The Marionette

Chapter 31: Chance Encounter

The rays of light from outside the porthole penetrated through your eyelids, your eyes fluttering open as an uncomfortable groan released from your lips. How long had you been asleep for? Slowly you rose as your hand clasped itself around the back of your neck- the couch wasn't very pleasant for sleeping you supposed, the stiffness you felt definitely could attest to that.

The shifting of a blanket falling from off of your shoulders and into your lap had your brows furrowing in confusion, you didn't recall having it when you hid in the library. Your fingers brought up the red blanket to your face as you began to inspect it, maybe Bepo brought it to you thinking you fell asleep while reading a book? The navigator usually came in frequently to browse the book selection, so he was your first guess.

You let out a sigh as you swung your legs over the edge of the couch cushions and hunched over, your eyes still feeling puffy from the night before. Your face felt tender to the touch as your fingertips grazed your cheeks, but you tried your best to ignore it as you stood up and began to run your fingers through your hair. You crept over to the library door where you barely pushed it open enough to only see out of it using your right eye, leaning over with your knees slightly bent. The coast seemed clear- at least from what you managed to see.

You pushed the door completely open while gingerly walking out into the dimly lit halls of the Polar Tang, your eyes darting around to make sure you were actually alone. The crew was no where to be found, but you could tell by the way the ship was bobbing up and down that it was surfaced and more than likely docked somewhere hidden. The crew was probably off exploring, however, Law usually kept one or two people behind to guard the ship. Your stomach churned at the thought of Law, you still couldn't believe you let yourself slip up like that. You shook your head while gritting your teeth, this wasn't the time for regrets, you'd have to mull over that a bit later once you were off the ship.

It's not like you had a real, formulated plan or anything, you were kind of just going with the flow... see where fate happened to take you next. Quietly you snuck down the hall while peering around corners with alert eyes, searching for any signs of movement or sounds from your fellow crew mates. Once you deemed it empty, you turned down the final hall that led to the deck of the ship, the hatched door greeting you as you approached it. You drew in a deep breath of air as you nervously gripped the latch, this could be your final time ever leaving the ship.

You turned to look behind you, the familiar metal walls along with the sterile scent of cleaners almost bidding you farewell. The sting of tears forming in your eyes as the gut wrenching feeling of guilt sitting like bricks in your stomach tore you away from those unfamiliar feelings of belonging, and with a shaky breath you forced yourself to leave. No looking back now, you already had one foot out of the door, and if you were to turn around now, you'd never leave again.

You squeezed your eyes shut as you blindly treaded across the deck before eventually hopping off onto the soft sand beneath you. You felt your shoes sink into the ground, the coolness from the sand meant that the tide had already began to retreat which also meant that it was later in the evening. Law would be coming back soon unless he was caught up with some marines or negotiating with a shipwright about repairs.

You let out a mocking laugh, how pathetic you are, fretting over Law when here you were, about to abandon him. It didn't even occur to you til now as you wandered aimlessly through the town which was harbored in the center of the ship yard, that you didn't even bother to gather any of your possessions. You bowed your head as your shoulders slumped forward, since when did you become so reckless?

You were no stranger to admitting when you were way in over your head -sure- you were capable of fending for yourself (you did train under Law for some time), but something wasn't sitting right with you. Why were you choosing to run away instead of facing your problems? You wanted to be an adult and swallow your pride, but the way Law had looked at you... really looked at you, you couldn't tell what he was thinking. And that scared you.