Akutō - Shenanigans
She ducks through a side alleyway around the corner from the bar and clutches the sides of her hood as she continues walking quickly. She had planned to be smoother on her exit, not so abrupt and INVITING HIS INTEREST but she wasn't big on being late (it was the marine in her) and she couldn't afford to have him follow her. (that was her personal experience talking there.)
She's weaving in and out of the people running for shelter, and she's surprised to see so many people sitting on the sides of the businesses, taking refuge from the storm under the extended portions of the roofs. Men with dark looks in their eyes roving over the women at their side, women unsteady on their feet giggling in their scantily clad outfits and she noticed a few children shivering and hovering to the outskirts of the group. Something tugs at her heart- she can't help it when her eyes lock with the small children's and a gasp escapes her throat. Isn't this why you're here? Focus – focus – focus! They'll leave the minute you're late. It cost enough just to get this meeting.
She turns her head and can't help the sharp slouch of her shoulders. Injustice wasn't right and she saw it everywhere.
What was so great about Absolute Justice if it was only absolute and assisted only a small portion of the people? That wasn't Justice, and it definitely wasn't "Absolute." Power and Justice shouldn't be interchangeable things; they shouldn't be confused with the other because that's how you lost sight of what mattered the most.
Like protecting the people, no matter how big or how small or how lost.
She shakes her head as she turns another corner, and she's back to the main road on but closer to the backside of the town, where there's a private entrance to a shady set of docks. How fitting. She's careless in her endeavor to make her way in and around the crowded street, and glancing behind her really only causes more issues as she stumbles on the uneven pavement. Clumsy… Always so damn clumsy!
She exclaims to herself as she knocks into a nearby stranger. She hastily keeps walking, increasing her speed when she spots green hair out of the corner of her eyes. She's not sure if it's the exact shade of his hair - HOW? How? I would have thought for sure he'd end up in the opposite direction. Okay, okay, that's fine. Just going to do a loop and maybe.. Just maybe I can be fast enough to dart in. Yeah- balance please don't let me down. For a change.
She steels herself as she does another loop and keeps her herself behind a larger group of men she had seen coming in the opposite direction. She doesn't see another flash of green hair but she's not taking any chances.
How many people just had green hair? Even in the New World. And anything was possible in the New World Sea.
She sets her feet on the gravel entryway and the path is illuminated by glass candle holders resting on the walls encasing the entryway and leading to the small dock. She's stunned as she sees the cliff edges rise to make a small semi-circle where the port was located; what surprised her most wasn't the cliff or the semi-circle enclosure that seemed to have naturally formed but rather how there was a natural river cascading down the sides of the jagged cliffs that made the island that fed into it and then rose down the open space leading to a waterfall that fed directly to the ocean below them and do people really leave this dock? Do they use that waterfall? Do they want to die?
She glances up as she smalls a small house, red siding and the traditional thatched roof, so similar to the style of Navy Head Quarters, sitting atop of it. There's a large fence leading the sides of the property and the posts are higher than she can even jump to. She can hear voices and despite the size of the house, the entire estate is ornate, everything was shining. She realizes the red siding is a red marble and the thatched roof is plated gold.
A tall man comes out of the home, black shirt and gray paw print pants a stark contrast to the deep and bright hues of the home and the surrounding garden filled with roses, tulips, and so many flowers she had never seen before. His hands are open and up; palm held out in front of her and wait is that a PAW PRINT ON HIS HANDS- and is he a giant? She's wracking her brain because he doesn't look like the giants she's encountered at Enies Lobby or Marine Ford but then again that doesn't mean anything, right? Even his hands are larger than her face, her torso combined and she knows without a shadow of a doubt that there's no way that she's going to make it through whatever he's getting ready to do to her. The wind whistles around her as a ball of bright white light starts to appear in the open cusp of his palm and she closes her eyes briefly and steels herself for the oncoming blow when out of nowhere-
A tall woman walks through the doorway and a droll voice rings out, "Oh it's her.. Kuma she's our appointment. Pat her down and let her through." This giant of a man, this Kuma, lowers his open palms and she hears a chorus of "Yes, master" rings through the small courtyard and she gasps.
Taking a quick look behind her Tashigi realizes that she had been a little deeper in through looking at her surroundings that she missed the 3 other identical men circling behind her.
