Wow.
This chapter took forever to write! I ended up changing a bunch of things I had planned and some parts just- oof- didn't want to get written. So I hope you enjoy how it came out!
I ended up having to take a break and focus on my other story TPITL if anyone's interested in My Hero. It helped a lot with me writing this fic.
Kat huffed, panicked breaths coming out in short bursts of air.
Ace had fallen completely silent after his last shout. Determined to climb up the remaining rungs of the ladder no matter how many callouses he gained or even the fact that Kat was busy struggling to keep up.
He was stumbling on the rungs, unable to get a good foothold before he was being dragged up, arms and legs screaming in protest- the pace that Ace had set, if it wasn't for the knotted rope connecting them together- it would've left him in the dust. And Kat couldn't even blame him, blinking back hot tears that threatened to pool into his eyes-
He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't.
A blink and the frustrated tears are gone.
But… If he'd been stronger, if he hadn't been scared, then Quinn wouldn't have thought she needed to… to let go.
He would slap himself across the face to shove him out of his thoughts but, then, he really would be useless wouldn't he? Nothing but a weight holding Ace back from continuing forward. And he wouldn't let himself be that.
Scared… What did falling to his death matter if Quinn and Spice had gotten taken because of it?
Kat had plenty of fears. He wasn't crazy and he knew when to cut his losses. But some were worth more than others and he didn't have the luxury of getting to pick and choose when it was time to be afraid.
The drop to his death doesn't seem so daunting in the face of something worse, after all.
Like losing a friend.
It doesn't matter. Whatever he feels, it's probably nothing compared to what Ace must be going through.
If Kat is as worried as he was, Ace must be that ten-fold.
Because two of his crew had been abducted, taken far into the air above their heads and… if this was Quinn and Ace, up here on the ladder together, instead of just him, she would know what to do, wouldn't she?
(She wouldn't. But she'd be better at acting like she did.
"Come on, Ace, go! And you think that I'm the slowpoke?"
He could almost imagine it.
Funnily enough, even as she said that, he couldn't help but picture her panting and struggling even worse than him to keep up. He shakes his head to rid himself of the fantasy.)
The possibility hits him and he sucks in a deep breath, his heart pumping as adrenaline courses through his veins. Right. Now that it was only him, it was up to him to keep things together and-
...He had no idea how to do that.
But, tentatively, and voice shaking with a nervous inexperience that made his cheeks flame in embarrassment, he tried to offer up words that might possibly help, "Ace…"
Now, he didn't know what to expect. He knew that Quinn was the best at handling things, especially when it came to Ace, but he never really thought about the kinds of conversations that he knew they sometimes got up to- he didn't want to think about them anyways. It felt like a private affair, especially seeing how serious Ace sometimes got during them… hell, it seemed like everytime he overheard the quiet whispers they shared at night, the conversations over dancing, or even the random smaller moments, it'd felt like he was intruding on something he wasn't supposed to be privy to and something that was exceptionally personal.
It never made him not feel bad. Because he couldn't exactly shut his ears off and the ship was small enough that talking outside could be overheard, even over the waves. It was… uncomfortable.
(Spice and him had shared one too many looks at each other before drowning themselves in a card game. Something to keep them from eavesdropping. And something told Kat that Spice was much, much better at it than he was.
The only thing he could do was resolve to not speak a word of any of it to anyone. Then, maybe, it was as if he hadn't heard anything in the first place.
It was only fair after all. It was a silent agreement to not breathe a word of any secrets that one might discover. But Kat didn't think many on their crew had anything to hide anyways- he didn't.
At least, he didn't think so.)
That said, Kat would have never predicted the enraged yell that Ace let out. It's more of a warcry than anything. And it has him nearly falling off the ladder from the shock of it, jumping straight out of his own skin.
"RAAAAAARRREGH!"
Ace screamed, eyebrows pulled angrily down and eyes pointed furiously upward. Kat couldn't see it but he knew it spelt death.
"Those damn shitty birds! I'll cook 'em all!"
So.
Not… exactly what he imagined when it came to trying to get a handle on things.
Kat sweat drops, "U-Uh, y-yeah… you- you must be worried?" His nervousness feels palpable, he can practically taste it in the air.
"Worried?! I'm just pissed !"
The vehemence with which he says it has Kat reeling.
And also completely, utterly bemused.
He can't help but tilt his head as Ace pushes them even further up the ladder, nearly making him stumble over his own feet, and he likes to imagine that there might be a question mark popping up over his head. "But the others…?"
Ace's seething dips into something low and serious, "They can take care of themselves." It's said so matter of factly that Kat just has to believe him.
There's no other option.
"But-"
"Don't worry. I wouldn't pick weak crewmates," Ace assures him and Katsura doesn't know how he's managed to turn this situation around, so that he was the one comforting him , but Ace somehow has, and it's… relieving in a way. "Trust them. Besides, they'll be trusting us to have their backs. So let's meet them halfway, yeah?"
There's not much he can really say to that. Other than agreeing.
The ladder grows more and more precarious as they continue to climb. For some reason, and Kat can certainly guess , considering the clouds they're beginning to pass through grow heavier and heavier with every passing inch, Ace begins to falter a little in his climbing.
There's the added problem that the light doesn't pass through the clouds anymore and, while they can still feel a feather here and there, it wasn't as if there was any flash of pink to warn them. Just a sudden feeling of one- or twelve - brushing against their face before falling past. And climbing through them, with it as hard to see as it was, and things touching them every now and again- it certainly created a feeling to send shivers up their spines.
It's wet, smells like it too, and metal and water can only end in rust-
They don't falter, not really, but their backs are straight with tension as they continue climbing.
The ladder creaked and moaned, letting out a haunting note that echoed all around them, hanging in the air for long after it first began. It's headache inducing, but it brings attention to the disconcerting chipping of the metal. It's not- the worst . But they can see the red cords of the ladder turn to brown and begin to grow rough under their hands. The state of the disrepair is worrying and, briefly, makes Kat wonder how it's even there when the rest of the ladder is so clean and untouched- yes , part of it has to do with the clouds being higher up and thicker where they currently are, but there should have been rust from rain at the very least somewhere below them as well.
It's like whoever was incharge of the ladder only did their job halfway. Like something stopped them or kept them from coming back and finishing maintenance. And that they'd just decided to roll down the ladder anyways.
It made him loathe to think about what might have happened if the ladder had been only a smidgeon worse off. When all of them were on and a breeze decided to hit.
Falling to their deaths, for sure.
(The possibility makes him sick to his stomach but it doesn't hit as badly as it would have before the Occamy.)
But- Whether the rust was the result of the sheer size of the ladder or outside factors being unable to properly care for the metal, Kat couldn't say.
He just knew that, eventually, he and Ace had to slow down- despite the way that Ace grumbled and seemed to impatiently bounce in place- as it grew more and more dangerous to carry on. The ladder shuddering beneath them. Enough so that they were both sweating and second guessing every new step because, as much as they may have wanted to hurry, the telltale sound of metal breaking down was enough to tell them that today just wasn't going to be their day.
"Aa-!"
Ace yelped. The rung that he'd just reached for snapping under his weight and it was only by instinct, driving him to leap upwards, that let him manage to wrap his other hand around the next one above it.
It creaked dangerously under his fingers, but it held.
For about three seconds.
Ace… panicked.
Kat panicked.
There was a lot of panicking from all parties involved.
"Well." Ace could feel sweat dripping down the side of his face, a pit in his stomach forming as it dropped. See, the problem with climbing at such high speeds as they'd been doing, was that there wasn't much time to clip and unclip the carabiners that would've helped prevent the seriousness of a situation like this: Holding on by one hand to the bent, broken and rusted piece of metal that was only partly still connected to the ladder.
With nothing in-between to step on or grab onto.
Because all of those had broken too. And Ace wasn't able to attach a carabiner while stuck holding on like this to prevent a fall. "This is… nice."
"Hm, no. No. I don't think so."
Kat wheezed, tone somehow a mixture of downright scathing and absolutely horrified.
It came out oddly high-pitched and strangled.
"This is- the opposite of nice."
"Could've gone better. I will admit."
(Spice is facepalming in the back of their heads and Quinn is looking ready to punch something, "Why wouldn't you attach it before you knew you had stable footing-?!")
Ace bit his lip, chewing it slightly in thought as he searched for a way out of this. It was going to be left up to luck, wasn't it? He could already feel his grip slipping and the only real option he had was to try and grab the next rung within range, the problem was that, if he ended up putting all his weight on it, he wasn't sure if it was going to break like all the rest.
It didn't help that the clouds made it too hard to see and he couldn't really tell if it was also rusted or not.
What a time to be without Quinn and her luck powers. He felt like it would've been enough to keep him from, at the very least, immediately falling to his death. And he hadn't accepted any offered marks.
