/_\ Story 3 /_\
Short Story: Bunkers and Badasses
Character Focus: Zarina + Sky Pirates (A few of them mentioned)
Canon?: Readers Choice
Time: Mid Grandline Saga
Zarina was used to chaos, it became a simple part of her life when she had officially joined this crew, and she didn't regret that.
Often.
It both irked her, amused her, and bewildered her, at times. She was pretty sure the word tame would be lost on them. Specifically, a certain few she was sure had a few screws loose somewhere.
To be fair, she was certainly wearing a witch's hat, sat at a rather large table with some of her crewmates, and was quite perplexed as to why it suited her so well. Oddly enough. She couldn't exactly say she was living a normal life.
But for all the chaos they wrought, it only endeared her to them. She was always welcome to join in, sometimes against her will, in the fun, chaotic times they shared between adventures. It truly was like a family, each filling their role quite well. Sometimes too well...
It was times like these that Zarina had grown fond of, mostly since she wasn't in any danger of being killed, intentionally anyway, which was a bonus in her books.
After all, their adventures weren't always battles against marines, pirates, and the occasional Shichibukai.
Now, some might be wondering what the fearsome, badass pirates of the Sky Pirates crew would be up to at a time like this. Drinking? Brawling? Something else scandalous?
No.
What some of the crew were actually doing right now was-
"Nat 20! That dragon ain't got shit on Sir Rooks iron clad defense!" A voice bellowed, a bit too loudly in her opinion, off to Zarinas' right side.
...Dungeons and Dragons.
Or as Rob introduced it, Bunkers and Badasses.
Because sure? Why not?
Regardless of its name, it's basically a role-play session in a fantasy world, and it's currently being played by certain members of the crew.
Including, Itzal, Rob, Arabella, Ceri, Wren, and Zarina as the party members. Each with their own distinctive role, and character in the group. Itzal being the headstrong warrior monk, which Zarina found a tad ironic, Rob as a paladin juggernaut, Arabella as a crazed berserker, Ceri as a charming and seductive songstress, Wren as her loveable, if awkward, bard companion, and Zarina as the wise high-witch.
"Damn near describes this crew…" Zarina couldn't help but compare.
In all honesty, she was surprised how well and civil this group had been playing this game, she half expected people to either get bored or perhaps make a joke of it all, but she was wrong.
To be fair, the ones taking it seriously were Itzal, Arabella, Wren, and herself, to some degree. That left Rob and Ceri.
Whilst both were happy to be here, and joining in on the game, they both brought something strange, and unique, to the game.
Rob was simple, he was stupidly lucky. Actually, scratch that. It was just plain bullshit with the type of crap he got away with within this session.
Getting hit with lethal traps, only for his stupidly high defenses and vitality to tank the hit like nothing.
Some great warrior fights the party with his legendary sword, only for it to shatter on impact after Rob uses a defense spell on his armor, and then tanks the damn hit!
Literally standing in front of a dragons' fire breathe attack just to see how much damage it does. Which was zero…
Itzal and Arabella started using him as a meatshield to deal with bullshit, to which he happily went along, like walking him down temple halls that might have traps, getting him to enter dangerous areas first, and so on.
To summarize, Rob is bullshit.
Ceri, on the other hand, was useful to the party for her charms, perception, and seduction skills.
Except… they work a bit too well. A bit too often.
Like all the god damn time…
Seduce a loyal family man into bed, and getting info out of them? Check.
Charming merchants and traders into giving them free goods? Check.
Seducing an essential NPC into getting everything easily? Check.
Seducing the main villain, and then ruin their plans? Check.
Seducing the king? Check.
Seducing the king and queen together?
Yeah, Ceri was just as nonsensical as Rob was. With their powers combined, they ruined what Zarina had suspected might have been a good story.
Surprising, considering it was the lunatic known as Sebastian that came up with the story. He was the DM, and Zarina had honestly thought he might go off the rails, and bring them on some drug trip made written-fantasy form.
But he hadn't. Sebastian had actually crafted a well-told story, much to her surprise.
From the politics of the two warring kingdoms, the factions involved, the views of both the people and militaries. The monsters that roamed the land, and the warriors that went out to slay them. Describing in great detail the magic system in place, and how society treats certain magic users.
Truly, Sebastian could write a fantasy novel about this marvelous land he crafted for their campaign.
However, that was derailed when the party started abusing the nonsense of a certain two people. And once they'd effectively destroyed his story, Sebastian basically went mental with the adapted storyline.
Dragons roaming the skies, constantly…
Undead hordes coming out of cemeteries…
Sexy vampires...
