Karmen walks through Alubarna in full fade. She'd found something before returning to the city, new scorpion venom in tow, and had been running on an emotional high of adrenaline and endorphins before passing back through the gates and seeing the state of the people around her. After riding a star-clawed scorpion through a city to save a friend she can kind of understand Luffy's tendency to disregard property damage during a fight, but it doesn't make her feel any better about causing it in hindsight. Though the damage Serket caused to roofs is minimal the people are still shaken up. She stops where she can to clean up broken tiles, juggling the giant bottle of scorpion venom awkwardly as she clears, so it takes her about two hours to make it back. She sneaks past the guards and searches her memory for the location of the basement, not wanting to spook anyone by popping up in front of them to ask for directions. She hadn't noticed their luggage in the courtyard. Vivi must have ordered it to be carried inside. She lowers Pierce's new hat off her head, letting it hang against her back from the cord. She doesn't need protection from the sun in here.
Karmen had spent most of her free time on the second floor and roof last time she was here, so it takes her a bit of wandering to find a staircase that leads down. She can feel the air temperature change drastically with each step. She gets an eerie reminder from the night she rescued Pierce. Ikaika's basement had been cold like a wine cellar. Like this basement.
If just the temperature of this place reminds her of Valcour...
The sweat on the back of her neck feels suddenly cold and she runs the last half of the stairs, only to stop at the last one at the sound of retching. She unfades and takes steady steps towards the sound. She sees Pell and Chaka first. Chaka still has his helmet haircut and a duty filled gaze nearly as strong as his jaw. Pell looks alive and well with his cultural markings painted on his face. They're standing over Pierce as Vivi mops his fevered brow with a handkerchief. Her blue hair is ornamented in jewels and gold. She looks like the princess she is. Carue stands by, seemingly to act as an errand bird if anything is needed. Trails in the slight dust on the floor makes Karmen think he'd already made a couple trips upstairs.
"It's about time," Pierce groans. He's in human form, propped up against a painted pillar with a large, sloshing bucket between his knees. The red cloth from Winston's hatbox is draped around his shoulders like a blanket. His pale face looks green and still soaked in sweat. Not hearing her approach before Pierce had, they all look towards the stairs. Even without Haki, she walks with a soft step.
"Hello everyone," she says when she gets a little closer. They greet her cheerfully as she turns to Pierce. "How do you feel?"
"Disoriented," he says.
"I was worried that you'd wake up and…" She feels like saying more would be to draw too much attention to his trauma.
He shakes his head. "I almost did," he admits. But…" His head turns towards Vivi. "She wears your perfume," he finishes. "I knew you wouldn't give that to just anybody, so I'm ok. Really, I'm ok." He retches into the bucket again. "Mostly ok, anyway."
"It'll pass," Pell assures them. "It's been a while since I've seen a case of heat exhaustion this bad."
When Karmen is only a few steps away they all turn to welcome her properly, but all of them freeze as soon as she steps into the light thrown by the oil lamp on the wall. "What?" she asks. She doesn't think her bout with Serket had left her clothes torn. A little dusty, maybe. She feels sand in places that sand shouldn't be. Ok, maybe a lot dusty.
"T-there's a strawberry in your hair," Vivi says slowly, as if raising her voice might dislodge it.
"Stand very still," the Jackal guard captain says carefully, drawing his sword. "I'll take care of it." Chaka aims his weapon carefully. He lunges at the strawberry and Karmen dances smoothly under his blade, saving the little fruit from certain dismemberment.
"That's quite alright," she says, giving them a smile. "Sherryl and I have an understanding."
"You named it?!" Vivi yells. "That thing can kill you!"
Pierce gives a little chuckle and everyone looks at him, confused by his casualness. "You actually found one? I thought you were taking a long time to get back." Perhaps the sun had fried his brain.
Karmen tucks her finger under the strawberry and eight legs unfold from it, latching onto her hand. The colorful fruit is actually the fabled and deadly Desert Strawberry spider she'd been dreaming of for months. "I found her when I was letting Serket go. I've already milked her for the day and everything. She'll be a great help for my research."