Crap. Well glad she came out to meet me. I really hope someone pronounces her name. Because I don't even want to try and fail and end this before it begins. Her name is Tsaruyi – and how do I even say THAT? Who puts a U so close to a Y and why is that the most important thing right now as I'm being pawed by a freaking giant and at least he didn't try to take my swords. Then again – her eyes dart above her as she realizes that there are at least 6 feet of distance between where her head rests at his knee or probably even more.
Hmm… I don't think he's allowed to hurt me… If this is Vegapunk's creation he won't be able to break orders. Hmm. Can't have this go sideways, just in case.
She walks up the stairs please no accidents… please no accidents… and through the doorway Yes! No accidents! Okay, I can do this, I can do this! as her eyes land on the woman who had walked out earlier.
She's lounging on a chaise, relaxed without a care in the world and she just looks comfortable and at ease, the color of scarlet and the white marble walls and flooring is blinding. The woman's white robes remind her of the Kimonos from her childhood and is that a bubble? On her head? The woman holds her head high as the silver, green, and purple jewels decorating her throat and white robes, a long slim cigarette being brought to her ruby red lips and entering the bubble. The smoke pushes through her nostrils and she truly looks like a bull and -
Now Tashigi knows she's seen it all.
This- this- is a celestial dragon?
She doesn't see anything to be scared of… Then again, when you have Admirals and giant guard dogs like those Kuma sitting outside you don't have to be the one inspiring the fear.
The woman continues lounging but waves her hand at her as if to say Take a seat. Tashigi is only slightly ashamed to admit that she immediately does that.
She's not taking any chances… Especially since she sees a medium-sized plain wooden box sitting innocently on the table. Something so plain, just regular wood off some ordinary island seems so out of place in a room filled to the brim with expensive rugs, ornate artwork hanging on the walls, and tall ceilings designed to make you feel so small. Or is that just her?
The woman is beautiful, but the deep scowl that seems permanently set to her face and a forward stare that screaming I'M BETTER THAN YOU makes her the single most hideous being she's ever met.
And she's sailed all over the world. She's seen prehistoric dinosaurs, giants, ancient giants, cute animal populations, an island filled with living toys and fairies, and now THAT THING OUTSIDE. But nothing is as ugly as the woman sitting in front of her, she's sure of it.
Tashigi sits on an armchair, at the farthest tip of the seat, ready to spring into action and into a fight if need be, and she's pretty sure it's obvious but her nerves are shot. She's so close to her goal!
The woman, Tsaruyi, just sits back and continues to stare at her. It's a heavy stare and Tashigi keeps her eyes locked on hers.. No surprises.
Tsaruyi just smirks and leans forward, keeping her gaze on Tashigi but sweeping a hand to the box. "Well, isn't this what you want? I'd be more than happy to continue on in silence and let you continue to ruin my chairs, but… I'm already slumming it as it is."
"Ah, Ah yes. Can I look…?" She doesn't get a response, at least not a verbal one; the woman merely lifts the lid of the plan box and she can't help the gasp that escapes her mouth. "Hmm, well. With that, do you have what I asked for?" Tashigi nods her head and looks up briefly as she reaches inside her coat pocket.
Her hands are shaking so bad that she has a hard time grabbing the item that she was here to trade for- and she knows that it's her anxiety kicking in, the realization that she's done a few things here and there that she knows Smoker will be disappointed in her for doing, but what she's about to do will probably make him pretty mad.
Her life, her rules, her choices, right?
She clenches her hand for a second, and then grabs the item – a small slip of paper with the coordinates to a small island – and hands it to the woman. The woman gestures with her hand to the box sitting on the table and just waves the box, and she assumes her, away.
Tashigi grabs the box with shaky hands and makes her way out of the door.
She's not even two steps away out of the door when she senses it. An indomitable force, a heavyweight to her chest for a split second before she hears the shrill noise of swords clanking and a bored voice, "Oii, Kuma – what are you, 6000 by now? Just point me out of here. I don't even know how I got here!" She looks up sharply and gasps as she sees none other than Roroanoa Zoro wielding 2 swords and locked with all 4 Kuma weird twins. She hears Tsaruyi voice ring out asking what's with all of the commotions? As she also starts calling to the Kuma outside.
