Nami's mind swirled with booze.

'Damn, I might have overdone it,' she mumbled, her hand finding a wall to steady herself. She was in the main corridor outside the Ryugu Palace's great hall, where the celebrations were still in full swing.

Usually, Nami took pride in being someone who understood her limits well when it came to alcohol. But it had been so long since she'd had a good drink, surrounded by friends – the old men of Weatheria hardly drank, and when they did it was floral gins and sweet liqueurs, which weren't to Nami's taste. And here they were now, in a royal palace, with the finest beer and sake on demand. Surrounded by her friends for the first time in two years, she hadn't been able to resist any server's offer to refill her glass.

So she may have gone a little overboard.

She gazed around the corridor for a bench or somewhere to sit to help stop her swaying, and noticed some steps going downstairs. Gingerly, she made her way over and sat down on the top step. With her head resting on her knees, she willed the world to stop moving.

Back in the main hall, the Fish-Men were roaring, drunk with glee, chatting fervently over the events of that day. And what a day it had been for them! They had been invaded by the New Fish-Man Pirates and forced to step on the face of their queen. They had watched in horror as their plaza filled with fighting and bloodshed, with pirates and human slaves. And all the while, the Noah had loomed over their heads, threatening to crush them all.

And then, when all hope seemed to be lost, they had been saved.

It was a lot to go through in just one day. Nami wondered how any of them had life in them left to party.

Her thoughts drifted to Cocoyasi Village. How the villagers had celebrated when they'd been free of Arlong's pirates. They had been starving for so long, and working so hard to appease Arlong's wrath. And yet, once they had been freed, they had found strength in themselves to dance all night long. Nami supposed the Fish-Men Islanders felt similarly. They were also toasting to a brighter future.

A wave of cheering erupted in the great hall and Maria Napole started to sing again – she must have just gotten back from her half hour break. Nami had never expected to come across such a renowned singer. Even echoes of her talent were heard all the way in the East Blue. Nojiko had always wanted to hear Maria perform. She'd wanted to find out if what they said about her was true – that Maria Napole had a voice so clear, so distinctive and gorgeous, that she could start and end wars with it.

Nojiko… it had been so long since she'd seen her sister. Nami wondered what she was doing right now, at that very moment. Maybe she was reading by the fire. Or out in one of the village bars, sharing drinks with friends. Nami and Nojiko had only ever drunk together once, on the night Cocoyasi Village was freed. She'd love to clink glasses with her again some day.

Feeling her eyes start to well up, Nami gave her cheeks a light slap. It wasn't usual for her to become maudlin over booze. She'd definitely drunk too much. This was a party! She should be having fun in the great hall, not sat on the stairs, wishing she was back home with her sister.

She stood, her legs more wobbly than ideal, and began to march back towards the main hall. She would go back in, have a dance, and forget about all this.

But before she could get to the doors to the great hall, they opened from the inside.

Shirahoshi floated out into the corridor, closing the great hall's doors behind her, slowly, quietly, trying hard to pass by unnoticed, it seemed. Shirahoshi paused a moment, a sad frown on her face, her fingers twisting in her hair. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice Nami, only several metres away, and she floated off down the corridor, into the bowels of the palace.

Nami watched as Shirahoshi disappeared from view. If she wasn't mistaken, Shirahoshi was headed in the direction of her tower.

Concern arose in Nami. Fish-Man Island had just been united – why did Shirahoshi look so forlorn?

It wasn't long until Nami reached Shirahoshi's tower. Huge slits had been made along it – proof of Vander Decken's decade-long torment. Nami shivered. There were still maroon traces of blood from where pirates had been thrown at her tower so they could infiltrate the royal palace. The palace staff must have had too much to do setting up for the party to get around to cleaning up here.

The doors to Shirahoshi's room were shut, but Nami could hear sniffling coming from inside. Nami straightened herself, determined to sober up quickly. Then, gingerly, she knocked.

A startled gasp came from inside. 'Who- who is it?'

'It's me, Nami.'

The door creaked open, only revealing part of the young mermaid's face. 'Nami-chin-sama,' said Shirahoshi hesitantly, and Nami marvelled at how such a big mermaid could appear and sound so small. 'What can I do for you? Did you lose your way in the palace?'

