After SabosFlame comment I looked into writing dialog and found that everything said was correct and I changed the dialog format accordingly. Things are going to read a bit different but hopefully everyone likes it better.

Chapter 31: Sisters

Arianna sat upright and stretched up her arms and torso with a pleased hum. The chilly air nipped at her arms and she heard a slight groan from beside her. Law was wearing a long sleeved shirt but that didn't seem to completely stop the cold air from bothering him. She slipped off the bed and tucked the blanket back against him to reseal the heat cocoon she opened. Unlike Law, Bepo appeared to revel in the colder air, laying on the bed covers and smiling like he was having a pleasant dream.

A quick check with her Sense confirmed that the hallway was clear so she silently slipped out of her captain's room and back into her own. Today was a bit colder than the previous but she trusted it to warm up so she dressed just as she did before, jeans, a navy three-quarter sleeved shirt, her deer half skirt, and weapon belt. Arianna exited the room and slipped on her coat as she trotted downstairs. Outside snow was actively falling and it tickled her nose. She sniffed the air but couldn't really detect the sea salt so she walked back inside and approached the man yawning at the tavern counter. "Excuse me, which way is the dock?"

The man looked tired but answered. "Go left out the door. It's that way."

She nodded and left again. She went left but it didn't take long for that to not be sufficient directions to get her to the ship. The girl groaned and picked a street that appeared to continue the direction and wandered around the streets until finally reaching her destination. *This is a lot easier with Law leading the way.*

Arianna climbed on the ship and attempted to enter the ship but the door wouldn't move. She growled and threw all of her weight into the metal but it still didn't budge. She frowned deeply at it and paced in front of the barrier then jumped up to the secondary deck. To her luck that door opened easily. She entered the ship and proceeded down the steps, at which point she found that main door had a couple of metal bars propped against it to prevent opening. "Hello?!" she called out into the metal interior.

There was no answer so she continued down. She went to her room and checked on the animal skins that she had prepped before she went to see Law the first night. They were nice and hard, meaning they were ready for treatment to make it pliable again. She applied her special concoction and then left them to finish curing. She debated going downstairs to check on Koma and Newt since they were left in charge of the ship but opted to not bother them, as they were likely still asleep.

Instead, she went into Law's room and fished around his shelf until finding the book that he was making her read. The girl hated reading, intensely. However, Law was going to continue making her learn so she was going to attempt to practice, even without him. *I really want to earn my reward!* she thought to herself with determination. She opened the book and found it significantly more difficult to do when her safety net of having someone tell her if she was right or wrong is sleeping in a separate building. She remembered the gist of the story and used that to try and help her possibly figure out some of the words but still couldn't get through a page without skipping over words. Arianna groaned and dropped the book on her face. "Funtc, ypcunp ehdu so rayt." ("Words, absorb into my head.")

The girl lay with her eyes closed, imagining the words flowing from the book and into her forehead. She listened to the steady beat of her heart, knowing full well that Law was keeping it in his desk drawer. She couldn't help but rub the empty space in her chest where it was supposed to be, wondering why an entire square of her body was missing; bone, muscle, skin and all instead of just the removed organ. Arianna pulled the book off her face and rolled to her side. It was ironic to her that Law's bed, especially the pillows, was so comfortable when one considers how little he actually sleeps. After weeks of sleeping with him she couldn't not notice that he'll be awake most of the night. He'll join her in bed but that didn't actually mean he was resting; the man has laid beside her for hours while his brain was running marathons. She smelled the fabric deeply and hummed pleasantly. While Law hadn't slept there the previous night his scent clung, all the way down to the mattress.

The girl continued to breathe in the smell and unconsciously started shifting her legs and wiggling her toes. She felt something pleasant growing in her and sat up, startled by herself. She knew what she was doing and was embarrassed by herself. Her whole face felt heated, she was no doubt bright red. *I think I should go.* Arianna replaced the book where it belonged and left the room and ship all together.

Arianna wandered around the town and caught sight of Connor and Oliver. "Hey guys! What are you up to?"

Oliver opened his mouth with a usual, gentle smile, but Connor quickly cut him off. "We are going to have breakfast and you're not invited!"

"uh, okay…" the girl said significantly deflated.

"Sorry Ari-chan." the other man apologized as they walked away without giving her another moment of attention.

It wasn't that she wanted to eat with them, she just wanted some company.

She opened her Sense in hope of finding someone else that she knew but was unsuccessful. The girl had to resign herself to trying to find the tavern again in search of familiar faces. She looked around while traveling through the streets and remembered the way Law easily walked through the town and went where he wanted. She simply could not figure out how he could keep track of buildings or predict the layout of the streets. The girl could see the difference in buildings, she could pick out shops from homes and obviously see when one is bigger than the other, but as a whole they didn't really leave a lasting impression on her and she would quickly forget it.

The direction she was headed towards was starting to angle her back towards the water, but with little else to do she decided to follow and see where it would lead. The people walking around become more prominently burly and she could smell blood and meat. The girl searched around for the source and found a large building with overly large doors that were open, the smell was coming from inside. Men were walking in and out with blood smears so she peeked in, not that they seemed to mind her. There were large carcasses hanging from intimidating looking hooks, lined up in neat rows. She glanced around the room and saw an assortment of blades and saws but they seemed to be used exclusively for the meat.

The huntress noticed someone approaching behind her so she quickly turned around and eyed the man. "This is no place for girls. Move along little missy" a man easily twice her height said with a gruff.

"What is this?"

"A meat locker for shipping, now leave."

She further ignored his order. "Do you buy meat here?"

"Go," he ordered.

Unfortunately for him Arianna only takes orders from Law, and even then she might ignore them. "I'm a good hunter. Can I sell meat here?"

The man bent down and laugh in her face. "If you can catch something worth buying then maybe my boss would do business with you. Not that I would expect much from a little bitch like you."

Lucky for him the girl prefers intimidation over outright violence when dealing with idiots that looked down on her. Since he was nice enough to bring his face down to her level she clutched his shoulder and didn't allow him to move. She grinned to ensure he caught view of her fangs as she spoke. "I'll be sure to only bring back bodies bigger than you."

The man's eyes shifted around and seemed nervous, probably in response to her word choice. She released him and walked away feeling proud of herself.

With a new sense of purpose she refused to deal with the her building issues now and instead jumped and climbed to the roofs. From there she searched for the harbor, picked out the yellow ship and returned to change into her hunting garb. Afterwards she returned to the roof to look for the fountain and from there opened her Sense to listen for the crew. She could faintly locate a collection of voices that made up most of the Heart Pirates so she followed the sensation of those voices until she reached them. It allowed her to find the tavern and she rushed in straight to Bepo. "Can you come hunting with me?"

"Uh, good morning?" the bear spoke with a question.

"Yeah, good morning. Please come hunting with me?"

"I thought you already restocked our supply," Law spoke up from beside the bear.

"I did. There was some jerk who was rude to me so I'm going to bring back a big animals to make him feel stupid." Arianna proclaimed.

The pirate captain sighed. "Your logic lacks actual logic."

"Sorry Ari-chan, I'll pass" the bear apologetically smiled.

She puffed up her cheeks and frowned then turned away from them and shouted across the room. "Hey Bart-"

"No," before she could get the question out he answered.

Her eyes then caught the movement of a man exiting the building and she darted after the orange bandana. Once outside she jumped onto Marcus' back. "Arianna!?"

"Hey! Do you have plans? I need someone to come with me so I can make some guy at a meat storage place feel stupid."

"Actually he does," an unfamiliar voice spoke up for beside him and it drew her attention to a girl a little taller than she was.

"Arianna, this is my little sister Carly. We actually do have plans for today. Sorry."

