Yulippe Island Arc - One Piece RP (II)

First topic message reminder :

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 nodded to Caim's words before returning her attention to Hayes.
"I can see that you have the motivation you need to accomplish the things you want to do. You just need a push in the right direction, and i'm willing to give you that push, if you'll let me," she spoke evenly, her tone losing a little of the cheerful edge from before as she reacted to the seriousness of the conversation, "Speak to your parents if you must, but you cannot let them sway you from what you want to do, even if it turns out they disagree with your decision."

Crossing her arms, she looked directly into Hayes's blue eyes, a steely determination in her green ones. She needed to be clear in this, before Hayes misunderstood what he was getting himself into.
"Whether you join my crew or not is a choice you must make now, and you must stick to it no matter what your family says. Being a cook in a pirate crew isn't just about enjoying adventures and filling a position. You can't afford to have regrets when our crew will be depending on you to survive in the middle of the Grand Line, surrounded by nothing but water and miles from any land."

Hayes nodded in response to both Shiori and Caim. "Got it. I'll go tell my parents and say my farewells." The chocolate haired cook said, ready to follow his dream. Hopefully they would understand. Understand that he could make his own decisions, and stick to them, no matter how absurd. He looked up towards the sky, and, for just a moment, the teen saw a glint coming from nowhere. He smiled at where it had faded away, and started climbing up the buildings again, jumping back to his mother and father.

Moments later, Hayes entered the farm house, and found his parents congregated in the living room. He took a deep breathe, and told them about his decision, and why he made it. His mother stood up quickly, ready to tell off her son. "I will not allow you to join anything that is affiliated with pirates. Not before what happened to Zoe, and certainly not now. I don't care how old you get, I will not allow it! Especially when you of all people know what those kinds of people did!" She wasn't screaming, but she definitely wasn't using an inside voice.

"Now, Jane," A voice spoke up. The woman turned around to face her husband, who was casually reading the newspaper. "I think you know Hayes would never join a pirate crew with his own desire, unless he has a good reason to trust them. And besides, you shouldn't go around and judge someone based on what they are. Especially around your son." He closed the paper, faced Hayes, and let out a hearty chuckle. "Do what you want. And besides, how else is that dagger going to be put to use?"

While Hayes had gone away to handle his parents, Caim had merely stayed with his captain, close and within range for combat just in case their real identity was leaked and people wanted to remove them. Though Caim was completely intent to just read his book in peace, he knew he couldn't slack off in regards to his duty.

He knew the Captain had to have her shoes fixed due to the her method of combat... Her shoes weren't immune to the cold blade of a Scimitar. According to Hayes prior there was a person that could help fix the shoes.

For about an hour, Caim was seated outside the small building in which Shiori's shoes were being repaired, eyes like a hawk. He knew that she'd be more vulnerable without some form of protection for her main form of combat, thus making his role even more important than normal.

Caim paid no heed to the occasional glances he received from residents. For the time being he seemed to be pulling off the role of Bodyguard rather well, at least to prying eyes... They didn't seem to have any idea about his real function as a Pirate.

Shiori had happily found the shoemaker that Hayes had mentioned previously, and spent the next hour or so engaged in pleasant conversation with the man about how to improve the upkeep of her shoes in the future whilst he replaced the soles and repaired them.

She wasn't entirely useless without her shoes, as she could fight with punches as well as kicks, but it wasn't really a well kept secret that Shiori preferred the latter form of combat as her longer legs gave her slightly more range.

The tawny haired captain was eager to learn more about how to prevent such extensive damage in the future, and the shoemaker even added a steel midsole. The man didn't seem intent on charging either, instead deeming it as his gift of thanks for helping their island when it was in need. Shiori gratefully accepted the gift and thanked the man with a bright smile once he was done, slipping her shoes back on and heading out to rejoin Caim.

She chuckled as she spotted him sitting like a bodyguard outside the shop, eyes focused on the passers by as if anyone might jump out with intent to bodily harm.
"You could've come inside if you wanted to," she commented, though her warm smile showed that despite her words she appreciated her crewmate's actions.

Hayes grinned wildly as he ran off through the crowded streets, which had filled back up after the battle was finished, his large bag hoisted over his two shoulders. He rushed out of his house so fast, he nearly had forgotten to hug his parents goodbye. Even though it was a pirate crew he was joining, he couldn't be happier. Not only was he one step closer to achieving his dream, he felt as if Zoe was smiling down at from from wherever she ended up.

It took only a few minutes to make his way over to the shoemaker he told Shiori to go to. Even with the heavy sack on his back, he had enough energy to last him a lifetime right now. He spotted his two new crew mates in front of the building, and walked towards them.

"So, are we all ready to go?" The coffee haired boy was smiling ear to ear at them. He couldn't wait.