Nami chuckled. 'There is a member of my crew who's good at getting himself lost, but that's not me. I'm a navigator, you know. It's my job to never get lost.'

'I'm sorry – I didn't mean to offend you, Nami-chin-sama.'

Nami waved a hand in front of her face. 'I'm not offended, Shirahoshi. You worry far too much.'

'Well then… if you're not lost…?' Shirahoshi trailed off.

'Can I come in?'

'Uh - yes. Yes, of course,' Shirahoshi stammered, opening the door more so Nami could comfortably enter.

Shirahoshi's tower was a perfect circle. Large, with warm yellow walls and red coral ornaments. At its centre was a circular bed filled with plush cushions and in one corner sat an enormous bubble machine, slowly pumping out green and pink bubbles as big as Chopper.

'This is a lovely room,' said Nami. 'It's very comfortable.'

'I… I like to keep my space as soothing as possible,' said Shirahoshi. She offered a hand for Nami to stand on and she climbed aboard.

'Woah!' Nami exclaimed, her head spinning when she looked down from the dizzying height. She clung on to one of Shirahoshi's fingers. 'I'm still a little drunk. Maybe you should put me down on the bed.'

Shirahoshi obliged, setting Nami down on the soft quilt. 'I have some human-sized pillows if you'd like to use one.' Without waiting for a response, Shirahoshi disappeared into a cupboard, returning with (what was to her) a small handful of silk pillows for Nami to lean against.

'What did you want to talk about, Nami-chin-sama?' said Shirahoshi, settling down on the bed herself, tucking her tail to one side.

'I wanted to spend some time with you, but more than anything, I wanted to see if you were okay.'

The tip of Shirahoshi's tail flickered in surprise. 'I'm… I'm okay,' she said slowly. Nami waited for her to go on. 'Well, no, I'm – I'm more than okay. Today is a great day. The kingdom is safe from the New Fish-Man Pirates. My brothers and father are free again. The Noah has been put back in its place, near my mother's grave. I have awoken a great skill in myself that will help protect my people. We will soon join the rest of the world. A new day is dawning for all of us on Fish-Man Island. There are a great many things to be happy about today and I… and I…'

Shirahoshi trailed off. She had spoken in a bluster of words, each one falling out her mouth as though she had been repeating the list in her head for a while. She looked away from Nami, unable to meet her soft gaze.

'And I am finally free from Vander Decken-sama,' she said, in a small voice.

Nami's heart ached for the young mermaid. She had gone through so much and, from the sounds of it, really didn't have many people to rely on outside of her immediate family and a pet shark. No wonder she was finding it hard to process all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Shirahoshi had probably seen more action today than she had over the course of ten years!

If the two of them were closer in size, Nami would have put an arm around Shirahoshi's shoulder at this point. It was hard to know how to comfort a girl that was so big. Talking would have to do.

'It sounds to me like there's been a lot of changes in just one day, and that's probably hard to wrap your head around right now. I'm not surprised if you feel overwhelmed by it all.'

'Do I seem overwhelmed?' said Shirahoshi, concern obvious in her voice.

Nami gazed around the bedroom. She wondered if the bubble machine was on all the time or if Shirahoshi had switched it on when she came back from the great hall. 'Well…' she said. 'I don't want to put you on the spot but… this is a party – one where the great Maria Napole is performing, I might add. Yet here you are, sat in your bedroom.'

'Ah…' sounded Shirahoshi, fiddling with the fin at the end of her tail.

'But then, maybe, being a royal, you get to see the likes of Maria Napole perform all the time?' Nami laughed, trying to squash the sudden little spike of jealousy within her. 'Maybe it's not such a big concern for you to miss just one performance.'

'No, actually… I have not seen any kind of performance since I was a child.'

Nami caught herself. Of course. It would have been considered far too dangerous for Shirahoshi to attend any kind of event whilst Vander Decken was on the hunt for her.

'Sorry,' said Nami. 'Of course you wouldn't have seen her perform before. That was kind of silly of me to forget. It's just, you seem so well-adjusted, it's easy to forget how much time you must have spent in hiding.'

