Chapter 15 – 20/20
They reached Ermalu without incident. A barge was leaving almost immediately but the captain didn't wanted to take them on at first. Only after reading the Mayor's order over and over again did he finally agree. He told them to put their things in a curtained off corner of the tent that sat at one end of the flat bottom boat. He then told them to keep quiet and out of the way or he'd throw them overboard, letter be damned.
The man was still grumbling about lost time because of the extra weight when Kohza had asked for water. It had been like pulling teeth, but Kohza had to have it. Eric had been as sick as a dog since they'd begun travelling.
Kohza pulled back the curtain that Vivi had put up, separating their corner from the others. Eric sat up very carefully and took the canteen that Kohza had brought him.
"Where's Vivi?" his friend asked after taking a swallow.
"She's outside. She said she wants to be alone."
"And if I told you I felt like doing cartwheels would you believe that too?"
"What happened in Nanohana is her business," Kohza said shortly. "If you're so keen on having her talk, why don't I send her in here to speak with you?"
A look of pure terror crossed Eric' s face. "You wouldn't."
"I might." Eric looked like he was going to blow a gasket so Kohza humored the patient. "You're not going to offend her. I'm sure she's seen people sick before."
"That's not the point."
"Then what is?"
Eric leaned back and closed his eyes as another wave of nausea passed over him. Most of it came from the swaying of the barge, some of it came from his disgust with Kohza.
Vivi wasn't a little brat like Eric remembered; the one who'd pounded him good when he'd made the mistake of calling Chaka 'Poochie' in front of her.
Now she was Princess Vivi. She'd been Princess Vivi when he'd seen her in the square near the clock tower. She'd been Princess Vivi when she'd made her speech, wherever that had been. But Kohza hated hearing her referred to like that. Maybe it was a throwback to the earlier days of the Rebellion when Kohza kept pounding it into their heads that there was nothing special about royalty - that the king was just a man and men could be wrong…
So maybe there wasn't anything extraordinary about the monarchy itself, but Eric had spent the last few days with Vivi and come to his own conclusions. She was still Vivi – you couldn't get away from her basic 'Vivi-ness' - but she was a lot more than that now. She was special.
Kohza needed to have his eyes and his head examined if he couldn't see that.
Eric felt too sick to argue that point right now. "I'm going to try to sleep," he declared. The boat rocked suddenly. "And if I'm lucky, I'll die."
Kohza got the hint, ducked back under the curtain, and then went outside. He took a full breath of the cold night air. The lanterns strung between poles illuminated the deck and he watched as Vivi as she negotiated a path, stepping over thick coiled ropes, swaying easily with the motion of the barge. She took a seat at the edge of the rail, not indicating that she'd seen him.
She was worrying again, Kohza impatiently. He wasn't going to make her talk, but he wasn't going to feel sorry for her if she wouldn't confide. She could sit and worry all night if she wanted.
He'd respect her privacy, but he still had questions about what had happened. He watched her and wondered how long it had taken her to become comfortable on ships. Where had she been? Who had been traveling with her?
Why was she looking at the dark shoreline with so much regret in her eyes?
I can't go with you – because I love my country. But please if we meet again someday won't you call me nakama?
He hadn't understood the exact meaning, but the feelings in Vivi's voice when she'd made her speech were obvious. Who had she been saying goodbye to?
Then someone had spooked her in the marketplace and he hadn't helped by yelling at her. Once he'd gotten over his initial anger and they were safely on the ship to Ermalu, he had seen how shaken she'd been.
Gone. He's gone
Who had she run after? Had it been someone she called nakama?
He felt his jaw tighten involuntarily. The mysterious person might have been another enemy, another on a list that was growing daily. Baroque Works, Bracken, not to mention the everyday dangers of the desert…
We must stop him – to save the people that are following him.
That was Vivi through and through. She cared about people she had never met, people who might share Bracken's opinions and wish for her and her father banished from the kingdom. Or worse.
If worrying is a disease, I'm infected too, he thought testily.
He pushed his anxiety out of his mind and carefully picked his way over to where she sat, using crates and netting to keep his balance. She greeted him indifferently when he sat down beside her.
Kohza kicked out his feet, making himself comfortable. "What's up, worrywart?"
"I'm not a worrywart," she said half-heartedly. A person was worrying if they were thinking about the future. She was remembering the past and all the people she'd left behind in it. "How's Eric?"
"The same."
