Oh, that doesn't look good.

Wow. Oh, that- actually, Kat cringes, that really doesn't look good.

"Go on. Say it."

He pointedly looks away, refusing to acknowledge her. He can't help it though- Kat glances back.

"Say your piece."

He knows he shouldn't. He really, really shouldn't. Even with her permission it was a bad idea to make any sort of comment. And he's already feeling guilty before he even opens his mouth because Kat also knows himself and that, once he starts talking, he's not going to stop until he's either bit his tongue or is done.

Quinn waits.

He leans forward and squints at her face, "...It's super ugly."

Ah, well, maybe not so blunt.

"L-Like- I've gotten bruises before, plenty! But it… it looks like someone just picked up a paintbrush and started painting your face purple." She breathes a deep sigh out through her nose. She expected as much. "And… your shoulders, too!"

Yeah, it was pretty bad. It was all she could focus on. Trying to ignore the throbbing just had failure written all over it.

"It's just so ugly. I mean, seriously? I always heard of being beaten black and blue and I thought I'd gotten pretty close to it before-"

"Kat…"

He stammers. "But you-!"

"Kat."

Oh, he's starting to ramble and he can't stop.

"You just look unfortunate!"

Quinn would facepalm if she could, as it was, all she could do was look up at the ceiling and let out a long suffering sigh. Ah, she invited this, didn't she? She shouldn't feel as exasperated as she did. "As always: Wow, thanks."

There's giggles behind him and he flushes, words stuttering as he gets even more flustered.

"A-Aa, I didn't mean it like that! You're not ugly, your face is just wrong-" Quinn inhales her drink and chokes. "I MEAN?! NO? THA- That's not what I meant to say at all!" The laughter behind him doubles.

She's too busy trying to catch her breath.

"You-"

She gets it back under control. And Quinn takes a slow, long sip of her coffee as she watches him grow increasingly beet red. Using the mug to hide her own silent laughter.

"You're-"

He doesn't bite his tongue, for once. But, in this moment, Kat feels cursed because he desperately wished he had. It feels like it's tied in knots and he feels sick and he just can't stop rambling even though he wanted to so, so bad-

"You're pretty?"

It's his poor attempt at recovery and he fixes an incredibly pained-looking, awkward smile on his face. Internally, he's shrieking. And slamming his face down to hide under his arm- he can't even look her in the eye!

Quinn groans, "...Oh, Kat…" and shakes her head. She doesn't know whether to be sympathetic to his continued plight at social interaction or to die laughing. She's too tired to figure it out so she settles for pushing his plate towards him. "Please, just… eat your food already."

It's morning.

Far earlier than any of them had a right to be up, really.

And Kat is busy taking Quinn's suggestion to heart and stuffing his face, shoveling as much of his breakfast as he can down his throat. All the while Quinn nurses a cup of coffee and uses her bangs as a shield to hide her face behind, wincing if she so much as twitches wrong. Because he hadn't gotten to see much of her injuries the night before, too covered by ice and hands prodding at the hurt skin- what bruise there had been at the time had mostly been bright and giant red marks and a bit of blood still running from her nose.

Now, though, it'd had time to fester and Kat found himself weirdly unable to tear his gaze away.

"...Wow, they… they really got you good, huh?"

He manages to say in between bites.

She grimaces. Even that- hurts. "Sure did."

Kat wasn't lying when he said it was ugly. It was the first thing his eyes, and presumably everyone else's, had immediately zeroed in on when she'd come down from their room.

The bridge of her nose and under her eyes was almost entirely a different color; definitely a different shade. The normally brown skin had been stained with splotches of purple, yellow, and blue that not only looked like it was beyond painful, but also just seemed traumatic. And Kat wasn't a stranger to bruises, but damn- There were even creeping cracks of red and purple where blood vessels had burst and he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd said her nose had been broken.

Kat didn't even want to get started on what he managed to see against her shoulders and back before she'd tossed her jacket on and effectively hid them all from view. Something also told him there was another few bruises on her wrist and knees, though he couldn't get the chance to actually see it because of the sleeves she always wore.

Still. He could see that, when she accidentally got jostled moving, she would let out a low hiss and go to grip the offending spots. Which only had him feeling more and more concerned with every passing cringe.

Especially since she was oh so quickly burying it all beneath almost religiously taken sips of coffee.

Seriously. Kat was unsettled.

...Also he didn't think it was healthy to be drinking as much as she had been.

"Can…" Wait, no, that's a stupid question.

Quinn cast him a raised brow.

"If… If you keep drinking like that aren't you going to get sick at this rate? I mean, like Ace did." He accidentally catches the edge of his tongue and chokes. Well, shit. Where was that when he needed it? It has him shuddering. "-I mean, I know its not alcohol, but that… you've just had so many already. I can't even keep track."

She makes a face and he can tell that she hasn't been counting either.

Thankfully, a waitress walks by and says, "Four pots." And sounds just as concerned as Kat feels.

Quinn only hums. "Hm. I think I can go for one more. I have to make up for lost time." Kat can't do anything but make a face. It worsens when she just laughs at him. "Kehaha! Oh, it's fine. This stuff isn't that strong anyways."

"But…"

She pauses and then leans forward, as if she's trying to keep her voice down and tell him a secret. It's all for show, he should add by the way, because everyone can absolutely hear her and she definitely isn't trying all that hard either. Not even whispering, practically in a speaking voice. "It's insanely watered down. I think they added water to make it last longer." She makes a dissatisfied noise. "It tastes a little like dishwater."

The waitress that spoke up before turned blank faced.

"...I'm cutting you off."

"What- wait, no! I take it back-"

"Then why drink it?" Kat asks incredulously, cutting off Quinn's almost out-of-character complaints, drawing her attention back to their conversation. It was probably the most verbose whine he'd seen from her. And over coffee too. "If it's gross then stop."

She falters in her grousing. Hunching down around her cup almost possessively, dark eyes glaring into the liquid, blowing at the steam that still rose off the little bit that still remained. It'd had time to settle while they'd been talking and Quinn gave herself a moment to breathe. Without the heat of the drink to scorch her tongue, it had her focus being brought back to the intense throbbing that she'd been trying to forcibly ignore.

Her voice comes out surprisingly small. "...Because I need it."

The bartender walks by and snorts.

"Pathetic."

Quinn immediately bristles.

"Hey."