A bubble floated in front of Shirahoshi's eyes. She gazed at the bubble sadly. 'Well-adjusted?' she repeated. 'If I were more well-adjusted, I would not cry so easily.' She held her palm under the bubble. Slowly, it floated down into her palm and remained intact.

'Well, you're definitely a cry-baby. But if I'd been stuck in a room for ten years – even one as lovely as this – I think I'd be lost forever.'

Shirahoshi blinked, looking up from the bubble in her palm. 'What do you mean?'

'I mean…' Nami trailed off, searching for the right words. 'I think I would have been so frustrated, so angry, that I would have ceased to be a nice person. You know?'

Shirahoshi shook her head no.

'I would have been so angry at the situation, at Vander Decken, that I think my anger would have turned on everyone around me. I don't think I'd be able to have pleasant conversations with people. I'd be too jealous of their freedom. I'd become spiteful, or mean.'

The bubble popped. 'Do you really think so, Nami?'

'Of course. I don't have nearly the kind of patience or kindness that you seem to have.'

Shirahoshi smiled in thanks, a blush rising to her cheeks. They sat in silence for a bit, Shirahoshi stroking her tail absentmindedly, Nami sinking further into the soft pillows, watching the bubbles circulate around the room. In spite of how prone Shirahoshi was to emotional outbursts, she really was a comforting presence to be around. Nami got the sense that you could say anything to her and never be judged.

Nami sat up a little straighter against her collection of pillows. If she allowed herself to sink even further into the room's comforts, she'd surely fall asleep.

'So anyway,' Nami said. 'What's with the bubble machine?'

'My mother gave it to me. She'd had a particularly successful day getting people to sign her petition and I think she got carried away in her positivity, because she bought me and my brothers a bubble machine each and told us to hold onto them, because we would soon be ascending to the surface level. She told us we would be leaving this world behind, but that we could still make bubbles to remind us of where we are from.'

'Wow,' said Nami. 'She sure sounds like she was a very dedicated woman.'

'Yes,' smiled Shirahoshi fondly. 'She valued hard work, but she always tried to spend time with us kids too. She would decorate the whole palace before a birthday party.'

'That reminds me,' said Nami. 'I guess this is your first party in ten years! How have you been finding it?'

Shirahoshi thought for a moment, her eyes getting a dreamy look to them as she gazed into the distance, reflecting on her evening. 'There was a great many people, and the music was good but loud. The stage lights were so bright, I felt like it would burn to be underneath them, but the Mermaid Café dancers seemed entirely unperturbed by the brightness, like they are used to such lighting. And there were so many different smells. Cured fish. Stewed dumplings. Seared sea king meat. Sake. I do not have much experience around alcohol, but I like how jolly it can make people.'

'That's good. It sounds like you've had a really good experience then.'

'Yes. I do like parties, I think. I can understand why people host them, and I definitely had a good time. But it… it was also quite tiring. With so many people in one room, I felt like I was being squeezed into a much smaller space. Even as I floated above the party, just looking down and seeing all the people squashed together made me feel like I was being squashed... What about you, Nami-chin-sama? Do you like parties?'

'Me? Yeah, I love a good party. Any excuse to have a celebratory drink with friends, I'll be there. But I know what you mean about being a bit uncomfortable in crowded spaces – I grew up in a village, so I'm not really used to huge crowds myself.'

'What is your village called?'

'… Cocoyasi,' Nami faltered. She hadn't really meant to bring up her home. She had sobered up significantly since entering Shirahoshi's bedroom, but there was still enough drink in her that would make it more painful to talk about Cocoyasi than usual.

'Cocoyasi,' Shirahoshi repeated, sounding the syllables. 'That is a wonderful name. Is it named after coconuts?'

'Yeah. There are lots of coconut trees all over the island actually.'

'Did you live there with your family?'

'Yes. With Bell-mère and my sister.'

'Bell-mère?'

Nami hugged her legs to her chest. She really hadn't meant to go into all of this but...

'She's my adopted mother,' said Nami, 'She took me and my sister in after we were became orphans. Actually, my sister is technically an adopted sister too. I don't remember my birth family at all. Bell-mère and my sis are my real family.'

