[Voice/Action]

[mikangirl]

[What a cheerful week it's been.  Almost like a vacation away from this place. 

Or not.

Nami doesn't have the energy to complain when she finds she's been returned out at the orchard in the early hours of the morning.  Not that much of a problem, bar the fact that it's freezing and she's dead tired.  The cottage isn't heated, but there's still a bed in there, and she collapses across it for a few hours' sleep.

...and at some point, rolls herself up in the covers, because that's smart.

When she finally wakes up around 8am, her journal's sitting on the floor next to the bed, and she flicks it open with a finger, not bothering to work up a filter to the crew.  Too much effort, and she's just not in the mood for things that require concentration today.  Or in much of a good mood at all.  Valentine's is... still a little too raw.  Among other things.]

[Voice]

I'm back.  [Not that anyone but the crew knew she was going somewhere.  Details.  She doesn't much care.]  You guys weather the storm okay?



[Later she'll make her way home, and then inevitably make her way into town and collapse in Good Spirits for a while in the evening.  She's catchable wherever, and probably not that hard to cheer up if you want a lighter conversation.]

((ooc:  and I will be slow for a bit, so bear with me.))

Comments

[Action]

[mikandelinquent]

[Sigh. She smiles at that figure.]

Turning into a spa mummy?

[Action]

[mikangirl]

[Oh hi there. |D Flipping the pink towel back.]

Doing my best.

I was up at the orchard this morning. Seems to have weathered the storm okay.

[Action]

[mikandelinquent]

Well, of course! It's our orchard, right? That means it's required to be tough as nails.

[Action] Oh that is a familiar icon |Da

[mikangirl]

Of course! [Echoing you there. |D] Apart from the storm, though... anything else of high drama happen while I was gone?

[action] OH IS IT

[mikandelinquent]

[She wags her hand at that.]

Nothing interesting, don't worry. I'm more interested in how you're doing.

[...]

It's been a pretty tough couple of weeks. Right?

[action] YES I CAN'T THINK WHY

[mikangirl]

[How far back are we talking here? >_>]

I'm doing fine. [For a given definition. Memories of events that were days/years ago spring to mind, and it's something she really should talk about... but for now Nami focuses literally on the last two weeks.] Valentines is always a bad time of year for everyone.

[Yup, this is her testing the waters. Witness this side look.]

[action] HARD SHRUGS

[mikandelinquent]

Not just Valentine's Day. [Oh daughter, you know what this is about.] I can tell a lot of things have been on your mind. As an adult, and as a child.

[She looks down, arms crossed. She's read backward and saw your 'going home' question on the journal, and she's heard you crying into her arms about awful things. And she's watched you look very, very tired.]

I'm always here to talk to about anything you want, Nami. And I know you've been hesitant to do that.

[With anybody? She's not sure.]

[action]

[mikangirl]

[Well, she can't play innocent with that. Bellemere knows she's not dense.

Nami hesitates. And then she reaches up to flop the pink towel back down again, moving past Bellemere as she dries her hair. Her voice is muffled.]

Give me a few minutes to get dressed.

[Not the kind of conversation she wants to have in a dressing gown and a pair of comical sheep slippers.]

[action]

[mikandelinquent]

Of course. I'll be waiting for ya'.

[Guaranteed. :|]

[action]

[mikangirl]

[And Nami vanishes into her room to pull on some warm clothes and dry her hair. A little slower than usual, if only because she's distracted trying to rehearse what she's going to say. 8| Not to worry, eventually she comes hunting for you, mama.]

[action]

[mikandelinquent]

[She's sitting in wait on the couch; luckily, we're free to have a private conversation at the moment. Lucky lucky. She turns to look at Nami, sitting back and folding her arms. A motion to sit next to her.]

Talk to me.

[action]

[mikangirl]

[Nami takes the opposite end of the couch, not so much for distance as she can then turn to face Bellemere and pull her feet up for comfort beside, knees up to her chest.]

...




[/crickets

Okay, no. She has to start somewhere. Let's have a confession, first.]

...I didn't want you to know about the tattoo.

[action]

[mikandelinquent]

Because you thought I'd judge you for it? Or was it because you didn't want to worry me with your past.

[Not just for the tattoo. But for what is obvious, with or without Nami saying it. That was a pirate tattoo, for a group that stormed into Cocoyashi and stole--and murdered.]

[action]

[mikangirl]

I didn't think you'd judge if you knew why. But I just didn't...

I didn't want to hurt you.

[To know what happened once you died-- to her, and Nojiko, and the village. It was just easier to cut to the happy ending.]

[action]

[mikandelinquent]

Hurt me? Nami, there's not much that hurts me. I know things go wrong, and that sometimes awful things happen; the important thing is that things get better. Whether it's then, or now.

I know you did good, until the very moment Arlong was stopped.

[action]

[mikangirl]

[It's what she means. Not once has Nami ever thought she did the wrong thing by taking up Arlong's deal-- it was the only thing open to her at the time and she took it. Telling your mother how you spent the next eight years? How painful it was? Despite Bellemere's words, she doesn't quite want to tell her about that.

But she deserves an explanation.]

...

Arlong offered me a deal to buy back the village from him for 100 million beri. And in return, I'd join his crew and draw maps for him.

So I decided I'd steal the money from pirates. That's how I met Luffy. Only when I tried to steal from him, he followed me right back to Cocoyashi.

[Shortest version she's ever told, but. Her hand goes up to her shoulder.] I took the tattoo off the day before I left again with Luffy's crew. This one is just all my love of home. It's a free and happy place now, Bellemere-san. It just took a while. Everyone else is okay.

[Nobody else died.

Just you.]

[action]

[mikandelinquent]

... Good. You did a good thing, Nami.

[A smile.]

I wouldn't have done anything different in your place. And the fact that our home is safe and everyone is happy... That--and your happiness?--that's what's important to me.

[a beat]

It's a very nice tattoo, too. I'm jealous I don't have one.

[action] /makes this thread last forever, mwahahaha

[mikangirl]

[For just a moment, her smile develops a tremble, before she gives a grin that's near impish and ducks her head. She loves you, mama. So she's not spoiling this by wibbling at you, 'kay.]

Nojiko has one too, you know. You're the one out.

[action]

[mikandelinquent]

[HUFF! She crosses her arms.]

Geez, is mom too uncool for a tattoo now? I demand one right this instant! What kind of mikan gal am I without a good Cocoyasi drawing?

[action]

[mikangirl]

[Grin~]

Ahh, you know I'm sure there's a tattoo artist in town somewhere.

[I dare you.]

[action]

[mikandelinquent]

Is that an offer? Because if there's not a tattoo artists somewhere in town I'll be very disappointed.

[ action ]

[mikangirl]

I bet it'd take us all of five minutes to find out.

[ action ]

[mikandelinquent]

...

[sparkle. twinkle. dramatic pause.]

Let's do this thing.

[ action ]

[mikangirl]

Done. [Out comes her journal! She's going to go ask for assistance on this thing. B| There has to be tattoo artists out there. Hell, her doctor did hers.

...This apparently isn't heard by anyone suitable except for this one guy. >>]

[ action ]

[deathsdoctor]

[And hey, here's that one guy. o/]

Tattoos? I can do those if I have a pattern or something to work off of.

[His creativity doesn't quite run into the realm of the artistic when it comes to drawing, but heck, if it's something already existing, he can duplicate it.]