Chapter 4 - Social Graces
Kohza was painfully aware of the large rip he had just made in Vivi's dress - a dress that was probably worth more than he was.
"Is that a new jacket?" she asked politely, willing her heart to stop pounding against her chest.
He looked down at the long black coat he was wearing, which had been laid out in place of his own dusty, frayed garments. The gold braid and epaulet were too military for him; he wasn't a soldier and he didn't want to look like one.
"I found it laying next to my bed when I woke up. I don't think my traveling clothes were welcome at dinner tonight."
Vivi didn't hide her surprise very well. "You're staying here in the palace?"
"Yes," he said shortly. He was immediately reminded of his purpose and how he was wasting time by being here.
"For how long?" she asked. He seemed distracted to her, like she was the last person he wanted to see.
"I'm not sure. I hadn't planned on staying here at all."
Vivi bit her lip. Of course. He hadn't come to the city to see her after all. "If you'll excuse me, I have to have someone fix this tear," she murmured. Anything so that she could get away before he realized how hurt she was. It would be too embarrassing.
"Certainly. Don't let me keep you," he said, gesturing for her to be on her way. Maybe if she left, he'd regain his ability to think.
Vivi quickly disappeared into the crowd and Kohza breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sir?" A servant held out a tray filled with glasses of wine.
Kohza took one gratefully. The glass gave him something to do with his hands. He looked for a quiet corner to hide in until dinner was ready.
====================
A thousand and one questions raced through her mind as Vivi flagged down a harried maid. The staff was prepared for emergencies of this sort; the maid had Vivi's dress pinned and looking as good as new in a few moments. Vivi didn't return directly to the dining room, though. In the time it took for her dress to be repaired, she had decided on which question needed to be answered most and Vivi knew exactly where to go for it.
The efficient service outside in the main room gave no hint of the chaos going on the kitchen. It was ready for war; an army of chefs was lined up to feed the guests. Serving men and women hustled through the great swinging doors, carrying huge platters. It took Vivi a few minutes to find who she was looking for.
"Terracotta, may I speak to you for a moment?" Vivi raised her voice to be heard over the clang of pots and pants.
"What?" Terracotta shouted, waving away clouds of steam.
Crockery crashed somewhere in the labyrinth of the kitchen. "Why is Kohza here? Kohza was not a guest yesterday!"
Terracotta grabbed the arm of one of the servants. "The Councilwoman from Ghezu wants her steak rare." She turned back to Vivi. "Your father invited him this afternoon."
"You could have warned me," Vivi said.
"It slipped my mind," Terracotta replied. "I have to supervise the first course, Vivi dear, so if you'll excuse me."
"The seating list says that we'll be sitting right next to each other!"
"That was His Majesty's decision. He thought that since you two haven't seen each other in months and - hey, you can't take that out there without the garnish!" Terracotta dove after another servant and dragged him back into the kitchen, then pushed the princess out the door, crying, "Vivi, go mingle!"
She did as she was told, and threw herself into talking with the guests. Many of them were overjoyed to engaged in conversation with the princess and Vivi noticed this. The other guests didn't act like the last thing they wanted to do was talk to her. So what was wrong with Kohza? she wondered, as she was introduced to a spice exporter from the west side of the kingdom.
He looked pale tonight, she thought as she met another guest. H looked just as he had when they had taken him away in the stretcher - the last words he had spoken to her were that she was "still the same - always the worrier."
He didn't seem like he should be up and around already; certainly not at a party, after having come all the way from Yuba.
So why was he in the palace? What was he even doing in the city in the first place?
Vivi made a decision. She hadn't been in a frontier agent for nothing.
=============
He had found a nook in the corner, between two potted palms where he could drink his wine in peace and quiet. He couldn't focus on coming up with a plan to get out of the palace; his traitorous mind kept reviewing his meeting with Vivi and replaying how it should have gone.
Hello, Kohza, how are you? Fine, Vivi. And yourself? Excellent. How are you bullet wounds doing - the ones you received while trying to take over my home with your little rebel friends?
