Hello Friends! April Fools! I said the new chapter would be out next week but it's out today! Surprise! Also I'm not promising weekly updates moving forward, but that is my goal so we'll see how it pans out! But here we are with more of Ariadne's pursuit of a hug!
Warnings At End Of Chapter
New World
Finally.
I groaned as I snipped the last thread off the shirt I had been altering. I dropped it in the pile of clothes near my feet and rubbed my eyes.
I guess it was nice of them to find other clothes for me but do they all have to be so much bigger than me? But seriously is this what I've been reduced to? Wearing worn out hand me downs?
I sighed again and picked up one of the white shirts the crew had given me. It was a painfully plain long sleeved shirt with nothing of note about it. In an attempt to make the boxy cut of the shirt at least somewhat flattering on my figure I had to bring the waist line in a good deal as well as making the sleeves more narrow. The result was mildly better as instead of a shapeless, blob of white it was now a fitted bodice that flared out slightly at the waist. The sleeves now fit closer to my arms instead of flowing freely.
Although I had managed to salvage the shirts there wasn't much that could be done for the pants. For the most part they fit in the hips although they were a bit snug. While the fit was fine that did nothing to help the pattern.
Who in their right mind on this ship is wearing floral print capris? No, who is wearing floral print capris so much that they have 5 extra pairs?
I sighed again before getting dressed in my new clothes. The combination of a plain white shirt, floral pants, and knee high black boots was… interesting, to say the least. But given the fact that my only other option had been either ruined by sea water or left behind on another ship far, far away, I didn't have a choice but to bear it. I stared at myself in the mirror as I started to tightly braid my hair so that at least part of how I looked today would be decent. As I ran my fingers through my long blue hair to detangle it I noticed that the roots of my hair were starting to grow in yet again. I took a deep breath so as not to scream at the tiny strip of blonde that sprouted from my scalp before my hair fell into long dark blue waves.
Great, yet another thing going wrong. Prefect. This is exactly what I need to deal with.
But ok this is fine. I'll find some dye on the next island and it'll be fine.
I roughly raked my fingers through my hair again and decided to tie it up into a high ponytail instead. With my hair somewhat managed I turned away from the mirror before I could work myself up any more. Then I opened the door to the tiny cabin I had been staying in for the last few weeks and started to walk down the hallway towards the galley. Pushing open the door I found Guy and Alden were the only ones there this morning. They must have opened the windows as a gentle breeze tugged at my hair as I walked towards their table.
As I took a seat Guy nodded at me before turning to Alden and saying, "Hey are you going into town when we dock?"
Alden nodded and said, "Yes I had planned to, would you care to accompany me?"
"I guess. Don't got much else to do." Guy said with a shrug before turning to me. "Do you want to come, Addie?"
I shrugged as well and said, "I didn't realize we were that close to an island. I thought it was going to take a few more days."
"You didn't check the itinerary?"
"What itinerary?"
"The one Andre updates every few days for where we're heading?"
"Who's Andre?" I asked with a sigh and an eye roll.
Why does literally every person I meet assume that I know ever sad sap on the planet?
"Who- How do you not even know the names of the crew yet? You've been here for a few weeks now! What even-"
"Now now Guy." Alden interrupted. "There is no need to take that tone with the lady. But just so you are aware Ms. Ariadne, Andre is our navigator. He is rather hard to miss as he is the tallest member of our crew and has a rather fearsome tattoo of a dragon on his neck, although he does tend to keep to himself. He does take the time however to write up an estimate on how long it should take us to reach each destination. Although I believe that may be just so that he does not have to answer the same questions multiple times."
"You guys actually give a shit about when you reach islands?"
"Many of our crew do. As I'm sure you have noticed we tend to maintain a more subdued environment while at sea. It is only when we are at an island that we can-"
"He means the Boss only lets us drink when we're at an island."
They don't drink at sea? At all? Wait, now that I think about it I've only seen them drinking that first night I came on board and I guess they were docked...
As Guy is talking I heard footsteps heading into the galley. I turned to look over my shoulder and watched as a tall hulking man with long lavender colored hair walked into the room. The man ignored us in favor of sitting down at the other table and pulling out a book.
Guy waves at him and says, "Oh hey man we were just talking about you. How long's it going to be until we get to the next island."
The man pauses and slowly raises his head to glare at Guy. "Did you seriously just ask me that? It's posted right there." He points to a corkboard on the back wall.
"Yeah I know but it's never right. You know you should really try harder on that."
"It's the New World. Would you like to try and do a better job?"
"No of course not. I'm not the navigator."
"Then shut the fuck up."
"Really Guy don't you know you need to have actual skills before you can call out other people for not being good at theirs?" Another voice said as another man strolled into the room.