Kat pauses with his fork half way to his mouth in surprise, gazing jumping between the two older women. He didn't know why but Quinn's eyes flash dangerously as soon as she sees that it was the bartender who'd spoken. The sheer intensity of what could only be described as irritation to the highest degree as he watches her expression shift, looking close to maybe even anger actually. But Kat wasn't all that good at reading people so he couldn't say for sure- only able to toss in a guess. "Quinn?"

She blinks slowly. Whatever had come over her fades away just as quickly as it'd appeared. "Ah?" She still has a weird look though. And it might've only been because the bartender wandered off to where they couldn't see her anymore.

"I…" He's vaguely disturbed. "Nevermind."

And decides that it was probably best to just ignore it.

It might have even been his imagination. He didn't know what could've made her that pissed off by the bartender of all people. Now, Cona, sure, he understood where that ire came from- it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, to know that she cared enough to be angry for him -but after the night they'd all had, they'd pretty much gotten over it. Even Ace. And he'd been pissed initially. Speaking of his Captain… "Have you seen Ace by the way?"

"Nah."

Well, there goes that idea. Kat sighs. "I wanted to see if he wanted to start training up his immunity to water… you know, like you said he could."

"A-Aa. I said he might. He might be able to." She stresses.

Kat looks completely unphased by the clarification. Just groans and says, "Aw man, he was already gone when I got up this morning too. I wanted to test some of my own things with him…"

Quinn doesn't quite manage to bring her cup all the way up to her lips.

"...What?"

"Hm?"

Her mouth opens and closes in disbelief, "I got up after you. What do you mean he was already gone when you got up?"

"I mean… just that?" He tentatively tries. Kat doesn't know what she wants him to say. "I don't… I don't understand the question."

She doesn't speak for a long moment.

Quinn slowly places her cup on the table, face frozen until she sucks in a long suffering sigh. "Kat," she presses her hands together and then to her lips, "are you saying that you haven't seen Ace since you walked into our room last night and found him passed out on the floor?"

"Uhh…"

He'd stumbled up the stairs sometime towards the parties end. In the hopes of catching up to Quinn and Ace, seeing as the two hadn't rejoined the party like he'd expected them to. Or, at least, he did with Quinn. He wasn't sure if Ace would be up for it anymore.

But, when he'd taken a chance to look around, there wasn't any sign of them. It had him wondering if something had happened while he was downstairs and quicking hopping up the steps two at a time so he could go find them. Only to discover Ace passed out on the floor of their room and Quinn tossing an extra blanket she'd managed to steal over the top of him. Even asleep Ace still looked queasy and decidedly paler than normal.

Quinn had raised a finger to her lips in the universal sign for shush before preparing for bed herself.

And that was it.

When he'd gotten up it'd been to Ace's bedding folded neatly and no sign of the cowboy-toting pirate.

"...um."

From the lack of answer, she'll take that as a yes.

Quinn buries her head in her hands. "Damn it, Ace. Why do you do this?" And couldn't help but remember a conversation that felt like it was weeks old and not just the other day.

"You're planning on going to Nest Island, aren't you?"

"You said not to."

"But is that going to really stop you?"

He's back to looking cheeky, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "No."

"Oh my god."

She knew he'd go running off. If it was just something she'd forgotten about she wouldn't have been surprised, but to take off without even telling them?

"That… ass!"

-0-

Ace didn't know why but he suddenly had the uncontrollable and unrestrained urge to laugh.

He quiets it to a chuckle and places a hand on his hat as he jumps out of their ship. It'd been a longer sail than he thought it'd be, especially considered that he could still see the shores of both of the Twin Isles. The Starving Changs' docks weren't outside of his sight just yet and the other Isle, the one that Cona had mentioned, he thinks it was called Hunt-? Hunting? He can't remember exactly. But he was much closer to it than he'd thought he'd be. Not close enough to see people or make much sense of the small buildings lining the edge of it but Ace thinks he can spot a thick line of black smoke billowing into the sky from the center of it. Drifting slowly and lazily up into the air and beginning to darken the clouds above.

Ah, but that didn't really matter, did it?

Because Ace can say with a marked certainty that, the moment his boots hit dirt on Nest, that this island was weird. It just… felt weird. Not necessarily in a bad way.

It wasn't that the tall trees with thick trunks stretched far enough that even the bottom most branches were easily a few stories up that was weird; or that, as soon as he'd stepped onto solid ground, the forest fell into a deep silence that would've scared most; or that Ace suddenly had the intense and uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched, from multiple places… Nope. That had nothing to do with it.

Ace felt his already present smile inch a little further across his face.

It felt familiar.

Different and weird, sure, but familiar.

It felt like Mt. Colubo.

Just not quite.

It couldn't. Because there was no Luffy or bandits or Windmill Village just a walk away, so it wasn't the same in that respect. But something told him that, if he wanted to find something to fight, something like what he's used to- it wouldn't be too hard anymore. Ace can feel himself practically vibrating out of his boots in excitement.

The trees seem to shudder and the sun gets swallowed by their heights before long, the warmth disappearing off his back as he descends into the tall foliage. There's still no sounds, not even distant ones, and it's strange but he can't help but fall into the hush with bated breath that-

There's flashes of color between the trees.

Blue and yellow.

He stops.

And listens.

To the familiar sounds of footsteps- of sandals and boots on the ground; of giddy laughter and jovialness and content; the childish adventures as they'd race beyond the treehouse and riverside. For just a moment, he thinks he can really see their smiles getting tossed his way, gleams of silver in their hands.

"Ace! Can we eat crocodiles today?!"

"Oy, don't go and bother Luffy! He's still weak and a crybaby, but he's our brother, yeah?"

They're running and disappearing between the trees and Ace feels his gaze soften and turn fond as their forms change in his mind's eye.

"C'mon! We beat the Tiger Lord, we can take on any of the animals in this forest!"

"Luffy-?"

"Idiot! That doesn't mean you can just run up to a bear!"

The memories play like a reel. And, before long, there's only Luffy calling out to him. In a voice that's grown older since they first met. That sometimes cracks and breaks and turns into a high pitched creaking noise that makes Ace laugh and grow slightly sad all the same- (He wondered what Sabo would have sounded like?) -A sign of the years passing.

"Ace, I caught a crocodile all by myself! It only ate me once!"

"Ow-! Damn. I hit myself again…"

"Oyy, Ace. I figured out a new technique, I'm definitely going to beat you this time!"

It's not that anything in particular stands out. It's not as if there's any one, individual memory that jumps to the forefront of his mind and has him grinning like a fool- no, the silly smile that shows like the sun on his face was something he did all on his own. Because they were all good, and they all made him glow.

Whether they were old or fresh or who they contained.

