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Chapter 23: Uragiri no Yuuyake – Theatre Brook
Ran decided that flying with Izo was hell. The man kept complaining. The wind was too strong. His hair was getting messy. His kimono was getting crumpled. He needed to fix his makeup. The Sparrow was too cold. They were flying too low. And other things like that. She wanted Ace to fly with her again. She would take strapping someone to her glider rather than having someone complain any day.
The pilot adjusted her position. The Sparrow followed her instructions and lowered itself on the soft, rain covered grass. Ran jumped off the glider and gave a stiff Izo a hand, helping him down.
"Thanks, love." He said. "Where are we?" He wondered. They had been flying for a while. Ran had stayed up the whole night, piloting, while Izo had mostly slept through their journey. She had flown low, close to the water, keeping the cold to a minimum. She didn't have a problem, as she was in her suit, but Izo didn't have that. The ride had been fairly calm, the Sparrow was great, flying steady with minimal trembling.
"One of the smaller islands on the way to our destination." Ran took off her helmet, shaking her head, letting her hair down. Her gloved hands automatically pulled the chocolate strands back up in a bun with her chopsticks. She smiled slightly to herself, thinking about the evening before.
Ace slipped his hat off Ran's head, getting her attention successfully. She looked over her shoulder from her position on the Captain's quarter's roof. The pilot gave him a small smile. She had been waiting for Izo to finish packing. The man was painfully slow. She had been left to her own devices while Ace turned in his paperwork. Most of the crew was on Grandia anyways, partying it up.
"You coming back?" The pirate slipped his flashy hat on, not really looking at the girl beside him.
"I need to give Izo a ride back." She replied. Ace nodded. His mood had gone south somehow. He wasn't sure why he was so down. Ran scooted closer to him and placed a small kiss on his cheek. "I thought that, since we have this thing going on." She motioned between them. "That we could lay down some rules." The pilot waited for a moment, letting the raven think.
"Sure." Ace murmured. Ran noticed his moodiness and grabbed his hand. She laced their fingers and caressed the back of his hand.
"I don't mind you being with other women as long as it's not in front of me." Now this caught Ace's attention. He looked up, slightly shocked.
"But, I thought that-" Ran moved quickly, catching his lips. "Mmmph…" The pirate tried to speak as she pushed him down on his back. The pilot's tongue caught Ace's in a hot, not so gentle, dance. Ran held herself up with her free hand. Ace's other arm came around her waist, pushing her down towards him. She smiled into the kiss and pulled back slowly.
"I'm not going to be jealous or anything." She allowed her body weight to press against Ace's chest. He gave her his usual silly grin.
"I don't want you with other men." He said selfishly. Ran laughed at him, accepting the kiss that he reached for. He pulled their joined hands above his head and messed up her balance. He smirked into the kiss when she fell down on him. Ran chuckled and allowed him to take control.
"Thinking about R rated things, sweetie?" Izo asked, bringing Ran back to present. She turned around to see the previously disheveled Commander in top shape, every hair in place, every wrinkle straightened. The pilot smiled at her friend's antics.
"Not really. Just about Ace." She dropped her helmet into the Sparrow's storage, grabbed her backpack and took out the key gear, locking the Sparrow. Ran slammed the storage closed. She motioned for the Commander to follow and he did.
"Did he do something interesting?" Izo asked as they walked.
"More like said."
Izo took out his kiseru and put it in his mouth by habit. He took comfort in the familiar taste of tobacco. "Tell me all the juicy details, love." The Commander smiled like a cat. "I love hearing about you two."
Ran giggled excitedly, catching Izo's sleeve. "He was adorably jealous." The Commander looped their arms together, pulling her closer. He was hanging onto her every word. "Now." The pilot's cheeks were starting to hurt from all the laughing. "Tell me about your love life, dear."
Izo gave an exasperated look. "What? No." Ran raised an eyebrow. "There's really nothing to tell, sweetie." He was evading the question. And Ran, she was giddy. She was high on her recent romantic endeavors with Ace. The pilot was happy, thinking back to all those kisses, touches and hickeys. She wouldn't be deterred in her mission to bug Izo.
