Shivered Timbers
by Kaline Reine
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story. I do own Shiori, she is my character. I also own a few other original characters in this story (not affiliated with One Piece), which will be introduced as they are needed. c;
WARNINGS: This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes, possible violence, gore, cursing, adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do my best to warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. You have been warned. Also, I know this doesn't follow canon but it doesn't have to, that's why it's a fanfic. xD
Also... The beautiful cover image for this story is by my friend, EzariaUmiko on DeviantArt. All credit for the image goes to her. c:
Chapter 7: Into Exile
"Goodbye Graham-san!" Shiori waved to him, as his ship left the port. He'd been making a delivery of goods that had been ordered, and now he was leaving.
"Farewell, little lady! Take care..." He waved back, with a big grin.
The ride here hadn't been as bad as she'd thought. The work she'd had to do on board the ship wasn't nearly as tedious as what she'd had to do back at the Monastery. Graham said she'd done a great job, and she felt like she'd really learned a lot about working on a ship, and about the ocean in general, during the past few months spent at sea. The old man taught her how to catch fish, and how to prepare them to be eaten. He'd also given her one of his fishing nets to use. It was packed in with the rest of her stuff.
They'd stopped by several smaller ports on the way there, but each one had been in rough shape and Shiori didn't think she'd like staying at those places very much. She'd seen a lot of things since they'd set sail. Everything seemed to amaze her.
One of the islands they'd visited even had Pirates on it. And to her surprise, the Captain was a woman! She was really huge and fat. The Alvida Pirates had grudgingly allowed the merchant's ship to pass, only after he'd paid them a hefty fee to keep them off his back. It wasn't nearly as much as she'd paid him for the voyage, but it was enough to not be pestered. He'd explained that he had to pay them enough to deter them from stealing his goods. Shiori had been terrified the whole time. She knew Michiko's family had been killed by Pirates, and what happened with Graham had only reinforced that these people were no good. And they'd tried to buy Shiori from him as a slave, but he turned them down and went on his way.
For now she was safe, and they'd made it to Dawn Island, as promised. She'd had a brief look around, and decided that this island was pretty nice. The weather was much better, compared to Drum Kingdom. At least it wasn't snowing all the time. It was a Kingdom too, known as Goa Kingdom. There were pretty windmills that turned lazily in the distance. They'd passed by them on the way here. Shiori wanted to explore in that direction, but she had to take care of some things first.
She already knew a little bit about what she had to look out for. She'd been warned about the World Nobles, which were called Celestial Dragons, that were like royalty and owned this Kingdom. Graham had repeatedly stressed to her that she was never to anger any of the nobility that lived here. Shiori's plan was to be a small and unnoticeable as possible. She would need to blend in. That would be much easier, once she found a suitable place to stay and got rid of the treasure that was weighing her down.
She entered the city with the enormous stone walls surrounding it on all sides. No one even tried to stop her, since she was just a kid. The little girl bravely dragged her duffel bags through town. No one said anything to her.
She passed a lady who looked pretty nice. She had darn skin and hair, and a very calm, warm expression on her face. "Excuse me, miss?"
"Yes, dear?" The woman stopped in the street and turned to her, smiling kindly.
"C-could you please tell me if there's a money exchange market anywhere around?"
"Of course," She pointed to the next street. "You just take a left there, then follow that street all the way down. You'll go around a curb and then right after that, there's an exchange on the right side of the road."
"Thank you so much!"
Shiori's face lit up, as she politely curtsied to the woman, who did the same before continuing on her way. She was thrilled that the first person she'd spoken with here had turned out to be so nice. It gave her high hopes.
She hurried off in the direction she'd been told... She passed many people, as she walked along. No one spoke to her, but no one seemed to be aggressive toward her either. The place didn't seem overly crowded when she entered the smooth plain building. It was nice. There were potted plants and waiting chairs in the first room. The decor was very modern, and so much different from what she was used to. She went up to a lady at a desk, who just looked at her.
"Um... I'm here to trade out some treasure for cash. I need to get some Beri."
"Okay," The woman, who had straight black hair tied into a ponytail, and thick-rimmed glasses, motioned to a chair in front of her desk. "Have a seat and we'll get started..."