Vivi sits back, a little shocked. "You mean you actually did it?"
"Did what, exactly?" Pell asks.
"Maybe it would be best if you showed them," Pierce says, lifting his head from the bucket a little.
Karmen lets the spider fall back into place in her hair and sets the giant bottle on the ground in front of her. "You all remember me milking the star-clawed scorpion in the courtyard, yes? And you're all aware of how deadly a single drop can be?" They all nod. She wraps one arm around the cork and the other around the bottle's neck, giving a twisting lift using her hips. The cork sticks for a moment before lifting away with a felt-like pop. Her left hand slides from the warm glass and into her bag, returning with a small ceramic sake cup. She dips it in, yellow liquid parting around it and dripping from the rim as it's lifted free. Karmen drinks it like a shot of liquor. She can feel the venom sliding down her throat, leaving a fiery trail to her stomach and spreads warmth throughout her body, especially her cheeks. She feels… happy. This venom might take a little more getting used to than she'd thought. "Wow, that tastes amazing," she says with a small giggle. She puts the cork back on the bottle with a heavy push and hugs her venom cheerfully.
"Are you… tipsy?" Pell inquires, taken aback.
"It's that strong?" Pierce asks. He looks like he's torn between saying something else and throwing up again. He decides to keep his mouth shut, just in case.
"Not tipsy," Karmen says. "Just fuzzy, dear." She sits on the bottle so no one can try to take it away. "Serket's venom is 10,000 times stronger than the bloodroot toxin I was growing accustomed to when I first came to this kingdom," she says. "And maybe that example was a bad one because scorpion and snake venom are the only things that I can get drunk on." Zoro would call her a lightweight. She wonders how his liver handles alcohol this strong. He'd probably drink barrel after barrel and be perfectly fine. Sword-wielding showoff. "I was planning on making a trip back to Little Garden at some point to restock." She gives Vivi a grin. "Want to relive old times while these guys whip my bodyguard into shape?"
"Absolutely not. Me-me-me-me."
Karmen grips the lip of the bottle and leans back to see an upside down Igaram approaching with the smiling King Cobra. "Hey. You were dead once too," she says. "We should start a group." She gets up and gives them both a polite bow. "It's great to see you both, Igaram, Your Majesty." They politely bow back. She introduces Pierce who sets his bucket aside to stand and bow in return. He doesn't sit back down, but looks uneasy on his feet. He still doesn't trust himself to open his mouth, so he squares his shoulders and stands like a soldier.
"You had us worried when we read that you'd died," Cobra says.
"Well, you have to make things look pretty convincing when trying to pull one over on the world government," she says.
"You can tell us about it over dinner," Igaram says, returning her smile. "My wife's preparing a feast."
Karmen looks at Pierce. "She'll be cooking for a small Luffy."
"Forgive my intrusion," Pierce says. "My diet requires large quantities of protein." It's obvious that he's making an effort to not run back to his bucket or speak while clutching his stomach. More sweat drips from his hairline while they assure him that the kitchen is well stocked and that his appetite should pose no problem.
"Would you like to freshen up before we eat?" Vivi asks.
Both of them are suddenly hyper aware of the dirt coating them and the strong smell of sweat radiating from where they stand. Karmen closes her eyes, already able to feel the onsen washing away the grit coating her lower back. "That sounds amazing." She gives Pierce a worried glance. "Think you can handle a little hot water?"
"I'm feeling much better, Mistress," he says. "Thank you for your concern." Despite his words there is slight tension in his voice and he nearly falls over as he adjusts his stance.
Pell catches him and pulls his arm around his shoulders. "I'll take care of him," the guard says with a soft smile. "You go get cleaned up. I look forward to speaking with you over a meal."
They walk upstairs together and separate at the split door to the hot spring. Karmen enters the women's side with Vivi and inhales the humid air nostalgically. "This time my male companion can't peek on us," she says, giving Vivi a wink.
