15 to go and 10 days in which to do it :-P
Title: A New Topography
Theme: Set #3 - Frog
Claim: Zoro
Words: 879
Rating: PG
Warnings: A spot of light Zoro/Nami. You'll need to have read the preceding three pieces to get the end.
Disclaimers: I don't own One Piece.
Nami looked up as the door to her workroom opened to reveal a miserable-looking Zoro, raising an eyebrow as he shut the door behind him, pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.
She examined the pout on his face.
"Let me guess. Sore throat getting you down?"
Zoro nodded.
"Chopper refuse to let you train?"
Another nod.
"Can't sleep because your throat's annoying you?"
Vigorous nodding.
"Aww, poor little Zoro." He scowled when she patted his head condescendingly. "So you needed a distraction, which is why you're here," she deduced.
He nodded again.
"I suppose Sanji-kun threw you out of the galley in case you'd get germs all over his food?" she conjectured.
Zoro frowned and shook his head.
"No? Hmm, then I guess you went to Robin but watching her read was too boring? Luffy and the others wanted to play a game but it was too noisy? Brook wanted to play you a lullaby but you're too macho for a lullaby?"
Every guess she hazarded was met with a shake of the head. Finally he opened his mouth and croaked, "You're the first person I came to."
"Geez, don't talk! You sound terrible!" The pout grew ever more pronounced and Zoro rose as if to leave, but Nami tugged him down again. "I didn't say you couldn't stay." She had to admit she was the tiniest bit flattered by the admission. "I guess I won't have to ask you to keep quiet." He shook his head decisively. "But if you infect me with that sore throat, it'll cost you 10,000 beli."
Zoro arched an eyebrow in mock alarm and edged away from Nami. She gave him a quick smile and returned to work.
True to his word, he kept absolutely silent as he watched her work on her map, his attention glued to watching it take shape. It helped that it was just the sort of map he could actually comprehend, since it was a cross-sectional view showing the relative altitudes and positions of Jaya, the Knock-up Stream, the White Sea, the White-White Sea and the component islands of Skypeia. Up, in this case, actually meant "up".
Gradually, though, his attention was drawn towards the mapmaker. Zoro had never really thought about it, but Nami worked really hard on her maps, as hard as he worked when he trained. He could see it in the tiny furrow in her brow under the pair of red glasses she was wearing, in the hint of tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth whenever she worked on a technically difficult section. It made for a rather cute little tableau, and the hours flew by and he forgot all about his sore throat as she worked and he watched.
Finally Nami leaned back with a contented sigh and stretched the kinks out of her neck and shoulders. Zoro took the opportunity to point at a part of a map that had puzzled him, a legend in the corner with two human figures that he recognised as Conis and Pagaya. It wasn't the sort of detailed rendering Usopp might have made, but a stylised drawing showing the distinctive hairstyles and clothing of the Skypeians. Zoro had never seen anything like that on a map before, only confusing blobs of blue and green and brown.
Nami looked from Zoro's quizzical expression to the area indicated by his finger. "Oh, that? That was something I decided to start doing after hearing what Robin said at Enies Lobby," Nami explained. He still looked confused, so she clarified, "'You can't see people on a map.' Remember?"
Zoro did remember, and he frowned when he recalled the pain in Robin's voice as she spoke those words, his expression mirrored on Nami's face. But then the clouds cleared from her face and she grinned. "That's when I decided that you'd be able to see the people on my maps."
Now that Zoro looked more closely, next to the figures were a few statistics, showing the approximate size of the Skypeian population and various key demographic characteristics, and -
"Gross Island Product?"
"A rough measure of the wealth of each island." Zoro rolled his eyes, and was rewarded with a light knock on the head. "Hey, it's an important statistic to know!" Nami waited for him to make a comment, and when he didn't reply, she said impatiently, "Well? What d'you think of my idea?"
Zoro recalled a country that had once been full of people, full of wealth, full of life, now deserted and ruined, and nodded his wholehearted approval.
Nami smiled, and leaned over to give him a peck on the forehead. Zoro blinked. "Whazzat for?" he asked hoarsely.
"For being a good boy and keeping quiet." She studied his face once more, and put on an expression of mock disappointment. "Pity..."
Zoro's eyebrows arched into a question mark, silently asking, "What did I do?"
Nami grinned, and poked Zoro in the forehead. "I was hoping the frog would turn into a handsome prince."
Fortunately for Zoro, Nami completely misinterpreted the deep blush that followed her words.
.....
Okay, that's it for the Prince Zoro series! I may make vague allusions to it later, though...
