A.N.: I'll be honest. I've been in a major writing slump. I haven't been writing the two-year gap and only have a partial chapter written to follow this one up and it's taken me two months to write that. I was hoping the commissions would help bring me out of it but you all didn't seem as excited about it as I was, and that's ok. I have a few short pieces that I can use as filler if I need to, but I was hoping to save most of those because they contain spoilers.
The next month should go as scheduled, but I'm not sure about afterwards. If things aren't better by then, I may just have to update as I have new chapters ready. I'll keep you all updated.
Again, thank you for reading and your patience.
Hours after the farewell banquet is concluded, Karmen and Pierce make their way up to the secluded rooftop with armfuls of candles which they set in a circle. Karmen lights them while Pierce sets a stool on the warm tile. When they have enough light she pulls out a quill and a bottle of ink. "Are you ready?" she asks softly.
Pierce shrugs out of his sleeves and lets his robes fall open down to his waist. "Are you?" he asks. "I had to drag you away from the medical ward again. Did you even remember before I came to get you?"
Her cheeks flush slightly. "I remembered you wanted the tattoo," she says. "I might have forgotten what day it was."
"How could you forget? We just came from the going away party. We spent all day shopping and interrogating Doflamingo's men."
"That's the part that distracted me."
"What are you even working on?" he asks after sighing. "Surely you've made antidotes to everything by now."
"I'm modifying my toxins," she says, settling down on the stool. He sits in front of her on the tile, facing away, and pulls his ponytail over his shoulder so it will be out of her way. "I've been studying Sherryl's venom and the time delay quality. One of the doctors let her bite him so that I could study how it affects the body. They'd all seen the slide tests proving the antidote works but he was still pretty nervous. It's amazing really. The venom builds up in certain vital points of the body, attaching to cells and tissue in all the organs. Obviously, I didn't let him wait the full twelve hours before giving him the antidote, but according to the slides it causes the cells to rupture like a time bomb. Boom, exploded. If I can figure out what does it then I can use it in other things and combat would be so much easier." Her fingertips trace lightly across the area that she would be working in before cleaning it, causing him to shiver slightly.
"And you can tell all this with your haki?" he asks. She draws a palm-sized circle in the center of his back, using a little bit of haki to make sure she makes it symmetrical. She draws four smaller circles that curve around the top of this in the shape of a perfect paw print. "How strong has it gotten?"
"Well, I've started watching my microscope slides with it when I'm working so I use high quantities of it for several hours a day," she says. "If I tried I could probably find a specific person on the edge of the city from here."
He shifts to cock his ear towards her, making her pull the quill back so she doesn't accidentally stab ink into where it's not supposed to go. "Doesn't that ever give you a headache?"
"No more than your sensitive hearing does for you," she says. "At least I chose when to use mine." She pushes his shoulder until he's squared up to her again. "Now hold still so this doesn't turn into the Sun Pirate symbol. It's not going to tickle."
She takes up a clean cloth and makes the first few pricks with her quill. Pierce remains silent and still and Karmen concentrates too hard for conversation. The stars spiral around them as the hours pass and the candles burn low when they finish. She wipes the excess ink and blood away and flexes her cramping hand. "How does it look?" he asks as she coats it with an antibacterial ointment.
"Like Kuma shot an ink-covered mouse into your back." She reaches around his torso and wraps the area with gauze.
He rolls his shoulders and neck. "It kind of feels that way." Despite still looking stiff, he has a smile on his face. "Thank you, Karmen."
"Anything for you, dear." She leans forward and rests her forehead between his shoulder blades like he does when he's on her back. "We have to leave tomorrow."
"Are you going to be alright?" he asks softly. "I can't help but notice that you've been happier here."
"Alabasta is peaceful," she says. "It's safe and inviting and it's been amazing being here."
"But?"
"I can't endanger them further. This morning was too close of a call. They've already been through too much. It's safer for them if no one knew they helped us."
He leans his head back until it's resting on top of hers. "Ok."
