Chapter 3:

Smoker and Tashigi are undercover at a fancy party.


The music from the small orchestra played an upbeat tune, the violins and base harmonizing into something she'd heard before but couldn't quite put her finger on. Tashigi was standing near the back of a large ballroom filled with men and women wearing fancy suits, gowns and masks. She held a drink in one hand, and shifted slightly from foot to foot. She was wearing a long slimming black dress with a tiny black shawl, black matching heels, and a black mask with red beads around the eyes to help disguise her glasses. She sighed, uncomfortable in her outfit. The dress hardly allowed her movement, and the heels? If she got into a sword fight right now, she'd fall and break an ankle before she could even exchange blows. Well, she'd also need her sword for that. Ugh.

"Tashigi, status?" came Smoker's rough voice in her ear over the baby den den mushi that was hidden in her hair. "No change," she muttered. They had been assigned to go undercover and find evidence of a drug smuggling ring on Goro Island in the New World. That was three months ago. Smoker was under the guise of a wealthy landowner who had just moved to the island, and Tashigi, his servant. Tonight though, she was playing the part of Ms. Scarlett Sarada, the daughter of a wealthy arms dealer.

It had taken them weeks to get invited to this party. An informant had told them that somewhere in this lavish mansion, a meeting of pirates and drug smugglers was supposed to be occurring. As much as she cared about bringing the pirates to justice, their direct objective was to uncover the civilian supporters who were facilitating the drugs spreading throughout the New World.

Their target of the evening was a man with a mustache that stuck out a foot on either side of his face, one Phobos Macklemore. Tashigi watched him jump around, flitting from guest to guest, chattering in a painfully high voice. Their informant had told them that he was supposed to be at the meeting tonight, so she and Smoker were determined to follow him, infiltrate or spy on the meeting, get the evidence they were looking for, and pull out.

But they had been at the party for three hours already, and it was approaching midnight. Tashigi's feet ached, her skin felt itchy from the dress, and she was sick of having to make small talk with the sycophants all around her. So, she'd retreated to the back of the ballroom for a few minutes. She glared out at the room, giving a scathing look at the bright lights, the plush velvet adornments, and the ladies in heels and skin tight dresses. The middle of the ballroom was filled with dancing couples and a few triples. Voices and high girlish laughter echoed off the high paneled walls and floor to ceiling windows with a view of the dark manor grounds, paths lit with candles and torches.

"Stay alert," he rumbled in her ear. She made a face into her drink. Easy for him to say, he at least had the fun job. He'd been playing cards in one of the ancillary rooms, picking up information on the big players. At the very least, he got to sit instead of standing in four inch heels for hours. She went back to watching Macklemore, his enormous ugly fur coat standing out amongst the crowd. He was currently surrounded by a group of tittering women and appeared to be trying to entice one of them into slipping off somewhere with him. Her eyebrow raised slightly. That would be the perfect cover to slip away from the party, make it seem like you were off to have a tryst, but really you would sneak away and conduct a different kind of illicit business.

"Target is up to something," she muttered into her ear. "Acknowledged," Smoker growled back. Movement off to her left caught Tashigi's eye. A man in a bright green suit was walking towards her. He was lean, and she could tell by the shape of his shoulders that he had muscles under his finery. She put a smile on her face as he approached.

"My my, what is a beautiful woman like yourself doing alone in the corner?" he was wearing a peacock mask which covered the top half of his face, and his blonde hair was slicked back. He smiled at her in what she assumed was supposed to be a friendly smile but it came off a little predatory. "Just catching my breath for a moment, this is quite the lively party, wouldn't you say Mr…?" she smiled and fanned herself slightly. "Please, call me Bowie, now would you be interested in a dance?" he offered her his hand and Tashigi's eyes flicked to her target. Macklemore had moved onto the dance floor in the middle of the room, a lady partner in tow. This would be a good opportunity to get near him. "You're in luck, Mr. Bowie, I feel the urge to dance again," she added a giggle at the end for extra effect.

"Excellent, I promise I'll be a perfect gentleman," he extended a hand to her and she took it, fluttering her eyelashes at him in a way that she hoped came off as flirtatious and not how it felt, which was a little deranged. They entered the dance floor after moving expertly through the crowd, his grip a little too strong for Tashigi's taste. The music was another lively number, with a little bit of a risque beat to it. Her eyes roved over and between the couples on the dance floor, trying to keep an eye on Macklemore and subtlety move herself towards him.