She shook her head in sympathy. "Being seasick is no fun."
Kohza leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "'River-sick' you mean."
She turned back to her study of the shoreline without smiling.
"I'm not tired. Are you?" Kohza said suddenly.
She shrugged.
"So why don't we kill time?" Vivi said nothing and he continued. "Tell me what you were telling Urgano."
"What?" When she realized that he was being serious, she added, "You don't really want me to. It'll bore you."
"If the old man found it interesting, I will too."
Vivi glanced back once more at the shoreline, which she had been staring at trying to forget what she had thought she'd seen in the marketplace. What she wanted to say was that right now, in the lantern light and the way he was leaning against the railing, he looked so much like a friend of hers that if he did fall asleep, she wouldn't have been at all surprised.
But 'wanted to' and 'could' were two different things.
She tried to remember what she had said at the dinner – had it really only been a few days ago? "I was telling the chief about the time I was buried in an avalanche."
Kohza laughed. "Come on."
"It's true."
He sat up. "You can't expect me to believe that."
Vivi smiled. If that wasn't a challenge, she didn't know what was. Even though she'd not had much use for it when she'd been away from the kingdom, she hadn't forgotten what she had been taught in her youth.
Kohza was drawn into the story about her time on Drum Island. She found herself pulling threads from the canvas of her tale to keep it vague, like Igaram would have wanted her to. Kohza didn't say anything when she tripped over a name or a fact that she needed to omit to make everything safe.
And though it was probably the most awkwardly told adventure story in the history of the kingdom, Kohza was riveted until the end.
"Snow. A whole island covered in snow. Think of what we could do with that!"
Kohza started outlining a scheme that involved refrigeration ships and trade with the other island. He began listing the famous products of each Alabastan city while trying to decide out loud which one would appeal to the people of Drum the most.
He hasn't changed a bit, Vivi thought. Always trying to improve the kingdom and make it more prosperous than ever. She let his grand plans wash around her and found herself lost in memories.
I saw so many things; islands covered in jungles, islands covered in rich farmland. I saw everything we dreamed of as children and things we couldn't even begin to imagine.
But I saw it without you.
She was such a fool. She had missed everyone in Alabasta and spent a lot of her time on the Going Merry Go wanting to be home. Now that she was home, her mind was somewhere; her thoughts were back on the ship with her friends.
A huge smile took up all the space in her head, chastising her slightly, and she remembered another lesson she'd learned.
Seize the moment. You won't get another one.
Kohza was still musing out loud about starting trade relations between the two island kingdoms when Vivi interrupted. "Leader, I forgot something."
"What? Back in Nanohana? Was it important – " He started to get to his feet but she laid a hand on his arm and drew him back down to the boards.
"Leader, I forgot to say that I am very sorry for acting the way I did this afternoon. It was childish. I shouldn't say things like that to my friends."
She wanted to go on, but he interrupted her. "Look. It's okay. We don't – "
"Please. Let me finish," she said quickly.
"There's no need."
"I want to."
"It's not necessary."
"I was horrible to –"
"I said not to bother."
"Let me finish!"
"Would you listen – "
"No! You listen!"
"I won't!"
A storm of tepid water rained down on them, causing them to sputter and choke. The barge captain stood over them, holding an empty bucket.
"Shut. Up." He gave them one more glare and then stumped off.
They dripped silently for a few moments. Kohza took off his glasses and tried to dry them on his wet coat, but only succeeded in smudging the lenses.
Vivi's laughter spilled out. Kohza couldn't help himself and joined her.
Eric heard them while he lay on his bedroll and a smile crept over his face. Maybe Leader had 20/20 vision after all.
=========================
"Where could she be?" Pell wondered aloud.
The king had decided that the first priority was their business with the nomads. Pell was not pleased with the decision. Here they were in the palace, when Vivi could be anywhere.
Chaka clucked under his breath.
"I'm am not hen-pecking,'" Pell said coolly.
"Something in my throat," he explained quickly.
Making bad puns was the contest and Chaka was winning.
Their old competition had officially begun again last month when Chaka had pointed out that even though Pell said he was recovered he was still 'eating like a bird.' The soldiers that had been around longer than the Rebellion had laughed while the newest recruits were a bit confused. The day Vivi and Igaram had left the kingdom nothing had seemed very amusing to the pair.
The veterans were glad to see their leaders had fallen back into their old routine. Peace or not, when Pell and Chaka were making wretched jokes, all was truly right with the kingdom.