"Alright," She sat down, putting her bags down next to her and taking out the box from one of them.
She opened it and peeked inside, relieved that all of her treasure was still there. Then she began fidgeting nervously, while the woman at the desk shuffled through paperwork. The woman seemed very professional. She was wearing a dark blue suit with a pencil skirt and her desk was nice and neat. There were several other desks in the large room, but there weren't any other people there right now. It looked like she was the only one on duty today.
For some reason, it made Shiori feel a little better that there were no other people around. She didn't want to risk any confrontations if she could help it. Internally, she wondered if maybe the people of Goa Kingdom had seen her face on the wanted posters too. She might be lucky enough that no one would recognize her, but she couldn't count on it.
"We'll just need your name, and to know how you came across the treasure." At the girl's nervous look, she added. "That's just so we can know which region it was found in. Our Archaeologists will do the rest. Most of it ends up being sold or donated to Museums. Your identity, along with any other private information, will be kept safe with us."
"Oh... M-my name is Shiori. And I found this around the mountains of Drum Kingdom. That's where I'm from."
"Perfect," The lady wrote it all down, and then her pen came to a halt. "Last name?"
That was a good question. It seemed to take her by surprise. Shiori had never thought to ask anyone about that. It had never come up once in conversation... Now it was too late. She didn't know what to say.
"I, ahh, well- I- I don't h-have one."
"No last name? That's odd..." The lady adjusted her glasses. Her piercing green eyes gave Shiori the creeps. They reminded her a lot of Michiko's, but she tried not to focus on it too much.
"That's because I'm... a Nun. W-when we join our Order, we take on a new name and forget our old titles. Shiori is mine."
The woman seemed to buy it. She left that part of the form blank. "Hmm... Very well. May I see it, please?"
"See wha-" Her eyes widened. "Oh! The treasure, right!"
Shiori gave her the entire box.
"Some of these are in fact already Beri," The woman explained calmly, laying the gold and jewelry out across a large green mat on her desk. "However, they are a very old version of currency that is no longer in circulation, called Ryo Beri. You may keep them if you like, but I could also give you modern currency instead. It has the same value, but some places will not accept the older currency."
"That sounds good. How much will I get for the rest of it?"
"I'll have to take a closer look at it to determine that... But it looks like you've got some great stuff here. It appears to be authentic. Nice find."
"Thanks."
Shiori waited while the lady took out a small eye piece and began to look over the jewelry. She carefully inspected each piece. Then she took out a black stone and rubbed the gold coins against it. She put a few drops of different liquids onto the stone, watching them turn several different colors. She nodded to herself, humming occasionally, while she worked. The girl sat in front of her, fidgeting nervously and looking over her shoulder every few minutes.
Then the woman took out a calculator from one of her desk drawers. She pressed many buttons, her fingers moving very quickly. She'd had a lot of practice appraising things, clearly.
"Looks like, all together, you have a total value of... Eight hundred thousand, seven hundred fifty two Beri. We are prepared to offer you that much in cash in exchange right now. Is this agreeable to you?"
"Sure!" She dialed back her enthusiasm a bit. "I mean, y-yes that sounds fine..."
'Wow!' She couldn't help but think. 'Gold sure it valuable!'
Shiori couldn't believe she was really going to get that much for her treasure. It hadn't seemed like a lot when she'd pulled it out from under the floorboards... She supposed she was just lucky Chiaki had hidden it away.
"We are prepared to offer you an additional hundred thousand if you throw in the box too," The woman eyed the wooden box with the kittens carved onto it. "If you're willing?"
She looked at it for a moment... That was one of the last things she had left from Chiaki, before she died. Shiori didn't know why, but she didn't want to get rid of it. It felt too final, like she was giving up a part of herself that she could never get back. She thought it was odd how she didn't really care about the shiny bits of treasure that had been inside the box, but the dusty old wooden box was something she treasured in itself.
"I don't think I can part with it... I'm sorry..."
"Well it's alright, I understand. Sentimental value and all that. It's an antique, so be careful with it."
Shiori nodded, just waiting to receive her money, at that point. The woman counted it all out to her, in paper money and coins. She took it and replaced it into the same box. It took up a lot less room than all of the treasure had, but it still came close to filling it.
