[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]

I hope not. It'll be cold out of them though, right? I should pack blankets as well. [Yup, still ransacking the cupboard.] Is there anything else up there?

[alabastajewel]

There's a bathhouse, too.

[Vivi takes her small basket of goodies and goes to join Nami.]

[mikanthief]

Sounds great. [She closes the cupboard door and slings the bag over one shoulder.] You ready?

[alabastajewel]

Yes, I'm ready. Let's go!

[And Vivi will begin to lead the way to the rec center teleporter.]

[mikanthief]

[Nami follows readily, though the bag doesn't stay over her shoulder long. It's too much fun to swing it, okay.] So have I been up there before?

[alabastajewel]

[Vivi nods.] In fact, you're the one who brought me there for the first time. And then we camped out overnight in the mountains.

[Ah, warmer days; how she misses you. How long does winter last, again?]

[mikanthief]

Ahah, I did? I have good taste! Maybe we can do that again some day.

Assuming sometimes it doesn't snow around here.

[alabastajewel]

That would be fun; we'll have to!

I think it may be another few months before it's warm enough, though.

[mikanthief]

Aw, really? [Pout.]

I guess that means neither of us may still be here, huh.

[alabastajewel]

[Hm. Point. There's no warning as to when someone might be sent back home. Vivi knows this, really.]

[But to hear Nami state it so frankly gives her a twinge of sadness. Of course she misses Alabasta, and Luceti is far from an ideal environment, but going home means she'll be separated from her nakama again. More to the point, it means forgetting the time they had together here. For a step or two, the rhythm of her walking falters.]

Mm. [Vivi nods, making a small sound of agreement.]

[mikanthief]

[And Nami can make a semi accurate guess to the thoughts behind that reaction. There's a beat of silence before she's skipping ahead slightly, turning to face Vivi (and still kind of walking backwards.)]

Well, if we go back before that you know I'll come visit you. You said we could have baths, remember?

[alabastajewel]

...how could I forget? [And just like that, her expression is sunny again. Looking up, she sees the first leg of their journey is almost complete.]

We're nearly ther--ah, Nami-san, watch where you're going! [AKA don't trip on that snow piled at the side of the path.]

[mikanthief]

Watch where-- [She turns, though not quite soon enough, foot catching in the snow and then she's flailing.] Ack--!!

[/faceplant. Mind you, it didn't look like she tried very hard to avoid it.]

[alabastajewel]

[Vivi winces, and hurries over to help her up.]

Are you all right? [She suspects the snow helped to break Nami's fall, but she still may have twisted an ankle or something.]

[mikanthief]

[Eheh. This beaming smile says she's probably fine.]

Yup! Never better.

[She'll accept that hand...!

...and casually drop a handful of snow on your head >_>]

[alabastajewel]

[Of course, a healthy portion of it rolls right off Vivi's head and down the collar of her jacket. Eeek, that's cold!]

[mikanthief]

[Whoops, sorry!

And by that, we mean Nami is trying really hard not to snicker her head off here.] Something wrong?

[alabastajewel]

Nami-san! [There's no anger in it, though, and she even chucks a small handful of snow in Nami's direction before stopping and trying to wiggle that snow out of her jacket before it all melts.]

[This may be a lost cause.]

[mikanthief]

[Nami is good-natured enough not to dodge that wad of snow, though she tilts her head away so it doesn't hit her in the mouth while she's laughing. Annnd scooping up more snow. She has mastered the art of making snowballs by now.] I'm just making sure the hot springs is really worth it!

[She throws it-- a little wide-- and takes off down the path.]

[alabastajewel]

[Vivi stops her squirming when a tiny bit of snow finally falls from her jacket, the rest reduced to melt water running down her spine. She gives an involuntary shiver, and follows Nami, just in time to see her disappear into the rec center.]

[mikanthief]

[The rec centre is full of really weird things, you know? Nami is just inside the door, staring at the couches and the billiard table and the other random weird stuff. She hasn't been in here before.

She turns to look at Vivi with a smile as she enters, snow forgotten.] Ready?

[alabastajewel]

[Vivi nods, in good spirits herself despite being a little colder and wetter than when they first set out. It won't be long until they're comfortably soaking, anyway.] This way!

[She leads the way to the teleporter and steps onto it, vanishing as it zaps her to the mountains.]

[mikanthief]

[The teleporters are still crazy-weird to her, but she follows Vivi's lead without blinking, arriving up in the... wherever this is. Wooden planking and walls. Bathhouse...?]

[alabastajewel]

[Vivi beckons.] We can get undressed over here, and the hot springs are just outside.

[She's already shrugging out of her winter coat, hanging it so the back lining can (hopefully) dry while they soak.]

[mikanthief]

Oh, nice. Seems pretty quiet, too.

[Stripping off with wild abandon!! -- no okay, just stripping off gingerly, laying her clothes out to air.]