Arianna got down to her feet and held out her hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

The girl looked pretty similar to Marcus, even more so with her orange ribbon. "You too!" she spoke with a bubbly voice as she took the offered hand.

Marcus looked inside and appeared nervous. "Could you two hold on a second?"

After he asked that he ran inside the tavern and approached Law. Distracted by the man's sudden departure, Arianna didn't notice that Carly hadn't released her hand until the grip tightened until it reached painful levels. The pirate looked back at the girl who was now wearing a menacingly emotionless expression. "Let's get one thing straight here. Big Brother only needs one girl in his life and that's me. If I catch you getting all snuggly with him again I'll break your legs. Am I clear?"

Arianna stood speechless in her shock. The black haired woman appeared to take that as affirmation and released her hand. "Good."

The door opened up and Carly immediately took on a bright and cheery energy again as she looked at who exited. It was both Marcus and Law. "Dr. Trafalgar, nice to see you again!"

"Carly. What are you doing all the way out here?" he seemed genuinely curious.

"Just some work, then I'm headed back." She was perky as she spoke to him as well.

"Don't cause us any trouble, understand?"

She nodded with a hum. "Understood! Come on Big Brother. Oh, Arianna, would you like to join us?"

Arianna blankly stared at her. *Is she seriously inviting me out after threatening me?*

Marcus patted her on her head. "Are you even paying attention?"

"Yeah! I mean, no! Uh… You know I was actually on my way out hunting so go without me," she bumbled through her response, uncertain as to what the correct answer was.

"I'll go with you later if you still want to," Marcus offered.

"You're assuming I'll let you go some point soon," the other girl laughed out a statement that seemed more threatening to Arianna than it was probably meant as. All the pirate girl could think to do was laugh uncomfortably as the siblings walked away.

"She threatened you didn't she?" Law blatantly asked.

"Is that normal?"

"Carly has a bit of an obsession with Marcus. Just play along, it'll be easier that way."

She nodded in understanding then realized she hadn't asked the man next to her if he would like go with her. "Do you want to go hunting with me?"

"Really? I'm the last person you ask? No."

"If I asked you first would you have said yes?" she asked surprised.

"No," he left as he answered.

Arianna groaned and trembled as she tried to contain her unhappiness but failed and burst. "Fro fuh'd yhouha rihd fedr sa?!" ("Why won't anyone hunt with me?!")

"E femm,"("I will") a satin voice drifted from behind her.

Arianna turned in shock and say a tall blonde woman in a grey coat, grey eyes and a red double stick popsicle in her mouth despite the winter climate. "Kara?"

"Rammu Anna." ("Hello Anna.")

After the words left the woman's mouth the two launched themselves at each other with Cloaked forearms and slammed their elbows against one another. They seemed equal for a second but then Kara got a sharp smile and completely overpowered the smaller girl, sending her crashing into the snow. She popped herself back upright and shook some of the powder off. "Fruy, oui'na cdnuhk!" ("Whoa, you're strong!") she shouted, impressed.

"Dryhgc," ("Thanks") she spoke around the popsicle that she didn't bother to take out of her mouth.

Arianna giggled as she ran and tackled into the woman, giving her the proper greeting of a kiss. Kara affectionately hugged the girl then spoke, "E drehg oui sekrd haat du lymm uvv ouin kiynt Maubynt." ("I think you need to call off your guard Leopard.")

The girl turned around and saw that Law was standing outside, sword in hand, with a few of the other crew members. She smiled and waved to them to show that it was okay. "Mad'c ku!" ("Let's go!") she cheered and they ran off together.

After going down a couple of streets the little huntress suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?" ("Fryd'c fnuhk?") the taller woman asked.

"E tuh'd ghuf ruf du kad uid du dra vunacd." ("I don't know how to get out to the forest.")

Kara looked at her blankly for a moment then burst out laughing. "E'mm mayt dra fyo," ("I'll lead the way") the blonde nodded and started walking in the front.

"Oui lyh hyjekyda eh Funmtan towns?" ("You can navigate in Worlder towns?") Arianna had to mix her two languages since towns were not a thing in Tribes.

"Oui lyh'd?" ("You can't?")

"Ed'c rynt du gaab dnylg uv cdnildinac dryd yna piemd du pa dra cysa. E ymcu lyh'd csamm silr eh towns, cu E ryja macc etahdevo drehkc po." ("It's hard to keep track of structures that are built to be the same. I also can't smell much in towns, so I have less to identify things by.")

"Oui'na zicd y meddma cdibet ynah'd oui?" ("You're just a little stupid aren't you?") Kara teased, causing Arianna to puff her cheeks and pout.

After recovering from the insult the smaller girl thought to ask the other, "Ryja oui ajah rihdat nalahdmo? Cruimt fa ku yht kad oui tevvanahd lmudrac yht y pmyta?" ("Have you even hunted recently? Should we go and get you different clothes and a blade?")

Kara lifted her left hand and triggered a Hunter Blade to shoot out of her sleeve. "Drana'c hu haat du lryhka," ("There's no need to change ") she added.

Arianna smiled doubtfully, "Ymnekrd, zicd tuh'd ymand dra bnao." ("Alright, just don't alert the prey.")

"E drehg fryd oui sayh du cyo ec 'E'mm dno hud du cmuf oui tufh,'" ("I think what you mean to say is 'I'll try not to slow you down,'") Kara quipped.

"Oui cdemm teth'd cyo ev oui'ja rihdat nalahdmo. Ryja oui? Ymcu, frana ryja oui paah? E'ja paah muugehk vun oui vun y frema?" ("You still didn't say if you've hunted recently. Have you? Also, where have you been? I've been looking for you for a while?")

"Ynuiht. Captain haatc sa du ryhtma cusa drehkc vun res cu E's uid yht ypuid vun dra desa paehk." ("Around. Captain needs me to handle some things for him so I'm out and about for the time being.")

"Captain?" Arianna asked with a raised brow.

"Hm?" Kara hummed with a question.

The smaller girl decided to shelf her previous thought for a new one, "fryd geht uv cdivv yna oui tuehk?" ("what kind of stuff are you doing?")

Kara chuckled and rubbed Arianna's head, "Paddan du dymg ypuid dryd mydan." ("Better to talk about that later.")

"Fro?" ("Why?")

"Palyica E tuh'd fyhd du dymg ypuid fung! E fyhd du bmyo fedr so pamujat cecdan!" ("Because I don't want to talk about work! I want to play with my beloved sister!") she declared with a tight hug.

Arianna giggled in response, "Ugyo, ugyo!" ("Okay, okay!")

"Fryd ypuid oui? Frah tet oui mayja dra Vysemo? Fro? Oui fana lusbmadamo ykyehcd mayjehk dras frah E mycd cyf oui." ("What about you? When did you leave the Family? Why? You were completely against leaving them when I last saw you.")

"Mad'c dymg ypuid ed mydan," ("Let's talk about it later") Arianna dodged.

"Najahka cehla E tuh'd vaam mega crynehk?" ("Revenge since I don't feel like sharing?")

"Hud ahdenamo." ("Not entirely.")

Arianna was being a bit spiteful about it, but mostly she wanted to talk at a later time because they were at the edge of the city. The other girl appeared to understand that as she stretched her arms out.

"Cu, yna fa muugehk vun yho byndelimyn bnao?" ("So, are we looking for any particular prey?")

"Cusadrehk pek. Y syh yhhuoat sa po cikkacdehk dryd E's hud y kuut rihdan," ("Something big. A man annoyed me by suggesting that I'm not a good hunter") she answered with a sharp tone.

"Kud ed." ("Got it.")

