Iwould just like to apologize to anyone who has ever read anything I've ever written. Like, ever. Yesterday, I was mulling over the fact that one of my favorite things to do is confuse the hell out of all the people around me. Then I realized that I like to do the same thing while I'm writing! So if you ever read something of mine that's made you particularly confused, like it might have been done on purpose... it probably was.

I apologize for my subconscious. I'm a total bitch on the inside. Like some twisted pixie that enjoys making everyone's life difficult...

Anyways... ONWARD!

"PICK UP THE PACE, KID, OR I'LL LEAVE YA BEHIND!"

"DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND, YOU OLD JERK! AND MY NAME'S NOT KID, DAMN IT!" Gwenyth shouted running to catch up as fast as she could without dropping the heavy lumber in her arms. Swearing up a storm as she did so.

"I don't know about yer hometown, but here, we don't consider cursing a sport." Katsuya grumbled once she was closer. He was carrying twice the load on his back and not even breaking a sweat.

"Shut up! I talk how I want!"

"AND YER GRAMMAR EATS HORSE SHIT, YA PEST!"

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING! HOW A JERK LIKE YOU LANDED SOMEONE SO NICE AS GRANNY, I'LL NEVER KNOW!"

"'Cause this jerk's got the moves~," he said with a flirty wink. Gwenyth's face drained of color before she bolted past him screaming bloody murder about 'mental images' and 'the corruption of her virgin ears'.

The townsfolk of the tiny village Unmei shook their heads in amusement. Life on Tabi Island hadn't been quite the same since the strange girl had suddenly appeared. News traveled fast on the small island of less than two thousand people, as did the gossip.

Some said she was simply a girl who had washed ashore out of the blue, as she was not the first to do so. Others thought her to be a goddess- a belief fueled by a large, bright light which several hundred people claimed to have seen the day she appeared. Gwenyth was neither able to confirm or deny how she had gotten to the island, as she didn't know herself, but assured them all that she was no goddess.

The only thing everyone could agree on was that Gwenyth's hometown must have been very far away. From the weird songs she would sing to her talk of normal life there. Some mused that only the Grand Line could house such a place as the City of Angels. (Which Gwenyth begged them to stop calling it by. Saying the place was anything but angelic and that that was just the literal translation. She even tried to scare them with talk of thugs, but it did no good.)

Regardless, the mayor of Toguchi, Dr. Yamata's twin brother, told her it would be next to impossible for any of the islanders to take her home if it did indeed reside on the Grand Line. Gwenyth simply shook her head and explained that her home couldn't be on this 'Grand Line', as she had never heard of such a place. Which then brought up an entirely different conversation that she has long since forgotten.

Only when Maaya and Katsuya's small home came into view, did Gwenyth stop running. She left out a sigh of relief and smiled when she saw Maaya sewing on the front porch. For reasons she wasn't quite sure of, the elderly couple had taken her in with no questions asked. She did chores and helped out with the 'grunt work', as Katsuya put it, in exchange for room and board. Sometimes it was annoying, but other times Gwenyth was more than happy to help out. She was especially excited whenever Maaya would teach her trade and have Gwenyth help with the needle work.

She was nowhere near as good as Maaya was, none were, but the old woman liked to tell her how good she was getting and how much better she would be someday. If she continued to practice, of course. This made Gwenyth work quickly through the 'constantly-pricked-fingers' stage and onto the 'hey-this-actually-looks-pretty-decent-and-I didn't-almost-die-from-blood-loss' stage.

Katsuya didn't let Gwenyth help out too much in his workshop. He seemed to think anything she touched would blow up in their faces. Which, in her defense, only happened once. Well, twice if you counted the time her science building had to be evacuated in sophomore year. But Katsuya didn't need to know about that little mishap. Regardless, he hadn't let her so much as breathe around his devices since. She mostly sat on his 'napping couch' and bothered him until he sent her to go chop wood, or something equally difficult and time consuming.

Gwenyth had never realized just how spoiled her life back home was until living on Tabi Island. If nothing else, she was getting into much better shape from all the walking, working, and lack of smog in the air.

"Hi, Maaya." Maaya looked up from the dress she was sewing.

"Oh, Gwen. Hello." She smiled, her eyes crinkling," Could you do me a favor, dear?"

"Of course, Granny." Gwenyth huffed as she dropped the heavy load in front of the house. Maaya smiled at the fondness of the girl.

"Could you run to the shop and bring me my purple book? I believe it's on the table."

"Sure thing," Gwen wiped the sweat off her brow. "Anything else?"

Maaya thought for a moment, then reached into her pocket. "As a matter of fact, I can feel my sweet tooth calling." She pulled out her decorative coin purse and handed it to the girl, who took it graciously. "Fetch us something for dessert, will you, dear?"

Gwenyth smiled wide with a childlike glint in her eye, before turning to run. "OF COURSE!" She shouted over her shoulder. "Hey old jerk!" She greeted in passing. How he had caught up so quickly, she'd never know.

"Where ya going, kid?" He called after her.

"Purple book and sweets~!" She could practically feel him shaking his head and smiling through his beard at her silliness. Gwenyth ran past the last picket fence of Unmei Village giggling.

All of the villages were rather small and close to one another, aside from Toguchi- the largest village in the center of the island. Which Gwenyth considered Tabi's 'city' of sorts. Each of the five smaller villages' main road connected to Toguchi; it was quite literally impossible to avoid. The 'city' consisted almost entirely of shops, including Maaya and Katsuya's. Which he had built himself as a young man and liked to boast about.

After passing a few farm houses, Gwenyth reached Toguchi. It was a little after noon, and the lunchtime crowd was in full swing. People hustling from shop to shop, while traveling street merchants shouted over one another. It was almost like being back home, but with less chance of trouble and more "Hi, how have you been?"s. Gwenyth nodded to the florist next door, before pulling out her spare key and unlocking the shop.

Katsuya's workshop was on the second floor, while Maaya's was on the first. Her clothing decorated several mannequins in the window, all ready to be picked up by those who had pre-order them. Gwenyth stared at them in awe, as she always did. She found it hard to believe that someone could be so talented without having sold their soul or using some devil magic. Either way, Gwenyth wanted to become that talented some day. Hell, she just wanted to wear beautiful, handcrafted clothing. Designed and sewn specifically for her, like the girls Maaya had made those dresses for. Everyone said Maaya's clothing was considerably cheap for the amazing quality, though it was still expensive by Gwenyth's standards. (Or maybe she still didn't fully understand the Beri system?)

She was a little jealous, but told herself to suck it up and remember that these girls probably couldn't even sew a button. Much like Gwenyth herself, too long ago. Though, unlike them, she was learning under the amazing Maaya and not just buying clothing from her. So one day, with enough practice, Gwenyth would be able to make all the beautiful, amazing quality clothing she wanted herself.

"Take that, ladies." She said to the mannequins with her nose in the air, and her ego not too far behind. Gwenyth plucked the purple book off the table, left the shop, and locked the door behind her. An arrogant grin on her face, and the band-aids covering her pricked fingers forgotten, she started to skip to the bakery down the street. Humming one of her other-worldly songs as she went.

I love having the writer-bug again. Writing tons and tons with ease, but not being able to sleep or get to class on time because of it... It's a double-edge sword kind of world...