sailedfirst | II. [Event: Horoscopes]

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II. [Event: Horoscopes]

[Days 1-5]
[Being new in this place, it takes Sabo several hours browsing the journal to actually realize something weird is up. But since he doesn't really know anyone that much yet, and Ace and Luffy (although with more boobs) are more or less themselves, Sabo shrugs this off and spends his days in the forest, training by fighting wild animals trying to eat him or fishing by the river.]

[Day 6, Action]
[There is a rooster in Sabo's room today. It's nestled on his chest when he woke up so he and the chicken exchanged peaceful, post-sleep stares before Sabo's brain catches up to what's actually happening. This is followed by the sound of a young boy flailing and yelling, flapping wings and loud, indignant squawking. Several minutes and multiple scratches later, Sabo quickly flips his journal open to find a strange message: Adopt a chicken. ...Okay, he doesn't know what to make of that.]

[Video]
Uh, hey! Is anyone missing a pet? Er... A chicken? I--no, it's a rooster, actually. He might've wandered in my room and---Hey, stop that! [Said rooster now nudges its way into the screen, and just when it looks like it's going to crow like a normal rooster, it coos. Sabo manages to wrench the journal away.] So yeah, if this guy's yours, give me a call! I'll bring him back. [After that, Sabo goes outside to explore. And tagging persistently after him is a rooster.]

[Day 7, Action]
You have something in your teeth.

[Something's different about Sabo today, and those who know what he normally looks like would notice it at once. Perfect set of teeth. And this will last all week.]

[Day 8, Action]
You have a gay sibling. Shhh.

[Ace, Luffy... If you run into your little bro around, he'll be walking right up to you, give you a hug, and very solemnly say:] No matter what your choices in life are, you have my full support!

[Marco... he's going to be a little more weird to you. He'll actually bow his head while shaking your hand.] You're helping Ace all the time, right? Thank you very much for that. I guess he might get a bit shy for that kind of thing.

[Note: gay = okama in this kid's head. It explains Luffy's boobs, okay?]

[Day 9-10, Action]
[You will become illiterate as soon as you finish this sentence.

And sure enough, the once readable text is now a bunch of undecipherable squiggles. For someone who dreams of writing a book, this is one very horrible, horrible thing to happen. This day is going to be spent in frantic search of books, of any reading materials actually, and he'll end up making a bit of a mess in the library.]

[All throughout the week, the adopted rooster eventually named "Keloggs" after one particular cereal brand he saw in the food shop will be sticking by his side. Feel free to run into him everywhere!]

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[Tch. Fine, challenge accepted.

But he has to tread carefully here because he just noticed that jacket. Marine jacket, which means bad news for him when the guy discovers he wants to be a pirate. His time with Garp taught him that.]

...You're looking for something to pass time in a library when there's other stuff you can do outside. And you care enough for books you have to tell me pointedly to clean them up. That makes you a book-lover? Or someone who deals with books a lot anyway.

[That's a good place to start, right?]

That's pretty obvious, ne? Is that all you can do?

[Scowls.] I'm just getting started. And y'know this is doubly hard since I'm trying not to base everything I know with that Marine guy!

[Think, think! ...Oh. Oh yeah, there's that thing he noticed before. Could it be...?] ...Hey, are you actually a woman?

That's two points. [She smiles] How did you guess?

The way you speak. Men don't talk the way you do.

It could be possible I'm faking it. So what if I speak like a woman? Not every one is satisfied with his life as a man.

...Could be. But you're way too comfortable speaking like that. And an okama would be trying too hard to look and sound like a girl.

So I'm sticking to my guess you're a real woman inside that Marine.

[You're quite quick on your feet. She's not sure if you avoided the bait or simply didn't realize it. Still she's impressed] Anything else?

[What bait? :| Also, this next one is a bit stretching the details, but what the hell, it's worth a shot.]

...You don't react every time I mention Marine. You don't ask about why I keep saying it, so that means you have some knowledge of them. And I guess you're not a Marine yourself for that same reason.

[Never mind, it might come back to you later. Or not. In either case, Robin will just continue to watch you] So what am I?

[Nope, he's not as cunning as that, so that bait is as good as lost. As lost as he is right now with that question. Because he simply has no idea.

Then he grins. Oh man, he's really enjoying this.] Ah-ah! Shouldn't it be your turn now?

