Star Crossed, chapter 8
Sunday morning dawned and Paolo sat outside, on a little stool, under an old willow tree. Just like he did every Sunday morning. Every one since...
"I just don't know what to do," he muttered aloud, holding his cap in his hands. "I just want her to be happy. And she was happy! Marina, if you could have seen the two of them together... el destino. It's obvious that these two were made for each other. They even look it! Like bookends. A good couple. A good match."
He looked down sadly at the white gravestone before him. "Marina. I wish... oh. I know if you were here right now, you'd have some wise solution to the problem!"
The sea breeze stirred the willow tree, making a soft noise.
"The problem?" Paolo blinked. "Isn't it obvious? The problem is that the boy's a pirate. He's not looking to settle down, I don't think. So marriage is probably not one of his priorities."
Another pause, the wind rustling in the branches.
"But, Marina! Who ever heard of such a thing? Getting married, only to say goodbye? That's not right!"
A few leaves scattered in the the morning breeze.
"I love you with all my soul. I have, from the moment I met you." Paolo took off his spectacles and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "You know that, amore. Love doesn't end with separation."
Suddenly the breeze kicked up, swirling around the old man, stirring his gray, thinning hair. His eyes opened wide, realizing.
Paolo blew a kiss to the heavens. "My love, as always, you are the most brilliant woman in the world."
******
Yasopp came up the path, looking particularly upset. He carried a bunch of white lilies of the valley in his hands, and he rehearsed over and over and over what he planned on saying.
Before he knocked at the door, Paolo opened it, throwing him off guard. All of Yasopp's lines flew out of his head and he cringed. He couldn't remember a thing.
"Please, sir," he stammered. "I..."
Paolo looked towards Kiina's room, sadly. "I'm sorry, son, I... don't know if she'll see you."
"I didn't think so," Yasopp sighed, his shoulders drooping. "I was afraid of that. It's-- it's bad, isn't it?"
"I'll see what I can do." Paolo disappeared into the house.
Kiina looked up as her father knocked on the door.
"Kiina? There's someone here to see you..."
"Tell him to go away. I don't want to see him." she replied.
Paolo opened the door and whispered. "Kiina, please? You should see the look on the boy's face."
She shook her head. "Papa! I can't!"
He looked solemn. "Kiina. They were only here for the weekend. He's leaving tomorrow, you know that. Please, do it for me?"
Bankiina gazed up at her father, and the look on his face was so pleading that she gave in. "Oh, Papa. All right, I'll see him..."
She stepped outside, to meet him on the porch.
"Miss Kiina!" he gave her the flowers. "I just came to apologize. I'm so sorry!"
Kiina took the flowers, surprised. All this time she had felt that she was the one who had been hurt, but to tell the truth, he looked worse than she did. "Yasopp-san."
The two of them stood there, dumbfounded. Neither had a grasp on the situation. Neither had slept all night. Neither one knew what to say. And so neither understood the other correctly.
"I just wanted to let you know..." Yasopp looked down at his toes. "I-- I didn't think that... what happened would happen." I didn't want to hurt your feelings.
Kiina was speechless. He didn't think I would figure out he was a pirate? He was going to kiss me and leave town?
She wasn't saying anything, and Yasopp grew more and more worried. "This-- this was all wrong!" he cried. "I don't know what I was thinking." I was so stupid not to tell you everything from the beginning! And now I'm just screwing things up worse!
The girl jumped as though she had been slapped. Slowly she realized what he must mean. He means he doesn't know what he was thinking... that it was a bad idea to be with me.
"A girl like you..." he went on, looking away, "A girl like you should be with somebody different!" Somebody better, who had a better job, who had a respectable, safe, settled down life.
A girl like me. A weird, plain girl like me. Kiina's eyes clouded over. I can't believe I'm hearing this.
"If it helps..." Yasopp wiped his nose, his eyes fixed on the sea, "If it helps, maybe we should just pretend we had never met." How am I supposed to just forget her?
"I guess so." How can I just forget all this?
Yasopp turned back to her, shocked. He hadn't expected her to say that! Wasn't she even going to protest?
Kiina was too brave for her own good. She turned her back to him and opened the door, to go inside. "Then... Goodbye, Yasopp-san." She didn't look back.
