Usopp turned around at the noise behind him to see Nami shuffling into the kitchen, squinting.

"Oh, morning," he exclaimed, nearly dropping the bowls he held. "Seaweed salad good for breakfast?"

"Okay," Nami murmured, going to the table. She sat and rested her head in her arms while Usopp brought breakfast to the table. She sat up properly after a few bites of salad and idly stared out the window at the rain.

"Same plan tonight, right?" Usopp asked between bites.

"Hm? Yes."

"Great!" Usopp grinned. "I hope things go well, Sanji's the best, he's so handsome and sweet and—"

"Okay."

Usopp paused. Nami wasn't even looking at him.

"Something wrong?" he asked, smile dropping.

Nami blinked and turned away from the window. "No, it's nothing," she said quickly.

Usopp frowned at her.

She sighed. "I was thinking about Vivi."

Not knowing what to say, Usopp nodded slowly and waited for her to go on.

"Rainy days were the safest when we were being hunted," she explained, returning to her salad. "Because they could not start the fires. We would find somewhere to huddle under, or cast spells to keep warm and dry . . . took up a good bit of energy, especially since we had to magic ourselves unseeable as well, but it was worth it." Her smile was distant. "We'd stay huddled together for hours at a time before one of us had to sneak out and get food, and then we'd move and start again . . . we had to stay close together at night, too, it was just too dangerous to be apart . . ."

She smiled into nothing before looking at Usopp again, who'd been watching her while she spoke.

"What is it now?" she exclaimed.

"You really miss her . . ."

"Of course I do," Nami snapped, eyes suddenly bright. "It may have been over a hundred years in actuality, but it's been only three months for me since—since she was ki—"

She stood, knocking her chair backwards, the half-eaten salad forgotten. "I'm going back to bed," she announced. "See you tonight."

Usopp only stared, dumbstruck, as she hurried away. Too late, he called, "I'm sorry!" as a door shut down the hall.

He slowly finished his food, set the chair standing, and left the house.

"Sup, bro!" Franky exclaimed as Usopp came in. "No umbrella, huh?"

"No, we don't have one," Usopp said, wringing out his hair and shivering. "I wish Nami was here . . ."

"Your housemate?" Chopper said curiously. "Why?"

Usopp froze. "Uh, no reason."

"How's she doing?" Franky asked.

"She was a little upset earlier," Usopp admitted. "She started talking about an old friend who died, and . . ."

"Aw," Chopper exclaimed sympathetically.

"Too bad," Franky remarked, sitting on a stool and grabbing an oil can. While he greased and checked his joints, he said, "You gonna continue your story from yesterday, or do you have a new one?"

"I'll continue it," Usopp said. Chopper sat near expectantly, clutching his hat.

"Let's see," Usopp said, tapping his chin in false thought. "Where did I leave off last time . . . ?"

Chopper waved a hand around. "The secret agent ran away and his magic clothes disappeared!"

"Ah, yes!" Usopp exclaimed. "The following day, the peasant went about his usual duties, all while thinking about the King and the dance. Likewise, the King thought of that mysterious masked man the whole day—who was he? Where had he come from?"

"The most important things for a king to be thinking about," Franky agreed. He tried to stand, but promptly crashed to the ground, having forgotten to oil his legs. Chopper hurried over to him and helped him up with a glower, grabbing the can to do it himself.

"That evening, a pleasant surprise awaited the peasant," Usopp continued. "The kind woman who had helped him, his fairy godmother, was waiting for him in his home! She knew the peasant wished to see the King again in the name of true love, and she promised to continue to disguise him. She cast her magic spell upon him and promised him until midnight once more. The peasant thanked her and hurried out, eager to meet with the King once more!"

Franky stood and patted Chopper on the back, thanking him for his help. Chopper grinned and clapped Franky in the small of his back while professing he didn't care one bit about him; Franky nearly fell over again from the force of the slap.

"How'd the lady get into his home?" Chopper added to Usopp, processing what he'd said.

"Magic," Usopp whispered.

Chopper grinned and sat on a stool, listening eagerly.

"Disguised once more, the peasant hurried to the castle on foot and arrived at the doors," Usopp said, sweeping a hand upwards to demonstrate the height of the entrance. "He regaled the guard with a tale of hope and heartache, and the guard was moved to tears and happily let him past."

"One shoddy guard," Franky remarked. Usopp shot him a look and Franky grinned. "Sorry, go on."