Theme: Set #3 - Frog
Claim: Zoro
Words: 879
Rating: PG
Warnings: A spot of light Zoro/Nami. You'll need to have read the preceding three pieces to get the end.
Disclaimers: I don't own One Piece.
Nami looked up as the door to her workroom opened to reveal a miserable-looking Zoro, raising an eyebrow as he shut the door behind him, pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.
She examined the pout on his face.
"Let me guess. Sore throat getting you down?"
Zoro nodded.
"Chopper refuse to let you train?"
Another nod.
"Can't sleep because your throat's annoying you?"
Vigorous nodding.
"Aww, poor little Zoro." He scowled when she patted his head condescendingly. "So you needed a distraction, which is why you're here," she deduced.
He nodded again.
"I suppose Sanji-kun threw you out of the galley in case you'd get germs all over his food?" she conjectured.
Zoro frowned and shook his head.
"No? Hmm, then I guess you went to Robin but watching her read was too boring? Luffy and the others wanted to play a game but it was too noisy? Brook wanted to play you a lullaby but you're too macho for a lullaby?"
Every guess she hazarded was met with a shake of the head. Finally he opened his mouth and croaked, "You're the first person I came to."
"Geez, don't talk! You sound terrible!" The pout grew ever more pronounced and Zoro rose as if to leave, but Nami tugged him down again. "I didn't say you couldn't stay." She had to admit she was the tiniest bit flattered by the admission. "I guess I won't have to ask you to keep quiet." He shook his head decisively. "But if you infect me with that sore throat, it'll cost you 10,000 beli."
Zoro arched an eyebrow in mock alarm and edged away from Nami. She gave him a quick smile and returned to work.
True to his word, he kept absolutely silent as he watched her work on her map, his attention glued to watching it take shape. It helped that it was just the sort of map he could actually comprehend, since it was a cross-sectional view showing the relative altitudes and positions of Jaya, the Knock-up Stream, the White Sea, the White-White Sea and the component islands of Skypeia. Up, in this case, actually meant "up".
Gradually, though, his attention was drawn towards the mapmaker. Zoro had never really thought about it, but Nami worked really hard on her maps, as hard as he worked when he trained. He could see it in the tiny furrow in her brow under the pair of red glasses she was wearing, in the hint of tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth whenever she worked on a technically difficult section. It made for a rather cute little tableau, and the hours flew by and he forgot all about his sore throat as she worked and he watched.
Finally Nami leaned back with a contented sigh and stretched the kinks out of her neck and shoulders. Zoro took the opportunity to point at a part of a map that had puzzled him, a legend in the corner with two human figures that he recognised as Conis and Pagaya. It wasn't the sort of detailed rendering Usopp might have made, but a stylised drawing showing the distinctive hairstyles and clothing of the Skypeians. Zoro had never seen anything like that on a map before, only confusing blobs of blue and green and brown.
Nami looked from Zoro's quizzical expression to the area indicated by his finger. "Oh, that? That was something I decided to start doing after hearing what Robin said at Enies Lobby," Nami explained. He still looked confused, so she clarified, "'You can't see people on a map.' Remember?"
Zoro did remember, and he frowned when he recalled the pain in Robin's voice as she spoke those words, his expression mirrored on Nami's face. But then the clouds cleared from her face and she grinned. "That's when I decided that you'd be able to see the people on my maps."
Now that Zoro looked more closely, next to the figures were a few statistics, showing the approximate size of the Skypeian population and various key demographic characteristics, and -
"Gross Island Product?"
"A rough measure of the wealth of each island." Zoro rolled his eyes, and was rewarded with a light knock on the head. "Hey, it's an important statistic to know!" Nami waited for him to make a comment, and when he didn't reply, she said impatiently, "Well? What d'you think of my idea?"
Zoro recalled a country that had once been full of people, full of wealth, full of life, now deserted and ruined, and nodded his wholehearted approval.
Nami smiled, and leaned over to give him a peck on the forehead. Zoro blinked. "Whazzat for?" he asked hoarsely.
"For being a good boy and keeping quiet." She studied his face once more, and put on an expression of mock disappointment. "Pity..."
Zoro's eyebrows arched into a question mark, silently asking, "What did I do?"
Nami grinned, and poked Zoro in the forehead. "I was hoping the frog would turn into a handsome prince."
Fortunately for Zoro, Nami completely misinterpreted the deep blush that followed her words.
.....
Okay, that's it for the Prince Zoro series! I may make vague allusions to it later, though...