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[Slight pearl-clutching, she might as well have said that she doesn't give a fuck about justice or the Dewey decimal system or something.]
Well, we had no idea what was happening. Now we have an idea of what's coming, as terrible as that is. It won't take us by surprise again.
No. I mean.
I didn't think so? I told myself for so long that if I ever got away I'd never be like [Koby doesn't write the name, like it'll somehow summon her. He wonders if Nami ever thinks of Arlong. He's been vague about the worst of those two years, and she's been likewise. But he lived in the snow with her for months -- he's seen her nightmares. She's seen his.] the pirates I knew.
But then Luffy sort of turned everything upside-down.
Well, we had no idea what was happening. Now we have an idea of what's coming, as terrible as that is. It won't take us by surprise again.
No. I mean.
I didn't think so? I told myself for so long that if I ever got away I'd never be like [Koby doesn't write the name, like it'll somehow summon her. He wonders if Nami ever thinks of Arlong. He's been vague about the worst of those two years, and she's been likewise. But he lived in the snow with her for months -- he's seen her nightmares. She's seen his.] the pirates I knew.
But then Luffy sort of turned everything upside-down.
aren't you pissed? i'm pissed.
( she hears the quiet part easily, because it's a regular running monologue in her head — nami, you hate pirates, and yet somehow you are a pirate. her hatred hasn't really gone anywhere, at the end of the day — arlong still killed her mom and ransomed coco village, buggy still took over an entire town for fun, kuro still tortured kaya for her inheritance. we're different pirates, luffy said to her once. )
i don't need to tell you that luffy is special. straw hats are not ordinary pirates.
we
well, i don't know. i like to think we have more heart, but really it's just luffy. he's important to every person he meets.
we'd all do anything for him. ( annoyed she can still admit this, even when angry with him. randomly, ) i told you my mom was a marine?
( she hears the quiet part easily, because it's a regular running monologue in her head — nami, you hate pirates, and yet somehow you are a pirate. her hatred hasn't really gone anywhere, at the end of the day — arlong still killed her mom and ransomed coco village, buggy still took over an entire town for fun, kuro still tortured kaya for her inheritance. we're different pirates, luffy said to her once. )
i don't need to tell you that luffy is special. straw hats are not ordinary pirates.
we
well, i don't know. i like to think we have more heart, but really it's just luffy. he's important to every person he meets.
we'd all do anything for him. ( annoyed she can still admit this, even when angry with him. randomly, ) i told you my mom was a marine?
I'm too scared to be pissed. I'll be pissed later, when we're all safe again.
Quentin voted for one of the Targaryens. They're terrifying and violent and they hold grudges. Alicent promised they wouldn't retaliate, not while the game is happening, but
I can't think about that. I can't think about anything happening to any of you and still do what I need to do.
[There's the core of it -- that the both of them have some past that's marked them down to their bones. That Koby doesn't go a day without hearing Alvida's voice in his head, telling him all the ways he has failed, will fail. That Nami carries her village, her family, the horror of those years with Arlong etched into her skin. They both hate pirates, hate their reckless, destructive, soul-crushing violence, hate that being owned by them feels as familiar as breathing.
And yet.]
You're right. I thought that from the beginning, when I only knew you from Shell's Town, from when I didn't go with you. Luffy finds people who are special, like him. [That voice, again, whispers: that's why you didn't belong with him, Koby. You know that. You knew it then, you know it now.]
You did. It was one of the first things you ever said to me. It was the thing that made me think we could someday be friends.
Quentin voted for one of the Targaryens. They're terrifying and violent and they hold grudges. Alicent promised they wouldn't retaliate, not while the game is happening, but
I can't think about that. I can't think about anything happening to any of you and still do what I need to do.
[There's the core of it -- that the both of them have some past that's marked them down to their bones. That Koby doesn't go a day without hearing Alvida's voice in his head, telling him all the ways he has failed, will fail. That Nami carries her village, her family, the horror of those years with Arlong etched into her skin. They both hate pirates, hate their reckless, destructive, soul-crushing violence, hate that being owned by them feels as familiar as breathing.
And yet.]
You're right. I thought that from the beginning, when I only knew you from Shell's Town, from when I didn't go with you. Luffy finds people who are special, like him. [That voice, again, whispers: that's why you didn't belong with him, Koby. You know that. You knew it then, you know it now.]
You did. It was one of the first things you ever said to me. It was the thing that made me think we could someday be friends.
