[Voice/Action]

[mikangirl]

...okay.

Uh. Giles. Atsuki. [She has no idea he's left.] Crys. Alf. ...and Ginko.   The maps are done.  Finally.  Sorry about that, this place is nuts.  Get in touch.

[And not five minutes later, filtered to the Straw Hats]

Guys!  Robin's here!

[Maps for Sokka, Guy, and Meryl, she'll deliver in person - taking a trip to the smithy and to the

Comments

[threeswordsoul]

[There's a sharp inhale as Zoro pays attention to his journal for the first time in weeks on end.]

Where-?

[Then he cuts off and moves out of the frame of the camera. For the first time he prefers to just...read the previous conversations on the entry, rather than ask Nami directly. So you'll just ignore that brief slip and pretend he didn't say anything, right Nami? ...>_> Because clearly you are psychic and will be able to tell that's what he wants.]

[mikangirl]

[Oh, sure, Zoro. Nami is psychic and knows that's exactly what you want. Sadly for you, she is also loud, bossy and bitchy, and you don't get to get away with that. :|]

Robin is on her way into town. I'm meeting her. You're coming with me.

[threeswordsoul]

[There's a very long pause, the kind that, under different circumstances, might be Zoro trying to get away with pretending he isn't there. That's not really it right now, though. He's reading through conversations, and, mostly, stalling; he knows he'll end up going.]

..........Mm. [Noncommittal humming is noncommittal.] She's from a lot further ahead than the rest of us, this time.

[Private]

[mikangirl]

[...shit. And she never did tell him. And Robin being here gives her an uneasy feeling that he's about to know one way or the other. And she's not sure she should say anything, even so. But...

...fuck. Putting up a quick filter.]

We need to talk.

[Private] HINT HE THINKS SHE MEANS HALLOWEEN /END HINT ah-hem >.>

[threeswordsoul]

[This time the pause is startled and apprehensive wary. Shit, this was why he didn't want-part of why-rgh, after this long he was almost sure she wasn't going to ask. Fuck. ...He can't get around the fact that he owes her an answer, either.

But...]

...Now?

[Private] Shock! 8Da

[mikangirl]

Yes, now. Before we see Robin. There's something I have to tell you. [And the tone of her voice is one of heavy dread, which may reassure him (...sort of...) that this may not be about Halloween. But don't worry. She'll ask about that, too. Just...she's waiting for the next time they're at the bar with alcohol for that one.]

Where are you?

[Private]

[threeswordsoul]

[That...sounds like it's about something else entirely.

But maybe just as bad.]

...Out back of the house.

[Private]

[mikangirl]

[This is going to be the shortest talk ever. She's half wondering if it's better to just let Robin break the bad news and wear the consequences. ...well, too late now. Saying never mind at this point isn't exactly going to work.]

I'll come find you.

[Heading outside, then.]

[Private] --> [Action]

[threeswordsoul]

Fine.

[He's be leaning against leaning against the wall next to the door when she comes out.]

[Action]

[mikangirl]

[She'll go straight past him, stalking a few steps before his presence pings on her awareness and she turns to blink at him uncertainly. And then she bites her lip, before turning to face him fully, arms crossed.]

Robin is from a lot farther on. She just confirmed something I didn't... [Didn't want to really believe, but there's no refuting it now. Not when confirmation comes from nakama.

Her voice is flat, and she's going to go into this before she loses her nerve.] ...you remember me telling you Luffy's from later than we are. And how he went to Marineford to try and stop Ace being executed.

[Action]

[threeswordsoul]

Aa, I remember. [...] ...She knows how that turned out, then.

[And so does Nami, apparently-knew before Robin told her, even. (How? When?...Didn't she say Ace was here before?) Whatever it is, Zoro is clearly really, really not going to like it. (Does Luffy know?) He closes his eyes for a moment, then looks at Nami steadily. His hands may drawn into fists and pressed against the wall at his sides. Waiting.]

[Action]

[mikangirl]

Yeah, she does.

[...she pads back to the wall and rests her back against it on the other side of the door. Possibly she can't quite look him in the face.]

...he failed.

[Action] 1/3

[threeswordsoul]

...Luffy failed.

[There's a stretched, suspended moment of blankness, letting that float around. Luffy failed. (Will fail.) ...The crew failed on Sabaody, too, but this-means his brother died. (Will die.)

Luffy's brother died, and Luffy's crew-wasn't-there.

Zoro breathes, breathes-]

[Action]

[threeswordsoul]

[-digs the heel of his hand into his eye and grinds out a noise.]

[...]

[Action]

[threeswordsoul]

[...]

It hasn't happened yet.

[So. It won't. They'll change it. ...And there's no question of whether Luffy knows yet or not.]

[Action]

[mikangirl]

[She could be brutally honest-- point out bluntly that the second they go home they forget everything they've learned in Luceti and go back to their lives, be separated by Kuma, land in different islands, find out the hard way what Luffy's been doing, know that they weren't there for him-- it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't and there's no way around it, and to say that is the most idiotic, futile optimism which hurts to hear, because she knows there's conviction behind those words, and maybe in any other situation she'd believe them, too.

But they're talking about time that's already been and gone.

...she can't bring herself to say any of it. It's too harsh and too pointless, and she's already said enough in the way of painful things to Zoro today. Just two words.

But she can't bring herself to agree with him, either.

So Nami says nothing at all.]