(Episode) Secrets Hidden in Song and a Buzzing Bee?!

(On a small, unnamed island in the East Blue)


Ever since her work helping Bastion the Masked Knight of Lvneel, Diana thought that she would spend a   few days resting and relaxing before continuing in her quest. She had hitched a ride aboard a merchant vessel bound for the East Blue and had managed to acquire information that this particular island had wonderful seafood and hospitable denizens. Through negotiations with the merchants and townsfolk, Diana had secured lodgings for 3 days in exchange for providing the village with firewood from the forest.

Grnnk The splintering of wood sounded as Diana collected fallen trees from the forest and hoisting them readily upon her shoulders, turned to begin her trek back to the village. For fear of the village's safety and to ensure that there were no accidents, she had chosen to work a few miles away from the village. As Diana emerged from the treeline, the villagers stopped to stare in awe. She chose to ignore them, unwilling to deal with the discomfort that their stares brought. Stopping behind the storage sill, Diana began to split the trees into more useful logs and stack them carefully one atop another. This would surely provision the village through the winter. Thnk. Thnk. The pile of neatly stacked logs grew and grew, spreading outwards like a small, flat mountain rising from the earth.

Diana's solitude was soon broken as a small voice spoke up. "Are you planning to build a house? That's far too much." The voice came from a man in his 60s who stood by Diana's ankle as she worked, picking apart the trees and leaning down to place them on the pile. He wore a blue uniform and cap that covered his salt and pepper hair. "Oh is it? I simply thought it would be best to be prepared." Diana said, as the man beside her explained his mild irritation with a grunt. "Here you go." The man replied, handing Diana today's newspaper. It was like a scrap of paper in her massive hands. "Thanks, Pete." Diana replied as the man walked off, waving his arm dismissively at her gratitude.

Diana took the minuscule scrap of paper, and pinching it between two hands and holding it open, she squinted at it, trying to make out anything interesting. Information about the outside world had become very valuable to her since she had escaped from her enslavement. At first glance, Diana couldn't spot anything interesting. She was about to close it but then a particular word caught her eye. "Siren." It was the name she had been called by those attempting to capture her on Lvneel. Diana choked, sputtering as she saw it again. "What in the world is it doing in here?" She asked aloud, drawing several stares. Reading the article more carefully, she pieced out that it was a song from Orange Town that had quickly grown popular among the lower ranks. The song was signed with her name. Or well, not exactly her name. But...who had written this? Diana resolved herself to head out and find them.

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(A Ship Heading into the Orange Town Port)

Clouds drifted slowly over Diana's head, an endless blue canopy matched only by the clear blue sea below. The boat rocked gently with the waves, sails billowed in the wind, as it was pulled along. Sea air with its sweet, salty tinge blew gently around Diana. Diana sat on the deck of a massive, merchant ship that was less heavily loaded with supplies. Crates and containers forming a backrest for her as she watched the skies. The captain had specifically wanted Diana's colossal form in the center of the boat, where she supposed she served as ballast for the vessel. Additionally, she had been given explicit instructions to not move as much as possible by the crew, who were likely fearful that she might stumble around and break something. It was a familiar reaction, and Diana tried not to hold it against them. What this meant in reality was that Diana had a lot of time to think to herself. In her mind, the song in the newspaper ran continuously and Diana found herself softly singing it under her breath.

 

Diana blinked as she spotted seagulls circling overhead. Sure enough, the soft sound of lapping waves on the hull of the boat was soon broken with their clarion call and a shout of Land Ahoy. Diana stirred, sitting up as the boat pulled into port. With caution, she extricated herself from the mess of crates in the center of the ship and delicately slipped off the side of the boat and onto port. Diana stretched, raising her arms above her head. It felt good to move about and stand after several hours of being cooped up in a enclosed space.

