high_seas | Meeting of the Minds

Entry tags:

Meeting of the Minds

Who: Everyone who chooses to participate
Where: Breakneck Cay
When: December 5th
What: A summit to get down to business and get this situation sorted out, L-Elf-style
Warnings: Possible violence?
Style: Any
Status: Open

Upon arriving on Breakneck Cay, if you can navigate the shoals safely and find safe mooring, you'll notice that the beach is more or less abandoned unless you count the countless shipwrecks an snarled piles of debris strewn across the shore. If you approach the jungle, you'll notice a makeshift sign pointing towards a path leading into the trees. There's a lengthy note tacked to it with a detailed map, an exhaustive list of rules and etiquette for participating in a military summit, and probably more if anyone actually got past the part with the map.

The meeting is to be held in a strangely silent clearing. Upon arriving, you'll find L-Elf sitting on the huge stone in the center, fast asleep. It's immediately obvious that this is not a social occasion or it at least wasn't planned by someone with any idea how to make guests feel comfortable. There's nowhere to sit except on the ground and definitely no refreshments. It might be a good idea to send someone back to the ship to pick something up if you want to make it through this thing.

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[Robin offers Marco a wry smile. He's so obvious. Why does he keep trying?]

One of these days I will learn what all that racket means, and then where will you be, hm?

[He gets her fingertips rubbed under his beak, though.]

[Uhuhuhu. He will cheerfully melt, and maybe give her a small fluffy nuzzle to her face.]

I will be in trouble, that's where. But I'll try to teach you some pieces.

[Nothing embarrassing though or he'll die.]

[She chuckles, and runs the backs of her fingers over his wing. They feel like warm gossamer. How does he not burn everything in sight? Still, she keeps her voice low.]

Shall we pull away from the group for a few minutes? It'd be nice to talk with you for a moment or two before things begin.

[A chirp of confirmation and Marco cocks his head to the side to gesture for her to lead on, since he doesn't want to switch back until they're out of eyesight at least.]

[And in the meanwhile, he's just going to try not to be nervous. Not so much on Robin's account as all of it, really.]

[Robin steps quietly out of view, then wanders deep enough into the forest to offer several layers of cover. There's a lively bush with a moss covered tree root right behind it, and that is where Robin decides to sit, holding the phoenix in her lap.]

Well, pretty bird, is your secret safe enough?

[Nods, and briefly swishes his tail happily at being called pretty before hopping off and switching back to human.]

Thank you, yoi.

And how are you today, love?

I've had higher hopes for Cipher Pol meetings. But at the very least, one or two may show their hands. Another is up to some trouble but I don't know what kind. I suppose it'll have to be a surprise.

[Robin runs her hands over her knees, leaning forward on her elbows.]

It wouldn't be the first one of the day. I didn't realize Namur's belligerence had a purpose.

You too, eh?

[A wry grin.] Given the last summit I went to resulted in my father's, Ace's, and several hundred other deaths, I can't say I was entirely excited for this one, yoi.

[As for the Namur comment, Marco hesitates and tilts his head.] Nothing my brothers do is entirely without purpose, but I'm not sure what you mean here. What did Nam-chan do, and what is it you think it means?

[Beyond the obvious of course. Namur was loud to be distracting, and affectionate because people needed it, and so on and so forth.]

[Robin opens the journal, flipping the pages back until she finds the conversation in question.]

I'll keep what you said in mind. But I'd hardly call what happened at Marineford a summit. It was meant to be an execution from the start, and the Marines made no secret of that.

[Leans an arm on a tree and then the rest of himself on the arm, not quite looking at Robin.]

Don't misunderstand me, it was a war. But who do you think had to round up all the allies, and ask their help? Who do you think had to act as general every step of the way, and count in everyone's priorities along with it? Above my own, yoi. [Lives > ships, Lives of siblings > own lives, lives of crew > captains -- however much it drove Marco insane to let Little Oars Jr. and Pops, and Whitey Bay, and Squardo sacrifice themselves, or die trying.] And it was me who had to deal with the aftermath, and thank Shanks for his help.

[He turns, and gives her an all too serious, albeit deadpan look.] I loathe politics. [Oh, and he does.]

[But he moves again to sit next to her.]

