Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2018 0:50:31 GMT -5
On the idyllic white shores of Fuschia Town, a young girl played in the sand. She scooped up wet sand, dripping it over her castle to give it tall wiggly towers. Sculpting it into the foundation of the castle, she giggled as she looked over her handiwork. She nodded to herself and glanced around for some shells to adorn the sides of it when something in the distance caught her eye.
Some sea gulls were flocking around something in the ocean. What could it be? She shielded her eyes with her hand and squinted to get a better look. Something was floating in the water. It looked like a...man! The girl screamed and skittered back.
"Cocomi! What's wrong?" called her mother's voice as she rushed over the hill toward her daughter. Scooping up Cocomi in her arms, she furrowed her brow with concern, looking Cocomi over. Cocomi pointed out to sea. The mother turned her head and caught sight of what looked like a man barely holding on drifting on a broken piece of wood. She covered her mouth in shock.
"Oh my god! Lawrence!"
A tall, tanned fellow with golden hair and a shaggy beard came barreling out of the house in such a hurry that he didn't even notice the loose board on the deck. He tripped and landed face first in the sand, pausing for a moment before getting up in haste and checking every inch of his daughter for injuries, mumbling in worry.
"Where is it? What happened to my poor daughter! Did you get a scratch! Was it the crabs again! Oh, don't tell me, you got sand in your eyes! Oh my poor baby will go blind! Ramani, run the bath!"
Cocomi swatted away her father with a whine and teary eyes as Ramani pointed out to sea where a man on a board lay face down close to shore. The seagulls seemed to pick at the makeshift raft, either for the food that might have gotten stuck in the boards or something else entirely. Without hesitation, Lawrence's face became stern as he stripped his shirt off and swam to retrieve the man, though as he got closer he saw just how dire and insane the situation really was. It took quite an effort to pull the raft to shore, as the man who lay on it was of huge proportions!
As the boards were pulled to shore, something at the bottom of the boat caught the edge of the shore. Lawrence, unable to pull the boards because of it, heaved the man to his back and began to push on his chest to relieve the water that was no doubt filling his lungs. He called to Ramani, urging her to get the town doctor as well as some men to help him lift the massive heap of a man. Many tense minutes later, the stranger finally coughed up water and choked in some air, though he was still not conscious enough to speak or even open his eyes.
On his back lay a staggeringly tall human with pale purple skin and long white hair. His clothes were torn and dented metal plates lined with silk were layered on his body. The muscles on his body now visible from the torn clothing were scratched up and bruised. His shallow breathing was still longer and heftier that most of the men Lawrence had ever met. Finally, though, six other men from the village came hurriedly to the aid of this poor castaway, lifting him up on the very boards that were almost his grave.
From within his weak hands, a large object fell to the ground. Cocomi, having had her interests piqued, went to investigate since her father and the other adults wouldn't let her near the stranger. Sticking partly out of the sand, a large black handle protruded out a good foot from the shore. As she tugged and pulled at it, she fell back with a thud as a large scythe clanked beside her. She screamed and ran to her mother, who at the site of this object nearly cutting her daughter in half, asked another of the men to take it into the shed and put it somewhere Cocomi could not reach it.
Days passed as the stranger slept and healed. Half of his body was covered in bandages by the doctor, as much of it was painted with cuts, gashes, and bruises. Since there were no beds in the hospital big enough for such a man, two beds were put together in Lawrence's home to fit the white haired man's body as he healed.
Finally, on the fourth day, he awoke slowly, his eyes blurry and his body weak from hunger and thirst. As he turned his head, he could vaguely see the outline of filled glass. In desperation, he attempted to lift his arm to reach for the glass, but after a few moments of struggle, accidentally tipped it off the edge of the bedside table, smashing it to pieces. From another room, Cocomi rushed in with wide eyes and jumped up and down with excitement.
"Daddy! Daddy! He's awake! The man is awake!"
Walking in from the other room with a start, Lawrence sighed with relief, then proceeded to hurry Cocomi out of the room while he cleaned up the glass shards. As he did, he spoke in a soft voice, knowing that sudden loud noises might hurt the poor man's ears at this stage.
"That was a close call, stranger. Are you doing alright?"
The man calmly put his hand to his temple as the pain began to fade. His body was slowly gaining strength again, but he couldn't remember what happened. Where was he? How did he get here? He remained silent as he thought.