Even if Sabo was a bit blurry on the edges and there were thoughts of what he might have been and- It just mattered that he could still remember the both of them smiling and thriving with life, that at least that was clear, as they both turned to him in unison and-

"Ace!"

It's… not as if he can actually see them.

But reminiscent shadows are just as real as they were the day they happened.

And the island in all it's familiarity had his head bubbling over with images of them and Ace wasn't about to just ignore the echoes of remembrance that the land brought out of him. It was just too easy to close his eyes, pull the brim of his hat down, and sink into the sounds of their voices in the forest's hush.

Ace usually didn't enjoy falling into his own ruminations- Sixis was a testament to that fact, the sudden and unwanted isolation had dredged up fears and dreadful things -but this? This is something he could get behind because it was different. There wasn't a concern about whether Quinn and Kat would be behind him anymore, not like before.

"We found you before, didn't we? It just took a while. What makes you think we wouldn't come again?"

He'd blown her off in the moment.

It-

Quinn was just too good at reading people. Or just him, specifically. He didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed by it but, with how she seemed to be turning it on him whenever she got the chance, Ace was more inclined to be irritated. He'd thought that he'd actually been pretty successful in the little white lie, it'd been enough to ease his mind into solace.

Apparently not good enough for her though.

Because the blank look she'd fallen into before saying he was full of crap had been immediate and creepy.

For a split second, it felt almost as if she had already known what was going through his head before even he did. That she could see right through him and figure out each and every one of his secrets before he could even say them. Her gaze feeling just a bit too on-the-nose to be normal, a deadly accuracy that he was definitely not comfortable with and Ace had- He'd only been able to open and close his mouth, unable to make a sound, in dumbfounded surprise. Thanking whatever devil there was on his side that it'd quickly fallen away before he could read too much into it and Quinn turned almost downright frustrated.

Weird. For some reason he couldn't tell if it was because of him or her. And Ace- well, Ace could admit that he may have overreacted a little bit and it didn't help the situation that he'd only been able to turn away in response. Pretending like he didn't feel the way her eyes lingered on his back in something approaching disappointment.

It was just…

That look.

It'd made his stomach drop and his thoughts stutter to a halt. And Ace had taken one from her book and bit his lip as memories of that stupid question suddenly assaulted his head. He already knew the answer from dinky bars with strangers that made his blood boil from even a young age- all in the hopes that maybe, maybe one day he'd get a different answer. A better one, one he wanted to hear.

He never really did.

Not even Garp had tried to put his thoughts to rest. He thought he'd been about to, until he didn't.

Ace felt his fingers twitch for his pipe, even though he hadn't used it since Sabo, he was still surprised when his hands only grasped his large hunting knife. The motion had him tensing as he realized- no. He definitely didn't have it anymore. And, more than that, he didn't need it.

Because it was Quinn. And not old bar-goers with slurred speech in need of a few less brain cells.

He couldn't exactly blame her. Should've expected it, even.

It still pissed him off.

Because he'd been about to- to say something that he knew he would regret.

And Ace didn't- now, that he was actually thinking about it, he didn't know much about Quinn's background or, well… her, really. Which was, that was its own problem, and, yeah, she'd mentioned her grandmother and it didn't really matter. But he could hazard a guess- She just sounded too educated sometimes to not be from a noble or higher class and even acted like it sometimes, too-

He wasn't stupid.

He had a vague idea about the kinds of things they taught- about pirates and the King and- and the potential of someone like him. And, while it said something about her that she'd pulled away from that life, he wasn't so naive to think- to actually believe that she would be different.

And he didn't- Ace didn't want to lose a crewmember. Not over him, not because of him.

Even normal, everyday people would despise him and wish him dead- hell, even criminals, even other pirates! It was stupid to think, for even a moment, that Quinn would want to stay.

So he'd rolled over. Trying not to think about the sown flames that made him think twice, even when it shouldn't have; almost convincing him to turn around and- not exactly spill his guts -but, maybe, ask the question again.

"If… the Pirate King had a son…?"

Would she be any different?

It'd admittedly been what had kept him up. And it was a small favor that she'd thought it was because he was worried over setting something on fire while he was sleeping-

(Which, if it wasn't for the reassurance she offered, he would actually be starting to worry about whether or not that could happen.)

-And she'd seemingly been too tired to notice him jump on the opportunity to lie about it. Hell, he didn't feel bad about it at all.

Ace shook his head.

So long as Quinn and Kat didn't know then it wouldn't hurt them, he was sure it'd all be fine and work itself out. So long as he kept it a secret he could trust them to have his back. To be right around the corner.

Ace jumped up on one of the large roots that burst from the ground- "Ah, woah!" He felt his boots slide and nearly went rolling back until he managed to catch himself on the side of the tree, hand sinking into a fistful of moss. "Yeesh."

The forest still didn't break its quiet. Even as he looked over it all. There didn't seem to be anything.

It's odd to realize that Dawn Island and Goa Kingdom were almost an entire month away and that he has two crewmates and it's just- so much has already happened. Each and every piece of it all cementing further how different the rest of the world was. How… free it felt.

That their dream wasn't a hoax created by childish kids that were too stuck in their own heads to know any better.

Ace hears a growl, low and animal.

A tiger.

Ace flicks his gaze to the direction it came from, eyeing the rustling bushes with a creeping smile. It's the first noise since he got here that he's heard and it's, "Fitting…" He muses. Playing around with the idea of turning his fists into flame once again, fingers tapping the strap of his bag. He ultimately decides against it. It'd probably only scare it away anyways.

And Ace wanted a fight.

"C'mon, Luffy. Sabo." He smirks. "Just like we used to, yeah?"

It's like he can hear their childlike laughter backing him up.

"Grr…"

He tenses in preparation. If it's anything like the Tiger Lord it might actually be able to put up a fight. He doesn't know how animals on other islands would compare to those on Mt. Colubo but he was hoping for something good.

The bushes split and it leapt-

"T-Tiny?!"

Ace gaped.

That's not-

It's tiny. Much smaller than any tiger he's ever seen, maybe the size of an average dog, not a-

It runs by him.

"...Okay. Definitely weird." He raised a brow as he watched it let out something close to a howl and run away. Not even noticing him from his spot atop the roots. Huh. If he didn't know any better he'd say that it looked like it'd been running away from something-

There's a loud rustling. And he tenses, falling into a crouch.