I meant what I said what I said about declaring war with anyone who stood in our way in this world. I told you. I'm not as kindhearted as my father. He embraced being called a monster, and adopted other outcasts. That is not my way. It's all I can do not to blaze a path and declare what is my territory and protected space.

I can't find it in me to care what some children too young to understand war think of it or me for it.

It cost me -- cost Ace -- Lea and Roxas, and maybe others. Selphie said Aya asked her to go with him...

But I am who I am, Robin. Monster and all.

[He frowns and debates a cigarette, but not around Robin, no. So he focuses on breathing instead and lays on his back, looking up at the leaves and whatever of the sky is visible.]

I'm sure none of them want me here. [Waves a hand vaguely.] All the more reason to send Thatch as the vanguard. And to spy as discreetly as I can.

Selphie is second mate because I don't intend to let our time here be anything short of sunshine and smiles, eh? Here in this world completely, I mean, not the meeting. She's at the meeting to learn the ropes even more. [Partly why Rogue wasn't at the meeting. Because he made Rogue third mate because she goes her own way, which would be dangerous at this kind of thing actually.]

But they took Thatch and Namur...

[He's surprised at how steady his voice is. Even without the cigarette it feels like ash is caught in the back of his throat, a tight flinty burning, but it doesn't seem to show in his voice.] Fools think Ace is the one who kept me from doing worse to the naval base that helped slavers... [His eyes darken.] But he didn't even want to leave any survivors. [The line between him and Teach... to Marco it was bigger than a universe, but to those fools, it was minuscule, wasn't it? And if they couldn't see the difference, Marco had trouble figuring out why he should respect them enough to try to explain it. They didn't seem to respect him enough to try to understand it, so it'd just be a waste of time.]

There's a reason I was so public with my declarations, yoi.

They've wanted to send Ace and Thatch back to their deaths no matter what we will otherwise. No matter what I do to fix it, to buy them more time. Roxas too. Lea outright told me so. "We keep their memories in our hearts--" [Marco scowls heavily.] Only a moron who has only ever had one person to lose, and believes in fate could say something so stupid. That's the kind of idiocy I'd expect from Teach. [A growl.]

[He leans up on one elbow facing Robin.] This is as much my world as theirs! The only difference is that I'm actually willing to fight for my right to be here, and they're too cowardly! Scared of the consequences... [His temper worsens until blue flames ripple over his arms, a quick burst that equally quickly calms him down.]

I came to look after Thatch. [Reaches a hand out to one of Robin's.] But a fair few of them are idiots who say the same thing you've no doubt heard many times before. That we don't belong in this world, that we have no place, shouldn't have a place, and mustn't disrupt it. [How can Marco not loathe that? It was the exact opposite of everything his father was. Whitebeard wasn't just able to create earthquakes and tsunamis, he literally shook everything up he wanted, or stabilized it. Something these idiots would never understand so far as Marco is concerned.]

[No, truthfully, it went far beyond that. Being a monster who had no place in the world? How many times had Marco and his whole family been told that millions of times? Wasn't that why Ace was used as bait? Wasn't that why they tried to kill his little brother too? They were abominations that should never have been, wasn't it? And Robin, as the only person in the world to know poneglyphs, to be hunted from her childhood, much like Ace, had no doubt had to deal with the same words countless times. Even being a devil fruit user or okama could make you a monster in the eyes of some. Being told you didn't belong in the world at all....]

[Was the only thing other than betrayal and slavery: absolute control, that Marco couldn't forgive.] I know you're strong enough to handle it, and you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to be, but if you ever want me by your side, just raise a hand, and I'll be there, eh?

Edited 2014-12-09 23:17 (UTC)

I know.

[She lets another wry smile tug at one corner of her lips, teasing.]

You've told me you love me. I'd like to assume such words carry some weight.

[Robin is tempted to wink, but decides instead to nudge her shoulder up against Marco's as she lets a brief silence lapse between them. And then:]

It isn't going well. My project.

[She glances away, not wanting to see the inevitable disappointment in his eyes as she admits to being anything less than spectacular. But other eyes watch anyway, because if there's the flash of a hunter that's just discovered the weakness of his prey, she needs to know about it.]

Of course. [In answer to the weight his accidental promise of love carries.]

[He wraps an arm around her shoulders in response to hold her close, and then closes the circle with his other arm.]

