Star Crossed, chapter 7
Paolo glanced up from his newspaper as she burst through the front door. "Sooo... how did it go?" He asked, a hint of mischief in his voice.
His daughter's thin, pale face was streaked with tears, and she gasped for air. "A pirate!" she cried. "He-he's a p-p-pirate!"
Her father nodded. "So?"
Her eyes filled with a dreadful realization. "You KNEW?"
"Yes? And what of it?"
"You knew, that whole time, and you didn't bother to tell me?"
"Details, girl! DETAILS! So, did you--"
Kiina stormed up to her father and slapped him, with one frail hand. Paolo's eyes opened wide, in absolute shock. "BANKIINA!"
"How could you." Her voice trembled, dangerously low. "How... how could you."
And she turned and ran to her room.
******
Paolo knocked softly on the door, after the sobbing from within had died down, hours later. "Daughter..."
A sniffle.
"I'm coming in." He opened the door slowly and peeked inside. She had thrown herself across the bed, her head buried under her pillow. Her little white nose peeked out from underneath.
Paolo came in and sat by her on the bed, offering her a cup of water. "Here, dear. Have a nice cool drink, you'll feel better."
Kiina lifted the pillow from her head, revealing reddened eyes and touseled hair. Obediently she drank from the cup he offered her. He patted her comfortingly as she lay back down.
"Kiina, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you would take it this way," he remarked. "I didn't know it would be such a big deal."
"A big deal? Papa! He kissed me!" she cried, her tears beginning anew.
"He did?" Paolo looked very pleased. "Well, good for him!"
"PAPA." she growled. "Why must you be that way? Can't you think about what I want?"
"I was!" Paolo exclaimed. "He's perfect for you, dear."
"You just want to get rid of me..." she sobbed.
"That's not true, darling daughter. You know that." He patted her back. "Yasopp is a fine young fellow. Did you talk to him much? If you had you should have noticed, that as a pirate, he happens to be well-traveled, educated, and adventurous. And extremely not boring. Not to mention, he is a very polite and kind-hearted young man. The perfect kind of man for my Kiina-chan."
"He's a criminal!" Kiina sniffled. "he's going to pillage our village."
"Actually, he says he isn't that kind of pirate."
"He's not."
"Can't you tell just by looking at him?" Paolo laughed. "Come now, Bankiina, do those eyes, does that goofy smile, seem like the smile of a cold-blooded killer?"
She blinked her bleary eyes. "No..."
"You know what I think?" Paolo asked, sounding conspiratorial. "I think your Mama would have simply adored him."
"Oh, Papa! A pirate?" Kiina bopped her father with a pillow. "You've got to be kidding!"
"A pirate could make just as good a husband as any!" He tried to convince her. "Just imagine! The stories he would have to tell! The souveneirs he would bring! It would never be boring! He'd always be happy to see you..."
She wiped her eyes. "Papa. No. I... don't start that. Pirates... pirates don't become pirates because they liked to be tied down. You know that."
"But..." mused her father, "Every man, pirate or not, needs a port to come home to somewhere."
"Enough." Kiina lay down, gazing out the window. "You're assuming quite a bit. And you and I both know... how unlikely it is that he thinks about it that way."
"Kiina..." Paolo looked crestfallen.
She pulled the covers over her head with a finality that was not to be mistaken. This conversation was over.
"Goodnight, Papa."
******
Yasopp sat at the bar, drunk and miserable. Shanks waved the bartender for another round.
"What have I done?" Yasopp muttered, staring into his glass.
Shanks chuckled to himself. His friend was certainly distraught over the matter. Well, the pie had been a very tasty pie.
Ben glowered lethally over his mug at the dreadlocked, bleary-eyed gunner. "Dammit, you've said that a million times. Shut the hell up already!"
Lucky Roux chuckled through a mouthful of meat. "Aw, man, he's got it bad...."
"Did you SEE her?" Yasopp slammed his glass down, gesturing wildly. "I mean, did you really SEE her? She's so cute!"
Shanks nodded. "Yeah, she was, pal."
"No, really! Her eyes, are so blue! Blue like the sky... like stars!"
"Damn," laughed Roux. "She musta hit him pretty hard with that rolling pin."
"It was a broomstick!" Everyone in the room chorused all at once, apparently having heard the story multiple times by now.
"And her hair." Yasopp sighed. "Have you ever seen such beautiful waves of hair?"
"I dunno," Shanks joked. "Ben's is pretty nice."
"You shut up." Ben growled.
"Whoo-- temper, temper." Shanks laughed. "Hey now."
Yasopp let his face fall to the bar. "She's the girl of my dreams! And now she'll never speak to me again!"
Lucky Roux smacked the scrawny kid on the back with a huge hand. "Come on, man, there's girls everywhere we go. You'll find a better one."
Yasopp shook his shaggy head, making his fuzzy locks sway back and forth. "No way. Not like this girl. This is THE ONE."
Shanks smiled over his beer. "THE ONE, huh?"
"I'll never find another girl like this one." A tear rolled down Yasopp's cheek. "I'm such an idiot!"
"Finally something I can agree with." Ben huffed.
"Oh God..." Yasopp laid his head down in defeat. "I'm such an IDIOT!"
"And he's out cold," remarked Shanks, as Yasopp fell from his barstool to the floor.
Ben poked the gunner with his toe. "What the hell is wrong with him?"
"This is definitely a problem," agreed Roux, chewing thoughtfully.
"Damn right it is. I'm not sailing with this lovesick twit." Ben scowled.
"What should we do, Captain?"
Shanks shrugged. "Well, we'll just have to deal with it, I guess."
"Deal with it?" Ben raised an eyebrow.
Shanks' scruffy mouth spread into a slow smile.
