Welcome, ladies and gents!
This is an update, very fast might I add, for my new buddy Wren! This chapter is so you don't fall from your seat, love :D
Thank you Danielle Chocolatt, on the follow :) Welcome to the family!
In this chapter we finally get our dear, but oblivious, Ace, to do something! Stupid, but something :)
I don't know when, but I threw in some Marco loving… It just… developed… Fraaaaack xD
Chapter 15: Johnny – Vaya con Dios (Old, but amazing band!)
Ace wasn't sure how long he loitered around the medical wing. Doc worked on Penny while he paced, walked about and bit his short nails. He could see the muscle on Jade's neck pulse in anger, but he couldn't make himself stop. She didn't explode though. She just kept working in silence.
"Are you done? Is she better? When is she going to wake up?" Ace finally gave in, and started asking questions. He wasn't used to being this worried. He wasn't used to feeling all of these emotions at once. His hand went through his hair automatically and he tugged on it lightly.
"Not yet. Why don't you sit?" Doc's voice was steady, calm. She was talking to him almost like he was the one hurt by the intruders. Was he? Ace nodded and settled into doc's cushioned chair shakily. She didn't look at him and kept inspecting the girl.
The door opened and Marco's head popped in. He looked bored, as usual, but Ace could feel a certain energy wash over them when the first mate entered. The First Commander was serious.
"Everyone alright, yoi?" Marco asked. Doc gave him an exasperated look, but didn't answer. Ace stared at him, and frankly, the phoenix thought that he looked like a kicked puppy. Marco nodded to the two and left, the door slamming in his wake. Ace cringed at the sound.
"Cowboy, come here. Pull up that chair, too." Ace stood, now fully aware of his shaking legs. The adrenaline was slowly leaving his system. Doc caught the back of the chair and pulled it near the bed. She placed a comforting hand on Ace's shoulder and gently pushed him down. Doc wasn't sure who was in worse condition, the raven or the tiny girl on her bed. She frowned slightly.
"How is she, doc?" Ace asked quietly. She squeezed his shoulder for reassurance and then let go. She walked to her lab section of the office and turned on the burner. She filled a pot with water and heated it up. It was faster on the burner. Doc made ashwaganda tea and added honey. She poured it into three cups and served it to Ace. The raven accepted the hot drink in a zombie-like state. She took one for herself and left the last one on Penny's nightstand. Jade settled herself on the edge of the hospital bed.
"She is going to be fine." Doc began. Ace released a breath that he hadn't been aware of holding. "Drink." Doc told him gently. He did. The warm tea seeped into his system and he could feel himself calming down slowly. He took another deep breath and released it. Ace looked to doc, only to see a small smile on her face. "That's better." It was then when Ace noticed just how deep doc's voice was. Deep and comforting. She was more worried about him than about Penny. Did he seem that bad?
"Thank you." Ace murmured. Doc gave him a knowing smile.
"It's alright, cowboy. We've all been there." Doc spoke. "She will be fine. She is in shock. Right now, she is just sleeping. I've checked her with Haki. Now, all we need to do is wait." Ace nodded. Doc drank some tea and the raven copied her movements. He welcomed the warm drink. It was comforting, so different form the alcohol that he usually drank these days. He could see why Leo came to doc for his tea every morning.
"Is there anything I can do?" Ace asked. His voice had finally stopped shaking.
"Stay with her. Talk to her." Doc stood and walked out of the room. She sighed and sipped some more of the tea. Doc walked to the deck slowly. The pirates and the enemy ship were gone. The only evidence of the fight were the charred parts of the planks. The rising sun appeared on the horizon and the morning rays hit her face, warming her body. The air from her nose and mouth was fogging up in the icy atmosphere. Her tea was steaming. Another sleepless night. Jade let out another sigh.
"Are they alright?" Doc turned to the first mate. She nodded. He seemed just as tired as she felt. Doc walked over to him and hoisted herself up on the railing beside him.
"She is in shock. She fell asleep half way through my examination. He got quite shaken up, but I think that he'll be fine. More determined, but fine." Marco's face lost the frown that had been present. He allowed doc to lean against him and lay her head on his shoulder. Penny and Ace weren't the only shaken up ones. The first mate hugged the ship's doctor gently, pulling her closer to his warm body. He loved his Devil Fruit sometimes.