This one- It actually reminded him of the Tiger Lord when he'd approach. As if physically moving the trees out of the way with its weight and strength packed into every part of its body, breaths heavy and aura dangerous with sheer wilderness and beastial ability. An animal like the Tiger Lord was something he could defeat with ease but this one seemed different- he can't hear any breathing and instead there's an odd vibrating sound in the air.

He watches in shock as one of the trees is bent at the trunk by a green-scythe of an arm.

"T-That's…"

A green head tilts, as if curious, down at him.

Empty and beady black eyes staring. The buzz sounds distant as it fills the air, even though he can see exactly who's responsible for it.

"...one big-ass bug!"

It's head nearly clears the tree coverage and it's definitely much bigger than the Tiger Lord, it's stature was absolutely immense and impressive. And- "Ah, shit!" He swears and jumps back.

Its blade buried into the root where he once stood.

He can't help but let out an appreciative whistle. The thing- Mantis, Ace thinks -had managed to cleanly cleave right through all the wood and straight into the ground. "Chehaha! You look like you'd make a good experiment." Oh, this one won't get frightened away by a bit of fire. And he'd like to see how it holds up, already preparing to put his Devil Fruit into action and-

Ace freezes.

"Oh."

He stops, abruptly.

Well, there goes that idea. He lets his hand fall back to his side, normal.

"You're already dead, aren't you?"

It doesn't answer. Probably because it can't. Whether that's because it's a bug or because it's soon a pile of eerily sliced pieces in a heap on the ground in front of him- ha, well. It could go both ways.

Ace stared from beneath the brim of his hat, up at the man that falls to stand on top of the defeated body. Descending from the branches up above. And Ace keeps his smile firmly on his face as black eyes look down on him, one hand firmly placed on the hilt of his broadsword. Not… quite resheathing it back in its proper place across his back.

"You can be one of three things: stupid or insane."

Ace blinks.

Curious.

"What's the third option?"

The man is still high enough up that Ace actually has to call it out to him.

"Both."

Ace feels his brow twitch. "Chehehe." But laughs it off. "What about just being confident?"

"Aa. I see." He nods slowly, and Ace notices that his expression doesn't shift in the slightest. He looks almost entirely ambivalent to the conversation, stone faced. "It's stupid for sure then."

Ace huffs a breath.

"Then what's that make you?"

"Skilled."

"Oy. That wasn't one of the options."

He gives a lazy smirk. "Don't worry. I get my own category, kid."

It's an older man. Much older than Quinn, maybe even by a full decade. And his eyes hang almost gloomily beneath a thick brow with a slice missing from the right, expression not quite… blank but not emotive either. There's been clear effort put into his hair, the brown almost black dreads braided into an intricate, diamond pattern in rows. Pulled back and somehow used as its own ties to hold up a short but thick ponytail.

The broadsword and it's sheath are wrapped in leather, and beneath that it's a mustard yellow that makes the silver blade glint. It's simple and not much different compared to swords he's seen before, if not for sheer length. Given that the man nearly pushes eight feet, though, Ace thinks it's reasonable. Even if it's easily as long as his shoulders to his feet.

Ace eyes the blade and feels his grin turn absolutely feral in response. "Wanna see if I can make my own category too?"

It gets a raised brow.

But not a no.

Because fighting.

Fighting.

It was something that Ace knew intimately.

That said, a large portion of his experience was dealing with ferocious animals and unworthy-of-a-name thugs that rarely knew how to use a gun, much less a sword properly. The people that had taken to trying their luck in the forest on Mt. Colubo were usually doing a dare or trying to test their strength after arrogantly ignoring all the stories that surrounded it. Ace had snuck around enough to know that a large portion of those stories had something to do with him or his brother- which was flattering, to be honest.

But that wasn't meant to say that he was unskilled because of it- no, rather it said that, when someone with any actual skill came along, Ace got-

A little excited.

Especially when, as he went to attack, the sword was ripped entirely from its sheath and all his instincts kicked in just in time to have him throw himself back. Eye coming frighteningly close to being cleaved in half by the blade's tip.

"Nice sword!"

There's a twist and silver swipes across his front and he backflips further, one hand springboarding him into a crouch on a low root that puts him a few feet higher than him. It's easier to see. And now that he can Ace lets out another appreciative whistle, grin splitting across his face. "That's a broadsword, right? It's really cool! How long have you been using it fo-?"

"If I knew you just wanted to chat, I would've made dinner first."

"Ah," Ace rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "You're right, my bad. We're supposed to be fighting."

He proceeds to dropkick him in the face.

Or, at least, he attempts to.

Because the flat of the sword gets lifted in response, almost lazily, and shakes beneath the force of his kick. Yet, it stays strong. Even with the man holding it with only one hand.

An attempted punch gets parried and he's forced to dodge away once again.

Color Ace impressed.

It's a strange sort of exhilaration. One that only gets lit up further when the sword forces him off and slashes aiming to cut his chest are made with a practiced ease. It's not as if he's putting in a lot of effort, and normally an attitude like that would piss him off, but Ace isn't exactly giving it his all either. Too busy taking in the controlled finesse and swordsmanship of someone who actually knows what they're doing.

He can't get in close. Not directly, not like how he normally would, not without sacrificing a few things. The length of the blade didn't allow it, not with his moves as tight as they were. This was someone disciplined.

"Hey, why are you using one hand? That's a two-handed sword, isn't it?"

"You haven't exactly shown that you can handle two. How's the dodging going?"

Ah, well.

Ace wonders how'd he react if he got serious?

"Okay then!"

"That doesn't- !"

He rushes him. It's direct and exactly what he shouldn't be doing- which is why, when the sword inevitably begins to come down, Ace already has a plan.

He slides, dirt and dust get tossed up, and he throws out a leg, just barely able to catch the hilt of the sword in his hand.

It jerks away.

Not out of grip, but far enough that his arm is forced back.

"What the-?!"

He doesn't even get a chance to finish before Ace bodies him. There's bursting flames and fire and he gets sent rolling, unable to stop until he digs his sword in the ground. Even then he still slides back a few inches.

"Didn't know you could bring the heat." He remarks slowly. Curiously. Oddly enough, he doesn't seem all that confused. Just surprised- in a detached sort of way. Ace really could not get a proper read on this guy.

"Devil Fruit."

"I assumed." He spits out a wad of blood, having bit his tongue on the way down. "Maybe you do get your own category." It's the first time that he holds the sword with two hands, and it creates a line straight down his center that has Ace circling. He doesn't seem to even notice the movement, not with his body, but his eyes follow closely.

"Told ya," is Ace's cheeky response.

It gets the first grin out of him. Almost wicked.