He wished everyone would stop pretending that the past two years had never happened.
"It's Kohza, isn't it?"
A little round man wearing an outrageous turban was peering up at him. Kohza sized up the invader of his shadowy corner. "Yes," he said curtly. "And you are?"
"I'm the Mayor of Nanohana! May I shake your hand?" The man didn't wait for permission. He pumped Kohza's arm up and down, almost wrenching it from the socket. The mayor barely stopped for breath before machine-gunning on with his gratitude.
"I never got to thank you! What with the rebellion and the rain and all! Then I'd heard you were in Yuba, but who knows when I was going to make it up that way? The missus did like to gamble in that casino north of there, but I heard it's all gone." Kohza began to answer, but was cut off again. "Something about the structural integrity of the building? Anyway, I wanted to say that I speak for all the people of the city when I say that we can't thank you enough for what you and your friends did for our town."
"Excuse me?" Kohza stammered.
The mayor beamed. "Don't be modest! You personally came to my town to rescue my people from those pirates. I saw how you stood up to them, face to face."
We thought they were the royal army.
"And then you left some of your followers behind to help with the evacuation and to take the wounded to Katorea for treatment."
It was a strategic ploy. They were going to come to the capital later; the idea was that the army would have been overwhelmed by the fresh reinforcements.
Kohza realized the man had stopped talking. He was supposed to reply, but leading off with 'Are you stupid?' wasn't tactful. "There's no need to thank me. We were only doing what we thought was right."
And that was the cold truth.
The mayor's voice wavered with emotions. "Even in such difficult times, you came to help. You don't understand what that means to me - to the people. We'll always be grateful to you and if you ever need anything, please come to me first. I'll do anything I can."
The Mayor of Nanohana bowed deeply then backed away into the crowd.
Kohza stared at the wineglass in his hand for a few moments, then he tipped it back, drinking steadily until it was drained. He wiped away the rivulets at the corner of mouth and reentered the throng of people. His eyes found another waiter with another tray of wine and he replaced his empty glass with a full one.
This was going to be a long evening.
===================
From his raised dais, Cobra could observe the entire party. The guests had all already paid their respects to him, and were now greeting old friends and making new ones. The evening would be free from politics, and he was thankful for that. The men and women gathered weren't here to press causes, argue for better this or that for their homes, or settle disputes. They were here because they believed in their country.
The word in the neighboring kingdoms was that Alabasta was the land of miracles; where rain poured after years of drought, where the people threw down their weapons at the voice of a princess, where forgiveness reached every soldier and rebel.
Cobra watched as Kohza was drawn into conversation with a councilwoman from a small town in the west.
They'd called him a leader when he was a child and he commanded an army even then. Always so serious, always sure of what he wanted, always sure of himself - hadn't he attacked bandits armed with a stick? And hadn't he won?
Kohza disengaged himself from the councilwoman but was now drawn reluctantly into conversation with another delegate. Cobra reflected that the boy would never be able to escape his ability to draw people to him. It was part of what made him a 'Leader.' The ability to sway the masses was something few men or women possessed, but that was less rare than the ability to hold those same people to a course of action fraught with danger and containing little chance of reward. Kohza had done that.
It was more than charisma. Anyone who spent time with Kohza knew that he would fight as hard for those around him as he would for any of his dreams.
The palace seneschal plucked at the king's elbow, bringing him out of his reverie. "Dinner will be announced in a moment, sire."
"Any word from the World Headquarters?"
"No, sire."
"Thank you."
Cobra doubted there ever would be. The Marines had taken custody of Crocodile and the last anyone had heard, the former Seven Armed Sea was in the hands of the world government justice system. Requests for Crocodile's extradition to Alabasta were being ignored.
Perhaps it was best this way. If Crocodile were to return for a trial, the country would have to face the fact that what had occurred was not a fantastical monster-driven nightmare. It had been a dark and evil night of the soul - a time that had found many men wanting.
He caught his breath. It can't be, he thought wildly.
As the unexpected guest made his way to the dais, Cobra realized with dread that the monster's work might still be going on...