Ran wasn't one to poke her nose into someone's business. She was mostly on the road anyways. She usually didn't have the chance to poke her nose. But with Izo. No. With the Whitebeard Pirates, she was always somehow different. The first time she met them, too. They took a special place in her heart. Marco, with his overprotective, mother hen behavior. Thatch, with his silly practical jokes. Whitebeard, with his huge body and scary demeanor, but lovable personality. Doc, with her insane anger issues and sweet smelling tea. Leo, with his gentle smile and noble actions.
And Izo. Ran didn't have friends. She had clients, relatives and acquaintances. And then, there was Izo. Izo was an amazing man. A person who had accepted her, faults and all. He allowed her to leave and come back. He loved her for who she was, a little Migratory Bird. She was proud to call Izo her friend.
The pilot shivered in the cold of the autumn climate of the island. Izo pulled her further to himself, giving her a small smile. She snuggled into his side, accepting the warmth. Her suit had to be broken or something. She was freezing.
"So, you gonna tell me about your own romance?" The Commander stayed silent, slowly chewing the end of his pipe. Ran smirked. "Alright then. I can assume." The change was instantaneous. The cross-dresser's body went rigid and he looked at her from the corner of his eye. Ran caught the gaze and stared him down.
"You drive a hard bargain, sweetie." The Commander laughed. "There really isn't anything to tell, though." Izo sighed and pulled Ran into the empty street. It was cold and misty. The stone and brick houses of the quiet town were still visible, though. There were dark, leafless trees along the road. Red, yellow and orange leaves covered the pavement, crackling under their feet.
"Really?" She wondered. Somehow the town was solemn. Calm. Dead. Ran shivered.
Izo gave a small sigh. "I'm just meddling, love." He released the pipe from his teeth and dropped it back into his sleeve. "I have found that I am not the easiest person to like in that way, Ran."
"For what it's worth, I love you." She confessed, pulling the Commander into a side hug. Izo laughed and it rang through the empty street.
~~~~pb~~~~
Marco woke up early, as usual. He headed to the deck and did a casual sweep. Since all was in order, the lookouts were awake and mostly sober, he figured that he wasn't needed. The first mate found Ace sitting on the railing, watching the sea. He was alone, surprisingly.
"Morning, yoi." The phoenix greeted. The raven turned around, looking a bit startled. He gave a nod to the man. "What are you doing up so early?" The blonde questioned, curious. Ace wasn't one to be up early. He mostly slept during the morning, as he was usually awake late at nights. His narcolepsy really did a number on his sleeping schedule.
"I slept through the night." The young pirate replied softly. His orange hat was in his hands and he was looking at it. "I fell asleep after Ran left." He clarified, putting the hat on his head. Marco didn't react for a moment.
"Come here, yoi." The phoenix demanded. Ace slid off the railing, a bit surprised, and walked to the Commander. Marco gave no warning. He simply flew forward and slammed an open palm into Ace's chest. The raven flew across the deck, eyes wide. The railing near the whale figurehead finally stopped him and he groaned.
"What the hell, you pineapple?!" Ace yelled, tasting copper in his mouth. The bastard had used Haki. By the way his chest hurt and his breath wheezed through his nose and mouth, the Commander hadn't held back one bit. It had been a while since Ace had gone against the flaming chicken. Nowadays, he mostly sparred with Leo. He was almost on pair with the blonde pirate.
"Come here, yoi." The Commander repeated, face bored. Ace ground his teeth and pushed himself up. He coughed, his chest rumbling weirdly. He didn't feel too good. It had been a while since he had been in a real fist fight. Actually taken a hit. While training, the raven did get some bruises, but never serious injuries. Leo had always been careful. Marco had also been quite gentle. He had never known that this was the Commander's true strength. He wasn't surprised.
