And so the party continued into the night, Emily providing prolific drinks, and the crew laughing and singing for hours. Eventually Drache found herself sitting next to Zoro on a log in the light of the bonfire. The potent blasters had definitely taken an effect on the both of them. She found herself peeking out of the corner of her eye at his face and earrings, then moving down to his neck, shoulders, and chest. His muscles were clearly defined, even through his shirt. She wished she could touch him, just to feel how hard his muscles must all have been. She looked away, pretending she'd been staring at the fire, when he turned to face her. Her heart started pounding like she'd just sprinted up a steep slope.
"Looking at something?" he asked with a smirk, she knew he'd seen her eyeing him. Her already flushed cheeks reddened. "Hey, don't worry about it. In fact, come walk with me a little. I'll tell you something." They stood and walked away from the light of the fire into the privacy of the forest. Rather than slow, her heart kept beating quickly, and her insides felt like they'd turned to electricity. "I'd like to tell you what else you did last night." He cleared his throat, "Or I should say what WE did last night."
Drache was confused, her alcohol addled mind working through his words. "What... we did?"
"It started like this," He reached out and gently grasped her hand. He guided it towards his head and pressed it against the side of his face, so her thumb brushed his lips and she could feel the prickliness of his short green hair. She moved a little closer, as he continued, "and it moved on from there," and pulled her hand down to his neck. She took over control of her own hand, spreading her hand around his neck, feeling his back, his shoulders, his arms. Her other hand came up to his chest and moved around his muscled waist. His hand, relinquishing hers, reached for her hair, running his fingers through it. His other arm reached down and grabbed her waist, pulling her in towards him. "I was terribly sad this morning when you'd forgotten how well we'd gotten to know each other last night," he whispered into her hair. The tiny remaining sober part of her mind thought objectively about how her messy hair must tickle his face, but most of her mind was occupied with her hands exploring him, and his hands doing the same to her. How different he was from any boy she'd ever met!
He stepped away for a moment and slowly removed his waistband, shirt, and boots as she watched. His earrings reflected the distant firelight. She stared at his scarred skin, rippling with the muscles underneath.
"Now where were we?" she asked. He smiled and pulled her towards him again. She draped her arms over his shoulders as he brought his head down towards hers, and soon she was lost in a soft, sweet, long kiss. His breath smelled like lemons.
Soon Zoro had removed her clothes. He pushed her down onto her back as he kissed her lips and neck, while his hands massaged her breasts. His roughly calloused thumbs brushed her nipples, and she felt them grow hard under his caress. He moved his mouth down, down her body, leaving burning kisses every few inches, until he reached her other untidy mane, down below. He nuzzled it with his noze, eliciting an involuntary sigh from above. She ran her fingers through his hair, firmly guiding him towards the correct spot. Once he'd found it, she shuddered and he took the cue. He turned up to face her for a moment, then turned back down, and started massaging the area with his tongue. She rolled her hips forward to open her legs farther, then started to rock them back and forth slowly to the rhythm of his motions. Finally she grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him back up to her eye level. As they kissed, she reached her arm down, untied his pants, and pulled them down. He kicked them off. She felt his erection against her leg and caressed it, then brought it to her own sex. As he thrust, she arched her back, feeling the pleasure fill every muscle, finally she reached her threshold and spasmed with pleasure, just before he pulled out and climaxed on the ground beside her. He let himself collapse on the ground beside her, and soon he began to snore. She looked down at him, the haze of alcohol burned away with the passion of the night. She grabbed his clothes and draped them over him, so he wouldn't get too cold, though the night was warm.
She slowly dressed, her skin still humming with sensuous pleasure.
She walked out of the forest, but she didn't return to the bonfire just yet. She walked to a point where the shouts and laughter of the crew were dulled by the waves washing upon the beach. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to slip into bird form. She pushed herself into the air, opening her eyes to her newly heightened senses. She found a warm air current rising, and spiraled upward, towards the stars. She let the thoughts she'd been holding off flood through her mind. Why had her mother given her this fruit? Where had she gotten it? Why would she give up on a life with her only daughter just to protest the marine training system? This last thought made her stomach clench with sadness. She would have given up her quiet farming life on this small island to be with a mother who truly loved her, rather than an entitled, grumpy uncle. There was nothing wrong with him, but he wasn't exactly a tender parent. She shook her head, trying to focus. She couldn't hate her mother for leaving her. Drache couldn't blame her for choosing to follow her heart.
She turned back towards the beach, where she could still see the firelight glowing. She'd find her own way. She would document the strange new species of plant and animal she was sure they'd find. She would expand her horizons beyond anything she'd ever imagined before. With that thought, she touched back down on the beach and changed back to her fully human form, and walked towards the fire, towards her new friends and her new life.