Update:10/31/16

I was asked if I named Merida after the young heroine in Disney Pixar's Brave. To be honest, that's not who I was thinking of at the time. The name just seemed to pop in my head and I liked it. It seemed familiar though, so when somebody brought up Disney Merida I realized that's probably where I got it.

Chapter 19: Souls

Liara admired Merida the instant she introduced herself.

At first, nobody was sure how to behave. Sanji, who was respectful to all girls regardless of their age, introduced himself with a bow and an arm placed diagonally over his chest. He glanced at the rest of the crew with his curled brow raised, his lips pursed together as he waited for the others to adhere to his example.

Casually, introductions were manufactured around the group, with Luffy excitedly going next, followed by Chopper, "Captain Usopp", Brook [who had no interest in seeing Merida's panties], Liara, Nami, Robin, Zoro, and finally Franky, who of course posed while obnoxiously declaring his name.

Merida boorishly chortled. Her cheeks swelled up and revealed etched in dimples. "I like you guys!" she cheerfully asserted. "Since you probably have nowhere to stay at the moment, and I highly recommend you don't sleep out in the open, why don't you follow me back to my house? There is a guest house close to my home that hasn't been in use for quite some time, but I do my best to make it presentable in case somebody does come around."

Luffy grinned. "Thanks grandma! We'll take it!"

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Merida expertly guided them through the jungle. In her hand was a glowing white orb that looked like a pearl. Its light easily brightened the way as darkness began to cloak their surroundings.

Usopp peeked over Merida's shoulder and studied the orb with interest. "Say, how is it glowing like that?"

Merida didn't turn her head around, but continued forward with a toothy smile. " It's a gift to me from the fairies for taking such good care of this place." It was all she said, and Usopp decided to leave it at that, regardless of his question not being answered. Still, he kept an eye on the foreign object, completely fascinated with the unfamiliar technology.

Meager fireflies of various colors flew by. Shades of red, blue, green, yellow, orange, and purple flashed past the group, earning gasps of surprise and delight. "What sort of bugs are those?" Robin asked as she observed the insects.

Merida chuckled. "They are called Neon Fireflies. I quite like them, the friendly devils." She held out a finger and allowed a firefly to land on it. Nami and Sanji promptly backed away, clearly grossed out.

"That's so cool!" Luffy rushed up to the bug and put his face only inches away from it, his eyes widened in excitement. His face glowed from the purple light radiating off the bug.

Chopper ran closer too, hopping up and down in his compact form to try and get a glimpse of the strange creature. Merida hunched over and held out her finger so Chopper could get a better look. He squeaked in delight when the insect flew off Merida's finger and onto his nose. "That tickles!"

Liara smiled and held out her hands as the bug flew over to her and landed right in the middle of her palms. Brook bent down, his face inches from Liara's. He was pleased that the bug didn't seem frightened of him. He admired how lovely Liara looked as violet light lit up her face.

Merida cleared her throat. "It's important we get back as soon as we can." Her curls bounced as she resumed walking, and the others followed.

Eventually they came across a humble, light-yellow house with an ashen roof sheltered under a hefty tree covered in vines that swirled around the trunk and branches. The vines were covered prettily with violet and magenta star-shaped flowers that had bright yellow stigmas popping out from the middle.

"This is my house, but I'll show you where you'll be staying before I give you the tour since I'm sure you're all exhausted. I'll be having a little fire over here tonight, so if you'd like to stop over you're more than welcome to. I'm sure you have many questions."

"You bet I do!" Luffy blurted. "Do the fish here taste really good? Can I have some meat? Are we having s'mores tonight? Do you- OW!" He rubbed his head with a pout as Nami slammed her fist against his skull.

Merida steered them to a two-story beige building that was less than a minute away from her house. Vines concealed in scarlet roses climbed up the side of the building, giving a cozy feel to the place. Five broad square windows with russet framing donned the face of the complex.

"Awesome!" Without waiting, Luffy bolted through the entrance like a delighted child, followed by Chopper, Usopp and Franky. Fortunately, the door was wide enough to allow Franky's large frame entry.

Merida chuckled and led the other members into the dwelling.

The interior walls were olive green, and the flooring hardwood. The living room, which was the first room entered via the front door, contained ivory furniture, which consisted of two couches that could seat four people, and two lounge chairs. A sizable wooden table was arranged right in the middle of the area.

To the right was a wide-set of stairs that provided access to the second floor. Conveniently enough, there were six bedrooms upstairs, each with their own bathroom, a dresser, a night stand, and a queen-sized bed. Back on the first floor were four more bedrooms located towards the back of the house.

A dining room and kitchen were straight ahead of the living room. Sanji seemed pleased with the kitchen, as it had an adequate area of space and plenty of shelves for storage. Pots and pans were neatly stacked on each other in a long drawer, all clean and ready for use, while another drawer was jam-packed with sharp knives of varying blade lengths and thickness. A stove was positioned against one of the walls with an oven directly underneath.

"Wow! How pretty!" Liara complimented as she set foot in the living room and wandered into the kitchen. She gazed over at Merida and smiled in gratitude. "It's lovely here! Thank you!"

Merida waved her hand. "Of course, of course. It's not like it was getting any use, and besides-" she grinned. "-I like you guys! You're a strange bunch!"

Brook placed a finger under his chin. "Ah, speaking of strange, isn't it a bit odd for you to be all alone on this island?"

Robin, who had been shuffling down the stairs, strolled over to their host. "I agree. It makes no sense. How have you survived, and who made all these buildings?" she curiously asked.

Merida's sighed, morose glazing over her eyes. "I will explain that to you back at my place."

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They all assembled around the bonfire, their shadows cast onto the ground by blazing flames. Sanji had prepared a meal of vegetable stew and chopped fruit as a late dinner. He produced the food not only to feed his crew mates, but also as a way to thank Merida. He decided to make drinks rich with coconut milk to go with the food, which prompted the aged woman to proclaim that it was "the best feast she'd ever had".

The only audible sound was the crackling of the fire and Luffy attempting to brazenly have a conversation with his mouth full. He had managed to engulf an entire plate of fruit in one bite, and was now being served his second serving.

Liara nibbled on a piece of coconut as she patiently waited along with everybody else for their host to commence speaking. She had so many questions in her head about not only Merida, but the island in general. She eyed Brook, who had seated himself next to her, and plucked another piece of coconut off her plate before she shyly offered it up to the skeleton. "Want to try it?"

Brook stared at her for a moment before he casually reached down and took the fruit away from her slim fingers, not taking his sight off of her face. He admired how the fire gave such a bright light to her eyes, the way the way shadows were cast on her face to bring out her lips even more, and how her hair glowed beautifully. She looked absolutely angelic to him.

He paused as his fingers met hers. He teased her by giving her finger tips a gentle poke, causing Liara to smile and blush at his playfulness. He nodded in gratitude and took the food away, an amused grin on his face. Nami sat across from them, smirking and exchanging knowing looks with Robin.

Something told her that Liara would be coming to her for advice real soon.

"So, uh, what exactly is the story of this island?" Franky questioned. He had pushed his shades on top of his forehead and changed his hair to the style he had when he first met the crew.

Merida focused on the ground for a moment before she closed her eyes and rested her chin on intertwined fingers. All attention was on her, waiting for an answer. Eventually she looked up with a pained, serious expression.

"This island is currently home to 999 lost souls."