Why is it that every time I post I lose a favourite... so bloody sad
"Furl the sails!"
"It's too late. We are already too close to port, we are going to hit the quay,"
"No worries. There are plans for that,"
Itse raised a single brow at that and settled to keep drinking her coffee, Puma laid lazily across her lap and another chair that Martina had put so that he would rest comfortably. Only the best for her partner. Eyeing the distance between their ship and the moor she raised a hand at her brother, who squatted next to the bowsprit and touched the wood of the figurehead for luck. Such a dramatic man.
"Ready for a scrum?"
"Always!"
"Then jump!"
She watched him throw himself to the air like a fat chicken trying to take flight, watched the sailors run for their lives as her brother flew at them with all the bulk of a landslide. And she cringed as the wood groaned, complained, and twisted as Nicolas landed. Steering their ship to almost scrape against the wooden pillar to their left in a feat of judgement and positioning, and just as they were about to keep going and crash down the fisher boats in their wake, they came to a grinding halt. With all the smoothness of a rusted cog forcing itself to turn, the Beatriz finally stopped its rampaging charge towards her brethren, and Martina rushed to throw the loops of rope in the bollards with unerring accuracy. As always.
Seeing that his job was done Nicolas stopped shouldering the prow and started massaging the place where he had rested the steel reinforcement on. It was typical of him, always complaining that something hurt him when he barely felt the damn thing press against him. So much drama for such a big man.
Everyone near them was either spitting at the sea for the scare or cursing them without much discretion, all meant to be heard and challenge. But they would do nothing, as always, their arrivals had become something of a daily occurrence and some people had started betting on whether they would dock like normal people or not. Thus far, they held a record of four normal dockings and sixteen non-standard ones that went from looping a rope through a bollard while still outside the port and used it to tow themselves, to using two ships as drifting anchors when a bad wind caught their tail and blew them right against the wood. The last one had seen a bill of fifty thousand berries fall on their lap for possible risks and whatnot. Martina wondered if it was a sign that it fell into the sea right the next moment.
"Well done, children. You docked while hurting no one this time, that's what I call an improvement. A right pity it's so close to the day you leave, with a few more days, or months, you two might be able to consider yourselves sailors,"
"We talked about this Itse, the date is set. We won't budge it,"
"I know but one has to say this kind of things, I worry you might be the ones getting hurt next,"
"Maybe her,"
"Right. Cause all that blabber is too good a cushion, maybe I will use you as a meat shield next time,"
"I will move out the way every single time,"
"Whatever happened to all that 'I train to protect my cute little sister' shtick?"
Nicolas whirled like a spinning top in place to confront Itse and spat his words with as much indignation as humanely possible.
"You told her? I asked you not to,"
"It escaped me,"
She saw his face scrunch up. His lips turn down a fraction and his doorstep of a forehead marred by angry wrinkles, it was a sight to behold to see someone so big sulk. Shouldering her way past a group of drunks and letting her brother's frowny face smothered their anger she turned to face him, cupping both her cheeks in her hands in mock adoration.
"She went over it very roughly, so you need to tell me exactly how it went,"
"Stop it,"
"Did you put a hand in your chest and swore it like a knight would an oath?"
Her face tuning into a joke of seriousness.
"Shut up,"
"Or did you go and grab her shoulders and bellowed that I was all that you had left to live for?"
"You see what you do when you tell her stuff like that, Faithful?"
"She isn't bothering me,"
Getting on the tip of her toes she patted his lump of a head with the kindness only siblings can have and gave him a cheeky smile, the big oaf was always so shy she had to be a little forceful to crack that shell of his in order to let him know she felt truly touched by the sentiment. But fuck it all if she would ever say that shit out loud. So, she went and did the only other thing she knew would make him happy, she bought him a big pile of food, three stakes choked with greasy meat and a sandwich long as her arm. All which he devoured and slowly melted his frown. Such simplemindedness made her worry sometimes, he could be offered a poisoned apple and he would most likely ask for sugar.
Letting Puma drop from his perch on her shoulders she prodded him mentally and had him trip the kid that was running at them trying to pounce on them, plucking him by the scruff he was lifted till he was at eye level. The child had a smile bright as a broken window hit by the sun thanks to his missing teeth, eyes green as the sea, and a scar on his nose. One of Itse's many, many grandchildren.
"You are back!"
He declared the obvious with such joy that it made her crack a smile.
"Indeed and we brought your grandma early so she can play Pirates and Marines with you lot even longer,"
"Yes!"
"Marcello you know we have a party tonight and we won't have much time to play,"
The child should thank his god for making him so cute because his parents butchered him with that name. When the party was mentioned he quieted a second put both his arms forward for a hug that she gladly allowed, out of all the little monsters this one was her favourite despite what she told all the others.