A tentacle monster emerging from a toilet at an inopportune time.
A toilet! Sebastian didn't even specify whether or not modern toilets were a thing! And he has tentacles crawling out of them!
It all gave Zarina a headache.
The level of craziness, stupidity, and weirdness of this fantasy adventure had to be measured in hundreds of miles. She loved her crew, she truly did despite her better judgment, but she could sometimes do without all the crazy.
But as is the life of the Sky Pirates.
Zarina sighed, "Enough complaining, let's just get back to this adventure and finish-"
"Another Nat 20 from Ceri!" Sebastian's voice called out, an almost feral smile across his face. "You have successfully seduced the dragon! Consider the dragon aroused! The dragon wants some, sweetcheeks!"
Check that, you could measure the stupidity in thousands of miles…
"Roll for damage!" Sebastian told Ceri, much to the confusion of the others present.
"Why?"
"It's a male dragon…"
A satisfied, but very amused, smile from Ceri, a cringe from Arabella, the neutrality from Itzal and wince from Wren, accompanied by the boisterous soundtrack of Robs' laughter, really sold that gag to the party.
Scratch that, this stupidity, much like the universe, is immeasurable…
/_\ Story 4 /_\
Short Story: Relaxation
Character Focus: Itzal and Zarina (Others mentioned)
Canon?: Readers Choice
Time: Late Grandline
Zarina had long since settled into the crazy schedule that her captain and crew kept. Jumping from adventure to adventure, with little time for relaxation in-between.
As much as she hated to admit it, she did enjoy the chaos her newfound family brought to her life, despite her better judgment. She'd grown because of it, both physically and mentally, from the experiences she'd had with them.
Her life was better than she could ever imagine at times. She knew this was where she was meant to be. She could hardly imagine what her life would be like right now without her captain and crew.
However, sometimes she wished for more peaceful relaxation and respite when available. Her crew was rowdy, energetic, lively, so when there was time for peaceful relaxation it was often spent doing something physical or lively.
Time at the beach? Volleyball, swimming, for others, because she is never getting in the sea if she can help it, BBQs, and everything else in-between.
Time in an island town? That was usually spent exploring the island, its shops, its cultures, its people. Then someone starts a fight, wins the fight, and repeat the whole process again.
Time at the waterpark? Well, let's just say they're banned for a reason.
The point being, relaxation with the Sky Pirates wasn't always relaxing. Hardly time to sit in peace and quiet, no fights, no insanity, no Rob antics!
And that last one is important!
Zarina would give them credit though, nor could she fault them, she knew what she was getting herself into with this crew. She didn't blame them for being who they were, it was part of their charm.
All she asked was for a rare moment of peace and quiet.
Zarina pushed through the door leading to the deck of the ship, stepping out into the, frankly overzealous, sunshine.
Yet another beautiful day on the Grandline, clear blue skies, direction sunshine, even if a bit too much for Zarinas' tastes, the ship was docked at a gorgeous golden stretch of beach, and the sea was perfect to surf on if one was into that sort of thing.
The scholars' eyes drifted toward the golden stands, specifically to members of the crew all stretched about across it.
From her perch on the ship, she could see most of the crew, all of them busy with one thing or another.
Ceri relaxing on the beach, laying on a towel in a bikini. She was more than likely attempting to get some form of tan.
It appeared as though Chito, Yuuri, Ben, and Francis were all helping construct a small hut that could shelter the crew for the day and night. Randi was obviously leading them as they had the most experience when it came to building almost anything.
The hut Randi designed was quite… extravagant. A large open structure that could easily house up to twenty people comfortably, which was necessary given the size of this crew, with a large bar, stools, and a fire pit in the middle for cooking and serving food. It was a true testament to their skill at both design and construction but Zarina had to give to the fact that they had some skilled friends to help build it.
"This crew is better suited for demolition than construction…" Her mind mumbled in the back of her mind. And for all her effort, she couldn't fault the idea. It was a blessing they had Randi to repair any and all damage the crew caused to their own ship.
Wren was just off to the side of that group, watching as they built the hut but was helping in their own way by providing pleasant music for them to listen to as they worked. Wrens' music was always a pleasant thing to hear.
Hojo was also close by but she had opted to gather the food for tonights' big feast. The crew plans to have a big meal as a small celebration for how far they'd come.
Further down the beach, quite a bit actually, were Arabella and Kyanna. And as per usual they were in a heated battle!
Well, sort of. It was a heated battle of beach volleyball but when those two got competitive with one another it might as well be an intense battle.
