[Action/"Voice"]

[mikangirl]

[Nami for her own part is content to either stay with her mother or go out exploring with Sanji for the first day or two she's home. It's bitterly cold out there and she doesn't like it much at all-- it's nothing like Cocoyashi-- and her feet are a little red from early barefoot adventures in the snow, but luckily she doesn't catch cold. She's more grounded and less restless than Sanji is, because Bellemere is here. And that means she can let Bellemere take care of things. Because after all, didn't mama say that they wouldn't be here for very long? She misses Nojiko, but if it's only for a little while, then maybe she'll just treat this as a holiday.

Then the second night passes, and Nami turns 10. And everything changes.]



[She's had nightmares before. And the last night was unsettling with the dreams she had, but they weren't bad dreams-- just ones that feel like she's lived a lifetime in one night. Or...one year, as the case may be.

The second night, she wakes up with a wail (muffled brutally by shoving the blanket up to her mouth, because nobody likes a crying human) and tears and her arm hurts but mostly all she can remember right now is Bellemere and the screams when they stepped on her arm and the blood and the way Arlong just shot her down--

die for your pathetic love--

--and everything that followed. And she knows why her arm hurts, but that doesn't make any sense, and Bellemere is right upstairs and Nami just spends the next ten minutes crying into the blanket and not daring to look at her arm. And when she can separate dream from reality just enough, she slides out of bed and doesn't even bother to dress properly, running for the stairs to the next floor in an oversized tshirt that hangs off her arms and going straight for her mama's bedroom.

She eventually falls asleep again and further returning memories distance her from the shock of that death, but none of them are good memories. And now she's confused to boot, because sometimes when she closes her eyes she expects to open them somewhere else entirely. And Nami grows to like the cold, because as long as there's snow outside, it means she's not at Arlong Park, and that means that maybe she can put it all aside as an especially bad nightmare and it didn't really happen. Because it didn't. Because Bellemere is here.

Anyway, distracting herself from darker thoughts is a damn good idea, really. Best to try and not think about it and just...stick with Bellemere a lot today.]

["Voice"]

[So in the afternoon, Luceti, there is a little girl staring back at you from the journals. And doing the most awesomely intelligent thing:



[Yeah. Because making faces at you all is really mature. She just wants to see how many people notice her, because damn this magical journal is fun.]

[Action]

[If people want to run into Nami at varying ages, she can be found:

-- At the library on Monday when she is 12, trying to reach that top shelf of navigation books;

-- At Good Spirits on Wednesday when she is 14, trying her luck at being served underage drinks (look, she can hold her liquor okay B|); and

-- Pretty much anywhere on the following Friday when she is 16, because she's smitten with a severe case of wanderlust; a rooftop, a shop, the forest, the battledome...anywhere. Chances are if you run into Nami today, she might attempt to pickpocket you just because she's got the suspicion she's damn good at it. And those ships out at sea hold her attention for a fair while, because...well, wouldn't it be nice to sail one away? These dreams, man. 

For ages 17 and up, well... there'll be another post much later.  Just to avoid confusion.]

Comments

[mikanthief]

That it's full of very nice people who'll help a girl up when she trips.

[wildkotetsu]

A-aa. That's true enough. [He smiles, though he's still confused. What should he say and shouldn't say?] ... That all you know?

[mikanthief]

That we all have wings, and the people who run the place are jerks, and we'll go home soon. And I'm being experimented on. [All said in varying levels of matter of fact.]

[wildkotetsu]

... So everything you basically need a course on. That's good.

[He smiles, rubbing the back of his head. Aaand then realizes he's still being held by the wrist with two hands and looks down silently at this scene. Um. :|a]

[mikanthief]

[Look, she was just using you for balance, okay. In fact, Nami sort of wobbles on her feet and nearly falls again. B| But this time she'll let go. Just...she hopes the fact that she's ~falling!~ means you won't stare at your newly freed wrist with any great level of perception.]

[wildkotetsu]

[... Perception? Eh? :|a

ANYWAY, he puts a hand on her shoulder to steady her.]

Whoa, whoa, careful. Uh, you have a place and all that, right? With the... Straw Hats, maybe?

[mikanthief]

[Oh Kotetsan, so nice you can always be counted on to be dense. \8D/ The mention of the Straw Hats makes her gulp, though.] The Straw Hats? Uh yeah, I've spent some time with them. I'm staying with a friend right now, though.

[wildkotetsu]

Oh! As long as you're settled, that's good.

If y'ever need anything, just call me! I don't mind helping out!

[Not even gonna bring up that you're here already and understand everything. :|]

[mikanthief]

[...

...goddammit, you're too nice.]

Uh...I will.

Oh here, by the way. You dropped this.

[Holdin' up yer prayer beads B|]

[wildkotetsu]

Whu--

Thanks! Man, I always end up losing things like that.

[He slips 'em back on, entirely oblivious to her thievery. Sad, sad man, he is.]

Not that long ago I turned into a tiger and they snapped; it was really annoying getting them all on the string again...

[mikanthief]

[...OBLIVIOUS. She nearly points out exactly why he lost them, but (a) that would be stupid, and (b) ...holy shit.]

You can turn into a tiger?

[wildkotetsu]

Oh, have you not heard about what they can do?

Turnin' you into a tiger is definitely one of them. I was sick for a few days after too, from all that tiger food...

[mikanthief]

Oh, wow... that's pretty rude. I thought I had it bad.

[Though she can't help but be vaguely disappointed. A guy who can turn into a tiger at a moment's notice? *_*]

[wildkotetsu]

Ha, it wasn't so bad! Everyone fed me and kept me fat and lazy.

And I still had my powers, too, so getting places was easy.

[mikanthief]

Powers? You're a devil fruit user?

[wildkotetsu]

Devil Fruit? Naaah, not that. I was born with it; the people in my world who get powers naturally are called NEXTs. Sometime in their lives, it just sorta' starts showing up.

[mikanthief]

Huh, really? Lucky. I wish I'd been born with powers.

[wildkotetsu]

Eeeeh, you don't really need powers! As long as you learn your way around thieves and baddies and you got a decent fighting system, it's not so difficult! I bet you could be a hero right now, if you wanted to.

[mikanthief]

[...hn.]

The bad guys in my world are really big and strong. I can't beat them.

[Believe her. She's tried. 8|]

[wildkotetsu]

Huh, that so...? Well, most people don't really care about the hero business anyway. What kinda thing are you into? That's the thing you should be doing!

My icons died ;; pretend she still looks 16

[mikanthief]

Of course! [You don't need to tell her that, old man. Nami grins.] Sailing! I'm going to draw a map of the world and be the best navigator you've ever seen!

NO NEVER

[wildkotetsu]

Aaaa, s'that so? That sounds like a pretty adventurous dream to have. I like it!

WELL GEE FINE /buys another month B|

[mikanthief]

It's great. And it'll happen one day. What about you?

[wildkotetsu]

Me? [At this point, Nami, you should know this! TOO BAD YOU'RE ALL YOUNG AND STUFF NOW.] Well, I'm sorta' a Hero!

[mikanthief]

[...a dopy one who didn't even notice his bracelet being stolen. Nami folds her arms, totally skeptical.] That's an occupation, not a dream. Are you any good at it?