"Are you giving up?" The first mate spoke again. Ace pushed himself away from the railing that he had been using for support and ran forwards. He threw a couple of quick punches at the Commander, but the man evaded with ease. Marco went after him for real, hitting hard. Ace could bet that he would have bruises to prove his courage tomorrow. No knowledge of combat could help him, the Commander was ruthless. Ace blocked most of the hits on instinct, because Garp and Sabo had beaten the basics into him. The experience was what saved his skin. He aimed for the phoenixes legs next, trying to send him to the ground. Marco smirked at the attempt, eyes going dark with the excitement of the fight.
The raven's leg met thin air, instead of the Commander's sandal strapped calves. Ace had blinked for a split second, and the blonde had been gone. He looked around, trying to find the first mate. There was a faint sound of burning and flapping from above and strong claws caught Ace's shoulders in a vice grip. The young pirate flailed around for a second, and then tilted his head back to look at Marco. The Commander was partially transformed, sporting wings and claws of his phoenix Devil Fruit. His eyes were dangerous. Marco was prepared to kill him.
Ace's body moved on autopilot. He did everything he had practiced with Leo. Only stronger, more determined and more focused. Suddenly, Ace was heading towards the deck, head first. He could see Marco above him, a wide grin on his face, talons gone. Ace felt his body explode into fire before he hit the deck.
Everything hurt when he pulled himself out of the rubble of planks. There were scorch marks all around the epicenter. A hand caught his and helped him up. Marco steadied him. Ace coughed again. The first punch had really hit the spot.
"That was good, yoi." Ace stumbled, but Marco caught him. "Much better than last time." The phoenix pulled one of the pirate's arms around his shoulders, helping him walk. The raven wheezed. "I got you good, yoi." Marco laughed and led the raven towards the medical wing. At least the young pirate wasn't moping about his Migratory Bird anymore. Marco softly knocked at doc's door.
"I'm up!" Came her voice. She sounded tired, the phoenix noted. Irritated, too. He pushed the door with one hand, the other holding the wheezing Ace steady. They entered the warm room and smelled the tea immediately. The raven smiled slightly at the soothing scent. Doc was sitting in her chair, tending to a guilty looking 4th Commander on the bed.
"You need to be more careful, irresponsible man." Doc scolded Thatch while wrapping his hand up. Ace saw that she had Band-Aids on her own palms. He wondered what happened. Doc rarely got hurt. She was that careful, not to mention that good. After all, to be able to heal someone, you had to be in a state where you could. You needed to be a skilled fighter to keep yourself alive and unhurt. "A little bit closer to the bone and you could have severed the nerve!" She yelled at the 4th Commander. "I'm a doctor, not a magician! Idiot!" She crossed the room angrily. The look she gave Marco when she saw Ace's injuries was positively murderous. She sighed. "At least he's not a civilian." The first mate wisely chose to stay silent. The dark woman stomped to the cupboard, rummaged through for a moment and pulled away with a small jar of pink salve in her hand. She walked back to Thatch angrily and shoved it into his good hand. "Change bandages once a day, put the salve when you clean it. Be careful. If your hand goes numb, come to me immediately. Understood?!" Thatch nodded with a dumb smile on his face. "Good." The woman nodded, irritated. "Let me see him."
Marco did as commanded. He pulled Ace towards the bed. Thatch stood up helping the raven settle down. Doc clicked her tongue, looking over the young pirate's injuries. Thatch took a step back. It was early in the morning. First, he had come in, injured by his own sword. He had been trying out a new technique. Maybe he had had one drink. One. Ok, maybe a few more. But still, he had been rather sober. In his opinion.
"This doesn't look too bad. But it is still irresponsible!" The dark woman clicked her tongue once more. She frowned at Marco and then went back to probing Ace's chest, gauging the extent of his injuries.
"I'll be fine." The raven protested. Doc clicked her tongue and gave him a glare. He went silent. She poked his hurt rib and he flinched.
"How bad is it, yoi?" Marco asked. The dark woman didn't answer. He took it as a sign to go quiet. For a while. Doc probed and prodded a little more. She listened to his breathing carefully, hearing the wheeze. She clicked her tongue once again. "Stupid!" She yelled suddenly, causing Thatch and Ace to jump and Marco to flinch.
