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SHANKS

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[redforce]

( ah. there it is. shanks had sort of hoped, perhaps selfishly, that that would have worked itself out. he looks a bit guilty for it, his face falling slightly. )

You mean the Village. ( he's assuming, of course, that whoever told luffy about it also mentioned that shanks was there with them. it would be an odd detail to leave out. his brow knits for a moment as he considers how to approach this, what to say next. how would he feel were he in luffy's position? he reaches out to set his hand on luffy's shoulder briefly, a familiar weight. ) You couldn't have known, Luffy. Places like these ... they operate differently. I once heard a legend of a demon who could trap the living in another dimension through song. If I had to wager a guess, this is one such dimension. But what's happening here, even the things that happened in the Village, and what's happening back home — I'm not entirely certain the two are in sync, or even connected.

( but this is all speculation, really. shanks has no way to prove any of what he's saying, other than the fact that he can't find beck's aura, or anyone else on his crew, for that matter. but there might be other elements at play that shanks isn't aware of, things that may be interfering with his haki's reach. he doesn't know how to explain any of that quickly, though, so he takes a breath and changes course. )

Have you all spent much time together here, as a crew? ( they'd been separated during the fire, which he knows wasn't easy for luffy, even if luffy won't admit it out loud. )

[bigsmile]

(Luffy watches Shanks' reaction carefully, noting how the other pirate captain seems to feel a little guilty over it all. He's well aware Shanks had been in the village too; according to others it had been everyone but Luffy. The feeling that threatens to take hold when he tries to think it through is unusual enough it gives the young man pause; an uncertainty that he hates the sensation of. Not being in the village isn't an issue — that he can't change — but it's something the crew still remember. Something that caused pain to all of them that they could still be thinking about.)

Through song? Doesn't sound fun. (Luffy pauses, scratching his chin as he tries to wrap his head around it. He wants to just run to the others, wrap his arms around them and promise that the awful things won't happen again, that he'll be there to make sure of it. But two days being stuck in a room just waiting something out, weeks of being unable to get much further than the gate, a place with no escape route or ocean in sight .... The pirate captain gives himself a shake. No way is he letting that thought take root too hard; he'll find a way out if he has to dig it with his bare hands.)

Sort of. Doesn't feel like much without a ship here. (Though Luffy wonders if it's the lack of a ship causing that, and not just time apart that needs to be looked into. He takes a breath, trying to put his thoughts into actual words.) Something terrible happened to my crew and I can't make it go away or find the one responsible for it.

[redforce]

( shanks' gaze is steady as luffy voices his concerns. it's strange to see him so ... uncertain about this, so used to the brash confidence of the boy he met all those years ago. but shanks remembers the first years of his own captaincy, how difficult it had been to balance what he thought he knew with the reality of command. )

The ship doesn't make the crew, Luffy. ( and as much as the ship itself often feels like part of the crew, too, a crew doesn't only exist because it has a ship to sail. it might even feel like missing an arm — shanks, of course, would know best of all — but the ship is as much a physical object as it is a metaphor. they don't stop being a crew without a ship; likewise, the ship doesn't necessarily have to be a boat. this house may as well be their ship, for now, until a real seafaring vessel presents itself. ) I know it's hard when things are out of your control. You can't fix or erase what happened, but you can help them move forward. It never hurts to remind them your door is open, so to speak.

( though a literal open door policy in this situation would probably do them all good. )

You never know what rooms you might find in this house, either. Exploring together could be an adventure.

[bigsmile]

( Luffy hates the uncertainty more than anything, wishes he could turn on it and deal with it in the same way he dealt with all the adversaries in his life so far. Setting out to the Grand Line had been the most exhilarating thing, a confident and all-knowing adventure that couldn't shake Luffy off if it tried. There had been no room for uncertainty, until Mihawk had taken a stab, and even then it had eventually resolved itself and continued forwards.

And then the manor happened and Luffy still feels as if the rug has been pulled from under his feet. Here there's no villain he can punch or building to bring down, nothing to focus that ire on and for the first time Luffy finds that blind optimism and confident bluster is getting him nowhere. And that's before the village is thrown in to the mix, an awful event that hit the crew so hard without Luffy even being aware of it.

He chews the inside of his cheek in thought, letting Shanks' words sink in as he thinks them over. It's easy enough to feel that the crew could talk to him about anything, as captain they would know his door is always open. But if time has passed, like Koby said, then perhaps that has faded somewhat.

Exploring together could be an adventure. Luffy blinks as those words finally settle, his expression slowly but surely brightening. An adventure. Just because they were stuck in some stupid house didn't mean they couldn't explore and find things. There had to be some treasure Nami hadn't found yet, or ingredients and recipes Sanji had never seen. Perhaps even a sword or three for Zoro to claim. Luffy feels the understanding click in his mind; he's been so busy trying to find a way out he's paid little attention to what else is around to utilise in the first place!

It's....perfect and Luffy smacks his hand with his fist. )

Shanks you're a genius!