"Once inside, the King was happy to dine with the peasant, and he asked the man for his name," Usopp said. "The peasant was a quick thinker, and gave an alias worthy of a nobleman. The King was impressed by this name—"

"What name was it?" Chopper interrupted.

"I dare not speak it," Usopp said in a hushed tone. "The name is perfect for such a man as the peasant, and of course for the King, but never for someone like myself. However, for this story, we shall call him . . . Sogeking."

Franky grinned while Chopper rested his head in his hands.

"Sogeking sat with the King and spun grand tales of his travels—the King was enraptured, but it seemed he had something on his mind. And it was so, for he himself admitted he was troubled by something . . . alas, before Sogeking could question him further, the clock began to chime midnight, and he was forced to flee . . . but not before bestowing a kiss upon the King's royal hand."

Usopp grinned to himself at the very thought of doing such a thing.

"So?" Franky said. "What was bothering the King?"

"To be continued!" Usopp exclaimed. He grinned at their disappointed faces. "Hey, I'll keep going tomorrow, okay? I should head to work now."

"Okay, have fun!" Chopper said.

Usopp saluted, stood, and hurried out, ducking his head to take cover from the rain.

The day in the tavern passed by as usual, though Koala seemed to be ignoring Usopp; he occasionally tried for a wave or a smile, but she would turn away, serving a customer instead.

"What did I do?" he said weakly. The day had flown by and now he, Zoro, and Koala were the only ones left.

"You were stupid," she said abruptly. "And I'm not in a great mood."

Usopp clamped his mouth shut for fear of being suplexed. Zoro rolled his eyes at him; it seemed he was on Koala's side.

Dinner passed silently for Usopp and Nami. He eyed her as they ate, and when the plates went in the sink, she finally spoke.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she said. "I am fine now."

"It's fine—uh, you're fine—that's good."

"How'd your day go?"

"Koala's still mad at me for something," Usopp said. "I dunno what. Hopefully she'll be better tomorrow."

Nami frowned. "She and that guard, the one named Sabo, they like each other, don't they?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That explains it."

"How?!"

"Get into the living room, I will grab my wand."

Usopp threw up his hands in exasperation as Nami left. He trudged to the living room and waited, hands on his head as if ready to go through a full-body scan.

"Oh, put those down," Nami muttered when she came back, clutching her wand. She took a deep breath.

"Remember, go as soon as I finish," she reminded him. "I can give you until ten again. Watch the clock."

"Right."

Nami raised her wand and started the chant. Usopp waited and checked himself over once the shimmering of the air had faded.

"Go," Nami said firmly, holding the wall tensely. Usopp hesitated, eyeing her curiously, before he turned and hurried out the door. As before, Nami staggered into the parlor, and she fell on the couch, curling up on her side.

"Hm?"

Usopp halted at the door, and Ace, guarding it, looked him up and down.

"Oh, hi," he said, yawning. "Sogeking, right? Wait here, I'll get the King."

Usopp nodded and waited while Ace disappeared inside. He returned following Sanji.

"Well, good evening, Mr. Sogeking," Sanji said with a smile. "Would you like to come in?"

"Thank you, Sire," Usopp said graciously with a short bow. "May I say, you are looking quite dashing tonight."

Sanji snorted. "Thank you. I'll say the same for all of you except your face."

Usopp chuckled and followed them inside. He was led to a different room than before, a small parlor where sat Robin, Luffy, Sabo, and the girl with the blue hair.

"Good evening, Mr. Sogeking," Robin said without looking up from the cards she was dealing. "You're just in time; we were hoping for another player. Do you know this game?"

"I do," Usopp lied, eyeing the board. "And, er, greetings!"

"Hi," Luffy said, swinging his feet in the air. "This game's kinda slow, but nighttime's supposed to be slow, too, so that's okay."

Sanji invited Usopp to sit next to him while Ace seated himself with his brothers.

"Are we missing a few pieces?" Sabo remarked, looking over the board.

"Oh, dear me, I think we are," Robin said sadly.

"Forgive me, I must have misplaced them in the cabinet," the girl next to her exclaimed. "I could get them . . . ?"

"I'll go with you," Robin said, standing with her. "And . . . one more person, just in case . . ."

Usopp felt a sense of dread creep over him.

". . . Mr. Sogeking, if you don't mind?"

"He is a guest," Sanji murmured.

Usopp gulped. "I don't mind," he lied, standing. "We'll only be a moment, yes?"

