A Broken Soul Meets A Tailor

[Dandead10]

Myla Rentallia was a young mink girl who tried to be good and had a good heart. It just happened to be she was born into a world where goodness was easily tainted. A bolt of thunder had crackled in the sky as it had been raining this cold night. The rain poured down on this child as all she had to protect her from the elements other than her fur and clothes, was a flimsy cloak that blew in the wind. The chinchilla mink had shivered in the wind and sneezed as she hugged two items close to her chest. To be more frank, they were rather two people.

"Myla sweetie, you need to get to shelter. My poor baby! You're going to get so sick!" Another voice had called as the child continued to walk. "Your mother is right Myla. You can't keep going around like this. You need to get somewhere warm and dry. We could head back to the cave." The little girl had coughed as the elements poured down on her already wet fur. The child had responded with a slight whimper as she hugged the two people in her arms for comfort.

"Mama. Papa. It isn't safe in the cave! Those marine guys wanted us out!" How did it all come down to this? Why did the child have to go through such hardships and misery? The answer was simple. She was a former slave being hunted by her former masters.

Myla Rentallia was a young mink girl born in captivity with her two parents. She grew in horrible living conditions having to do grueling tasks, being beaten, and never having enough to truly live life...but rather survive. She had been freed from her oppressors when a revolutionary ship had freed her family and all the other slaves. However, the child lost both of her loving family members as they were gunned down.

After being taken off the island, she had been trained in the basics of survival and had done her best to make it by in the years. However, she was unfortunate enough to have been a devil fruit eater and thus hunted nonstop by those who wanted her for profit. What devil fruit did she consume? She ate the fruit that allowed her to have companions in the lonely world. The one that allowed her parents to be with her even though they were deceased.

She had happened to find a small area of cover where the rain did not pour as badly as the girl sat crossing her knees. She had been small...very small around the size of a four year old in terms of height due to race and malnutrition. In reality, she was ten years old. Her normally angelic white fur had been grey and covered in dirt and twigs as she was doused now. The girl had coughed and sneezed as two figures had stepped out from her coat.

One had been a red cat plushy with a concerned look in it's glassy blue eyes whilst the other had been a lime fox plushy with blue eyes to match. She was starving...and she ran to the city thinking there had to be a better place to shelter herself than in the dark woods. "M-Mama? Papa? I'm scared. I don't wanna be here!"

Both the toys tensed at the sight of the girl looking like she was going to cry. "I-It will be alright Myla. We are here and we will help you whatever way we can." The fox had nodded and both toys had leapt and hugged the child as hard as their soft bodies could...and they had received a strong hug back. The sounds of light crying could be heard as she didn't think anyone would be there other than her toys to hear it. Her devil fruit ability allowed her to animate toys by taking something precious or tangible from another being and giving it to a toy. That toy would take on the characteristics of that person. The cat had been wearing a green scarf wrapped around its neck frayed at the edges as the fox had a coin inside of its head. This fruit was the Suru Suru no Mi.

The girl would have felt dizzy as she stood as she had to keep moving. She had to move or else...or else. She didn't want to think about that as she continued to walk through the rain. She had lowered her cloak and hood as she walked by some people who were caught in the rain like she was. Eventually, the child had lost her senses as she kept walking endlessly without purpose. Her stomach had growled loudly as her eyes were glassy and almost empty...hollow. She didn't know there was someone not very far away down the street. Taking a single step forward, she had coughed horribly as she shivered. Chinchilla weren't supposed to be in the rain. The person who would hear this would find the voice was small...and high pitched as the person sounded very ill.

The child stumbled for a moment before leaning against a brick wall and then she stopped to catch her breath. She was dying she felt like...maybe she was. The toys remained quiet as they spoke silently within the girl's cloak. If the figure were to investigate, a furry face would be revealed along with a snout and otherwise. She was a Mink obviously and by the looks of it was a little toddler lost from home. Myla would be trying ever harder to maintain her body heat as she sat. She needed many things but had none other than comfort. There was much more to the eye of the mink's past however...much more.

[Shinku]

The sky had opened up all of its floodgates, as if some heavenly administrator had decided to wash away all the filth and pollution from the earth, or at least from this place in East Blue which people called Loguetown. Unfazed by the heavy downpour, the mud only sprayed up under the force of the raindrops and stuck to the house walls like... like... like only mud could stick to surfaces that people usually wished to keep clean.
In the lowest point of the street, water was gathering before it streamed down the road, heading to the harbour and as an end effect into the turbulent sea.
The unpleasant weather had driven most people into the dry and warm safety of their homes. Only a few hard-boiled individuals were still outside, either because they had jobs to do that couldn't be postponed, or because they had nowhere to go in the first place and in one rare occasion, because the person was actually enjoying the horrible weather.
That person's name was Dan - Dan Delion.
And the punny name really wasn't his fault.

The rain was going splash splash splash against his umbrella. It was shocking pink, had kittens on it and without it, the leisurely walk would not have been that enjoyable after all.
When Dan had gone out to explore the town in the early evening, the sky had been gray but it hadn't rained yet. Once it had started to rain, the young man had discovered to his chagrin, that the umbrella he had taken with him was defect.
But before he could dash back to the inn to seek shelter, a voice had asked for his attention and some guy hiding in the shadow of an alley handed him the umbrella.
A bit concerned - not because he couldn't see the guy, but because it was unusual for people to carry two umbrellas with them at the same time - Dan inquired he it wasn't causing any problem for the stranger, but the person in the shadow assured that it was all right and that he had a new umbrella with ducks now so he didn't need the old one anymore.

The umbrella didn't do much to prevent the water from splashing up from the ground and wetting the hem of Dan's hakama, even though the Geta he was wearing today had longer "teeth" than the usual ones, which meant that he was farther away from the muddy street. In weather like this, that was an advantage, which was the reason he wore them - and not because it made him look bigger. The short man had never felt bothered by his height, even though 5'3'' wasn't exactly big for a man. What he was sullen about, was that people tended to overlook him, which lead to his preference of wearing a bright kimono top over the dark grey hakama. This time it was scarlet and it seemed to shine even in the night's darkness. All thanks to his own home-made fully organic laundry detergent, of course.

There wasn't much to see in the empty roads, the darkness of the night and the rain obscured too much and the sporadic street lamps couldn't do much to ensure a clear sight. It was the perfect night to turn away from one's vision and enjoy the pleasure of one's hearing.
The clack clack clack of his Geta on the street... The raindrops against the windows and the puddles on the ground... and against his umbrella... the thunder that followed the lightning...
It was like a classical concert and the nature was both conductor and orchestra.

Dan stopped abruptly as a sound disrupted the harmony of his natural music. It wasn't an unnatural noise, but it was the kind that his mind reacted to with alarm. The sound of the rain nearly drowned out the sound of the coughing, but to the young herbalist, the sound of a sick person always carried farther than it actually should have been able to.
Trying to figure out where the coughing had come from, Dan Delion looked around and tried to pierce the rain with his yellow-brown eyes.
There were only shadows at first, but then he thought that he recognised a small shape of a child in one of them.

Worried he hurried over.