Oh well. He supposes his own luck will have to be enough.
Ace's tongue sticks out from the corner of his mouth, he was just going to have to commit to the grab and be prepared for an inevitable fall. His steadily loosening grip only increased his incentive to get a move on.
"Ace?" He can't look down, not without jostling the broken rung even more, but he does let out a hum to let Kat know that he heard him. "I'll catch you. If you fall. I can do that much, don't worry!"
He hadn't been- but it does have him grinning before he jumps.
"Woah-!"
And it turns out that Kat will need to catch him. Because as soon as Ace gets ready to make the leap, it's already too late. His previous piece breaks, snapping off entirely before he can really do anything, and he's sent plummeting- it feels like all the air has left his lungs and his stomach has dropped so far downwards that he can't even feel it anymore. Ace must look as green as Kat does.
He guessed it didn't matter if that rung above him was safe or not anyways.
"Gosh- you're- heavy-!" Kat grunts. Bent practically all the way backwards, hanging on by just his knees alone, the velocity of Ace's fall nearly ripping him straight off the ladder and out of his grip. Ace grimaced at the sight of- well, all he could see was the blue of the sea below, not even dots on the horizon, and the smoke-like cloud was making it even harder to see anything anyways.
"Chehehe."
Does Ace sound a little nervous when he chuckles?
...Maybe.
"So what's the plan?"
They end up having to climb the ladder like it's a pole.
While the rungs are weak- weight on the center of a horizontal stick wasn't exactly the best idea, especially when it's weakened- the sides of the ladder are much less so. Given that it hadn't fallen apart when they'd first gotten on it, they assumed that it was safe enough to continue trusting it (though trusting was a strong word) and hope that it doesn't disconnect partway through. And wasn't that thought enough to send paranoid shivers up both their spines?
Shimmying up the pole is a long process, and they only stop and begin truly trusting the ladder again when they can spy no rust in sight- or, rather, a very minimum amount of rust- and finally get back to the actual steps of the ladder. Climbing up sideways was an odd experience. But now that it's over they're actually making good time again- even if it takes a couple hours for them to get to that point. Upwards of an hour or two. Too long.
Anything could've happened to Quinn and Spice by now and-
Katsura bites his tongue, not hard enough to pierce but hard enough to hurt. The pain helps to jolt him back to reality and out of his worrying.
They just had to keep going. Ace was right. He needed to have more confidence in them and in himself. They'd need him at his best if anything bad happened and him nervous, worrying-? That was not his best.
Climbing, the feathers had gotten heavier in quantity, but so had the clouds. Their thickness was even worse now. It's almost as if they'd wandered into a great fog, and it sank in heavy over their limbs. Surprisingly, the ladder didn't seem rusted here though, like it had before. If anything, it seemed almost… as if it was used to travel. There were scuff marks and small digits carved into the metal. As if someone had traveled down it before getting scared and climbing back up. For Kat, it results in a nice feeling. The cool water-filled cloud feels like heaven around him, some odd cross between the ocean and the air, a perfect mix that seems to match him. And, for Ace, it was very much the opposite .
Because, well. They're still made of water.
Not the best for a Devil Fruit User.
So… That was- not so nice.
Ace's jaw clenches, powering through the wobbly feeling that threatens to overtake him and seize his limbs. The air tastes downright… salty on his tongue. Like the ocean but not quite.
It doesn't matter. Ace huffs, pulling himself up, it helped to not focus too much on what laid ahead of him. Kept him from realizing quite how far they've gone and how much further they needed to go. And that made the travel seem less daunting, especially considering the building countdown ticking away in Ace's head.
He may have told Kat not to worry. May have told him to trust in his crew- and Ace meant it, he truly did. And he wasn't as worried as he might've been if he were someone else.
But… His lips pursed. He didn't like how this situation was lining up. It felt too-
Familiar. Maybe.
If it wasn't for the fact that the Occopy- Occamy? Ace doesn't even remember- making off with Quinn and Spice right in front of his face. Ace would have assumed the worse; that they had dropped them to their deaths immediately afterwards.
They didn't.
And that told Ace that, given that they thought they'd stolen something important, they'd taken them in for questioning.
Which drew up bad memories of Luffy and his horrible lying and keeping his mouth firmly shut and- He shakes his head. The only saving grace was that Ace hadn't gotten Porchemy vibes off the bastards. They seemed too frantic and wild, rather than desperate. Besides, this was different. They hadn't actually done anything this time. And, seeing as he was pretty sure he would remember stealing something from hot air balloon birds, he was pretty sure that none of his crew had either. So it didn't quite matter if they'd stolen anything or not, because they wouldn't be able to offer up any information, and he didn't think saying I don't know was going to help any. Even if it was the truth.
And Ace didn't think they'd agree with the truth.
Especially if they were well-and-truly desperate.
So stuck in his mind, Ace is only drawn out when he winces, the sun nearly blinding him as it beams down on them for the first time in a couple hours. It's afternoon and- Ace halts in his steps, Kat's head bumping into the underside of his legs. The realization that there's no more clouds blocking his view anymore hitting him and has his head whipping upwards, unable to keep a beaming smile on his face from growing.
"Hey, Kat! I think we're finally getting somewhere!"
The thick clouds lay heavy at his shoulders still but that's fine. He can see . They're parted almost unnaturally around him.
"What makes you say that?"
Unfortunately, Kat's a bit behind on the uptake. But that's not entirely his fault, he's still stuck a bit ways down behind him.
"I don't know. A hunch?"
"A hunch ?"
Kat struggles to squeeze past Ace on the ladder before giving up and simply climbing over his back, using Ace's shoulders to pull himself up and catch a glimpse at whatever caused Ace to stop in his tracks and-
"Oh."
He breathed, eyes wide.
"I think that's a little more than a hunch, Ace."
Like an ocean of white, clouds lay before them, buoyant and heavy and thick to the point that they looked like they could physically touch them, without going through. Given how the ladder pulled over the edge, attached to a pair of bright red posts dressed with flowers that, upon closer inspection, were completely fake and completely made of feathers, they'd tentatively be willing to bet that they might even be able to stand on it- as wild as that thought might be.
A sea of clouds.
Quinn had mentioned there being islands in the sky.
It was amazing.
Cloud-made bricks led away, a pathway that crawled along the rolling hills of white. Leading, leading, leading onwards- to the kingdom in the sky. It stood tall, white spires springing into the air, large and covered by glass screens and accents of brilliant gold embossed on every fixture and corner. And those pink, feather-made flowers sprung from seemingly every corner, like plants and trees instead of greenery. Gone were the falling pink feathers from the sky, now they could see the source- A large building sat not too far from where the ladder went out. Half destroyed and rising with smoke, spitting out large masses of the very feathers they'd seen falling past them on the way up, spewing from large, open pipes at an unstoppable pace that- they were pretty sure- wasn't supposed to be happening.
And naming the land they'd stumbled upon was an engraved sign at the very entrance, flowy words like calligraphy enwrapped by feathers, right in front of where the ladder peaked out, was written: Flamenco Skies.
It seemed like a suitable name for the island they'd stumbled upon.
Notably, Ace and Kat noticed ladders similar to their own, as well as more welcoming signs stuck side-by-side in a semicircle, wrapped and unfree next to where they climbed out- half afraid and half expecting to fall through the cloud despite how solid it felt- and froze as whispers reached their ears.
"Go on- do it!"
"I dare ye!"
"I don't know guys, this seems like a bad idea…"
"Scaredy cat! Scaredy cat! You're gonna lose the bet at this rate."
"But…"
"C'mon! You just gotta make it down- ain't nobody made it past the rust before! You don't even gotta go the whole way."
Ace and Kat exchange glances.
They can't see who's speaking, but they sound a bit younger than Kat. Snooty and pompous voices that seemed to be egging someone on- presumably to climb down the ladder.
(Spice would have raised a brow. "What do they think this is? A haunted house?")
Ace cups his hands around his mouth, "Hey-! What're you doing?"
And is immediately met by shocked curses. "I thought all the feather workers were busy fixing the plantation! Run, hurry! Before we get caught!"
"Oh, flamboyance, my parents will kill me if they catch me by the Blue's Ladder!"
("But it's red.")
"H-Hey, hold on a second-!"
But it's too late. Whoever it was is long gone by the time they manage to right themselves, suddenly hit by a wave of lightheadedness now that they'd taken the time to stop and breath in the thin air. There's just more of those pink feathers left behind, all that points to someone having once been there.
"Well, damn. We could've asked for directions."
"Mnh. I hope that there aren't any more of those Occamy around here, waiting to attack us…"
Or maybe that would have been a good thing, considering that they could've used them to lead them back to Quinn and Spice.