"I like you, cowboy. What's your name?"

He offers a bow. "Portgas D. Ace, at your service."

"Spice."

Ace almost gets his head cut off.

-0-

"So," Spice had taken to standing off to the side, arms crossed over his chest, "you're a pirate?"

"You bet!"

"Your crew?"

"I have two crewmember," he raises a third finger slowly, smile turning cheeky, "three if you're interested."

"No."

It's hard to tell whether that's a bad thing for him or not. There's not anything about his expression telling Ace that he's about to get his head cleaved off for real this time- and, yeesh, that had been a close one. Ace knew it would just go through but hell if Spice did and, besides, it's the principle of the matter! Getting a "I trust that you'd dodge," was not conducive.

He pretended not to take it as a compliment.

But there's also not anything telling him that Spice is particularly enthused by the information. Which, fair, but also. Aw. Ace is starting to think he physically can't show much beyond the neutral look. It seems to be… just the way his face is. Like a more intense version of Quinn, who was definitely quick to frown.

Spice, of course, didn't react to any of Ace's thoughts. "And you have a Devil Fruit." He deadpans.

"Yeah! The Flame Flame Fruit," he lets his hand burst into fire and Spice watches with interest as he lights up the pile of would they'd gathered. Even taking steps to lean over him and get a closer look. "I'm a fire man now! Man of fire? I don't know." He shakes his head. "You don't seem all that surprised?"

He doesn't quite believe it. But if it looks like fire, acts like fire, and smells like fire- it's probably fire.

"...I know a man with one. His power is much less useful compared to yours."

It's been a long time since their impromptu fight. They're both covered in dirt and grime and grass stains from more than a few tumbles and wrong turns. Ace's clothes are shredded and sliced and it's a bit of a surprise that it's even holding together. And Spice is nursing singed clothes and bruises across most of him.

Neither show any notice of it though. The battle hadn't ended with an exact winner. Or- rather -they'd had to argue on it.

Apparently, part way through, the forest had decided it was a good idea to finally come alive around them and tried its hand in joining in on their fight.

Unfortunate decision, really.

Well. Not for them.

They were eating good today.

"I'm still trying to get used to it." Ace shrugged, helping Spice poke the wood into a better place with a red hand. There's a burst of cinders and he forgets for a second that he doesn't have to jump back, even though he's using his hands to move everything around. "Gotta admit," he blinks and wipes his face free of soot, "it's a little weird." Not feeling the slightest bit of burning from any of it. It's all just heat that blends into each other, not even unbearable in the slightest.

"I can imagine."

"Chehehe. My crew's got some good ideas for it, I think. And Kat would probably be good to train with…"

What with the water. It'd help him figure out how it all works without worry of burning anything down. Or… burning Quinn again. His mind briefly wanders to the smell of burning flesh and he pointedly doesn't think about it.

If he ever got out of control, like he had with that boss-guy, then it'd be handy to calm back down. Hm.. Now that he was thinking about it, Kat was really going to be a crucial part of his crew, huh? He was already experienced with keeping Quinn from drowning, now he had two of them to keep from a watery grave.

...He needed to recruit some good swimmers, didn't he?

"-Is the falling asleep a side effect?"

"Huh?"

Oh. Oh.

Ace winced.

"Ah, no. That's… my own thing."

He may or may not have suffered a narcoleptic attack at some point while kicking a giant ladybug into the dirt. That had, apparently, resulted in a rather pissed off Spice standing over him after having finished off the primary brute of the insects that were still coming out of the woodworks. Damn. Ace had been looking forward to that all, too.

Spice hums an off-key tune.

Ace half expects to be made fun of.

Instead, he gets, "Quite the power move there. The insects bored you so much that you had to take a nap." He snorts. "I see where I stand. Think I'll take that lying down?"

Ace's smile nearly splits his face. Ooh, that's a different one. "You know I'll be."

Spice makes a noise that Ace… thinks is supposed to be a laugh. It can barely be described as a hitch of a breath, and is almost completely noiseless. Ace almost thinks it might have been a cough. "Experienced in that, aren't you?" He goes to help himself to gathering from the large bug corpses. There's enough that Spice thinks he'll have to put together another bag for leftovers-

Oh, but he doesn't know that he's with Ace. Who's eyeing the lot with a ravenous lot and already thinking about finding a dessert.

He stops daydreaming long enough to ask, "What's with all these gigantic bugs anyway? There was even a mini-tiger earlier…" He lifts one of the many punched to death bodies up with the toe of his boot once the fire seems like it's starting to get going.

Ace couldn't tell anybody why there were so many asshole bugs trying to kill them, and with such ferocity too. He thinks Quinn and Kat would've freaked out the moment they saw them- or maybe Quinn's allergies would've acted up again. He snickered quietly. Imagining her sneezing and pulling the strings of her hood until all he could see were her eyes and hair peeking through. The funny image made even funnier with the thought of her jumping away from everything that moved her way.

Quinn probably wouldn't like where his thoughts headed.

"Wow," Spice gasped and slapped the side of his face, as if in shock, which was weird to see because, once again, he expression didn't change, "I wonder why."

"Oy."

Something told him that Quinn and him would get along.

"The island's called Nest." Spice unsheathes his sword to begin to slice the bodies into pieces, sorting through the parts to search for the edible parts. Bugs like these had hard and toughened shells that could break teeth with just a bite. "It's rather literal in its naming."

"It's… The whole island is a nest?"

"Oh, surprise. We have a winner."

Ace deflates.

Spice sees his look and sighs. "Fine," he'll clarify, "Some Celestial Dragon had a thing for collecting rare and dangerous bugs from across the world. Ended up dumping them all here once he got bored of them. Something like forty years ago. There used to be an entire people that live here."

He rips a shell from a body, frowning down at the contents it left.

"It eventually got to be too much for them to keep at bay and they eventually had to either move to the Isle's or would die. The bugs have only gotten stronger since then, they try and fight anything that breathes. The normal animals ended up getting killed unless they were able to hide. They've started to get smaller this generation, like the tiger you saw, in order to survive. There's a few other species starting to develop camouflage even."

Ace nods.

Then chirps, "...Dark!"

"You asked."

He shrugs and can't help but mutter a low, "This whole place seems to have a bone to pick with those bastards…" Not noticing Spice glance over his shoulder at him with narrowed eyes. Ace carried on. "If it's so bad over here, why do you come? Someone said that there was only one man that could survive over here. I take it, that's you?" When he turns around he only gets to see Spice working his swords through the large body of a mantis with a practiced efficiency.