"Character building, eh?" Marco joked. Jade didn't answer. She wasn't in the mood for his lame jokes. "What I want to know, yoi, is who the hell was on watch." His voice lowered considerably. Doc raised her head a bit to look at him.
"A spy?" The dark woman whispered back. The phoenix shrugged. "Who's up there now?" The doc questioned, her eyes immediately glued to the crow's nest.
"Leo, yoi." Doc relaxed back onto his shoulder. She would vouch with her life that Leo wasn't a spy. "Izo volunteered to take the next watch." Jade sighed.
"I hate this distrust in the air." Her exotic face had a frown fixed on it. "Do you remember when we were still a small crew? Everyone knew everyone's business." She smiled, remembering.
"I remember you screaming from the bathroom, yoi." He chuckled and she felt it rumble through his body. Jade let out a very unladylike snort.
"There was only one bathroom and I was the only woman." She argued. "Besides, who enters without knocking?"
"Pirates, yoi." She giggled. A sound that was a privilege to hear.
"Pirates." Doc agreed.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran stood still for what seemed like hours. The blade was icy against her neck. The drumming of her hart was like shouts in her head, almost drowning out the muffled sound of the rain.
"Answer me, you asshole!" The voice behind her addressed her again. She could tell that it was a young child that had spoken. Probably male, too. He was barely reaching her neck. However, his voice didn't sound scared or anxious. It was cold and dangerous, full of malice. Ran didn't dare move. This kid would kill her if she did.
"R-Ranmao. Sparrow delivery service." She spoke shakily. She could feel the blade moving against her throat as she spoke. However, it didn't bite into her skin. This kid was skillful. "Elder Pinjao sent me to this location."
"Truth?" The voice behind her spoke again. She frowned. Of course she was telling the truth. Why don't you try lying with a knife to your throat?
"No idea." An identical voice spoke from in front of her. She tried to find the speaker in the shadows, but she couldn't. Ran caught slight movement in the dark, but she couldn't make out the figure.
"Let's kill the bastard." The voice behind her spoke again. Ran felt blood freeze in her veins.
"Let's." The person from the front agreed. "Try that new technique." The pilot started panicking. She could feel her head swimming. White spots appeared in her vision.
"Wait! Wait, please! I'm looking for someone named Sita!" Ran attempted to defuse the situation. She was regretting taking this thrice damned job by now. She would take flying in a lightning storm over this any day.
The two voices didn't speak for a while. Then the blade on her neck loosened, but didn't leave its position. "Walk." The voice behind her spoke and a small hand pushed her forward. Ran obeyed. She headed forward and up the stairs, almost chucking when the blade vanished from her neck and pressed into her back. The kid was too short to hold her neck when she was on the higher step.
She heard two pairs of footsteps following her. They went all the way up the lighthouse. The stairs were old and dusty. They were made of stone, but more than one was cracked and parts were even missing. Ran struggled to find her footing as she climbed the stairs as slowly as possible, while not raising any suspicion. She needed time to think. She wasn't ready to die. At least not on the ground. If she were to die, she would die while flying.
Her heart slowed down gradually. She was still terrified, but less than in the beginning. She was calming down. Getting scared wouldn't help her. She needed to think rationally. These were probably the companions of this Sita person that Pinjao had sent her to extract. Fuck extracting. She would never, ever, agree to something like this again. These were supposed to be her allies, not the people trying to kill her. She had been too naïve. Too trusting. Ran wanted to break down and cry.
"Mistress? Are you awake?" One of the voices spoke. She couldn't tell them apart. They were in a round room now. On the very top floor of the lighthouse. She could see the stairs that led to the terrace above where the unused light lay. There wasn't much in the room. Two beds, stripped of their mattresses, dark drapes covering the windows, some junk against the wall. Ran looked around and then focused on the gasping figure on the floor.
She could make out the female body, and blonde hair spread all around, like a halo. It contrasted with the bloody bandages and black fabric around the woman. The kid behind Ran pushed her forward. She complied. If the woman on the floor wasn't injured or sick, she would've probably been beautiful. Ran could see her pale, clammy skin, slim figure, large breasts and an angelic face twisted in agony. The woman opened her eyes, but Ran could only make out the white of her eyes in the dark.