She's sure she's still gaping in shock at the sight when Zoro perks his head up, suddenly realizing that the door was opened, probably because Tsaruyi voice was getting higher in volume. They lock eyes as she grins and says, "Well, I Wasn't expecting to run into you here. Who's the woman screaming?"
She tries to formulate a response, but all she can do is open and close her mouth repeatedly, still in shock.
He's running around, trying to dodge the different Kuma and he's growing agitated as he yells "Don't just stand there! Either get the woman to stop screaming or help me out of here!"
She shakes her head as she grips the scabbard of Shigure and launches herself straight ahead. The Kuma are slow but could also know Shave… If she's fast enough, they may be…
He's dead center in the path, with the Kuma locked on him. There was a flurry of rockets, kicks and she hears the clank of his swords blocking. She knows he's content to continue fighting but she doubts he understands whose house they're at and what's already coming their way.
Zoro doesn't even see her, just feels the air running past him like a strong gust of wind and then his coat is being dragged and he's gone faster than he's ever gone before-
Tashigi is breathing deeply by the time she stops, dead center back towards the Tavern that they had both started their night. It wasn't such a long distance but had twists and turns and she was all but carrying Zoro's heavyweight. Just… How much does this guy weigh? Now's maybe not the time to start thinking about his body-
She doesn't know what would happen if his feet touched the ground in the middle of how fast they were going- in all the years she's seen him fight, she's yet to see him use such a move and didn't want to chance anything… dangerous happening.
She rolls her eyes suddenly as she remembers that they had just managed to successfully run away from four super giant freak twins-quintets?
It doesn't matter.
She'd gotten what she was after.
Zoro's rolling his eyes as he pats her back, "Thanks, Captain Glasses." She startles as she realizes that she's pressed tightly against him and blushes as she pushes him away. "What are you doing? Do you even know what you just did?!" she hisses, eyes furious and mouth was drawn tight.
"Huh, well those robot things I've fought before. I'unno about the house thought. Considering you were leaving it, why don't you tell me?"
Frowning, her words still a hiss- "The ho-house? Do you think the house is important?! No, you marimo, it was the woman inside of there- she was a Celestial Dragon! Why do you think there were of 4 those things there!"
She's whisper shouting and she knows it's ridiculous but she's angry, and she's annoyed, and no one else needs to know about this.
He just shrugs. "Oh, one of those. Yeah, Luffy's punched one before or something. I don't think they like us." Tashigi just stares blankly at Zoro, her mouth open and she can feel her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she senses a headache coming on.
Roroanoa Zoro infuriated her so much that sometimes, he could literally give her headaches just from talking to her. "So he just, he just- that really happened? I'd heard of it, but wasn't sure- but you know what? I really should have known he'd do it. It's exactly what you'd expect from your Captain." Just like when he made sure Smoker didn't die, he made sure he didn't fail on his promise to her. Luffy truly was a special person.
She thinks back to that night, about how they'd managed to infiltrate an island teeming with illegal activity – gambling, prostitution, slavery… And somehow ended up in a battle against Blackbeard himself.
G-5 wasn't ready for it, and neither was Smoker. She wasn't either. Nobody was. Just when it seemed to be the end, that this was it, the Strawhats had appeared suddenly, and Tashigi isn't sure why but Luffy just promises her that it's okay, and not to worry because he's "Going to KICK HIS ASS!"
She shakes her head as she stares back at Zoro. "Well... You might want to tell your Captain about this. At the very least, Nami and Robin. Even Franky. Just tell someone. This could get hairy for you guys."
"Yeah… Probably" and then, a more amused tone, "Think my Cap'n will just be jealous he didn't get a chance at those Kuma."
She doesn't even get to start what she was sure was going to be one of her epic, all-out drawling tirades that shattered his eardrums when he's got his arm wrapped around her and he's leading her towards his crewmates that had started to assemble outside of the tavern. She hears a chorus of "TASHIGI-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!" and an assortment of smiles.
She hadn't even noticed them come outside.
She clutches the box closer to her and slips it discretely the surprising deep pocket at the bottom interior of her long coat. The box is bulky, but her coat is black and keeps it well hidden.. She hopes.
She lets herself be guided by Zoro towards the crew members as she realizes, letting out a deep sigh, that maybe she had missed them as she stares at their cheerful faces, enthusiastic chatter, and overwhelming warmth.