"He woke up complaining about sand in his eye sockets," Vivi responds with a giggle. "He actually thought I was you for a few seconds."
"He must have been really disoriented and going off just smell then," Karmen muses. "He's really good about being able to tell a person's height using echolocation." Despite the similarities in their muscle tone and frames, Karmen is a few inches shorter than Vivi. She hooks her finger under Sherryl and lets the spider latch onto the laces of her boot far away from the steam of the bath.
They undress and Karmen sits on a stool to rinse off before entering the water. "No eels," she calls over the wall. She thinks she can hear Pierce give a sigh of relief. When she slides in next to Vivi she's greeted with a thankful smile. "I was really happy to receive your letter," she says. "I didn't want to believe that you were dead."
"I was surprised that Pell was still alive," Karmen responds. "I could have sworn that bomb blew him sky high."
"Well, it blew him to Euba," she says. She exhales reflectively. "You were so guarded last time that I was surprised to hear that you had a friend who needed help. I understood a little more when he transformed back."
"He's new to his abilities and that's left him frustrated," Karmen says. "He was forced to eat the fruit as an experiment, which angers him even more. I was just hoping that you or Igaram or Chaka had remembered some of Pell's training techniques, but when I read that he was still alive…" She closes her eyes and smiles. "It warms my heart to know that you didn't have to say goodbye to such a dear friend."
On the other side of the divider Pierce politely waits for Cobra and the palace guards to enter the bath and invite him to join them before he settles into the water and exhales slowly. The warm water calms him and he can hear the distorted vibrations of Karmen's voice through the wall. He didn't want her to worry, but the truth is that waking in a basement had shaken him. If it hadn't been for Vivi wearing Karmen's perfume he might have had another panic attack. He vaguely remembers Karmen saying that she'd given Vivi and Nami portions of her perfume when she'd first made it. She'd said their names so fondly that it almost pained him that she has no idea where her crew had been sent. Kuma knew what he was doing, they were sure of it, but that didn't make being separated any easier.
The Nefertari family had shown Karmen a rare kindness and friendship. The way she spoke of their love and sacrifice for their people made him wonder how her life would have been different if she had grown up in a place like this. If the Nefertiri's of 800 years ago had become Celestial Dragons like the others Karmen would have had no one to turn to. This castle echoes with rich history of such decisions. He could hear Karmen's eyes sparkle in her voice when she spoke of this place and now he knows the reasons behind it. Alabasta is everything that Valcour was not. If Gallowcomb did not exist, he feels Karmen could live happily here.
"I think I understand now." Cobra's voice cuts through Pierce's thoughts.
"Hm?"
"When Karmen was here last time, she was frightened that she would be discovered and that word would get back to the island," he says. "Forgive me for saying this, but I can see why now." Even though Pierce doesn't have any eyes, he can feel their eyes on his scars. Cobra clears his throat and the sound of his breathing turns away.
"It did, eventually," Pierce says. His hand absentmindedly traces the marks the shackles left in his wrists. "That's why she threw herself off that cliff. She felt that if she escaped with certain documents she could ensure my safety without having the government looking for her. It worked for about two weeks." Those two weeks had been a much needed respite from the two years of torture. Saaresto had been able to give Pierce what medical care he could and some of the nastier wounds were able to close somewhat. He didn't heal quickly in sea prism, but it had probably saved his life. If there was ever a single man Ikaika feared, it was Kuma. Unfortunately that fear had eventually turned into a wish to dispose of the evidence in the most sadistic, drawn out way possible. Had it not been for Karmen on both occasions, he would undoubtedly be dead. "I would have been satisfied knowing that she was free and living a life where she could smile freely, as her friend Usopp put it."
"I remember them being close," Chaka says with a smile.
"So I'm told," Pierce says. "I haven't met them yet. Sir Luffy dictated a two year leave." The Alabastians seem surprised by this. "I'm afraid my Mistress will not be able to restrain herself while she is here," Pierce continues. "She's been talking about snakes and the like ever since our departure."