About five steps away from the child, he stopped and went on eye-level with the kid. Crouching down wasn't exactly comfortable and his hakama touched the ground and started to soak up the water, but Dan didn't want to scare the child away by approaching too fast or by looming over it.

"Are you all right? No.. of course not. What a stupid question I'm asking. You're looking soaked to the skin, do you want to take cover under my umbrella? I'm Dan, by the way. Dan Delion. "

He kept his voice soft but audible, speaking evenly and careful but also with assurance in order to win the child's trust. It was a small kid, no more than a toddler and even through the clothing it seemed thin.
Slowly he got closer, holding the umbrella over the child, even though that meant that his own back got drenched.
Only now did he notice her face.
"Those blue eyes look feverish.. huh, wait? A mouse?"

Out of surprise, Dan had spoken the last words aloud without even noticing.

The surprise was only short-lived though. There were more important things to do for the child was obviously sick.
Another lightning cracked the sky and under the bright light of the flash, the girl looked as if she would topple over any second now. Sitting on the cold ground was not helping her condition either and Dan reached out to pick her up but stopped himself in the last moment. The girl didn't look as if she had the strength to run away, but just by frightening her he might actually make her sickness worse. If he wanted to help her, he had to do it right.

"Where are your parents?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.

Considering her poor condition, her parents were either not able to protect her or didn't care to, though Dan didn't want to believe that any parent could be deliberately so cruel as to leave a little child alone in the rain.

"Why don't we go inside - my inn is just around the corner - and dry you up? You must be freezing."

[Dandead10]

What a surprise it was for the mink as she was near unconsciousness as a figure had crouched and shielded her small frame from the downpour with an umbrella. The young Myla whom was almost senseless had looked up to see the kindly seeming woman. From the choice of clothes, the mink didn't know any better in terms of gender. As she had been asked if she were alright, Myla had wiped her muzzle with her pawed hand. Was this some sort of illusion?

As she got closer, the girl had curled up into a ball. She had frozen when being called a mouse. With the second crash of thunder, the child cringed as she seemed a bit frightened. She never liked the lightning. She shivered from the freezing cold as she wondered if the nice woman in front of her was going to turn cruel in a moment. Would this woman hurt her now that she was identified as a mink? Apparently not as the woman wanted to ask her questions.

The name Dan Delion sure didn't seem feminine although that may have been misfortune. The toys hugged close to her chest had stirred underneath the cloak as yet another question was asked. "Where are your parents?" Myla had looked down at her cloak before pulling out a canine fox lime colored plushy and the second was a blue cat plushy. "This fox is my papa, and the cat is my mama." She hugged them so tightly at this moment that the toys were not able to speak freely. The blue cat's scarf had blown slightly in the wind as a good question would be why the child wasn't wearing it instead of the toy.

The child had closed her eyes embracing them as she always felt comforted in their presence. She loved these two toys more than anything else in the world. If the oddly dressed male were to look at each of the toys more closely, he might be able to see their blue eyes seemed to be full of life rather than glassy and fake looking. The girl had caressed them as she needed them more than anything right now. It was then that the person in front of her asked if she wanted to come with her to an inn nearby to warm up and dry off?

Myla had looked up surprised as she had been filled with a bright light in her eyes that shined hope and innocence. "Really?! T-Thank you!" The mink had then lurched forward hugging the stranger around the neck with one arm as the other arm held her two toys. She felt so elated to be given the chance of warmth and comfort as she snuggled into the older figure. She felt small and thin as she eventually was forced to release the hug although she felt warmer than before. She was tearing up slightly as she was happy that she wasn't hated by her. Releasing the hug, the girl wouldn't ask any questions. She would walk there with the last of her energy as the toys considered what was happening. Having been put back into Myla's cloak, the toys would whisper to each other wondering the mysterious human's true intentions.

She had followed the nice lady as the toys would simply let it play out before jumping to any conclusions. The person was offering Myla a nice warm place to dry off and perhaps maybe even something to eat. They didn't want to interject as they wanted to take the best chance for their daughter. She hadn't been finding much to eat...and hasn't been able to hunt for anything in the harsh weather. This stranger could help her more than they could seeing they were just...toys. They could comfort their child, but that was all they could do in their current forms. Myla had simply walked step after step behind the adult as she had tried to stay quiet. Her mama often told her when she tried to talk to much that little children should be seen but not heard. Probably the human had felt Myla might be odd for referring two plushy toys as being her parents. The young mink was hoping in that inn would be something...anything to eat. She was so hungry, she would eat from the trash graciously if that was what she had to. As a former slave, it was something she had done before much to the chagrin of her parents.

[Shinku]

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC for Grader}OOC: Got permission from Dande to carry Myla and relocate us to the inn

He had already expected a sad answer when he had asked for her parents. There was no way of not asking because he needed to know before he could help her, because it was important to know her situation in order to know how to best give help, but when the girl pulled out her plushies and presented them as her mama and papa, it nearly broke his heart.
The way she clung to her toys showed how much she loved them. There was affection in that hug, but also a sort of desperation, it seemed to Dan. They were important to her... so important that the girl had even wrapped a scarf around the cat, probably to prevent it from feeling cold, instead of wearing it herself, even though she was shivering badly.

It surprised Dan when the girl reacted with a hug to his offer of a place to stay. The mousy girl had looked so frightened when he had approached her, and yet she was opening up to him with a speed that was almost dangerous.
Dan returned the hug, placing an arm around the small body, wrapping it in the cloth of his long and wide sleeves. His long, dark-blue ponytail fell over his shoulder as he placed his head gently on hers. He could feel the wet fur beneath his chin and was glad that he had been the one to find her.
If a bad person had run across this innocent girl, who knows what might have happened... Despite looking as if a lot of bad things had happened to her, she still seemed so willing to trust. Was that good? Was it bad? It was hard to decide, though Dan was sure it could be a good thing - if applied with healthy caution.

The young Delion was about to pick her up, when the girl chose to retreat from the hug. She looked teary and he wasn't sure what to do, so he just let her walk beside him.
The result was obvious, for the sick kid could obviously not keep up even though he was walking very slowly. Even though the inn was close by, she didn't look as if she was able to walk all the way, so Dan just bent down and took her in his arms, carrying her the rest of the way.
She had hugged him and was now trying to follow, so she probably wasn't too scared of him, but Dan was still half afraid that she would suddenly get scared and try to run away. But the girl was so weak that he probably wouldn't have any trouble to hold her, even if she did. It was time someone took good care of her, if she wanted or not.

Only now did he realize that he hadn't asked the most basic question.
One that he should have asked in the very beginning.
And it wasn't an excuse that he had been worried about her health either, it was just not something he should have forgotten!

"Say... What's your name?" He asked her as they entered the inn.


The dining room of the inn was nearly deserted. Only a few night owls were left at the bar and no one paid them any attention. The innkeeper was probably behind in the kitchen for he was nowhere in sight.
A puddle was starting to form at the entrance, where Dan had left his dripping umbrella. The stairs at the left side of the bar were leading to the rooms and with the little bundle on his arms, Dan was now walking upstairs. They could eat later.. first they needed dry clothes.