Stop holding all the world on your shoulders, Gorgeous. You're not the only one working on it, eh? And you have other things to take care of too. Don't worry, Selphie and Ikki are helping me with it. Talk to them and Rogue. [Gently nudges her chin.] And chin up, eh? [Kisses her cheek.] You're too sweet to see this down.

[Robin glowers a little. She isn't taking the weight of the world on her shoulders. She's formulating experiments and failing to produce results. It's different.]

What have they found, then? Have any of you had success?

[Sorry, Marco. A part of her mind recognizes that he's trying to smooth her proverbial feathers, but she opened herself up about something that prickles, so she's feeling like skin rubbed raw.]

[Marco eases off the hug halfway, and just hides his grin behind her head.]

[She's so much like him, and he's trying very hard not to find it adorable (and failing miserably.)]

[Still, she had to corner him, didn't she?]

[He really does hate how little he has shields up around her. All his defenses are always down, and he can't even lie. The best he can do is stay vague, and even then she corners him!]

[He wishes she would just take "Everything will be all right," as an answer, but then she wouldn't be that much, painfully like him if she did. Sure, his father could have promised that until Whitebeard was blue in the face, but it wouldn't stop Marco from worrying and countering it a million times over either.]

Nothing tangible, yoi.

[He frowns, fidgets, and folds his arms around her shoulders, back to hugging her from behind and leaning carefully over a shoulder.]

This isn't going to be something with little steps of progress, eh. Not only are there always going to be setbacks, but even when progress comes, you won't necessarily know that you're looking straight at it.

Before Chandra left she told me she was working on it, but she had to make her traveling separate from Jones, and retain her memories, the latter of which she was working on a device to capture them in. And I've got faith in that still, eh?

With Ace gone, I still don't know how to get a lock on him. Folding time and space, we're making headway with, but unless I can find a way to narrow that down from all of eternity, it might as well be moot.

If we can figure out how Jones picks people up, then we can find out how he differentiates them too, aye?

But for now, you still can't hold this all onto yourself. [He gently rubs the top of her arms.] Otherwise you'll never stop feeling like you're drowning. Trust me, I've done that before.

[He lets his arms fall and shifts one to a wing to protect her with, though he looks off into the forest.]

[More... he needed her not to stress out over it, or Marco himself was never going to be able to stop. He loved her for her honesty, for being able and willing to admit she was trying and failing, but if she didn't let herself lean on him, then it didn't matter how strong he was, he wouldn't be able to protect her still.]

[But it was too complicated to put into words, and Marco wouldn't have known where to even begin to convey that kind of thing -- even if he had been willing and able.]

[Nothing tangible is just as good as nothing at all, and Robin sighs, leaning into Marco's hugs but folding her hands in her lap.]

There's another theory I've considered, though I'd rather not have to give it any weight. However, it seems to be the only one being proven in any sense of the word.

Oh?

[His tone is cautious, all but wary, really.]

It is possible that we are not able to access the native magic. There are a number of reasons why this might be. Perhaps because many of us have our own version of it and it creates dissonance, or maybe because even though we're here, our bodies are still subject to the laws of our own worlds... It could be something as basic and inborn as cell structure or something more purposeful, like a blocking spell. Perhaps our intrinsic connection to Davy Jones has something to do with it, since none of us are here without his say so.

Or it could be that it's simply something we have to unlock, much like haki.

[Robin sighs again, but it's a little more relieved, and some of the tension drains out of her.]

In any case, nothing has been proven so far. I intend to keep working until I have something conclusive to offer.

[Kisses her cheek.]

Relax, yoi.

Completely stealing someone else's power would go against my style. Too reminiscent of Blackbeard.

Instead of completely trying to duplicate him, let's just find out how he does what he does and use it as a stepping stone, eh?

[Her brow furrows.]

I'm not talking about stealing anyone's power nor duplicating anyone. What in the world are you talking about?

Jones.

[Arches an eyebrow.]

Have you just been trying to do magic without a blueprint?

[He gets a look because she refuses to answer stupid questions.]

Another option is that the framework I have been basing my studies on is not, in fact, the correct foundation. Perhaps I will find it was a precursor or even unrelated, though the things I've read seem to hold true in the case of native users.

Meeting of the Minds

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