"Oh!" The little girl exclaimed, taking out something from inside her habit. "I almost forgot! Could you take a look at this too? I'm curious how much it's worth."
"Sure," The woman took the oval shaped stone from her. She held it up to the light, looking at the peacock feather that was embedded within it. "I'm sorry, but this isn't worth very much. We couldn't offer you anything for it."
"I see... D-do you at least know where it m-might be from?"
"I have no idea. It could have likely been purchased anywhere." She calmly handed the pendant back to Shiori.
"Thanks anyway..." The girl looked crushed, but didn't argue. She'd known it would probably be a dead end. After a moment, she remembered that she'd just gotten a large sum of money for what she'd brought in and looked up with a small smile. "I'm happy I could get anything at all in exchange. You've been a great help." She then got up to leave.
"Thank you for doing business with our firm!" The woman bid her farewell. "Have a lovely day."
"You too, miss. Thank you as well!"
She didn't want to linger here for too long. She grabbed her bags and went out the door before someone did notice who she was.
Shiori had done a lot of things in only a short time. Partially, she was trying to keep busy to keep her mind occupied and off of more unpleasant things. She wanted to avoid thinking about the massacre, at all costs. It was a burden too heavy for her little heart to bear. And she was also getting a feel for what this Kingdom was like. Being in a new place was fun and exciting.
She wasn't sure why no one was bothering her yet, but she wasn't going to question it. She didn't see any wanted posters around, either. She did see lots of different establishments. It was a really nice town. There was a school here, several bars, many restaurants, some high-end clubs that she'd learned were exclusive to only rich people, lots and lots of houses, and the people were all so nice. She really thought she could find a way to be happy here. On the surface, everyone seemed content.
The runaway Nun tried to be careful how she spent her money too. She knew it would probably have to last her for many years, and she would have to make sure she didn't let anyone know how much she had. She was naive, maybe, but not stupid.
After getting lunch from a small restaurant, she'd tried to rent a room at one of the only hotels in this town, and she wouldn't be able to afford to stay for very many nights. Even if she spent wisely, she would have run out of money before the end of one year. And she would have a tough time finding a job, due to her age. But it was something, and it would give her shelter for right now. Unfortunately, the hotel manager told her she couldn't get a room without an adult. She didn't even know any adults here... So she'd had to leave.
None of the apartments or luxury condos would rent to a small child either. They'd told her she would have to come back with a parent's consent. Some of the high end hotels might have allowed her to stay on her own, but they were so expensive. She didn't even have enough for one night at most of them. She'd even tried prepositioning people to rent a room in their home, but everyone she'd run into had turned her down.
'Some adventure this turned out to be...' She thought glumly. 'This town is just like the last one. No one cares about me and they act nice on the surface, but everyone is mean!'
It was almost sunset, and she needed to find some place to be alone. There were people everywhere... The only safe place she could find was in a park. There were lots of trees around, even though it was in the middle of a city.
She walked around on a little path that wound through the park. If she could make a shelter in the middle of the frigid tundra back home, then she should be able to make some kind of shelter for herself out here too. She was mostly just looking for a place to sleep tonight, and she would try to figure out what to do about her situation tomorrow.
Eventually, she came to an open area where there was an enormous colorful display set up. Shiori wandered over to it and dropped her bags at the edge. There was a sandy pit in front of her, stretching out a good distance from the wooden ledge that surrounded it. In the middle of the pit, there was a tall iron sculpture of some kind, with a smaller one next to it. Plastic tubes extended from it to reach the ground. She noticed there were multi-colored things everywhere. And some small flat things that hung from a long bar, suspended by chains. They moved every time the wind blew. It was confusing... There was a wooden sign out front that was marked 'Playground'.
'A place to play...?' She wondered, walking out onto the sand. She felt the way it sank beneath her boots, in a similar fashion to how the powdery white snow had, back home. 'This looks like it might be fun.'
She noticed the adults were staying away from this area for some reason, but it must have been safe, because there were kids running around everywhere. Most of them didn't talk to her but they didn't mind her being around either. The white haired girl wandered out into the center of everything, before finding her way up onto a metal platform. There were other children going down one of the plastic tubes. They were calling a 'slide', and she watched them for a minute, before trying it herself.
