Star Crossed, chapter 6
Kiina wove in and out of the crowd, feeling self-conscious in her new dress. Papa had bought it for her to wear to the festival, but she couldn't help wondering if maybe she should have worn something a little less conspicuous. She looked down at the pale blue eyelet, picking at it nervously. Was it too much, for a girl like her to wear? It had no sleeves! And her new white pinafore even had ruffles at the shoulders. Ruffles! She felt awkward, like a wren trying to masquerade as a bluebird.
It would be so bad if she didn't feel so alone. Papa was feeling ill and had stayed home. And even though she was surrounded by her own townspeople, it seemed that there were lots of strangers visiting town for the Summer Festival. And of course, she felt like they were all looking at her.
The night sky was a beautiful deep blue overhead, and lanterns strung across the village square and town park illuminated the streets with a golden glow. She tried to just relax and take in the beautiful sight, and forget about...
"Kiina! Miss Kiina?"
She gasped at the sound of her name and looked up, all too hopefully. "Yasopp-san?" She couldn't see him. She stood on her toes and peered through the crowd.
A hand touched her elbow from behind. She whirled around, surprised.
Yasopp grinned, looking relieved. "Whew... I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"You... you have?" Papa must have borrowed some clothes from a neighbor for him. He looked very dashing, she thought, in his clean white shirt and suspenders.
He pushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes. "You look... absolutely... wow."
She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, a loud voice boomed over the crowd.
"Attention, everyone! Attention!" The mayor stood upon the platform, waving his arms for quiet. "I am pleased to announce, this year's winner of the Summer Festival Baking Contest issss..... once again, Paolo's daughter, BANKIINA! Her huckleberry pie was delicious! Congratulations, my dear!"
Kiina covered her mouth, elated. "I won?"
Yasopp clapped her on the back. "You won!"
The crowd cheered and clapped, apparently in agreement.
"Way to go, Kiina!"
"As expected!"
"Congratulations!"
"So," boomed the mayor, "Let's start the music and have some dancing! Everyone, have fun tonight!"
The crowd cheered again, excited. A band of musicians struck up a lively tune and people began to couple off.
Yasopp reached out a hand. "Miss Kiina? Would you like to dance?"
Kiina covered her smile shyly, her cheeks turning pink.
Yasopp pulled her hand back down. "Hey, don't do that, you're spoiling the view."
She laughed. He grabbed her hand, and away they went.
Kiina found herself unable to stop laughing as they danced, following the other couples, twirling about. She was giddy with excitement, her heart racing. This was the first time anyone had asked her to dance of his own free will, not out of pity, or obligation, or because of a sympathetic mama's requests. Yasopp-san just wanted to dance with her.
Was it really possible?
The song was familiar to Kiina, one she had heard many times. Even though the tune was bright and cheerful, like most of the music of her village, the words carried some strange but beautiful sense of melancholy to her ears, in spite of the gaiety of the woman's voice who sang them. She hummed along, watching Yasopp out of the corner of her eye as he led her around the dance floor.
Star crossed
Star lost
I know who you are
You're the one who's come
To steal my heart from me
I've seen you before
A thousand times, in my dreams
Star crossed
Star lost
Why does it have to be this way?
Why does it have to make me feel afraid?
Am I losing my heart, or giving it away?
Have I lost myself?
Or am I giving it away?
Yasopp twirled her gracefully as the song ended. He had never known he knew how to dance, but something about being with her just made it seem easy. He gazed down into her soft blue eyes, about to say something, when...
"Yasopp! Hey Mop-head!"
"There you are, you son of a--"
"So that's where he's been!"
Bankiina gasped, hiding behind the young man, in obvious fear. "P-pirates?!"
"Hey, look! There are my friends!" Yasopp broke into a huge smile and waved. "Hey, guys! I'm over here!"
"Yasopp!" A man with a dashing smile and a shock of bright red hair stepped over, and grabbed Yasopp's hand in greeting. Kiina thought him rather handsome, but not... like Yasopp was, in her opinion. "You scrawny lout! Where have you BEEN? We've been worried! And you missed some great beer, too--"
The man's eyes suddenly fell on Kiina, and his stubbly lips curled into an extremely amused grin. "Hooo?.... well, hel-lo."
Kiina tried to hide behind Yasopp's back, afraid, but Yasopp stepped to the side, taking her arm. "Miss Kiina, I'd like you to meet my captain. Captain, this is... Bankiina."
Shanks doffed his straw hat and bowed, his grin growing bigger by the moment. "Well! I'm very pleased to meet you, Miss Bankiina. Red Beard Shanks, at your service." He looked down at her, his eyes twinkling. "And now I see what's been keeping my young gunner occupied!"
She covered her mouth, appalled. Shanks threw back his head and laughed. "I assume that bump on his head has something to do with it, eh?"
"Miss Kiina, here," interrupted Yasopp, "just won the baking contest."
"So I heard!" Shanks chuckled with glee. He picked a seed from his teeth. "And you truly deserved it, my dear. Because it was delicious. My compliments to the chef."
Yasopp looked at the girl, happily. But her expression was far from pleased.
"P-P-P..." she stammered.
He gulped.
"Pirate?" she whispered, as she stared up at him in disbelief.
"Um... yes," he replied, gently.
"I...." Tears began to burn in her throat, filling up in her eyes. "I...."
"Miss Kiina--" Yasopp began, but it was too late.
She pushed him away, covering her face in shame as her tears began to overflow.
"Wait!" he called, trying to catch her arm. But she shook him off, surprisingly strong for her frail appearance. She ran from the square, sobbing miserably.
"Wait...!" Yasopp called after her. "Bankiina! Come back!"