The door closed in Yasopp's face, leaving him standing beneath the stars.
Horribly alone.
******
Kiina could not sleep that night. The wind howled outside the small cottage as though it were angry. She felt angry too. The first time any boy had ever paid attention to her, the first spark of romance in her life, and it happened to be with someone who was leaving again in a couple days. If he had been a Marine, she would have been just as shocked. It's wasn't the pirate part, really, when she thought about it long enough. It was the temporary part. The part that meant that this happiness she had never had before, was not going to last.
She sat up and gazed out the window.
"He stole my pie." she whispered. "He apologized to me."
"He smiled at me, he said he liked my name."
"He said I was pretty."
"He took my first kiss."
"He laughed with me. He danced with me."
"He dried my tears." She rested her chin on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself.
"And now... he thinks he can just leave? Just like that? Like none of those things were important to me?" There was a definite spark in her voice.
"I won't let him. I won't let him do this to me! I won't let him just sail off and have fun without me! "
"It's not fair!" she said, and then was startled by the hurt sound of her own voice.
The anger faded to sadness. "If I were him, I would sail off, too."
It had always been her dream, as long as she could remember. To have great adventures on the endless blue that stretched outside her window. Her games of pretend had always been boats rather than dolls. She had even tried to build a raft once, but was ridiculed by the other children of the village when they found out. After that, she stuck to less... ambitious undertakings. Like pies. Pies were safer anyway. And it seemed that that was pretty much all she would ever do.
For to be an adventurer in the Great Pirate Age was a grand thing, which required a great deal of cunning and strength. The cunning she was sure she could have learned, but the strength was another story. Her frail body, weak heart and shortness of breath would barely let her go as far as the village or the forest without problems. Sailing was out of the question.
And so her beautiful dream, which she loved still, would never happen.
Yasopp-san was lucky. There was nothing to hold him back. How could she ever hold that against somebody? How could she ever wish against someone else's dream?
She shook her head. No. People should have their dreams. People who could, should go and live and fight. And the others, people who couldn't, should wish and hope and pray for their safety and happiness.
And the people who couldn't should never begrudge the others their freedom.
Yasopp was a brave man. He had chosen to live his dream. And, when Kiina thought about it, deep down, she wanted that to always be true. Even after the conversation earlier, it was hard to think of Yasopp as a bad man, even after what he had said. There was just something different about him.
Kiina closed her eyes and tried to decide just what that was.
Beautiful.
He made her feel beautiful.
Because he was beautiful. His heart. His kindness.
She didn't care what he had said or where he was going. It was a fact that didn't depend on anything else. A fact that would remain true no matter if he returned the feelings or not.
And she didn't care what else happened. She had never felt this way about anything in her life before, and she knew she wouldn't ever again.
And something must be done about it.
******
"Kiina..." Paolo called from outside. "Kiina? What are you doing? Why, you're as absent-minded as your mother, God rest her soul."
"Just a minute, Papa. I'm finishing my master-masterpiece."
"But Kiina? You know they're leaving today... right?" Paolo poked his head in.
Kiina turned, and wiped a stray lock of hair out of her face, leaving a dab of flour on her nose. She smiled wide. "Yes, Papa! I know!"
"Well, girl? What are you doing here still? Get down there!"
Kiina nodded, wrapping the freshly-baked pie carefully in a towel. "Yes, sir."
******
The last of the supplies for the voyage were being loaded onto the ship. Yasopp watched the crates go by, his eyes dry and red. He was the absolute picture of melancholy, somewhat resembling by this point a droopy, dreadlocked scarecrow. He seemed to be talking to someone, or no one at all. His lips were moving but no sound came out.
The guys were taking turns staring at him.
Ben pointed his gun at the forlorn young man, behind his back. "Please, lemme do it. He's not fit to live."
"He is looking really pathetic," observed Lucky Roux. "It's embarrassing to be seen with him."
"Looks like there's no alternative." Shanks shook his head. "Yasopp is just going to have to live with it."
Ben heaved a sigh. "No, you mean we're going to have to live with it."
The Captain stood, putting on his straw hat and pulling his cape about him. "It's time, guys. Let's do it."