"I suppose you're still quite weary. Here, have something to eat while I get you another glass of water. I can't imagine what you've been through, young man..."
Lawrence walked back out of the room as Cocomi snuck in. The man had slowly brought the plate onto his lap and begun to eat, but was soon interrupted by a set of eyes at the end of the bed. Cocomi had been staring at him in amazement for quite some time, and it wasn't hard to figure out why.
"Um... Hi mister...! I'm Cocomi! What's your name?"
Her question was met with a long silence as the man chewed in thought. However, he could not let it stand as it was. Her father had saved him and he had to show gratitude to these people somehow.
"I... am Charon. Pleasure... to meet you, Cocomi."
A small, gentle smile grew on his lips as she smiled back at him, climbing onto the foot of the bed and sitting with her legs crossed in front of her.
"You sure are tall mister Charon! Where are you from?"
Charon once again sat in silence, sighing and lowering his hand again as Lawrence entered with another glass of water.
"Cocomi! Why are you bothering the poor man! He needs his rest, my sweet little girl!"
"But Daddy, mister Charon was gonna tell me where he was from! He's soooooo big! Are all the people from where you are from that big?"
"Cocomi, can you please go help your mother with the shopping? You know how much she likes it when you do."
"Shopping with Momma?? Yaay!"
Lawrence's distraction worked like a charm as Cocomi raced off to find her mother. He sat the glass beside Charon as he ate and pulled up a chair. He sat there in silence until Charon finally finished eating and started to speak up.
"So then, your name is Charon? I won't ask about your personal life, but I must know... what happened to you? And how long have you been stranded at sea?"
Charon didn't even know what day it was, let alone how long he had been stranded for. But he did remember what he was trying to do... and how it all went wrong.
"I was trying to get... into the Grand Line. I took a ship into it... but I suppose a single man can't sail a ship into the Grand Line without smashing it to pieces..."
Lawrence's face dropped in shock as he heard what Charon had to say. What need could he have for going to the Grand Line? And alone?! Was he a fool?!
"You're lucky to be alive, you know. Going there is a fool's errand and going alone usually means certain death! I'm not sure how you even survived, mister Charon..."
Lawrence paused for a moment and sighed. At one point, he too had wanted to go into the Grand Line. His failure left a sour taste in his mouth when it comes to that death trap of a mountain that acts as a deterrent to all of those who would dare to enter the Grand Line.
"Either way... How are you feeling, mister Charon? Oh, and sorry for the late introduction. My name is Lawrence Boar."
Charon flexed his muscles and clenched his fists. Finally, he felt normal again. He could probably even lift a decently sized boulder right now. However, he knew he had to rest if he was going to leave here eventually.
"I am doing... well for the moment. I'm not at full strength... but I think I'll manage just fine. Mister Boar... Thank you for saving my life. I owe you a great debt, and I fully intend to pay it back."
"Good. You can start by following me into town. I imagine you'll need to familiarize yourself with the town if you're going to be staying here. I've even made bedding arrangements for you at the local Inn. Now, I had my wife tailor you up some clothing, seeing as how you can't really wear what you washed up in... I hope you like it, mister Charon."
After excusing himself, Lawrence left the room after opening the nearby drawer to reveal the newly tailored clothes he had his wife make. As Charon stood and dressed himself, he couldn't help but to think of his failure. Was he really so stupid as not to realize that what he did could very well have gotten him killed? He still intended to go to the Grand Line... but he knew he could never do it alone. He needed... a crew. And now a ship. He looked in the mirror, though he had to kneel to see himself in it entirely. A nice pair of trousers and a long sleeved shirt that seemed to fit him perfectly. They complimented his body well, and were also made from a similar fabric as his old clothes.
Charon was finally ready, and after meeting Lawrence at the front of the house, they prepared to leave to explore the town. However, one of the men who helped Charon to the house stopped them and asked him about the weird scythe that washed up with him. He smiled and looked at him with a certain shine in his eye. So it survived after all, eh?
"If you wouldn't mind, could you bring it to my room at the Inn? It's very special to me.. and the only thing I have left that reminds me of home."
The man nodded and rushed off as Charon and Lawrence headed out to town. Charon's mind began to wander. He hadn't even caught the name of wherever it was he washed up. What would it be like? How would he find a ship? What lies in store for him from here on? Will he be able to find people to recruit to his crew without a ship? He had no clue what to expect, and it both thrilled and frightened him. He was ready to begin a new journey.
