.: Sorry for the long absence. Gotta love school. Now we have to ease back into the story. I just hope none of it is too boring. But I will say that I watched Outlander and decided to have some fun! :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 4:

Homeland

A little bell tinkered when Nami opened the entrance door to a shop. Her eyes immediately were drawn to the dozens of shelves and clothing racks full of baby and toddler clothes. An older woman with graying hair and a layered dress full of plaid patterns perked up at the sound from behind a counter with a register. "Hello, young sassenach," she greeted, seeing her customer as a young lady with the frisky attire of a foreigner.

"Hi," Nami replied with a smile. She noticed how the shop was empty of customers as she stepped inside and let the door close behind her. But she also found the inside to be dim due to the stone walls and only candles lining the empty spaces.

"What can I help you with today?" the woman asked, seeing how thin Nami was.

"I need clothes for triplets. What do you recommend?"

She stood up from her seat and came around the counter, hiking up her skirt to free her ankles. "Well, triplets are not a very common occurrence. But one thing's for sure, they are always born premature." She walked to a single shelf that had little onesies and beckoned Nami over. "Obviously, premature babies are smaller than full-term babies. So, I recommend any of these preemie onesies should be what you're looking for."

Nami pulled off a onesie from the top of a stack to get a good look. It was very small with many crossing stripes of various reds and frills where the wrists and ankles would be. She smiled at how cute it was. "Thank you. You think we can bargain for sets of three?" she asked, pulling more from the shelf.

The woman smiled back. "Aye. We can work something out. I take it that these are for someone else, right?"

She nodded. "I already bought some clothes but then got hit with this curve ball, so kind of have to get more."

"Don't get too much of the same type," the stop owner advised, leading Nami away from the preemie section. "Babies grow fast, especially when they're eating well. You should also get clothes for infants and up. Then your friend will have a good supply."

Nami was directed to more shelves that were scaling based on age. The shop had everything from preemies to toddlers aged to three years old. The selection seemed endless. "Thanks for the advice. I'm surprised more mothers aren't shopping in here today," she commented.

"Oh, that's just because of the festival that's going on downtown," she clarified, turning around to grasp something. "I'll be getting better business tomorrow."

"What kind of festival?"

"It's a culture festival. There's going to be a lot of singing and dancing to celebrate our island's rugged history up in the highlands. You should watch a performance while you're out or even a game of hockey." She pulled up a long and thick blanket and folded it neatly before presenting it to Nami. "I should also mention that premature infants get cold easily and keeping them warm is the top priority. You should add this wool blanket to your friend's supply."

Nami accepted the blanket to find that the first touch brought significant warmth with it. It was big enough for a person to cover up with, but it could be better to use one with babies clutched against their mother's chest. "Sheared straight from a sheep?" she questioned with curiosity.

"Aye. And transformed into a blanket by yours truly."

Nami admired the skilled craftsmanship that this woman possessed. She thought about how well taken care of Aurilee's triplets would be from clothing and coverings. There was no telling how long Aurilee would be with them, but if they could at least give her a head start on motherhood, it would be fine with them all.

The village of Edinburgh resided on the coast of a cool and muddy island. Overcast skies hid away the sun, preventing any of the soil from drying up properly. This type of climate was the norm here just by looking at the townsfolk that walked the streets. As Chopper walked on two legs with his front hooves firmly grasping the straps of his backpack, Robin was following and evaluating her surroundings. Everyone was dressed rather warm with long sleeves and skirts. But then she also realized that everyone who was native of the island was not wearing a pair of pants. All the women were covered up conservatively, but the men had plaid garments that showed their knees and then boots covered the rest of the way down.

Seeing the tall mountains in the center of the island got Robin thinking about where exactly they were at in the Grand Line. A light fog covered the transition from grassy incline to steep gray stone, and the visible dirt pathways cut through grazing areas for livestock. Then there were forests of soft wood pines that blocked away viewership for the rest of the land. But a single dark castle jutted from the green spikes to the west. The country was beautiful enough to have a landscape painting of it.

"Found one!" Chopper announced, breaking into a run for a bookstore. He stopped below a hanging sign that had Alexander Malcolm – the owner's name – underneath an image of a book having its pages flipped. Robin stepped closer to see for herself, and then she opened the door for the reindeer. The inside of the bookstore was two stories. Stone walls with a wooden floor. Over half of the room was blocked off by railing and wooden walls with glass panes.

The sound of the door opening alerted the man down below. "Oi. If ya need me help, don't be afraid to call down," he said with his accent thick with tall vowels and rolling R's.

Curious, Robin approached the landing to peer down at the workshop. There was a desk covered in countless papers and skeletons of leather-backed books that the man was standing in front of. To his right was a giant machine that looked as if it made a racket when it was in operation. Most of the ceiling had racks hanging down with dozens of individual papers clipped on, their fresh ink drying. The rest of the room was full of shelves with loose paper and finished books all in disarray. It was almost the complete opposite of the organized collection in the loft she was in. "Are you Alexander Malcolm?" Robin inquired, resting her arms against the railing.

