Author's Note: I am slowly starting to get Vivian introduced to all our beloved StrawHat Pirates. After that this slow bit, the fun will begin! I will continue to attempt to post a chapter at least once a week, most likely during weekends, but I as of now I have chapters to spare. I am not one to spurn muse whenever I should happen upon it. Much like my ratings, my story will follow the perspective of several of the StrawHat pirates. We are mostly omniscient as of now, but in later chapters I will specify which third-person view the chapter is following. As always, reviews are encouraged, as are suggestions and ideas!

Chapter rating: T- for... consistency

Disclaimer: I have no claim to this beautiful world of pirates... only guilty of dramatizing them a little.

Table Talk

The room was full of people, as was expected around this instance. "Feeding time" most establishments housing animals would call it. The hustle and bustle, scoffing and guffawing, shoving and tugging were all sorts of accepted on this and most every other pirate ship out there. Usually the food was actually on the table before the commotion started, but Luffy liked the start the party early most days, eccentric captain that he was. It wouldn't be long now until Sanji brought the dishes out, especially now that everyone was gathered together. And by 'everyone'…

"Nami-san! Robin-chan! Dinner is ready!"

Robin offered sedate smile. "Thank-you, Sanji." She took a seat at the energetic table, next to the green-haired swordsman. Beside him was the empty space Usopp must have occupied, followed by the captain himself, banging his utensils boisterously against the table. He was nearly overshadowed by the huge form of Franky, seated at the end of the table, two empty cola bottles already piled on the surface in front of him. Brook towered over even him on his left, idly plucking away at his guitar, laughing at the antics of his crew.

No one seemed to notice the dark shadow hiding behind Nami.

No one, that is, except for the one person who new everything there was about the navigator's silhouette.

Which was probably why he set out three dishes of carefully plated food rather than the usual two. "Why hello, my lovely lady. You must be hungry after your terrible ordeal. Come! I brought an extra chair out for you~"

Sanji's exuberance didn't warm Vivian up to him. Nami could feel the small hands tightening against the orange hair trailing down her back. The activity quieted, all eyes slowly moving over to the pirate woman and her abnormal acquaintance still standing near the door. Nami shook her head slightly before smiling. "How very thoughtful, Sanji-san." She tilted her head to look behind her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Vivian's hood. "Come on, now. As long as you don't stick your fingers anywhere near Luffy's mouth, no one will bite you." When the girl didn't show any signs of moving, she side-stepped out of the way, shuffling the rigid woman forward.

"Eeeh?" Franky drawled in his rolling voice, leaning his mechanical body forward from the opposite side of the table to get a better look. "Who is this? A friend of yours, Girlie?"

"This is Vivian. She came from back on Sugar Town." Nami watched the female in question jump as Usopp walked in, moving back to his spot. "She got hit by a stray bullet and Chopper fixed her up." If Luffy was irritated someone was brought about his ship without his knowledge, he didn't show it. It was against his character, after all. The navigator could see his brief interest in the way his head tilted to the side like a curious dog. His hunger outweighed his curiosity the moment food was set out before him.

"Dinner! Food now. Talk later."

It went about as smoothly as Nami expected, though her captain's meal-driven mind still managed to annoy her. Though… altogether, she supposed the girl was safe enough during dinnertime, if not being the center of attention was her goal. Other than the mildly curious gazes Zoro, Usopp and Franky shot her way, food would be the main focus for the next little while. The navigator didn't know why she was thinking so hard about it. Though it was Robin who was known for her near-motherly presence, something about this tiny, wounded girl tugged at her heart-strings.

A little.

However, continued anonymity would be disrupted once more as Sanji leapt at the chance to be a gentleman. Just as the cloaked figure tentatively moved toward the chair at the end of the table, the cook ghosted forward, intent on pulling it out for her. "Allow me." Only, Vivian's favourite hiding place was also a detriment to her vision, her hood disallowing her to see Sanji coming. Meaning he managed to scare the girl half out of her wits. Vivian made a low sound, much like a muted squeal, her rush to escape the blond's presence making her trip over her own cloak and land hard on her rear.