Karmen packs slowly the next morning, aided by Vishtunalli. In the room next to hers she can sense Pierce doing the same. He has considerably less than her despite being given several sets of Alabastian robes. He still has the last skin of Dr. Saaresto's special protein mix for the trip back through the desert. She fixes Tuna to her luggage and makes sure her bed is made. She knows they'll change the sheets as soon as they're gone, but she doesn't want to leave the room a mess. She'd even stolen some cleaning supplies last night and stayed up a few extra hours to dispense of every ounce of dirt. She wouldn't say she was nervous to leave, exactly, but she'd enjoyed being in Alabasta again and she would miss everyone. At least she knows where they are.
Karmen pushes the thought from her mind. She'd see the crew in two years. It was almost the six-month mark already. She'd take care of business and meet everyone again when the time comes. She can't get nostalgic now. Instead, she sets her bags in the hallway between their doors as Vivi had instructed the night before, complete with the spear she'd picked out a week ago. She waits there for Pierce. He steps out, inhaling deeply. "I know I could barely go outside during the day, but I think I'm going to miss this place, just a little bit."
"You'll miss the people, not the climate," she translates for him.
"Same for you, I suppose?"
"I can write," she says. "And they're only a few days away. We can always come back and visit." Despite her words, they both know they're a lie. Even if they had a few free days between missions, Doflamingo would notice reports stopping. He might even send someone to investigate. It's safer for everyone involved for them not to return until he'd been dealt with. She can't defeat him alone and Pierce couldn't either. Law has his heart set on it, but she doubts a victory could be achieved when he was so blinded by fury. For the same reason, she doesn't want her bodyguard anywhere near his rose-colored gaze. Pierce may be coming to terms with what they did to him, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't lose all composure if they came face to face. At his current rate of progress, he would die and Karmen would be given a choice to join or do the same. She gazes at the painted history on the walls of the palace. This place is too pure to let him get his string toting fingers on it. They owed it to Vivi and the others to stay far away. "Come on," she says. "They're waiting."
They make their way down to the throne room. Cobra is seated, looking more regal than any king Karmen had ever laid eyes on. Vivi stands in a cotton dress more extravagant than Karmen ever wants to wear again, adorned with royal jewels that make her glitter in the light flooding through the floor to ceiling windows. Pell and Chaka stand on one side and Igaram on the other.
"Are you sure you want to leave?" Chaka asks. "There's a lot more training we could give you."
Pierce squares his shoulders. "You have given me far more than I could ask for," he says. "I will remember all of your techniques and continue to improve from home."
Vivi takes a step forward. "Is there anything else we can do for you before you go?"
Karmen takes a humbling breath. Thinking of the people back on the island she smoothly drops to her knees and bows before them. "I would like to request a handkerchief made from Alabastian silk," she says.
Pierce balks. "But you hate silk."
Her hands curl into fists. "I do," she says. "It's for Winston."
Cobra reaches into the folds of his robes and pulls out a square of tightly woven fabric depicting a falcon, a jackal, and a cobra surrounded by flowers and decorative shapes. The colors are vivid gold, silver, teal, blue, purple, and red. He stands and walks the four feet to her. "Rise, Karmen." She lifts from the waist until she's sitting on her knees. He extends a hand to her and she takes it, allowing him to help her to her feet. He keeps her hand and turns it over, placing the handkerchief in it. Just the touch of the fabric against her skin causes a wave of nausea to run through her but her hand tightens around it. "I wish I could give you far more than this," he says. "Remember that you are welcome here, always."
This time she doesn't hold back. She closes the space between them in milliseconds and throws her arms around his neck. There is a moment of surprise and he wraps his arms around her back. "Your hospitality and friendship have given me more than you can ever know," she whispers into his ear. Pierce, who is the only person who is able to hear it, smiles. "Thank you for everything."
He holds her tightly and, for a brief moment, she wonders if this is what it's like to be held by a father. She barely keeps it together when he pulls away but by the time she hugs Vivi her eyes are glossy. "Don't you dare get caught," she says. She wants to say "don't do anything dangerous" but knows better.
Karmen laughs. "They won't catch a soul."
"Don't let them catch a pirate either."
"If they do I'll set their food on fire until they can't stand to keep me."
Vivi scowls. "You'd be thrown overboard and they won't realize their mistake until it was too late."