They moved in practiced motions, Tashigi trying hard to take the lead of the dance, her partner, matching her step for step. He was an accomplished dancer, and she wasn't making much progress on approaching Macklemore. During a twirl, she caught a glimpse of Macklemore whispering something into his partner's ear. She was so focused on Macklemore that she stumbled slightly in surprise when Bowie's hand slipped dangerously low on her hip. She quickly covered it up with a high girlish giggle. "Whoops, I suppose I've had a little too much to drink," she tried to shift his hand a bit higher but he shifted it instead to the small of her back and pulled her close. "Don't worry my lady, I won't let you fall," he whispered into the shell of her ear. The same one with the den den mushi earring. Heat climbed up her face. She knew Smoker had heard that. Tashigi closed her eyes briefly in mortification.

When she reopened them, she glanced quickly about the dance floor, and spotted Macklemore on the other end of the ballroom, moving away quickly. He and his partner were leaning into each other and being far too touchy feely. He was making his break. Shit!

"You know, I am feeling a bit woozy, I think I will go and get some water," she pushed at her dance partner's shoulders. "So soon? How about one more dance?" he purred into her ear. The orchestra suddenly started up a new song. A slow and sensual one. "Uh, I really don't-" she squeaked, his hand slipping to cup her bottom. "I really do insist my lady, I promise I'll be gentle," he muttered, his tongue sliding along the shell of her ear. She went rigid, then pushed sharply at his chest, but he clung onto her. Now his smile was definitely predatory.

"Excuse me, may I cut in?" both she and Bowie froze, and turned towards the voice. Vice Admiral Smoker in a tailored black suit and white tie was offering her his hand. He was taller than Bowie by a good half foot, and far broader in the shoulders. Though they'd been in disguise for months, seeing him out of uniform (or with a shirt on) was jarring. He looked good though. His pale eyes locked with hers, the contacts to cover his true brown were still weird. She missed his normal eyes, and their normal marine lives. Tashigi was very over this mission.

Bowie puffed up, pulling himself to his full height, "I think n-" Tashigi took the opportunity to yank her hand out of his. "Yes, sir, you may!" she cut Bowie off and he narrowed his eyes at her but then reluctantly bowed and backed off with a slight bow. Smoker took her hand then led her a little bit away, towards the edge of the ballroom in the direction she'd seen Macklemore going. He placed his hand on her hip (appropriately!) and pulled her close to him. Tashigi placed her arms around his neck and caught the slight scent of tobacco. Her face felt flushed. She'd dragged this man off battlefields and pulled him out of the ocean while he vomited seawater, but somehow this felt far more intimate. "Um...thanks," she breathed awkwardly. He inclined his head slightly. "Macklemore slip away?" he muttered. "Saw him go out the doors over there with a lady friend, can't have gotten too far," Tashigi whispered up to him, tilting her head toward a pair of double doors in the back of the room.

"We'll wait till this song is over, then hunt him down," Smoker said, the authority in his voice making her relax a little. She really looked forward to getting back on the ship and listening to him curse and yell at the idiots they commanded. A return to normalcy. Tashigi gave him a tiny curt nod. They swayed for a moment and he led her in a tight spin, her back pressing against his chest for a moment. "Surprised you haven't tripped and broken something yet," he smirked. Tashigi gave him a look. "Surprised you can keep your shirt buttoned," she shot back. He grinned, there it was again, the back talk. "There's a place for rules," Smoker leaned Tashigi back and she rolled her eyes as she came back up. "But not when I ask you to keep my shirt closed?" she pouted slightly.

Remembering the forced body switch made her cheeks turn pink. Tashigi worked hard to be seen as a competent officer, a competent swordswoman, and she felt that showing off her body detracted from that image. "You're never going to let that go, are you?" Smoker rumbled. His mouth was next to her ear. "Are you ever going to let go of me making you look weak in front of Straw Hat?" she tapped the back of their joined hands with her fingers, leaning her face against his chest as he pulled her close again after another pirouette. "Fine, truce then." Smoker's voice rumbled through his chest. "You're the boss," she muttered, and he snorted.

The party didn't seem so bad at that moment, the soft lights and the warmth from the fireplaces were far less aggravating than before. This was...nice, twirling on the dance floor, Smoker's warm hand in hers. It was this thought that made Tashigi stiffen and pull back from him a little. Smoker also stiffened, or maybe she imagined it? The song was ending, and Smoker jerked his head at the door. She nodded and they left the dance floor arm in arm, Tashigi feeling awkward as she played up the lovers angle with him.

Once through the doors, they were in a darker servants hallway. "Phew, nice to get away from "high society"," Tashigi muttered, disengaging from Smoker. They looked around quickly, and the hallway appeared to be empty. "Alright, let's find our man," Smoker muttered. Tashgi narrowed her eyes, picturing the layout of the building that she'd memorized a few days prior. "If I remember correctly, the left leads to the kitchen, but the right, towards guest rooms…" she said, looking left and then right. "If he's with a partner, right makes sense," Smoker began walking brusquely. Tashigi hurried after him.

