Olvia rushed back and forth, trying to locate the distant sound. It bounced off bookshelfs and buried itself in the ancient parchments. It rang through the library, clear as a bell and distinct as a horn. Olvia began her rounds of the tables. She checked them all until finally, finally she found Robin. Her baby was curled up in her blanket, and was whining without stop. Olvia mentally slaped herself, and picked Robin up, cradling her.
"Shhh…" she whispered, cooing in Robin's ear. "I'm sorry sweet one, I found a promising lead, and carelessly dropped everything to follow it. Mother can really be absent-minded sometimes. I know it's not fair to you, but be patient with me, dearest. I'm close, I know it."
Robin stopped crying and opened her eyes wide. Olvia was delighted to see that blue gleam, one of the two things that hadn't come from her. It would make her cry sometimes, and memories of her lover would flood through her. But ultimately, Olvia loved those sky blue orbs and how they glistened.
Though she could not speak, Olvia knew her little Robin was absorbing so much. Surrounded constantly by knowledge, she often caught her little girl examining the bookshelves intently. It would be insane to assume that the infant could already read, but Olvia couldn't help but fell that this indeed was the case.
"A scholar already, aren't you?" Olvia murmured, and Robin giggled softly. Olvia smiled and set Robin back down on the table. She pulled up a chair and cracked open one of the many ancient tomes. It was an old poem, written in a forgotten language. The scholars of Ohara were the only ones who had managed to decipher it. Olvia especially held a deep connection to the scripture, for it was her who had translated it.
"When the fire red dawn meets the great blue sea, you'd think that they might clash," she read, glancing over quickly at Robin, who had curled up in her blanket.
"Yet they don't, and touch is beyond them," Olvia continued, her tongue longing for more beautiful words to escape her mouth, reveling in the rhythm.
"They weep, the sea and the sky, never knowing the other's embrace. The sky holds fleetingly the sea's water, but the drops must always return to the ocean. The sea captures the dawn's color in it's depths, but never for too long. The poor souls stare at each other all day, longing for a glimpse of happiness. They know not if there will be a day when they might finally clasp each other's hands, and rejoice in a true meeting at last."
She finished the poem, wishing desperately there was an ending. The script was said to have been a prophecy, and was recited for 101 days, a word a day until the priest fainted from fatigue. The prophecy's ending was lost, and the priest spent the rest of his life praying for Kami to bless him with an ending. Finally, driven insane, the priest had starved himself to death, claiming the prophecy shall affect no one, and is not complete, though really it had just not been completely prophecized.
Through a strange turn of events, Olvia marveled at how something was so nonchalantly cast aside when now, was the key to uncovering a great mystery. 'History may repeat itself,' she thought, 'but Man's actions can never be replicated.'
Robin had seemingly drifted off during all of this, and her eyes were glazed. But the child's brow was furrowed as intently as her mother's. It truly was foolish to say that a mere babe could comprehend the deeper meaning behind the text, but Olvia was positive that that certain scripture had struck a chord with the infant. She was sure of it, her child was special, but only time would eventually tell all. That was something Olvia only knew too well.
A.N.: And that's our first Straw Hat birthday! I love Robin, and I love her past. I wish we knew more about her, but all the better for me because I get to fill in the blanks for myself :-) Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated. See you on Feb 9th for Bartholomew Kuma and Red Haired Shanks!