She went down really fast, and when she landed at the bottom, she almost hit two other kids. At least the soft sand had stopped her fall. Now she understood its purpose. Right in front of her, there was a young blond boy with a missing tooth, and a little girl about her age with short green hair and piercing eyes. They were so hazel they looked almost yellow.
"Wanna help us build a sandcastle?" The girl came right up to her and asked.
Shiori didn't know what to say. She'd never been around other children before, except at school, and then they weren't allowed to play or even talk much. They had to listen to their teacher and work and study constantly. She just kind of shied away from the other kids, at first.
"What the matter with you? Can't you talk?"
"Hey, be nice to her! I think she's new here..." The boy came over too. He was wearing a blue top hat with fancy ruffles and some kind of goggles on it. His clothes looked really expensive.
She opened her mouth, but before she could answer, everything fell silent. These people with weird bubble helmets over their heads and strange futuristic outfits walked by in a group. Their hair was the really strange part. All of them had the same peculiar hairstyle, where it looked like the strands defied gravity, standing nearly straight up and curling back into a weird arch.
Everyone bowed and fell to the ground kneeling as soon as they approached. Even the adults fell to their knees. They acted frightened. The blond kid grabbed Shiori by her hair and pulled her down to the ground too. Her face hit the sand, the little grains getting everywhere, even in her eyes and mouth. She found herself being forced involuntarily into a bowing position.
They didn't seem to do anything to the people here. They didn't even speak. But Shiori could just tell they had some kind of power... Everyone feared them. They passed by without further incident, going the rest of the way down of the path silently. When they were gone, the adults watching their kids at the playground all breathed sighs of relief.
She spit out the sand, sputtering and coughing as soon as they had passed. "Hey! What did you do that for?!" She yelled.
"Shhh!" The yellow-eyed girl put up a finger to silence her.
"Yeah, don't you know who those people were?" He asked.
"No." She answered honestly. "Why should I?"
"Those are the Celestial Dragons," The blond kid explained. "They're supposed to be revered and respected. Even my family can't afford to offend them. One word, and they could have us all killed. I've seen them execute people just for forgetting to bow to them. We have no choice but to be nice to them. So if you see one, never forget to bow and show your respect."
Shiori wasn't sure how she should feel about that... But for some reason she didn't quite understand, it made her really angry. She knew she would have to be careful about upsetting the wrong people. On the way here, Graham had already made that perfectly clear. It would be best to play along for now, even if she didn't agree with it. The confused little girl just nodded.
A few minutes later, the other two children had gone back to working on their sandcastle. It was as if nothing had even happened. This was completely normal for them. She stayed back and watched them for a minute, not quite understanding their actions.
"What's the matter? Haven't you built one before?" The boy asked her.
"N-no," Shiori shook her head, letting her bangs fall in her face.
"What, really?" The girl took her hand, pulling her over to where they were playing. "Well this is how you do it... First, we take a shovel full of sand. Then just put it into this bucket, okay? And after we get enough, we add a little water, mix it up, then turn it upside down, like this!"
She demonstrated how to build a castle out of sand. The sand fell out of the bucket and remarkably, it held it's shape due to the water. Shiori stared at it in awe. She'd never really had the chance to play with sand much. There had been nothing but snow everywhere, for her entire childhood, up until now.
"Easy, see? That's only the first citadel though," The little girl with the bright green hair giggled excitedly. "Sabo-san, that kid over there, is getting more water for us to use. I'm Monet, by the way. Wanna help us?"
"Okay, sure! And I'm Shiori..."
Shiori picked up a spare shovel and began shoveling away. It was small and made of plastic, but it got the job done. She started filling the bucket again, and the other girl helped her.
Soon, Sabo came back with another bucket that had been filled with water. "I got it! Now use it sparingly, haha..."
"Yeah, yeah..." Monet rolled her eyes, but did as she was told.
She took it from him and started on another bucket of sand. The three of them continued to work on the castle. It was faster now that they were working together. Once they'd placed four pillars close together, they started piling in sand between them. Then they scraped the sides off with a shovel so they were flat.