~~~~pb~~~~
The trio left doc's office, priding themselves in the fact that they were alive. The woman had treated Ace and told him to take it easy for the next week or more. He had bruised ribs, and no matter how fast he healed due to his extensive training and wild childhood, it would hurt. Thatch was retelling the story of how he cut his hand as they walked, causing Marco and Ace to chuckle or laugh. The raven realized just how painful the next couple of days were going to be.
"Commander Marco, Commander Thatch, Ace, my boy! You are up with the sun today!" Kondor greeted from the kitchen, surprised at their appearance. Thatch leaned on the counter comfortably.
"Of course we are, old man! Lots of things to do. People to prank, skirts to chase, food to eat, battles to win." The pompadour explained, his hand never steady. He was one of those people who spoke with his body and his mouth. He would gesture with his hand as he talked, keeping your attention on him successfully. "We have a new wounded soldier, too! Marco did a number on him!" The Commander laughed, causing the phoenix to frown. He hadn't meant to hurt Ace this much. He had just wanted to keep the younger pirate on his toes. Make him more prepared for the rest of the New World.
"A-aaah~ Food to heal the grave battle wounds?" Kondor laughed, taking a chug from his bottle. "I can do that."
"Thanks, Kondor." Ace gave a small grin, pain evident on his face. The meds hadn't kicked in yet. Soon, he encouraged himself. He tilted his head, trying to see further into the kitchen.
"She's still asleep, Ace, my boy." Kondor clarified and started flipping some pancakes. Thatch laughed at the raven. Ace gave him a glare.
"Let's sit down, yoi." The first mate helped the raven to his favorite seat, ignoring the protests of the young pirate. Thatch followed them, still chuckling. He settled down and grabbed the newspaper on the table. Obviously Kondor had been up for a while. It was that day's newspaper. The 4th Commander opened the paper and started skimming through.
"Look at this." The pompadour said after a while, interrupting Marco and Ace's chat about Grandia's relations with the Sky Islands. "Some new bounty hunter is making a name."
"Let me see." Ace extended his arm, wincing. Thatch passed the newspaper. "Woah! A hundred million? That's her first bounty?" The raven looked through the information.
"This is the first time I've heard of her." The pompadour said. "Lady D, what a stupid name." He laughed.
"If she's a bounty hunter, why does she have a bounty on her own head? Most of them don't." Ace asked absent mindedly, eyes still on the article. Thatch snorted.
"Look at the bottom. They left out quite a few details, but it's still quite clear." The 4th Commander gave a small, twisted smile. "The woman's insane."
"I've seen this MO before, yoi." Marco supplied, looking over Ace's shoulder. He was focused on the end of the article, a slight frown on his face. "There was a girl about six or seven years ago? I can't really remember, yoi. A teenager. She used to torture her bounties before turning them in, too, yoi." Ace raised an eyebrow at Marco.
"Why torture? I mean, capture I get. Kill if they resist, I get. But why torture?" The raven asked. He wondered if he, himself, would one day end up on that side. Tortured before being turned in.
Thatch shrugged. "Who knows why she does it. It could be for information, pleasure, maybe she hates criminals or just pirates. Maybe she's just practicing her skills. You never know with bounty hunters. They tend to be a bit coo coo." The pompadour shook his hand beside his head, motioning like someone was crazy. Ace gave a chuckle and winced.
"You think it's the same person?" The raven turned to Marco. The first mate shrugged.
"You don't get that many crazies, yoi. It may be that she's the same person. They never caught that teen, after all, yoi." The phoenix explained with a bored expression. Thatch stretched over the table and grabbed the newspaper from Ace.
"You know what?" He folded it. "She's on Grand Line, ergo, she's not out problem." He pushed the newspaper away with a grin. Ace shook his head, stopping his chuckling just in time.
"Commanders, Ace, my boy! Food is ready!" Kondor called from the window and Thatch jumped to his feet.