Arrived at the room, he put her down on the bed and started to rummage in his bag, taking out various things.
For a moment he hesitated, but in the end the herbalist decided that the medicine had to come first before anything else. Filling a small measuring jug with some green liquid and adding a few transparent drops from another little bottle was all that was needed - he usually had his first aid kit prepared with various pills and medicine for all purposes.
"Here, can you drink this? It will help to make you feel better."
He handed her the little jug, though he kept his grip on it until he was sure she was holding it right.
Then he left her for a moment to get a towel from the bathroom before he carefully started to dry her head.
"Isn't that better now? Lets get out of those wet clothes, they will only make you sicker and I'm sure I have something you can wear instead. Also.. how about we hang your Papa and Mama up to dry? They look a bit wet as well?"

[Dandead10]

As Dan had returned the hug that Myla delivered, she relaxed herself feeling much better than before. The feminine head resting down on Myla's had allowed her to calm and relax. As she followed the man, she had felt rather ill, tired, and starving. She would normally rummage through the trash at this point in time, but rain trash food would be inedible. Dan was walking, but Myla simply was too sick to move. Myla had coughed hard yet again as her toys were again hidden underneath her cloak. When she had been picked up and put over the human "woman's" shoulder, she was being carried like the little child she was. She might have fallen asleep if it wasn't for a certain question. What her name was. The young child had smiled, closing her eyes slightly as she spoke.

"My name is Rentallia...Rentallia Myla. Thank you for helpin me!" As they entered the inn, already Myla felt much better from no longer being out in the rain and being in a warmer area. She didn't mind that they wouldn't be eating first. Although she was dying for nourishment, that would be alright. She wanted to get more dry than anything. The little girl had been holding her toys with her closely as they were a little damp...but otherwise alright. As Myla was placed down on the bed, she was amazed at how comfortable it was. How soft it felt and how luxurious it was. She closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure as she spoke. "What is this thing? It feels so amazingly good!" She had pointed to the bed as she didn't want him to be confused. She had coughed yet again as her toys had sighed internally...until the man started to mix different types of medicine. They tensed wondering what that liquid was and the intentions, but Myla looked fascinated. She rested in the middle of the bed and she inched her way to the large pillows resting her small head on one.

"Here, can you drink this? It will help to make you feel better." The little girl had been handed the jug the man had previously been mixing and had been assisted in tightly holding it. The little girl looked down at the greenish liquid and had nodded as she slowly sat up. The mama and papa dolls were happy to see that good fortune brought them some sort of doctor hopefully...anyways. She had sipped the strange liquid first as it tasted bitter and not very delicious, but it would do as she had began to drink it all down. At the end, she was coughing harder and then laying back down on her side. As he left her, she had hugged her toys as they continued to remain silent being her guardians as needed. The Delion had returned shortly and Myla slowly sat up as she had her head dried by the kind human being. She felt truly grateful for everything this person's done for her.

As she was asked if she would like to get out of the wet clothes and why, the little mink nodded with a little smile showing her little mink teeth in the grin. She hadn't thought of the consequences of taking her clothes off as she just saw it as a necessity to being dry, and she wanted to be dry. Taking her cloak off, she had struggled slightly before tossing it onto the ground. As the toys heard about being hung up to dry, the papa toy was about to rush up and smack this stranger in the face until the mama toy grabbed his hand and slapped him in the face whispering to stay still and be quiet. As Myla would take off her shirt, her back had been littered with scars which may or may not be visible to Dan from her fur. The most noticeable thing however would be the slave brand of the celestial dragon along her upper chest. The fur there no longer grew and was a pitch black rather than white. This should set warning bells off to the feminine man of what Myla truly was. The toys widened their eyes in terror as they saw this and were prepared to act at any moment depending on the reaction... "I don't know. I don't think my mama and papa would like that. They like to lay down in warm places too."

[Shinku]

"That's a bed." Dan answered simply, then added a few more details.
"What you're sitting on is the mattress. It's lying on a bedframe. It's warmer if the mattress isn't lying on the cold ground, so especially in places that are cold during the winter, the bedframe is important."
The way she had thanked him for something so simple as a little help was half a confession to her living situation. A situation that didn't include beds but a lot of cold nights, the young bounty hunter thought sadly, though he did his best to not let is show on his face nor leave any hint of it in his voice. Instead he was almost cheerful as he explained to her the features of a bed.
"The big blanket there is called a duvet, you cover yourself with it when you go to sleep, and the little - well.. I guess they're quite big from your point of view - those fluffy things you're resting your head on, are pillows."
Maybe that was a bit much information at once, but when Dan had started to explain something he found it hard to stop. It wasn't important even if she didn't understand him. - Of course it was important to take her question seriously and answer it the best as he could, but it was meant to serve more as a reassurance than as a source of information.

While he talked, the young man searched through his clothes before picking a [insert color here] T-shirt. It wasn't the sort of clothes he wore often, but sometimes it was good to have. Like right now, the piece of clothing was just perfect - or would be with a few alterations.
With needle and thread from his baggage the effeminate man started to modify the T-shirt, while the little waif followed his suggestion and undressed.
A deep frown appeared on Dan's face when he saw the burn mark, but he drove it away before the kid could notice it.
"Ouch!" Faced with the signs of child abuse, Dan had been overcome with a furious anger and deep hate for a moment, so much that he hadn't paid enough attention to his work and pricked his finger with the needle. A big red tear of blood appeared on his thumb and the young Delion simply put it into his mouth in order to not get blood on the cloth.

The medic in him knew that those were old wounds and not anything that would be life-threatening at the moment - he had taken a closer look upon the first signs of mistreatment and found other marks across her body - but old or new it filled him with rage to think that someone would be able to harm an innocent child.
If he ever came across whoever had done that... his usual reservation when it came to harm others might not feel like being reserved at all.
It irked him that there was nothing he could do to make it better either. There was no herb or other remedy that he knew of, that could grow back hair where the skin had been burned or scared. The girl would probably have to wear those scars for the rest of her life...

"Maybe.. how knows. The world is a big one, maybe I'll find something, or someone else might run across a cure. It's never hopeless, one just has to look around. We might be lucky." he thought.

Leaving hopes and anger aside for now, Dan focused on the present again and went over to his little fosterling, holding up the clothing for her to see.

"Look here Myla. I made you a dress." He told her, while helping her into the piece of clothing. Normally he would have let the kid choose what it wanted to wear, but right now they didn't have that luxury. There was only this hurriedly made dress and her dirty wet clothes which weren't wearable at all.
At least he could pride himself in a work well done. Sewing had always been the young Delion's favorite hobby and with the years he had become quite good, he found, without even having to brag or exaggerate.
"It's a bit plain right now, but I can sew some motif on it later if you want. But first we should go and get some food, don't you think?"
He smiled at her encouragingly.
The drying had not helped at all with the dirt in her fur, but she would survive it. The bounty hunter himself was starting to get hungry and he didn't even want to imagine how bad Myla had to feel.
"We can place your Mama and Papa on the towel then. They'll be nice and warm and comfortable until we're back."
And the towel would absorb some of the moisture hopefully.