"That's a pretty black dress you have on, Shiori-san..." Monet told her, while they worked. One of the straps of her tank top fell off her shoulder, and she fixed it.
Shiori didn't know what to say, so she took the compliment with a smile. "Thank you."
She liked her outfit as well. Her tank top was a vivid yellow with a purple star design on it, and she had on pink shorts that matched it. She wasn't dressed as nice as the boy they were playing with, but she still looked in better shape than Shiori. She didn't know how to react to compliments or even talk to other kids that well, so she kept quiet.
"Will you be here tomorrow too?" Sabo asked. "We can build a mote for it, if our castle is still here by then. It'll be fun."
"Uhh... Yeah, I'll be here most of the day."
"Cool! That's my Mom calling me, I've gotta go!" He waved to both girls, before hurrying off to answer his mother's call.
"I need to go too," The other girl said. "If I'm not home soon, I'll be in big trouble! See you tomorrow!"
"Okay, bye!" Shiori smiled at them, as they left.
She waited for the sun to go down... One by one, the other children who had been at the playground left. Their parents ushered them away or called them back. This continued until everyone else was gone, and she was alone. She wished she'd had someone to care for her the way they seemed to care for their children. But she had no one.
She'd already eaten dinner, so all that was left to do was try to find a safe place to sleep. She'd briefly considered going home with one of the other children, but she was certain their parents would not allow that. She'd already tried asking the people of Goa Kingdom for help before, many times, and she'd learned that they were not very receptive to helping others.
She had already told Sabo she would be here tomorrow, so it was decided. Shiori would sleep here tonight.
"I wonder..." She walked around the playground, trying to decide where would be the best place.
She eventually settled on a large covered slide. It should keep her mostly hidden from view, if anyone passed by. And since they were in the city, she wouldn't really have to worry about too many wild animals. Most of the people would be asleep, and she doubted the Celestial Dragons would even bother coming back if there were no people here to annoy with their presence. She'd noticed the expressions on their faces earlier, and they seemed enjoy watching everyone grovel. It really burned her up to even think about it...
Trying to put those thoughts out of her mind, the little girl scampered over to the edge of the sand pit, where she'd left her duffel bags. She lifted them one by one, and dragged them over to the slide. She crawled inside, using one as a pillow and the other to prop up her feet to prevent falling back down the slide.
Monet and Sabo actually had come back the next day, surprisingly. Shiori had been awake long before they got there. She was woken up by a man who was out walking his dog around the park. The three children played together all day and finished their castle off by surrounding it with a mote. They'd spent half the day digging. She thought it was a lot of fun hanging out with the other children. She'd never had the experience of getting to play with other kids before, and it was nice.
Shiori had been mostly unable to make friends with anyone else here. She'd found that most of the adults were not so nice, especially to a poor kid like her. The people of Goa Kingdom were so selfish... She felt really and truly alone, and this was the first time she had ever truly felt cold... But the only thing that kept her going was the comfort that she had finally made a few friends. And she'd done it on her own!
The three continued to meet like that during the following weeks. Shiori had found a river nearby to bathe and wash her clothes in, after purchasing some soap and shampoo from a local store. She was happy that no one seemed to bother her when she slept in the park. She knew it wasn't exactly safe, but it was keeping her cozy and dry, for the moment. With the money she had, she was able to purchase meals at restaurants any time she got hungry. But she was still worried about what she would do when she eventually ran out of money. It wouldn't happen for a while, but she needed a better plan if she was going to survive here.
They seemed to notice that she was always at the park. It was really odd that she'd be in such a place, nearby every time either Sabo or Monet were there. Shiori had never told them the truth... She couldn't bring herself to admit that this was where she slept; that it was where she lived. She didn't know what they would think of her, and even if they accepted it, if anyone else knew she could get kicked out. It was better if they didn't know.
Eventually, Sabo realized that she was still there, even as the sun was setting. Monet had already gone home, long ago. He seemed to be listening to his parents less and less, and they weren't spending as much time with him lately. Some other boys had been coming to meet him, but they never ventured into the playground area. Shiori had never met them.
"Looks like my other friends are here. I'm leaving now," He told her, laying down the toys they'd been playing with. "You should get out of here too. Go home."