Karmen holds her finger in front of her mouth and winks.
Too soon all their things are loaded onto ducks. Pierce groans at the already stifling heat, but he climbs into the saddle and puts up his wings to block the sun. Karmen gives Pell and Chaka one last hug before getting on her own. The doctors all wave from the window, thanking her for sharing her knowledge of antidotes. Vishtunalli dances on Karmen's things with Sherryl biting his head, turning him a speckled red. The soldiers bow to them as the ducks depart side by side and Karmen can't seem to stop waving until the palace gates close behind them. Before they pass through town, Pierce reaches his hand out to her and she takes it, fading as soon as they make contact. They'd agreed on the roof the night before that it would be safer not to be seen leaving the city. "At least we won't be bombarded by the navy this time."
"And that was with that smoking guy who's obsessed with your captain?" Pierce asks.
"Captains Smoker and Hina," she confirms. "If it hadn't been for Bon Kurei we would have never gotten away."
"And he's the Baroque Work's agent swan guy who became a turncoat to earn your captain's friendship?" he asks. "What ever happened to that guy?"
"He escaped Impel Down only to be caught again when he helped Luffy in Marineford. Supposedly he's back in Impel Down, but reports say he's disappeared," she says. "I always thought him and Woodrow would get along well."
"Winston's older brother… sister? The one who likes to run around in fishnets with Emporio Ivankov?"
"You say that like you don't remember them." She lets a small giggle escape her lips. In truth, she'd only met Uncle Ivan twice as a child, but a person like that left an impression. Pierce had spent nearly every day at the same camp as Ivankov in the two years that he trained with Kuma. It might explain why Pierce always hated being winked at.
"Kuma brought Woodrow along when he wanted to talk to you alone. You were perfectly fine having tea time and I was running for my life. I'd rather forget my time spent with them." He glowers and shuffles his wings.
"They always brought lovely dresses," she says, feigning innocence.
"Yeah. They looked great on you. Me, not so much." He shifts again. "I can barely wear these Alabastian robes without having flashbacks. I'll take a nice pair of pants any day."
"Godwin got a good kick out of it," Karmen says nostalgically. "He always enjoyed having his father around, even if he couldn't express it in front of the Gallowcombs. And your fighting skills always improved when they came."
"Fighting to stay out of fishnets is not my idea of training."
"No, but it was extremely funny to watch from the rooftop."
Pierce sighs. "Always happy to be a source of amusement, Mistress."
She laughs again. "Come on. Let's get home so we can find out if Camilla is improving at all."
Days later, when Karmen's head breaks through the ocean entrance of the Batoidea cave system she's surprised that no one is there to greet them. The rays had created a ruckus upon their arrival, breaching and splashing down. Even Kudra had made a small tidal wave against the cliffs. According to her haki, they're far below the island, probably the training room, where they aren't able to hear what's happening on the surface. She makes a mental note to set lookouts once they get more people. She could walk down and surprise attack them if she wanted.
She unties Pierce from her shoulders and waist and sets his hibernating form in the corner while she strips off their diving gear. She takes five minutes to unload the rays before picking up the spear and hooking Pierce back onto her shoulders. She carries him down to the kitchen and sets a barrel of fish jerky next to him for when he wakes. She drapes a blanket over his shoulders before heading down the tunnel with the spear at full fade.
Sure enough, Winston and Camilla are training. Saaresto sips tea on a picnic blanket near the wall. She joins him and pours herself tea into her cup with the red feather painted on it, dosing it generously with flower toxins. She leans the spear against the wall and watches as Camilla picks herself up off the floor, rubbing her bruising arm.
The girl launches herself at the tailor in an angry torrent of sloppy punches. Winston's flat palm meets her fist each time before he uses his leg to sweep her ankles, sending her flat on her back. She kicks at his knees and he leaps back, giving her a chance to roll back into a crouch. She pushes forward, aiming disorganized kicks at his midriff. He takes two steps back before catching her ankle and shoving her way. She lands on her back again several feet from him, gasping.
"Is this what it's been like the entire time we've been gone?" Karmen asks as she unfades. Everyone jumps and Camilla simply stares at the ceiling, not bothering to get up.
