Growing Heart

Ch 21 - A Middle Ground

On the first day, she learned the identification, medicinal use, and growing requirements of the most commonly used plants in the Farmacy.

On the second day, she learned every Heart Pirate had a purpose and specific duty on the ship and that everything ran like a well-oiled machine.

On the third day, she learned towards actual machinery, she was completely inept and had no business living in, or even near, one.

"Sid! I told you not to touch anything!!!" Penguin had yelled while Sid was engrossed in a book that Buckler had recommended. At least Sid interpreted it as a recommendation since there were no words exchanged. Buckler had silently slid the book shyly towards Sid without looking her way. It was an introductory book on cultivating and foraging plants.

Sid hadn't even looked up at the mechanic's hysterics. It was only when the lights started to strobe red did she pry her eyes away from the pages and stood up from the wall she had been leaning against. A wall of buttons, levers, and flickering screens.

That was also the day she learned where the button to stop the air circulation was as well as the day she realized that whenever the captain came out of either his room or his study, it was either to shout out some orders or to reprimand someone for causing trouble. It was never a good thing to see the captain outside of a scheduled visit.

Which was why she knew she must have unknowingly done something terrible to be suddenly summoned to the captain's office.

Sid wasn't afraid of Law or scared of any punishment or wrath she might have incurred. After all, she had a lifelong experience of facing down Wyper, whose fuse as short as the stub of a cigar he preferred. Therefore, she walked into the room with dignity and her head held high. Boo, however, clung to the top of her head with wariness in his eyes.

"Whatever it is I did or broke, it wasn't intentional. Just tell me my mistake and I'll never do it again," was her form of greeting.

It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the darkened room. The sources of light were a single pendant lamp, dangling just an inch above Sid's head and the metallic lamp on Law's desk. The room itself was narrow and cramped with long, built in metal bookshelves lining the sides that were cluttered with books placed at various angles, medical devices, loose papers, and stacks of old newspapers. The captain's desk was at the center of the room, where he sat facing the door. There was just enough room on each side of the desk for him to walk past without bumping into anything. The end of the room was about an arm's length behind him and there was nothing on it. No artwork. No shelves. No books. Nothing but his nodachi, leaning against one of its corners and within arm's reach of its owner.

"Sid-ya..." Law drawled out. He had an open folder resting in front of him and he held a sheaf of papers in his hands. He finished reading whatever was in front of him and then he casually placed the papers back into the folder before closing it up, "You did not make a mistake and you didn't break anything."

He took a breath. "At least not yet, anyways."

Sid took his comment in stride and she shrugged in agreement. "I'm getting better. I've learned just to not touch anything and to keep my arms and legs close to my sides whenever I'm not inside the Farmacy or mess hall...I'm used to open skies and no walls..."

"Yes. I now understand clearly what type of environment you are most familiar with," he said and then tapped a finger on the folder, "This actually explains a lot of it."

"Papers?" Sid asked.

Law narrowed his eyes. He could not tell if she was being cheeky or if it was a genuine question. Either way, it was no matter to him and he ignored it. "These are your test results..."