"We certainly have plenty of those here," Igaram says.
"She's grown a lot," Cobra muses. "It would nice to see her and Vivi find men and become happily m-" Pierce's hand is over the king's mouth so fast that he creates a tidal wave in the hot spring.
"Forgive my inappropriate act, Your Majesty," he says. "But I must ask that you refrain from using the 'M' word in Karmen's presence." He steps back, bowing upon retreat.
"If I remember right, she was at her second pre-wedding banquet when she jumped off that cliff," Pell says. "Am I correct in interpreting that she would rather die than even consider it as an option at this point in time?"
Pierce directs a small bow to Pell. "She can't even be in the same room as silk without trying to set it on fire," he says as he lifts his head, remembering Winston's hidden bolt, may it rest in peace. "You are a very observant man. I look forward to learning from you."
Pell smiles. "Anything for a friend."
Vivi, who had been listening intently after hearing the splash, leans forward and speaks quietly. "Is that true?"
Karmen sighs. "I guess the connection between Baldwin and I wasn't kept out of the papers." She leans against the rocks. "I let myself get captured to steal a few things, but yeah, that was the nature of the event. I got to poison a lot of stuck up jerks, had a really nice dance, and got to lose the name 'Gallowcomb' forever, so it wasn't all a waste."
"I'm not ready to settle down either," Vivi says. "There's too much to do."
"Yeah, your country is recovering. Who could think about romance at a time like this," Karmen says.
"What about you?" Vivi asks.
Karmen points a thumb to the divider. "As soon as we whip him into shape we're starting an all-out shadow war."
"Shadow war?" Vivi echoes.
"I'll tell you more at dinner," Karmen says, grabbing the soap. "I don't want Pierce sitting in the hot water for extended periods yet. He'll end up back in the basement if he soaks too much longer."
They finish washing. Pierce hears their movement and does the same so the others follow suit. Soon they are all dried off and dressed in fresh clothing. They make their way into the banquet hall where food is being laid out on the table. Karmen pauses as the others move to their seats and Pierce instinctively remains just behind her right shoulder. "Please allow me to say this properly." She bows deeply. "Thank you for allowing us to impose on your home and services. We are very grateful for your hospitality and generosity." Pierce bows with her.
The royal family and guard blink in surprise, then smiles. "We're just happy to see you alive and amongst friends," Cobra says. "Sit and eat with us."
They don't have to be asked twice. As they eat, Karmen relates the events from her last visit up to the current day. Pierce listens as intently as the Alabastians. She leaves out certain details, mostly about Kuma, Mihawk, and Doflamingo. She feels protective of the people in the room and hopes the less they know about her involvement with warlords the better. She suspects Cobra knows that there's more to the story, but he politely keeps his lips pressed into a smile. He's so fatherly and understanding that she wants to hug him. Or, she would if she was much of the hugging type. Cobra is definitely the type of guy she would hug, especially with a name like his. "So, while Pierce is training here," she concludes, "I'll be roaming the local wildlife and seeing if there's a snake pit I can throw myself into." Her eyes sparkle at the thought.
"You must be worried," Pell says.
Karmen's fork stills and she stares intently at her plate. She sighs and closes her eyes. "I worried a lot, being one of the weaker members of the team, but I learned one thing in doing so." She sets the utensil down and smiles up at him. "My crew can get themselves out of any pinch. Wherever Kuma sent them, in two years we'll all meet back at Sunny stronger than before. This time, I don't plan on being left behind." As she says this, she fills her sake cup with star-clawed scorpion venom. "I'm going to leave worrying for what to wear to the reunion." She downs her shot, cheeks instantly flushing. "When we leave here Pierce and I are going to go see my old family," she continues, pink face growing serious. "There are slave operated vineyards and wineries as well as private ports that we're going to destroy. We've got it all planned out. We'll sneak in, do some recon, get out all the innocents, and scare the living crap out of the rest. I cursed the Gallowcomb name when I jumped off that cliff and I'm going to make good on it."