"Aye," he answered, not turning around to look up at her.

"You have an impressive printing press business going on here."

"Whatever you need printed, I can do it for a pretty coin."

"Do I need to purchase a book that tells me more about this island, or can I get that information from a native instead?"

The man placed down the markers he was aligning on a blank sheet and wiped his hands with a rag. When he turned to look up at Robin, she was met with a copper-haired man who had reading glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. Although he was much older than her, she could tell he was well-built and strong underneath his clothes.

Meeting each other's gazes brought an expression of familiarity to Mr. Malcolm. The woman standing above him wore purple leather in every article of clothing, from her long pants and jacket to her curving cowgirl hat. Despite the getup, he recognized the face that garnished her diamond eyes and sharp nose. She may be twenty years older, but those features were still apparent. "Nico Robin," his lips formed.

The recognition did not faze her, but she remained quiet with a warm grin.

"I've printed your wanted poster more times than I can count," he admitted, not a single hint of animosity in his voice.

"Is that so?"

"Aye. But only because the government pays me for it. I have no reason to hold scorn for ya. You said you wanted some island history?"

"If you would be so kind."

Behind Robin, Chopper was checking book spines for names of medical books. When the lowest shelves did not satisfy him, he took on a human form to check taller ones. His big furry fingers pulled out any that piqued his interest, and he flipped through pages. Robin paid no attention until she overheard him squeal with glee. Even Mr. Malcolm paused in his tales as he heard Chopper's high-pitched voice singing praise.

"Robin! Look! I found what I was looking for!" he exclaimed as he pranced around as his little self with an open book in his hooves.

"Really?" she questioned, slipping it from his grasp. An illustration of a pregnant woman with three fetuses in her uterus was the one thing that caught her attention the most. A mere skimming over the many paragraphs showed how such a pregnancy was meant to be delivered safely. "This does seem like the perfect guide for Aurilee's condition," she agreed. Looking back down at Mr. Malcolm, she closed the book and showed him the cover. "How much for this one?"

"Two-hundred berries by itself. If you buy two more books with it, I'll cut ya a deal."

"Hear that, Chopper? Find something else that'll help you out."

"Really?!" Chopper ran up to the railing and peered through. "Then I need a medical book about premature babies. Do you have anything like that?"

Mr. Malcolm cocked his head. A raccoon dog?

"Aye. It's called 'Delegacy of Infants.' Keep looking in the same bookshelf."

"Got it!" He did not hesitate to turn back to the shop and keep looking. Not only would this research enhance his medical knowledge, but this was going to help their friend!

There was nothing that particularly stirred Zoro from his nap, but he woke up with a yawn powerful enough to make his eyes water. His knuckle wiped away the little bit of salt water as he looked toward the pair of chairs on the deck of the Merry. It took him a second to realize that one was not occupied by Aurilee.

Clutching his swords, he got to his feet and got a closer look at where he last saw her. The wood was cold. Not thinking much about it, he decided to check below deck. Pregnant women peed a lot. She more than likely took a trip to relieve herself.

He found the bathroom door closed completed, so he lightly knocked and waited to hear a response from inside. When he heard nothing, he knocked louder. "Hey, you in there?" he asked. But there was still no response. He decided to take his chances by gripping the handle and cracking the door open, but he found the inside to be just as silent and even dim. It was empty.

Abandoning the bathroom, he went to the door to Nami and Robin's quarters. Maybe she went down for a nap. Pregnant women were usually tired a lot. He did not even bother knocking this time and just quietly opened the door to peer down. The room was also dim, but not dim enough to be unable to see properly. The bed on the opposite side of the room was completely flat with undisturbed sheets.

Zoro scratched his head in confusion. Maybe she got hungry again and raided the fridge? He made his way up the flight of stairs on the upper deck and got into the kitchen. But no, it was just as neat as the shitty cook left it. There was not a single sign of anyone disturbing it. At this point, Zoro was out of ideas.

He wandered the entire ship in search of someone who was hard to miss. And for someone so huge, she was good at hiding. Eventually, he stopped in front of the ramp that connected the Merry to the docks below. He did not want to admit it, but he had to. The pregnant girl was not hiding at all; she left when nobody was looking. He adjusted his swords on his hip and walked down to widen his search. The free wanderer gazed at the large walkway that led straight into town but decided to take a right instead.

She zoned out as she trekked through the bustling village. The ground beneath her feet was muddy with sparse stones in it. Even though there were lots of chatter, animal noises, and music playing, it was like there was just tinnitus filling her cranium. Her feet were carrying her away from the Merry as her mind paid no attention to anything. All she hoped was to blend into the crowd and disappear.

But doing that was hard. Her size and appearance were not working in her favor. Aurilee had no money to spend on a dress like every other woman was wearing. The best tactic she had was avoiding the market since that was where Sanji was headed to.