And that was proven even more accurate when one of them slammed the ball so hard into the sand it kicked up a huge plume of sand, larger than the entire ship. Luckily they were so far down the beach that the sand wasn't going to disturb anyone else on the beach but it was impressive to look at as the sand slowly fell back to the surface.
"Note to self: If the crew want a game of volleyball, sit it out if they're both involved on opposite teams." With that mental note in place, her attention returned to the rest of the remaining crew.
Her eyes found Avery, Blade, and Arron. The trio seemed to be in the middle of their own little game. A marksmen game.
Avery seemed to be the observer of the two as they both took up positions. Arron using his devil fruit to fling metal rounds into the target and Blade using her needles as projectiles. At close range, they appeared to be on par. It was impressive to have such an accurate and strong throwing arm for such small needles but when the distance increased, Arron kept hitting the bullseye every time.
Neither party seemed surprised by it, and to be honest, it seemed as they were helping each other than competing with each other. Arron got to keep his title of sharpshooter it seems.
And did she mentioned how they were all in their swimwear or bathing suits? Yeah, it was a beach celebration after all. Most guys went shirtless, save for Randi and Wren, with all the women wearing various bikinis of a kind. Some more risque than others, she had to admit.
That accounted for most of the crew, except for three important troublemakers.
As Zarina glanced over the rest of the beach in search of the three in question, a noise from the opposite side of the ship, in the water, alerted her to someones' presence.
The noise was that of a re-surfacing Sebastian. He was shirtless, as he so often ended up naked somehow, but wore bright blue swim trunks, and had a snorkel, diving mask, and possibly flippers? The scholar couldn't see from here but he had the rest of the attire so she would assume he had the complete set.
In the scientists' hands was a rather unique-looking shell, Zarina had to admit. He appeared to inspect it for a moment before tossing it into a plastic bag he had with him.
Zarina just shook that off, she was not in the mood for another headache trying to figure out what he was even doing. It was something either stupid, brilliant, or both, and so just left him to it.
That left two.
Once again her eyes trailed the beach and found no sign of the last two missing members.
Unfortunately, she couldn't find Rob anywhere. Which was cause for concern. A LOT OF CONCERN. But nothing could really be done if she couldn't locate him.
She had to pray and hope he didn't blow up the island somehow, or start some war whilst he was missing.
A girl can dream~
And that just left one last member to search for.
Her Captain.
He also wasn't on the beach, and he wasn't going to be in the ocean either because, ya know, devil fruit and all that.
Zarina was tempted to give up searching for him when her eyes noticed a small ounce of movement on the deck of the ship, just barely peeking out from behind the main mast of the ship.
She moved to a better perspective and found that it was Itzal.
Itzal remained still, sat down with his legs crossed, head down, and hands in his lap. Zarina quickly realized that he was meditating, and that gave her pause to think.
She'd never assume her captain was one to meditate, whilst he did have the appearance of a monk he was far too adventurous and excitable to be as calm and serene to meditate.
But that theory proved wrong as she stared at the young captain, blissfully calm on the deck of his ship.
Her curiosity got the better of her as she descended the stairs to greet him. He seemed to sense her approach as he opened his eyes as she neared him.
"Hey, Zarina, what's up?" He greeted as cheery as always, bringing a small smile to the scholars' face.
"Curiosity, mostly." Zarina responded, gesturing to Itzal himself, "I'm surprised to see you meditating as you are."
The rogue monk chuckled to himself, "Yeah, I suppose it's an old habit from years ago."
"I'm surprised it stuck with you."
The young captain just shrugged, "It can help relax the body and mind sometimes, I won't deny that it can help." He eyed the scholar for a moment, "Would you care to join me?"
Did she want to? She hadn't considered it, although she had been wanting to find a way to relax. Maybe this could be it? Zarina had never tried meditation before, usually for too busy to even consider it, so it might not work too well for her but it was worth a shot at the very least.
She nodded, "I'd love to," she moved to sit next to Itzal, but left enough space for both of them to comfortably relax in, "I must admit, this is a new experience for me." She confessed.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out, your mind can wrap around any problem it comes into contact with!" Itzal encouraged, with a small compliment within his words. Zarina only smiled at him, perhaps knowing he was just being as nice as he always was. "I'll help you."
"Much appreciated," Zarina bowed over as she took up a position similar to her comrades.
Once both parties were comfortable, Itzal began his explanation.
"Alright, so let's start with your posture." Itzal pointed to Zarinas torso, "Keep your back straight, shoulders loose, and head in line with your spine."