They entered the trees and while she was confident that Kara was close by, Arianna had nearly lost track of the woman. The girl had not gone hunting with another Tribesman in years, and had forgotten what it was like to be with someone whom was also trained to vanish in to the environment. They trekked through the snow silently while keeping their senses open for animals. Since this was the fourth time Arianna had been in that forest she was already fully aware of what was in there. She went south and could smell that Kara followed towards her general direction. After about an hour she picked up on a track that she liked. "Kara! Fryd tu oui cyo du lynnoehk y payn?" ("Kara! What do you say to carrying a bear?")

The blonde virtually teleported next to her. "Cina. Fruajan gemmc ed kadc du lynno dra rayt aht." ("Sure. Whoever kills it gets to carry the head end.")

Since the prey was decided the two hunters moved on their own to track it. Both were more than competent enough to kill a bear solo so there was no need for them to stay together. Besides, it would make the competition of the hunt more fun. The bear tracks had a light layer of snow over them and it had stopped snowing in the morning so the animal wasn't necessarily in the immediate area and the scent was faint. Arianna went up into the high branches of a tree to search the ground for any visual signs of the large predator or where one would like to stay. She could see a sudden drop of land, indicating a cliff and decided to go investigate that. The outcropping smelled heavily of the animal and beneath it was a cave, most definitely the bears den. It did not appear to be there but it was recently so she followed the freshest scent trail; not long after she could hear heavy crushes of snow and from behind a thick tree, eyed a large grizzly bear. She released her Hunting Blade and picked a tree for her to rebound off and give her a perfect trajectory for the back of the bear's neck. She wanted to preserve the skin, so that was the method that would leave the least amount of damage.

Just before she began her attack, Kara fell from the sky and stole her kill in almost the exact same strike that Arianna had intended. The animal collapsed to the ground before it even knew it was in danger and the blonde stood triumphant. She grinned as she spoke to her competition, "E feh! Dryd sayhc oui kad du lynno drec puo vnus dra yccmeada aht." ("I win! That means you get to carry this boy from the asshole end.")

Arianna groaned in disappointment, "Caneuicmo?! E fyc cu lmuca!" ("Seriously?! I was so close!")

Kara smugly waggled her finger to the girl, "Lmuca pid duu cmuf. Hud cinbnecehk. Oui ymfyoc fana dra nihd." ("Close but too slow. Not surprising. You always were the runt.")

The small girl didn't move at that comment. It was true, she was the runt of her age group if there ever was one. Her size hadn't bothered her in years, in fact, she learned to use it to her advantage. Yet, no one had called her "runt" in a long time and it hurt as much as it used to. "Cunno vun paehk cmuf, vyhkmacc," ("Sorry for being slow, fangless,") she couldn't hold back the unnecessary insult that flew from her mouth.

The two girls stared are one another speechless for a second. A silence that was broken by a chuckle and dangerous growl from Kara, "Cusauha vehymmo knaf y cbeha uv ran ufh E caa." ("Someone finally grew a spine I see.")

The response worried Arianna. "Fangless" was something that would send the blonde girl into a rage when they were children, the visual sign that the girl had Worlder ancestry. Dirty blood…. "Cunno. Kiacc E's hud ujan dra nihd drehk," ("Sorry. Guess I'm not over the runt thing") the girl apologized for the word and slightly lowered her posture.

"Ed'c luum. E tet geht uv dunsahd oui ypuid ed, ajah druikr oui yldiymmo bnudaldat sa vnus dra 'vyhkmacc' lussahdc" ("It's cool. I did kind of torment you about it, even though you actually protected me from the 'fangless' comments") Kara's impression lightened and she waved off the issue.

The brunet smiled and straightened when she was given forgiveness.

The other woman clapped her hands together and readied herself. "Huf, mad'c kad drec drehk pylg du dufh yht cruf drec pycdynt fryd naym rihdanc muug mega." ("Now, let's get this thing back to town and show this bastard what real hunters look like.")

Per their agreement, Arianna was subjected to carrying the back end of the bear with Kara carried the front. It was tiring but the two girls got it into and completely across town to the meat storage building without setting the carcass down. Receiving stares the entire way. Once they arrived, thanks to Kara leading and properly following directions when she asked for the specific building, the two finally put the body down. Arianna's arms felt like jelly but her companion didn't seem affected so she did her best to not let it show. She scanned the collection of faces that appeared just to see what was happening until she saw the man she spoke to earlier. "Is this large enough for you?" she asked smugly.

"Oh? That's the man who looked down on a famous pirate?" Kara asked in perfect Worlder tongue.

A man in a blood-stained white apron pushed through the crowd of workers and spoke to the two women, "excuse me. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yeah, I was told I can sell meat here," the smaller girl answered.

"Of course! If you could please bring it in so we can start skinning it." The man then turned and saw that all the men were still standing in place so he shouted at them, "back to work, all of you!"

He then waved the hunters in. Arianna grabbed her end of the bear and when Kara did not do the same she looked at the woman. The blonde was focused on the large man that Arianna originally spoke to. "Rao! Knyp ouin aht," ("Hey! Grab your end") she called out.

Kara blinked once then smiled apologetically, "cunno." ("sorry.")

They took it in and attempted to allow the employees skin the bear but were horrified by their technique so the two women took over. Arianna offered for Kara to keep it, both aware that the offer was a courtesy for the Worlders. Tribal law was simple: Kara's kill, Kara's skin. The woman declined though, "hu dryhgc. E tuh'd fayn vinc yhosuna." ("no thanks. I don't wear furs anymore.")

It came as a shock for Arianna. Furs and leathers were so ingrained as a part of their culture that the reduced amount that Arianna typically wears felt odd. Not wearing any felt out of the question. She wasn't going to turn down the free skin though so she accepted it. Arianna received her payment for the meat and the two women went on their way.

Once on the street Kara skipped forward and snatched the cash from Arianna's hand. "Ruf crymm fa cbaht drec?" ("How shall we spend this?") she mused.

"Myda mihlr?" ("Late lunch?")

"Muja ed! Mad'c chevv uid y bmyla." ("Love it! Let's sniff out a place.")

The girl nodded as she lifted the rolled up pelt, "pid vencd E haat du bid drec yfyo." ("but first I need to put this away.")

Without needing to be asked Kara easily led them back to the Hearts ship …Surprisingly easily for a large harbor. *How did she know where the ship was?*

Arianna stared at the woman curiously, earning a response, "cusadrehk du cyo?" ("something to say?")

She shook the suspicion out of her head along with a hum to signal no. The women went into the ship, the door no longer blocked. They stretched the skin and set it to dry then the pirate changed out of her hunting clothes and back into her previous outfit. As she did, Kara commented about how odd the ship was even to her, despite being among Worlders for longer than Arianna.

Once back in town they made quick work to picking out a lunch spot. Once sat down they were able to focus solely on conversation. "Cu damm sa, fro yna oui rana?" ("So tell me, why are you here?") Arianna asked.

"Captain ryc sa nihhehk annyhtc uv ymm gehtc vun res cehla ra lyh'd mayja rec danneduno. Ra dnicdc sa cu ra'c cahtehk sa du ryhtma drehkc uidceta uv ed vun res," ("Captain has me running errands of all kinds for him since he can't leave his territory. He trusts me so he's sending me to handle things outside of it for him,") she spoke proudly.

"Mega fryd?" ("Like what?") Arianna asked curiously.

"Famm, E lyh'd ku ehdu tadyemc pid fryd E lyh cyo ec nalniedehk, lummaldehk ehvunsydeuh yht nacuinlac, yht dygehk lyna uv cusa ecciac. Oui fana ycgehk sa frah E mycd rihdat aynmean. E's yldiymmo eh dra settma uv y rihd linnahdmo. Rihdehk ydnyedunuic dreav." ("Well, I can't go into details but what I can say is recruiting, collecting information and resources, and taking care of some issues. You were asking me when I last hunted earlier. I'm actually in the middle of a hunt currently. Hunting a traitorous thief.")