"Yeah. Deal with it."
Paolo glanced up from his newspaper as she burst through the front door. "Sooo... how did it go?" He asked, a hint of mischief in his voice.
His daughter's thin, pale face was streaked with tears, and she gasped for air. "A pirate!" she cried. "He-he's a p-p-pirate!"
Her father nodded. "So?"
Her eyes filled with a dreadful realization. "You KNEW?"
"Yes? And what of it?"
"You knew, that whole time, and you didn't bother to tell me?"
"Details, girl! DETAILS! So, did you--"
Kiina stormed up to her father and slapped him, with one frail hand. Paolo's eyes opened wide, in absolute shock. "BANKIINA!"
"How could you." Her voice trembled, dangerously low. "How... how could you."
And she turned and ran to her room.
******
Paolo knocked softly on the door, after the sobbing from within had died down, hours later. "Daughter..."
A sniffle.
"I'm coming in." He opened the door slowly and peeked inside. She had thrown herself across the bed, her head buried under her pillow. Her little white nose peeked out from underneath.
Paolo came in and sat by her on the bed, offering her a cup of water. "Here, dear. Have a nice cool drink, you'll feel better."
Kiina lifted the pillow from her head, revealing reddened eyes and touseled hair. Obediently she drank from the cup he offered her. He patted her comfortingly as she lay back down.
"Kiina, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you would take it this way," he remarked. "I didn't know it would be such a big deal."
"A big deal? Papa! He kissed me!" she cried, her tears beginning anew.
"He did?" Paolo looked very pleased. "Well, good for him!"
"PAPA." she growled. "Why must you be that way? Can't you think about what I want?"
"I was!" Paolo exclaimed. "He's perfect for you, dear."
"You just want to get rid of me..." she sobbed.
"That's not true, darling daughter. You know that." He patted her back. "Yasopp is a fine young fellow. Did you talk to him much? If you had you should have noticed, that as a pirate, he happens to be well-traveled, educated, and adventurous. And extremely not boring. Not to mention, he is a very polite and kind-hearted young man. The perfect kind of man for my Kiina-chan."
"He's a criminal!" Kiina sniffled. "he's going to pillage our village."
"Actually, he says he isn't that kind of pirate."
"He's not."
"Can't you tell just by looking at him?" Paolo laughed. "Come now, Bankiina, do those eyes, does that goofy smile, seem like the smile of a cold-blooded killer?"
She blinked her bleary eyes. "No..."
"You know what I think?" Paolo asked, sounding conspiratorial. "I think your Mama would have simply adored him."
"Oh, Papa! A pirate?" Kiina bopped her father with a pillow. "You've got to be kidding!"
"A pirate could make just as good a husband as any!" He tried to convince her. "Just imagine! The stories he would have to tell! The souveneirs he would bring! It would never be boring! He'd always be happy to see you..."
She wiped her eyes. "Papa. No. I... don't start that. Pirates... pirates don't become pirates because they liked to be tied down. You know that."
"But..." mused her father, "Every man, pirate or not, needs a port to come home to somewhere."
"Enough." Kiina lay down, gazing out the window. "You're assuming quite a bit. And you and I both know... how unlikely it is that he thinks about it that way."
"Kiina..." Paolo looked crestfallen.
She pulled the covers over her head with a finality that was not to be mistaken. This conversation was over.
"Goodnight, Papa."
******
Yasopp sat at the bar, drunk and miserable. Shanks waved the bartender for another round.
"What have I done?" Yasopp muttered, staring into his glass.
Shanks chuckled to himself. His friend was certainly distraught over the matter. Well, the pie had been a very tasty pie.
Ben glowered lethally over his mug at the dreadlocked, bleary-eyed gunner. "Dammit, you've said that a million times. Shut the hell up already!"
Lucky Roux chuckled through a mouthful of meat. "Aw, man, he's got it bad...."
"Did you SEE her?" Yasopp slammed his glass down, gesturing wildly. "I mean, did you really SEE her? She's so cute!"
Shanks nodded. "Yeah, she was, pal."
"No, really! Her eyes, are so blue! Blue like the sky... like stars!"
"Damn," laughed Roux. "She musta hit him pretty hard with that rolling pin."
"It was a broomstick!" Everyone in the room chorused all at once, apparently having heard the story multiple times by now.
"And her hair." Yasopp sighed. "Have you ever seen such beautiful waves of hair?"
"I dunno," Shanks joked. "Ben's is pretty nice."
"You shut up." Ben growled.
"Whoo-- temper, temper." Shanks laughed. "Hey now."
Yasopp let his face fall to the bar. "She's the girl of my dreams! And now she'll never speak to me again!"
Lucky Roux smacked the scrawny kid on the back with a huge hand. "Come on, man, there's girls everywhere we go. You'll find a better one."
Yasopp shook his shaggy head, making his fuzzy locks sway back and forth. "No way. Not like this girl. This is THE ONE."
Shanks smiled over his beer. "THE ONE, huh?"
"I'll never find another girl like this one." A tear rolled down Yasopp's cheek. "I'm such an idiot!"
"Finally something I can agree with." Ben huffed.
"Oh God..." Yasopp laid his head down in defeat. "I'm such an IDIOT!"
"And he's out cold," remarked Shanks, as Yasopp fell from his barstool to the floor.
Ben poked the gunner with his toe. "What the hell is wrong with him?"
"This is definitely a problem," agreed Roux, chewing thoughtfully.
"Damn right it is. I'm not sailing with this lovesick twit." Ben scowled.
"What should we do, Captain?"
Shanks shrugged. "Well, we'll just have to deal with it, I guess."
"Deal with it?" Ben raised an eyebrow.
Shanks' scruffy mouth spread into a slow smile.
"Yeah. Deal with it."