"I guess all that's left to do is explore!"
Ace says it like it's a bad thing.
It's not.
He can't keep his excitement contained. Because this- this was breaking several different levels of believability and skipping right over to crazy. And Ace- Ace thinks he liked crazy. If crazy was islands in the sky then… What wasn't there to like?
-0-
Gasps echoed throughout the plaza, whispers rising up and the crowds heads hung low and bent as they talked amongst themselves. Trying to keep quiet and to themselves but failing at it miserably, to make matters worse, they were rather obvious about their eavesdropping as well. Each of them probably thought themselves slick-
They were not.
Not at all.
One even nearly fell over from attempts at listening in.
But why might there be horribly hushed whispers and eavesdroppers at every corner? Because the residents of Flamenco Skies had a horrible, horrible vice, one that ran deep in their blood and one that none of them were too worried about ridding themselves of-
They were gossips .
"Did you hear-?"
"Complete desecration!"
"A Blue Dweller came, mocking us and our very culture! How dare they?!"
It was easy to see the festering anger beginning to build in the air, steadily growing worse with every word that spilled from their tongues, the sheer annoyance permeating off of each individual to the point that the plaza had a dark cloud hanging over it. A metaphorical one, in this case. Because a dark cloud was very much in the realm of possibility for a sky island.
Now, the cause for this particular set of gossip? Why, that would be the spray paint written across one of the walls of a building, large and messy letters, completely covering a beautiful mural that was placed front and center within the kingdoms plaza.
"They're mocking our king by vandalizing the King's Plaza! How dare they write on his face like this? And about those blasted snakes as well!"
"Hmmph!"
The King's Plaza was a popular place, it served as the town square and was probably the most colorful place on the island. And that was not an easy argument to make- while the tops of the buildings were mostly white, glass, and a little bit of gold, the closer it got to the ground, the more it was splashed by paints and colors. Vibrant, and patternless- an expressionistic style, all except the main mural- but that didn't matter. None of it did. Not the cloud fountain floating in the center, not the strung up clouds acting as floating benches, because those weren't options for humans- only those with wings could make it up to one without some serious gymnastics, but for the denizens of Flamenco Skies that was an easy feat.
Birds.
Birds as far as the eye could see.
" ...what the fuck?!" Ace whispered rapidly to a wide eyed Katsura as they peaked out from around the corner of a building. "You're seeing this, right?"
He was.
Or he was hallucinating. "This is kinda crazy…"
Pink feathers stood out starkly against the white, white, and more white backgrounds of the kingdom. It would have been rather dedicated to its color scheme if not for the murals painted within the plaza and the spray paint they could see the edges of over the crowds of… There was no human in sight, no familiar features amongst them- because the denizens of Flamenco Skies were flamingos.
You heard that right: Fla-ming-os .
Just flamingos of various shapes and sizes, some taller than Ace even, dressed in colorful drapery. Some were dressed in mimicries of suits and gowns, some had ties and bandannas carefully braided and organized to loosely mimic hair.
Hell, they could see them standing on a single leg up on those floating cloud benches, could see bird vendors selling weird looking fruits, could see a family with a stroller that looked incredibly similar to the aviators that surrounded them, and there was just about everything you could think of in between. It was weird, especially because of just how… normal it seemed. Like they took a step into another world.
And they might as well have. Even if it seemed to be just like any other city.
Even though neither Ace, nor Kat, had much experience with many cities, they could still tell at least that much.
"It's all so…"
They could say it was a lot of things.
"Pink?"
"Mm-hm."
Quinn hadn't been kidding when she said the Grand Line got weird huh.
"What's even going on?"
Ace and Kat hadn't exactly been hiding when they first entered the kingdom. But, as they walked deeper and deeper, and there was no one in sight, they'd started getting paranoid by the lack of people and had taken to the shadows- sneaking along and listening for anything or anybody. It'd been confusing, walking into what was essentially a dead town, especially considering it was such an obviously well cared for place, but the remedy came quickly- when they stumbled upon King's Plaza, where a large number of bird residents had gathered.
"-and so close to the performance too! Have they no respect for traditions and culture?"
"It's Blue Dwellers. Only the king could hold any love for them, as odd as it is…"
"Don't say that. Every ruler has his quirks, the fact that ours loves Blue Dwellers is something we should all be thankful for. Much better than-"
"Ooh, don't dishonor yourself by even saying his name. We're much better off without him. Now if only his brat could get the picture…"
Kat tried to listen in but there were just so many voices at once that he didn't know what to pick. It was just too overwhelming. "Not sure. But- I think it might be better if we keep a low-profile. After what happened with the Occamy, we can't be sure how these guys are going to react to us either." He squints past the birds, over towards the large and colorful mural that a couple of janitor birds had gathered beneath, given the mops and cloud-made sponges in hand- er, talons. "It looks like someone vandalized a popular mural or somethin'. I can't read it though. They're standing in the way."
Ace hums.
"We should get closer."
"What? But there's so many of them-"
"I'm going to get closer."
Kat hisses. "What?! Ace!"
But it was too late. Ace was already rushing off.
Kat's mouth fell open, and he sat there hesitating for a good couple seconds, glancing between the crowd and the pathway off to the side that Ace had taken. It was out of the way, sure, but one misstep and they'd be spotted.
He shakes his head, "I sure hope you know what you're doing, Ace," muttering under his breath before he's chasing after his Captain, ducking behind buildings and following the weaved path that Ace had trailed down.
The buildings were tall, made of glass, and, for the most part, see through. If it wasn't for the fact that seemingly everyone had gathered around the square, Kat would've been three times more worried about them getting noticed. And, thankfully, despite being made of mostly glass, they were still incredibly sturdy, enough so that Ace and Kat could climb them up in places.
"Wait up, Ace!"
It was like the ladder all over again. Kat was starting to get frustrated by just how fast Ace was.
Additionally, it was hard not being a bit astounded by how far Ace had already managed to pull ahead of him, jumping and climbing with all the ease in the world, as if it was something he'd been doing all his life.
(He has been. But Kat doesn't know that.)
Kat was not made for heights. He was so, so, so not made for them.
Besides that, the only reason he'd even managed to catch up was because Ace had come to a sudden stop on the corner of one of the roofs, using the shadow another building was casting on it to hideaway from anyone who may glance their way. Looking down, peaking over the side, and exponentially closer to the wall of graffiti that was- unfortunately, still looking hard to read.
"You're way too good at this! Rooftops are supposed to be hard to climb, you know?"
"What do you mean?"
Ace's head tilts but he doesn't look up from where he's looking down over the- was it a flock? Neither of them knew what to call a group of flamingos. "These ones are mostly flat!" Other than the few with round, glass tops but those weren't close by. "Rooftops are pretty easy-" Besides, Quinn had managed just fine on the rooftops on Saigen and those had been much harder to keep their footing, he'd figured that Kat would've been fine here too.
"Maybe if you have experience climbing buildings…" Kat shook his head. "Can you see the wall any better?"
"Almost. There's a couple guys in the- Get down!"
He feels his teeth click together painfully as Ace slams into him, an awkward tackle that hits just in time for them to fall behind the cover of shadows at the lip of the roof, just as a twin pair of shadows fly overhead. It was two of the larger birds of the below group, these ones probably some of the least colorful of the bunch- tucked into brown vests and belts that held swords to their backs, cut to make room for their wings and plumage; distinctly, they were each wearing sunglasses and peaked caps with bright red flowers on the front. One was smoking a cigar.
"Did you 'ear somethin'?"
"Nah, but keep an eye out. There could be more of those filthy Blue Dwellers up and about. Or worse, La Golondrina. As members of the Rural Guard, it's our duty to bring in such kinds of criminals…" the one without the cigar spits, a wing coming up to help shade themselves even more from the sweltering sun. "If there's anymore of those dreaded Blue Dwellers like that woman...!"
The only reason that Ace and Kat haven't been noticed was because the flamingos- the Rural Guards- had landed facing the opposite direction. Otherwise, it would've been all too easy to spot their hunched and barely hidden forms in the low cast shadow by the edge of the roof. But that didn't matter. Because, as soon as the words 'dreaded Blue Dweller' and 'woman' were used in the same sentence, Ace was already frowning and crawling free from the hideyhole and-
Kat's palm meets forehead.
"Hey, what woman are you talking about?"
" Who the hell are you?!"
"Aa. I forgot to introduce myself, sorry." Ace says, overly nonchalant given the swords now pointed at his face. "My name is Portgas D. Ace. It's nice to meet you and-"
"That's not what we meant!"
"...Oh."
"Y-You- You're a Blue Dweller! How did you infiltrate our island?"
"I climbed!"
It was said so matter of factly, despite being unbelievable, but neither of the birds look particularly surprised by the method- more by the means.