"Who the fuck is that?" She panted. Her voice was raspy. She sounded older than she looked. If it wasn't such a dire situation, Ran would've found that attractive.
"Ranmao. Sparrow delivery service, Mistress." One of the voices spoke from behind the pilot again. They were unusually polite towards this mistress of theirs, in contrast to the way they addressed her. The woman snorted.
"Don't call me that, idiot number one." Ran kind of had the idea of where their bad language habit came from now. "Get over here, delivery jerk." A hand pushed her forward once again and she obeyed. Her heart was still beating insanely, but she wasn't as scared. Somehow, the situation had become ridiculous.
Ran knelt beside the woman in pain. She could see her better now. The blonde was older than her, but not by much. Five or six years most. The woman gave her a onceover.
"Pinjao sent you?" She finally spoke. Ran shivered at the raspy voice. The pilot nodded. "What the fuck?!" The woman suddenly burst and Ran cringed at the volume. "Why the hell did he send you? You aren't even a fucking combatant!" The woman lay back down and growled. Ran felt herself snap, and she ignored the shiver that went through her body at the woman's growl.
"I don't need this, you know!" She jumped up, enraged. She heard blades being drawn behind her, but she was too angry to care. The woman on the floor opened her eyes again and focused on the pilot. "I came from a fricking Sky Island, 10000 meters above sea level, in an untested glider to help you! And now! Now you say you do not want my help!" She could feel her face going red in anger, but she didn't care. She could feel the killing intent from the two kids behind her. It was overwhelming. Terrifying. The woman on the floor was staring at her in shock. Then she laughed. Then she started coughing.
"Mistress!" Two voices shouted at the same time and two kids launched themselves to help the woman. Ran could see them now. Two young boys were helping the woman on the floor. One raised her head into his lap and the other took off the blanket that was placed over her. There was a gaping, bloody wound, clumsily bandaged across the expanse of her chest and stomach. Ran winced.
She could see the trio better now. The two boys were identical. Twins. They were all dressed in black. Their pants and shirts were tight and form fitting. The woman's, however, were clearly not made from the same material. Her clothes gave off a dull shine, like some king of leather. The boys had their heads covered by caps and their faces painted in some kind of black powder paint. Similar to what she had used on the Sparrow. One of them wasn't moving his right arm. Probably broken.
"I'm fine, i1, i2." The woman rasped. "I like her." She said.
"But, Mistress-"
"Don't call me that, idiots!" The woman burst once again. The twins went quiet. For a while the only sounds in the room were the pants of the woman on the floor and the pouring rain outside. Then, the blonde moved to sit up. The twins immediately aided her. "We need to leave."
"You can't move. You're hurt." Ran objected, trying to push the woman back down. A gloved hand caught hers and a knife landed at her throat. The twins stopped her. They were back where they had started. The air in the room changed. It became cold somehow. Both of those kids were ready to kill the pilot. Ran couldn't believe it. They couldn't be older than ten. They were younger than her and probably more deadly than most people she had met. It scared the crap out of her.
"Stand down, idiots." The woman told the twins. "You don't get it." She turned to Ran. "We need to move." She winced. "If we don't, we're dead." Ran felt breath catch in her throat. "All of us." The woman panted again. "Better I die and they live, then we all die." The woman grunted and pushed herself up. The twins helped her. Ran stepped forward to lend a hand, but two sets of identical emerald eyes flashed at her in warning. She froze. "Stop this idiotic act, you idiots. She's alright in my book. Swallow it." The blonde woman said. She was taller than the twins when she stood up. She was taller than Ran, too. "We have been here for half a day. They already know our location. Move. Now." There was no room for discussion.
Getting the woman down the stairs was a right pain. The twins were impossibly stubborn. In the end, Ran burst and made one of them move, letting her take his place. The twin frowned, but allowed it. He and his brother kept exchanging glances all the way to the bottom of the lighthouse. Ran stopped just before they exited the fort. The wounded woman gave her an annoyed look. She was barely holding herself up, even with the help of the two people.