Gulls flying overhead, people crying their wares for all to hear. Horus had been on this island for a week or two now, and he found so very little of it changed. Hadn't he heard stories that the East Blue was the most uneventful of the islands? Perhaps this was what life was like for quite a lot of people. Horus thought on it for a moment, and found his mind reeling at the possibility. If he'd been raised anywhere like this, he never would've felt even a bit of wanderlust. The idea that this Blue had birthed pirates strong enough to be called Yonkou or Shichibukai was a sobering thought for him, something he couldn't quite wrap his mind around.

Had he ever really wanted for anything, in his life? As far back as he could remember, Horus had been the one clinging most strongly to his hometown. His parents had wanted to move, his parents had risked the oceans for a 'better life', and now so had his child. He knew the stories of her homeland, and the dreariness there. But what had Sheri told her about -him-? He couldn't help but run all those conversations in his mind. What could people really say about him, besides "not much of note"? Could it even be that simple? He was a man that wasn't really even that memorable?

And so here he stood at the docks, dressed up like an enormous bee, with his hands somberly folded over his chest, watching the ships sail into port on any given day. He wasn't looking for anything in particular really, just watching. Bounty work was largely about patience and attention to details, from what he had noticed so far. If he was just there, watching, when things went down, then he wouldn't need to wonder anymore. So far, most of the conversations had been dead ends. Most of them just people griping about how happy they'd be when they got 'there'. But it was never the same 'there'. Everyone seemed to be travelling to somewhere, and it was always somewhere far off, some place they had never actually been.

What was it about home that upset people so much? Did they all long for something they couldn't have more than what they'd had all along?

...For that matter, Sheri never had a father, did she?

Well, that would change soon. Horus took a few tentative steps backwards towards the edge of the docks, leaning precariously in a way that almost made him look like he was defying gravity, as a man passed by carrying a particularly large crate. As he did, he could see what looked like two masts on the boat approaching even now. One of them, however, seemed to be craning around to look at him even as he looked at it. But that would've made it easily twice as tall as him. Absurd, right?

As the ship docked, Diana waited till the ship was tied off before attempting to move. Large ropes of twine were hurled off the ship and quickly looped around posts in the port as the gangplank was lowered to the deck with a light thunk. Stepping off the boat, Diana stepped onto the pier with a earth trembling, dull thud. The wood underneath her feet groaned as it bore her weight, but it had bore heavier freight before. Many stares were directed at the colossal, fiery haired giant as she delicately began to assist the merchants unloading the ship, easily foisting of tons of cargo at a time, but Diana ignored the stares she garnered. However, she couldn't shake the subtle feeling that something was wrong. The feeling of being watched by an unseen figure persisted.

After the ship was fully unloaded, Diana crouched down and extended an open palm to the merchants who unceremoniously dropped a sack of berries into her hand for the assistance. Diana stood and pocketed the small earnings, before turning her attention to the streets. Carefully, lest she catch someone underfoot, Diana began the process of navigating her way up the port and into the streets, so that she might find a place to discreetly inquire about the article. The traffic of the city generally gave Diana a wide berth as she moved, moving out of her direct path, likely with the same fear of being trampled. Diana caught brief flashes of yellow and black in her peripherals, but couldn't seem to pinpoint the source whenever she turned around to look.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, but still keeping a wary eye out, Diana crouched down and stopped a woman in the street. "Hello. Might you know where I can find who wrote this article?" She inquired, displaying the newspaper dwarfed in her massive palm. The woman shook her head so fast that Diana worried it might come off. Trembling like a deer in the headlights, she slowly shuffled backwards out of Diane's reach and turned quickly down a side street. Diana sighed, trying not to take affront. Most everyone she met outside of Elbaf had reacted with either fear or awe. And it was clear from the mixed expressions on the citizens passing by, that this island was going to be the exact same. And so Diana continued, kneeling down every so often to stop a passerby and ask if they knew anything about this mysterious song signed with her not-name. All the while, Diana was waiting for her watcher to make a move.

