piratejournal | [Voice/Action to the Penguin]

Entry tags:

liz sherman

[Voice/Action to the Penguin]

[Upon the Penguin a young girl woke up. Liz Sherman is 11, long brownish hair, a scar on her forehead and swimming in her over sized clothing she woke up in. She spent all of 20 minutes pressed against a wall of the boat staring at sea for miles.]

[She was at sea.]

[HOW? Tucking herself down against the wall and beside a barrel, she shook, hearing people talk out of the little book she had in a pocket. carefully opening it, she wondered if this was a dream]

H-hello? Is anyone out there? I... I don’t think this is... where I should be.

I was at Project 66 foster care? I... I don’t remember leaving.

What’s going on? [she took a careful breath, trying to stay calm. She knew she had to stay calm.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Coby was humming, having prepared a kettle of tea with cookies for the other members of the crew.

He had finally relaxed over Maribelle, while he was unaware of Kuzan and Liz.]

Everyone! I've made some tea if you'd like it!

[He had no idea that soon, that very same day, he would be dead.]

[Smoker had managed to calm her down a lot, as well as Kuzan, and Maribelle had managed to get her head on more that this wasn't a dream, but she was still unsure on all this. She didn't even run away from the Home this time. None of this was right.]

[And then there was someone calling about tea? The 11 year old peeked out of the dark corner she had found herself to hide in and went looking for the one that called out about tea.]

[Finding him was easy enough. Pink haired guy working over a kettle. She didn't say anything at first, just stood there near by, keeping her journal tight in her hands (it's slightly burnt looking) and watching him work. Her back to a wall]

[Coby didn't think much of the madness going around him. Smoker was small, Kuzan was small, Liz was small, Maribelle was small--it was all enough to remind him that he was a responsible adult in the middle of a whole lot of people with various issues.

That was even before the weird de-aging thing. After he set down the tea, Coby pulled out his notebook and went about the process of checking the sails and riggings, making marks in the book as usual. He didn't have any tea for himself, since that was a treat and he couldn't have treats until he was done working--OBVIOUSLY.]

[She followed, trying to keep hidden, invisible. She always tried to be invisible around others if she could help it, but... he had her curious.]]

[So skipping the treat was it. No tea, no cookies. Nothing like that. Smoker said this was a safe place, and she was apart of the crew. That seemed... weird to her but... but it was better then the home, right?]

[Trying to shadow him a bit, she came up to him, reaching a hand out to tap at his arm as he wrote something. She hesitated at first, but then tapped twice, swiftly drawing her hand back, as if worried she'd burn him.]

You're... um, not having anything? [the tea she means. She watched him set it up and walk off]

[Coby could have heard Liz step on a thread a quarter mile away, so hearing her tip-toe wasn't too much of a feat in comparison. Though, he didn't expect her to reach out and tap him, so he looked a little surprised when he turned to face her, though it didn't keep him from smiling.]

Oh. Liz? [He turned back to the ropes to properly secure them before he answered. Something about not wanting to get the skin ripped off of his palms or something.]

No, not yet. It's better to earn your breaks.

[she stood back a bit, to stay out of his way, watching him work. Holding the hand that tapped his arm close to her chest she looked a bit worried, but was glad to see him smile none the less.]

[It was odd being around people who didn't have a problem with her.] Coby, right? [Pink haired boy. She'd even seen someone with hair as pink as his. How do you even dye it that pink?]

[She moved to look at the barrel of tar, making a face at it, and looked at the rigging and just.... what ever he was doing, because she was curious. He had to earn his breaks? How weird.]

Can I ask you a question? [it was really important...]

[Coby let out a relaxed breath as his eyes finished trailing the lines. The sails kept still and the wind tugged at them just as it was all secure. He always looked a little nervous, but at times Coby could be absolutely certain of himself.]

Sorry, I had to keep my eyes on the lines for a moment. [When he was done, Coby closed his fists and set them behind his back--not out of worry for Liz, but out of habit. The fronts of his hands were covered in tar, after all, and she didn't need to get covered in it if he decided to pat her head or anything.]

What did you want to ask?

[She just watched him for a bit, watched how he worked or how he hid his hands when he spoke to her. She drew back a bit, both hands etching the journal tightly. She wasn't letting it go any time soon. A security blanket of sorts.]