"Okay..." She told him, pretending like she was getting ready to leave too. "See you later then, Sabo-san."
"Yeah. Later..."
He waved to her, as he went to meet his other friends at the edge of the path. Shiori saw them in the distance, and it made her curious. She wondered what the others were like and why he was so secretive about meeting them. He wouldn't let her or Monet play with them. Whenever they asked about it, he would always say that it was a 'just boys' thing and no girls were allowed. But it was strange... He wouldn't let any of the other boys from the neighborhood playground go with him either. She'd heard Monet call him a snob before and sometimes she wondered if it were true.
Once he left, she started to set back up her duffel bags so she could get some sleep. There was just one problem... They weren't by the edge of the playground where she'd left them! She'd been so busy lately, and gotten so caught up in playing with the other children that she hadn't been paying much attention to her belongings.
'Where did I put my stuff?!' She began to panic. 'I could have sworn I left them right here... Oh no!'
She looked everywhere, even searching around the swings and slides. Everyone had already left the playground. And she hadn't noticed anyone taking her bags with them when they left. It had never been a problem before, so she really didn't think about it. She didn't know where Monet lived or where Sabo had gone, so she was on her own. She wandered around the city, looking anywhere she could think of, but her possessions were long gone.
She couldn't get to sleep, so she wandered around... It was getting really late and it was dark out now. Shiori wondered who would steal from her. She didn't like the thought of having any enemies.
She walked back to the area where she'd been staying, pushing the bushes and underbrush out of her way... Her head was lowered in defeat. She spotted one of the little black bags across the clearing and ran toward it. She opened it... And breathed a sigh of relief when some of her clothes were still there. But the box with her money in it was nowhere to be found! And the other bag was gone too.
'This is not good!' Through her panic, she began to think of who could have done it. 'Sabo and Monet are both from wealthy families... There's no reason they would've taken it. They don't need it. And I don't know anyone else. It must have been a stranger.'
It seemed very odd, though, that the thief would have taken her money and then bothered to return her clothes. That just wasn't something thieves usually did... It was confusing. But now Shiori didn't know how she was going to manage getting food. Out here alone, she would starve without a way to purchase things from restaurants. And she couldn't expect to just eat for free, she knew that.
She was in serious trouble now... Shiori tried to think of what to do, but the only thing she could come up with involved going to the police to report her money missing. Then they would ask her all kinds of horrible questions that she really didn't know how to answer. But that might be the only way to get her stuff back.
For now, it was too dark for her to go wandering around by herself. For some reason, she found herself wishing that her new friends would come back. She needed to figure this out... All she could do was try to get to sleep and deal with it in the morning.
It wasn't an easy night for her. She kept tossing and turning inside the covered slide on the playground, wishing she had a more comfortable place to sleep. It normally didn't bother her that much, but she was worried about what she was going to do now. If the police couldn't help her retrieve her stolen money, then all was lost. She knew she couldn't get a job, she'd already tried that several times, and they'd always told her she was too young. It wasn't fair...
The next morning, she awoke when the sun's rays shined in her eyes, telling her it was morning. Shiori jumped up, hoping no one would ever figure out that she was sleeping in the playground. She tried to fix her messy hair so it wouldn't look too bad.
The first thing she did was take her only remaining bag with her and leave. She had to find a police officer, and fast... She finally spotted one on the other side of town, in the heart of the city. People bustled around everywhere, and she kept an eye out for her lost belongings, but of course she didn't see them anywhere.
"U-um... Sir?" She spoke to the officer, a man in a blue uniform. She noticed that he wore a badge on his uniform that looked like a daisy with three feathers sticking out of it. Many people had them on their clothing here, and she wondered what it meant.
"Hi there little one. Can I help you with something? Are you lost?"
He didn't seem to notice her disheveled shape or the state her clothes were in. He did seem concerned about her though. Shiori's dress was falling apart and her face felt dirty. She needed a bath but she didn't have much left to change into. All of that stuff had been in the other bag, with her money.
"N-not really, but... I was wondering, I... I need to report a theft."
"Huh?" He just looked at her, his blue eyes incredulous at what he was seeing. This girl had some strange coloration and she didn't look like she was really from Goa Kingdom. He would have noticed her before. "What was stolen?"