"What?! I didn't realize the ladders were still in service-!"
"They're not supposed to be!"
"B-But that's beside the point-!" Ace leans back as the sword creeps dangerously close to his throat. It was immensely unthreatening.
And only partly because they were giant pink birds and that Ace knew he couldn't be hurt by a simple blade anymore.
Still. Ace didn't appreciate the attitude he was getting. He really should remember to introduce himself politely first… these things seemed to just keep happening.
"You must be with that woman, right?! After all, a lone woman on the seas is a rare sight. It wouldn't surprise me if there were even more of you sly folk skulking around- There's another one of you?!"
Aa. Seems they finally noticed Kat hiding in the corner.
Kat gives an embarrassed smile and a little wave. "Hello!" He says, but his greeting is so nervous that it comes out sounding more like 'hallow' than anything else.
The flamingos do not find him charming.
(Shocking.)
Ace bulldozes over whatever intimidation tactics they were attempting to try out, not at all interested in seeing them puff up and try and look bigger than they were. He's too caught on the details- "What woman are you talking about? Was she with anyone-?" Stupid question, he knows, since they already said she was by herself but… He had to be sure whether or not there was any rumor of Spice as well. "What'd she look like? Did she have black hair? A kind of angry-all-the-time look on her face?"
"Oh, man, don't let her hear you say that."
"What about a guy who cooks really good food and has a cool sword? He's got his hair up and-"
The guards splutter, "How would we even know if he cooks well-?! What are you even talking about?" Kat can't even blame them for the shrieks they let out. Ace was just getting more and more intense in his staredown and Kat was just glad it wasn't pointed at him. "Are you saying there's even more of you? You've all but confirmed it! All these questions… you're just trying to distract us and rub it in our faces-!"
"Rub what in your faces?"
"That we haven't caught that damned woman yet…!"
Ace is completely uninterested.
Then the flamingos seal their fates: "You're under arrest for the crime of vandalism and-"
"Right! So it sounds like Quinn was around here somewhere, we'll have to keep an eye out for her and Spice!" Ace grins, hands on his hips, ignoring the beat up birds groaning on the ground behind him. It didn't matter what they had said, once they had decided to not give them any information, Ace had stopped listening. No amount of politeness was going to get someone talking if they truly didn't want to talk. "Do you think Quinn is-?"
Whatever question he'd been about to ask is forgotten in favor of the loud, scattered screams that rise up from below them. Where the crowd had gathered around the vandalized wall.
The defeated flamingo guards gasped, crawling to look over the edge, "W-What-? What's happening?" And whatever they had seen has them shouting and gasping in abject horror, "It's him-! It's him ! The criminal!"
Well, now Ace and Kat have to take a look.
And it made both their eyebrows raise.
The first and most obvious thing is that the crowd has broken up, scattering and pressing themselves against the walls of the building or some outright flying away. The second thing they noticed was the many other flamingos up and about and rushing into the streets, they were dressed just the same as the guards that Ace had beaten up, and they were all grabbing their weapons. It seemed as if they were forming a circle, actually, and, if they had had any sort of human expression, then it might've been similar to a grimace- as it was, it was hard to tell.
"The one they've been talking about," someone from the crowd shrieked, "the one who brought the Blue Dweller to our kingdom-!"
"La Golondrina!"
The third very noticeable thing is the large, far larger than any other, flamingo that stands in the center. Unlike the others, this one's feathers fall in shades of white from the crest of their head. A crown of white that tapered off, yes, but it was still a notable feature that set them apart. A red scarf wrapped around their face, holes cut for their eyes, and a billowing cape falling over their wings- moving with every shift of their wingspan.
One of their wings were raised, the other to their chest, using the cape as if they were a bullfighter in a ring waiting for the bull to charge them. "Lo!" A male voice escapes them, cooing almost like a pigeon. "Hear me denizens! For I must apologize," it was hard to read his expression and only half because they were a bird, "I was charmed by the one you've titled El Blanco- taken advantage of and made assumptions that led to her great deceit… for that, I will accept my punishment!"
There are murmurs throughout the crowd.
"...That said, I do not trust the King of this land and for the previous crimes I am accused of, I know I am innocent. Therefore, until such a day that those charges are dropped, I refuse to serve time for my mistakes with El Blanco!"
Silence.
Then...
"What's the difference then?! You won't turn yourself in!"
"Right you are!" He, La Golondrina- or Golondrina, for short, rather- seemed to preen almost. "It would be dishonorable to not make my intentions clear! I have proudly released the Esteemed Product of our King from the bowels of the Skies Plantation, our feathers were once cherished, I will not allow them to be-"
There's shouts from the crowd, completely swallowing whatever speech Golondrina had been preparing beneath the voices.
"Oh, knock it off! As if you know honor!"
"Getting in the way of the King, how awful!"
"Do you not know the trouble you will cause? Our customers-!"
Eventually, someone started to throw trash and objects at Golondrina, catching the bird off guard. He raises a wing to protect himself from the items tossed and the guards slowly converge closer: "I see… the civilians have expressed their dissatisfaction with me and, for that, I must offer my sincerest apologies. I will strive to make amends in the future. However, for the Rural Guard that thinks I will come quietly, I will not bow my head. Not 'till such a day that the King-"
They had a habit of interrupting him, didn't they?
"For crimes against Flamenco, La Golondrina has been issued a bounty. You have consorted with the one known as El Blanco and today we shall finally capture you-"
"Not so!" He had an odd way of speaking. As if he had a script that he was reading off, his voice booming and not leaving any openings for someone to cut in- well, not unless they completely ignored him and jumped in anyway. Still, he had a voice that could control a room and practically demanded attention, it was a bit hard to overlook actually. But the others seemed to have experience. "En guard, foul foes! La Golondrina shall teach you a lesson in-"
"Get him!"
"Picador! "
There's a sound- if Quinn was here she would liken it to a jet engine starting up in the distance- that jumps forth, and air bursts from where Golondrina had previously stood. Ace and Kat both gape as Golondrina shoots up into the air with only a single flap of his wings, and then proceeded to just hang there, seemingly suspended; the great force that had allowed him to rise into the air, it knocked the guards below on their asses and sent the entire crowd into a sprawling heap of feathers-
"Are those…?" Kat breathed, eyes squinting at Golondrina's form, able to see the underside of his wings now that he was above and using them to glide in the air. "Shells?" It was hard to tell, but strapped to the underside of Golondrina's wings seemed to be seashells, all whining a high-pitched noise as… air whooshed out of them.
Ace freezes, memories working to when Kat had first met them and Quinn had pulled him aside to whisper quiet explanations in his ear as they watched Kat fight a Sea Beast for the right to leave his island and- "Wait, are they-? Your dream?"
"No, no. They can't be." Kat gaped. "At least, I don't think so. Esse are- They're supposed to be rare anyways. So it wouldn't make sense for him to… have that many."
"Oh." Ace's lips purse and he uses his hat to shade his eyes. "But you heard what they were all saying, didn't you?"
"What?"
He had. But- He'd gotten distracted.
Suddenly seeing shells used to perform great feats, it'd- thrown him for an absolute loop. Kat had felt his heart stop for a moment in absolute shock. He couldn't quite see, but even from afar he could tell that they were not Esse- if they were, there would have been no mistaking their beauty. These ones were dull in comparison. And, numbly, he did have to wonder if there was some sort of relation between the two-
"Golondrina was with a Blue Dweller. A woman too! It might be Quinn!"
-but as interested and as much as that made his mind scramble with thoughts, he had to focus down first. "Right, Quinn! So- So Golondrina… would know her, right? If El Blanco and her are one in the same?" Kat worriedly muttered. "Then- how do we ask him? We can't just ask with all the guards around-"
"Oy, Golondrina-guy!"
"Aceee!"
Kat was going to die. And it was going to be all Ace's fault.
La Golondrina whips around with a gasp, their cape billowing in the wind behind them in what could only be called… majestic. "Blue Dwellers? Two of you?! My, how the skies call to you- Picador! " Kat is knocked flat on his ass. And Ace is only saved by his Devil Fruit, Golondrina's wingspan cutting through where they had previously been standing, the whooshing of air sending Golondrina shooting towards them in a pink blur. "Hide your identities! We must be away, the Rural Guard begs for your capture and…"
Golondrina trails off. Staring at the defeated pair of guards at their feet.
"Oh! It seems you've managed to get the best of a few. But make no mistake, the others are difficult opponents when not taken by surprise-!"
La Golondrina may have a voice that makes people want to listen and the people of Flamenco may have learnt to bask in their ignorance of his speeches, but he can usually expect to find those new to him at least taken with his charm and commanding presence. Unless they're Ace, of course. Who doesn't give a shit.