"Do you have any protective headgear? We are going to fly out of here." The pilot enjoyed the look of shock on the twins' faces and the slight widening of the woman's eyes. The boys pointed at their caps. Ran nodded. It would be fine for a short flight. The Sparrow wasn't made to carry a lot of people. With this new design, it would hold, but they would have to stop often. The twin that wasn't supporting the woman went behind them and raised a hood of sorts onto her head. He wrapped it carefully, tucking her hair in. "That will do." The group continued.
The rain was still pouring. The Sparrow was soaked and slick with water. The woman, Sita, winced when the drops hit her body and her half covered wounds. She didn't stop though. She pushed forward and Ran and the twin led her towards the Sparrow. The pilot helped Sita onto the glider. She positioned the woman on her back and instructed her to hold onto the bars. The blonde nodded. Then she froze.
"They're here. Hurry up, you dumbasses."
"I can't feel anything." One of the twins said. The other nodded, agreeing.
"My range is wider, idiots." The blonde murmured through grit teeth, clearly in pain. The pilot slammed open her storage and took out two leather straps. She bent to the bottom of the glider and secured them each on a separate bar by a hook, making two seats of sorts. Ran turned to the twins.
"I'm going to propel the glider up. When I do that, I need you to grab onto the bars below and sit in these seats. Can you do that?" The twins exchanged glances, raising an eyebrow at each other, their expressions identical.
"What do you think, dumbass?" Ran shook her head and put the helmet back on. She slammed the storage shut and jumped onto the top of the glider.
"Duck!" The woman below her yelled and Ran obeyed on instinct. A small blade flew right where her head had been, and imbedded itself into a tree. "The fuckers have caught up! Kill them!" Ran felt her breath leave her body. She kind of wanted to cry. Why did these things happen to her? Why not someone else? "Don't let them live!" Sita yelled. Ran saw the twins charging at a couple of dark figures that held blades that gleamed in the soft moonlight. Fear gripped her as she saw a head fly and she pressed the hidden paddle, the Sparrow taking off. It hovered in the same spot for a while, waiting for its passengers.
"Hey! We need to leave!" She didn't know the twins' names. Fuck. She could barely feel her hands or legs. They had cooled down and gone numb with fear. Sita was yelling something. A couple of blades flew at the glider and Ran pressed the paddle again. The Sparrow took off and made a small, neck breaking circle. Sita caught with one arm onto the pilot's foot, slipping slightly. Ran didn't move and allowed the woman to hold herself still.
She bent forward and changed her position, making the glider fly lower. She felt the weight add onto the one that her machine was already carrying. In an instant, she pressed the paddle once again and took to the skies. The pilot looked back. They were leaving a bloody clearing, full of mangled bodies behind them. Something flashed from the dark and then she turned to the front. With a small tilt of the glider, she saw the twins safe in their makeshift seats.
The pilot took out an Eternal Pose from her pouch and bent forward, over Sita. She changed the Octavo one for this one at the tip of her glider and adjusted course. The first rays of the morning sun lit up the Sparrow. Their next stop was Theobroma Cacao.
~~~~pb~~~~
Penny woke up to the smell of ashwaganda tea and herbs. She blinked and slowly sat up. She was in the medical wing. She hated hospitals, but she could never dislike the medical wing on the Moby Dick. Doc never allowed it to smell like antibiotics. The exotic woman was always making different teas and drying herbs. She would also grind the raw ingredients herself, and she always seemed to smell like mint and honey. It wasn't upsetting like the scent of antibiotics, it was comforting and calming.
Penny went to push off her covers when she noticed Ace. The pirate was sitting in a chair, his hands and head on her bed, dead to the world. She smiled slightly, noticing the snot bubble. Her small hands found his messy hair and she patted it.
"Feeling better?" Penny looked up, only to see the doc drinking tea, sitting on her desk. The woman seemed strangely tired. The look didn't suit her.
"Yes." The small cook answered, her eyes went back to the sleeping pirate. She patted his hair again. "What happened?" Doc stood up and came closer to the girl. She picked up a cup from the nightstand and handed it to the cook. Penny accepted. The cup was still warm, but not uncomfortably hot.
"What do you remember?" Doc sat at the foot of her bed. Her aura was calm and comforting. It was so different from the other times when Penny had seen her. The woman was usually like a volcano. Now, she seemed like a steady river.
