Intertwined

There was One

TELEPATHIC MESSAGE: There was One

"Attention please, Attention please. We will be arriving at the Letto International Airport in Grandline City in a few moments. Please buckle your seat belts and stow your bags in either the overhead compartment or under your seat. Make sure to stay seated until the captain gives the all clear once we have come to a complete stop and have been secured to the ramp. Thank you for flying with Blitza Airlines." The loud voice echoed about the cabin as the plane began to slowly bank to the left. Several people began to buckle their seat belts as quickly as they could while others continued at a more relaxed pace.

There was one girl however, that made no movements to do anything. Rather, she had not heard the announcer's message thanks to her earbuds. The teenager had long, straight black hair and a pale complexion. She was somewhat short at about five feet. The girl wore a warm purple sweater and some light blue jeans. Cow girl boots adorned her feet and she fiddled with a straw hat in her lap. Her gray-blue eyes were trained out the window. She watched as the cloud cover disappeared and smiled at the sight of the approaching city.

Grandline City wasn't the largest city in the world, but it was certainly pretty big. It rested in the valley between two mountains and stretched across it lazily. A river wound its way through the center, heading south. The city itself was extremely concentrated in the center of the valley. It held skyscrapers and large factories as well as several bustling piers on the river. As the city stretched towards the mountains, it thinned little by little until the towering buildings had instead shifted into houses and smaller one-story businesses. This was the sub-urban area where a good portion of the better off citizens lived. Father up the mountain, large estates and mansions peered over the burgeoning city. This was the land of the rich and wealthy.

The girl looked over the city with wide eyes. Everything about it amazed her. From the tall towers of glass and metal to the steep mountains of proud rock, it was all so interesting to her. She was going to continue looking, but stopped at an insistent tugging on her arm. Turning, she locked eyes with the elderly woman beside her. The woman was saying something but the girl couldn't make it out. She took off her earbuds.

"-need to put on your seat belt, honey. We're about to land." The wizened woman said in a crackly voice. The girl's eyes widened.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I had my earbuds in and couldn't hear anything." She said apologetically as she stashed her phone in her purple bag. The old woman before her huffed and pulled at her woolen shawl with irritation.

"Youngsters and their technology! Well, no matter. I was just saying that you needed to buckle up. We're about to land."

"Oh! Thank you!" The girl said as she quickly buckled herself in securely before glancing out the window nervously.

The woman saw this and frowned.

"Don't be worried, dearie. This pilot's a good one. He's crashed twice already." She said cheerfully. The dark-haired girl jerked back around in her seat.

"Twice!?" She gasped. She stared wide-eyed at the elderly lady.

"Yup. Once as a co-pilot when his partner arrived drunk and again when he had a malfunction in the plane's computer. Stupid thing gave him the wrong navigational directions. It'd be better to do things the old-fashioned way, in my opinion." The woman muttered to herself as she began twisting the ends of her yellow shawl again.

"What do you mean he's a good pilot? He's already crashed twice!" The girl exclaimed in shock. The woman looked back at the startled girl before letting out a bold, scratchy laugh. Her old, gnarled hand reached out to gently pat the girl on the head.