002 ♦ Written

[diamondlight]

I think it goes without saying, but Scurvey Dog wasn't kidding about the natives having serious problems with us if we hadn't left in time. Perhaps pitchforks were a little bit of an exaggeration for the moment, but I'm getting a lot of glares from everyone. If I'm here much longer, I'm afraid there might be blood - he wasn't kidding that they're on edge about their missing person. I'm going to finish gathering supplies and keep a low profile until I can get off this island. If there's anyone left on Isla Empieza, I advise you do the same - they might not be so kind to anyone that looks like they could take some abuse.

Mana, do we have a plan yet? The clock's ticking, and fast.

Comments

[diamondlight]

[Her voice is tense - she doesn't want to be here either.]

I know... I know, but...!

[allendsmeat]

. . . [a faint shift and his voice goes down a bit]

I get that it's hard and you don't want to make the wrong choice. But if you're going to be on the sea, sometimes you have to make a choice in an instant. If it's the wrong choice, make another, but if you stay undecided, you're definitely going to die one way or another.

[diamondlight]

[Her breath catches. She... hadn't even thought about that. If this happened now... would they be okay later on, when things got bad and they had to figure out what to do in a split second?]

I... y-you're right. We... we can't hesitate. This isn't something where we can do research and hope everything turns out okay. We've got to take the initiative... we have to be ready.

I'm sorry, when you say it like that it sounds like we missed something... very basic.

[allendsmeat]

It's okay. You didn't want to start out on the sea right? It's something people don't always understand. You can research when you're in a safe place. Or maybe just explore and go on an adventure...[because the sea could be a lot of fun, too]

By the way, I'm Luffy. [because another important part about being on the sea was knowing people and making connections.]

[diamondlight]

I don't understand it. But I'll do my best. If I'm going to have to be a sailor to survive here, I want to do it right. And maybe it won't be so bad, once I get used to it. Um... thanks. I think I needed that.

I'm Rikka. Nice to meet you, Luffy.

[allendsmeat]

You too, Rikka. [and he starts to sound kind of quietly cheerful]

It's pretty hard sometimes, but if you can live through that, the sea is a great place! You always see something new and you can have all kinds of adventures! And even if there aren't adventures, you can see cool things like dolphins. Some ran with our ship for a while and it was pretty great.