A Shell, Might Break

Fia walked into the square dance, after not talking to Ren much lately she reverted back to her old self. She was back to the closed swordsman type, she wasn't a type of swordsman that acted evil or all serious but she was the quiet shy type. She entered the barn, she looked around immediately feeling out of place, she stayed close to the wall slipping along the edges managing to sneak into a dark corner near Ren. She didn't know if she'd been noticed but she didn't know why she had come, she guessed Ren's charming personality won her over. She didn't want to back out on Ren seeing he was after all the closest thing she had to a friend of late.

She sat down on a bale of hay wondering why she felt out of place. She tried to play it cool but it was kinda odd to not be around partying pirates and be around normal relationship obsessed people. She sighed wanting to leave because she knew no one and Ren probably was too busy. Or so she reasoned with herself.

She smiled lightly upon seeing him, her upsetness starting to ease. His friendly face and golden eyes seemed to put her at ease kinda like his handling of horses. She looked up her eyes lightening somewhat, "Hey, how's your calling going?" She said trying to seem friendly even though she felt extremely out of place. Valentine's day was never celebrated on her ship, in fact she didn't even realize it existed until he told her about the hoedown.

She smiled at his goggles, she couldn't help but think his constant wearing them was cute and sweet.

"Not quite the same as pirates, huh?"

"Definately not, pirates kinda are carefree. This seems to be more of a couple fest then a hoedown." She was oddly wearing a more girlish outfit, it wasn't terribly denying the swordsman part it was just a bit more of a woman swordsman look. Her cullottes seemed more girlish but the two sayas remained fastened on, her bandanna on in a more seemingly girlish fashion yet still left minimal eye exposure making her seem serious yet still girlish. One of her roomates managed to talk her into trying to look a bit more girlish for this one night. Her shirt fit her form revealing she wasn't a flat chested man but a figured girl it wasn't tight though. If fit modestly it fit into a sporty girlish look. She didn't know why she let the girls talk her into it, she figured if only to make them be quiet she'd do it.

"I guess I look rather ridiculious, the girls talked me into trying a new look. I truly believe it denys the inner swordsman, but they wouldn't leave me alone so I decided I'd let them make a few changes though it probably looks stupid." She said thinking outloud, she totally wasn't a girlish clothing person because she felt men lost respect for women if they looked like women.

"Well, I don't respect you any less, and quite frankly, you look,"

She looked at him, his eyes were so much like gold. She felt a bit uncomfortable in what she wore, but his eyes seemed so soothing even if it seemed stupid. It felt like everything would be alright when she was with him, she somehow felt he'd protect her. Wait!!! I don't need protection! She thought in her head pushing any such thought out of her head. She didn't know why her mind kept insisting to put stupid thoughts in her mind which were far from the truth.

"really nice tonite, regardless."

She would've normally hit him, but seeing she didn't feel that comfortable with all the people she didn't want to lose his company quite yet. She just let the comment be more unoticed, she looked at him. "So your used to things like this?" She asked about the whole celebration or whatever this was. She never dealt with things like this before.

It would be to his surprise that she ignored his comment so she wouldn't have to hit him. She didn't want her only friend to leave her alone in this weird party. She looked at him wishing he didn't have to do too much calling seeing he was the only person she really knew.

"It's not my favourite thing in the world, I prefer to call at small get-togethers, but I guess, compared to you, yeah, I have a lot of experiance in this."

She smiled lightly, "I guess that's why you seem so comfortable." She said amazed at how he could keep so calm about everything. She looked across the crowd noticing a man who seemed to stick out to her, she wondered where she knew him from. She shrugged it off and looked back to Ren.

"I'll be back in a little bit."

She nodded lightly watching him go off to the stand, she wondered if he ever lost his cheeriness. He seemed so sweet and cheery like breeze off the Sakura filled island of Gia she saw once. She smiled lightly feeling that the evening wouldn't be too bad.

"Hey y'all, now I've been noticin' that y'all are slackin' off. Ya gotta pay close attention, yeah?"

She chuckled at his accent, he never talked in real life that accented. She shook her head a giggle coming from her lips, just as the man came up to her from behind. "Well well well, Fia Areli, been a while no?" Fia turned hearing his voice she put who he was together. His gaze and her's met, "You scumbag! You dared show up here..." He smirked, "It's only fair after all to take your adopted father's head and now come to tell you that I'll be soon taking your own." He said pulling a skull out of a bag, "Reckonize dear old dad?"

Her eyes widened with shock, she stared in disbelief at Captain Rutherford Ace's skull. She saw his broken jaw from where the scumbag hit him, it was only the bones. But the heartlessness and the shock and the whole situation sent her darting out the door tears welling in her eyes. She made a low cussing sound as she ran out the door into the darkness outside tears falling onto her cheeks. She had secretly hoped the Captain was still alive and now...

The man in a farmer's outfit put the skull back in his bag, the man was about 25 and had a sporty look. He smirked in a cocky way, he had made Fia Areli run away. This was something he was proud of.

The man looked at Ren, "Why? I've done nothing wrong." He said in a cocky 'I'm the man get out of my way' voice. He was taller than Ren, not by feet but by inches. "You really think you can force me out of here?" He said in a boasting voice almost like when Goliath boasted at David all assured that the kid could do nothing to him.

Fia ran through the forest, the ocean was too far away to reach a good view of it. She soon found herself at the lake, she sat in a bench tears coming down her cheeks. "Captain... Ace..." She cried bringing her knees up onto the bench. She rested her head on them pulling her legs close she burried her face in her lap. She couldn't take her mind off of Captain, her tears fell more fierce. She had thought he was alive and now she knew he was dead and disrespected by that cad.