The girl watched her as she spoke. She was excited about the work that she had been given, Arianna couldn't help the feeling that something as off though.

"Fryd ypuid oui? Ruf't oui aht ib eh y pirate crew?" ("What about you? How'd you end up in a pirate crew?")

The pirate shifted uncomfortably at the subject, but talking to Kara about it was why she was ever in Paradise to begin with. "E taletat E't rihd Naybanc. Cehla dra Vysemo ec cdemm nalujanehk edc cewa yht lummaldeja cdnahkdr vnus dra yddylg Ega teth'd fyhd du mayt ajanouha du ubah fyn cu E mavd du tu ed socamv." ("I decided I'd hunt Reapers. Since the Family is still recovering its size and collective strength from the attack Ike didn't want to lead everyone to open war so I left to do it myself.")

"Ihtancdyhtypma. Dra Pmuut Dnepa duug y pek red dryd tyo. Drana fyc uhmo dra vuin uv ic, dra dfu knyhtsyc, yht y pihlr uv getc yht pypeac." ("Understandable. The Blood Tribe took a big hit that day. There was only the four of us, the two grandmas, and a bunch of kids and babies.") Kara spoke calmly and detached. It was a stark contrast to how Arianna felt.

"Drah oui mavd cu ed fyc drnaa uv ic," ("Then you left so it was three of us,") she said sharply.

Kara looked off and shrugged as if the statement had little to do with her, "ed fyc yh ubah ehjedydeuh vun y paddan meva. Ed'c hud so vyimd E fyc dra uhmo uha fru duug ed." ("it was an open invitation for a better life. It's not my fault I was the only one who took it.")

"E's eh Paradise palyica E raynt oui fana. E fyhdat ouin ramb fedr so rihd," ("I'm in Paradise because I heard you were. I wanted your help with my hunt,") Arianna declared boldly.

Kara laughed, "vencd oui dyga y zyp yd sa drah oui ycg y vyjun?" ("first you take a jab at me then you ask a favor?")

"Ec najahka naymmo y vyjun? Ed fyc ouin Vysemo dryd fyc rind duu." ("Is revenge really a favor? It was your Family that was hurt too.")

The older woman closed her eyes and appeared to think. It took a minute but she eventually had an answer, "ed ech'd, pid E ryja suna esbundyhd drehkc dryh umt knitkac du taym fedr." ("it isn't, but I have more important things than old grudges to deal with.")

Arianna was disappointed. She put over a year of time and effort into finding Kara, just to be told no. The blonde woman's eyes went wide and she reached out for the other's hand. "Meddma Fumv? Yna oui ugyo?" ("Little Wolf? Are you okay?")

The brunet didn't respond to the question or old nickname. She started to tremble a little instead. *All that time wasted to be told that she has more important things…*

"Meddma Fumv?" ("Little Wolf?") Kara called again.

Arianna looked up now and she could feel that her frown was deep and her brows knitted. The other woman reached over the table and squeezed her in a hug. "Bmayca tuh'd lno! E'mm tu fryd E lyh pid E lyh'd zicd tnub ajanodrehk du nih uvv yht ku uh y sintan cbnaa fedr oui." ("Please don't cry! I'll do what I can but I can't just drop everything to run off and go on a murder spree with you.")

"Hu E ihtancdyht. Oui ryja suna 'esbundyhd drehkc,'" ("No I understand. You have 'more important things,'") her crackled as she spoke.

Kara seemed to pale at her words being thrown back at her, "ruf ypuid drec, ev oui ramb sa fedr so rihd drah E'mm ramb oui fedr ouin dnyehehk ihdem fa ku uin cabynyda fyoc?" ("how about this, if you help me with my hunt then I'll help you with your training until we go our separate ways?")

"E lyh'd zicd ku frana ajan aedran. E's bynd uv dra Heart Pirates." ("I can't just go where ever either. I'm part of the Heart Pirates.")

"So bnao ec cusafrana uh drec ecmyht, cu hu funneac. Oui ramb sa gemm res yht E ramb oui luhdnum oui Paycd Cuim. Taym?" ("My prey is somewhere on this island, so no worries. You help me kill him and I help you control you Beast Soul. Deal?")

The proposal caused Arianna's expression shift from sad to suspicious, "ruf tet oui..." ("how did you…") Her eyes then snapped open as she remembered something from a time she didn't want to remember. "Dryd'c nekrd! Oui fana eh Vertwall!" ("That's right! You were in Vertwall!")

"Ahh… Fruubc?" ("Whoops?") she blurted, looking a bit like a child who was caught doing something wrong but didn't actually feel bad.

"Dryd'c ruf oui ghuf E lyh'd luhdnum so Paycd Cuim! Oui cyf sa nykehk mega y pancangan yht drah jyhecrat," ("That's how you know I can't control my Beast Soul! You saw me raging like a berserker and then vanished,") Arianna exclaimed irately.

"Oui geht uv fahd yvdan sa frema eh dryd cdyda cu E vekinat dryd sayhd oui fana syt yht teth'd fyhd du caa sa," ("You kind of went after me while in that state so I figured that meant you were mad and didn't want to see me,") she said with a frown and her arms crossed.

Now the girl felt horrible. She knew she went after Kara but didn't consider how that made the woman feel. "Hu! E'ja paah fyhdehk du caa oui! E's cunno Vuq." ("No! I've been wanting to see you! I'm sorry Fox.")

The use of the old nickname seemed to have the desired effect as the blonde immediately lit up and gave a cheeky smile, "duu myda du tfamm uh ed huf." ("too late to dwell on it now.")

A large plate of cooked meat finally arrived and was placed in the center of the table; the two hunters looked at each other with greedy smiles. Kara immediately grabbed the top piece then Arianna took a bite for herself.

()

Law charged forward against Shachi and performed a basic downward slash. The medic clumsily blocked it with a sword of his own but the impact caused the weapon to rattle out of his hands. "Grip it tighter," the captain instructed.

Shachi had approached him that morning with an unusual request: teach him how to fight with a sword. Penguin similarly was practicing thrusting a brand new spear. It was a little late for the men to begin learning new forms of combat, but better late than never, and having a wider array of skills will make them safer in the journey. Law's own sword training was initially just, learn to not get stabbed so he was starting there, only with far more care to not actually hurt his pupil. For now though, they were circling around the issue of Shachi trying to get a solid but comfortable grip; the sword would be knocked out of his hands or he was squeezing it too tight that his hands fatigued quickly. While part of it was that he needed to strengthen his grip as a whole, he shouldn't be expending notable energy into just holding the sword. "Don't just hold it! Both of your hands need to be gripping primarily with the three bottom fingers."

"Too light, not enough; this is getting old!" the redhead complained.

Law sheathed his sword and turned away, "don't ask me for help if you're just going to give up after an hour."

"Wait, wait! I'll stop complaining so please don't abandon me Captain," Shachi begged.

He sighed and rubbed one side of his face in irritation. He didn't draw his sword back out but he did turn to his friend again. "Ready stance," he instructed.

Shachi obliged and Law saw his hands strain and jaw clenched as he tried to not grip with too much force. His back was a little hunched and elbows bent. Law walked behind him and used the butt of his sword to press in Shachi's spine between the shoulder blades. "Straighten this, open your chest and straighten your arms. You are not preparing to swing a club, you are preparing to cut with a blade."

The adjustments were made and Law looked at his face again; his jaw was still clenched. "Deep breathe in and exhale out your mouth."

