The Window Maker - (OCXCANON)

Prelude: Spade Pirates (part 2)

The next couple months were a bit uneventful, they stopped at a couple islands along the way but not a trace of RedHair. Ki spent time with her new crewmates and learned a bit from Deuce about medicine, Skull about other pirates and finally bettering her marksmanship with Mihar.

Mihar strode up the stairs from the storeroom and tapped Ki on the shoulder, "Hey, Ki! I think these would work really well for you."

Ki turned from her spot at the table and eyed the rolled up cloth in the man's hands. She took the items and unfurled it out on the table with a chuckle, "What is it?" Once it was fully splayed out, there were two rows of small black metal throwing knives strapped along the cloth. She brushed her fingers across the cold metal and grinned, "Where'd you get these?"

Mihar shrugged, "I found them in a cache we picked up. I thought with your dart skills and your portals, throwing knives would be an asset for you."

Ki tugged one of the blades free and hooked her finger into the hole at the end. She gave it a spin and laughed, "These are so great! Thanks so much!"

Mihar rubbed his chin with a smile, "Now we just need to find something for you to store them. I would suggest some pouches to attach to your belt for easy access."

Ki nodded and launched the blade high in the air, "I agree," The blade soared through a portal and planted in the center of the dart board on the cabin door. She grinned wildly, "Oh yeah, I'm gonna love these things."

...

Prior to Ki's joining, they had really been speeding through their journey. She laid into Ace quite a few times for rushing and not taking any time to rest. She groaned, "We have to stop for provisions! We need fruits and vegetables to go with the meat we have, come on!" Ace would grumble a bit but inevitably relented to her, knowing deep down, she was right.

Ace rested his cheek on his palm and sighed, "Alright, alright. Next island we see, go into town and grab the things we need. Make a list so you don't forget-"

Ki slapped a sheet of paper with rows of ingredients and items requested by different crew members onto the table between them. She flashed him a smirk, "Already got it covered. Food provisions, medical stuff and other requests."

Fire Fist's eyes flicked from the paper to her and he grinned, "Man, I don't know what we'd do without you."

She leaned over the table and tucked her finger under his chin. Her lips softly brushed against his as she murmured, "Continue to fly by the seat of your pants and hoping for the best, probably."

...

Ki tossed a backpack over her shoulder and kissed Ace on the cheek as she hopped over the railing onto land. She gave the crew a wave, "I'll be back!"

Her first stop was the outdoor market where she picked up all the cooking ingredients and a few medicinal herbs. She checked off each item on the list as she strode down the small path. Shopkeeps tried to goad her into making outlandish purchases but they didn't swade her from her mission. She would politely wave them off through gritted teeth, 'If I wasn't trying to keep a low profile... Geez.'

A small accessory shop caught her eye, she gasped at the belt pouches hanging in the window. Her palms pressed to the glass and she beamed, "Those are perfect! Haha!" She spied the price tag and winced, "Damn, that's not happening..." Her eyes flicked around, no one was paying her any mind so she leaned her back against the window. She snapped open a small window, quickly slipping her hand through the portal, snatching the pouches as she sped walked away from the area. She tucked the pouches into her bag and continued on her journey.