For most of his life, Horus had just gotten used to things made to scale: that beds were twenty feet long, doorways were twice as big as they were here, and a great deal other things. There had been a lot of culture shock when he came to a new island and realized everything was so -tiny-. People here always made him feel like he was in some kind of weird play, where half of them were off-screen, hidden from his view. And to their credit, most of the people on this island reacted to him as if he weren't that unexpected. A man twice their size was apparently something they dealt with, if not regularly, than often enough to have a few oversized beds set aside.

This girl on the other hand, she seemed to elicit a far less amicable reaction. Twice as large as him, most people wouldn't get within twenty feet of her as if for fear she'd just pitch forward and fall on them, crushing them to death. He watched them quiver and rush out of her shadow like cockroaches spooked by a light source coming out of nowhere, watched them mutter countless apologies or meaningless comments that she likely couldn't even hear. He finally made a decision, after about three minutes of seeing her trying to interact with others and not really getting anywhere.

If they could stand someone twice their size, it shouldn't be any surprise when he did the same, right? So he walked towards her, his movements unhurried, communicating a sense of normalcy as if this weren't the first giant he'd ever met in his life. He was already rehearsing the best ways to get her to believe that he was just as jaded as the rest of them, an expert on all things odd and outlandish, when he finally got close enough to tug at her pant leg.

"Let me see that paper, if you don't mind? Most people here aren't used to large print, I'm willing to bet."

He flicked his gaze towards the nearest woman, who was hurriedly carrying away a bushel of fruits. Plums, it looked like. She paused as he rose a hand towards her, his gaze turning almost murderously angry, as he flicked it with annoyance towards him, just slightly. His other hand drew out a bill and reached across his body as he plucked a pair of what looked to be the ripest and most pleasant fruit in the basket, giving her the rest. He took a bite out of one, then tossed the other one straight up into the air, waiting to see whether or not she'd bother to take the fruit that was more or less being offered to her.

"Been a while since I felt like the short man. Tell me, you know where to find a decent fabric softener when you're sailing? Doing your laundry must be a pain, cause...hoo, I know it is for me. Then again..."

He gestured somberly towards his costume, two pom-poms the size of most people's fists gently bobbing atop his shaved scalp as he did.

The attitude of the citizens around Diana wasn't surprising, but at the same time Diana had hoped that she would receive a warmer welcome than attempts to scramble away as fast as possible or pray for her mercy. The thousand apologies of everyone she approached was getting old fast, and Diana was starting to get frustrated by their insincerity. Additionally, her trained ears could pick up the frightened murmurs exchanged between themselves. Diana felt like the lion at a circus, awe-inspiring so long as she was isolated from them. The people of this district were very different than the humans who had welcomed her to Hibiscus Town in the North Blue. After continuing to try and approach three different strangers, Diana sighed and balled her hands into fists, crumpling the newspaper into a compact ball. Diana was ready to toss it and move on, resigning herself that this had been a lost cause. I need to search elsewhere. I'm not going to get anywhere if everyone's afraid of me. Diana thought to herself with a sigh.

It was in this contemplation that Diana was surprised by a tug on her pant leg. Perking an eyebrow curiously, she looked down to see who was trying to grab her attention. Diana blinked in surprise. Firstly, the individual standing next to her was taller than a regular human, about double their size. Additionally, they seemed to be wearing a puffy black and gold bee costume. This individual had even included "antennae" atop their head to complement the insectoid costume. While Diana was weighing whether or not to accept this man's offer to allow him to examine the scrap of paper she was clutching, she noticed the man purchase the two fruits from a passerby. Diana's lip curled with distaste when she noticed that the man had used fear to influence the woman to approach them. He was certainly not doing her any favors through such actions within her presence.  