Guy sputtered for a moment before saying, "I wasn't calling him out I was just-"
The newcomer looked to be only a bit taller than myself and had short blond hair. There were two scars running down the sides of his face and he had a small anchor tattooed above his left eyebrow.
"Nah it's fine little brother. Don't you worry about it. We both know it's not like you actually have a brain between those massive ears of yours." The man said as he planted a hand on Guy's shoulder with enough force to force him to sit back down. Guy nodded and looked down at the table top as the new comer walked past him to look at me.
He smiled as he said, "Well now I've been meaning to introduce myself to you all proper like for a while now. But you're always off running around doing something it seems."
There's something off about this guy...
As warning bells began to sound in my mind I forced myself to smile pleasantly and begin to say, "Well I-"
"Don't worry about it." He interrupted me. "My name's Rand and I help Max maintain our precious little ship here."
"I'm-"
"Addie. The lost little kitten that the ginger brought on board. Oh don't worry we all know exactly who you are."
Ok what is this man's angle here. He's incredibly rude but is that all?
No, there's something else. Something darker...
"Meaning?" I asked.
Rand chuckled for a second before spinning on his heel to face Guy and Alden, "Come along mates, there's work to be done."
As the three of them walked out of the room I turned to look at Andre but he was already absorbed by the book in front of him and didn't acknowledge me. I turned to leave and headed back towards my tiny cabin to try and figure out the newest member of the crew I had been introduced to.
I kept myself busy with whatever chores I found that needed doing on board for the few hours it took for us to reach our destination, Absin island.
We had just finished docking and I was about to leave to begin my wanderings of the island when Roux called out to me. "Hey Addie I need to go shopping, do you want to come?"
I shrugged. "I guess."
"Awh but Addie was supposed to hang out with me!" Guy whined from the other side of the deck, quickly forgetting the rope he was meant to be storing.
"Great then you can come with us!" Roux said with his signature smile as well as his fresh chunk of mutton firmly in place.
"Tha- that's not what I meant."
Shanks laughed as he made his way past the scene and said, "When are you going to learn to just keep your mouth shut Guy?"
"Yeah, yeah I know." Guy said as he slowly made his way over to us.
Roux patted him on the shoulder as he walked past us and down the gangway. Roux motioned for me to follow and we set off for the town. As we made our way towards our first stop on his list Roux said, "Did you two need to pick up anything while we're here?"
Guy quickly piped up and said, "Addie needs new clothes!"
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, looking down at what I was wearing.
I know it's not the prettiest outfit but I think it's alright?
Better than what I've been wearing at least.
"It means you can't keep wearing a bunch of hand me downs we found scattered around the ship!"
"Well excuse me for not having the time to go shopping." I said crossing my arms tightly over my stomach as I felt my face heat up.
"But a pretty girl like you shouldn't have to wear men's clothes."
"Don't make it weird Guy." Roux said. "But we can stop at a clothing store if you want Addie."
I felt my cheeks heat up further as I nodded "I guess it wouldn't hurt. But I don't have any money on me at the moment."
Wow, look how the mighty have fallen. Accepting handouts now are we?
"Ah, don't worry about that. Consider it payment for all the work you do on the ship."
I rolled my eyes and said, "That was to pay my way for sailing on the ship nothing more."
"Don't look into it too much, just let me be nice!" Roux said with his smile somehow growing even wider.
Ok I seriously need to figure out what is going on with that smile. No way he is just this chipper all the time. But whatever if he wants to pretend to be nice by throwing away money then let him. It's not like it matters one way or the other.
After walking through the town and stopping at a few shops for essentials for the ship Roux suggested that Guy and I go off on our own to find me some new clothes while he picked up a few other items on his list.
As we had been wandering the town I had noticed something rather odd about the residents as well as the island as a whole. While the island itself seems to be bursting with life, the buildings all appeared to be falling to ruin. The dreary grey brick that nearly every building was made of contrasted sharply with the vibrancy of the flowers that seemed to cover every free space. From every crack in the facade of the buildings a rainbow of colorful flowers sprung free. Although the buildings weren't the only dreary part of the scenery. There was a clear divide between the people on the island, there were a few marines milling about but for the most part they were lost in the sea of locals. It was clear to see who was a resident of this bizarre island based solely on how they were dressed. Every single shop owner, helper, dock worker, and news boy was wearing an identical outfit. Even the people milling about in the shops we visited were wearing the exact same drab grey rubber raincoat. If it weren't for the fact that the island had a wide variety of shops as well as a healthy amount of traffic I would think we had stumbled into a tiny backwater fisher village given how everyone looked like they had just returned from a months long fishing trip with nothing but poor weather and scarce fish. Every face we came across was deeply lined with anger and every word spoken to us was steeped in bitterness. For the most part I ignored the residents and tried to carry on with my day. But once Guy and I found ourselves at a stall selling clothing near the docks when he apparently couldn't ignore it any longer.