The hood fell to her shoulders, but it was her wound her hands flew to, wincing as her fall jostled it. Chopper moved to her side, and Nami moved to make sure Sanji didn't try helping her up, as she knew was his instinct. No matter what Vivian might have thought, Sanji was a good guy who treated women well. Over-excited? Probably. Lecherous? Definitely. But he was nothing if not attentive and chivalrous, Nami knew. The man looked startled, hand half-extended in his thwarted attempt at helping the woman. He was no stranger to objection. One couldn't have all the women, that much he knew. But outright fear as a reaction was something he wasn't accustomed to.

Not in members of the opposite sex, any way.

"Are you-?"

"Don't worry, Sanji-san," Nami reassured him, a hand his chest melting his concern into a puddle of adulation, "she's just a little jumpy is all." She hesitated before she continued, eyes flashing towards Robin for a moment. "She was a slave back on Sugar Town. To a… World Noble?" She assumed it would be one of those horrible excuses for humans. Vivian was shaking again, fingers twined in the doctor's fur. All eyes had turned to her again, questioning and probing. She couldn't look at them, instead choosing to focus on Nami, quickly nodding her head in affirmation and slowly getting to her feet.

Luffy didn't stop eating, taking full advantage of his distracted crew, but he did slow, eyes focusing on the face of the girl as he stuffed his face with fish and everything else on the table without really paying attention to what ended up in his mouth. The crew seemed to soften slightly, whether in pity or sympathy, it was hard to tell. They knew just how cruelly slaves owned by the tenryuubito were treated. Sanji grit his teeth at the thought, but managed to pull himself together, offering Nami a seat next to himself. Chopper sat next to his patient, who hesitantly took her place at the tail end of the table.

Activity then resumed as normal, food disappearing as quickly as it appeared and long, rubber arms snatching away anything unattended for more than a couple seconds. Nami and Robin calmly ate their meals, trusting Sanji to protect their food from Luffy's appetite. Loud conversation and animated struggles over Sanji's cooking began almost simultaneously, making Robin wonder how the timid girl would react to an environment so abrasive to her apparent personality. To say Vivian seemed distressed was a mild understatement. Her eyes darted around to every movement the men made, flinching if Luffy's questing hands passed too close to her. Surprisingly enough, it was not Brook her fearful eyes fixated on. It was Franky.

To be fair, Franky was quite the odd-looking specimen. Just over 7'10, easily weighing over 300 pounds and bristling with metal pieces, there was certainly no doubting his cyborg nature. But… Brook was a walking, talking skeleton. Maybe she thought the skeleton less of a threat because he was already dead? Who knew what that girl was thinking. Robin watched her as she finally began picking at her food, momentarily distracted by an inquiry directed to her from Nami. When she turned back, Vivian's food was gone. She blinked, steely eyes moving from Vivian's face to her plate, where the bones of her fish lay picked clean of their flesh, very few bread crumbs peppered around them. She might have thought Luffy had nabbed her food if it weren't for the fact Vivian had her thumb in her mouth, sucking away what remained of her dinner.

Robin chuckled, the sound mostly lost in the din, though Vivian's red cheeks indicated her acknowledgement of the laugh. "Would you like anything else?" The young woman minutely shook her head, hands disappearing under her cloak and her eyes shifting downwards in embarrassment.

"You should grab seconds before Luffy eats it all," encouraged Chopper, flashing the girl a bright smile. "You'll need the strength to recover."

Vivian shook her head without raising it this time, drawing her legs up on her chair and against her chest, much like she had them on the bed. Resting her chin on her knees, the tawny eyes under her bangs continued to watch the activity around the table, her wariness misplaced in such a vibrant setting, but resolute. However, as determined as she seemed to be not to trust them, her weary body could not keep pace with her cautious mind. Not even Robin noticed when it was during dinner Vivian fell asleep in her chair.

Word Count: 1477
Muse Source: Mirror, Mirror- Jeff Williams ft. Casey Lee Williams

"Mirror, Mirror, what's behind you?
Save me from the things I see."