And then the man threw the second fruit into the air. Diana moved deceptively fast, a sudden shadow looming over the two below as her hand stretched out and caught the fruit mid-air. True, it was merely a morsel to Diana, but she savored its sweet flavor. The plum tasted heavenly compared to the provisions Diana had secured for her voyage here on the merchant ship. salted meat and rations for days on end tended to dull the taste buds. She smiled towards the woman carrying the bushel of fruits. "Thank you. That was the best plum I have ever tasted." Then fierce, emerald eyes affixed themselves upon the human bee who had begun to ask her for what fabric softener she used in her laundry. Diana's lips pressed into a firm line, as she contemplated how to respond after that tremendous faux pas. "I use various natural oils and conditioners like olive oil and honey. A word of advice, it reflects poorly upon you to use your size to bully others." Diana said, before she slowly lowered the comparatively small scrap of paper towards this rude stranger. "I was wondering if perhaps people knew where I might find the author of this article."

"You mean use your height to bully others, right? Cause short people can bully others on the basis of height all they like. 'Oh, sorry, we only have space for you to sleep in the crow's nest. You want food? Have the bulk discount!' They're not treating you this way out of fear, you know. There's a marine base right up the road, and every single person here is safe in the knowledge that if a wild beast went on a rampage, the World Government would put them down. They've been perfectly pleasant with -me-, but as soon as you come along, everyone's all hush hush and 'oh so sorry, please forgive me!'"

There was no heat or vitriol in Horus's voice when he spoke, even though his eyes were still shaded a little too heavily by a glower, and his fingers tapped a small staccato rhythm on his outfit as he looked at her, seeming to run countless things through his mind. Her 'word of advice' had come out so quickly and with such ease that it carried with it a sense of route memorization, almost. Like a person who had been told that his entire life, growing up. To be kind, and pleasant to everyone, to treat them all respectfully. So why did he get the sense that she wasn't really understanding what she was saying? Was she just another young vagrant, deciding to push out from under their parents' wing? Or was there something else going on here? He couldn't just -ask-.

He instead settled for pulling out another bill and gently smoothing it on his forehead as he spoke, looking somewhere in the general vicinity of her earlobe. He had no real basis for thinking so, but some part of him was telling him that he was in the presence of a young soul, a person who likely had never so much as had a beer in their life. He finally settled for holding up the bill and gesturing down the street, towards the closest tavern he could think of. If nothing else, plying people with alcohol was the easiest way imaginable to get information. On her, and on this paper of hers.

"My advice? Start by buying everyone a drink. People like big spenders, and they like free things. You go where the travellers wet their parched throats, they'll probably spin you a dozen yarns about giants, and never once bat an eye at your size. I'm all for treating others kindly, and letting them live their lives the way they want. I'll be happy to debate you on what exactly makes someone a bully while we wait to hear back if you want. Something tells me you've not put a lot of thought into the question of what makes the strong different from the weak."

The stranger's comments only seemed to elicit a questioning stare from Diana, as she affixed him with a gaze and raised an eyebrow at this repressed, vehement outburst. After a few moments, she responded. "That is why I said size. I am highly aware of the prejudice some humans have towards those who do not look or act like them. However, as this is seemingly the case here, causing a scene will not help me and will rather only hinder me." Diana's voice held a slight, suppressed note of reprimand, though less from a standpoint of the correct ways to act and rather the presumptions of this stranger who had seemingly taken to coddling her.

Diana shook her head lightly, attempting to clear such negative thoughts from her mind. Perhaps she was being too harsh, and this odd figure had merely wanted to help. He had given her a place to start after all. Reaching down, Diana deftly plucked the small bill from his hand and glanced towards where he had directed her. "Normally, I would rather not ply people for information with drink. The information is often muddled, and as you have stated already, mostly yarns compared to actual facts." She contemplated for a moment, and relented with a slight slump of her shoulders. "And yet, I am not making any progress here." She started towards the tavern he had indicated and spotted one of the tavern's employees sweeping outside. Diana knelt down slightly to attempt to reassure him that she meant no harm as she coughed to get his attention. "Excuse me?" Diana asked, wincing slightly as the man spun around with shock as her looming shadow fell over him. "I would like to buy everyone in this bar a drink." Diana said, extending the small bill pinched between two of her fingers towards the tavern keeper.