He did and his body relaxed somewhat as a result. Law drew his sword again and slashed at Shachi. He blocked with considerable improvement in his grip. He struck repeatedly and for the first few the man did well, but he somehow lost his grip on the handle and while he didn't drop the weapon, it twisted in an uncontrolled direction. Shachi's face twisted in anger but he held his tongue about verbalizing it and resituated himself. Law could see that he was taking the lesson seriously so he didn't say anything and resumed the attacks.

As they continuously repeated their actions Law was increasing the speed of his attacks and would back off on the speed slightly if he almost or did cut the medic. He did drop his grip another three times but was consistently able to hold it for the most part. Law turned his sword and rested the blunt side against his shoulder, "start doing practice swings."

"Huh? We're not going to keep going with this? I'm still not doing well," Shachi responded confused.

"You're not going to be able to keep up with me, especially not in one day. That was more about giving you the idea of how to block an attack and to teach you how to hold a sword," he stated flatly.

Shachi hung his head in disappointment, "Yeah… Right…"

Law smirked at the man's reaction; it was kind of laughable that Shachi believed he'd be some master swordsman just because he was finally able to hold it properly. "Raise the sword above your head with the grip perpendicular to the top of your head and then swing straight down."

Shachi performed the swing correctly without need for correction, which was a relief. It's so simple Law wouldn't know how to correct stupidity of that magnitude. He then glanced over to his other friend to see how he was fairing since he chose a weapon that the captain couldn't help him with. Penguin sliced downwards and sideways but looked awkward and uncomfortable. *Maybe we should ask around the crew? Connor might have an idea about fighting with a spear.*

The captain pondered the thought while he joined the other man in practice swings. They were simple but the most basic of basic techniques had their purpose and should not be ignored when training. Besides, the swings served as a form of meditation to the man, the repeated use of the movement freed his mind while helping it focus on a single string of thought. He wasn't sure how long they were swinging, but he only stopped when Shachi released a groaning sound. His friend was looking down at his trembling hand, the palm and fingers raw and irritated.

Law laughed darkly as he remembered how painful that felt, the newly forming blisters that made any use of his hands sharp and burning. "You'll get used to it," he reassured him.

"Yeah, I know," Shachi said and he put the sword back in its sheath and then buried his hands in the snow at his feet with a sigh of relief.

The captain looked over at Penguin who was sitting on the ground and playing with the snow now, apparently given up on trying to figure out how to fix what he was doing wrong without something or someone to help him. "We're going to call it a day," he called out to the mechanic.

Penguin picked up his spear and trotted over, "great!"

The three men walked back into town, stretching their sore arms. "Man I can go for a drink!" Shachi said.

"Let's go in here," Law suggested as he pointed to a low key bar that didn't appear particularly crowded.

They nodded and the three men entered the small bar. It appeared to be quiet and local oriented, likely since it was so far from the harbor where travelers and laborers would most likely be. They received uncomfortable looks when they walked across the room and sat in the corner. When they sat Shachi let out a huff, "man my hands hurt. The next few days are going to suck."

"You should keep practicing even as your blisters form, they'll be thicker," Law advised as he stared at a tall, olive-skinned woman who was clearly a waitress attempting to hide by the bar top. She could see that she was spotted and meekly approached the table of pirates.

"Hello, how can I help you today?" she even spoke with the confidence of a rabbit.

Shachi and Penguin apparently opted to try and charm their way through her fear as they smiled brightly to her. "Hello pretty miss! What's your name?" the redhead immediately responded.

"P-Phoibe," she stuttered out, not in a good way either.

"That's lovely! Well Phoibe, I'll have a draft of whatever dark beer you have," Shachi continued to try and force his way through the girls fear.

"You shouldn't drink beer after training like that," Law advised, knowing it would be ignored.

Shachi looked at him then back to the waitress, "make it two."

"I'll have whatever kind of beer he gets but also with some water," Penguin said.

"Same," Law finished.

"You shouldn't have beer after training," Shachi mocked.

Law smirked, "you worked hard, I didn't."

Phoibe rushed away and left the three men alone. "You shouldn't try to force women to like you," Penguin said.

"I'm not forcing it. I'm just going to charm my way into her heart, and arms," Shachi replied with an inappropriate grin.

"That's surprising. She doesn't seem your type," Law said, reclining back a bit.

"We've been at sea long enough that any girl is kind of my type. Also, I haven't had much luck so far on this island. I know Arianna is an awesome fighter but next time you invite a woman to the crew can it be one that will put out?"

Law frowned and glared sharply at the comment, earning an uncomfortable flinch from the other man. The medic was saved from whatever unfortunate comment he almost made by a tray of drinks being placed between the men. He looked up at the dark skinned woman with a relieved smile, "nice timing Phoibe, you might have just saved my life."

She looked at him confused then despite herself, released a giggle, which encouraged the man further. "You don't serve too many travelers since this bar is so far inland right? If you're interested I'd be happy to share some stories about different islands."

The woman shuffled in place and glanced around uncomfortable. "Just tell him no, he gets it a lot," Law said to her.

"Hey!" Shachi yelled loudly, drawing the attention of the entire room. Phoibe took the chance to walk away.

"Why'd you do that?" the medic asked with annoyance.

"Come on, you know she wanted to say no. She was probably just a little too scared to decline a pirate," Penguin pointed out the possibility to his friend.

"That's why I was softening her up first," he reasoned.

"You were failing," Law proclaimed.

"How long are we staying again?" Shachi asked.

"The log post will be setting today so we can leave whenever. I'd like some land time in though."

"Alright! I've got some time then," the medic said excitedly.

"Are we still going to continue with the plan?" Penguin suddenly asked.

Law was a bit surprised by the sudden change in topic, it must have been weighing on the man's mind. "Yeah, I'm figuring out the finer details for the next step though. How do you two feel about Shichibukai status?"

"Uncomfortable," Penguin answered.

"Violated," Shachi added.

"The more I think on the situation, the more it seems like that will have to be our next move. The only way out of it would be to get maps of the New World or multiple eternal log post for specific islands."

"When was the last time anyone has seen a map of that part of the world?" Shachi complained with crossed arms.

"They have to exist though. There's no way everyone that lives out there is sailing blind." Penguin reasoned.

"There's no question that they exist, it's a question of if we'd ever be able to find the ones we need. Having status with the Marines would practically guarantee us a chance to see some," Law explained.

"Any word from that guy?" Shachi asked.

"Yes actually. We spoke the same day we docked on this island. He's going to be delayed on his end but he also warned me that Zoan devil fruits are being collected."

"Should we be worried?" Penguin asked.

"No."

"If you say so, Captain," the other man said confidently. He then lifted his mug to drink but found that it was empty, "crap, I'm out. Let's get some more."

"No, let's go back for the day. We'll drink at the tavern and get something to eat too."

The three men stood from the table and walked out across the room. "Are you going to pay for those?" a voice called from behind the bar.

"No," Law responded as they walked out the door, unconcerned about any consequences.

Penguin looked at him a bit surprised, "you normally do though."

"I didn't bring any money. It's just a few drinks anyways, no point in worrying about it."

They walked back to the tavern that the crew was staying at and were greeted by the smell of meat. Thomas had appeared to take over the kitchen for the building and was freely serving the crew as much food as they wanted while the actual employees were serving alcohol to both pirates and normal customers.

"Alright! Yo Tom-san, give us some food too," Shachi shouted as he ran up to the bar top and looked into kitchen doorway.

Law found Bepo talking to Marcus and Carly so he joined them. When the bear saw him, his face lit up even more, "welcome back Captain!"

"How was your day?" the man asked his friend.

"It was fun! Newt, Koma and I all played in the snow and Tom-san sparred with me, and then I joined Marcus and Carly shopping."