"We haven't gotten to the part where Camilla starts cussing with her hands yet," Saaresto says when he's recovered. "She gets quite animated."
Winston towels sweat from his face and neck. "Welcome back, Karmen. How was Alabasta?"
"Beneficial," she says. "Pierce made excellent progress as have I. Camilla?" The girl throws her hands up and lets them fall to the ground. Unable to meet her eye, she rolls away and faces the wall. "I see." Karmen sets her cup aside and stands. She picks up the spear and steps around the girl until she can see her face. "Up." Camilla sits up and Karmen pulls her to her feet. She bounces the weapon a couple times like a stuffed animal. "I brought you something."
-A spear?- she asks. -How am I supposed to sign while holding that?-
"You're not," Karmen responds.
-Is this supposed to be insulting?- Her cheeks are still slightly flushed from Karmen seeing her fail at combat and it came through in her tone. Karmen doesn't actually mind, but she puts on an air of insulted indifference.
"If you don't want it I'll send it back to Alabasta." She goes to turn towards the tunnels when Camilla lunges forward and places a firm hand on the shaft, preventing Karmen from taking another step.
"I'll take it," she says. Her dark cheeks flush hotter in the blue light. "Thank you for thinking of me." Karmen gives her a satisfied smile. "Um. How do I use it?"
"They turned you into an exotic dancer, right?" Karmen asks, knowing the statement could go down one of two ways. "So dance. Use it against them."
"You expect me to fight with dancing?" she asks.
Karmen shrugs. "It's what I do." She glances over her shoulder towards the tailor. "I'll demonstrate."
She sweeps her foot around with pointed toes to face Winston before bowing deeply. He bows back and they both bend their knees to begin sparring. He opens with a kick towards her head. She dips herself under it, extending her own leg up and catching his throat with her ankle. She uses the momentum to swing herself up and around his body until she's offset his balance and has thrown him backward on his face. He coughs heavily in the dirt before standing and rubbing his throat. "Ok. That was a good one," he says. "It still isn't a frontal attack, though."
The tips of Karmen's ears turn the slightest shade of pink. "No. I don't suppose it was." She faces him again, taking rumba steps forward and follows the beat in her head to dodge three punches. She catches his wrist on the fourth and spins, taking his arm with her, forcing him to his knees by levering his arm straight out behind him. She places her foot between his shoulders to encourage him to stay there. "And that wasn't either," she says. "But it's still effective. I could stab your kidneys from here."
He lets out a strained grunt. "Point taken." He taps the cave floor with two fingers. She releases him and helps him to his feet. "I brought you something too, by the way," she says, eyes flicking towards the floor. She reaches into her sleeve and pulls out the handkerchief wrapped in protective plastic.
He takes it from her and removes it from the baggie. "Silk," he says with an air of disbelief.
"This is a gift from King Nefeltari Cobra himself. I'll allow you to keep it on those grounds."
He gives her a knowing smile. "Apology accepted."
She returns the expression. "That being said, that is the only scrap of silk I will allow on this island. Ever. Anything else will go up in flames like that stupid bolt you tried to hide."
"Understood," he says. He folds the handkerchief carefully and places it in his breast pocket. "I will cherish it."
She looks over at the doctor. "You've got a new medicine grinder upstairs. I couldn't fit it in my sleeve." Karmen holds her hand out to Camilla inquiringly, returning to the previous subject. "What do you think? Can you make it work?"
Camilla tests her hand placement on the spear, settling for the middle of the shaft where the weight feels natural. She swings it in a slow arc, then spins it across her shoulders to the other arm. She twirls it around her back before returning it to her hand and tracing a circle with the point in front of her. "I've done fan dances before and it's not that different from a baton." She stabs the point into the dirt and swings around the end of the shaft, legs arcing in graceful motions as she flips herself upwards until she's standing on two fingers from the top. She brings her right foot down, bending backward until her toes touched her fingers and she's able to stand upright. "I could probably figure something out." She leaps off it and catches the end. Her legs stick together as she swings around and plants the balls of her feet in Winston's chest. He stumbles back, winded but not off balanced.