( koby being less petty than her completely tracks )
we'll get through it. that's all we can do.
quentin's a tough guy. i mean — people wanted to talk about our block vote, but didn't even mention that whole family tipping the scales. love double standards.
you're special, koby. you're the only marine i'd ever associate with. you have no idea how big the first hurdle was when we first met up in the village, but you walked over it like it was nothing.
yeah. she was a marine. but then she saw me and my sister abandoned and dying, and she left her post so she could be our mom.
i'm just saying, sometimes you can leave the responsible thing and do the right thing. if you couldn't, i wouldn't be alive.
we'll get through it. that's all we can do.
quentin's a tough guy. i mean — people wanted to talk about our block vote, but didn't even mention that whole family tipping the scales. love double standards.
you're special, koby. you're the only marine i'd ever associate with. you have no idea how big the first hurdle was when we first met up in the village, but you walked over it like it was nothing.
yeah. she was a marine. but then she saw me and my sister abandoned and dying, and she left her post so she could be our mom.
i'm just saying, sometimes you can leave the responsible thing and do the right thing. if you couldn't, i wouldn't be alive.
[It’s his dumb “believe the best in people” instinct acting up again.]
You’re right. It has to end eventually. The house needs us, I think – that’s a theory I have, about why we’re here. The witches took us for an army, but I think this place took us for some other reason.
Well. They’re very loud and very open about how they’re willing to stab people. They’re the sort of people who use intimidation and fear to keep people in line. [Not you, Alicent, you’re an angel and we’re happy you’re here.] We don’t do that, even though Zoro is the greatest swordsman alive and Sanji can kill people with his feet and Shanks is Shanks, and that’s not even touching on how Luffy can somehow get out of ANY fight without a scratch on him. I haven’t really seen Usopp fight, but I’m sure it’s the same.
And you’re the most powerful woman in the entire multiverse, so. People don’t understand that you COULD force them to submit. But you won’t.
[Sometimes Koby hates that starved part inside him that greedily, hungrily gobbles up every bit of praise, every bit of approval. Nami says he’s special and he should be humble, he should deny it, but he leans into it like a cat into a caress.]
Well, we got off on a better foot. I threw up on Zoro when we first actually talked to each other, in the village. And you were Luffy’s crew, and I knew I was dead if I didn’t somehow stick close to you.
Right. That’s incredibly difficult to do. The Marines don’t take kindly to people leaving their post, for any reason. [There are a thousand burned villages, a million orphans, but – these two, these tiny, helpless, starving girls had been the ones to prompt Nami’s mother to turn away, to abandon her oath. As a (former, current, past?) Marine, Koby should condemn her for that. Instead he just fervently, wildly wishes he could meet her. Tell her Nami’s still safe, still okay, still being brave and warm and bright. Promise her he’ll keep her that way.]
What was her name? If you
Want to tell me.
You’re right. It has to end eventually. The house needs us, I think – that’s a theory I have, about why we’re here. The witches took us for an army, but I think this place took us for some other reason.
Well. They’re very loud and very open about how they’re willing to stab people. They’re the sort of people who use intimidation and fear to keep people in line. [Not you, Alicent, you’re an angel and we’re happy you’re here.] We don’t do that, even though Zoro is the greatest swordsman alive and Sanji can kill people with his feet and Shanks is Shanks, and that’s not even touching on how Luffy can somehow get out of ANY fight without a scratch on him. I haven’t really seen Usopp fight, but I’m sure it’s the same.
And you’re the most powerful woman in the entire multiverse, so. People don’t understand that you COULD force them to submit. But you won’t.
[Sometimes Koby hates that starved part inside him that greedily, hungrily gobbles up every bit of praise, every bit of approval. Nami says he’s special and he should be humble, he should deny it, but he leans into it like a cat into a caress.]
Well, we got off on a better foot. I threw up on Zoro when we first actually talked to each other, in the village. And you were Luffy’s crew, and I knew I was dead if I didn’t somehow stick close to you.
Right. That’s incredibly difficult to do. The Marines don’t take kindly to people leaving their post, for any reason. [There are a thousand burned villages, a million orphans, but – these two, these tiny, helpless, starving girls had been the ones to prompt Nami’s mother to turn away, to abandon her oath. As a (former, current, past?) Marine, Koby should condemn her for that. Instead he just fervently, wildly wishes he could meet her. Tell her Nami’s still safe, still okay, still being brave and warm and bright. Promise her he’ll keep her that way.]
What was her name? If you
Want to tell me.
There's rumors that the werewolves may not even know what they're doing. Or remember it. Alia seems genuinely disturbed by her own reveal.
I wouldn't have targeted you in my right mind. If... this was somehow me, I would have had to have been blacked out. But we all black out it seems. All I can say is I had no desire to harm you. I meant that. And honestly I was mad with Koby, not you. And I reached out to him as well.
All I can offer in my defense, as weak as it is, is this is not a method I would have done.
But I will submit myself to any investigation to prove my innocence.
Nami, I am so sorry for what has happened to you.
