Star Crossed, chapter
3
"Beat you? Ha! Ha ha... I don't think I could if I wanted to."
"Huh?" Yasopp peeked through his arms to see a plump, balding older man standing before him. His cheeks were red, and his eyes sparkled with mischief, making him look younger than he really was.
The old man held out a work-worn hand. "I'm Paolo. The village clockmaker. How do you do, son?"
Yasopp shook the man's hand, feeling nervous. "Yasopp."
"Yasopp?" Paolo scratched his head. "That's a funny name."
"I know." Yasopp sweatdropped. "Sorry."
Paolo laughed, making his belly shake. "Don't be sorry, son, it's your name! You should wear it proudly."
Yasopp smiled, feeling his dread ease. "Yes, sir."
Paolo closed the door behind him. "How's that noggin?" He bent forward to check the bandage. "I'll get you some ice for that later."
"Thank you, sir." Yasopp may have been just a wet-behind-the-ears pirate, but, he thought to himself, even a pirate should be respectful to his elders. Especially this man... he seemed so kind. Just the way he spoke made the young man feel instantly at ease. He liked him right away.
"Don't mention it." Paolo drew up a chair and crossed his legs, sighing. "It's the least I can do, after my reckless daughter practically brained you with that broomstick."
"I apologize on my daughter's behalf," the old man continued. "She takes her cooking far too seriously, I fear."
"I'm so sorry!" Yasopp blurted out. "I was so hungry... and there was this delicious smell..."
"Delicious? You thought so?" Paolo looked flattered.
"Yes sir! I love pie! To a fault, sir." Yasopp bowed his head, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to..."
"Oh..." The old man nodded his curly head slowly. "That, you mean? Well.... Don't let that bother you, son. Bankiina... is a bit of a high-strung lass. She'll get over it."
"But she sounded so upset!" Yasopp kneaded the blankets in his hands, feeling guilty. "I'm not the kind of man who can live easily with thinking that I made a woman cry."
Paolo looked amused at the young man's admission. "How old are you, son? Twenty...?"
"Nineteen last month, sir."
"How come I haven't seen you around town before? Are you from across the island, perhaps?"
He started to feel uncomfortable. "Um... you could say that."
"Because I thought I knew everyone on the island," the older man grinned.
Yasopp cracked, trying to think of a good lie. "I, uh, um... I'm..."
"A pirate?" Paolo smirked, his eyes crinkling at the corners with glee.
"Yes?" Yasopp's voice became a squeak.
Paolo clapped Yasopp on the back, laughing heartily. "How droll! Have you come to pillage our village?"
"No, not really, sir. We're not those kind of pirates." Now he felt truly embarrassed.
"Ah, I see. Well, what kind of pirates would you be, then? What do you do?"
Yasopp tried hard to think of the best explanation. "Well... I just joined, you see. I guess because I wanted to see the world."
"So you're well-traveled?"
"You could say that. I learned as much as I could about sailing and artillery as I could..."
"Ah. An educated fellow!" Paolo's smile was growing bigger by the moment.
"But we haven't really fought or anything, which is okay I guess. We're supposedly sailing around looking for the One Piece... but we keep stopping at all these different ports and just having big parties."
"Sounds very interesting," remarked the old man, rubbing his chin.
"It's never boring, sir," Yasopp smiled. "I really enjoy it."
Paolo grabbed Yasopp's hands in his own, his eyes shining with merriment. "Tell me, son, how long will you and your crew be in town?"
"I thought we were staying for the weekend," Yasopp ventured. "Our captain really likes parties. And did you say there's one here?"
"This weekend." The old man nodded. "The Summer Festival."
"That must be it." Yasopp rubbed the bump on his head. "I guess they'll be there."
A door slammed in the hallway, and a girl's voice could be heard crying.
"Oh..." Paolo turned, embarrassed. "I'd better go talk with my daughter. Excuse me."
"No, wait!" Yasopp got up. "Please, let me."