"I was preparing ingredients for a new sweets recipe. Something fell. I went to see what was going on and then everything goes black." The girl said. Jade nodded.
"I see. That's alright." Doc stood once again, heading to her desk. She placed her empty cup on the desk and went to her cupboard. Doc took out her supplies and started grinding up more healing paste. She worked in silence, leaving Penny to her own devices. The girl didn't mind, though. She drank some warm tea, patted Ace's hair and enjoyed the rhythmic grinding of the ceramic mortar and pestle.
"Has Ace-sama been here for a long time?" Penny asked once she finished her tea. She placed the cup back on the nightstand. Jade didn't stop her work, but she answered.
"He brought you here." There was a small pause. "There was a fight on deck and you fainted. You're going to be fine, though." Doc turned around, giving her a bright smile. "He acted fast. He's been here the whole morning, keeping that tea warm and talking to you." Jade turned back to her work and continued. Penny looked at the sleeping pirate. Her savior had saved her once more. She felt herself trembling. Her hand shook as she kept patting his hair. Salty drops fell from her eyes and onto the sheets.
Doc heard the soft sobs and turned around. For a moment, she didn't move. Then, the dark woman stood up and walked back to the bed. She slid next to the shaking, sobbing girl and pulled her into her arms.
"Come here, sweetie." Doc cooed and Penny latched onto the exotic woman like a leech. The small girl shook, crying her eyes out. Doc patted her head, murmuring soft nothings into her ear, comforting her. It was about time. A person like Penny, who has suffered something like the trauma with the Hollow Skull Pirates, shouldn't bottle up her emotions. Marco had told Jade that she had had a couple of outbursts, but she still hadn't let it go. Those outbursts were violent, full of self-loathing and hate for the enemy prate crew. These cries, this outburst, it was one of healing. She needed to let it all out, to overcome it and to move on.
Ace smiled, his eyes closed, head still on the bed. He really wasn't equipped to deal with this. But Jade was.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ace had breakfast with Penny that morning. Doc left the office, just so she wouldn't see the mountain of half-eaten food scattered all over the place. The raven and the cook had a blast. He goofed off more than he had done in years, just to put a smile and a blush on her face. He almost felt like he was ten again, playing with Luffy. The girl smiling in front of him brought a warm feeling to his chest when she smiled. She was so beautifully alive, her eyes shining in mirth. He kept seeing the empty look that she had had back then, before his Haki had washed over the ship. It haunted him. Without any signs of stopping.
Ace left her in the medical wing after Kondor and some other cooks came to visit. The conversation had become a food discussion, and as much as he loved food, he wasn't a fan of recipes. The pirate found his way to the deck where he looked for Marco. The Commander was nowhere to be found. Next, the raven headed to the first mate's room.
The door was closed, and when he knocked he didn't receive an answer, just silence. Ace ended up sliding down the wall and sitting in front of Marco's room. He didn't really want to enter. If he did, he would've. It wouldn't be the first time that he had awoken the stupid flaming chicken. He just didn't want to enter.
It had been terrifying, last night. Being so close, yet so far away. He was strong, in anyone's opinion. Yet, he had been rendered powerless. That Haoshoku Haki was pure chance. He had saved Penny by luck. Fuck that, Ace thought. He wanted more. He needed more. How was he ever going to protect his precious brothers without enough power? How was he ever going to make Whitebeard the Pirate King?
Ace's mind froze. What? Whitebeard the Pirate King? Since when was that his ambition? Hadn't he wanted to be free? Wasn't that his ambition? To be free and live without regrets. The pirate let his head fall backwards and hit the wall. He must've gone insane. Then again, when he thought about it, he was free. Pops let him do his own thing, no objections. And the crew was great. He didn't really have any regrets either. Maybe he did regret not sleeping with Ran. Wait. Halt. Hold it. What!?
No, no, no. No. Ranmao was his friend. It was possible for a guy to be friends with a girl, right? True, they did kiss. A couple of times. And she had told him that she liked it and she had practically promised to kiss him again. But, still, they were friends. Who kiss under the influence. But still friends.
"Ace, yoi?" The raven looked up and spoke without thinking.
