I awoke to the feeling of rocking, whether it my my mind of my actual body I couldn't understand in my fogginess.
I try to open my eyes and I hear something clatter to the ground heavily against wood and footsteps hurriedly running with a slam of a door.
Even though I felt my eyes are open, it was still dark, echos of voices sounded where I heard a door slam and soon it opens back up, "Yes, yes, now hush. I get that she's finally coming to, but you don't need to freak out Ace. She's a woman, not a rival pirate."
Before the other could argue, the door closed once more but lightly and footsteps approach me, "You okay darlin'?" I hear a females voice, a foreign accent I've never even heard before reaches my ears and I give a hum in agreement, not really trusting my voice from the nervousness deep in the pit of my chest.
Soon I felt delicate hands on my face, unravelling the white cotton before my eyes and I soon I got to see the dimly lit room and woman before me. She had brown eyes, and a heart shaped face, a tiny nose with her small lips curling into a smile, her black hair was put up tightly into a bun with a white cap on the top that told me she was the one in charge of this room, "There, all better. I'm gonna keep an eye on that wound you have there on ya face," She placed a finger between my brows, "Try not to look so worried girl, you're safe here. Well at least, as safe as a medical bay on a pirate ship comes." She laughed lightly.
Wait... Pirate ship?
"Where am I?" My eyes must've been the size of saucers by the way she laughed a little more at my incredilous questioning.
"You're on the 2nd commanders shipp under the Whitebeard pirates Darlin', we arent gonna bite none. Unless you bite us first I mean, then that's a given." She stood up straight and went to a cabinet, shuffled around some things before returning. I didn't miss her scandilty dressed outfit as she walked away, those leapord boots didn't quite fit the white outfit she wore, but I wasn't complaining.
She then brought out a small jar, twisting it open as she returned and scooped up what she deemed plentiful and approached nearer to my face, "Hold still okay?"
"Okay..." I responded quitely and she smiled as she lathered the oitment on my cheek, it felt cooling to the touch and I seemed to relax to the touch, she laughed lightly to my response.
"Juna is my name, could I get yours?" She asked as she closed the top back up when she was done and walked back over to the cabinet and placed it back.
"Abagail." I couldn't help but to look over myself, I was in a new attire that didn't seem to fit my petite body frame, blue baggy pants held by a string to keep them around my waist and a faded and slightly dirty white tank top. Bandages covered the right of my arm as well and I lifted it, bringing my hand up, opening and closing my fingers to test if it still worked after a fall like that.
"So how do you know Marco? He always had a soft spot for people in need but never reacted like that." She took my hand gently as she sat down on a small stool and worked on my arm, keeping her gaze to the work at hand.
"I... I don't know... Or at least I don't remember." To this she glanced up at me and let out a breathy huff from her nose, "It's too bad, I was gonna tease him later for it too." She stifled a giggle as she tried to work, "That flaming pineapple turkey is so hard to find what makes him tick, Thatch one of our other commanders, seems to be the only one that knows how to get to him." The smile on her face was so sincere like she was remembering old times. I knew the look on her face too well as she wrapped my arm back up with new bandages.
"Want me to get Marco for you?" She got up and walked to the door, looking back at me, "He comes by every now and then to come check on you. So it's more than likely he would like to talk to you. Pops too."
I nodded slightly, "Yes please."
"Ohhh manners, I like you already. Go ahead and feel free to look around, I don't have much around here, but help yourself to a book on the shelf over to your left." She winked with a laugh before taking her leave, closing the door behind her.
I took another look around me, the walls of carefully placed wood panelled and sturdy. The walls were painted a baby blue, and a medium sized window to my left looked out over the sea, the hints of islands passing slowly in the distance. A couple of other gurneys were placed around the room, but were empty and still the sheets made.
How long was I out?..
I turned carefully on the bed, letting my feet dangle off the gurney, swinging them slightly to feel them out making sure they weren't asleep before I even tried to take a gander in my stance, my body felt like it was tilting slightly to the new feeling of being on sea.
I shifted off the gurney, I was a little wobbily as the ship tilted again, regaining balance I walk to the book case. There were strings linging around every shelf, probably to keep them in place...