I wouldn't have targeted you in my right mind. If... this was somehow me, I would have had to have been blacked out. But we all black out it seems. All I can say is I had no desire to harm you. I meant that. And honestly I was mad with Koby, not you. And I reached out to him as well.
All I can offer in my defense, as weak as it is, is this is not a method I would have done.
But I will submit myself to any investigation to prove my innocence.
Nami, I am so sorry for what has happened to you.
Hello. This is Tim Laughlin. I'm a friend of Koby's.
And someone tried to kill us both in the exact same way.
Do you remember anything?
And someone tried to kill us both in the exact same way.
Do you remember anything?
I'm not. ( a moment. a sigh. )
Usually.
Part of it is if I did it, I'd rather be of my right mind. Kill on my own behalf. I'm not afraid of killing, admittedly.
But honestly? I've been lonely. I never realized it until now. Like almost right now. I've never had friends. Or people I care about.
I don't want to lose them. Through murder or through loss of trust in me.
Not that we're friends, we hardly know each other. But I respect how you carried yourself. I respect that you took that risk for your crew. I do admire you, and I'd prefer you not live in fear of me.
Usually.
Part of it is if I did it, I'd rather be of my right mind. Kill on my own behalf. I'm not afraid of killing, admittedly.
But honestly? I've been lonely. I never realized it until now. Like almost right now. I've never had friends. Or people I care about.
I don't want to lose them. Through murder or through loss of trust in me.
Not that we're friends, we hardly know each other. But I respect how you carried yourself. I respect that you took that risk for your crew. I do admire you, and I'd prefer you not live in fear of me.
( nami is the kind of person who prefers flaws to be on display — there's a natural distrust, and probably a healthy dosage of fear, but at least alexei isn't trying to hide what he is. nami can respect that. )
you shouldn't admire me. i voted for you because i was scared. i didn't want to die.
( a lot of good that did her. )
you do scare me a little. but i don't think you're awful or that you'd try to hurt me on purpose
from someone who never had friends before luffy
you could do a lot worse than koby
you shouldn't admire me. i voted for you because i was scared. i didn't want to die.
( a lot of good that did her. )
you do scare me a little. but i don't think you're awful or that you'd try to hurt me on purpose
from someone who never had friends before luffy
you could do a lot worse than koby
yeah, I do
but I didn't see him. he grabbed me from behind and wrapped a belt around my neck, and strangled me with it. then he dragged me towards the lake. he stopped for a minute, that's when hawk came.
I barely made it into the water.
...Tea with honey is helping a little bit.
but I didn't see him. he grabbed me from behind and wrapped a belt around my neck, and strangled me with it. then he dragged me towards the lake. he stopped for a minute, that's when hawk came.
I barely made it into the water.
...Tea with honey is helping a little bit.
just some bumps and scrapes from being dragged around. but he had a knife. dropped it when Hawk scared him off.
What about you?
What about you?
You stood before many and spoke what you thought was true. True, fear made you believe it. But still, you were willing to risk your neck to name me if it went bad.
I don't really fault Koby so much. I only wish he'd spoken to me. I understand that my world isn't right or good. And I'm one of the perpetrators of it. But things are different here.
But I understand why that makes me scary.
Honestly, my upset with him remains mostly on behalf of Dani. Dani feels betrayed by having trusted Koby. I do think Dani should give him more slack in this extreme situation, but Dani's got his reasons, too.
I don't really fault Koby so much. I only wish he'd spoken to me. I understand that my world isn't right or good. And I'm one of the perpetrators of it. But things are different here.
But I understand why that makes me scary.
Honestly, my upset with him remains mostly on behalf of Dani. Dani feels betrayed by having trusted Koby. I do think Dani should give him more slack in this extreme situation, but Dani's got his reasons, too.
it feels more like being a coward than being brave. it's not hard to point a finger.
you don't want to change it?
the wrong and bad parts
i don't blame dani. he said something that stood out. ( it feels weirdly like peeling off a layer of skin, and she didn't even say it. she can't imagine ever saying it. she still breaks out in hives when she admits to having friends, now. ) he said you were the only person who ever cared for him
i guess that's why i don't think you're a bad guy.
and if his opinion of you matters, maybe my opinion of koby matters too.
you don't want to change it?
the wrong and bad parts
i don't blame dani. he said something that stood out. ( it feels weirdly like peeling off a layer of skin, and she didn't even say it. she can't imagine ever saying it. she still breaks out in hives when she admits to having friends, now. ) he said you were the only person who ever cared for him
i guess that's why i don't think you're a bad guy.
and if his opinion of you matters, maybe my opinion of koby matters too.
We'll find who did this to you.
Can I bring you anything?
Can I bring you anything?
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