'I am so sorry to hear that,' said Shirahoshi softly. 'But I am glad to hear you were taken in and loved. What is your sister's name, if you don't mind me asking?'

'Nojiko. She's a tangerine farmer.' Nami pointed to her arm. 'We have similar tattoos. Hers are more abstract though. Lots of swirls and straight lines. I don't totally understand what all of them mean, but they suit her really well.'

'A much-tattooed tangerine farmer on an island surrounded by coconuts!' Shirahoshi said, dreamily. 'That sounds very novel.'

'She's one of a kind, Nojiko. She inherited the farm from Bell-mère and she's… she's so dedicated to it. If the farm was left to me, I'd try my best to take care of it of course, but I would never be able to take care of it the way Nojiko does. She just understands plant growth in a way that's impossible for me to. She's always been like that. Good at anything that grows from the earth. Whereas I've always been better at what's in the air.'

'It sounds like you miss her.'

'All the time.' The words slipped out before Nami had time to think. She wasn't usually so forward when it came to Nojiko. Of course, her crew knew she was fond of her village and wanted to return to visit some day. That was why they had a tangerine grove aboard the Sunny, to keep her home close. But she rarely talked about her upbringing. Of how she and Nojiko would share a bed during the winter months, taking turns to put their freezing toes on each other's backs to warm themselves up. How they would help Bell-mère forage for herbs to add some flavour to their soups. How there was a certain transparency between them which meant they could look at each other and know what the other one was thinking without words needing to be exchanged. How she had been the first one Nami had shown one of her maps to. How Nojiko had held the map in her hands like it was an ancient relic; her pride as Nami's older sister clear as day.

'She's my favourite person in the whole wide world,' said Nami. Tears began to resurface and she could not prevent her bottom lip from wobbling. 'I think about her all the time.'

Shirahoshi waved her arms in a panic. 'Oh no! Nami-chin-sama, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have asked! I shouldn't have pried! What should I do?'

Nami laughed through her tears. 'It's all right, Shirahoshi.' It was sweet how much the young mermaid cared. 'Really, it's fine. I… I should talk about her more often and to more people. I think, because I love her so much, I'm very guarded about her, like I'm still trying to protect her.' Nami could tell from Shirahoshi's pensive expression that she did not really understand what Nami was talking about. 'Have you never had something you wanted to hide?'

'I... kept certain details surrounding my mother's death a secret.'

'No, not like that. You did that to protect your mother's dying wish. I mean more like… have you ever tried to hide an emotion you were feeling, because you wanted to keep it yourself?'

Shirahoshi's tail swished thoughtfully. 'I have been alone for so long... I don't think I ever really learnt to hide my emotions, because I did not have anyone to hide them from.'

A pang of sadness arose in Nami. Shirahoshi had an uphill climb for sure. No wonder the party had been too much for her.

'It's why I was so surprised when you asked to come in,' said Shirahoshi. 'I do not get many visitors.'

'Well… from now on you're gonna start getting more visitors, so I guess you're gonna have to learn how to control some of your emotions, in case you want to keep certain things to yourself. And it can't be nice to be so affected by things people say to you.'

Shirahoshi nodded sagely. 'It can be draining. Luffy-sama said my emotions were a bother to him.'

Nami could not help but laugh. 'Did he now? I'll tell him off for that. But you know, Shirahoshi, even if you have to learn to keep some emotions for yourself, I think it's nice you wear your heart on your sleeve. Since you're so open, it allows others to feel able to be open up around you too, especially when you're talking one-on-one, like this. So don't change too much, okay?'

Shirahoshi smiled gratefully. 'I am glad that I can provide a safe atmosphere for people to talk. I think I am becoming quite good at talking to people one-on-one. But... I do still struggle a lot with groups.'

There was something in Shirahoshi's tone that told Nami she was speaking from recent experience. 'Did you get caught in a big group of talkers at the party?' she asked.

'Yes – well – only my brothers. They were all very giddy. They had drunk lots of sake. It was nice hearing them talk so happily, but I… I didn't always know when it was my turn to speak.'

'I'm sure your brothers wouldn't mind if you butt in accidentally. We all do it by accident sometimes. You just need practice, is all.'