"Beat you? Ha! Ha ha... I don't think I could if I wanted to."
"Huh?" Yasopp peeked through his arms to see a plump, balding older man standing before him. His cheeks were red, and his eyes sparkled with mischief, making him look younger than he really was.
The old man held out a work-worn hand. "I'm Paolo. The village clockmaker. How do you do, son?"
Yasopp shook the man's hand, feeling nervous. "Yasopp."
"Yasopp?" Paolo scratched his head. "That's a funny name."
"I know." Yasopp sweatdropped. "Sorry."
Paolo laughed, making his belly shake. "Don't be sorry, son, it's your name! You should wear it proudly."
Yasopp smiled, feeling his dread ease. "Yes, sir."
Paolo closed the door behind him. "How's that noggin?" He bent forward to check the bandage. "I'll get you some ice for that later."
"Thank you, sir." Yasopp may have been just a wet-behind-the-ears pirate, but, he thought to himself, even a pirate should be respectful to his elders. Especially this man... he seemed so kind. Just the way he spoke made the young man feel instantly at ease. He liked him right away.
"Don't mention it." Paolo drew up a chair and crossed his legs, sighing. "It's the least I can do, after my reckless daughter practically brained you with that broomstick."
"I apologize on my daughter's behalf," the old man continued. "She takes her cooking far too seriously, I fear."
"I'm so sorry!" Yasopp blurted out. "I was so hungry... and there was this delicious smell..."
"Delicious? You thought so?" Paolo looked flattered.
"Yes sir! I love pie! To a fault, sir." Yasopp bowed his head, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to..."
"Oh..." The old man nodded his curly head slowly. "That, you mean? Well.... Don't let that bother you, son. Bankiina... is a bit of a high-strung lass. She'll get over it."
"But she sounded so upset!" Yasopp kneaded the blankets in his hands, feeling guilty. "I'm not the kind of man who can live easily with thinking that I made a woman cry."
Paolo looked amused at the young man's admission. "How old are you, son? Twenty...?"
"Nineteen last month, sir."
"How come I haven't seen you around town before? Are you from across the island, perhaps?"
He started to feel uncomfortable. "Um... you could say that."
"Because I thought I knew everyone on the island," the older man grinned.
Yasopp cracked, trying to think of a good lie. "I, uh, um... I'm..."
"A pirate?" Paolo smirked, his eyes crinkling at the corners with glee.
"Yes?" Yasopp's voice became a squeak.
Paolo clapped Yasopp on the back, laughing heartily. "How droll! Have you come to pillage our village?"
"No, not really, sir. We're not those kind of pirates." Now he felt truly embarrassed.
"Ah, I see. Well, what kind of pirates would you be, then? What do you do?"
Yasopp tried hard to think of the best explanation. "Well... I just joined, you see. I guess because I wanted to see the world."
"So you're well-traveled?"
"You could say that. I learned as much as I could about sailing and artillery as I could..."
"Ah. An educated fellow!" Paolo's smile was growing bigger by the moment.
"But we haven't really fought or anything, which is okay I guess. We're supposedly sailing around looking for the One Piece... but we keep stopping at all these different ports and just having big parties."
"Sounds very interesting," remarked the old man, rubbing his chin.
"It's never boring, sir," Yasopp smiled. "I really enjoy it."
Paolo grabbed Yasopp's hands in his own, his eyes shining with merriment. "Tell me, son, how long will you and your crew be in town?"
"I thought we were staying for the weekend," Yasopp ventured. "Our captain really likes parties. And did you say there's one here?"
"This weekend." The old man nodded. "The Summer Festival."
"That must be it." Yasopp rubbed the bump on his head. "I guess they'll be there."
A door slammed in the hallway, and a girl's voice could be heard crying.
"Oh..." Paolo turned, embarrassed. "I'd better go talk with my daughter. Excuse me."
"No, wait!" Yasopp got up. "Please, let me."