Open to All
Some sea gulls were flocking around something in the ocean. What could it be? She shielded her eyes with her hand and squinted to get a better look. Something was floating in the water. It looked like a...man! The girl screamed and skittered back.
"Cocomi! What's wrong?" called her mother's voice as she rushed over the hill toward her daughter. Scooping up Cocomi in her arms, she furrowed her brow with concern, looking Cocomi over. Cocomi pointed out to sea. The mother turned her head and caught sight of what looked like a man barely holding on drifting on a broken piece of wood. She covered her mouth in shock.
"Oh my god! Lawrence!"
A tall, tanned fellow with golden hair and a shaggy beard came barreling out of the house in such a hurry that he didn't even notice the loose board on the deck. He tripped and landed face first in the sand, pausing for a moment before getting up in haste and checking every inch of his daughter for injuries, mumbling in worry.
"Where is it? What happened to my poor daughter! Did you get a scratch! Was it the crabs again! Oh, don't tell me, you got sand in your eyes! Oh my poor baby will go blind! Ramani, run the bath!"
Cocomi swatted away her father with a whine and teary eyes as Ramani pointed out to sea where a man on a board lay face down close to shore. The seagulls seemed to pick at the makeshift raft, either for the food that might have gotten stuck in the boards or something else entirely. Without hesitation, Lawrence's face became stern as he stripped his shirt off and swam to retrieve the man, though as he got closer he saw just how dire and insane the situation really was. It took quite an effort to pull the raft to shore, as the man who lay on it was of huge proportions!
As the boards were pulled to shore, something at the bottom of the boat caught the edge of the shore. Lawrence, unable to pull the boards because of it, heaved the man to his back and began to push on his chest to relieve the water that was no doubt filling his lungs. He called to Ramani, urging her to get the town doctor as well as some men to help him lift the massive heap of a man. Many tense minutes later, the stranger finally coughed up water and choked in some air, though he was still not conscious enough to speak or even open his eyes.
On his back lay a staggeringly tall human with pale purple skin and long white hair. His clothes were torn and dented metal plates lined with silk were layered on his body. The muscles on his body now visible from the torn clothing were scratched up and bruised. His shallow breathing was still longer and heftier that most of the men Lawrence had ever met. Finally, though, six other men from the village came hurriedly to the aid of this poor castaway, lifting him up on the very boards that were almost his grave.
From within his weak hands, a large object fell to the ground. Cocomi, having had her interests piqued, went to investigate since her father and the other adults wouldn't let her near the stranger. Sticking partly out of the sand, a large black handle protruded out a good foot from the shore. As she tugged and pulled at it, she fell back with a thud as a large scythe clanked beside her. She screamed and ran to her mother, who at the site of this object nearly cutting her daughter in half, asked another of the men to take it into the shed and put it somewhere Cocomi could not reach it.
Days passed as the stranger slept and healed. Half of his body was covered in bandages by the doctor, as much of it was painted with cuts, gashes, and bruises. Since there were no beds in the hospital big enough for such a man, two beds were put together in Lawrence's home to fit the white haired man's body as he healed.
Finally, on the fourth day, he awoke slowly, his eyes blurry and his body weak from hunger and thirst. As he turned his head, he could vaguely see the outline of filled glass. In desperation, he attempted to lift his arm to reach for the glass, but after a few moments of struggle, accidentally tipped it off the edge of the bedside table, smashing it to pieces. From another room, Cocomi rushed in with wide eyes and jumped up and down with excitement.
"Daddy! Daddy! He's awake! The man is awake!"
Walking in from the other room with a start, Lawrence sighed with relief, then proceeded to hurry Cocomi out of the room while he cleaned up the glass shards. As he did, he spoke in a soft voice, knowing that sudden loud noises might hurt the poor man's ears at this stage.
"That was a close call, stranger. Are you doing alright?"
The man calmly put his hand to his temple as the pain began to fade. His body was slowly gaining strength again, but he couldn't remember what happened. Where was he? How did he get here? He remained silent as he thought.
"I suppose you're still quite weary. Here, have something to eat while I get you another glass of water. I can't imagine what you've been through, young man..."