There was a slightly awkward silence before the tavern erupted into joyful chaos. Diana froze slightly as patrons of the bar swarmed her, all cheery and approving. It seemed that she was one of them now, as they crowded around her and raised their mugs towards her. The tavern keeper nodded and took the bill from Diana's outstretched fingers before returning to the bar and starting to refill the mugs of those closest to him. "Ah, thank you. Thank you." Diana mumbled uncomfortably at all of the cheers in her direction. Turning towards the nearest person, who wasn't intoxicated to the point of incoherence, she lowered the scrap of paper with the Siren's song on it and asked. "Excuse me, might you know the author of this song? I've been looking for them."

Horus walked along behind Diana, his movements stiff and professional, even underneath his ridiculously gaudy outfit. He had been in town long enough that no one bothered to openly gawk or make demeaning comments anymore, but he was well aware of what the average person around this town thought of him. He had heard all the comments before; people asking if he truly had nothing better to do at his age, people politely suggesting that he try getting out more, or that he try dating. Endless comments, all leading to the same conclusion; no normal man would choose to dress up like a bee and go walking around. He truly wished, just once, that someone would say it to him, just so he could ask them if, deep down, they thought -he didn't know that too-.

But family was one of those things that never made sense. In fact, trying to make family make sense was probably the most nonsensical thing one could do. Horus could still remember his mother and father, and the ridiculous things they had gotten up to, and let him get up to. It was a time-honored tradition, wasn't it? Parents embarrassed children, children disappointed parents, children tried to get away from their parents...and then, inevitably, the child would find their way back, or.

Horus wasn't going to bother humoring that 'or'.

He entered just as a group of people were swarming Diana, shouting various jeers and light-hearted japes as they filed over towards the counter, grabbing a mug and ambling over towards her, offering whatever scant thanks they could. Only one man in the tavern didn't rush to the counter, and that was probably because he already -had- a mug right there in front of him. He watched Diana with something like astonishment, and rose to sidle over to her, making his way between people. As she turned to speak to him, he rose his own mug, condensation still coating the sides, and gave a toothy grin.

"You dunno what you just did, girlie? You're gonna be their favorite for the rest of the night. Half the dopes here just sit around waiting to mooch a free drink off whoever they can. They'll promise you just about anything if you offer 'em one more round. Luckily for yer, I'm a guy who believes ale tastes best when you worked for it, so I'll be payin' for my own drinks, thanks all the same. Might be partial to a bowl of stew if you're interested in sharing a meal, though. Ale's best when it ain't free, and grub's best when you're not alone. That's how I live my life."

He grabbed the sheet from her hand, making a very loud sucking sound as he looked at it. He scratched his cheek, examined the paper, and then started tapping one foot against the ground for a few moments. In the din of the tavern it was hard to tell precisely, but it almost seemed like he was humming to himself, or trying to count time. He lifted the paper to the light, as if he were curious for some sort of hidden message, twisting it this way and that. All in all, he had the paper for about five minutes, before he shook his head despondent.

"Sorry, girlie. I'm not gonna be much help for ya here. I'm pretty tone deaf, which is for the best. Like singin' in the shower, I sure do. Makes the single life easier, when you don't need to worry about someone laughing at you for butchering their favorite songs. I can't even really tell if this is supposed to be a sad song or a happy one. Don't look very happy on paper, but it's telling people to come here, so...maybe this old man is just a little too out of touch?"

He paused for a second, taking a couple swigs of his ale, and then wiping at his mouth, looking at her somewhat curiously.

"You don't want a drink of your own, girlie? You're gonna make people stand out something fierce if you buy them somethin' and don't even have any yourself. Wouldn't expect you to get that one, since you're from far off, but it makes ya seem sorta...uppity, you could say. Why don't you get a drink for yourself? Maybe if you sing that song for us, it'll jog someone's memory. Seems, with lungs as big as yours, singing should be pretty easy."