Chapter 17 – Family

Bracken waved her off. "I'm gonna have whatever's on the pot outside. Thanks anyway."

She lowered the cracker. This one didn't like senbei or Earl Grey. He liked to drink coffee, which she found much too bitter and dark. She missed Mr. 3's Earl Grey.

She just missed Mr. 3. Period.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

He was always asking that. It was strange but nice. No one used to ask her that, not even Mr. 3. She imagined it was because they knew she was all right. She was very good at all right. "I'll need more red soon."

"I'll be sure to have some for you."

Bracken was nice. And he'd said he would help her get revenge on Miss Wednesday. That was very nice.

"Have you heard anything?" she asked.

"Nothing."

Yes, he never had any good news.

"Hey, don't look like that. He's probably lying low. Don't fret, kid."

He always called her 'kid.' It was interesting. No one ever gave her a nickname or called her a little girl or treated her like one after they got to know her.

That wasn't completely true. Miss All-Sunday sometimes had. The vice-president had once told her a story of a different little girl who knew how to do strange things. That little girl's name had been Robin. She always got into trouble too when she did her strange things. Robin had interesting adventures and eventually grew up. Miss All-Sunday had called her a fine upstanding young woman.

She wanted to be like Robin someday.

Bracken pointed at her paint set which was sitting near her easel. "When are you going to teach me that?"

She went back to her dinner. He knew the answer to that question; she wouldn't teach him a thing until she had some word about Mr. 3.

But could she teach it? What part was it? She could show him how to mix the paints and maybe even show him how to throw it right. This new technique though… sometimes she had difficulties at it and had to apply the mark two or three times to get it to work.

She and Mr. 3 had wracked their brains trying to come up with a new method, a better one that couldn't be defeated as easily as it had on Little Garden. So she'd worked on making her strokes smaller and the paints stronger, so that the hypnosis would work better and the charms would be more difficult to remove. A Billions ship had run into them on the way. Mr. 3 had decided that she could try her new techniques on them. By the time they'd reached Nanohana, she'd been doing pretty well.

Then Mr. 3 had left her, telling her to wait on the ship until he came back. She had waited, for a long time, but he never did.

She didn't say any of that though. She shrugged and picked up another cracker. "Sometime."

If Bracken was put off, he didn't show it. "Well, I have some interesting news for you, kid. Wait till you hear who our neighbors are."

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The Baroque Works agents were freed from their hypnosis by destroying the mark painted on their necks. Once they saw the nomads surrounding them, they were quick to answer all questions ask of them. They confirmed Vivi's suspicions; Miss Goldenweek was in Alabasta.

The agents who had escaped the Marine round up found themselves in the midst of a crisis; they were in a country ringed with Marine ships and whose citizens were very upset about the conspiracy that had been uncovered. It had been a very dangerous time until they'd heard about an Officer Agent who'd escaped the arrests. They'd come to her because they hadn't had anywhere else to go, but in true Baroque Works spirit, nothing had appeared to be what it was.

"We were tricked. She's working with the rebels now, but honestly, I don't know anything else. She knows that we're aware of what's happening around us. She and the rebel leader made sure we never overheard anything important before we were sent out."

While some of the nomads prepared to take the prisoners south to Yuba, the four members of the Suna Suna Clan shared their information. Kohza told Falafra about Bracken. Then Vivi described the Mr. 3 pair and their powers.

It was Falafra's turn. He explained that the incursions by agents had been happening for over two months. The nomads had assumed that it was last desperate act by men and women who didn't know what to do with themselves or who were trying to attack the source of the Sandora. The nomads had been holding them off easily but only recently had Chief Urgano suspected something else. "He went to the capital a few days ago to ask the king for advice."

Vivi couldn't believe she'd been so stupid. That's why the chief had been at the dinner; not for some silly party at all!

"The chief should be back by now. You can tell him about the Officer Agent" – Falafra's brow furrowed darkly – "and the fact that some of our friends are now our enemies."

The journey to the nomad's camp was begun with haste. There was grumbling among the tribesmen about outsiders being brought along. A few words from Vivi had silent compliance if not approval of Kohza and Eric's presence.

Eric looked back and saw that Vivi and the man whose hand she'd almost sliced off were talking earnestly. "I guess I should have paid attention to language study in school."

Kohza shouldered his rifle and earned a few suspicious looks from the nomads around them. "I have a feeling knowing how to speak the language isn't all of it."

Falafra nodded. "Vivi is family. The queen was part of the tribe."

"And why do they listen to you?" Kohza asked. His voice was even, but the two rebels had been around their Leader long enough to know the tone.

"Yeah. About that." Falafra pushed his headdress off his brow. "Well, Urgano needed someone who knew the rebels and was familiar with Baroque Works."

"You said you were from Caskita."

"That's where I grew up. But my mother's a nomad. It's a long story."

"Your people are good at stories," Kohza said sharply.

The ex-rebel gazed at the horizon. "They're not quite 'my people' in case you didn't notice."

The nomads did seem to bear Falafra some kind of grudge. "Still I wish you would have told me before."

The big man shrugged. "You weren't asking for resumes when I joined the Rebellion and I didn't see that it was anyone's business."

It was true. Kohza hadn't been too picky about membership. He'd just wanted people who were willing to die to stop to the dying.

"But if you're wondering about where my loyalty lay … "

"I never doubted you. Not once." Kohza said quickly. How could he? Falafra had saved his life at a very great price.

Falafra ignored him and said, "My loyalty is with my family. And the Clan is part of that."