Law genuinely smiled a little at the joy in Bepo but mostly controlled it; he then turned to the pair of siblings, "have you been together all day?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Marcus answered and stretched up, appearing cramped.

Carly took the action as an invitation and huddled into his side, "how could I possibly take time to be separated from Big Brother?"

Marcus was frowning but held in any complaints, he definitely wanted some breathing room away from her but couldn't bring himself to tell her to back off. "You realize we'll be leaving without you at some point?" Law questioned.

Carly answered with a big sigh, "yeah we know. That's why we're going to spend every second we can together!"

Law looked at them and felt a little sorry for Marcus but didn't say anything more on the matter. *If he wants her to give him a break he needs to say it himself.*

Shachi and Penguin both walked up to the booth table and brought chairs so they could sit of the open end. "Captain! We come bearing food!" Shachi announced while Penguin was the one to actually put his plate in front of him. It was some kind of seared steak and unusually green potatoes. Law didn't question it though and the three new entries ate what was a very delicious dinner.

"So, Dr. Trafalgar, what sorts of things have you and your crew been up to?" the girl asked, attempting to sound nonchalant.

"Killing marines," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, well, I figured… I meant anything else? Anything of… Interest?" she tried.

"Nothing worth telling you."

"I'm sure I'll find it interesting," the girl giggled.

Law narrowed his eyes towards the woman attempting to extract information, "I don't know. How interesting do you find murdering children?"

The question caused everyone at the table to drop their utensils and stare with dropped jaws.

Marcus started blinking and spoke with a jittering voice, "Carly, why don't you go get us some drinks?"

"Uh, sure…" she agreed sounding a bit frightened.

"Bring me back some mead," the captain requested as she left.

Marcus looked back at him with glaring eyes, "Captain, what are you talking about?"

"Back at the mangrove. Don't you remember that kid you were looking for? She was a real sociopath and needed to be dealt with," Law explained, though he intentionally left out that he himself never came face to face with the individual in question.

"Oh yeah, her drawings were creepy," Bepo said with lowered ears and a shiver.

Carly returned with a round of drinks and Penguin clapped his hands, "right! On to more interesting topics! Shachi and I officially started our weapon training!"

"Oh? What weapons did you guys settle on?" Bepo questioned.

Shachi grinned excitedly, "I'm having Captain teach me how to use a sword. Penguin wants to use a spear but he sucks with it."

"You aren't exactly going to be beating any children with a couple of days of training yourself," Law interjected.

"Rude!" the red head shouted.

Penguin sighed with a frown, "I wanted a weapon that will allow me to keep a distance but not pull me too far from the fight. I just need to figure out the fundamentals then I'll be taking down everyone in my way!"

Law smirked as he brought his drink to his mouth, "let me know how that goes."

"I won't have to; you'll see it for yourself!" he declared confidently.

"Is there anyone on the crew who could help you with that?" Bepo wondered.

"Connor would be worth an asked," Law offered.

"Ah, good idea," the mechanic immediately rose from his chair and rushed over to his underling to discuss the matter.

While they were turned to watch him leave they saw Arianna enter the tavern, laughing, with the tall blonde from that morning. He didn't know where but Law was certain he had seen that woman before. The two didn't even acknowledge anyone in the room beyond Arianna approaching Thomas for food. While the pirate girl's back was turned the blonde looked directly at Law ran her hand through her hair to brush it all straight back and smiled smugly. Realization fell on him like a brick house. "Shit…" he cursed to himself.

The men all looked at him, Bepo glanced back to the woman and then had a flash of understanding, "oh! Captain isn't that-"

"Quiet," the man interrupted him before he finished. There was no telling if Arianna would hear the bear and that was not something he was keen on her learning.

Rather than approach their table, Arianna smiled to them but the two females opted to sit alone with each other and talk while eating. To Law's shock they were both speaking in the same Tribal language that made eavesdropping impossible. "Hey Ari-chan! You can't just walk in and not introduce us to your beautiful friend," Shachi called, to his captain's utter dismay.

The blonde stood and sauntered over before the pirate girl could even reply. She sat sideways in Penguin's empty chair, which was adjacent to Law, but leaned towards the medic. "I agree, but you know Anna. Sometimes she just wants a person all to herself," her voice was as velvety as it was before. She then turned to face the rest of the table, "Mespu Moha Kara, Kara would be just fine. I'm Anna's older cousin."

"How surprising to meet you," Law claimed, hopping she would pick up the hint and not bring up their interaction at Vertwall.

"Yeah, I thought everyone related to Arianna was out in the New World," Marcus questioned.

"Everyone else, yes. I'm out in Paradise for reasons and she came out to find me."

Arianna sat down in the booth next to Law, causing him to move a little but she still didn't have much room so they were close. "Yeah, I went through all this trouble to find her and she said no to me when I asked for her help."

"I offered to help you in other ways," she vaguely argued. The woman then looked at Carly and smiled but there was something unsettling about the expression. "Ec drec dra pedlr dryd drnaydahat oui drec sunhehk?"

"Don't worry about it," Arianna replied as she picked up Law's glass and sniffed it. "What's this, it's different from what you usually get?" she asked curiously.

"Mead," he answered and for some reason she sipped it. Apparently, she liked it because she drank some more before he took it back from her. "Go get your own."

"What sort of business do you have here?" surprisingly it was Carly that asked with a tone of suspicion.

"Oh, it's nothing a Marine like you needs to worry about little Puppy. I'll be returning to my travels in a few days."

"How did you know?" she staggered her response.

"Wait!? Marcus your sister is a Marine?" Arianna chirped in surprise.

"Yeah, before I joined the crew Carly had made arrangements to go away for the Navy. So, it's not exactly a secret."

Carly put on the sternest face she could probably muster, "Mespu Moha Kara, I would like for you to explain in full detail what you are doing here."

The woman shifted to be more upright in her seat, Law could feel the dangerous shift in the blonde, and Arianna immediately stood and grabbed her arm. "Mad'c ku pylg du aydehk uin tehhan," she spoke with an urgent tone.

"Cina," the blonde replied in their other language then looked at the men. "Excuse us, we'll be going back to our meal. I expect we'll all get to talk again soon." She then focused back on Carly, "especially you."

The threat against the younger girl was not lost on the table but Law refused to respond to it. Rather, he was more focused on the facts, including the fact that a Marine had express interest in the activities of Arianna's cousin.

The remaining girl turned to Marcus, "Big Brother, promise me you'll stay away from those women. They are dangerous, even to you."

"I don't know anything about that Kara woman but Arianna is a good girl. She's an important member of the crew," he argued back.

She turned to Law. "Dr. Trafalgar please tell me you'll listen to reason. They need to be avoided, for the safety of yourself and your crew."

Law narrowed his eyes, "if you want to direct a pirate crew you should consider starting your own. Until then, keep your opinions to yourself."

()

When the girls sat back at their own separate table eating resumed in momentary silence. "Ed'c ehdanacdehk... E'ja paah csammehk cusauha amca uh oui vun y frema. Cu ed'c ouin captain dryd oui'na cmaabehk fedr," ("It's interesting... I've been smelling someone else on you for a while. So it's your captain that you're sleeping with,") Kara broke the silence with the last conversation topic Arianna ever expected.

The brunet looked at her with wide eyes and her mouth pulled tight.

"Hm? Fro dra cemahla?" ("Hm? Why the silence?") she purred with a smug smile.

"Dryd cund uv drehk ec huha uv ouin picehacc," ("That sort of thing is none of your business,") Arianna spoke sternly but was certain she was blushing.