[Dandead10]

The young girl had been pleased to listen to the explanation of what everything was, and had kept all of the Lion's words to heart. As he was looking through his various clothes, the young mink had kicked her legs back and forth on the wonder of the bed. The pillow to her was so soft and big...she would have no problem never waking up again if it was this comfortable and warm. She hadn't noticed the man's anger, but the toys certainly did. As the man sewed in front of them, they recognized it as a dress from a yellow T-shirt. The mink parents often had to sew something up for the child Myla throughout her childhood. It was nostalgic as they saw it now.

Myla seemed to be feeling better some seeing she had drank that odd liquid. Dan had gotten her attention as he held the dress out in front of her, and the child mink had smiled brightly and gave two thumbs up as approval. "That looks really pretty! Can I wear it now?" She analyzed it and found it to be something beautiful compared to the rags of clothing she was wearing. As she was assisted in wearing it, she had twirled in a circle on her paws. She had giggled in delight at the new clothing although her fur was still rather dirty.

At the mention of food, she had been reminded of how long it's been since she's eaten anything. Her stomach would grumble as the young Myla had lowered her head with lines of anime depression on her head. Three purple lines as she sighed. "I'm really hungry...but I don't have any beri." She had assumed she was going to have to pay for her own meal of course. The dolls had been placed gently onto the towel used to dry Myla. As they were walking out of the room, she stopped and turned back to the toys. "We can't leave mama and papa miss! They are gonna miss me, and I'm gonna miss them too!" She had looked to the feminine man with big blue eyes that seemed to widen. "Mama and Papa should come along because they always tell the best stories. Mama! Papa! Come with us!"

Suddenly, the sound of two sighs could be heard as the two toys had sat straight up on the towel. The lime colored fox had shook the wetness from his body as he spoke. "I'm Myla's papa. Thank you for helping her out. This is my wife Myla's mama." He had gesticulated to the blue cat as they both leapt off the bed. "We apologize for deceiving you, but we didn't know what your intentions with our daughter were. Now we know that you are just a kindly compassionate person. We need more people like you-eow." Both toys had walked down and had stood in front of the highly effeminate man as it seemed the cat had a speech impediment. "Mama and Papa are the best!" She had hugged both of them at the same time as she kissed both on the cheeks. The toys would find this awkward seeing their relationship with Myla and being so easily dominated.

Young Myla had looked to the flower person as she smiled brightly. Dan may be extremely confused by what just happened right now? She didn't find this awkward at all, and she may have some future explaining to do. All in good time. All in good time.

[Shinku]

"Of course you're going to miss your Mama and Papa if we leave them here, how silly of me!" Dan agreed with the little girl. It had been stupid of him not to see this coming. All children loved their parents and a lonely abandoned child would cling even more forcefully to the parents she had, it was only natural. And yet he had been so insensitive to suggest that they'd leave the cat and fox plushies behind.
It wasn't that he had wanted to be mean to her, quite the contrary. But when dealing with a child - or any person - with such a sad life story, it was very hard not to make any sort of mistake. No matter how considerate he would act, due to his different point of view, he was likely to miss this and that. The only thing he could do was thinking thoroughly before he took action, to give his best once he had decided on the best way to move forward, and then pray that he didn't mess up too badly. Having acted on good intention was not a good excuse to make when one had hurt the other person as a result.

Looking away from those piercing blue eyes that looked up to him, Dan Delion turned to get the plushies, when suddenly-

THE TOYS STARTED TO MOVE AND SPEAK!

"HUH?! WHAT?! What is going on here? They can talk?" He asked, pointing a finger at the two plushies, even though he knew that this was the ultimate form of rudeness.

The young man looked from the toys to Myla and back to the toys before looking at the girl again, his long well-groomed ponytail moving along with his turning head and getting all electrically charged it started to stick out in all directions as if his hair had decided to adjust itself to the man's bewildered mental state.

It took Dan a moment to regain his composure and get back to his usual self, but once he managed to get over the first shock, his Curiousity started to rise and was only held back by Politeness, who smacked his hand and told him to close his gaping mouth and stop pointing his fingers like an uneducated county bumpkin he certainly wouldn't want to be.

Ashamed of his own behaviour the short man cleared his throat and tried to present a more polite manner than he had shown before.

"I must apologize as well. It wasn't my intention to treat Myla's parents so disrespectfully as I have. This came rather unexpected and I hope you can be lenient enough to let it slide just this one time?"
He asked them in his most polite voice, the one usually reserved for well-respected elders.
"And there's no reason for you to apologize Mrs. Myla's Mama. It's only natural for a parent to look out for their child. I would have done the same."
He did however started to ask himself what exactly the little girl was. She did look like a big, humanoid rodent, which was strange enough in itself as Dan had never seen nor heard about Minks before - but now that the plushies were moving, the man also had to reconsider his prejudice about her parentage. Plushy doll parents... could it be? But the kid herself didn't look or seem like a doll... It was all very confusing.
Somehow he had to get to the bottom of this mystery.
"Please let me introduce myself again. I'm Dan Delion, a trained herbalist and Bounty Hunter and the son of a gunsmith from Stetson Island in West Blue. I'm currently travelling the seas to seek adventure and see the world.
To be honest, I do have a lot of questions, but how about we go down and order some food first? We can talk while we eat."


Considering the malnourished condition of their daughter, Dan didn't think it likely that they would refuse. They had seem rather sensible so far.

Together they went down to the dining room. The three nightowls from before had been joined by another latecomer, but the innkeeper was still nowhere in sight. Since the men had fresh beer in front of them and the new arrival even a meal, it didn't seem to be too late to order.
Carefully he lifted Myla and her parents up and placed her on one of the chairs in front of the bar.
"Ehm.. HELLO?" Dan tried to make himself noticeable. Though he couldn't see into the kitchen with the door being only ajar, he still concluded that the kitchen staff should at least be able to hear him. "We'd like to order some food please."

"I don't want to seem rude, but what species is Myla? And where are you coming from?" He asked the fox plushy which had introduced itself as Myla's papa. And then he just couldn't hold the question back anymore, he just had to ask.
"Are you... how come that you are toys? Were you two cursed by an evil witch?"
Just the thought of witches - evil or not - existing, made the young man very excited. This had been one of the reasons why he had set out on his journey!
Not to find witches,... not exactly... but to see what sorts of curiosities the world had to offer.
There was a story right here, a good one - Dan could feel it.
This would definitely be worth to be written down and added to his collection.
Maybe... one day... he then could use it as a base for one of his own stories. Maybe even for the one story that would get famous and spread around the world...

[Dandead10]

As the figure turned back to the toys and pointed a finger, the toys weren't very surprised. I mean it wasn't every day that one got to talk with living toys. They were glad to see however that the feminine being had the ability to collect "her" wits back. As the effeminate male apologized and asked for a slide by, the mama toy had pawed towards him. "After you've helped our daughter the way you have, we are indebted to you. We should be thanking you and apologizing for your burden." As the Delion introduced himself to the dolls, the papa doll widened his eyebrow whilst walking to him. "Umm...you can't be a son. You are most obviously a daughter. I understand that some papas want boys instead of little girls, but no need to object!"