"A girl and a guy can kiss and still be friends, right?" Marco's expression didn't change. He gave Ace a long, incredulous stare, though. Was the kid really coming to him with the romance questions? Oh well, he could do the birds and the bees talk if needed. He really hoped that it wasn't needed.
"Why not, yoi?" The Commander slid down the wall and sat opposite from Ace. The young pirate sat there, pensive, for a few moments. He mussed up his hair, his hat hanging down his back, and looked at Marco again.
"Aren't you supposed to think about the person you like all the time or something?" He seemed so lost. Marco gave a small smile.
"Everyone has their own way of liking someone." The Commander answered slowly. Ace seemed to be drinking up every word.
"What do you mean?" The teen questioned. "How do you know if you like someone then? Or if you are just attracted to them?"
Marco dragged a hand across his face, collecting himself. "I may not be the best person to ask, yoi. Maybe Izo would have a better answer, yoi?" He saw Ace's face fall in rejection. Clearly, the teen was asking him because he felt closer to Marco than Izo. "I think that it's that feeling of wanting something, yoi. Like, when they are close, your eyes somehow focus on them. And, you are constantly comparing all other people that you are attracted to, even a little, to that person, yoi." Marco drifted off, focusing on his own feelings. "And if you're just friends, you're always waiting. Waiting for something, yoi. And when it happens, it's like the world stops." Marco groaned, his head dropping into his hands. "I'm not explaining this very well, am I, yoi?" He peeked up at Ace, through his fingers. The raven seemed deep in thought.
"I think I get it." The teen finally spoke. "I think I get it." He repeated. "It's so messed up. I never thought of her in that way. I mean, she's attractive, sure, but I never thought of not being with her as a regret, you know? And now I am. It's so messed up. I don't know if she even feels the same way. I mean, she kissed me, that means that she's at least attracted to me, right?"
Marco listened to the rant calmly. Ace stopped at one point and stared, waiting for an answer. The Commander gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Why don't you think about it for a while? Maybe you should talk to that girl, too?" Ace nodded, accepting the answer. He stood, Marco getting up, too. The raven nodded again and then walked down the hallway, murmuring a thanks. It wasn't until he was on deck that he realized that he hadn't asked Marco what he had wanted.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ace stared at the Den Den Mushi. It was his own snail. The one that Ran had made him get. It was very cute in his opinion. There was a small orange hat on his white head and a tiny red bead around his neck. Ace thought that Ran would like it if she saw it.
Ran. That was his dilemma. He was thinking about calling her. He had taken Marco's advice and thought about the pilot. He had spent the whole morning thinking about her, in fact. He didn't know why he was so fixated on Ran. But he was. So he decided, since he couldn't figure out anything, that he would call her and see if that stirs anything.
That brought him to the current situation. He was sitting on the roof of the Captain's quarters, staring at the small snail. It was innocently looking back at him. He was wondering if he should or shouldn't call her. The pilot may be busy with jobs. Besides, she may have forgotten all about him by now? He had heard that Izo had received a letter from her recently. He hadn't gotten anything. Maybe he shouldn't call.
"Oh, for Calypso's sake! It's been an hour, Ace!" Leo's voice came from behind him. The raven turned around to see his blonde friend's irritated face. "Just pick up the darn snail and call her already!" Ace felt himself flush.
"Her? Who are you-" But Leo cut him off.
"Ran, of course. I was wondering when you were going to get around to calling her." The blonde smiled and settled down next to Ace. "It's about time, really." The younger pirate didn't respond. He turned back to the snail and started another staredown. Leo sighed. "She'll be glad to hear from you."
Ace turned his head sharply. The blonde could swear that he heard a crack. "You think so?" Adorable, the blonde thought. Izo would probably pay to see this.
"I know so." He reassured the reluctant teen. "Now, gather your balls and call." He pushed the white snail towards Ace and the raven recoiled from the small animal, as if it were deadly. Leo shook his head and stood. He walked away from the debating teenager. He would have to figure it out on his own. All Leo could do was give him a push.
Ace stared at the innocent little Den Den Mushi and finally broke. He picked it up and read Ran's number. Then he read the number once more and dialed it.
Purupurupuru!
Purupurupuru!
