I'll admit, this one will be shorter than the others, but that's bound to happen sometimes.
This one might seem a bit dull, but basically I'm planning on Alex having a little adventure or some event happening in each of the Blues before going off to the Grand Line. Hope you enjoy this!
Dawn; there was always something about that word. It was majestic, it symbolised hope, and just saying the word makes you think of beautiful sunrises with gold-tinted clouds with pink and purple hues.
This was not one of those dawns.
One of my neighbours were arguing with someone down the hall at five in the fucking morning, and more people were opening their doors telling them to shut up but that only caused more noise. Unfortunately, I couldn't go back to sleep even if they did shut up and it was quiet again because of the bad mood they put me in. Have you ever tried going to sleep while frustrated or angry? Yeah, it's not easy is it?
Muttering darkly under my breath, I got out of my warm bed and stretched. Since the bed didn't have the softest mattress in the world, my back still had some built up tension that was released with a pleasant 'pop' of my spine. I really love that feeling, though it also makes me worry that I'm going to screw up my spine somehow.
Going over to the connected bathroom, I enjoyed a hot shower –even if the water practically dripped out of the shower head- and dried myself quickly. Changing into a pair of black slacks and my red hoodie, I chose to have a dark grey sleeveless underneath; I packed up my stuff and left the building. Going to the plaza, I saw that people were beginning to set up shop. I then realized that I didn't even have anything to place my wares on.
"Crap" I muttered under my breath. I didn't even have enough money to hitch a ride on the next ship. Looking around, I saw a black haired woman setting up a stand for tea sets and china. She looked about twenty, and was dressed in a dark blue dress that went down to her ankles. Biting my lip, I wondered if she wouldn't mind sharing a table. Making my decision, I walked over and cleared my throat awkwardly. She looked up and smiled politely at me.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not quite ready yet, if you would like to come back later…" she trailed off as she saw –or smelled really- just what I was carrying.
"Um, thank you but that's not why I'm here. I was hoping to sell some herbs and teas but I don't have a table, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind-"
"And why should I, if you don't mind me asking" she cut in fiercely, but not trying to sound too rude. I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed, why are these things so difficult for me?
"I'm only staying here for today, maybe tomorrow… but I need money. Besides, selling tea as well as tea sets is bound to bring in customers. I can share whatever I make from my herbs with you, since it is your stall I'll be using" I finished, and the woman seemed to think on it for a good minute before nodding. She stuck her hand out, and I shook it gratefully.
"Alright then, we'll sort out payment after the day is done. Let's set up shop. Oh, and my name is Katlin" she offered with a more genuinely friendly smile. I returned the smile and moved to help her set up the shelves.
"I'm Alexandra" and like that, we set to work. Building the stall wasn't hard, it was sort of like a puzzle, and when it was finished I realised just how big it was. There were three display cases set up behind the table, and were filled with various china of various styles. Eastern, Western and there were some real cutesy ones as well. When I was done staring Katlin gestured to the table and I immediately began setting up my herbal teas.
"What do we have?" the older woman asked. I blinked for a moment before looking down at what I had. The colours varied and some smells were strong while others barely had any smell at all.
"Okay, I've place them in their groups. These ones are medicinal herbs: they help with muscle pains, arthritis, sore throats, headaches, colds, allergies and some help strengthen the immune system. These ones here are for mostly for relaxation and vitalisation, they can help with stress and naturally wake you up in the morning without using caffeine, or they can just put you in a good mood. These ones are good for those with heart or blood problems, and these ones are to help with metabolism. So anyone on diets would definitely want these. Each one has a range of flavours as well, they can be sweet or bitter or plain, they can be lemony or citrus and more" I finished, taking a deep breath when I realised I said all that in one breath. I'm really enthusiastic about herbal teas.
"Oh wow…" the woman said, before turning to me "And you made all these?" she gestured to the packets and boxes that held all the types of herbs. I nodded, a small blush covering my cheeks. When I had seen the book on herbs I had jumped at the chance to learn about it.
"Yeah, I can even make pastes to help with bruising and disinfectants, but I'm only beginning on that" I added, and the dark haired woman –she had pretty green eyes, I noted- continued to stare at me in amazement.
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen… oh, what's the date?"