The declaration now had a new and powerful meaning. Maybe the story about the nomad who'd fought his way through a sandstorm just to punch the guy who'd insulted his cousin was exaggerated but it made its point.

But if Falafra was part of the tribe then … how much did Urgano know? Was that why the old man had been so pleasant at the palace?

Soon it was too hot to talk. The group kept up their steady but brisk pace until they reached a collection of tents together where the sand and the scrub became about even before the ground swelled into hills and mountains. Falafra explained that this was the intermediate camp that they used to get more supplies quickly and then return to the desert. The group stopped, filled their canteens and started climbing the path that climbed up.

They hiked behind the hills and in the mountains proper. After a few hours they came across a small tent sitting next to the path. A man came out of it and approached one of the nomads. After a few moments the man made like a spot-billed duck and dashed off.

"The runner will tell everyone we're coming," Falafra said. "Considering who's here, I think the entire camp is going to show up."

Eric dusted off his jacket with exaggeration. "I'll get ready for the autograph requests."

They reached the peak of another mountain. When Vivi gazed into the vale below, she gasped. She had never seen so many nomads in one place. They were spread out over the mountains of the kingdom usually and only came together for a few important festivals.

There were a few people to greet them at the he group of warriors slowly picked up more and more spectators in their wake. Even though Kohza couldn't understand the language, he heard Vivi's name being passed through the crowd. For once he was glad that Vivi's star eclipsed them all. If Urgano was any indication, he didn't think they were going to greet him with much enthusiasm.

The group stopped abruptly and a general silence descended.

"Is Vivi really here?" A young woman with long dark hair danced through the crowd. "Vivi! It is you!"

"Alabina?"

The young woman grasped her hand tightly "Oh, Vivi, it's horrible. We're been here for almost two whole weeks."

"Oh no." The nomads stood back and allowed a handsome young man to step forward. He dropped a kiss on Vivi's forehead. "Excuse her, cousin."

Alabina tossed her dark mane off her shoulder. "It's fine for you, Panchai. Father gives you things to do. I have to stay here and sit. And I don't think – "

He leaned closer and whispered in Vivi's ear. "Better yet. Ignore her."

Vivi was flustered by the attention from Chief Urgano's children. She hadn't seen Alabina since her visits years ago and she hadn't known Panchai very well since he had always been out with the men in the mountains.

She retreated to the safety of etiquette and introduced them to Eric and Kohza. Panchai's expression hardened slightly when she said Kohza's name. She noticed it and knew that Kohza had too.

Panchai turned back to Vivi and said, "Come. My father has heard of your arrival. He's waiting for you."

Alabina slipped her arm through Vivi's and said in her native tongue, "All the girls want to see you! They're very excited to meet you and your friends! Is it true that they're rebels like Falafra?"

"Um, yes. That's going to be alright, isn't it?" Vivi wouldn't abandon her friends, but she didn't want to make a scene if she didn't have to.

"Of course, silly! The girls are going to love them!"

Vivi had forgotten how emphatic Alabina could be. She looked for Panchai to get his opinion but he was already gone.

The approach to Urgano's tent was getting more and more difficult as the nomads poured out of their tents to see the returning young men who'd been out on patrol and to get a glimpse of their princess.

Alabina squeezed Vivi's arm. "Look, everyone! It's Vivi!"

A group of young women hovered at the edge of the crowd. They flocked around her, playing with her hair and commenting about the state of her clothes. Vivi tried to escape when they started making beauty plans. She looked for help and saw Kohza and Eric on the edge of the crowd, laughing at her.

"Let me introduce you to my friends!" Vivi said desperately, gesturing at the boys. Kohza shook his head 'no, no' but it was too late. One of the girls took a tentative step closer.

"Are those the rebels?"

Vivi nodded.

"Oh my…"

The group of girls surrounded them and begin speaking all at once. Vivi laughed. She hadn't remembered the girls being so forward. They were taking turns trying on Eric's hat and one had Kohza's glasses perched on her nose and asking so many questions. Ha, Vivi thought. That's what you get for making fun of me.

"Can we get you anything?"

"To drink?"

"To eat?"

"Or anything else?"

Vivi's smile became tight. It was odd to see girls act so...enthusiastic. Okame never acted like this. Nami certainly never had. In fact, the only person Vivi could recall that ever acted like this was Sanji. So why weren't the guys getting exasperated like Nami had?

From the way the girls were behaving, it was like the guys were as exotic as ice cream. In fact, some of the girls were looking at them like they were ice cream.

Vivi's smile became tighter still when she saw Kohza laugh at the antics of the girl with his glasses. A sentence broke through the muddy surface of her memory.

Some new tart.

A familiar nuzzle at waist level interrupted her thoughts. "Carue? How did you get here?"

The spot-billed duck quacked urgently and pushed her towards the crowd and into the camp.

"Carue, what's going on? Why are you here?"

"Vivi!"

Her blood froze.

"Vivi!"

She pushed through the nomads and found the person she was looking for. Vivi threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He crushed her back.

"You're alive! You're alive, Mr. 9!"

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A/Ns: Thanks for all the support everyone! I hope the influx of new character introduction and old character re-introduction hasn't confused anyone too much. I tried to stay true to the spirit of Miss Goldenweek but it's quite difficult considering she does so little during Little Garden – talking wise that is. I hope everyone can deal with my version of her. Finally, the use of "Family" in the title is a blatant rip-off of the song. I'm not such a big fan of making titles for chapters anyway.