As I looked over my selection the door opends and in comes the familiar face and tuft of curly and messy blonde hair.
Once he was in he closed the door behind him, "Well I'm glad to see you're up. Let alone walking, yoi." He stepped over to me lazily.
The ship tilted again and he saw my wobbiliness and held my good arm firmly as if I was going to break if I fell over.
I held onto his forearm as a reaction until I felt I was balanced again, "Thank you." I sighed in relief, "This is my first time on a boat, so it's a different feeling altogether being here."
His eyes widened slightly in surprise, "Never until now, yoi? And to think you used to boast about going out into the ocean."
"Huh..?" The confusion and surprise on my face must have been very apparent on my face due to him scrutching his brows.
"Garadon orphanage?" It sounded more like a question than a statement, but to hear it fall from his lips it felt like a train hitting my head, "I was the one who ran away, and the one you used to sneak food to whenever I got in trouble, yoi..."
Yep, the train definitely hit my head.
"Bushy head!" I pointed at him in surprise as realization finally hit me.
"SHHHH, I don't want to give the others another name for me to pick on me with, yoi! Please, call me Marco. Especially here, yoi."
We then heard light snickering past the door and Marcos' head whipped around and he easily went over to the door as the ship rocked again, this time I made my way over to the book case quickly to hold on.
He opened the door to find Thatch there, holding in his laughter with a hand over his mouth, only for his eyes to go wide and him to bust out laughing even more, a strained sentence filled with humor past his lips, "I can- I cant believe! PFFT HAHAHA, Bushy head! I can totally see it!" As he held onto his side for dear life, Marco turned to me.
"I'll be right back, yoi." and with that he closed the door quite forcefully and I giggled to the liveliness of the ship.
I hear a punch hear and a kick there, and some pleadings from Thatch as it quickly disapated down the hall.
The door opened a little while later and it was Marco again, "Damn it... The one person I didn't want to hear that, yoi"
I giggled and he turned a little red in response, "It's sweet really, to see you like this Marco. Way better than how you were in the orphanage."
His expression did a 180, between confusion and hurt, "Abagail... Why didn't you come with me, yoi?"
I was a little taken off from his question, it's true... I didn't go with him. He asked me, and even offered to help me since I would help him so often.
"I was... Afraid. I didn't know what was going to happen." I looked away from him, feeling his gaze on the back of my head made the hair stand on end.
It was quiet for a while before he sighed, "Not to sound mean or anything, yoi. But it's going to be... Look where fear got you."
I felt a weight fall on my shoulders and an uneasiness build in the pit of my stomach. I turned my head to him and he had a soft look on his face.
"But what really matters, is that you're safe now, yoi. The people here look rough, but we're all the family we need, yoi. I talked with Pops and he said you can either stay here, and learn everything you need, which means becoming a pirate, helping us fight or be dropped off at the nexrt island thats under our protection and start a new life by yourself, yoi." He crossed his arms, "If you choose to stay or go, either way you need to leave old Abby behind yoi. It's hard out here, whether it looks nice or not. But at least now you have the chance to be yourself for once yoi."
I thought over his words carefully, both choices were equally difficult, even though being out to sea is my dream, I don't know much about it. Let alone being a pirate.
I leaned on the bookcase as the ship tilted again, trying my best to find balance.
Marco looked so unfazed by the change and shifts... Just like he's always been... Always so easy to change...
If I go to another island, that means new people and maybe a family of my own, a home of my own, but also new challenges of either enemy pirates raiding, or bandits. The only protection of myself and the rest of the town...
"Could you give me some time to think it over? I... I need some time. They are both very difficult choices."
He let out a sigh and nodded, "You want me to give you some alone time to think it over?" He unfolded his arms and scratched his head.
I nod, "Yes please."
He stared at me for a little while, the sound of the ocean sloshing against the walls filling in the silence before he approached me, putting a hand on top of my head and ruffling up my hair before leaving.
Once the door closed I sighed and slid down the bookcase on my back til my butt reached the floor.
What do I do..?