Lawrence walked back out of the room as Cocomi snuck in. The man had slowly brought the plate onto his lap and begun to eat, but was soon interrupted by a set of eyes at the end of the bed. Cocomi had been staring at him in amazement for quite some time, and it wasn't hard to figure out why.
"Um... Hi mister...! I'm Cocomi! What's your name?"
Her question was met with a long silence as the man chewed in thought. However, he could not let it stand as it was. Her father had saved him and he had to show gratitude to these people somehow.
"I... am Charon. Pleasure... to meet you, Cocomi."
A small, gentle smile grew on his lips as she smiled back at him, climbing onto the foot of the bed and sitting with her legs crossed in front of her.
"You sure are tall mister Charon! Where are you from?"
Charon once again sat in silence, sighing and lowering his hand again as Lawrence entered with another glass of water.
"Cocomi! Why are you bothering the poor man! He needs his rest, my sweet little girl!"
"But Daddy, mister Charon was gonna tell me where he was from! He's soooooo big! Are all the people from where you are from that big?"
"Cocomi, can you please go help your mother with the shopping? You know how much she likes it when you do."
"Shopping with Momma?? Yaay!"
Lawrence's distraction worked like a charm as Cocomi raced off to find her mother. He sat the glass beside Charon as he ate and pulled up a chair. He sat there in silence until Charon finally finished eating and started to speak up.
"So then, your name is Charon? I won't ask about your personal life, but I must know... what happened to you? And how long have you been stranded at sea?"
Charon didn't even know what day it was, let alone how long he had been stranded for. But he did remember what he was trying to do... and how it all went wrong.
"I was trying to get... into the Grand Line. I took a ship into it... but I suppose a single man can't sail a ship into the Grand Line without smashing it to pieces..."
Lawrence's face dropped in shock as he heard what Charon had to say. What need could he have for going to the Grand Line? And alone?! Was he a fool?!
"You're lucky to be alive, you know. Going there is a fool's errand and going alone usually means certain death! I'm not sure how you even survived, mister Charon..."
Lawrence paused for a moment and sighed. At one point, he too had wanted to go into the Grand Line. His failure left a sour taste in his mouth when it comes to that death trap of a mountain that acts as a deterrent to all of those who would dare to enter the Grand Line.
"Either way... How are you feeling, mister Charon? Oh, and sorry for the late introduction. My name is Lawrence Boar."
Charon flexed his muscles and clenched his fists. Finally, he felt normal again. He could probably even lift a decently sized boulder right now. However, he knew he had to rest if he was going to leave here eventually.
"I am doing... well for the moment. I'm not at full strength... but I think I'll manage just fine. Mister Boar... Thank you for saving my life. I owe you a great debt, and I fully intend to pay it back."
"Good. You can start by following me into town. I imagine you'll need to familiarize yourself with the town if you're going to be staying here. I've even made bedding arrangements for you at the local Inn. Now, I had my wife tailor you up some clothing, seeing as how you can't really wear what you washed up in... I hope you like it, mister Charon."
After excusing himself, Lawrence left the room after opening the nearby drawer to reveal the newly tailored clothes he had his wife make. As Charon stood and dressed himself, he couldn't help but to think of his failure. Was he really so stupid as not to realize that what he did could very well have gotten him killed? He still intended to go to the Grand Line... but he knew he could never do it alone. He needed... a crew. And now a ship. He looked in the mirror, though he had to kneel to see himself in it entirely. A nice pair of trousers and a long sleeved shirt that seemed to fit him perfectly. They complimented his body well, and were also made from a similar fabric as his old clothes.
Charon was finally ready, and after meeting Lawrence at the front of the house, they prepared to leave to explore the town. However, one of the men who helped Charon to the house stopped them and asked him about the weird scythe that washed up with him. He smiled and looked at him with a certain shine in his eye. So it survived after all, eh?
"If you wouldn't mind, could you bring it to my room at the Inn? It's very special to me.. and the only thing I have left that reminds me of home."
The man nodded and rushed off as Charon and Lawrence headed out to town. Charon's mind began to wander. He hadn't even caught the name of wherever it was he washed up. What would it be like? How would he find a ship? What lies in store for him from here on? Will he be able to find people to recruit to his crew without a ship? He had no clue what to expect, and it both thrilled and frightened him. He was ready to begin a new journey.
Open to All