As the so called male wanted to ask questions, but offered food...Myla's stomach grumbled loudly. She held her stomach as she tried not to salivate. She was so hungry, she was sure she was digesting herself. While that may not be true, she sure felt that way. The papa toy had walked to Myla shortly followed by the mama cat. "Yeah. Let's go get somethin ta eat!" As the party of four travelled down to the bar/restaraunt, Myla had sniffed the air and had to resist her temptations as the Delion ordered. She simply kicked her little legs back and forth as her toys were in her lap.

Upon the question of...what Myla was and where the odd family came from, the toys thought very carefully on how to word all of this. Or rather how to correctly sum up all of the adventures and all of the hardships they've went through. Myla had temporarily forgotten about her hunger as her toys were going to explain the story from beginning to end. The lime colored fox had leapt to the counter top sitting there as the blue cat held Myla's hand gently as it seemed the other watchers were too drunk or too careless to notice the anomaly in front of them.

"Well miss. Where to explain it all. I guess I'll answer your questions in order dear. Myla here is a Chinchilla mink. We mink people are a lot like you people, but with animalistic like qualities...sort of like those odd fish people. We have come from the new world from our home country Zou. Now as for more particularly where WE came from...well." The fox seemed to be lost for a moment as the blue cat spoke in a whisper for the man to hear. "Myla's father and I had been young when exploring the world only in our teenage years when we were captured by slavers along with some of our family. We were taken to a place where we were sold as slaves to a plantation...and I was pregnant at the time. We worked on a small desolated island working hard labor. Thankfully Mink are strong and naturally physical. However...I had a little girl forced to work like we did ever since she could walk."

"We lived there for six years with our little girl in harsh living conditions...we longed for our freedom back then. We didn't have much of anything in our slavery, but we had each other. It happened to be that one day a revolutionary ship had found the plantation and razed it to the ground freeing the prisoners. We all tried to make it out...but then I still remember when I saw a gun pointed at my child. I leapt in front of her and held off the gunman as my wife and child escaped. I was shot and killed that day." Surely the man would be confused on all of this but then the blue cat continued.

"I too died that day hiding my little girl...and I could have only hoped that she would be alright. For our end, that was it...now Myla may explain the rest. For this is her part of the family story." Myla had smiled sadly as she recalled those events from the past. "Mama and Papa were gone for a long time. The revolutionaries took me and my dead parents to a calm and peaceful island. I don't know the name of it. One of them stayed with me and taught me how to survive in the wilderness and helped bury my mama and papa. The guy left when I was eight miss." She had held up her fingers to emphasize as she then continued.

"Then one day, I saw and weird Lychee fruit with swirl marks and it looked really tasty. It actually tasted really nasty, but I got a weird super power from eating it. I can't swim anymore, but I got the power to bring toys to life by taking stuff from other people. The name of the fruit is Suru Suru no Mi (To Play To Play Fruit). I had a scarf my mama made for me when I was littler and a coin my papa really liked. I put them into two toys I found in the trashcan and they came to life. Now my mama and papa are always with me! I'm so happy they are here, and they protect me. Plus they scare away all the monsters when I sleep." The child had giggled adorably as her tail coiled. Then finally the cat spoke again.

"We came to Loguetown as stowaways from that island and now...we are trying to find a place to stay. My baby can't take care of herself as the weather is bad and winter is coming. I-I don't know what to do."  The cat began to cry into her paws as the fox hugged her. The little ten year old chinchilla also began to cry as she didn't want her mama to cry. Now as for what Dan might be feeling was a real question. This was a lot to take in, and there was no guarantee that he would want to associate himself with such a mysterious child with a dark past.

[Shinku]

It wasn't the first time someone had mistaken him for a woman. Although he wasn't wearing a skirt today, his hakama might look like a foreign sort of female wear to the eyes of those not used to it, so the confusion wasn't exactly unprovoked.
It was however the first time, someone didn't believe him when he told them he was male. A circumstance that greatly puzzled Dan as the toys seemed to otherwise believe him to be sincere...
How could the papa toy credit him with having good intention and yet fail to accept his words as true? Did the plushy believe that Dan was such a nice and obedient daughter that she pretended to be male in order to please her father even when the man in question wasn't here?
The young Delion had never been much of a rebellious child, but he had never doubted who and what he was. If he was wearing women's clothes at times, then it was because he was assured enough in his manliness to use every advantage he could get, no matter what other people might think about him - and sadly there were still enough who seemed to have a problem with it.

But the papa toy's error was not of importance though. There would still be time to correct him later on and even to proof it if said plushy wouldn't accept the truth, but right now the Bounty Hunter was much more interested in the story they were telling him.

It was a sad one that made Dan's heart bleed with empathy and his blood boil with anger and hate. It was the cold anger of those who saw wrong in the world but didn't have a specific person or organisation to direct it at, rather than the fiery passionate hate of those who had endured hardship and who knew exactly who their tormentors were, but it was strong nevertheless and it darkened the usually good-natured face.

The emotions didn't prevent him from finding out a few things as he listened closely...
For one, Myla was older than she looked. For another, her parents had sacrificed more than anyone could possibly imagine to protect their little daughter.

In the end it seemed as if the witch that had turned the parents into toys was little Myla and the curse not a curse but a gift after all.
But where those really her parents? Or just copies, made from memories lingering in the possessions of the deceased?
And did it really matter?
The toys were talking and acting like her parents and Myla was seeing them as her real parents, which was what really counted.
There were so many sad things in this world, surely there should be good things as well, right? So why not believe that somehow two souls had found their way back from the dead to stay with their daughter. It was not more ridiculous or unbelievable than any of the other strange things that happened across the blue seas, but unlike many other things it was a heartwarming thought.

"Ah! Please don't cry Ma'am." Strangely embarrassed by the cat's tears, Dan tried to comfort her. "You did so well all this time until now, you don't have any reason to blame yourself. And you're not alone anymore! I'm here as well. Please believe me when I say that I would never abandoned a kid who needs help."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ABOMINATION?!!"

Without them noticing, the innkeeper had re-entered the room. The man with the clean white apron looked at them with unhidden repulsion and although it wasn't completely clear if he was looking at Myla or the toys the reason for his horror was undoubtedly sitting at the bar.
Dan opened his mouth to say something, but the barman was faster.

"OUT! ALL OF YOU! JUST GET OUT OF MY INN! I don't serve monsters like you."

The only thing that kept the young Delion from answering sharply, was the gaze of the last few lingerers. The barman's shooting had been enough to wake the sleeping drunks and direct the attention of every nightowl to the odd group of four.
To make a scene seemed counterproductive at this time, so the young man just pushed back the chair and straightened up to his full high (5'3'') while frowning at the man, who involuntary took a step back.

"I'm going to call the Marines, I swear. If you-" the man's voice was trembling, even though the short Bounty Hunter was barely reaching his shoulders and didn't do anything that seemed actively aggressive.
But somehow the innkeeper seemed to have instinctively understood that the man in front of him was boiling with anger and that the harmless appearance was not to be trusted.