"I've got it." He went to the window, a giant smile on his face, and grabbed a couple of trays expertly. He realized quickly that he would have to make a couple of trips. Ace and his crazy appetite. The pompadour walked back to the table, putting the food down. Ace's head hit the table suddenly, causing Marco and Thatch to exchange an amused glance.
~~~~pb~~~~
Ran woke up to find Izo gone. She got up, took off and dropped her pilot suit on the bed. She needed a shower.
The town had been almost abandoned. It looked like a ghost town. Luckily, Izo and Ran had managed to find a working inn. They also got a room, since the pilot had needed sleep. Needless to say, she was out like a light for a while. She figured that Izo had left somewhere while she had been asleep.
The hot water on her skin was more than welcome. She shivered and sunk further into the tub with a sigh. The island climate was cold. The air had bitten into her skin, even through her suit. Her feet and hands felt a bit numb, even though she had slept under a blanket. The hot water made her skin prickle uncomfortably. She submerged her head and let her hair become wet. She stayed under for a while. Her eyes opened, regardless of the soapy water. She could feel her throat closing in on itself and her eyes prickling. Her lungs clenched uncomfortably because of the lack of oxygen and Ran pushed her head out of the water, taking a deep breath. Then, she couldn't hold it in. She started crying inconsolably.
It was almost like she could feel the metal bars of the cage closing in. Ran felt desperate. She was shivering, and not because of the cold. It was too fast. It was all happening too fast. She wasn't ready to be tied down. She wasn't ready to settle. She was used to being alone. Ran had one constant partner. She had one best friend. One lover. One brother. One single person in her life. Her Sparrow. The bird was her everything. Machines were always more reliable that anyone who serviced them. Machines were grateful. They didn't leave and they always kept their word. Most importantly, machines gave her wings. And she needed her wings. Without them, she wasn't free.
Her tears had stopped, and now she sat in the slowly cooling water, just staring into space ahead, numb. A mosquito sounded to her left, but she didn't move to shoo it away. She had made a terrible mistake. She shouldn't have done anything with Ace. She had been on her way to befriend him. And then, she had screwed it up. By wanting to screw him. She had broken her rules. One night stands only. She had broken her rules. And now, she was going to break him, too. Just like she broke everything she touched. Ace was too young. Too trusting. He genuinely liked her. She was going to break him. She should have stuck with machines. She had always preferred machines.
Purupurupuru!
Her Den Den Mushi sounded. Ran sighed, dismissing her thoughts, and got out of the tub. She didn't bother rinsing herself out, as she would be in the sea not too long after. Ran grabbed a towel from the rack and while wrapping it around her body, she rushed into the room to search for her snail.
Purupurupuru!
Ran rummaged through her bag and pulled out the ringing snail. She frowned at it for a second. Taking this call might be a way back to her old ways. Not taking it. That would mean turning a new page. Settling down with the Whitebeard Pirates. She didn't know if she was ready. No. She knew. She wasn't ready to settle down. She wasn't ready to have a home, yet.
Kacha!
"This is the Sparrow, how may I help you?" The pilot picked up the call. For a second the line was dead. Then the person on the other side spoke.
"H-hello?" It was a man. Ran would estimate around thirty? Maybe even forty. He sounded very unsure.
"Yes, sir. How may I help you?" The pilot asked gently. She had never heard this man's voice before. Obviously, he was a new client. And she needed new clients. However, she still needed to be careful. She was a wanted person.
"Ah. Y-Yes. Yes, of course." The man spoke. "I got your contact from a friend of mine. He said that you carry things? All over the open seas?"
"Yes, sir." Ran answered properly. She was so used to slipping into her formal delivery pilot persona by now. Her voice would become deeper. Her back would straighten. Her grammar would become perfect. Her words would become more proper. She wouldn't use contractions. Her eyes would become distant, cold, almost empty, leaving her body on land and her mind in the air, on the road.
"I-I see. Well, umm… I have this package that I would like delivered. W-would you be able to do it?" The man spoke once more, his voice just as shaky as it was in the beginning.
"Would you be able to tell me your location, sir?" Ran asked politely, her questions carefully coached. She had done this a thousand times.