"Have you found any other mysterious, attractive and rugged men on this island?"

"Humble."

"I try."

"Seriously, though-"

Spice raises up a fresh cut of insect meat, cutting Ace off before he can finish. Saying simply, "For this."

"...Bugs?"

"Food."

Ace can certainly understand that. "You could just go to the store." Augh, it sounds blasphemous to say it out loud. He's so used to hunting and foraging for himself that it feels weird even suggesting it.

Spice gives him a dry look. "One of the Isle's is literally called Starving."

Aa.

"You enjoy making people feel stupid, don't you?"

"It has its perks."

Yes, Ace definitely thinks he and Quinn would get along. Just swell.

"Beyond that, it's excellent training."

Oh, Ace can see that. While bugs and insectoids are different from beasts and teeth there's still a lot of merit to be gained from dealing with the immense forms. And with the thick shells and surprisingly sharp blades ready to tear through everything and everybody, for someone mastering a blade, it was a fantastic method of training with a sword. "It seems a little like a paradise for you, huh?" He smirks at the blade. "For a swordsman, you'd probably gain a lot of experience."

That- is apparently the wrong thing to say.

Because Ace receives an almost-glare and a raised brow.

"For a "swordsman"…?"

Spice rolls his eyes and raises the blade to slice cleanly through the bodies surrounding them, flurry of steel and precision.

"I am not simply a swordsman," Ace can feel himself begin to salivate as he presents his sword, fully ducked out in meat and ingredients he pulled from seemingly nowhere, and the already prepped meat behind him, "I am a chef."

...

...

It's… It's glorious.

Perfectly, flame-cooked eats. Fantastic aromas of spices and flavor just waiting to be tasted. The effortless ease in which Spice cooked and created in an endless cycle of fashion and-

It was like looking into heaven that was preparing to slap back.

And Ace was completely knocked off his feet.

"Is this… what they call love?"

"That's dramatic."

Spice pauses before adding, "But not wrong."

Ace takes a bite and practically melts, trying to appreciate the heat and everything good- eating bugs wasn't exactly his favorite pastime, it was more something to fall back on in case he couldn't make a catch of the day, when he was much younger and fresh to the forest hustle. But… Spices cooking… it just seemed to elevate everything so much further. If Ace ever got to eat a bite of food he actually liked- wow. He thinks he'd die from sheer happiness.

It's a wonder how someone can have so much skill.

He tries to savour the first bite, eyes closing as he chews.

Then promptly tears through the rest of it in a matter of seconds.

"..."

Spice stares, one eye twitching.

"More, please!"

"...hah?"

He wiped his mouth with his arm, already drooling with the thought of more. But- that's not an excuse to forget politeness, Ace shakes himself back to his senses. "My apologies, that was rude, allow me to try that again." He bowed, deeper than what was required. "It would be an honor to taste more of your food. Would you be so kind as to prepare more?"

It's a little stiff from lack of practice but Makino would have his head if she heard he'd completely squandered all her teachings the moment he left.

Spice seems to be at a loss for words.

Eyes shifting between the insane amount of food he'd already made, gone from its place without a crumb left, and Ace and his… objectively skinny frame.

"...Sure."

And then, once again, Spice stares.

A minute. It's… all gone already.

"Will you look at that?"

Ace is busy polishing off his fingers and grinning so widely that Spice has to squint looking at him. Was that just his fruit or was the sun really shining bright behind him? He looked away.

"You're an amazing chef!"

"I know." He made a face at the completely empty grass behind him. It's all gone. "Where does it all go?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Spice stares at him, deadpan. "You're a blackhole."

"Chehehe! My crew's said that before." Mostly Quinn. But he thinks she eats too little to even qualify as a snack in his mind. "This is about the same amount I've always eaten." Give or take, he could probably stand for one more, but hey-! He'll take what he can get. He was getting bored of only eating fish. And after last night he was starving.

"At least you'll always clean your plate…" Spice mutters. "By the way, your braids are coming loose."

That came out of nowhere.

Ace blinks. He hasn't a clue what he's talking about.

"My what?"

He gestures to his head. "Your hair."

He raises his hand up, still confused. "...Oh! That." He vaguely remembers fingers carding through his hair and Quinn talking somewhere next to him, saying something that he could recall if he wanted but Ace had a feeling that he wouldn't exactly like it. "Forgot she did that…"

It's all loose now and his bangs are beginning to fall back into place but he leaves it, it'll probably hold for a while longer yet and- oh! Ace feels his fingers find the bobby pins holding it all down. He hadn't had much luck with her trying to teach him how to lockpick. He'd gotten the idea of… how to do it, as a concept, but even with Quinn helping him and showing him how to do it over and over again he just seemed to fumble or end up breaking them whenever he thought he was close to getting it. It made all the more frustrating when Quinn couldn't help but end up laughing behind his back, trying to be a good teacher but… Ace would not write home about it.

But hey, Ace let his hand drop, he had his own pins to practice with now!

Spice reads his actions wrong and gestures to his own hair, "My youngest sister did this."

"...It's good?"

It is. At least Ace thinks so, in his admittedly incredibly limited knowledge.

Makino sometimes came around with her hair all done up- Dadan would always ask her how much it'd cost and complain about how expensive it was, and Ace had always been completely blown away by the number that she gave. And those didn't even come close to the intricate and carefully woven braids and skill that had gone into the hairstyle Spice was rockin'.

"I'll tell her you said that."

He's wiping his sword clean and gathering up his bag and things, Ace thinks he might be preparing to leave. Which- no, he couldn't have that. "Does she do it a lot? Your hair?" He asks, the first thing that pops into his head. He's not really all that interested in talking about hairstyles but… Spice seemed to take the question in stride.

"She wants to be a hairstylist," he explains, "she practices on anybody and everyone that'll sit still. What about the girl that did that- does she do that kind of thing often?"

"Nah, I was drunk and she pulled it back for me."

Spice closes his mouth and seems less than interested in continuing from there, nose wrinkling slightly. "So you can't hold your drink."

"Huh- no way! I totally can!"

He doesn't look like he believes him.

"I can!" Ace grumbles, "But that's… not important."

"You're a pirate and you're a lightweight? Isn't that an oxymoron?"

"Hey!"

Spice rolls his eyes.

He's still carefully wiping down his sword with a cloth, the blade doesn't exactly look dirty but he was pulling out bottles with labels and supplies that Ace vaguely remembers the bandits complaining about being hard to buy because it was only really sold in the lower throngs of Edge Town. Getting past the get in their typical garb was hard.