Very well. You're well-born, probably upper income or at least treated as such, but for some reason you don't like your class and have found friends with those who either live in the trash heap or have adventures there. You hope to share your life because you hope it will be exciting and that there will be plenty to write.

[Did he say he enjoys this? No, scratch that. This game officially sucks. But he can be just as stubborn as his brothers are, and he's gonna use it now.]

That's... one specific story you got there. What gave you the idea?

I've said before what gives me that idea. As for the idea of friends, no one chooses a trash heap unless there is someone there that makes being there worthwhile. Perhaps you like them so much you want to be like them. Perhaps you just enjoy the adventure.

[There's no helping it. He has to concede some of indisputable facts.]

...I lived in the trash heap long before I made any friends. [He's been living by himself for almost half a year before he first spoke to Ace, anyway.] But you're right. I met some friends, and they made life much more interesting and worth living for. 'Specially since we share the same dream.

[This is a familiar story]

Nakama sharing a dream make it that much easier, ne? [She picks a book idly off the shelf and looks at it. Knows it enough that she read it before.]

Do you know there are a 100 years of our history missing? Completely vanished. It is my dream to one day discover the secret behind it. And that was difficult to do before I met my nakama. [Though she didn't realize how hard it was until after when everything seemed so much easier. Worth so much more]

[Okay, that? That is how you hook this kid. Because the tension of having his true heritage on the verge of being revealed easily slips away the moment Robin talks about nakama and dreams, replaced by genuine interest.

He knows nothing in the world has more value than those two and other sworn bonds, like the one he shares with Ace and Luffy. To have Robin reveal her dream like this, it makes him feel ashamed that he's still trying to keep his a secret. That's it, he's gonna tell her later.]

That's... that's an amazing dream! Everything is more difficult when you're by yourself, so I'm really glad you met your nakama when you did. [He's very sincere with this. And he also now knows what she does.] So you're... a historian?

Mm. And an archaeologist ...and a pirate. [She winks at him]

Now you. Don't hold back. [She'll know if you do]

[Telling him you're a pirate is just overselling now, though it does add more spark of interest glimmering in his eyes. But he ducks his head a bit, blushing, once he realizes how open he's being. The grin remains on his face, though.]

Pirates sailing the seas for dreams like that are the best kind. And I can say that because I've been aiming to be a pirate myself. The freest one! I'll see the wide world beyond my home island and then write a book about my adventures! I'm gonna head out to the sea for that dream!

[But then his smile falters, remembering just how his first (and apparently last) venture out to the sea went.]

[She prefers honesty because it's never been that kind of game, but never mind. She enjoys his spirit, his grin and his ambition.]

I'm sure people will read that book for centuries to come. [She would. Logbooks are relatively rare, but fascinating. She notes the change in his expression, though.]

What is stopping you?

.....That book's never gonna be written. [He raises his eyes to Robin's, but the life and hope that filled them only seconds ago is now gone.] My story's a short one.

[She closes her eyes briefly. That is how it goes. Not everyone with a passion can see it through to the end. She wonders what to say to him and wishes she were like Luffy who somehow always knew just what to belt out.]

But you're here for the moment, ne? Perhaps you can write a new story and leave it here. [So at least, when everyone has forgotten, Luceti will remember.]

[There's some comfort to be found in telling a stranger about his death. Maybe it's because the stranger doesn't know him, doesn't know the life he's lived, and therefore wouldn't give a damn about him. In a sad way, he's almost glad they're his only friends in the world. It hurt so much when he told Ace and Luffy the truth, and two people are two too many to suffer for him.]

...For the moment, yeah. I don't plan to waste my time here. And that's exactly the plan. But-- [He nods at the papers filled with unintelligible scratches.] This place isn't being exactly helpful.

It never is. But, don't worry. It will pass. And even if it doesn't there are other ways to make the story known. [She will find a way]

For what it's worth, I hope you enjoy it here. [She hesitates] Do you have many friends yet?

[Because she's sure Luffy would get along with him and somehow it feels the right thing to do.]

[Sabo blinks. Then a smile slowly appears on his face again, because no matter how heavy the grief he's carrying, Sabo's always going to be an optimistic kid.]

Thanks, Robin! Hahaha, you're pretty nice when you're not trying to interrogate me! [At the mention of friends, he perks up even more.] Nope! But I have my brothers here, and I met some of their nakama.