Sunday morning dawned and Paolo sat outside, on a little stool, under an old willow tree. Just like he did every Sunday morning. Every one since...
"I just don't know what to do," he muttered aloud, holding his cap in his hands. "I just want her to be happy. And she was happy! Marina, if you could have seen the two of them together... el destino. It's obvious that these two were made for each other. They even look it! Like bookends. A good couple. A good match."
He looked down sadly at the white gravestone before him. "Marina. I wish... oh. I know if you were here right now, you'd have some wise solution to the problem!"
The sea breeze stirred the willow tree, making a soft noise.
"The problem?" Paolo blinked. "Isn't it obvious? The problem is that the boy's a pirate. He's not looking to settle down, I don't think. So marriage is probably not one of his priorities."
Another pause, the wind rustling in the branches.
"But, Marina! Who ever heard of such a thing? Getting married, only to say goodbye? That's not right!"
A few leaves scattered in the the morning breeze.
"I love you with all my soul. I have, from the moment I met you." Paolo took off his spectacles and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "You know that, amore. Love doesn't end with separation."
Suddenly the breeze kicked up, swirling around the old man, stirring his gray, thinning hair. His eyes opened wide, realizing.
Paolo blew a kiss to the heavens. "My love, as always, you are the most brilliant woman in the world."
******
Yasopp came up the path, looking particularly upset. He carried a bunch of white lilies of the valley in his hands, and he rehearsed over and over and over what he planned on saying.
Before he knocked at the door, Paolo opened it, throwing him off guard. All of Yasopp's lines flew out of his head and he cringed. He couldn't remember a thing.
"Please, sir," he stammered. "I..."
Paolo looked towards Kiina's room, sadly. "I'm sorry, son, I... don't know if she'll see you."
"I didn't think so," Yasopp sighed, his shoulders drooping. "I was afraid of that. It's-- it's bad, isn't it?"
"I'll see what I can do." Paolo disappeared into the house.
Kiina looked up as her father knocked on the door.
"Kiina? There's someone here to see you..."
"Tell him to go away. I don't want to see him." she replied.
Paolo opened the door and whispered. "Kiina, please? You should see the look on the boy's face."
She shook her head. "Papa! I can't!"
He looked solemn. "Kiina. They were only here for the weekend. He's leaving tomorrow, you know that. Please, do it for me?"
Bankiina gazed up at her father, and the look on his face was so pleading that she gave in. "Oh, Papa. All right, I'll see him..."
She stepped outside, to meet him on the porch.
"Miss Kiina!" he gave her the flowers. "I just came to apologize. I'm so sorry!"
Kiina took the flowers, surprised. All this time she had felt that she was the one who had been hurt, but to tell the truth, he looked worse than she did. "Yasopp-san."
The two of them stood there, dumbfounded. Neither had a grasp on the situation. Neither had slept all night. Neither one knew what to say. And so neither understood the other correctly.
"I just wanted to let you know..." Yasopp looked down at his toes. "I-- I didn't think that... what happened would happen." I didn't want to hurt your feelings.
Kiina was speechless. He didn't think I would figure out he was a pirate? He was going to kiss me and leave town?
She wasn't saying anything, and Yasopp grew more and more worried. "This-- this was all wrong!" he cried. "I don't know what I was thinking." I was so stupid not to tell you everything from the beginning! And now I'm just screwing things up worse!
The girl jumped as though she had been slapped. Slowly she realized what he must mean. He means he doesn't know what he was thinking... that it was a bad idea to be with me.
"A girl like you..." he went on, looking away, "A girl like you should be with somebody different!" Somebody better, who had a better job, who had a respectable, safe, settled down life.
A girl like me. A weird, plain girl like me. Kiina's eyes clouded over. I can't believe I'm hearing this.
"If it helps..." Yasopp wiped his nose, his eyes fixed on the sea, "If it helps, maybe we should just pretend we had never met." How am I supposed to just forget her?
"I guess so." How can I just forget all this?
Yasopp turned back to her, shocked. He hadn't expected her to say that! Wasn't she even going to protest?
Kiina was too brave for her own good. She turned her back to him and opened the door, to go inside. "Then... Goodbye, Yasopp-san." She didn't look back.