They followed the hallway for a while till it came to a closed door. Smoker listened at the door while Tashigi watched their backs. He caught her attention, placed his finger to his lips and slowly opened the door a crack, glancing out. After a moment, he gestured for her to follow him and they slipped out into the Guest Wing. "There's likely a secret passage in one of these rooms," Smoker muttered. Tashigi hummed in agreement. He stepped close to the first door on the left, glancing at her. "Listen at the doors, see if we can find them that way." She nodded and took the right side.

There were 5 guest rooms on the ground floor of the Guest Wing, two rooms on either side of the hallway, and one at the end of the hall. She pressed her ear up against the first door and listened carefully. She glanced over at Smoker and noted that he had turned to smoke, slipping through the crack at the bottom of the door. She felt envious for just a second, then refocused on her task. The first room sounded empty. She placed her hand on the door handle, and pushed down slightly. It was locked. Interesting. She left it and went over to the second door, leaning against it, listening intently. Nothing. She pressed on the handle. Unlocked. Her eyes flicked to Smoker, who had reappeared at the end of the hall, checking the last door. She pressed the handle down and slowly pushed the door open. The room was dark, but she could make out the shape of a large bed in the middle of it, and a desk near the back wall. She frowned as Smoker appeared beside her, startling her.

"All clear," he growled. "This one too," she gestured at the room in front of them. "Though that one is locked," she pointed to the first door she'd tried. He began to turn to smoke, planning on investigating the locked room as Tashigi started closing the door to the empty room in front of them but froze. She could hear voices approaching from the servant's hallway. She and Smoker looked at eachother, before he pushed her inside the room, shutting the door quickly and quietly behind them.

Tashigi backed away from the door, watching it with wide eyes as the voices entered the Guest Wing. "Is it this one?" came a deep masculine voice. "Uh…" a nasally voice responded.

The first voice sighed, "Don't tell me you forgot again."

"Weeeeeeeelllll, nooo…" there was silence for a second and Tashigi and Smoker glanced at each other. The voices had stopped right outside the door to their hiding place. Her hands started sweating. She was suddenly very aware of her lack of weapons.

"Yes, okay, I forgot," nasal voice said sheepishly. The first voice sighed heavily, like the weight of the world was dragging him down. "Try them all then," he hissed, followed by "Fucking imbecile." "Who are you calling an imbecile?!" the nasally voice rose an octave in pitch. "You, you dumbass! Just try the doors, we're going to be late to the meeting!" the first voice hissed and there was a whacking sound, like he'd smacked his partner. Tashigi's eyes widened in horror as the handle on the door turned.

Tashigi cursed internally, backing away from the door faster, but she wasn't paying attention to her footing, tripping on the carpet and falling backward with a squeak onto the bed. While her commander could disappear, she couldn't! Time slowed and Smoker's form moved over hers, his body covering hers. The door opened. Tashigi's eyes locked with Smoker's. Their lips met. Her brain stopped.

"Whoops! Sorry folks!" the nasally voice said, leering at them from the open doorway. He had what looked like a onesie on under a large black coat, and a badly styled mohawk. Tashigi's face turned tomato red and she yelped in embarrassment. "Get the hell out!" Smoker barked. The intruder held his hands placatingly in front of him and backed out closing the door behind him, but not before saying "Have a fun evening!" and winking.

The door shut and they were plunged into the near darkness once more. Neither of them moved for a moment. Tashigi became very aware of how they were touching. Smoker's strong arms braced on either side of her head, one of his legs between hers, her arms were above her head, and his face just a few scant inches from hers. That's when she made the mistake of meeting his eyes. They stared at each other for a second.

"Ah, it's this door! Get the damn key out," came the masculine voice, snarling at his partner. Smoker practically threw himself off of her as she rolled over to the other side of the bed in the same instant. Her face felt like it was on fire. Oh god how could she ever look him in the eyes again?! Ugh, this was worse than Christmas! The sound of a door opening, closing, followed by quick footsteps and then a weird grinding noise inside the room next to them filled up the thick silence.

The sound of footsteps descending, then slowly fading into silence. "C'mon, let's get these bastards and get the hell out of here," Smoker growled. She glanced over at him, his shoulders were rigid, and he wasn't looking at her, but at the door. She wasn't sure because it was dark, but...was that a blush high on his cheeks? It took her a second to find her voice, but she squeaked out a "Yes, Sir!" and followed him from the room.


Notes:

Is this trope-y as hell? Yes.

Can anyone stop me? No :D

This chapter starts the background plot.

As always, any feedback is welcome! Thank you for reading!