And who jumps onto Golondrina's back with a wide grin spread across his face. "Hey, you know that Blanc-person they keep talking about, right? Do you-?!"
Ace flinches as Golondrina lets out a small shriek. And, somehow, impossibly, both Ace and Kat can see his feathers turn a crimson red as steam pours off the bird in the most horrendous example of a blush and stutters- "H-How bold -!"
(Kat chokes on his own spit.)
"As I said, w-we must be away-!" Golondrina coughs, still a deep crimson and feathers fluffed up, "I would hate to see Blue-Dwellers such as yourselves in the custody of the King-!"
"You can carry us both?" Ace asked in interest, eyes practically sparkling.
"S-Such a refreshing question!" Golondrina gasped, tears in his eyes. "Why- yes! Of course, do not underestimate La Golondrina! I am well-known for, not only my beauty, but also for my-!"
"Get La Golondrina and his consorts! He brought even more Blue Dwellers to desecrate our home!"
"Yes, well. Off we go!"
Ace's arms wrap around Golondrina's long neck and Kat is quick to latch on as well. Especially when the Rural Guards come flying up in the air in squads. It's… actually surprisingly intimidating. Saying that, though, it wasn't all that intimidating in the first place- just more so for the fact that they were giant pink birds and they didn't expect them to be intimidating even at all.
"Pi-cardo!"
They both yelp at the sudden pressure of wind surrounding them, as if two mini tornadoes had been borne beneath them, and Golondrina bursts forth from the ground at such a great speed that it leaves the guards in his dust. It's then, in a chanced look, that they finally catch a glimpse of the defaced mural over the heads of the still collapsed crowd on the plaza floor. Writing scrawls across it, large and simple letters, half faded by the cleanup crew attempting to clean it up-
You tried to hide what the Occamy really were but - will be - a-! Wi- th-s -r-o-s e- I w-l be-me the ruler of all -r-g-s! Thi- e-g is m-ne now!
Tell Golondrina I- s- - thanks for the help!
Signed off with a smiley face, faded doodles that looked like a bastardized version of the Occamy, and, presumably, the writer's signature;
Q-i-
Which was certainly telling.
-0-
Ace and Kat hop off of Golondrina's back both spitting and sputtering. Both their hair is so windswept and wild that it seems to stick up in every direction. It was fun, it was amazing- don't get them wrong. But, to be honest, they were just happy that they were so high up in the sky that there were no flies or mosquitos to smack them in the face. Instead, all they had to deal with were dry and watery eyes that were painfully twitching, mouths that seemed to lack saliva, and clothes that were completely torn askew-
"Those- shells on your wings-" Kat gasped, wheezing a bit as he kneeled on shaky legs, his entire body felt numb, as if he hadn't used his limbs in so long that he'd forgotten how to. "How do they- How do they do that? Wh-What are they-?!"
"Shells. Aa, that is the name Blue Dwellers have for Dials, is it not?"
"D-Dials?"
"Oh, yes. A useful tool. Each dial serves a purpose! Made from a very particular type of shellfish- the name I know not- these so-called 'shells' are gathered from the White White Seashores, they store energy to release at a later time. From flavor, to wind, to cloud, to force. Dials are the tool of the White White Sea!"
"The… shore… you said?" Kat asks between wheezes, interest and curiosity palpable before he shakes his head. "Nevermind. I'll look into it later."
They've landed… somewhere. If Ace is being honest, he'd gotten completely lost and turned around by all of Golondrina's flying. There were simple, unshaped clouds surrounding them, and a few old, but still colorful buildings strewn about. The buildings they had traveled through were off in the distance, quite far from where they started, and, now that they weren't so close up, they could see the castle that lay hidden in the clouds.
A palace.
The obvious place where the ruler of Flamenco Skies lived.
La Golondrina coughed into a curled wing, as if it were a fist, to catch their attention, "Enough gazing upon our gorgeous island, though I know it is hard to tear your gaze away, you must- I implore you to tell me, and tell me truthfully!" His expression was serious, as serious as a flamingos expression could be at least. "Do you consort with the one titled El Blanco?!"
"No clue."
The bluntness, at least, seems to catch Golondrina off guard. "...How curious! How does one not know who is an ally and who is not?" Ace felt like he was being judged.
The dull rhetoric underlying the question tells him that that's a fair assumption.
"We don't know if… 'El Blanco' is meant to be about one of our friends or not." Kat supplies. "We got separated from her and another before coming to this island. So we're just going off heresy."
"Ah, you would fit in well with the gossips of the island if you listen to rumors I'm afraid!"
Kat's mouth opens, then shuts. "I… don't know if that's meant to be an insult or not."
"Both!"
"... Aa."
Before Kat could really react to that, Golondrina ushered them aside. Towards a cloud made caravan, with large, obviously artificially-made Dials for wheels, draped in colorful clothes and rugs with, frankly, gaudy patterns that were highly saturated and clashed when put together. "Come, come now, my Blue Dweller friends! It sounds as if you have a most interesting tale to share, we will find safety from any Rural Guard stragglers over here."
"And… where's here?"
"Why- this is where only the most honorable of performers live!"
Golondrina chirped proudly, as if they were supposed to understand what that meant. They didn't ask for clarity though, simply nodded their heads as he pushed them forward and into-
Ace let out a low whistle.
If they thought the outside was colorful, it had nothing on the inside. "Woah!" And music drifted to their ears, fast paced, a guitar playing somewhere that they can't see at first. "Are those nests?"
"Yes, yes! You humans call them beds!"
The caravan is one large, singular room, built with rafters and spaces not unlike the backstage of a theater, lined with nests of torn cloth and old feathers and birds in almost every one. Watching the only floor space offered, the very center of the room, where a flamingo dances in a gown of blue and red; it's then that they can spot the guitar player and someone clapping along to the beat with their feet, in a nest at one of the highest points, letting the music echo and reach every corner of the place.
"Enchanting, is it not?" La Golondrina chuckles at their expression, "The way of the flamenco… it is something that many do not understand at first! But never fear, for you will learn."
Well, that sounds vaguely ominous.
But Kat can almost understand what he's getting at. The dancer in the center of it all is eye-catching and moves to the music, a wild tapping of steps and their dress moving around them, one end tossed over their wing- it seems to grow faster and faster as the dancer spins.
Golondrina doesn't waste any time to have them sitting down at the edge of the dancer's area and falls into an open nest beside them, looking deeply interested in… well, all of them. "I suppose we have much to discuss… Please, don't allow the practice to distract you. They are trained to ignore any possible distractions and so will not bother us while we speak."
Kat can't help but find it a little rude to talk during someone's performance but he supposes it's better than Golondrina ignoring them.
"We're looking for a woman."
"Oh, aren't we all?"
Kat flushes as giggles rise up from the nests behind them, even Ace snickers.
"No, no! That's not what I- we meant-!"
"Oh-ho, no worries, young one! I recognize your true intent." Golondrina raised a wing to his beak. And both Ace and Kat got the image that he was rubbing his chin, a low hum escaping him as he thought. "A Blue Dweller woman, you say? Yes, I know of one. El Blanco is the title she has been given and friends we were once, until I learnt of her betrayal."
"Betrayal?" Ace asks at the same time Kat blurts: "What did she look like-?"
"I'm afraid that… in that aspect I cannot help you. You Blue Dwellers all look alike you see."
"...Huh?"
"Such an unfortunate species you are, to hold so little physical difference. I cannot imagine the horror of being unable to see the intricacies of another's beauty!"
Ace interrupts, waving a hand before they can go off on a tangent. As… interested as that fact was. "Hang on, what 'betrayal' are you talking about?" From the way that Golondrina had said it, his voice turning dark and gaining an edge to it, it sounded serious.
And it made him wonder what Quinn could have done in the time she'd spent on this island to warrant such vehemence.
He'd be one of the first to say that Quinn can be rude.
But he also knew she was kind.
(She gave Kat her jacket. She sewed his hat back together. She'd give him her leftovers even though she could've had them herself. She helped Spice with cleaning whenever she could. She danced with him and helped him ignore the world when his thoughts got so caught up that they threatened to run wild-)
And betrayal had connotations that just- didn't suit her.
But maybe that's because Ace is biased. He had no idea how strangers would- how she'd deal with people she didn't like. How she'd treat them.
The music in the break seemed to get faster, the clapping louder and even more distracting.
"El Blanco… after the crime she has committed against our people, against the Occamy's Court, it would not surprise me to learn she has run like a coward. For she has no honor to spend on meeting challenges head on." Ace looks visibly annoyed and Kat's lips purse. He thinks the only reason Ace has punched Golondrina in his spoon-shaped face is because neither of them know if he's actually insulting Quinn for certain yet. "I… thought of her as my friend. Even though I did not know her true name. But it was a ruse to gain information and she used that information to set back our culture by hundreds of years- I will never forgive her."