Kohza was painfully aware of the large rip he had just made in Vivi's dress - a dress that was probably worth more than he was.
"Is that a new jacket?" she asked politely, willing her heart to stop pounding against her chest.
He looked down at the long black coat he was wearing, which had been laid out in place of his own dusty, frayed garments. The gold braid and epaulet were too military for him; he wasn't a soldier and he didn't want to look like one.
"I found it laying next to my bed when I woke up. I don't think my traveling clothes were welcome at dinner tonight."
Vivi didn't hide her surprise very well. "You're staying here in the palace?"
"Yes," he said shortly. He was immediately reminded of his purpose and how he was wasting time by being here.
"For how long?" she asked. He seemed distracted to her, like she was the last person he wanted to see.
"I'm not sure. I hadn't planned on staying here at all."
Vivi bit her lip. Of course. He hadn't come to the city to see her after all. "If you'll excuse me, I have to have someone fix this tear," she murmured. Anything so that she could get away before he realized how hurt she was. It would be too embarrassing.
"Certainly. Don't let me keep you," he said, gesturing for her to be on her way. Maybe if she left, he'd regain his ability to think.
Vivi quickly disappeared into the crowd and Kohza breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sir?" A servant held out a tray filled with glasses of wine.
Kohza took one gratefully. The glass gave him something to do with his hands. He looked for a quiet corner to hide in until dinner was ready.
====================
A thousand and one questions raced through her mind as Vivi flagged down a harried maid. The staff was prepared for emergencies of this sort; the maid had Vivi's dress pinned and looking as good as new in a few moments. Vivi didn't return directly to the dining room, though. In the time it took for her dress to be repaired, she had decided on which question needed to be answered most and Vivi knew exactly where to go for it.
The efficient service outside in the main room gave no hint of the chaos going on the kitchen. It was ready for war; an army of chefs was lined up to feed the guests. Serving men and women hustled through the great swinging doors, carrying huge platters. It took Vivi a few minutes to find who she was looking for.
"Terracotta, may I speak to you for a moment?" Vivi raised her voice to be heard over the clang of pots and pants.
"What?" Terracotta shouted, waving away clouds of steam.
Crockery crashed somewhere in the labyrinth of the kitchen. "Why is Kohza here? Kohza was not a guest yesterday!"
Terracotta grabbed the arm of one of the servants. "The Councilwoman from Ghezu wants her steak rare." She turned back to Vivi. "Your father invited him this afternoon."
"You could have warned me," Vivi said.
"It slipped my mind," Terracotta replied. "I have to supervise the first course, Vivi dear, so if you'll excuse me."
"The seating list says that we'll be sitting right next to each other!"
"That was His Majesty's decision. He thought that since you two haven't seen each other in months and - hey, you can't take that out there without the garnish!" Terracotta dove after another servant and dragged him back into the kitchen, then pushed the princess out the door, crying, "Vivi, go mingle!"
She did as she was told, and threw herself into talking with the guests. Many of them were overjoyed to engaged in conversation with the princess and Vivi noticed this. The other guests didn't act like the last thing they wanted to do was talk to her. So what was wrong with Kohza? she wondered, as she was introduced to a spice exporter from the west side of the kingdom.
He looked pale tonight, she thought as she met another guest. H looked just as he had when they had taken him away in the stretcher - the last words he had spoken to her were that she was "still the same - always the worrier."
He didn't seem like he should be up and around already; certainly not at a party, after having come all the way from Yuba.
So why was he in the palace? What was he even doing in the city in the first place?
Vivi made a decision. She hadn't been in a frontier agent for nothing.
=============
He had found a nook in the corner, between two potted palms where he could drink his wine in peace and quiet. He couldn't focus on coming up with a plan to get out of the palace; his traitorous mind kept reviewing his meeting with Vivi and replaying how it should have gone.
Hello, Kohza, how are you? Fine, Vivi. And yourself? Excellent. How are you bullet wounds doing - the ones you received while trying to take over my home with your little rebel friends?