"Lusa uha Fumv. Fa ynah'd fedr dra Vysemo, hu haat du paryja po draen cdyhtyntc." ("Come one Wolf. We aren't with the Family, no need to behave by their standards.")

The girl puffed her cheeks and looked away. She was not talking about her relationship, not that it deterred her cousin. "Yd maycd oui ryja kuut dycdac. E fuimt muja du ryja res ymm du socamv ykyeh." ("At least you have good tastes. I would love to have him all to myself again.")

Arianna immediately became confused and stared at her blankly.

"Vnus dra fyo ra cbuga du sa ra bnupypmo tuach'd fyhd oui du ghuf pid, fa ryt y nih eh fedr aylr udran yd Vertwall," ("From the way he spoke to me he probably doesn't want you to know but, we had a run in with each other at Vertwall,") Kara was smirking mischievously as she spoke.

"Fryd tet oui tu?" ("What did you do?") she hesitantly questioned.

The taller woman grinned, "ra nalebnulydat frah E cikkacdat fa vilg. Ev oui fyhd E lyh keja oui y bmyo-po-bmyo." ("he reciprocated when I suggested we fuck. If you want I can give you a play-by-play.")

Arianna started to helplessly stammer, her hands twitching in the air as if they wanted to do something.

Kara used that empty response as a chance to speak again. "Famm vencd E ybbnuylrat res yd y bar yht drah-" ("Well first I approached him at a bar and then-")

In order to stop her from continuing Arianna shoved a whole potato in her mouth. "E tuh'd fyhd du rayn yhodrehk ypuid dryd!" ("I don't want to hear anything about that!") she shouted at her.

Kara chewed the potato while laughing at Arianna. The girl looked back down to her dinner and shuffled some of it around her plate in irritation. She knew Law had a history with women, apparently she's even heard him discussing her own cousin with his friends, but it never occurred to her that she would be face-to-face with one of those women. She really wasn't sure how to feel about it. Law was exclusively with her currently. He never explicitly said it but she sees him daily and hasn't smelled other women on him. *Wait! This is the first island we've been on since getting together! What if he does goes to another female?!*

Arianna was pulled from her worries by a hand patting the top of her head. "Tuh'd funno. E fuh'd tu yhodrehk ra tuach'd yknaa du," ("Don't worry. I won't do anything he doesn't agree to,") the woman reassured.

"E tuh'd ghuf dryd dryd sygac sa vaam paddan," ("I don't know that that makes me feel better,") she mumbled.

"Fro? Oui tuh'd dnicd res?" ("Why? You don't trust him?")

Arianna was refused to respond.

Kara rested her cheek into her hand and leaned on the table while she spoke, "Clnaf culeym nimac. Oui'ja ymnayto ytseddat du ouin syda cu zicd dymg." ("Screw social rules. You've already admitted to your mate so just talk.")

Arianna groaned, "Veha..." ("Fine…") then sighed. "E tu pid E tuh'd ghuf ruf muhk ra'mm ryhtmac hud..." ("I do but I don't know how long he'll handle not...")

Kara lifted her head with a surprised expression. "Fyed! Yna oui dammehk sa oui cdemm ryjah'd ryt caq?" ("Wait! Are you telling me you still haven't had sex?")

Arianna became worked up now and started shaking her fists up and down. "Oui cyo dryd mega ed'c fnuhk! Oui'na dra faent uha vun ryjehk tuha ed fedr y cdnyhkan ev oui ycg sa!" ("You say that like it's wrong! You're the weird one for having done it with a stranger if you ask me!")

Kara frowned as if disinterested and looked away. "Ed'c hud so vyimd oui cdemm meja po druca yhdexiydat nimac." ("It's not my fault you still live by those antiquated rules.")

"Drao ynah'd yhdexiydat." ("They aren't antiquated.")

"Frydajan. Mad'c dymg fung. Ryja oui yldiymmo syta yho bnuknacc cehla mayjehk dra Vysemo un ryja oui paah fycdehk ymm ouin desa muugehk vun sa?" ("Whatever. Let's talk work. Have you actually made any progress since leaving the Family or have you been wasting all your time looking for me?")

"E'ja gemmat y vaf ryhtvimc pid cehla dra Naybanc yna hajan eh csymm knuibc ajano desa E dneat du yddylg dras E fuimt ryja du nadnayd yvdan uhmo gemmehk y vaf. Nalahdmo druikr E gemmat uha uv draen dunsahdunc yht ajah vuiht uha uv draen muk books." ("I've killed a few handfuls but since the Reapers are never in small groups every time I tried to attack them I would have to retreat after only killing a few. Recently though I killed one of their tormentors and even found one of their log books.")

"Nalahdmo? Drana fyc uha eh Paradise?" ("Recently? There was one in Paradise?")

"Oayr, cusadrehk ypuid y bihecrsahd. E vuiht ran ymuha uh cusa faent syhknuja vunacd eh dra settma uv dra ulayh. Cra fyc zicd y get pid ryt draca lnaabo cbetan bufanc vnus y Paycd Vnied." ("Yeah, something about a punishment. I found her alone on some weird mangrove forest in the middle of the ocean. She was just a kid but had these creepy spider powers from a Beast Fruit.")

Kara stared at her without saying anything but Arianna could see that she was thinking about something. "Fryd?" ("What?")

"Ur hudrehk. Ed'c zicd vihho du rayn Devil Fruits lymmat Paycd Vnied ykyeh. Ed'c paah yfrema." ("Oh nothing. It's just funny to hear Devil Fruits called Beast Fruit again. It's been awhile.")

"Oayr, cysa rana. Paycd Vnied, Hydina Vnied, Sykel Vnied... Dra Funmtan hysac syga hu cahca du sa." ("Yeah, same here. Beast Fruit, Nature Fruit, Magic Fruit... The Worlder names make no sense to me.")

Kara chuckled, "Zoan Logia, yht Paramecia. Tuh'd vunkad ypuid Kenbunshoku, Busoshoku, and Haoshoku Haki." ("Zoan, Logia, yht Paramecia. Don't forget about Kenbunshoku, Busoshoku, and Haoshoku Haki.")

Arianna groaned, "amm druca funtc keja sa y raytylra." ("all those words give me a headache.")

"Mecdah, E ryja cusadrehk E haat du dyga lyna uv duhekrd cu E cruimt ku. Saad rana dusunnuf sunhehk?" ("Listen, I have something I need to take care of tonight so I should go. Meet here tomorrow morning?")

"Cusadrehk du tu? E druikrd fa fana kuehk du veht ouin dynkad dusunnuf?" ("Something to do? I thought we were going to find your target tomorrow?") Arianna wondered, her head tilted slightly.

"Fa yna. Drec ec cusadrehk amca dryd lysa ib ihaqbaldatmo pid E vekinat E'mm dyga lyna uv ed yvdan fa ryt uin desa." ("We are. This is something else that came up unexpectedly but I figured I'll take care of it after we had our time.") She stood up and gave the girl a tight hug, "Kuuthekrd so meddma Pamujat Fumv." ("Goodnight my little Beloved Wolf.")

"Kuuthekrd Vuq," ("Goodnight Fox,") she called back. With her cousin gone Arianna swiftly finished her dinner and went to the bar to return the plates but also ordered mead for herself. She never had it before and liked how it was sweet like honey. She stood at the counter and sipped while debating what she should do now. She somewhat wanted to go to bed but had every intention of sleeping in Law and Bepo's room again. Had… Now she wasn't sure. *Law and Kara. Law and Kara… Stupid Kara, why'd you have to tell me about that!*

She growled and slapped her own cheeks to help her mind move forward. *No, Law is Law! He wouldn't hurt me. That was then, this is now.* She then thought about Kara's comment about doing only as much as Law "wanted" and it infuriated her. Not trusting herself to not say anything too obvious in front of Marcus, Shachi and now Penguin, who to her knowledge were unaware of the couple, she went upstairs. She needed to relax her frazzled nerves so she decided to go to the shower room at the end of the hall. The room had a row of showers similar to the ship, though these had curtains to separate each space. There wasn't anyone else there, probably since the bathrooms were separated for men and women and the crew took over the tavern.