Robin smiled ominously. "Sorry to bother you with this," she said with hardly any sincerity. "If you could follow us . . . this won't take long, Sire."

"I want more food," Luffy could be heard saying as they departed the room.

"You just had cookies," Sabo reminded him.

Their voices faded.

Usopp looked around as they walked to a large cabinet. He shifted on his feet as Robin opened the doors.

"So you can't reveal who you're working with," Robin said without turning around. "But why are you here?"

Usopp swallowed nervously. "Um . . . well . . ."

The girl gave him a look and made a threatening motion to her sleeve, and finally Usopp caved.

"Two reasons," he blurted out. "One personal, one as a favor!"

"Stand down, soldier," Robin said in amusement. She came back up with the missing pieces and closed her eyes briefly. "They're arguing . . . we have another minute."

"The personal reason . . . ?" the girl prompted.

Usopp looked away. "San—that is, King Sanji—he's, well . . . I . . . it's a long story, but, er . . ."

He cleared his throat loudly and mumbled, "I-love-him."

He looked back at the two, sure that his face was burning with embarrassment under the mask. They glanced at each other.

"How sweet," the girl said with a smile. "Then you must wear the mask due to shyness?"

"Something like that," Usopp agreed, holding himself tightly.

"You should know he's in love with someone else," Robin said abruptly. "I hate to disappoint, but . . ."

"I—yes, it was mentioned last night," Usopp said. "But—! But with some time, I'm sure I could win him over . . . especially if that person has turned him down . . ."

"Perhaps," Robin said thoughtfully. "And your other reason?"

"I need to see the laws of this land," Usopp said. "You know—a list, or a book—such a thing exists, doesn't it? A compilation of what can and can't be done?"

"I know what a rulebook is," Robin said with a smile. "But didn't you say you weren't here for malicious intent?"

"Oh, I don't intend to steal or edit," Usopp said hastily. "I only need to see which laws are currently in place . . ."

"Is that so, now?" the girl murmured. She glanced to Robin. "Could we show him?"

"We could," Robin agreed. She glanced to Usopp. "With supervision. But for now, the others are becoming impatient; we should return."

"One more thing—" Usopp rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I don't actually know the game we're playing."

"I'll explain on the way," Robin said kindly.

The game was called Clue, one which Usopp had never seen before, let alone played. Robin explained (to everyone, but mainly to recap for Luffy) that the idea was that someone had been killed, and the point was to find out who the killer was amongst seven possible culprits.

Each player had a piece; the girl took Ms. Peacock, Usopp took Ms. Scarlet, Robin took Prof. Plum, Sanji took Col. Mustard, Sabo took Ms. White, Ace took Mr. Green, and Luffy took Dr. Orchid.

"I forget, are we trying to find out who the killer was, or who was killed?" Luffy said distractedly.

"Killer," Ace said through a yawn. "Honestly, pay more attention . . ."

"We could change it up and guess who our victim was," Robin suggested. "Which means one of us is puppeteering a corpse . . ."

The girl and Usopp shuddered.

"That's interesting, let's do that," Sabo agreed.

"Why not?" Sanji said with a shrug. "Hardly changes the objective."

The game continued. Soon, the girl playing Ms. Peacock announced she wished to make an accusation.

"I think . . ." She brought a metal piece to her room. "The victim was Ms. Scarlet, done in with the candlestick, in the ballroom."

The others looked at their cards. Usopp showed Ms. Scarlet to her, and she nodded and marked it off.

When it was his turn, Usopp cleared his throat.

"With my renowned skills, I've worked out the solution," he said gravely. "But just to be sure, we'll check our cards . . . I believe the victim was Ms. Peacock, killed by the candlestick, in the ballroom."

Right away, Robin showed him Ms. Peacock, alive and well.

"Curses!" Usopp exclaimed, marking this on his paper. "I must be rusty . . ."

"I'm sure," Sanji said with a little grin. Usopp's smile went unseen underneath his mask.

The game finally ended with Sabo the victor, correctly stating the victim as Col. Mustard, the weapon as the rope, and the location as the study.

"I'll be off to bed," Ace announced sleepily as they put away the game.

"G'night, everyone," Luffy said with a wave. He and Sabo escorted Ace away, leaving behind the others. The girl wandered to a side table and picked up a little bell resting upon it, idly giving it a ring.

"The moon's rising fast," she remarked. "Do we have time for another game . . . ?"

"Witches and Wizards, maybe," Sanji mused aloud. "Well—Mr. Sogeking, if you don't mind, will you be staying long?"