"It's fine. There's no need for swearing. We're going." That was all he could get out.

A few minutes later - after collecting his stuff from his room - Dan was breathing the cold night air again.
His big backpack had joined the little bag with his first aid kit, baby snails and sewing kit, while a long, slim object was dangling on the outside of the backpack. It was wrapped in a white cloth, was about three feet long and was bulging at one end. Aside from its shape there was no hint of what it could be.

"Sorry Myla. It looks like we have to look for food somewhere else. But I bet that man's food would have tasted awful anyway."

There would be no other places open so late at night - not any regular ones.
But the young Bounty Hunter had not come to the island for enjoyment but for business. Loguetown was close to Reverse Mountain and a lot of pirates passed through this Island, despite the heavy Marine presence. The one or other wanted person was likely to be here and the young adventurer had hoped to catch one of them - or all of them, though that was less likely at his current strength.
The important thing however was that he had informed himself and managed to get the location of one of the outlaw bars. It was likely to be fully packed with criminals and Dan wasn't happy about bringing a little kid with him into such a rowdy place, but at least it was certain to be open, even at this hour.
Maybe they would be able to get some food there.

[Dandead10]

It was when the supposed man had reassured the blue cat plushy that she had sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Thank you so much for helping our daughter. I don't know what we would do without you." It was then that the innkeeper had barged in with a loud outburst of shock and or terror. As he said the heavy slanders, Myla was heavily startled as were the toys.

It was a surprising moment for sure, and it was silent for a bit. When Dan had attempted to speak only for the innkeeper to call Myla a monster and for them to get out did she act. The young Mink's lips had quivered as her eyes had looked watery. Suddenly, the young mink girl had suddenly burst into tears at the innkeepers harsh words in a small cry. The lime colored fox had leapt onto the counter with a glare on his face as he bared his fangs. "HOW DARE YOU CALL MY DAUGHTER A MONSTER! I'LL MESS YOU UP! YOU BETTER TAKE THAT BACK OR ELSE I-"

The innkeeper seemed to be scared of them...and then threatened to call the marines. Myla's mother had just felt a sense of dread as she had attended to Myla petting her head trying to comfort her. Dan had already made the statement that they would leave without a struggle, and the young girl had been crying not only from the harsh statement but because of how she didn't want to go back into the cold night air and rain. She had just entered the warmth and protection of the inn. It was then she realized that Dan had stated he was coming with her? The girl didn't want to burden the man like that, and was about to protest...but the glare from the innkeeper told her otherwise.

The blue cat had been hugged for comfort as the fox had looked to the innkeeper as the group had left upstairs to collect their things. "You are lucky...bastard. You just made my kid cry, and I would knock your teeth in and make you eat them. Make that mistake ever again and I'll make sure to make it happen. I hope you're mighty proud of yourself!" Thus the fox had leapt off the counter top onto the oak wood floor.

As the toy left upstairs, Myla was currently trying not to cry as she didn't feel as bad for herself but for Dan now. She was worried that Dan hated her and now was never gonna wanna see her again. This person was the first who seemed genuinely nice except for that one marine she met in the woods. The little girl had been wearing her cloak yet again as her mother had looked concerned and apologetic to the feminine man. "I am so sorry that this happened. P-Please forgive us. We didn't know we would get you kicked out."

The cat had looked nervous at his reaction. It was then that the bounty hunter surprisingly apologized to Myla. The girl had looked utterly surprised at the reaction as he mentioned that the innkeepers food was most likely going to be yucky. She had suddenly felt her stomach growl loudly at the mention...but she forced a small smile on her face. "I-It's okay Mister Dan. I-I'm sure wherever we go to will be better." She slowly held her toys up to her chest as shortly they had entered the cold unforgiving night yet again.

The toys not knowing much of Roguetown didn't exactly know how store buisness hours worked. They just assumed an inn would be open near anytime. As the odd party of four stepped out into the rain, the mink child shivered and hugged Dan's free arm in the cold. Even with her fur, this wasn't helping her much. As they walked, the party of four would eventually find an inn known as "The Tattered Soul."

The little girl had seen the bright light inside, and smelt the scent of bread...and meat. She bit her lip quietly as she wished so badly that she may partake in even a morsel of that food. Myla had no idea this was a criminal inn, but the sounds of loud hearty laughter filled the air, and that made her feel as if it were a good place to be. "P-Papa Dan? I don't...feel so good..."

It was then in that moment the mink released Dan's arm before she fell facedown in the cold wet floor as the toys had yelled her name in a panic. She needed help and fast. Dan may wonder now though if Myla had ever even been to a proper doctor before...she was a former slave after all and how long ago it's been since she's had a proper meal. Myla had been going through a case of developing pneumonia as she had been going in and out of the cold and warm areas in poor condition. Little Myla had looked dull as she slowly forced herself to stand. "I'm okay!" She lied.

[Shinku]

The rain was unpleasant, but not as unpleasant as the dark mood that seemed to hang around the little group.
Despite all of his assurances that he was glad to help, both the girl and her parents seemed deeply troubled by the problems they were causing him. As if he could ever blame them...
The ones at fault was the people who were acting out of prejudgment and the general mindset of this stiff society with its restricting norms and of what was normal and what wasn't.
Dan was glad that the Papa fox had contained his anger. While the short man could understand the father's feeling very well, it still would have brought them into more trouble than it would have been worth.
Narrow-minded individuals would not change their opinion by getting their nose smashed in, even though it was tempting to do so. Letting things slide like that was annoying, but Dan had long ago learned that he couldn't educate every single person and that it was easier to just look for like-minded people rather than to try and change the rest.

But meanwhile he had to take care of this little Mink with the forced on smile and the rumbling stomach.

"Just call me Dan. There's no need to call me Mister." he told her.

Luckily the outlaw bar wasn't too far away from the inn, which was one of the reasons he had chosen that particular accommodation.
As he had expected, the "Tattered Soul" was still open and lively. Unlike civilians, lots of criminals kept to a more nightly schedule and so were the establishments that focused on pirates as their main clientele.

"P-Papa Dan? I don't...feel so good..." a little voice next to him sounded and although Dan was very happy that she had gone from calling him Mister to calling him Papa, her words were still worrying him.
So far the little girl had tried her best to act brave and strong, even though she could not always stop her tears. For her to admit a weakness like that must mean that she was really suffering.
As if to confirm his thoughts, Myla suddenly collapsed into a puddle that had formed in the entrance of the room.
The short man picked her up and put a hand on her forehead to check for a fever. His face darkened when he felt the heat under his fingers. It seemed as if his medicine wasn't working properly enough. Could it be that her physiology was a lot more different to that of a human than he had first thought? That would make treating her difficult and the chances for mistakes would be higher. It was already easier to mess up the dosage when treating children, due to their smaller bodies, so now he had to take her chinchilla physiology into account as well...