The hot water did help her relax and the released tension reminded her that she strained her muscles when she helped carry that bear for over an hour. When she finished she stepped out and was surprised to see Law walking towards the showers himself. She peeked behind him and saw that no one else was there. "Hey," she called out.

"Oh, this is where you went," he said.

"Sorry about Kara. I don't think she likes Carly."

"Yeah I think everyone picked up on that."

Arianna chuckled awkwardly, "sorry."

"While I disagree with most things that girl says, she isn't wrong about one thing. Your cousin is definitely dangerous."

She gave him her isn't it obvious look, "well yeah. She's from the same Family as I am. I told you we were meant to act as protectors." She paused and looked at him curiously. "Does she bother you?"

He frowned, "there are too many people here that have unclear motives. I don't like that."

"Oh, well I know why she's here. She's tracking down someone on the island to kill them. I don't know much about it, just that he stole something. I'm actually going to help her with it tomorrow."

He somewhat lightly knocked her on her forehead. "Don't let yourself get dragged into someone else's problems."

"Sorry, but she's Family. If she needs help I'll help her; just like I'd do for anyone on the crew."

"Fine, don't listen to me," he growled annoyed. He started to walk past her and she checked behind her again, still no one around; so she jumped on Law's back and bit hard on the crook of his neck. He yelled, startled, but she let go before he could do anything about her. The man was openly pissed when he turned back to her. "What was that for?!"

"It's to keep Kara away. She gave up our traditions but I don't think even she would flirt with someone marked," she informed.

"You say marked like I'm territory," he grumbled in disbelief.

She just blinked in response with a sly smile. He wasn't exactly wrong. "So am I sleeping in your room again tonight?"

"Can't you at least try and lie?" he complained.

She shrugged, "I guess but I wouldn't be any good."

"No but I'd at least get some entertainment," he smirked as he spoke.

Arianna couldn't help but puff out her cheeks, he wanted to poke fun at her. "Sorry I can't lie as easily as you. You were even able to pretend to meet someone that you've already... met…"

His expression crumpled, "why did she tell you?"

"Because she could smell you on me and thought it would be funny."

Law narrowed his eyes on her face and she stared back. "Why can't I tell if you're upset or not?" he asked.

"I'm trying not to be since it was before we got together," she admitted with a grumble.

"That's surprisingly mature of you," he teased.

She stomped and rehuffed her cheeks, "I'm very mature!"

"Sure you are puffer fish," he poked her ballooned cheeks as he commented.

She stepped back and shook her head like a wet dog, making her damp hair slap around.

"As long as you dry your hair completely you can sleep wherever you want," the man told her and held up his key. She took it then he finally entered the bathroom that was his original destination.

The girl rubbed her hair some more with her towel and trotted off to his room.

()

Carly exited the tavern that her brother and crewmates were staying at when he said that he wanted to call it a night. She wrapped her arms around her body and huddled down on herself in the cold. The streets now had few people out and about so she could only hear muffled chatter from inside buildings. She had to return to the ship to check preparations for the upcoming operation and inform her superior officer that she scouted the perfect location while our "shopping" with her brother. She also had to report the appearance Kara to HQ. That woman had been making subtle appearances throughout Paradise so the Navy was trying to keep track of her but her activities did not show a singular motive or goal. She seemed to doing numerous things.

The closer to the docks that she came the sparser the people became. In fact, there was no one left but her and the nearly full moon for the past few blocks. Despite that, she still felt like there was someone else near her. She stopped walking and quickly drew the two heavy metal batons that were hidden beneath her coat.

"Now, now no need for that," a velvety voice said from behind, where she was originally facing.

Carly quickly turned and saw that Kara was a mere meter and a half behind her, eating a red double stick popsicle. The Marine wasn't going to let the woman's relaxed demeanor fool her and stayed on guard.

She licked a bare stick like it was more interesting than the girl before her. "…Like I said no need for that; I'm just here to talk."

"About what?" Carly cautiously asked.

"You threatened my Beloved cousin today." She only now looked at the girl she had stalked, her eyes sharp and predatory. "I'm here to tell you that if I hear of you doing that again I will remove your head from your body and wear it on my hand like a puppet to force your face to apologize to her."

Carly started trembling at the threat, feeling certain it was not empty, but tried to hide it. "Are you sure that's a good idea? My brother said your cousin is a good girl, I doubt she'd actually appreciate that."

The woman shrugged, "perhaps not, but the correct response to things is not always a kind one." She started rubbing the fingers of her free hand together and Carly saw that they were coated in red.

"What have you done?"

"Oh this?" she looked at her hand and then started shaking it, causing the red to splatter away in flecks. "I had someone else that needed to learn why you shouldn't be mean to my Family."

Carly wasn't sure how to respond to the statement. Instead she ran. Arianna had mentioned needing to make a fool of someone at a meat storage building. There was one nearby and was probably the mentioned place. She sprinted as quickly as her legs would take her until she found a building that mentioned meat packaging and storage. The factory doors were almost closed. One door was opened just enough to be suspicious. She approached it quietly and looked inside, there was a rhythmic metal squeaking. She called inside, "is anyone in here?"

Nothing but the squeaking responded to her.

"My name is Lieutenant Junior Grade Chorda Carly, I'm a Marine. If someone is there I oblige you to answer."

Still nothing but metal squeaks so she opened the door all the way to allow more light in. It was still dark but she was able to see a switch panel and flipped it, flooding the room with light. Hanging from the meat hooks was a horror scene that Carly couldn't have dreamed up in her worst nightmare. Still dripping, large strips of red tissue filled the room. Some of the strips were identifiable as human limbs and in the center of the room was a head, the eyes still glistening with moisture. Not a single body part, head included, had any skin. She turned and vomited on the floor. Once she no longer could, Carly lifted her head to escape the room and saw that the missing hair and skin was nailed to the inside of the still closed door in a single piece. The man had been skinned then cut up as if he was some animal.

Carly couldn't hold it in anymore. She opened her mouth to scream but her vision faded and she instead fainted.

So, what do you guys think of Kara? It took a while but she finally reentered the story. It's kind of fun to take advantage of the mature rating again, let me know what you guys think!

Yay Comments! (´｡•ω •｡`):

SabosFlame: As you can see I've made the suggested changes :) Law getting calls was not in One Piece, it's based off a theory that I'm totally sold on about him. If the theory proves false I want to make appropriate changes, so for the meantime I'm going to keep his contact vague. Law and Arianna just goofing around is fun to write. What's really nice too is when I messaged you about rewriting the chapter multiple times it was because that chapter had iterations that had them arguing, or fighting, or simply ignoring each other. Then I kind of said, why the heck do they need the extra drama right now, let's give them a fun day! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter too :)

Sarge1130: That almost wasn't a happy chapter but I'm glad I made that final rewrite for it. Arianna is trying to read, but she doesn't want to so it's difficult to get the hang of. She can't always just go, "oh, the forest it that way!" especially when there is such a dense city and hundreds of people in between. It's kind of like trying to listen to a radio five rooms away with every one of those rooms having a TV on with the volume at full. Tall buildings will also block out the sight of trees in the distance. At the moment Bepo really is the only crew member that knows, everyone else kind of thinks of their relationship as "Law is Arianna's favorite" since he never treats her as anything more than a friend (at best) when they are around.

Deelel: Here you go