The taller man continued. "Princess Vivi will be fine. She's proven it more than once. And she's with Kohza. They'll take care of each other."
"I know." It didn't relieve Pell's worry. There were so many things that could go wrong.
"When do you leave?" Chaka asked, bringing their conversation back to the business at hand.
"In a few hours."
"Give my regards to the chief when you see him."
"Certainly." They saluted a guard standing sentry when they passed him. Then Pell asked, "And his hounds as well?"
Chaka growled mildly. "You're not funny."
"But you made such good friends with them when we were there last."
"Not another word, bird."
Igaram skid around the corner, his nightshirt flapping around his legs. "There you are! We've received news! The ma-ma-ma-mayor of Nanohana saw Kohza this afternoon." Igaram filled them in, explaining that the mayor had sent a message to the king about the "considerate young man whose role in the horrible business that occurred three months ago has not yet been recognized sufficiently."
Recognition was the last thing the palace wanted for Kohza. If only the boy had stayed in Yuba, Chaka thought, then agents, discontented rebels, any stranger would have stood out immediately in that small town and been stopped. In large cities, the danger increased. The possibilities of what could happen in the open desert, far from civilization, were too sobering to be considered for any length of time.
"Any sign of the princess?" Pell asked.
"No. But who else would she be with?" Igaram countered darkly.
"Do we know where they're going?"
"Kohza mentioned Ermalu."
Ermalu was on the river, near the ocean, and on the edge of the desert. The final destination could be anywhere in the kingdom. Even if someone from the palace got there within the hour, the trail would be cold.
Chaka folded his arms. "So we still know nothing."
"They're alright. That's something," Pell corrected.
Igaram pulled on his hair with rage. "For now! They could run into Baroque Works agents or disgruntled rebels or be actively looking for all kinds of trouble - walking headlong into danger! Or even worse!"
"Even worse?" Pell repeated.
"They could be" - Igaram glowered and his voice lowered severely – "not doing a single one of those things."
Chaka exchanged a weary look with Pell. "Oh no."
Igaram threw his hands in the air and wailed, "How could Princess Vivi do this to us?"
"Do you mean, 'How could she go off into the night without word or warning'?" Pell asked dryly.
"And then not contact her friends and family with news of her whereabouts?" Chaka added. "It's a mystery. Where could she have ever learned that?"
"Ah, yes. Well, that isn't important now." Igaram said quickly. "The king said we should focus on the threat in the mountains and we shall do as he commands. Preparations are going smoothly?"
They nodded.
"You know where to find me. Good night." Igaram beat a hasty retreat back down the hall before his aides could make any more comments about his bad influence on the princess. Then again, Igaram thought, he was returning to his rooms with Terracotta. She had said very similar things. Maybe he should go back to the barracks and just make absolutely sure that everything was ready -
The corner of his eye.
Igaram kept walking and didn't make any sudden movements that would alert his watcher that he was on to him.
Who or whatever it was had ducked into a small room. Igaram walked around the corner just as if he were returning to his quarters, then grabbed the first thing he could lay his hands on. He took a different route, circling behind the intruders so that he would cut them off before they could get any closer to where Terracotta was or reach the king's wing.
He heard steps and spun out from his hiding place, blocking the hallway.
"Identify yourselves," Igaram ordered, preparing to fend off the intruders with the vase had in his hands.
The darkness paused.
"Nobody here but us chickens," it said eventually.
Igaram kept his battle vase in the offensive position. "You."
"We came to see you.'"
"Um. And ask for recommendations. Anyone hiring in Alabasta?"
There was a thick swallow. Chaka was standing behind one of the intruders, his sword at the person's neck. "Igaram?"
Pell was behind the other. "Friends of yours?"
Igaram snorted. "A very loose term for what they were."
"Come now. Friends." The crack in the prowler's voice betrayed his fervent hope that Igaram wasn't going to make a liar out of him.
"We'll see about that. Chaka, Pell. Bring them." Igaram turned crisply and stalked away. His stately exit was marred only by the vase he was wielding and his calf length nightshirt.
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A/Ns: Pell and Chaka are serious guys, but they couldn't have worked together for years without having some sense of humor about each other.
Japanese: I try to stay away from using Japanese words, but I left nakama in this chapter. It loosely translates to 'friends.' If you'd like the full ten page explanation, feel free to email me.