Yulippe Island Arc - One Piece RP (II)

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Still clinging to life the day retained it's light, the sun having not yet begun to set, though it was early evening. The taste and smell of salt lingered in the air, a permanent accompaniment to the gentle sound of the ocean's waves. The occasional presence of gull or two and their accompanying wing flaps would only serve to complete the picturesque view.

Shiori sat with her legs dangling over the rail-edge of the fishing boat, her bright green eyes hidden behind her eyelids. The tawny haired captain found herself breathing in deeply as she took in the atmosphere of the ocean around her with her other senses. The scents of the ocean were those she had come to associate with a sense of freedom, and with their constant presence since they had left Carat Isle two days ago, Shiori felt content.

A sharp tug on the rod she clutched in her hands brought Shiori back to reality, her eyes flying open as a broad grin spread across her face and she hopped to her feet. Despite the dangers, Shiori managed to balance quite skillfully on the rails, as if she'd done it a thousand times before.

"Oi Caim! I think I finally caught something!" she grinned, "I bet it's gonna be massive and it'll kick the asses of all the fish you've managed to catch!" she laughed, tugging back on her line and hopping off of the rails and onto the deck so that she had a larger surface area to brace her feet against.

The afternoon-to-evening fishing competition had been Shiori's idea, since the fishing boat they'd 'recycled' had happened to have a few spare rods on board. However the odds were not in her favour so far, as she'd managed to fish up exactly nothing. It wasn't much of a surprise that she was beginning to get bored of reeling in an empty hook, but each new tug on her line seemed to bring new hope that she might finally catch something.

Shiori laughed good-naturedly at the slightly younger man as he quickly apologised and made head off, likely to continue to wherever he had been in such a rush to get to. Purchasing cinnamon or something.
"You too!" Shiori waved after him, bidding him a nice day.

Well that didn't go as bad as it could have. Anyways, back to what she was doing. Oh, but cinnamon. The thought of cinnamon brought a beautiful imaginary plate of her mother's homemade spicy fish stew to her mind. The tawny haired captain was pretty sure that cinnamon was one of the spices she had used in it... but she still wasn't sure what species of fish she had used.

Her thoughts returning to that of food, Shiori wandered off in search of somewhere to buy something to eat. Her previous idea of finding a fish stall came to mind, and she scanned the market place, looking for an appropriate place to shop.

Shiori spotted stalls that were selling vegetables of all different colours, peppers, eggplant, lettuce and carrots just to name a few of the vast variety. Turning to her left she was greeted by the spicy smell of a market vendor cooking his own special recipe ready to sell to any prospective customers. Next to it was a fruit stall, and Shiori's mind wandered when she spotted a fruit that she didn't recognise. It was pink and looked almost spiky, except the spikes weren't really spikes and their pink colour tapered off into a bright green, almost like weird leaves.

Curiosity demanded that she wander over and take a look, not noticing that Caim had stopped to check out a book stall.

A few minutes later, Shiori headed away from the stall with one of the odd fruits in hand and with the knowledge that it was called a pitahaya, though most liked to refer to it by it's common name of dragon fruit. The name had of course set Shiori's imagination off as she imagined real dragons favouring the fruit over others and demanding them as tribute to their power, almost like a religious deity.

With a chuckle, Shiori tossed the fruit up and down in her hand before shoving it back into the bag that she'd been given to carry it in. Attention finally drawn away from the odd fruit, Shiori looked at the stores surrounding her until her eyes caught sight of the best thing since sliced bread.

Right in front of her was what could only be described as fish haven. Well... not so much fish haven for the actual fish, but definitely for your average fish eater. The stall had all sorts of fish, common and rarer, displayed at it's booth, each fish kept in ice to keep it fresh. The tawny haired captain made a beeline for the stall practically leaping at the owner to recount what fish he had and where they had come from.

All of that running had made the young man's stomach yearn for food. He only needed a bit of cinnamon that he could ground into the powder form he needed. At long last, he used the last of his money on the Godsend, and went to make haste back home when he saw the girl he bumped into at a fish stall, seemingly overjoyed at the knowledge that there was fish here. He chuckled a bit at her excitement and continued to move on past the stall.