"10th of February"
"I'll be eighteen this year"
"Oh… and you know all this so young?" she asked, clearly amazed. I really didn't have the heart to tell her I learned all this in a little over a month. I don't know how I managed to remembered all this either -probably because of Maria- but I did and it would no doubt come in handy in many situations to come. Besides, if I'm going to be a martial artist I'm going to get hurt a lot, so knowing this stuff will be beneficial to my health.
I started boiling some water with a mini camping stove that I had bought yesterday, and started making some herbal tea with a sweet aroma. Pouring it into some of the cups that Katlin had set out for me, we chatted idly as people began to amble into the plaza. The smell brought customers, and as I began explaining the different teas and their uses, people began to crowd around.
"All at reasonable prices too!" Katlin would say when people began to think that all this stuff would be too expensive for them. We showed off the china, and we even made deals.
"And you'll get one packet of herbal tea of your choice, for each tea set purchased" I said randomly, and while the dark haired woman was surprised she hid it well, and rolled with it. That really brought in the customers, especially the women who were mad about diets and looking good. Olden folk with aching bones and sore muscles, those who had stressful jobs and people who just wanted something sweet to have, all came around to look and buy. We gave free samples to some of the more reluctant buyers, and by the end of the day, most of my herbs were gone and half the china was too.
As the sky began to darken and the sun dips below the horizon, we began to pack away. Katlin would dismantle everything and I would load it into the horse-drawn cart her husband had dropped off an hour or so ago. I had questioned why he didn't help out, but she explained how he worked at the docks. I hadn't said anything more on the subject.
"Here" I said after we had split the profits and were about to part, the woman looked down at the parchment with a confused expression. "These are the recipes for the more popular herbal teas we sold, some ingredients might be hard to get around here, but this should help your business" I explained. I had noticed how underfed Katlin and her husband were, and knew they were struggling to make ends meet. Fun thing about my profession, you learn a lot about the human body and often notice things unbidden.
I was startled out of my thoughts when Katlin threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly, not sensing a threat I relaxed and returned the hug, rubbing her back comfortingly as she sobbed out words of gratitude I only half understood. When she finally let go she took the paper and wiped her eyes and smiled at me with a bittersweet expression.
"Thank you so much, you don't realise how important this is for us" she said, placing a loving hand on her flat stomach. I stared uncomprehending at the appendage for a long moment before my eyes widened in realisation.
"You're with child" I breathed, and the woman nodded happily but with a touch of sadness.
"We were so happy when we found out, but we've been struggling for a while now and we were scared that we might have to give up our child" her eyes watered and I placed my hands on her shoulders, when her puffy eyes turned to me I grinned.
"You'll be okay, both of you. Trust me" I said before stepping away and grabbing my pack, slipping it on I waved to the older woman. "I might come around to see the little munchkin" and like that I left the plaza. Idly, I wondered how Katlin would react to the gift I left in her cart.
When I got back to my hotel, I sat down on the bed and pulled out my notebook and began writing down the events of the last few months. By the time I was done, I had filled half the notebook and knew I would need to get a few more real soon. Putting that away, I got out some lined paper and began writing a letter to Maria and Boris. My mum and dad would be wondering why I hadn't sent any letters and I doubt the tall man would be able to hold back his wife for much longer.
"I'll send this tomorrow" I muttered, setting it on my pack and slipping under the covers of my bed. I would be ship hunting tomorrow, and hopefully be going to the next island within the next twenty-four hours.
Morning was, unsurprisingly, noisy and unhappy. The neighbours were yelling at each other again and the water still didn't run very well –at least it was hot- and the person manning the front desk was a lazy asshole that was more interested in reading a fashion magazine then tending to customers.
'No wonder this place was so cheap' I thought unhappily as I returned the key and left the building, never to return. As I made my way to the docks, I took in the town. The style was relatively village-like, around the eighteenth century-looking. The road was cobblestone and there were many alleys between the buildings.
Unlike the town, the docks were busy even at this fine hour –around five-thirty- and the men gave passing glances but otherwise left me to my own business while they went about their own. I walked about asking sailors and dockworkers alike if there were any ships leaving port soon, most just shrugged and offered that there might be one further up. However, despite that, it didn't take long to find one that would be leaving within the hour. A quick chat with the captain and a sum of cash later, I was sitting on the railing watching as the island got smaller and smaller until it disappeared from view.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this. But Alex is about four years ahead of the story when Luffy sets off. So this is about a year before Ace leaves. Just some basic info. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to have the next one up soon... ish. Maybe a fortnight... ahem! Enjoy your day (Or night)