"A-ah, of course! I live in Silver Peak. A small village on Montagne." He took a deep breath. Ran could hear the shakiness. "Oh, right! That's in the New World."
"That is not a problem. I am currently in the New World, heading to a nearby island. If you could give me the size, weight and destination of the package, sir?"
"Yes, o-of course!" The man spoke up again, voice cracking. "It is a small package, around 300 grams and I would like you to take it to a specific post box. O-on Sabaody Archipelago. The recipient will pick it up there, a-after they come back from Grand Line. Of course, I would pay you handsomely for your long trip, miss."
Ran nodded to herself. She wanted this job. She really did. But, Sabaody was far. And, she needed to get Izo back onto the Moby Dick. To see Ace. Ace. He asked her to come back.
"I would like to take your job, sir, but I need to know how quickly would you need said package delivered?" The pilot asked, a sick feeling in her stomach. She didn't understand why. She had decided that it was best not to go back. Not to break him. Then, why was she feeling so guilty?
"O-oh! It's not too urgent.. I would like for you to pick it up as soon as possible. However, delivering isn't really a priority. A month would be fine?" The man replied and Ran smiled to herself.
"I will take the job then, sir." She replied. "I expect to be near Montaigne in less than a week."
"T-that is great!" The man seemed ecstatic. Ran suddenly remembered that no matter how convenient the job, she needed to be careful.
"Sir? If I may just ask who referred you to me?"
"Y-yes, of course! An elderly man told me about you. I believe that he was named Pinjao? I remember because his name sounded like the name of that famous pirate Don Chinjao! Chinjao the Drill! He used to be very famous back in the day." The man laughed nervously. Ran felt her smile widen. She trusted Elder Pinjao's judgment.
"I look forward to hearing from you soon, sir." With that, the line went dead.
Kacha!
~~~~pb~~~~
Night came quickly for Marco. They had had a lot of work to do, as they had set off in the late afternoon. Their next stop would be Wano. Ace had gone, injuries and all, to do some personal errands. He had ended up dragging Leo with him, thus making Marco's tower of perfect organization collapse. The first mate had improvised, and even done quite a bit of extra work himself. In the end, they set off just on time. Not like anyone except him was bothered if the ship was a day or two late.
He had eaten some dinner with Thatch and Ace. The duo had sided with old man Kondor and forced him to go to the cafeteria three times a day. The phoenix was surprised that he had complied with their constant pestering. Then again, had he not, he didn't doubt that the two would've pranked him to hell and beyond. They were stubborn and they didn't really forget. Considering that Izo was gone, Marco was their primary target.
With a sigh Marco started picking up the paperwork that had been strewn all over his room. At the end of the month it got insane. All the Commanders turned their reports in to him and he had to make sense of them and put them in order. A knock came from his door.
"Enter, yoi." He said on reflex, not pausing in his work. The door opened and doc came in. Marco raised his head to see who it was and then he froze. Doc was in her white, almost see-through, nightgown. It had thin straps and came to her thighs. The First Commander could see her black underwear clearly. His mind went into overdrive. When doc raised her eyebrow, the phoenix became aware of the fact that he had been staring at her chest. He gulped and forced his eyes away, but they had a mind of their own and went further down. He followed her long legs all the way to her feet, which were sporting simple white flats.
"C-Could-" Marco cleared his throat. "Could you close that?" He motioned to the white silk robe that she had over her nightwear loosely. Doc gave a small smirk but she pulled the cloth closed. Marco gave a sigh of relief and managed to finally look up and into her eyes. She seemed amused. "Can I do anything for you, yoi?"
Doc walked forward, giving a small nod. "You going to bed soon?" She asked and bent down, helping him pick up the reports. She knew the way he organized his mess by now. The phoenix stood still for a moment, following her every move. He tore his eyes away finally and continued gathering and filing the papers. The first mate could feel himself itching to sneak another peak at doc, but he held back, forcing himself to look at the unattractive names and dates on the reports.