After having purchased a book, one regarding history obviously, Caim had found himself scanning the area, trying to catch a glimpse of the Captain... He shouldn't have took his eyes of her, she was like a curious, excited child, always running off without saying anything. Letting off a sigh, Caim began to walk towards where he could smell the pungent aroma of many types of fish, all fused together... It didn't smell that great but it was most certainly different than all the spices.

Soon enough he reached the stall and caught sight of the Captain. Letting off a sigh, be walked over to her. "You really should point out where you are going... Easy to get lost around here you know" He spoke towards his Captain, not on a condescending tone, but more so as a friendly suggestion... He couldn't fulfil his other duty as a Helmsman if he didn't know where they were.

The owner of the fish stall had proceeded to explain in great detail how rare some of the species of fish were, including one type called a Yulippean Darkstripe Salmon. Shiori was pretty sure that the fish wasn't the one that her mother had used in her stews, but nevertheless Shiori was curious to try it.

She paused in her conversation with the stall owner briefly as Caim approached. With a grin, she waved, "Yo Caim!" seemingly ignoring his comment about getting lost in favour of asking the fishmonger how much his rare fish cost. The owner announced the price and nodded at how cheap it would be compared to other vendors, as most would overcharge due to the fish's rarity. What Shiori didn't know, was that the fish in front of her wasn't really the rare Darkstripe Salmon, but rather a relatively common species of salmon. The young captain just wasn't very well versed in the native fish species and so couldn't tell the difference.

"Hmm?" Hayes looked over, not believing that the old man had that kind of fish, and certainly not for so cheap if he did. He instantly recognized the fish as a normal Yulippean River Salmon anyone could find. He started walking over to the stall, acting as if just perusing the fish. He then looked up and said calmly, "Can I have some of that Yulippean River Salmon please? I'd really like to smoke it, with some lemon on the side."

The vendor had a look of panic on his face. Why did he have to put his nose in his business, both kinds? Maybe he could trick the other two by giving him another type of salmon. He started to reach for one when the chocolate haired teen spoke up again. "Not that one, the one in your hands. How can you call yourself a fish vendor when you mix up your fish? Please, Mister, don't try to trick tourists like that." He bent down a bit, "Who knows,? They could be pirates." That scared the old man so much h faint on the spot, the common fish laying on his chest. "For the record, I don't think you two are pirates. This young lady is too nice to be one. Think of this as a proper apology."

Caim was relatively sceptical regarding this supposedly 'rare fish'. He'd never heard of this variety, nor seen it. Glancing to his Captain, Caim shook his head as if to say "Don't buy it without thinking". When the man from earlier approached and sold the vendor out, Caim chuckled at first. When he claimed they could be Pirates though, he was slightly concerned... How on earth did anyone catch on?

When he stated he didn't believe that Caim chuckled once more. "Thank you for your intervention sir... Knowing my friend here, she'd probably fall hook, line and sinker for a ploy like that." Caim spoke to the man, his tone being extremely polite in nature, he didn't intend to hint that they were pirates and he hadn't heard any news about any bounties on their heads. Regardless, this individual seemed relatively reliable enough, perhaps he could be of use.

Shiori halted her silent decision making as the guy she had run into before promptly outed the fishmonger as a liar. The tawny haired captain's expression changed from one of large enthusiasm to a small frown. Perhaps she was too trusting of strangers, but at the same time it puts a bit of a damper on things when you realise you were being tricked.

Her smile returns however when the fish stall owner fainted at the brown haired guy's suggestion that she and Caim might actually be pirates. She opened her mouth as if to confirm that they were indeed pirates before the younger man continued, revealing that he didn't really think that they were pirates at all. Unsure what to say now, Shiori just smiled and turned to Caim.
"Aw did you hear that he said I was too nice," she laughed before nodding her thanks to the stranger. Her laughter turned to a mock shocked expression as Caim verbally thanked the other man and proceeded to insinuate that Shiori would have fallen for the scam. Of course she probably would have but he didn't need to say it so obviously.
"Aw come on Caim that's not fair!" she frowned with an exaggerated pout, nudging him in mock annoyance.