"Someone st-stole my bag... It had all my money in it."
"Your money? You mean your parents money, right?"
"No sir... I'm an orphan, and-"
"An orphan?" His demeanor suddenly changed. The man became angry. "The Celestial Dragons won't like it if we have orphans here..." He muttered under his breath, she could just barely hear him. "Do you have a place to stay?"
Thinking he was going to help her somehow, she hesitantly replied. "No, not yet, but-"
"I'm afraid we don't even have an orphanage here. Goa Kingdom is only for rich people. You definitely won't do well here. We have no sympathy for the poor. I'm afraid you'll have to leave, young lady!"
In her desperation to find shelter, she'd even asked people if they had an orphanage around here, only to find out that they did not. This town didn't even have one! How odd... She wondered what they did with any unwanted or abandoned children. She thought she probably didn't even want to know, and from the way this guy was acting now, she definitely didn't.
"F-fine, I will... But I just need to find my bag first, and then-"
Before she could finish her sentence, he'd snapped a pair of silver handcuffs on her wrists. He tightened them to fit her.
Shiori wanted to use her powers to get away, but it was broad daylight. It was the middle of the day and there were so many people around. She cast a glance upward... There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. It would take everything she had to summon up even a little bit of snow here. She hadn't really been practicing or honing her skills any since she'd come here. She was doing her best to be normal and blend in... All she could do was pull away and protest the arrest normally.
The officer began to drag her away. It was unusual to see a child being arrested. Someone people had noticed the commotion and come over to see what was going on. A small crowd had formed. Shiori looked over, and noticed a small blond boy in a top hat was among them.
'Sabo!' She thought, instantly feeling relieved to see a familiar face. 'Maybe he can help!'
But he didn't go over to her. He was with his family, and his parents prevented him from doing anything. He didn't even really try... He just started toward her, and an older woman who was probably his mother placed a stern hand on his shoulder, keeping him with them. There were whispers and murmurs among the crowd.
Shiori hated that she was being made a spectacle of. All of these people were seeing her being treated like a common criminal, and she was the victim here... She was the one who had been stolen from! It was an outrage!
She knew she couldn't overpower him, but she tried to fight him off anyway. It didn't work. The man led her away, and Shiori was certain she was about to be taken to jail. She didn't know what crime they would charge her with, but with her luck she would probably become their prisoner. The police man took her bag too, and she knew she probably wouldn't even get it back now.
They went far away from where all of the people were. No one cared enough to follow them. Most had realized that it wasn't a Noble's child or anyone of importance, and they'd gone back to their daily activities.
The pair eventually came to the edge of the outer wall which surrounded the Kingdom. She continued to struggle, as they passed through it. This wasn't the same way she'd come in from the docks, it was different. There was nothing but a dense forest through here. And it looked like this was the place where they put their garbage. There was a wasteland of nothing but trash, as far as the eye could see. She'd never known this was what lied beyond the Kingdom she'd been brought to... She wondered if the townspeople knew about it, but she was fairly sure everyone did. They probably just didn't care.
"You should get out of here!" The man shouted at her, unlocking and removing the cuffs from her small wrists. "You are exiled from Goa Kingdom! Do not ever return here or we will be forced to take further action. Got it?"
"Yes... I wouldn't ever want to come back!"
She was frightened, and feared some sort of retaliation, but it had felt good to yell at him. Shiori stamped her foot, already walking away.
"Good, now scram!" He shooed her away. The last thing he did was toss her remaining duffel bag at her, haphazardly.
Shiori watched as the man just walked away. He'd seemed only half-confident in all of his actions. It was like he had to do that, but he didn't really want to. Everything was done halfheartedly. She didn't fully understand, but she tried not to take it personally...
Deep down, she couldn't help but feel lost and afraid. She also felt hurt by what had happened. Even Sabo had betrayed her. She didn't know what to think about that. No one helped her, but it wasn't like she expected it anyway. She just wished people wouldn't be so mean... Now she didn't know what she could do, but she knew that she couldn't go back.
A/N: I know, I know... When is she gonna meet Ace? It's soon, don't worry. c;
-Kaline