Kiina wove in and out of the crowd, feeling self-conscious in her new dress. Papa had bought it for her to wear to the festival, but she couldn't help wondering if maybe she should have worn something a little less conspicuous. She looked down at the pale blue eyelet, picking at it nervously. Was it too much, for a girl like her to wear? It had no sleeves! And her new white pinafore even had ruffles at the shoulders. Ruffles! She felt awkward, like a wren trying to masquerade as a bluebird.
It would be so bad if she didn't feel so alone. Papa was feeling ill and had stayed home. And even though she was surrounded by her own townspeople, it seemed that there were lots of strangers visiting town for the Summer Festival. And of course, she felt like they were all looking at her.
The night sky was a beautiful deep blue overhead, and lanterns strung across the village square and town park illuminated the streets with a golden glow. She tried to just relax and take in the beautiful sight, and forget about...
"Kiina! Miss Kiina?"
She gasped at the sound of her name and looked up, all too hopefully. "Yasopp-san?" She couldn't see him. She stood on her toes and peered through the crowd.
A hand touched her elbow from behind. She whirled around, surprised.
Yasopp grinned, looking relieved. "Whew... I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"You... you have?" Papa must have borrowed some clothes from a neighbor for him. He looked very dashing, she thought, in his clean white shirt and suspenders.
He pushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes. "You look... absolutely... wow."
She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, a loud voice boomed over the crowd.
"Attention, everyone! Attention!" The mayor stood upon the platform, waving his arms for quiet. "I am pleased to announce, this year's winner of the Summer Festival Baking Contest issss..... once again, Paolo's daughter, BANKIINA! Her huckleberry pie was delicious! Congratulations, my dear!"
Kiina covered her mouth, elated. "I won?"
Yasopp clapped her on the back. "You won!"
The crowd cheered and clapped, apparently in agreement.
"Way to go, Kiina!"
"As expected!"
"Congratulations!"
"So," boomed the mayor, "Let's start the music and have some dancing! Everyone, have fun tonight!"
The crowd cheered again, excited. A band of musicians struck up a lively tune and people began to couple off.
Yasopp reached out a hand. "Miss Kiina? Would you like to dance?"
Kiina covered her smile shyly, her cheeks turning pink.
Yasopp pulled her hand back down. "Hey, don't do that, you're spoiling the view."
She laughed. He grabbed her hand, and away they went.
Kiina found herself unable to stop laughing as they danced, following the other couples, twirling about. She was giddy with excitement, her heart racing. This was the first time anyone had asked her to dance of his own free will, not out of pity, or obligation, or because of a sympathetic mama's requests. Yasopp-san just wanted to dance with her.
Was it really possible?
The song was familiar to Kiina, one she had heard many times. Even though the tune was bright and cheerful, like most of the music of her village, the words carried some strange but beautiful sense of melancholy to her ears, in spite of the gaiety of the woman's voice who sang them. She hummed along, watching Yasopp out of the corner of her eye as he led her around the dance floor.
Star crossed
Star lost
I know who you are
You're the one who's come
To steal my heart from me
I've seen you before
A thousand times, in my dreams
Star crossed
Star lost
Why does it have to be this way?
Why does it have to make me feel afraid?
Am I losing my heart, or giving it away?
Have I lost myself?
Or am I giving it away?
Yasopp twirled her gracefully as the song ended. He had never known he knew how to dance, but something about being with her just made it seem easy. He gazed down into her soft blue eyes, about to say something, when...
"Yasopp! Hey Mop-head!"
"There you are, you son of a--"
"So that's where he's been!"
Bankiina gasped, hiding behind the young man, in obvious fear. "P-pirates?!"
"Hey, look! There are my friends!" Yasopp broke into a huge smile and waved. "Hey, guys! I'm over here!"
"Yasopp!" A man with a dashing smile and a shock of bright red hair stepped over, and grabbed Yasopp's hand in greeting. Kiina thought him rather handsome, but not... like Yasopp was, in her opinion. "You scrawny lout! Where have you BEEN? We've been worried! And you missed some great beer, too--"
The man's eyes suddenly fell on Kiina, and his stubbly lips curled into an extremely amused grin. "Hooo?.... well, hel-lo."
Kiina tried to hide behind Yasopp's back, afraid, but Yasopp stepped to the side, taking her arm. "Miss Kiina, I'd like you to meet my captain. Captain, this is... Bankiina."
Shanks doffed his straw hat and bowed, his grin growing bigger by the moment. "Well! I'm very pleased to meet you, Miss Bankiina. Red Beard Shanks, at your service." He looked down at her, his eyes twinkling. "And now I see what's been keeping my young gunner occupied!"
She covered her mouth, appalled. Shanks threw back his head and laughed. "I assume that bump on his head has something to do with it, eh?"
"Miss Kiina, here," interrupted Yasopp, "just won the baking contest."
"So I heard!" Shanks chuckled with glee. He picked a seed from his teeth. "And you truly deserved it, my dear. Because it was delicious. My compliments to the chef."
Yasopp looked at the girl, happily. But her expression was far from pleased.
"P-P-P..." she stammered.
He gulped.
"Pirate?" she whispered, as she stared up at him in disbelief.
"Um... yes," he replied, gently.
"I...." Tears began to burn in her throat, filling up in her eyes. "I...."
"Miss Kiina--" Yasopp began, but it was too late.
She pushed him away, covering her face in shame as her tears began to overflow.
"Wait!" he called, trying to catch her arm. But she shook him off, surprisingly strong for her frail appearance. She ran from the square, sobbing miserably.
"Wait...!" Yasopp called after her. "Bankiina! Come back!"