"It's fine Myla. You are a little sick right now, but you're going to get better, don't worry." He tried to calm the little girl, though he knew it was more than just a "little" sickness. In her weakened condition, even small illnesses could turn dangerous and what the kid was developing was definitely not a small thing. Yet he would not let her die. Never!
The young Delion had thought of himself as well-educated, but now he felt as if he still didn't know enough. In a situation where a kid was hoping to get help from him, he should be able to feel a lot more confident in his abilities!
"I'm going to study hard." he promised himself as he carried the sick child over to a free table.

In the loud merriment, no one had heard the toys talk. The pirates had however spotted the newcomers and were eyeing the odd pair with amused interest.

"Yo! Young Lady! Are you looking for some company? Why not join us at our table?" one of the men at an other table called.

"Don't you see she has a kid with her?" his friend asked him, showing more than just a little trace of a leer. "Looks like she had more than enough company already, you sure you want to try her?"

"So what? Maybe she wants another one." the first man replied and they both broke out in a laugh.
Vulgar as they were, at least they didn't find it strange that the little girl was covered in fur and resembled an animal... or if they found it abnormal, they didn't care. What was it to them if the girl looked unusual? It was just one more brat. They were far more interested in the long-haired woman.

Dan ignored them both and instead ordered food for himself and for Myla. The girl would need food that was easily digestible and yet nourishing...

"Two bowls of meat broth, a loaf of bread and vegetables, please."

The barman vanished into the kitchen without showing any sign that he had heard the order, but after only a short moment, the man reappeared with the dishes in hand.

"Paying's upfront." he grunted and Dan, after a short search through his pockets, handed the money to the barman.

"I know you must feel bad right now, but try to eat something. Do you think you can manage or should I help you?" The girl seemed so weak, the short man wasn't sure she would be able to hold the spoon... Maybe he should just insist on helping her? The girl might pretend to be fine even if she wasn't and spilling hot soup over herself would only harm her further...
And yet it would be better if the girl would rely on him on her own accord... or maybe the toys would be able to help? He gave them a questioning look. They had been around their daughter for a long time now, so they should know her well enough to make an accurate judgment.


Unknown to the little group, the vulgar bunch of men were not the only ones watching them. On a table in one of the darker corners, sat someone who's interest wasn't on the petite woman but on the girl. That person had spotted the mink at once when the girl had entered the room with Dan and unlike the others, it didn't overlook the talking plushies either...

[Dandead10]

The little girl had heard the reassurance from Dan, and she had followed behind the man as she felt the warmth yet again sheltered from the tears from the sky. She felt freezing although at this moment she was burning up. As she was scooped up and carried, she had rested her weary head on the arm of the man. The toys had walked behind Dan as the blue cat was worried not only her only child, but also of the rowdy people that seemed to be inside the inn. "I-Is Myla going to be alright doctor? She...nothing bad is going to happen to her right?" She unfortunately was unable to receive an answer as she was suddenly interrupted by those awfully rude pirates. The little mink hadn't understood what the rowdy men meant by those comments, but the papa toy had spoken up. He hadn't noticed Myla's calling of Dan Papa. However, if he heard it, his heart would be crushed into little cotton balls.

"People like you shouldn't be harassing young ladies like that! Also! Trying to get together with a woman like that even though she has a child is wrong! You don't know where the husband might be!" The lime fox was figuratively speaking as they hadn't seemed to hear him. As the girl had been taken to the free table, she sat shivering as the food had been paid for...before it was brought out. Now when the food actually came, Myla's eyes widened as she saw it...the food looked wonderful in Myla's eyes. The two toys had sat together on a single chair across from the little mink and the man. When Dan had mentioned that she knew she was sick...but she needed to eat, Myla nodded as she coughed yet another time. "O-Okay. I-I'll try." The toys had been looking around the whole inn keeping their eyes out for danger, they spotted that odd fellow looking straight at them. It set off danger signals as the cat and fox had both stepped down approaching the figure.

"What are you looking at? Stop staring at my family. It's making me, my wife, and my kid feel very uncomfortable..." The blue cat hadn't been as blunt, but she had decided to ask the man in a more polite manner. "Yes. If you would please look away, we would greatly appreciate it. All people around the world look different, and our daughter is the same." The young girl at the temptation of food hadn't even noticed her toys leaving as she would start eating with the bread, and as it filled her, she swallowed little by little. However, she was shaking too much to eat the soup broth well. Her eyes were teary as she was so happy to be eating anything even if just bread. "C-Can you please help me eat? T-Thank you so much papa Dan for buying me some food." The young girl had held the piece bread between her paws as she slowly set it down on the plate as if treasuring it.

Myla had looked to Dan with large, adorable, shining, blue eyes as they seemed to widen. She had room for more food, but she was quickly getting full. While she should be gaining weight, she was quite a bit under the bar. Also seeing she was used to eating such little amounts of food, she wasn't used to eating as much as presented. She figured she would try a bit of everything seeing she saw everything looked wonderful. The colorful vegetables presented to her were nice. She knew all of them from cabbage, onion, potato, carrot, and even the leek. It seemed to come with a beefy sauce on the plate as well. She would have let Dan feed her by opening her mouth and saying "Aah" before she coughed hard. She had then opened her mouth again as she would take a slow sip of the juice. Now this was true ecstacy. She really was loving Dan and appreciating his compassion for her. She had kicked her legs back and forth smiling the brightest she had for a while. She would drink all of the warm broth as she now felt leagues better than before with food in her system.

She wouldn't be opposed to the vegetables nor be fussy as she would find those delicious although lacking the bite of the broth or the smooth consistency of the bread. She had eaten some of those as well before she would then realize...where were her parents? She had widened her eyes as her head popped up as she looked around everywhere. She couldn't stand being far apart from them for long. "Mama? Papa? Where are you?!" The girl had coughed hard as she forced herself to stand and she was about to run around to look for them if need be.

SPOILER: Click to show

I will allow Meriwether to control the toys if needed for anything for his next post. ;D

[Shinku]

As it soon became apparent that the mink girl was too weak to keep the spoon steady, Dan took the cutlery from her and dipped it into the broth and spooned up some soup for her. He waited patiently whenever the girl took a bite of the bread, then held it up for her.

"Don't forget to blow on the soup, or you're going to burn your tongue." Dan reminded her.

Too absorbed in caring for Myla, Dan didn't notice the Papa and Mama plushies' absence. If he had, the short man might have spoken up against it. The adoptive parent was prone to lecturing others about their misbehaviour and rarely left out an oportunity to teach others what good manners were, but even he would have spoken out against it. This wasn't a situation for direct confrontation. The bar was what one could call the "enemy's turf", picking a fight here was not favorable for them. It was something the young Delion would not have done even if he had been alone and only responsible for himself. Now with little Myla relying on him, getting in trouble was just not an option.
You only get to choose if you're aware of the possibilities, which Dan at the moment wasn't.

"Oh! You're eating all the vegetables without being picky, that's rare. Do you like them that much or are you afraid that you won't get more?"

After a short consideration of the pros and cons he gave her an encouraging smile.