Golodrina's head is bowed, as if hanging with the weight of his sorrow: "I hope that El Blanco is not the friend you're speaking of."
Yeah, well, for his sake, they hope she isn't either.
Still, this has them wondering what the hell was going on with this island. They'd obviously stumbled upon something that was… There were things afoot and both the non-missing Spade Pirates had no freaking clue what was happening. Or why.
They didn't ask.
"That said, the only other person that knows El Blanco's face well… and is able to differentiate between Blue Dwellers… that would be the King himself." The music crescendos and distracts from his expression. "I hold no love for the King, but I am not such a fool as to ignore his charisma and strength- how else has he ascended to the throne?" He seems sour even saying that much, "I must implore that you do not seek him out, however, as he holds a strange love for Blue Dwellers that I would hate to see you run afoul of in your quest."
That was a lot to take in.
Ace's lips pursed.
A love of Blue Dwellers-? What was that even supposed to mean?
The music ends and it's followed by the sound of feathers being fluffed and cheers ringing out. The dancer in the center breathes heavily, eyes closed as she composes herself and- "I see you bring even more Blue Dwellers into our home, 'drina!" She chirrups quite suddenly, and Kat leans away, knocking into Ace as she peers down at them. Struck by the sudden realization that her neck is… long. "I see you haven't learnt your lesson from the first time! Quite adept at digging your own grave, are you?"
She chortles, like she's said something funny.
Ace's head tilts, "You're… one of the flamenco dancers?"
"'One of?" She repeats slowly, brow twitching. "Hmmph! Show's what you know. Flamenco is an art form, it is not simply a dance-!"
Golondrina's head falls into his wings.
"Oh no…"
"Oh no?! " She slaps him over the back of his head with her wing, "Why did you not inform them when they entered? You have no one to blame but yourself, child . We are not simply performers! We invoke emotion, our passion, and our feelings through different interpretations and share them, it is not some silly little dance or song created by a half-assed perfor-"
They could certainly see she was passionate.
"Is… Is that why this island is called Flamenco Skies?"
The question has her halting.
"Oh, no," she giggled, wing covering her face, "flamenco… is a style we adopted from an island in the New World, one of our primary consumers of our Esteemed Product-"
The feathers, they could guess, given how La Golondrina lay claim to releasing them from their factories.
"-is the ruler there, perhaps you've heard of it? The island- Dressrosa?"
No, they hadn't.
She seems disappointed.
(Ace instinctually turns to look to his right, where Quinn normally stood- was supposed to be standing- and had been about to ask if she knew anything. He's thoroughly disappointed to find her still absent. As if anything had changed in the last few hours.
He imagines that she would say 'yes' and he would act like he wasn't interested in how she knew it and she'd act like it was something that should be common knowledge. And Spice would raise a brow and wonder a bit more loudly how she came by her information and Kat would elbow him in the ribs-)
"Well, let's just say, that when we learned of an art that could also be translated to Flamingo… why, we couldn't help ourselves, could we? Is it not the most perfect of meetings?"
Kat visibly squints at the explanation.
A little at a loss for words.
"...You adopted another country's style of… their art form ," he corrects when her gaze turns to him in warning, "which would take weeks, if not years, of study and practice… because… of a… pun? "
"We like our humor, what can we say?"
Kat's voice is flat, "Yes, very funny."
With a deep breath, Ace closes his eyes.
He has to think.
"You said there was something up with the King and us- with Blue Dwellers?"
It wasn't hard to figure out what Blue Dweller referred to. Even without the added context. They came from the Blue seas and they had "dwelled" there, it was rather obvious.
"He holds an… unhealthy obsession, I will say. But you will not need more than that, you will not be meeting him."
(Ace is close to punching him.
He doesn't like the implication of La Golondrina telling him what to do. He'll do what he want, fuck you, thankyouverymuch.)
Ace could probably figure out all the connotations behind that explanation but he imagined that they'd all come out to 'bad things' given Golondrina's tone of voice and insistence that they don't seek him out.
Except they don't really have a choice either way, do they?
"The King lives in his palace, right?"
"A palace. It is not his."
Surprisingly, it's not Golondrina who says it, he's fallen rather silent and instead the dancer is staring at Ace with an intense look. He meets it and blinks.
"You're planning to go there, aren't you?"
"I gotta find my crewmate."
"So you are then."
Kat shifts awkwardly in his seat on Ace's left, "We don't exactly have any other leads." His tongue is poking out of the corner of his mouth and one hand is tugging on his bangs, his hair has grown out significantly since they'd first met and is spilling out of his headband and hair ties. It only contributes to his disheveled state. "And he might've seen Quinn! That's one of our crewmates, at least."
Yeah. And still nothing on Spice.
Which, depending on how things went, was either a very good thing or a very bad thing. Ace didn't know if the saying 'no news is good news' could exactly apply to this situation. Maybe it did. Spice wasn't exactly the type to go and announce his presence-
(Ace conveniently forgets that, upon first meeting Spice, he dropped down from the sky and beheaded a giant bug.
...He doesn't have a good concept of what is and what isn't announcing one's presence.)
-but that didn't explain El Blanco.
"Don't worry about us," he flashes them a grin, "we can take care of ourselves." They both seem less than impressed. If anything, La Golondrina seems even more worried now.
"It's your selves that you should worry about."
Whatever that meant.
"We'll just have to go and meet this King-"
"Oh, and how will you manage that?" The dancer croons, neck twisting in a patronizing disaster of contortion that had Kat shivering in disgust but Ace raising a brow. Perhaps if he wasn't already used to the sight of unnaturally stretched limbs he might've found it creepy but, as is, he has to wonder if she knows that all he would have to do to break her neck right now would be to lift a hand up and squeeze. "Break in? You'll definitely never see the King then. He will run at the first sign of a threat!" She chortles.
Ace wants to be annoyed with her. But it's kinda hard to.
She's mostly just too… odd to actually find her exaggerated movements to be aggravating.
"Sorry, my apologies. Who are you again?"
He flashes her a winning smile that positively sparkles.
She lets out a strangled noise that can only be in offense.
It's one of Ace's favorite noises.
Kat hangs his head, weary. "Don't suppose you have any great plans yourself, do you?" And Ace… doesn't actually know who he's asking that question to. La Golondrina seems peeved by the turn of the subject.
He supposes it doesn't matter though. Because the dancer answered anyway, face pinched and sounded peeved, "I was going to suggest that you follow us when we present before the King tonight… And my name is Vanna ." She huffs. "But I suppose that we don't have any room for you anyways-"
"Wait!" Kat's looking a bit green around the gills as he practically uses Ace as a springboard to lean forward. Ace fails at keeping his disgruntled look off his face. "Miss Vanna," and, wow , is Ace only realizing now that Kat is kind of an ass-kisser, "you'd really offer that? What do you mean?"
"Oh-ho! I see I have your attention now-"
Ace's voice is flat. "We can still just bust in." And is ignored.
"-then shall I propose a simple solution to your problem, you simply hideaway in our caravan as we enter the palace and capture the King and interrogate him for details on your missing friends."
Good idea.
Awfully convenient.
Ace's eyes narrow. There's something wrong about the way she says it, much too sing-song- and, perhaps, that's because of her experience with the arts- but it still rubs him the wrong way. Suspicion pools into his gut. "And what's in it for you?"
"Aa, well, you see. The King stole something from the people-"
It's like an exclamation mark appears above Golondrina's head because he instantly shoots up and his mouth falls open. "Vanna-"
"-and we, those of this caravan, would like to get it back-"
"Va-?!"
"-and, while you distract the King, it would provide an immense help to our cause, you see?"
"It'll give you time to look for it." Kat concludes and Vanna smiles. "That's- really simple then."
"It's for our common interest, nothing more."
Well, they could at least understand the pragmatism then.
Ace doesn't trust it. She's way too ostentatious, hell, she's even curtsying with her gown and fluttering her eyelashes at them. But that might just be her personality- "Sounds easy enough," still, Ace shrugs. It's not as if he cares to argue. A way in is a way in and he didn't want to take any chances if the King really decided to run. "Let's do it!"
Vanna positively preens.
La Golondrina is… the closest thing they can describe it as is that he's making a face. He doesn't seem particularly happy with the decision they'd made but Ace isn't exactly looking for his approval. "I must say that you are making a mistake, my friends-!"
"Golon-dri na!"
Vanna's voice booms in reprimand and given the shocked look on Golondrina's face he wasn't expecting it either.
"Ooh, full name drop. She's pissed." Kat whispers in his ear, eyes a bit wide. "He's in trou~ble!"
"May I speak to you for a moment. "
It is not a question. Even if it's phrased like one.