He wished everyone would stop pretending that the past two years had never happened.
"It's Kohza, isn't it?"
A little round man wearing an outrageous turban was peering up at him. Kohza sized up the invader of his shadowy corner. "Yes," he said curtly. "And you are?"
"I'm the Mayor of Nanohana! May I shake your hand?" The man didn't wait for permission. He pumped Kohza's arm up and down, almost wrenching it from the socket. The mayor barely stopped for breath before machine-gunning on with his gratitude.
"I never got to thank you! What with the rebellion and the rain and all! Then I'd heard you were in Yuba, but who knows when I was going to make it up that way? The missus did like to gamble in that casino north of there, but I heard it's all gone." Kohza began to answer, but was cut off again. "Something about the structural integrity of the building? Anyway, I wanted to say that I speak for all the people of the city when I say that we can't thank you enough for what you and your friends did for our town."
"Excuse me?" Kohza stammered.
The mayor beamed. "Don't be modest! You personally came to my town to rescue my people from those pirates. I saw how you stood up to them, face to face."
We thought they were the royal army.
"And then you left some of your followers behind to help with the evacuation and to take the wounded to Katorea for treatment."
It was a strategic ploy. They were going to come to the capital later; the idea was that the army would have been overwhelmed by the fresh reinforcements.
Kohza realized the man had stopped talking. He was supposed to reply, but leading off with 'Are you stupid?' wasn't tactful. "There's no need to thank me. We were only doing what we thought was right."
And that was the cold truth.
The mayor's voice wavered with emotions. "Even in such difficult times, you came to help. You don't understand what that means to me - to the people. We'll always be grateful to you and if you ever need anything, please come to me first. I'll do anything I can."
The Mayor of Nanohana bowed deeply then backed away into the crowd.
Kohza stared at the wineglass in his hand for a few moments, then he tipped it back, drinking steadily until it was drained. He wiped away the rivulets at the corner of mouth and reentered the throng of people. His eyes found another waiter with another tray of wine and he replaced his empty glass with a full one.
This was going to be a long evening.
===================
From his raised dais, Cobra could observe the entire party. The guests had all already paid their respects to him, and were now greeting old friends and making new ones. The evening would be free from politics, and he was thankful for that. The men and women gathered weren't here to press causes, argue for better this or that for their homes, or settle disputes. They were here because they believed in their country.
The word in the neighboring kingdoms was that Alabasta was the land of miracles; where rain poured after years of drought, where the people threw down their weapons at the voice of a princess, where forgiveness reached every soldier and rebel.
Cobra watched as Kohza was drawn into conversation with a councilwoman from a small town in the west.
They'd called him a leader when he was a child and he commanded an army even then. Always so serious, always sure of what he wanted, always sure of himself - hadn't he attacked bandits armed with a stick? And hadn't he won?
Kohza disengaged himself from the councilwoman but was now drawn reluctantly into conversation with another delegate. Cobra reflected that the boy would never be able to escape his ability to draw people to him. It was part of what made him a 'Leader.' The ability to sway the masses was something few men or women possessed, but that was less rare than the ability to hold those same people to a course of action fraught with danger and containing little chance of reward. Kohza had done that.
It was more than charisma. Anyone who spent time with Kohza knew that he would fight as hard for those around him as he would for any of his dreams.
The palace seneschal plucked at the king's elbow, bringing him out of his reverie. "Dinner will be announced in a moment, sire."
"Any word from the World Headquarters?"
"No, sire."
"Thank you."
Cobra doubted there ever would be. The Marines had taken custody of Crocodile and the last anyone had heard, the former Seven Armed Sea was in the hands of the world government justice system. Requests for Crocodile's extradition to Alabasta were being ignored.
Perhaps it was best this way. If Crocodile were to return for a trial, the country would have to face the fact that what had occurred was not a fantastical monster-driven nightmare. It had been a dark and evil night of the soul - a time that had found many men wanting.
He caught his breath. It can't be, he thought wildly.
As the unexpected guest made his way to the dais, Cobra realized with dread that the monster's work might still be going on...