A solemn remembrance
Title: Toro Nagashi
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 300
Rating: PG
Prompt: Wave
Characters: Strawhat Pirates
It's the word "festival" that attracts Luffy's attention, predictably enough. Zoro half-thinks that Luffy'll lose interest when Robin tells him the rest of the story, about the solemn significance of the ritual, that it commemorates death rather than celebrating life. But Luffy listens attentively instead, and when she finishes, declares, "I wanna do it!" And somehow Zoro finds he's not so surprised after all.
"How do we make the lanterns, Robin?" Luffy inquires further.
"I'm afraid my knowledge is purely theoretical, Captain-san," the black-haired sea-witch replies, her smile just this side of evil. "For that, you'll have to apply to Swordsman-san."
Which is how he, Roronoa Zoro, Demon of East Blue, comes to be leading an arts and crafts project in the middle of the Thousand Sunny's lawn deck, while his crewmates attempt to duplicate his instructions with varying degrees of success. No one asks, but Zoro can guess who most of them are for. Nami's remembering her mother, Chopper his Doctor Hiruluk, Franky Tom the shipwright. Robin and Brook, who have whole islands and ships to mourn for, decide to build larger lanterns, and the cook inexplicably follows suit. Usopp deftly makes one, and then another, and at first Zoro can't think who the second's for, until he sees the ship's drawing on the side. Luffy tries to make two as well, but he's so bad at it that Zoro winds up making the other for him instead.
It's dusk by the time they finish, which is good enough timing. "Light 'em up," Zoro directs. Sanji passes around his matches. Franky lowers the Soldier Dock and they stand in silence with the waves lapping at their feet. One by one, they lower their lanterns into the water, and wave farewell as they float away on the ripples of the Grand Line, towards infinity.
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 300
Rating: PG
Prompt: Wave
Characters: Strawhat Pirates
It's the word "festival" that attracts Luffy's attention, predictably enough. Zoro half-thinks that Luffy'll lose interest when Robin tells him the rest of the story, about the solemn significance of the ritual, that it commemorates death rather than celebrating life. But Luffy listens attentively instead, and when she finishes, declares, "I wanna do it!" And somehow Zoro finds he's not so surprised after all.
"How do we make the lanterns, Robin?" Luffy inquires further.
"I'm afraid my knowledge is purely theoretical, Captain-san," the black-haired sea-witch replies, her smile just this side of evil. "For that, you'll have to apply to Swordsman-san."
Which is how he, Roronoa Zoro, Demon of East Blue, comes to be leading an arts and crafts project in the middle of the Thousand Sunny's lawn deck, while his crewmates attempt to duplicate his instructions with varying degrees of success. No one asks, but Zoro can guess who most of them are for. Nami's remembering her mother, Chopper his Doctor Hiruluk, Franky Tom the shipwright. Robin and Brook, who have whole islands and ships to mourn for, decide to build larger lanterns, and the cook inexplicably follows suit. Usopp deftly makes one, and then another, and at first Zoro can't think who the second's for, until he sees the ship's drawing on the side. Luffy tries to make two as well, but he's so bad at it that Zoro winds up making the other for him instead.
It's dusk by the time they finish, which is good enough timing. "Light 'em up," Zoro directs. Sanji passes around his matches. Franky lowers the Soldier Dock and they stand in silence with the waves lapping at their feet. One by one, they lower their lanterns into the water, and wave farewell as they float away on the ripples of the Grand Line, towards infinity.