The scholar followed her captains' instructions, her posture soon mimicking Itzals'. Itzal watched, pointing out one or two areas to help her get it exactly right.
"Next is your breathing. Slow and calm breathing, in through your nose, out through your mouth." Itzal then demonstrated it, closing his eyes, shifting into his proper meditation posture, and began to breathe as described.
Zarina took note of little details, such as time between breaths and so on as best she could before going to copy it herself.
Posture straight, eyes closed, and calm breathing. It took her a minute to find the right rhythm for her breathing but once she had it, it was easier by the second.
"Okay," Itzal began softly, "Stay just like that." To which Zarina did so, "Now focus on a soft noise, like the waves of the sea or the low whistle of the wind."
Given her choices, Zarina focused on the wind over the sea. She narrowed in on the sound, the faint whistle, a soft rustling of the tree accompany the noise but that wasn't a bad thing.
Zarina had to admit, it was quite calming, peaceful even.
"Just keep doing what you're doing, you got it!" Itzal encouraged softly. She couldn't see him but she knew he be smiling in her direction, pleased to see her adapt so well to his teachings.
So, Zarina did just that. She remained focused on what he'd told her thus far but as her mind zone out, the movements became more natural. Soothing. Peaceful.
Zarina quickly understood the benefits of meditation.
The cool breeze, the soft sounds of the treetops rustling, the waves of the ship gentle crashing against the ship, all combined into a beautiful experience in meditation. The tension in her body quickly faded, her mind clear and calm, and not a worry in the world.
Her meditation was disturbed by a soft shake of her shoulder, her eyes opened to see who it was.
As it turns out, it was Itzal.
"You got really into that," He stated as he stood up tall, standing over her as she remained seated in her form.
It took Zarina the briefest of moments to realize what he meant by that before she noticed the changes around her. The sun had moved, the shadows had shifted, and the breeze seemed different, all indicators of time passing by.
Itzal held out a hand, to which she accepted, and pulled her up.
"I'm surprised, time went by so quickly," Zarina confessed, fixing her clothes and glasses as she walked with Itzal to the railing of the ship.
"Yeah, when you get into it, time flies by!" He really wasn't kidding. As the pair reached the railing, Zarina found that the preparations for tonights' celebration were done, and they likely had been for some time.
Their little campsite was finished, and it was a sight to behold. Like a tropical tiki hut, large enough to house the entire crew, with cooking facilities, a little section for dancing, and more. Randis' handiwork was always something to behold.
Little games set up to the offside of the campsite, where Arron, Blade, and Avery had been. It seemed they had a large variety too, from simple accuracy games to strength-based ones. Like that of a carnival.
Arabella and Kyanna? Well, they seemed perfectly happy. However, they were both wearing new bikinis'. The reason as to why they had done that was unknown to Zarina but she suspected they'd probably torn their last ones in their heated volleyball match.
Sebastian was on land again, his diving gear off to the side, laying on a towel as they dried. The scientist himself was inspecting the loot he gathered from the shallow waters he'd dived in. Mostly shells, rocks, and other such things but the two things in his hand weren't exactly normal…
In one hand, he had a blue lobster. In the other, he had a large rusty sword.
The scholar wasn't even going to fathom how he found those two things so close to the shore of a random island, Sebastian did Sebastian things as per usual. Just leave it at that and you'd be fine.
Her eyes then found a certain troublesome redhead, and she could breathe a sigh of relief as he seemed to be perfectly fine. He didn't appear to be hurt, just relaxing up against a tree with a coconut in hand.
It seems like today was a day for miracles.
Zarina had discovered a new form of relaxation, and Rob hadn't burned the island down yet!
"You ready to go?" Itzal asked, off to her side. She turned to meet his gaze.
"Just allow me to get changed and I'll join you in a moment." He nodded at her, before speaking again.
"If you ever need help meditating again, I'd be happy to help!" Her captain offered with a cheery smile.
"I just might take you up on that offer sometime." She nodded toward the monk pirate as he leaped over the railing, landing on the sandy beach below. Her eyes roamed her crew once more, a small smile on her face.
"Today had been a great day." The scholar thought to herself.
"Hey, Rob!" Itzal called out, drawing said persons' attention away from eating their coconut. "Wanna explain what that explosion from earlier was about?"
Zarina facepalmed so fast it could have created a sonic boom.
"Today was still a good day…"
Hopefully, an actual normal update is coming soon. Let's do this.
Disclaimer, I obviously don't own One Piece (For Shame). All OC' go to their respective owners and such.
AlcatrazDGold - Peace!