Distractedly, Ace watches with fascination, "That's- a good dream though. You have a little sister?"

It helps to drag him back into the conversation. And he hesitates before he says, "...Three." Spice flips the sword and begins on the other side. "What about you? I can't imagine someone that went out and became a pirate at your age-"

"Seventeen is completely reasonable and I did so on purpose-"

"-has much in the way of family."

"Not true. I have a little brother- Luffy!"

For some reason, that seems to honestly confuse him, because he's furrowing his brow and shifting his weight so he can frown at him. "And you just left him behind?"

Ace winced.

"Oy, don't put it like that! Being a pirate has been our dream since we were kids, he's going to sail out to sea in three years, too!" Ace can't help but smile a bit, even if it was slight with worry. He really can't wait to see how he's grown when that day comes but… he was also a little afraid that his kid brother would still be just that- his kid brother. Not knowing when to not fight, too naive and trusting, and whether his crew would be people Ace could trust him with. "I'll see him then." He echoed, a little quieter.

Spice shakes his head at him. "I can't imagine… leaving my sisters behind… you don't leave family behind. Ever."

"We made a promise. To leave when we were both seventeen," Spice has to lean away. It looked like his eyes were on fire, not literally, but… Ace clearly didn't appreciate the insinuation that he was just abandoning Luffy. "Neither of us would ever break that."

He rubs the back of his neck, hair standing on end. "Didn't mean it that way." He quickly changes the subject, ignoring the burning gaze on him, "What about the rest of your crew?"

"What about them?"

"Normal people don't go out and become pirates. Not those with families." Spice gives him a look. "And somehow I doubt that you all dreamed of piracy. Frankly, that's an odd dream for a couple of kids, by the way."

Ace shrugs. To both comments.

"Quinn mentioned a grandmother. There was also a pair of girls claiming to be her sisters when she joined," Ace adds, "but she said they weren't. I think she was already traveling around by that point. She said she was from the Grand Line."

"The Pirates' Graveyard?"

"Yeah, so is Kat! He's from some place called Fishman Island. His family though…"

He'd said something about a mother, hadn't he? And something about weird shells that she researched that he was looking for. Quinn had filled him in on what had happened while he was running around and it hadn't sounded like Kat was living his… best life. Sequestered and forced to hide away from the people on Belle.

Ace didn't know how he didn't have a grudge against humanity.

If he was in his shoes, he knows he would.

"None that I know of."

"Of course," Spice sighed, rubbing his forehead, "Travelers and orphans. Fit for the perfect pirate crew."

"They are pretty great."

"That wasn't…" He sighs and sheathed his sword on his back, packing away the last of his supplies. "Anyways, cowboy, it's getting late."

It really wasn't.

The sun was only just starting its descent and the sky was still bright blue.

"You best get back to your crew, don't you think?"

"Huh? Hey, wait-!"

He was walking away.

"Where are you going? Ah, wait, Spice, don't just up and leave-!"

Ace quickly kicks out the fire and rushes to follow after. Since he's so tall Ace has to walk twice as fast to keep up and he's clearly used to walking through the forest. Seemingly knowing exactly where he's going, even though all there was were trees and large, open clearings as far as Ace could tell.

"Hey, why don't you join my crew?!"

That gets an eyebrow, "I already said no."

"Ah, c'mon, we need a chef! I've only got a navigator so far," he leaps after him, hopping in front in the hopes that it might slow him down a bit, "and you're a swordsman too! It's been awhile since I've had someone able to keep up with me in a fight, you'd be a perfect addition!"

A swordsman. A master chef. A guy that clearly values family.

It would be a complete waste to give up on him.

"Join my crew!"

And then there's a side eye, "We just got done talking about family and you're still asking. You seemed to take no for an answer just fine earlier."

"That was before I knew how great of a cook you were!"

Spice snorts and easily steps around him.

"Where are you going anyway?"

"Look. Cowboy-wonder."

Ace sputters.

That was certainly a… nickname.

"I'm not interested in piracy. I have more important things to worry about."

"-Like what?"

"People usually have their own set of responsibilities."

"Responsi…" Ace scoffs. "C'mon, don't you ever want to just go wild? I mean, being a pirate is all about being free and following your dreams!"

Spice makes that odd sound again, the one that Ace is pretty sure is supposed to be a laugh. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Ace perks up at that.

"I'll just have to show you then!"

Spice doesn't really know how to take that information and Ace doesn't move to leave, keeping in step with him, practically skipping. "...You're not going to leave me alone about this are you?"

"Nope!"

"Aren't you a Captain? Shouldn't you be keeping track of your crew?"

Ace waves off the attempt to get him to leave. "They can do whatever they want. Besides, they know where I am if there's trouble!"

He'd made sure to tell that Cona-chick where he was off to and asked her to let his crew know when they woke up. She'd jumped and said something about how she had to leave to search for the Salt-kid who apparently had wandered off and hadn't come back but Ace hadn't stayed long enough to figure out what she was talking about. Already off to find the way to Nest Island.

"At least tell me where we're headed."

Spice shakes his head.

"...Home."

"Starving Chang? Isn't that in the other direction?"

"Yes and no." Spice points to a place where the trees are beginning to open up, enough so that Ace can start to smell the ocean again. "I'm from the other one. Hunting Chang."

-0-

Quinn found that it…

Felt a little strange.

The sheer… normality behind it all. Even though her face and back ached, and luck was a short movement away, and the world was filled with pirates, none of it took away from the fact that she was still walking in her sneakers, bundled in her old and ratty jacket, wearing clothes simultaneously too warm and too cold for the weather, and she… She was shopping. Wandering through the streets and eyeing surprisingly lacking booths in the hopes of finding groceries that could last them any number of days out at sea.

Acting like this… was normal.

The juxtaposition of the yesterdays versus the now- it seemed so at odds in her head. She'd fallen into a new world, she set sail to sea despite never having seen the ocean before in her life, almost got her head removed by a pissed off sea monster, hell, someone had just tried to murder one of her friends- who was barely older than a child.

It felt wrong. To take it so in stride. Quinn didn't like that she couldn't even say that all that was what bothered her the most- it had nothing on… on...

She shook her head.

"Why is-" The man at the booth looks up as she speaks. "-everything so… empty?"

Saigen had never had the problem of having too little. Maybe in terms of space. But it was a trading island, the booths there, even the more niche ones, were always overflowing to the point that they encroached on, not only others, but also on the walkway. It made it difficult to walk through, let alone run through, and Quinn had used the buildings and walls and whatever alternate routes she could find to get around it.