Nobody was picking up. Ace felt his face fall in disappointment. He was just about to close the line when the signature 'Kacha' was heard.
"This is the Sparrow, I am currently on a job, but how may I help you?" Ran's voice spoke. She sounded out of breath. Ace felt his face heat up and he slammed the line closed. He stared at the innocent white snail for a moment. Then he face palmed. Damn. He had screwed up.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran sat in the hotel room. They had settled in on Theobroma Cacao. She had had to convince her three new companions to stop and actually check into a hotel. They were ridiculously paranoid. She had helped Sita shower and wash her wound. Then they applied some of the medicine that the strange trio had had on them and re-bandaged it. The gash was terrible. It was long, stretching from her left shoulder, in between of her breasts and down her stomach to the right hip. It was clear, even to Ran, that it had been made by a razor sharp blade. However, it wasn't even. The slash went left and right, it looked like the blade had been twisted in places, too. Almost like it was a wound of torture. Ran was surprised that the woman was still conscious and giving out orders. The wound was going to horribly scar. Not like it would be her first scar, her body was full of them. She needed a doctor, too. Ran knew a bit of first aid, she had learned while crashing her many glider prototypes, but this was well beyond her capabilities. The faster they reached Elder Pinjao, the better.
The twins had left for the town sometimes ago. They had washed the remainder of the black dust paint from their hands and faces. The downpour had done quite a number on it first, though. When the two took their black caps and masks off, she noticed just how adorable the twins were. They had almost identical red, messy hair and freckles all over their faces. Their eyes were a brilliant green, following every single move that Ran made. They had offered to go to town and buy provisions. One of the twins had to make a homemade sling for his arm first. They needed treatment. All of them. Ran had engaged in an argument with Sita, trying to convince the stubborn, paranoid woman to allow her to get them a doctor. The pilot lost the fight after a certain number of very colorful cuss words. The wounded woman could cuss. She was worse than a sailor.
Purupurupuru!
Ran jumped from her position in the chair and started looking through her pouches for her Den Den Mushi. She could see Sita glaring from the bed.
Purupurupuru!
Ran finally pulled out the blue snail and picked up.
Kacha!
"This is the Sparrow, I am currently on a job, but how may I help you?" She spoke, a little out of breath, locking eyes with the angry woman on the bed. She seemed ready to pounce, as if the blue snail could transform into a dangerous beast at any moment.
Kacha!
The line went dead and Ran frowned at the snail. She shrugged and put it back into her pouch. They would call back if they needed anything. She tied her pouches back around her waist. The door opened and the twins entered with many bags. They didn't address her, they hurried to Sita's side. Ran nodded to the woman and slipped out of the room. Time to find a doctor for these paranoid idiots. Good thing she had already been on this island a couple of times. She knew a tight lipped doctor.
That's all folks!
Here we see a bit of Ran's character under pressure. She is a right coward, no? And Ace is being very adorable, trying to figure out what he wants xD
Wren: I get what you mean! Ace needed a slap into reality, seriously xD He was too arrogant, at least in my opinion. Considering that they are in the New World, I needed to up the game a bit :D
Oh gosh… AcexOC stories are out there… a lot… I know because I mostly just read. I've been on fanfiction for a while, and let's be honest, I'm a hardcore Ace fan xD I still haven't watched the Marineford arc without skipping parts and crying… I will have to, before I write that part… Thank the Gods it's still far away xD
Back to the point, I've read a loooot of AcexOC, and a lot of suggestions on what to pay attention to and what to avoid while doing an AcexOC before I did mine. I did respect some of those, but still, I try to be realistic, there is no perfect fit. I understand that Ace needs someone to support him, to help him with the self-doubt and all that. However, I didn't make Ran based on the AcexOC mold. I actually made her as an OC before deciding who to pair her up with. Somehow, she ended up fitting Ace best. Maybe that's why she is so independent? I don't really want her to be dependent on Ace, like many of the OCs that I've seen.
Florence is hypnotic! I have their albums, lives, demos Goooods xD Her voice is outta this world xD I hope you liked this song choice, too :3
Anyways, just in case you didn't read the top :P This is your chapter, love. Your review made me write like an insane woman xD Didn't want you to fall outta your seat there :D