"You might be onto something with that," he says. "That's the first hit she's landed on me."
Karmen nods her approval. "Keep practicing with it and we'll see where it gets you. Let me know if you prefer anything else. I wouldn't mind having a small armory eventually." A sudden pain runs through her and she grimaces, placing a hand on her stomach. "Could I talk one of you into fixing a hot meal?"
Back up in the dining hall, they find Pierce halfway through his barrel of jerky. "Morning," he says around a mouthful. "Thanks for the snack." He'd found the time to slip down to his room for a change of dry clothes and now sat there in just a pair of green pants and the blanket. "I carried our stuff up and he didn't seem to want to be left alone." He points a thumb over to the corner to a plant while reaching back into the barrel.
"Right, introductions." Karmen steps over to where the Venus flytrap sits, blending in with the dark brown of the stone walls, with the desert strawberry spider sitting on his head. He turns green again when she gets close and seems to smile at everyone. "This is Vishtunalli, or Tuna. As you can see he's special. I sent a few of his species back a few days ago so you may already know what they're like." The others nod as Karmen scoops the arachnid up and places it in her hair. "This little beauty is Sherryl. She's very deadly so hands off. Sherryl, no crawling into the fruit bowl." The spider climbs onto her forehead, drops a line of silk, and dangles down to her nose.
Camilla takes a step back. -You can keep her.- When she's done signing she wipes her hands on her clothes like the very idea of having a spider around makes her skin crawl. Sherryl seems satisfies by this and climbs back up into Karmen's hair, gathering her silk on the way.
By the time she's given the plant and spider introductions to everyone else, Pierce has finished his fish. He stretches, pulls off the blanket, and gets up from his chair. He grabs Winston's arm and drags him towards a side tunnel. "I have something to discuss with you."
They watch them disappear and Saaresto cracks his knuckles. "I guess that means I'm cooking." He steps into the kitchen.
Camilla points after the other two. "Was Pierce hurt while you were gone?" When the blanket fell away, his taped on bandage had been visible.
She shakes her head. "I gave him a tattoo. Do you know how hard it is finding a waterproof seal that's skin friendly?" she asks. "I'm telling you it's hard to find something that lasts several days under deep water pressure on this end of the Grand Line."
"So he just slept the whole way back? Didn't that make things boring?"
Karmen shrugs. "He can't help it. Besides, I had Parvati and Raja."
"What did you eat?" she asks after Karmen's stomach gives a hungry gurgle.
"Raja caught us fish. A little sashimi goes a long way." Camilla steps into the pantry and pulls out the bread basket, holding it out to Karmen. She gratefully takes a few rolls and sits at the table to eat. She finds trace amounts of fish jerky in the bottom of the discarded barrel and tosses it to Tuna. He catches it deftly, but instead of eating, he drops it in the soil beneath him. His roots stretch up and pull it beneath the surface. "Hrmp," Karmen comments. "He's never done that before. Must be tired of fish." She tosses him part of a roll instead and he takes it, turning a baked brown color. "How are the gardens coming?" she asks.
"I planted everything you sent," Camilla responds. "We should have the first vegetables you planted ready for harvest in a few weeks. By the time those are depleted what I've planted should be ready." She points to Tuna. "Those things seem to prefer the cliffs to the gardens." She shuffles slightly. "I know I talk to the plants a lot but I'm not used to having them respond to what I say." She locks her fingers together. "It's kind of nice."
Karmen smiles and gets up. "Come show me what you did with the plants."
Camilla leads the way towards the surface until they are standing in front of the locked gate. "It's your garden. You should unlock it," she says.
Karmen turns her key in the lock but steps back without opening it. "You're not a servant here, Camilla," she says. "This garden is as much yours as it is mine."