"As soon as this is in order, yoi." The blonde replied. He felt like he was getting his mind slowly back. Marco prided himself in his iron control. He kept his temper in check all the time. He acted bored, almost lazy most of the time. He kept it all in, his mind doing the work and his expression schooled perfectly. However, Jade broke his iron control easily. It was so wrong, how much he wanted her. Not just in that sense. He wanted her close. He needed her close.
"That's the last of them." Doc's voice brought him back to the real world. Marco nodded without looking at her and placed the papers from his hands on the table. He could feel the heat in the room slowly leaving and his head clearing. The less he looked at her, the quieter his mind became. Then, he remembered.
"Jade, why did you tell me that you suspect Penny, yoi?" He turned to doc, mind focused on his goal. His eyes found hers and he forced them to stay there. Doc's brow furrowed, one eyebrow rising.
"Suspect Penelope of what?" She asked, confused. Marco, sighed, smiling to himself. He walked to his bed and sat down, undoing his sandals. Doc followed him and plopped down next to him. She pushed her flats off and crawled further onto the large bed.
"You do remember the increase in reports, yoi?" Marco asked over his shoulder, giving her a slight questioning look. Why was she in his bed? He forced his mind not to roam the possibilities. Doc gave a small nod. "You told me how you saw Penny going over our travel logs, yoi. I investigated her as a mole." Marco stood, taking his sash and shirt off. He placed them on the chair, along with his belt. When he turned around, he saw doc's increasing confusion.
"I didn't." She told him, adamant. "I never saw Penelope going over travel logs. I don't think she has any navigational skills." She brushed her hair back gently. Marco noted how she had straightened it today. It looked breathtaking in his opinion. He forced himself to focus once again. "She used to come to my office for check-ups. Now, she comes to talk about her nightmares about that horrible crew that enslaved her. I don't know anything about her being interested in our position." Marco sighed again, plopping onto the bed and rolling deeper onto it. He had been played. By whom? There was only one person who he knew had the ability to completely copy someone. And that man had understood the Commander well enough to play his weakness. Obviously, he had underestimated Marco. "Your face is scary." Doc told him, her face appearing above his.
"Is it, yoi?" Marco joked, a small smile on his face now. She was propped on her arms, above him, her long hair falling across her shoulders and onto his bare torso. Doc opened her mouth, no doubt to ask further about their previous conversation, but the phoenix would have none of it. "Just leave it all to me, yoi." He interrupted her, smiling gently. The first mate reached up, pulling some of her hair back behind her shoulders. He could see doc's face much better now. She gave him a small, gentle smile and lowered herself to his warm body. He extended his arm, accommodating her form and allowing her to make herself comfortable. With his other arm, Marco threw the covers over them and slowly drifted into sleep, content.
That's all folks!
Somehow, this chapter feels short… even though it's around 6k…
Anyways, Wren, love, welcome back! Your review totally made me write this chapter :D
Marco and Jade…. Aaaah Marco and Jade…. I'm just going to leave it at that xD I'm not sure where I'm going with them… Marco is quite smitten… Hmmmm I shall seeeeee~
Ran and Ace are adorable xD Teen angst all the way hahahaha I like how I kept their relationship friendly, yet still hot. I mean, they obviously care for each other, and find each other attractive, but they aren't Romeo and Juliet or anything. More like, friends who are comfortable enough to cross that border of just friends and act on their attraction, if you get what I mean? Ace is a bit more attached, though. He doesn't want to become attached, but when he does, he does. Ran is, too, but she believes that she's not.
Izo is bbva;ojmw;vna;ks I love Izo! :D But, he is one of those people who have high self-awareness and tend to be self-conscious in the weirdest of ways. And then we have Thatch, who looooves women… This is going to be a challenge xD
I hope that this chapter gives you a bit more insight on the whole 'Chameleone' thing. Tell me your thoughts? I was really happy that you had a whole theory and all that, it made me suuuuuper giddy :D I hope that this surprised you a bit :P
I adore Pink :D She is one awesome lady! And I love that song :3 Glad that you are enjoying my playlist :3