Chapter 7
Two Truths and a Lie
It took some time for all the occupants of the room to get over the shock of Calypso's statement. The truth was that both Shakky and Ace expected an evasive answer since the girl was not usually open with her feelings, and so this admittedly quite indirect act of attachment towards the later was a source of surprise. In fact, even Ebony, who knew her longer than anyone else in this room, seemed to not be prepared for such a reply since he instantly flew to his owner's shoulder and placed his head on her cheek as if trying to figure out whether she had a fever.
Calypso on the other hand acted as if she didn't notice their reactions and simply continued savoring her drink. Once she was done and her cup was empty, she placed it on the coffee table next to her seat and looked up.
"I am waiting to hear what kind of promise you want me to make."
That was enough to bring them all out of their trance. Ace cleared his throat and Shakky went back to watching the exchange between her two guests with great amusement. Ebony simply allowed gravity to help him fall into the pink-haired girl's lap, who proceeded to pet his back in a reassuring way.
"Still waiting..."
"I want you to promise me that you will stop pushing me away for no reason."
She looked as if she was considering his request, judging it from every possible point of view for a while, before she turned to give him a smile.
"I accept, but I want to ask something in return."
"Hm? What?"
Her expression changed to one of worry.
"Please, try to be more careful while you stay here. Last night was a real horror and, believe me, I prefer to not get through anything similar ever again. Also, I would appreciate it if you moved a little closer so I could redo this bandage on your arm. Your tattoo is almost fully uncovered."
Ace glanced down at his arm and saw that indeed the bandages had come loose while he was asleep. Shrugging his shoulders, he slid himself closer to the girl and waited. Although he knew what was coming next he still flinched when cold fingers came into contact with his own warm skin, causing the girl to grin.
"Does this mean you accept my condition?"
Silence.
"Yes."
"Congratulations, then. You got yourself a deal. Let's just hope you won't regret it later."
He proceeded to quietly study her with a side glance.
"I doubt I will."
By the end of that small conversation, Calypso had properly covered the tattooed name and made sure that the bandages were well secured so no accidents could occur. Yet, her fingers never moved away from the warm, strong arm.
The boy looked at her, only to notice her staring at her fingers lost in thought. Thoughts that she probably shook away because she suddenly broke contact and decided to occupy her hands with the grooming of the raven, which looked more than pleased with the attention it was getting.
The slight change in her behavior didn't go unnoticed by Ace, who kept studying her in an attempt to figure out what was happening inside her head minutes ago. She seemed to notice his gaze because she nervously shifted in her seat.
"In case you're waiting for a confirmation, you're all set. I made sure it won't come undone anytime soon so people won't be able to find out who you are or-"
She never managed to finish what she was saying before Ace suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and stared right into her eyes, fear completely evident in his widened ones.
"Calypso, I am so sorry for saying this but I think that we already have a problem."
She tilted her head to the side and frowned.
"What do you mean?"
His grip on her shoulders unconsciously tightened.
"Luffy has my Vivre Card. He'll soon know that I am alive, if he doesn't know already. I'm really sorry, but it seems like everything you did was in vain."
The girl calmly blinked at his words, a reaction far from what the pirate thought was proper to his revelations. His thoughts must have been evident in his facial expression because Calypso instantly used her right hand to search under her shirt and after a few seconds she brought it out with a folded piece of paper in between her index and middle fingers.
"You mean this?"
Ace was, to put it simply, surprised.
"How...How did you get this?"
"I didn't. He did."
She motioned down at Ebony who offered an affirmative caw in return.
"Yes but...how?"
She grinned.
"It's all part of my job."
Ace shook his head at her answer.
"You know, sometimes I really wonder about that job of yours. Working at night...Wearing cloaks...Having things you shouldn't have in your possession...You have to admit it sounds really suspicious."
The smile she gave him was one he could not easily read. It was one that someone could say fit her personality perfectly; mysterious, and somewhat teasing.
"I can show you if you want."
"Show me what?"
"What I do for a living."
Silence.
"Well, I can't show you everything about it, but I can still offer you a glimpse into the 'suspicious mystery' you call my job."
He looked unsure for a moment but finally then nodded.
"Alright then, give me your hand."
He blinked.
"What?"
She opened her own hand in between them and motioned to it.
"Your hand. Give it to me."
Ace moved to place his right hand on top of hers but was stopped.
"The other one."
Shaking his head he did as she instructed him and placed the left one on top of hers. She was instantly all over it, touching and examining, all the while keeping a straight, concentrated face.
Then she spoke, her fingertip never ceasing moving through the different lines in his palm as she did.
"Your heart line is long and curvy. This means you freely express your emotions and feelings. Hm...Your head line is littered with crosses all over it meaning that your decisions must really affect future events. Oh well, this is actually true because otherwise we wouldn't be here, would we?"
"Oi!"
"Hush, you're interrupting. Now, where was I…? Oh yes, the life line. The life line is quite long and deep indicating a lot of energy. A lot of fire if you'd like."
Shakky, who moved closer to listen better, let out the laughter she had been holding back for a while now upon hearing the last comment. Ace, on the other hand, looked completely dumbfounded.
"Calypso...Did you just make a joke?"
More laughter from Shakky.
"You will come to learn she really loves joking, especially if she has opportunities like this one."
"I admit I feel threatened now."
"Will you two stop talking? I am trying to work here."
Hearing the annoyance at the tone of Calypso's voice, Shakky left, little chuckles still escaping her from time to time, and Ace froze, waiting for the pink-haired girl to finish her reading before asking the many questions that were flooding his head.