[But she got a little half frown as he asked what she wanted to ask. Like she was trying to consider how to ask it. It was a serious question, right? Had to be, for how she considered putting it. Then...]

Why's your hair so pink? Did you dye it like that? [She blinked Then drew the book and her hands up to cover half her face, hiding her mouth and nose, realizing that was a kind of rude question, so she followed it up with] Not that it's bad. It's a nice color...

You know, I get asked that a lot on these seas. [Not nearly as kindly. Some people thought he was a devil and the rest just sort of gawked. Other children pointed and yelled and called him evil. He was technically a ginger, but didn't really notice, himself.]

I imagine you come from a place where people don't have hair colors like mine. It's not entirely unnatural, but it's definitely rare where I come from. [It wasn't as bad as green. At least he wasn't Zoro, thought Coby.]

But, I don't mind if you think it's weird. I've only recently gotten to like it, really. [If anything, he smiled a bit wider because he could tell Liz was feeling good enough to ask frank things.]

[She didn't mean it as an insult or anything. Her hand covered her mouth still, even as he said he got asked it a lot. But he seemed okay with her asking? Even answered her question.]

[And it's not dyed? That's normal? Her eyes were a bit wide at that. Her mom would have had a fit.] R-really? [and he was smiling too? So she smiled, behind her hand. Yes, a bit more frank right now. As a kid she was a bit more blunt with people, once in a while. At proper age she wouldn't have asked. Or might have asked in a different way.]

I don't think it's weird. I think it's really cool. I saw a girl with blue hair once and always wanted hair like that. [after saying something stupid like that she bit the side of her finger of the hand covering her mouth.]

[Coby couldn't feel even a little bit self conscious. Coby's weaker points had always been his previous self's cowardice and hesitation. As he was getting rid of those two things, he felt much better about himself.]

I'm sure someone around could show you how to dye your hair if you wanted. [He smiled, laughing just a little bit at that as he began to clean his hands with a rag.]

But, if you go back to how old you were, I think you might be angry with me if I let you do that.

[Funny how older Liz used to Dye her hair anyhow, so it won't be a problem, but hell if he, or even she right now, knew it.]

Oh... [long pause and she frowned, drawing back a bit] So... I grew up mean? [a small nod, like she had a feeling she might. It’s hard to believe these guys know her older though, but why would they like her if she was mean. Still, her fires must be her sins so... yeah.] Sorry...

Of course not. You're rather polite, if not a touch sarcastic, actually. [He admitted it readily, though he wasn't sure if Liz would remember him saying that at all--]

I think you look fine. Either way, hair dye is something you can't take back easily. You might like having that hair color for awhile, but what if you don't like it later?

[Oh, that made her smile. Just a bit. this guy was really nice, or so it seemed.]

Sarcastic is alright, I suppose. Better than being a demon. [how ironic that statement will be to her when shes older...]

If I don’t like it, I’d cut it off and let it grow out. [There’s that older Liz attitude alive in the small Liz]

I wouldn't say that at all. People use the word 'demon' pretty freely when they're scared of someone, but-- [The best example he could have thought of was Garp.]

My teacher used to be called a demon. He was notorious for being cruel and inhuman to pirates who fought and hurt innocent people, but everyone else thought of him as a great man. He might have been a real demon for all we knew, because he was so strong it was nearly impossible, but eventually, he became a real Hero of the Marines. It was because he always tried to do good things for people and help out.

I think that word's just something you use when you're scared. Even if someone's got horns and a tail, it doesn't mean they're bad. You've just got to wait for someone to prove you wrong.

[You're no doubt the reason she doesn't burn down this ship as a kid. Seriously. Liz kind of looked up at him as if she couldn't believe him. Like it wasn't something she heard before. If she'd grown up hearing stuff like this she might not have been such a runaway and Gothic loner. Go figure.]

[Also, you know how sometimes it's good fir a kid to have someone to look up to? She was currently seeing Coby in that light.]

You really know a lot of interesting people, huh? Your teacher never scared you? [she moved to lean in a bit, still keeping back, but trying to watch his face, to make sure he wasn't fibbing when he talked.] Like... he was scary to some people, but was actually good? You can be... um, a demon and still liked?

[She was pressing on this, a bit, because this was important, okay?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Voice/Action to the Penguin]

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;

Action;