Camilla tucks her chin to hide a pleased smile and pulls the gate open. They step through and Karmen can see the freshly pressed earth around deadbolt vines that have been set against the cave walls to give them something to climb as they grow. Plucharon plants are set close to the spring in full sunlight. Sunblade is set with the poisonous flowers nearby with ample space between each plant. A snowberry bush is set in the shade. One Venus flytrap is in a crag in the wall halfway between the ground and the break in the rock above. All the plants look happy and healthy, taking to the new soil with few setbacks. Camilla doesn't go into long, detailed explanations about how the plants arrived by ray in their little pods and how she read the carefully written instructions to know how to handle and plant them. The little tags are still tied to some of the plants for her to memorize. There are large areas that are still waiting to be filled with poisonous plants.
Karmen leans down next to some of the flowers and shrubs. "I wish Chopper was here," she says. "He'd be able to tell me what these were."
Camilla points to the flower closest to her foot. "That one is loosely related to the orchid family, I think," she says. "This one seems to be some kind of poppy and that one might be related to nightshade. I've never seen plants like them. You said most things on that island were extinct?"
Karmen nods. "The only people who might know what these actually are probably work in a museum or library. Either that or they try to bring them back in a lab." The thought doesn't sit well in her stomach and she frowns. "Anyway, I think we have the creative liberty of coming up with our own names for them. Want to help?"
Her dark eyes sparkle. "Definitely."
She stands and waves her towards the gate. "You've done an excellent job here. I'm glad I have someone to trust with something so important. You may not be ready to go on a mission for a while, but I truly appreciate what you do here. If you continue your training I'll be proud to fight beside you."
Camilla freezes. "You aren't taking me with you this time?" She'd expected it, but finally hearing it constricts her chest and creates a burning lump in her throat.
Karmen lowers her chin but doesn't turn around. "I do not make this decision lightly, Camilla. Pierce and I leave tomorrow. You can't perform a full fade and your fighting is sloppy at best. You have a lot of rage inside you, which I can understand, truly I do, but if you can't compartmentalize it you will get yourself killed. I'm not ready to risk that. Not with you. Not now." The weight of her own words sits heavily on her chest, but her face remains unwavering. She thinks of Luffy and those rare moments when he was serious, when he had to make the tough decisions even though they weren't easy. "I know this isn't easy to hear, and I apologize for that. I'll bring you along when you're ready. I promise."
Camilla doesn't say anything. She gives a curt nod, signs a –Whatever-, and walks out of the garden.
Karmen makes no move to stop her. When she senses that she isn't going to wait for her in the tunnel she sighs and glances up to the Venus flytrap on the wall. "Keep her company for me?"
She goes down to find that Camilla has not come to the dining hall. She sits at the table and closes her eyes and focuses her haki, finding the girl in her bedroom below. She doesn't seem angry like she'd expected. Instead, she looks like an abandoned puppy, which makes this all harder. She wonders if she ever gave Kuma a look like that and if his heart shattered each time. She wishes she had a glass of wine. Not to drink, of course, but to wave under her nose to solidify an emotionless mask. Except that's not a quality of a good leader. It's good to compartmentalize fear and panic, but pure emotionlessness when confronting people who have been psychologically traumatized isn't healthy for anyone. She hates practicing her leader face on Camilla, but if she asked she knows the girl would be all too willing to beta test everything for her.
She's almost relieved when Pierce and Winston return. That is, until she sees what's on Pierce's face. He has a dark gray sea king leather visor that lays flat across his forehead, latches behind his head, and curves down into a point over his nose. "What do you think?" he asks.
Karmen glances at Winston who shrugs and holds out a hand as if to say "he asked for it, I just made it."
"It makes you look like a bird instead of a bat," Karmen says. "Let me see."
He pulls it off his head without unlatching it and tosses it to her. While she looks at it he sits next to her and Winston across from them. Karmen turns the visor over in her hands. It has two layers to it with a small space between. "What's this for?"
"I'm modifying interchangeable gas masks that will slide out of it," Winston explains. "I'll have a working prototype by the time you leave tomorrow."
"Is that the only reason you wanted this?" she asks. "A convenient gas mask?"
Pierce shifts in his seat. "I kept getting sand in my sockets in the desert," he says. "This will block debris and keep particles out of my face." She doesn't need haki to tell this is only a half-truth, but she'll talk to him about it later.
"It will also trap moisture," she says. "You'll have to use twice the fungicide on your eyes than normal."