Kat is biting his tongue. "You know, I know I sorta… jumped the gun on that one, but can we trust them?" He grimaces. "I mean, Golondrina doesn't seem like the type but Vanna is a little…"
"Oh, super suspicious." Ace deadpans. "But we'll handle it! I've got you watching my back, don't I?"
Besides, Ace pushes himself back up to his feet, stretching out his back as he leaves his seat, it wasn't exactly like their hissed conversation was kept on the down low. Some of it was too mumbled to really make out but, no wonder this place had a gossiping problem- it didn't seem like anyone knew how to shut their mouths and keep quiet properly.
"...Blue Dwellers just looking for their friends-"
"Oh? And what have Blue Dwellers ever done for us, besides make coats from our feathers-"
"-not all Blue Dwellers are going to cause problems-"
"That's what you said about El Blanco! And now, look, she's got more interested in her. It's like their cockroaches."
(Wow. Rude.)
"El Blanco was charismatic and very convincing-"
"Ooh~ Maybe it's not only the King who holds a love for Blue Dwellers, do you even hear yourself? Besides, did you hear them? They said crew-mates. What does that tell you?"
"Sailors?"
"Pirates, you fool. Scallywags. Swashbucklers. Criminals! That don't want to keep their crimes to the Blue Sea-"
Which, honestly. Quite the discussion that they didn't care to be in the middle of.
Ace groans. This was annoying.
"Hey, psst, Kat."
"Yeah?"
"Let's go check out the shoreline for those Dials."
…
…
Vanna's mouth opens and then no sound comes out and Golondrina falters in his argument. The door to the caravan squeaks on its hinges. It's not a typical sound, cloud made construction provided a completely different atmosphere when compared to the materials of the Blues'. It was a bit of a bubbly, plastic noise. Like air was being squeezed through it, it had a more- distinct, popping noise.
"Are they gone then?" Vanna whispers. "Off to discover dials, was it?"
"Blue Dwellers are interested and curious about our ways. Do not seem so suspicious."
"It would serve you well to be more like me," Vanna whaps him with a wing, "El Blanco would not have gotten the better of you otherwise. And now there are others, just like her. Don't think I don't notice how flustered you were when you brought them in."
La Golondrina huffs. "It's not that."
"Oh, and what is it?"
"I fear for the state of the kingdom if El Blanco is not the friend they speak of."
Vanna freezes.
"How many did they say they were searching for again?"
"Two."
"...Yes, yes. I can see how that would be a problem."
"And quite the plan you've created! Presenting two more humans before the King, infinite genius, is it not?"
"Oh, shut up, 'drina! So long as we keep it contained, then it doesn't matter, does it?"
"And I will not be a part of it."
"Oh, this. Again?! Aren't you angry? You of all people should be the most mad, I would not begrudge you if you'd even turned your back on the denizens of this island. And yet, you don't. And now you won't even help me? !"
"There is no honor in-"
"Oh, this Occamy crap again. Just because you spent a few years with those snakes, doesn't mean they've accepted you into their culture? Look how they betray us by thinking you would side with El Blanco!"
It's a good thing Ace and Kat had left. Because the ensuing argument is even worse than the one before and they'd be hard pressed to stick around and listen, only half understanding what was coming out of the flamingo's mouths.
-0-
The clouds part in an odd mimicry of splashing.
"Hey, I got that one to go pretty far that time!"
"How many?"
"Four, I think."
"Hm. Bet I can get six."
Ace snorted, "Yeah, right. Try it."
Kat shrugged, picking up one of the small, flat clams they'd found washed up on the shore of the White White Sea. The waves lapping at his toes as he hunched down to get even with the ocean and- Ace's jaw dropped as they counted the number of skips the clam managed to make. "Eight?!" He gaped.
Kat shot him a triumphant grin.
And Ace frowned. Before his eyes narrowed. "You used your water-thing, didn't you?"
Kat's face freezes in it's grin.
"...No?"
"Chehaha! You're a cheater," he accused, "where's the fun in that?"
"Well, I still won, didn't I?"
"Yeah, but it's not the same." Ace huffed, scratching his head. "It doesn't feel like you were even playing the same game."
Kat supposes he has a point there.
He gives a cheeky grin. "I was. You just didn't know about this one," he sticks out his tongue, "besides, pi~rate!" It's weird how that can basically be an excuse for everything but it makes sense. "Your rules can't hold me down!"
"Oy, oy. That any way to speak to your Captain?"
He's joking of course.
He's also feeling a sleeping spell coming on. Eye's growing heavy and the world suddenly feeling hazy, his head is unclear of thoughts as he falls over backwards and falls asleep. "Aa. Ace!" Kat doesn't panic, too used to seeing his Captain collapse suddenly. But does still jump in alarm and leans over to make sure that he hasn't collapsed in a way to block his breathing or drown in the small amount of water he'd fallen into.
All Kat has to do is brush hair from his face, pull him up a few inches away from the shore and wait.
"Dials, huh?"
They'd managed to find a rare couple of shells but, unfortunately, the only ones they've managed to gather seem to be extremely weak versions of what La Golondrina had mounted to his wings. They all, for some reason, looked the same. And, upon fiddling with them for a minute or two, Kat eventually (and, admittedly, on complete accident) discovers a button at their apex-
And scares himself when wind comes out of one.
Weak, barely anything breeze.
Frankly, it was quite nice to feel on the face, but he could just imagine how a better, more high-powered version of them would absolutely produce devastating results. Especially concentrated.
"What… are you?"
Something like this didn't come from nothing, after all. And somehow Kat doubted that a normal type of shellfish would leave something like these behind.
"I'mma pirates."
Kat jumped as Ace slurred back awake.
"How long was I out-?"
"Pretty long."
To prove it, Kat gestured to the slowly setting sun over the cloudy horizon and watched as Ace groaned in contempt and clapped his hands over his face. "Damn it. Not again." It'd at least been a couple hours. He blinks out from between his fingers, peaking at Kat with dazed eyes. He can still feel his tiredness left over from the attack and was trying to forcibly will it away. "Anything happen?"
"Nah, but-" He looks back over his shoulder, back towards where they'd left the caravan. "-it looks like they're getting ready to go. So we'll probably be heading out soon."
Ace grunts, sitting up. "Learn anything about the Dials-thing?"
"...They're freaky."
Is all he can really offer up, brows furrowing.
Because they were.
"They don't really make sense."
Ace blinks at him, as if he didn't expect him to say anything otherwise. "Ain't they supposed to be?" Unaware that it startles Kat out of his thoughts, "Those Esse-things don't make sense, right? That's why they're so interesting."
Kat… snorts.
"That's one way of looking at it, I s'pose."
Probably the right way, if he was being honest.
"Blue Dwellers! Are you coming or are you going to waste my time?!"
Ace stares out at the ocean. "...I'm going to wring her neck out."
"Ace."
"I'm gonna do it."
"Ace. Please."
"Too late. I'm already going."
Kat doesn't blame him, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Is this how Quinn and Spice feel all the time?" Suddenly, their stress levels and sheer apathy start to make a bit of sense. Especially Quinn's.
…
…
Ace doesn't wring her neck out.
But it's a very close thing.
He's left muttering something under his breath about a 'Makino' and 'trials of patience' and 'gotta be polite 'cause they're helping us out' but Kat knows that it's only a matter of time before he tries to sucker punch Vanna in the face. Or something along those lines.
"She's not that bad."
"Mn."
Distantly, Kat can't help but wonder if, since Ace's instincts seem to be 'fight, fight, fight' how he managed to learn enough patience to reel it back in.
"A-Anyways, do you think we're almost- hnk, there?" In other news, riding in the back of a caravan with the drapes pulled over every window is a sickening ordeal. Kat is having a time. A bad time. And it doesn't seem like it's going to be getting any better, not unless they stop this ride soon because nausea is squeezing at his throat.
Motion sickness is not exactly something he's dealt with in the past.
"Don't throw up on me." Ace warns, quietly worried and blatantly unaffected in the slightest.
The jerk.
Why couldn't he be miserable with him?
"You two be quiet in there." Kat's misery is interrupted by Vanna's hissed voice, but it sounds like she's grinning as she says it, and in Kat's mind, it feels like she's enjoying his suffering. He's probably jumping to conclusions on that. "...There's a guard coming up."
They each zipped their mouths shut, lips sealed and eyes wide.
And failed immediately at keeping quiet as the wheel of the caravan hit whatever passed for rocks up here and had their heads slamming into one of the supporting posts.
They hear a deep curious voice ask, "What was that?"
And listen to Vanna's laugh. "Oh, just some pesky, squeaky floorboards! Our caravan is getting a little worse for wear, we've done quite a bit of traveling these past few days, you see? But I suppose that's the consequence of being in so high-demand that even the King would allow you audience!"