"Nonna told me its because you are leaving, yes?"
"We are. Tomorrow,"
She kicked her brother with her heel so as not to yank the boy around. Stupid oaf and his honest to god attitude.
"But I don't want you to leave. We can't play if you leave,"
"I know boy but we have things to look for at sea,"
"Like what?"
"Like our family,"
"But we are family, yes? Nonna said so, she said we were,"
A piss on anyone that told her they saw her tear up. But the boy struck a cord that was thin as a hair in her heart and she turned to look at Itse that was looking at the sky like it was the most interesting thing in the whole world.
"You did? And I thought you just liked bothering us,"
"What is family if not people you bother and help and love?"
"Guess we should call you nonna too?"
"Not in twenty years children, you can call me aunt,"
She looked at the them in turn and made to lift her hand and touch them but ended it quickly like they would leave if she did.
"If you want, that is,"
Nicolas took the both of them in his arms and lifted them on the air, easy as one would rope, and laughed loud like a drum. The sound almost making the windows panes of the shops tremble by the force.
"Faithful I may not have said it, but I see you as much as family as my own grandmother,"
"Share the feeling but as a great grandmother,"
"Told you both to call me aunt. You two have no respect for me,"
"What is family if not people you bother?"
"And help,"
"And love,"
Finished Marcello with great effort, his cheeks pushed together in the press of bodies and seeing the little fella fight to breathe Nico released them of his bone crusher and patted the boy. It was nice to say it, to hear it was even better and she felt a little bubbly in the chest from all the happiness and she turned around to let that little tear of hers fall unnoticed. She loved them and no doubt about that, so much so that she would share her Jack Fisher. Maybe better start with something cheaper, she needed time to get used to this whole sharing thing.
.
(o.O)
.
They lay down on the grass under a star lighted sky, they with a drink in hand and him with a cigar and making every effort to keep the smoke from going into the open windows. Martina burped and tasted the whisky a second time or maybe it was the wine, nope that was the champagne, she thought she had learnt not to mix alcohol. Guess there were times not to listen to a lesson like the day before you leave everyone you ever met, when you left family to look for family. As strange a notion as it was there was no changing that it was what they wanted.
"I smelled that. Blow that wind somewhere else please,"
She burped again and blew it at her brother's face.
"Disgusting,"
He answered and filled the whole place with smoke, acrid and bitter as the tar in it. How was it that he could enjoy that kind of things was beyond her, they smelt worse than a latrine and were expensive as fuck with how often he bought his packs.
"You two know I am in the middle right?"
"Sorry Faithful,"
"Not sorry,"
Itse poked the mouth of her stomach, right below her ribs, and she felt her guts rumble and turn, and she felt sick all of a sudden. Looking at the hateful woman she tried to look at her with reproach and only felt sicker as her voice came with all the joy of someone in their wedding day.
"Not sorry,"
They lapsed into silence, Nicolas because he had nothing to say when he could smoke or eat, Itse because she enjoyed the quiet, and Martina because she wasn't sure she would be able to keep her stomach if she opened her mouth. And so time went by, the day ate away at the night and they could hear the birds sing their ugly, tuneless song that told you it was close to four in the morning. As if on cue Itse spoke.
"Are you sure you two want to leave? You would be a great merchant in any firm and you would be an excellent chef in any restaurant,"
They both looked rustled by the question, both moving on their seats on the ground and looking at her with all their attention.
"Don't you two look at me like that, I am worried that you two don't know what you are getting in,"
"We can't stay with you forever either, so we have things to do at sea,"
"Like what?"
"We want to see what this world has to offer, we want to see the deserts of Arabasta,"
"The canals of Water Seven and the corridas of Dressrosa,"
They smiled conspiratorially at each other as they mentioned each place, a childish giggle as if their parents were non the wiser to their plans. They would visit all those places, but not for sightseeing or anything as harmless and Itse picked up on it quickly as she looked at the sky again and sighed loudly before taking a paper from her pocket and almost giving it to Nico before thinking better and giving it to her.
"That's the number of my Den-Den Mushi. I want to know what you two are doing and where, they may be few the friends that remain but I am sure they would lend you a helping hand if you throw my name in,"
"We will keep you up to date,"
"I will make sure she calls every time we dock,"
"You better, the second I find something on the newspaper before you tell me I am sailing for the both of you,"
Looking at each other they struggled with saying the next few words, they both knew what the other would say. They had a feeling the other was about to spout the same words and were hoping the other would speak first, and in the end they both said it at the same damn time.
"Thank you for everything, grandma/nonna,"
