The Yawning Grave • ONE PIECE

ii I spider legs

TWO  I  SPIDER LEGS

(season 1 ; episode 1)

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           Come high noon, Alya and Elise stepped food into the noisy hubbub that was Ririka's tavern. Upon seeing the countless bodies buzzing around inside, she thanked the gods. A busy tavern meant she could blend in easily with the crowd.

As soon as they arrived, Alya sent Elise off to find her young friend Rika - she never let her little sister sit in on business meetings - before finding an inconspicuous table to settle herself on. Just out of the way enough to avoid eavesdropping but not hidden away enough to cause suspicion. And with an overview of the whole bar so she could keep an eye on Elise. Light edged its way in through the window next to her as she settled herself in a chair.

As the mind-numbing wait for her companion began, her gaze roamed around the other occupants, keenly on the lookout for any worrisome figures. A platoon of off-duty Marines were enjoying a drink, chatting merrily amongst one another. Near the front of the bar was a tanned boy in a straw hat, speaking enthusiastically to his pink-haired friend. The other boy sat with his shoulders hunched to the sky, sending anxious glances to the room around them. Every rough sound seemed to send a startling flinch through the flighty bird. Several empty plates of food already littered their table as the straw-hatted boy tucked into another.

Fiery orange caught her gaze, locking it onto the corner of the room opposite to her. A girl sat there, one leg pulled up onto her perch, with the most intense shade of bright orange colouring her hair. It resembled a sunset on a desert island. Flickering flames in the midnight air. A grove of tangerine trees, the fruit at its peak of ripeness.

The girl glanced lazily around the Marines, examining them with boredom. The slight glint of consideration did not go amiss to Alya's trained eyes. There was something she was searching for amongst the surrounding soldiers. As if feeling Alya's careful gaze, the tangerine haired girl caught her eyes with her own. Sky blue against chocolate brown.

Alya's breath caught in her throat.

A self-assured smirk was thrown her way, and she averted her gaze, an unwelcome flush creeping up her neck.

Hair prickled up on the back of her neck as she felt eyes upon her, dampening the heat. Alya stole a glance to where the uneasy feeling originated from. Primly sat at a nearby table was a familiar, purple-suited figure with long, straw-blonde hair, ogling her. With her attention caught, he sent her a flirtatious smirk. Helmeppo. The son of Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan. And the most spoiled brat that Alya had the displeasure of meeting. Tantrums were this particular man's code of conduct. Especially when he didn't get his way.

Huffing, Alya narrowed her eyes at the son of Shells Town's marine captain, sending murderous atent through her glower. The smirk quickly dropped and he averted his eyes, gulping nervously. Coward by nature, he didn't share his father's dominating spirit.

With the man appropriately scared off, she turned her gaze away with a swift roll of her eyes. Muttered grievances slipped out under her breath. Of all the people she could encounter today, this one just piled onto her building foul mood. Helmeppo had been relentlessly pursuing her for a date. After he stumbled into her at the market half-drunk, he found himself besotted. The past two weeks had been filled with persistent attempts at slick conversation and unwelcome advances, no matter how many times she made it clear to the spoiled brat that she wasn't interested. He had a habit of not listening.