'Do you think so, Nami-chin-sama?' said Shirahoshi, suddenly sounding desperate. 'You know, sometimes I feel so… so other. Like I really don't belong.' She picked up one of her pillows and hugged it to her chest. 'I have missed so much. Not in the way of world politics – I read the paper daily – but in terms of normal interactions. I am afraid that now… now I am free and able to leave my tower, I will embarrass myself when talking to people.' Now it was Shirahoshi's turn to have tears in her eyes. 'I want to make friends. I want to talk to the people around me.' Her voice wobbled and jumped with emotion. 'But when I tried to talk to my own brothers just now, surrounded by all those people in the great hall, I felt this tightness in my chest and I was unable to talk or swallow. And I can't help thinking – Nami-chin-sama, maybe… maybe I have been alone for too long? Maybe I don't know how to be around others?'

Great tears began to fall down her cheeks and Shirahoshi desperately tried to wipe them away. She curled her tail around herself, hugging herself for support.

'Oh, Shirahoshi,' Nami soothed. She stood and placed a hand on Shirahoshi's tail. She had never touched her tail before and had expected the scales to be cold like that of a fish. But Shirahoshi was warm to the touch, as though she'd placed her hand on her arm.

'I'm sorry, Shirahoshi,' said Nami. 'I care about you so I won't lie to you. I think it is going to be tough to readjust to your new life as a free woman.'

Shirahoshi hiccupped.

'I'm not surprised that all of this is overwhelming and scary, and that you don't know how to act or when to speak. But you will get better, in time.'

'My mother was such a great speaker,' said Shirahoshi heavily, burying her head into her pillow.

'Yes,' said Nami, slightly confused, not following the train of thought. 'It sounds like Otohime-sama was an incredible speaker.'

'And the point is – I am not such a great speaker.'

'You're definitely wrong there! You express yourself really well. When I first walked into this room, I had no idea why you were upset. Honestly, I was worried that Sanji or Luffy might have said something and that I needed to punish them. But it turned out to be nothing to do with them. And you've explained all your feelings to me very well – and those are confusing and jumbled up feelings that you've been trying to figure out for a while now. But I feel as though I understand what you're going through, even though I've never experienced any of things you talked about. You're a great speaker, just like your mum.'

Shirahoshi bawled, causing Nami to jump back in surprise.

'What? Sorry! What? Did I say something wrong?'

'You said nothing wrong at all,' Shirahoshi said between sobs. 'It's just I've never received such a lovely compliment before. Do you really think I speak well?' she blubbed.

'Well, maybe not when there's snot coming out your nose,' said Nami lightly. 'But ordinarily – yes! Yes I really do, Shirahoshi. And like I say – I do think you're in for a bit of a challenge when it comes to navigating social situations, but you have your family around you for support and, in time, it will feel more natural to you.'

Shirahoshi wiped her tears away. In spite of them, she was now beaming. That was the thing about Shirahoshi. She felt things very strongly, but she was more than capable of bouncing back. Really, she was one of the strongest people Nami had ever met. To be locked in a tower for ten years and able to walk into a party for any length of time showed she was surprisingly resilient, for such a big cry-baby.

After she had wiped all her tears away, Shirahoshi put a hand down for Nami to climb up on and brought her closer to her face. Now she was sober, Nami found balancing on her palm much, much easier.

'Thank you, Nami-chin-sama. You've helped me feel a lot better. And thank you for telling me about your sister Nojiko. I feel like we've gotten even closer today.'

Nami nodded, pleased that her words had reached the young mermaid. She may not have had a great start in life, but Shirahoshi had her whole life ahead of her. In time, she could do great things. Her newfound ability to talk to sea kings, along with her innate kindness and generosity, could one day bring her far. But that was the future; something to think about another day. For now, this was where Shirahoshi was at, and the present was bright.

Hope you enjoyed! I really wanted to explore how complicated I think Shirahoshi's thoughts would have been after everything went down with the Strawhats, the New Fish-Man Pirates and Vander Decken. And I thought there was no better way to do that than by writing a hurt/comfort fic about it!

This is the first fanfiction I've written since 2017! So I hope it isn't too rusty x