"If you really hate something, just tell me. Everyone has preferences, that's not something that makes you a bad kid." If Myla started to think she was, it would be a problem. The girl seemed uncertain enough already. On the same time he also didn't want her to stop eating vegetables, she needed them badly. But the priority was still to make her more sure of herself and of their relationship. If she thought he would be angry and abandoned her for little stuff like that, they would never get a good parent-child relationship where he could teach her about healthy food.
"We can always try and order other food until there's something you like. I'm sure there must be plenty of good stuff that you like eating very much. Not like you should eat too much at once or you'll ruin your little stomach, but I'm sure it could handle a bit more today and if not today then tomorrow."

Going through different dishes that might please a little child in his mind, Dan was barely fast enough to catch Myla before she ran off. The girl had become unsettled all of a sudden and it didn't took much brain to see why.
"There have those toys run off to?" he wondered slightly annoyed.
It was not the sign of a good parent to simply wander off without telling your child and it made feel as if he had three kids to look after, rather than one.

The first thing he spotted weren't the dolls but the looks of the criminals who had greeted them when the group and entered. They weren't looking at Dan now, but at something else and while they didn't look surprised or scared, their looks still showed a hint of interest - and most importantly, they were all focusing on the same thing.
Mister Delion turned around to look at the direction everyone was staring at and was not surprised to the plushies at the center of the attention.
They were standing in front of a lonely customer and even though Dan could only see his back, Papa Fox seemed very confrontative at the moment.
Everything in his stance spelled trouble.
Expecting a strong reaction from the man, Dan hurried over, ready to jump in between in the attempt to calm the situation, but he had hardly reached them when the stranger stood up and with a last glance at the plushies as well as Dan and Myla, left the room.

"Are you guys all right? Don't just run off on your own, Myla was really worried about you."

Through the whole time that Papa and Mama toy had talked to him, the man had made no response and only watched them calmly, almost analytically, as if they were not something he needed to react to. Neither did he seem troubled at meeting speaking plushies, nor did his face betray any special interest in them. All in all, it might have been a creepy encounter.

Meanwhile, Dan set Myla down, so the girl could go to her Papa and Mama, while he watched the stranger retreat to another part of the inn - or at least through the door that the medic suspected to be leading to the inn's guest rooms.


A little while later, the innkeeper reappeared to ask them if everything was in order and - to Dan's surprise - to offer them a room for the night.
After being made to pay upfront, it was strange that the man would ask if they wished to stay, but maybe the earlier payment had convinced him that they had the money to pay for their stay. Yeah, that was likely it... now that he knew their financial situation was all right, the innkeeper tried to milk them as much as he could.
Fine by Dan, they needed a warm sleeping place...
"What do you say? Shall we go and get some rest Myla?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}Thanks for the option of controlling the Papa and Mama dolls... didn't need it now but I'm sure it's going to be important later on when we proceed as planned.
I hope the plot progression is all right like that?

[Dandead10]

The little girl had greatly appreciated being spoon fed the broth of the meaty soup as it warmed her. However, she was starting to feel full from all the food she had partaken. When she was alone, she hadn't ever eaten this much at one seeing she didn't know when and where she would get her next meal from. Kindness like Dan's was a rarity many would not be able to just find. She had blown on the soup sipping it little by little as she kicked her legs back and forth. "The vegetables taste good papa. They are a ton better than eating nothing." She remained silent. "I won't ever complain." She was still worried...of going back to the cold or getting ridiculed for her appearance. She coughed yet again however this time, she coughed rather hard as she was debilitated for a second or two. Dan was so kind even offering to buy her different kinds of food if she didn't like what was available. "I'm okay papa. I-I'm feeling full. I don't ever eat this much." She wasn't brave enough nor bold to ask Dan to buy her anything else. Myla already was grateful for everything else the Delion had done for her and her parents.

Of course when she had left and found her parents surrounded by a crowd of onlookers who curiously stared at the two toys, they too grew rather nervous from the attention. They haven't had many experiences in bars, but the times in life they did go, they never experienced bar fights in Zoe. That odd figure simply just staring was intimidating. No expressions on that man's face than cold neutrality. It was almost the look of a trained killer possibly. When the man had told them of how worried Myla was, both toys had leapt at their daughter hugging her tight. "We are so sorry for scaring you sweetheart! I should have known better than to leave two ladies alone at the table without excusing myself!" The blue cat had looked to the Delion to see he was focusing a bit on that odd stranger. "We are indeed sorry for almost causing trouble. We didn't intend to do any such thing. We'll make sure to stick close from now on...it's just that we didn't feel very comfortable with that man staring at us."

The young girl had hugged her toys close as...the criminals turned away but talked in whispers as they planned. They identified her powers as those belonging to the devil fruit. Nobody in the room really knew much about them, how they worked, or of their value and just thought of them as myths. They didn't know the value of her capture, so they had simply stared and talked among themselves. The little mink had held her parents close to her chest tightly never wanting to let them go. Slowly turning to Dan, she had looked to him before hugging his leg tightly as well. "Thank you so much for everything. I-I love you papa Dan, and I hope you'll never leave us." It was then the fox's eyes widened for a moment before he quickly spoke. "She can't be a papa silly Myla! She's a woman so she is your second mama!" The turquoise cat had rolled her eyes as she spoke. "Why does it matter what he or she wants to call himself? What matters is that our daughter was helped and she's found a kind soul in the blues. We should be willing to help in any way possible. We are in his debt." The lime fox had mumbled and nodded still unhappy about having a second "papa" compete with him for Myla dominance. The little girl by Dan's waist had just giggled at her parent's antics as she then coughed into the still somewhat wet Hakama of Dan.

It was a while later that the Innkeeper had actually offered them a room. Whether it was because he now knew they had money or perhaps because for another reason it didn't matter. The young Myla had been eager to go to another one of those...beds were they called? Myla had followed the Delion to the room and within a moment, Myla would be seen currently crawling under the bed with her toys by her side. Her tail would sway as she explored the underside of the bed, and the mother cat would look to the probable confused human. "Myla still worries there are monsters everywhere so we make sure to comfort her by looking everywhere first." The little girl had suddenly struggled...but pulled out a large box from underneath. "What is this?" She had opened it to see there was a small line of wallets and jewelry found inside. The little girl had pressed hard on a floorboard and there it lifted...and the box was. In reality it was the stash of a thief as Myla was ever so lucky or perhaps unlucky to discover it. "Papa? Mama? Papa Dan? What's this stuff?" Jewelry was something that the former mink knew a bit about and had before their enslavement, but to find it in a random room was surprising. "I don't think there are any monsters under there. Whatever this stuff is, I don't really care. I jus wanna go to sleep now."

The little girl had struggled, but climbed onto the abnormally large bed with her toys as she had tossed off her cloak and she would run her finger along her new dress with a smile. The toys had looked through the wallets, coin purses, and jewelry with interest before handing it over to the medicinal herb healer. Now, they had no use for such things as they just wanted to safeguard their daughter and the man whom helped her was the only one who could have use for such money. "Papa Dan? Will you please tell me a story?" That was a surprising question out of seemingly nowhere, but this was a young child after all. As her caretaker, who was he to deny such a request? She looked comfortable on the bed as she coughed...and then held her paws over her mouth to hold it in. She felt comfortable with Dan...she had the feeling to say she never wanted to leave him.