"Finally! Anyway, as opposed to most people I've seen, you happen to have a fate line too. It starts here, at the base of the thumb, and crosses your life line. This shows you are supported by your family and your friends."
She paused for a while before she sadly added in a soft whisper.
"Isn't that nice...?"
Before Ace had a chance to question her last comment, Calypso locked her eyes with his and smiled, completely blocking any attempts to discuss the subject.
"That's everything your palm had to tell me. I was right on what I said, wasn't I?"
Still being a little unsettled by the clever dodge on the topic of the conversation, Ace answered with a bit of uncertainty tainting his voice.
"I guess so. Oi, is this really what you do for a living?"
"Among other things."
"Does that mean you're...?"
"A witch? Well, I guess I kind of am."
"I wasn't about to say that."
She smirked.
"But it's the truth. I was and will always be a witch. Half of the time, anyway."
"Wait, what about the other half?"
She took a few seconds to contemplate her options and then amusement took over every bit of her face.
"A thief."
Shock.
"Come on, isn't it pretty obvious? You yourself mentioned that this Card shouldn't be in my possession, yet here it is. And I myself said that I had a bird bring it to me. Ebony literally stole it from your brother's pocket and left a simple piece of paper in its place. This bird is trained to steal, and so am I."
Never in his wildest dreams could Ace imagine that this cute girl who looked after him for all this time was a thief. Feeling lost, he turned to the barwoman for confirmation. A confirmation that came with a smile and a simple motion of her head. While still possessing the information, he looked back at Calypso's heterochromatic eyes.
"Why?"
"Do you really believe that palm reading and stuff bring enough money for a person and, in my case, a raven too, to live? Not that I am complaining since my reputation as the best fortune teller in Sabaody brings me more than enough customers and money to, at least, pay for my food."
Ace raised his eyebrow at the latest information.
"You have a reputation?"
"Yes."
She moved her face a few inches closer to his.
"As a blind woman that can see into the darkest of futures."
"Interesting, but doesn't it all affect your...other occupation?"
"Not really. I chose to let people believe I am blind just for that reason. Plus, they can't prove anything since they never caught me in the act."
"Is this why you have the bird? So you won't get caught?"
Calypso looked down at the creature on her lap and Ace could swear he saw adoration in her eyes. She didn't look back when she spoke again.
"Ebony is different. He was with me from the beginning, before all this started. Even I was not always a thief. My life simply took that kind of turn. It's alright though. I chose that path and I am actually pretty happy with the life I'm leading. To be honest, it is quite refreshing to steal from those nobles."
"Nobles?"
She smirked playfully.
"Oh, you know. Those arrogant fools who are prancing around carrying all that gold and jewels just to show off and look down on poor old us? Those are the best to steal from, easy too."
The pirate laughed at her comments.
"I think that I know exactly what you mean."
Calypso was genuinely surprised to hear that.
"Really?"
"Yes. I used to steal too when I was a kid. Not from nobles since they were never mixing themselves with the common folk, but yeah...I think I know."
"You were a thief when you were a kid and yet you made such a deal when I told you. Just what is wrong with you?"
The disappointment and anger in her voice were masked but still present, and so Ace raised his hands in front of him in defense.
"No, wait, I didn't mean it like that! I was just surprised because I could never imagine that you could be a thief."
"Seriously?"
The pirate sighed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"You just don't strike me as a girl able to steal."
Here was that mysterious smile again.
"Maybe you'd want to reconsider. It looks to me like I already stole something precious of yours."
He blinked in childlike confusion.
"Eh?"
"Nothing."
As if fate intended to entirely strip him of any chance to continue this conversation, the little bell on top of the bar's door chimed, signaling the arrival of some early customers. Ace couldn't even glance at them because suddenly a hat was shoved on his face. His own hat, to be more specific. Catching the drift, he used his own hand to push the object out of his face just enough so he could see without much of his face being seen. By the time he was done, the customers were already inside and were getting comfortable on the bar stools talking with Shakky who seemed to know them. Curious as he was, he decided to check them quickly and so he casually looked in their direction.
He had to admit that they were a strange bunch. A tall blonde man with a long, white fur coat, tight black pants and cowboy boots accompanied by two men who seemed to belong in a biker gang and who were standing a little behind the cloaked guy, indicating that he was probably their leader, an octopus fishman and a green-haired girl with a long white skirt were all sitting close to each other at the bar discussing and laughing merrily. It was the girl who first looked over towards where he and Calypso were currently sitting, her eyes instantly widening and she raised her hand to wave at them.
"Calypso, hey!"
At the mention of her name everyone turned to look at them.
"Calypso, I didn't see you before, nyuu~. You should have said something, nyuu~."
Calypso simply smiled.
"I'm sorry, guys. I was kind of busy when you came in so I couldn't greet you."
The other girl immediately smiled back and turned on her seat to now entirely face them.
"It's ok. How are you? Is everything alright?"
"Couldn't be better."
"We really had a long time to see you, nyuu~."
Calypso was ready to say something but then one of the leather-clad men pointed towards Ace with his thumb and looked at the barkeeper.
"Who's he?"
Shakky gave a quick glance to the duo on the sofa and smirked, an action that caused both the pirate and the thief to shiver. Whatever she was planning they both had a feeling it would be more trouble for them and a look into each other's eyes confirmed that great minds do think alike.
"His name is Dace. He's Calypso's boyfriend."
The reactions to Shakky's last remark ranged from honest surprise, coming from the green-haired girl, to the purest of horror slowly taking over the facial expressions of the young people on the other side of the room as the meaning of the words slowly sank into their brains.