"Do you need any help?" Vivi asks, despite Igaram's instant sounds of protest.
Karmen shakes her head. "We've been training our people in covert techniques that will improve our chances of success. Adding more people now would just slow us down, not that I don't think you aren't perfectly capable." She winks at the princess. Pierce doesn't react to her statement, but he can't help but wonder why she makes it sound like they have more then Winston and Camilla who might be the slightest bit battle ready for their first mission, and Camilla is stretching things a bit far. Winston may not even leave the island. There was always Kudra and the rays, but they weren't any help outside the water unless... Karmen studies the trace amounts of liquid left in her cup as she swirls it around. "Keeping our unit small will help us sneak more people out. I can't sit around while they suffer." She looks up at the serious faces at the table and pastes on a big grin. "So let's make sure we get lots of training in while we're here, starting tomorrow. For now, let's just enjoy being here."
It doesn't take long for the others to join in on the drinking. Pierce successfully takes her scorpion venom away only after her third shot. The first two times it mysteriously disappeared from his hands and reappeared in Karmen's. The third time she was too drunk to actually cloak herself. She even waltzed around him three times because she thought he couldn't hear her. The others got a good laugh and she ended up leaning against Vivi giggling into the back of her hand. She doesn't get completely wasted, but Pierce, thankfully revitalized by the food, decides it best to carry her on his back to her guest room. Pell waves them off from the doorway as they go. "Training starts first thing in the morning."
"Scorpion venom is so much better than bloodroot," she says, snuggling her cheek into Pierce's shoulder, swaying slightly with each step he takes.
"No nausea?" Vivi asks. Her cheeks are a little pink, but she can still walk straight without using large quantities of Haki.
"None. It taste so much better," Karmen says. "Like honeysuckle with the warmth of sunblade and hint of bitterness, like death from a kiss."
Pierce cocks an eyebrow over his shoulder. "That doesn't make any sense."
"If you can come up with a better description you're welcome to taste," she says. "Wait. No. Let me make an antidote first."
"How about you get some sleep first, Mistress," he says. "Your breath smells like a desert cactus."
"You say the sweetest things," she says with a giggle. "That's one of the best parts about building a poison immunity. You get to experiment." She leans over, causing Pierce to frantically readjust his hold to keep her from falling. "Vivi, you have to come out to the desert with me tomorrow. Igaram will let you do that much, won't he?"
"They'll probably be following us disguised as bushes, but I'm sure they won't mind," she says. "It'll be fun doing something dangerous with you again."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Pierce drops her off in bed, removing her boots and carefully transferring Sherryl to the bedside candlestick. The spider immediately starts spinning a web. Karmen slips out of her canister belt and snuggles into the sheets, falling asleep almost immediately.
"Will she really be alright with that spider?" Vivi asks.
Pierce shrugs. "She'll have an antidote for the venom within a week, tops. If she says she's made some sort of pact with it… her, then I wouldn't see any reason to doubt her word," he says. "She's able to connect with animals on a greater capacity than I've seen outside of you and Carue."
"I raised Carue from a duckling," Vivi says with a smile. "And Chopper was here last time we tamed animals in a day. I guess it helps when you can understand their language."
"You seem as fond of her crew as she is," Pierce says with a warm smile.
"They saved my country and my father simply because we asked," she holds her hand to her chest and smiles at the fond memories. "I consider them dear friends. Karmen couldn't be in better hands." Vivi gives him a grin. "Except, maybe yours."
Pierce gives a small scoff. "Lately it's been the other way around. I came here to change that."
Vivi places her hand on his cheek, carrying the familiar perfume from her wrist to his nose. "You have a strong heart. I know you'll be able to reach your goal."
Pierce's smile softens as her hand falls away. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You can just call me Vivi."
"Lady Vivi, then." She guides him into the next room and leaves him to prepare for bed.