weathervain | 001 | Action/Voice

[Morning:

There is a navigator in a New Feather dress wandering up and down the rows of what she thought was her own mikan grove, looking thoroughly lost. This isn't her dress. That isn't her cottage. This isn't her book, even if it has her name on it. (She hasn't really looked closely at it yet; just kind of picked it up and claimed it because it said Nami on the front, so finders keepers.) Not to worry; if nobody is around, she'll eventually snap out of her daze and kick the cottage door open in a fit of temper, then sit down in a place that looks long abandoned and aggressively read a lot of notes. And be...

...well, she's no less confused. What the hell.

Also, she's kind of angry. That's to be expected, right?

---------

In the afternoon, she visits the village proper and does a full round of the stores in the plaza, both looking for (a) her own things, and (b) anything that might be remotely valuable she can swipe from the stores, because supposedly it's free. Hell, while she's at it, she might as well take any clothing that looks cute. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. Cliche smiche, it makes her feel better.

She'll also flop down in Seventh Heaven and grab some lunch. Inevitably she'll end up in Good Spirits some time after that, because this situation is freakish and some people have recognised her and that's weird so free alcohol is an excellent idea. And it's from there she makes a quick voice post.]

[Voice]

So I've apparently been here before. I don't remember you, sorry. [Not sorry. But.] Is there anyone else here from East Blue?

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[Don't worry. Smoker is still perpetually suspicious. Even if he is thrown for a loop.]

[He also thinks she means when Luffy was on the execution platform. Granted, he hadn't seen her at the time, but he's been a little hyperfocused on the captain.]

So you must be heading into the Grand Line now then? [And he would chase them forever. It was a good thing she didn't recognize his voice.]

[Ah, good. That's all the confirmation she needs, actually-- it means Buggy's map is the genuine article.]

That's the idea! Going to make my fortune! It'll be fun.

Tsk. [Somehow, in spite of himself, it's all a little amusing. After a month spent healing from the wounds at Punk Hazard, and dealing with the Malnosso, such a blast from the past with that optimism is almost charming in its own way.]

Don't think it'll be so easy. The marine captain of that Loguetown base never lets a pirate escape. I don't think he'll give up his perfect record for anything.

[It's playing, even if she wouldn't know it. Then again, even if she did recognize it, that still made it playful. Laying down the gauntlet.]

[There's a snort. Like to see such a captain take on Arlong then, but there's no point crying over that.] Hey, not every person who goes to the Grand Line is a pirate, you know.

[If only, if only.]

[And Smoker gives an amused snort at that.] And yet you don't deny being one either.

I am not a pirate. [That comes curt, a flat denial.] Thanks for asking.

[His eyes narrow and there's a long pause of silence.]

[Didn't she say she'd been to Loguetown? Well, perhaps it was still before then. Hm...]

My apologies then. Seems like I mistook you for someone else. I'm Smoker. The only damn marine stuck in this place. But I'm beginning to think that's a good thing.

[There's some wariness there because she wonders if her... former...self or something... said anything about Arlong. But then he mentions the magic word.]

You're a marine? Stationed in Loguetown?

[A small laugh.] Yeah. Sometime ago. I grew up there, but it wasn't my first choice to get stationed in after the academy. My friends all went on to the Grand Line and I had to deal with the weakest ocean in the world.

[A frown, and he grunts. Sure. He says that and yet...] But lately I'm starting to think there's a lot more coverups going on than I'd normally be allowed to even talk about. [Starting to think that? Allowed to talk about? Even thinking it as loudly as he was might as well amount to treason at this point. No. He knows it. How deep did the corruption go in the marines, that the Straw Hats were doing more for Justice than he could lately? Feh.]

What island are you from kiddo? [He already knows, but he's not going to flaunt it and unnerve her more. Bad enough being in Luceti.]

[Sounds like the marines. Weakest ocean in the world. And while they were running around on the Grand Line, monsters like Arlong got to walk in and clean house.

Coverups makes her feel defensive, though. That's probably true-- it's true of any organisation that has to toe a diplomatic line-- but nevertheless.]

My mother was a marine, you know. She was proud of it. She was in East Blue, too. [A beat.] I'm from the Conomi Archipelago.

So you're a marine brat, huh?

[Small grin and a soft sigh.] Commodore Pudding's territory if I remember correctly. Or is it the 16th branch? [It's both, with Pudding Pudding overseeing Nezumi.]

I'm not sure. [Commodore Pudding rings a vague bell.] I say my mother was one, but to be honest I haven't paid much attention to who's in charge lately.

[A small sigh.]

That's understandable. Too many of them are idiots anyway. Getting rank is less about competency and more about knowing whose orders to take. It's rarely worth it.

You don't sound very proud of your own profession. [But there's only curiosity to that, not accusation. She had no idea what rank Bellemere was when she left, but she's also sure it wouldn't have been very high if it was like that.]

I only take pride in justice, my strength, and the good that comes from either of those.

[He snorts quietly.] It's a long story kid, but I guess I had a few too many eye-openers lately.

Not enough to leave though.

[While it's the first she's heard this about the marines, given what she's seen and been witness to-- and natural cynicism over how anything works in the real world, really-- she can't much say it surprises her.]

I'm sorry. Kinda sucks when something you're proud of turns out to not be what you wanted it to be.

Yeah, it does. But that's why we have to get stronger to make it better.

Yeah? Think you've got much chance of that?

{She's not sassing him. It's a genuinely curious question.]

Whether I do or not, I have to keep trying or I'll have failed long before I've begun.

Heh. That's a good way of looking at it. I wish you luck.

You too, in whatever you do.

Follow your own justice kiddo.

[It's an interesting thing for him to say. And oddly kinda comforting.]

I'll do that. See you around.