His chin lowers slightly. "I don't mind so long as you don't mind making it for me. If it is an inconvenience I can come up with an alternative."
Karmen hands the visor back to him. "If you want to wear it then I have nothing against it. I'll keep you supplied." Further conversation is cut off by Saaresto exiting the kitchen with warm plates of chicken linguini smothered in parmesan. One has the equivalent of a whole chicken on it and is placed in front of Pierce. Karmen is practically drooling and takes a plate off his arm before it teeters over. She gives a quick word of thanks and digs in before Saaresto is even seated. The two of them are so hungry that all else is lost until their plates are clear. Karmen makes a point to finish at the same time as Pierce and manages to do it without getting sauce all over her face.
When they've put their dishes into the sink she hooks her arm through his. "I'm going to go have a little chat with Camilla. You wait for me topside." Without waiting for his response she fills a plate and carries it down to the girl's bedroom, finding the door closed. She knocks and leans forward to speak through the crack. "Can I come in?" Camilla simply nods, knowing Karmen can see her with her haki. She turns the knob and steps inside. The girl sits on her bed wearing her cloak with the hood pulled low, pillow hugged between her arms and resting on her crossed legs. She sits facing the desk against the far wall. Other than a couple potted lichens she's kept the room pretty bare so far and all her clothing is folded in a chest beneath her bed. The only furniture was made by Pierce and Winston and the only wall decoration is her new spear hanging in easy reach above her bed. "We missed you at dinner. I thought you might be hungry, so I brought food." Camilla just looks at the far corner of the room in response. "I'll just leave this here, then." she sets the plate on her desk and pulls the chair away. Reversing it before sitting, she leans her arms and chin against the back and looks at Camilla. She waits quietly, more to form her own words than to give her a chance to speak.
"Look, I'm not angry, if that's why you're down here. I get it," Camilla says in a quiet voice. "I know I suck at fighting and I'll just be a liability. You don't have to explain anything to me."
"I'm leaving you here because I'm scared."
This gets Camilla's attention. She looks up, shocked. "What?"
Karmen smiles and nods. "You saw me with Winston. My fighting style and weapons aren't designed to defend. Evasions and quick strikes are my only protection and that's why I suck at frontal attacks. It also means that I have to rely heavily on Pierce to do his job and guard my back. I almost lost him once and I've been separated from my crew. When I think about losing anyone else I get so scared I can barely move." She gives a small laugh and bites her lip. "Pierce would never let me go on my own because in his own way he'd lost me too." She tucks her chin slightly with the memory. "I saw it in his eyes that night. He'd been shot in the garden. He was bleeding and Ikaika had his gun trained on him, but he was happy. In his mind, he felt he was sacrificing himself so that I might live. It is the ultimate duty of any bodyguard." It's Karmen's turn to look away. "He lost a part of himself that day, and I'm not sure if he'll ever get it back. The two years we were apart changed him. He's still my best friend, but I can't stand to lose more.
"I know I have a few skills and talents, but I'm not superhuman," she says, giving Camilla a warm smile. "Pierce and I protect each other, and that works for us, but we can't be in two places at once. When I bring you along on a mission, I want to know that you can protect yourself because there may be a time when I can't. I really like you, Camilla. You're strong and capable and determined. In some ways, you remind me of myself. That's why I'm giving you this." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a blank sheet of paper. She tears a long strip off and holds it out to her. Camilla slowly unfolds herself and reaches out, taking it curiously. "It's my vivre card," Karmen explains. "We never know what's going to happen in a place owned by DavenGallow. Things could get really dangerous for us. If that starts to smolder and shrink, it means I'm about to die. If things get better for me, it will go back to its original state." Camilla finally meets her gaze, eyes wide. "If something happens to me, I'm trusting you to mount a rescue mission. Deal?"
Camilla clutches the strip to her chest, lips pressed into a tight line, and nods. "You'll be ok, though, right?" she asks. "You'll come back?"
Karmen's eyes soften on her in a gentle reassurance. "We're starting small, so things shouldn't get out of hand." She stands and returns the chair to the desk. "If we're good, then I need to go talk with Pierce."