The sounds of a loud instrument that had no pause as it changed octaves brought Aurilee back to Earth. She stopped walking in the middle of the road, causing someone behind her to bump into her and apologize before passing her up. Looking ahead, she noticed the crowd split in half to make room for something down the middle. She quickly did the same by choosing the left side of the road. As the odd-sounding instruments continued to blow out sound, drums began to tap and thump in rhythm. There were dancing women leading a troupe down the road, flinging their frilly skirts with smiles across all of their faces. The melody of the drums influenced the pace of all the marching. As the band passed by, Aurilee was able to see the instruments that were making the loudest sounds: To her it looked like a bag with three long wooden poles sticking out from the top. The players' mouths seemed to never leave the mouthpiece either.

Just as quickly as the band arrived, they had moved on by turning a corner and leaving the section of the village with just an echo of the song they were playing. The people around her became excited as they continued as normal. There were talks of a festival today. Aurilee thought about how it could be a good cover for her since it would mean the village was crowded. But she also found herself mentally repeating the melody of the song. Something about it seemed familiar to her.

As she kept an eye out for someone to get information from, she tried formulating more of her plan. She had to get out of this particular village and going by foot would be too hard for her condition. First, she needed transportation across the island. Then, she needed to find someone willing to take her to the next island. And she would repeat the pattern until she found her way back home.

Subconsciously humming the melody managed to ease her trembling. She had zoned out again. But the end of the road was what brought her back to the present. A building blocked it from continuing. Not many villagers were in this part of town either. Aurilee looked around with small pants exiting her mouth. She had traveled uphill, and the smell of livestock wafted over to her. Scrunching up her nose, she looked around to see where exactly she was at. One little path led her into the building that cut off the road. No doors blocked her. Instead, stone-laden corridors brought her past the source of the bad smells. Wooden gates were keeping animals like goats and pigs in pens. On the other side of the building, she found herself outside once more.

A horse whinnied as the trailer it was attached to was loaded with a big crate of chickens. The men working grunted until it was secure and ready for departure. This was exactly what Aurilee needed. This place looked to be responsible for sending supplies and goods to other villages on the same island. Without thinking, she approached the workers, who all quickly noticed her. But the looks on their faces made her pause. Not a single one looked pleased to see her as they shared a scowl. It was then that she realized how she was outnumbered and potentially in danger. These men were not as friendly-looking as the villagers.

"Well, spit it out," one of them spoke as he jumped down from the trailer. Obviously, this girl was going to say something to them all.

But Aurilee felt frozen. She wanted to suddenly turn back and return to the village. Hesitating, her body decided to talk for her. "I…Where are you g-going with that stuff?"

The workers glanced at each other. Then one replied to her. "This wagon is headed to Lollybroch," he said with a finger pointing to the one they finished loading up. His finger shifted to the three behind him. "Those are headed to Castle Leoch, Inverness, and Culloden. If yer wanting a ride, it'll cost ya."

Feeling like she was suddenly as tiny as an insect, she shakily pulled out a little sack of berries that she snatched from Nami's stash and offered the whole thing to the workers. Her hand trembled terribly as one came closer and removed it from her. He felt the weight of the coins inside and pulled the sinch open to inspect. It was a lot of money just for one ride across the island. And he saw how pregnant she was. Taking one coin single coin out of the sack and offering it back to her, he questioned her motives. "Yer awfully full-term for wanting to take a bumpy ride. Where exactly are ya wanting to go, Lass?"

Aurilee gulped as a pang of déjà vu gripped her being. She took back the rest of the money as she answered. "Uh, j-just anywhere I can get on a boat."

"A boat?!" he repeated with astonishment. "Yer in for a long journey. Ya sure yer bairn can hold out that long?"

The sound of his words jumbling together along with his thick accent made her not understand anything he just said. "My what?"

"Bairn," he repeated, pointing to her stomach. "Baby."

"Oh, u-uh," she stammered, looking down to herself. Now she was getting embarrassed and feeling her ears grow hot. "Y-Yes. I'll be fine."

He did not seem very convinced, but she paid for a ride, so she was going to get one. Turning back to the other workers, he told them: "Send this sassenach to Lollybroch."

A younger worker gestured to the closest trailer for her to climb in, so she did with his help. If she paid to be shipped, she was going to be put in the back like the rest of the cargo. "What's in Lollybroch?" she asked as the trailer was closed up to keep things from falling out.

"It's where the shipwrights are," the younger worker elaborated. "There's probably someone with a boat getting repaired that can help you out."

Suddenly, Aurilee understood why this island had things that were familiar to her. The accent, the song, and even the terminology were ones she encountered before. And they were going to Lollybroch, a place where shipwrights were located. Her eyes started to tear up. This was Gerald's homeland.

Before she knew it, the trailer began to creep forward. All she could think about was how she was potentially on her way to be reunited with her adopted parent and sister. If they had made it back here after departing from Calypso's crew, she had no doubt they could sail her back home.