"I only have until ten, Sire," Usopp said with an apologetic bow. "Meet a duke, dance with a duchess . . . there are other duties, again, I must attend to afterwards—" Here the girl interrupted with another distracted bell-ringing— "though I do wish I could extend my stay—if that is not impolite."

"No impoliteness in wishing, worry not," Sanji agreed with a smile. "Though it's almost nine now, you should know."

"Ah, then I have another hour, at least . . ." Usopp hesitated.

"Why don't you share more stories of your travels?" Sanji suggested. "They're very fanciful, I must say."

"And all true!" Usopp lied proudly. "I'd be glad to, Sire."

"Oh, call me Sanji," Sanji said carelessly. He turned away as Usopp choked on air and continued, "To the dining room, then? It's quite cozy in there."

Robin and the girl gave Usopp sly looks as he recovered and hurried after Sanji.

The time was spent by Usopp telling stories. Sanji seemed to keep an odd eye on him the whole time, and his expressions fit each part of the story perfectly.

When Usopp faltered during one part, Sanji cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but . . ."

"Sire?"

"You . . . seem to remind me of someone, but I just can't place who," he said. Usopp froze. "I think it must be someone very important, so all the stranger that I can't think of a face or name . . ."

"Someone very important? Perhaps you've heard of me before this week," Usopp said bravely. Of course, Sanji knew him without the mask—but he was the furthest from importance in every reality.

"Hm. Perhaps," Sanji said, obviously not buying it. He shook his head. "I just . . . haven't met that many people I would remember so well, aside from the ones in this castle—" Here he cast Robin and the girl fond looks— "and those ones . . ."

Robin tilted her head. "The . . . artist you received that mask from, Mr. Sogeking," she said carefully, "they must be very skilled, no?"

"No—that is, yes, of course," Usopp said, checking himself over. "And very brave, too, to withstand the horror that is my face . . ."

"I knew an artist like that," the girl said rather sadly. "We were very close . . . but . . . she died, three months ago."

Everyone turned to her with surprised faces.

"I didn't know," Sanji said at last. "And not that long ago, either . . . how awful. I'm sorry, my dear."

The girl nodded. "She was very strong, but at that point . . . it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Oh, an illness or the like," Sanji said in sympathetic assumption.

Robin held her shoulder gently, and then glanced to Usopp. "It's very close to ten," she remarked. "Should you . . . ?"

"Oh me, oh my, you're right! How the time flies," Usopp cried, leaping up. He took Sanji's hand in his own and held it up to his mask as if pecking the back. "Sire, thank you once more for your hospitality—may I return tomorrow eve?"

"I—yes," Sanji said, startled. Usopp backed up and turned around, hurrying to the door.

The girl straightened up, rubbing her arms. "That man is an enigma, isn't he?"

"I just wish I knew who he reminded me of," Sanji murmured, holding his own hand, the one that had been kissed not two minutes before. "Honestly, there aren't . . ."

He hesitated. "Maybe it's—no, it can't be. Never mind."

Robin smiled. "Your guards are fast asleep, by the way."

"You know everything," Sanji said with a smile. "What about Usopp? How is he?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that, Sire."

"Ah," Sanji said in disappointment. "Well . . . are either of you hungry?"

"Nami, wake up . . ."

Nami slowly sat up on the couch and squinted. "Oh, it is you," she murmured.

Usopp, now free of fancy clothes and mask, sat at the other end of the couch with a grin. "I kissed him."

"You what?"

"Don't sound so shocked! It was just the back of his hand!"

"Oh, that is more likely." Nami sat up properly. "Did you bring back some food?"

"There wasn't any this time," Usopp said with a grimace. "Sorry—"

Nami scowled. "I couldn't get anything from the fridge, either, I was sleeping."

"You already had dinner, why does it matter?"

"Never you mind. What else happened?"

Usopp slowly related the events of his visit.

"So they know why you're there . . ." Nami murmured. "It is a good thing you didn't put your trust in the wrong people."

"I guess so," Usopp said with a helpless shrug. "Those two are really mysterious, they're obviously hiding something—"

"Like you are not—?"

"—But they're willing to help me look at the laws, so we're gonna have to do this at least one more night," Usopp finished.

Nami hesitated before nodding with a small sigh.

"Something wrong?"

"No. I'm going to bed."

Nami stood and shuffled down the hall. Usopp followed after a moment, intending to get to bed himself . . . where he would dream of dancing with the King, free of mask and masquerade.