What a way to spin a compliment towards herself.
"Do you mind if I take a look?"
A pause.
Kat and Ace exchange a panicked look.
"Well, I don't mind. But I suppose if you want to spoil the surprise…"
"I assure you, the King has better things to do than discuss a caravan and it's contents with a guard such as myself. Your secrets are safe with me."
"Then by all means."
No. No 'by all means'. Ace sucked in a curse and grabbed Kat just as the telltale signs of feathers ruffling and the drapes being pulled from the window and-
A pink face peered into the caravan. Vanna looks in alongside, eyes a bit wide as she sees no sign of any Blue Dweller. There was only her fellow, nesting flamingos, looking calm and like there was not even a feather out of place.
"Hm." Still, she tenses as the guard goes so far as to take a step into the caravan. Looking around and peeking around corners. "Doesn't look like there's anything strange..."
She croons a triumphant noise that quickly turns into a fake smile as the guard turns back to look at her.
"Oh, yes. No Blue D-Dwellers here-"
That's when she notices it. The strangely shaped shadow on the floor. They mix with the guards own shadow and she hopes- panicking internally- that it's enough for him to not notice it.
"-n-now, is there anything else I can help you with?"
Vanna doesn't glance up.
But it's a close thing.
The guard turns around and begins to leave and a sigh of relief nearly sweeps through her-
Kat faceplants into the floorboards directly behind the guard.
"What was that?"
"The wind."
Ace falls straight on top of Kat.
"And that?"
"Very loud wind."
Her wing, large as it was, came up to block the guard's view as she quickly ushered him back out.
"You know how it is. Clouds and wind… they just do whatever they want."
"Right… And your sure that there's nothing that-"
"Nothing at all. Now, surely you don't want to keep the King waiting any longer?"
That seemed to do the trick.
And Vanna bids the guard farewell with a carefully timed curtsy that just barely covers both Ace and Kat's forms and their surprised faces before she takes a deep breath and- "You're both incorrigible. "
Ace grins. "I don't know what that word means."
Vanna is not charmed. "Get back in. We still have a ways to go."
It takes a couple minutes to get the cart to go again but, this time, Ace and Kat both carefully crawl to one of the windows and push aside the drapes just a tad. To the protests of the flamenco dancers around them. They don't listen, though they are careful and quiet and are-
Greeted to the sight of brilliantly vibrant white and gold.
It's clean.
Disturbingly so.
Kat feels like he'd be ruining the floor if he took so much as a step on it. But, he supposes, that given how dirt didn't seem to be even a concept up here, that it made a good amount of sense.
Ace wrinkles his knows. "...It looks like High Town in here."
He was surprised, given the clean, clean floors, that a caravan was allowed in through the doors, carted into the large rooms with tall ceilings and what looks like a bunch of bird perches this way and that. One's where guards were perched and looking out over them and- Kat gasps and closes the drapes before they can be seen. One of the flamingos had leaned down in interest and everything.
"How much longer do you think it'll be?"
He asks Ace the question but, from behind, one of the flamenco flamingos scoffed.
"You cannot rush art."
Ace pointed at them in lieu of an answer.
Despite that, apparently you can rush art. Because, before they knew it, the caravan was coming to a halt on the squeaky floors and there's the telltale sound of a door being opened. A big and heavy one.
And Vanna calls back to them: "Everyone in positions, we're entering the King's court!" There's a special brand of excitement in her voice, and they can practically feel her gesturing wildly. "We trained for this. Someone make sure the you know what's are hidden. Preferably better than they were before- it's a surprise after all!" She adds the last part in quickly, presumably to get some suspicious guards' eyes off of her.
Neither of them like the fact that they were referred to as 'whats ' but they go along with the proceedings.
It's followed with a bit of scrambling and cursing as flamingos drag them this way and that and Ace and Kat both realize that they haven't really discussed a specific plan of action yet- (Quinn is facepalming in their heads.)- but, when the caravan comes to a halt, wheels squealing against the floor, Ace and Kat are carefully hidden behind a mountain of colorful drapes. Even their eyes are hidden behind a transparent sheath, giving them extremely limited vision. What's worse, they were so swathed in cloth that they could hardly even take a full step, legs wrapped together and forced to practically tiptoe as they were ushered out into the open.
There's guards- Kat flinches away from them when they give a curious look in their direction, while they're not immediately clearly human and Fishman-alike, they also made an incredibly strange sight.
Vanna catches him with a foot before he can stumble and go careening to the floor, and she hisses a whisper at both him and Ace: "Follow along at the end of the procession." She gestures to the end of the line where her group of flamingos were carefully and elegantly forming a line. "We're being taken before the King and, please, don't embarrass yourselves- or, more importantly, us."
"Sure. Oh, and-" She can't see it but Ace is offering her an absolutely charming grin. "Thank you for this!"
Vanna scoffs, but they think she can see her blushing.
So much for not falling for Blue Dwellers wiles, huh?
They find themselves shuffling along after the flamingos at an extremely slow and awkward pace, struggling to keep themselves from tipping over and rolling away- given how they looked like burritos, it was a very real possibility- feet catching on the velvet red carpet that was rolled out before them.
They spot a highly decorated throne at the very end, fancy and the very center of attention, placed at a higher point then the rest of the room; its covered in glittering pink fabrics, feather made, and white cloud cloth tossed over it in an elegant display that told them that it was a well-loved and well-used seat.
A flamingo dressed in what they assume is supposed to be a squire's outfit, clears his throat: "Please bow before the King's entrance!" Coupled with the exceedingly posh voice they certainly got the impression.
Kat and Ace follow the movements of the flamingo's and Vanna and quickly bow their heads, they're completely stiff. Fabric tightening around their middle and squeezing them both uncomfortable.
There is hushed quiet, tension in the air.
And then they're treated to the sound of footsteps, a rhythmic click of heels that seemingly echoed throughout the court.
Ace blinks down at the floor, he'd been drilled by Makino on this type of bow before but that doesn't make it any less uncomfortable. Especially to be bowing to someone that, even if they were royalty, he'd never met before or even respected.
It has his teeth gritting a bit.
"My King," Vanna breathes, voice seemingly enraptured, "you look glorious. As always your taste is truly exquisite."
Ace nearly sighed in relief. Taking it as a sign that they could finally stop bowing, raising himself back up and- his foot catches on a loose slip of fabric, the wrappings around him growing suffocatingly tight.
"Aa-!" He yelped, panicking and, unfortunately, bursting into sudden fire as he tripped over his own feet. The cloth went completely up in flames around him and- well, he puffs his cheeks out, cheeks flushed red as he falls forward and just barely catches himself before he faceplants. Hands and knees hitting the floor.
So much for not embarrassing himself.
"Ooh?"
Ace freezes.
That- That voice is familiar...
"Well, I do so enjoy the sight of a man on his knees."
He looks up, eyes widening as he catches sight of long legs tossed over the armrest of the throne, bouncing as if bored and the other spread far too much to the other side. Her stomach is exposed, bandages patched on their side, and her clothes are torn. One arm is leant on the opposing armrest, fist boredly pressed into their cheek and squishing their facial features- it does nothing to hide the glimmering smirk spread across their face.
Pink feathers jacketed their arms and gold beads dropped from their neck and hips, a feather-made coat that fell all the way down to their knees.
"It's not often that I get visitors to my kingdom."
Her voice purred and Ace felt a shiver run up his spine, tickling the back of his neck and having his hair stand on end. He swallows, ears turning red, especially as dark eyes glint mischievously and roam over his features.
"Wha-?" Kat gasps, his own cloth unwinding in his shock.
Ace couldn't help but take note of the feathers crowned in her unruly, wispy black hair; a jeweled diadem twisted into the strands.
Quinn leaned forward, biting her lip- the skin tugs but doesn't break and pops away as her eyes crinkle- and they were stunned by the hypnotic, beguiling grin on her face.
"Welcome," she sang, tone a tad mournful, "oh capitán mi capitán, it's been so long."
.
.
.
:D lemme know what you thought! Reviews really help me focus on the next chapter and keep writing!
Also, yeas. Quinn is looking super stunning rn. Lol she's on a throne, crowned, and everything.
So, I am aware that La is a feminine denotion, however I ended up keeping La Golondrina instead of El Golondrina, because he takes his name directly from the song La Golondrina by Narciso Serradell Sevilla. Sort of the same situation with El Blanco, El reffering to The. Which, I think I could've had it be La Blanca but I wasn't sure if that would have had the same exact meaning and references. I would've used a gender neutral variant but I think the closest I can get to one is El. Besides that, they're both more along the lines of titles than anything.
(Feel free to correct me. My Spanish is virtually nonexistent. I'm more likely to figure out Japanese and Korean. And I hope that I wasn't too inaccurate on things.)