After poking Caim, she returned her attention to the cinnamon guy.
"Thanks though! I'm Shiori and this is Caim. Pleased to meet you," she grinned motioning towards the helmsman as she introduced him.
"Do you know a lot about fish or is it just this fish?" she asked suddenly, all negativity from the experience having evaporated in smoke and leaving Shiori just as enthusiastic as before, only now with someone who was more likely to tell her the truth about any fish she decided to buy.

Hayes looked back towards the duo when he heard her appreciation. The man's comment on how the girl would have probably fallen for it didn't surprise him. She was acting so excited just a moment ago about the fish. After they introduced themselves, he gave them both a small smile. "I'm Hayes, and the same to you too." Hayes perked up when she started talking about knowledge and food. "I'd say I know a lot more than just fish. I am a great cook after all. I'm just not that great with timing sometimes." He said as he lifted up the bit of cinnamon. "This was the one thing I didn't have for the recipe for the party my parents are holding tonight. If you want, you two can come over to my house for lunch. I'll bet you've never tasted anything like it." His ice blue eyes sparkled under his mocha hair in excitement that someone might finally want to come over and try his cooking. None of the other inhabitants ever wanted to eat food made by a freak. He doubted that Carlos, his own brother, would've eaten any of it if he wasn't forced to.

So this man wished for us to go to his home for food? Caim was somewhat skeptical about this, what if information had been leaked about the pair? Caim wished to be cautious. Glancing to his Captain, he hoped she wouldn't fall to the idea of free food. The biggest issue with Caim's attendance was that he was afraid it could just be a marine trap, and Shiori would probably fall for it.

"What do you think?" Caim spoke towards his Captain, his tone showing that he was still relatively calm on the exterior.

At the words 'great cook', Shiori's face lit up like a guiding light in a dark forest. Her grin was wide and her light green eyes were practically sparkling at the idea that she'd made a new friend who was a great cook.

And it only got better as he invited them back to his house to try some of his food. At Caim's words, Shiori briefly glanced at the helmsman. One look at the expression on her face and it was likely that Caim would already know the captain's answer.

"Have you ever cooked spicy fish stew before?" she asked Hayes rather suddenly. Maybe the younger man would have a better shot at figuring out what fish her mother had used in the stew. Or at least making something similar to it that she could enjoy in the meantime.

Hayes thought of it for a minute, trying to remember his recipe book back home. He knew he had made something like that, but couldn't remember if it was specifically that. "There's a pretty good chance that I've made that before. I'd have to check my personal recipe book when I get home, though." He looked down at the girl once more. "If I don't have a recipe for it, I could always try to make my own type."

Caim shrugged a little at the suggestion of food... it was an odd one for sure, he'd honestly never heard of that specific one before back where he had come from. Then again, he was more of a Sushi fan than a Stew fan. "I suppose you have your answer then" Caim spoke, shrugging slightly.

"Hell yes!" she grinned in her native northern tongue, slipping back to her first language in her excitement. She managed to catch herself and switch back to the common language of the four blues as she continued.
"I can't wait to try it!" she grinned, "Spicy fish stew is like my favourite thing to eat ever so i'm sure whatever way you cook it it'll be delicious!" the tawny haired captain beamed. Hayes had described himself as a great cook and so she was expecting great things from his lunch offer, but to be honest as long as it was tasty she didn't particularly mind what was cooked.

Whatever Shiori had just said, he either didn't know it or he didn't catch it. But whatever it was, he was glad for the praise. "Hehe, I hope so." Hayes said bashfully, blushing all the while. "My house is a little while away from here. Probably a ten minute walk." He looked behind him towards the ocean, the scent of cinnamon and salt delightfully tickling his nose. He looked back at the two once more, ready to set off. "Ready when you are!" His blue eyes sparkled underneath his chestnut hair, finally going to get someone else's opinion on his food other than his parents'. He was already bursting with the need to start moving, shifting on his feet every second, from barely moving a few moments ago.

"Lead on... your the one that knows the specific location after all" Caim spoke politely, shrugging somewhat... He still intended to be relatively cautious after the previous chaos of Carat Isle. Maybe he should have lightened up a little, this was a first after all... and yet Caim still had the nagging feeling that he had to remain the cautious, sensible one, god knows Shiori wouldn't match that description.

"Let's just hope you don't need her to catch lunch" Caim commented, referring to their little 'fishing contest' from earlier.