretty nice and large considering it was on a ship. Books of different colors, both thick and thin, were lined up in neatly arranged rows on mahogany bookshelves that were securely fastened against the walls. Liara had a feeling she would be spending a lot of time in there. Like Robin, she was a bookworm who absolutely loved escaping to far off places through the pages of a good story. It was amazing how some words on paper could put her through so many scenarios and adventures.

"Thank you. I can't wait to do the next one!" Liara enthusiastically stated as she placed her hands behind her back and smiled proudly. She meant it, of course. She'd always cherished drawing, and being able to watch her compilation of art increase with every island they visited would be an absolute thrill for her. She knew the Straw Hat Pirates would be well-remembered, even in the distant future, and being a part of that would be a privilege.

There was a sudden sound of heavy footsteps drawing closer to the library's door, followed by Franky popping the wooden object open and peeking into the chamber. "Hey Nami-sis, are we ready to go?"

Nami nodded and scuffed away from one of the desks. "Sure. Give the order." She waited until Franky confirmed the instruction and evacuated before she turned her attention back to the Artist. "Let's go back on deck. It's time for departure."

Liara ensued the Navigator until they were both positioned near Sunny's mainsail. The ramp had already been lifted up, and Chopper stood in his Heavy Point form beside the lever used to haul the anchor off the ocean floor. Liara had to admit that she was somewhat intrigued and excited about the launching of the ship, as she'd never experienced it before. Of course, she was well aware that it was like docking except in reverse mode, but it was the first time she would actually be on board a departing ship, so there was a part of her that was positively thrilled.

She regarded her companions with interest as they assembled into their assigned positions and commenced their duties. Luffy and Zoro perched on top of the masts, waiting for the signal, while Franky settled at the steering wheel, his fingers firmly wrapped around the handles. Liara couldn't help but notice that while Luffy was the Captain of the ship, the crew seemed to follow Nami's orders more than Luffy's, but she supposed that they all had roles to play, and Nami was just fulfilling hers.

"Alright everybody, prepare for departure!" Nami bellowed out as she placed a hand on her left hip and pointed forward with her right. On command, Chopper promenaded the lever around in a circle to lift up the weighty anchor. Liara wandered to his side and peeked over the railing to observe in fascination as the anchor was gradually pulled out of the water, covered with droplets reflecting sunlight that dripped back into their watery home.

"Yahoo!" Luffy cried out as he and Zoro expertly untied the ropes that bound the sails, releasing the hefty cloths that proudly displayed the Straw Hat's Jolly Roger. The ship began to drift away from the docks as Franky spun the wheel around. With a gust of wind the ship was accelerated towards the hidden passage they took to get into town. Liara couldn't help but feel dismal as she glanced back at the city, realizing that she had no idea how long it would be until she saw her parents again.

"Yohohoho! How about some music to sail away to!" Brook cheerfully suggested, and proceeded to begin playing on his violin. The whole scene brought a large smile to not only Liara's face, but everybody else on the ship as well. The music was being played at a fast tempo, and soon almost all of them were clapping or singing along. As the ship entered the tunnel and they disappeared from view, Liara felt more elated, as this was only the beginning of their adventure together, and she couldn't wait for the many more days ahead with them.