The door closed in Yasopp's face, leaving him standing beneath the stars.
Horribly alone.
******
Kiina could not sleep that night. The wind howled outside the small cottage as though it were angry. She felt angry too. The first time any boy had ever paid attention to her, the first spark of romance in her life, and it happened to be with someone who was leaving again in a couple days. If he had been a Marine, she would have been just as shocked. It's wasn't the pirate part, really, when she thought about it long enough. It was the temporary part. The part that meant that this happiness she had never had before, was not going to last.
She sat up and gazed out the window.
"He stole my pie." she whispered. "He apologized to me."
"He smiled at me, he said he liked my name."
"He said I was pretty."
"He took my first kiss."
"He laughed with me. He danced with me."
"He dried my tears." She rested her chin on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself.
"And now... he thinks he can just leave? Just like that? Like none of those things were important to me?" There was a definite spark in her voice.
"I won't let him. I won't let him do this to me! I won't let him just sail off and have fun without me! "
"It's not fair!" she said, and then was startled by the hurt sound of her own voice.
The anger faded to sadness. "If I were him, I would sail off, too."
It had always been her dream, as long as she could remember. To have great adventures on the endless blue that stretched outside her window. Her games of pretend had always been boats rather than dolls. She had even tried to build a raft once, but was ridiculed by the other children of the village when they found out. After that, she stuck to less... ambitious undertakings. Like pies. Pies were safer anyway. And it seemed that that was pretty much all she would ever do.
For to be an adventurer in the Great Pirate Age was a grand thing, which required a great deal of cunning and strength. The cunning she was sure she could have learned, but the strength was another story. Her frail body, weak heart and shortness of breath would barely let her go as far as the village or the forest without problems. Sailing was out of the question.
And so her beautiful dream, which she loved still, would never happen.
Yasopp-san was lucky. There was nothing to hold him back. How could she ever hold that against somebody? How could she ever wish against someone else's dream?
She shook her head. No. People should have their dreams. People who could, should go and live and fight. And the others, people who couldn't, should wish and hope and pray for their safety and happiness.
And the people who couldn't should never begrudge the others their freedom.
Yasopp was a brave man. He had chosen to live his dream. And, when Kiina thought about it, deep down, she wanted that to always be true. Even after the conversation earlier, it was hard to think of Yasopp as a bad man, even after what he had said. There was just something different about him.
Kiina closed her eyes and tried to decide just what that was.
Beautiful.
He made her feel beautiful.
Because he was beautiful. His heart. His kindness.
She didn't care what he had said or where he was going. It was a fact that didn't depend on anything else. A fact that would remain true no matter if he returned the feelings or not.
And she didn't care what else happened. She had never felt this way about anything in her life before, and she knew she wouldn't ever again.
And something must be done about it.
******
"Kiina..." Paolo called from outside. "Kiina? What are you doing? Why, you're as absent-minded as your mother, God rest her soul."
"Just a minute, Papa. I'm finishing my master-masterpiece."
"But Kiina? You know they're leaving today... right?" Paolo poked his head in.
Kiina turned, and wiped a stray lock of hair out of her face, leaving a dab of flour on her nose. She smiled wide. "Yes, Papa! I know!"
"Well, girl? What are you doing here still? Get down there!"
Kiina nodded, wrapping the freshly-baked pie carefully in a towel. "Yes, sir."
******
The last of the supplies for the voyage were being loaded onto the ship. Yasopp watched the crates go by, his eyes dry and red. He was the absolute picture of melancholy, somewhat resembling by this point a droopy, dreadlocked scarecrow. He seemed to be talking to someone, or no one at all. His lips were moving but no sound came out.
The guys were taking turns staring at him.
Ben pointed his gun at the forlorn young man, behind his back. "Please, lemme do it. He's not fit to live."
"He is looking really pathetic," observed Lucky Roux. "It's embarrassing to be seen with him."
"Looks like there's no alternative." Shanks shook his head. "Yasopp is just going to have to live with it."
Ben heaved a sigh. "No, you mean we're going to have to live with it."
The Captain stood, putting on his straw hat and pulling his cape about him. "It's time, guys. Let's do it."