This though- It was just. There was almost nothing. And what there actually was, well, it was pathetic by comparison.

He squints at her face, "What do you think the island is named for?"

She shuts her mouth and nods.

"...How much for the oranges?"

It's a bit of a treat.

She carefully bites into a slice, trying not to get the juice into the bites on her lips. It's an inevitable failure and she feels her eye twitch from the stinging.

They've gone longer than they should without citrus and she wasn't looking to pull a Yosaku and get scurvy. With the lack of options here though there also came the problem that everything was now much more expensive than it probably should be. She only had so much money left over from working and neither Ace or Kat seemed to have much, if anything. Then again, the whole Berry currency… She still had troubles getting used to it.

It's the small things that throw her off.

That really bother her.

The sea and living in a boat and unfamiliar places- it was what she anticipated. It's what, when she woke up in the morning, she prepared herself for. That she could expect. But… the small things. Those were another thing entirely.

Quinn felt her stomach curl in an unpleasant way. Whether that's because she only had coffee for breakfast and the sudden bite of food had her body crying out for more or because she just can't look at anyone in the eye- she'd convince herself that it was only the former.

The colorful hair… she could ignore that by convincing herself that it was just dyed, even though the mere concept seemed to offend those she brought it up to. The small, villager-like buildings felt out of time and place and period- but she could think that away with a wave and the thought that, hah, she was out farther into the country than she'd ever been before. The salty smell of the ocean was a bit harder to ignore but hey- that was just nature being nature. And the lack of noses stuck in phones or advertisements thrown up on screens and walls- Oh, everyones just trying to be better about their screen time and was more aware of the problems of being blasted by commercial products twenty four seven three-sixty five.

It was intense denial but, hey, it worked. She wasn't going to fix it if it wasn't broken.

Quinn pretended that her fingers weren't shaking as she brought another orange slice up to her mouth and chewed.

The people though… the people were harder to ignore.

All of it was just wrong.

No matter where she looked.

General mannerisms that she couldn't exactly describe, other than the fact that it made her feel out of place whenever she noticed. The way people seemed to smile without any ulterior motive or like they were actually happy with their life- which, okay, that's not all that odd. But Quinn was starting to realize how weird it felt to even notice and that- now that she had an idea of what it looked like -how many people from the real world walked around with a well-constructed facade.

And she had always been good at reading people, this though, it was uncomfortable- just how easy it was to see straight through every single one of them with just a glance.

It was part of the reason that she didn't make eye contact with any of them. And it's why, when asking for apples from another vendor, she has to swallow in disgust when his hand grazes hers for much longer than it should before she can quickly walk away. Teeth grinding together at the feeling of eyes on her back.

Stuff like that. That was what was making her feel sick.

Oh, not the eyes themselves, but the overwhelming knowledge that they were there.

Everything was just- too much. All at once.

She hadn't noticed it at first. Not when she was still confused, but once she started picking out the differences, it was all she could see. Being so suddenly engulfed in it all- It was like an assault on her brain.

Even the people were- too much one way, too much the other way, there was nothing quite in the middle and- Too prominent. It was like people were walking caricatures.

Eyes were a bit too wide, too round. Noses shaped in a way that looked all the more easy to bend or mold. Hell, even the shapes of people's heads are either something she would expect or so abnormal that she actually has to wrinkle her nose and look away. Limbs are just too long or too short, bones don't poke through skin the same way. A large majority of the men are either built like a brick shithouse or… just shapes. And the women- god, the women. They were all too skinny, too slight, with almost no hips and all chest, and she tried to convince herself that it's the result of a corset or other body-shaping means but that's… not right either.

Everyone was just on the cusp of alien.

Quinn shudders.

Okay, so maybe she's being dramatic. Maybe that it's not quite so bad as she's making it out to be. Because, if she hadn't been made aware of it when she figured out that it was One Piece, she doubted she would have noticed as soon as she did.

They're still human, still humanoid- but it was like they evolved to allow for Oda's art to make sense and she hasn't had the time to get used to it all.

It was a small mercy that both Ace and Kat looked normal enough. The oddities were still there but they were small. Even with Kat's gils and odd textures of skin and color.

"It's just different…" She mumbled under her breath, trying to reassure herself.

And isn't that the problem?

The repeated reminder that this is not her home and that she doesn't belong. Quinn wonders how she must look to them all.

("-your face is just wrong-!")

Wonders if the width of her ribcage stands out, the thickness on her arms and legs and hips; if the fact that her stomach actually looked like it could hold organs was something that weirded them out; if the shape of her face, eyes, or nose had people staring at her behind her back. Was her mouth different? Her lips? Her ears? Did her hair and her skin just scream even more that she was different?

Maybe there was a reason why the people of Saigen didn't like her? Then again, they hadn't liked Roddie much either so it might've been because of her affiliation with him.

Quinn… didn't want to stand out. She didn't want to be seen.

She stood over a stand with slices of meat and jerky sitting in ice and tied with rope, tapping her chin and pretending like her mind wasn't elsewhere. Both her arms are now laden with grocery bags and most of her money is gone but she thinks they'd appreciate having a different kind of meat other than fish for once- or, at least, Ace would. Kat hadn't explained it with the exact term but she thinks he was pescetarian.

The internal panic is stomped down and her anxiety is swept under the rug.

Realistically, she doubted she got more than a passing glance, maybe spared an odd look here or there at most, so it shouldn't feel like the whole world is glaring at her back.

"Which of these holds for the longest-?"

The woman behind the booth makes a noise, somewhere caught between a gasp and a squeak, and stumbles back. "What? Are you okay?" Quinn blinks as a finger slowly raises to point somewhere behind and above her.

She turned.

Quinn felt her breath hitch.

She took a step back, mouth opening and words failing to form. "...?!"

They're- They're-

A smile spreads and teeth gleam and a sort of strange, unnatural terror pierces her heart.

They were looking at her.

.

.

.

Yeesh, I gotta start writing happier chapters. I'm not meaning for them to come out like this.

I wanted to have an Ace-centric chapter. I like doing those. What'cha think? This was also a bit of a break from the massive behemoth that was chapter 11 but, realistically, there's going to be a lot more chapters in the future that might be longer than that. I'm so, so excited to write the next few chapters! I've been waiting to write this part of this arc since the very first chapter! I just can't wait to dive into it! As always, please let me know what you thought! The reviews I've been getting lately have been maing me so happy and just throwing me into more and more writing! It's really motivating! Even if it is just a smiley face.