~R~

As always, no one really bothered to look my way as I stepped into the seedy diner. Well that was just fine. I don't want to draw attention to myself. At least not today. I was too hungry to be a smart ass towards the overconfident pirates and bandits that usually hung around places like this.

The lighting in the room was perfect. It was just dim enough that shadows collected at certain corners of the establishment. Most of those corners were already taken up by loners who wanted to stay invisible to the more rowdy characters who were busy getting wasted. I would be one of those loners tonight, and I found a shadow to hide in at the bar. I could swear my stomach was growling loud enough for the whole town to hear, but since no one commented, I decided the thought was silly.

"Ya got money on you, little lady?" The bartender asked. I could easily tell he was a no-nonsense type of guy who wouldn't hesitate to throw someone out if they weren't a paying customer.

"Yeah, I got money. Now get me one of everything on the menu." I replied tartly. Hunger made me a little demanding, to say the least.

The guy quirked an eyebrow, eying my small figure. But instead of commenting, he shrugged his shoulders. "You got it."

The wait seemed agonizingly long when I felt like I hadn't eaten in a week. The truth is I ate this morning, but had nothing since. I know, it seems weird that I would say I'm starving when I had, in fact, eaten today, but my metabolism is so high that I swear I can lose weight in my sleep.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally got to quell the growling beast that was my stomach. I know I didn't want to draw much attention, but when a skinny, 5'4" girl started eating enough food to feed at least six large families, there will definitely be a few whispers aimed at her. I don't care though. The only thing on my mind was the food.

The bartender was obviously a little shocked to see a girl of my stature to eat so much. He was watching me with both eyebrows raised, absently wiping down a beer mug in his hand. But of course, his fascination didn't go very far. "I hope you can pay for all that..."

I only managed a grunt of acknowledgement.

I didn't notice when someone sat about two seats away.

~A~

I took seat in the diner I finally found, and man was I hungry. I looked over at the whippet-thin girl who seemed to be having a feast. Well, it wasn't so much her I was looking at. My mouth watered at the sight and scent of the delicious looking food she was wolfing down.

"...Oi, can I get some of that?" I asked the bartender.

"All of it?" His eye's widened. What was with these people asking for a ton of food today?

"Yes, please." I replied, grinning sheepishly when I saw the look on his face.

The man shook his head in disbelief. "Alright..." He sighed.

After waiting a little while, I dug into the food I was served. "Thanks a lot!" I said in between mouthfuls.

"Yeah, yeah, as long as you pay for it." The bartender said.

Next to me, the girl had finished her feasting and leaned back her seat, rubbing her stomach with a blissful smile. She started picking her teeth with a left over bone. "That hits the spot..." she murmured to herself. She looked over at me, with a blank face, and just studied me.

I looked over at her, chewing a mouthful of meat. We just blankly stared at each other for a moment in silence.

Suddenly she flashed me a toothy smile and a thumbs up. "Good choice with the food!" she said. I managed a smile and returned her thumbs up. She then turned to the bartender and paid for her meal. "Thanks for the food, man!" she said heartily She stretched and exited the diner without a second glance at me.

~...~

"Hey, bastard! Get back here and pay for your meal!" The shouts behind me only spurred be to keep running. I was grinning like an idiot, sure, but I don't care. Its always fun to dine-and-dash.

It is, however, not fun to run into people because you're not paying attention.

I fell backwards, and grunted when I hit the ground. I looked up and saw the girl from before sitting up and rubbing her lower back.

"Watch where you're going, won't you?" she said. Her tone was lighthearted, which I was glad for. She wasn't mad at me, at least.

"I'm really sorry!" I replied sheepishly. I hurriedly got to my feet and extended my hand.

The girl smiled and accepted the help to stand up. "What were you running from?" she asked.

"Well-"

"Hey, stop him! He's a thief!" The bartender was still after me, it seemed.

The girl laughed. "I see. Well, let's run!" She lightly pushed the back of my shoulder to get me moving, and then ran alongside me.

"How come you're coming along? He's not after you." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but you need to make it up to me for knocking me down." she replied. "I can't make you do that if you go running off without me." she added with a playful smile.

"Fair enough!" I said grinning.

Surprisingly, she seemed to have very little trouble keeping up with me. We easily gave our pursuer the slip. I took the moment of peace to more closely examine the girl in my company.

She was super thin despite how much she was able to eat. She has shiny white hair that was cut into a short bob with side-swept bangs. She has dark blue eyes that, to me, seemed as deep as the sea. I was like her eyes could tell me what she was thinking or feeling. She was fairly light skinned, which made me wonder; she seemed like the type who liked to stay outdoors, but it appeared she didn't get sunburned.

She was wearing a tight, faded, pink tee-shirt and frayed denim shorts, along with a pair of combat boots that looked like they were beginning to wear out. Her clothes weren't ratty or anything, but it was clear that it had been a while since she got herself something new.

The girl wasn't drop dead gorgeous or anything, and she wasn't greatly gifted with curves, but she had just enough to be considered fairly attractive. Well at least, I think she's pretty cute. To hell with what anyone else might think.

"So what's your name?" I heard her ask.

~R~

"Me? My name is Portgas D. Ace. It's a pleasure to meet you." The boy said with friendly smile. The childish freckles made him seem like the kind of person who was easy to get along with.

I smiled back. His name rang a bell, but I couldn't quite place it. "I'm Rory. The pleasure's all mine!" I said.