Camilla jumps up before she can leave and wraps her arms tightly around Karmen's middle, hugging her from behind. "If you don't come back I'll hunt you down just to stab your corpse, got it?"
Karmen can't help but laugh in response. "Fine, fine. That sounds fair enough. Just make sure it looks like I got some cool battle wounds."
She leaves the room and slowly climbs the tunnels until she's outside, adjusting her mental state for the conversation she's about to have. As ordered, Pierce is waiting there for her, leaning against the rocks by the entrance. She doesn't break her stride, but hooks her arm around his and pulls him down the path. "Let's go check on my tree," she says. He doesn't protest and remains silent until they're standing on the highest cliff next to the little sapling that is actually starting to look like a tree instead of a bush. "Oh look at that. It's fine." Karmen thinks back to what she'd said to Camilla. He'd lost something two years ago. He'd let Ikaika steal something vital from him on the night he'd handed her off to Kuma. The anger she'd shown melds inside her with the sorrow from earlier. She turns to him and pulls the visor from where he'd tucked it into his belt. "This is about that girl in Alabasta, isn't it?" His chin lowers but he doesn't deny it. He has no hope for a brighter future. He wanted to cover his struggles and pain and hide it away inside himself. Deep down she knows. They could go on the mission and he could die to an opponent and as long as it was to protect her and her goals it wouldn't bother him in the slightest. That was his job. His duty assigned to him by the man who'd rescued him as a child. Once upon a time, he'd had bright eyes that burned with determination to make a difference in someone's life. Now, even if he still had eyes, she knows they would hold no fire. Two years ago Ikaika had stolen his hope for a future without pain and suffering. He'd go on the mission, but he did it solely for her. If she didn't exist, he would find a remote part of the world and live the rest of his days alone where no one could stare. Knowing this makes her angriest of all. "I told you I don't care how you look. I don't care that you don't have your eyes. I don't care if people are ignorant."
"But I do." His words are quiet but steady. He'd given this a lot of thought and had come to this decision. "There are going to be children tomorrow. I don't want to scare them."
"What are you talking about? Everyone's going to love you."
"Not everyone is as kind as you, Mistress," he says. "I will not allow what I lack to hinder your mission."
"We haven't even been on a mission yet!" she says. "You have no idea how they'll react! They're probably going to be more freaked out by me popping out of nowhere than your deep laughter lines." He doesn't respond. "Oh, so I can be scary but you can't? You're my bodyguard. You're supposed to frighten off jerks and punch stupid people in the face."
"Karmen, you know that's not why I-"
"I know exactly why you're doing it and it has nothing to do with safety around my weapons!" She turns and kicks a rock into the ocean before taking a calming breath. "Do what you want. Wear what you want. It's not going to change who you are or what I think of you. If covering what they did to you makes you more comfortable in your own skin then so be it."
"I've upset you. I'm sorry."
She shakes her head. "I'm just a little frustrated. I thought we were getting past this."
"We were," he says. "I am. I just need a little more time and it really sucks having kids scream at the sight of you." His voice grows tight. She watches him closely. If he was as far gone as she'd originally thought he wouldn't be this upset. Maybe there isn't a blaze inside him anymore, but perhaps an ember or two still sparked.
She sighs and leans her head against his shoulder, wanting all the hope she has for him to flood through their small point of contact. She'd burn bright enough for the both of them until he was ready. "Just keep being honest with me and you can have all the time you need." Her thumbs trace the hollow place between the visor flaps. She can't deny that it's handy, even if it is for all the wrong reasons. "And the convenient gas mask idea is actually really cool. It'll save a lot of antidote." She runs through their plans of departure in her head, counting air tanks, food, and lockpicks in her head. "Remind me to make sure Camilla doesn't try to sneak along."
"You benched her?" he asks. "I thought she'd puppy-dog eye you."
"She tried. I was so conflicted, but she's not ready. I just hope leaving a vivre card for her will be enough. I think she's afraid we'll end up like her sister. She knows these things will be dangerous and that one small move could be the difference between life and death."
Pierce squares his shoulders and puts an arm around hers. "Just be sure to let me take that risk." She wonders if he's listening to her heart as it skips a beat.