"So um… What's with the coat?" Guy asked the man working the stall.
The man suddenly dropped everything he was holding and turned to stare at us with his blank eyes wide. "This coat?" He asked, grabbing harshly at the rubber lapels.
"You want to know about this coat right here?" He asked.
Guy took a half step back and looked around before saying, "Yes? It's just that every-"
"THIS COAT IS THE PINNACLE OF FASHION! THERE IS NO GREATER GARMENT IN EXISTENCE! I HAVE WORN THIS COAT EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!" He shouted suddenly. "This coat in particular is the highest fashion in the world! There is not a single one out there that even compares to my coat!"
Guy took a half step back and smirked before saying, "That one in particular is the best? You do realize that damn near everyone on the island is wearing the same one right?"
"YOU WOULD DARE COMPARE MY GLORIOUS COAT TO THE OTHERS THOSE TWO BIT, COPYING BASTARDS ARE WEARING? NO! MINE AND MINE ALONE IS SUPERIOR!"
Another man, who was wearing an identical grey rubber raincoat, threw open the door to the shop next door and walked out with a broom in hand. "What's going on out here?"
The shopkeep we were talking to turned to glare at the second man and said, "get out of here Barry no one has time for you and your hideously outdated coat."
"Pat. Look at me." The second man said with a serious expression. "My wife is pregnant with our second child and my eldest son just ate a bar of soap. I got out this broom thinking I could clean it. YOU CAN'T CLEAN SOAP WIT A BROOM! So I don't want to deal with you out here screaming about how great your shitty last season coat is!"
"Fuck you Barry!"
"Eat my dick Pat!"
I leaned over to Guy as the men continued to shout back at each other and whispered, "What the fuck is going on?"
"I have no idea." He said as we watched the men argue about whose identical coat was better.
"They do realize everyone on this island is wearing the exact same coat right?"
"I don't know and at this point I'm too afraid to ask." He said before glancing at me. We shared a look and nodded before slowly backing away from the men who were getting more and more heated in their argument.
Before too long the argument between the two men had spiraled out of control to the point that it included nearly every person in the town square was screaming at eachother. Guy and I stood on the edge of the mob and watched as everyone shouted at each other about whose outfit was the best.
"What happened?" Roux asked as he made his way back to us.
Guy gaped and shrugged as I said, "Guy just asked one of the shopkeepers why everyone was wearing the same outfit and they all went berserk."
"Huh, well that happens sometimes. But oh well we should take all this back to the ship." He said before turning and walking away from the mess in the town square.
Guy stood and watched him walk away before sharing a shrug and following.
Well I guess this could be considered normal? By Grand Line standards?
I looked back at the mob who were now throwing any object they had on hand at one another and shook my head.
No even for the Grand Line this is weird...
Once we made it back to the ship and had put away all the supplies we had managed to buy, one of the crew called out, "Hey Guy come on we're getting drunk."
"Sure sounds good man." Guy walked away without a second glance at me.
I quickly stepped out of the way as the majority of the crew walked past me and down the gangplank. Even though none of them had had a drink yet I could almost feel the air of excitement that surrounded them. Smiles were shared and they cheered as they headed for the nearest tavern. Feeling more than a little out of place I just kept out of the way and fiddled with the sleeves of my shirt.
I miss my jacket.
"Oh come on sweetheart, why the long face?" I heard a voice ask.
I looked up and saw a cynical grin stretched across the face of the man I had met that morning in the galley. Even though a few hours had passed I hadn't been able to figure this man out. It seemed like he was almost a bit of an outsider on the crew as well, even though he went out of his way to be involved with nearly everything that happened on board.
"Rand isn't it?" I said as I felt my palms begin to sweat.
I don't know what it is but I do not trust this man.
"You remember me? How sweet. But I guess you'd know at least that much given how chummy you are with my kid brother." He said as his smile widened a bit further than it should have.
"I'm not chummy with anyone on the crew."
Come on Ariadne, don't let him get to you. Don't be weak. He hasn't done anything to you, he just has a weird vibe and is rude. You're FINE.
"No of course not." He said, taking a step closer to me. "You're little miss high and mighty aren't you? Too good to mingle with us lowly pirates right?"
I took a step back and swallowed before saying, "It's not that-"
"No, I understand. A woman as fine as you shouldn't have to worry about us at all. You have other… talents I'm sure."
I froze. "Meaning?"
No. Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare.
His smile dropped. "I think you can figure that out for yourself princess."
No.
He glared at me for a second longer before turning to follow the rest of the crew. I watched as he jogged to catch up and quickly threw himself into the center of the group. Looking down I clenched my fists tightly and took a deep breath to try and calm myself down.
See? You're fine. Nothing to get worked up about. He didn't even try and do anything, you're just being dramatic. You really need to-
"Well that was weird." I jumped as someone behind me suddenly spoke.
Damn it! What is going on with my Haki lately? I can't sense anything...
I whipped around to see Shanks standing behind me. He watched Rand talking loudly with the crew. "Don't worry about him. He's mostly harmless. For a pirate."
I swallowed. "Of course."
Because that is just so reassuring…
"But whatever, come on we're having a party so you have to join in." He said as he started to walk towards the gangplank.
"Oh so I finally get to see an infamous Red Hair party?" I said trying to keep my voice from shaking. "I expected your crew to be much rowdier when I came aboard you know."
He laughed as we walked through the town that had mostly gone quiet. The crew was already off the street as well so they must have found a tavern already. "Yeah well, we can't party every day or else it would get boring."
"I suppose." I said as we came to a door that Shanks pushed open.
I followed him into the tavern and was immediately struck by just how warm the room was. The building was made up of the same dingy brick as the rest of the town and had little in the way of lighting. But despite that the tavern had an air of cheer and welcoming to it that was nearly impossible to ignore. Shanks' crew had already taken over the bar as we walked in and were crowded around a single table in the center of the room.
"Alright I see you all went ahead and got started without me." Shanks said as he walked up to where the crew had gathered.
Yasopp laughed and said, "Well if you wanted us to wait for you then you shouldn't have taken so damn long Boss!"
"Fine fine!" Shanks said with a laugh. "So what are we drinking?"
"I don't really know. It's somewhere between a beer and whiskey but can't decide which it wants to be."
"So long as it's booze I'm happy." Shanks said sitting down.
I hesitated behind him near the table before he glance at me over his shoulder and said, "Addie, come, sit, drink."
"Oh, I-" I didn't get a chance to finish what I was trying to say before Roux reached over and pulled me down to sit between him and Alden.
A drink was quickly thrust my direction and I had to scramble to grab it before it could be spilled on me.
"To the best damn crew on the seas!" Shanks shouted.
Everyone cheered and clanked their tankards together.
Well I guess one drink wouldn't hurt…
"GATHER UP ALL OF THE CREW! IT'S TIME TO-" I paused in my singing as I stumbled and nearly fell off the table I was standing on.
"Whoa careful there Ads! Looks like you might be done."
"'M not drunk! I've only had like, um- how- IT DON'T MATTER THIS IS A PARTY ISN'T IT? LET'S GET DRUNK!" I shouted, throwing up my hands to cheer. But I forgot that I was holding a tankard which ended up spilling on everyone around me.
"Yeah!" Yasopp cheered, uncaring of the alcohol now dripping off his curly hair. "But wait. I think I'm already drunk."
"THEN GET DOUBLE DRUNK YOU LITTLE BITCH!" I shouted, throwing my now empty tankard at him.
He pointed at me as he swayed over the tankard filled table and said, "That- tha- das a good idea."
"I know! I got a lotta those. 'M smart. Real smart. But you know what?!"
"What?"
"'M an even better musician! Um hum 'm the best damn musician on the fuckin planet! But no! That BITCH made me be a pirate instead! I coulda been the best in the whole world! But now I'm here!" I said as the world kept tilting around me and refusing to stay still.
"I know! You're like me kid, I gotta wife and a- a- a- a- a kid! I coulda been back home bein a dad an shit! But the sea called too loud!"
I nodded, "She's a real loud bitch."
"The loudest."
I shook my head and stumbled into the table. "No. no, no I'm the loudest. Das me."
"To loud bitches!"
I cheered and grabbed a random tankard off the table to cheer with the rest of them before downing what little booze was left in it. I slammed it back down on the table and my head quickly followed it as the world went black.
Warnings:
Binge drinking. This is a fic about the Red Hair pirates, there's gonna be a lot of booze, binge drinking, alcoholism, and discussion of these topics throughout the story. I will continue to tag potentially triggering things but just be aware that is this topic bothers you then this might be a fic to skip, I just don't want to upset or possible hurt any of you :(
Whoo there we are, the first baby Red Hair party! There will be plenty more to come but here we have Ariadne getting trashed as usual! Hopefully next time she'll be able to keep it together a bit better! But anyways, let me know what you guys think! Anyone who leaves a review or votes in the polls on my profile will get a fun little preview of the next chapter ;)