Across the Ocean (Zoro x OC)

4 - Discrepancies

They went back into the abandoned village to take a closer look after the planned break, and found various canned goods and pickled vegetables that had not expired yet. Not eating only from the mass of lentils and pickled cucumbers that Heinrich had left in his house would be more than pleasant! They also found tea leaves in a shop which they could infuse in order to - as Akiko once again emphasised - reduce (Zoro's) alcohol consumption and have some flavor in the purely boiled water. Needless to say, the swordsman grumbled at her explanation. What was wrong with drinking wine, booze or beer? He would still be able to take responsibility for his actions!

But Akiko already put the topic aside and was humming softly, when she grabbed candles and oil supplies for the kerosene lamps from another shop. It was a good haul so far, but if it came to overhauling their boat, things were looking worse: Actually no surprise, because if any henchmen had been raging on this island, then raw materials and valuable materials had been the first things to be plundered.

"Where is the other path leading to? Is there a second dock?" Zoro asked, fully packed, on the way back to Heinrich's house. 

Akiko shrugged her shoulders. "I hadn't been anywhere else than on the village's main street or at his house. I have no idea." Zoro meant the path they had ignored yesterday to get to Akiko's old acquaintance quickly. 

"Then let's find out tomorrow," the swordsman said and the redhead agreed. Tomorrow sounded extremely good because the more the sun moved to the horizon, the more exhausted her muscles became. 

She was happy when she was able to let warm water run over her skin after eating dinner. Her weak legs thanked her to relax a little despite all the pressure that had taken over her body and soul. Then returning to the living room with a towel on her head, she saw Zoro sitting on the couch with his body bent over the lower coffee table.

"What are you looking at?" Akiko approached him with raised eyebrows. She loosened the towel and began dry the back of her head while rubbing it with the fabric in her hand. "The map?" she wondered, barely able to look over his shoulder. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Just wondering what our options are."

The redhead walked around the seating where she had slept and promptly sat down next to the swordsman. Although she was not a person who was scared of being close to others, she usually maintained a polite distance from strangers. Under the current circumstances, however, she had given up this attitude with Zoro. On the one hand, he was no longer just a stranger, and on the other hand, he was her only reference person in this situation. No matter how independent she wanted to be, being alone with herself would have driven her crazy. With the swordsman's company, she was at least distracted. The thoughts were no longer so loud or at least postponed until night...

Silently glancing at the piece of paper that showed waters and lands around Ankan and Evida's shores, Akiko finally raised her head thoughtfully and looked at the bookshelves that stood opposite of them in the dark. She got up, picked up the kerosene lamp that had been put on the table for some light and walked towards the shelves. 

Zoro's eyes followed her as her index finger moved along the individual rows of books and stopped at a leather spine. Pulling this one out, the corners of her mouth lifted. "Well then!" she murmured and came back to Zoro, who in the meantime had taken a sip of wine from his glass. He noticed that Akiko calmer attitude changed into one with eagerness. She almost fell onto Zoro's lap, when she did not estimate the distance between them correctly and plopped back on the couch. She even ignored his "Hey!" as her attention was entirely focused on the cover she was holding in her hands. In the same way she did not notice, when he leaned to the side and grumbled louder.